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☆ I worked at SpaceX where Elon Musk was a cubicle away. At Elon's companies, it's add value or leave.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Vincent Peters worked in military compliance when he was poached to work at SpaceX. So I graduated on medical leave, couldn't be deployed, and continued on medical leave for another six months before being discharged. I was introduced to people on the SpaceX Mission team, and ultimately, they asked me to interview with them for a job at SpaceX. AdvertisementThat mentality is how I started working on Starlink. In 2020, I asked to help and was allowed to work on their projects in addition to my work at SpaceX.

Persons: Vincent Peters, —, couldn't, Freddie Mac, I'd, Gwynne Shotwell, I've, it's, It's, We're Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Federal Aviation Administration, US Government, SpaceX Mission, International, NASA, Department of Defense, SpaceX SpaceX, Elon Locations: West, cubicles, Elon

☆ I worked at SpaceX. It was the most ruthlessly efficient company I've ever worked for.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This is an as-told-to essay based on a transcribed conversation with Vincent Peters, founder of Inheritance AI and former SpaceX employee discussing his career path and experience at SpaceX. I was introduced to people on the SpaceX Mission team, and ultimately, they asked me to interview with them for a job at SpaceX. What it's like working at SpaceXSpaceX is the most efficient company I've ever worked for. AdvertisementThat mentality is how I started working on Starlink. In 2020, I asked to help and was allowed to work on their projects in addition to my work at SpaceX.

Persons: Vincent Peters, couldn't, Freddie Mac, I'd, Gwynne Shotwell, I've, it's, It's, We're Organizations: Service, SpaceX, Business, Federal Aviation Administration, US Government, SpaceX Mission, International, NASA, Department of Defense, SpaceX SpaceX, Elon Locations: West, cubicles, Elon

☆ I'm a recent college grad who landed my dream job, but it was a remote position. I quit because I got lonely at home.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Olivia Peluso | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While remote work is glorified for its flexibility, I found myself lonely and stuck inside. I quit my dream job to get out of the house more and integrate into my community. AdvertisementIn the spring of 2020, my life felt like it was squeezed between the palms of an arm wrestling match. As I delved into an arduous job search, remote work began to seem like an attractive option — albeit my only one. AdvertisementWhen I landed my dream job at a high-profile magazine, I thought it was perfect.

Persons: —, Slack, I've, I'd Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Google, Social Locations: San Francisco, cafés

☆ More CEOs expect hybrid work is here to stay
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Hybrid is likely here to stay," Paul Knopp, chair and CEO at KPMG US, told Business Insider. AdvertisementThe survey of 100 CEOs of large US companies found that 46% of them expect what had been office roles will be hybrid, up from 34% in 2023. But corporate chiefs seem to be holding the line on remote work, with only 3% of top bosses backing fully remote work. AdvertisementSome seven in 10 CEOs said they expect to boost hiring during the next year, while only 4% expect to cut jobs during that time. AdvertisementNearly four in 10 CEOs expect their companies will move from AI pilots to broader use within their organizations during the next 12 to 18 months.

Persons: —, It's, Paul Knopp, Knopp Organizations: Service, KPMG US, Business, America, KPMG, —

☆ How to identify an AI imposter in video, audio and text as deepfake technology goes mainstream
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Generative AI video and audio tools are getting deployed, and getting better, quickly. Even as OpenAI limits access to audio and video tools, dark websites have exploded in number in the past few months selling GPT knockoff products. How to identify an AI video imposterThere are many ways to spot an AI imposter, some relatively simple. If the person complies but their head disappears on the video screen, end the call immediately, Hollenbeck said. How to live a multi-factor authentication life offlineEven with more protections techniques, experts predict a spiraling arms race of deepfakes vs. deepfake tools.

Persons: OpenAI, Sora, Froggett, Carl Froggett, —, Rupal Hollenbeck, Hollenbeck, Chris Pierson, Pierson, Nirupam Roy, it's, Roy, Eyal Benishti, Benishti, It's Organizations: Industry, University of Maryland Locations: Hong Kong

☆ I thought having my own office meant I'd 'arrived,' but it was depressing. Here's why open-plan office layouts are best.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

During that time, she's worked in cubicles, open plan offices, and has had her own office spaces. There was another intern who had her own cubicle with high walls that kind of looked like a mini office. I've spent 10 years in financial services, where I worked in everything from high-walled cubicles to open office floor plans to eventually having my very own office. I also spent 10 years in B2B tech and software-as-a-service companies, where there's nothing but open office plans. Having my own office was depressing and soul-crushingHaving your own office is associated with prestige and privacy, but my first experience of this was horrible.

Persons: Jennifer Moore, she's, —, I've, Moore Organizations: Service Locations: cubicles, Salt Lake City, Wells Fargo

☆ I shot at hostile helicopters in a US Army trainer with weapons Ukraine was given to do the same, and scoring a kill is harder than it looks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Taking out simulated enemy helicopters proved to be surprisingly difficult. Avenger training involves a simulator called the Institutional Conduct of Fire Trainer. Jake Epstein/Business InsiderInside a cubicle for Avenger training. AdvertisementDuring this simulation, I was once again tasked with taking out enemy helicopters. Jake Epstein/Business InsiderAfter making this determination and locking on to a target, I engaged the helicopter by squeezing the Stinger's trigger.

Persons: —, Jason Epperson, Jake Epstein, Pierre Crom Organizations: US Army's Air Defense Artillery School, Service, Mobility Multipurpose, NATO, US Army, FIM, Business Locations: Fort Sill, Fort Sill , Oklahoma, Crete, cubicles, Iraq, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Inside the US Army's 'Stinger Dome,' scoring a kill with the weapons Ukraine got to shoot down Russian helicopters is harder than it looks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Taking out simulated enemy helicopters proved to be surprisingly difficult. Jake Epstein/Business InsiderInside a cubicle for Avenger training. AdvertisementDuring this simulation, I was once again tasked with taking out enemy helicopters. Jake Epstein/Business InsiderOutside the Stinger Dome. Jake Epstein/Business InsiderAfter making this determination and locking on to a target, I engaged the helicopter by squeezing the Stinger's trigger.

☆ I'm a millennial who thought cubicles were a dreary relic from the '90s — then I realized they can be social and personal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Sydney Baker, 27, about her experience working in office cubicles. AdvertisementBaker's first office cubicle space. People think cubicles are dreary, but decorating them can make them light and brightMy preconception about cubicles was that they didn't get a lot of sunlight. I also like that cubicles can be social, but you also have the flexibility to not be social when needed. I've never worked in an open-plan office but think I'd prefer the privacy cubicles affordI've toured open-plan offices but never worked in one.

Persons: —, Sydney Baker, cubicles, I've, I'd, there's, . Baker, Bradley McKee Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon Locations: cubicles

☆ Movers are betting big on the Las Vegas real-estate market
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Matt Turner | Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On the agenda today:But first: Las Vegas, home of Super Bowl LVIII, is a popular destination for movers. Las Vegas, Nevada. AdvertisementAnd while many have jetted in for the big game, from regular fans to the billionaire types, others are making a more permanent move to Las Vegas. Las Vegas ranked second for middle-class movers from out of state, according to a recent report based on 2022 tax data. AdvertisementAnd there’s still plenty of opportunity for cities like Las Vegas to sell themselves to potential new residents.

Persons: —, George Rose, he’d, Cameron Spencer, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, it’s, Mike Kemp, Alyssa Powell, Meta, Rebecca Zisser, cubicles, — Misha Wilson, Taylor Swift, Matt Turner, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb Organizations: Business, Service, Super, Getty, Super Bowl City, Las Vegas, Vegas, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Apple, NFL, Workers Locations: Vegas, Las Vegas , Nevada, Vegas Sin, Las Vegas, California, Malibu, New York

☆ Bring Office Cubicles Back; Improve Employee Productivity, Hybrid Work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Kelli María Korducki | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In a memorable montage from the 1999 workplace satire "Office Space," Peter Gibbons, a fed-up office drone, decides to take a stand. For years, the office cubicle was the four-walled avatar of corporate disaffection. Late '90s films like "Office Space," "Fight Club," and "The Matrix" enshrined its detested status. The tech boom arrived, bringing with it open office plans and a Silicon Valley-led gloss of egalitarianism, epitomized by Google's high-profile headquarters redesign in 2005. The top comment on the "Office Space" cubicle clip on YouTube captures the irony of this shift: "I would have killed for a cubicle," the commenter wrote.

Persons: Peter Gibbons, Google's, weren't, Nikil Saval, Slack, hasn't, Joseph Country, Heather Chapman, Chapman, Sydney Baker, there's, Baker, Thomas Roulet, Roulet, somethings, it's, Kevin Kelley, Shook Kelley, Kelley, cubicles, hewing Organizations: Toyota Corolla, Porsche, Workers, YouTube, Research, Harvard Business School, Environmental Psychology, University of Cambridge Locations: Silicon, Michigan, Louisville , Kentucky, —, Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ The latest way workers want to upend the workplace is a blast from the past
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

What's on deck:This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Long considered the bane of white-collar workers' existence, people now view cubicles as a sanctuary instead of a jail cell. AdvertisementCalling for a return to the cubes might seem odd when so many are pushing to evolve the workplace. Experts told Business Insider that a wave of retiring Boomers means the generation will soon be at "peak burden" to the economy. Get in touchAdvertisementinsidertoday@insider.comTo read unlimited articles, subscribe to Business Insider.

Persons: —, It's, Rebecca Zisser, Long, Kelli María Korducki, haven't, Korducki, cubicles, Ken Griffin, Vernon Yuen, Jerome Powell, Donald Trump, buybacks, Tammi Jantzen, Joe Rogan, Both Rogan, BI's Peter Kafka, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb Organizations: Service, Business, Corporate, Citadel, Getty, Federal Reserve, Deutsche Bank, Spotify, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Boomers, Caterpillar Inc Locations: Silicon Valley, Wellington, Astarte, China, New York, London

☆ The AI trust gap that is worrying both workers and executives
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

While both rank-and-file workers and the C-suite see AI as a great opportunity for business transformation, both sides are skeptical over its deployment. McRae said many employers have anxiety over AI and pass that on to their employees. Employers, McRae said, need to better educate themselves about the opportunities and benefits of AI. McRae said that employers are often uncertain about where or how to deploy AI, leading to some trepidation. Once they see how AI can increase productivity and create new opportunities, they'll spread their enthusiasm for AI to employees.

Persons: aren't, Emily Rose McRae, McRae Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, Economic, Gartner, Employers, Employees Locations: Davos, Switzerland

☆ ‘Corporate Erin’ and the social media talent making us laugh about our work
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Erin Throlopolis is the Manager for the Managerial Logistics of Management for McManagement. Erin loves corporate speak so much, she has a book coming out to help the rest of us get in on the fun. “‘Corporate Natalie’ grew out of sheer 2020 peak-Covid boredom,” Marshall told CNN. Courtesy Cruz Corral“On Instagram the conversations are wild,” Cruz told CNN. Her “Nonprofit Boss” character is as triggering as Beasley’s “Corporate Erin.” (The pair even teamed up for a joint video.)

Persons: Erin Throlopolis, “, Erin ”, Lisa Beasley, Erin, It’s, ”, Natalie Marshall, “ ‘, Natalie ’, ” Marshall, Covid, Marshall, Cruz Coral, Cruz Corral, Cruz, ” Cruz, Nicole Daniels, Daniels Organizations: CNN, Managerial Logistics, Management, McManagement Locations: Chicago, America, Los Angeles, Brooklyn

☆ Inside the ‘Envy Office,’ Reporters Find a Trend, and a Story
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Megan Ditrolio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Instead of the tech-bro campuses of the mid-2000s, workplaces were starting to look more trendy, sophisticated and hospitality-adjacent. The questions Anna and I first discussed were: What’s the next phase of office design? The Envy Office looks less masculine. Do these workplaces feed into a better office culture or boost productivity? Everything from the way a hallway is designed to the inclusion of plants can shape people’s behaviors and emotions in any space.

Persons: GOLDBERG, “, Nikil Saval, Anna, Roarke

☆ Paranoid Bridgewater employees ventured into the woods to take some calls — until a rumor spread that the company was looking into installing listening devices in the trees, a new book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Grace Dean | Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some staff at Bridgewater Associates took personal calls in the woods so their employer couldn't listen in, a new book says. This stopped when a rumor claimed the firm might install devices in the trees, per "The Fund." AdvertisementAdvertisementSome employees at Ray Dalio's investment-management firm Bridgewater Associates took non-work calls in the woods near their offices because they were worried about their employer listening in, according to a new book. This practice stopped, though, when a rumor claimed that the firm was looking into installing devices in the trees that could intercept calls, per the book. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt added that the company "did not investigate installing 'devices in the trees.'"

Persons: Rob Copeland's, —, Ray, Rob Copeland, Ray Dalio, James Comey, printout, printouts, Bridgewater, Dalio Organizations: Bridgewater Associates, Service, New York Times, FBI, Staff, Bridgewater, St Martin's Press Locations: Bridgewater, New, keystroke

☆ Big Tech said return to the office. She had another solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

New York CNN —Big Tech has given workers an ultimatum: Come back to the office, or find a new job. However, the program risked letting all employees work from home or any other remote location. Intentional office gatheringsAhead of instituting Flex Forward, Autodesk was “rethinking our office footprint,” Blum said. For instance, Autodesk closed its San Rafael, California, office; consolidated it with the San Francisco headquarters; and started subleasing some of its office space. But, increasingly, the talent acquisition team is seeing more candidates apply for openings because they view Autodesk as “that remote company,” Pearce added.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rebecca Pearce, Pearce, “ I’m, ” Pearce, ”, Steve Blum, Autodesk’s, it’s, ” Musk, Jamie Dimon, Michael Nagle, —, “, doesn’t, Andy Jassy, Jassy, don’t, ’ ”, ” Blum, Blum Organizations: New, New York CNN, Big Tech, Autodesk, Flex, CNN, Autodesk Inc, ”, Meta, JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Getty, ” Autodesk, La Nacion, “, San, Employees Locations: New York, Cornwall, England, North America, Autodesk’s Portland , Oregon, Portland , Oregon, La, Rafael , California, San Francisco, cubicles, Autodesk's Portland , Oregon

☆ America’s Downtowns Are Empty. Fixing Them Will Be Expensive.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Konrad Putzier | Photographs Yasmin Yassin For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MINNEAPOLIS—Downtown streets were so crowded in the 1960s that developers conjured up a maze of elevated walkways between buildings, providing winter-proof avenues for office workers who filled the central city Monday through Friday. Stores, fast-food spots, bakeries and barber shops lined the covered, temperature-controlled walkways, which linked new glass skyscrapers sprouting one after the next. Workers racing to cubicles in the morning kept to the right to avoid crashing into each other, recalled convenience store clerk Monica Bray .

Persons: Monica Bray Organizations: Workers Locations: MINNEAPOLIS

☆ This startup wants to help you continue to work from home — just not your own
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The home-exchange startup Swapdesk is targeting remote workers who can temporarily trade places. It was the push he needed to start a business that helps remote workers find comfortable, quiet places to set up shop. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe benefit of Swapdesk, Boening said, is that trading a home is far less expensive than staying in a hotel or a short-term rental in a major city. Swapdesk, which is based in Toronto, is among the companies focusing on remote workers , particularly in areas like tech. Swapdesk's focus on serving remote workers comes as more CEOs have called employees back to the office , at least part of the time .

Persons: —, Allen Boening, Swapdesk, it's, Boening, Herman Miller, Ken, Rory Fairweather, Atlassian, they're, who's, Fairweather, Swapesk Organizations: Service, Amazon, Google, Microsoft Locations: London , New York, Paris, Toronto, New York City, Copenhagen, London

☆ Many of us want to work alongside others — just not all the time. The coworking startup Radious thinks it has the answer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Moreau is CEO and cofounder of Radious, a startup that lets you rent out your house as a coworking space . She thinks many people want to work alongside others — just not all of the time. Companies can rent Radious homes, too, to bring their workers together somewhere other than an office but that's still private. They're all doing some combination of remote work with occasional in-person togetherness," Moreau said. When they occur, people can sign up to work for a day from one of the homes Radious lists.

Persons: Radious, —, Amina Moreau, Moreau, Amina Moreau She, Radious's, We've, It's Organizations: Area, Service, Homeowners Locations: RTO, PJs, Portland , Oregon, Milwaukee, People, WFH, Bay, Marin County, Santa Cruz, Northern California

☆ A Gen Xer quit his remote job of 20 years when his company called him back to the office. Now he worries he's screwed as remote jobs dwindle nationwide.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Gen Xer quit his remote job of 20 years after his company ordered him back to the office. He said it's been difficult finding a new remote job even with decades of experience. Remote jobs on ZipRecruiter's platform, which are also narrowing, get nearly three times the number of applicants as in-person roles. He suspected that even though remote work was effective for him, his company wouldn't be making many exceptions. "But I'm just having more trouble than I thought finding a remote job, but I keep trying."

Persons: Xer, it's, —, Mark Yampanis, Yampanis, doesn't, hasn't, wouldn't, didn't, He's, I've Organizations: Service Locations: Berkeley , California, California

☆ China Risks Property Debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Source: China Real Estate Information Corp. (CRIC)The physical size of Country Garden’s real estate portfolio is enormous. The Weight of Debt The ballooning debt crisis could delay the prospect of a recovery of both the property market and the broader Chinese economy, in which real estate is a core pillar. China property sector slump China’s property sales, investment and funds raised by property developers slid in January - August 2023 after a sharp fall in 2022. China's property sector accounts for more than half of global new home sales and home building, according to Nomura. Any contraction in the property sector will affect China’s growth, thus sending ripple effects around the globe as the world’s factory slows.

Persons: Evergrande, homebuyers, Nomura, David Stanway, Jason Lee, –, Moody's, Yawen Chen, Amr Alfiky Organizations: Country, Garden, Estate Information Corp, CIFI Holdings, Sunac, National Bureau of Statistics, China, Investment, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, Nomura, JPMorgan, Dubai, National Bureau of Economic Research Locations: China, Burj, Burj Khalifa, Sunac China, Kunming, Yunnan province, Beijing, Xuchang, Henan province, United Arab Emirates

☆ Return to Office Mandates Are Making Remote Jobs Impossible to Find
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

That's more than twice as frenzied as the rush for remote jobs at the beginning of last year. And third, there's been a dramatic slowdown in tech, the industry that supercharged the boom in remote work. The few remaining employers that continue to offer remote jobs have been overwhelmed by the surge of interest. AdvertisementAdvertisementWith so few openings, candidates for remote jobs are being forced to hustle like never before. The dream of remote work, it appears, will soon be more remote than ever.

Persons: That's, Ashlee Anderson, there's, Angel Medina hasn't, it's, he's, He's, It's, Medina, Atlassian, —, Barbara Matthews, Lisa Nielsen, Slack, they're, Matthews, Anderson, we're, Aki Ito Organizations: Cribl, Harvard, Verizon, Google, subreddits, Meta, Comcast Locations: Ohio, Cribl

☆ From Gym to Work to Date Night? The Stylish Woman’s Guide to Packing a Weekday Survival Bag
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sophia Herring | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

THE BIG BAG THEORY IN PRACTICE From an elegantly oversize tote to packing cubes, cosmetics and a miniature hairbrush, must-have items will get you through busy workdays. Photo: iStock/Getty Images (marble)AS A LOT of women bid WFH farewell and re-embrace the office, the barely functional mini purses that suited our condensed Covid lives don’t suffice. Working out no longer means posing on a yoga mat in the living room, and “going to drinks” demands more strategy than sipping post-Zoom cocktails on a couch. Now we run to spin class, spend hours in cubicles, socialize face-to-face and schlep a tote stuffed with essentials for all of the above.

Organizations: tote Locations: cubicles, schlep

☆ From body sensors to water coolers, here's how companies are watching how full their offices are
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some employers are turning to sensors that can tell when a person is sitting at a desk or using a conference room. So if you have sensors, you're able to release the no-shows and put those back into the pool," he said. What the office water cooler actually revealsThere are other ways that measuring office occupancy can help understand employee habits. In 2019, 21% of flavored-water hounds in East Coast offices were using Bevi machines early or late in the day. This year as more companies have been instituting RTO mandates, getting workers back to the office — and knowing they're there — has been a heated fight .

Persons: Alex Birch, Kathleen Hall, Birch, Big, It's, Sean Grundy, Bevi, they're, Grundy, —, Goldman Sachs, I'd Organizations: Service, Google, Citadel, Deloitte Locations: Wall, Silicon, Australian, East Coast, Boston

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