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☆ Twitter employees nicknamed a Tesla executive 'the Elon whisperer' because of his ability to read Elon Musk's mood, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter staff nicknamed a Tesla exec "the Elon whisperer" because of his ability to read Elon Musk's mood. Omead Afshar, the Tesla exec, joined Twitter late last year, according to the Financial Times. Omead Afshar, who once led Tesla's Gigafactory in Austin, joined Twitter last year and is part of Elon Musk's tight inner circle, according to the Financial Times. Afshar has been helping Musk with "the biggest, stickiest issues at the company," according to the report. According to The Information, Musk's company is at least $70 million behind on a five-year contract it signed with Amazon Web Services in 2020.

☆ Insiders were stepping up and buying this week at these regional banks and niche financials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The banking crisis drove regional bank stocks sharply lower this week, but many insiders took advantage of the turmoil to scoop up shares of their own institutions in what may prove a vote of confidence. Shares of regional banks slumped as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank left investors worried that other regional banks might face similar balance sheet issues, a possible mismatch between long-dated assets and short-dated liabilities. Regional banks had regained some ground Thursday in anticipation of a group of 11 banks stepping in to First Republic by depositing $30 billion for at least 120 days . Charles Schwab Notably, Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger bought 50,000 shares Tuesday, worth nearly $3 million, for his personal account. Valley National Bancorp Ira Robbins (CEO) bought 5,000 shares Wednesday Jennifer Steans (Director) bought 150,000 shares Tuesday Eric Edelstein (Director) bought 20,000 shares Tuesday Melissa Schultz (Director) bought 15,000 shares Tuesday Jeffrey Wilks (Director) bought 8,000 shares Tuesday Marc Lenner (Director) bought 5,000 shares Tuesday Suresh Sani (Director) bought 5,000 shares Tuesday Valley National Bancorp saw a rush of insider buying this week, including purchases by its CEO and several directors.

☆ The Fed should pause, but it would shock the market, says Alger's Ankur Crawford
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe Fed should pause, but it would shock the market, says Alger's Ankur CrawfordAnkur Crawford, Alger executive vice president, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss why she believes mega cap tech is a safe place in the current market.

☆ Quotes: Global banks under pressure as SVB triggers contagion worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - The health of the global banking sector as interest rates rise remained in the spotlight on Tuesday in the wake of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). But days of wild swings in global markets and hefty losses in bank shares, left the outlook for the sector in focus. Banks are now faced with the classic problem that has threatened banks throughout history: a mismatch in terms between assets and liabilities." Hopefully we'll go over the next few days, whether or not the financial system is going to calm down or not. "It’s been an indiscriminate sell off in banking stocks, the financial sector repriced everywhere.

☆ Billionaire Charles Schwab's wealth plunged nearly $3 billion after his brokerage's shares were hammered amid the banking crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shares of Charles Schwab Corp fell sharply amid the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Investors are worried as Charles Schwab Corp is sitting on a significant amount of unrealized losses on its bond assets. Charles Schwab Corp — while best known for its discount brokerage business — also provides banking and loan services. Charles Schwab Corp even sought to soothe investor jitters in a statement on Monday, saying it has enough liquidity to weather any volatility. Charles Schwab Corp did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ The Twitter manager who went viral for sleeping at the office is going on a vacation after Elon Musk fired her
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Twitter executive said she's taking a vacation just weeks after she was laid off. Esther Crawford was one of Elon Musk's top lieutenants and went viral for sleeping at the office. The Twitter executive worked at the company for over two years after it acquired her startup, Squad, in 2020, according to her LinkedIn page. Crawford isn't the only former Twitter executive to take off on vacation after the widespread layoffs. Still, it's unclear whether Twitter's severance pay is as cushy as that of other tech companies for all those laid off.

☆ A laid-off Twitter manager, who was one of Elon Musk's most loyal employees, tweeted 'cruelty is the worst' in an apparent dig at the tech mogul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ex-Twitter manager Esther Crawford tweeted "cruelty is the worst" in an apparent dig at Elon Musk. She was seen as one of Musk's most loyal workers. Musk had publicly clashed with Haraldur Thorleifsson, a former Twitter director, on Monday. After Thorleifsson tweeted that he was unsure of his employment status, noting that he had been locked out of company systems, Musk accused him of using his disability as an "excuse" to do "no actual work." Crawford tweeted on Tuesday that "cruelty is the worst," without providing further context.

"Most luxury retailers don't think Hong Kong will return to the dizzy levels of 2014 when the market here peaked," said Simon Smith, Savills' senior director of research and consultancy in Hong Kong. Morgan Stanley (MS.N) forecast Hong Kong visitor numbers this year will reach just 70% of 2018 arrivals. It estimates retail sales will grow 15%, holding at around 80% of retail trade from the pre-COVID year. That outstripped total Hong Kong retail sales from a peak hit in 2013 at HK$494.5 billion ($63.0 billion), according to the city's statistics department. ($1 = 6.8510 yuan)($1 = 7.8498 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Farah Master, Jessie Pang, Anne Marie Roantree, Angel Woo and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong, Sophie Yu in Beijing, and Mimosa Spencer in Paris; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nvidia will soar 19% as the market's top semiconductor stock because their chips work most seamlessly with AI and they already have a head start, Credit Suisse says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nvidia stock is set to hit $275 due to its leadership in AI, according to Credit Suisse. Nvidia shares have jumped more than 60% since the year's start as ChatGPT has raised AI hype. Characterizing Nvidia as the "leading silicon AI enabler," Credit Suisse said its graphic processing units are at the core of AI development and machine learning. Moreover, Nvidia's software will be its "competitive moat" in AI that keeps other companies at bay, Credit Suisse said. Credit Suisse is not alone in its bullishness.

☆ Matthew McConaughey's Salesforce gig
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hallam Bullock here, reporting from London — and yes, Matthew McConaughey is on my mind. Salesforce has reportedly been paying McConaughey $10 million a year to act as a "creative adviser." Robyn Phelps/InsiderProgrammers are thrilled about AI tools like ChatGPT. Read why programmers are pumped about the rise of AI tools. Larry Lundstrom spends about 40 to 60 hours a week as a pastor, but on the side, he uses AI tools like ChatGPT to make pitch decks for businesses.

☆ The Twitter leaders Elon Musk put in place keep quitting or getting fired. See who's left and who's recently been hired, including engineers from Google's DeepMind and a Tesla superfan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

About half of the 20 people who reported to Elon Musk after his takeover have left Twitter. Musk has hired some new people, including engineers who may be working on an AI project. Elon Musk's Twitter is ruled by chaos. None have been directly replaced, the people familiar said, although Musk has also hired some new people from outside his companies. Below is a complete list of who Musk set as his direct reports, including those who have already left the company.

☆ Apple's advertising business is expanding into new areas this year such as TV. Here are 14 behind-the-scenes Apple executives building its advertising empire.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A former Yahoo and Quantcast staffer, Crawford first joined Apple in 2011 to work on global operations for iAd. Lauren Fry - Apple TV+ ad salesApple hired Fry, a TV and video ad sales veteran, in February this year, The Information reported.

☆ Twitter's mass layoffs mean some junior employees are in charge of areas they've never worked on before, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Junior Twitter employees have been left in charge of areas they haven't worked on before, per NYT. Twitter's workforce is about a quarter of the size that it was before Elon Musk took over. That means Twitter now has less staff than the 2,700 it had when it went public in 2013. Twitter staff changes also mean it is without a permanent head of global infrastructure, the Times reported, after Musk's chosen replacement — a Tesla engineer — resigned in January. Nearly a thousand users also reported problems with Twitter during the Super Bowl halftime show.

☆ 4 senior Twitter managers were previously on a 'do not fire' list, but they were fired anyway, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk fired four Twitter managers who were previously on a "do not fire" list, per Platformer. The managers, including Esther Crawford, worked at Twitter for just over two years, per LinkedIn. Twitter fired the four senior staffers over the weekend, the report said. The layoffs impacted a range of roles, including product managers, data scientists, and engineers, per Platformer. After the news broke about her job cut, Crawford tweeted that had no regrets about going "all-in on Twitter 2.0."

☆ Twitter employees' Google Chat service was disabled without explanation before the new round of layoffs, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Google Chat service used by Twitter staff was disabled last week, The Verge reported. Musk reportedly cut at least 200 Twitter employees including multiple engineers, product team members, and director of product management Esther Crawford. Platformer's Zoë Schiffer tweeted on Monday that Twitter was bringing its Slack service back but old channels were being archived. During previous layoffs, Twitter workers flooded Slack with farewell messages. Twitter's total headcount is estimated to be below 2,000, down from 7,500 before Musk took over, The Verge reported citing current and former employees.

☆ A laid-off Twitter exec who went viral for sleeping on the office floor says people who are afraid of being 'dunked on' should stay 'small and invisible'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A laid-off Twitter exec said people who are afraid of criticism should stay "small and invisible." Esther Crawford had become known for her commitment to Elon Musk's "Twitter 2.0." During her time at Twitter, Crawford was seen as an embodiment of Musk's "hardcore" work culture. "If you can't take being publicly dunked on then be sure to avoid taking any risks and stay away from all leadership roles," Crawford tweeted. Stay small and invisible and most of all, be silent and afraid of what others think."

☆ The boss of Elon Musk's Boring Company called Twitter managers to ask about employee performance just days before 200 people were laid off, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Boring Company's boss called Twitter managers last week to ask about staff performance, Platformer reports. Twitter then cut at least 200 employees on Saturday night, including four high-ranking managers. Davis is a longstanding ally of Twitter owner Elon Musk, and has helped cut costs since his takeover. Steve Davis, a long-term associate of Musk, has been working with Twitter for the past few months to help cut costs at Musk's request. These managers later learned on Saturday that at least 200 employees were being laid off, including product managers, data scientists, and engineers.

☆ A Twitter manager seen as embodying Elon Musk's 'hardcore' work culture was reportedly laid off. She says she has no regrets going 'all-in on Twitter 2.0.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Crawford, a Twitter manager seen as embodying Musk's "hardcore" work culture, has reportedly since been laid off. "The worst take you could have from watching me go all-in on Twitter 2.0 is that my optimism or hard work was a mistake," Crawford tweeted Sunday. Crawford, a director of product management, was seen as embodying Twitter owner Elon Musk's "hardcore" work culture. Crawford reportedly defended Musk's initial mass layoffs that led to thousands of the company's workers losing their jobs. Another said: "All your hard work is reflected in the quality of the current Twitter user experience," apparently referencing recent issues with the site.

☆ One of Elon Musk's most loyal employees was fired at Twitter. Here's how she went from surviving layoffs to the chopping block in the span of a few months.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Crawford spent over two years at Twitter, according to her LinkedIn, working on projects like Twitter Blue and Spaces. Insider's Kali Hays first reported in January that 50 people on Twitter's product team were set to be let go. Following the first round of layoffs in November, The Verge reported Crawford told employees at Twitter that mass firings were "required" for Twitter to survive, which distanced herself from her colleagues. Unnamed employees at Twitter acknowledged this prominence in the FT report, saying she and Musk began working closely following the takeover. "She has become a bit of an interpreter between Elon and the product team," one senior staffer told FT.

☆ Googlers are begrudgingly testing Bard and making memes out of their new task.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since it's a tough time in the tech industry right now, I hope this resonates with some of you, too. Thomas Maxwell/InsiderGooglers are begrudgingly testing their company's ChatGPT competitor. CEO Sundar Pichai asked every employee to spend multiple hours testing Google's new chatbot Bard. They were tasked with improving Bard by asking it questions and flagging bad answers, in addition to their normal responsibilities. Some made memes from the conversations they've had with Bard, continuing a trend of internally mocking the chatbot.

☆ P&G, Constellation Brands see solid U.S. demand, even as prices rise — a key reason we're shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Constellation Brands "Consumer demand for our products remains strong even in a challenging macro environment," Newlands said. Procter & Gamble Inflation continues to weigh on consumers and impact global sales volumes at P & G, CFO Andre Schulten said Thursday. P & G last month delivered solid fiscal second-quarter results , in part through raising prices by as much as 10% on some products. Constellation Brands, meanwhile, continues to demonstrate sustained demand for its leading beer brands. Trucks with Constellation Brands Inc. Corona and Modelo beer sit during a delivery in the Zona Rosa neighborhood in Mexico City, Mexico.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Alger's Ankur Crawford
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Alger's Ankur CrawfordAnkur Crawford, executive vice president and portfolio manager at Alger, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss the promise of AI, mega cap competition in the AI landscape and the new businesses that could develop out of AI technology.

☆ A.I. will disrupt markets we thought were impenetrable, says Alger's Ankur Crawford
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailA.I. will disrupt markets we thought were impenetrable, says Alger's Ankur CrawfordAnkur Crawford, executive vice president and portfolio manager at Alger, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss the promise of AI, mega cap competition in the AI landscape and the new businesses that could develop out of AI technology.

CNN —The first tool that mechanic trainees at Maryland’s Vehicles for Change program pick up is not a wrench, but a pair of virtual reality goggles. The virtual-first training program is an unconventional solution to a real-world problem: a significant shortage of qualified automotive technicians. Maryland's Vehicles for Change program is using VR to help train more mechanics and address a nationwide mechanics shortage. In the early days of the pandemic, doctors and nurses used VR to train for treating patients with Covid-19. And some schools have used VR to expand the classroom beyond its physical walls, particularly as demand for remote education exploded during the pandemic.

☆ Business Technology Chiefs Question ChatGPT’s Readiness for the Enterprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Angus Loten | Chris Bedi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Yet some business-technology professionals are uneasy about integrating it into the enterprise stack, citing concerns over its use of online data and security risks. But at the moment, ChatGPT “should be used with caution in an enterprise business setting,” she said. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. For now, Mr. Schmidt said, generative AI capabilities should be reserved for writing corporate boilerplate—product or service announcements, or other promotional materials. For enterprise information-technology, “ChatGPT use cases might be a smaller universe than people are imagining,” he said.

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