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APRIL 14-20

What’s Up?

Public Pinterest

Pinterest Inc., the digital pinboard where you can collect pictures of the life you wish you led, is now providing a new type of inspiration with its highly successful initial public offering. It joined another tech company, Zoom Video Communications, in going public on Thursday, and both finished their first day of trading well above their initial valuations. This is heartening news in Silicon Valley, where a number of other corporations are poised for their own I.P.O.s this year. It also eased fears that the lackluster performance of the ride-hailing company Lyft, the first of its cohort to go public, had scared off would-be tech investors. But Pinterest and Zoom may turn the tide.

Apple Rolls Over

What forced Apple, one of the world’s biggest companies, to throw in the towel on a multiyear legal battle on Tuesday? Perhaps it had no other choice. The back story: Qualcomm, which holds the patent on the tiny chips that make your iPhone work, was charging royalties on nearly every smartphone sold. Apple objected and refused to pay while continuing to use the chips, so Qualcomm sued. Then, a plot twist: Just as the case went to court this week, Qualcomm’s rival Intel announced its exit from the chip-making business — putting Apple in the awkward position of being totally dependent on Qualcomm for its 5G technology. It was a surprising turn of events (and a great one for Qualcomm), but more important: What’s the future of smartphones if Qualcomm has no competitors?