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The deal ends nearly all of the litigation brought against the tobacco giant over Juul by local government bodies and individuals across the United States. Altria expects to record a pre-tax charge of $235 million in the second quarter of 2023 and intends to exclude it from adjusted earnings per share. As of December, its share of Juul was valued at $250 million, down from $12.8 billion in 2018. They said Altria helped the strategy by letting Juul use its sales force and place its products next to Altria's on shelves. Juul previously settled most of the cases against it, paying more than $1 billion to 48 states and territories and $1.7 billion to individuals and local government entities.

☆ Go check out this map that shows just how many vacant office buildings are in downtown San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Over 18 million square feet of San Francisco's office space is vacant, the SF Chronicle reported. Thirty-one percent of San Francisco's downtown offices is reportedly open for lease or sublease. The Chronicle's interactive map of the vacancies in downtown San Francisco's office buildings is worth checking out. The rising amount of vacant office real estate partly reflects remote work's impact on office attendance. A telling sign for San Francisco's office building market could come from a 22-story office tower on 350 California Street that is reportedly expected to go for $60 million, after it was valued at $300 million in 2019.

☆ Store closures are hitting Downtown San Francisco as office vacancies and fears of crime are on the rise. Here's the full list of retailers pulling out of the city's downtown neighborhood.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nineteen retailers have left San Francisco's Union Square area since 2020. The latest departures include Nordstrom and Office Depot, The San Francisco Standard reported. Stores that have closed in downtown San Francisco over the last few years include:Most retailers haven't referenced crime specifically as their public rationale for closing. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which owns the mall where Nordstrom is located, said that the department store's closure "underscores the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco," according to Bloomberg. Do you work in Downtown San Francisco or have a story to share about store closures?

☆ Elon Musk's plan to charge for Twitter API access is unraveling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk is beginning to walk back a hardline attempt to make Twitter money through access to its API. The change of heart suggests that Twitter may need reliable real-time information more than the providers need Twitter. "One of the most important use cases for the Twitter API has always been public utility," Twitter said on Tuesday. We're happy that they've committed to making API access free for the MTA and other public sector agencies. It now has the MYmta and TrainTime apps, as well as email alerts and text messages offering service alerts and updates.

☆ Whole Foods workers at shuttered San Francisco store witnessed knife attacks, a deadly fentanyl overdose, customers trying to defecate on the floor, and other chaos, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A San Francisco Whole Foods was the site of crime and hazardous behavior, the New York Times reported. Whole Foods closed the location last month, citing "the safety of our team members." Whole Foods closed the store last month, just over a year after it opened. The store was located on Market Street, one of the busiest roads in downtown San Francisco. Other retail chains in San Francisco and other large cities have closed locations, citing crime or safety.

☆ A San Francisco office building was worth $300 million before the pandemic. Now, it could sell for only $60 million — a perfect example of why downtowns are in trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A 22-story office tower in San Francisco that was worth $300 million in 2019 is for sale. The office tower, which sits at 350 California Street, was previously worth around $300 million during its last sale, office brokers told The Journal. The building's expected decline in value reflects the current crisis facing the real-estate industry across the US, and remote work's heavy impact on San Francisco's office buildings, in particular. Over a quarter of San Francisco's office space is empty as well, according to CBRE. Last summer, for example, Salesforce had half of its Salesforce Tower office space listed for lease as a sublet.

☆ An ex-fire commissioner is accused of spraying bear mace on homeless people minding their own business on San Francisco's streets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A former fire commissioner is accused of approaching homeless people and spraying them with bear mace. Don Carmignani initially said he was attacked by a homeless man, Garrett Doty, with a lead pipe. Doty was arrested in connection with the attack, and faces assault and battery charges brought by the San Francisco district attorney's office. Another video from November 2021 shows an unidentified person spraying bear mace at a homeless person sleeping on the street. Colla, the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, and the San Francisco district attorney's office did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Elon Musk had a rough week across his empire — Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The investors are particularly concerned with Musk and Tesla's handling of human rights and workers' rights. Their letter recounts many lawsuits in which Tesla has been sued over: racial discrimination, union-busting, wage theft, sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. "Instead of working to address problems with regulators, CEO Musk has made derogatory tweets and comments, fueling tensions," they wrote. The open letter to Tesla's board comes after Tesla shares have declined more than 15% over the past month. Musk-led Twitter also removed "government-funded" and "China state-affiliated" labels from Twitter accounts of a myriad of global media organizations.

☆ 'French Spiderman' climbs Paris skyscraper as protest against pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] French "Spiderman" Alain Robert climbs the Tour Alto skyscraper at the financial and business district of La Defense, naming his feat "The People", in Courbevoie near Paris, France, April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierPARIS, April 19 (Reuters) - A free climber known as the "French Spiderman" scaled a 38-storey skyscraper in Paris on Wednesday to demonstrate his support for protesters angry about a pension law that will delay the age at which people can retire in France. Alain Robert, 60, climbs without a harness, using only his bare hands and a pair of climbing shoes. "I'm here to show my support for those who oppose the pension reform," he told Reuters before starting his ascent of the 150-metre (492 foot) skyscrapper in Paris' La Defense business district. Under the reform, the French retirement age will gradually rise to 64 from 62.

☆ Humans have to get in the way of AI to make it more responsible
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Humans are key to responsible AI. Calls to pause AI development centered around the need to make sure we were building responsible AI. But some Big Tech companies laid off responsible AI employees as part of the great cost-cutting sweeping the industry, possibly undermining the greatest tool against unfettered, unchecked AI. Those moves come right as society has come to understand what can happen if AI escapes its guardrails, making AI ethics more important than ever. Here's why humans will help bring responsible AI to fruition.

☆ Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death after argument about the suspect's sister, court documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Daniel Arkin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Flowers and cards left as people paying tribute to Bob Lee near the Portside apartment building in San Francisco, California, on April 7, 2023. Cash App founder Bob Lee was fatally stabbed by an IT consultant near downtown San Francisco after the two men got into an argument over the suspect's sister, according to court documents obtained by NBC News on Friday. In the wake of the dispute, Momeni's sister sent a text to Lee, the documents show. The witness saw Momeni asking Lee whether Momeni's sister had been "doing drugs or anything inappropriate" earlier that day. Additional footage obtained by police shows the BMW heading to a "dark and secluded area" near downtown San Francisco.

☆ San Francisco's DA called out Elon Musk for his 'reckless and irresponsible' tweet about Bob Lee's death
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sarah Jackson | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

San Francisco's DA is calling out Elon Musk for a tweet he made about Bob Lee's death. San Francisco's district attorney says Elon Musk made a "reckless and irresponsible" statement over the recent death of tech executive Bob Lee. She also addressed a tweet from Elon Musk over Lee's death. Many people I know have been severely assaulted," Musk had tweeted about Lee's death last week. Jack Dorsey, who cofounded Twitter, said Lee's death was "heartbreaking."

☆ Whole Foods suddenly closed a San Francisco store just a year after opening it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Whole Foods is closing its flagship store in San Francisco just over a year after it opened. Retailers like Walgreens have previously cited increased crime for stores closing in the city. The grocery store's last day open was Monday, The San Francisco Standard reported. Other retailers have cited crime as the reason for closing locations in San Francisco. Downtown San Francisco also hasn't been as busy since the start of the pandemic, the Standard reported.

☆ Police scanner audio reportedly reveals what Cash App creator Bob Lee said when he called 911 after fatal stabbing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Audio from a police scanner gave more insight into Bob Lee's 911 call, NBC reported. A spokesperson for the San Francisco police department did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication. Lee, the chief product officer of MobileCoin and former CTO of Square, was fatally stabbed on Tuesday morning, NBC first reported. ABC's San Francisco affiliate, KGO-TV previously reported that surveillance footage from the moments after the incident showed Lee walking around the Rincon Hill neighborhood in downtown San Francisco and asking for help before the police arrived at the scene. NBC reported that the police had found a knife near the crime scene.

☆ MLB roundup: Rays beat A's to stay undefeated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Stroman has allowed two runs and 17 hits over 32 innings while winning each of his last five home starts. Ji Hwan Bae, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Connor Joe each had an RBI double, and Oneil Cruz and Jason Delay hit RBI singles for the Pirates. Pittsburgh starter Rich Hill allowed seven runs and eight hits in four innings. Alex Cobb (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Giants after holding the Royals to two runs on seven hits in seven innings. Kershaw (1-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings.

☆ Texas judge's ruling to ban mifepristone nationwide cites Wikipedia, contains pro-life talking points, and gets basic facts about abortion wrong: Experts say it's 'completely flawed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"So many of the things in this ruling I would say are completely flawed," a researcher told Insider. But an OB-GYN told Insider the judge's interpretation of what the drug does is medically inaccurate. Mifepristone and misoprostol are used before we can even see an embryo on ultrasound," Grossman told Insider. Spreading such misinformation through an official judicial ruling, Biggs said, is "inappropriate, unethical, and jarring." It's definitely not going to help or prevent mental health harm or physical harm as it claims – it's going to do the opposite."

☆ SF police chief says there's 'evidence that we found that I can't talk about' in Bob Lee death investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The SFPD chief said Thursday there are "good developments" in the investigation, per ABC's KGO-TV. But the city's District Attorney said "this is one that's going to take time to solve," per the report. Representatives for the San Francisco police department and the city's department of emergency management did not respond to Insider's requests for comment on Friday. The San Francisco police previously said in a statement that they responded to a call regarding the attack early morning on Tuesday at 2:35 a.m. The District Attorney's office can't make a determination on bringing charges until police have concluded their investigation and made an arrest, a representative for the DA's office previously told Insider.

☆ Cash App creator Bob Lee moved out of San Francisco because he thought the city was 'deteriorating' shortly before he was stabbed there, friend says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cash App creator Bob Lee was fatally stabbed in San Francisco earlier this week. His friend, Jake Shields, told NewsNation that Lee had recently relocated to Miami. Lee moved out of San Francisco because he thought it was unsafe, Shields added. "[Lee] did comment on San Francisco deteriorating, which is why he actually had just relocated to Miami," Shields told the outlet. Shields told NewsNation the attack was a "senseless act of violence in San Francisco," adding that the city has had "problems" for a while.

☆ San Francisco mayor says the city is 'prioritizing public safety' after Cash App creator's fatal stabbing during visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

San Francisco's mayor called the death of Cash App creator Bob Lee "a horrible tragedy." London Breed said police are investigating, and San Francisco is "prioritizing public safety." Breed pointed to a recent budget supplemental that will put more police in SF neighborhoods. He tagged San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to ask if "the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders." San Francisco's violent crime rates are relatively favorable compared to other large cities, like Chicago and Los Angeles.

☆ San Francisco's homicide rate is low compared to other big cities, but the killing of tech founder Bob Lee shows that doesn't tell the whole story
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The tragic killing of tech founder Bob Lee has reignited the debate over crime in San Francisco. Those stats compare relatively favorably to other big cities in the US, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing FBI data. Meanwhile, the homicide rate in San Francisco was 5 per 100,000 in 2020, the FBI's crime data shows, as analyzed by the San Francisco Chronicle. It's also lower than other cities of comparable sizes to San Francisco, including Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, the San Francisco Police Department must conclude its investigation before the DA's office can step in, Randy Quezada, communications director at the San Francisco District Attorney's office, told Insider's Grace Kay and Sindhu Sundar.

☆ America's Parking Addiction Hurts the Economy, Drives up Housing Costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jeral Poskey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A society committed to housing and feeding its people will ensure plenty of land is dedicated to homes and farms. According to the builder WGI, the average parking stall in the US costs $27,900 to build, more than the cost of many new compact cars. The money and resources dedicated to parking could be used for other purposes, but breaking our country's reliance on parking has been difficult. Parking accounted for about 27% of per-unit costs, regardless of whether the resident owned a car or not. Better transportation, better land use, better citiesEfforts are underway to finally rid America of its unhealthy devotion to parking.

☆ Big tech companies continue cost cutting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tech companies have chased short-term fads in a desperate attempt to win the favor of Wall Street investors — and it's making the online experience worse. As tech companies continue to focus on efficiency, it's clear that one metric is the most important: revenue per employee. After years of over-hiring, tech companies are now looking to squeeze the most efficient performance from each worker, my colleague Hasan Chowdhury reports. But it's another sign that tech companies are drifting away from pro-remote work policies. Google, Meta, and Microsoft have all failed to make their AR and VR devices into mainstream successes.

☆ MLB roundup: Kodai Senga shines in debut as Mets down Marlins
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

[1/2] Apr 2, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park. /Rhona Wise-USA TODAY SportsApril 3 - Right-hander Kodai Senga struck out eight batters in his major league debut, leading the New York Mets to a 5-1 win over the host Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon. Marlins starter Trevor Rogers (0-1) lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and four runs, three earned. He allowed one run on three hits while walking two and striking out six in his first start of the season. Two of Houck's five hits allowed were home runs by Baltimore's Adam Frazier (3-for-4, two RBIs, two runs) and Cedric Mullins (2-for-5, run, three RBIs).

☆ Former Greylock VC Sarah Guo is betting her career on the AI boom with new fund Conviction. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ex-Greylock GP Sarah Guo surprised the tech world when she launched her AI fund Conviction last year. In addition to her fund, Guo has gained prominence in SF's AI scene through her podcast and events. Kovalsky knew of only one person who could be behind this — Sarah Guo, then a general partner at VC firm Greylock. Within the tech community, Guo has differentiated herself from other VCs through her honesty, business savvy, and grit, they added. Although Guo launched Conviction, a $100 million fund investing up to Series A, in late 2022, her interest in artificial intelligence has been long in the making.

☆ Dozens of AI enthusiasts gathered in San Francisco's Cerebral Valley for a summit on Thursday. Here are the top 3 takeaways from the event.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dozens of AI enthusiasts gathered in SF's Cerebral Valley on Thursday for Eric Newcomer's AI summit. The handful of streets between San Francisco's Fillmore and Mission neighborhoods have been called a variety of names in recent times — Cerebral Valley, Bayes Valley, Hayes Valley — but on a Thursday morning in March, they were the home for dozens of AI enthusiasts, founders, and VCs looking to learn more about the space at independent journalist Eric Newcomer's Cerebral Valley AI Summit. The model to rule them allWith representation from several OpenAI competitors, including Anthropic, Adept, and Stability AI, a common question during panels was how the landscape of AI model providers would shake out. Others, like Stability AI founder and CEO Emad Mostaque, claimed that the question of AI models went beyond performance or cost to issues around transparency and accessibility. The future of codingWith the recent AI boom, a flock of startups have emerged to help developers build AI and non-AI applications.

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