Core Insights - Soul App's technical paper has been accepted at CVPR 2025, marking a significant breakthrough in AI social networking [1][2] - The acceptance rate for CVPR 2025 was only 22.1%, highlighting the competitive nature of the conference and the recognition of Soul's technical capabilities [2] - Soul has a history of achievements in AI, including previous paper acceptances and competition wins, demonstrating its commitment to AI social applications [2] Group 1 - The accepted paper introduces a novel real-time audio-driven portrait animation framework that enhances video generation efficiency and naturalness [2] - This framework splits the talking head task into facial motion generation and efficient body movement generation modules, improving the overall user experience [2][3] - Soul's advancements in multimodal interaction are expected to lead to more immersive social experiences for users [3] Group 2 - Future applications of this technology include real-time video calls and emotionally engaging AI virtual companions, aiming to enhance human-computer interaction [3] - Soul's continuous innovation in AI social networking not only improves user experience but also sets a direction for industry development [3] - The company aims to leverage its deep technical expertise to create a warm and engaging social space, pushing AI social networking to new heights [3]

Reddit, Inc. RDDT is known for its sprawling communities and viral "Ask Me Anything" posts. Its journey has also been filled with quirky milestones and lesser-known stories.  As Reddit turns 20 years old, it remains a hub for both mainstream news and the internet's most obscure trivia. Here's a look at the social platform's best-kept secrets and odd historical footnotes.Reddit was launched on June 23, 2005, by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian. The site was built and launched ...

Core Insights - Meta Platforms Inc. has seen its shares reach a record high of $747.90, driven by strong investor interest in its new AI superintelligence group [1] - The company is aggressively hiring AI talent, including notable figures from competitors like OpenAI and Scale AI, as part of a $14.3 billion investment strategy [1][2] - Meta's new Superintelligence Labs, led by Alexandr Wang and Nat Friedman, will focus on developing the company's artificial intelligence foundation models and research [3] Investment and Hiring Strategy - Meta's hiring spree includes significant investments in AI talent, with reports of signing bonuses reaching up to $100 million for top researchers [4] - The company has also attempted to acquire Safe Superintelligence, a startup valued at $32 billion, but was rebuffed by its founder [2] - Andrew Bosworth, Meta's technology chief, highlighted the unprecedented nature of the current talent market in the technology sector [4]

Group 1 - Disney's stock remains significantly below its peak despite the company's recovery since the lockdowns, indicating potential undervaluation [1] - The company possesses invaluable intellectual property and theme parks that contribute to its fundamental strength [1] Group 2 - The analyst has over 10 years of experience researching various companies across multiple sectors, including commodities and technology [1] - The analyst has transitioned from writing a blog to creating a value investing-focused YouTube channel, researching hundreds of companies [1] - The analyst expresses a preference for covering metals and mining stocks but is also comfortable with other industries such as consumer discretionary, REITs, and utilities [1]

Moretus Research delivers state-of-the-art, buy-side quality equity research for serious investors seeking clarity, conviction, and alpha. Focused on U.S. public markets, Moretus applies a structured, repeatable framework to identify companies with durable business models, mispriced cash flow potential, and intelligent capital allocation. Built on institutional standards, Moretus Research combines rigorous fundamental analysis with a high-signal, judgment-driven process—eschewing noise, narrative, and overl ...

Core Viewpoint - Several companies are significantly increasing their share buyback programs, collectively adding over $10 billion in repurchase capacity to the stock market, signaling a commitment to reward shareholders and potentially reduce outstanding shares [1]. Company Summaries Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT) - Announced a $400 million share buyback program, representing approximately 8.3% of its $4.8 billion market capitalization [2]. - The company raised $2.5 billion to create a large Bitcoin treasury, increasing its liquid assets to over $3 billion, despite generating under $4 million in revenues and having operating expenses exceeding $127 million [3]. Johnson Controls International (JCI) - Increased its share buyback authorization to $9 billion, totaling $10.1 billion in repurchase capacity, which is about 14.6% of its $69 billion market capitalization [6][7]. - Plans to return $5 billion in capital in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, potentially reducing its share count by around 7% and enhancing earnings per share [7]. Darden Restaurants (DRI) - Announced a $1 billion share buyback program, equating to just under 4% of its over $25 billion market capitalization, following a total return of approximately 17% in 2025 [9][10]. - Increased its quarterly dividend by 7.1%, with a solid indicated dividend yield of around 2.8%, one of the highest among U.S. restaurant stocks [10]. Broader Corporate Trend - The substantial buyback announcements from DJT, JCI, and DRI reflect a broader trend of companies returning capital to shareholders, whether to offset stock declines, reinforce confidence, or enhance earnings metrics [11]. - The end result of these buybacks is expected to be reduced share counts and potentially stronger shareholder returns, emphasizing the importance of execution speed and effectiveness in the coming quarters [12].

Meta has prevailed in a high-profile federal lawsuit claiming that it allegedly trained its powerful AI model, Llama, on a vast trove of copyrighted books — including President Donald Trump’s own “The Art of the Deal.”The lawsuit, filed two years ago by authors Richard Kadrey and Christopher Golden and comedian Sarah Silverman, claims the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram used more than 190,000 copyrighted books without authorization or compensation.Among the titles reportedly used to train Meta’s la ...

Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM ) recently reported investments in new AI tools and significant mobile user base growth. Given the expectations regarding the use of AI in the dealership industry, I believe that we could see significantLike the common kingfisher or Alcedo Atthis searches for small fish, I research small, and medium cap companies in Europe, the United States, and South America. You can find a common kingfisher in my profile.With close to 14 years in the financial industry, I worked for an equity re ...

Group 1 - Walt Disney Co's stock increased by 1.6% to $123.61 after Jefferies upgraded its rating to "buy" and raised the price target to $144 from $100, citing potential revenue from two new cruise ships exceeding $1 billion and limited risk of park slowdown in late 2025 [1] - The stock reached a two-year high of $124.69 and is on track for its sixth consecutive daily gain, building on a 24.3% increase in May, the best monthly performance since January 2023, and a 9.3% rise in June, with a total increase of 24.4% over the last 12 months [2] - Short-term options traders are exhibiting more bearish sentiment than usual, as indicated by the stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio ranking in the 84th percentile over the past year, suggesting that an unwinding of this pessimism could provide additional support for the shares [3] Group 2 - Options for Walt Disney Co are currently priced affordably, with a Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 18% in the 1st percentile of its annual range, indicating low volatility expectations among options traders [4] - The Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) score of 97 out of 100 suggests that Disney has historically experienced larger-than-expected price swings, indicating potential for significant movement in the stock price [4]

President Trump says that he's found a buyer for Tik Tok's US operations, which he says are a group of wealthy people. Now, the president telling Fox News he'll reveal their identities in about two weeks, and the deal would likely need China's approval. Now, earlier this month, President Trump extended a deadline again for Tik Tok's Chinese parent company to sell the business or face a ban.Now, a deal had been in the works this spring, but China signaled it wouldn't approve it after the president hike tarif ...