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Read previewThe firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has undone months of effort by Microsoft to avoid antitrust regulators probing its massive investment in the startup. It's tough to keep a huge business partnership like this out of what can be intense scrutiny from antitrust regulators. Nadella agreed to give Altman and Brockman their own research arm at Microsoft, if he couldn't negotiate their return to OpenAI. Another interpretation is that Microsoft is keen to show antitrust regulators that OpenAI is an independent company, and not controlled by the software giant. AdvertisementDo you work for OpenAI or Microsoft, or are you someone with a tip or insight to share?

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Lina Khan, OpenAI, Altman, Satya Nadella, Kevin Scott didn't, Kevin, Satya, Microsoft's, Brad Smith, Frank Shaw, Sam, Nadella, Altman's, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Amy Hood, ChatGPT, doesn't, Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Darius Rafieyan Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business, FTC, OpenAI, Activision, Blizzard, Markets, Bloomberg, Chief Locations: OpenAI, khays@insider.com, astewart@insider.com

☆ Microsoft assures investors it's spreading its AI bets beyond just OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI was a major focus of questions from Microsoft investors during the event. AdvertisementOn Thursday, Microsoft executives made a point to assure investors that it has many irons in the fire when it comes to AI, not just OpenAI. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood jumped in to emphasize the company has AI partners beyond OpenAI. AdvertisementAs Business Insider recently reported, the chaos at OpenAI caused some partners to start looking for a "plan B" for their AI model needs. Are you an OpenAI, or Microsoft employee, or someone with a tip or insight to share?

Persons: —, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Amy Hood, Hood, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Service, Business, Microsoft Locations: OpenAI, astewart@insider.com

After the sudden ouster of their CEO, hundreds of OpenAI employees signed an open letter demanding Altman's reinstatement and the resignation of the board. And for at least some of those OpenAI employees, there's relief that they don't actually have to go work for Microsoft. Advertisement"Even though we have a partnership with Microsoft, internally, we have no respect for their talent bar," the current OpenAI employee told BI. Money, the great motivatorBeyond the culture clash between the two companies, there was another important factor at play for OpenAI employees: money. Furious Microsoft employeesSome Microsoft employees, meanwhile, were furious that the company promised to match salaries for hundreds of OpenAI employees.

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Altman, Greg Brockman, Brockman, OpenAI, who's, Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Darius Rafieyan Organizations: Service, OpenAI, Microsoft, Business, BI, San, CNBC Locations: OpenAI ., San Francisco, OpenAI, khays@insider.com, astewart@insider.com

☆ Internal Microsoft email shows a shakeup in Charlie Bell's security organization
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft named a new chief information security officer, according to an internal email. Igor Tsyganskiy, Bridgewater's former chief technology officer, will take on the role Jan. 1. The move suggests Microsoft and Bell want to shake up the CISO role and strategy, one insider said. Microsoft's security boss Charlie Bell, in an internal email to employees Tuesday, named a new chief information security officer and announced new roles for the current CISO and deputy CISO, the latter of which will be leaving the organization. Igor Tsyganskiy, the former Bridgewater chief technology officer who recently joined Microsoft, will become the company's new CISO on January 1.

Persons: Igor Tsyganskiy, Bell, Charlie Bell, CISO Organizations: Microsoft, Bridgewater, Security, Business

☆ There's an uptick in Amazon employees quitting right now, blaming a strict RTO mandate, layoffs, and 'lack of respect'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some Amazon employees have noticed an increasing number of Slack messages lately from colleagues who are quitting over the company's strict return-to-office mandate. Many Amazon employees received deadlines for starting to work in offices and the uptick in departures may be related to teams nearing those various deadlines. "This [is] my last day at Amazon," another AWS employee wrote on Friday. However, BI has asked the company for comment on its RTO policy many times in recent months. "Tomorrow is my last day at Amazon," one Amazon employee wrote on Thursday.

Persons: Slack, RTO, Merritt Baer, Brad Glasser, there's, we've, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Business, Amazon, Web Services, BI Locations: RTO

☆ 'The most taboo topic I've ever seen': Inside Microsoft's war over the war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Viva Engage, Microsoft's slick message board designed to compete with Slack, is often touted as "Facebook for work." In October, according to internal messages viewed by BI, a Microsoft employee shared a post praising child tax credits as a way to reduce poverty. Employees with pro-Palestinian views have also used inflammatory language in their posts on Viva Engage. It has cut off the comments to Viva Engage posts it considered too incendiary. "It's important to recognize the pain and suffering of so many people, including our colleagues, as the events in Israel, Gaza, and the surrounding region continue to unfold," Nadella wrote.

Persons: Slack, —, Sandy Hook, chimed, George Floyd, Satya Nadella, Roe, Wade, Kathleen Hogan, Israel, Nadella, Benjamin Netanyahu, Charlie Bell, Scott Guthrie, Rajesh Jha, Microsoft's, Cherry, Davis Polk, Israel's, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Viva Engage, Facebook, Microsoft, Business, Engage, BI, Employees, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Harvard, Hamas, Wardwell, Ivy League, New York Times, Apple, Amazon Web Services Locations: Israel, Gaza, Uvalde, Columbia, Silicon Valley, America, Haifa, Herzliya , Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Palestine, Gaza . Harvard, Tel Aviv, Seattle

☆ Some Microsoft employees fume over the company's open offer to hire hundreds of OpenAI staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

When Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott said the company would hire hundreds of OpenAI employees and match their current compensation, some Microsoft workers were furious. For existing Microsoft workers, 2023 was a year in which they feared for their jobs and their pay. In an open letter, nearly all of OpenAI's workforce said "Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees." Scott confirmed the offer in a post on X, writing that all OpenAI employees had "a role at Microsoft" and that the software giant would match their OpenAI compensation. However, the damage to morale among some Microsoft employees has already been done.

Persons: Kevin Scott, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Nadella, he'd, Altman, Greg Brockman, Scott Organizations: Microsoft, Business

☆ Sam Altman's return to OpenAI doesn't necessarily mean a return to normalcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In today's big story, we're looking at Sam Altman returning to the helm of OpenAI. Less than five days after his shocking ouster, Sam Altman is set to return to OpenAI as its CEO. Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella, a key figure in the past few days' drama, comes out a winner. By helping to reinstall Altman at OpenAI, he stabilizes a key piece of Microsoft's AI strategy.

Persons: —, NASA's James Webb, Sam Altman, JACK GUEZ, OpenAI, Altman, we're, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Taylor, Adam D'Angelo, Greg Brockman, OpenAI's confounder, They've, Tim Paradis, Satya Nadella, Kevin Scott, Insider's Ashley Stewart, Julie Bort, Darrin Zammit Lupi, Patrick T, Fallon Rivian, Elon Musk's, Jack Dorsey, Amr Bo Shanab, Madison, they're, Vladimir Putin, Billie Jean King, Jamie Lee Curtis, Scarlett Johansson, Hailey Bieber, John Deere, LongeviQuest's Ben Meyers, Yumi Yamamoto, Fabrizio Villatoro, Jack SteerLo, Fusa Tatsumi, they've, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, Getty, Silicon, Business, Microsoft, REUTERS, Elon, Madison Ave Locations: OpenAI, AFP, OpenAI's, India, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ OpenAI staffers who signed a letter saying they're going to join Sam Altman at Microsoft don't actually have official job offers yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Kali Hays | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Details of these verbal assurances stipulated that OpenAI employees who quit would receive the same amount of total compensation they receive at OpenAI should they be hired by Microsoft. What Microsoft can and can't do comes down to what CEO Satya Nadella wants to see happen at his company, a Microsoft employee said. Ultimately, a move to Microsoft is not what OpenAI employees really wish to happen. Although everyone who signed the letter has shown they are willing to work for Microsoft, so long as Altman is there, too, they have little desire to work there. The company is enormous compared to OpenAI, with a reputation for bureaucracy, slower work and lower pay, one of the employees said.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Greg Brockman, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Satya, Sam Organizations: Microsoft, Wired, Business, Big Tech

☆ Chaos at OpenAI ensues
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the continued fallout from the shocking Sam Altman ouster at OpenAI. Altman is alive and well, but his run as CEO of OpenAI ended abruptly on Friday. But in the days since his firing, he's escaped a messy weekend looking like the ultimate hero, Business Insider's Katie Notopoulos writes. To be fair, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI CEO Emmett Shear don't seem to know why either. Meanwhile, Salesforce's Marc Benioff is already actively recruiting OpenAI employees on X.

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI, he's, Katie Notopoulos, Altman isn't, Ilya Sutskever —, Sutskever, Kali Hays, Satya Nadella, Emmett Shear, Satya Nadella Stephen Brashear, Julie Bort, Microsoft's Nadella, Nadella, that's, Madeline Renbarger, That's, It's, Kali, Ashley Stewart, Salesforce's Marc Benioff, Scott Olson, Bridgewater's, Greg Jensen, Jim Chanos, Elon, New York Jefferson Siegel, Nvidia's, Jensen Huang, execs, Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Arantza Pena Popo, Camila Téllez, Melkorka, Téllez, Carly Rae Jepsen, Björk, Colleen Ballinger, Clinton, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Getty, BlackRock, Reuters, Nvidia, Elon, HP, Nordstrom, Clinton Lee Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley, Bridgewater, New York, Texas, Millennials, New York City, San Diego, London

☆ Satya Nadella says it doesn't matter where Sam Altman ends up because he'll still be working with Microsoft anyway
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Satya Nadella said Sam Altman will be working with Microsoft no matter where he ends up working. On Monday, the Microsoft CEO announced he hired Altman after the former OpenAI CEO's shock firing. AdvertisementOn Monday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced he was hiring Sam Altman. Still, Nadella told Bloomberg TV on Monday it doesn't matter where Altman ends up working — because "irrespective of where Sam is, he's working with Microsoft." OpenAI only told Microsoft about Altman's ouster a few minutes before its announcement, sources told Business Insider's Kali Hays and Ashley Stewart.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Altman, —, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Nadella, Sam, OpenAI, Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Bloomberg, BI Locations: Silicon Valley, OpenAI

☆ OpenAI's new CEO Emmett Shear said the company handled Sam Altman's ousting 'very badly' and 'seriously damaged our trust'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI's new CEO, Emmett Shear, criticized Sam Altman's ousting as damaging trust in the company. AdvertisementThe new CEO of OpenAI said the way Sam Altman was ousted was "handled very badly" and has "seriously damaged our trust." "And it's clear that the process and communications around Sam's removal has been handled very badly, which has seriously damaged our trust." AdvertisementShear claims he accepted the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to step up as the interim CEO only "a few hours" after he got the call offering him the top job. It comes after OpenAI cofounder Altman was forced out of the company Friday.

Persons: Emmett Shear, Sam Altman's, Shear, wasn't, —, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Insider's Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Satya Nadella, Greg Brockman Organizations: Service, West Coast, Microsoft Locations: West

☆ Sam Altman's ouster leaves OpenAI, Microsoft employees 'completely shocked,' insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Kali Hays | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The announcement left OpenAI and Microsoft workers "completely shocked," people inside both companies told Business Insider. Another shock came about an hour later when OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman announced that he had "quit" over Altman's ouster. Perhaps there were signs all was not well when it came to OpenAI's business, one Microsoft employee told BI, which Microsoft has reportedly backed to the tune of at least $10 billion. Are you an OpenAI employee or someone with a tip or insight to share? Are you a Microsoft employee?

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Mira Murati, Ilya Sutskever, He's, OpenAI, Greg Brockman, Brockman, shakeup, Steve Jobs, Satya Nadella, we're, Kali Hays Organizations: Microsoft, Business, OpenAI's San, Apple, OpenAI, Microsoft Ignite, Twitter Locations: OpenAI, OpenAI's San Francisco, Mira, Copilot, khays@insider.com, @hayskali

☆ Amazon's $1 billion cloud deal with Microsoft includes 550,000 licenses for corporate employees and 1 million for warehouse workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's multiyear commitment to use Microsoft 365 includes more than 1.5 million license seats across different tiers of Microsoft's cloud-based productivity suite, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The pact includes around 550,000 seats of Microsoft's M365 E5 product for corporate workers and 1 million seats of M365 F5 for frontline staff such as fulfillment center employees, the person said. A person familiar with Amazon's operations said the company stayed off of the cloud version of Microsoft's 365 products because they didn't previously want to save anything on a competitor's cloud. F5 is an upgraded version of Microsoft's M365 product for frontline workers. M365 F5 starts at $8 per user per month, which would be $480 million for all 1 million licenses over 5 years.

Persons: Amazon's, It's Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon

☆ Apple just paused Jewish and Muslim employee Slack channels after deleting Israel-Hamas war posts, leaked messages show
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple just indefinitely suspended internal Slack channels for Jewish and Muslim employees after deleting messages about the Israel-Hamas war, according to internal messages viewed by Insider. We saw and heard your feedback," a leader of Apple's Muslim employee resource group wrote. "We've collectively decided that the only sustainable path forward is to briefly pause the Apple Muslim Slack channel. The Apple Jewish Slack channel will do the same." Microsoft recently shut down a discussion between employees, according to internal messages viewed by Insider.

Persons: We've, Apple, Tim Cook, he's, Cook Organizations: Apple, Microsoft Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Microsoft just shut down 'industrial metaverse' product Project Airsim, and laid off its team, as it shifts its AI strategy to OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft just shut down Project Airsim, its AI-based drone simulation software that was part of its vision for an "industrial metaverse," Insider has learned. Both projects were considered part of Microsoft's "industrial metaverse." Project Airsim was originally launched as an open-source project in 2017, though it later shifted focus into a product for industrial customers. Microsoft kept Project Airsim around because it believed there were large prospective customers for the product, the person said. Gurdeep Pall, previously head of product incubations and business AI who at one point ran Project Bonsai and most recently ran Project Airsim, left last month after 33 years with the company.

Persons: Airsim, Kevin Scott, Scott, OpenAI ramped, Gurdeep Pall Organizations: Microsoft, Microsoft Chief, OpenAI, Amazon Web Services, Airsim Locations: OpenAI

☆ Microsoft shut down an internal employee discussion on the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft shut down a discussion between employees about the Israel-Hamas war, internal messages show. "Amidst the ongoing Palestinian Israeli war, it saddens me to witness a company that so strongly promotes Diversity and Inclusion show such strong discrimination and marginalization," the person wrote. The post does not specifically reference which comments from senior leaders the employee viewed as biased. "We have Palestinian employees globally who are deeply concerned for the safety of their loved ones in the region and stand against these acts of terrorism." Are you a Microsoft employee?

Persons: Kathleen Hogan, Hogan, Innocent, Hamas's Organizations: Microsoft, Viva Engage, Microsoft Employee, Group, Hamas, Nvidia Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza

☆ Microsoft is preparing to bring on Amazon as a customer of its 365 cloud tools in a $1 billion megadeal, according to an internal document
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft is preparing to bring on Amazon as a major customer of its 365 cloud productivity tools, a megadeal that would transform bitter rivals into business partners, according to an internal document and a person familiar with the situation. The e-commerce giant has committed more than $1 billion over five years to secure more than one million Microsoft 365 license seats, according to the document, which was reviewed by Insider. Amazon uses a local, on-premise version of Microsoft's Office products but plans to move to Microsoft's 365 suite of cloud based productivity tools, the person explained. That's around the time when Microsoft releases a new version of its 365 suite of applications with new AI capabilities. A person familiar with Amazon's operations said the company stayed off of the cloud version of Microsoft's 365 products because they didn't previously want to save anything on a competitor's cloud.

Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon, Microsoft's Locations: That's

☆ Leaked Microsoft pay guidelines reveal salary, hiring bonus, and stock award ranges by level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Leaked Microsoft pay guidelines viewed by Insider provide insight into how much the company pays new hires by level, with ranges for base pay, hiring bonuses, and annual stock awards. Pay at Microsoft varies by field and location, so a company-wide standard for pay per level across all units doesn't exist. The highest pay package in the guidelines viewed by Insider was $361,500 in salary, $1.2 million as a hiring bonus, and about $1 million in annual stock awards. The lowest was a $42,500 salary, with no hiring bonus and no guaranteed stock award. Microsoft's pay guidelines for job offers:Level 70:Base pay: $231,700 to $361,500On-hire stock awards: $310,000 default to $1.2 million with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $945,000Level 69:Base pay: $202,400 to $316,000On-hire stock awards: $235,000 default to $1.1 million with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $750,000Level 68:Base pay: $186,200 to $291,000On-hire stock awards: $177,000 default to $1 million with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $490,600Level 67:Base pay: $171,600 to $258,200On-hire stock awards: $168,000 default to $700,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $336,000Level 66:Base pay: $157,300 to $236,300On-hire stock awards: $75,000 default to $600,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $160,000Level 65:Base pay: $144,600 to $216,600On-hire stock awards: $36,000 default to $300,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $90,000Level 64:Base pay: $125,000 to $187,700On-hire stock awards: $24,000 default to $250,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $60,000Level 63:Base pay: $113,900 to $171,500On-hire stock awards: $17,000 default to $200,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $44,000Level 62:Base pay: $103,700 to $156,400On-hire stock awards: $11,000 default to $125,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $32,000Level 61:Base pay: $92,600 to $138,100On-hire stock awards: $6,500 default to $75,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $24,000Level 60:Base pay: $83,500 to $125,000On-hire stock awards: $4,500 default to $50,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $16,000Level 59:Base pay: $74,400 to $110,800On-hire stock awards: $3,000 default to $30,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: $0 to $12,000Level 58:Base pay: $70,300 to $92,600On-hire stock awards: $2,500 default to $20,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: "By career stage"Level 57:Base pay: $63,800 to $83,000On-hire stock awards: $1,500 default to $10,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: "By career stage"Level 56:Base pay: $60,700 to $77,900On-hire stock awards: $1,500 default to $10,000 with approvalAnnual stock award range: "By career stage"Level 55:Base pay: $55,200 to $71,300On-hire stock awards: N/AAnnual stock award range: "By career stage"Level 54:Base pay: $51,600 to $67,000On-hire stock awards: N/AAnnual stock award range: "By career stage"Level 53:Base pay: $46,600 to $59,700On-hire stock awards: N/AAnnual stock award range: "By career stage"Level 52:Base pay: $42,500 to $54,600On-hire stock awards: N/AAnnual stock award range: "By career stage"Are you a Microsoft employee or do you have insight to share?

Organizations: Microsoft, . Locations: San Francisco and New York

☆ Strange Amazon job posting suggests the company is fishing for 'opportunistic' hires
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon accidentally published a job posting for a director of security engineering for something called "Project Panda" with a strange description indicating the listing would be used to find "opportunistic candidates." "This posting was listed in error and we're working to remove it," Brad Glasser, an Amazon spokesperson said. "Pooling requisition for security," the now-deleted job posting repeatedly stated. The job posting, and the description in particular, fueled speculation among insiders over if Amazon is advertising positions the company doesn't intend to fill, one told us. Amazon laid off 27,000 employees over the past year, and has put a hiring freeze in many teams across the company.

Persons: Brad Glasser, that's, Eugene Kim Organizations: Amazon, LinkedIn, AWS Locations: Detroit

☆ Leaked memo shows Amazon will make Fresh grocery deliveries for Prime members a lot cheaper again
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon Prime members in the US will soon be able to get free grocery delivery orders from Amazon Fresh when they spend over $100 on the site, Insider has learned. In an email to Insider, Claire Peters, Amazon's worldwide VP of Amazon Fresh, said the change will go into effect Thursday afternoon. Amazon offers grocery delivery to Prime members in more than 3,500 cities and towns across the U.S. Non-Prime members in a dozen metro areas, including Austin, Boston, and San Diego, can also receive grocery deliveries. Amazon is considering a separate, standalone grocery subscription service for Prime members, as Insider previously reported . The internal document about the new Fresh fee structure reflects Amazon's willingness to keep investing in the Fresh grocery business.

Persons: Claire Peters, Peters, Amazon's, it's, Amazon, It's, Brian Olsavsky, Eugene Kim Organizations: Amazon, Foods, U.S . Locations: Austin, Boston, San Diego

☆ Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is telling some workers to return to the office multiple days a week, leaked memo shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is asking some workers to return to the office "multiple days per week" starting next month, according to an internal memo viewed by Insider. Unlike return-to-office mandates from other big tech companies like Amazon, LinkedIn's instructions specifically call out "hybrid workers," and do not appear to include those who are fully remote. Hybrid typically describes workers who work remotely and from an office. This memo is the first time that LinkedIn has specified how frequently those workers should expect to be in the office. Previously, there was no mandate for how often hybrid workers must commute in.

Persons: Dan Shapero, Shapero, we've, We've Organizations: Microsoft, company's Global Business Organization, LinkedIn, Meta

☆ Costco is mandating that its tech employees work in the office at least three days a week, internal memo shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Costco wants its tech employees to work from the office at least three days a week beginning in January, according to a memo viewed by Insider. Starting January 2, individual contributors and supervisors must work from the office a minimum of three days, managers must work in the office a minimum of four days, and directors and above must work on site full-time, Costco Chief Information Officer Terry Williams told employees in an email. Costco has a similar policy for other corporate employees, but allowed for flexibility for IT employees until now. Another tech challenge for the company is its continued reliance on archaic warehouse management software for inventory management, which several employees have told Insider is a frequent source of frustration. The company doesn't specify how many of those employees are corporate, nor how many work in IT.

Persons: Terry Williams, Richard Galanti, Galanti, Dominick Reuter Organizations: Costco, IT, Apple, Sam's, U.S Locations: Issaquah, Washington

☆ Salesforce's chief trust officer is leaving less than 18 months in the role, internal memo shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Salesforce Chief Trust Officer Vikram Rao is leaving the company after less than 18 months in the role, according to an internal memo viewed by Insider. In an internal Slack message from earlier this year viewed by Insider, Rao said he was taking time off from June 3 to September 5. He became chief trust officer in June 2022. Salesforce Chief Technology Officer and cofounder Parker Harris will take on Rao's role while Salesforce searches for a replacement, according to the memo. Executive Vice President Mark Carter, whose purview included cybersecurity, left in November and Taher Elgamal, chief technology officer of security, left in February.

Persons: Vikram Rao, Rao, Srinivas Tallapragada, Vikram, Salesforce, Parker Harris, Harris, Neil Storey, Kelly McCracken, Laura Sawka, Jim Weise, Mark Carter, cybersecurity, Taher Elgamal Organizations: Salesforce, Technology, Security Assurance, Insider, Trust, Government Cloud Engineering Locations: Salesforce

☆ Running AI is so expensive that Amazon will probably charge you to use Alexa in future, says outgoing exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Outgoing Amazon exec Dave Limp thinks Amazon will "absolutely" start charging to use Alexa. He pointed to the huge costs of running AI models as the reason why. He added that the current version of Alexa will remain free, and that a paid version would need to demonstrate more advanced capabilities and usefulness. Generative AI models require huge amounts of computing power, with analysts estimating that OpenAI's ChatGPT costs $700,000 a day or more to run . Amazon has bet big on AI, with the company unveiling a new, AI-powered version of Alexa alongside updated versions of its Echo Frames and Carrerra smart glasses last week.

Persons: Dave Limp, Alexa, Limp, OpenAI, Amazon's, Insider's Ashley Stewart, Panos Organizations: Amazon, Service, Bloomberg, Alexa, Microsoft Locations: Wall, Silicon

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