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☆ Welcome to Salesforce's week from hell.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While I learn how to math, my editors Matt Weinberger and Jake Swearingen will update you on tech this week via this newsletter. Before I bounce, let's catch up on the big pains of Big Tech. This type of messiness will likely permeate throughout Big Tech this year. Welcome to Salesforce's week from hell. The day after announcing big layoffs last week, CEO Marc Benioff didn't seem to notice that he was a full 18 minutes late to an all-hands meeting to discuss the cuts.

☆ Millennials are now the 'roommate generation' after being squeezed out of homeownership by high housing costs, said Redfin CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman warns that millennials could become the 'roommate generation' due to high housing costs. Millennial homebuyers may find reprieve in the Midwest or quickly-deflating markets like Boise or Salt Lake City. "We have a whole group of Americans who can't afford homes, and that's happening right as Millennials are coming of homebuying age," Kelman said. One reason is that homes in these markets are typically selling for under their list price. Meanwhile, 59% of homes in Chicago are selling for under their asking price as of October 2022 compared to 45.5% of homes selling for under ask across the US.

☆ Jen Shah, ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ Star, Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years in Prison for Fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jennifer Shah , one of the stars of the Bravo reality TV show “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to a fraudulent national telemarketing scheme. Ms. Shah, who goes by Jen, pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. That charge carried a punishment of up to 30 years in prison. She also agreed to forfeit $6.5 million and to pay restitution of up to $9.5 million.

There’s no parole in the federal prison system and good behavior credits are in short supply compared to most states. More likely, Shah would be told a date, at least a month out, to surrender herself at a federal facility. Her best hope would be to be deemed most appropriate for a minimum security camp. “A minimum-security camp, I mean even moving up to next level, which is still ‘low security’ that’s a huge difference. If you’re eligible for a camp, you’ll go to Alaska if you can go to a camp.” Share this -Link copied

☆ The feds say they're in for the long haul on Jan. 6 investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +16 min

But the federal investigation has been strained, spread thin and strapped for resources as a sometimes less-than-agile federal bureaucracy adapts to the overwhelming scope of the caseload. While the FBI arrested more than 700 defendants in the first year of the investigation, it arrested about 200 in the second. Online sleuths have done their best to bust those myths, too. “That was it.”The Sedition Hunters website features images of people online sleuths say took part in the Jan. 6 attack, including many (in blue) who have been identified. Some charging documents in Jan. 6 cases make the role that online sleuths played clear.

☆ How 'Real Housewife' Jen Shah's fabulous life came crashing down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Stephanie Clifford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +43 min

The woman wrote to the judge overseeing Shah's case that she'd had to remortgage her house, almost divorced, and "thought about ending my own life." The couple decided that he should get his degree while Jen Shah dropped out of college to work. (Shah told a judge at her 2022 plea hearing that she had been treated for "alcohol and depression" two years prior. Koa Johnson, Jen Shah's former fashion designerWhen Sharrieff Shah did participate in filming, he quickly became a fan favorite, calm and sensible. Once the show aired and Jen Shah developed a fan base, her behavior became more dramatic, Johnson said.

☆ A family drove 2,500 miles from Miami to Salt Lake City in a rental car after Southwest transferred them onto different flights 3 times, then canceled them
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The whole experience was a "nightmare," Sara Toro told Insider. Toro told Insider that the family saw their initial flight was canceled when they woke up on Christmas Day. Southwest canceled 71% of its schedule, or nearly 3,000 flights, on December 26, according to data from flight-tracking service FlightAware. Toro told Insider that Southwest staff booked the family onto another flight, which was then canceled. Toro told Insider that her family had applied for a refund of their travel expenses.

☆ Stitch Fix lays off 20% of workforce and its CEO steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Stitch Fix, facing economic turbulence, announced a double whammy on Thursday: CEO Elizabeth Spaulding is stepping down and the company planned to lay off 20% of its salaried staff. “We will be losing many talented team members from across the company and I am truly sorry,” Stitch Fix (SFIX)founder and former CEO Katrina Lake wrote in a blog post. Shares of Stitch Fix rose 6% on the news. Elizabeth Spaulding, CEO of Stitch Fix, announced she was stepping down on Thursday. But Stitch Fix has struggled as more shoppers return to in-person buying at stores and pull back on their online spending.

☆ Eight people found shot dead in Utah home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Eight people including five minors were found dead of gunshot wounds on Wednesday at a home in Enoch, Utah, city officials said in a press release. Police summoned to the home for a welfare check found the bodies of three adults and five minors, the statement said. "Each appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds. Enoch, with a population of about 8,000, is in southwestern Utah, about 250 miles (400 km) south of Salt Lake City. Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ StitchFix CEO steps down, 20% of salaried workforce to be cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

StichFix founder Katrina Lake on Thursday announced the company will be cutting 20% of its salaried workforce and that she will reassume her post as CEO. The brand's current CEO Elizabeth Spaulding, who joined the company in 2020, will be stepping down effective immediately. "I will be stepping in as interim CEO and leading the search process for our next CEO," Lake said in a news release. StitchFix will also be closing their Salt Lake City distribution center. Shares of the company were up more than 4% in morning trading after the announcements.

☆ Delta plans to offer free Wi-Fi starting Feb. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Delta Air Lines will offer travelers free Wi-Fi starting Feb. 1, after years of studying the possibility. Travelers will access the free internet service by logging in with their Delta SkyMiles frequent flyer account information, Bastian added. It's free on JetBlue , which has some corporate sponsorships for the service, and Hawaiian Airlines is planning to offer free internet with SpaceX's Starlink this year. American Airlines ' Wi-Fi service starts at $10 and varies depending on the route, though last April, the carrier and its provider Viasat, started trialing free Wi-Fi for some customers. Airline executives have been hesitant to offer free Wi-Fi service until it is more reliable.

☆ NBA roundup: Giannis Antetokounmpo pours in career-high 55
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

January 4 - Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the visiting Washington Wizards 123-113 on Tuesday. Coming into the contest, Antetokounmpo and teammate Bobby Portis were tied for third-most double-doubles in the NBA with 21 each. Portis kept pace with his fellow Buck, coming off the bench for 17 points and 13 rebounds. Bradley Beal scored eight points in 13:18 before his night ended in the second quarter due to a hamstring injury. Malcolm Brogdon and Payton Pritchard each finished the game with 17 points.

☆ NBA roundup: Luka Doncic posts 51 in win over Spurs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 30 points, while Sochan added 20. Markkanen led the Jazz with 29 points and 14 rebounds, and Clarkson netted 22 points in Utah's fourth consecutive loss. Kevin Love added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who survived a rough night from star Donovan Mitchell. Randle added 12 rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who were without starters Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett. LaMelo Ball's 23 points and 11 assists and Mason Plumlee's 22 points and 10 rebounds led the Hornets.

☆ 'Never flying Southwest again': Stranded and frustrated customers scramble to find flights and alternative travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Most Southwest Airlines flights aren't going anywhere, but frustration levels for scores of travelers across the country are soaring. In the post-Christmas rush and severe winter storm chaos, the Dallas-based airline canceled nearly two-thirds of its flights Tuesday and said that the disruptions likely won't be over for several days. More than 3,500 flights scheduled to leave Wednesday have already been canceled, with Southwest constituting about 70% of those cancellations, according to FlightAware. He said he couldn't find another seat on a Southwest flight to Dallas until Monday. But unlike some Southwest customers, she has loved ones she can lean on for accommodations.

☆ 'Real Housewife' Jen Shah should get 10 years in prison following guilty plea for wire fraud, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Smith also pleaded not guilty to the charges in April 2021, but later changed his plea to guilty in November 2021, court records show. Another victim with several serious health conditions said she became homeless after being pushed into nearly $30,000 debt through Shah’s scheme. Shah starred on the show since its first season, which premiered in 2020; the third season is currently airing. "For that, I am genuinely sorry, and I will work for the rest of my life to make it right." Shah also claimed in that statement that she joined "The Real Housewives" to "escape the coaching business" and "have a platform to launch my fashion and beauty business."

☆ A ship that sank mysteriously 86 years ago has resurfaced as Utah's Great Salt Lake continues to dry up
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Water levels in Utah's Great Salt Lake have reached historic lows revealing a shipwreck. Great Salt Lake State Park Manager Dave Shearer said, "It's very exciting to see a piece of history." Speaking to ABC4, Great Salt Lake State Park Manager Dave Shearer said that the ship plied the lake's waters in several different roles. —Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) December 9, 2022The Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, is drying up due to a megadrought, PBS has reported. Speaking last week about the Great Salt Lake and its diminishing size, Senator Mitt Romney said: "A shrinking Great Salt Lake poses a significant threat to Utah and our neighboring states."

☆ Skier rescued after being partially buried by avalanche in Utah
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A solo skier was rescued in Utah on Wednesday night after being caught in an avalanche that carried him away and left him partially buried under debris, officials said. Following the sound, the second person found the skier buried chest-deep in debris in a drainage of the Thomas Fork of Neff's Canyon, it said. A solo skier was rescued in Utah on Wednesday night hours after being caught in an avalanche off Neff's Canyon near Salt Lake City. Salt Lake County Search and RescueHis rescuer called 911 and began working to extract the skier from the debris, the avalanche center said. Rescuers from Salt Lake County Search and Rescue, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, and the Utah Department of Public Safety responded to the incident, the Utah Avalanche Center said.

☆ Hiring platform HireVue uses AI to help companies speed up the job-search process — its chief growth officer explains how
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Erica Sweeney | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

HireVue's AI platform has conducted more than 32 million interviews and 5 million assessments. This article is part of "Enterprise Tech Blueprint," a series exploring the strategies leading-edge companies use to innovate and grow. To make the interviewing process more accessible to job candidates and speed up hiring, many are turning to technology, including artificial intelligence. Companies like Amazon and Unilever are working with the hiring platform HireVue to scale and accelerate hiring. Still, more than 32 million interviews and 5 million assessments have been conducted via HireVue.

A 37-year-old skier was found dead at a Salt Lake City resort Tuesday morning, the day after he was reported missing. He had injuries that indicated impact when he was found, Solitude Mountain Resort said in a statement Tuesday. When he failed to show up Monday at a pre-determined meeting place, Solitude Mountain Resort Ski Patrol was alerted and officials launched search-and-rescue efforts that went into the night, the resort said. A winter storm has brought heavy snowfall in Utah in the past 48 hours. Solitude Mountain Resort got about 13 inches of snow Monday night, according to its snowfall chart.

Since age 8, Paula played in a kind of Little League feeder program for Hunter High School in West Valley City. And so, ever since he was tiny, Paula wore Hunter High School Wolverines sweatshirts. From the Bloomfield Tahi familyPaula was a voraciously social teenager, a cannonball of comic, kinetic energy. From the Bloomfield Tahi familyTo lessen his boredom, the family treated Paula to a road trip to see a favorite uncle in California. He’d try to run off.”On Jan. 13, Paula Tupou Bloomfield Tahi was shot during an altercation with other teenagers near his school in West Valley City, Utah.

☆ The hidden upside of tech layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In the midst of a wave of wholesale layoffs, many tech workers are somehow bouncing back stronger than ever. Ayas and her colleagues analyzed the fate of laid-off tech workers by looking at data from Parachute and Layoffs.fyi, both of which compile information provided by out-of-work employees. Today, not only are laid-off tech workers finding jobs quickly, Revelio Labs found, but 52% are actually earning more than they were before. That's not to say that laid-off tech workers will continue to face great job prospects forever. If the layoffs continue, the economy will eventually become oversaturated with tech workers — at which point their job searches will take longer, and more will be forced to accept lower salaries.

☆ Salt Lake City’s efforts to fight pollution face a new challenge: Toxic dust
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The EPA in 2021 proposed re-listing the Salt Lake City area as in “attainment” for small particle pollution it had been failing to sufficiently control. But wildfires and dust storms off Great Salt Lake are erasing the progress that has been made. “I’ve received a number of emails from concerned citizens reconsidering living in Salt Lake City,” said Janice Brahney, an assistant professor at Utah State University’s watershed sciences department. Meanwhile, researchers found the highest levels of dust — and metals — in suburbs outside urban Salt Lake City. Researchers suspect suburban communities north of Salt Lake City could be receiving the majority of the dust that blows off the lake.

☆ Tech's pandemic hiring boom continues to bust as fintech Plaid adds to mounting layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Barbara Collins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fintech firm Plaid is laying off about 260 employees, adding to a recent wave of cuts from private tech companies. CEO Zach Perret announced the layoffs in a memo sent to staff Wednesday morning, citing macroeconomic challenges throughout the past year. The company currently has more than 1,250 team members in seven offices worldwide, according to the Plaid website. The announcement comes amid a string of layoffs among tech companies, including Meta, Twitter, Lyft and Coinbase, among others. Equity grants for employees with the company for more than a year will be accelerated to a February vesting date.

☆ Sundance Film Festival lineup revealed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Megan Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Sundance Institute revealed on Wednesday the slate of films that will screen during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January. Some of the noteworthy films selected include a prison thriller starring Anne Hathaway called “Eileen” and two documentaries about the lives and careers of Michael J. Fox Movie,' an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance InstituteThe projects selected from nearly 16,000 submissions include 101 feature-length films representing 23 countries. His film “Shortcomings,” starring Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola and Ally Maki, will debut in the U.S. dramatic competition.

☆ This graphic shows how many more stars you can see under truly dark skies vs. city, suburban, and rural areas
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Astronomers classify night skies from dark to bright using the Bortle Scale, ranked from one to nine. Light pollution is when artificial light washes out the night sky and makes it hard to see stars. While it might not be as potentially harmful as other kinds of pollution, light pollution can affect human health. Level four classifies the transition from suburban to rural areas, where you can see the Milky Way. The night sky is brimming with stars, making it harder to parse out faint constellations.

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