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🥜 Cash Nut – Your Daily Crunch of Finance & Tech News

Good morning, money movers! 💰 If you ever needed proof that MrBeast is building an empire, his company just hit a $5 billion valuation (maybe he should give away a private island to celebrate? 🌴). Meanwhile, Stripe is flexing its fintech muscles, and the AI race is heating up in China. Let’s dive in! 🚀

💳 Stripe Hits $91.5B—But Still No IPO In Sight

Stripe is making money moves without Wall Street’s help. Instead of going public, the fintech giant just finalized a tender sale that values it at $91.5 billion—a whopping 41% jump from last year. 💸

📈 By the numbers:

• Stripe processed $1.4 trillion in payments in 2024, up 38% YoY.

• Profitable and planning to stay that way (take notes, fintech startups 📓).

• Stripe Billing? It’s now a $500M annual revenue machine.

Instead of filing for an IPO like Klarna and Chime, Stripe is doubling down on high-margin software and stablecoins—like its $1.1B acquisition of Bridge for crypto-backed payments. The fintech behemoth is also ramping up AI investments, proving once again that it’s playing the long game. 🏆

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🤖 Tencent’s AI Model: Faster Than DeepSeek?

China’s AI race just got even spicier. Tencent claims its new “Hunyuan Turbo S” AI model beats homegrown rival DeepSeek in speed and efficiency. 🏎️💨

Why does that matter? AI models that process queries faster are not only more cost-effective but also more energy-efficient—a major selling point as tech companies trim AI spending.

📌 Key trends:

• Alibaba’s new AI also claimed to beat DeepSeek, pushing its stock higher last week 📈.

• Chip wars: Nvidia’s sales growth slowed to 78% as AI chip demand cooled. Meanwhile, Huawei is catching up fast despite US sanctions.

• AI price pressure: As Chinese AI firms cut costs, US companies like OpenAI and Microsoft may have to follow suit.

Big tech is pouring billions into AI, but will the returns justify the hype? Investors are getting impatient. ⏳

📉 Salesforce Stumbles on AI Optimism

Salesforce ($CRM) bet big on AI to turn its fortunes around, but investors aren’t convinced just yet. Shares slid after its earnings report, thanks to weak revenue growth and an underwhelming AI outlook.

🤔 What’s going on?

• Agentforce AI has signed 3,000+ paid deals since October, but contributed little to revenue.

• Revenue growth projected at 7.4% this year, falling short of expectations.

• Investors remain skeptical as companies struggle to monetize AI products.

Salesforce isn’t alone—Google and Microsoft have been hiking prices to make AI pay off. But with a potential Google partnership in the works, maybe Salesforce has a few tricks left up its sleeve. 🃏

🏆 MrBeast’s $5B Empire is Growing

YouTuber MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) isn’t just breaking records—he’s building a business empire. His company, MrBeast LLC, is reportedly raising hundreds of millions of dollars at a massive $5 billion valuation. 🤯

🍫 What’s inside the empire?

• Feastables: His chocolate brand 🍫.

• Lunchly: A healthier alternative to Lunchables 🥪.

• TV ventures: His Amazon Prime show was a hit despite legal drama 📺.

With $400M in revenue last year, MrBeast isn’t just a YouTuber anymore—he’s a media mogul in the making.

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📌 Other News You Should Know

• 🧑‍💻 Amazon revealed its first quantum computing chip, "Ocelot," to rival Google & Microsoft.

• 🚀 Blue Origin’s next flight will feature an all-women crew, including Katy Perry & Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez.

• 💾 Meta is considering spinning off Instagram Reels into its own app—TikTok better watch out. 👀

• 🍕 Refund fraud is hitting delivery apps hard—customers are gaming the system to score free food.

• 🎙️ YouTube Podcasts now reach 1 billion+ viewers monthly, leaving Spotify (100M listeners) in the dust.

• 📉 HP stock dipped after forecasting weak earnings amid US-China trade tensions.

• 💊 Walgreens could be split into US & UK businesses if Sycamore Partners’ buyout succeeds.

🥜 That’s a Wrap!

That’s all for today, folks! If you enjoyed today’s edition, hit that share button and spread the Cash Nut love. 💛 Until next time, stay sharp, stay informed, and maybe don’t trust every AI chatbot with your life advice. 😉

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