DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Some major tech companies including Meta are taking steps to combat “pig butchering” scams, which trick Americans out of billions of dollars each year through fake online friendships and romances. Pig butchering scams are elaborate and often take months to unfold. Meta on Thursday announced it has taken its first major steps into addressing the scams, including dedicating staff to identify where scammers operate, sharing that information with international law enforcement, and taking down more than 2 million accounts this year. The announcement reflects how more tech companies are recognizing the severity of pig butchering scams. Calling themselves the Tech Against Scams coalition, the companies pledged to share scammer information with each other and better educate users.

Persons: they’ve, Meta, Jeff Lunglhofer, ”, Jake Sims, Operation Shamrock, “, ” Sims Organizations: Meta, Facebook, FBI, Tech, NBC News Locations: WhatsApp, France, Cambodia, OpenAI

☆ I created a chatbot of myself and had it answer my Instagram DMs. Boy, was I annoying.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

— when I saw the way that Meta's new AI chatbot interpreted me. There's a relatively new feature that came this summer, along with some other AI chatbots, where some Instagram creators can answer DMs from fans using a chatbot based on themselves. Let's chat snacks casually 🍿"I appreciate that no one was able to get my AI chatbot canceled or convicted of a crime, but man, my AI was a real killjoy. I tested out chatting with a few of the other AI chatbots available for other creators, and the experience wasn't amazing. I asked a celebrity chef's AI chatbot, "What should I eat for dinner?"

Persons: There's, —, miley e, hatter, hem., y Organizations: Service

☆ A man was so tired of dating apps that he put up a billboard with his information. He's gotten messages from all over the world.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Tracy Abiaka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. "I don't think I'm any more frustrated than anyone else," Cline told Business Insider. The "eleventh-hour decision" has elevated his dating prospects, and he's letting people take a glimpse into his dating journey on his Instagram profile, Date Dave Philly. He's gone on five dates and is already planning a few second dates. It's been working out so much that he recommends others put up a billboard dating profile as long as they're authentic and show their true selves.

Persons: —, David Cline, Cline, didn't, Dave Philly, He's, that's, It's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Brazil, Philippines, Philadelphia, Instagram

☆ Instagram is adding comments to Stories, pulling users out of their DMs and back in front of advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-03 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA new feature for Instagram's Stories encourages community — the company just doesn't want this activity happening in closed groups away from advertisers. The social-media behemoth is launching a new tool that lets users leave comments under their followers' Stories. Only followers can see these comments, and only the people a user follows back can leave a comment. AdvertisementOne consequence of users spending more time in Instagram DMs is that there are fewer eyeballs for advertisers to target through Meta's powerful marketing platform. If this feature can successfully encourage users to start conversations within a Story instead of in DMs, they'll be more likely to keep swiping through Stories that show ads (a win for Instagram).

Persons: —, Z's, Adam Mosseri, Harry Stebbings, influencer Ariana Nathani, Purohit, I've, I'm, Instagram Organizations: Service, Instagram's, Business Locations: Instagram, DMs

☆ I source clothes and accessories for wealthy clients and celebrities. These are my 4 secrets to dressing like the rich.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-28 | by ( Alyshia Hull | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gab Waller, a 30-year-old fashion sourcer in Los Angeles. In June 2018, I started my company as a fashion sourcer, although at the time, I referred to myself as a personal shopper. I serve high-profile clients, private clients with high discretionary incomes, and younger clients looking to purchase their first luxury item. My specialty is sourcing high-end fashion pieces that are sold out and in high demand, especially when it comes to footwear. I understand that shopping for luxury fashion can feel intimidating, so with my business I aim to eliminate that.

Persons: —, Gab Waller, Lori Harvey, Khloé Kardashian, I've, I'd, it's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Move over Hinge and Tinder, there's a new crop of dating apps. Meet the founders behind 11 startups sparking romance.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-26 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

AdvertisementJoshi's dating app, Friend of a Friend, has ads plastered around New York City. AdvertisementThe anti-swipersWhen setting out to build a dating app, swiping fatigue was top of mind for Vaish Sesetty and Cyrus Belsoi, the founders of the dating app Pique. AdvertisementLast year, Chernyak followed her frustration out of her legal career and launched the video-profile dating app Fast-Forward Dating App with two cofounders. AdvertisementThe Instagram DMsOne of the biggest dating apps isn't even a dating app — it's Instagram. Fast-Forward Dating App is a video-profile dating app where users answer five questions on camera with no edits or filters.

Persons: —, Forbes, who'd, Serena Kerrigan, Kerrigan, Rex Woodbury, Vaish Sesetty, Cyrus Belsoi, Belsoi, Karima Ben Abdelmalek, France who's, Abdelmalek, they've, Happn, Joe Feminella, Feminella, Hannah, Elle Wilson, Wilson, Danielle Dietzek, Julie Griggs, Fourplay, Nicole Fara Silver, Dietzek, Anushka Joshi, Friend, Joshi, Derek Lee, Lee, Boo, David Chang, Richard Chang, Katya Chernyak, Chernyak, Aeen Avini, Victoria Todis, Bumble, Nandini Mullaji, Mullaji, Chad DePue, who's, Jeremy Liew, Sitch, Alex Weitzman, hasn't, Weitzman, Amori, Tabitha, Ethan, Pique, Lieu Organizations: Service, Match, Business, Bradley, Microsoft, Daybreak Ventures, Amazon Web Services, Manna, New, Lightspeed Locations: New York City, York City, Paris, TikTok, Park, Brooklyn, France, singlehood, Victoria, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sitch

☆ Girlfriends pay me to conduct loyalty tests via Instagram DMs. It's a lucrative gig, and most boyfriends fail.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Alyshia Hull | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Trinity Howard, a 22-year-old loyalty tester in Tampa. Before I became a loyalty tester, I had my own run-in with cheating. I didn't know it then, but that was my first loyalty test, and it's now my full-time job. I told my new following to DM me if they were interested in a loyalty test and that I'd do it free of charge. I became a loyalty tester on LazoIn 2023, the founders of Lazo, a platform specializing in relationship loyalty tests, contacted me.

Persons: Trinity Howard, it's, who've, Lazo, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Lazo, Trinity Locations: Tampa

☆ Meet WiFi Money: Wealthy Finance Influencers Who Infuriated Investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

The Texas couple were staring down more than $100,000 in debt, much of which they had poured into WiFi Money. Those who give their money to WiFi Money are often encouraged to sign up other people in return for a cut of their profits — and perhaps, one day, a chance to become part of the WiFi Money crew. As the money poured in, WiFi Money gained a patina of mainstream credibility. AdvertisementThrough WiFi Money, Moeller and Frederick had created a virtuous cycle of money and influence. The same month investors took WiFi Money to court over the stores, DBC announced it was closing down.

Persons: Alex Moeller, influencer, Jasmine Sadry, Joey Martin, Martin, Moeller, Chris Frederick, Casa Moeller Martinez, MentorCI, Kim Kardashians, Gary Vee, Uber, Etsy, Farnaz Ghaedipour, Frederick, Jay Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald's, Brandon Celi, There's, Billy, Chris Casey, There's Todd Cahill, Liz Friesen, Tana Mongeau, Kardashian, —, James Ragano, BI Moeller, wouldn't, Kyle McDougal, Sadry, Kyncey, McDougal, hustlers, Kevin O'Leary, Jordan Belfort, Ronaldinho, Glenn Beck, I've, he'd, Daemon, I'm, they'd, It's, Chris Costello, Francis, Ashley, Costello, Gatsby, Casey, Avery Williamson, Victor Bermudez, DBC, They're, Instagram, Rolex Submariner Organizations: WiFi, Lamborghini, McLaren, Fox News, YouTube, Invest, Stanford University, PBS, BI, Social, Yahoo Finance, Business, Times, Piccadilly Circus, Fort, DMs, Kyncey Investments, Amazon, Kyncey, Investors, CNN, Fox Business, Big Tech, Florida Tropics Soccer Club, Royce, WiFi Money, Federal Trade Commission, WifiMoney, IRS, NFL, Dallas, Rolex Locations: Instagram, Mexico, Texas, Dallas, Quito, Ecuador, @amoeller, Florida, pecs, Maryland, Europe, Illinois, Mita, Burj, Fort Worth, dropshipping, Brazilian, New York City, ensconced, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Munich

☆ When my daughter went to college, I wanted to call her every day. Here's how I established a new connection with her.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Karen Alley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

When my daughter went off to college, I wanted to call her every day just to hear her voice. AdvertisementWhen my daughter got off the bus after the first day of kindergarten, she talked non-stop until she went to bed. I learned to communicate with my daughter differentlyWhen I went to college, we had a phone in our dorm room, and it cost money to call home long distance. But just like when we went off to college, they need the space to make the transition into adulthood without us hovering. AdvertisementWhat I've come to realize is how often parents talk with their college kids is as widely different as how often married couples have sex — and the end result is the same.

Persons: —, I'd, we're, we've Organizations: Service

☆ Gen Z Is Primed to Succeed at Starting Their Own Small Business
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

He was able to scale the business to more than $600,000 in revenue by 2018, when he graduated from high school. Before the internet, starting a business was a serious hassle. The problem wasn't that people weren't interested in starting a business: A 2016 EY study found that 62% of 18- to 34-year-olds had toyed with venturing into business ownership. That has made starting a business all the more appealing — and affordable — for prospective entrepreneurs. And with the plethora of digital tools we have today, starting a business is more accessible than ever.

Persons: Luke Lintz, Lintz, Bernhard Schroeder, Schroeder, Gen Zers, —, Martin Warner, Warner, GoDaddy, HighKey, Nicki Minaj, Kevin Hart, Khloé Kardashian, Tom Peters, Peters, " Schroeder, ZenBusiness, Gen, Zers, he'd Organizations: Apple, Shipping, Lavin Entrepreneurship, San Diego State University, Entrepreneurship, Dynamics Statistics, Business, Fast Company, Small Business Administration Locations: North America, China

☆ Sam Altman and Elon Musk are beefing, but the two share plenty in common
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Sam Altman's sprawling AI empire amid his beef with Elon Musk . AdvertisementBut first, the sun never sets on Sam Altman's AI empire. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was thrust into the mainstream consciousness with the release of ChatGPT in 2022. Elon Musk and Sam Altman Michael M. Santiago/Getty, Nordin Catic/Getty, Tyler Le/BIThere is another tech billionaire whose vision exceeds a singular company. But unlike Musk, Altman has, somewhat incredibly, mostly skirted controversy (save for his ouster-then-return saga ).

Persons: —, There's, Sam Altman's, Elon Musk, Alastair Grant, Rebecca Zisser, Sam Altman, Altman, Darius Rafieyan, Sam Altman Michael M, Nordin Catic, Tyler Le, Elon, Musk, OpenAI, execs, Altman isn't, Robert Downey Jr, Tony Stark, Goldman Sachs, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Neema Raphael, Goldman's, Jerome Powell, Powell, Li Qiang's, Xi Jinping, Fernando Gutierrez, leapfrog, Ridley Scott's, Napoleon, BI's Peter Kafka, Elon Musk's, Joe Biden, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Service, Elon, Business, OpenAI, Microsoft, Goldman, Beijing, Nvidia, leapfrog Apple, Apple, Google, FTC, Facebook, Variety, Tesla, Costco, Kroger, Digital Locations: China, Delaware, New York, London

☆ A fashion creator and videographer share the media kits they each use to get brand deals and how they negotiate joint projects as a couple
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Here's Patel's 7-page media kit:Page one of Shagun Patel's media kit. Page four of Shagun Patel's media kit. Page five of Shagun Patel's media kit. Page six of Shagun Patel's media kit. Page seven of Shagun Patel's media kit.

Persons: videographer, Sukhjot Singh, Singh, Patel, they've, She's, He'd, she'll, She'll, Shagun Patel, shagunpatel.business@gmail.com, TikTok, Here's, shotbusiness@gmail.com Organizations: York, Business, Nike, YouTube, Meta, Patel, Creative, Kia Motors, NYFW Locations: Asian, Instagram, Singh, Hawaii, Morocco, Paris

☆ How I got my job as Twitch streamer Kai Cenat's assistant thanks to an Instagram DM — and a zebra
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Brianna Lewis, 28, works as a personal assistant to top Twitch streamer Kai Cenat. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed interview with 28-year-old Brianna Lewis, who is an assistant to Twitch streamer Kai Cenat. But I was never presented the right opportunity until late 2021, when a family member sent me Kai Cenat's Instagram story. Kai is a Twitch streamer and YouTube creator with millions of subscribers across multiple platforms. You can kind of gauge when they're going to need you, and what exactly they're going to need — probably before even they realize that they need it.

Persons: Brianna Lewis, Lewis, DMing, —, I've, Kai Cenat's, Kai, I'm, It's, we've, Drake, Kai Cenat Organizations: Service, Instagram DMs, YouTube Locations: Instagram, Georgia, Charlotte , North Carolina, Atlanta

☆ Find me a zebra and you can have the job: What it's like to work for top YouTube stars, according to 17 current and former staffers of creators like MrBeast and Kai Cenat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Marta Biino | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Cenat, who is a top Twitch streamer and YouTube creator with millions of subscribers across multiple platforms, was looking for an assistant. Cenat responded to her message, writing that she could have the job if she could get one task done. There's even a job board dedicated to finding work with a YouTube creator: YT Jobs . The staffers ranged from full-time employees to contractors, and they described days filled with unimaginable stunts, inconsistent work hours, varying salaries, and frequent pivoting. "It's like the old adage of, 'If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.'"

Persons: Brianna Lewis yearned, Kai Cenat's, Cenat, Lewis, She's, Jimmy Donaldson, Preston Arsement, YT, Britt Carter, Kai Cenat, Brianna Lewis, Carter, Drake, Peter Sanjur, Sanjur, Zi Yuan, Yuan, Jason Russak, YouTuber Jesse Riedel, Russak Organizations: Instagram DMs, YouTube, Research, Oxford Economics Locations: Georgia, Charlotte , North Carolina, Atlanta , Georgia, Greenville , North Carolina, Smoky, Japan, Tokyo

☆ Mark Zuckerberg delivers on promise to pour 'gasoline' on Threads growth as the platform regains users while X shrinks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Zuckerberg is making good on his promise to accelerate the use of Threads. "I'm highly confident that we're gonna be able to pour enough gasoline on this to help it grow," Zuckerberg said. As the app has matured quickly in recent weeks, users have started to return and downloads have continued to rise. So far in October, Threads has hovered around 33 million daily active users and 120 million monthly active users, according to data from Apptopia, up from about 25 million daily users and 100 million monthly users in July. "A big thank you to everyone who's made Instagram and Threads what they are today," Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote on Threads about the event.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon, Zuckerberg, it's, who's, Adam Mosseri, Instagram, Jorge Caballero, Angelo Zino Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, Meta Locations: Apptopia, Instagram DMs, New York, monetize

☆ Meta’s Threads is finally available on desktop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Threads users, rejoice: the app is rolling out its highly anticipated web version Tuesday. The company says it plans to add more desktop features in the future. Threads has been steadily rolling out smaller updates but the hotly demanded web version could help reignite stronger user engagement. Meta's Threads is rolling out desktop access for users starting on Tuesday. Meta employees have for weeks teased that a desktop version of Threads was in the works and being tested internally.

Persons: —, X, Elon Musk, Instagram, Adam Mosseri, “ it’ll, “, Mark Zuckerberg, ”, we’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, Twitter, Meta, CNN, DMs Locations: New York

☆ Meta's job cuts are gutting customer service, leaving influencers and businesses with nobody to call
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

As part of the company's two rounds of layoffs, equaling roughly 21,000 job cuts, Meta gutted wide swaths of its customer service operation, leaving influencers and businesses with nobody to contact about their accounts. CNBC spoke with influencers, small businesses and Meta account managers as well as a half-dozen former contractors and former Meta employees about the deterioration in customer service at the company since the job cuts began in November. Holliday said it appears that the only people who get customer service are those who represent a company that's spending heavily on advertising. However, some influencers say Facebook has had such poor customer service that there's no reason to pay for it. After all the problems she's experienced, Karlova questions whether Meta will be able to provide better customer service.

☆ Instagram is the new 'business card' for creators. Here's why industry experts say this could be Meta's secret weapon.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Instagram has become a "business card" or "Rolodex" for creators and business owners. Here's why creator industry insiders and experts say messaging is a big opportunity for Instagram. "I could not do my business without Instagram DMs," said Eric Wei, a former Instagram staffer who left to found creator economy fintech startup Karat. Meta's making moves to monetize messagingCracking how to monetize messaging isn't so straightforward. This year, Meta hosted "Conversations" in May, a developer event focused on business messaging, after canceling its annual and broader developer event, F8.

Adam Levine's alleged Instagram DMs to a model have become the internet's latest meme, with many people both criticizing and mocking the Maroon 5 singer for being "cringe." The "Adam Levine Cheating Scandal" meme first went viral earlier this week after Instagram model Sumner Stroh posted a TikTok alleging that she had had a year-long affair him, according to meme database Know Your Meme. After their communication ended, Stroh alleged Levine had asked her if he could name his child after her. "the most embarrassing thing about adam levine cheating, even more than the cheating, is the insanely cringe flirting," one person tweeted. Meanwhile, others made jokes about the alleged "truly unreal how f-----g hot you" are message.

☆ How a Gen-Z artist has built a business on TikTok with 40K followers, and how much she earns from the Creator Fund and brand deals
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Manasi Arya started posting artwork on Instagram and TikTok after she graduated college. Arya's ArtwithManasi accounts now have 40,100 followers on TikTok and 19,000 followers on Instagram. Around the same time, she hit 10,000 followers on TikTok and applied for the platform's Creator Fund. She earned $9,000 to create one video for DirecTV that was posted on TikTok and Instagram. Although her videos about art remain popular, she branched out into posting about fashion, identity and representation, and dating.

☆ How Much a Gen-Z Artist Earns From TikTok With 40K Followers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Search resuls for: "Instagram DMs"

21 mentions found