Quick Bytes – Jan 5th: Will Apple Buy Netflix?

A look at the most interesting startup and business-related news stories of the week.

Apple interested in Netflix

Quick Byte

According to Citigroup analysts, there’s a 40% chance that Apple will buy Netflix after reported interest from the giant in acquiring an entertainment company. At $85 billion, it would be their largest acquisition, followed by Beats Electronics at reported $3 billion and would give the company a more serious foothold in the online streaming industry.

The Full Story

Cupertino-based Apple is interested in making a major acquisition of a car company, video game company or entertainment company, with Netflix being their most likely target, Citigroup analysts said in a recent note to investors.

Citi analysts Jim Suva and Asiya Merchant believe there’s a 40 percent chance Apple buys Netflix, a 25 percent chance the company buys The Walt Disney Co., a 10 percent chance the company buys video game makers Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts or Take-Two Interactive Software, and a 5 percent chance the company buys Tesla, Business Insider reports.

Netflix is currently valued at $85 billion, and few companies other than Apple have the war chest deep enough to entertain an acquisition of that size. Read the Full Article Here

Bitcoin gets official

Quick Byte

Governments and banks are now starting to look at the Wild West of the financial world with more serious intent, the New York Times reports. Unsurprisingly, Russia sees real potential in a bitcoin-like crypto ruble to conduct state payments overseas without sanctions. However, economists doubt that Russia (and Venezuela also) will be able to exercise control over a system that has decentralization and a lack of control as the fundamental concepts that make the currency work.

The Full Story

Russian and Venezuelan officials are hoping virtual currencies can help their countries make an end run around American sanctions.

Both governments, with ambitions to create state-sponsored cryptocurrencies, are looking to take advantage of the promise that Bitcoin introduced to the world financial system: a new kind of money and financial infrastructure, outside the control of any central authority, particularly the United States. Read the Full Article Here

Will the tech IPO floodgates be opening?

Quick Byte

Every year, someone reports that this year is the year that tech IPOs will be huge. A brief history – 2014 was the last big year with 56 IPOs raising $32.9 billion. IPOs dropped but have been slowly growing to 37 IPOs last year raising $9.9 billion. Venture Beat’s list of 12 picks for IPOs in 2018 is an interesting read. It has names we’ve seen before – Airbnb, Dropbox, Pinterest – but also some newcomers. It’s based on a number of factors, including market analyses from venture capital firms (low volatility and public market figures as good as they’ll ever be), as well as confidential filings.

The Full Story

New book sheds light on Silicon Valley antics

Quick Byte

The much-anticipated book by Bloomberg TV journalist, Emily Chang, is set for release on February 6. “Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley” chronicles a Wolf-of-Wall-Street-esque existence of sex parties and drugs, all according to 12 anonymously interviewed sources. The startup world is taking notice, not so much because of the alleged debauchery, but because business is done in this atmosphere, exhibiting another area of the industry where it’s difficult for women in tech to do business in.

The Full Story