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☆ With Paramount's long and winding sales process coming to an end, here's what comes next for the media giant
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementThe media giant, which owns Paramount Pictures and CBS, has been in the news as an acquisition target since late last year. Skydance might not be as recognizable a name, but the company's owner and CEO David Ellison is. It's "is Paramount big enough to survive on its own?" The rush to corner the market on data centers is a move by Big Tech to secure the keys to the coming AI kingdom. Big Tech, finance, and consulting jobs are becoming harder to come by, upending the job search for young people.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Rebecca Zisser, Warner, David Zaslav, Byron Allen, David Ellison, Larry Ellison, he's, Phillip Faraone, Peter Kafka, That's, Larry Ellison's, Alyssa Powell, Savita Subramanian, Gary Shilling, Kitty, Keith Gill, Arif Qazi, Jason Zander, they'll, Apple's, Siri, Dominic Bugatto, that's, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover, Annie Smith Organizations: Service, Paramount, Business, Paramount Pictures, CBS, RedBird Capital Partners, KKR, Warner Bros . Discovery, Sony, Hollywood, Getty, Tech, Bank of America, Wall Street, GameStop, Google, Microsoft, Big Tech, BI, Washington Post, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Locations: China, India, Texas, New York, London

☆ Depending on who you ask, BlackRock just saved, or killed, crypto
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Today we've got stories on a startup helping you build your credit with rent payments, Wall Street reentering the home-buying frenzy, and how to cut out late-night snacking. But that hasn't stopped critics from painting BlackRock's filing as part of a wider power shift in crypto benefiting traditional financial firms. (It's worth noting that the announcement coincides with the launch of EDX Markets, a crypto exchange backed by Wall Street royalty like Citadel Securities, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab, per The Wall Street Journal.) Wall Street isn't in the business of supporting causes that could put it out of business. By partnering with traditional finance firms, crypto companies are letting the fox in the hen house.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, we've, Andrii Shyp, Arif Qazi, Wall, Insider's Rebecca Ungarino, Rebecca, Morgan Chittum, hasn't, Charles Schwab, I've, Read, Teresa Heitsenrether, Here's, We're, Netflix's, Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Bel, Gary Winnick, Kaja Whitehouse, Nathan Rennolds Organizations: EDX, Wall, Citadel Securities, Fidelity, Street, JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Netflix, US Virgin Islands, Bel, Air, LinkedIn Locations: BlackRock, New York, London

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Say goodbye to the US car market as we know it, TikTok will pay for AR filters, and YouTubers share how they make money
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I'm Diamond Naga Siu, and I'm taking a few days off to watch my best friend graduate with their PhD. (Don't worry, my colleagues in London will be bringing you your daily dose of tech news while I'm away.) Pharmacy startup TruePill is searching for its panacea. Employees told to "drink the Kool-Aid" at Larry Page's startup. Current and former employees told Insider about the recent turmoil.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Androids v. iPhones in ‘Succession,’ AI tools besides ChatGPT, and a check signed by Steve Jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's reportedly frustrating customers who are prompted to add a tip when they haven't interacted with the people they're tipping. Before I begin discussing eradicating tipping culture (and replacing it with a living wage for workers), let's dive into today's tech. But the hype cycle around generative AI — that started with ChatGPT — threw them a lifeline. AI tools — besides ChatGPT — to boost your productivity. A $175 check signed by Steve Jobs is up for sale.

☆ Billionaires and CEOs descended on Beverly Hills to talk recession, bank failures, and more. Here's the inside track.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On the agenda today:But first: The big takeaways from the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks at the 2023 Milken Institute Global Conference Mike Blake/ReutersThe big-money set jetted into LA last week for the Milken Global Conference. Biggest opportunityCampbell: The pullback in lending by banks is raising the hopes of those in the private credit industry. Read more:'Junk fees'Getty ImagesIt goes by many names: an administrative fee, a transaction fee, even a "regulatory compliance" fee. Akash Nigam, the founder and CEO of Genies, who is spending $2,400 a month on ChatGPT accounts for all his employees.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Free Apple AirTags, EV resistance, and ChatGPT Plus for all
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I attended my first rodeo, woke up early for a farmers' market, visited different pickleball venues, and tried other new things. Researchers examined 1,600 conversations (850 hours and 7 million words total) and measured how people reacted to the interactions. Firstly, IRL conversations involve a degree of back-and-forth that is hard to replicate digitally because of lag and missed cues. Elon Musk pays $10,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit. Elon Musk has cut around 90% of the company within half a year of taking over.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Salesforce, cold plunges, and Tesla's biggest Chinese rival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Maybe I'll go to a coffee shop for something stronger than my usual Trader Joe's instant cold brew. How these OnlyFans creators used Reddit to grow their businesses. Tesla's biggest Chinese rival just released an $11,000 EV. Heinz promised to buy the infamous "ketchup boat guy" a boat with a GPS. But he said the money from Heinz only afforded him a small used boat and engines.

☆ Big Tech is pursuing 'the year of efficiency.' It could get supercharged by AI.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

On the agenda today:But first: Why Big tech's new focus on efficiency could have far-reaching impacts. Tech jobs aren't coming backTech giants have been slashing jobs. Companies from Meta to Salesforce have cut jobs in the recent months in the pursuit of efficiency and profit margins. Also read:Whistleblower docs: Jane RobertsSupreme Court Justice Chief Justice John Roberts and his wife Jane Roberts arrive for a 2018 State Dinner at the White House. At least one of those firms argued a case before the chief justice after paying his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: The end of coding as we know it, why the 4-day workweek works, and wild Kittyhawk designs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But all of you had something insightful to share (there was even the odd pet picture, too!) Now, this week I wanted to share some of our top stories from our Discourse team. Tech companies have rushed to embrace generative AI, recognizing its ability to turbocharge programming, Insider's Aki Ito writes. And for better or worse, this effectively marks the end of coding as we know it. A growing body of evidence suggests a shorter workweek prevents employee burnout, fosters a healthier workplace, and boosts company productivity.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Charlie Bell speaks, Amazon RTO, and the lucrative side of teaching ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon needs to watch out for Charlie Bell. A founder of Amazon Web Services and the firm's "best person in the room," Bell shook the industry last September when he joined Microsoft. Bell will be overseeing a new cybersecurity division at Microsoft — but insiders at both Amazon and Microsoft wonder if he'll go more directly up against his former employer. My colleague Ashley Stewart examines the growing threat of Microsoft now that Bell is free from his noncompete purgatory. Look into the future here for Bell — and Microsoft — without Amazon's restrictions.

☆ China doesn’t want US cars like Ford and General Motors. That’s a big problem for their futures.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

America has a problem: China — the world's largest car market — doesn't want its vehicles. In 2022, data shows Ford and General Motors' car sales in China each dropped more than 20% from the year before. My colleagues Alexa St. John and Nora Naughton break down how the future of US automakers hinges on China. Although Google founder Larry Page's flying car company Kittyhawk majorly flopped, it left us with some interesting vehicles. Hop aboard to see all the funky flying car models here.

☆ As Gen Z flounders at work and millennials struggle to buy a house, boomers are enjoying a golden moment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Matt Turner | Dave Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This week's dispatchThe Metals Company; Greenpeace; Luis Alvarez/Getty Images; Karl Hendon/Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/InsiderOptimists don't just dream — they do. Gen Zers and young millennials have soured on work just as much as everyone else — and that's bad news for companies everywhere. Also read:Tyler Le/InsiderOver the past few years, Lex Fridman has gone from an unknown academic researcher to a social-media celebrity and member of Elon Musk's inner circle. But recently, "The Lex Fridman Podcast" has become a haven for a growing and powerful sector looking to dismantle years of "wokeness." More on the rise of Lex Fridman.

☆ Frank's founder just got hit with federal charges, but questions remain about JPMorgan's handling of the deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Drop any Wall Street (or non-Wall Street) questions you have for me here. A quick refresher: JPMorgan accused Javice of juicing Frank's customer numbers in a lawsuit filed at the end of last year. Prosecutors charged Javice with wire fraud affecting a financial institution, securities fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy. I've joked about it before, but Taylor Swift really should teach a class on this stuff for Wall Street. It's not the president or Wall Street or Congress that's to blame.

☆ Red alert recession signals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Matt Turner | Dave Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On the agenda today:But first: Everyone is back to talking about a recession. This week's dispatchFed Chair Jerome Powell Joshua Roberts/Reuters2023 started with fresh hope that the US could avoid a recession. That has big name investors and market signals predicting a recession, and soon. "Red alert recession signals," Gundlach said. Even Powell's preferred bond-market indicator says a recession is on the way this year.

☆ How Amazon’s flawed job posting process caused it to overhire
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Before I go check my remaining stash to make sure it's all real, let's dive into today's tech. Amazon's flawed job posting process. The company had little oversight of the hiring process until last year, Insider learned. Check out this leaked, all-hands message about "single-digit" percentage cuts to AWS)My colleague Eugene Kim breaks down Amazon's flawed hiring process. He shared the red flags he overlooked during the hiring process, including the hiring of a new chief revenue officer.

☆ Tech leaders remain oblivious to the true lessons of Silicon Valley Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Matt Turner | Dave Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On the agenda today:But first: Insider's Madeline Renbarger shares what happened at the SXSW Festival in Texas as tech founders and entrepreneurs learned about the implosion of Silicon Valley Bank. The festival began just as the FDIC announced it was taking control of Silicon Valley Bank to stop the catastrophic, social media-instigated bank run that was in full swing. Silicon Valley's blame gameiStock; Rebecca Zisser/InsiderIn the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse, there's been plenty of finger-pointing but little self-reflection on the part of Silicon Valley, writes Insider's Linette Lopez. But in recent weeks, as companies like Meta and Twitter braced for tougher times ahead, the assault on middle managers has picked up new steam. But middle managers move the needle on a company's overall performance far more than senior executives do — and make a bigger difference to the bottom line.

☆ Google wasted its pandemic opportunity. Now, it's scrambling to catch up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This Amazon worker similarly enjoys office life. The company is currently also lagging in the AI space (thanks to the buzzy AI chatbot ChatGPT). Now, the company is going all in on AI instead. Check out his experiences with the AI tools here. It remains the only Big Tech company to avoid widespread layoffs.

☆ 'PayPal Mafia' member says Google and Meta intentionally overhired engineers to prevent them from working at other companies.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"PayPal Mafia" member says Google and Meta "do fake work." The companies over-hired thousands of employees to fulfill a "vanity metric," said investor Keith Rabois. He's part of the infamous PayPal cohort (pictured above — he's number nine) that went on to play influential roles at other major tech companies. Rabois estimates that Facebook parent company Meta and Google each have thousands of employees who don't do much. He even suspects that Google intentionally overhired engineers to prevent them from working at other companies.

☆ The 4-day workweek: Science explains why it could improve our minds, bodies, and companies' bottom lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Science explains why the four-day workweek could be good for employees and employers alike. There's no control group — a company or companies that maintained a five-day workweek, to compare against the four-day workweek companies. There's also a risk of "selection bias" — a particular type of company may be far more likely to volunteer for a four-day workweek trial. Here's what science has to say about the UK four-day workweek trial results. Cortisol, too, can affect sleep quality, so having fewer high-cortisol days (ahem, work days) may mean fewer days of meager sleep.

☆ Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have been publicly criticizing each other for years — but now Meta is mirroring Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

With the launch of Meta Verified, Mark Zuckerberg is appearing more like Elon Musk by the day. Now, let's look at why people are starting to say that Zuckerberg "idolizes Elon Musk." With the announcement of Meta Verified, Meta's new verification subscription service for Facebook and Instagram, many have drawn comparisons between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. Schilsky added: "I think it's clear that Mark Zuckerberg idolizes Elon Musk." Black VCs like Beta Boom's Kimmy Paluch are addressing long-standing diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in the industry head-on.

☆ Apple and Meta's cold war over privacy is coming to a head
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Do you know any marketing/ad execs who are figuring out how to use generative AI? But experts told my teammate Paayal Zaveri that Meta needs to entirely reinvent its advertising model to escape Apple. Microsoft's new ChatGPT-powered Bing loves to pick fights and sling insults — and people are sharing their wild, wild, wild experiences with the chatbot. Generative AI like ChatGPT can do these side-hustles for you. Freelancers are relying on generative AI to increase their productivity and take on more projects.

☆ Microsoft is chill with employees using ChatGPT — just don’t share ‘sensitive data’ with it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Microsoft warned employees against sharing "sensitive data" with ChatGPT. Leaked internal communications revealed that Microsoft's CTO office told employees that using ChatGPT is fine. "Companies and employees are all scrambling to find out the exact rules around using ChatGPT for work." He added: "The interesting thing here is that Microsoft is a big partner and investor of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. In theory, Microsoft stands to gain when ChatGPT collects more data and improves its technology.

So I was super excited that my teammate Paayal Zaveri wrote about how this model could actually change soon. The market crash could finally break Big Tech's addiction to subscriptions. Paying for things with a subscription has become the norm, in our personal and work lives, Paayal Zaveri writes. That's why industry experts told me usage-based pricing, or paying for only what you use, has gained ground. Today's team: Diamond Naga Siu in San Diego, Paayal Zaveri in San Francisco, Lisa Ryan in New York, and Hallam Bullock in London.

☆ Welcome to post-layoff Google — starting with a tense, all-hands meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But still, I would say that I work to live instead of living to work. A tense meeting at post-layoff Google. Google hosted an internal all-hands meeting on Monday — the first day back to work after cutting 12,000 people. This career coach helped Amazon and Google employees through layoffs. More than half of Alisa Cohen's clients work at Big Tech companies — some of them were laid off recently.

☆ Big Tech's wipeout sends workers scrambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Matt Turner | Dave Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Hi, I'm Matt Turner, the editor in chief of business at Insider. Up first: I just returned to New York after a few days in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. It was intense and informative, packed with meetings with business leaders and government ministers from around the world. Davos, Switzerland Hanna Erasmus and EyeEm/Getty ImagesMore than 1,500 business leaders descended on Davos in the Swiss Alps last week. Saumya Khandelwal/Hindustan Times via Getty ImagesIt was a wipeout at Silicon Valley's tech giants this week.

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