Lyft Partners with Anthropic for AI-Powered Customer Care

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Lyft (LYFT.O) announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Amazon (AMZN.O) and Alphabet-backed startup Anthropic to introduce artificial intelligence tools to enhance its customer care operations. The company has already been using Anthropic’s Claude AI model, which is integrated with Amazon’s Bedrock generative AI platform. This collaboration has reportedly reduced average customer service resolution times by 87%, allowing the platform to address thousands of customer inquiries daily.

Despite concerns about AI-driven job losses, Lyft emphasized that the goal is not to replace human workers but to enhance the quality and efficiency of its customer support services. Lyft’s approach involves initially addressing customer issues with the AI assistant, directing users to human agents only if further assistance is required.

“We see AI as an opportunity to improve the quality and effectiveness of our operations, not to reduce headcount,” said Jason Vogrinec, Lyft’s executive vice president of platforms. However, industry experts have pointed out that AI models can sometimes produce incorrect or fabricated information, limiting their ability to completely replace human agents. Lyft also noted that complex issues such as safety concerns, account deactivations, and fraud will still be handled by human representatives.

Through this collaboration, Lyft and Anthropic plan to explore additional AI-driven tools for both riders and drivers. Anthropic will also provide training for Lyft’s engineers on the technology, further enhancing the platform’s AI capabilities.

Lyft is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings after market close on Tuesday.

 

Roblox Shares Tank After Weak Forecast, Fueling Fears of Slowdown in Gaming

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Shares of Roblox (RBLX.N) plunged by 17% on Thursday after the gaming platform issued a weak forecast for its 2025 bookings, sparking concerns about a slowdown in its growth following years of rapid expansion. The company anticipates bookings to fall between $5.20 billion and $5.30 billion for the year, with the midpoint falling short of analysts’ expectations, which were pegged at $5.27 billion.

The forecast adds to the growing unease within the video game industry, which has been facing sluggish growth. Electronic Arts (EA.O) also recently reported weak bookings, primarily due to its underperforming soccer franchise. However, Roblox’s projected growth still points to a third consecutive year of approximately 20% growth in bookings, even as the broader gaming market struggles with weak consumer spending due to inflation.

Roblox’s Chief Financial Officer, Michael Guthrie, defended the company’s performance, noting that Roblox continues to grow at a rate significantly higher than the overall gaming industry, which grew by just 2.1% in 2024 according to Newzoo. The platform has thrived by expanding into new game genres, especially those targeting older players, and by unlocking new revenue streams through ads and e-commerce. Additionally, Roblox’s free-to-play model and its user-generated content have helped the platform weather the broader gaming slowdown.

Despite the weak forecast, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter dismissed the market’s reaction, calling it “unwarranted” and “irrational.” He maintained an “outperform” rating on Roblox stock, with a price target of $83, the highest on the street.

Roblox’s daily active users fell to 85.3 million in the fourth quarter, down from 88.9 million in the previous quarter. Bookings for the quarter were $1.36 billion, slightly missing analysts’ estimates of $1.37 billion. Guthrie attributed the weaker results to tough year-over-year comparisons, notably following the PlayStation launch, which drove a surge in new users and spending in the same period last year. He also pointed to the platform’s suspension in Turkey, where Roblox was banned due to safety and child abuse concerns, as another factor impacting growth.

 

SpaceX’s Rise Under Trump 2.0 Welcomed by Asia’s No. 1 Satellite Company

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For SKY Perfect JSAT (9412.T), Asia’s leading satellite company, the rise of Elon Musk’s SpaceX under the second Donald Trump presidency is not seen as a challenge but rather as an opportunity, according to the company’s president, Eiichi Yonekura. The Japanese firm plans to deepen its relationship with SpaceX, especially after announcing a $230 million investment in Planet Labs’ low-Earth orbit satellite Pelican, aimed at expanding its satellite imagery business.

Yonekura emphasized that the rapid advancements of SpaceX have been instrumental to the growth of JSAT, citing the company’s reliance on SpaceX rockets to launch its satellites into space. He added that the relationship has been beneficial, as the company is “probably the biggest SpaceX customer in Asia” and is set to expand its satellite operations with the launch of Planet Labs’ Pelicans, which will use SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for their deployments.

Musk’s close ties with Trump are also believed to have had an influence on U.S. space policies, with a stronger emphasis on Mars exploration. Reports suggest that the Trump administration may eliminate the National Space Council, a move that could potentially benefit SpaceX due to Musk’s lobbying efforts.

JSAT, which operates 17 geosynchronous communication satellites—the largest fleet in Asia—plans to enter the low-orbit satellite business by constructing a constellation of 10 Planet Pelicans by 2027. The company aims to generate 23 billion yen ($151 million) in revenue from satellite data services by fiscal year 2030, primarily from national security clients.

SpaceX’s development of the reusable Falcon 9 booster has revolutionized the cost structure of satellite launches, helping to lower costs significantly. While JSAT currently depends heavily on SpaceX for launches, Yonekura noted that if access to SpaceX boosters were to be restricted, JSAT would consider working with long-time European partner Arianespace or Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, whose H3 rocket is expected to become competitive within the next four to five years.