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If you tend to spend any time analyzing stock market data , you may have been struck by the sudden surge in Salesforce shares on Tuesday morning. Per reports, the shares saw a more than 12 percent single-day rise as Salesforce’s third-quarter earnings were reported in full. Not only did the corporation, listed as CRM on the New York Stock Exchange , manage to out-earn their Q3 projections in 2024, their recent pivot to artificial intelligence has led analysts to project significant additional growth in quarter 4 and beyond. Expectations for fourth-quarter sales have now been reported at highs of over $10 billion. Though these figures seem massive in scope, some analysts have successfully predicted this rise, as Salesforce has been on a financial uptick throughout all of 2024. To understand why these figures are significant, and what this means for the Salesforce market moving forward, we’ll have to take a brief look at the company’s existing business model, financial structure, and...
Highlighting bias in artificial intelligence (AI) is essential, but equally important is educating people on ways to prevent it. In 2019, Salesforce established its Trusted AI Principles to address the ethical implications of predictive AI and machine learning. By 2023, with the rapid evolution of generative AI, Salesforce deepened its commitment to responsible AI by participating in the AFROTECH™ Conference, where it discussed strategies for prioritizing ethical and inclusive practices in generative AI. During the session, “ Closing The AI Trust Gap: Battling Bias | Presented by Salesforce,” Jackie Chambers de Freitas, Vice President of Agile Delivery and Coaching at Salesforce, shared how Salesforce’s focus on AI began in 2014, when CEO Marc Benioff declared that the company would become an AI-first company. Watch the session here via AFROTECH™ Labs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH (@afro.tech) “The goal was to transform Salesforce into an intelligent...
Rick Ross’ investment in Wingstop appears to be a wise business decision. Forbes reports that Ross’ interest in the fast-casual restaurant chain dates back to the early 2000s, but it was not until launching his music career that he became inspired to purchase a franchise. “I began having those thoughts every time I pulled up to the restaurant,” he told Forbes. “Like, ‘Yo! This is something I need to do.’” Ross secured his first location near Memphis, TN, and expanded to five locations by 2014. At that time, Ross mentioned that some of his stores saw an uptick of 50% in monthly revenue. Fast-forward nearly a decade, and Ross now has nearly 30 locations under his belt as of 2023, with some locations earning $200,000 annually, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Moreover, across the board , Wingstop is emerging as a lucrative investment, as evidenced by its stock price climbing 1,135% since it went public in 2015, CNBC mentioned. In the past five years, its stock prices have surged 262%;...
The “Zendaya effect” is in full swing for shoe brand On. June 2024 the Zurich, Switzerland-based company announced it was collaborating with Zendaya Coleman and was signing the actress to a multi-year deal for her to become its brand partner, per WWD. Under their agreement she would be expected to help the company “drive meaningful conversations around movement and well-being, reimagine select product collections and produce future creative campaigns.” As part of the announcement, On launched its campaign “Dream Together” with Zendaya as the star of a short film. “We’ve been massive admirers of Zendaya’s ability to inspire a generation and dream big,” Co-Founder and Executive Co-Chairman David Allemann said, per WWD. “We can’t think of a better partner to help us grow, evolve and connect with people around the world than Zendaya. This film is the beginning of more stories to come and we are eager to bring in new and distinctive voices alongside Zendaya to continue our mission to...
Sterling Coleman left his role at a Fortune 500 company to become one of the top Zaxby’s franchisees. According to the SJAC Food Groups website, The St. Louis, MO, native’s business prowess was displayed at an early age while living in a single-parent home with three brothers. An article on his Instagram business page states he performed countless tasks for neighbors to earn money , such as cutting grass, pumping gas, and running a paper route and hot dog stand. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SJAC Food Groups (@sjacfoodgroups) Coleman’s entrepreneurial muscle would lead him to Tennessee State University, in Nashville, TN, at the age of 18. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration and secured a position as a sales manager at a Fortune 500 Company. However, Coleman’s longtime vision wasn’t to work for another company. Instead, he wanted to be his own boss. In 2001, he established SJAC Food Groups, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, “the largest...
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University graduate Marcia Cox is paying it forward to another college campus. Cox, 23, is the co-founder of Kaldi’s Coffee House and Roastery, a Charlotte, NC, business that opened in January 2024, as reported by WTVD-11. Before going out on her own, Cox had worked as a Starbucks barista while in high school and college and excelled at her job duties while fostering customer relationships, an Instagram post mentions. She runs Kaldi’s with her father, Marcus, who has an extensive background spanning over 25 years in sectors such as banking, pet retail, and coffee. He has also served as a Starbucks regional operations coach for the Midwest region, based on the Instagram post. Kaldi’s Coffee House and Roastery sells apparel, tea, baked goods such as cookies, and specialty-roasted coffee with Cox sourcing the coffee beans from Ethiopia and handling the roasting process herself, per WTVD-11. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kaldi’s...
Jay-Z is known for breaking barriers in music. However, his secret to reaching billionaire status has been his ability to succeed in areas beyond the billboard charts. Among his various ventures, he reminds the world that the shoe brand Reebok is one of the successes documented in his portfolio. According to Finurah, Jay-Z signed a sneaker deal with Reebok in 2002. In 2003, the rapper became the first non-athlete to sign an endorsement deal with the shoe and apparel company, per ABC News. At the time, record executive Steve Stoute was working with Reebok and convinced Jay-Z to accept the deal; the rapper signed on as a 50/50 partner with the brand. “Jay-Z’s not the ambassador of anything except himself. He was a partner. He was a 50/50 partner,” Stoute said in an interview on “Club Shay Shay.” The first collaboration to result from the partnership was the “S. Carter Collection,” which had a better debut than any of its previous shoes, surpassing the sales of Allen Iverson’s shoe...
