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A few months ago, I began prodding around the idea of, What are the future FAANG stocks? Weve seen Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and other tech stocks swell from modest winners to worldwide behemoths. These stocks went from $100 billion to $1 trillion in market capitalization. So many people talk about what it would be like if we had bought Apple in the 1980s or Amazon in 1999. While anyone who did and was able to hold on until now is ridiculously rich, they also sat through a ton of volatility. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Further, investors could have waited until after Apples iPhone moment or Amazons clear dominance of e-commerce and still made a 10x or more return on their investment. Dont believe me? Apple is up over 1,000% over the past decade, while Amazon is up 1,760%. Over just the last five years when it was absurdly clear these two were established leaders Apple and Amazon are up 463% and 442%, respectively. That led me to ponder, what are the next tech stocks that could become new FAANG leaders? Specifically, I am looking for companies in the $50 billion to $300 billion market cap range that can go to $400 billion to $1 trillion or more. Its an admittedly wide range, but who cares these winners are right under our noses. Lets look at seven tech stocks: 7 Safe Stocks to Buy for Solid Returns in Tumultuous Times PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE) Tech Stocks to Buy for Future Gains: PayPal (PYPL) Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $295 billion Many investors have continued to underestimate PayPal. When it comes to FAANG tech stocks in their younger years, that seems to be a staple observation of them as well. However, PayPal has found a way to become a payment juggernaut. While sending money to friends and family is free and convenient, thats simply one part of the ecosystem. The company also makes a sliver of sales when involving another business or merchant. Its become a safe, trusted and convenient way for businesses to sell online or to make subscriptions a piece of cake. PayPals acquisition of Venmo and Honey have only added to those layers of engagement, while e-commerce will continue to be the main catalyst behind its growth. For those looking at tech stocks, the power and trend of e-commerce doesnt need to be explained. Lastly, PayPals now in the cryptocurrency game, allowing customers to buy and sell Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Etherium and Litecoin. Maybe PayPal wont be able to collect its current fee read: commission on these transactions forever, based on how stock commissions vanished almost overnight in the brokerage industry. However, for now it should act as an additional growth catalyst. Bonus: At a $100 billion market cap, Square (NYSE:SQ) could also be a consideration as a member of new FAANG tech stocks in this respect. Salesforce (CRM) Source: Bjorn Bakstad / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $206 billion. It should go without saying that given the massive gains the stock market has registered over the past nine months, the ideal scenario would be a sizable correction for several of the stocks on this list. However, that doesnt apply to all of them. Take Salesforce for example. This company keeps on printing money as revenue continues to chug higher. For all the doubt that Salesforce has endured over the years, it has done quite well. It doesnt seem like management plans on stopping, either. For instance, management is looking to generate $60 billion in revenue by 2034. Most recently, it aims to scoop up Slack (NYSE:WORK), growing its workstation presence and scaling up its fight against Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). 8 Cheap Stocks to Buy With Your Next Stimulus Check As we are talking about pullbacks, Salesforce is a great example. At the recent low, shares were 25% off the highs. That seems like a great opportunity for a company that continually sports 20%-plus revenue growth. Nvidia (NVDA) Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $335 billion Admittedly a bit larger than what we were looking for, Nvidia needs to be included on this list. Almost every major technological trend is growing in demand. More internet traffic is creating strain in the cloud, increasing demand for edge-cloud computing. More data is creating more need for datacenters. Increasing self-driving vehicle capabilities demand more computing power. Better computers demand better graphics. The list goes on and on and Nvidia is there at every turn. The companys products cater to multiple end markets with impressive secular growth. Thats why, despite the pandemic, Nvidia saw such an extreme acceleration in both earnings and revenue. Its savvy M&A strategy has allowed it to add high-quality names like Mellanox at reasonable valuations. Now Nvidia is going after Arm, a massive $40 billion deal. Nvidia is already nearing an unstoppable state, but with Arm it would be a juggernaut. From a pure antitrust perspective, Nvidia should be fine. However, this juggernaut position might cause some hiccups. Either way, this is a high-quality name that will only grow in size over time. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $111.5 billion For Nvidias smaller sibling, we have Advanced Micro Devices. At about one-third the size, AMD has quickly climbed the ladder while drastically improving its financials. CEO Lisa Su has orchestrated one of the most impressive comeback stories in the stock market. Once left for dead, AMD was trading firmly below the $2 mark in 2016. Now sporting a 52-week high of $99-and-change, the leadership has been stellar. Like Nvidia, AMD is situated in multiple secular growth themes as rising demand in technology results in rising demand for AMD. Also like Nvidia, AMD saw a massive rise in revenue and profit during the pandemic. In one last final comparison to Nvidia, AMD is also working to close a large acquisition. In October, the company agreed to acquire Xilinx for $35 billion. 9 Stocks Selling at a Discount Right Now While it would require years worth of more growth, its not hard to imagine AMD growing to the size of Nvidia ($300 billion). Eventually clearing this level could put it on the lower end of the FAANG status in terms of its size. Roku (ROKU) Source: jejim / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $53 billion Roku is a tough one, because its certainly the smallest name on this list (by a lot) and it just went on a massive rally. Shares are up 90% over the past three months, as Roku has climbed from a market cap of just $28 billion to where it is today. Additionally, investors just dont understand this company. They still think its going head-to-head with Amazon with its stick players. While thats kind of true, the story behind Roku isnt the hardware its the platform. Roku doesnt care if its making money on the hardware. Instead, its focus is on the platform, where it collects fees from content providers and on ad revenue from its free Roku channel. In that respect, growth continues to explode. Analysts expect roughly 50% revenue growth this year, followed by 40% growth in 2021 and 36% growth in 2022. Respectfully, I believe that may be conservative. Bulls will acknowledge that a pullback may be in order (and a potentially large one at that). However, I dont think the top is in for Roku. For AMD I mentioned the lower end of the FAANG status, which would be Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). Currently, thats a $250 billion market cap and remember, NFLX is at a new high. I could see a scenario where Roku pulls back 20% to 25% giving it a roughly $40 billion market cap and ultimately roaring on to a $200-plus billion entity. Shopify (SHOP) Source: justplay1412 / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $145 billion There is one problem with Shopify and several other names on this list: The rallies. While the massive rallies great for long-term investors, it makes the stocks susceptible to large pullbacks as well. If and when we get those declines, thats investors opportunity to pounce. For Shopify, the bullish reasoning is multifold. First, Shopify is riding a much large trend e-commerce and therefore will continue to benefit from robust growth. When the coronavirus hit, sales were not negatively impacted. Instead, merchants flocked to its platform, driving Shopifys revenue higher. Second, its building out the anti-Amazon business platform giving merchants big and small power and control of the customer experience. Now the reward here is massive, as Shopify builds out multiple business segments likes shipping, credit, Shopify Pay and others. However, the risk is present as well. That is, can these companies that crave independence from Amazon delivery quality experiences for the customer? In the end, businesses and merchants are at least willing to try. In December 2019 I said investors could buy Shopify despite its lofty valuation. My argument centered on its valuation, saying this name could go from a $40 billion market cap to a $100 to $120 billion market cap in a decade. 7 Safe Stocks to Buy for Solid Returns in Tumultuous Times It was not obvious that the more than tripling in its value would take place in just a few months. In the long, long run, its not hard to imagine this name being significantly higher. Adobe Systems (ADBE) Source: r.classen / Shutterstock.com Current market cap: $228 billion Last but not certainly not least is Adobe. This company does a lot more than just Flash or Photoshop. Its become a mainstay in e-commerce while also becoming a beacon in the graphics, digital and creative landscape. Find me a freelance graphic designer whos not using Adobe. The stock has quietly racked up enormous gains as well. Adobe is up 140% over the past three years and 430% over the past five years. Over the last decade, the stock has rallied more than 1,300%, as its market cap was around $16 billion just 10 years ago. Thats some impressive action and Adobe doesnt show many signs of letting up. Analysts expect double-digit earnings and revenue growth this year and next year, while the company gross margins remain solidly above 85%. While its top-line margins have been steady, its bottom-line profit margins have been soaring. Adobe is quickly yet quietly becoming a technology juggernaut right in front of us. Like some others on this list, the stock has been consolidating nicely over the past six months or so. Lets see if this name can resolve to the upside. On the date of publication, Bret Kenwell held a long position in AAPL, ROKU, CRM and NVDA. Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. More From InvestorPlace Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner It doesnt matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. The post 7 Tech Stocks That Could Be the Future FAANG appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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Saudi Arabia's futuristic city project in talks over cloud computing deal - Yahoo Finance

Beyond the Grave

Aaron Ansuini, a student at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada made a shocking discovery: He found that his art history professor wasnt alive anymore.

HI EXCUSE ME, Ansuini wrote in a tweet, I just found out the the prof for this online course Im taking *died in 2019* and hes technically still giving classes since hes *literally my prof for this course* and Im learning from lectures recorded before his passing.

I mean, I guess I technically read texts written by people whove passed all the time, he continued, but its the fact that I looked up his email to send him a question and PULLED UP HIS MEMORIAM INSTEAD that just THREW ME OFF A LITTLE.

Concordia University confirmed to Slate that professor Franois-Marc Gagnon, a lecturer in the universitys art history department, did indeed pass in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

His lectures, however, live on in Concordias online course catalog and are used for a dedicated online course. The class is technically being led by a different professor and two teaching assistants, with Gagnons recordings being used as a teaching tool, according to Slate.

Musicians recordings are frequently released after they die. Social media data often outlives its account holders as well. But the phenomenon is less common in higher education.

The incident also sheds light on the difficulties of learning online during COVID a phenomenon thats upending all sorts of social norms.

READ MORE: How a Dead Professor Is Teaching a University Art History Class [Slate]

More on online learning: Scientists Predict the Pandemic Will Set Students Back for Years

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A University Is Using a Dead Professor to Teach an Online Class - Futurism

A little over two years ago, artist Malene Barnett started the Black Artists + Designers Guild with the goal of combating the lack of representation of Black creatives in design. Since an early meeting of 12 at the Fabricut showroom in New York, the group has grown to more than 200 from all across the world; its work has been celebrated at industry events ranging from High Point to NY Now; and its members have graced magazine covers and earned spots on the AD100. Now, BADG has its first house projectbut its not the typical 15 rooms in an unoccupied townhouse experience.

I realized early on that we needed to have our own projecta space where we get to explore not only our creativity but thinking about What does space look like and what could it feel like knowing that Black bodies will occupy it? Barnett tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of the Business of Home podcast. We took a different approach, not necessarily starting with, Lets find a pretty fabric and a couch and all the accessories and items. It was more about, How do we connect to the community so we can build a space that supports our well-being and health and also think about our lifestyle and culture?

Malene BarnettAlaric Campbell Photography

Leyden LewisCourtesy of BADG

Left: Malene Barnett Alaric Campbell Photography | Right: Leyden Lewis Courtesy of BADG

The resulting project, a virtual concept home called Obsidian, debuts online next week. The home, set in a hypothetical future of 2025 and rendered digitally on an imagined site in Oakland, California, showcases the work of 22 BADG members, ranging from interior designers to architects to artists. Beyond presenting beautiful rooms, the goal, say Barnett and designer Leyden Lewis, was to use the project as a testing ground for technology and design concepts crafted with the Black family in mind.

[Architect] Nina Cooke John puts it really well: Its more along the lines of a car show. Mercedes-Benz shows you what theyre envisioning 10 years from now, says Lewis, who, along with Cooke John, designed the architecture of the Obsidian Virtual Concept House. We wanted to say, Lets use that model to put together ideas that not only grab our story now but project that story into whats being referred to as our ancestral future.

The homes digital setting allowed its creators to explore concepts that would either be cost-prohibitive or technologically challenging in a real-life setting. Theres Barnetts Sankofa: Legacy Wall installation, which combines terracotta tiles with an enormous digital screen, all backed by a computer that collects and displays the inhabitants family and medical history on voice command. Then theres Lewiss Room of Requirement, a multipurpose space that acts as both a virtual doctors office and a venue for sexual exploration.

These high-concept explorations sit alongside more day-to-day investigations of Black domesticity. The home, says Barnett, is designed to be an anchor house, a place where extended family can come and staya necessity that the artist says she and her BADG co-creators identified both from their own experience and through interviews with Black families at the outset of the project. A more disturbing practicality? Safety measures that the designers added as a response to the police killings of Black men and women that gripped the nation last springnotably that of Breonna Taylor, who was shot in her own home.

Safety is luxury, says Lewis. Can you imagine that wed actually be thinking about an individual demographic group in America thinking about security as luxury? Its pretty astounding.

Listen to the episode and check out some takeaways below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This episode was sponsored by Chairish and Universal Furniture.

Something NewObsidian is not a typical showhouse, by design. Its an idea that opened up a lot of new possibilities, says Barnett, but it presented a challenge to sponsors who are used to the typical we loan you product, we get exposure arrangement. For some sponsors or corporations, they couldnt understand. Because this is all brand-new. Its brand-new for us, its brand-new for them, she says. We got a lot of opportunity for vendors to give us product, but we turned that down. We had to teach the vendors: No, this is how were doing it. We want you to be a part of it, but you have to understand this is our house, we have our own set of standards and rules. Its not about giving us product, because that doesnt position us as creative thinkers if we just keep taking [and placing] product.

Diversity vs. EquityWhen we talk about racial injustice in the design industry, the words we use matter. A focus on diversity, says Barnett, leads to initiatives that showcase Black creatives without backing up that attention with economic investment in their businesses. Real change? It comes from equity. There has been a confusion between what diversity is and equity is. Equity comes with a compensation that our members, our creators, have been lacking in this industry, she says. The companies who want to partner with us have to understand that yes, the exposure is great, but we want to grow our businesses.

Open your rolodexIt can be daunting for even the most well-intentioned peopleand companiesto commit to a more equitable industry. Theres no one way to make progress, say Barnett and Lewis. The first step is generally a personal engagement with the reality of injustice. From there, sustained financial contributions to organizations like BADG dont hurt. Another way to spread equity, they say, is to widen your own circle and spread opportunity. The money is one part, but opening up that Rolodex and making connections is another part, and I think they go hand in hand, says Barnett. When those opportunities do come in, why not think of somebody else thats outside of your circle? Why not start to build a new circle of people that you can connect with and help grow their businesses, as well? If you keep going to lunch with the same people, theyre going to get all the opportunities.

Homepage photo: A rendering of the Obsidian Virtual Concept House | Courtesy of BADG

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BADG's Obsidian is a futuristic concept house powered by Black creativity - Business of Home