The 47-year-old has certainly come a long way since receiving his first computer games console, a Commodore 64, for his tenth birthday. The eldest of four children growing up in Tel Aviv, Shiff showed great academic promise and graduated from high school two years early at 16. His father, an entrepreneur who owned an accounting business, was keen for him to study law and accounting at university, but Shiff dropped out after a single semester. “I hated it.” He eventually studied computer science and accounting at Tel Aviv University.

When he completed his degree in 1997, Shiff joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), where he became an officer within its intelligence arm, the Israeli Security Agency. He started as a programmer before moving on to more senior management positions, and eventually led a team of 40 engineers.

“What I did there for most of my time was building counter-terrorism technologies, which was very satisfying and fascinating. But I also learnt a lot about leadership and about how to build an organisation.”

Keen to move abroad after he had done an eight-year stint in the IDF, Shiff applied to study for an MBA at Stanford University in California. There, he was taught by pioneering technologists including Eric Schmidt, who was then the chief executive of Google. “You just got the most amazing access to the world’s best entrepreneurs,” said Shiff. “These people are … very smart, they’re hard-working and talented. But they’re not unicorns — they’re people. And that made success feel more achievable.”

At the end of the two-year course, he applied for jobs at big tech companies including Google and Meta, but he was not excited by the roles on offer.

Undeterred, Shiff launched a venture called Product Madness in 2007. He and his co-founder, Jose Brotons, built the first version of their product — a social shopping tool to help Facebook users buy products recommended by their friends — but it was a flop. Inspired by the Facebook features enabling users to “poke” their friends or give them flowers, they instead turned their attention to building simple applications and selling space to advertisers. They hit gold this time. “Very quickly we found ourselves still working out of my co-founder’s flat making $1 million a month in revenues, almost all in profits. We were very, very happy with ourselves.”

Next they turned their attention to building social casino games, such as Heart of Vegas, which were very successful. But by 2012, they had reached a crossroads: either they would have to take on a huge amount of investor money in order to challenge larger rivals, or they would need to sell the business. They opted for the latter, selling to Aristocrat, a US gaming company, for $26.1 million.

Tripledot’s Lior Shiff says of his previous tech venture Product Madness: “Very quickly we found ourselves still working out of my co-founder’s flat making $1million a month in revenues”

JOSHUA BRATT FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES

Amid all this, Shiff had moved to London in 2009 because, he said, casino games were big in Europe at the time and the founders felt they needed a presence there.

He also had a new family by 2012 and he hammered out the deal with Aristocrat while helping care for his newborn twin sons. “I remember having those very long conference calls starting at midnight UK time and we would be feeding one baby, put the baby to sleep, then take the other, feed him and put him to sleep, before finishing the call at 5am and going to bed.”

Shiff, who had decided with his wife to stay in London after making it their home, went on to complete a three-year “earn-out” with the acquirer. Many entrepreneurs count down the days until this period ends, but he says he enjoyed his time with Aristocrat.

Still, Shiff decided to “go and do it again from scratch”, and together with Eyal Chameides and Akin Babaygit, he launched Tripledot in 2017 after the trio spotted an opportunity to blend the revenue models of in-app advertising and in-app purchases.

• Games producer Tripledot achieves $1.4bn high score

One of Tripledot’s best-performing games to date is Solitaire, but Shiff has made a point of not having a single dominant product, and with the AppLovin acquisition, Tripledot now owns “hundreds” of games. “Unlike many of our peers, who are very dependent on one or two games — like King, which is a great company here but is fully dependent on Candy Crush — we’re not going to have a single game responsible for more than 10 per cent of our net revenue,” he said.

Tripledot presses “play”: the company has gone big game hunting

TRIPLEDOT GAMES

Covid gave the company a shot in the arm as it was able to pick up online advertising spots at a discounted rate as other big companies pulled their marketing budgets.

“We looked into our numbers and said, ‘OK, there’s lots of uncertainty, but we don’t think the world is going to end and people will still want to play our games. If anything, they’ll want to play more.’ And so for the first few months of Covid, we did a very aggressive marketing push.”

As a result, even prior to the AppLovin acquisition, Tripledot was growing at a blistering pace. Its most recent accounts filed at Companies House, for the year to December 31, 2023, show revenues of £340 million and a pre-tax profit of £52 million.

“One of the nice things about mobile games is it’s a very cash-generative business, so we became profitable a year and a half into the operation,” said Shiff. “We did raise money but not because we needed it — but to have firepower for [acquisitions].”

Another benefit of a healthy balance sheet is being able to respond quickly to unexpected events, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which affected a Tripledot engineering team based at an office in nearby Belarus. It has since opened offices in Poland and Spain, where it has relocated 80 families, helping them with visas and finding housing and schools for employees’ children. It has also had to adjust salaries to match increased living expenses.

“The company was already in a financial place that we could do that, and we felt a lot of our success was due to those team members, so we wanted to support them as much as we could,” said Shiff. “The fact that we have the opportunity to give them and their families better lives is a massive privilege.”

Shiff says he’s not motivated by money — “I have enough”, he said — but by creating an exciting and nurturing place for people to work in. And also by the thrill of the chase: “I’m not a good enough athlete to compete in football or athletics, so my sport is business — trying to build the best company and to make it as successful as possible.”

Ask me anything

The best way to start the day … spending time with my kids. I drop one son at the bus stop and take the other to school, and my wife takes our two daughters.

Someone I admire … my dad. I learnt a lot from him, including people management and the softer side of business.

My best decision … to marry my wife, Maayan.

The best advice I was given … that business is just about common sense. You increase your revenue and reduce your costs to make more profit, and take care to treat people fairly — whether employees or partners. Despite it being very simple, many people don’t practise those things.

If I could tell you one thing … People like to tell the story that everything [on a graph of their business] is going up and to the right. But the reality is, it’s a rollercoaster. When you are down, you have to take a step back and understand that’s just part of the journey.

Prime Day 2025 ends tonight, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. 

If you’ve been looking to level up your core workout routine without breaking the bank, now’s your chance. The Vinsguir Ab Roller Wheel, a tragically underrated piece of fitness equipment, is currently available for just $18.99 until Prime Day—a 44% discount. But the sale ends tonight.

The ab roller wheel might look simple, but don’t let its minimalist design fool you. This compact piece of equipment delivers one of the most effective core workouts you can get, targeting not just your abs but your entire core stabilizing system, including your obliques, lower back, and even your shoulders and arms. For anyone absolutely fed up with planks—and who isn’t?—the ab wheel is a necessary addition to your routine.

One of the biggest advantages of the ab roller wheel is its scalability. Beginners can start with wall rollouts or partial range-of-motion exercises, while advanced users can progress to full rollouts from their knees or even standing positions.

Plus, the compact size also means it fits easily in any home gym setup, apartment, or even office space. No more excuses about not having room for proper fitness equipment. At this price point, it’s practically a no-brainer addition to your home gym. For more, check out all the best deals on fitness equipment available right now.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale begins at midnight on July 8 and will include deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. 

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale, “Black Friday in July,” runs through Sunday, July 13 and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

Nolan McKendry | The Center Square

(The Center Square) − Nearly 100 companies submitted last-minute applications to Louisiana’s Quality Jobs tax incentive program in the final week before it sunset on June 30, records show — a rush that collectively represented over $52 billion in estimated investments and more than $8 billion in projected total payroll.

The now-defunct program, which offered payroll rebates to companies creating new jobs in Louisiana, attracted high-profile applicants such as Meta, Hyundai, ExxonMobil, Shell, The Dow Chemical Company, Air Products and Woodland Biofuels. In total, these applications promised:

In an interview, LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois explained the broader context behind the sunset of Quality Jobs, noting that the program had not been meaningfully updated in two decades. Over time, it began to blur with capital investment incentives, causing confusion and reducing the effectiveness of both tools.

“We took our capital expednitures program and added jobs to it. We took our jobs program and added capital expenditures to it,” Bourgeois told The Center Square. “It really confused both the purpose of and, in my opinion, the efficacy of both of those standalone programs.”

The last minute rush of applications for Quality Jobs spanned every corner of the state — from Richland Parish to West Baton Rouge — with concentrations in the Capital and Southeast regions. Major industrial and energy ventures dominated the list, including hydrogen and ammonia facilities, data centers, and advanced biofuels production.

The High Impact Jobs Program replaced Quality Jobs on July 1. The new program is more narrowly tailored to encourage higher-wage job creation, especially among smaller businesses.

The program “incentivizes companies to create new jobs that pay well above the average income of each parish,” LED said. “This is an aggressive approach that enables our mission to increase wages, and it benefits existing Louisiana companies – small, mid-size and large – exactly the same as recruited companies.”

Bourgeois emphasized that wage growth is now a cornerstone of the department’s strategic plan, which she said had been lacking for decades.

“If at the end of the day Louisiana citizens aren’t enjoying the ability to have ever-growing wages to support themselves and their family, then are we really effective?” Bourgeois said.

Louisiana workers have seen only modest wage growth over the past decade, and the state’s income rankings remain stuck in the bottom half of the country, according to recent data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Between 2012 and 2023, Louisiana’s median personal income rose from $69,323 to $97,834 in nominal dollars — an increase of about 41%. But when adjusted for inflation, median income climbed just 16%, from $78,954 to $91,908.

The state’s average personal income grew from $107,051 to $146,374 in nominal terms, but inflation-adjusted gains were smaller — from $121,924 to $137,507, up only 13%.

Despite these increases, Louisiana fell in national rankings:

• Median personal income: 43rd in 2023, down from 33rd in 2012

• Mean personal income: 42nd in 2023, down from 34th in 2012

Disposable income figures tell a similar story. Median disposable income rose nominally from $66,659 to $98,444 between 2012 and 2023, but adjusted for inflation, the increase was only 13%, from $78,520 to $88,723. Louisiana’s ranking in this category hovered between 30th and 42nd over the decade.

The state’s mean disposable personal income, after inflation, rose modestly from $111,227 to $125,313.

While some companies may ultimately opt into the High Impact Jobs program, Bourgeois suggested that many submitted final Quality Jobs applications due to familiarity with its predictable structure.

“Virtually every company listed has used the incentive in the past, is very familiar with it, and has probably planned projects based on that economic formula,” Bourgeois said.

Under the new program, the state has capped annual costs at $125 million — a significant shift from the uncapped Quality Jobs program, which created long-term budget obligations.

Bourgeois described the cap as a move toward fiscal responsibility, noting that companies can apply under both programs but must ultimately choose one.

“They absolutely have that right,” she said. “They can’t ultimately use both, but they can apply for both.”

When does Prime Day end?

This year, Amazon Prime Day ends on Friday, July 11, at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

When is Amazon Prime Day? 

Amazon Prime Day runs from Tuesday, July 8, to Friday, July 11, 2025. The annual two-day sale was extended to four days in 2025. 

How long will Prime Day last? 

Amazon Prime Day will last four days, running from July 8-11, 2025. That’s two days longer than the years prior. 

Where will Prime Day take place?

Amazon announced that its July Prime Day event will return in over 20 countries, including Ireland for the first time. Prime Day 2025 will return to the following countries this year: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the US, and the UK.Do I have to be a Prime member to shop Prime Day? 

Do I have to be a Prime member to shop Amazon Prime Day? 

Yes, you will need to be a Prime member to shop this sale event. If you’re not a Prime member yet, you can join before Prime Day to receive member benefits like free shipping, entertainment, exclusive savings, and more. You can also use a free trial to shop the sale without paying as long as you cancel it within 30 days.

Are other retailers participating in Prime Day? 

Yes. After a decade of Prime Day sales, other retailers have caught on. Multiple retailers will offer savings that overlap with, precede, or follow Amazon Prime Day. This year, I already saw concurrent sales again from other major competitors like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale. Expect many retailers to drop their prices to match Amazon’s when the time comes, and give customers like you a choice of where to buy from. We’ll cover all the best deals on top tech before, during, and after Amazon’s Prime Day event, including deals surfacing elsewhere.

Are there Prime Day deals to avoid? 

There will always be several retailers hiking up prices on their products to make the deal seem better. There are also certain products, like the AirPods Pro 2, which are usually discounted to a lower price than the original price, but go a bit cheaper during these deals events. The average person who isn’t tracking these deals wouldn’t know that — but we do. We’ll tell you when a deal is really worth its salt and when it’s full of bologna. 

How can I maximize Prime Day to save more? 

As a deals and shopping editor, I can recommend a few things to help you maximize Amazon’s sales. If you want to shop the sale, you’ll need to access a Prime account. In addition to free two-day shipping, membership is easy to set up and usually gives you access to exclusive offers on the site. Plus, you can use a free trial to shop for the best savings without spending a dime on a membership (in most cases, you’ll want to wait to activate a free trial until less than 30 days before Prime Day). 

If you end up starting a free trial (or already have Prime), ensure your payment options (like one-click settings and your default delivery address) are correct. This way, you can check out quickly if you need to during the sale. 

Also: 7 exciting AI features coming with Alexa+ (and what Amazon devices support it)

Other ways to prepare for spring savings include researching and planning potential purchases, listing want and need items, and setting a budget before sales. 

Will the Nintendo Switch 2 be on sale for Prime Day?

Considering the Nintendo Switch 2 was recently launched at the beginning of June, it is unlikely we’ll see the system on sale for Prime Day. It’s possible that the older Switch model and accessories may see some new discounts, but it’ll be an unexpected surprise to see the Switch 2 taking a price cut this close to its release, especially after Nintendo revealed that the Switch 2 sold over 3.5 million units worldwide in its first 4 days of sales. 

Also: I bought a Nintendo Switch 2 – it’s easy to see why it’s the fastest-selling gaming console ever

What are the best Prime Day deals still live?

ZDNET’s experts have been searching through Prime Day and other sales to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals still live:

You can also find the best deals from other retailers competing with Prime Day sales:

More questions? Read our Prime Day guide to discover everything you need to know about Amazon’s July sale event. 

Can a pair of smart shorts help elite athletes train smarter and avoid injury? Theo Health thinks so and golfer Xander Schauffele is backing the vision

Theo Health is at the forefront of a new category: smart activewear that tracks movement, delivers insights and helps prevent injury in elite athletes. The Glasgow-based sports tech startup has raised £1.2 million and brought on world No. 3 golfer Xander Schauffele as both investor and early product tester.

Schauffele, an Olympic gold medalist, is among the first “Alpha Athletes” trialing Theo’s flagship product, Theo Alpha Shorts, a pair of high-performance compression shorts embedded with inertial measurement units. The shorts link to a compact module that captures real-time data on reps, form and symmetry, insights that are typically limited to lab environments.

Behind the startup is founder and CEO Jodie Sinclair, a former soccer standout whose own athletic career was cut short by an ACL tear. The injury sidelined her for three years, ending her competitive career and ultimately inspiring the creation of Theo Health.

“There was no feedback during my recovery – I had no way of knowing if I was doing the right thing, or making it worse,” Sinclair said. “Theo is the system I wish I had when I was injured, one that makes recovery measurable, progress visible and elite performance possible again.”

Sinclair noted that Theo Health is also addressing the gender data gap in sports, where female athletes face a much higher risk of ACL injuries yet remain underrepresented in research.

“Theo is the first smart-clothing system truly built with female physiology in mind – without compromising on performance,” Sinclair said.

The startup had spent the past two years in stealth mode, focusing on IP protection, product development and team building.

“It’s great to now be back in the spotlight,” Sinclair added.

David Sundberg, Schauffele’s personal trainer, said he was impressed by the innovation and depth of data the system delivers.

“It all makes sense – I didn’t expect it to be this easy to understand,” he said. “These components help with form, others with strength, and others with speed. It’s simple for the athlete, but there’s so much information underneath.”

See Also

Dr. Cordelia Carter, Theo Health’s medical advisor and an orthopedic sports surgeon, said the stakes for athletes couldn’t be higher.

“I have treated many young athletes whose careers have been irrevocably changed — or ended — by injuries like an ACL tear,” she said. “Offering a tool that empowers athletes to make data-based decisions regarding their training, performance and injury prevention strategies is a true game-changer. This is Theo’s mission.”

The startup is now gearing up for its Alpha launch, a controlled testing phase with a select group of elite athletes and coaches. Beta pilots with one of the top European football clubs are also in the pipeline, with a broader market debut expected by summer 2027.

“The Alpha Shorts are just the beginning,” Sinclair said. “We’re building a product line designed to deliver full-body analysis, support athlete longevity and unlock applications far beyond sport.”