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☆ An AI image generator making NSFW content is pumping out 500,000 pics a day, CEO says — but AI porn is a murky business
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Will Gendron | Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Unstable Diffusion is an AI image generator with minimal content restrictions. That's what Chaudhry did when starting Unstable Diffusion in August 2022, the same month Stable Diffusion was released to the public. The community launched a Kickstarter campaign in December to raise money to build its image generator, but was removed from the platform 12 days later. At the time, experts told Insider that being featured in non-consensual deepfake porn can be traumatic and considered abuse. TechCrunch was able to use the generator to create images that produced look-alikes of Donald Trump and Chris Hemsworth, for example.

Persons: Arman Chaudhry, Chaudhry, TechCrunch, Donald Trump, Chris Hemsworth, Dan Hendrycks, Gavin Newsom Organizations: TechCrunch, Center, AI Safety, Google Locations: Atrioc, California

☆ How much should you tip on food delivery? Drivers say it should be based on distance and time, not just the total bill.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Will Gendron | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Delivery drivers are weighing in on a contentious debate over what constitutes a good tip. Some drivers say a good tip is roughly 15% to 20% gratuity on the total cost of a delivery order. The drivers Insider interviewed generally agreed that the baseline for a good tip is between 15% to 20% of the total bill — including taxes and fees. Percentage-based tips don't always account for the time and effort it takes to deliver an order, drivers said. Consider delivery time and distance when tipping, drivers sayWhether a $5 tip on a $20 order is good (or bad) can depend on the circumstances of the delivery.

Persons: DoorDash, Uber, Vong, Heaven Leigh, Leigh, Dashers, Patrick Schoonover Organizations: Service, nab Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York City, Manhattan, Phoenix, Arizona

☆ TikTok NPC streams are the latest viral trend. Here's a break down of the bizarre — and lucrative — craze.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new TikTok trend has creators acting like non-playable, video game characters — or NPCs. NPC streams can be lucrative, as viewers gift creators to control their actions. It started out with a combination of words that seems a little baffling: "Mmm ice cream so good, mmm ice cream so good, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," Pinkydoll, a content creator, said during a TikTok livestream. "Yes, yes, yes, gang, gang." While her phrase "yes, yes, yes" is a response to a virtual rose.

Persons: Pinkydoll, —, Sinon, Hayley DeRoche, there's Organizations: Morning, Twitter, Creators, New York Times, Guardian

☆ Marc Andreessen throws his support behind an Elon Musk-Mark Zuckerberg cage fight in a talk with Peter Thiel
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marc Andreessen, speaking on a panel with Peter Thiel, backed a Zuckerberg-Musk cage fight. Andreessen and Thiel also said, unrelated, that attendees should homeschool their kids. Billionaire investor Marc Andreessen is apparently rooting for Tesla's Elon Musk and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg to square off in a cage match. He and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel also urged the event's attendees to homeschool their children, Puck reported. Representatives for both Andreessen and Thiel did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, Zuckerberg, Andreessen, Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Puck's Dylan Byers, Andreessen Horowitz, Puck Organizations: Morning, Allen & Company, Allen, Co, Zuckerberg, New York Times, Thiel Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Idaho, Silicon

☆ A psychiatrist charges $700 hourly to Wall Street elites who are 'terrified of being exposed' for drug and sex addictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Among high-powered finance executives, mental health struggles and addiction can be seen as taboo. Dr. Sam Glazer specializes in this clientele, charging $700 for a 45-minute session, WSJ reported. These executives are willing to spend on Glazer's expertise, who charges $700 for a 45-minute session, the Journal reported. "I've seen a lot of people who are high functioning in the upper levels of finance who are terrified of being exposed," Glazer told the WSJ. "They are completely honest with me in my office," he told Insider.

Persons: Sam Glazer, —, Glazer, Alden Cass, Cass, It's, Today undercuts Organizations: Morning, Wall Street, NYU, Deloitte, Finance, Today

☆ Mark Zuckerberg posts shirtless pic looking chiseled with two MMA fighters amid Elon Musk cage match talk
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Zuckerberg just posted a shirtless photo of himself training with two MMA legends. What started as Twitter jabs have turned into rumors of a cage fight between Zuck and Elon Musk. Neither tech billionaire has denied the possibility, instead broadcasting their MMA training. Need more evidence that Mark Zuckerberg has been feeling himself lately? This is serious business," Adesanya captioned the three-slide post, alluding to the chatter of a potential cage fight between him and Elon Musk.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Israel Adesanya, Alex Volkanovski, Mark, Adesanya, Volkanovski, Musk, George St, Pierre, Zuckerberg, Clive Mason, — Dana White Organizations: Zuck, Morning, UFC, Twitter, Getty Locations: Israel

☆ How much should you tip on a $20 food delivery? A DoorDasher went viral for saying a $5 isn't enough. We asked 10 drivers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DoorDash recently fired a driver after he cursed at a woman for tipping $5 on a $20 order. It comes as more businesses are asking customers to tip at cash registers and even at self-checkout stations. In a blog post from 2019, Grubhub suggested customers tip 20% — and consider adding more if it's an extra-big order, or if there's bad weather. That means the woman who tipped $5 on her $20 DoorDash order — which is a 25% gratuity — actually gave quite a good tip, drivers said. "A $5 tip on a $20 order?

Persons: DoorDash, Casa, —, Grubhub, Alberto Mendes, they've, Olam, Mendes, Covid, Juan, he's Organizations: Service, Starbucks, Google Locations: New York City, Wall, Silicon, Casa Bonita, Manhattan, That's

Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub are suing New York City to block a new minimum wage law for delivery workers. Beginning on July 12, delivery apps must pay drivers about $18 per hour they are active on the app. Beginning July 12, delivery drivers in New York City must earn a minimum wage of about $18 an hour, according to a law signed by Eric Adams last month. The new minimum wage would require delivery apps to either pay drivers roughly 50 cents per minute of every trip or pay drivers $17.96 per hour they are active on the app. "Now because there are more delivery drivers and people are ordering less and tipping less, it's becoming more difficult.

Persons: —, Eric Adams, DoorDash, Alberto Mendes, Mendes, we're, Grubhub, I've, Harry Campbell, Guy, Uber Organizations: New, Service, Drivers, Department of Consumer and Worker, Grubhub, Unidos Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Telo's tiny pickup and Canoo's EV are having a moment. Here are the hottest small vehicles on the road right now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Compact trucks are becoming a hot commodity in the US. The popularity of Japanese-made Kei trucks and new models from EV startups are indicative of a trend. Here are the tiny trucks that are taking US roads by storm. Other car makers are getting in on the trend as compact pickup trucks have become more common on the road. And startups like Telo and Canoo are working on new, fully-electric models, like the Telo MT1 and Canoo's pickup truck.

Persons: we've, Matt Matusiak, Ford's, Matusiak, Todd Gato Organizations: Japan, Toyota Corolla, Federal Motor Vehicle, National, HVNY Imports, Ford Locations: Florida, Edmunds, New York

☆ Gen Z is seeing the appeal of finance jobs, as cost-of-living concerns rise, a new survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new study reveals that Gen Z thinks finance is the best industry for future career prospects. 1 industry for career prospects — up from No. Part of the reason may be the money: Graduates' top career fear is low pay. More than half of the respondents to the CFA survey said they have reassessed their career options in light of cost-of-living increases. This could be one reason interest in finance surged, as respondents voted it the most stable industry.

Persons: Z, —, Gen Zers, Zers Organizations: Morning, CFA Institute, CFA Locations: millenials

☆ Two guys who were fed up with spam calls created a ChatGPT tool that trolls telemarketers and wastes their time
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jolly Roger is a telephone service that uses AI to fight back against pesky telemarketing calls. With the prevalence of robocalls across the country, Jolly Roger serves as a way to fight back. A telephone service called Jolly Roger harnesses ChatGPT and voice modulation software to create and read scripts to telemarketers. There were 4.7 billion spam calls made in November 2022 and 5.08 billion this past May, according to YouMail's robocall index. Until a world where dubious calls from unidentified numbers exists, Jolly Roger will do its best to alleviate the annoyance.

Persons: Jolly Roger, pesky, Whitey Whitebeard, Sally, telemarketers, Roger Anderson, Anderson, Steve Berkson, Berkson, Steve, Sid Berkson, Berkson's, ChatGPT, it's Organizations: Morning, Street Journal, robocalls, Force Locations: Washington, Arizona

☆ The founder of the elite sex club Snctm is launching a new 'sensual' restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Damon Lawner, the founder of the sex club Snctm, is launching a new venture. Puzzle's owner, Damon Lawner, is best known for founding Snctm, a high-end, members-only sex club frequented by A-listers. Like, I have to tell them that," Lawner told the The Los Angeles Times. This status is open to just 13 people per year — and only one slot remains available, Lawner told Insider. Out of the London-based company's 41 locations, 22 have opened in the last five years, a spokesperson for Soho House told Insider.

Persons: Damon Lawner, —, Lawner, isn't Organizations: Snctm, Service, Los Angeles Times, Soho House Locations: West Hollywood, what's, Lawner, Soho, London, Vicente

☆ Did people mosh too hard at Bonnaroo? Festival goers triggered accidental 911 calls from the crash-detection on their iPhones and Apple Watches.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Festival goers reportedly triggered an influx of 911 calls from their iPhones and Apple Watches. The feature, which goes off when a device is moved quickly, was likely set off by attendees dancing a little too hard. The vibes at Bonnaroo festival were so electric this year that they ushered in a wave of accidental emergency calls. The feature, which Apple introduced last year, is meant to detect car crashes and alert the appropriate authorities. After sending out alerts to those in attendance, recommending that they deactivate the crash-detection feature, LeDuc said the number of calls dropped by 40% to 60%."

Persons: moshing, Kendrick Lamar, Scott LeDuc, —, WKRN, LeDuc Organizations: Apple, Bonnaroo, Foo Fighters, Apple Watches, ABC, LeDuc Locations: Nashville, Coffee

☆ The 'Wolf of Airbnb' made nearly $2 million through the pandemic running 'mini-hotels' in NYC. He just pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Konrad Bicher began renting Manhattan apartments in 2019, before subletting them out. On top of violating lease agreements, Bicher obtained nearly $600,000 in Covid relief loans. The self-proclaimed "Wolf of Airbnb" now faces prison time after pleading guilty to fraud. Prosecutors said he failed to make rent payments required by the lease agreements and refused to leave the apartments after the leases expired. When Bicher was indicted in October, Williams said Bicher operated at least 18 apartments in Manhattan "as mini-hotels" while using the pandemic as an excuse not to pay landlords.

Persons: Konrad Bicher, Bicher, Wolf, Airbnb, Prosecutors, Damian Williams, Williams Organizations: Prosecutors, US Small Business Administration Locations: Manhattan, Hialeah , Florida

☆ Mark Zuckerberg would totally kick Evan Spiegal's butt in a fight, and Marc Benioff would smash Tim Cook, according to online sportsbook
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Will Gendron | Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Last week, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk seemingly agreed to battle it out in a cage fight. An online sportsbook created a range of betting lines for other tech CEO cage fights. Last week, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg seemingly agreed to a cage fight. Insider asked sportsbook Bovada for its odds on six different hypothetical matches. The betting lines arrive as we enter a new period of tech bro: one where billionaires posture over setting up MMA bouts and challenge each other to bench press contests.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, sportsbook, Jack Dorsey, Sam Altman, Brian Chesky, Here's, sportsbook Bovada, Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang, Pat Morrow Organizations: Morning Locations: Bovada

☆ UFC president Dana White said he talked to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg on the phone for 1.5 hours — and that both are 'dead serious' about fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

UFC president Dana White says he spoke to both men and that they're "dead serious" about fighting. "Probably spent an hour and a half on the phone with both of them last night," UFC president Dana White told TMZ. White told TMZ that Zuckerberg was the first of the tech titans to reach out, asking if Musk "was serious." White claims he relayed the question to Musk, who said he was "dead serious." Representatives for the UFC, Zuckerberg and Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Dana White, Musk, Zuckerberg, White, I've Organizations: Elon, UFC, TMZ, titans, Representatives Locations: South Africa

☆ Andrew Tate says he wants to train Elon Musk to fight the jiu-jitsu loving Mark Zuckerberg, after the two billionaires told the world they'd go mano a mano in a cage match
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate wants to train Elon Musk to take down Mark Zuckerberg. Musk and Zuckerberg have been hyping up a potential "cage match" between them. Andrew Tate has offered to be billionaire Elon Musk's trainer in an apparent upcoming cage match with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. "Meta banned me everywhere for telling the truth about vaccines," Tate wrote. "Let's go full MMA," Musk tweeted on Thursday evening.

Persons: Andrew Tate, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Elon Musk's, Tate, Meta, Musk, tweeting, Iska Saric, Alex Heath, he'd, who's, Insider's Will Gendron, Bovada, It's, Musk's, Maye Organizations: Elon, Morning, Meta, Facebook, Tesla, Twitter, Sports, Las Vegas UFC, Tate Locations: Instagram, Romania, Redwood City , California

☆ The betting odds are rolling in for who is favored to win in a cage fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk raised the possibility of a hypothetical "cage match," with Mark Zuckerberg, over Twitter. Who has better odds in a physical match-up between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk? Now, oddsmakers are hurriedly putting out betting lines for a cage fight between Zuckerberg and Musk — aged 39 and 51 respectively. Meanwhile, Musk was listed as a +140 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on Twitter's former CEO to win, would net $140. In its prediction, Musk is a -150 favorite, meaning you would have to bet $150 to win $100, while Zuckerberg is a +110 underdog, meaning a $100 bet, would net $11o.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram, Sportsbooks, Elon, Musk, Zuckerberg, Nurmagomedov's playbook, Johnny Avello, DraftKings, Zuck, Dana White Organizations: Twitter, Meta, Morning, sportsbooks, Elon, UFC, & Sports Operations, TMZ Sports

☆ 5 wild conspiracy theories surrounding the sinking of the Titanic
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Áine Cain | Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

JP Morgan was behind the whole thingA portrait of JP Morgan circa 1900. Photo by Museum of the City of New York/Getty ImagesThis rumor has everything you could want in a conspiracy theory. The Federal Reserve Bank. There's a theory out there that JP Morgan sank the Titanic in order to pave the way for the establishment of the Federal Reserve Bank in the US. Morgan was reportedly supposed to be on the ship, but decided to skip the maiden voyage at the last second.

Persons: Morgan, JP Morgan, John Jacob Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim, Macy's, Isidor Straus, Astor, We've, Straus, Ida, Layton, Morgan could've Organizations: Museum of, Federal Reserve Bank, Titanic, White Star, Pittsburgh Post, Gazette, US Federal Locations: City of New York, Europe

☆ See inside an eerie long-closed mall, where everything from phone-repair kiosks to an enclosed play area are up for grabs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Lakeforest Mall, a shopping center in Maryland, closed at the end of March. Everything from store kiosks, to an enclosed play area, to a Lakeforest-branded Chevy is up for grabs. The good news for mall fanatics is that they can bring some of the Lakeforest Mall home through its liquidation sale. Everything from store kiosks and an enclosed play area to hanging, decorative birds and a Lakeforest-branded Chevy Silverado are available to the highest bidder. The physical space that the mall occupies will be demolished and redeveloped in early 2024, according to a press release from Capital Online Auctions.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Capital Online, Silverado, Capital Locations: Lakeforest, Maryland, Gatlinburg , Maryland, America

☆ Reddit CEO says app founders who are shutting down in protest over API charges made millions: 'These aren't like side projects or charities'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman told The Verge that popular third-party app developers have made millions. They've made millions," Huffman said. In an interview with The Verge, Steve Huffman, Reddit's CEO, has doubled down on the policy change, which could cost popular third-party apps millions. Additionally, he emphasized that apps like Apollo and RIF, another popular third-party app that gives users access to Reddit, aren't "side projects or charities." Apollo's Selig did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment regarding the "millions" Huffman claims he has made.

Persons: Steve Huffman, They've, Huffman, Christian Selig, Apollo's Selig, Selig, Andrew Shu Organizations: Morning, Reddit's, Ars Technica, Apollo Locations: Reddit

☆ Ikea designers used AI to help create a couch that can be packed in an envelope. Your back will thank you.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Using AI, a design lab affiliated with Ikea created a the concept called "Couch in an Envelope." The aptly titled "Couch in an Envelope" can be folded to fit into an envelope and only weighs around 22 pounds. "The couch has barely changed in centuries," according to a video embedded in the project's outline, which explains the concept. The modular nature of the unit allows for at least 30 different constructions, as shown in a diagram on the project's outline. Better for people and the planet," Georgina McDonald, who works in creative and partnerships at Space10, said in the project's outline.

Persons: Georgina McDonald Organizations: Ikea, IKEA Locations: Space10

☆ Video ads are coming to Uber" 'We know where you are, we know where you are going to, we know what you have eaten.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Targeted, full-length video ads are coming to Uber for the first time, The Wall Street Journal reported. Users will encounter them on Uber and Uber Eats' mobile apps, in cars, and on Drizly. Video ads will also be incorporated across Uber Eats and Drizly, an alcohol delivery service acquired by Uber for over $1 billion in 2021, the WSJ reported. On Uber Eats, ads will display while customers wait for their deliveries, and on Drizly, ads will play on search results pages. "We know where you are, we know where you are going to, we know what you have eaten."

Persons: Uber, Pesky, Mark Grether Organizations: Street Journal, Morning, Uber, Uber Technologies, WSJ, Walmart Locations: New York City, New York, Los Angeles

☆ These Flies Age Faster After Witnessing Death
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Darren Incorvaia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Pletcher and Dr. Gendron found that flies that had seen corpses were avoided by other flies, as if they’d been marked by death (how this works is still a mystery). The two scientists housed living flies in vials with fly cadavers for two days, and tracked their brain activity with a fluorescent green dye. Dr. Gendron and Dr. Pletcher then identified the key neurons in the ellipsoid body. When these were shut off, seeing dead flies did nothing to the life span of the living. When the researchers activated those neuron clusters, flies met their maker sooner, even if they had never been exposed to dead flies.

Persons: Gendron, Scott Pletcher, ”, Pletcher, they’d Organizations: University of Michigan

☆ Aldi is turning off lights in its UK stores to try to save customers money
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Aldi UK will be turning off lights across all of its store locations this month. The move follows a trial earlier this year, in which the discount retailer tried turning off some lights in four stores, according to The Telegraph. Initially founded in West Germany, Aldi has since expanded outside of its founding country to the tune of more than 12,000 stores across the US, UK, France, and Australia. Cutting down on energy costs is not exactly new in Europe, as energy prices have risen due to the war in Ukraine. Update: June 13, 2023 — This story was updated to clarify the lights aren't being turned off in Aldi's US stores.

Persons: — Organizations: Aldi, Service, . Discount, Telegraph, The Telegraph, Aldi UK, European Central Bank Locations: West Germany, France, Australia, Europe, Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Denmark

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