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☆ Bud Light owner laid off hundreds of US workers, following months of backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Bud Light owner has faced months of lagging US sales since April. The backlash began after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a Bud Light promotion. The beer company has faced lagging sales and backlash after Bud Light's promotion with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer. The decision follows a months-long plunge in Bud Light sales. Bud Light has been embroiled in backlash since April when Mulvaney posted a Bud Light promotion on her Instagram.

Persons: Bud, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Bud Light, Bud Light's, Dylan Mulvaney, Brendan Whitworth, —, Mulvaney Organizations: Anheuser, Busch, Wall Street Journal, Service, Privacy, Corporate, Bud Light, Modelo Especial Locations: Wall, Silicon, Mexican

☆ What the New York Times says the ultrawealthy are buying, from $530 napkins to $24,500 sport coats
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Quiet luxury is trending among the ultrawealthy. These subtle displays of wealth come in all shapes, The New York Times reported in a recent piece. According to a recent article in the New York Times, when quiet luxury, or stealth wealth, is done well, "wealth display is noticeable, but only to those who know what they're looking for." From $530 hand-embroidered placemats and napkins to $15,000 coffee makers, here's what to look for. Read more of The New York Times article here.

Persons: Prada, Kendall Roy's, Lomax, Read Organizations: New York Times, Service, Forbes Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ This $220 light switch is the latest quiet luxury status symbol
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A $220 light switch is popular among ultrawealthy homeowners, The New York Times reported. The light switch is part of the growing quiet luxury trend. But a $220 light switch probably wasn't on your stealth wealth bingo card. Typical light switches, which can sell for just a few dollars, have hardly been described in such a way. While the light switch, on its own, doesn't function as a dimmer, dimmers can be added as additions alongside the switch, per the Forbes & Lomax website.

Persons: Lomax, David Hottenroth, Joseph, weren't, Dave, Lorna Hall Organizations: New York Times, Service, Forbes, Times, HBO Locations: Wall, Silicon, Buffalo , New York, Brooklyn, Lafayette , Colorado, New York

☆ Bud Light has been embroiled in backlash since a beer promotion by a transgender influencer. Here's a timeline of how the controversy has played out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

As the backlash unfolded, Mulvaney remained relatively quiet about the matter on her social media platforms. Then on April 11, Mulvaney spoke out about the criticism she received on the podcast "Onward with Rosie O'Donnell." "I think it comes back to the fact that these people, they don't understand me, and anything that I do or say somehow gets taken out of context and is used against me," Mulvaney said. "It's trying to connect with others that maybe don't understand me. It's to make people laugh, or to make a kid feel seen."

Persons: Mulvaney, Dylan Mulvaney, Lester Cohen, I've, Rosie O'Donnell, It's

☆ Playing Roblox's new virtual back-to-school-shopping experience felt like gig work gamified
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The delivery app Shipt released a delivery challenge featured on Roblox's popular "Driving Empire." It felt like gamified gig work, with the mindset of a "Fast & Furious" driver racing against the clock. In the game, which is featured as a challenge on Roblox's popular racing game, "Driving Empire," gig work is gamified. Players race against the clock to deliver school-supplies orders to customers — essentially playing the role of a Shipt delivery worker. Shipt did not answer questions regarding its gig workers.

Persons: Shipt, — Organizations: Service, Target, Labor, Depot, Walmart Locations: Wall, Silicon, Roblox

☆ A former Anheuser-Busch exec has become one of the Bud Light maker's fiercest critics
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Anson Frericks, a former executive at Anheuser-Busch, has criticized how the company has handled the backlash against Bud Light. Now, Anheuser-Busch has gotten involved with issues that he's been fighting against, Frericks told Insider. Anheuser-Busch US CEO Brendan Whitworth hasn't explicitly defended the Bud Light partnership with influencer Dylan Mulaney, nor has he called it a mistake. The dip in Bud Light sales persisted through the end of June, USA Today reported. In a TikTok video posted at the end of June, Mulvaney alleged that Bud Light never reached out to her following the onslaught of hate she received.

Persons: Anson Frericks, Bud Light, Bud, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Brendan Whitworth, Mulvaney, Whitworth, Frericks, he's, Busch, He's, Vivek Ramaswamy, Marc Benoiff, Brendan Whitworth hasn't, influencer Dylan Mulaney, Getty, LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ, Dylan Mulvaney Organizations: Anheuser, Busch, Service, Whitworth, CBS, Newsweek, Street, Fox News, Daily Mail, Fox, Bud, MAG, AFP, Pride Month, Human, USA Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Chipotle is hiring a robot to do a task employees hate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Avocado prep is one of Chipotle employees' least favorite responsibilities, Curt Garner, Chief Customer and Technology Officer at Chipotle, told CNBC. Chipotle's robot could also help alleviate lingering labor shortages that have swept across the restaurant industry. Last year Chipotle started testing the chip-making robot Chippy, which was intentionally designed to make imperfect tortilla chips. To develop the Autocado robot, Chipotle worked with Vebu Labs, a food industry robotics startup. Future investments could include farming and supply chain innovations, as well as advanced robotics, Chipotle said in a press release.

Persons: Chipotle, Curt Garner, Chipotle isn't, Taco Bell Organizations: Service, Grill, Technology, CNBC, Brands, National Restaurant Association, Miso Robotics, White Castle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Vebu Labs Locations: Wall, Silicon, Irvine , California, Vebu

☆ Gen Zers and millennials are ditching 'spendy friends' who are tempting them to overspend and go into debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Financial differences are driving some Gen Zers and millennials to break up with their "spendy friends." Eighty-eight percent of millennials and 80 percent of Gen Zers said spending time with these friends resulted in them taking on debt. Forty-three percent of millennials said they overspent on dining out, as did 37% of Gen Zers. In addition, 37% of millennials and 32% of Gen Zers report overspending on drinks and nights out. More than a third of Gen Z consumers, 36%, also said they overspent on clothing.

Persons: Zers, Gen Z, Qualtrics, it's, Courtney Alev, Z, Gen Zers, Alev, overspending, millennials, Gen Organizations: Service, Credit Locations: Wall, Silicon, millennials

☆ Bud Light is trying to meme its way back into your fridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bud Light posted a meme on Sunday that seemed to poke fun at the brand's handling of backlash it's faced. The backlash began in April, after Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. A video clip posted on Sunday to Bud Light's Twitter and Instagram shows a woman eating a watermelon, a Bud Light can on a picnic table behind her while severe wind whips trash and sends people scurrying. Conservatives are calling for Bud Light boycotts, while advocates are asking the brand to support the transgender community. The recent post from Bud Light, though, seemed to meme-ify Bud Light's own handling of the backlash — silently waiting out the storm of outcry.

Persons: Bud Light, it's, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Bud Light's, Bud, Brendan Whitworth, Larry Kopp, they're, Busch, Mulvaney, Kopp, Drew Kerr, we've, Kerr Organizations: Service, Bud Light's Twitter, Anheuser, Busch, Bud Light, Mulvaney, TASC Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Lonely adults are driving a boom in stuffed animal sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Grace Mayer | Gloria Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Adults are clamoring for stuffed animals, a craze that is part of a larger toy trend among adults. For some people, stuffed animals help alleviate anxiety and loneliness. She said she created Hugimals, a line of weighted stuffed animals designed to relieve stress and promote sleep, in part for herself. The stuffed animal craze is tied to a larger toy trend among adults, or, as the toy industry has labeled this group, "kidults." Weighing 4.5 pounds, these stuffed animals are designed to replicate a "calming, hugging you back" effect, she told Insider.

Persons: —, it's, Marina Khidekel, Khidekel, Marcella Johnson, she's Organizations: Service, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal Locations: Canada, Legos, London

☆ H&M is selling $1.70 crop tops to compete with Shein
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

H&M is selling some crop tops for $1.70. H&M appears to taking a more aggressive pricing strategy in response to the threat from Shein. One of the crop tops, which comes in black and white, was marked down on Friday by nearly 70% from $4.99. Shein, the Singapore-based online retailer, first surged in popularity during the pandemic when customers were scouring for affordable retailers. A spokesperson for H&M declined to comment on when the brand started discounting tops to as low as $1.70.

Persons: —, Shein, Zara, Temu Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Google, UBS, Shein, Bloomberg Locations: Singapore, Shein

☆ Would Bud Light do it all over again? Anheuser-Busch's US CEO dodges question of whether promo with a transgender influencer was a 'mistake.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The company's Bud Light brand saw backlash over a promotion that featured a transgender influencer. The CEO didn't say whether he thought the promo a "mistake," but said the brand would continue to support LGBTQ+ organizations. Analysts from JP Morgan have also warned that sales could continue to drop, and predicted some consumers will swear off Bud Light "for the foreseeable future." Anheuser-Busch is now spending nearly three times more on Bud Light advertising, Whitworth told CBS Wednesday. The Bud Light brand has also donated to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians in the past, the interviewers pointed out in the CBS segment.

Persons: Bud, —, Brendan Whitworth, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Whitworth, it's, Mulvaney, JP Morgan, We'll, we've Organizations: CBS, Service, Privacy, Anheuser, Target, Busch, JP, Bud Light

☆ This couple moved to Alaska with 32 sled dogs to chase their dream of opening a dog-sled business together — but it's all-consuming work, and vacations are tough without a dog-sitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

They decided to move from California to Alaska to start their own dog sled tour business. They spend their days leading tours, and taking care of their 32 sled dogs and their baby son. Their days are filled with wilderness tours and training and caring for their 32 sled dogs. Finding a dog sitter to look after 32 dogs while on vacation, for example, has proved to be a challenging task for the couple in the past. But we've literally dedicated our entire life to having the sled dogs," Alyssa said.

Persons: Alyssa, Rohn Buser, —, Rohn, Kaladin, we've Organizations: Service Locations: California, Alaska, Susitna , Alaska, Northern California

☆ See photos of tech's elite all dressed up at the White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Grace Mayer | Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some of the tech and business industries' top CEOs attended a White House dinner Thursday. Take a look at the CEOs and industry giants who made the guest list and dressed up in their finest. The White House invited leaders from across the tech and business industries for a dinner held for Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi's visit to Washington. The visit has been a crucial one for Biden, as the White House looks to build closer ties with India. Here's a look at the CEOs and industry giants who made the guest list and dressed up in their finest.

Persons: OpenAI, India Narendra Modi's, Biden, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Tesla, Dana White, James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's, Jane Fraser, Adena Friedman, Deven Parekh, Hemant Taneja, Catalyst, Ralph Lauren, M, David Calhoun, Larry Culp, Doug McMillon Organizations: White, Apple, Google, Morning, Microsoft, White House, Meta, Twitter, UFC, Citigroup, Nasdaq, Insight Partners, Boeing, Electric, Walmart Locations: Washington, India, China, Taiwan

☆ Boeing and University of Washington deny OceanGate's claim that they helped design the lost Titan sub
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

OceanGate's Titan submersible has been missing since Sunday. OceanGate claimed that Boeing, NASA, and the University of Washington helped design the Titan. In a statement sent to Insider, Boeing said the aircraft company was not involved with the development of OceanGate's Titan. The University of Washington also released a statement saying that it wasn't involved in creating OceanGate's Titan submersible. But the collaboration resulted in a "steel-hulled vessel, named the Cyclops 1," not the design for the Titan submersible.

Persons: OceanGate, Victor Balta, Balta, NASA's, Lance D, Davis, NASA's Marshall Organizations: Boeing, NASA, University of Washington, Titan, OceanGate Inc, CNN, Laboratory, University of Washington's School of Oceanography, UW, The University of Washington, NASA's Marshall Space, Space, OceanGate

☆ What is OceanGate? Meet the company that made a business out of risky deep-sea tours of the Titanic shipwreck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The company has attracted renewed scrutiny since its submersible vessel, Titan, went missing Sunday. In 2018, OceanGate faced a lawsuit from former employee David Lochridge, who said he warned about quality and safety issues related to the Titan vessel. The Titanic shipwreck expeditionsOceanGate has been conducting expeditions of the Titanic ship wreckage since 2021, according to the company's website. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for OceanGate told Insider the company was "unable to provide any additional information at this time." What is the OceanGate Titan?

Persons: OceanGate, Rush, David Pogue, David Lochridge, Pogue, Peter Girguis, Mike Reiss, Reiss Organizations: Stockton Rush, Rush, Morning, OceanGate Expeditions, Titanic, Smithsonian Magazine, Princeton University, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, University of California, The Seattle Times, Smithsonian, CBS, Titan, US Navy, BBC Locations: Everett , Washington, Pitchbook, St, John's, Newfoundland, OceanGate, Harvard

☆ Bud Light has been embroiled in backlash since a beer promotion with a transgender influencer. Here's a timeline of how the controversy has played out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Mulvaney, Dylan Mulvaney, Lester Cohen, I've, Rosie O'Donnell, It's

☆ US CEO of Bud Light maker tells customers 'we hear you' after brand loses best-selling beer in America crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Anheuser-Busch's US CEO outlined steps the brand is taking to alleviate Bud Light backlash. This week, Bud Light lost its title as the best-selling beer brand in the US. In the video, Mulvaney, 26, talked about a March Madness contest sponsored by Bud Light, and how she was celebrating her "day 365 of womanhood." A decline in Bud Light sales has persisted. Earlier this week, the Bud Light beer brand ceded its title as the best-selling beer brand in the US to Modelo Especial beer, after the beer brand's sales dropped by 23% in May, according to data compiled by consumer-behavior research firm Circana and shared with Insider.

Persons: Bud, Bud Light, —, Bud Light's, Brendan Whitworth, Whitworth, you've, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Mulvaney Organizations: Service, Anheuser, Busch, Bud, Bud Light, Modelo Especial

☆ US CEO of Bud Light maker tells customers 'we hear you' after brand loses best-selling American beer crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: Bud, Bud Light, —, Bud Light's, Brendan Whitworth, Whitworth, you've, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Mulvaney Organizations: Service, Anheuser, Busch, Bud, Bud Light, Modelo Especial

☆ The 14-year-old hired by Elon Musk's SpaceX is too young for LinkedIn, has his account restricted
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But age wasn't a barrier to him landing a job as a software engineer at Elon Musk's SpaceX. Kairan Quazi, the newest software engineer to join Elon Musk's SpaceX, is only 14 years old. But while his age didn't prove to be a barrier to him landing a job at SpaceX, LinkedIn says he still is too young to join the networking platform. Before his LinkedIn was restricted, Quazi wrote in a LinkedIn post about his new position working as a software engineer with Starlink, SpaceX's satellite and internet service division. "I will be joining the coolest company on the planet as a software engineer on the Starlink engineering team," Quazi's LinkedIn post read.

Persons: he's, Kairan Quazi, Quazi Organizations: Elon, SpaceX, LinkedIn, Santa Clara University, Seattle Times, The Times Locations: Redmond , Washington

☆ Jack Dorsey worries Apple Vision Pro will turn us all into 'WALL-E' characters — glued to chairs and plugged into constant entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jack Dorsey was asked what he thought about high-tech headsets, like Apple's new Vision Pro. In the interview, Dorsey shared his thoughts on companies developing augmented reality and virtual reality technologies. Just a week earlier, Apple announced its new Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, a strong competitor product to Meta's own line of virtual reality headsets. Jack Dorsey admitted that virtual reality was "going to happen," but said it's time to have an "honest conversation" about its possible effects. Will Apple's Vision Pro turn us all into "WALL-E"-like characters?

Persons: Jack Dorsey, Dorsey, Krystal Ball, Saagar, we're, Enjeti, he's, MARCO BELLO, Neal Stephenson, Ernest Cline's, They're, Apple's, Apple Organizations: Morning, Twitter, Pixar, Apple

☆ Mark Zuckerberg is shredded now. But Apple exec Craig Federighi can shred on the guitar.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

While it received a lot of buzz, so did a surprising guitar solo from Apple exec Craig Federighi. In the pre-recorded video clip from the WWDC keynote stream, Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, is shown wearing a leather jacket and holding a triple-neck electric guitar. Gruber, who runs the Apple-focused blog DaringFireball.net, was also joined by Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing. In a video clip from the interview, Joswiak pulls out an electric blue guitar from behind two chairs — prompting laughter and cheers from the crowd. Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for instance, has started competing in jiu-jitsu matches, and gained a shredded physique as a result.

Persons: Craig Federighi, Federighi, Apple's, John Gruber's, Gruber, Greg Joswiak, Joswiak, Craig, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Apple, company's, WWDC, YouTube

☆ Jack Dorsey says Elon Musk became 'reckless' and 'impatient' and rushed out new Twitter features that 'weren't thought out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In the interview posted Monday, Dorsey reflected on former Twitter CEO Elon Musk's management. Dorsey said he asked Musk to join Twitter's board many times before Musk joined in April of last year, during which Musk also agreed to buy Twitter. But when Musk tried to back out of buying the company, prompting a lawsuit from Twitter, Dorsey said that was "when things really went south." On the social media app, Bluesky users asked Dorsey whether he thought Musk was the "best possible" option as CEO for Twitter. I do have confidence in his new CEO," Dorsey said.

Persons: Jack Dorsey, Dorsey, Elon, Elon Musk's, Krystal Ball, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Musk, hasn't, Ron DeSantis, Linda Yaccarino, Elon Musk, Twitter Organizations: Twitter, Morning, Elon, Florida Gov, Bluesky

☆ Apple exec shows off his guitar skills, proves his guitar solo in pre-recorded event was legit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

While it received a lot of buzz, so did a surprising guitar solo from Apple exec Craig Federighi. Federighi demonstrated his guitar skills again during an interview this week. But a guitar solo from one Apple executive during the livestream may have stolen the show. In the pre-recorded video clip from the WWDC keynote stream, Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, is shown wearing a leather jacket and holding a triple-neck electric guitar. Gruber, who runs the Apple-focused blog DaringFireball.net, was also joined by Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Persons: Craig Federighi, Federighi, Apple's, John Gruber's, Gruber, Greg Joswiak, Joswiak, Craig Organizations: Apple, company's, WWDC, YouTube

☆ Mark Zuckerberg reportedly bashes Apple's Vision Pro: 'Every demo that they showed was a person sitting on a couch by themself'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Zuckerberg criticized Apple's Vision Pro headset at a companywide meeting, The Verge reported. He said that Meta's vision was "fundamentally social," while Apple's vision is "not the one I want." On paper, and even according to early hands-on impressions, Apple's headset looks far superior to Meta's — even if Apple's headset is exorbitantly more expensive. In the Thursday meeting, Zuckerberg said that Apple's headset design didn't have any innovations that Meta hadn't "already explored and thought of." Zuckerberg highlighted that, in the case of the Quest 3, Apple's headset "costs seven times more."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's, Zuckerberg, Apple, Meta, it's, Price, Read Organizations: Meta, Apple

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