DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ If X allows GIF profile pics, I will literally die
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A designer for X (formerly Twitter) polled users about adding animated GIFs for profile pics. gif profile pics (they’d be optional obvs) — Andrea Conway (@ehikian) November 1, 2023There's one particular part of the minority who feels especially passionate about this: the tiny handful of people who still have animated GIF avatars. Eventually, in 2013, then- CEO Dick Costolo , who found the GIF avatars annoying, closed the loophole. AdvertisementAdvertisementOver the years, the number of those who held onto animated GIF avatars dwindled. I also find myself in a unique position to know that many people want animated GIF avatars.

Persons: —, Andrea Conway, — Andrea Conway, Dick Costolo, I've, I'm, Andrea, David Hasslelhoff, Elon, Fidelity, @weedhitter Organizations: Twitter, Service, X Premium Locations: @ehikian, irrelevance

☆ 'Big Show' Maxwell blasts World Cup light show
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - After smashing the Netherlands bowlers into submission with a record-breaking century, Glenn Maxwell unleashed against World Cup organisers for putting on a "horrible" mid-match light show during Australia's massive 309-run win. He covered his eyes in the field as the stadium morphed into a virtual nightclub with flashing lights and thumping beats. "I had something like that light show happen at Perth Stadium during a Big Bash game," Maxwell said after recording the fastest century in 50-over World Cup history. "So I just try and cover up as much as I possibly can and ignore it but it's a horrible, horrible idea. His team mate David Warner, who also scored a century in the Dutch demolition, had a different view.

Persons: Glenn Maxwell, Arun, Maxwell, David Warner, Ian Ransom, Christopher Cushing Organizations: World, Perth, Twitter, Zealand, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Netherlands, Dharamsala, Melbourne

Rep. Jim Jordan received his party’s nomination for speaker on Friday, becoming the second nominee after Majority Leader Steve Scalise abruptly abandoned his bid for the role a day earlier. The Ohio Republican fell more than 60 votes short of the threshold needed to become speaker in a test vote on Friday. Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, was known for years as an outspoken critic of leadership positioned squarely among the party’s right flank. Still, some moderates, along with Democrats, staunchly oppose a Jordan speakership, making a bipartisan path forward possible. Some have floated a bipartisan effort to empower Rep. Patrick McHenry, who has been serving as speaker pro tempore since McCarthy’s ouster, or even elect the North Carolina Republican as speaker.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy’s, Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, he’s, Dan Crenshaw, Jordan speakership, Jordan, Crenshaw, ’ “, ”, McCarthy, Kevin Hern, Mike Johnson of, Patrick McHenry, McCarthy’s, Hakeem Jeffries, ” Jordan, “, Mike Turner, balk Organizations: GOP, The Ohio Republican, Committee, ”, CNN, House Republicans, Fox News, North Carolina Republican, NBC, Democrats, Republican Conference, Ohio Republican, CBS, Capitol Locations: Jordan, Texas, Oklahoma, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Ohio, Israel

CNN —A number of House Republicans are in talks to block Rep. Jim Jordan’s path to the speakership as the Ohio Republican tries to force a floor vote on Tuesday, according to multiple GOP sources. The GOP source said that Jordan may decide to go to multiple ballots on the floor if necessary. Video Ad Feedback Republican's claim about Jim Jordan stuns Jake Tapper 01:07 - Source: CNNYet there is still sizable opposition to Jordan. Video Ad Feedback What's going on with the House GOP? That means Jordan or any other Republican nominee can only afford to lose four GOP votes on the floor if every Democrat votes for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Persons: Jim Jordan’s, Jordan, I’ve, “, Katherine Clark, Jim Jordan, Jake Tapper, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, ”, Scalise, –, Hakeem Jeffries, Dan Crenshaw, ” Crenshaw Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Ohio Republican, Republican, GOP, Jordan’s, CNN’s, Union Locations: Ohio, Texas, CNN’s “ State

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders doesn’t want anyone sleeping on what's happening with his reconstructed Colorado Buffaloes. Who wants to stay up until 8 o'clock for a darn game?” Sanders said on his weekly radio show. When the Buffaloes (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) played Colorado State on Sept. 16 — kickoff was at 8:21 p.m. Mountain — the game didn’t finish until 12:25 a.m. One thing Sanders is a fan of: Stanford (1-4, 0-3) and first-year Cardinal coach Troy Taylor. Colorado boasts five of the eight top-watched college football games this season in terms of viewership, according to research provided from the school.

Persons: — Deion Sanders, isn't, “, ” Sanders, Mark Johnson, Sanders, It's, God we’re, Cardinal, Troy Taylor, Dwayne “, ” Johnson, Lil Wayne, Terrell Owens, Kevin Garnett, ” Taylor, they’ve Organizations: Colorado Buffaloes, It's, Buffaloes, Stanford, Folsom, Colorado State, Washington State, Buffs, Rams, ESPN, Colorado, AP Locations: BOULDER, Colo, Southern California, Colorado

☆ J.D. Vance Is Not Your Usual Political Opportunist - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Michelle Cottle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

“Most Republican grass roots voters are not sympathetic to the dumbest version of the election conspiracy. More important, the “dumbest” version of the stolen election conspiracy is precisely what Mr. Trump and his enablers have been aggressively spreading for years. It is what drove the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, landed many rioters in prison, led to Fox News paying a $787.5 million defamation settlement and prompted grand juries to indict Mr. Trump in federal and state courts. Mr. Vance may want to believe that most Republicans are too smart to buy such lunacy, but he is too smart not to recognize the damage to American democracy being wrought by that lunacy. As for those who criticize his approach, Mr. Vance saw them as out of sync with voters.

Persons: ”, “, Mr, Vance, Trump, Washington, ” Rather Organizations: U.S . Capitol, Fox News, Republican Party, Democratic Party Locations: American

He later addressed supporters outside a boat manufacturing facility, where he showed off a slew of new South Carolina endorsements, including from the state's attorney general, its secretary of state, its House majority leader and other members of the South Carolina House of Representatives. While his rivals have been busy holding town halls and visiting local diners, Trump has spent much of the last months responding to his mounting legal troubles. Beyond his complaints with the press, Trump lashed out at Mark Milley, the retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over phone calls he made to China in the final stormy months of Trump’s presidency. But Trump on Friday claimed Milley had committed “an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! Ambassador and current GOP rival Nikki Haley, a native of South Carolina, calling her “Birdbrain."

Persons: Donald Trump ramped, Glock, Trump, Joe, ” Trump, Mark Milley, Milley, “, ”, —, Mitch McConnell, ’, New Jersey Sen, Bob Menendez, Lockheed Martin, Nikki Haley, Howard Stern, Michelle Price Organizations: Republican, South Carolina House of, GOP, Trump, NBC, MSNBC, Fake News Media, Joint Chiefs of Staff, USA, Democratic, New, Strike Fighter, U.S . Air Force, Lockheed, Boeing, ___ Associated Locations: SUMMERVILLE, S.C, South Carolina, Summerville, Carolina, Michigan, China, United States, U.S, New Jersey, Columbia, New York

☆ Elon Musk chalked up his baseless tweet about Nancy Pelosi's husband to a tendency to post 'some things that are going to be stupid'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk didn't feel too bad about tweeting a baseless conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi, according to a new book. "I am who I am," Musk reportedly said during a series of meetings with Twitter staff and advertisers. "I'm going to tweet some things that are going to be stupid," Musk also reportedly said. "I am who I am," biographer Walter Isaacson quotes Musk as saying during a series of meetings. "My Twitter account is an extension of me personally, and, like, I'm going to tweet some things that are going to be stupid, and I'm going to make mistakes.

Persons: Elon, Paul Pelosi, Musk, Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Pelosi, Isaacson, — Musk, — Organizations: Twitter, Service, Santa Monica Observer, CNBC Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Kevin Hart ends up in wheelchair after being ‘dumbest man alive’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Trying to do “young stuff” has temporarily landed Kevin Hart in a wheelchair. That’s according to the movie star, who posted a video on his verified Instagram account in which the caption reads in part, “I got to be the dumbest man alive!!!! !”Using some expletives in both the caption and the video, Hart recounted how he tried to race his friend, former NFL player Stevan Ridley, in a 40-yard dash and ended up injuring himself. Respect that age.”He then announced that he was in a wheelchair for trying to do some “young man stuff.”Hart said he bet Ridley he could beat him in the sprint, but was humbled. HEAL UP AND PEEKP MAKING US ALL LAUGH!”In 2019, Hart suffered “major back injuries” following a car crash.

Persons: ”, Kevin Hart, “, Hart, Stevan Ridley, ” Hart, Ridley, ” Ridley Organizations: CNN, NFL, New England Patriots

☆ Elon Musk and new CEO Linda Yaccarino kept Twitter staff in the dark during the days of 'rate limit' chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk abruptly decided to give all Twitter users a maximum amount of access to the site. Twitter workers have received little communication on the change from Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino. The change allows users to view only a certain number of Tweets before being prevented from interacting with the site. "Neither of them have said anything about what's going on," one of the people familiar said, referring to Musk and new CEO Linda Yaccarino. Once Musk decided to implement the rate limit, many Twitter workers asked in private Slack channels if it was a permanent change.

Persons: Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Musk, Chris Riedy, Yoel Roth, Twitter's, Sheldon Chang, Chang, Riedy, Lou Paskalis, Kali Hays Organizations: Twitter, AJL, Reuters Locations: khays

☆ American companies are draining their cash at the dumbest possible time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Companies are sitting on a lot less cash than they were last year, largely because they’re spending it on share buybacks and corporate dividends. What’s happening: A new report from Moody’s Investors Service finds that nonfinancial companies’ corporate cash declined 12% last year to $2 trillion. But debt was flat year over year, meaning that companies didn’t use much of their cash reserves to pay down outstanding loans. Now that it’s more expensive to borrow, companies in the US should reconsider the amount of money they’re spending on buybacks, he added. Preventing companies from repurchasing their own shares, they argue, would free corporate cash to invest in growth and raise wages instead.

Persons: Emile El Nems, ”, Ben Lofthouse, Janus Henderson, ” El Nems, Joe Biden, buybacks, “, Brian Moynihan, Moynihan, CNN’s Poppy Harlow, Nathaniel Meyersohn, That’s Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN — Companies, Moody’s Investors Service, Moody’s, Federal Reserve, Bank of America, Corporations, ”, CNN, Commerce Department, UBS Locations: New York, buybacks

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Ocasio-Cortez tweet on Titanic submersible from parody account
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A tweet by a parody account impersonating U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with the suggestion of pumping oxygen into the ocean to save passengers of a submersible vessel that went missing during a journey to the wreckage of the Titanic, is being taken seriously by users online. The account, which uses the handle @AOCpressTwo and the username Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody), has a bio that reads: “I'm the boss - you mad bro? The authentic Twitter account for Ocasio-Cortez is @AOC (www.twitter.com/AOC). Reuters reported that a five-person submersible vessel went missing on June 18 while taking tourists to view the wreckage of the Titanic. The tweet was posted by an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez parody Twitter account.

Persons: Representative Alexandria Ocasio, bro, “ She’s, Cortez, Read Organizations: Representative, Cortez, Reuters Locations: Cortez, Alexandria

☆ Wall Street is empowering its employees to build their own tech tools. But who is keeping track of all this stuff?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A story about training non-tech workers that has nothing to do with ChatGPT? Man Group, a $144 billion investment firm, has a popular training program to get non-tech workers up to speed on coding and data-science. Programs like <develop>, along with the rise of ChatGPT, speak to a wider trend across Wall Street of enabling employees to build their own tools despite not having a background in tech. Empowering people to build their own tools and apps to streamline their work seems great on paper. Read more about how Man Group teaches non-tech workers programming skills that help them save time.

And so whenever I get one of those notifications, I know I’m going to have a good time there. kevin roose[LAUGHS]: I actually don’t think I could’ve told you what IBM stood for. kevin rooseSo I’ve thought a lot and written a lot about how and when AI actually is a threat to jobs. The third category is just the jobs that I think are going to be protected, the jobs that we won’t let AI do. But I don’t actually think the speed of it matters at all.

☆ Two Americans Take a Chance in Playa del Carmen, Mexico: Which Condo Did They Buy?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Debra Kamin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Morien Wark and Zoelle Appell had long been fond of Mexico, particularly Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town where they had spent many vacations over the years. By New Year’s Eve, they were in Playa del Carmen. “This move was always something that was in the back of our mind,” Mr. Wark said. Unlike her husband, Ms. Appell does not speak Spanish, but the fast-growing expatriate community made it easier for her to get by. Late last year, after selling their Portland house for $650,000, Mr. Wark and Ms. Appell set up a fideicomiso and began house hunting in Playa del Carmen.

☆ Snapchat's AI tool is a total fail with users
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Snapchat's AI tool made its debut across the application last week, and users aren't loving it. Only Snapchat+ subscribers can opt out of the service, which is powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT. My AI, Snapchat's ChatGPT-powered chatbot, launched to all Snapchat users earlier this month, and ever since, the app has been met with a surge of one-star reviews in the App Store. The feature, which offers a more stripped down version of OpenAI's now ubiquitous tool, was first introduced to Snapchat+ subscribers at the end of February. My own screenshotThe tool's access of personal information — including a user's location — has also been criticized for being creepy.

☆ Upfront's Mark Suster has become the star of LA's booming startup scene. Not everyone is a fan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

"I have worked with more than 50 VCs and nobody comes close to what it is like to work with Mark Suster," said a founder backed by Suster. "Mark and the Upfront Summit helped put LA tech and investing on the map," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the cofounder of DreamWorks and WndrCo. Several years ago, a founder whose startup Suster invested in was in a conference room rehearsing their presentation for the Upfront Summit. If you're going to put him on your board, you're letting the fox guard the henhouse. "If you're going to put him on your board, you're letting the fox guard the henhouse."

☆ Psychotherapist shares 7 things mentally strong kids never do — and how to teach them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

If you want your kids to succeed in life, teach them to be mentally strong, says psychotherapist Amy Morin. Knowing what mentally strong kids never do can help you identify the types of unhealthy behaviors that may stand in your child's way. Mentally strong kids don't avoid challengesChildren are often afraid to try new things, like playing a new sport or instrument, because they don't think they'll be good at it, Morin says. But trying difficult things can open up your kids to new skills and offer important lessons on dealing with failure, says Morin. "It's important for kids to know you have feelings too, or you struggle with certain things," Morin says.

☆ Bernie Sanders says Silicon Valley Bank's failure is the 'direct result' of a Trump-era bank regulation policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Bernie Sanders is blaming a Trump-era policy for the Silicon Valley Bank run. "Now is not the time for US taxpayers to bail out Silicon Valley Bank. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shut down the Silicon Valley Bank on Friday following a catastrophic bank run. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has now become the largest bank failure in the US since the 2008 financial crisis. However, startups with money in Silicon Valley Bank exceeding $250,000 are now in danger of not being able to make payroll next week.

☆ The Justice Department investigated Jeffrey Epstein's death. Then it went silent.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Jeffrey Epstein's death in a federal jail was seen as a shocking Justice Department failure. But more than three years later, the office still hasn't released its report into the circumstances of Epstein's death. "We all took it by surprise," Mark Epstein told Insider. Barr tasked the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, and the FBI with investigating "the circumstances of Mr. Epstein's death." Mark Epstein told Insider that he spoke to his brother about once a month in the years before his death.

☆ 3 of Warren Buffett's biggest investing mistakes—and what every investor can learn from them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Consequently, our extensive collection of businesses currently consists of a few enterprises that have truly extraordinary economics, many that enjoy very good economic characteristics, and a large group that are marginal," Buffett wrote. But in the spirit of humility, let's take a look at three of Buffett's worst decisions, and what investors can learn from them. "What I had assessed as a durable competitive advantage vanished within a few years," Buffett wrote in his 2007 letter to shareholders. Compounding the mistake, Buffett paid $443 million for the company in Berkshire stock rather than cash. "As a financial disaster, this one deserves a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records," Buffett wrote in his 2014 shareholder letter.

☆ CEO of Hilton says a Porsche was the dumbest thing he ever bought: 'I spent all my money on that stupid car'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta says selling his black Porsche 944 was the best financial decision he ever made. "I spent all my money on that stupid car." Since 2007, Nassetta has driven something more practical: a four-door Lexus sedan he bought just after landing the top role at Hilton. In 2020, the mechanic called Nassetta to say he'd found someone nearby with the vehicle — but it was barely running. Together, Nassetta and the mechanic spent two years repairing the car, completing the project last May.

☆ Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky made a $220 million mistake—it turned his startup into a $5 billion company
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Today, Kind is a big name in the snacks industry, reportedly valued at $5 billion when it was acquired by food giant Mars in 2020. There was just a single catch: The deal called for Lubetzky to sell the company within five years. Lubetzky had to assemble $220 million for the deal, a mix of company cash and millions of dollars in bank loans. CNBC Make It: What were you thinking as the deadline to sell Kind approached? I am still a meaningful stakeholder in Kind today, and I still guide them.

☆ Fraud Economy: How Current Economic Trends Lead to More Corporate Scams
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Get ready for what will feel like an inescapable wave of corporate fraud. And as interest rates have risen, the stock market has fallen off — which makes it harder to get dollars by whipping up new investors or offering stock. Despite Scheck's assertion that the risk of a wave of corporate fraud has heightened, he didn't want to speak in historical analogies. There be icebergsOf course, there's also fraud that goes undetected in times of easy money — companies where the very act of existing means stretching the truth. Kreuger had managed to hide that he had stretched the company's finances beyond solvency by raising money on the US stock market while it was raging.

☆ Great Fraud Reckoning Will Expose Scam Companies, Cause Stock Market Chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Get ready for what will feel like an inescapable wave of corporate fraud. And as interest rates have risen, the stock market has fallen off — which makes it harder to get dollars by whipping up new investors or offering stock. Despite Scheck's assertion that the risk of a wave of corporate fraud has heightened, he didn't want to speak in historical analogies. Kreuger had managed to hide that he had stretched the company's finances beyond solvency by raising money on the US stock market while it was raging. That may have been enough when the stock market was on a heater and investors were winning, but it's not enough when the stock market is falling, the economy is slowing, and everyone from regulators to lawmakers to kids on TikTok want answers.

Search resuls for: "dumbest"

25 mentions found