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CNBC's Jim Cramer takes a look at the week ahead in stock market news as Wall Street prepares for a short week of trading with Thanksgiving on Thursday. The "Mad Money" host sits down for interviews with Clorox CEO Benno Dorer and SoFi CEO Anthony Noto. Noto says he expects to see consolidation in the financial services industry as emerging fintech companies offer commission-free trading and other services.

Wall Street is counting on a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade negotiations, but CNBC's Jim Cramer isn't banking on it.

President Donald Trump, again, on Friday teased that the U.S. was nearing a trade agreement with China, while Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that Beijing also wants to land a deal but would "fight back" if necessary.

"I don't think it's the end of the world if there's no breakthrough in the trade talks, but I recognize that people are getting a little too confident we're going to get a deal," the "Mad Money" host said. "Of course, a deal is always possible, but the longer the stock market stays up, the less likely it is that we'll get one. A strong market means President Trump has more leverage to hold out for better terms."

The major averages all broke multi-day losing streaks in Friday's session — posting gains of as much as 0.39% — and snapped multi-weekly win streaks amid trade uncertainty. With a holiday around the corner, Wall Street will have a shortened week of trading. The stock market will be closed on Thanksgiving Day Thursday and will close at 1 p.m. on Friday.

There will, however, be a full slate of earnings reports coming out in the days prior. Cramer gave viewers an overview of what he has circled on his calendar.

"After Wednesday we eat turkey and on Friday we eat leftovers knowing there's an unwritten rule that nothing important is supposed to occur on Wall Street," the host said. "Will the president slaughter a turkey this year, or slaughter the market? I bet he goes for the former."

Clorox has "bold" plans for the next decade to reduce its negative environmental impact, CEO Benno Dorer told CNBC.

"We think doing something good for the planet is also good for business," Dorer said in a "Mad Money" interview. "With our new strategy, which leads us through 2025, we're going to make a double-down effort on sustainability."

So far, one manifestation of Clorox's environmental commitment is its compostable cleaning wipes, which launched in the late second quarter, Dorer said.

Big changes in the stock brokerage industry were expected as financial technology firms introduce new ways for people to handle their money, SoFi CEO Anthony Noto told Cramer.

The comment comes in the wake of multiple broker companies making moves to ditch commission trading and after news of a probable merger between Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade.

"We assumed there's going to be a fair amount of consolidation" in the industry, Noto said in a "Mad Money" interview. "The financial services industry really hasn't had the type of innovation that you've seen in e-commerce, as you've seen in online travel, and just in this year we launched products that have never been brought to the market before."

In Cramer's lightning round, the "Mad Money" host zips through his thoughts about viewers' favorite stock picks of the day.

: "I think if you really do want to buy it — I'm not going to necessarily recommend buying it — you wait it out about another maybe 10, 15 points down, and then maybe take a look."

Dunkin' Brands Group: "Actually, I prefer Starbucks to Dunkin' Donuts. Starbucks is way down from its high and I think it's got more momentum and has gotten too cheap, so that's why I prefer it."

Lam Research: "Oh, it's been crazy, but you know what we're up about 80 points for the charitable trust. We did trim back a lot because we didn't want to be pigs. Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs they get slaughtered. I would wait a little bit before I would buy more."

Disclosure: Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of Lam Research.

Disclaimer

European tech start-ups have seen a huge surge in the amount of capital coming from investors in the U.S. and Asia this year, but it's not because funds in these regions are simply "hedging" their bets amid the US-China trade war.

So far this year, over 20% of European start-up funding rounds have included a U.S. or Asian investor, up from 10% in 2015, venture capital firm Atomico claimed in its annual State of European Tech report this week.

The U.S.-China trade war makes Europe look like a relatively safe middle-ground, but that's not why North American and Asian investors are choosing to back European start-ups, according to Tom Wehmeier, partner and head of research at Atomico.

"They wouldn't deploy capital if they didn't believe the investments could deliver returns on par and in excess to what they can generate at home," he told CNBC.

"Some of the investors now committing to Europe have been the best in the world at generating returns from tech. They know what makes for a winning formula."

Investment into European tech start-ups for 2019 surged to over $34 billion, up 40% from the previous year. While overall investment into U.S. and Asian start-ups still surpasses that of Europe, the gap is getting smaller. Atomico's report revealed that the U.S. and Asia saw a dip in the overall amount of investment flowing into their own start-ups.

American investors have backed European start-ups with almost $10 billion this year, up from $5.8 billion in 2018, while Asian investors have pledged $4 billion, up from $1.7 billion. The money isn't necessarily being distributed evenly, however, as 92% of the money invested into European start-ups went to companies with all-male founding teams.

In June, mobile banking app Monzo announced that it had raised a $145 million funding round that was led by Y Combinator, a California-based start-up backer that's also invested in Airbnb and Dropbox.

One month prior, food delivery service Deliveroo was backed by Amazon in a $575 million funding round. Other U.S. investors such as Greenoaks, Fidelity Investments, and T. Rowe Price also contributed to the round.

Japan's SoftBank, which has the world's largest tech investment fund, made two bets on European fintech start-ups this year. In February, it led a $440 million round into London-based OakNorth, and a $1 billion round into Munich's WireCard in April.

"European tech has quietly increased its number of external believers," the report says. "We see this everywhere, from the increased time top U.S. investors are spending on the ground here to the fact that a fifth of European rounds this year had at least one U.S. or Asian investor participating — a proportion which grows as the deal size increases."

The report continues: "(European) VCs are reporting increasing interest from global LPs (limited partners), while previously unconvinced European Institutional Investors are now fully engaged. We're also seeing valuations and pre-emptive term sheets on the increase in Europe — always a sign that competition to invest in the best tech companies is accelerating, as well as a reflection on the quality of the opportunity."

DETROIT — Tesla's Cybertruck pickup made its global debut Thursday night to roaring cheers, some criticism and sighs of relief from Detroit automakers.

The futuristic-looking pickup, resembling a large metallic trapezoid, was far from what many were anticipating. The vehicle has a polarizing design unlike anything ever produced outside of sci-fi movies, and its production process, as detailed during the unveiling by CEO Elon Musk, is expected to be more similar to that of a traditional car than a truck.

"Trucks have been the same for a very long time," Musk said during the unveiling at the company's design center outside Los Angeles. "Like a hundred years, trucks have been basically the same. We want to try something different."

Ahead of the truck driving onto the stage, Musk poked fun at the lack of design changes of pickups over the last century — specifically singling out pickups from Chevrolet, Ford and Ram brands, which account for the vast majority of pickup sales.

As Tesla's stock dropping 6% Friday indicates, major questions remain about the truck ahead of its expected production in late 2021, according to Wall Street and industry analysts. Here are some of them:

A hologram of a woman at the beginning of the unveiling called the truck "the greatest evolution in vehicular fashion and function," however, some are questioning both those assertions.

"Polarizing" has been the most common term for the vehicle's design, which was inspired by the movie "Blade Runner."

"Elon Musk has been enthusiastic about his Blade Runner inspired design for months, but we were still surprised how futuristic he went with this one and believe it may shatter his dreams," wrote Cowen analyst Jeffrey Osborne in a note to investors on Friday.

Tesla, according to Osborne, appears to have "rushed its launch of the Cybertruck," as many features such as side mirrors and windshield wipers were missing. The lack of those features and build quality of the vehicle have led some to believe the vehicle is a concept and not an actual production model.

As expected, the performance specifications of the truck are impressive, including a 0-to-60 mph time of as low as 2.9 seconds, towing capacity of more than 14,000 pounds and a top speed of 130 miles per hour. Cybertruck's EV range, depending on the model, is expected to vary from about 250 miles to 500 miles, according to Tesla.

"While the Cybertruck seems plenty capable, we don't believe that Tesla is going after the heart of the market and the work/utility crowd here," wrote RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak in a note to investors on Friday.

Musk showed the Cybertruck beating the industry-leading Ford F-150 in a "tug of war" and outracing a Porsche 911.

The Cybertruck is not expected to appeal to millions of traditional truck buyers, who last year accounted for nearly one in five vehicles sold in the U.S.

Cybertruck, according to analysts, is essentially in a segment of its own that may appeal to current Tesla customers and "the influencer crowd (celebrities and pop culture)," however, it will not be a mass-market vehicle.

"It will be a niche product at best and poses no threat in the pickup market as we know it today," said Matt DeLorenzo, senior executive editor at Kelley Blue Book.

RBC's Spak called the Cybertruck a "Hummer for the green millennial generation, really the ultimate virtue and vice signaling machine."

Tesla unveiled three models: A single-motor rear-wheel drive for $39,900, a dual-motor all-wheel-drive for $49,900 and a tri-motor all-wheel-drive for $69,900.

Tesla started taking reservations for Cybertruck on its website following the vehicle's unveiling. A $100 deposit is required.

Trucks are supposed to be tough, but Tesla appears to be taking it to another level.

During the unveiling last night, the truck's "ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel" body held up to what Musk described as a sledgehammer, and he said it can withstand a 9 mm bullet from a handgun. But things got a little awkward when it came time to show off the durability of the company's new "armored glass."

To demonstrate the toughness of the glass, Tesla Chief Designer Franz Von Holzhausen threw a metal ball at two windows. They shattered, to Musk's surprise, but the metal ball did not go through the glass.

"Oh my f------ God!" Musk said. "Well, maybe that was a little too hard."

Cowen's Osborne said in "a night to be remembered for the Armored Glass fail, Tesla's Cybertruck reveal will likely disappoint current pickup truck owners and we see the vehicle remaining a niche and not a mainstream product."

Musk also said the truck features an exoskeleton design that will use a production process more similar to a traditional "unibody" car than to a production process known as "body-on-frame" that's traditionally used for trucks.

Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities said the exoskeleton, which is made of a stainless steel alloy that Musk is using with Space X on its Starship rocket, is "the most impressive and eye popping part of the design."

It's unclear where Tesla plans to produce the truck. The company announced production is slated to begin in late 2021 but has not offered any details about where it will be produced.

Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment on production and other plans for the vehicle.

Automakers typically have dedicated truck plants, and the company's sole U.S. plant in Fremont, California, is not expected to have any additional capacity without an expansion to the facility.

Given Tesla's history of missed deadlines, the complexity of trucks and the fact that the company has never produced such a vehicle, production will be important.

"We remind investors Tesla does have a habit of being late on expected timelines," RBC's Spak wrote, citing a number of announced products that have yet to begin production for Tesla. "So while we don't doubt that Tesla will try to get the product to market, a large part of this event appears to be hype."

While Cybertruck is not expected to appeal to traditional pickup buyers, several all-electric pickups are expected to make their way into the U.S. market to compete against Tesla's product.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Thursday confirmed the automaker plans to release an all-electric pickup in late 2021. That's around the same time Ford Motor is expected to release an all-electric version of its F-150 pickup.

Start-up automakers such as Rivian and Lordstown Motors, which recently purchased a large assembly plant from GM, also are expected to release EV pickups in the coming years.

Rivian, which is backed by Amazon and Ford, plans to launch EV pickup and SUV models beginning in late 2020, followed by four additional products through 2025. The vehicles are expected to offer up to 400 miles of range and an "unmatched combination of off-road utility and high performance," according to the company.

Lordstown Motors on Thursday said it has started accepting preorders for its Endurance pickup, which is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of next year starting at $52,500.

— CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak.

Hit South Korean boyband BTS will not be given exemption from mandatory military service, the defense ministry has said, reaffirming its policy of no exceptions for pop stars.

The decision is likely to fuel debate in South Korea, which remains technically at war with North Korea, about whether entertainers and athletes should have to do their full military service, of about 18 months, when they might be at the peak of their careers.

"Exempting pop culture artists from military service even though they have made a contribution to the country's reputation is not in line with the government's stance to uphold justice and fairness," the ministry said in announcing its decision on Thursday.

The seven-strong BTS has spearheaded a wave of Korean pop, crowning their success with three No. 1 albums on the Billboard chart in less than a year, a 2019 Grammy nomination and concerts from New York to Saudi Arabia.

None of the band members, who range in age from 22 to 26, was available for comment on Friday.

Korean men who turn 18 become eligible for a physical examination by the Military Manpower Administration, which can then lead to service. Women do not have to do military service.

Authorities occasionally grants exemptions, for instance to athletes, but only if they have won gold medals at the Asian Games, or any medal at the Olympics.

Also, classical musicians who have received awards at recognized international competition can skip their military service.

Last year, Son Heung-min, who plays for the English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, was given an exemption but only after he helped the South Korean national team win gold at the Asian Games.

The defense ministry said fewer than 45 people are exempt from service every year.

South Korea has nearly 600,000 soldiers, most of them conscripted.

Liberty Media Chairman John Malone took issue with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's investment approach in light of the botched WeWork IPO.

"He flings these numbers around awful easy. He's got a balance sheet no one can understand," Malone told CNBC's David Faber in an exclusive interview Thursday.

WeWork pulled its IPO filing in September after investors balked at its mounting losses and unusual corporate governance structure. The scrutiny forced WeWork founder Adam Neumann to step down as CEO. The office-sharing start-up is laying off 2,400 employees as it tries to cut costs and right-size the business.

Son initially valued WeWork at $47 billion, a number public market investors viewed as nearly four times too high.

"I look at each one of these deep-loss businesses ... you've got to have to have an argument that the scale will improve the marginal economics," Malone said.

WeWork continues to bleed cash, reporting $1.25 billion in losses in the third quarter, up more than 150% from the same period last year. The company was poised to run out of money in a matter of weeks, but secured an 11th-hour bailout deal from SoftBank.

"[Masa's] had some home-runs no question. He took some big rides and some of them are not performing for him at the moment, but those are cycles," Malone said.

Malone is also not a fan of Uber's business model.

"I never quite understood Uber and I never quite understood why Dara took the job," Malone said of Dara Khosrowshahi, who succeeded CEO Travis Kalanick in 2017 following a series of scandals. "Right now in a world where you have three or four competitors in a metro area and drivers are working for all of them, I don't see where scale changes the economics."

Uber shares have fallen about 35% since its IPO in May.

The United States is concerned about China's attempts to influence Taiwan's presidential election, the top U.S. official in Taiwan said on Friday, as China stepped up pressure on the self-ruled island ahead of the vote in January.

The comment came days after Taiwan denounced China for trying to interfere in its democratic process ahead of the Jan. 11 elections for the presidency and legislature, including sailing an aircraft carrier group through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday.

"We are aware that China is attempting to apply pressure through various means on Taiwan. Certainly, these attempts to influence Taiwan's democratic process are of concern," said Brent Christensen, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan.

"We believe that malign actors are using disinformation campaigns to make people lose faith in democratic institutions," he told reporters in Taipei.

Beijing has in recent months stepped up efforts to "reunify" what it considers a wayward province, flying regular bomber patrols around it and seeking to isolate it diplomatically.

The United States, like most countries, has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to help provide the island with the means to defend itself. It is democratic Taiwan's strongest backer on the international stage.

Christensen said any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including boycotts or embargoes, was of "grave concern" to the United States.

Taiwan and the United States have very close ties, he added, noting this year's $10 billion in U.S. arms sales to the island.

"We have, I believe, a strong relationship in security matters that we anticipate will only grow stronger."

President Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party is leading in the polls, ahead of her main rival, Han Kuo-yu of the China-friendly Kuomintang party.

Tsai's government has repeatedly warned of Beijing's campaign to influence the vote, including snatching more of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic allies and a "warfare" of disinformation to mislead voters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in January that China reserved the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control but would strive to achieve peaceful "reunification."

Beijing suspects Tsai of pushing for the island's formal independence, which Xi has warned would lead to a "grave disaster."

China described the carrier sailing as routine and not aimed at anyone in particular, dismissing Taiwan's complaints.

Taiwan has lost seven diplomatic allies to China since Tsai took office in 2016, leaving 15 nations that recognise the island.

China has sent about 2,000 bomber patrols a year to the narrow Taiwan Strait separating the two sides, the island's defence minister, Yen Teh-fa, told parliament last week.

Democratic congressional leaders from the Hispanic, Black and Asian Pacific American caucuses scolded Google CEO Sundar Pichai for the recent hiring of a former Trump administration official who had supported the Muslim ban.

In a letter dated Nov. 19, the lawmakers expressed concern over Google's hiring of Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff for Kirstjen Nielsen, the former secretary of Homeland Security. Taylor joined Google recently to work on government affairs and national security issues.

"We are deeply troubled with Google's decision to hire someone from the Trump Administration that has defended the very same cruel DHS policies Google senior leadership has previously announced," the letter said. It was signed by Joaquin Castro, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, as well as Karen Bass, head of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Judy Chu, chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Trump's actions have been "devastating to refugees and immigrant families," the House members wrote. "During his time with DHS, Miles Taylor undoubtedly demonstrated his support for the Trump Administration's immigration policies."

The letter comes as Google faces increased scrutiny by lawmakers, regulators and among its own employees for business practices, government contracts and controversial decisions made by leadership. In August, more than 1,000 Google employees signed a petition, demanding Google abandon bids or potential bids with U.S. Customs and Border Protection contract.

Employees also expressed concern about Taylor at recent all-hands meetings, where executives defended his hiring and downplayed his involvement in DHS policies.

In response to a request for comment, a Google spokesperson pointed to comments made a few weeks ago by Karan Bhatia, vice president for government affairs, explaining that Taylor's expertise is in counterterrorism and national security, and that he will not be involved in immigration issues.

The letter from House leaders berated Pichai and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, citing reports from The Washington Post and Buzzfeed about Taylor's role in the Trump administration.

"This recent company hire appears to contradict Google's own moral and ethical values and completely disregards the concerns expressed by many of your employees and customers that value immigrants and human rights," the letter said.

The lawmakers pointed to a tweet from Pichai, opposing family separation at the border.

"The stories and images of families being separated at the border are gut-wrenching," Pichai wrote. "Urging our government to work together to find a better, more humane way that is reflective of our values as a nation #keepfamiliestogether."

Google is not alone among tech companies in employing former conservative administration officials. Facebook hired former George W. Bush aide Joel Kaplan in 2011, which The Wall Street Journal reported was part of a larger effort to bring more diverse viewpoints into its executive ranks.

House members wrote in the letter to Pichai that, "We find it alarming when companies choose to reward and hire individuals that have played active roles in implementing cruel policies that target and hurt the communities we represent and Google is no exception."

While big tech companies tend to skew to the left in terms of political contributions and support for candidates and causes, liberal lawmakers have attacked the same companies for a lack of diversity among their employee base and for the ways their technology is used.

At an October hearing, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the company's civil rights audit and alleged housing discrimination enabled through its ads service. Several Democratic lawmakers wrote to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos last year, expressing concern about reports that the company was promoting its facial recognition technology to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

WATCH: How to download everything Google knows about you

Economic growth in China is slowing down amid an ongoing trade war with the U.S. — but Swiss wealth management giant UBS is not budging from its "overweight" position in Chinese stocks.

Chinese gross domestic product grew 6% year-over-year in the third quarter, the weakest pace in at least 27.5 years. UBS forecast that growth in the world's second-largest economy will end this year at 6.1% before slowing even more in the coming years to 5.7% in 2020 and 5.6% in 2021.

"I think what's been very interesting with regards to the Chinese market is that even though growth is slowing, you can actually see that the economic restructuring that they have been trying to pursue is actually bearing fruit," Tan Min Lan, the wealth manager's head of chief investment office in Asia Pacific, told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Thursday.

She explained that economic restructuring in the last few years has led to consumption contributing a larger share of Chinese growth now, compared with a few years ago. In addition, China has been growing the share of higher value added manufacturing in its economy and consolidated sectors such as upstream materials and property, she said.

Those changes have benefited some companies. As a result, earnings of Chinese companies have done better than expected, said Tan.

"If you look at the third-quarter reporting season, overall earnings growth is closer to about 10% year-on-year growth, which is an acceleration in the second quarter which is about 5%," she said. "We think that Chinese stock market continues to have a lot of interesting opportunities that one can pursue."

In a 2020 outlook report released on Wednesday, UBS said it likes stocks of Chinese internet companies and businesses in the 5G smartphone supply chain.

Without naming specific stocks, the wealth manager said "share prices of Chinese internet companies have been mixed this year, weighed down by heavy investments in new growth areas like video, cloud, payments and expansion to low-tier cities."

But some of those investments could start to deliver better profits and margins in the coming year, it added.

"So driven by improving profitability and margins in new growth segments ... we expect earnings growth to accelerate for the Chinese internet sector in 2020 after two years of challenging conditions," said UBS.

The closure of Waymo's self-driving car facility in Austin, Texas, this month eliminated jobs for about 100 contractors, some of whom described surprise at the sudden decision.

Waymo, the self-driving car subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, confirmed with CNBC earlier this month that it was closing the Austin facility but downplayed the move, saying it would affect fewer than 10 full-time employees.

CNBC has now learned that the closure affected many more people, including contract workers from firms Adecco and Genesis10, according to conversations with nine people who worked for Waymo in Austin and elsewhere. Five of these people estimated around 100 workers, or more, were affected. A Waymo spokesperson said the number was "significantly less" than 100 without offering a precise number, citing confidentiality agreements with the contracting agencies.

Some described the firing as a surprise, and two said that managers described it as a financial decision, although Waymo denies any cost-cutting measures, pointing to investments elsewhere. These people requested anonymity because they signed agreements that forbid them from talking about their time at the company.

A Waymo spokesperson described the move as a facility closure, not a layoff or downsizing. In a statement, the company said, "Waymo is growing our investment and teams in both the Detroit and Phoenix areas, and we want to bring our operations teams together in these locations to best support our riders and our ride-hailing service. As a result we've decided to relocate all Austin positions to Detroit and Phoenix and some of our employees have already confirmed they'll relocate. We are also working closely with our staffing partners to ensure temporary workers are offered transition pay and relocation assistance."

In the months leading up to the firings, the company has faced challenges to the business and delays to the technology. CEO John Krafcik said in 2017 that Waymo wouldn't need to wait until 2020 ⁠— when analysts expected self-driving cars to go fully autonomous ⁠— but that it would give riders fully autonomous rides within "months." However, CNBC reported in August that Waymo still largely relies on human safety drivers, and the company only started offering fully autonomous rides there recently. In September, Morgan Stanley cut its valuation on Waymo by 40% from $175 billion to $105 billion, concluding that the industry is moving toward commercialization more slowly than expected.

Austin is where Waymo says it conducted its first full-self driving route on public roads back in 2015. Both the company and the city of Austin had expectations of launching ride-sharing services with self-driving vehicles, similar to the Phoenix Waymo One service, according to Austin city documents.

Workers described the closure on Nov. 5 as sudden -- the contracting firms called some people and simply told them not to come to work that day with no further explanation. One person at the site said the firms held an emergency meeting during the day where workers were told to take their items and leave or they'd be escorted by security. Workers said they were offered an opportunity to move to other Waymo facilities in Phoenix or Detroit with relocation assistance.

In response, the Waymo spokesperson said that the closure was communicated well in advance and should not have been a surprise.

Two Waymo workers heard from management that the Austin closure was a financial decision needed to keep Detroit and Phoenix growing. Waymo told CNBC that it is growing its overall investment in the company and expanding its teams in those locations. However, two Phoenix workers told CNBC that the Austin closure has increased their workload dramatically -- one said they'd lost half the people in their department, meaning that they'd have to do double the work.

Three of the contractors from Austin said while the closure was sudden, morale had been declining for some time. Two described what seemed like efforts to separate Waymo contractors from full-time employees -- for instance, contractors were told to speak less with certain Waymo supervisors and full-time employees, and management invited them to feedback sessions but rarely answered their questions. Waymo says it never gave any instructions to staffing agencies or contractors that they should speak less to full-time employees.

"We encourage our contractors to come to Adecco for any employment-related questions or escalations. As their employer, our team is always available to address their needs and provide correct information," said an Adecco spokesperson. "This is something FTEs may have reinforced, and we believe the intentions would have been in the best interest of contractors."

Genesis10 declined to comment for this story.

Alphabet has faced criticism in the past for its extensive use of contractors, who do not receive the same treatment as full-time employees and are often paid less. A May report in the New York Times said that the company now employs more contractors than full-time employees, and several U.S. Senators have since called on the company to convert contractors to employees after six months. At the 2019 Alphabet shareholders' meeting, one company employee criticized Google for letting full-time employees out of mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment claims while not extending this same protection to contractors.

WATCH NOW: This Arizona town is overrun with self-driving cars -- here's what it's like.

Don't give up on the entire technology sector of the market, according to CNBC's Jim Cramer.

The "Mad Money" host advised that selling off would be a poor miscalculation, urging investors to "ask yourself what you're selling."

"If you're dumping an ETF, be my guest — those are just moronic amalgamations of stocks slapped together by people who make a living by convincing you that the tech sector is still a real, cohesive thing," he said. "But if you're dumping the kind of tech stocks that are working here — especially the better run software-as-a-service names — I think you're making a big mistake."

Cramer sought to dispel thoughts that it's time to get cautious about the tech stocks that have powered the market to new highs or because of potential escalations in the U.S.-China trade war.

Software stocks like ServiceNow, Salesforce.com and Adobe may still face pressure from the trade front, as President Donald Trump continues to pressure Chinese trade negotiators with more tariffs to agree to a trade deal, but Cramer continues to put his faith in the group.

"In fact, these stocks will probably be the first to go down again because the algorithms ... sell them on any trade worries," he said. "But after that, their stocks tend to come bouncing back with alacrity because these companies are forces of nature."

Pointing to Kohl's, whose shares deflated nearly 20% to almost $42 per share in Tuesday's session on a disappointing earnings report and forecast cuts, Cramer noted that retailers have to equip themselves with the right software to stay competitive.

Management blamed its quarterly earnings and sales declines, along with its reduced profit outlook, in part on an "increasingly competitive promotional environment."

"The lesson here is simple: If you want to stay competitive in retail, you need to pay these software-as-a-service companies a fortune," Cramer said. "That's why I rebel against this idea that you need to lighten up on tech [stocks]."

Disclosure: Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of Salesforce.com and Kohl's.

Disclaimer

From detection to diagnosis, digitization is widely being accepted as the new approach to medicine.

Health care practitioners and patients are quickly embracing digital apps and advanced technology to get to the bottom of an ailment.

But can technology and artificial intelligence ever replace doctors?

"I don't think at this stage, we are 100%, or even close to 100%, sure that AI can replace a historical high-touch type of doctor-patient relationship," said Dr. Chun Yuan Chiang, a health practitioner and founder of IHDPay Group, a health care payments firm.

"In terms of diagnostic aid, it's a different category. So, I would say at the end of Day 4, the patient wants recovery," he told CNBC's Nancy Hungerford at a panel discussion at East Tech West conference in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, China on Tuesday.

Still, experts say AI — defined broadly as machines programmed to mimic human intelligence in areas such as problem-solving and learned behavior — has reshaped the medical landscape.

"We used to use x-rays to detect lung cancer. The problem is you can only go to stage 3 or stage 4 with x-ray," said another member of the panel Dai Ying, chief innovation officer for GE Healthcare in China.

"Now, with CT you can see all lung modules, and with AI can tell where it is and how big it is. It's much more advanced than before," he said referring to computed tomography scans used to detect medical conditions.

Diagnosis of ailments and diseases is being done remotely these days. Health care providers are connected via centralized systems that can monitor patients remotely. But can AI replace a doctor's visit for those that are remote?

"We are building telemedicine in our apps today where you can consult a doctor from the convenience of your homes, not for emergency," said Jai Verma, CEO and board member of insurance company Cigna DIFC, and global head of government solutions at Cigna International. "I think AI, internet of things, are going to change the way we deliver health care in the future."

Verma also believes that along with AI, blockchain technology will make it easier for heath care companies, professionals and patients to share medical records, and that many insurance companies are already looking at integrating blockchain into their modern systems.

Blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, is a public ledger of every transaction that has taken place.

As health-care providers plough millions into AI-powered machines, blockchain and other expensive innovative technologies to improve the future of medicine, there are concerns that health care costs could go up.

Experts think otherwise.

"I think the technology is going to help us streamline the operations and reduce our operating costs," said Verma, pointing out that most costs these days are associated with manual work. "AI would help you to make it automated, so the future systems are going to help reduce your costs."

In China, one of the largest health care markets in the world, Dai said AI can play an important role in improving efficiency for the hospitals. "I don't think AI is all the time adding to costs," he said. "In most cases, it saves the costs."

However, concerns about fraud and data privacy persist as medical records get exchanged electronically.

Verma, who works for insurer Cigna, noted that many people misuse health care identities. "We lost a lot of money on fraud with people using the (ID) card and accessing the care for someone else," he said adding that dispersing of incorrect medicine is a big risk with digitization.

Chiang pointed out that efficiency can be brought about by preventing fraud or moral risks, and that his company is committed to safety and authentication. "We provide a platform that everybody can use … to make sure it's the right doctor, real doctor, real pharmacists, real drug, real insured person etc."

ServiceNow shares climbed 4% in extended trading on Monday after the cloud software vendor was added to the S&P 500, a move that will likely expand the company's shareholder base to include investors in big index funds.

Since its IPO in 2012, ServiceNow has been on a tear. The stock has climbed more than 1,000% over that stretch, closing on Monday at $266.31, giving the company a market cap of over $50 billion. In its seven years on the public market, it's outperformed Salesforce, which is up 380% in that time, and the S&P 500, which has gained 135%.

ServiceNow's entry into the index comes less than a month after the company named ex-SAP chief Bill McDermott as its new CEO. John Donahoe, who had been ServiceNow's CEO, left to take the helm of Nike. 

ServiceNow's technology automates many IT functions and digitizes things like workflow management. The stock is entering the S&P 500 because Celgene is being acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb. ServiceNow is worth more than about half the companies in the index. 

WATCH: Incoming ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott on his plans for the company

The CEO of FedEx challenged the publisher of The New York Times to a public debate on tax policy after an article in the paper detailed how the shipping giant effectively owed no taxes in fiscal 2018. The windfall came as a result of the Trump Administration's tax overhaul.

The Times story also noted that FedEx did not increase capital spending in fiscal 2018, after company chief Frederick Smith claimed that the corporate tax cut would spark additional investment.

The Times report spotlights FedEx as a case study of the effects of President Donald Trump's $1.5 trillion tax cut in 2018, the first year that the law took effect.

FedEx's financial filings show that the law has so far saved it at least $1.6 billion, the Times article states.

Promises from President Donald Trump and corporate chieftains that the cut would lead to more capital investment and greater economic growth have largely fallen flat, the article argues.

In a statement posted on the FedEx website, Smith fumed that the Times article was a "factually incorrect story," and an "outrageous distortion of the truth" without pointing to specific inaccuracies. 

Smith also took the Times to task for its own federal income tax payments, saying that that "unlike FedEx, the New York Times paid zero federal income tax in 2017 on earnings of $111 million, and only $30 million in 2018 — 18% of their pretax book income."

"Also in 2018 the New York Times cut their capital investments nearly in half to $57 million, which equates to a rounding error when compared to the $6 billion of capital that FedEx invested in the U.S. economy during that same year," Smith added.

Smith then threw down a gauntlet.

"I hereby challenge A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times and the business section editor to a public debate in Washington, DC with me and the FedEx corporate vice president of tax," Smith said. "The focus of the debate should be federal tax policy and the relative societal benefits of business investments and the enormous intended benefits to the United States economy, especially lower and middle class wage earners."

A Times spokeswoman told CNBC, "FedEx's invitation is clearly a stunt."

She also called it "an effort to distract from the findings of our story."

Smith had repeatedly claimed that the tax cut would lead to "a renaissance of capital investment" right after the cut took effect.

But The Times' analysis concluded that after getting roughly $1.6 billion in accumulated tax savings, FedEx used most of that cash for stock buybacks and dividend increases.

FedEx reportedly spent more than $2 billion in buybacks and dividend hikes in fiscal year 2019. That was more than double the amount the company spent on buybacks and dividends in fiscal year 2017.

Meanwhile, FedEx's capital investments have declined over the past two fiscal years. This year, the company also cut employee bonuses.

FedEx is not unique in how it used the tax cut windfall.

Across corporate America, stock buybacks hit a record $806 billion in 2018. Buybacks this year are trending not far behind that tally. Economic growth, however, rose at a slightly reduced rate of 1.9% last quarter.