DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ He’s Worked a Lot of Odd Jobs, and Has the Poems to Prove It
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Jeff Gordinier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

You can pick up the echo in “Fixer," the haunting second collection of poems from Edgar Kunz. The narrator of these poems bounces from one side hustle to another, each more absurd than the last. In “Model,” he’s paid to pose in jeans at a gas station. In “Shoulder Season,” he’s paid to slice window panes out of massive sheets of glass. I am notany of those things, but I amnot comfortedNo one will accuse Edgar Kunz of being out of step with the zeitgeist.

Persons: Edgar Kunz, Herman Melville, noncompliant scrivener, ”, Charles Bukowski’s, Edgar Kunz ., ” he’s, Kunz, —, you’re, WillRobotsTakeMyJob.Com, Edgar Kunz of, Raymond Carver, Kunz doesn’t flinch, “ Organizations: “ Locations: American

☆ CNN is reportedly in talks to bring in a British boss to clean up Chris Licht's mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Chris Johnston | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two British media figures have been linked with the top job at CNN, Semafor reported. Mark Thompson, the former New York Times Company CEO, is the "leading candidate," per the outlet. Not one, but two, British media figures have been linked with the role, Semafor first reported. Before an eight-year stint as The New York Times boss, he was director-general of the BBC. The decision to launch CNN Max comes about year after the company axed CNN+.

Persons: Semafor, Mark Thompson, James Harding, Chris Licht, Licht, Donald Trump, He'd, Jeff Zucker, Thompson, he'd, Semafor's Ben Smith, David Zaslav, Oli Scarff, Harding, WBD, CNN Max Organizations: CNN, New York Times Company, BBC News, Morning, The, Street Journal, New York Times, BBC, Financial Times, Washington DC, Max Locations: British, London, AFP, Asia, Washington

Stringer/AFP/Getty Images“Invisible age discrimination for 35-year-olds has always existed in the workplace,” lawmaker Jiang Shengnan told the gathering, reported state-run China Youth Daily. “Although I had really good work experience and a master’s degree, I’m really uncompetitive after 35 years old,” Tao Chen said in his Douyin video. New twist on an old storyFor many Chinese women, the “curse” builds upon and further compounds the entrenched gender discrimination that has long plagued the workplace. And even in areas where some protection was offered – such as for mothers taking maternity leave – enforcement of the law is weak, and gender discrimination remains common, she said. Costfoto/NurPhoto/Getty Images“A large amount of age discrimination is intersectionality – discrimination of age, gender, pregnancy, and caregiving duties,” said the assistant professor.

Persons: Han, She’s, “, ”, don’t, –, Stringer, Jiang Shengnan, hadn’t, Tao Chen, ” Tao Chen, Liu, ” Liu, Yiran Zhang, Zhang, Liu – Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Communist Party, Getty, Central Party School, Chinese Communist Party, Xinhua, ageism, Sichuan University, Cornell Law School, Employees Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Congjiang, AFP, Xinhua, “, Shenzhen, Suqian, Shenzhen –

☆ With Prigozhin dead, Putin has traded low-budget global reach for safety at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On Friday, the Kremlin's spokesperson said the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind the Wednesday plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin was "a complete lie." It was unavoidable payback for Prigozhin's insubordination, which culminated in a march towards Moscow with a column of his Wagner Group mercenaries. AdvertisementAdvertisementThose files were obtained from anonymous hackers who had pried them loose from the Wagner Group. Russia uses the Wagner Group to boost its military strength, but it is nothing like a conventional fighting force or diplomatic corps. Other reports suggest that the job replacing Wagner in Africa will fall to the GRU, Russia's military intelligence unit.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Prigozhin's, he'd, —, Putin, grandiosity, they'd, Alexander Lukashenko, James, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Wednesday, Wagner Group, Saint, Kremlin, Group, Central African, YouTube, Google, Wagner, Saint Petersburg, ISIS, Russia, Wall Street Journal, Russia's Ministry of Defence Locations: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Central African Republic, Russian, Ukraine, East, Africa, Saint, China, Belarus, Russia's

☆ Some recent college graduates say they're unprepared for the job search. Here are 5 tips to get work-ready.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Sophie Phillipson | Julie Phillipson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Recent college graduates may be feeling lost, especially with students returning to campuses. To help recent grads feel more work-ready, we wrote "Survive & Thrive." We wrote " Survive & Thrive: A Graduate's Guide to Life After University " to help recent grads navigate this new era in their lives and aid them in landing their dream jobs. In a 2023 survey from Intelligent.com, 40% of business leaders polled said they thought recent college graduates were ill-prepared to join the workforce. Many recent grads we talked to also felt like their colleges did not properly prepare them for the job search.

Persons: résumé, you've, I'd Organizations: Service, Life, Google Locations: Wall, Silicon, Intelligent.com

☆ Instacart's profitability relies in part on batching orders together — something that its gig workers hate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shoppers have told Insider that batching has led them to do more work for the same pay. Instead of having one shopper fill a single order at a time, Instacart has pushed its gig workers to shop and deliver multiple orders at once. But shoppers who have worked for Instacart for several years have told Insider that their pay per order has decreased since batching became widespread. One Instacart shopper in Utah told Insider earlier this year that three-order batches, which shoppers call "triples," have become commonplace. Are you an Instacart shopper with a story to share?

Persons: batching, Instacart, — Organizations: Service, SEC, Shoppers Locations: Wall, Silicon, Utah

☆ Instacart files to go public on Nasdaq to try and unfreeze tech IPO market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Instacart, the grocery delivery company that slashed its valuation during last year's market slide, filed its paperwork to go public on Friday in what's poised to be the first significant venture-backed tech IPO since December 2021. In May, Instacart said it was leaning into the generative AI boom with Ask Instacart, a search tool that aims to answer customers' grocery shopping questions. Instacart will try and crack open the IPO market, which has been mostly closed since late 2021. In March of last year, Instacart slashed its valuation to $24 billion from $39 billion as public stocks sank. Apoorva Mehta, Instacart's founder and executive chairman, plans to transition off the board after the company's public market debut, according to a 2022 release.

Persons: Instacart, Fidji Simo, haven't, Japan's SoftBank, Uber, They've, Simo, Mark Zuckerberg, Apoorva Mehta, Barry McCarthy, Snowflake, Frank Slootman, Andreessen Horowitz's Jeff Jordan, Shipt, Goldman Sachs, Nick Giovanni Organizations: Nasdaq, PepsiCo, Maplebear Inc, Target, Walmart, Meta, Walmart Grocery, Google, Sequoia Capital, DJ Capital Partners, Norges Bank Investment Management, TCV, D1 Capital Partners, Valiant Capital Management Locations: what's

☆ Tom Dotan — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Tom Dotan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tom DotanTom Dotan is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering Microsoft, Salesforce and other business tech companies. He joined the Journal from Business Insider, where he covered the gig economy, and broke stories about executive turnover at Uber, Instacart's failed bid to sell itself and issues around food waste at food-delivery companies. Before that Tom was one of the first reporters at the Information, where he primarily covered Hollywood and how the streaming revolution caused turmoil in the traditional media business. His coverage of Disney during this period won a Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (Sabew) award. Aside from a six-year stint living in Los Angeles, he has lived all his life in Northern California.

Persons: Tom Dotan Tom Dotan, Instacart's, Tom Organizations: Wall, Microsoft, Journal, Business, Disney, Society Locations: Los Angeles, Northern California

☆ Popular online side hustles can earn up to $9,750 a month—the No. 1 downside few people warn you about
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Jim Battan, pictured with his wife, Lisa Battan, beside their backyard pool in West Linn, Oregon. Those earnings can significantly outpace the average U.S. side hustle's $810 per month, according to a May Bankrate survey. CNBC Make It spoke to a group of high-earners across multiple online platforms, some of whom bring in six figures per year from their side jobs. While it is true we have more pools being hosted on the platform, popular pools continue to see their pools booked out in well in advance." Kingsley OnyemaliIn the fall of 2022, he noticed a change: The site was organizing search results by lowest prices, instead of customer feedback.

Persons: Jim Battan, Lisa Battan, Jim Battan Battan, Battan, Swimply, Bunim Laskin, Kingsley Onyemali, Onyemali, it's, Tasker Organizations: CNBC, Facebook, TaskRabbit Locations: West Linn , Oregon, Etsy, Linn , Oregon, Austin , Texas, Tasker

☆ Remote jobs are becoming more 'gig-like' as workers feel detached from their company's mission, Gallup finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Remote workers say their connection to their company and its mission feels increasingly "gig-like," Gallup finds. According to a new Gallup survey, a record low 28% of remote workers felt their company's mission made them feel their job is important, down from 32% last year and 37% in 2020. Remote workers are also on the whole feeling less loyal, which could impact employee retention and productivity. For some companies, remote work fits since employers trust their workers to get the job done. Hybrid and fully remote workers did not have improvements in engagement, though 38% of both groups still report feeling engaged.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, what's, — Organizations: Gallup, Service, Meta, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Manufacturing Survey, Business Locations: Wall, Silicon, India

☆ Vivek Ramaswamy was a breakout star on the presidential debate stage, but his antics appear to have made him less favorable to potential voters: poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was the breakout star of the first GOP debate on Wednesday. According to a series of polls taken by the Washington Post/FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos in the lead up to the first Republican presidential debate, 13% of Republican primary voters had an "unfavorable" view of Ramaswamy before he took the stage. After the debate, the poll found, 26% of potential primary voters who watched the debate rated Ramaswamy the winner, behind only DeSantis. Throughout the debate, Ramaswamy jumped in as often as he could, seizing the second-largest portion of speaking time, according to the New York Times. The other candidates, however, didn't let Ramaswamy simply get away with his repeated attacks on the debate stage.

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, didn't, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, —, Andrew Yang Organizations: Service, Washington Post, Republican, New York Times, New, New Jersey Gov, South Carolina Gov, White, Trump, GOP, Democratic, Trump Administration, Biden Administration Locations: Wall, Silicon, New Jersey

☆ A hidden consequence of the gig economy is that workers keep asking customers for sex or dates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Businesses in food and parcel delivery often rely on large numbers of gig-economy workers. The UK's data watchdog found some of these workers are propositioning customers. "People have the right to order a pizza [...] without then being asked for sex," a watchdog said. A growing number of firms, particularly in delivery, transport, or logistics, rely on gig economy or contract workers. One consequence is that sensitive customer information, such as phone numbers and addresses, is accessible to casual workers.

Persons: Emily Keaney, Keaney Organizations: Service, ICO, Etihad Airways, Guardian Locations: Wall, Silicon, London

☆ I'm a Dallas mom who left Uber and Lyft to drive for Alto where I can get health insurance and a 401(k) — here's why it's a much better side gig
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I tried driving for Uber and Lyft from 2015 until 2020 off and on. AdvertisementAdvertisementIf I work one 10-hour shift a week, I can remain an Alto driver, and as a driver you're paid by the hour — not by how many trips you book. I recently had a schedule change at my full-time job to mornings, so now I work evenings as an Alto driver. Driving with Alto has the structure and certainty of a full-time jobWith Alto, we have set shifts, like regular employees going into an office. As an Alto driver, you also have the option to get health benefits and a 401(k) because all drivers are W2 employees.

Persons: Tamara Smith, Uber, I've, It's, Lyft, overnights —, isn't, Tamara Smith's Organizations: Service, Alto, Foods, FAA Locations: Dallas, Wall, Silicon, Dallas , Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, San Francisco, Alto, New Orleans, RideCheck

☆ I work as a creative director for a YouTube star. Here's what my job is like and how I got the role.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Preston White is YouTube star Ryan Trahan's creative director. When Preston White applied to compete in YouTube star Ryan Trahan's new video series, he didn't think it would lead to a major career — and life — change. White and two other contestants — including Zach Levet (who also landed a job with Trahan) — ended up as finalists in Trahan's three-part video series. For the video series, the contestants spent almost a week straight with Trahan, which led to White, Levet, and Trahan keeping in touch after the competition. YouTube creators typically set their own schedules, and they can choose to work as much, or as little, as they want.

Persons: Preston White, Ryan Trahan's, White, —, Ryan Higa, Zach Levet, Trahan, There's, YouTubers, Ryan, They'll, they'll Organizations: YouTube, Walmart Locations: Austin , Texas, Trahan's, Austin

☆ Lawmakers weigh tax rule 'backslide' for Venmo, PayPal users, says analyst. What it means for you
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There's bipartisan support for the changeThe lower Form 1099-K thresholds were originally slated for 2022. watch nowThe Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee in June approved legislation to revert the reporting thresholds back to 2022 levels. Form 1099-K has 'always been problematic'Meanwhile, there are lingering worries among tax professionals about the 1099-K change. For businesses selling goods, she said Form 1099-K may not accurately reflect returns or adjustments. How to prepare for the 1099-K reporting change

Persons: Sherrod Brown, Bill Cassidy, Rosenthal, AICPA, Phyllis Jo Kubey, Kubey Organizations: PayPal, IRS, Republican, Sens, American Institute of CPAs, New York State Society of Locations: Ohio, New York

☆ Your dog could fetch $100 an hour as a canine ambassador for peanut butter, Honest Paws says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Does your pup love peanut butter? Natural pet wellness company Honest Paws is seeking canine ambassadors to represent its own peanut butter product, according to a news release. Dogs can enjoy peanut butter regularly, but experts advise avoiding peanut butter that contains xylitol, a sugar-free substitute that is highly toxic for pets, according to the National Peanut Board. Honest Paws says its peanut butter pouches do not contain the ingredient, according to its website. Applications for the canine ambassador role are open until September 1, according to Honest Paws.

Persons: ” Organizations: CNN, National Peanut Board, American Kennel

☆ Remote workers are falling behind in one major way: They're forgetting how to hang out with people
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But, unlike the Great Recession, there's been no rebound in chatting with each other even as more workers return to the office. All of a sudden, life and work could happen on their own terms, and where they wanted it. And some people may not want to socialize, or can't lead a social life the way they had before COVID, whether due to illness or other factors, such as increased susceptibility to disease. While quiet time and working from home might be a boon for work life, there's still the challenge of fitting socializing around it. "Now, on a Thursday I'm more likely to see people like a couple coming in and they're splitting their entrée."

Persons: hasn't, We're, Griffin Leeds, There's, I've, there's, haven't, Yvette Sheline, Emily Hessney Lynch, Lynch, It's, —, Sheline, it's, I'm Organizations: Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Center, Neuromodulation, University of Pennsylvania, Survey, Leeds Locations: Wall, Silicon, Brooklyn

☆ Elon Musk is on a glittery Tokyo summer vacation with Grimes and his son X. I've been to the same art exhibit he went to, and I've got to say — the man knows what's fun.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk, Grimes, and their son X are in Tokyo. Musk posted videos and photos of TeamLab Planets Tokyo's massive light exhibit. Musk posted a clip of what appeared to be part of the sprawling TeamLab Planets Tokyo exhibit in Odaiba. And it seems Musk and Grimes' son, X, was also in tow, and equally fascinated by the lights. This trip to Japan is Musk's second trip to Asia this year, and his first trip to Japan in close to a decade, per The Japan Times.

Persons: Elon Musk, Grimes, X, Musk, hasn't, Ma Organizations: Makuhari Messe, Japan Times Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Chiba ., Asia, China

☆ The dog days of summer are boom days for divorce filings. But the economy is making it tough.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Alexandra Peers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —The dog days of summer are boom times for divorce filings. You can’t quite inflation-proof your divorce, they noted, but there are steps to take to blunt the economy’s impact on it. ljubaphoto/E+/Getty ImagesIf you refinance, you’ll also have to qualify for a new loan based on one income. Also, divorce attorneys stress, expect the strains and time-consuming duties of divorce to, at least temporarily, trim gig income. “I have clients who have put off divorce because of the economy,” said Manhattan accountant Marc Albaum.

Persons: Jaime Davis, Brandon Bell, you’ll, Scott Trout, Cordell, Appraising, Sid Bass, Anne, Anne Bass, Edgar Degas, Mark Rothko, Degas, ”, Victor Weiner, hasn’t, “, Marc Albaum, “ One’s, ‘, Covid, That’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Veterans Affairs, Cordell, Appraisers Association of America, Wall, Consumer, CPI Locations: New York, Raleigh , North Carolina, Houston , Texas, Manhattan, Covid

☆ Cisco CEO says AI is already becoming a huge new market after it 'missed' the initial cloud computing boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cisco CEO surprised analysts by mentioning it had already sold half a billion dollars of AI gear. Cisco is trying to woo cloud companies away from offerings by Nvidia. "To date, we have taken orders for over half a billion dollars for AI Ethernet fabrics. But Robbins says this new AI cloud market will be triple or more the size of the original and, this time, he plans to make sure Cisco gets its share. And, you know, unfortunately for us, as it's been well documented, we missed the original cloud build out," Robbins said.

Persons: it's, Chuck Robbins, That's, Infiniband, Robbins, Morgan Stanley, Meta Marshall, Julie Bort Organizations: Cisco, Nvidia, Morning, Mellanox Technologies, AMD, Arista, Broadcom, HPE, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Arista Networks, Twitter

☆ How 'RuPaul's Drag Race' queen Mrs. Kasha Davis gave up an 18-year career to become a drag queen
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Popil began spending his nights performing as drag queen Mrs. Kasha Davis in 2004, and appeared on "RuPaul's Drag Race" in 2015 at age 43. I got to get on stage, have fun and create the character of Mrs. Kasha Davis: married lady, international celebrity housewife. "RuPaul's Drag Race" is like the Olympics of drag, and "All Stars" comes with even higher expectations from fans. I've seen some contestants of "RuPaul's Drag Race" spend thousands, up to $10,000 per look, in order to compete on the runway. Mrs. Kasha Davis

Persons: Ed Popil's isn't, Popil, Kasha Davis, Stephen Levins, Davis, there'd, Pandora Boxx, —, There's, they're, Let's, I've, who's, He's, it's, What's Organizations: CNBC, Hallmark Locations: Rochester , New York, Rochester —, Darienne

New York CNN —Lyft and Uber threatened to stop doing business in Minneapolis after the city council adopted a new rule Thursday that would set a minimum wage for rideshare drivers. In a 7-5 vote, the Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance that includes a number of rideshare worker protections, including a minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers. Minneapolis is debating the minimum wage as gig workers across the country are advocating for fair wages and job benefits. Uber sent an email to its drivers on Monday, urging them to contact the Mayor and City Council to ask them to oppose the move. Uber said its drivers sent over 700 emails on Thursday, but did not specify what was in those emails.

Persons: New York CNN — Lyft, Uber, Jacob Frey, Lyft, “, ”, Frey, ” Uber, Ally Peters, Mayor Frey Organizations: New, New York CNN, Minneapolis City Council, Uber, CNN, Mayor, City Council, New York City Locations: New York, Minneapolis, City, California

☆ Gig workers are tracking customers who reduce tips after delivery by marking their homes on Google Maps
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Workers for Instacart and other delivery apps are marking tip-baiters on Google Maps. Several points labeled "Tip Baiter" disappeared from Google Maps after Insider reached out to Google for comment. Some gig workers are fighting back and warning colleagues not to take orders from tip baiters by labeling customers' homes on Google Maps. But several points labeled "Tip Baiter" disappeared from Google Maps after Insider reached out to Google for comment on this story. The Minnesota shopper told Insider about another Costco order she delivered to a restaurant outside of the Twin Cities.

Persons: Instacart Organizations: Instacart, Google, Service, Costco, Workers, Walmart, Twin, North Carolina Locations: Wall, Silicon, Minnesota, Milwaukee , Wisconsin, Twin Cities, North

☆ Forget the six-figure UPS gig. You can make $180,000 at In-N-Out, writes burger heiress Lynsi Snyder in her new book.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder reveals new details about the chain in her book set to be released in October. "He knew that to develop loyal helpers, he needed to provide them with promotions, more responsibility, and more pay," Snyder wrote. In the book, Lynsi Snyder describes how employees are rewarded, from entry-level cashiers to six-figure salary managers. Once employees learn these early tasks, they can be "trusted with our burgers," Lynsi Snyder wrote. Lynsi Snyder, 41, inherited control of the family business in 2017 and became one of the youngest billionaires in the US.

Persons: Lynsi Snyder, Snyder, That's, Harry, Esther Snyder, Harry Snyder, wouldn't Organizations: Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Produce, Employees Locations: Wall, Silicon, Chipotle, Southern California, — Texas, Oregon, Colorado

☆ 3 business owners share the one change they made to turn everything round and start making money
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Business owners might make mistakes when they first start, which could cost them income. It takes some business owners months, or even years, to land their first customers or start making a profit. These three business owners approached their work wrong and each one made a change to their approach that prompted success. He tried selling products through Amazon FBA and drop-shipping, spending between about $2,000 and $3,000 on each. "Rather than selling brand names on Amazon, I saw a big opportunity with personalized gifts on Etsy," he said.

Persons: Erik Soto Ayala, Soto Ayala, Read, Lindsey Bomgren, Bomgren, Alexa Nizam, Nizam, Alexandra Fasulo, Fasulo Organizations: Amazon, Google, Lululemon

Search resuls for: "Gig"

25 mentions found