Boardroom recaps Michelai’s Bet of the Week section in Tech Talk to see how on-point our tech reporter truly is.
Another year has come to an end, and after making nearly 50 bold bets across the tech industry, my insights have been put to the test.
In this recap of Michelai’s Bet of the Week in Tech Talk, I’ll break down the biggest wins, misses, and surprises of the year. From predicting trends to analyzing significant shifts, let’s dive into how the bets shaped up and what we can learn for the year ahead.
Stay Ahead of the Game, Get Our Newsletters
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
January
- January 7: MicroStrategy founder and executive chairman Michael Saylor is selling $216 million worth of shares in his company to buy more Bitcoin for his personal reserve. Saylor’s business intelligence company has been aggressively investing in Bitcoin with 189,150 tokens under its umbrella, so I’m going to bet that we’ll see another big Bitcoin purchase from MicroStrategy by the end of Q1.
- This did come true since Microstrategy purchased 9,278 Bitcoins on March 19. As of Dec. 16, MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin holdings stand at 439,000.
- January 14: Lawmakers introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to prohibit the creation and distribution of unauthorized digital replicas following a slew of AI voice clones across the music industry and celebrity deepfakes in the past year. I’m going to bet that this bill will pass in the first half of this year and that we’ll also see an influx of digital replica licensing agreements across entertainment industries.
- The No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act of 2024 has not been signed into law (yet).
- January 21: Amazon is developing a higher tier of its Alexa voice tech offering called Remarkable Alexa, which users will have to pay for, according to Business Insider. The new tech is expected to debut at the end of June, despite some bad early testing results. I’m going to bet that Amazon will revamp the project and push the release date due to unforeseen difficulties and testing result leaks.
- Amazon did postpone this launch beyond 2024.
- January 28: I’m going to pull the bet I made here about Apple selling out of the first batch of Apple Vision Pro headsets and double down on it. Despite the price point, the people love Apple.
- Apple did sell out of the initial pre-order batch and the first batch on launch day.
February
- February 4: Universal Music Group decided to pull its music library from TikTok this week after the parties failed to reach a new agreement on royalties for artists and songwriters. I’m going to bet that UMG will return to the short-form video platform by the end of Q1 since it’s been able to reach deals with every other social network on the market.
- UMG has returned to TikTok, but this didn’t happen until Q2.
- February 11: Reddit generated $800 million in revenue last year, a 20% increase year-over-year. This comes as the social news aggregator and forum prepares for an IPO, but I’m going to bet that Reddit won’t go public at the reported valuation of $5 billion; it’ll be under that, especially since it’s not profitable yet.
- I was wrong about this one since Reddit was valued at approximately $6.4 billion when it went public.
- February 18: The US Patent and Trademark Office shared new guidance that says AI systems cannot be named inventors in applications, but humans can leverage AI tools to create patented works as long as they disclose that they do. I’m going to bet that as AI systems get smarter, these rules will change to allow AI platforms to be named inventors.
- February 25: This week, Apple announced a new free app for sports fans called Apple Sports, which will deliver real-time scores, stats, and more across NBA, MLS, NCAA basketball, and many other leagues currently in season. I’m going to bet that Apple’s new app will become the ESPN app’s biggest competitor, driving it to either rebrand or partner with another company to stay afloat.
March
- March 3: Nokia phone maker HMD announced a collaboration with Mattel to develop the real-life version of the Barbie Flip Phone, which is slated to be released this summer. Nostalgia and the Barbie movie will drive potential interest in the device, so I’m going to bet that sales will at least top 100,000 at launch.
- March 10: I’m going to go long here and bet that Bitcoin will cross the $80,000 threshold before the summer hits since its value has consistently been trending upward in recent weeks.
- This didn’t happen until November.
- March 17: If Congress fully passes the TikTok bill in the US, I’m going to bet that ByteDance will let TikTok spin out as its own company and maintain its HQ offices in Singapore and LA.
- We will find out TikTok’s fate in a few weeks!
- March 24: Apparently, LinkedIn is working on launching a new gaming experience within its platform. While the idea sounds fun, I’m going to bet that this project won’t make it out of the beta phase since consumers go on LinkedIn to build their professional networks, not play games.
- I was wrong since LinkedIn launched puzzle games on its platform in May.
- March 31: This week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill prohibiting children under 14 from having social media accounts. The law is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, but I’m going to bet it’ll get blocked by a higher court.
- Enforcement of this law has been delayed due to legal challenges.
April
- April 7: Tesla‘s annual sales are down for the first time since 2020 due to increased competition. To entice interested buyers, I’m going to bet that Tesla will kick down prices for its EVs at least one more time this year.
- Tesla has implemented several price adjustments for its vehicles throughout 2024, including knocking down $2,000 on three of its five models in the US.
- April 14: This week, the Federal Communications Commission announced a new rule that requires internet service providers with more than 100,000 subscribers to display labels in-store and online that clearly state every single fee from their plans to additional costs, activation fees, rental fees, and more. Think of these as nutrition labels. It sounds nice, but I’m going to bet that this new rule will quickly lead to a couple of class action lawsuits from customers who still feel duped by additional fees.
- Reports indicate that while the labels are present, many consumers find them difficult to locate and understand.
- April 21: Prices for Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs have declined by over 90%, marking a new all-time low for one of the NFT market’s most popular collections. I’m going to bet that the BAYC team will either announce a new project or pivot from NFTs by the end of the year to try to salvage its brand.
- BAYC has pivoted and launched a 3D action game in July.
- April 25: I’m going to double down on a previous bet I made since Congress passed legislation that could force TikTok out of the US. I’m still betting that ByteDance will likely spin TikTok out as its own company before it lets the app be the first to face a nationwide ban, but truthfully, I still don’t think the app is going anywhere.
- We will find out TikTok’s fate in a few weeks!
May
- May 5: This new music video is being reported as the first of its kind to be produced through OpenAI‘s generative text-to-video platform, Sora. This particular example gave me a bit of a headache, but I’m going to bet that we’ll see a slew of major artists release AI-generated music videos by the end of the year.
- Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.
- May 12: Nintendo shared on X that it will announce a Switch successor before March 2025. While the announcement won’t come next month during Nintendo Direct, I’m going to bet that the video game developer will announce the new console by the end of the year to open up presales around the holiday season.
- Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.
- May 19: TikTok is most definitely heating up the content with all its competitors. Since TikTok is leaning into longer-form content and Instagram is scurrying away from it, I’m betting that we’ll see creators share more multi-part stories and vlogs on TikTok than on another platform like YouTube.
- Creators are sharing more long-form content on TikTok since platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts put a cap on video length.
- May 26: Now, that was fast. The company behind the Humane Ai Pin is shopping around for a buyer after receiving really bad reviews for its debut wearable product. Despite a lack of interest in the Ai Pin, I’m going to bet that Humane will find a new parent company by the end of the year or pivot its business model.
- Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.
June
- June 2: Nvidia is narrowing the gap in its market cap as its value inches closer to the ranks of Apple and Microsoft. A year ago, Nvidia’s market cap hadn’t even surpassed $1 trillion, but now the company’s value is in the $2.8 trillion range. I’m going to make a bet that Nvidia will surpass the $3 trillion threshold for the first time before 2024 is up.
- Nvidia surpassed a $3 trillion market cap multiple times this year.
- June 9: It seems GameStop‘s fate is tied to how often Keith “Roaring Kitty” Gill updates the world on just about anything. Gill announced his return to YouTube, and GameStop‘s stock surged by more than 40%. With this trend, I’m going to bet that Roaring Kitty will show interest in a new meme stock by the end of the year.
- Unfortunately, this didn’t come true, though he has posted about GameStop and AMC, driving those stock prices up again.
- June 16: Even though OpenAI is reportedly bringing ChatGPT to Apple products for free, I’m going to bet that we’ll see a price tag behind that partnership very soon.
- Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.
- June 23: Ilya Sutskever, former OpenAI chief scientist, announced a new venture called Safe Superintelligence Inc. I’m going to bet that the new company will announce an AI chatbot-related product to compete with OpenAI by the end of the year.
- Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.
- June 30: A few days after Amazon released a song collab with Megan Thee Stallion to promote Prime Day on July 16 and 17, TikTok announced a similar shopping event coined “Deals For You Days,” kicking off on July 9. I’m going to bet that we’ll see semi-regular shopping events like this from TikTok Shop moving forward, with the next one coming around the holiday season.
July
- July 7: Since Bose is celebrating 60 years in business this year, I’m going to bet that the audio manufacturer will release some special edition products to celebrate six decades on the market before the year is up.
- Bose released the Diamond 60th Edition Collection to celebrate its big milestone.
- July 14: While new social network noplace — which briefly hit No. 1 on Apple’s App Store — is targeting younger generations in its initial launch, I’m going to bet that there will be an influx of Millennial users on the app soon since it’s billed as “Myspace for Gen Z.” I’ve been itching to get back in my coding bag and design an online profile from scratch. Stay tuned.
- July 19: Elon Musk confirmed that the Tesla Robotaxi event has been delayed to October due to some last-minute design changes. I’m going to bet that we’ll see at least one more delay with the new vehicle, which is expected to have no steering wheel or pedals.
- July 28: The Information confirmed some early reports that Apple is developing foldable phones that could be released as soon as 2026. I’m going to bet that Apple will reinvent the sleek flip phone model instead of creating foldable devices as Samsung does.
August
- August 4: Employees at an Apple store in Maryland have become the first to unionize in the US after striking a three-year deal with the company that includes an average 10% pay raise and more benefits. I’m going to bet that we’ll see more unionization at Apple and similar companies with storefronts in the coming years.
- August 11: The Information reported that OpenAI is leading a $60 million Series B funding round for Opal, a tech hardware and webcam maker backed by TikTokers Charli and Dixie D’Amelio. I’m going to bet that Opal will either infuse AI into its hardware products — maybe enabling some sort of AI tech onscreen — or announce a whole new AI product following this funding round.
- August 18: Bloomberg reported that Apple is still developing a large tabletop device equipped with a robotic arm that could debut as soon as 2026. I don’t know if Apple will leap into another new product category this soon after introducing the Apple Vision Pro. Still, I will bet that Apple will introduce this tabletop device before it debuts a foldable phone model.
- August 25: I don’t think I ever expected to see this news on my bingo card, but Chick-fil-A is developing a streaming service that’ll reportedly produce and stream family-friendly shows and unscripted content. I bet this platform won’t fully come to fruition or attract a loyal audience.
- I was wrong since Chick-fil-A Play launched on Nov. 18.
September
- September 1: Bored Ape Yacht Club and BAPE announced Season 2 of their streetwear collection featuring the Bored Ape NFT aesthetic. Set for launch this month, I’m going to bet that the collection will sell just as well as the first drop since the pairing just makes sense.
- Majority of the collection sold out, including shoes, hoodies, and t-shirts.
- September 8: The “Maybe It’s Maybelline” campaign is making a comeback with a new TikTok presence and a group of beauty influencers. I’m betting that we’ll continue to see nostalgic campaign revivals from the ’90s. Personally, I’d like to see a revival of the Chili’s “I Want My Baby Back” campaign next.
- September 15: OpenAI recently hit 1 million paid corporate users as the AI leader targets a $6.5 billion funding raise that could value it at $150 billion, Bloomberg reports. I’m going to bet that OpenAI will ramp up its enterprise software bundling options to continue generating revenue and keep its basic ChatGPT offering free.
- OpenAI has increasingly emphasized its enterprise solutions to generate revenue.
- September 22: Netflix is in talks with BuzzFeed to air live episodes of Hot Ones explicitly created for the popular streamer. While negotiations are happening, I’m going to bet that YouTube will throw a deal BuzzFeed’s way to keep the popular series exclusive to its platform.
- This prediction evolved in an unexpected direction since BuzzFeed sold Hot Ones in December.
- September 29: Intel‘s future has been the topic of discussion in the computing chip world this week, with takeover proposals from Apollo, Qualcomm, and Arm on the table. Despite Intel’s growth slumping, I’m going to bet that the company will turn down all acquisition deals because it still holds some market dominance in the semiconductor industry.
October
- October 6: CNN introduced a $3.99-a-month digital paywall for US users, which activates after readers access a set number of free articles. Given the highly competitive digital news environment, I’m going to bet that CNN will drop its subscription model before it fully rolls out. Many readers are likely to turn to cost-free alternatives for similar content.
- I was wrong since CNN has not discontinued this subscription model.
- October 13: Bitcoin Core Developer Peter Todd told CNN that he’s not the pseudonymous Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto after HBO released its Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery documentary claiming he is. I’ve always been skeptical about who Nakamoto is. After much speculation over the years, I’m going to bet that the real Bitcoin creator is a group of developers and not just a single individual.
- October 20: During Tesla‘s product showcase last week, the company used human operators to remotely control a group of Optimus robots. I have so many thoughts, but this automatically makes me think the tech behind the bots is nowhere near ready. To this end, I’m going to bet that Tesla won’t begin mass-producing Optimus robots by 2027, as Elon Musk claims. With Musk’s history of ambitious timelines, I’m confident there will be multiple delays.
- October 27: The eVTOL industry got a big win after the Federal Aviation Administration added a new category that accommodates aircraft that take off and land like helicopters but then transition to forward flights like airplanes, per TechCrunch. This is the first new aircraft category in nearly 80 years, and we could see air taxis in the sky by 2025. I’m going to bet that a tech-savvy city like San Francisco or New York or a more open-spaced city like Austin or Miami will be the first to launch air taxi services in the coming years.
November
- November 3: Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian will deliver his keynote speech at CES 2025 from the Las Vegas Sphere, marking the first time the annual tech trade show hosts an event at the famous venue. As Sphere continues to expand its range of events, I’m going to bet that we’ll see a major conference or event fully relocate there within the next year.
- November 17: As Bitcoin reaches new heights, Odell Beckham Jr. reminded people the current crypto bull run is why he decided to take his 2021 salary with the Los Angeles Rams in Bitcoin. I’m going to bet that we’ll see other athletes take their contracts, or a portion of it, in crypto in the next year.
- November 24: Nvidia became the most valuable company in history this month after its market cap briefly eclipsed $3.6 trillion. Given its steady ascent, I’m betting Nvidia will reach a $4 trillion market cap by 2025, surpass Apple, and permanently secure its position as the most valuable company.
December
- December 1: As of November, Bluesky has surpassed 22 million users, while Threads boasts over 275 million monthly active users. Although Bluesky’s user base is smaller, I’m going to bet that it will exceed 100 million by the end of Q1 2025 and potentially overtake Threads by the close of next year.
- December 8: Influencer Sydney Nicole Gifford is suing fellow influencer Alyssa Sheil for allegedly copying her signature “Sad Beige” aesthetic. The lawsuit has been a hot topic online this week, raising questions about the copyrightability of social media styles and vibes. While I don’t think the court will rule in Gifford’s favor, I’m going to bet that this lawsuit will encourage more influencers to assert ownership over their brand elements.
- December 15: This week, Amazon launched Amazon Autos, an online car shopping platform in partnership with Hyundai, allowing customers to browse vehicles from local dealers in 48 US states. I’m going to bet that Amazon will expand its newest venture and add more car brands in 2025.
More Tech:
