The best Nintendo Switch controllers aren’t the ones that come with it. While the removable Joy-Cons included with all non-Lite Switch consoles are convenient given they can be detached for wireless use, their tiny contourless design isn’t that comfortable for long gaming sessions or large hands. And while Nintendo has taken steps to address the dreaded Joy-Con drift and earlier quality control problems, some issues persist.
Technology
The best Nintendo Switch controllers for 2024
In this buying guide, we focus on wireless controllers that are both comfortable and reliable, as well as a few options that come with unique features designed to match your play style. We’re not covering wired controllers that plug into the Switch’s dock, as they’re almost all the same and don’t offer substantial savings in many cases. (PowerA and PDP make decent ones that will do in a pinch, but they’re very basic. Unless you detest recharging your controllers, it makes more sense to go wireless.)
Also, if you buy a third-party wireless controller (as in, one not made by Nintendo), there are certain things that it likely won’t be able to do unless otherwise noted:
- It won’t have HD rumble. This is what Nintendo calls its advanced haptic feedback, which is more precise than that of many third-party controllers and more akin to Sony’s haptics engine in its subtlety. That said, some more limited rumble may be present.
- Many third-party Switch controllers don’t have motion controls for gestures or gyroscopic aiming in games that support it, though more options are starting to implement the latter feature with varying degrees of quality.
- Most non-Nintendo options lack an NFC reader for Amiibo cards or figurines, which unlock special features in some games.
- Most third-party options won’t be able to turn on the Switch remotely. (You’ll have to manually press the console’s power button.)
- While some Switch controllers have 3.5mm headphone jacks, getting audio out of them can only happen through a wired USB connection, not wirelessly. For most people, pairing Bluetooth headphones to your Switch is a sufficient (and very easy) workaround.
If you’re playing your Switch while docked, it’s hard to go wrong with the official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. It’s the only traditional gamepad that checks all the boxes above — minus the 3.5mm audio jack — and it’s one of the most satisfying controllers we’ve tested. The GuliKit KingKong 2 Pro, meanwhile, makes for a great Xbox-style controller with exhaustive customization, while the Hori Split Pad Pro is great for those who prefer to play in handheld mode. Then there’s 8BitDo’s PC-friendly Ultimate Bluetooth Controller and DualShock-esque Pro 2 controller, both of which are well worth a look.
The best Nintendo Switch controller for TV mode
Supported platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Steam Deck, mobile, Apple TV / Connectivity: Bluetooth, wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: No / Software customization: No / Rumble: Yes, HD / NFC: Yes / Motion: Yes / Power: Built-in rechargeable / Console Wakeup: Yes
More than seven years down the road, Nintendo’s first-party Pro controller is still the best gamepad for the Switch. It launched alongside the console in 2017 as a more traditional alternative to Nintendo’s quirky Joy-Cons, and in many ways, it rivals the standard models from Sony and Microsoft in terms of comfort and build quality.
Aside from the Joy-Cons, the Switch Pro Controller is the only wireless option that includes HD rumble, gyroscopic movement support, and an NFC reader for Amiibo cards and figurines. It’s also the only controller we’ve tested (again, aside from the Joy-Cons) that can power on the Switch without being plugged into it. The gamepad is built like a tank, and its battery life is so good that it sometimes seems like it’ll never run out. Nintendo says that it lasts around 40 hours per charge, so it’ll likely take casual gamers a long time to run down the battery.
The buttons and triggers have a satisfying bounce, while its directional pad is responsive and clicky enough to satisfy retro gamers. The controller charges via USB-C, just like the Switch, and it’s compatible with a slew of other platforms you might game on, including PC, Android, and SteamOS. It also works with Apple devices thanks to its compatibility with the latest versions of iOS, macOS, and even tvOS and visionOS.
Given the price, we wish that it had other features, like programmable buttons or a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio, even if wireless audio transmission from the Switch to a controller isn’t currently possible. (At least you can connect a pair of wireless headphones via Bluetooth, but only if you have no more than two controllers connected to your Switch at once.)
The best Switch controller for handheld mode
Supported Platforms: Switch / Connectivity: Wired / Connector type: Joy-Con slots / Mappable rear buttons: Yes / Software customization: No / Rumble: No / NFC: No / Motion: No / Power: via Joy-Con slots / Console Wakeup: No
I’m sure there are some people who enjoy using Joy-Con controllers, but kids and small-handed folks aside, most people probably wouldn’t say they’re the most comfortable option. That’s where the Hori Split Pad Pro comes in.
The Split Pad Pro comes in a variety of colorways, and it both looks and feels like a Switch Pro Controller that’s split in half. One-half slides into each side of the Switch console like Joy-Cons, but unlike Nintendo’s default controllers, Hori’s gamepad features big, easy-to-reach buttons and generously sized triggers and analog sticks, all of which feel great in play. It also provides a lot of grip, which is particularly useful for people who need to get a better handle on the console for fast gameplay or stay comfy over longer play sessions.
The Split Pad Pro doesn’t have batteries or sensors — not to mention support for rumble, motion, IR, or NFC — so it’s completely useless when detached from the Switch. It’s only for handheld mode unless you purchase the Split Pad Pro Attachment that turns it into a wired controller. We don’t recommend most people go that route since the attachment alone costs more than a Switch Pro Controller, which is a shame considering it doesn’t try to add any of the aforementioned elements (it does add a 3.5mm headphone jack, however).
The company also sells the Split Pad Compact, which is a smaller version of the Split Pad Pro that typically costs around $50. It might be worth a look if you want something as functional as the Split Pad Pro but closer in size to a Joy-Con — especially since it’s currently on sale at Target for $32.49 (about $18 off).
The best Xbox-style controller for the Switch
Supported Platforms: Switch, PC, Steam Deck, mobile, Apple TV / Connectivity: Bluetooth, wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: No / Software customization: No / Rumble: Yes / NFC: Yes / Motion: Yes / Power: Built-in rechargeable / Console Wakeup: Yes
The GuliKit KingKong 2 Pro rivals the Switch Pro Controller in build quality, but it feels more like a modern Xbox controller, and its textured rear grips might give it the edge for some. Unlike most third-party controllers, it retains Amiibo support, though some users have reported issues with inauthentic Amiibo products. The KingKong 2 Pro can connect via Bluetooth to the Switch and to PC, macOS, iOS, Android, and other platforms. And because it uses GuliKit’s Hall effect sensors for its analog sticks, it’s immune to drift.
We recommend checking out this video at iFixit to see a thorough explanation of how it works, but in essence, Hall effect sensors use magnets to alter electrical current instead of physically rubbing on (and eventually wearing down) a sensor to produce an input. While we haven’t heard widespread reports of chronic analog stick drift issues on the Switch Pro Controller thus far, controllers with Hall effect sensors will never encounter it, and the peace of mind is worth the added cost. (The 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller below also uses GuliKit’s sensors.)
Control-wise, almost everything about the KingKong 2 Pro feels just right. The face buttons, bumpers, and D-pad all strike a balance between travel, tactile feedback, and feel. The analog sticks are incredibly fluid yet easily snap back into their default positions. Clicking the sticks doesn’t require much force, either, even when they’re off-axis. And while we can’t fully credit GuliKit for the excellent ergonomics afforded by the Xbox-inspired shape, we can award points for the sturdy materials used and nailing a well-balanced weight.
The controller provides exhaustive customizability options, too. You can swap button layouts, program macros, and cycle through preset levels of rumble intensity and trigger sensitivity (which may not apply when using it with the Switch, as it doesn’t support analog triggers). However, managing these settings is less than ideal, as you can only change them by inputting button combinations. Sure, the combos are simple, but memorizing them all is challenging. Thankfully, GuliKit clearly spells everything out in the comprehensive manual you’ll receive with the gamepad.
It’s worth noting that GuliKit now sells a KingKong 3 Pro and KingKong 3 Max. The 3 Pro builds upon the premium controller by adding four slots for detachable rearward buttons or paddles (two come in the box) and a 1,000Hz polling rate for improved responsiveness. The 3 Max is similar but includes three pairs of back buttons (including short and long styles) and a 10-minute macro recording limit (versus 10 seconds on the 3 Pro). There’s also a dedicated trigger mode switch, RGB lights around the analog sticks that signal which sensitivity mode you’re in, and NFC for Amiibo support.
We haven’t tested either of the new GuliKit models (yet), but we intend to pull them in for consideration soon, so stay tuned.
A Switch controller for PC and Steam Deck
The 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller comes with its own charging dock, features remappable controls, and is compatible with the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows PCs thanks to its Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connectivity. Unlike the 2.4GHz-only version, it features drift-free Hall effect sticks.
Supported Platforms: Switch, PC, Steam Deck, mobile, Apple TV / Connectivity: 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: Yes / Software customization: Yes / Rumble: Yes / NFC: No / Motion: Yes / Power: Built-in rechargeable / Console Wakeup: No
8BitDo’s Ultimate Bluetooth Controller feels like a Switch Pro Controller in shape, with a similarly short grip profile that larger hands may not prefer. Both share Switch and Windows PC support, but 8BitDo gets a leg up with full Steam Deck compatibility. Its haptics are decent but not as good as Nintendo’s, and it’s missing Amiibo support, though it does feature customizable back paddles and motion controls — along with a hidden trick that allows you to wake a docked Switch by giving the controller a little shake. It also comes with a charging dock, which stores the 2.4GHz dongle when not in use. The included dock is handy for charging the 22-hour battery, which is still pretty generous but comes well short of the 40-hour mark set by Nintendo’s official controller.
The Ultimate controller comes in several variants, but we recommend the Bluetooth model over the 2.4GHz or wired options because it includes 2.4GHz connectivity and GuliKit Hall effect sticks, which the 2.4GHz-only version lacks. The analog sticks offer just the right amount of resistance and sport a comfortable concave top, but they’re just a tad short on the sides. All of the buttons offer great travel, though, and the analog triggers have a satisfying amount of resistance when pulled.
As for tweaks, you can customize button mapping profiles, macros, vibration intensity, and stick and trigger sensitivity using the Ultimate Software app on mobile or PC. The controller has a dedicated button that lets you swap between three profiles on the fly, plus an extra turbo button you can either reconfigure or remap. When it comes to Switch controllers, 8BitDo sets the standard for the breadth of these options and how to access them, which is another reason it’s high on our list.
A well-rounded Switch controller that looks like a DualShock
$50
The 8BitDo Pro 2 offers many of the same features as the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller but at a lower price point and with a DualShock-style layout. It features extra triggers, hand grips, remappable buttons, and back paddles, as well as the ability to pair with a range of devices via Bluetooth.
Supported Platforms: Switch, PC, Steam Deck, mobile, Apple TV, Raspberry Pi / Connectivity: Bluetooth, wired / Connector type: USB-C / Mappable rear buttons: Yes / Software customization: Yes / Rumble: Yes / NFC: No / Motion: Yes / Power: Built-in rechargeable / Console Wakeup: No
The 8BitDo Pro 2 is another great option with Hall effect sticks for the Nintendo Switch, especially if your hands are happiest with a PlayStation-style controller. The Pro 2 has a comfortable grip, a crisper D-pad than the Switch Pro Controller, and two easy-to-press paddle buttons on the underside. It has rumble support (though not HD rumble) and motion control for games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Overwatch 2, both of which allow for gyroscopic aiming. PlayStation gamers will also appreciate that the left analog stick is located toward the bottom — just like on Sony’s controllers — rather than above the D-pad as on the Switch Pro.
With 8BitDo’s Ultimate software on a mobile device or a Windows computer, you can customize the Pro 2’s button mapping and the sensitivity of its triggers and analog sticks. You can even save up to three control scheme profiles and cycle through them with a button located between the analog sticks. On its rear, there’s a switch that lets it toggle between Nintendo Switch, X-input for PC, DirectInput, and macOS modes, each with its own control customizations and Bluetooth profile. This controller offers a lot for $50 (or $54.99 if you want one of the incredibly cool translucent blue, purple, or green editions).
An adapter that lets you use your own controllers
There are many other devices that allow you to use third-party controllers, but 8BitDo’s might be the best value. Instead of spending $70 on multiple Switch Pro Controllers, the $19.99 8BitDo Wireless Bluetooth USB Adapter 2 lets you turn a Bluetooth controller you already own into a wireless Switch controller. It plugs into your Switch dock and supports a wide variety of models, from the latest Xbox and DualSense controllers to last-gen gamepads for the Wii and PlayStation 3. (Note: the first-gen model can’t connect to most Xbox Bluetooth controllers due to a Bluetooth incompatibility, so make sure you get the latest model.)
To our surprise, the PS5 DualSense controller we tested it with worked incredibly well, with better-than-average rumble and more responsive motion controls than many dedicated Switch controllers offer. What’s more, so long as you’re using one of the newer Xbox Series X or S controllers, an Xbox One Bluetooth controller, a DualSense, a DualShock 4, or the Switch Pro Controller, you can customize their button mapping, analog stick sensitivity, and more within 8BitDo’s computer and mobile app.
8BitDo has an extensive support page that lists the steps required to set up your specific controller, as well as which features of those controllers it supports. That said, it’s best if you know the Switch’s button layout by heart if you plan to use either a PlayStation or Xbox controller with this adapter, as the layout on your controller will not match the on-screen prompts in games.
If you already have a controller you really like and don’t mind jumping through a few small hoops to connect it, 8BitDo’s affordable adapter deserves a spot in your entertainment center. If you plan to use more than one third-party controller at a time, you’ll need an adapter for each controller (and a USB hub), but if you have a lot of controllers sitting around, it might be worth it.
Other Switch controllers you should know about
We like CRKD’s Nitro Deck around here. It’s a cradle-style controller that holds the Switch between a pair of Hall effect sticks, outfitting it with a standard array of face buttons, four programmable back buttons, turbo functionality, gyro motion controls, and rumble. It has passthrough charging, though, not passthrough video, which would allow it to double as a dock for TV gameplay. The step-up Nitro Deck Plus adds said functionality (with a USB-C to HDMI adapter), along with Bluetooth connectivity and adjustable vibration intensity / analog sensitivity. We’ve found these to be notable improvements, but wish the passthrough solution was more elegant and that CRKD could solve the ergonomics (particularly on the right side, where the analog and button placement can cause discomfort).
We recently tested the GameSir T4 Cyclone Pro ($49.99) for consideration. It offers many of the same functions as the GuliKit KingKong 2 Pro — including remappable buttons, Hall effect sticks, and two distinct macro buttons — along with dedicated vibration motors in the triggers, which is something the GuliKit can’t claim. That said, it falls just short due to mushy-feeling buttons. GameSir considers the extra padding under the buttons a feature that makes the impact softer, but we felt it takes away from the experience. Also, although it’s perfectly usable with the Switch, the Pro’s button labeling takes after Microsoft’s, which may not be ideal for those who have trouble memorizing inputs. We also found resyncing with the Switch to be a chore after switching from a mobile device or a Windows PC.
We also recently tried several wireless PowerA controllers, including the GameCube Style Wireless Controller ($59.99) and a Pikachu-themed version of the standard PowerA Enhanced Wireless ($59.99). We like the fun design of PowerA’s controllers, but they don’t live up to the quality of the models we recommend above, which is a shame considering some cost nearly as much. The GameCube-style wireless controller is a pretty faithful recreation of the original if you fancy a pure Super Smash Bros. experience, but it’s barebones with no rumble, NFC, or IR. It’s an easy way to get the old-school feeling back if you don’t already have a Bluetooth-based alternative to use with 8BitDo’s USB Adapter 2.
Update, September 25th: Updated to reflect current pricing and availability.
Technology
Airship wants to build better sales tools for HVAC contractors
The HVAC industry is going through a transformation. The old guard of tradespeople are on the cusp of retiring while private equity firms are consolidating the industry. Airship is building a software solution for HVAC’s next chapter.
Airship is building a point-of-sale software for HVAC contractors to give them the knowledge they need, on things like incentive programs for energy-efficient heat pumps to rebates their customers would be eligible for, to help them close larger sales. Craig Battin, Airship’s co–founder and CEO, said the software is meant to be intuitive and easy to adopt, as many potential HVAC contractors have yet to adopt technology at all and are still relying on pen and paper to conduct their business.
Battin said that despite the industry’s low-level of tech adoption, Airship looks to build an enterprise-grade solution, which sets the company up well to sell to the growing number of private equity-backed HVAC rollups.
“Private equity entering the space, that is the tip of the spear,” Battin said. “It is in the very early innings of software adoption. Where we started now sets us up to continue building products. We have the benefit of the ground under this space shifting constantly.”
Airship co-founder and executive chairman, Michael Sachse, told TechCrunch that a lot of HVAC companies are focused on getting more calls to drive up business. He thinks a better use of their time is trying to increase the ticket sizes on the business they already have. He added that thus far the average Airship user has been able to increase their ticket size by 20%.
Sachse said that he got the idea for Airship while he was working as the CEO of Dandelion Energy, a residential geothermal heating and cooling startup. Sachse said this role sent him down the rabbit hole as to why heat pump adoption was so challenging.
“I started to think about it more and it became very clear everything was about the home contractor and building tools and I had some firsthand experience about how that was limited,” Sachse said.
Sachse mentioned his idea to early-stage fintech firm QED last year which introduced him to Battin, who had years of startup operating experience and was looking for his next project. The two started building Airship last fall. The company currently has 10 design partners and is operating in beta. They are planning on an initial launch in November before rolling out more widely early next year.
Now, the company is emerging from stealth, announcing a partnership with service software unicorn ServiceTitan, and just raised a $4 million pre-seed round. The funding round was led by QED with participation from Silence, Lorimer Ventures, Four Acres Capital and Twine Ventures.
Airship plans to use the capital to hire and continue to build out its product. Battin said that this point of sale software is just the first building block to an eventual platform company that also helps HVAC contractors in areas like payments and managing warranties and subscriptions, among others.
There are numerous other companies looking to build tech for HVAC contractors. Airship’s new partner ServiceTitan is one of them. The company has raised $1.5 billion in VC funding. Jobber is another that has raised more than $183 million to help HVAC contractors with scheduling and invoices. Service Fusion is another that offers field-management tools and raised $10 million in venture capital before being acquired by EverCommerce in 2020.
Airship thinks it maintains an edge though in this crowded market by focusing on tools contractors can bring into the field to make more money on each sale.
“One of the things I’m excited about is we really like working with these customers,” Sachse said. “We get really candid and rapid feedback. They are very interested in making their businesses better. When I look forward to the next couple of years, I’m excited for customers to use this.”
Science & Environment
PayPal CEO Alex Chriss first year praised by Wall Street, stock pop Q3
Alex Chriss, CEO of PayPal Inc.
Courtesy: PayPal
In January, about a hundred days into his job as PayPal CEO, Alex Chriss told CNBC’s David Faber that the payments company hadn’t had much to celebrate in recent years. But Chriss confidently said he was prepared to “shock the world.”
“I love being an underdog,” Chriss said in an interview on “Squawk on the Street,” from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. He was responding to a question about a recent spate of analyst downgrades.
Dan Dolev of Mizuho Securities was among the skeptics. He cut his rating to the equivalent of a hold on Jan. 16, the day before Chriss’ CNBC appearance, headlining his report, “PayPal faces competitive pressure from ‘A’ to ‘Z.’” The A was for Apple Pay, and the Z represented payments app Zelle, a money transfer service jointly owned by seven of the top U.S. banks.
A few weeks later, PayPal issued weak guidance in its fourth-quarter earnings report, knocking the stock down 11% and justifying Dolev’s concerns.
PayPal appeared to be in deep trouble. Its market cap was down more than 80% since peaking in mid-2021. The company had just cut 9% of it workforce, about 2,500 jobs, and was mired in single-digit growth. Analysts across Wall Street saw rising competition and a declining take rate, or the percentage of revenue PayPal keeps from each transaction.
Fast forward to today, and the picture is dramatically brighter for the 26-year-old Silicon Valley company and its 47-year-old CEO.
Chriss hit his one-year anniversary at the helm on Friday. In the third quarter, which ended on Monday, PayPal shares jumped 34%, their biggest quarterly rally since mid-2020, when the early days of the Covid pandemic fueled a surge in online shopping. It was the first time in eight quarters that PayPal outperformed the Nasdaq, which gained just 2.6% in the past three months.
Dolev bolstered his rating back to a buy in May. In July, the company lifted its full-year profit forecast for a second time and increased share repurchases. Chriss said in the earnings release that the company was now “operating from a position of strength.” The stock rose almost 9%, its best day since late 2022.
“I think he’s been nothing but a phenomenal success story so far,” Dolev said. “The news flow has been out of this world amazing, in terms of the way they manage expectations.”
Susquehanna’s James Friedman lifted his rating on PayPal to a buy in early July. He said Chriss was “setting the bar high” with his comments on CNBC, but said he’s been delivering on his bold promise to shareholders.
“You know how he shocked the world?” Friedman said. “He actually beat his numbers.”
Much of Chriss’ early success has been tied to improved transaction margins and better monetization of key acquisitions like Braintree, which is used by Meta for credit card processing, and payments app Venmo, which is becoming more popular with businesses.
Having cut a lot of the fat in the organization and with a renewed focus on profitability, Chriss has finally sparked some excitement on Wall Street after replacing Dan Schulman, who retired following almost a decade as CEO.
“It was time for some new blood at PayPal,” said Dana Stalder, a startup investor at venture firm Matrix Partners who served as PayPal’s commercial chief from 2004 to 2008. “He’s made a lot of changes very quickly, and I think he has substantially increased the focus on the consumer, which is the right thing.”
‘Wholesale changes’ in leadership
Now comes the harder part — reigniting growth.
Analysts are projecting roughly 6% revenue growth when PayPal reports third-quarter results in about a month, according to LSEG. For the fourth quarter, they expect growth of 5.5%. Sales are only expected to get marginally stronger in 2024, with analysts expecting growth of under 8% for the full year.
PayPal didn’t make Chriss available for an interview for this story.
In the July earnings call, Chriss said of the firm’s next steps that “while change takes time and we still have much work ahead of us, we are well positioned today, have the right leadership in place and are moving full steam ahead.”
Chriss, who spent 19 years at tax software provider Intuit prior to joining PayPal, took little time before he started overhauling the management team. In November, he brought in Isabel Cruz from Walmart as chief people officer, Michelle Gill from Intuit to run a new small business and financial services group, Diego Scotti from Verizon to oversee the consumer group as well as marketing and communications, and Jamie Miller from EY as CFO.
“He has turned over, from what I can tell, the vast majority of the leadership team,” Stalder said. “It’s been wholesale changes.”
Early in his tenure, Chriss publicly identified some of the reasons, in his view, that PayPal had been struggling to find its footing. He highlighted an overly aggressive strategy of expansion through deal making.
“We have done too many acquisitions over the last few years, and we’ve been defocused,” Chriss said in the January interview with Faber. “It was one of the things I noticed when I came in 100 days ago.”
Chriss added that the company had narrowed down its priorities to five key things, “all focused on profitable growth.”
The most important metric to fix, he said, was transaction margin dollars, which is how the company gauges the profitability of its core business. Among Chriss’ strategies to address the deteriorating margin was to offer merchants increased value-added services, such as connecting a couple of data points at checkout to drive down the rate of cart abandonment.
He said in January that 35 million merchants use PayPal and “when we improve their conversion rate, it improves their business, it improves our bottom line.”
PayPal noted to shareholders in its latest earnings report that its branded checkout, along with Braintree and Venmo, helped the company achieve its highest growth rate in transaction margin dollars since 2021. Overall transaction margin dollars increased 8% to $3.6 billion.
Susquehanna’s Friedman says a career at Intuit is the perfect training ground for learning how to mastermind a stock recovery. Speaking to executives there is like “talking to a dashboard,” he said.
“The source code to engineer a higher stock is profitability,” Friedman said. Chriss “really boils down his management style to the things that count” and “reducing what’s irrelevant,” he added.
With Venmo, the goal is to turn one of the most popular choices for money transfer from a strictly consumer app, which has no transaction fees, to a product for merchants. DoorDash, Starbucks and Ticketmaster are among businesses now accepting Venmo as one way that consumers can pay.
Singing at the gas pump
Getting competitive at the point-of-sale is another big priority. That’s led PayPal to Will Ferrell.
The company launched a national campaign last month for PayPal Everywhere, offering 5% cash back for using a PayPal debit card within the mobile app. Ferrell, the pitchman, can be seen in a commercial using the PayPal app to buy lemonade and gas, while singing a parody of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere.”
Stalder says PayPal is way behind Apple and Google, which own the dominant smartphone operating systems with their own embedded digital wallets.
“PayPal has been stuck because it’s less convenient than the mobile wallets, number one,” Stalder said. “And number two, it hasn’t worked offline.”
But Stalder sees a real opportunity for PayPal, in part because Apple has just opened the Secure Element on iOS so that other developers can more easily use the phone for contactless payments, putting them on a more equal plane with Apple Pay.
That development allows PayPal to “ride the mobile wallet rails for the first time and make some real headway in offline payments,” Stalder said.
PayPal’s other point-of-sale effort is called Fastlane, a one-click payment option for online sales that can go head-to-head with Apple Pay and Shop Pay by Shopify. In August, fintech platform Adyen made Fastlane available to businesses in the U.S., and said it plans to expand the offering globally in the future.
Chriss told investors on the earnings call that the company is urgently pushing to meet the holiday rush.
“We need to get it on as many platforms as we can so that small businesses in particular can just one-click a button and turn it on for the holidays,” Chriss said. “We’re working with many of our large enterprises who want access to this before the holidays as well.”
‘No drama’
Chriss’ long history at Intuit gave him an intimate understanding of the expansive world of small- and medium-sized businesses. That experience could be crucial as PayPal targets SMBs with its various payment and checkout options.
Sanjay Sakhrani, an analyst at KBW, said going further down market allows PayPal to command better economics because there’s so much more competition when going after enterprises.
“To the extent that they can broaden their reach there, I think that could be quite lucrative,” said Sakhrani, who has a buy rating on the stock.
Chriss calls SMBs an “untapped opportunity for us,” adding on the earnings call that those companies don’t want to “piece together 17 different solutions.”
“Small businesses are – they’re fighting for every customer,” Chriss said in July. “They need to be able to find customers. They need to be able to engage with customers, convert them, and then reengage with them.”
Venture capitalist Oren Zeev has seen Chriss work with small businesses in another capacity. They served together on the board of home design startup Houzz, whose customers include a lot of architects and contractors.
“He obviously brought a lot to the table with his vast experience with small businesses,” Zeev said. As a communicator, Zeev described Chriss as “no drama” and “respected by everyone.”
While he’s quickly captured the respect of investors, who have lifted PayPal’s market cap by over $20 billion in the year since Chriss started, there’s a lot more to do.
The stock remains about 75% below its record high. Sakhrani says shareholders are “anxiously awaiting his multiple-year outlook” as opposed to just “trying to fix some of the stuff that was broken.”
“There’s going to be some pressure at some point in time, in the near future, for more definition around that,” Sakhrani said.
Chriss, for his part, isn’t declaring victory.
“Our teams are moving with urgency, excited about our innovation and focused on execution,” he said on the second-quarter earnings call. “We are still early in our transformation and while pleased with our progress in many areas, we know there is much more we can do and with greater speed.”
WATCH: PayPal’s crypto lead on allowing merchants to buy and sell virtual assets
Technology
Samsung and Ashley Furniture want to make it easier to buy into the smart home
Explaining the benefits of the smart home isn’t always easy — it’s more of an “if you know, you know” deal. But that “aha” moment — when someone finally gets what’s so great about home automation — often comes when they see it in action. At least, that’s the theory Samsung is testing with its new partnership with Ashley Furniture.
According to a press release from Samsung, The Connected Home Experience powered by SmartThings is launching at Ashley Furniture’s flagship store in Brentwood, Tennessee, this week. It aims to show how furniture and smart tech can work together to create a more comfortable, convenient, and fun home.
The showroom will have several vignettes set up that shoppers can interact with using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus running the SmartThings app. This will let them control the devices, including smart lights, plugs, shades, and more to see how a Movie Night or Game Day scene might work in the den or living room or how morning and evening routines can spruce up a bedroom.
It makes a lot of sense to demonstrate how smart home tech works in its natural environment. Ikea is one of the few stores that has attempted to do this, occasionally highlighting smart features in its stores’ similar vignettes of rooms in your home. But its stores show only Ikea products.
The Ashley Furniture showroom will feature over 200 products from dozens of different brands, all of which are compatible with Samsung’s SmartThings smart home platform. These include Philips Hue lighting, Nanoleaf lighting, Eve roller shades, Kasa smart home products, and Aqara curtain drivers.
The showroom also features Samsung gear, including Samsung TVs, the Frame TV that looks like a piece of art, and the Music Frame, all of which now include built-in SmartThings hubs for connecting devices and making it possible to set up automations, scenes, and routines.
The TVs are also Matter controllers, allowing you to connect any Matter-compatible device to your smart home, not just the ones shown in the store. Matter is a new standard promoting interoperability in the smart home.
The Connected Home Experience is only in the Brentwood store for now, but Samsung has launched a “new immersive connected home shopping experience” on Samsung.com. There, a SmartThings Interactive Home shows different rooms in a home and demonstrates how devices can interact to help people understand the benefits of connected devices.
Servers computers
Time lapse – 42U Server Rack Assembly
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Science & Environment
WTI drifts lower amid widening war in Middle East
U.S. crude oil prices drifted lower Tuesday as the risk of rising supply from OPEC+ overshadows a dramatic escalation of the war in the Middle East.
Israel has dispatched ground forces into southern Lebanon after pounding the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah with airstrikes for days, eliminating much of the group’s leadership.
“We have two wars going on at the moment, we’ve had a massive racheting up of tensions in the Middle East and yet oil to date has not been affected by either conflict in a material way,” Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, told CNBC’s “Money Movers.”
For now, traders remain focused on weak demand in China and the prospect of OPEC+ producing more oil starting in December, Croft said.
Here are Tuesday’s energy prices at 8:43 am ET:
- West Texas Intermediate November contract: $67.33 per barrel, down 85 cents, or 1.25%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has fallen 6%.
- Brent January contract: $70.58 per barrel, down 88 cents, or 0.88%. Year to date, the global benchmark has dropped more than 8%.
- RBOB Gasoline November contract: $1.8973 per gallon, down 0.03%. Year to date, gasoline has pulled back nearly 10%.
- Natural Gas November contract: $2.870 per thousand cubic feet, down 1.81%. Year to date, gas has gained 14%.
OPEC leader Saudi Arabia might be prepared to allow more oil back onto the market to pressure members such as Iraq with lower oil prices, said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy. Saudi has become increasingly frustrated with Iraq producing more crude than then their production targets, McNally said.
“There are good odds that OPEC+ leadership will sweat the producers,” McNally told CNBC’s “Street Signs.” “Every once in a while, it seems, there has to be a price drop to remind members of OPEC+ that they have an obligation to participate in collective supply management.”
This would push Brent prices down toward $60 per barrel, or below in 2025, McNally said.
“Our base case is they will go higher, but that is the risk, that we would be into the 60s with surpluses next year and that would be tolerated as sort of a temporary corrective action to get Iraq to come into compliance,” McNally said.
Technology
World Wide Web Foundation closes, says “mission accomplished”
After 15 years working on developing a safer and more accessible internet, the World Wide Web Foundation (WF) is set to close.
Foundation co-founders Rosemary Leith and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, confirmed the decision in a letter shared online by the organization.
The letter details how the Foundation’s initial mission has largely been accomplished, however new challenges lie ahead that will need their own attention.
WWW Foundation declares mission accomplished
Founded in 2009 when only around one in five had access to the internet, the letter draws attention to new and emerging challenges in a world where nearly three-quarters (70%) of the global population is online.
Berners-Lee and Leith thanked the WF’s supporters for helping to “move the needle,” however the data-centric nature of Web 2.0 has come along with its own challenges.
“The threats to the Web have increased too, social media’s dominant business model has brought about the commoditisation of users data and a concentration of power contrary to Tim’s original vision,” it added.
To tackle this problem, Berners-Lee plans to end the Foundation and devote his time and resources to developing decentralized technologies like the Solid Protocol, which he hopes will return control of personal data to individuals.
The Protocol, which has been in the works since 2015, aligns with an open letter authored by Berners-Lee in 2023 where he emphasized the urgent need to restore the decentralized, user-controlled internet he had previously envisioned. The founder of the web has spoken out about how the internet is “dominated by the self-interest of several corporations” on several occasions.
WF’s letter continues: “We pay tribute to the amazing partnerships we’ve formed with colleagues, other NGOs, governments, private funders and advocates in the space.”
Looking ahead, the Solid Protocol, sometimes referred to as Web 3.0 plans to structure the internet via decentralized data stores called Pods.
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