DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A business class airline passenger who ordered vegan food says it was insulting to be served one banana along with a pair of chopsticks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A passenger on a Japan Airlines flight ordered vegan food but was disappointed to be given a banana. Japan Airlines apologized for not meeting expectations for its vegan offering. Kris Chari told Insider he booked to fly business class on Tuesday from Jakarta in Indonesia to Tokyo in Japan. A spokesperson from Japan Airlines told Insider: "We apologize for not being able to meet expectations." Chari said the second vegan meal he received was spaghetti.

☆ Astronaut Tim Peake says Europe's space agency avoids hiring people who say they would live and die on Mars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Astronaut Tim Peake said Europe's space agency avoids hiring people who want a one-way trip to Mars. The ESA wants people who are thoughtful and aware of risk mitigation, Peake told the FT.Peake added there were hurdles to overcome to reach Mars safely. During an interview with the Financial Times, published on Monday, Peake said those types of people were not who the space agency was looking for when hiring candidates. Peake told the FT that before getting there, "we have to get over the hurdles of getting to Mars safely." "I absolutely do not see us having a problem with getting to Mars and creating safe habitats on Mars," Peake told the FT.

☆ From free meals to massages, here are 8 of the top perks enjoyed by Big Tech workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The cost-cutting measures have caused some tech firms to cut back on employee perks. Here are some of the best office perks that employees have enjoyed in recent years. Big Tech companies such as Google and Meta have tried to cut costs by dropping perks and restricting work travel. From lavish lunches to on-site pampering, here are eight of the most indulgent company perks tech workers have received over the years. Google staff could enjoy on-site massagesGoogle is known for having on-site gyms and masseuses on some of its campuses.

☆ Russian oligarchs' superyachts have avoided the US west coast and the Mediterranean since Russia invaded Ukraine, heat maps show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian oligarchs' superyachts were detected in different regions after the Ukraine war began. Heat maps show oligarchs' yachts have avoided America's west coast and the Mediterranean. The MediterraneanSpire MaritimeSpire's data found that the Mediterranean was a hotspot for Russian oligarchs' superyachts before Russia invaded Ukraine. Turkey still offers a safe haven for Russian oligarchs' assets because it's yet to sanction Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. Arabian SeaSpire MaritimeSpire's data also honed in on the movements of Russian oligarchs' yachts around the Arabian Sea.

☆ Some Starlink customers say they're nervous that SpaceX will continue hiking prices after their subscription cost jumped to $120 a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It's the second time SpaceX has increased Starlink prices in a year. Some customers said they were worried SpaceX would increase prices further. It's the second time in a year that SpaceX has hiked Starlink service prices. Multiple Starlink customers who were notified about the price increase this week told Insider they weren't happy about paying more for the service. The company's email to customers said the company was launching more satellites to increase Starlink capacity and frequently updating the network to improve the service.

☆ A first-generation iPhone from 2007 sold for $63,356 at auction — more than 100 times its original price
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Apple iPhone from 2007 sold for more than $63,000 at an auction on Sunday. It sold for more than 100 times higher than its original sale price of $599. It's the highest price an original iPhone has been sold for. LCG Auctions, which handled the auction, said on its website the device went for $63,356.40, which was more than 100 times its original price. More than 15 years ago, Apple sold the original iPhone for $599.

☆ SpaceX invites customers to try global roaming Starlink service, which costs $800 upfront and works almost anywhere on land
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX unveiled in an email to customers its global roaming service for Starlink internet. The service costs $200 per month and $599 for the Starlink kit, emails appear to show. "Global Roaming services are contingent on regulatory approvals," SpaceX said in the email, linking to its map, which shows where Starlink is authorized. PC Mag reported that SpaceX also sent the email to waitlist customers in countries where the satellite internet service isn't available yet, including Greenland. The rollout of the $200 roaming service comes after SpaceX said it had struggled to fund Starlink, especially during the Ukraine war.

☆ A Google manager who got laid off liked working with his colleagues so much he's trying to set up a new company with 6 of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A laid-off Google manager said he's setting up a firm with six colleagues who also lost their jobs. Henry Kirk told Insider he's giving himself until the end of March to set up the design studio. He said Google cutting his work email after eight years "stinks," but he's ready to do his own thing. "I think of working at Google as not like a job, but more like attending Google University. But the positive working environment he experienced at Google is something he wants to carry on into his new business.

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter will take legal action against a 'disgruntled employee' who the CEO says leaked false information to suggest his tweets were boosted
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said Twitter was taking legal action against a worker who the CEO said leaked false info. He said the worker was the source of a Platformer report, which said Musk's tweets had been boosted. A Twitter user asked Musk on Friday whether the Platformer report was false. He did not name the employee against whom he said Twitter was taking legal action. Casey Newton, a journalist at Platformer, told Insider: "Elon's tweet is completely false.

☆ Passengers took a 16-hour flight to nowhere after their plane to New York U-turned because of an electrical fire at JFK Airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A flight to New York headed back to New Zealand because of an electrical fire at JFK Airport. An electrical failure in the terminal caused an outage and a "small isolated fire," per JFK Airport. Passengers were rebooked onto the next available flight to JFK Airport, the spokesperson added. The power outage at JFK Airport also caused other flights to divert to their departure airports on Thursday. These included two ITA Airways flights from Milan and Rome, and a Korean Air flight from Seoul, per FlightAware.

☆ Tesla has already sold out of Model Y in the US for Q1 — and no more are expected to be delivered until April, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tesla's website says the estimated delivery date for the Model Y is April to June this year. Tesla cut the price of the Model Y in January and buyer demand surged. Citing sources familiar with the matter, Electrek reported on Wednesday that Tesla had already sold out of Model Y vehicles in the US for this quarter. There were no more production build slots for the Model Y for the rest of the first quarter, sources told Electrek. About a month after Tesla dropped the Model Y price, the company increased the cost of the Model Y performance crossover by $1,000, taking the price to $58,990, Reuters reported.

☆ Tesla reportedly laid off dozens of workers after union announcement, NLRB complaint alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Kate Duffy | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla terminated dozens of employees at a site that had just announced a union campaign, an NLRB complaint alleges. Workers United claims Tesla is attempting to "discourage union activity," Bloomberg first reported. Spokespeople for Tesla and Workers United did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication. In 2017, some Tesla workers sought to unionize with the help of the United Auto Workers Union (UAW), but the initiative was unsuccessful. More recently, the NLRB ruled in August that Tesla's policy that restricts workers from wearing a union insignia is "unlawful."

☆ You'll be able to plug in any EV at some Tesla Superchargers by the end of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration said Tesla will open at least 7,500 chargers to all EVs by the end of 2024. EV drivers must use the Tesla app or website to use the charging stations, the White House said. EV drivers will need to use the Tesla app or website to take advantage of Superchargers, the administration said. Tesla also agreed to more than double its US network of Superchargers, which are made in Buffalo, New York, it added. The White House said it aimed to create a "convenient, reliable and Made-in-America electric vehicle charging network so that the great American road trip can be electrified."

☆ Elon Musk says he didn't have any rules about limiting his kids' time on social media but that may have been a mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said he may have made an error by not restricting the time his kids spend on social media. Musk recently tweaked Twitter's algorithm after users said their feeds were swamped by his posts. Asked whether he restricts his kids' time on social media, Musk said he didn't have any rules but that "might have been a mistake." "At this point, they're being programmed by some social-media algorithm, which you may or may not agree with," Musk added. This week, many Twitter users said their feeds were full of posts from Musk, per Platformer reporter Zoe Schiffer.

☆ Elon Musk gets a kick out of seeing information from the 'Twitter Files' released onto the platform, Matt Taibbi says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matt Taibbi says Elon Musk gets a kick out of seeing information released via the "Twitter Files." "He gets a kick out of seeing all this stuff come out on Twitter," Taibbi said on the podcast, referring to Musk. Taibbi is one of the journalists who released the "Twitter Files," which came about after Musk acquired the platform. As part of the Twitter Files, Taibbi has posted lengthy threads containing leaked internal emails, messages, and other information he found. Later that month, Musk accused "corporate journalism" of failing to side with the people over the "Twitter Files."

☆ Super Bowl attack ad shows a Tesla slamming into 2 child-size mannequins and a stroller
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Super Bowl ad showed a Tesla slamming into two child-sized mannequins and a stroller. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the ad would raise awareness a Tesla could drive itself while supervised. The 30-second ad was created by The Dawn Project, an organization that campaigns to ban what it calls "unsafe software." The Dawn Project says the ad shows tests it performed with a Tesla using the company's Full Self Driving (FSD) feature. On its website, The Dawn Project says Tesla's FSD software is "not safe for public roads."

☆ Elon Musk hit back at ex-NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, saying SpaceX's Starlink should not be used to help fight the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's SpaceX banned Ukraine from using its Starlink internet service for military purposes. Musk has defended his decision, saying Starlink should not be used to fight the war. Kelly tagged Musk in a tweet on Saturday, asking him to "restore the full functionality" of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites in Ukraine. But there have been reports of the Ukrainian military using Starlink on drones. The Times of London reported in March 2022 that a Ukrainian drone unit was using Starlink to help destroy Russian tanks and trucks at night.

☆ China's suspected spy balloon had Western-made components with English writing on them, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China's balloon had parts that were made in the West, officials told lawmakers, per Bloomberg. They said the components had English writing on them, sources told Bloomberg. People familiar with the situation told Bloomberg that Biden administration officials spoke to members of Congress privately on Capitol Hill about the balloon having Western-made components with English-language writing on them. Several of the people declined to tell Bloomberg which components of the balloon were made in the West. Chinese officials have said the balloon was from the country but that it was a weather balloon, which went off course.

☆ Watch Elon Musk's SpaceX test the most powerful rocket system ever built
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

NASA has chosen SpaceX's Starship to land the first astronauts on the moon since 1972. Musk wants to go further and use the rocket system to take people to Mars so they can build a settlement there. Veronica G. Cardenas/ReutersSource: Insider

☆ Twitter says low-level use of its API will cost $100 per month. The announcement comes after it blocked the use of apps like Tweetbot and Twitterrific.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter has announced a $100 monthly charge for low-level use of its API. Last week, Twitter's CEO Elon Musk proposed a charge but did not specify the level of usage. The official announcement comes after Twitter blocked the use of apps like Tweetbot and Twitterific. Last week, Twitter's CEO Elon Musk floated the $100 monthly charge for API access, saying the interface was being "abused badly" by "bot scammers & opinion manipulators." Popular third-party services, including Tweetbot and Twitterrific, relied on the use of Twitter's API.

☆ SpaceX never intended Starlink internet to be 'weaponized' in Ukraine, says COO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

SpaceX's COO said the company didn't intend Starlink to be "weaponized" amid the war, per reports. Gwynne Shotwell claimed the Ukrainian military had used Starlink internet in "unintentional" ways. Ukraine has used Starlink for drones to help destroy Russian tanks, The Times reported last year. However, Shotwell claimed Ukraine had used Starlink "in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement," according to a report by Space News. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, SpaceX has provided thousands of Starlink dishes to Ukrainians and has helped Ukrainian troops stay online.

☆ WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann suggests tenants in his apartments will plunge their own clogged toilets because they'll feel like owners
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Adam Neumann said renters in Flow apartments will plunge their own toilets. Neumann spoke at a conference about how Flow wants to create a sense of ownership for renters. During the conference, Neumann said the goal of Flow was to make the resident feel valued. "If you're in an apartment building and you're a renter and your toilet gets clogged, you call the super," Neumann said. Neumann said during the conference he wanted Flow apartments to provide an "elevated experience" and a "community" to tenants.

☆ These heat maps show the dramatic change in the movements of oligarchs' superyachts since Russia invaded Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

☆ Paying Twitter subscribers made up less than 0.2% of monthly users in the US 2 months after Elon Musk introduced Blue, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US Twitter subscribers made up less than 0.2% of monthly users in January, per The Information. This was two months after Elon Musk launched Twitter Blue, the platform's $8 blue tick feature. The publication cited documentation that implied Twitter has 290,000 global subscribers. The 180,000 Twitter subscribers in the US made up 62% of the platform's global subscriber count, indicating there were 290,000 subscribers around the world, per the report. Amid the chaos, Musk revamped Blue, Twitter's blue tick verification feature but the rollout came with various complications, including people impersonating notable accounts.

☆ Google emails some Canadian employees to tell them they're being laid off as part of its plan to cut 12,000 jobs globally: 'Feels as harsh as being fired'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Google employees in Canada found out on Monday they were laid off, per reports. The layoffs in Canada come as part of the 12,000 global job cuts Sundar Pichai recently announced. They couldn't confirm how many Canadian employees were laid off or which departments were impacted the most, per the report. Laid-off employees in the US found out their fate soon after the announcement. "Today I am among the 12K employees impacted by layoffs at Google Canada.

Search resuls for: "Kate Duffy"

25 mentions found