DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Opinion | ‘Shiny Happy People,’ Fundamentalism and the Toxic Quest for Certainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Most of the attention paid to “Shiny Happy People” will focus on the accusations of sexual abuse — some of them proven in court — surrounding the Duggars and Gothard. If you lived in evangelical America in the 1980s and 1990s, you’d often encounter men and women who were deeply influenced by Gothard. She and her family followed Gothard’s teachings and attended events sponsored by the Institute in Basic Life Principles. She told me that she couldn’t marry a man who hadn’t attended its introductory course, the Basic Seminar. Just as important, as it happened, her father said he would not allow his daughter to marry anyone who refused to attend the seminar.

Persons: ”, Bill Gothard, ” Gothard, —, Gothard, you’d, I’d, couldn’t, hadn’t Organizations: Amazon Prime, Institute Locations: America

☆ The GOP's bill to permanently block Biden's student-debt relief could cause public servants' loan balances to unexpectedly balloon if it passes, advocacy groups say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The SBPC and AFT released a report analyzing the impacts of a GOP bill to overturn student-debt relief. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx rejected that idea during a hearing last week as Democrats said loans would be reinstated under the bill. However, the text of the CRA statute could suggest the GOP bill might do far more than block Biden's broad debt relief and the student-loan payment pauses. "This resolution will unwind debt relief already delivered to hundreds of thousands of public service workers across the country. The report also estimates that two million public servants making progress toward payments in PSLF could lose "at least some progress toward relief."

☆ Elon Musk’s Twitter Show Makes Sense. Yes, Really. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( David Nasaw | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

His Starlink satellites provide “internet to the most remote areas,” including boats on “waters all around the world.” Twitter will give us the unvarnished, uncensored news that the mainstream press quashes. The result, which Mr. Musk champions, has been an outpouring of individual truths on the site. Chief among the citizen journalists tweeting forth their truths is Mr. Musk himself. Promoting Twitter-style “free speech,” Mr. Musk eschews debate, dialogue, argument. Instead of promoting the dialogue across ideological boundaries that we require, Mr. Musk sows mistrust, which deepens the divide.

☆ After Defamation Finding, Trump Again Calls Carroll Untruthful
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Trump’s lawyers had accused Ms. Carroll of concealing Mr. Hoffman’s role; her lawyers had argued that the financial support was irrelevant to her legal claims and that she had nothing to do with obtaining it. Mr. Trump also criticized Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court, who presided over the case, calling him a “terrible person” who was “completely biased, and should have recused himself.”It was unclear what, if any, repercussions Mr. Trump’s after-action comments might incur. In the civil trial, which found that Mr. Trump sexually abused Ms. Carroll decades ago, the jury also found that Mr. Trump had defamed Ms. Carroll, and that she was injured as a result of an October 2022 Truth Social post about her, in which he called her case a “complete con job” and “a Hoax and a lie.”They awarded her $5 million in total damages, of which just under $3 million was related to the defamation. During the two-week trial, Mr. Trump didn’t testify in his own defense, nor did his legal team call any witnesses. Instead, Mr. Trump continued to attack the case from afar, in an interview on a golf course in Ireland and on Truth Social.

☆ Elon Musk plans 'TruthGPT' A.I. to rival OpenAI, DeepMind
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., departs court in San Francisco, California, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. With an agency and industry-accepted rules in place, "I think we'll have a better chance of advanced AI being beneficial to humanity," Musk said. Previously, Musk signed a letter calling for a pause on advanced AI research, which he and others believe can harm society. The new technology would ostensibly compete with similar efforts by Sam Altman-led OpenAI, which was initially funded by Musk, Google's DeepMind and other AI initiatives around the world. Musk added that he is worried that current AI technology is "being trained to be politically correct, which is simply another way of ... saying untruthful things."

☆ Inside Nike: Sources share claims of sexism, cheating, abuse at the world's wokest brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Joshua Hunt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +51 min

The conservative blowback came as no surprise to Parker, who told Nike's board of directors to expect some short-term backlash. In late 2014, the BBC sent a film crew to Portland to interview several former Oregon Project employees. "He would be at the side of the track calling out runners' splits but wouldn't call Kara's out," Adam Goucher told me. When people asked why she left the Oregon Project, she said it was a "personal decision." "I don't think it has anything to do with who the CEO is," Goucher told me.

☆ Harvard expert shares her No. 1 'undesirable' trait CEOs see in employees: It's 'a huge red flag for me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Of the many traits people bring to the workplace, one stands out as an absolute "trust breaker," according to a Harvard career expert. It's "taking credit for other people's ideas," says Heidi K. Gardner, a professional leadership advisor and distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School. And that inability to appreciate other people's contributions is a huge red flag for me." Teamwork is crucial for any company's success, and by extension, your own success, Gardner says. "If somebody takes credit for someone else's work or ideas, they are not trustworthy in that sense."

☆ The FTC should investigate OpenAI and block GPT over 'deceptive' behavior, AI think tank claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —An AI policy think tank wants the US government to investigate OpenAI and its wildly popular GPT artificial intelligence product, claiming that algorithmic bias, privacy concerns and the technology’s tendency to produce sometimes inaccurate results may violate federal consumer protection law. “We believe that the FTC should look closely at OpenAI and GPT-4,” said Marc Rotenberg, CAIDP’s president and a longtime consumer protection advocate on technology issues. Microsoft and Google have both begun to integrate that same type of AI into their search products, with Microsoft’s Bing running on the GPT technology itself. In industry parlance, these types of mistakes are known as “AI hallucinations” — and they should be considered legally enforceable violations, CAIDP argued in its complaint. The complaint acknowledges that OpenAI has been upfront about many of the limitations of its algorithms.

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter Blue is breaking European rules about unfair business practices by failing to show its full cost to consumers right away, EU agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's Twitter Blue subscription is a flagship project to make the company profitable. But the advertised subscription prices in the European Union don't factor in taxes. Specifically, the advertised subscription prices don't factor in taxes, which violates consumer-protection laws in the 27-country union, a spokesperson for the watchdog said. Twitter Blue is one of Musk's flagship projects designed to make the social-media company profitable. Insider tested the Twitter Blue subscription process in the UK and, through a VPN, in Belgium and Germany.

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Recruiters told us what roles are in demand and what skills can help you land them. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. … if you're in or interested in wealth managementDespite the market downturn, wealth managers are in high demand.

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Layoffs across industries have been dominating headlines in January, and Wall Street has been no exception. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. Emily Landon, the CEO of the Chicago-based headhunting firm The Crypto Recruiter, pointed to the job board Crypto Careers, which has over 2,400 openings.

[1/5] Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. He added later that he chose not to take Tesla private due to a lack of support from some investors and a wish to avoid a lengthy process. Musk told the investors' lawyer Nicholas Porritt that he met on July 31, 2018, with representatives of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, at Tesla's factory in Fremont, California. That never came to pass, Musk said, because the fund's governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, later backpedaled on the commitment to take Tesla private. "I was very upset because he had been unequivocal in his support for taking Tesla private when we met and now he appeared to be backpedaling," Musk testified.

"PIF unequivocally wanted to take Tesla private," he testified. Musk subsequently said that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the fund, later backpedaled on the commitment to take Tesla private. "I was very upset because he had been unequivocal in his support for taking Tesla private when we met and now he appeared to be backpedaling," Musk testified. Tesla's stock price surged after Musk's tweets, and later fell as it became clear the buyout would not materialize. Musk testified calmly, in contrast to his occasional combative testimony in earlier trials.

Tesla's stock price surged after Musk's tweets, and later fell as it became clear the buyout would not happen. A jury of nine will decide whether the billionaire artificially inflated Tesla's share price by touting the buyout's prospects, and if so by how much. "It was chosen because it was a 20% premium over the stock price," he testified. Musk testified calmly, in contrast to his occasional combative testimony in earlier trials. The defendants also include current and former Tesla directors, whom Spiro said had "pure" motives in their response to Musk's plan.

Companies Tesla Inc FollowTwitter Inc FollowJan 23 (Reuters) - Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk will take the witness stand again on Monday, as he defends himself against fraud claims that he lied when he tweeted in 2018 that he had funding to take the electric carmaker private. Millions of dollars are at stake as well as the reputation of Musk, whose personal stature is a central asset of the Tesla brand. The trial will test whether Musk's penchant for taking to Twitter to air his sometimes irreverent views misleads investors and damages the value of the company. Shareholders claim they lost millions after Musk tweeted that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private. The defendants include current and former Tesla directors, whom Spiro said had "pure" motives in their response to Musk's plan.

He called it the most democratic way to communicate but said his tweets did not always affect Tesla stock the way he expected. "Just because I tweet something does not mean people believe it or will act accordingly," Musk told the jury in San Francisco federal court. [1/5] Tesla CEO Elon Musk testifies during a securities-fraud trial in San Francisco, California, U.S., January 20, 2023 in this courtroom sketch. Earlier on Friday, Tesla investor Timothy Fries told the jury that he lost $5,000 buying Tesla stock after Musk sent the tweet, which sparked volatile swings in Tesla's stock. Musk's attorney, Alex Spiro, told the jury in his opening statement Wednesday that Musk believed he had financing from Saudi backers and was taking steps to make the deal happen.

Companies Tesla Inc FollowJan 20 (Reuters) - Elon Musk, Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) chief executive, is likely to be called to testify on Friday in a jury trial over his 2018 tweet that he had "funding secured" to take the electric carmaker private, which shareholders allege cost them millions in trading losses. The billionaire entrepreneur is listed as the third possible witness on Friday, after a securities expert and a Tesla investor, in the class action trial in San Francisco federal court. Fearing leaks to the media, Musk tried to protect the "everyday shareholder" by sending the tweet, which contained "technical inaccuracies," Spiro said. The defendants include current and former Tesla directors, whom Spiro said had "pure" motives in their response to Musk's plan. The trial resumes after a day off on Thursday.

☆ Republicans ignored Rep. George Santos' red flags as he propelled himself to a House victory deceiving voters, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An NYT report revealed that at least some of the GOP knew of Rep. George Santos' lies. "I guess unfortunately we rely on the person to be truthful to us," the GOP Nassau County chairman told The Times. According to the Times, Santos hired an unnamed Washington research firm to conduct a vulnerability study in connection to his campaign towards the end of 2021. But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee failed to follow up on red flags when looking into Rep. George Santos because researchers were encumbered with other researching dozens of other candidates, per the Times. Santos has faced multiple calls to resign but has remained steadfast in his conviction to complete his term despite deceiving 142,000 voters.

☆ McDonald's former CEO lied about 'improper' employee relationships before his firing in 2019, SEC alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The SEC accused the former McDonald's CEO of being untruthful in the chain's internal investigation. McDonald's fired Stephen Easterbrook in 2019 over an employee relationship, then discovered more. During that investigation, Easterbook told lawyers brought in by McDonald's board that he hadn't had any other sexual relationships with McDonald's employees besides the one he was being questioned over at the time. "In July 2020, McDonald's learned that Easterbrook had in fact engaged in other relationships with McDonald's employees in violation of the company's Standards of Business Conduct." In August 2020, McDonald's sued Easterbrook "to recover compensation and severance benefits," alleging he concealed evidence and lied about having other relationships with subordinates.

Ali Alexander said he believed White House wanted him to lead rallygoers to Capitol "Stop The Steal" organizer Ali Alexander believed the White House wanted him to lead attendees of Trump's Jan. 6 rally to the Capitol, the report said. Alex Jones, who has claimed the White House told him to lead the march, texted Wren at 12:27 p.m. Finally one of the staffers told Trump they thought he should focus on his speech. Trump told Jan. 6 demonstrators at the Capitol in a Twitter video that he loved them but that they should go home. The information was expected to be available as soon as Thursday — the day the House Jan. 6 committee is set to issue its final report on the riot.

It could be worse, the president could have tried to kill’ — he didn’t say kill — ‘the president could have tried to strangle you on Jan. 6,’” Hutchinson said. Hutchinson recalled how during a drive to New Jersey she began wondering whether any aide in the Richard Nixon administration had held a position similar to her own during the Watergate scandal. In remarks, she thanked the Jan. 6 Committee for its work ahead of the final report's release. Hutchinson, who delivered bombshell testimony to the Jan. 6 committee this summer, had previously been represented by Stefan Passantino, who had also worked as a lawyer in the Trump White House. Share this -Link copiedCommittee releases Cassidy Hutchinson transcripts The committee released more transcripts on Thursday, making public the closed-door interviews with White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.

☆ Scott Peterson is denied a new trial in the death of his pregnant wife
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Convicted murderer Scott Peterson was denied a new trial in the 2002 death of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, a judge has ruled. The decision comes more than a year after the California Supreme Court ordered Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo to consider whether juror misconduct denied Peterson a fair trial. Nice, who co-wrote a book about the case with other jurors, has denied that she was influenced by her personal experiences. His sentence was overturned by the California Supreme Court in 2020. Laci Peterson, 27, was eight months pregnant with their son, Conner, when she was killed in December 2002, five years after she and Peterson married.

☆ Trump-allied lawyers may have told Jan. 6 probe witnesses to give 'false or misleading testimony' to the panel, Jan. 6 committee says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In one instance, a lawyer allegedly told a witness that they did not need to clarify untruthful testimony. The committee, Lofgren continued, is "concerned that these efforts may have been a strategy to prevent the committee from finding the truth. We don't want to talk about that,'" the report says the lawyer told the witness. The same lawyer also allegedly told the witness that it was not their job to clarify testimony that might not be truthful. So you saying 'I don't recall' is an entirely acceptable response to this.'"

Search resuls for: "untruthful"

23 mentions found