Why are tech stocks performing so erratically? As usual, no one knows, according to Kara Swisher. “You can cherry-pick your way to disaster or just make the simple point that things are not very clear and it is probably not a good idea to make casual predictions that will have a major impact until, you know, it does,” Swisher reasons in Re/Code. “While tech stocks are down as a larger group, for sure, it’s still rather shifty at this point.” 

Comcast found that adding "all current-season episodes for a handful of shows to its on-demand video library" boosted the average ratings for  "the live premiere of the following episode" from 34% for broadcast shows to 69% for cable series, writes Tom Chereder. "Media companies that make TV shows are starting to realize that time-shifted and on-demand content is beneficial to the industry-standard TV ratings for new episode premieres."

Pivot, a cable channel launched last July targeted to Millennials, is beefing up its programming with new shows that include its first original scripted series, “Fortitude,” "a 12-episode drama set in the Arctic" starring the likes of Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon, writes Stuart Elliott. "In keeping with Pivot’s tilt toward purpose programming, the drama is 'an eco-thriller' that should appeal to Generation Y, Evan Shapiro, president of Pivot," said at the channel's upfront presentation.

Fostering competition (and making the emergence of the next Facebook more likely), venture capital is flowing faster than ever. The most raised since early 2001, domestic VC investment hit $10.74 billion in the first quarter, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing data from Dow Jones VentureSource. “This is only the second time since 2001 that venture investment exceeded $10 billion in a quarter,” WSJ writes. 

Playboy magazine rereleased its inaugural issue, first published in December 1953, priced at $9.99 (original went for 50 cents), $2 more than a typical issue sells for now. But there's an iconic shot of Marilyn Monroe on its cover (and, we assume, some photos of her less-than-clothed inside). "The replica does not feature any new advertorial, so the revenue is all through one-off sales," writes Caysey Welton. "And like everyone else, subscribers will need to get the issue at their local newsstands or order it online."

USA Today recently launched an online store where consumers can purchase sports photographs -- including "a collection of more than 3,000 early-career photos of Muhammad Ali, all from the library of The Courier-Journal, the Gannett daily in Louisville, Kentucky (hometown of Muhammad Ali)," writes D.B. Hebbard.

Web site platform Squarespace just raided $40 million from General Atlantic and General Atlantic alone. Founded in 2003, the start-up, which specializes in tools for individuals and small businesses to build sites and online stores, TechCrunch reports. With the fresh funds, “we will improve the overall Squarespace experience, make it available to more people around the world, and … go beyond Web sites and online stores,” CEO Anthony Casalena stated.

Google is expected to post strong earnings after the closing bell, today. Yet, the search giant’s operating margins are a concern for analysts, according to CNBC. Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research, believes there is margin erosion in Google's core business. “The company is keeping more of every dollar it earns and eventually ,that will likely backlash on the stock,” CNBC reports, citing Wieser’s comments. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect 11% year-over-year gain in earnings and revenue. 

The short lists of finalists in a creative review to win a company's ad business are getting longer, up to five or more competitors, decreasing the odds of winning the "long and expensive pitch process," writes Andrew McMains. Why? Three reasons, at least: "market conditions, the number of decision makers involved and when the brand last searched for a new agency," McMains writes.

Apparently, the city block-sized building that Google bought in 2010 for about $2 billion is no long big enough to hold the company’s growing army of salespeople, media experts, engineers and execs. The search giant is currently searching for another space to hold some 3,000 employees, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources. Google is looking into leasing as much as 600,000 square feet in Manhattan -- “about half the size of the Chrysler Building,” by WSJ’s estimate.