Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars and Chinese brand Geely Automobile are reportedly planning a merger that would have a knock on effect for both companies.

Announced yesterday, the merger could see Volvo back on public markets for the first time in over 20 years. It would also make Geely China‘s first global car brand, Financial Times reports .

The merger comes as an attempt to integrate the two brands. It would undoubtedly lead to vehicles sharing common components, and could even see the firms co-develop technologies for electric vehicles and autonomous driving.

The deal would speed up already existing financial and technological links between the companies.

Primarily, the resulting company would be listed on an exchange in Hong Kong. There’s the potential it could undertake a secondary listing in Stockholm, Sweden.

Who is Geely?

There’s an important distinction to make between Geely Automobile and its parent company of a similar name. Both the Geely Automobile and Volvo brands are owned by Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. It’s the parent company that is taking efforts to merge the two brands.

Geely Holding bought Volvo from Ford back in 2010 .

To date, Geely has kept its brands separate, and on the surface it looks like that will continue. According to the report, each of Geely’s brands will retain an individual identity.

Analysts say the merger would lead to the creation of China‘s first global carmaker. It also stands to double Geely Holding Group’s operating profit and triple its annual revenues.

Earlier this year , Geely entered into a partnership with Daimler Mercedes-Benz to help revive its Smart Car brand as a range of electric vehicles.

Like with Volvo’s Polestar sub-brand, Geely will bring production of the cars to its home in China.

Microsoft buys Siri’s AI partner firm Nuance for $19.7B

Update (12/04/2021): Microsoft Microsoft reportedly wants to buy Siri’s AI partner firm Nuance for $16B today that it bought Nuance for $19.7 billion in an all-cash deal. The company said that this acquisition will help it bolster its AI offerings in healthcare, cloud, and office collaboration space. You can read more about the announcement here .

Previous headline: Microsoft reportedly wants to buy Siri’s AI partner firm Nuance for $16B

New week, new Microsoft acquisition chatter. After reports of the tech giant acquiring gaming-focused communication platform Discord for more than $10 billion, rumors of it chasing speech AI company Nuance have emerged.

According to a report from Bloomberg , Microsoft wants to buy the AI firm for $16 billion. The Seattle-based tech giant is ready to pay $56 per share — that’s more than 20% higher than Nuance’s last closing of $45.22.

A CNBC report noted that Microsoft made the first approach in December, and a deal could be announced any time this week. If the deal is finalized, this will be Microsoft’s second-biggest acquisition after LinkedIn ($24 billion).

While Nuance focuses a lot on enterprise communications involving healthcare and customer engagement, its claim to fame is helping Apple make Siri better through analytics. Over the years, with the help of the AI firm, the iPhone maker has prepared the digital assistant for contextual conversations and requests.

Microsoft and Nuance have collaborated previously in projects such as helping doctors create a transcription of patient visits and recall medical records or prescribed medicine through voice commands. Plus, the AI firm’s repository of more than 3,000 patents will be attractive for Microsoft.

Microsoft’s interest in AI speech comes at an interesting time. Earlier this month, the firm removed Cortana apps — its own voice assistant — from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Given this step, there’s a slim chance the tech giant is acquiring Nuance to develop a consumer-facing digital assistant. Rather, Microsoft might want it to help develop more focused enterprise AI solutions in areas such as healthcare.

Airbnb to be bigger than eBay after its long-awaited IPO

Airbnb will list its stock on the NASDAQ this Thursday, and analysts reckon the company will price its shares between $56 and $60 a piece.

If that’s true, Airbnb would boast a market value of $42 billion — a little less than active wear darling Lululemon but $6 billion more than eBay.

The Wall Street Journal noted that figure includes the $3.3 billion the company is likely to raise tomorrow.

Investors have been waiting for Airbnb‘s IPO years, and traders are likely watching on-demand delivery startup DoorDash’s Wednesday listing closely as a barometer for what’s in store.

DoorDash, which is also headquartered in San Francisco, has set the initial price for its shares at $102, valuing it at $39 billion.

DoorDash‘s CEO is expected to become an instant billionaire as a result, while Airbnb‘s three founders reportedly hit that milestone back in 2014 .