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☆ Big Tech predictions for 2023: A rival for Twitter, Amazon deceleration, Google's AI wake-up call, Microsoft's serious game, cloud bills, and DTC decline
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Hugh Langley | Kali Hays | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The painful adjustments will ripple across the industry in 2023.Insider's Big Tech reporters share what to watch this coming year. At $44 billion, the debt-fueled deal was completed quickly at valuations from the frothy tech bull market of 2021. Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe slow breakdown of Twitter under Musk appears to be upon us. Mastodon has experienced a major influx of users, hitting more than 5 million accounts after Musk took over Twitter. With intense tech antitrust scrutiny, these new services are unlikely to be gobbled up by Big Tech.

Elon Musk's biggest fans: tech foundersLisa Blue/Philip Pacheco/Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/InsiderFrom the moment Elon Musk took control of Twitter, he has been moving fast, breaking things, and sparking outcry. This past week, he said he'd step down as CEO after a Twitter poll found most respondents wanted him to. For many Silicon Valley founders, Musk's approach to his Twitter takeover makes him a visionary. About 400 Pollen employees were camped out for five days to celebrate the UK-based events and travel company. But according to 31 former Pollen employees, the implosion was years in the making.

☆ Creator economy insiders share the 5 trends that could change the industry in 2023, from a flood of Gen X and millennial creators to a startup reckoning
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Sydney Bradley | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Insider asked creator economy industry professionals to share their predictions for 2023. We spoke with investors, influencer marketers, and industry experts, who shared their best predictions for the creator economy in 2023. Live shopping could finally have its moment in the USIndustry insiders may have been premature in declaring 2022 the year of social and live shopping. Some creator economy startups might close their doorsThis past year, layoffs have been rampant in the creator economy, as companies like Patreon and Jellysmack reacted to the economic slowdown by letting employees go. "Venture capitalists think this isn't the time to be betting on the creator economy, so the next nine months will be really tough."

☆ How 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' became a holiday music hit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The familiar tunes of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” transport us. In 1965, when “A Charlie Brown Christmas” first aired, Christmas jazz wasn’t exactly a thing. The musical formula they created didn’t just make “A Charlie Brown Christmas” an instant hit. “Bossa nova was one of the things that helped smooth its way to popularity.”A still from 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." A woman listens to music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on her phone in 2013.

☆ A TikToker who 'consensually' doxxes people says it's easier than you'd think
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Today, I am introducing you to a viral phenomenon that certainly wasn't on my 2022 bingo card: "consensual doxxing." Meet a TikToker who's gone viral for her "consensual doxxing" content. But one TikToker has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers who want her to expose their secrets. Kristen uses her platform to "consensually dox" users and reveal their birthdays using just social media — and has become a data-privacy educator by proxy. Users are often shocked by how easy it is for her to find out their information, Kristen said.

☆ Your Amex Platinum hotel credit expires at the end of the year — here's what you need to do by December 31 to avoid wasting $200 in value
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Joseph Hostetler | Credit Cards Reporter | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

American Express; Rachel Mendelson/InsiderThe Platinum Card® from American Express comes with up to $200 in hotel credits each calendar year. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Head to Amex TravelNavigate to the Amex Travel hotel finder to search for a hotel. Again, only hotels that participate in Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection will trigger this $200 hotel credit. Book a prepaid rate to trigger your hotel creditThis $200 hotel credit is only valid for prepaid bookings.

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☆ Walmart just lost its top health official. It's a blow as the retailer tries to compete with Amazon and win a bigger slice of the healthcare industry.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dr. Cheryl Pegus joined Walmart as executive vice president for health and wellness in December 2020. Her departure comes as Walmart has faced challenges rolling out health clinics nationwide. Walmart Health and WellnessThe move is a major blow as Walmart competes with the likes of Amazon, CVS and Walgreens to win a bigger slice of the lucrative $4.3 trillion health care industry. What's next for Walmart HealthThough Walmart Health will no longer operate with its leader of about two years, company executives are still optimistic about the performance of the business segment. Marcus Osborne, the previous head of Walmart Health Clinics, announced he left the company at the start of the year.

☆ As Amazon's Alexa unit faces layoffs, insiders describe a department in crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Today, we're taking a look inside the rise and fall of Amazon's Alexa unit, and detailing more potential layoffs at Twitter, so we're not off to a great start — but let's keep our fingers crossed. Employees took us inside Amazon's floundering Alexa unit. With Amazon's Alexa — and the devices team at large — the prime target of the biggest layoffs in the company's history, Insider's Eugene Kim spoke with more than a dozen employees to understand the current state of the unit. Employees told Insider a combination of low morale, failed monetization attempts, and lack of engagement across users and developers made them feel as though the team was deadlocked over the last few years. Here's everything employees told us.

Hi, I'm Matt Turner, the editor in chief of business at Insider. On the agenda today:But up first: Each year, Insider surfaces 100 leaders across 10 industries who are driving unprecedented change and innovation. Ashley Davis from our special projects team is here to take us behind the scenes of this year's list. InsiderIn the past 12 months, business leaders have faced inflation, a polarized political climate, persistent supply-chain issues, the Great Resignation, a real-estate boom, and more. Our editors carefully selected the power players, activists, and pioneers who are shaping the future.

☆ Flu, RSV, Covid: 6 ways employers can deal with a potential wave of absences
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Despite concerns about staff calling out, most employers no longer require anyone to wear a mask at work. Be honest about what company policies incentivizeOffering paid sick leave is a good way to ensure employees feel comfortable calling in sick. Yet a lot of employers don’t provide paid sick leave and they may just offer a few paid personal days. “That doesn’t give people flexibility to stay home [when they’re sick],” Mishra said. Employers may minimize employee absences if they can subsidize back-up day care options for working parents, Mishra noted.

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Squire Patton Boggs on Monday said it will open an office in Dublin next year, becoming the latest international law firm to expand into Ireland. Agnew was a founding partner of Pinsent Masons' Dublin office. A Squire Patton Boggs spokesperson said the firm is currently looking at space in Dublin's central business district. Agnew said in an email that the exact timing of his departure from Pinsent Masons "has still to be agreed." Squire Patton Boggs was created in 2014 by the merger of Washington, D.C.-founded Patton Boggs and Cleveland-founded Squire Sanders.

It has dawned on me recently that as much as I like to give people advice, the wisdom I offer may not be worth very much.

☆ Facebook employees react to being laid off
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

After the company let go thousands of employees on Wednesday, some took to social media to discuss being fired and search for new jobs. Meta employees are taking to social media to discuss layoffs. After the company laid off more than 11,000 workers, some are turning to LinkedIn or Twitter to share their accounts of the layoffs and search for new jobs. Regulatory filings show Musk sold 19.5 million of the company's shares following his $44 billion Twitter buyout. Microsoft's former VP of HR shares three questions job candidates can use to nail an interview.

☆ Facebook has announced layoffs. Here's which teams are likely to be affected.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But in the tech world: There's one thing we can't seem to escape — layoffs. Elon Musk's Twitter is asking some laid-off workers if they want to come back. Meanwhile, some tech workers who have been laid off are taking to TikTok to post "get ready with me" videos wherein they film themselves — you guessed it — getting ready to be laid off. According to people familiar with the company, divisions including marketing, partnerships, HR, and engineering will be among the hardest hit. Elon Musk is looking to rehire Twitter workers.

☆ Paramount took a risk keeping ‘Top Gun’ grounded for two years. It was this year’s biggest hit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“Maverick” flew into theaters with lots of buzz and strong reviews, and that helped the movie blow past box office projections for its opening weekend. It brought in a Memorial Day weekend record of $160 million at the North American box office. “Maverick” is an old-school box office hit made for the biggest screen possible that emerged just as the industry’s future was very much in doubt. “The commercial reception of Tom Cruise’s legacy sequel was the summer movie miracle theaters needed,” Scott Mendelson, a box office reporter, wrote for Forbes. Climbing back up the mountain"We really felt, and Tom certainly agreed with the fact that we had a great big screen movie," Bakish said.

☆ Inside BlackRock's long journey toward crypto adoption
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

BlackRock's crypto quest. The culmination, and perhaps biggest step, in BlackRock's crypto journey came this summer, when it announced a partnership with Coinbase. Insider's Rebecca Ungarino and Morgan Chittum mapped out Blackrock's long journey toward crypto acceptance, which essentially dates back to an initial memo in 2015. Which is why mapping out BlackRock's journey is so interesting, Rebecca told me. Industry insiders detail a difficult week for the tech industry that saw thousands lose their jobs.

☆ Thousands of tech workers were laid off last week. Experts say it's just the beginning.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

We've got a lot to get to today, so I'm going to get straight into the news, starting with why experts are warning that tech layoffs are just beginning. Thousands of workers were laid off last week. A Tesla alum used this pitch deck to raise a $2.5 million seed round for his startup. We got a look at the pitch deck its founder used to raise seed funding — check it out here. Plus, check out our full, searchable pitch deck database here.

☆ Worker complaints alleging anti-union shutdowns rise as organizing surges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

The company, G&D Integrated, had closed the factory, saying it had suddenly lost its decade-old contract with a Japanese company, workers said. Starbucks closed multiple stores this year following union activity. Trader Joe’s, for example, abruptly closed a wine shop in the center of New York City where workers had been organizing. Demonstrators protest outside a closed Starbucks in Seattle on July 16. More than 40 percent of the stores had union campaigns, according to data from Starbucks Workers United, the union that has been organizing the workers.

☆ Walmart-backed One has made a splash with high-profile hires and big potential, but customers of the old regime feel left behind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The ones left behindHaving your bank acquired by the nation's largest retailer might seem like an exciting opportunity. Read our full deep-dive into how One customers feel frustrated by changes made to their bank in the wake of its acquisition. In other news:Diddy, Heidi Klum, and Mindy Kaling are just a few of the many celebrities that celebrate Halloween with statement looks. Diddy/Instagram; Noam Galai/Getty Images for Heidi Klum; Mindy Kaling/Instagram2. Credit to Heidi Klum for going all in.

☆ Jeremy Grantham's firm says it's time to buy into small cap stocks. Here are the themes and companies GMO is most bullish on.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Marley Jay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jeremy Grantham's firm GMO just launched a fund targeting "quality" small-cap stocks. Growing fears about a recession weren't enough to stop small cap stocks from having a great month in October. But small caps seem to have some momentum behind them despite rising interest rates and signs of a slowing economy. They say that quality small caps have outperformed small caps in general by 1.8% a year since 1976, and they've beaten a mix of small-, medium-, and large-caps by 2.8% a year in that time. That's a challenge for any investor, but they say it's harder with smaller companies because their competitive edges fade faster.

☆ Twitter employees expect layoffs as Elon Musk preps 'aggressive' cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

And that's not to mention that employees are preparing for layoffs after Twitter leaders and VPs made lists of who to keep. Twitter employees expect layoffs to begin very soon. By Saturday afternoon, they handed Elon Musk lists of employees "to keep," two people said. Elon Musk fired Twitter execs "for cause" in a bid to avoid paying out tens of millions in severance. Among this year's biggest losers are those who've invested heavily in the metaverse (Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg) and crypto (Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao).

Welcome back to Insider Weekly, a roundup of some of our top stories. The industry took a beating after Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft reported poorer-than-expected earnings, wiping nearly $1 trillion off their collective market caps. Microsoft and Amazon reported slower growth in their usually outperforming cloud divisions, with Amazon also warning of slower holiday sales. Stephen Lam/Getty ImagesAmid a streak of disappointing financial results, inflation, and global turmoil, companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google are looking to rein in runaway costs. For years, Big Tech companies competed on pay and perks to lure workers in a tight labor market.

☆ 2 Chase Ink Business credit cards are offering their highest welcome bonuses ever, worth $900 — and neither charge an annual fee
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Tessa Campbell | Personal Finance Reviews Fellow | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

Otherwise, if you've previously contemplated opening the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card or Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, now is the perfect time to apply. Compare Chase Ink Business credit cards Ink Business Unlimited® Credit CardInk Business Cash® Credit CardInk Business Preferred® Credit Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Chase Ink Cash vs Ink Unlimited: Side-by-side comparisonIf you're having trouble deciding between the Chase Ink cards, be sure to check out our comparison of the Chase Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited for a closer look at each card's features and benefits. However, Chase cards, including the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, fall under what's commonly known as the Chase 5/24 rule. That's why if you're just starting with credit cards, it's a good strategy to apply for Chase cards (particularly Chase business cards) first.

☆ Inside ex-Goldman Sachs banker Gregg Lemkau's big bet on himself
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Gregg Lemkau (center) led MSD Partners, the investment firm financed by Michael Dell (right) to a merger with merchant bank BDT & Company, founded by Byron Trott (left). Gregg Lemkau seemingly had it all, which is why many were surprised at his decision to end his 28-year tenure at Goldman Sachs to run MSD Partners, Michael Dell's investment firm, in late 2020. Nearly two years later, Lemkau has silenced any doubters by orchestrating a merger between MSD and merchant bank BDT & Company. Lemkau will serve as co-CEO with BDT founder and CEO Byron Trott of the new firm, which will target rich families and founders. Click here to read more about Gregg Lemkau's ascension at Goldman Sachs and his decision to leave.

☆ Meta employees are bracing for possible layoffs as growth slows and spending on the metaverse soars
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In other news, Elon Musk visited Twitter HQ Wednesday holding an unexpected accessory and Meta employees are bracing for layoffs as metaverse spending soars. Social media is dividing us — just not in the way you'd think. The like-minded bubbles we live in on social media are the reason we're so divided, right? Maybe not, according to new research, which found that social media exposes us to people and ideas we wouldn't otherwise encounter, which leads to polarization. Company insiders say Netflix made some avoidable missteps with its kids shows and that an upcoming adult animated show has been canceled.

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