DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The majority of transgender employees, 82%, reported experiencing workplace discrimination or harassment because of their gender identity or sexual orientation at some point in their lives, according to a new survey. Trans employees were more likely to report such experiences than cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer employees, at 45%, and nonbinary employees, at 59%. Half of the trans adults surveyed were people of color and 6 in 10 were making less than $50,000 a year. Of the trans respondents who reported having experienced workplace discrimination or harassment at some point in their lives, 65% reported experiencing verbal harassment, 34% reported experiencing physical harassment and 42% reported experiencing sexual harassment. Trans people attempted to mitigate workplace discrimination and harassment by concealing their gender identity at work or by looking for another job, according to the report.

Persons: Brad Sears, they’ve Organizations: Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, U.S, Trans Locations: Massachusetts

☆ Musk and Ramaswamy float ending remote work for federal employees and ‘large-scale firings’
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Is A Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Incoming Trump administration advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday floated ending remote work for federal workers, calling the practice a “privilege” left over from the pandemic. “Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome: If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home,” the two men wrote. The future of remote work for office-based employees is hotly debated. Some unionized federal workers have criticized Musk and Ramaswamy, saying they don’t know what they’re doing. Erwin said the two tech figures “make absurd claims about government waste and bash dedicated federal employees.” His union says it represents 110,000 federal employees.

Persons: Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, ”, Biden, Ramaswamy, Donald Trump, Musk, Randy Erwin, Erwin Organizations: Trump, Street, Management, of Government, SpaceX, CNBC, Tesla, National Federation of Federal Employees Locations: Washington

Voters in California have narrowly rejected a ballot measure that would have gradually increased the minimum wage in the state to $18 per hour, NBC News projected Wednesday. It’s the first time a ballot measure proposing to raise the statewide minimum wage has failed nationwide since 1996. Some cities within New York also implement a minimum wage of $16 per hour, while Washington state’s minimum wage is $16.26 per hour. The defeat is the first time in 28 years that a ballot measure to increase a state minimum wage was defeated. Meanwhile, ballot measures in two other states to increase the minimum wage overwhelmingly passed this month.

Persons: It’s, “ CalChamber, Jennifer Barrera, Gavin Newsom, Newsom Organizations: NBC News, U.S, California Chamber of Commerce, Democratic Gov, Washington, Voters, NBC Locations: California, New York, Missouri, Montana, Alaska

McDonald’s is preparing 2025 value offerings in a bid to hang onto customers who are fed up with high costs at restaurants. Local value offerings have been on menus across the country and in the app as of late, including 10 piece nuggets for $1, among other deals, as a part of the broader value strategy. While operators are still voting on the 2025 value offerings, the initiative looks likely to pass, two people familiar with the matter said. In its most recent quarter, McDonald’s reported earnings and revenue that topped expectations, but saw its same-store sales fall globally by 1.5%. And when you do that with news and great marketing, you can get strong full margin check that goes along with some of those value programs,” he said.

Persons: McDonald’s, that’s, Chris Kempczinski, ”, coli Organizations: CNBC Locations: U.S

WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump supporter who was among the first rioters to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been convicted of plotting to kill FBI special agents who investigated him over his crimes at the Capitol. NBC News affiliate WBIR in Knoxville reported that the jury convicted Kelley on all three counts after just an hour of deliberation. Kelley will be sentenced in the murder plot case on May 7, one month after he is set to be sentenced on his Capitol case, on April 7. Kelley provided a list of about 37 members of law enforcement who worked on his Jan. 6 case, prosecutors alleged. Edward Kelley was the fourth rioter to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Donald Trump, Edward Kelly, FBI Edward Kelley, Kelley, Austin Carter, Carter, “, WBIR, Christopher Roddy, Edward Kelley, Court Kelley, Kelley's, messaged Organizations: U.S, Capitol, FBI, NBC, WBIR, The, Planned, Federal Bureau of, Court, U.S . Capitol Locations: United States, Knoxville , Tennessee, Knoxville, FBI Knoxville, Washington

The United States said Wednesday that its embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, had closed after receiving "specific information of a potential significant air attack." "Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place," it said in a security alert, recommending U.S. citizens take shelter if an air alert is announced. Shutting the embassy is not an unprecedented move amid the war, which reached its 1,000th day Tuesday. Searchlights look for Russian drones in the skies over Kyiv, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Moscow could justify a nuclear strike if subject to an attack by a nonnuclear country that is supported by a nuclear country, according to the revised doctrine.

Persons: Serhii, Gleb Garanich, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Embassy, Kyiv’s, Military Administration, Reuters Locations: States, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russian, Dniprovskyy, Ukraine, Bryansk, Moscow

☆ Exclusive: Prompt Security raises $18 million to help companies better secure generative AI tools like ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Leena Rao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Founded in 2023, Prompt Security helps businesses close security gaps associated with AI usage. Later, he focused on building security software at Checkpoint and Orka Security. His latest venture, Prompt Security, is helping companies manage the cybersecurity risks associated with generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini. Related VideoAlmost 30% of companies deploying AI had an AI security breach in 2023, according to a Gartner survey. Golan explains that as employees use generative AI tools like chatbots, new threats emerge with data, intellectual property, and more.

Persons: Itamar Golan, Golan Organizations: Security, Israel Defense Forces, Orka, Business, Jump Capital, Hetz Ventures, Ridge Ventures, Gartner, Fortune, The New York Times, Palo Alto Networks Locations: cybersecurity

☆ How Alaska Airlines used AI to save over 1.2 million gallons of jet fuel
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Matthew S. Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Alaska Airlines partnered with Air Space Intelligence to use an AI tool that suggests flight routes. While Air Space Intelligence developed the Flyways AI Platform, it did so in close cooperation with the airline's stakeholders. AI in actionThe partnership between Alaska Airlines and Air Space Intelligence began with a learning period for both organizations. ASI's staff shadowed the airline's dispatchers to learn how they worked, while Alaska Airlines learned more about how a machine-learning algorithm could be used to route traffic. While that might seem low, those accepted routes helped reduce Alaska Airlines' fuel consumption by more than 1.2 million gallons in 2023, according to the airline's annual sustainability report.

Persons: —, We've, they're, Pasha Saleh, Flyways, Saleh, Phillip Buckendorf, Buckendorf, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Alaska Airlines, Air Space Intelligence, Service, Space Intelligence, Alaska Airlines . Alaska Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, ASI, IBM DOS, Airlines, Air, US Air Force Locations: Alaska, Boston, Denver, Poland, Washington, DC

☆ Brewing worker resentment could fuel a 2025 quitting spree
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The job market could be poised for a fresh wave of people quitting, according to a new Glassdoor report. Employees' satisfaction in their career opportunities has been on the decline since 2022 after people settled into new roles following the post-pandemic hiring boom known as the Great Resignation. "People don't feel like the job market is working for them right now, even if you hear economists and policymakers talk about how strong and resilient the job market is," Glassdoor senior economist Daniel Zhao tells CNBC Make It. "The desire [to quit] is there, but the opportunities aren't," Zhao says. For example, some sectors, like housing, real estate and tech, could be buoyed by the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts, Zhao says.

Persons: Daniel Zhao, Zhao, Terry Petzold, Donald Trump Organizations: CNBC, Fox Search, White

☆ 7 key details from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's DOGE plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( John L. Dorman | Alice Tecotzky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

On Wednesday, Musk and Ramaswamy outlined their vision for DOGE, which Musk previously said would cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. Ron DeSantis' Presidential Announcement with Elon MuskTheir opinion piece, published in the Wall Street Journal, is lengthy and dense, filled with Supreme Court rulings and decades-old statutes. Musk and Ramaswamy wrote that their goal for deep reform will be rooted in two Supreme Court rulings. Musk and Ramaswamy make it clear that by eliminating federal regulations, there should also be "mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy." Musk and Ramaswamy note that Trump has implied that the statute is unconstitutional and predict that the Supreme Court would agree.

Persons: Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Musk, Ron DeSantis, Loper, Raimondo, Chevron, Trump, haven't, DOGE, Musk's, Tesla, overreach Organizations: Department of Government, Florida Gov, Elon, Street, Management, Environmental Protection Agency, Chevron, Natural Resources Defense Council, Congress, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio, Social Security, SpaceX, Trump, Musk Locations: Florida, America, West Virginia

☆ Morgan Stanley lets employees pitch AI uses. Here's how the firm puts those ideas into practice.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

McMillan encourages employees to pitch new AI solutions. AdvertisementAs part of his role, McMillan co-chairs an AI steering group formalized earlier this year, with Global Director of Research Katy Huberty. Related storiesInside the 8-step processAlthough pitching AI solutions is open to anyone at the firm, there is some leg work involved. AdvertisementThe AI steering group meets every other week to listen to the pitches, usually going through five or six proposals. Every other week, the AI steering committee meets to review the status of these projects.

Persons: Jeff McMillan, Morgan Stanley's, Morgan Stanley, McMillan, who's, he's, Research Katy Huberty, AskResearch, you've Organizations: ChatGPT, Global, Research, Workers

☆ Chief transformation officers join the C-suite to drive innovation at speed
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As companies across the US confront complex challenges that require overhauling strategies, reimagining business models, and adapting workforce dynamics, many are appointing chief transformation officers to drive these changes. The core figures, including the CEO, the chief operating officer, and the chief financial officer, focus on delivering quarterly results. Being a chief transformation officer, Jesuthasan said, is akin to "building the train while you're driving it down the tracks." AdvertisementBrandon Batt, the chief transformation officer at Quadient, a company focused on digital transformation, knows this all too well. Kinney recently wound down her role as chief transformation officer at Wex.

Persons: Kristy Kinney, Kinney's, Kinney, Alicia Pittman, Pittman, Ravin, Mercer, Jesuthasan, They're, Brandon Batt, Batt, Chengyi Lin, Lin, it's, Gartner Organizations: Boston Consulting Group, Boston Consulting, Organization Locations: Portland , Maine

☆ A FIRE blogger decided to test the benefits of the popular triple-tax advantaged HSA. He explains why it wasn't worth the hassle and wants to switch health insurance plans in 2025.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementAndre Nader switched from an EPO health insurance plan to an HDHP to get access to an HSA. He plans to switch back to an EPO plan in 2025 for simplicity. AdvertisementIn 2024, he decided to put the popular, triple tax-advantaged health savings account (HSA) to the test. You can invest your HSA funds (the investment options vary by provider), and your contributions and earnings grow tax-free. Not touching your HSA funds means covering your medical expenses out of pocket, which is what Nader did throughout 2024.

Persons: Andre Nader, Nader, Nader didn't, he'd, isn't, he'll, HSA Organizations: FIRE, IRA Locations: San Francisco

☆ I'm the CEO of an American-made electronics manufacturer. Here's how I'm preparing for new tariffs.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Karla Trotman, President and CEO of Electro Soft Inc., a US specialty electronics manufacturer in Pennsylvania. My dad and I worked together, and in 2020, I bought them out, so now I'm the owner, president, and CEO. We're still feeling the reverberation from the last round of tariffs, so they never really went away in our industry. Tariff proponents seem to think that enforcing them will cause stateside manufacturing to somehow jump up and be prosperous, but it doesn't really work that way. We really need to understand where our partners are headed so we can flex to meet whatever demand is going to come down the pike.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Karla Trotman, We're, Trump, I'm, we're Organizations: Electro Soft Inc, Ikea, Southeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturing Alliance Locations: Pennsylvania, Asia, Taiwan, China

☆ Pennsylvania Democratic official apologizes for comments about ignoring election laws
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Sara Murray | Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A Democratic election official in Pennsylvania offered an impassioned apology Wednesday for claiming “precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country” to justify counting about 600 faulty ballots in defiance of state Supreme Court rulings. “I made a mistake, and because I am an elected official, I am held to a far higher standard than everybody else. Her prior comments about flouting court precedent took off on social media and were promoted widely by Trump allies like Elon Musk. In response to a lawsuit from the McCormick campaign, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday ordered counties to abide by its past rulings about the undated ballots. Patricia Poprik, chair of the Bucks County Republican Party, on Wednesday said the board’s actions overshadowed the hard work of county election workers.

Persons: CNN —, Diane Ellis, Marseglia, “, ” Ellis, Donald Trump –, Ellis, ”, Elon Musk, Democratic Sen, Bob Casey, Dave McCormick, Robert Harvie, Roe, Wade, McCormick, Josh Shapiro, ” Shapiro, Patricia Poprik, Poprik, ” Poprik, it’s, ” CNN’s Danny Freeman Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Trump, GOP, Republican, Bucks County Republican Party Locations: Pennsylvania, Bucks

☆ Get the most out of these tax-favored accounts in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Benefits enrollment season is here, and with it comes an opportunity for workers to tune up their workplace savings plans and sock away more money on a tax-favored basis. Traditional tax-deferred accounts, like 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts, are just the beginning for savers. As tempting as it may be for savers to plow money into HSAs and other tax-favored accounts, they'll need to draw up a strategy before they do so. They can also earmark additional funds toward 529 college savings plans and taxable brokerage accounts. In a tax-deferred account, investors won't be on the hook for the tax bill until they begin drawing down from it.

Persons: Marguerita Cheng, Cheng Organizations: Devenir, Blue, Global Wealth, UBS, Chief Investment Locations: Gaithersburg , Maryland

☆ Alphabet's VC arm backs little-known SAP rival Odoo, boosting valuation to $5.3 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Fabien Pinckaers, CEO of Belgian-based enterprise software startup Odoo. OdooOdoo, a startup taking on SAP in the realm of enterprise software, boosted its valuation to 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) in a secondary share round led by Alphabet 's venture fund and Sequoia Capital. "The reason everybody [has] failed [in this market] is that it's quite complex," Pinckaers told CNBC. The last time Odoo secured primary funding was in 2014, when it raised $10 million in a Series B round. Prior to the latest secondary round, Odoo was most recently valued by investors at 3.2 billion euros.

Persons: Fabien Pinckaers, Odoo, Pinckaers, Andrew Reed, Reed, He's, Billings, aren't, Alex Nichols, CapitalG, he's, bootstrapping, Odoo hasn't, Wallonie Organizations: Belgian, SAP, Sequoia Capital, CNBC, Enterprise, Sequoia, Summit Partners Locations: Belgium, India, billings, Sequoia

☆ Deloitte says jobs are at risk in its advisory division as challenges for the consulting sector continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The growth rate in Deloitte's global consulting division has fallen from 19% in 2023 to 1.9% in 2024. Deloitte plans to cut more staff from its advisory division as demand for consultancy services declines. "In the context of an ongoing challenging market, we have to carefully consider the shape of our firm," Deloitte told BI on Wednesday. According to its latest annual report, Deloitte's global consulting revenues grew by 1.9% in the 2024 financial year ending 31 May. AdvertisementDeloitte's global workforce expanded to 460,000 in the 2024 financial year, an increase of 3,000.

Organizations: Deloitte, Business, Financial Times, Equity

☆ DOGE should push its cuts 'to the very limit,' says Argentine president who inspired Musk and Ramaswamy
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AdvertisementElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, co-heads of DOGE, are working out how to cut the federal government. Milei closed nine ministries, firing thousands of officials, and cut spending by an estimated 31%. Argentina's president says Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy should all go "all the way" in cutting US federal spending. Both Musk and Ramaswamy have repeatedly praised Milei and taken inspiration from him for their Department of Government Efficiency. While Milei has achieved most of his sweeping cuts via executive decree, US spending cuts would likely involve working with Congress, where Republicans will hold just a slim majority.

Persons: Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Javier Milei, Lex Fridman, Milei, Fridman, Ramaswamy, Musk, Donald Trump's Mar, Musk's Tesla Organizations: Ramaswamy, Government, Fox News, United Nations, Congress Locations: Argentine, Argentina, Milei, Lago, Musk's, Austin, New York

☆ U.S. closes embassy in Kyiv over potential 'air attack' as tensions with Russia soar
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, UKRAINE - JANUARY 24: A view of the U.S. Embassy on January 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. According to media reports the embassy has ordered family members of embassy staff to leave the country and has also urged U.S. citizens in Ukraine to leave as well. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)The U.S. closed its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday, warning that it has "received specific information of a potential significant air attack" amid soaring tensions with Russia. "The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced," it added. Air alerts in Kyiv are a common occurrence, as the Ukrainian capital suffers frequent drone and missile attacks from Russia.

Persons: Sean Gallup Organizations: U.S, Embassy, Getty, Air, White, Sunday Locations: KYIV, UKRAINE, Kyiv, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, The U.S, Moscow, Washington

☆ Business spending on AI surged 500% this year to $13.8 billion, says Menlo Ventures
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Business spending on generative AI surged 500% this year, from $2.3 billion in 2023 to $13.8 billion, according to data released by Menlo Ventures on Wednesday. The report also found that OpenAI ceded market share in enterprise AI, declining from 50% to 34%. Anthropic doubled its market share from 12% to 24%. Although OpenAI and Anthropic dominated companies' AI model use, he said, people are "juggling models" and that habit is "not a well-understood piece of data." Meta 's market share stayed at 16% and Cohere's share remained at 3%.

Persons: Anthropic, OpenAI, Tim Tully, Claude, Tully, that's, Mistral's, Google's, Anthropic's Claude, —, chatbots Organizations: Menlo Ventures, Menlo, CNBC, Google, Microsoft Locations: Anthropic

☆ 4 reasons you could be getting passed up for promotions, according to an ex-Google recruiter
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Alyshia Hull | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementNolan Church is a former Google recruiter who says you could be holding yourself back from a promotion. There could be a misalignment in how an employee thinks they're doing and how management thinks they're doing, most likely due to a lack of feedback. These things surface when it comes time for a promotion, but they're hard to fix when you're unaware it's a problem. Ask your manager what you need to work on to move on to the next level. Budget constraints or business challengesIf a business isn't doing well, promotions are most likely not happening or are occurring at a significantly decreased rate.

Persons: Nolan, they're, I've, you've, that's, I'm, doesn't Organizations: Nolan Church, Google Locations: Salt Lake City

So why shouldn’t federal employees who are paid with taxpayer dollars be required to be in office?” the source said. Ending remote work across government is being considered a potential “early candidate” for executive orders that members of DOGE will recommend to Trump, the source said. “I can’t abandon this career,” one Library of Congress worker who lives in the Midwest told CNN. Another federal employee who works remotely told CNN that they would have to commute two to three hours to the nearest office. Other targets beyond remote workRemote work isn’t the only cost-cutting measure that is likely to be addressed through executive orders.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Elon, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, “, ”, “ It’s, ” Everett Kelley, AFGE, Charlie Kirk –, –, DOGE, Kirk, doesn’t, aren’t, Musk Organizations: CNN, of Government, Republican, Trump, telework, Personnel Management, American Federation of Government Employees, Midwest, of Congress, Congress, General Services Administration Locations: Washington, DC, Washington ,

☆ The DOGE commission explains how it will reduce head count at federal agencies with a plan to get rid of remote work and offer workers early retirement
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy offered more details on their DOGE government efficiency commission. They said their plans to cut government spending will lead to layoffs across federal agencies. The leaders of President-elect Donald Trump's government efficiency commission have more details on how they will reduce head count across government agencies. With the federal government being the largest employer in the US, with a workforce of over 2 million Americans, the DOGE commission could have a wide-ranging impact. Are you a federal worker with thoughts on DOGE?

Persons: Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump's, Ramaswamy, Trump, Musk Organizations: Tesla, GOP, Street, of Government, Management, Trump, Treasury Department, Department of Health, Human Services, Social Security Administration, Department of Defense, Congress, Social Security, Medicare

☆ Comcast’s cable networks spinoff raises questions about future of the TV business
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Brian Stelter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

On Wednesday morning, the media giant confirmed that it is spinning off most of its cable channels, including MSNBC and CNBC, into a separate publicly traded company. The new company doesn’t have a formal name yet — Comcast is simplycalling it “SpinCo” — a suitable label since employees’ heads are spinning with questions. Discovery, spin off their cable channels too? How might the cable bundle business model be impacted? “This is a very clear, direct statement by Comcast” that “they are exiting the cable network business,” Greenfield said.

Persons: Mike Cavanagh, NBCUniversal, Tom Rogers, Rogers, “ it’s, ”, ” Rogers, Rich Greenfield, ” Greenfield, ’ It’s, Mark Lazarus, Lazarus, “, Joe Kernen, Greenfield’s, Greenfield, Matt Stoller, Hugh Johnston, “ SpinCo Organizations: New, New York CNN, Comcast, MSNBC, CNBC, Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, NBC Cable, Lightshed Partners, Paramount, USA Network, SYFY, Golf, Rotten, NBC, American Economic Liberties, Disney, ” Fox Corp Locations: New York

Search resuls for: "Employees"

25 mentions found