Lightmatter’s Post

CFO Speak: Colette Kress, EVP & Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA, one of the world’s most valuable companies with a market cap of over $3 trillion, says: “Some of the techniques and processes have to be transformed over time as the company scales. How do we digitize manual processes? Our fast growth rate has put that front and center for us. Particularly, in my role leading finance, and the sister and brother organizations around me, I’m looking to them to say, ‘Hey, we need to revise a process, how the functions work together, to create digital solutions.’ “When looking back at my career of 30-plus years, what’s fascinating now is there are so many different ways to do things that never existed…" #BTOman #InteractiveApex #OmanCFO2024 #Oman #Muscat #CFO #CFOForum #CFOSpeak

Striking Gold in the Tech Industry: Subscription-Based Hiring and the Curious Case of Turing. What you should be thinking about in 2024 in order to scale your business. my blog post http://wix.to/q0fQklx #umiakadvisors #fractional #subscription #hiring

My new video explains how tech companies are valued and the difference between tech company valuations vs brick & mortar companies. My husband listened to this yesterday and accused me of "Microsoft slander" 🤣🤣 What do you think? Is he right? Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/d6wk4UYr

❓ How does a flat structure model stack up against traditional hierarchical structures, where authority flows down from top management? ❓ Is it a fit for companies that aren't tech behemoths like Amazon or Apple? Konstantin Klyagin 🇺🇦, CEO and Founder of Redwerk, described in the Forbes article five reasons why a flat structure might be a good fit for your company and the challenges that can come with it. Find the link in the comments section.

ICYMI: It’s easy to see why companies, when assessing the physical risks their employees face, might error on the side of responding excessively. If something bad happens down the road, no one is going to second-guess those investments. But companies that skimped and find themselves flat-footed could open themselves up to years of legal and operational mayhem. https://loom.ly/56Szh9c

A long time ago, a CIO advised me, "Hutton, if the P&L is good enough, then the tech's good enough." I disagreed. It was early in my Tech DD career. Having worked in tech all my life, surely tech is important, damn it, vital. Years later, I got his point. A market, customer, and high need for a product/service underpin EVERYTHING. 🏆 From those amazing cultures we aspire to make 💰 To the money in your pocket Market trumps tech. Tech is just a facilitator. ---------------------------------------------------------------- If you're a founder or CTO of a firm, join us on our 5-Day Challenge so you can develop a plan to polish your business and make it investor-grade. Whether you require investment, or not.

#Growthinvesting #BigMoneyThinkSmall I was enjoying this 5-month old but still informative video of #nvidia on Friday night... As a long-termist and a forever-self-motivated analyst, I find immense joy in exploring how great founders built up their money machines or ever world-changing narratives from scratch, more than reading research reports or 10-Ks. Don't get me wrong, delving into research reports and filings is undeniably crucial to my daily work. But just like an old Chinese proverb has recommended:"取法乎上，仅得乎中"(Aim for the best to achieve something good). To truly develop an exceptional analytical skillset to build an advantage, one must study the luminaries in each industry. That's why people should always try to study John Malone and Reed Hastings if they are interested in TMT; For those looking into Retail, the careers of Sam Walton, Jim Sinegal, and Jeff Bezos offer invaluable lessons; And of course! When it comes to mastering investment strategies, the wisdom of Benjamin Graham, Charlie Munger, and Warren Buffett remains unparalleled. Why matters? because the lessons that I've learned came at a steep cost, which that most of us would prefer to avoid but we couldn't. When I tried to break into the stock investment industry as a junior analyst back in 2016, I had the opportunity to interview with a hedge fund manager. After pondering for a moment, he responded, "It was probably when I earned a 200% profit on Apple stock in 90s, sold it, and never repurchased it." I was like, "Wow, that's a significant miss. Perhaps this guy isn't as smart as he looks like." In November 2018, Tim Cook told investors on the 4Q earnings call that the tech giant would not report how many iPhones it delivers. Amid fears that the decade-long smartphone supercycle was nearing its end, #Apple crashed by -30% in the following 2 months, although the Company achieved a all-time-high services revenue of $10B in 4Q. Back then I had been working as a buy-side research analyst for almost 3 years. Apple wasn't in my coverage list, so I invested quite a bit after receiving compliance approval. It wasn't a very difficult call to make by investing in an advanced tech company dominating the share of profits from everyone's smart phones at only a 12x NTM P/E. I believed the market had overreacted to the uncertainty surrounding iPhone sales and had utterly underestimated the earnings potential from Apple's software services. Over the next few months, I enjoyed a 40% return and chose to exit my position. So I decided to get rid of the position because I thought the valuation expanded too much in a too-short period (also because I didn't want to spend time on my PA any way). I was happy about the trade until I am not. Since selling my Apple shares, the stock has surged 250%+ over the past four years, outperforming the market and portfolios managed by the best PMs I know. I can't help but feel like I am the biggest idiot in the world by selling my most valuable position...

Tesla's CFO left after 13 years. But working 13 years for Elon Musk is like working 50 years for anyone else. CFOs want long-term roles where their expertise is heard and valued. They don't like frequent changes unless their inputs are disregarded. Here is how you can stop your CFO from leaving: 1. Give your CFO a seat at the table. Involve your CFO in strategic planning, valuing their financial expertise and insights. Maintain transparent communication with your CFO. Show respect for their professional opinions by involving them in major decisions. 2. Recognize their role. Understand that a CFO is not just about numbers; they are strategic partners in the company's growth and should be treated like one. 3. What if your CFO really wants to leave? If your CFO has decided to move on, help them with a smooth transition plan. Offer help and support, and request to be in touch. P.S. I'm Wouter Born, an investor and entrepreneur. I share CFO office insights and personal learnings. - If you're solving a meaningful problem in the CFOTech area using AI, DM me.

Tesla's CFO quit after 13 years. But working 13 years for Elon Musk is like working 50 years for anyone else. CFOs want long-term roles where their expertise is heard and valued. They don't like frequent changes unless their inputs are disregarded. Here is how you can stop your CFO from quitting: 1. Give your CFO a seat at the table. Involve your CFO in strategic planning, valuing their financial expertise and insights. Maintain transparent communication with your CFO. Show respect for their professional opinions by involving them in major decisions. 2. Recognize their role. Understand that a CFO is not just about numbers; they are strategic partners in the company's growth and should be treated like one. 3. What if your CFO really wants to leave? If your CFO has decided to move on, help them with a smooth transition plan. Offer help and support, and request to be in touch. -- P.S. I'm Wouter Born, a CFOTech entrepreneur, investor, and advisor. I'm also the co-founder of CXO Software (exit 2018) and former head of M&A at insightsoftware. I share daily CFOTech insights, business lessons, and personal learnings to help you get better at life and business. ** If you're solving a meaningful problem in the CFOTech area using AI, DM me.