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☆ Elon Musk's Twitter refusing to cover work expenses of some former employees, citing newly enacted policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

After being laid off, fired or resigning, some former Twitter employees now fear they will never be reimbursed by Elon Musk for once-covered work expenses. In recent weeks, a number of former Twitter employees have received boilerplate rejection emails for expenses, three people familiar with the company told Insider. Former employees with rejected expenses are being told by email the expenses fall outside of a new policy enacted about three weeks ago by Twitter HR under Musk, as Insider reported. Other former employees are having trouble being reimbursed for expenses related to costs of fertility treatments and adoption. Twitter did not mention Carrot or fertility benefits explicitly in the November email regarding the new expense policy.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before Congress on Tuesday. He could be grilled on his past statements — and expose himself to more legal risks.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sam Bankman-Fried plans to appear remotely before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday. The House Financial Services committee has its own investigative mandate, outlined by its role in inquiring into financial failures, and in helping to craft legislation to prevent similar episodes in the future. Participating could expose Bankman-Fried to more legal risksTestimony provided to House lawmakers would usually be under oath, thought not necessarily so. The House Financial Services committee, chaired by Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California, comprises progressive political stars like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. The House Financial Services committee hearing is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday.

☆ 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.

☆ Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi got access to Twitter's internal systems like Slack as Elon Musk continues his 'Twitter Files' campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk gave newsletter writer Matt Taibbi access to internal company tools. Taibbi is part of Musk's release of internal content moderation decisions dubbed "Twitter Files." Conservative commentator Bari Weiss was previously given access to company systems. Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi now has access to internal Twitter systems amid CEO Elon Musk's continued release of the "Twitter Files," or internal information about the company's past content moderation decisions. Last weekend, Taibbi was the first to begin tweeting about what Musk dubbed the "Twitter Files."

☆ Elon Musk and Facebook's former chief security officer got into it on Twitter over the release of the 'Twitter Files Part 2'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk sparred on Twitter with Facebook's former security chief over "Twitter Files part two." Alex Stamos tweeted "Musk fired the lawyer" who would tell him what happens if non-employees have access to users' DMs. On Thursday, conservative columnist Bari Weiss tweeted the latest thread of "files," an installment about "Twitter's secret blacklists." Journalist Matt Taibbi tweeted the first part of the "Twitter Files" last week, which Musk described as internal communications that would reveal Twitter tried to censor free speech on the platform. Stamos tweeted that he was the target of "a wave of really poorly targeted racist and antisemitic slurs from" Musk's "posse," after Musk's reply.

☆ Meta wants managers to rank twice as many employees in its lowest performance-review categories
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The range includes layoffs and "non-regrettable" exits by staff who managers aren't sad to see go. The higher range includes already laid-off employees and "non-regrettable attrition," a term for staff considered not critical to operations who managers would not be sad to see leave. NRA, as it's also known inside Meta, includes people who quit of their own accord and those who are let go after being deemed underperformers. "Unregretted attrition" includes employees Amazon considers low-performing who are often pressured out via notorious performance-management programs. Shortly after the recent layoffs, Meta revealed it was looking to shrink its office footprint and would continue its current hiring freeze well into 2023.

☆ JPMorgan thinks emerging markets will be the star next year, returning 14%. How to play it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Emerging markets could be a big winner for investors next year, even though a global economic slowdown seems likely, according to JPMorgan. Chief global markets strategist Marko Kolanovic said in a note to clients on Thursday that emerging markets could rally next year even as major economies slow, as markets look ahead to the next economic rebound. The iShares MSCI China ETF (MCHI) is the biggest, at roughly $8 billion of assets under management. The iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) has already outperformed the U.S. market this year, rising more than 13% on a total return basis. Another area of emerging markets that could rally next year is technology, due in part to the "expected peaking of US rates and forecasted bottom in tech sub-sectors especially memory," JPMorgan said.

☆ India cenbank hikes key policy rate by 35 basis points
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

However, the pace of rate hikes is reducing from 50 bps to 35 bps, in line with expected global hikes." The market needs to keep a close watch on global rate hikes and sticky core inflation." "We expect RBI to go for another 25 bps hike in its next policy, with the terminal rate at 6.5%. ANUJ PURI, CHAIRMAN, ANAROCK GROUP, MUMBAI"The 35 bps rate hike by the RBI - the fifth consecutive rate hike this year - comes as no surprise. We see a possibility of another 25 bps rate hike before a prolonged pause."

☆ Elon Musk's SpaceX unveils Starlink-like satellite service for governments called 'Starshield'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX has launched a satellite network, called Starshield, to be used by governments. Starshield will offer a higher level of security than its Starlink satellite service, SpaceX says. Despite this, SpaceX indicated that Starshield will be different from the Starlink satellite constellation, which now has more than 3,200 satellites in low-Earth orbit. "While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use," SpaceX says on its website. SpaceX says it can work at "unprecedented speed" to deploy its Starshield network given that it provides "end-to-end" solutions from building rockets to user terminals.

☆ Elon Musk keeps bringing in new people to Twitter, like enthusiastic interns, cousins, and even Bari Weiss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Elon Musk has made some dramatic changes to Twitter since taking over five weeks ago. Roughly 150 people are still working at Twitter at Musk's behest from his other companies and ventures, according to two people familiar with the company. Musk's hires at TwitterTwo of Musk's cousins, James and Andrew Musk, appear to now be acting as full-time Twitter employees, both of the people familiar said. Both men work daily at Twitter offices, with Andrew Musk working on software-engineering projects and James Musk seen more as "a fixer type," one of the people said, helping Musk out with various needs and tasks. Weiss was in the San Francisco office that evening, speaking and "laughing with" Musk, two employees said.

☆ An ex-senior Twitter employee laid off by Elon Musk says the way job cuts were executed was 'inhumane'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's handling of Twitter's layoffs was "inhumane," an ex-Twitter worker said, per the LA Times. Some Twitter staff found out they'd been laid off when they were locked out of work laptops. Since losing his job, Shevat has filed arbitration claims against Elon Musk with the help of attorney Lisa Bloom, per the LA Times. "The way Elon Musk executed the layoffs was really inhumane," Shevat said in the conference, cited by the LA Times. Thousands of Twitter employees have been laid off, resigned, or fired since Musk took over.

☆ 4 stats that show how much TikTok has taken over the media world
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok is outshining its competitors as a key media platform for Gen Z, a new online survey by The New Consumer and Coefficient Capital shows. TikTok's userbase has exploded in recent years, ever since the pandemic when millions of people turned to the social-media app to entertain themselves during quarantine. Here are the top four takeaways from the Consumer Trends 2023 report that show TikTok's rise:1. An excerpt from the 2023 Consumer Trends Survey. An excerpt from the 2023 Consumer Trends Survey.

☆ Elon Musk keeps bringing in new people to Twitter, like 'enthusiastic' interns, cousins, and even Bari Weiss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Elon Musk has made some dramatic changes to Twitter since taking over five weeks ago. Roughly 150 people are still working at Twitter at Musk's behest from his other companies and ventures, according to two people familiar with the company. Musk's hires at TwitterTwo of Musk's cousins, James and Andrew Musk, appear to now be acting as full-time Twitter employees, both of the people familiar said. Weiss was in the San Francisco office that evening, speaking and "laughing with" Musk, two employees said. Now, Weiss has been given access to Twitter's employee systems, added to its Slack, and given a company laptop, two people familiar with her presence said.

☆ Elon Musk's business confidants are sleeping in new bedrooms at Twitter HQ that have been converted from unused offices. Musk is having one made for him.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter HQ in San Francisco now has dozens of bedrooms that have been converted from unused offices. The change is an effort by Elon Musk to save costs when people come to work from out of town. Bedrooms complete with private showers and TV have arrived at Twitter HQ as Elon Musk continues to look for ways to reduce expenses. Dozens of unused offices in the San Francisco building have been turned into bedrooms over the last several days, two people familiar with the changes said. The billionaire has mentioned in emails and in all-hands meetings with Twitter employees that the company is in a "challenging" financial position.

☆ I've padded my income as an entrepreneur by monetizing my online following. Here are 3 low-lift ways I've attracted brand deals.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She started monetizing her following, and brand deals now make up 20% of her income. Reaching out to brands is her first step, and she posts free content to get their attention. It helped me secure my first well-known brand partnership that can help lead to more deals in the future. I used an influencer-management platformOne passive way that I've been able to land new brand deals is by using free influencer and creator-management platforms. For social-media brand deals, I use AspireIQ and Tinysponsor, and for newsletter and podcast ad deals I use Swapstack.

☆ I was laid off from DoorDash and was depending on it for my H1B visa. I'm mentally struggling to process the shock of looking for a new job.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DoorDash laid off 1,250 employees on Wednesday to help cut costs. Insider spoke to a worker who was let go and needed to find a new job before their visa expired. The email said DoorDash is reducing the size of its workforce and that my role was one of those being impacted by layoffs. I have an H1B visa and you can only hold that when you have a job. Because of the visa situation, I am under pressure to find a job quickly and it's a huge mental struggle.

☆ When a coworker swings by to chat, you’ve been 'desk-bombed' – but some people hate the distraction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Desk-bombing is the act of unexpectedly approaching someone at their desk to have a chat. But after almost three years of silencing those Slack notifications when they get too annoying, there's one distraction proving much more difficult to avoid: "desk-bombing". That's the term for a colleague coming over to your desk for a conversation about work – or simply a casual chat. "While desk-bombing may be uncomfortable or aggressive to the other party, it gets the work done," he tells Insider. "I feel like sending emails and making arrangements or inquiries by phone is not as effective as face-to-face conversations."

☆ 9 email and DM templates that influencers use to reach out to brands for paid partnerships
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

For many influencers, brand collaborations are one of the main ways to earn income, especially for those who work full-time as content creators. Her Instagram template that she used to successfully pitch brands has helped her earn enough to sustain her lifestyle in Virginia. Kovach has a "pitch bank" of email templates, and chooses one depending on the company, product, or experience. Here is a recent template she used to successfully pitch a brand over emailInsider spoke to nine influencers who shared their exact DM and email templates used to land brand collaborations. Email templates influencers use to pitch brands:DM templates influencers use to pitch brands:

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried said it's 'not who I am' to shun the press. But legal experts say his recent interviews could come back to haunt him.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In new media appearances, Sam Bankman-Fried openly mused about his culpability in FTX's crash. Bankman-Fried told Sorkin at one point that "I didn't knowingly commingle funds," between FTX and his other company, the hedge fund Alameda Research. "Like, I wasn't spending any time or effort trying to manage risk on FTX," he told the "Good Morning America" anchor. Greg Joseph and Stanford Law professor David Mills, who Semafor reported last month represent Bankman-Fried, didn't respond to Insider's email for comment Thursday evening. Representatives for FTX did not respond to a request for comment, and Bankman-Fried did not respond to a Twitter DM seeking comment.

☆ Creators say YouTube's new shopping features do 'next to nothing' to help them make money as they prepare for the holiday sales season
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Tom Dotan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Creators say YouTube's new commerce products generate insignificant revenue for them. YouTube said some creators have made it work and sold out products featured in live shopping events. Creators haven't yet expressed panic about the slow start to YouTube's commerce efforts. But it may be too early for the live shopping trend to have evolved among American consumers like it has in China, he adds. In the coming months though, creators hope YouTube tweaks the commerce products to make them more compelling to viewers.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried said he thought the wild DM exchange between him and a reporter was a conversation with a 'longtime friend' who he 'stupidly forgot' was a journalist
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Following the FTX collapse, the founder and former CEO exchanged wild DMs with a Vox reporter. The Twitter direct messages were published by Vox on November 16, days after his cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, collapsed. It was a longtime friend of mine who I stupidly forgot was also a reporter," Bankman-Fried said, adding: "I'm not sure what they thought the capacity was at the time, but it certainly ended up being reported on." During the exchange, Piper also mentioned the conversation the two had over the summer. In a lengthy Twitter thread published shortly after the DMs came out, Bankman-Fried also referred to the Piper as his "friend."

☆ Elon Musk has fired so many Twitter workers by mistake that HR created an 'accidental termination' category to re-onboard employees
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The problem led Twitter's HR to make changes to get accidentally fired people re-onboarded quicker. Twitter workers are being mistakenly fired so often under CEO Elon Musk's leadership that human resources created a new internal category to identify and rehire them quickly. Musk's cuts to Twitter's staff have been so extensive that the company told remaining employees to try and recruit some laid off colleagues. Even before Thanksgiving, several employees had mistakenly lost access to their work badges that serve as passes into and around Twitter buildings, the people familiar said. Although people who Musk laid off or fired typically received an email confirming their termination, those notes often came several hours after employees lost access to work tools.

☆ SBF won’t shut up, and it’s driving lawyers mad
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

SBF has repeatedly admitted that he “f—ked up.” He has apologized on Twitter and in a letter to staff. “What SBF is doing is a form of litigation suicide,” Howard Fischer, a former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer tells me. SBF resigned as CEO when his crypto exchange, FTX, declared bankruptcy on November 11. Ray sought to make clear that SBF does not speak for FTX or its affiliates. (And no, I don’t mean extra sick days — I mean any sick days, which workers currently have to take unpaid).

☆ Snap employees must work in the office at least four days a week next year, ending its 'remote first' policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Many tech companies allow remote work, with some reverting to part time in-office work. Starting next year, in-office work will be required at Snap, employees were told. Snap employees will be spending most of their working hours in an office by next year. Starting in February, Snap employees will be required to work in an office at least four days per week, a person familiar with the plans said. Facebook is continuing to allow employees to work remotely and plans to close some offices as part of new cost-cutting efforts.

☆ Doing these 4 things can help you bounce back from a layoff: 'Go into preparation and planning mode'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

According to Fana Yohannes, communications lead at Instagram and founder of Here2Help, a job search and mentorship community, reentering the workforce after a layoff can be tough at first, but entering "preparation and planning mode" is a key step to bouncing back. "Not only are there so many talented people who are considered free agents in this tech industry right now. "During the [2008] recession, the social media tools we have now didn't really exist," Yohannes explains. By searching keywords on these platforms, such as "layoffs," "job search help," or "networking opportunities," people can find posts and groups that'll meet their needs. "LinkedIn is kind of like our first go-to platform when it comes to professional networking," Yohannes explains.

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