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☆ Elon Musk apologized for 'incorrectly low' Tesla severance packages
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk apologized Wednesday to laid-off Tesla employees for incorrect severance packages. Some workers previously told Business Insider they were offered two months' pay as severance. AdvertisementElon Musk apologized in an email to some laid-off Tesla employees after their severance packages were found to be "incorrectly low," according to a screenshot of the email viewed by Business Insider. "As we reorganize Tesla it has come to my attention that some severance packages are incorrectly low," Musk said in the brief email sent Wednesday. Other workers told BI that as of Wednesday night, they'd yet to receive any information about severance packages.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Musk, they'd, Tesla, Drew Baglino, who'd, he'd, Rohan Patel, They're, Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett Organizations: Service, Business, CNBC, Worker, Twitter Locations: China

☆ A Tesla worker who was laid off a month after he joined says he can't pay his rent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewAn employee who'd been working at Tesla for about a month learned he'd been laid off on Monday, local news station KVUE reported. This includes quietly removing inventory discounts for its EVs in the US, as Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt noted on X.AdvertisementMusk responded, "We are simplifying and streamlining the whole Tesla sales and delivery system. Musk announced his latest moonshot on X earlier this month and said Tesla would launch a self-driving taxi called "Robotaxi," which it would reveal on August 8. Tesla didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment made outside of normal working hours.

Persons: —, who'd, he'd, Ezekiel Love, Love, Elon Musk, Insider's Grace Kay, Sawyer Merritt, Musk, Dan Ives, Ives, Tesla Organizations: Service, Tesla, EV, Business Locations: Texas

☆ Apple keeps looking for new places to make its stuff that aren't China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tim Cook discussed manufacturing in Indonesia with president Joko Widodo, Reuters reported. Such a move would help Apple reduce its reliance on manufacturing in China. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementApple has put Indonesia in the frame as it looks to reduce its reliance on manufacturing in China. After meeting president Joko Widodo in Jakarta on Tuesday, CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone maker will "look at" Indonesia, Reuters reported.

Persons: Tim Cook, Joko Widodo, —, Cook Organizations: Reuters, Apple, Service Locations: Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Jakarta

☆ A Tesla worker who was hired and then laid off a month later says he can't pay his rent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla laid off more than 10% of its workforce, a memo sent by CEO Elon Musk showed. One worker who lost his job a month after joining Tesla told KVUE he couldn't pay his rent. AdvertisementAn employee who'd been working at Tesla for about a month learned he'd been laid off on Monday, local news station KVUE reported. This includes quietly removing inventory discounts for its EVs in the US, as Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt noted on X.AdvertisementMusk responded, "We are simplifying and streamlining the whole Tesla sales and delivery system. Musk announced his latest moonshot on X earlier this month and said Tesla would launch a self-driving taxi called "Robotaxi," which it would reveal on August 8.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, KVUE, —, who'd, he'd, Ezekiel Love, Love, Insider's Grace Kay, Sawyer Merritt, Musk, Dan Ives, Ives Organizations: Tesla, Service, EV Locations: Texas

☆ A former TikTok employee says he had a boss he never met, which concealed the platform's close ties to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

An ex-TikTok worker claims the company hid the involvement of ByteDance, Fortune reported. Evan Turner said he had check-ins with a ByteDance exec in Beijing and never met his American boss. AdvertisementA former TikTok employee said the company tried to hide the involvement of Chinese owner ByteDance in his work by assigning him to a manager in Seattle, whom he never met. Evan Turner, a former senior data scientist, told Fortune he was being managed by a Beijing-based ByteDance executive when he joined the company. He claimed he was placed under the management of an American manager in Seattle later in his employment.

Persons: Evan Turner, —, ByteDance, Fortune, Turner Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Beijing, Seattle, TikTok

☆ Big names are leaving Tesla. An analyst says Elon Musk has to quickly lay out what the layoffs mean.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk has been urged to lay out a vision for Tesla as senior staff leave amid layoffs. AdvertisementElon Musk must set out a vision for Tesla after investors were spooked by high-profile departures amid layoffs, an analyst has said. Tesla stock fell 5.6% on Monday after Elon Musk announced over the weekend that more than 10% of its workforce would be laid off. Those departing Tesla worked on critical projectsBoth Baglino and Thurston worked on critical projects at the Texas factory. In an X post earlier this month, Musk said Knight was "going to join OpenAI, so it was either xAI or them."

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, —, Elon, Dan Ives, Ives, Drew Baglino, he'd, Rohan Patel, Anthony Thurston, Electrek, Thurston, Fred Lambert, Amir Mirshahi, Zachary Kirkhorn, Tesla's, Ethan Knight, Musk's, Knight Organizations: Service, Elon, Energy, Tesla, Business, OpenAI Locations: Texas

☆ Read the memo Elon Musk sent Tesla staff announcing that the company is laying off more than 10% of the workforce
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk sent Tesla employees a memo on Sunday announcing the EV maker is laying off more than 10% of its workforce globally. Separately, Tesla started instructing managers in February to identify which roles at the company were business-critical and had temporarily delayed performance reviews. AdvertisementRead the full memo Elon Musk sent Tesla employees below:Over the years, we have grown rapidly with multiple factories scaling around the globe. This will enable us to be lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle. As we prepare the company for the next phase of growth, your resolve will make a huge difference in getting us there.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, I'm, Elon Organizations: Business, National Labor Relations Board Locations: California, Buffalo , New York

☆ Tesla is laying off more than 10% of its workforce, memo shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Grace Kay | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tesla is reducing its workforce by more than 10%, per an internal memo seen by Business Insider. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Some Tesla employees lost access to their emails and Teams by Monday, two people with knowledge said. Related storiesBefore the layoffs, Tesla said it employed over 140,000 workers globally, including over 20,000 at its Fremont factory in California. Musk told staff in May that he must personally approve all new Tesla hires.

Persons: Tesla, —, Elon Musk, Musk, Tesla's Organizations: Business, Service, Bloomberg Locations: Berlin, Fremont, California, Buffalo , New York

☆ I tried Spotify's AI feature to make playlists with text and emoji prompts. It's impressive but I'll still make my own.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Spotify has launched AI Playlist, a new feature that makes playlists with a text or emoji prompt. It then gives you three options: "Playlist" to build your own, "Blend" to make a shared playlist with friends, and "AI Playlist" to "turn your ideas into playlists using AI." Jyoti MannOnce you tap "AI Playlist," a text box appears where you can enter a prompt — even by entering just an emoji. Within five seconds it can put together a playlist made up of 30 songs based on what it thinks you'll like. I then asked for a playlist based on the vibes of Joseph Cooper, the main character in the movie "Interstellar."

Persons: —, I've, Jyoti Mann, swiping, Adele, Hozier, Amy Winehouse, Joseph Cooper, Gaga's, Ryan Lewis's Organizations: Spotify, Service Locations: Australia, Sardinia, Italy

☆ I had to put LinkedIn workers on performance-improvement plans — then I got laid off myself
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

LinkedIn then laid off more than 1,400 workers in two rounds of job cuts last year. AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with a former senior engineering manager at LinkedIn. During the pandemic, we sort of lowered the bar of performance expectations. If they are already starting to be a little cold or reserved, it's unlikely you're going to change their mind. 'Kill list' leaked on BlindLinkedIn laid off 716 sales, operations, and support workers in May 2023.

Persons: —, they're, could've, it's, texted Organizations: LinkedIn, Service, Business

☆ Humane's head engineer defends its Ai Pin against scathing reviews, but admits it's 'frustrating sometimes'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Humane's Ai Pin received some harsh reviews, sparking a response from its designer on X. Head of product engineering, Ken Kocienda, said people are jumping on the "skepticism bandwagon." download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementHumane's Ai Pin designer quickly defended the device after it was hit with several savage reviews. Ken Kocienda, head of product engineering at Humane, fought back against critics in a lengthy X post on Thursday.

Persons: Humane's Ai Pin, Ken Kocienda, — Organizations: Service, Humane, Business

☆ Nvidia employees are getting richer with a 'special Jensen grant' that boosts their stock awards by 25%
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nvidia is increasing employee compensation with a stock grant named after CEO Jensen Huang. The "Jensen special grant" awards an additional 25% of the initial stock grant given to employees. The one-off grant is an extra 25% of the initial amount of stock units given to employees when they joined. The grant is in addition to any annual equity refreshers employees get each quarter that are based on individual performance. One person suggested the special Jensen grant is being handed out to ensure employees still benefit even if the share price falls back in the coming years.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Jensen, —, Jensen Huang —, Huang, Jeremy Siegel Organizations: Nvidia, Service, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Apple

☆ Spotify employees question lavish spending on events while the company lays off thousands
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Some employees criticize lavish spending on events, while Spotify is trying to cut costs. Some employees think Spotify is spending too much on parties and events, especially when the company is laying off thousands of people and looking to cut more costs. However, these employees said event spending has gone too far, given the company's broader efforts at frugality. One former employee described it as the company "spending tons of money flying people to Sweden to drink the Kool-Aid." Noam Galai/Getty ImagesSome of this lavish event spending is focused on solving a problem that's loomed over Spotify for years.

Persons: —, Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Gunna, Daniel Ek, Ek, Daniel Ek Dave Benett, Diplo, Spotifest, Melanie Stetson Freeman, it's, Alicia Keys, Noam Galai, Gustav Söderström Organizations: Spotify, Service, Ikea, Business, Brooklyn, Spotifest, Christian Science, Getty, company's, Apple, YouTube Locations: Drumsheds, Houston, Stockholm, New York, Sweden, New York City, York

☆ Google DeepMind's CEO reportedly thinks it'll be tough to catch up with OpenAI's Sora
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Google DeepMind CEO may think OpenAI's text-to-video generator, Sora, has an edge. Demis Hassabis told a colleague it'd be hard for Google to draw level with Sora, The Information reported. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementDemis Hassabis may think OpenAI's text-to-video generator is more advanced than one made by his own company. According to The Information, the Google DeepMind CEO recently told a colleague that it could be difficult for Google to draw level with OpenAI's Sora.

Persons: Demis Hassabis, it'd, Sora, —, OpenAI's Sora, OpenAI Organizations: Google, Big Tech, Service, Business

☆ Jamie Dimon had a lot to say in his annual letter to shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Jamie Dimon's annual letter to shareholders and why this edition is so different . The big storyDimon sounds offWin McNamee/Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BIWhen Jamie Dimon talks, people tend to listen. Dimon's annual letter to shareholders grabs the business world's attention in ways most executives can only imagine. Dimon described the tech as just as innovative and impactful as the printing press, steam engine, electricity, and the internet, writes Business Insider's Jyoti Mann. The polarization of politics was something Dimon touched on in his letter, urging people to resist being "weaponized."

Persons: —, Jamie Dimon's, Jamie's, Win McNamee, Chelsea Jia Feng, Jamie Dimon, Larry Fink, Dimon, Insider's Jyoti Mann, BI's Theron Mohamed, BI's Juliana Kaplan, Alex Brandon, Rebecca Zisser, he's, it'd, David Rosenberg, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, Gabor Cselle, Brooks Kraft, Zers, they'll, they've, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, JPMorgan, Democratic, Monetary Fund, Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Brooks Kraft LLC, Getty, Warner Bros, Oxford High, Boeing Locations: Pennsylvania, Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, New York

☆ Jamie Dimon says AI will have 'extraordinary' consequences and may be as transformative as electricity and the internet
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Jamie Dimon compared the potential impact of artificial intelligence to innovations like the internet. He said JPMorgan Chase now has 2,000 AI experts working in areas such as fraud and risk. Dimon flagged that AI risks need to be rigorously managed and ethics maintained. AdvertisementJamie Dimon compared the potential impact of artificial intelligence to that of other innovations in history including the "printing press, the steam engine, electricity, computing and the internet." This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, — Organizations: JPMorgan, Service, Business

☆ Meta loses top AI figures as Silicon Valley's talent battle continues
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The departures come as Big Tech firms battle for top AI talent with chunky pay packages. Elon Musk this week dubbed Silicon Valley's talent war as the "craziest" he's ever seen. AdvertisementMeta has lost three top AI employees within a week amid Silicon Valley's ongoing battle for talent. "The talent war for AI is the craziest talent war I've ever seen!" AdvertisementPrior to that, the cofounder of Meta's AI lab, Rob Fergus, jumped ship in 2020 to join Google's DeepMind.

Persons: Meta, —, Devi Parikh, she'd, Erik Meijer, Meijer, Abhishek Das, Mark Zuckerberg, He's, Google's DeepMind, Meta's, Zuhayeer Musa, Elon Musk, Rob Fergus, Google's Organizations: Big Tech, Elon, Service, Meta, Research, FAIR, Wall Street Journal, Street, Business Locations: OpenAI

☆ Google's AI search tool doesn't seem to have mastered math yet
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google's AI search tool got simple mathematics wrong, a review by The Washington Post said. The experimental tool, Search Generative Experience, was introduced in May. AdvertisementGoogle's AI search tool appears to struggle when it comes to simple mathematics. Google previously said it was "supercharging" and "improving" its search experience with a generative AI-infused version called Search Generative Experience (SGE). AdvertisementThe company told the FT, "With our generative AI experiments in Search, we've already served billions of queries, and we're seeing positive Search query growth in all of our major markets.

Persons: —, Geoffrey A, Fowler, we're, you'll, SGE, Mark Zuckerberg's, we've, Google didn't Organizations: Washington Post, Google, Financial Times, Service

☆ Amazon-backed humanoid firm Agility Robotics laid off a 'small number' of staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Agility Robotics said it laid off a "small number" of employees on Wednesday. The company told Business Insider that the job cuts affected a "small number" of employees. Amazon is testing its Agility's Digit robots in a research and development facility near Seattle. AdvertisementAn electrical engineer at the humanoid robotics firm shared in posts on LinkedIn and X that he was "one of the many laid off" at the company. AdvertisementJohnson previously told BI that it will churn out "hundreds" of its Digit robots in 2025 and then "ramp up capacity to thousands" in the years that follow.

Persons: —, Lisa Haugh, Crunchbase, it's, Peggy Johnson, Johnson, It's Organizations: Robotics, Service, Business, Industrial Innovation, LinkedIn, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Oregon, Seattle

☆ Amazon is laying off hundreds of employees in its cloud division
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is laying off hundreds of employees in its cloud division, emails obtained by BI show. The latest round of job cuts will impact employees in its cloud division, Amazon Web Services, internal emails seen by Business Insider show. "We didn't make these decisions lightly, and we're committed to supporting the employees throughout their transition to new roles in and outside of Amazon. Earlier this year, Amazon also cut hundreds of jobs across its Prime Video and healthcare units. AdvertisementA recently obtained internal HR document from last year showed Amazon placed more employees on performance-improvement plans while carrying out the mass layoffs.

Persons: —, Matt Garman, we're, Geekwire, Amazon's Organizations: BI, Amazon, Service, Amazon Web, Business, Global Services

☆ Google just scored a big win in the AI talent war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some observers say it's a big win for Google to secure OpenAI's "secret weapon." Kilpatrick's move comes as Big Tech firms vie for top expertise in an AI talent war. The move shows the transfer window of AI expertise is firmly open as Big Tech companies battle it out to lure top AI talent. Google AI Studio lets developers integrate Gemini with APIs to create generative AI applications that are also known as "wrappers". Intel's senior AI developers community lead, Ryan Carson, wrote on X: "Things are movin' and shakin' in the AI industry.

Persons: OpenAI's, Logan Kilpatrick, —, OpenAI, he's, Mustafa Suleyman, Satya Nadella's, Bruce Monaco, Monaco, Kilpatrick, Ryan Carson, Logan, He's, Mark Zuckerberg, Google's, Sergey Brin, it's, Aravind Srinivas, who's Organizations: Google, Big Tech, Service, Studio, Microsoft, AI, Workers, Meta, Business Locations: OpenAI

☆ I'm a software engineer for Nvidia. Here's how I landed the job — and how much I'm making.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A software engineer at Nvidia in India reveals how he got the job, and breaks down his compensation. The engineer offers tips on how others can land a role at the $2.2 trillion chip company. AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with a senior software engineer at Nvidia in India who spoke anonymously because he is not authorized to speak to the press. I joined Nvidia as a newly graduated junior software engineer about three years ago. Initially, I got around 1.6 million rupees as an annual base salary (about $19,000) and about 2.5 million rupees in stocks vested over four years.

Persons: —, I've, I'd Organizations: Nvidia, Service, Business, Amazon, LinkedIn, Big Tech Locations: India

☆ Mark Zuckerberg's awkwardness may be a power move — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Such behavior could be considered a power move and a marker of intelligence for tech CEOs. An awkwardness expert told BI that if you're powerful enough, you don't need to be charismatic. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. For Zuck and men alike, awkwardness is "seen as not only excusable, but laudable." But Plakias doesn't think awkwardness is an individual character trait, but rather something that comes out of social interactions.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, —, Zuck, Alex Volkanovski, bopping, Zuckerberg, Alexandra Plakias, Plakias, they're, It's, Ty Tashiro Organizations: Service, UFC, Business, Hamilton College, Oxford University Locations: New York

☆ A global scramble to make humanoid robots is gearing up to be the 21st century's space race
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Joshua Zitser | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Humanoid robots are symbols of power and technological capability, a geopolitics expert says. An incident earlier this month involving a Saudi humanoid robot inappropriately touching a female reporter might not at first seem even remotely connected. AdvertisementHumanoids are visual representations of breakthroughs in AIIn Italy, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is working on iCub, a research-grade humanoid robot. AdvertisementChina wants to take the leadWhen it comes to humanoid robots, China is vying for the top spot, so it's no wonder other nations are getting nervous. "The vast magnitude of the market offers an unmatched chance to test, improve, and expand the uses of humanoid robots," he said.

Persons: —, Neil Armstrong's, Muhammad, Elie Metri, Giorgio Metta, Metta, there's, Zen Koh, Koh, Peggy Johnson, Johnson, it's, David Becker, OpenAI, Mercedes, Tesla, Julian Mueller, Kaler, Mueller, Tang Ke, Li Boyang, Will Jackson, Johannes Simon, you've, Jackson, we're, Gartner, Nvidia's, Melonee Wise, Justin Sullivan, Metri Organizations: Service, Robotics, QSS Robotics, Muhammad, Istituto, Tecnologia, European Union, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, Fourier Intelligence, Getty, BMW, Strategic Foresight, Stimson, TIME, Beijing, Conference, Boston Dynamics, Arts, Engineered Arts, GTC, Getty Images Saudi Locations: China, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Soviet Union, Saudi, DeepFest, Riyadh, Robotics Saudi Arabia, India, Nigeria, Shanghai, Oregon, Las Vegas, Texas, Beijing, China's Liaoning Province, San Jose , California, Getty Images Saudi Arabia, QSS, Europe

☆ See inside some of the coolest offices of Big Tech firms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Big Tech firms are reknowned for their unique and often large office spaces. Take a look at some of the coolest tech firm offices. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementBig Tech firms are often commended for their striking offices, some of which have entire campuses. Take a look at some of the coolest Big Tech offices.

Persons: — Organizations: Big Tech, Service, CNBC Locations: Mountain View , California

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