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A startup called Kytch, which is repairing damaged ice cream machines at McDonald’s, has filed a massive lawsuit against the fast food chain, according to Wired.

The startup’s co-founders, Melissa Nelson and Jeremy O’Sullivan, are seeking at least $ 900 million in damages.

Kitsch’s case was long overdue. They claim that McDonald’s was involved in fake advertising, among other schemes, Wired reported.

Since 2019, Kitsch says it has a phone-sized device designed to be installed in broken McDonald’s ice cream machines. These devices will then intercept the internal communications of the ice cream machines and send signals to a smartphone or web device to help store owners repair their machines.

But things got worse for Kytch and McDonald’s in November 2020, when the fast food chain sent an email asking all franchisees to remove the device from their machines.

McDonald’s claims that Kytch’s product violates the machine’s warranties, “captures confidential information” and even has the ability to “cause serious injury”.

“Nothing is more important to us than food quality and safety, so all equipment at McDonald’s restaurants is thoroughly inspected before being approved for use,” a McDonald’s spokesman told Wired. “After learning that the unapproved Kytch device was being tested by some of our franchisees, we made a call to better understand what it was and subsequently reported potential concerns for the safety of franchisees. There is no conspiracy here. “

Kitsch denied the allegations of human injury, calling it “slanderous.”

Nelson claims that the emails not only led to broken ice cream machines, but also led to a backlog of sales for the start-up company on takeoff.

“They have tarnished our name. They scared our customers and ruined our business. They were anti-competitive. “They lied about a product they said would be released,” Nelson told Wired. “McDonald’s had every reason to know that Kitsch was safe and had no problems. It was not as dangerous as they claimed. That’s why we’re judging them. “

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You can contact Catherine Rodriguez at [email protected]. Do you have any advice? Tell us at nj.com/tips.

Dow Jones futures fell slightly overnight, along with S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures, after reports that Ukraine’s nuclear power plant was on fire. The stock market rally hit resistance at a key level on Thursday, turning lower with the Nasdaq, small capitalizations and particularly aggressive growth leading down.

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Meanwhile, investors will turn their attention to the report on jobs on Friday, which should be released before the stock market opens.

Invasion of Russia in Ukraine

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is on fire, the mayor of the local city said. Russian troops are moving to take over the nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe and one of the 10 largest in the world,

Earlier, Ukraine said it had reached an “agreement” with Russia on humanitarian corridors, allowing Ukrainian civilians to evacuate from besieged cities and launch humanitarian aid. This would include a local ceasefire around these corridors.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin said on television that his invasion of Ukraine was “going according to plan.” The Russian military is gaining ground, especially south of the Black Sea. But it suffered significant losses in troops and equipment. Economic pain continues to escalate with growing calls for sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he fears “the worst is yet to come” after a lengthy telephone conversation with Russian dictator Putin. He said Putin seemed determined to continue his invasion of Ukraine until he controlled the entire country. Russia has used artillery and bombs to hit major cities, striking many residential areas.

Breakout of stocks

Union Pacific (UNP) exploded from a flat base during the day, although it reduced closing gains. Fellow railway operator CSX (CSX) flashes aggressive record.

of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB) also exploded. Berkshire, best known as the insurance giant, another pocket of market power, also owns the BNSF rail line. Having a huge investment in Apple (AAPL) also does not harm Berkshire.

Kroger (KR) deviated from the profit base while Farmer’s market for sprouts (SFM) also triggers purchase signals. Thor and lithium play SQM (SQM) jumped out of the base of exploding profits and bullish comments on prices.

But growth stocks lagged, especially high-value names. IN snowflake (SNOW) The sale of profits and guidelines led to heavy sales of many names.

This includes Datadog (DDOG) and Tesla (TSLA), two of the relatively outstanding three-digit PE stocks.

Key profits

Costco Wholesale (PRICE) and Broadcom (AVGO) headline on Thursday night’s winnings.

Costco’s profits and revenues exceeded the number of views. But sales growth in the same store, although above the official fiscal outlook for the second quarter, slow compared to Q1. Shares of COST fell slightly overnight. Shares rose 1% to 533.05 on Thursday. Shares of Costco have a point of purchase based on a glass of 571.59. Investors could use 534.34, just above the short-term resistance of the 50-day line, as an aggressive input.

Broadcom’s profits and guidance were better than expected. Shares of AVGO jumped 4% late. Shares fell 1.2% to 578.60 on Thursday. Broadcom shares are consolidating, but must exceed their 50-day line and a short-term aggressive entry high of 614.74. The official buying point is 677.86.

Shares of Tesla and Union Pacific are on the IBD Leaderboard, while shares of CSX have been added to the Leaderboard watch list. Union Pacific was also available for IBD Day on Thursday.

The video embedded in this article discusses market actions on Thursday and analyzes the shares of LPG, anthem (ANTM) and DDOG shares.

Job report

At 8:30 am ET, the Ministry of Labor will publish the report on jobs in February. Economists expect non-agricultural wages to rise by 390,000, with the unemployment rate falling to 3.9%. The labor force participation rate will be key as the Federal Reserve looks for signs of an increased workforce to ease bottlenecks in the supply chain and wage pressures.

The Fed is expected to raise interest rates by a quarter at its meeting on March 15-16. But the job report, the upcoming February consumer price index and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may still change that decision.

Dow Jones futures today

Dow Jones futures are down 0.2% from fair value, turning from modest gains in a report that a nuclear power plant is on fire. S&P 500 futures fell 0.25%. Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.2%.

Dow futures are sure to move, is the report on jobs in February before the market opened.

Crude oil prices rose by more than 1%.

The yield on 10-year government bonds fell by 4 basis points to 1.8%.

Remember that the action at night in Dow futures and elsewhere does not necessarily turn into actual trading in the next regular session of the stock market.

Join the IBD experts as they analyze the actions that can be taken in the stock market rally on IBD Live

Stock market rally

The stock market rally opened sharply, but declined almost immediately, with growth and low-cap stocks hit hardest.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.35% in stock trading on Thursday. The S&P 500 index fell 0.6%. The Nasdaq index fell 1.6%. Russell 2000 with a small capitalization fell by 1.2%.

Crude oil prices fell 2.6% to $ 107.67 a barrel after exceeding $ 114 in pre-market trade. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for a halt to Russian oil imports from the United States, which would have a relatively limited impact. However, most of Russia’s crude oil exports have failed to attract buyers. In addition to the Russia-Ukraine headlines, Western nations and Russia are making progress on a new Iranian nuclear deal. This will free up large Iranian crude oil exports.

Yields on 10-year government bonds also turned lower, falling by about 2 basis points to 1.84%.

ETFs

Among the best ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) fell 0.1%, while the Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) lost 0.7%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) fell 2.5%. VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) sank 2.2%.

The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) was up 3.2%, while the Global X US Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) was up 0.5%. The US Global Jets ETF (JETS) was down 3.4%. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) fell 1.1%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) was up 0.3% and the Financial Select SPDR ETF (XLF) was down 0.3%. The Health Care Fund for a selected sector SPDR (XLV) increased by 0.5%.

Reflecting more speculative stock histories, the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) was down 6.4% and the ARK Genomics ETF (ARKG) down 4.6%. Ark Invest has only minimal exposure to SNOW shares, but many of its highly acclaimed stakes failed on Thursday in the avalanche of Snowflake. Tesla shares remain No. 1 in ARK Invest’s ETFs.

Five best Chinese stocks to watch now

Railway operators

Shares of Union Pacific rose 1.15% to 256.21, closing close to the bottom of the session. That’s after reaching 263.59 during the day, above the buying point of 256.21 for most of the day, according to MarketSmith. The flat base is only 8% deep. The relative strength of LPG stocks is record high. The RS line, the blue line in the graphs provided, tracks stock performance against the S&P 500 index.

Shares of CSX jumped 2% to 35.29, closing exactly on its 50-day line. During the day, the shares cleared their February peaks, offering aggressive entry. The point of purchase on an equal basis is 38.11.

Berkshire Hathaway is best known for its insurance operations and Warren Buffett’s investments. But BNSF’s rail operations are a key part of the business. Shares of BRKB rose 1.2% to 327.63. This cleared the four-week tight with an official buying point of 325.73. Investors may view the mid-January consolidation as an unsettled flat base.

The rail advance is coming because shipping companies are generally doing well. Ocean carriers such as Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) and Integrated delivery of Zim (ZIM) have been leading for a long time. in the meantime, JB Hunt Transport (JBHT) is applicable as other transport companies start to look interesting.

IBD Digital: Unlock IBD’s first-class stock lists, instruments and analysis today

Market rally analysis

The stock market rally opened on Thursday with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq moving above their 21-day moving average, while the Dow Jones reached just that level. But within a minute the major indexes receded and turned down,

The 21-day indicator acts as resistance to major indices for most of 2022. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq still face several other potential obstacles.

Thursday was an outdoor day for the Nasdaq, meaning its range within the day exceeded Wednesday’s highs and lows. External days are more meaningful. So the downside was even more discouraging.

Aggressive growth was killed on Thursday. Snowflake surpassed viewings late Wednesday, doubling revenue and slightly targeting higher for the current fiscal year. But that was not enough, as SNOW shares fell 15% to a nine-month low. Many other highly valued stocks, especially software, were also sold.

Shares of DDOG fell 9.7%, below its 50-day line.

Shares of Tesla, while performing much better than most EV games, fell 4.6%, back below its 21-day line, but simply managed to stay above its 21-day.

However, the attempt at a market rally remains intact. A follow-up may occur at any time to confirm the new uptrend.

Market Time with IBD’s ETF Marketing Strategy

What should we do now

Just because a high school student is in college doesn’t mean she’ll graduate from MIT with honors or even graduate from high school.

Wednesday’s strong gains, which were lower than in the previous session, were encouraging. But without a day of follow-up and the main indices are still fixed below the 21-day line, there was no reason to significantly add exposure.

Attempts to rally in the market may become a confirmed uptrend in the near future and this uptrend may have legs. But the news-oriented market could quickly head south. In addition, some sectors that have done well, especially in energy and raw materials, may fall into the background if broader indices are constantly running.

So, if and when the market rally shows strength, gradually increase your exposure. For now, investors may want to take at least partial profits from the winners when they reach 10%.

There is still nothing wrong with being all or almost all in cash.

Keep working on watch lists. Stay committed to be ready to turn the market around.

Read the Big Picture every day to stay in line with market direction and leading stocks and sectors.

Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and others.

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The best growth stocks to buy and watch

Tesla vs. BYD: Which thriving EV giant is better to buy?

CNBC’s Jim Kramer warned investors on Thursday that buying a stock of high-tech stocks was a losing strategy in today’s turbulent market.

“The era of victories, promotions and buying, no matter what … is over for high-rise stocks. There are still many other stocks, but if you’re still betting on those who go back … I don’t think it will work, “said the Crazy Money presenter.

Growth stocks are particularly vulnerable to inflation, Kramer said, because it hits the value of future profits.

“You may think that these companies are the greatest things after sliced ​​bread, but professionals know not to pay so much for unprofitable sliced ​​bread when there is a spiral of inflation,” added the host.

Kramer said the decline in shares of Okta and Snowflake – whose CEOs were both in “Mad Money” on Wednesday night – means the last straw for investors who buy high-tech technology stocks and try to cash in later. .

Both stocks fell on Thursday after gaining fourth-quarter earnings the day before. Shares of Okta fell 8.06%, while Snowflake fell 15.37%.

“Given that there are so many followers of the Inertia Camp and so many ETFs focused on [cloud and cybersecurity] enterprises covered by [Snowflake and Okta]those two names literally toppled the proverbial houses of buyers of weak buyers and traders of high-growth stocks, Kramer said.

The presenter added that he believes that many such buyers have already left the market.

“The momentum is gone, the charts are broken. “They lost too much money,” he said.

A resident of the Ukrainian city of Kherson told Christian Amanpur told CNN that Russian troops were in Kherson, but insisted that the city was “a Ukrainian city and we want to remain a Ukrainian city.”

“Our city is flooded by Russian occupiers, but the flag is still Ukrainian and we hope it will remain Ukrainian,” said Svetlana Zorina, a 27-year-old Kherson resident. “We trust our mayor. We trust our government. We trust our army. We believe in our victory. We are a Ukrainian city and we want to remain a Ukrainian city, “Zorina said.

Kherson Mayor Igor Kolikhayev said on Wednesday in a statement shared on his Facebook page that the Ukrainian military is no longer in the city and that its residents must now follow the instructions of “armed men who have come to the city administration” – showing that the city has already fallen under Russian control.

British military intelligence, released early Thursday, noted that “some Russian forces have entered the city of Kherson”, but warned that the military situation on the ground “remains unclear”.

In a statement Thursday, Gennady Lahuta, head of the Kherson regional state administration, said Russian forces had “completely occupied” the regional state administration building.

Kherson resident Zorina described the situation in the city to Amanpur. “We try not to go out because it is dangerous. Today, for the first time, I learned to check near a shop a hundred meters from me if they have food, but there was nothing, because we are surrounded by Russians and it is impossible to deliver food or medicine here. “

“So we’re actually trying to save what we can and we have food supplies, but that will be enough for a few weeks,” she said.

Zorina said the city administration is carrying out tasks despite Russian misinformation. “Our mayor is in contact with us, the city administration is in contact with us. There are telegram channels. “There is a website of our mayor’s office and they share information, spread information with us,” she told CNN.

“There is a huge amount of propaganda that the Russians have tried to spread among Kherson and the Ukrainian people, as if we want to become part of Crimea. This is not true. We do not want. The mayor just tells us how the city will function in the next few days, that the transport will work for the people who work, you know, in the power plant, the water supply, and so on.

Asked by Amanpur about the Russian presence in the city, Zorina said that Russian soldiers “do not know why they came here, what their purpose is and are concerned – the Russian army treats soldiers very badly. They cry … our people feed them. ”

Zorina described the difficult humanitarian situation in the city as a result of the Russian aggression and said that there were “many civilian buildings that were destroyed … people sitting in apartments or basements, and pregnant women giving birth. children in basements. ”

“I do not want to leave. I do not want to become a refugee. I want to live in my country. I was born in Kherson. “I’ve lived here almost all my life and I don’t want to change it and I hope it will end soon and the Russian army will leave, the inhabitants will leave,” she said.

“I want to live in Ukraine. I am Ukrainian, “she added.

Traders based on the NYSE, February 24, 2022

Source: NYSE

Equity futures rose on Thursday night ahead of a key job report as investors followed the development of the war in Ukraine.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 53 points, or 0.2%. Those for the S&P 500 added 0.1%, while futures on the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.2%.

The moves come before the February report on the jobs of the Ministry of Labor. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect 440,000 jobs to rise and the unemployment rate to fall to 3.9 percent. Hourly wages are projected to increase by 5.8% on an annual basis.

This is the last report on jobs before the next meeting of the Federal Reserve, at which the central bank is expected to begin raising interest rates. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that he was in favor of an increase of 25 basis points in March. The base point is equal to 0.01%.

“I think that since we’ve seen Powell say, uncharacteristically frank, specifically that he plans to support a 25-point increase, that speculative thinking can be a little more anchored by raising 25 basis points, even if we see more “Stronger than expected tomorrow,” said Lauren Goodwin, an economist and portfolio strategist at New York Life Investments.

The wage growth component in the report could be a key data point as traders try to understand the path of road policy, Goodwin said.

“Even a 5.8% increase in wages is a reduction in wages if inflation creeps above 7%,” Goodwin said.

The war against Ukraine will also be in the minds of investors on Friday. Ukraine still holds its capital, Kyiv, more than a week after the fighting, although reports of shelling have increased in other major cities. One million Ukrainians have fled the country, according to the UN.

Meanwhile, economic sanctions from the United States and its allies have virtually cut off Russia’s economy from large parts of the global financial system. JPMorgan said in a note Thursday that Russia’s economy could shrink by 35% year-on-year in the second quarter.

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Profit reports have led to some major moves in expanded trade. Retailer Gap and restaurant chain Sweetgreen rose after expectations. Chipmaker Broadcom rose after outpacing earnings and revenue forecasts.

On Thursday, the three main averages closed lower after a volatile session. The Dow was positive for most of the day before closing 96 points lower. Nasdaq, pulled by software stocks, fell 1.56%.

The Dow was down 0.9% for the week, on its way to its fourth negative week in a row. The S&P 500 was down about 0.5% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite was down more than 1%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fluctuated between losses and gains in the market on Thursday, but eventually closed lower. The composite Nasdaq led lower and traded much lower, while the S&P 500 traded slightly lower. The main indices stabilized after an unstable trading week, but remain below key moving averages.

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Additional comments from central banking authorities on Thursday continued to affect markets. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said the war in Ukraine has pushed inflation even higher and has heightened the need to raise interest rates. This came after Jerome Powell cited support for a quarter-rate increase in interest rates this month in testimony released Wednesday.

Dow Jones on the stock market today

In today’s market, most major indexes traded lower in late afternoon trading, after being mixed earlier in the session. The indices also remained below important moving averages and diverged to key areas of resistance on Thursday.

At the close, the Dow Jones index fell 0.3%. The Nasdaq fell more than 1.6% and is now negative for the week, while the S&P 5oo lost 0.5%. Russell 2000 traded 1.3% less.

Early data showed that the volume of the Nasdaq and the NYSE decreased compared to the same period on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the indices are selling more in recent sessions, indicating institutional sales rather than institutional accumulation.

Yields on 10-year government securities fell slightly to 1.84% after rising from 1.72% on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the price of US crude oil futures finally fell below $ 109 a barrel after moving above $ 111 a barrel on Wednesday, an 11-year high.

In economic news, weekly unemployment claims for the last week fell to 215,000 from 233,000 the previous week. The PMI index in the IHS Markit services sector jumped to 56.5 in February from 51.2 in January and fell slightly from an initial estimate of 56.7. The output index of PMI rose to 55.9 from January 51.1.

Shares of IBD 50 are rising

IBD’s market outlook remains an “adjustment” and shows that the market is not currently on an upward trend or reflects optimal buying conditions. But investors may still want to watch stocks trade near buying points because the indices are trying to rally.

Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) lost 0.1% on Thursday after successfully regaining its 21-day exponential moving average on Wednesday.

Profits in shipping stocks, steelmakers and chemical companies are on the rise.

Cleveland Cliffs (CLF) rose more than 7.5% and exploded from 24.77 to double bottom. The breakout of the shares happened along the RS line, which marked new peaks, a bullish sign.

Cleveland-Cliffs is part of the steel group, which currently ranks 27th out of 197 groups of IBD measures.

This miner surpasses early entry

Southern honey (SCCO), another biggest winner in the IBD 50, rose more than 3% as shares approached a first-stage buy point of 83.39. The extraction of metal ores is still 10% of the entrance.

The trend line drawn from the high level near 80 during the SCCO week, which ended on May 21, 2021, really offers an early buying point close to 69.50.

Shares of a warehousing company Public storage (PSA) rose 2.1% as shares approached 377.46 on an equal footing. The RS stock line also marked a new peak on its weekly chart.

In the meantime, stock up at the grocery store Kroger (KR) rose and rose more than 11% and left the cup base after gains exceeded forecasts and the company gave a positive outlook.

Shares of Kroger have moved above 50.25 buying points and are now expanded from the buying zone by 5%. The line of relative strength was at new highs even before the breakthrough, a bullish sign. Retail and other food chains received some coverage on IBD Live on Thursday.

Here are the stocks that are making remarkable moves in expanded trading.

Broadcom – Shares of the chips rose more than 3% in long-term trading on Thursday, after Broadcom surpassed the estimates for the top and bottom line for its first fiscal quarter. The company reported $ 8.39 adjusted earnings per share, while analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were looking for $ 8.08 per share. The company’s revenue guidelines for the second quarter were also above expectations.

Gap Store in New York, August 2, 2020

Scott Mill CNBC

Gap – Gap shares rose more than 8% in long-term trading after the retailer reported less-than-expected fourth-quarter loss and issued strong earnings guidelines. Gap reported losses of 2 cents per share, compared to the forecast of 14 cents by analysts at Refinitiv. Revenue was $ 4.53 billion, compared to approximately $ 4.49 billion. For the full year, Gap expects to earn between $ 1.85 and $ 2.05 per share. Analysts had expected adjusted earnings of $ 1.86 per share.

Smith & Wesson Brands – Shares of the firearms manufacturer fell 14.7% in expanded trading after the company’s results for the third quarter of the fiscal year did not meet analysts’ expectations. The company reported 69 cents adjusted earnings per share for $ 177.7 million in revenue. Analysts polled by Refinitiv were looking for 83 cents and $ 198.3 million in revenue, according to FactSet’s StreetAccount. CEO Mark Smith said in a statement that the firearms market had “cooled significantly” from where it had been during the pandemic.

Sweetgreen – Shares of Sweetgreen rose nearly 20% hours later after the salad chain saw stellar sales growth in the fourth quarter. This is the first time the restaurant has published a quarterly report since its public debut. Net sales rose 63 percent to $ 96.4 million, beating analysts’ expectations of $ 84.7 million, according to Refinitiv. The company reported a net loss for the quarter.

Technology giants in Silicon Valley are joining the rest of the business world in withdrawing their products and services from Russia. Companies such as Apple (AAPL) have severed ties with the Russian market altogether to protest the Ukrainian invasion, while companies such as YouTube (GOOG, GOOGL), Meta (FB) and Microsoft (MSFT) are restricting Russian propaganda networks such as RT and Sputnik in Europe.

And while Big Tech’s moves have put at least some pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and provided assistance to Ukrainian citizens, they can also be a boon to the companies’ end results. And for companies embroiled in controversy, taking action against Russia could improve their reputation among consumers.

“We want to think it’s altruistic and companies take a stand, but sometimes it’s a wash of value,” Forrester senior analyst Alla Valente told Yahoo Finance. “In other words, if a brand has had bad media or publicity, they could do so to try to repair their brand reputation.”

More benefit than harm

Among the major technology brands, Apple has the strongest position against Russia. The company stopped all sales of products in the country, restricted services such as Apple Pay, removed the RT and Sputnik applications from the App Store everywhere except Russia, and deactivated live traffic and incidents on Apple Maps to prevent Russia from seeing where it could Ukrainian citizens gather.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – MARCH 2, 2022: Re: Store in the GUM department store. As of March 2, all re: Store stores in Moscow have been closed as Apple suspends all product sales in Russia. Artyom Geodakyan / TASS (Photo by Artyom Geodakyan \ TASS via Getty Images)

Apple has no physical stores in Russia, which means that its products are sold through third-party retailers. And according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, Russia’s suspension of hardware sales will not affect Apple’s end result much.

“Russia as a whole is a breadwinner in terms of its financial impact on American technology giants,” Ives told Yahoo Finance. “If the FAANG names pulled the plug from doing business in Russia, that’s a maximum of 1% -2% of total revenue exposure.”

Apple has long turned human rights into one of the cornerstones of its appeal, even if it is sometimes detrimental. He was notoriously opposed to the Department of Justice when investigators asked Apple to create an iOS backdoor to gain access to an iPhone used by one of the killers in the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack.

The story continues

Apple protested the request, saying that building a backdoor would create a vulnerability in any iPhone on Earth that hackers could quickly find and exploit.

“They are a brand that has drawn a line in the sand about what they stand for and what they don’t,” Valente said. “And when you’re guided by these types of outlines, it makes … you see more clearly the path you have to take.”

Of course, Apple, along with other technology giants, does not have a perfect experience. The company sells and manufactures its products in China, which has been accused of human rights abuses, including the closure of Uighurs in Xinjiang concentration camps.

In general, brands with Ukraine need to benefit from the positive attention they receive, and they could attract new customers who choose which companies to do business with based on their morale.

Big Tech’s moves will keep employees, attract talent

In addition to keeping customers satisfied, the actions of technology companies against Russia can also raise the morale of their employees and serve as a powerful tool for recruiting for future employees.

Employee activism is a major force in Silicon Valley, forcing companies like Google to distance themselves from certain military contracts. Companies certainly recognize this and want to ensure that they keep their employees happy by supporting Ukraine.

“Think about whether you have senior people, important people, or certain talents who say, ‘You know, we as employees are no longer in line with the brand we work for, and we’re going to leave.'” I mean, it could be a huge problem for technology companies, “Valente said.

It’s not just about current employees. Technology companies need to ensure that they are on the right side of the conflict if they want to continue to attract the best talent, especially at a time when there are more jobs than workers available.

Technology companies are almost certainly taking a stand against Russia because their leaders believe it is the right thing to do in the face of an unprovoked invasion. However, they probably realize that this has tangible benefits for themselves.

However, it will be more interesting to see which companies continue to hold their ground if the war drags on for months or years, and whether they will feel the same then as they do now.

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Do you have any advice? Email Daniel Howley at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.