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Surprisingly Weak Ukrainian Defenses Help Russian AdvanceUkrainian trenches Ukrainian trenches Rudimentary Ukrainian trench lines outside Avdiivka, in an area claimed by Russia. But there’s another reason the Kremlin’s troops are advancing in the area: poor Ukrainian defenses. These trench lines lack many of the additional fortifications that could help slow Russian tanks and help defend major roads and important terrain. 2 miles Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Robotyne Russian fortifications Russian-claimed control Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Novoprokopivka Romanivs’ke 2 miles Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Russian-claimed control Russian fortifications Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Romanivs’ke Russian-claimed control Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Russian fortifications Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Romanivs’ke 2 miles Sources: Satellite image from Planet Labs; Russian-controlled territory (as of Feb. 29, 2024) from the Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project; Russian fortifications based on data from Brady Africk. Satellite imagery from February shows the multilayered Russian defenses to the west of Verbove, with thousands of shell craters visible in the surrounding fields.

Persons: Avdiivka, Soloviove, Berdychi Stepove, Krasnohorivka, Russia Berdychi, Kyiv’s, Russia Novoprokopivka, Pavlivs’ke, Brady Africk, Verbove, “, ”, Serhiy Hrabskyi, They’d, Denys Shmyhal, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky’s, Paroinen, Mr, Hrabskyi, ” Mr, Oleksandra Mykolyshyn Organizations: Planet Labs, The New York Times Russian, Ukrainian Army, Russia Berdychi Stepove, Institute for, American, The New York Times, Black Bird Group, Russian Army Locations: Avdiivka, Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia Russian, Verbove, Russian, U.S, Moscow, Donetsk, Ivano, Frankivsk, shoring

☆ 2024 Formula One season: How to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix and the biggest storylines to look out for this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The 2024 campaign will be the longest F1 season in history, featuring 24 race weekends. How to watch the season opener in BahrainThe 2024 season starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix after three days of testing in the Middle Eastern nation last week. Red Bull’s 2023 F1 season was the most dominant of all time. He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing by the investigation, the team’s parent company, Red Bull GMBH, announced on Wednesday. Albon has bounced back from a disappointing spell at Red Bull in 2020 and is now a highly-sought after driver.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton’s, Hamilton, “ It’s, ” Hamilton, Mercedes, Will Buxton, Carlos Sainz, “, Hamad I Mohammed, Bull, Red Bull, Mercedes ’, George Russell, Verstappen, Max, hasn’t, he’s, Lawrence Barretto, ” Verstappen, Clive Rose, we’ve, Christian Horner, Horner, “ I’m, ” Horner, Ferrari, Russell, Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, Williams, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, Kimi Antonelli, Sainz, Carla Carniel, Sergio Pérez, Daniel Ricciardo –, Red Bull’s, –, Aston, Haas, Albon, James Vowles, Mark Thompson, McLaren, Piastri, Norris, Dan Istitene, Alonso, Lance, Lawrence, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce –, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon Organizations: CNN, Bahrain, Circuit, Red Bull Racing, Prix, ESPN, Qualifying, Saudi, Mercedes, Ferrari, PETRONAS F1 Team, Scuderia Ferrari, Arrows, Reuters, Constructors, CNN Sport, Red Bull GMBH, Sky Sports, “, McLaren, Silver Arrows, Bulls, Sauber, Team, Red Bull, Getty, Aston Martin’s, Kansas City Chiefs Locations: Bahrain, British, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Red, Aston Martin, Thai, –

☆ Intuitive Machines almost lost its moon lander because somebody forgot to flip a switch before launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A serendipitous moment, a NASA experiment, and frantic, innovative software engineering rescued the company's Odysseus lander from what could have been a catastrophic error — a switch that didn't get flipped before launch. NASA TVIt was a "spicy" landing, Altemus said. AdvertisementThe Houston-based company flew Odysseus, which is its Nova-C-model lander, to the moon on a $118 million NASA contract. Its success marks the first commercial moon landing ever and NASA's first return to the lunar surface since 1972. It was risky — the NASA lasers were on the lander to test whether they worked in space at all — but it was better than nothing.

Persons: —, Steve Altemus, Altemus, Odysseus, Frankenstein, Robert Braun, Tim Crain, Crain, Braun Organizations: Service, NASA, Business, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Locations: Mars

☆ Google's new AI-powered wingman highlights the challenges of using a tool that could eventually replace you
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. In today’s big story, we’re looking at Google’s new internal AI model aimed at improving worker efficiency. The big storyAI assistanceCBS Photo Archive/Getty ImagesGoogle employees are getting an AI-powered wingman in the company’s bid to improve efficiency. Goose can answer questions about Google's tech and write and edit code, according to an internal summary of the model. Tech companies have tested inventions on their own employees for years in a process known as "dogfooding," writes BI's Alistair Barr.

Persons: —, Denny's, customizations, Hugh Langley, Tom Cruise’s copilot, Alistair Barr, Tyler Lee, “, Bryan R, Smith, Wall, Gary Gensler, We’re, Société, Elad Gil, Gil, ChatGPT, it’s, Uber, Nomura, Young homebuyers, Meredith Whitney, Donald Trump, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, CBS, Getty, Microsoft, OpenAI, Tech, Google, Big Tech, Fed, UBS, SEC, Silicon Valley’s, BI, Xbox, Dragon, Workers, Wall Locations: China, New York, London

☆ Moon company Intuitive Machines begins first mission after SpaceX launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander launched from Florida on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, beginning the IM-1 mission. Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander "Odysseus" deploys from the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to begin the IM-1 mission. NASA leadership emphasized before the launch that "IM-1 is an Intuitive Machines' mission, it's not a NASA mission." After landing, Intuitive Machines aims to operate Odysseus on the surface for up to seven days. Last month, U.S. company Astrobotic got its first moon mission off the ground but encountered problems shortly after launch.

Persons: Paul Hennessy, Trent Martin, Odysseus, it's, Joel Kearns, Kearns, Russia —, ispace, Astrobotic, didn't Organizations: SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center, Anadolu, Getty Images, Machines, SpaceX's, NASA, Payload, Artemis, Nasdaq, Marshall Space, Center, Soviet Union —, U.S Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, Getty Images Texas, U.S, Florida, United States, Wednesday's, Japan, Russia, Soviet Union, China, India

☆ Google quietly launches internal AI model named 'Goose' to help employees write code faster, leaked documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It is designed to assist with building new products, according to internal documents reviewed by Business Insider. “It can answer questions around Google-specific technologies, write code using internal tech stacks and supports novel capabilities such as editing code based on natural language prompts,” an internal summary of Goose reads. The documents note that the creation of Goose was a collaborative effort between Google Brain, DeepMind, and Google's internal infrastructure teams. And Goose isn't the only example of Google using AI to be more efficient. AdvertisementAnd if Googlers have specific development questions while using Goose, they're encouraged to turn to the company's internal chatbot, named Duckie.

Persons: —, it’s, Gemini, “, Ruth Porat, Goose, TKTKTK Goose, DeepMind, ”, Philipp Schindler, Business Insider’s, they're Organizations: Service, Business, Google, Microsoft

☆ Chinese tech startups quietly stop testing driverless cars on Californian roads
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewChina’s leading ride-hailing firm has dropped out of a program that allows it to test self-driving vehicles on Californian public roads. Ride-hailing giant Didi has withdrawn from California’s autonomous vehicle testing program, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, as several rival Chinese firms also scaled back their self-driving operations in the state. Future Publishing/Getty imagesDidi is not the only Chinese company that appears to be scaling back autonomous vehicle testing in California, or pulling out entirely. That's a significant decline from the previous year, when Chinese autonomous vehicle companies conducted over 450,000 miles of testing. AdvertisementHe said that public backlash toward autonomous vehicles in cities like San Francisco had increased the risks of negative PR for companies testing the technology on public roads.

Persons: —, Didi, WeRide, AutoX —, That's, Sesame, Bob Latta, Cruise, that's, ” John Helveston, ” Helveston Organizations: Service, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Business, DMV, Baidu, Future Publishing, Pegasus Technology, NBC, Republican, Anadolu, Getty, George Washington University Locations: California, Shanghai, China, Jiaxing, San Francisco

☆ How satellite connectivity startup Skylo hooked backers such as Intel, BMW and Samsung to raise $37 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Silicon Valley space startup Skylo Technologies landed funding from the corporate venture arms of Intel, BMW and Samsung, as the company aims to bridge the gap between satellite and terrestrial communications. Skylo raised $37 million through an equity round, the company told CNBC, that was led by Intel Capital and Innovation Endeavors and joined by BMW i Ventures, Next47, Samsung Catalyst Fund and Seraphim Space. We just don't want extra hardware, because that adds complexity," Skylo CEO Parth Trivedi told CNBC. That way, Trivedi sees Skylo operating as a "roaming partner" to existing cellular networks, effectively rubber-stamping and linking devices made by other connectivity players. "You're going to find that this approach is very, very scalable, because the carriers don't have to change behavior, the users don't have to change behavior, the satellite operators don't have to change behavior, and regulators don't have to change behavior," Trivedi said.

Persons: Skylo, Parth Trivedi, Trivedi, Dave Johnson, They've, Johnson Organizations: Technologies, Intel, BMW, Samsung, CNBC, Intel Capital, Innovation, BMW i Ventures, Next47, Samsung Catalyst Fund, SoftBank, Qualcomm, MediaTek, Sony Locations: Mountain View , California

☆ The Apple exec that Microsoft hired to fulfill its hardware dreams has quietly left
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rubén Caballero, the ex-Apple executive Microsoft hired in 2020 to run device engineering in mixed reality and AI, appears to have quietly left the company. Microsoft also recently published a post stating its commitment to the HoloLens 2 device and mixed reality. Caballero worked for Apple from 2005 to 2014, including a stint as president of engineering. Microsoft hired Caballero in 2020 to work on devices such as HoloLens in the company's mixed reality and AI organization. Caballero joined Panay's Windows and Devices organization in 2022, and Microsoft has whittled down some hardware teams since then.

Persons: Rubén Caballero, Caballero, Microsoft's, Frank Shaw, Panos Panay, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Apple, Microsoft, Business, Amazon, Insiders, BI, Windows, Panay's Windows Locations: Panay

☆ China's economy is at risk of a brutal 'debt-deflation spiral'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's economy has crawled out of the pandemic far below the pace of what most analysts expected, and if policymakers don't step in with sufficient support in 2024, a "debt-deflation spiral" could ensue. Deflation and falling stocksThe researchers said China's leadership has failed to address the lopsided supply and demand dynamics in particular. Meanwhile, deflation has crushed corporate earnings and stock prices in China, as well as wage growth and tax revenues. Nominal GDP grew at 4.6% in 2023, 0.6 points below real growth. "The economy could fall into a debt-deflation spiral without adequate policy support."

Persons: Gene Ma, Phoebe Feng, Ma, Feng, Banks Organizations: Wall Street, Institute of International Finance, CSI, People's Bank of Locations: China, Beijing, People's Bank of China

☆ Battery swapping is taking off in China — and it could help rescue the EV revolution in the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Tesla rival pioneering battery-swappingFounded by entrepreneur William Li — sometimes referred to as "China's Elon Musk" — in 2014, Nio has built a network of more than 2,000 battery swap stations in China. Experts told BI that battery swapping offers a solution to many of those concerns — in theory. Ample battery swapping technology promises to swap out an EV battery in under five minutes. It's a heavy innovation because battery swap is closely connected with the vehicle design and the sales model," said Dr Shen. Ample, which in the future plans to charge users a battery subscription fee to use its swap stations, has battery swap stations operating in Spain, Japan, and California, where it has worked mainly with fleet providers such as Uber.

Persons: —, William Li —, China's Elon, Nio, Fei Shen, William Li, HECTOR RETAMAL, JAC, Shen, Dylan Khoo, John Helveston, Helveston, Khoo, John De Souza, De Souza Organizations: Service, Business, EV, Chery, ABI Research, George Washington University, Fiat Locations: China, Europe, West, San Francisco, Spain, Japan, California

☆ What Should Boeing Do to Fix its Longstanding Problems?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Sarah Kessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As far as signs of trouble in a company go, a hole blowing through the wall of one of its airplanes at 16,000 feet is not subtle. So it was not a surprise that the Boeing chief executive, Dave Calhoun, spent most of the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday focused on safety. “We caused the problem, and we understand that,” he said of the Jan. 5 incident. Mr. Calhoun said the company had instituted additional quality controls and paused production for a day to focus on safety and quality. Fixing that may require more drastic measures.

Persons: Dave Calhoun, ”, Calhoun, they’ve, Nancy Koehn Organizations: Boeing, Harvard Business School

☆ Elon Musk might be right. Chinese EV firms could 'demolish' their US rivals.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk warned Chinese EV firms could "demolish" rivals like Tesla without trade barriers. AdvertisementA decade ago, Elon Musk laughed off the threat posed by Chinese electric carmaker BYD . "The Chinese car companies are the most competitive car companies in the world," Musk told investors during Tesla's Q4 earnings call. I think the Chinese companies are more willing to take risks and gamble with something and see how it goes," he said. Something else that may stop Chinese EV companies from overrunning the US market with cheap models is range.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, —, BYD, Musk, Biden, Zhang Fan, Fortune, we've, John Helveston, Helveston, Nio, Dr, Fei Shen, Shen Organizations: Service, EV, Companies, Chery, GAC, George Washington University, US, Nio's, BI Locations: Mexico, China, Europe

☆ China is reportedly scrubbing the internet of negative coverage of its economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Reports this week from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal detail efforts by Chinese authorities to scrub the internet of negative takes on the state of its economy. According to the NYT, The Ministry of State Security said in its official WeChat account that citizens should not believe the "false narratives" about the trajectory of China, and instead should believe in President Xi Jinping's vision. The WSJ similarly reported that some of the nation's top officials have reiterated the importance of promoting the "bright prospects of China's economy." The NYT said tech platform Weibo had restricted dozens of accounts from posting after they had shared bleak economic realities with other users. The platform also warned its users in November, the report said, not to be "maliciously pessimistic" about China's economy.

Persons: Xi, Li Xunlei Organizations: The New York Times, Ministry of State Security, Zhongtai Securities, Weibo Locations: China, Beijing

☆ South African innovator’s medicine-dispensing lockers win prestigious prize
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —A South African entrepreneur who designed a smart locker system that improves access to healthcare has won a major award for African engineering. In June, the usual iteration of the Africa Prize will also go ahead, during which four finalists will battle it out for a £25,000 ($31,600) prize. “There isn’t enough funding available for African startups,” she tells CNN. “We don’t want all the funding to come in the form of grants, as we see in the Africa Prize. We want investors to start to believe that they can also make money by investing in African startups.

Persons: Pelebox, King Charles III’s, Anne, James Oatway, Royal Academy of Engineering Hutiri, ’, ”, Aisha Raheem, Farmz2U, Samuel Njuguna, Rebecca Enonchong, It’s, That’s, “ Organizations: London CNN, UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering, Africa, Engineering Innovation, Academy, SMS, Royal Academy of Engineering, “, CNN, Chura, The Academy Locations: African, London, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Africa, Nigerian, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt

☆ The non-profit behind Wikipedia and a crypto exchange are among the top companies for work-from-anywhere jobs, with some paying over $100,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

However, a 2023 Bankrate survey of over 2,000 adults in the US found that 64% of those already working prefer full remote work, instead of fully working in-person. Related storiesEvidently, remote work remains popular despite the pushback from companies. Companies that made the full list included cyrpto exchanges like Binance and Kraken, mobile payments firm CashApp, and Wikipedia's parent company, the Wikimedia Foundation. A director of engineering role with the Wikimedia Foundation pays between $167,046 and $260,066. Another Wikimedia Foundation role as a senior global movement communications specialist offers between $87,130 and $134,270.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs, X, FlexJobs Organizations: Service, Business, Google, Meta, Twitter, Deloitte, Wikimedia Foundation, Media, Chainlink, Invisible Technologies, Foundation

☆ Icon of the Seas: The world’s largest cruise ship sets sail on maiden voyage
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —There is nothing subtle about the world’s largest cruise ship. The commotion brought traffic to a halt along the causeway to Miami Beach that parallels the cruise ship channel. Icon of the Seas’ list of superlatives and firsts is longFinding time to fit in everything onboard Icon of the Seas promises to keep passengers busy. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than required for ships designed today. Royal Caribbean International is clearly pitching Icon of the Seas to a market that goes beyond cruising.

Persons: Lionel Messi, ”, Hurricane Hunter, Oz, Bryan Comer, Comer, Colleen McDaniel, McDaniels, ” McDaniels, Michael Verdure, Rob Clabbers, Q, ” Clabbers, Wagyu, Michael Bayley, ” Bayley, Jay Schneider, Royal, “, ‘, ’ ” Schneider, Terry Ward Organizations: CNN, Port, Hurricane, Storm, Royal, The International Council, Clean Transportation, Royal Caribbean International, Cruise, CNN Travel, Seas, Star, Royal Caribbean Locations: Port of Miami, Turku, Finland, Miami Beach, Argentine, Miami, Eastern Caribbean, Sedona , Arizona, Royal Caribbean, Florida’s Port Canaveral, Orlando, Chicago, Izumi, Caribbean, Vegas, Florida, Tampa

☆ How to use AI as a career tool to get a promotion at work faster
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Rachel Curry | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

According to a McKinsey report from 2022 based on a decade of data, role transitions are inherent in labor markets. The generative AI platform dubs itself a "tutor for learners" and an "assistant for teachers." Meanwhile, nonprofit organization All Star Code had a scholar visualize themselves progressing in their tech career over the next decade by creating a 30-second video using generative AI platform Runway. There lies the ultimate caveat in AI-enabled career transitions. Panetta feels like the human role in hiring — regardless of the qualifications of candidates — will play a potentially bigger role in career transitions.

Persons: Yee, Lareina Yee, Karen Panetta, That's, Panetta, Sal Khan, Bill Gates, Khan, —, Bias, doesn't Organizations: McKinsey, Strategic, Institute of Electrical, Electronics Engineering, Tufts School of Engineering, Khan Academy, OpenAI Locations: America

☆ 10 companies that will let you work from anywhere and are hiring right now—some jobs pay over $100,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Companies in the marketing, education and gaming sectors are also hiring for more remote, flexible roles, FlexJobs lead career expert Toni Frana tells CNBC Make It. FlexJobs has identified the top companies hiring for work-from-anywhere jobs in 2024 by analyzing its database and seeing which companies had the highest volume of remote, location-flexible job postings between January and December 2023. All of the companies included in FlexJobs' ranking offer full-time or part-time remote jobs that don't have a location restriction and require no time in the office. Many work-from-anywhere jobs offer salaries well over $100,000. Check out:The biggest change coming to remote work and RTO in 2024, according to a tech CEO

Persons: FlexJobs, Toni Frana, Frana, that's Organizations: FlexJobs, Companies, CNBC, Technologies, Chainlink Labs, Wikimedia Foundation, Invisible Technologies

☆ These New Hampshire voters don’t love everything Trump says. But here’s why they’re planning to back him
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( John King | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Portsmouth, New Hampshire CNN —Andrew Konchek has a long list of complaints about Donald Trump. It’s rough.”Yes, many Trump supporters believe and repeat his lies about the 2020 election results. “But he has a second chance.”John King talks to New Hampshire voter Debbie Katsanos in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in January. … It’s a show.”Some Trump supporters love the show. Many Trump supporters rail against the courts and Congress when they take issue with Trump.

Persons: New Hampshire CNN — Andrew Konchek, Donald Trump, “, ” Konchek, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Konchek, ”, shivering, Alanna Renee, John King, Andrew Konchek, CNN Konchek, Trump, “ Trump, ” Trump, MAGA, Republicans –, Nikki Haley, Hillary Clinton, Haley, ‘, Debbie Katsanos, Bill Clinton, ” Katsanos, Biden, ” John King, CNN Katsanos, She’s, “ he’s, Trump’s, disqualifies Biden, “ He’s, He’s, –, Pete Burdett, Nikki, ” Burdett, Who, Nikki’s, Burdett, CNN Chris Christie, Christie, Stanley Tremblay, Tremblay, ” Tremblay, Deven McIver, “ I’m, McIver, Barack Obama, ’ ” McIver, Obama, Mitt Romney, ” McIver, CNN McIver doesn’t, he’s, ’ Organizations: New Hampshire CNN, Trump, Florida Gov, CNN, Trump voters, Green, Portsmouth, Capitol, FBI, Republicans, South, “, New, Biden, Navy, Wall Street Journal, Liquid, White House, MAGA Republicans Locations: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Florida, Iowa, ”, England, Portsmouth , New Hampshire, Maine, South Carolina, Washington, Belknap County, New Jersey, Nashua, Thornton –, Thornton, Massachusetts, Canada, White, Trump, North Woodstock , New Hampshire

☆ Read the email Wayfair's CEO sent to staff announcing that it's laying off 13% of its workforce
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Wayfair said on Friday that it was cutting 13% of its global workforce, or around 1,650 workers. This came only weeks after CEO Niraj Shah sent a companywide email saying Wayfair was "back to winning" but also warning that staff should be careful with its money. AdvertisementNorth American staff would receive an email shortly letting them know whether their roles had been affected, while laid-off staff in Europe had already begun discussions with HR about the next steps, Shah said. Read the full email Shah sent to Wayfair staff below. First, I want to be clear that there are many things at the company that are going well.

Persons: Wayfair, Niraj Shah, Shah, we've, you'll, Covid, – Organizations: Talent, Covid Locations: Europe, North America, Wayfair

☆ Peruvian researchers rule out aliens as the creators of 2 mysterious dolls
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After studying the objects, forensic experts with Peru's prosecutor's office said human hands made the objects with paper, glue, metal, and bones from humans and animals. AdvertisementThe prosecutor's office has not yet determined who owns the objects. Dolls seized by authorities are displayed during a press conference to explain what they are made of at the Archeology Museum in Lima, Peru. A report by the Peruvian prosecutor's office that year found that alleged alien bodies were "recently manufactured dolls, which have been covered with a mixture of paper and synthetic glue to simulate the presence of skin." They said examinations showed the bones of birds, dogs, and other animals were used to create the dolls.

Persons: —, Peru's, Flavio Estrada, Estrada, Martin Mejia, José Jaime Maussan, Maussan Organizations: Service, American, Business, Dolls, Archeology Locations: Peru, Mexico, Mexican, Lima , Peru, Picchu, Peruvian

☆ Silicon Valley engineers joked you'd go to LinkedIn to retire. Then came the PIPs and layoffs.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"For years, there was a semi-joke that some people in Big Tech go to LinkedIn to retire," a current engineer told BI. Amid a transformative year for the social network, LinkedIn spokesperson Nicole Leverich said the company has continued to prioritize its employees. The golden days of growthSome LinkedIn workers like to reminisce about what one engineer called the "golden days." AdvertisementLinkedIn rates its workers on a scale of one to five, seven workers told BI. AdvertisementA current engineering manager added that the goalposts for performance reviews had shifted.

Persons: —, Satya Nadella, we've, It's, Nicole Leverich, Leverich, you'd, Mohak Shroff, ChatGPT, We're, Ryan Roslansky, Kelly Sullivan, he'd, hadn't, Roslanksy, Brian Wieser Organizations: Service, LinkedIn, Business, BI, Microsoft, Big Tech, Google Locations: Big, Madison

☆ LinkedIn shelved planned move to Microsoft Azure, opting to keep physical data centers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-14 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

LinkedIn has set aside an effort to relocate its data center technology out of its physical facilities and into Microsoft's Azure cloud, according to people familiar with the matter. A LinkedIn spokesperson confirmed that the Microsoft subsidiary changed direction on Blueshift and said LinkedIn continues to use Azure. Under the leadership of Nadella, Microsoft has moved some of its acquired assets to Azure, including GitHub and Minecraft developer Mojang. More recently, Azure has gained attention because of Microsoft's investment in OpenAI, which uses Azure infrastructure for running the large language models powering ChatGPT and other products. Microsoft said in October that third-quarter revenue from Azure and other cloud services grew 29%, while LinkedIn revenue was up 8%.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Mohak Shroff, Raghu Hiremagalur, we've, Hiremagalur, Nadella, OpenAI, LinkedIn's Karin Kimbrough Organizations: Microsoft, LinkedIn, Amazon Web Services, CNBC, Nadella, Wired, OpenAI Locations: Blueshift, OpenAI

☆ Infillion has rehired 40 ex-MediaMath staffers as it presses ahead to relaunch the bankrupt former adtech pioneer
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"If MediaMath was Will Smith — he had a whole acting career before he slapped Chris Rock in the face," Emrich told Insider. It's been a little over three months since Infillion, a US-based adtech company that owns assets like Gimbal and TrueX, bought MediaMath in a bankruptcy auction for $22 million. Emrich's team at Infillion is on track to relaunch the MediaMath demand-side platform and data management platform before the end of the year. Infillion also wants to integrate MediaMath with its other assets so companies can enhance their own advertising businesses using its tech. With the help of former MediaMath CEO Joe Zawadzki and his venture capital firm Aperiam Ventures, which is advising the company, Infillion has hired back 40 former MediaMath staffers.

Persons: Rob Emrich, they'll, MediaMath, Will Smith —, Chris Rock, Emrich, It's, Infillion, Joe Zawadzki, Carl Millikin, Vince Li, Geoff King Organizations: TrueX, MediaMath's, Google, Business, Aperiam Ventures Locations: US, Infillion, America

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