Volkswagen Puts the Brakes on Farfegnugen; Will GoPro Become a No Go?; Mickey’s Magical New Venture

Auf wiedersehen…

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Volkwagen’s stock took a big 20% hit today over a not-so-little emissions scandal that has investors screaming “Nein!” It seems that the world’s largest automaker – at least for the first six months of 2015 – used some software, that managed to mislead regulators into thinking that the German automaker was actually following rules regarding emissions when, in fact, it wasn’t. The Environmental Protection Agency and California are calling the software a “defeat device.” Catchy, huh? So now, Volkwagen wisely decided to stop selling certain diesel vehicles, including Jettas, Beetles, Golfs, Passats and even some Audis, until repairs and amends can be made. Close to 500,000 vehicles are part of this fiasco and account for about 20% of sales in the U.S. The offending vehicles emit nitrogen oxides that have a nasty little way of exacerbating respiratory conditions. If the EPA is lucky, it could fine Volkwagen a whopping $37,500 per vehicle, which is cray cray since I’m pretty sure the cars don’t even cost that much. At that rate, Volkwagen could shell out a ghastly $18 billion. However, in all likelihood, it probably won’t be that much. Of course, those fines don’t include any consumer lawsuits and false marketing accusations. How do you say “up the creek” in German?

Word up…

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Looks like Alexander Eule can kiss his free GoPro swag good-bye. The Barron’s writer penned a scathing article on why GoPro is but a “one produce wonder.” Likening the device to the relic we call Blackberry, Eule said that GoPro’s got a ton of competition headed its way and it’ll be a miracle if the company’s stock stays above $25 a share. GoPro, once a Wall Street IPO darling, made an auspicious ticker debut back in June of 2014, jumping over 30% from its initial offering of $24 a pop. Peaking at $98 in October 2014, the stock has been losing wind pretty steadily and is currently hovering today between $32 and $33 a share. While some have wondered if Apple might pick up the company, others have said no way. Why would Apple bother with an acquisition like that when it can just dip into its vast resources and talent and make a similar product. And that is basically what its doing as evidenced by its recent patent report which sent shares of GoPro down 12%. Apple might just be the least of GoPro’s competition worries as Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi also has a similar device in the works. In case you were wondering, GoPro has not commented on the story. Yet.

For real…

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Who better to invest on Virtual Reality technology than one of the finest purveyors of fantasy and make-believe? And so it begins that the Magical Kingdom/mega conglomerate corporation we call Disney is one of several companies throwing money at  VR start-up JauntVR. Hollywood is chomping at the bit to get in on the entertaining aspects of VR action that offers viewers a striking 360° perspective and Disney is hoping its $66 million contribution will see some exciting fiscal return action. Jaunt is hoping to emerge as the go to platform for anybody with a lot of money who uses cameras for a living. Even if they are into GoPro. There’s a whole slew of people and companies who have already used the technology, including Sir Paul McCartney and The North Face. ABC News took the tech to Syria to make a documentary featuring curators attempting to save antiquities in the war-ravaged country. Jaunt expects to use their new found cash to scale up its tech, help with growth and provide a nice welcome addition to its previously raised $100 million. If you’re at all curious what all the fuss is about, see for yourself at http://www.jauntvr.com/content/.