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☆ Blue Origin CEO says he wants to bring Amazon's customer-centric culture to Bezos' space rocket company
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-06 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jeff Bezos' space rocket company, Blue Origin, has long lagged behind Elon Musk's SpaceX. He is also looking to the November launch of its New Glenn rocket to prove it can compete. AdvertisementJeff Bezos started his Blue Origin rocket company with a mission to make flying to space so cheap it would open up a new era of "entrepreneurial dynamism." Related storiesLimp said boosting engine production and successfully launching the company's signature New Glenn rocket were its two main goals for 2024. Blue Origin did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, David Limp, —, Elon, Limp, Glenn, We've Organizations: Elon, SpaceX, Service, Origin, CNBC, Business

☆ Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says we should go all in on building AI data centers because 'we are never going to meet our climate goals anyway'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-06 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI models require enormous data centers that threaten goals to reduce carbon emissions. Schmidt said "we are never going to meet" the goals anyway, suggesting we let AI solve the problem. AdvertisementFormer Google CEO Eric Schmidt says it's time for us to fully invest in AI infrastructure because climate goals are too lofty to reach anyway. The AI boom has spurred a wave of spending on data centers, which provide the computational power needed to train and run AI models. But the surge in development comes at a price, as data centers consume huge amounts of natural resources.

Persons: Eric Schmidt, Schmidt, —, Biden, Schmidt's, Schmidt —, it's, we're Organizations: Service, McKinsey, Washington DC, National Security, Artificial Intelligence, Stanford University Locations: Washington, Ukraine

☆ Illinois is considering a 3% tax on millionaires to solve the state's skyrocketing property tax problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-06 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The governor says the tax could generate $4.5 billion annually and alleviate high property taxes. Illinois has the second-highest property taxes in the US. State leaders say it could alleviate the burden of high property taxes on the average resident. Illinois has the second-highest property taxes in the United States, according to the Tax Foundation, a tax policy nonprofit. "South suburban homeowners already pay some of the highest property taxes in the county, and these increases will make paying those bills even more difficult."

Persons: —, JB Pritzker's, Maria Pappas, Pappas, Pat Quinn, Quinn, WBEZ Organizations: Service, Illinois Gov, JB, Tax Foundation, Former Illinois Gov Locations: Illinois, WBEZ, Massachusetts . Massachusetts, United States, Cook County, Chicago

☆ The US Navy has launched a high-tech scavenger hunt on Reddit to recruit the 'next generation of submariners'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-05 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Navy is recruiting for positions on its submarines on Reddit. The Navy's campaign includes activities to engage Reddit users in submarine-related tasks. To find its "next generation of submariners," the US Navy is now looking to Reddit to find recruits with "a rare blend of intellect and curiosity," according to VML, the marketing agency behind the Navy's new Reddit campaign. Related storiesThe campaign will offer clues about famous events and submarines in Navy history for Reddit users to decipher. The Navy did not immediately return a request for comment about the Reddit campaign.

Persons: —, subliminally, VML, Redditors, Ryan Blum, Blum Organizations: US Navy, Service, Marines, Navy, Army, NPR, Navy Sonar

☆ How a teenager used a spoof cell tower to steal personal information from thousands of people
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A New Zealand teenager sent thousands of scam texts using a fake cellphone tower before he was caught. It uses a so-called SMS Blaster to trick cellphones. The FBI and FTC have warned of rising smishing scams in the US. The Federal Trade Commission says that most "smishing" scams in the United States also involve people posing as banks. In 2022, the bureau warned that large-scale smishing campaigns delivered "hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands" of text messages in a matter of hours mimicking the IRS.

Persons: —, Smishing Organizations: FBI, FTC, Service, Police, New Zealand police, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Zealand, New Zealand, United States

☆ Meta found a new way to crack down on scam accounts, and it seems to be working
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta is partnering with banks to identify scam accounts. Meta says the collaboration led to the removal of 20,000 scam accounts in the UK alone. So Meta launched a new program that allows banks to "share intelligence" directly with the social media conglomerate to more efficiently combat scams. Meta said in a statement that, based on data shared by the two banks, it has already removed 20,000 accounts it believes were run by scammers. In just the first six months, the program blocked 8,000 different pages and 9,000 celebrity scams, Meta told the outlet.

Persons: Meta, —, David Lindberg, Andrew Forrest Organizations: Meta, Service, Facebook, Intelligence, Wednesday, NatWest, Metro Bank, scammers, Guardian, Retail Banking, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Business Locations: Australia, cryptocurrency

☆ Oregon businesses are spending millions to oppose a ballot measure that would give every resident a $1,600-a-year basic income
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Oregon residents will soon vote on a corporate tax increase to give them a universal basic income. AdvertisementOregon businesses are spending big to oppose a ballot measure that would tax corporations and give residents $1,600 a year in a rebate program that is similar to a universal basic income. They say the ballot measure is riddled with problems and could crater the state's budget. Whether the state adopts Oregon Measure 118, however, will ultimately be up to the voters. "We are super committed in instituting some degree of corporate tax justice."

Persons: —, Tina Kotek, Chris Allanach, Antonio Gisbert, Gisbert Organizations: Republicans, Service, Oregon, Oregon Rebate PAC, Democratic Gov, Willamette, Democratic, state's Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, Republican Party, The, The Oregon Legislative Revenue Office, General Fund, UBI Universal, Alaska ., Alaska Permanent Fund, Business Locations: Oregon, California, The Oregon, United States, Alaska

☆ Why not everyone is on board with a government crackdown on deceptive online AI products
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FTC is targeting companies that use AI tools or make claims about AI for deceptive practices. The crackdown includes firms that sell AI tools for fake reviews or misleading services. AdvertisementThe Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on companies selling AI tools that it says harm consumers. One company claimed to sell AI "lawyer" services, and multiple companies deceptively claimed to sell AI tools to help build online stores. Related storiesAs annoying as fake reviews can be, not everyone is on board with the FTC crackdown.

Persons: —, Neil Chilson, Chilson, Melissa Holyoak Organizations: FTC, Service, Federal Trade Commission, Abundance Institute, Bloomberg, Rytr, Commission

☆ Buffalo Wild Wings is still fighting in court to prove its boneless wings aren't just 'chicken nuggets'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Buffalo Wild Wings is defending its "boneless wings" in court against deceptive marketing claims. Buffalo Wild Wings argue it is 'common sense' that they are not actually wings, citing another case. AdvertisementBuffalo Wild Wings has been fighting in court for over a year to prove that its "boneless wings" aren't just chicken nuggets. In court papers, lawyers for Halim argue that the boneless wings are "more akin in composition to a chicken nugget rather than a chicken wing." Buffalo Wild Wings did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit filings.

Persons: —, Aimen Halim, Halim, Tom's, Bill Marler, Marler Organizations: Buffalo Wild Wings, Service, Buffalo, Wings, Ohio Supreme, REKM Locations: Ohio

☆ Reddit's new AI translation could soon allow users anywhere to understand every comment in any language
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Reddit is launching AI-powered translation in 35 countries. Initially introduced for users in France, the tool now supports multiple countries. AdvertisementPretty soon anyone can understand any hilarious or offensive comment made on Reddit anywhere. Reddit is now letting users in 35 different countries translate posts into other languages using machine learning-powered AI. Reddit first introduced the AI-powered translation tool in May when it added a feature that allowed users to translate posts into the French language in France.

Persons: —, Reddit Organizations: Service, Business Locations: France, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, Philippines, Latin America

☆ Pope Francis has become a surprising figurehead in the universal basic income movement
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pope Francis has become a vocal advocate for a universal basic income. In a meeting on Friday, the Pope again called for a basic income. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementIt's not the figurehead you'd expect for the universal basic income movement, which is mostly driven by tech CEOs in Silicon Valley, but it's the one with by far the most followers: Pope Francis. Pope Francis has advocated for a universal basic income, or UBI, for several years.

Persons: Pope Francis, Pope, —, Pope Francis . Pope Francis Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Why that blackmailer claiming to have your search history probably doesn't
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Federal and state police across the country warned about a rise in the number of email "sextortion" scams this month. The Maryland State Police said in a statement on Thursday that reports of one sextortion scam targeting Gmail users surged in August and September. In these scams, someone tells a victim they have access to embarrassing search history or compromising photos. This means the scammers may have access to your email and even some of your current or former passwords, but they do not have access to your computer or search history. The Maryland State Police say to be cautious of any "unsolicited" emails you receive to your Gmail account to avoid being the victim of a scam.

Persons: —, bitcoin, They're, they've Organizations: Service, Maryland State Police, Business, FTC, Google Locations: Federal, Maryland

☆ AI 'godfather' says OpenAI's new model may be able to deceive and needs 'much stronger safety tests'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Yoshua Bengio, a leading AI expert, told BI that a deceptive AI could be dangerous. Bengio said that stronger safety tests and regulatory oversight are needed for advanced AI models. AdvertisementOpenAI's new o1 model is better at scheming — and that makes the "godfather" of AI nervous. "In general, the ability to deceive is very dangerous, and we should have much stronger safety tests to evaluate that risk and its consequences in o1's case," Bengio wrote in the statement. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Yoshua, Bengio Organizations: Service, University of Montreal, o1, Business Locations: Canadian

☆ Don't ask OpenAI's new model how it 'thinks' unless you want to risk a ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewOpenAI doesn't want you to know how its new AI model is thinking. "Given this, we are resetting the counter back to 1 and naming this series OpenAI o1," OpenAI said. The o1 model is able to reason more like humans, in part because of its prompting technique known as "chain of thought." AdvertisementWhen ChatGPT users ask the o1 model a question, they have the option to see a filtered interpretation of this chain of thought process. OpenAI acknowledged in the post that the decision to hide the o1 thought process from consumers has "disadvantages."

Persons: —, OpenAI Organizations: Service, o1, Business, Wired

☆ Donald Trump is going all-in on the crypto bro vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump is taking his courtship of the crypto industry to the next level. "If we don't do it, China will do it," Trump told Sarmad, referring to making cryptocurrency mainstream. Ahead of the Monday livestream, Trump said he would use the event to launch his latest business venture: a new crypto-banking platform called World Liberty Financial. During the Monday livestream, Trump credited his changing perspective on crypto to his NFTs' positive response. During the Monday livestream, Trump took a scaremongering approach, encouraging crypto lovers to vote for him lest they court hostility from the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Web3, Trump, Sarmad, Chase Herro, Zach Witkoff, Steve Witkoff, Trump's, Donald Jr, Eric, Barron, Don Jr, Kenneth Niemeyer, hocking NFTs, Joe Biden, poising, you'd, bitcoin, Kamala Harris Organizations: Service, Republican, Business, Liberty, Liberty Financial, CNBC, Trump, New York Times, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Analysts, Fox Business Locations: China, Nashville, United States, cryptocurrencies

☆ How a thief replaced a famous Winston Churchill portrait with a forgery that went unnoticed for months
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Thieves stole a famous Winston Churchill portrait from an Ottawa hotel in late 2021. The 1941 portrait was replaced with a forgery and went unnoticed for over 6 months. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementA famous Winston Churchill portrait that thieves replaced with a forgery two years ago will soon be back on display. Police say thieves stole the famous portrait from the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa in the weeks after Christmas 2021.

Persons: Winston Churchill, —, Yousouf Karsh, Martin Luther King Jr, Queen Elizabeth, Alfred Hitchcock Organizations: Police, Service, Fairmont, Business Locations: Ottawa, London, Canada, Armenian

☆ OpenAI's mission to develop AI that 'benefits all of humanity' is at risk as investors flood the company with cash
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Once a nonprofit that "benefits all of humanity," OpenAI shifted to a "capped-profit" model in 2019. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is now considering lifting that cap, prioritizing investors over humanity. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementSam Altman founded OpenAI in 2015 with a lofty mission: to develop artificial general intelligence that "benefits all of humanity."

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, —, Altman Organizations: Service, OpenAI, Business

☆ Billionaire Larry Ellison says a vast AI-fueled surveillance system can ensure 'citizens will be on their best behavior'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Larry Ellison says AI will enable a vast surveillance system that can monitor citizens. Ellison, the billionaire cofounder of Oracle, shared his thoughts on AI during a recent meeting. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! But this is only the start of our surveillance dystopia, according to Larry Ellison, the billionaire cofounder of Oracle. He said AI will usher in a new era of surveillance that he gleefully said will ensure "citizens will be on their best behavior."

Persons: Larry Ellison, Ellison, — Organizations: Oracle, Service, Business

☆ Americans are losing more money to crypto scams than ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Americans lost $5.6 billion to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, a 45% increase from 2022. The FBI's 2023 cryptocurrency fraud report highlights the rise in crypto investment scams. People over 60 reported the highest losses, with $1.6 billion lost to crypto fraud last year. AdvertisementAmericans are losing more money than ever to cryptocurrency scams, according to the FBI. The FBI's 2023 cryptocurrency fraud report, released earlier this week, found that Americans lost $5.6 billion to crypto scammers last year.

Persons: —, Christopher Wray Organizations: Service, FBI, Business

☆ Here are the top tech startups disrupting the defense industry — and what they're selling
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Rapid advancements in AI and military tech are reshaping global national security. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! A new cadre of tech startups is muscling its way into the entrenched defense industry, leveraging rapid advancements in AI and other military technologies to bring warfare into the future and win lucrative military contracts. But tech advancements in the last 20 years, coupled with plenty of investment money to go around, have allowed new players to emerge, threatening the grip the classic defense behemoths once had on the industry.

Persons: —, Lockheed Martin, Northrop, behemoths Organizations: Service, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Boeing, Business

☆ Megan Ellison, the award-winning daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison, has a headache on her hands
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewMegan Ellison's award-winning video game company has a problem: Nobody wants to work there. Ellison is the daughter of Larry Ellison, the billionaire cofounder of the world's third-largest software company, Oracle. Megan Ellison founded her film studio, Annapurna Studios, in 2011, later adding Annapurna Interactive, the company's gaming division, in 2016. The company told Bloomberg that it explored the idea of a "spinoff" company, but could not reach an agreement. "Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition," Ellison told the outlet.

Persons: —, Megan Ellison's, Ellison, Larry Ellison, Megan Ellison, Edith Finch, Nathan Gary —, Gary, Deborah Mars, Nathan Vella, Annapurna, Hector Sanchez, We're Organizations: Service, Oracle, Annapurna Studios, Annapurna Interactive, Business, Bloomberg, Annapurna, Hollywood, Epic

☆ How an American Airlines mechanic nearly smuggled 25 pounds of cocaine worth $250,000 into the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A judge sentenced former American Airlines mechanic Paul Belloisi to 9 years for smuggling cocaine. Police found cocaine worth $250,000 in the electronics compartment of an American Airlines plane. AdvertisementA former American Airlines mechanic nearly managed to smuggle 25 pounds of cocaine into the United States worth a quarter of a million dollars — until the flight was marked for a random search. A federal judge in New York sentenced Paul Belloisi, 56, to nine years in prison Friday for charges of conspiracy to possess and import cocaine. Police discovered 10 bricks containing over 25 pounds of cocaine in the electronics compartment of an American Airlines flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City in February 2020.

Persons: Paul Belloisi, —, John F Organizations: American Airlines, Service, Police, Kennedy International, Justice Department, Business Locations: United States, New York, New York City, Montego Bay, Jamaica

☆ An ex-Mastercard executive was nearly scammed of $100,000. Here's how she spotted it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A former Mastercard executive told Business Insider she nearly lost $100,000 to an account takeover scam last year. The fraudsters used information found in emails about Woneis's transactions to impersonate the title company for her home. The fake title company then emailed Woneis, asking for an "accelerated" payment. "They sent me wire instructions that perfectly mimicked the wire instructions from the title company. "We could have potentially been caught in wire fraud."

Persons: —, Catherine Woneis, Woneis, Scammers, it's Organizations: Service, Mastercard, MasterCard, Business

☆ Jeff Bezos says he wants '2 kids in a dorm room' to be able to make the next great space company
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Jeff Bezos said he aims to make space travel affordable through Blue Origin. Bezos wants to lower costs to enable innovation, likening it to internet growth that led to Amazon. He left Amazon to focus on Blue Origin, emphasizing its potential for humanity. AdvertisementJeff Bezos said on a Blue Origin tour that he wants the company to make space travel so cheap that "two kids in a dorm" can make the next space mega-company. Dodd interviewed Bezos while he gave a tour of the massive facility Blue Origin will use to launch its rockets into space.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bezos, —, YouTuber Tim Dodd, Dodd Organizations: Origin, Amazon, Service, Glenn, Business Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida

☆ A popular website that connects caregivers with people in need deceived its users of millions of dollars, the FTC says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-28 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The website, which connects people with babysitters, senior care workers, or housesitters, used "inflated job numbers and baseless earnings claims" to deceive both customers and workers, the FTC said in a statement. AdvertisementTo communicate with a caregiver on Care, both job posters and job seekers must create an account on the website with an auto-renewed subscription, according to the release. AdvertisementCare said in the statement that the renewing subscriptions users have to buy are actually an annual "screening fee."

Persons: —, Samuel Levine, Care.com, Care Organizations: Service, Federal Trade Commission, Business, of Consumer, Forbes, FTC, Care Locations: United States

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