DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Snapchat avoided 'AI' and leaned into real experiences in its annual pitch to brands
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

During the Snap-owned app's pitch to brands at its NewFronts presentation on Wednesday in New York, the company emphasized the value of real-world experiences, or IRL, over social-media scrolling. Sharing became contrived, and social media as a whole began feeling like an inauthentic version of our lives rather than a source of genuine connection." It's plastered ads on competitive social media platforms and billboards with its "Less Social Media. Related storiesSnapchat executives mentioned AI just once during the NewFronts presentation, saying the company had used AI models to build augmented-reality lenses. Snap is not the only social platform addressing lonelinessSnapchat's war against social media taps into a broader trend.

Persons: —, Colleen DeCourcy, Cipriani, DeCourcy, TikTok, Dan Whateley, NewFront, Meta's, Mervana Parekh, Snapchat, Patrick Harris, Piper Sandler Organizations: Service, Facebook, Meta, Business, NFL, NBA, NBC, Entertainment, Media, Snap's, Acrew, Big Tech Locations: New York, Manhattan, Americas

☆ A beheading meme and 'Mark Ruffalo, naked' — how 'anti-Trump' posts got 5 New Yorkers booted from the hush-money trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

She was the first of the prospective jurors who were challenged by Trump's defense team on Tuesday over their "anti-Trump" social media. AdvertisementThe prospective juror, identified only as "B-133," had clearly "attended an "anti-Trump rally," defense lawyer Susan Necheles protested. When it was released in 2016, the clip was shared on the Facebook account of the husband of prospective juror B-330. "I would have to say that politically, yes, I do," the prospective juror answered. "Boys request to return to cave"The final prospective juror questioned on their social media posts was a retired grandmother from Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Persons: —, Trump, Mark Ruffalo, Donald Trump's, Juan Merchan deadpanned, Todd Blanche, who'd, Joe Biden's, Susan Necheles, Joshua Steinglass, stammered, Blanche, he'd, DJT, Donald Trump, Robert Downey Jr, Neil Patrick Harris, Donald Trump …, sheepishly, Barack Obama, Trump's, Steinglass, Biden, Harris, Blanche complainingly, Blanche huffed Organizations: Service, Trump, Business, Yorkers, Facebook, Economic Development Corporation, Biden, Thai, White, Republicans Locations: New York City, Midtown, Manhattan's, Thailand, Trump

☆ Barry Keoghan appears naked on ‘Vanity Fair’ cover. Is it progressive, or passé?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —There’s method dressing, and then in the case of BAFTA-winning Irish actor Barry Keoghan, there is method un-dressing. On Wednesday, the “Banshees of Inisherin” star set the internet alight when he made a divisive nude appearance in a video promoting Vanity Fair’s latest Hollywood Issue cover. It was a nod to Keoghan’s latest role (and one explosive final scene) in British director Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” a salacious depiction of class, power and desire set at Oxford University in 2007. If you’re yet to watch the bloody, bathwater-soaked film, forgive us for spoiling the fact Keoghan gets naked in that too. While naked male magazine covers are rare, they’re typically infused with a certain sense of humor that protects them from public rebuttal.

Persons: Barry Keoghan, Inisherin, Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Colman Domingo, Lily Gladstone, Emerald Fennell’s, Oliver Quick, Felix, Jacob Elordi, ”, ” gimmicky, ” Barry Keoghan, “, Keoghan baring, Neil Patrick Harris, centerfolds, nakedness Organizations: CNN, Oxford University, Stone Magazine, UCLA

☆ Snap's new mass layoffs hit teams across tech, trust and safety, and an internal analytics team aiding DEI efforts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Snap's new mass layoff impacted workers in a range of roles across the company. Another perceived Snap in recent months as a company in "managed decline." C-suite executives who were hired or promoted, like Jerry Hunter and Jeremi Gorman, respectively, to build up and manage Snap's business, are gone and are not being replaced, as CEO Evan Spiegel is taking on oversight of the business. Engineering leaders, too, left the company in recent months. Snap has hired some new executives, like Patrick Harris, Ronan Harris, Darshan Kantak and Eric Young, but none are in the c-suite.

Persons: Evan Spiegel, Snap's, Spiegel, Jerry Hunter, Jeremi Gorman, Patrick Harris, Ronan Harris, Darshan Kantak, Eric Young Organizations: Business, Workers, Monday, BI, Meta, Apple, Engineering Locations: North America, California

☆ Snap's longtime vice president of engineering and monetization is exiting the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biswanath Panda, vice president of monetization engineering who reported to Khajehnouri, left the company in May after just a year in the role and joined Uber. Jacob Andreou, Snap's former senior vice president of product and growth, left after working there since 2015 and then joined Greylock. Vice president of product Peter Sellis left Snap in September after eight years, taking on a similar role with Discord. Snap in June hired Eric Young as its new senior vice president of engineering, with Khajehnouri then reporting to him. In addition to Young, Darshan Kantak joined as senior vice president of revenue product, Patrick Harris joined as president of Americas, Ronan Harris joined as president of EMEA, and Ajit Mohan joined as president of APAC.

Persons: Nima Khajehnouri, Khajehnouri, Evan Spiegel, Spiegel, he's, Jeremi Gorman, Peter Naylor, Jerry Hunter, Gorman, Ben Schwerin, Biswanath Panda, Uber, Jacob Andreou, Greylock, Peter Sellis, Hunter, Eric Young, Young, Darshan Kantak, Patrick Harris, Ronan Harris, Ajit Mohan Organizations: Snap, EMEA Locations: Snapchat

On Monday night in Midtown Manhattan, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicky Hilton Rothschild and Michael Kors danced in their seats, as J. Harrison Ghee, the Broadway actor, sang Aretha Franklin’s classic “Freeway of Love.”Ghee’s performance opened the 17th annual Golden Heart Awards, the major fall fund-raiser for God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that provides medically tailored meals to New Yorkers affected by severe illness, which was founded in 1986 during the AIDS epidemic. “I think that we have to honor, and make noise about, organizations that can cut through the noise and make a difference,” said Mr. Kors, a co-chair of the event and a board member of the organization. The evening honored the Broadway star Ben Platt for excellence in the arts and the actress Scarlett Johansson for philanthropy and activism.

Persons: Neil Patrick Harris, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Michael Kors, Harrison, Aretha Franklin’s, ”, Kors, Ben Platt, Scarlett Johansson Organizations: Broadway Locations: Midtown Manhattan

☆ How a Taxidermist Spends Sundays
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Arielle Domb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Growing up in a cramped Miami apartment, Divya Anantharaman would spend hours perched by the kitchen window, gazing at the birds passing by. Nature was mesmerizing, but zoo tickets were expensive, so Mx. Anantharaman, who uses the pronouns they and she, would frequent free museum days, gawking at the dioramas filled with creatures — owls, elephants, tigers — they’d never before seen in real life. A few years later, while working in fashion, they started taking taxidermy classes. “I’m not either of those things.”They opened Gotham Taxidermy in 2015, determined to diversify the field.

Persons: Divya Anantharaman, gawking, — they’d, Anantharaman, ”, “ I’m, Gotham Taxidermy, Tiffany, Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka Organizations: Wood, Tiffany & Company Locations: Miami, New York City, Gotham, Green

☆ Snap loses 'respected' monetization leader to Uber amid broader executive shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He is now vice president of engineering at Uber. Panda reported to Nima Khajehnouri, Snap's vice president of engineering, who has been at the company since 2015. Snap, however, recently hired Eric Young as its new senior vice president of engineering, with Khajehnouri now reporting to him. He joined Greylock earlier this year after being at Snap also since 2015 as its senior vice president of product and growth. Along with Patrick Harris in a newly created role as Snap's senior vice president of partnerships, and David Sommer as head of verticals.

Persons: Panda, Snapchat, Nima Khajehnouri, Khajehnouri, Jerry Hunter, Eric Young, Young, Hunter, Jacob Andreou, Peter Sellis, Darshan Kantak, Rob Wilk, Patrick Harris, David Sommer, Kali Hays Organizations: Uber, Google, Reuters, . Workers, Greylock, Microsoft, Meta, Facebook, Twitter Locations: khays

☆ Rihanna set to star in new ‘Smurfs’ movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Superstar Rihanna is set to play Smurfette in the upcoming “Smurfs” animated film. “Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me,” Rihanna said. The “Smurfs” film franchise kicked off in 2011 with “The Smurfs,” starring Neil Patrick Harris. “The Smurfs 2” was released in 2013, followed by 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village.”As for her acting career, Rihanna starred in 2012’s “Battleship” and appeared as herself in 2013 comedy “This Is the End.” She also appeared in “Ocean’s 8,” among television show appearances. The “Smurfs” movie hits theaters February 14, 2025.

☆ Review: Flying High and Falling Hard in ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jesse Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Six years ago, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society brought its production of “The Murder at Haversham Manor” from its home base in England to Broadway. After the leading lady was knocked unconscious by a door, she was replaced by the stage manager; when knocked unconscious as well, he was replaced by a sound technician and eventually, somehow, a grandfather clock. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.” Many of the same disasters happen chez Darling as happened at Haversham Manor, or close variations on them. Let’s just say that Peter doesn’t fly so much as flail while airborne. He, too, is knocked unconscious.

Search resuls for: "Patrick Harris"

10 mentions found