#Software mergers and acquisitions

[youthchronical]

Figma in Talks With Bankers to Explore an I.P.O. This Year

Figma, a cloud-based design platform, has met with investment banks in recent weeks to discuss an initial public offering that could come as soon as this year, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The talks come after European and U.S. regulators stymied an effort by the software giant Adobe to buy Figma for $20 billion in 2023. Figma’s chief executive, Dylan Field, has said the…

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Cloudburst

Enshittification isn’t inevitable: under different conditions and constraints, the old, good internet could have given way to a new, good internet. Enshittification is the result of specific policy choices: encouraging monopolies; enabling high-speed, digital shell games; and blocking interoperability.

First we allowed companies to buy up their competitors. Google is the shining example here: having made one good product (search), they then fielded an essentially unbroken string of in-house flops, but it didn’t matter, because they were able to buy their way to glory: video, mobile, ad-tech, server management, docs, navigation…They’re not Willy Wonka’s idea factory, they’re Rich Uncle Pennybags, making up for their lack of invention by buying out everyone else:

https://locusmag.com/2022/03/cory-doctorow-vertically-challenged/

But this acquisition-fueled growth isn’t unique to tech. Every administration since Reagan (but not Biden! more on this later) has chipped away at antitrust enforcement, so that every sector has undergone an orgy of mergers, from athletic shoes to sea freight, eyeglasses to pro wrestling:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2021/07/09/the-importance-of-competition-for-the-american-economy/

But tech is different, because digital is flexible in a way that analog can never be. Tech companies can “twiddle” the back-ends of their clouds to change the rules of the business from moment to moment, in a high-speed shell-game that can make it impossible to know what kind of deal you’re getting:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/27/knob-jockeys/#bros-be-twiddlin

To make things worse, users are banned from twiddling. The thicket of rules we call IP ensure that twiddling is only done against users, never for them. Reverse-engineering, scraping, bots — these can all be blocked with legal threats and suits and even criminal sanctions, even if they’re being done for legitimate purposes:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

Enhittification isn’t inevitable but if we let companies buy all their competitors, if we let them twiddle us with every hour that God sends, if we make it illegal to twiddle back in self-defense, we will get twiddled to death. When a company can operate without the discipline of competition, nor of privacy law, nor of labor law, nor of fair trading law, with the US government standing by to punish any rival who alters the logic of their service, then enshittification is the utterly foreseeable outcome.

To understand how our technology gets distorted by these policy choices, consider “The Cloud.” Once, “the cloud” was just a white-board glyph, a way to show that some part of a software’s logic would touch some commodified, fungible, interchangeable appendage of the internet. Today, “The Cloud” is a flashing warning sign, the harbinger of enshittification.

When your image-editing tools live on your computer, your files are yours. But once Adobe moves your software to The Cloud, your critical, labor-intensive, unrecreatable images are purely contingent. At at time, without notice, Adobe can twiddle the back end and literally steal the colors out of your own files:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/28/fade-to-black/#trust-the-process

The finance sector loves The Cloud. Add “The Cloud” to a product and profits (money you get for selling something) can turn into rents (money you get for owning something). Profits can be eroded by competition, but rents are evergreen:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

No wonder The Cloud has seeped into every corner of our lives. Remember your first iPod? Adding music to it was trivial: double click any music file to import it into iTunes, then plug in your iPod and presto, synched! Today, even sophisticated technology users struggle to “side load” files onto their mobile devices. Instead, the mobile duopoly — Apple and Google, who bought their way to mobile glory and have converged on the same rent-seeking business practices, down to the percentages they charge — want you to get your files from The Cloud, via their apps. This isn’t for technological reasons, it’s a business imperative: 30% of every transaction that involves an app gets creamed off by either Apple or Google in pure rents:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/red-team-blues-another-audiobook-that-amazon-wont-sell/posts/3788112

And yet, The Cloud is undeniably useful. Having your files synch across multiple devices, including your collaborators’ devices, with built-in tools for resolving conflicting changes, is amazing. Indeed, this feat is the holy grail of networked tools, because it’s how programmers write all the software we use, including software in The Cloud.

If you want to know how good a tool can be, just look at the tools that toolsmiths use. With “source control” — the software programmers use to collaboratively write software — we get a very different vision of how The Cloud could operate. Indeed, modern source control doesn’t use The Cloud at all. Programmers’ workflow doesn’t break if they can’t access the internet, and if the company that provides their source control servers goes away, it’s simplicity itself to move onto another server provider.

This isn’t The Cloud, it’s just “the cloud” — that whiteboard glyph from the days of the old, good internet — freely interchangeable, eminently fungible, disposable and replaceable. For a tool like git, Github is just one possible synchronization point among many, all of which have a workflow whereby programmers’ computers automatically make local copies of all relevant data and periodically lob it back up to one or more servers, resolving conflicting edits through a process that is also largely automated.

There’s a name for this model: it’s called “Local First” computing, which is computing that starts from the presumption that the user and their device is the most important element of the system. Networked servers are dumb pipes and dumb storage, a nice-to-have that fails gracefully when it’s not available.

The data structures of source-code are among the most complicated formats we have; if we can do this for code, we can do it for spreadsheets, word-processing files, slide-decks, even edit-decision-lists for video and audio projects. If local-first computing can work for programmers writing code, it can work for the programs those programmers write.

Local-first computing is experiencing a renaissance. Writing for Wired, Gregory Barber traces the history of the movement, starting with the French computer scientist Marc Shapiro, who helped develop the theory of “Conflict-Free Replicated Data” — a way to synchronize data after multiple people edit it — two decades ago:

https://www.wired.com/story/the-cloud-is-a-prison-can-the-local-first-software-movement-set-us-free/

Shapiro and his co-author Nuno Preguiça envisioned CFRD as the building block of a new generation of P2P collaboration tools that weren’t exactly serverless, but which also didn’t rely on servers as the lynchpin of their operation. They published a technical paper that, while exiting, was largely drowned out by the release of GoogleDocs (based on technology built by a company that Google bought, not something Google made in-house).

Shapiro and Preguiça’s work got fresh interest with the 2019 publication of “Local-First Software: You Own Your Data, in spite of the Cloud,” a viral whitepaper-cum-manifesto from a quartet of computer scientists associated with Cambridge University and Ink and Switch, a self-described “industrial research lab”:

https://www.inkandswitch.com/local-first/static/local-first.pdf

The paper describes how its authors — Martin Kleppmann, Adam Wiggins, Peter van Hardenberg and Mark McGranaghan — prototyped and tested a bunch of simple local-first collaboration tools built on CFRD algorithms, with the goal of “network optional…seamless collaboration.” The results are impressive, if nascent. Conflicting edits were simpler to resolve than the authors anticipated, and users found URLs to be a good, intuitive way of sharing documents. The biggest hurdles are relatively minor, like managing large amounts of change-data associated with shared files.

Just as importantly, the paper makes the case for why you’d want to switch to local-first computing. The Cloud is not reliable. Companies like Evernote don’t last forever — they can disappear in an eyeblink, and take your data with them:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/9/23789012/evernote-layoff-us-staff-bending-spoons-note-taking-app

Google isn’t likely to disappear any time soon, but Google is a graduate of the Darth Vader MBA program (“I have altered the deal, pray I don’t alter it any further”) and notorious for shuttering its products, even beloved ones like Google Reader:

https://www.theverge.com/23778253/google-reader-death-2013-rss-social

And while the authors don’t mention it, Google is also prone to simply kicking people off all its services, costing them their phone numbers, email addresses, photos, document archives and more:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/22/allopathic-risk/#snitches-get-stitches

There is enormous enthusiasm among developers for local-first application design, which is only natural. After all, companies that use The Cloud go to great lengths to make it just “the cloud,” using containerization to simplify hopping from one cloud provider to another in a bid to stave off lock-in from their cloud providers and the enshittification that inevitably follows.

The nimbleness of containerization acts as a disciplining force on cloud providers when they deal with their business customers: disciplined by the threat of losing money, cloud companies are incentivized to treat those customers better. The companies we deal with as end-users know exactly how bad it gets when a tech company can impose high switching costs on you and then turn the screws until things are almost-but-not-quite so bad that you bolt for the doors. They devote fantastic effort to making sure that never happens to them — and that they can always do that to you.

Interoperability — the ability to leave one service for another — is technology’s secret weapon, the thing that ensures that users can turn The Cloud into “the cloud,” a humble whiteboard glyph that you can erase and redraw whenever it suits you. It’s the greatest hedge we have against enshittification, so small wonder that Big Tech has spent decades using interop to clobber their competitors, and lobbying to make it illegal to use interop against them:

https://locusmag.com/2019/01/cory-doctorow-disruption-for-thee-but-not-for-me/

Getting interop back is a hard slog, but it’s also our best shot at creating a new, good internet that lives up the promise of the old, good internet. In my next book, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation (Verso Books, Sept 5), I set out a program fro disenshittifying the internet:

https://www.versobooks.com/products/3035-the-internet-con

The book is up for pre-order on Kickstarter now, along with an independent, DRM-free audiobooks (DRM-free media is the content-layer equivalent of containerized services — you can move them into or out of any app you want):

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

Meanwhile, Lina Khan, the FTC and the DoJ Antitrust Division are taking steps to halt the economic side of enshittification, publishing new merger guidelines that will ban the kind of anticompetitive merger that let Big Tech buy its way to glory:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/biden-administration-corporate-merger-antitrust-guidelines/674779/

The internet doesn’t have to be enshittified, and it’s not too late to disenshittify it. Indeed — the same forces that enshittified the internet — monopoly mergers, a privacy and labor free-for-all, prohibitions on user-side twiddling — have enshittified everything from cars to powered wheelchairs. Not only should we fight enshittification — we must.

Back my anti-enshittification Kickstarter here!

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad- free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/03/there-is-no-cloud/#only-other-peoples-computers

Image: Drahtlos (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Motherboard_Intel_386.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

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cdsessums (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monsoon_Season_Flagstaff_AZ_clouds_storm.jpg

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

[lboogie1906]

Robert Frederick Smith (December 1, 1962) is a businessman, philanthropist, chemical engineer, and investor. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.

In high school, he applied for an internship at Bell Labs but was told the program was intended for college students. He persisted, calling each Monday for five months. When a student from M.I.T. did not show up, he got the position, and that summer he developed a reliability test for semiconductors. He earned a BS in chemical engineering from Cornell University. He became a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha. He received his MBA from Columbia University with concentrations in finance and marketing.

He worked at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Air Products & Chemicals, and Kraft General Foods as a chemical engineer, where he registered two US and two European patents. He worked for Goldman Sachs in technology investment banking, first in New York City and then in Silicon Valley. He advised on mergers and acquisition activity with companies such as Apple and Microsoft. He was included in Vanity Fair’s New Establishment List, which is an annual ranking of individuals who have made impactful business innovations.

He founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm of which he is the principal founder, chairman, and chief executive. He is credited with generating a 30 percent rate of return for his investors from the company’s inception to 2020. Vista Equity Partners was the fourth largest enterprise software company after Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP, including all their holdings. Vista has invested in companies such as STATS, Ping Identity, and Jio. Vista Equity Partners had closed more than $46 billion of funding.

He was named Private Equity International’s Game Changer of the Year for his work with Vista.

The 2019 PitchBook Private Equity Awards named Vista Equity Partners “Dealmaker of the Year”. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[courtana]

Around 600 workers in Activision Publishing’s quality assurance department have formed a union. Assisted by the Communications Workers of America, the employees completed their vote with the results certified on Friday, March 8th. With that, Activision Quality Assurance United – CWA becomes the latest union to arise out of Microsoft’s gaming division and the largest video game union in the United States. In 2022, Microsoft affirmed a labor neutrality agreement with the CWA which eases the organization process at the company and its subsidiaries including Activision Blizzard. In an interview with The Verge, Tom Shelley, a technical requirements specialist and one of Activision Quality Assurance United’s organizers, said the labor neutrality agreement and Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year made their goals of unionizing easier to accomplish. “This has been an emergent effort that’s arisen in the last few weeks in response to the opportunities we’ve had to freely organize following the merger,” Shelley said. “As QA workers, we often have the weakest protections and lowest pay of any workers in the industry — even though our work is integral to the success of the companies we work for and the titles we make.” In quality assurance, workers test games looking for bugs and other issues, flagging them for other developers to fix. Since the majority of QA jobs are typically entry level, the industry has a reputation for devaluing these roles, emphasizing the need for labor protections. Shelley praised Microsoft for voluntarily recognizing the union and hopes it will inspire more organizing at the company and beyond. Last year, Microsoft voluntarily recognized a union of 300 QA workers at ZeniMax online. It joined the union at Blizzard Albany and Raven Software. Video game labor unions are picking up steam but have faced difficulties in light of the rampant layoffs. In 2023, the CWA filed an unfair labor complaint against Sega, claiming the company was planning to “phase out” temporary employees who were part of the company’s Aegis union that formed last year. When Sega eventually did lay off employees, Aegis said union negotiations were able to save a number of jobs.

[follow-up-news]

Following mounting pressure from regulators in the UK and EU, Adobe and Figma announced on Monday that both companies are mutually terminating their merger agreement, which would have seen Adobe acquire the Figma product design platform for $20 billion. As a result of the termination, Adobe will be required to pay Figma a reverse termination fee of $1 billion in cash. “Adobe and Figma strongly disagree with the recent regulatory findings, but we believe it is in our respective best interests to move forward independently,” said Adobe chair and CEO Shantanu Narayen in a statement. “While Adobe and Figma shared a vision to jointly redefine the future of creativity and productivity, we continue to be well positioned to capitalize on our massive market opportunity and mission to change the world through personalized digital experiences.” Regulators cited Adobe’s near-monopoly in the design software market as they pushed back on the deal. By purchasing Figma, a fast-growing product design platform that’s now more popular than Adobe’s rival XD application, regulators worried that Adobe would harm innovation that could have occurred should Figma be allowed to flourish independently. Designers have expressed similar worries since the merger was announced in September 2022, but Adobe pushed back on those claims throughout the various ongoing probes.

[falatiseo]

The Secret Guide to Find the Best Intellectual Property Lawyer

In today's rapidly evolving world, intellectual property (IP) has become a valuable and fiercely protected asset. Whether you're a creative artist, a tech startup, or an established corporation, your ideas, inventions, and innovations deserve safeguarding. This is where intellectual property lawyers come into play. In this article, we'll explore the critical role of intellectual property lawyers and why their expertise is indispensable in an era of creativity and innovation.

Understanding Intellectual Property

Before we delve into the role of an intellectual property lawyer, it's essential to grasp what intellectual property encompasses. Intellectual property refers to the legal rights granted to individuals or entities over their creations or inventions. These creations can include:

Copyrightable Works: Such as literature, music, films, and software. Trademarks: Identifiers of goods or services that distinguish them from others. Patents: Exclusive rights to inventions, processes, and innovations. Trade Secrets: Proprietary information, like manufacturing processes, formulas, or customer lists.

The Vital Role of Intellectual Property Lawyers

Strategic Counsel: Intellectual property lawyers provide strategic guidance on how to protect your IP assets. They assess your unique needs and develop a customized plan to safeguard your creations.

IP Portfolio Management: For businesses, managing a portfolio of IP assets can be complex. Lawyers assist in organizing, maintaining, and enforcing these assets, ensuring they remain valuable assets.

Registration and Filing: Intellectual property lawyers are experts in filing and registering IP with the appropriate government authorities. This includes copyright registrations, trademark applications, and patent filings.

IP Enforcement: When someone infringes upon your intellectual property rights, an IP lawyer is your advocate. They can send cease-and-desist letters, negotiate settlements, or take legal action on your behalf.

Defensive Strategies: Intellectual property lawyers can help clients defend against allegations of IP infringement. They evaluate the claims, gather evidence, and develop a strong defense strategy.

Licensing and Contracts: Many IP owners license their rights to others. Lawyers negotiate and draft licensing agreements, ensuring that the terms protect the IP owner's interests.

Due Diligence: In mergers, acquisitions, or investments, intellectual property lawyers conduct due diligence to assess the value and risks associated with IP assets.

Challenges in the Digital Age

In today's digital age, the protection of intellectual property faces unique challenges. The ease of copying and distributing digital content, the rise of online infringement, and the global nature of the internet have added complexity to IP issues. Intellectual property lawyers must adapt to these challenges by staying current on legal developments, cybersecurity threats, and international IP treaties.

The Importance of Early Action

One crucial aspect of intellectual property protection is early action. Waiting until an issue arises can be costly and limit your legal options. Intellectual property lawyers stress the importance of proactive protection. Whether you're an individual artist or a business entity, consulting with an IP lawyer early in the creative or innovative process can help you establish a strong foundation for protection.

Navigating International IP Law:

In our interconnected world, intellectual property often crosses international borders. Intellectual property lawyers are well-versed in international IP treaties and agreements. They can assist clients in protecting their IP rights globally, ensuring that innovations, trademarks, and copyrights are safeguarded in multiple jurisdictions.

IP Litigation and Enforcement:

When disputes over intellectual property arise, IP lawyers are prepared to advocate for their clients in legal proceedings. IP litigation can be complex, involving issues such as patent infringement, copyright disputes, or trademark challenges. Lawyers specializing in IP have the expertise to build strong cases and represent their clients effectively in court.

Emerging Technologies and IP:

As technology continues to advance, intellectual property lawyers are at the forefront of addressing novel challenges. This includes issues related to artificial intelligence, blockchain, virtual reality, and biotechnology. Lawyers work to ensure that innovators in these fields have adequate protection for their creations while also navigating the ethical and legal complexities that arise.

Digital Rights Management (DRM):

In the digital age, the protection of digital content is paramount. IP lawyers play a role in advising content creators and distributors on implementing DRM strategies to prevent unauthorized copying or distribution of digital assets.

Open Source and IP Licensing:

Open-source software and collaborative projects have become essential parts of the tech industry. Intellectual property lawyers help clients understand the intricacies of open-source licensing and ensure compliance with license terms when using open-source software in their projects.

Protection Against Counterfeiting and Piracy:

Counterfeiting and piracy remain significant threats to intellectual property rights. IP lawyers work with clients to develop strategies to combat counterfeit products and piracy in various industries, from fashion to pharmaceuticals.

Education and Awareness:

Intellectual property lawyers often play an educational role, helping clients understand the importance of IP protection. They can offer guidance on best practices for IP management within organizations, including employee training on IP issues.

Environmental Considerations:

In some cases, intellectual property intersects with environmental concerns. IP lawyers work with clients to protect environmentally sustainable innovations, such as clean energy technologies, and navigate IP issues related to environmental regulations and patents.

Ethical Considerations:

The ethical responsibilities of IP lawyers are multifaceted. They must uphold the highest ethical standards in their practice, ensuring confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest, and providing clients with honest and transparent advice. Ethical considerations are particularly important when dealing with sensitive matters such as trade secrets.

Conclusion: Guardians of Innovation and Creativity

In a rapidly evolving world driven by innovation and creativity, intellectual property lawyers serve as essential guardians of the rights and interests of individuals, businesses, and organizations. They navigate complex legal landscapes, address emerging challenges in technology and digital media, and provide strategic guidance that allows innovators to thrive while protecting their valuable creations.

The role of an intellectual property lawyer extends beyond legal expertise; it encompasses a commitment to fostering innovation, creativity, and the responsible management of intellectual assets. By collaborating with these legal professionals, individuals and entities can navigate the intricate terrain of intellectual property rights, secure their innovations, and contribute to the vibrant tapestry of human progress. In an age where ideas and innovations are catalysts for change, intellectual property lawyers are instrumental in safeguarding the intellectual legacy of today and the innovations of tomorrow.

[aimarketresearch]

Public Safety Solution Market Size, Share, Trends, Opportunities, Key Drivers and Growth Prospectus

Executive Summary Public Safety Solution Market :

Global public safety solution market size was valued at USD 22.05 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 47.95 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 7.54% during the forecast period of 2024 to 2031. 

The market insights and market analysis about  industry, made available in this Public Safety Solution Market research report are rooted upon SWOT analysis on which businesses can depend confidently. This market study underlines the moves of key market players like product launches, joint ventures, developments, mergers and acquisitions which is affecting the market and  Industry as a whole and also affecting the sales, import, export, revenue and CAGR values. The consistent and extensive market information of this report will definitely help grow business and improve return on investment (ROI). This report makes available an actionable market insight to the clients with which they can create sustainable and profitable business strategies.

The Public Safety Solution Market report makes your business well acquainted with insightful knowledge of the global, regional and local market statistics. By keeping end users at the centre point, a team of researchers, forecasters, analysts and industry experts work exhaustively to formulate this market research report. To achieve maximum return on investment (ROI), it’s very crucial to figure out brand awareness, market landscape, possible future issues, industry trends and customer behaviour and Public Safety Solution Market report does the same. This Public Safety Solution Market report conveys the company profiles, product specifications, capacity, production value, and market shares of each company for the forecasted period.

Discover the latest trends, growth opportunities, and strategic insights in our comprehensive Public Safety Solution Market report. Download Full Report: https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-public-safety-solution-market

Public Safety Solution Market Overview

**Segments**

- Based on component, the Global Public Safety Solution Market can be segmented into solutions and services. The solutions segment is further classified into critical communication network, biometric security and authentication system, surveillance system, emergency and disaster management, scanning and screening system, C2/C4ISR system, and others. The services segment includes consulting, integration, maintenance and support. - By application, the market is divided into law enforcement, emergency services, disaster management, critical infrastructure security, and others. - On the basis of solution type, the market can be categorized into hardware and software solutions. The hardware solutions include devices such as cameras, sensors, emergency lights, and others. The software solutions consist of analytical tools, management solutions, and communication platforms. - Considering deployment mode, the market is segmented into on-premises and cloud-based solutions. - Geographically, the Global Public Safety Solution Market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.

**Market Players**

- Some of the key players in the Global Public Safety Solution Market are Cisco Systems, Inc., NEC Corporation, Motorola Solutions, Inc., Atos SE, Honeywell International Inc., IBM Corporation, Hexagon AB, ESRI, General Dynamics Corporation, and Thales Group among others. These companies are focusing on strategic partnerships, product innovations, and acquisitions to strengthen their market presence in the public safety solution domain.

The Global Public Safety Solution Market is witnessing significant growth due to the increasing focus on public safety and security measures by governments across the world. The rise in criminal activities, natural disasters, and terrorist threats have propelled the demand for advanced public safety solutions. The adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing is also driving the market growth as these technologies enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public safety operations.

The law enforcement application segment is dominating the market as law enforcement agencies are increasingly deploying public safety solutions to combat crime and maintain law and order. The emergence of smart cities and the integration of smart public safety solutions are further fueling market growth. Additionally, the growing investments in critical infrastructure security and disaster management solutions are contributing to the expansion of the market.

In conclusion, the Global Public Safety Solution Market is poised for substantial growth in the coming years as governments and organizations prioritize public safety measures. The market players are focusing on technological advancements and strategic collaborations to gain a competitive edge in the market and cater to the increasing demand for robust public safety solutions.

The Global Public Safety Solution Market is experiencing a rapid evolution driven by the escalating need for enhanced safety and security measures worldwide. With the rising instances of criminal activities, natural calamities, and terrorist threats, governments are increasingly investing in advanced public safety solutions to ensure the protection and well-being of their citizens. This heightened focus on security is propelling the demand for innovative technologies like artificial intelligence, IoT, and cloud computing within the public safety sector, as these solutions offer improved operational efficiency and effectiveness.

One of the key drivers shaping the market landscape is the dominant presence of the law enforcement segment, which is leveraging public safety solutions to combat criminal activities and uphold law enforcement standards. The integration of smart city initiatives and the implementation of intelligent public safety solutions are further amplifying market expansion. Moreover, the surge in investments directed towards critical infrastructure security and disaster management solutions is playing a pivotal role in driving market growth and fostering resilience against various threats and vulnerabilities.

Market players such as Cisco Systems, Inc., NEC Corporation, and Motorola Solutions, Inc., among others, are at the forefront of driving innovation and strategic partnerships to fortify their market positions in the public safety solution domain. By focusing on technological advancements and collaboration initiatives, these companies are poised to meet the escalating demand for robust security solutions and address the evolving challenges within the global public safety landscape.

Looking ahead, the Global Public Safety Solution Market is poised for significant growth as governments, and organizations continue to prioritize safety and security imperatives. As market dynamics evolve, the convergence of cutting-edge technologies and strategic alliances will play a critical role in shaping the future trajectory of the public safety sector. By staying attuned to market trends and enhancing solution capabilities, market players can capitalize on emerging opportunities and cement their foothold in this rapidly evolving ecosystem, thus contributing to a safer and more secure world for all.The Global Public Safety Solution Market is currently experiencing a transformation driven by the increasing emphasis on safety and security measures worldwide. With the surge in criminal activities, natural disasters, and terrorist threats, there is a growing demand for advanced public safety solutions to ensure the protection of communities. Governments are investing in innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, and cloud computing to enhance the operational efficiency and effectiveness of public safety operations.

The dominance of the law enforcement segment in the market indicates a significant focus on combating crime and maintaining law and order. The integration of smart city initiatives and intelligent public safety solutions is further boosting market growth. Investments in critical infrastructure security and disaster management solutions are also contributing to the expansion of the market, fostering resilience against various threats.

Key market players like Cisco Systems, Inc., NEC Corporation, and Motorola Solutions, Inc. are leading the way in driving innovation and forming strategic partnerships to reinforce their positions in the public safety solution domain. By prioritizing technological advancements and collaboration initiatives, these companies are well-positioned to meet the increasing demand for secure solutions and address the evolving challenges in the public safety landscape.

Looking ahead, the Global Public Safety Solution Market is forecasted to witness substantial growth as safety and security remain paramount concerns for governments and organizations globally. The convergence of cutting-edge technologies and strategic alliances will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the public safety sector. By adapting to market trends and enhancing solution capabilities, market players can capitalize on emerging opportunities and solidify their presence in this dynamic landscape, contributing to a safer and more secure environment for all.

The Public Safety Solution Market is highly fragmented, featuring intense competition among both global and regional players striving for market share. To explore how global trends are shaping the future of the top 10 companies in the keyword market.

Learn More Now: https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-public-safety-solution-market/companies

DBMR Nucleus: Powering Insights, Strategy & Growth

DBMR Nucleus is a dynamic, AI-powered business intelligence platform designed to revolutionize the way organizations access and interpret market data. Developed by Data Bridge Market Research, Nucleus integrates cutting-edge analytics with intuitive dashboards to deliver real-time insights across industries. From tracking market trends and competitive landscapes to uncovering growth opportunities, the platform enables strategic decision-making backed by data-driven evidence. Whether you're a startup or an enterprise, DBMR Nucleus equips you with the tools to stay ahead of the curve and fuel long-term success.

Regional Analysis/Insights

The Public Safety Solution Market is analyzed and market size insights and trends are provided by country, component, products, end use and application as referenced above.

The countries covered in the Public Safety Solution Market reportare U.S., Canada and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Rest of Europe in Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Brazil, Argentina and Rest of South America as part of South America.

North America dominatesthe Public Safety Solution Market because of the region's high prevalence Public Safety Solution Market

Asia-Pacific is expectedto witness significant growth. Due to the focus of various established market players to expand their presence and the rising number of surgeries in this particular region.

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Tag:- Public Safety Solution, Public Safety Solution Size, Public Safety Solution Share, Public Safety Solution Growth

[industrystudyreport]

The Future of Analytics: How Video As A Sensor is Redefining Data Capture

The global Video As A Sensor Market, estimated at USD 71.50 billion in 2024, is forecast to reach USD 114,664.7 million by 2030, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.4% from 2025 to 2030. This growth is propelled by rapid technological advancements that have transformed conventional video systems and recording tools into sophisticated, intelligent decision-making instruments.

A significant catalyst for VaaS adoption is the technology's capacity to deliver real-time insights, including capabilities like facial recognition, anomaly detection, and behavior prediction. These features render VaaS highly suitable for contemporary security and surveillance systems, where prompt threat identification is crucial. Beyond security applications, the versatility of video sensors is increasingly evident across various sectors. In smart city initiatives, they play a vital role in enhancing urban infrastructure, contributing to public safety, optimizing energy consumption, and improving waste management efforts.

Key Market Trends & Insights:

North American Dominance: North America led the market with a 35.5% share in 2024. This leadership is driven by substantial investments in advanced surveillance systems and the early adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

U.S. Market Expansion: The video as a sensor market in the U.S. is experiencing notable growth, corresponding with increasing regional demand. The accelerating pace of industrialization and the integration of advanced technologies are key factors driving this market's expansion.

Video Surveillance Product Leadership: By product type, video surveillance accounted for the largest market revenue share in 2024. This segment's dominance is primarily due to escalating security concerns across residential, commercial, and public domains, coupled with rapid advancements in technologies like AI-driven analytics, cloud computing, and high-resolution imaging.

Security & Surveillance Application Dominance: In terms of application, the security and surveillance segment held the largest market revenue share in 2024. This is attributed to VaaS's ability to automate real-time threat detection, significantly reduce false alarms, and efficiently manage large volumes of video footage, thereby lessening the workload on security personnel.

Commercial End-Use Sector Growth: The commercial segment accounted for the largest market revenue share in 2024. This is driven by the growing need for enhanced security and surveillance solutions in commercial environments, including office buildings and retail establishments, to protect assets and ensure safety.

Order a free sample PDF of the Video As A Sensor Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.

Market Size & Forecast

2024 Market Size: USD 71.50 Billion

2030 Projected Market Size: USD 114,664.7 Million

CAGR (2025-2030): 8.4%

North America: Largest market in 2024

Asia Pacific: Fastest growing market

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Leading firms in the Video As A Sensor (VaaS) market are employing a range of strategic initiatives to expand their market presence. These primarily include product launches and developments, alongside expansions, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, agreements, partnerships, and collaborations. Companies are leveraging diverse techniques to enhance market penetration and strengthen their competitive standing.

Axis Communications, a prominent player, specializes in network video surveillance and intelligent security solutions. Their comprehensive offerings, including a wide array of cameras, video management software, analytics, and access control systems, enable businesses and smart cities to utilize video as a sensor for real-time insights, improved safety, and enhanced operational efficiency. Axis's commitment to innovation, sustainability, and fostering a robust partner ecosystem underpins their goal of contributing to a smarter and safer global environment.

Hikvision is a significant force in video-centric IoT solutions, with a strong focus on advanced video-as-a-sensor technologies for both security and intelligent monitoring. By integrating state-of-the-art AI, deep learning, and high-performance video analytics, Hikvision delivers real-time surveillance, environmental sensing, and actionable insights. Their solutions are deployed across various sectors globally, including smart cities, transportation systems, and commercial enterprises.

Key Players

Axis Communications AB

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd.

Bosch Sicherheits systeme GmbH

Dahua Technology Co., Ltd.

Sony Corporation

Honeywell International Inc.

Sportradar AG

i-PRO

Johnson Controls

OMNIVISION

Browse Horizon Databook for Global Video As A Sensor Market Size & Outlook

Conclusion

The global Video As A Sensor (VaaS) market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by technological advancements transforming video into intelligent decision-making tools. Its ability to provide real-time insights makes it crucial for security, surveillance, and smart city initiatives. North America leads the market, with video surveillance and security applications dominating across commercial sectors. Leading companies are strategically innovating and collaborating to further expand their market share in this dynamic industry.

[powermarket]

Digital Oilfield Market Size Growth: CAGR Trends to 2032

The latest research publication titled “Digital Oilfield Industry Trend, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunities & Forecast 2025-2032” by Fortune Business Insights delivers an in-depth market analysis, offering actionable insights into global and regional trends. The report serves as a reliable resource for stakeholders, highlighting competitive dynamics, innovation trends, and market outlook. Digital Oilfield Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Industry Analysis & Forecast 2025-2032

The global digital oilfield market size is projected to reach USD 38.27 billion by 2032 from its value USD 24.88 billion in 2019, at CAGR of 5.07% during the forecast period. North America dominated the digital oilfield market with a market share of 32.95% in 2019.

Digital Oilfield Market Overview:

The Digital Oilfield Market has experienced rapid expansion in recent years, fueled by increasing demand, technological innovations, and the diversification of application areas. This report provides a detailed breakdown of market performance, outlining key growth drivers, challenges, and emerging opportunities.

Digital Oilfield Market Size & CAGR Growth

Industry Dynamics & Ecosystem Trends

Technological Developments & Product Innovations

Regulatory & Economic Impact Factors

Request a Sample Copy Here: Sample Report

Competitive Landscape:

The report profiles leading players in the global Digital Oilfield market, offering insights into strategic developments, R&D investments, product portfolios, and financial metrics. Key companies included:

Digital Oilfield Market Key Players

Key Players:

Halliburton Company

Schlumberger Limited

Baker Hughes Company

Weatherford International plc

National Oilwell Varco, Inc.

Siemens AG

ABB Ltd.

Kongsberg Gruppen ASA

Emerson Electric Co.

Honeywell International Inc.

(Additional profiles of top-tier players with SWOT analysis, global presence, and growth strategies)

Market Segmentation:

By Solution:

Hardware

Software

Services

By Process:

Reservoir Optimization

Production Optimization

Drilling Optimization

By Application:

Onshore

Offshore

By Geography:

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Key Opportunities and Growth Drivers:

Rising demand in [industry/sector]

Technological breakthroughs in [related field]

Expansion into untapped regional markets

Strategic mergers, acquisitions & product launches

This report examines both historical trends and forward-looking data to uncover high-potential growth segments and investment opportunities.

Future Outlook:

Digital Oilfield Market forecast by value and volume (2025–2032)

Competitive strategy benchmarking

Product lifecycle assessment and innovation timeline

Price trend analysis and supply chain insight

Get Discount on This Report: Buy Now

Why This Report Matters:

Access verified data and forecasts

Understand emerging consumer trends

Benchmark your position among competitors

Optimize market entry and expansion strategies

FAQs Answered in the Report:

Who are the top players in the Digital Oilfield Market?

What is the projected market size by 2025?

Which regions are expected to lead in terms of revenue?

What trends will shape the Digital Oilfield market in the next 5 years?

How intense is the competitive rivalry in this sector?

About Us: Fortune Business InsightsTM offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, helping them address challenges specific to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

Contact Us: Fortune Business InsightsTM Pvt. Ltd. Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com

[whyyourkochi-basedbusinessis]

Audit Firms in Dubai: Safeguarding Financial Integrity in a Dynamic Economy

Dubai, known for its vibrant economy and investor-friendly policies, has become a leading global business destination. With this growth comes the need for transparent and compliant financial practices. This is where audit firms in Dubai play a crucial role. These firms ensure businesses maintain accurate records, comply with legal standards, and build investor trust.

The Role of Audit Firms in Dubai

Audit firms serve as independent examiners of a company's financial records and operations. They assess the accuracy of financial statements and help ensure adherence to local and international standards such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In Dubai, where many companies operate in free zones or under mainland regulations, professional auditing is essential for financial clarity and legal compliance.

Audit firms are not only about compliance — they also provide valuable insights that help businesses improve internal controls, manage risks, and plan strategically for the future.

Key Services Offered by Audit Firms in Dubai

Statutory Audits A statutory audit is a legal requirement for many companies in Dubai, especially those operating in free zones. Audit firms conduct a thorough review of a company’s financial records to ensure accuracy and compliance with UAE regulations.

Internal Audits Internal audits help organizations evaluate and improve their internal processes, risk management, and governance. This service is particularly important for businesses looking to strengthen operational efficiency and detect any discrepancies early on.

VAT and Tax Audits Since the introduction of VAT in the UAE, tax compliance has become a priority. Audit firms assist with VAT audits and ensure businesses follow all Federal Tax Authority (FTA) guidelines, minimizing the risk of fines and penalties.

Forensic Audits When fraud or financial misconduct is suspected, forensic audits come into play. Audit firms investigate irregularities, providing critical evidence for legal or regulatory actions.

Due Diligence and Financial Reviews When planning mergers, acquisitions, or partnerships, audit firms carry out financial due diligence. This helps businesses make informed decisions and avoid potential financial risks.

Compliance and Advisory Services Audit firms also advise clients on regulatory compliance, helping them adapt to changing laws, optimize internal controls, and implement best practices.

Why Businesses in Dubai Need Audit Firms

Legal Compliance: Many business sectors require annual audits to renew licenses or meet regulatory requirements.

Transparency: Investors and stakeholders rely on audited reports to make financial decisions.

Risk Mitigation: Regular audits help identify weaknesses in financial systems and prevent fraud.

Enhanced Credibility: Audited financials add credibility to a business, especially when dealing with banks or investors.

Choosing the Right Audit Firm in Dubai

With numerous audit firms operating in Dubai, selecting the right one is essential. Here are some tips:

Certification and Accreditation: Ensure the firm is registered with the UAE Ministry of Economy and has qualified auditors (e.g., ACCA, CPA, CA).

Industry Experience: Choose firms with experience in your specific sector, whether it’s construction, healthcare, hospitality, or technology.

Reputation: Look for firms with strong client reviews and a history of reliable service.

Use of Technology: Modern audit firms use advanced software and tools to ensure accuracy and efficiency.

Conclusion

As Dubai continues to grow as a global business hub, the demand for professional and reliable audit services is on the rise. Audit firms in Dubai help businesses stay compliant, transparent, and financially sound. Whether you are a startup, SME, or multinational company, working with a trusted audit firm can protect your business and support your long-term success.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The long sleep of capitalism’s watchdogs

There are only five more days left in my Kickstarter for the audiobook of The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

One of the weirdest aspect of end-stage capitalism is the collapse of auditing, the lynchpin of investing. Auditors – independent professionals who sign off on a company's finances – are the only way that investors can be sure they're not handing their money over to failing businesses run by crooks.

It's just not feasible for investors to talk to supply-chain partners and retailers and verify that a company's orders and costs are real. Investors can't walk into a company's bank and demand to see their account histories. Auditors – who are paid by companies, but work for themselves – are how investors avoid shoveling money into Ponzi-pits.

Attentive readers will have noticed that there is an intrinsic tension in an arrangement where someone is paid by a company to certify its honesty. The company gets to decide who its auditors are, and those auditors are dependent on the company for future business. To manage this conflict of interest, auditors swear fealty to a professional code of ethics, and are themselves overseen by professional boards with the power to issue fines and ban cheaters.

Enter monopolization. Over the past 40 years, the US government conducted a failed experiment in allowing companies to form monopolies on the theory that these would be "efficient." From Boeing to Facebook, Cigna to InBev, Warner to Microsoft, it has been a catastrophe. The American corporate landscape is dominated by vast, crumbling, ghastly companies whose bad products and worse corporate conduct are locked in a race to see who can attain the most depraved enshittification quickest.

The accounting profession is no exception. A decades-long incestuous orgy of mergers and acquisitions yielded up an accounting sector dominated by just four firms: EY, KPMG, PWC and Deloitte (the last holdout from the alphabetsoupification of corporate identity). Virtually every major company relies on one of these companies for auditing, but that's only a small part of corporate America's relationship with these tottering behemoths. The real action comes from "consulting."

Each of the Big Four accounting firms is also a corporate consultancy. Some of those consulting services are the normal work of corporate consultants – cookie cutter advice to fire workers and reduce product quality, as well as supplying dangerously defecting enterprise software. But you can get that from the overpaid enablers at McKinsey or BCG. The advantage of contracting with a Big Four accounting firm for consulting is that they can help you commit finance fraud.

Remember: if you're an executive greenlighting fraud, you mostly just want to be sure it's not discovered until after you've pocketed your bonus and moved on. After all, the pro-monopoly experiment was also an experiment in tolerating corporate crime. Executives who cheat their investors, workers and suppliers typically generate fines for their companies, while escaping any personal liability.

By buying your cheating advice from the same company that is paid to certify that you're not cheating, you greatly improve your chances of avoiding detection until you've blown town.

Which brings me to the idea of the "bezzle." This is John Kenneth Galbraith's term for "the weeks, months, or years that elapse between the commission of the crime and its discovery." This is the period in which both the criminal and the victim feel like they're better off. The crook has the victim's money, and the victim doesn't know it. The Bezzle is that interval when you're still assuming that FTX isn't lying to you about the crazy returns they're generating for your crypto. It's the period between you getting the shrinkwrapped box with a 90% discounted PS5 in it from a guy in an alley, and getting home and discovering that it's full of bricks and styrofoam.

Big Accounting is a factory for producing bezzles at scale. The game is rigged, and they are the riggers. When banks fail and need a public bailout, chances are those banks were recently certified as healthy by one of the Big Four, whose audited bank financials failed 800 re-audits between 2009-17:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/28/cyberwar-tactics/#aligned-incentives

The Big Four dispute this, of course. They claim to be models of probity, adhering to the strictest possible ethical standards. This would be a lot easier to believe if KPMG hadn't been caught bribing its regulators to help its staff cheat on ethics exams:

https://www.nysscpa.org/news/publications/the-trusted-professional/article/sec-probe-finds-kpmg-auditors-cheating-on-training-exams-061819

Likewise, it would be easier to believe if their consulting arms didn't keep getting caught advising their clients on how to cheat their auditing arms:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/09/dingo-babysitter/#maybe-the-dingos-ate-your-nan

Big Accounting is a very weird phenomenon, even by the standards of End-Stage Capitalism. It's an organized system of millionaire-on-billionaire violence, a rare instance of the very richest people getting scammed the hardest:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/04/aaronsw/#crooked-ref

The collapse of accounting is such an ominous and fractally weird phenomenon, it inspired me to write a series of hard-boiled forensic accountancy novels about a two-fisted auditor named Martin Hench, starting with last year's Red Team Blues (out in paperback next week!):

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865854/redteamblues

The sequel to Red Team Blues is called (what else?) The Bezzle, and part of its ice-cold revenge plot involves a disillusioned EY auditor who can't bear to be part of the scam any longer:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/the-bezzle-a-martin-hench-audiobook-amazon-wont-sell

The Hench stories span a 40-year period, and are a chronicle of decades of corporate decay. Accountancy is the perfect lens for understanding our modern fraud economy. After all, it was crooked accountants who gave us the S&L crisis:

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10130&context=etd

Crooked auditors were at the center of the Great Financial Crisis, too:

https://francinemckenna.com/2009/12/07/they-werent-there-auditors-and-the-financial-crisis/

And of course, crooked auditors were behind the Enron fraud, a rare instance in which a fraud triggered a serious attempt to prevent future crimes, including the destruction of accounting giant Arthur Andersen. After Enron, Congress passed Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), which created a new oversight board called the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).

The PCAOB is a watchdog for watchdogs, charged with auditing the auditors and punishing the incompetent and corrupt among them. Writing for The American Prospect and the Revolving Door Project, Timi Iwayemi describes the long-running failure of the PCAOB to do its job:

https://prospect.org/power/2024-01-26-corporate-self-oversight/

For example: from 2003-2019, the PCAOB undertook only 18 enforcement cases – even though the PCAOB also detected more than 800 "seriously defective audits" by the Big Four. And those 18 cases were purely ornamental: the PCAOB issued a mere $6.5m in fines for all 18, even though they could have fined the accounting companies $1.6 billion:

https://www.pogo.org/investigations/how-an-agency-youve-never-heard-of-is-leaving-the-economy-at-risk

Few people are better on this subject than the investigative journalist Francine McKenna, who has just co-authored a major paper on the PCAOB:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4227295

The paper uses a new data set – documents disclosed in a 2019 criminal trial – to identify the structural forces that cause the PCAOB to be such a weak watchdog whose employees didn't merely fail to do their jobs, but actually criminally abetted the misdeeds of the companies they were supposed to be keeping honest.

They put the blame – indirectly – on the SEC. The PCAOB has three missions: protecting investors, keeping markets running smoothly, and ensuring that businesses can raise capital. These missions come into conflict. For example, declaring one of the Big Four auditors ineligible would throw markets into chaos, removing a quarter of the auditing capacity that all public firms rely on. The Big Four are the auditors for 99.7% of the S&P 500, and certify the books for the majority of all listed companies:

https://blog.auditanalytics.com/audit-fee-trends-of-sp-500/

For the first two decades of the PCAOB's existence, the SEC insisted that conflicts be resolved in ways that let the auditing firms commit fraud, because the alternative would be bad for the market.

So: rather than cultivating an adversarial relationship to the Big Four, the PCAOB effectively merged with them. Two of its board seats are reserved for accountants, and those two seats have been occupied by Big Four veterans almost without exception:

https://www.pogo.org/investigations/captured-financial-regulator-at-risk

It was no better on the SEC side. The Office of the Chief Accountant is the SEC's overseer for the PCAOB, and it, too, has operated with a revolving door between the Big Four and their watchdog (indeed, the Chief Accountant is the watchdog for the watchdog for the watchdogs!). Meanwhile, staffers from the Office of the Chief Accountant routinely rotated out of government service and into the Big Four.

This corrupt arrangement reached a crescendo in 2019, with the appointment of William Duhnke – formerly of Senator Richard Shelby's [R-AL] staff – took over as Chief Accountant. Under Duhnke's leadership, the already-toothless watchdog was first neutered, then euthanized. Duhnke fired all four heads of the PCAOB's main division and then left their seats vacant for 18 months. He slashed the agency's budget, "weakened inspection requirements and auditor independence policies, and disregarded obligations to hold Board meetings and publicize its agenda."

All that ended in 2021, when SEC chair Gary Gensler fired Duhnke and replaced him with Erica Williams, at the insistence of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Within a year, Williams had issued 42 enforcement actions, the largest number since 2017, levying over $11m in sanctions:

https://www.dlapiper.com/en/insights/publications/2023/01/pcaob-sets-aggressive-agenda-for-2023-what-to-expect-as-agency-enforcement-expands

She was just getting warmed up: last year, PCAOB collected $20m in fines, with five cases seeing fines in excess of $2m each, a record:

https://www.dlapiper.com/en/insights/publications/2024/01/pcaobs-enforcement-and-standard-setting-rev-up-what-to-expect-in-2024

Williams isn't shy about condemning the Big Four, publicly sounding the alarm that 40% of the 2022 audits the PCAOB reviewed were deficient, up from 34% in 2021 and 29% in 2020:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/we-audit-the-auditors-and-we-found-trouble-accountability-capital-markets-c5587f05

Under Williams, the PCAOB has enacted new, muscular rules on lead auditors' duties, and they're now consulting on a rule that will make audit inspections much faster, shortening the documentation period from 45 days to 14:

https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/news/pcaob-rulemaking-could-lead-to-more-timely-issuance-of-audit-inspection-reports/

Williams is no fire-breathing leftist. She's an alum of the SEC and a BigLaw firm, creating modest, obvious technical improvements to a key system that capitalism requires for its orderly functioning. Moreover, she is competent, able to craft regulations that are effective and enforceable. This has been a motif within the Biden administration:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

But though these improvements are decidedly moderate, they are grounded in a truly radical break from business-as-usual in the age of monopoly auditors. It's a transition from self-regulation to regulation. As @40_Years on Twitter so aptly put it: "Self regulation is to regulation as self-importance is to importance":

https://twitter.com/40_Years/status/1750025605465178260

Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28 - THIS SUNDAY!) for my book-talk after the first one sold out - book now!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/26/noclar-war/#millionaire-on-billionaire-violence

Back the Kickstarter for the audiobook of The Bezzle here!

Image: Sam Valadi (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/132084522@N05/17086570218/

Disco Dan (modified)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/danhogbenspics/8318883471/

CC BY 2.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[gis56]

🛒 Self-Checkout System Market Size, Share & Growth Analysis 2034: Retail’s No-Line Revolution

Self-Checkout System Market is undergoing a transformative shift as retailers increasingly prioritize speed, convenience, and automation. Self-checkout systems, which empower customers to complete purchases without cashier assistance, are rapidly becoming an integral part of modern retail strategies. These systems include hardware like kiosks, payment terminals, and scanners, as well as software platforms that manage transactions, inventory, and customer data. In 2024, the market recorded an impressive 320 million units in volume, projected to reach 550 million units by 2028. The global retail sector leads this trend, accounting for 55% of the market share, followed by hospitality and transportation sectors.

Market Dynamics

Several factors are fueling the growth of the self-checkout system market. Foremost among them is the increasing demand for contactless and efficient retail experiences, especially in the post-pandemic world. Customers value fast and autonomous shopping, while businesses benefit from reduced labor costs and enhanced operational efficiency. Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and computer vision have elevated the capabilities of these systems, enabling real-time inventory tracking, fraud prevention, and biometric authentication.

Click to Request a Sample of this Report for Additional Market Insights: https://www.globalinsightservices.com/request-sample/?id=GIS24605

However, challenges persist. High upfront costs can deter small retailers, and concerns about shoplifting and technical glitches pose operational risks. Maintenance and integration with existing retail systems also add complexity. Despite these hurdles, the overall trajectory of the market remains upward, driven by continuous innovation and growing consumer acceptance.

Key Players Analysis

The competitive landscape of the self-checkout system market features both established and emerging players. Industry leaders like NCR Corporation, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, and Diebold Nixdorf dominate with robust product portfolios and global reach. Companies such as Fujitsu, ITAB Shop Concept, and Pan-Oston contribute with innovative hardware solutions, while newer entrants like Mashgin, Standard Cognition, and Zippin are pioneering AI-powered, contactless checkout technologies.

These players are investing in R&D to develop smarter, customizable systems and are engaging in partnerships with retailers to co-develop tailored solutions. The market is also witnessing strategic mergers and acquisitions aimed at expanding technology capabilities and geographic presence.

Regional Analysis

North America leads the global self-checkout system market, driven by a mature retail sector and high consumer demand for automation. The United States, in particular, stands out due to aggressive technological adoption and a competitive retail environment. Europe follows closely, with the UK and Germany leading the way through strong regulatory support and consumer preference for self-service.

Asia-Pacific is emerging as a high-growth region, fueled by rapid urbanization, rising disposable incomes, and the digital transformation of retail in countries like China and India. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also witnessing gradual adoption, with Brazil, Mexico, UAE, and South Africa exploring self-checkout solutions to modernize retail infrastructure and improve customer experiences.

Recent News & Developments

Recent innovations are rapidly reshaping the self-checkout system market. AI and ML integration has significantly improved transaction speed and accuracy, while mobile-enabled systems are bridging the gap between online and offline retail. The pandemic accelerated the shift to contactless technology, making self-checkout a default expectation in many urban retail environments.

Pricing for self-checkout systems varies widely — from basic setups starting at $5,000 to advanced solutions costing upwards of $25,000. Retailers are seeking a balance between affordability and advanced features such as real-time analytics, digital receipts, and sustainability-focused designs. In parallel, companies are emphasizing compliance with global data protection regulations, investing in secure systems that safeguard customer information.

Browse Full Report : https://www.globalinsightservices.com/reports/self-checkout-system-market/

Scope of the Report

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the self-checkout system market from 2018 through 2034, with a detailed forecast period of 2025–2034. It explores key market drivers, technological trends, and consumer behavior patterns across types, applications, and regions. Through value chain, PESTLE, and SWOT analyses, the report uncovers market dynamics and identifies strategic opportunities for stakeholders.

The study covers diverse segments such as product types (kiosks, mobile), technologies (barcode, RFID, AI), and end-users (supermarkets, department stores). It also includes insights on competitive strategies, regulatory impacts, and emerging players transforming the industry. With a projected CAGR of 10.6%, the market is set to reach $12.3 billion by 2033, offering substantial opportunities for innovation and investment.

#selfcheckout #retailautomation #smartretailing #contactlesspayment #aiinretail #retailtech #customerselfservice #digitalretail #selfservicekiosk #futureofshopping

Discover Additional Market Insights from Global Insight Services:

Industrial Robotics Market : https://www.globalinsightservices.com/reports/industrial-robotics-market/

Printed Electronics Market :https://www.globalinsightservices.com/reports/printed-electronics-market/

Current Sensor Market : https://www.globalinsightservices.com/reports/current-sensor-market/

Fiber Optic Cables Market : https://www.globalinsightservices.com/reports/fiber-optic-cables-market/

Medical Sensors Market : https://www.globalinsightservices.com/reports/medical-sensors-market/

About Us:

Global Insight Services (GIS) is a leading multi-industry market research firm headquartered in Delaware, US. We are committed to providing our clients with highest quality data, analysis, and tools to meet all their market research needs. With GIS, you can be assured of the quality of the deliverables, robust & transparent research methodology, and superior service.

Contact Us:

Global Insight Services LLC 16192, Coastal Highway, Lewes DE 19958 E-mail: info@globalinsightservices.com Phone: +1–833–761–1700 Website: https://www.globalinsightservices.com/

[bizbrokerstlouis]

Understanding the St. Louis Business Market: Trends and Opportunities

St. Louis, Missouri, is more than just the Gateway to the West—it’s a vibrant, evolving business hub with deep historical roots and a forward-thinking mindset. For entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners alike, understanding the current market trends in St. Louis can unlock new opportunities for growth, acquisition, and strategic planning.

Whether you're looking to buy, sell, or scale a business, here’s what you need to know about the local business landscape.

A Diverse Economic Base

St. Louis boasts a diversified economy, supported by industries like healthcare, bioscience, financial services, manufacturing, transportation, education, and tech. Major employers include BJC HealthCare, Boeing, and Edward Jones, but the city is also home to a strong small-business and startup culture.

This economic mix gives St. Louis resilience during market downturns and creates opportunities for cross-sector collaboration.

Booming Startup and Tech Scene

The Cortex Innovation Community and T-REX downtown are fueling St. Louis’s tech ecosystem. These incubators are home to hundreds of startups, particularly in fintech, biotech, and software development. The city has gained a reputation for being an affordable, innovation-friendly environment for entrepreneurs.

This trend presents acquisition opportunities for buyers seeking early-stage companies with high growth potential—or larger firms looking to expand into emerging markets.

Affordable Cost of Doing Business

Compared to coastal cities, St. Louis offers a much lower cost of doing business. Commercial real estate, employee wages, and utility costs are all relatively affordable, making it an attractive city for startups, relocations, and expansions.

Business owners looking to sell benefit from a healthy pipeline of buyers seeking a foothold in a cost-effective metro.

Increased M&A Activity in Key Sectors

There’s been noticeable merger and acquisition activity in healthcare, logistics, and niche manufacturing across the St. Louis metro area. Private equity firms and corporate buyers are showing strong interest in acquiring profitable, well-run businesses in these industries.

If you're preparing to sell a business in these sectors, now is a strategic time to explore the market.

Workforce and Talent Pool

With over 30 colleges and universities in the region, St. Louis has a steady stream of educated talent. The local workforce is known for its strong work ethic and affordability, which is an appealing factor for growing companies and potential buyers evaluating the sustainability of a business post-sale.

Challenges to Watch

While St. Louis is full of potential, it’s not without its challenges. Some areas face infrastructure concerns, and certain industries have been slower to recover post-pandemic. That’s why working with a local expert—like a trusted business broker—can help you navigate the nuances and avoid costly missteps.

St. Louis offers a strong, stable, and diverse market filled with entrepreneurial energy and strategic opportunities. Whether you're buying or selling, understanding the trends that shape the local economy is crucial to making informed decisions.

📞 For expert guidance, contact Peterson Acquisitions: Your St. Louis Business Broker at (314) 495-0910

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