News in Numbers
The estimated market valuation of Apple Inc. by the end of 2021, analyst Dan Ives predicts. Apple currently has a $1.4 trillion market cap, joining only three other public firms — Microsoft, Alphabet, and Saudi Aramco — with market values over $1 trillion.
The amount of money available to college students through esport scholarships across more than 170 colleges and universities. Esports is a growing field and it is providing a way for non-athlete kids to get the same positive benefits of a team. “I think what makes this more sustainable overall is that we’re actually providing a structured environment for kids to play video games, which they would otherwise do unstructured.”
The amount of money that General Motors Co. has announced it will invest into the building of electric trucks and SUVs, creating 2,200 jobs. The company plans to invest a total of $7.7 billion over the next four years into its U.S. market, and hopes to have a family of electric vehicles by the end of 2021.
The amount of time left until midnight on the Doomsday Clock after ticking down from two minutes last Thursday. The clock is “a striking metaphor for the precarious state of the world, but most frighteningly, it’s a metaphor backed by rigorous scientific scrutiny.” When the U.S. tested its first hydrogen bomb back in 1953, the Doomsday Clock was also set to less than two minutes until midnight.
The average price of a ransomware attack during the third quarter of 2019, more than tripling the amount from the first quarter. While overall there were 6 percent fewer ransomware incidents in 2019 compared to 2018, the ransom amount has grown. These figures are prompting U.S. insurers to increase cyberinsurance rates by up to 25 percent.
The market value of Tesla Inc. after the electric car company surged on Wednesday, making it the first publicly listed U.S. automaker to ever cross $100 billion in market valuation. The number made the 17-year-old electric car company the highest-valued U.S. automaker of all time.
The predicted value of an electronic health record market by 2025. As more patients and health-care providers opt to put medical records and access online and via mobile apps, big tech companies like Google and Apple are trying to further step into the health-care fields. But many are still concerned about data sharing and privacy of sensitive medical information.
Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, became the fourth U.S. company to hit the amount in market value last Thursday. Alphabet, Apple, Amazon.com, and Microsoft are the only U.S. companies to reach this amount.
The number of customers that would be impacted by a T-mobile and Sprint merger. Several states oppose the deal because it would increase prices for customers and decrease competition in the telephone market as it “would leave the United States with three major phone carriers instead of four.” A U.S. District Court judge heard closing arguments on Wednesday, and will make his ruling “as promptly as possible.”
The proportion of people who said that they put “a lot” of trust in the U.S. Postal Service to do the right thing, a study from Morning Consult found. The survey asked participants, “How much do you trust each brand to do what is right?” and, overall, the USPS earned the top trusted spot with Amazon (38.8 percent) and Google (37.9 percent) following next. Only 7 percent said they had the same trust in the U.S. government.
The donation that Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, has promised to give to the Australian wildlife recovery effort. Many are upset by the number as it is less than Bezos makes in 5 working minutes.
The number of new U.S. astronauts officially added to NASA ranks last Friday. “The new graduates may be assigned to missions destined for the International Space Station, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars. With a goal of sustainable lunar exploration later this decade, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the surface on the Moon by 2024. Additional lunar missions are planned once a year thereafter and human exploration of Mars is targeted for the mid-2030s.”
The amount requested by Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to replace old computer technology that’s being used by the state for things like payroll and accounting. The money will be stretched across the next eight years, starting with a $1.5 million installment in 2020’s budget. The upgrade will help the state phase out old systems, like paper timesheets, “which are still being used across Rhode Island state government.”
The amount of time that telecommunications companies would have to have in backup power for all cellphone towers in high-risk fire areas, as proposed by California lawmakers. The legislation was drafted after a Federal Communications Commission report revealed that during a power shutoff in late October, 874 cell towers were offline. Millions of people were affected during the shutoff and some were so isolated during the outage they couldn’t even call 911. “This bill is not about checking your Facebook status. It’s about life and death.”
The amount of single-day sales that the Apple App Store brought in on New Year’s Day. The company reported the record-setting amount of single-day sales in conjunction with the announcement that the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve brought in another record: $1.42 billion. The total amount of money that the App Store brought in last year was $54 billion.
The proportion of growth of tech jobs in New York City over the past decade. Big tech companies like Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon all have plans to move to New York City and establish large offices. By 2022 there is projected to be 20,000 workers between the four giants.
The number of temporary workers that the U.S. Census will need nationwide to ensure that all households are accounted for. The workers are hired as employees, with benefits and disability coverage available, but it can be difficult to get people to apply for the jobs, especially in areas with low unemployment, like San Francisco. To get an accurate count in California’s Bay Area, the Census will need about 12,000 temporary workers.
The amount scammers would be fined for illegal robocalling operations according to the new law that aims to reduce the number of robocalls Americans will receive in 2020. While the new law won’t reduce the number of robocalls immediately, Americans should expect to see the effects in about six months. Government officials hope that by reducing robocalls, less Americans will be subjected to scams that steal social security numbers, credit card numbers, and other personal information.
The amount of money that has been collectively given from Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple to 2020 campaign contributions. The report by the Center for Responsive Politics showed that the amount included money from the companies, owners, employees, and their families. Big tech has become more involved with politics, donating money to candidate campaigns, changing policies, and redefining what constitutes “free speech.”
The number of U.S. states that aren’t planning on spending any extra money on the 2020 Census. The 26 states that are spending money to encourage participation are spending a combined total of nearly one-third of a billion dollars. For those governments that aren’t spending extra money, sometimes local governments, businesses, and philanthropies are stepping in to bridge the gaps.
Congress has established new funding of $425 million for election security in anticipation of the 2020 election. The spending package is expected to be approved by the end of the week. The money will be allocated to states via grants, and then the states will be able to decide how it’s further spent. While election security advocates are happy about the money, many are concerned about the timing. “A year late & a billion dollars short on #electionsecurity.”
The new number for the suicide prevention hotline to increase access and reduce stigma around mental health. The previous number (800-273-TALK) is being shortened to parallel the other two help numbers, 911 for emergencies and 311 for city services. Last year the 163 suicide prevention hotline call centers received 2.2 million calls. “No one is embarrassed to call 911 for a fire or an emergency. No one should be embarrassed to call 988 for a mental health emergency.”
The cost of a Lyft rental as a part of its new rental program, a deviation from their traditional ride-hailing. The rental program debuted last spring to San Francisco and Los Angeles riders and announced on Thursday that it would expand its eligible pool of users, hoping to reach all L.A. and SF users in coming months. The program allows rental for up to two weeks without a mileage restriction.
The amount of money for which Scott Breza is suing Tesla after his 2017 Model X 75D allegedly swerved off the road to avoid objects that were not really there while in autopilot. Breza is claiming the car is defective and that Tesla hadn’t corrected the errors after several requests by Breza. Tesla will no longer be taking orders for the 75D version of the Model X vehicle, but when asked if they would discontinue the entire Model X line, CEO Elon Musk responded very simply via Twitter: “Def not.”
The total time it took Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket to fly into space and back in the company’s 12th test flight. New Shepard is a passenger rocket that will take crews into the upper limits of the Earth’s atmosphere so that the riders can experience weightlessness. The first passenger-loaded launch was originally planned to happen by the end of 2019, but “we’ve tapped the brakes a bit.”
The number of attorneys general that are requesting the federal government implement stricter online protections for children. A letter to the Federal Trade Commission asked for stronger rules regarding data collection for children under 13 years old. “Without modification to the current rule, companies will continue to build profiles on children based on collected data. Those profiles will be used to target them for many decades to come.”
The value of a joint venture announced last Thursday between General Motors and LG Chem of South Korea to “manufacture electric vehicle batteries” in a formerly idled plant in “northeast Ohio, a significant step for the nation’s largest automaker in its bid to electrify its future offerings.” The move is expected to create 1,100 new jobs.
The number of allegations of serious sexual assault in the U.S. against Uber during 2017 and 2018. Additionally, 107 people died in Uber crashes and 19 were killed in physical assaults, either during or shortly after the Uber ride.
The number of cellphone bills that were exposed online accidentally by a Sprint contractor who stored invoices on an unprotected Internet server. The documents, which contained names, addresses, phone numbers, and some call histories, have since been collected, although “it’s not known how long the bucket was exposed.”
The estimated cost to have Pegasystems Inc. build the U.S. Census Bureau an electronic version of the 2020 Census. This amount is about $40 million more than the projected cost when the company was first hired in 2016. Additionally, it was found during 2018 testing that the website was hacked by Russian IP addresses. “He got into the network. He got into where the public is not supposed to go.”
