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☆ Ukraine's 'Iron General' was spotted on video rocking an unusual Baby Yoda patch, and it's not immediately clear why
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's military shared a video this week of Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi engaged in war efforts. A mysterious Baby Yoda patch could be spotted on his uniform, and its not exactly clear why. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces published a video on Monday showing Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, sporting a Baby Yoda patch in the center of his uniform as he discusses details on the war with other top officials. The new video includes scenes of Zaluzhnyi hovering over blurred-out information and walking alongside individuals whose faces have been censored. "Retweet if spotted Mr. Baby Yoda."

Persons: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, —, Serhiy Shaptala, Zaluzhnyi, Baby Yoda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Staff of, Armed Forces, Armed Forces of, Twitter, Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Kyiv's, Staff, Facebook Locations: Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine, Moscow, Kherson

☆ Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino echoes Musk in emphasizing freedom of speech in debut tweet thread
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In her first tweet thread since becoming CEO of Twitter last week, Linda Yaccarino on Monday emphasized the company's focus on free speech, a topic favored by owner Elon Musk. "Twitter is on a mission to become the world's most accurate real-time information source and a global town square for communication," Yaccarino wrote on Twitter and in a memo to employees. Prior to Twitter, Yaccarino was global advertising chief at NBCUniversal, CNBC's parent company. "We have the opportunity to reach across aisles, create new partnerships, celebrate new voices, and build something together that can change the world," Yaccarino wrote. Twitter is on a mission to become the world's most accurate real-time information source and a global town square for communication.

Persons: Linda Yaccarino, Elon Musk, Yaccarino, Musk, we're, Elon, that's, Linda, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Twitter, Pew Research Center Locations: NBCUniversal

☆ Twitter's new CEO just sent her first email to employees, then posted it on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Paul Squire | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter's new CEO Linda Yaccarino says it's time for the platform to enter "Twitter 2.0." In an email to employees, Yaccarino said: "You should have the freedom to speak your mind." Twitter's new CEO Linda Yaccarino is sharing her vision for "Twitter 2.0" — and it sounds a lot like owner Elon Musk's ambitions. In an email sent Monday to Twitter employees, Yaccarino said it's her mission to turn Twitter into "the world's most accurate real-time information source." "That's not an empty promise," she wrote, later sharing the email — with some slight tweaks — in a public thread on Twitter.

Persons: Linda Yaccarino, Yaccarino, Elon Musk's, it's, Elon Musk, Musk, Twitter, she'll Organizations: Twitter, The New York Times, US

☆ Russian warship protecting pipelines attacked by 3 Ukrainian marine drones in the Black Sea, Russian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine attacked the Ivan Khurs with three uncrewed speedboats, Russian officials said. The raid on the Russian warship in the Black Sea failed to cause any damage, they claimed. Footage posted by Russian officials shows the Russian ship firing shots, striking and destroying one of the uncrewed boats. The Ivan Khurs is one of Russia's most modern ships in the Black Sea fleet and has a crew of 120. Last year, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of purposefully slowing grain shipments in the area, the New York Times reported.

☆ How Has Your Experience at Work Changed During the Pandemic?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Emma Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

I’m Emma Goldberg, a reporter for The New York Times. I cover the future of work and all the ways the workplace is changing: job-quitting, layoffs, the shift to hybrid work, a mounting movement for workers’ rights and rising concerns about the way artificial intelligence will transform industries. As I continue my reporting, I’m always looking to bring in new voices, including from Times readers. I’d like to hear about how your job and experience in the workplace has changed during the pandemic. We will not publish any part of your submission without contacting you first.

☆ At Trisha Brown, a New Voice Creates a ‘Symphony of Layers’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Gia Kourlas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Like her dance history, “Bleeding” contains more than one point of departure and is, in her mind, pictorial. “I put a lot of subjects in different layers,” she continued. Inside that, we find narratives that create a meaning or create a poetic constellation. “Trisha was talking about how she would consider alumni making new work, but she was also very clear that the alumni had to be dedicated, have invested time, energy and building knowledge as a choreographer,” Lucas said. And then she said ‘or a bright-minded young choreographer’ who is not necessarily an alumni.”

☆ Wagner Group can only afford to throw soldiers into Bakhmut's 'meat grinder' for another 2 months before it runs out of men, Ukrainian commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group will exhaust itself in Bakhmut within two months, a Ukrainian commander said. An unnamed NATO official told CNN in March that Russians were dying at five times the rate of the defending Ukrainian forces in the city. On Friday, UK military intelligence said it is "highly likely" that Russian forces had advanced to the city center. "I can confidently state that the Ukrainian defense forces control a much larger percentage of the territory of Bakhmut," the Ukrainian commander told CNN, without specifying a figure. The Institute for the Study of War estimated that, as of Tuesday, Russian forces controlled 76.5% of the territory.

☆ A former Russian military intelligence officer has defected to Ukraine and is setting up his own battalion of dissidents
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Russian intelligence officer has defected and says he's setting up a pro-Ukrainian unit. Ethnic minorities in Russia are treated like second-class citizens, he said, according to Ukrainian outlet Focus. Ammosov served in the GRU — the military intelligence wing of Russia's army — for 15 years before moving to Europe, Radio Free Europe reported. None have had a formal explanation, which has led to speculation that they were targeted by Ukrainian commandos or Russian dissidents. According to Focus, Ammosov's unit is the fourth such dissident unit to be formed.

☆ Russians are offering up equipment and heavy armored vehicles to Ukraine's surrender hotline, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An official claimed that Ukraine's surrender hotline had a record number of calls in March. The "I Want to Live" hotline allows Russian soldiers to call up and pre-arrange a surrender. The telephone line is part of a project called "I Want to Live," allowing Russian soldiers to arrange to give themselves up rather than fight. He added that "interesting" Russian heavy armored vehicles are already being used by Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield, according to the outlet. UK intelligence reported on Friday that after months of battle, Russian soldiers have "highly likely" advanced to the center of the city.

☆ Analysis: Scotland's Sturgeon bows out at 'critical moment' for independence fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While Sturgeon said she was "firmly of the view that there is now majority support for independence in Scotland", the polls suggest there is more work to do. In the aftermath of the court ruling, some polls showed a majority support for independence, but that has recently come down back towards 2014 levels. "If that stops being the case, then that really could knock them back, and really could damage the cause of Scottish independence." "The movement has been left with no clear strategy for independence," Salmond, who now leads the Alba party, said. "Voters see no clear successor to (Sturgeon) - it illustrates how dominant a figure she has been for so long," pollster Mark Diffley said.

☆ A Russian officer who brandished the skull of a Ukrainian soldier at a heavy metal concert was shot in an 'execution-style' hit: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian captain was shot "execution-style" in the head on Saturday, according to reports. Igor Mangushev was filmed last year brandishing the supposed skull of a slain Ukrainian soldier. An expert said the "hit" on Mangushev may have been a proxy attack on the head of the Wagner Group. According to The New Voice of Ukraine, citing unverified doctors' reports, Mangushev was shot "execution-stye" at a checkpoint in the Russian-occupied region of Luhansk Oblast. Last summer, Mangushev was filmed brandishing the skull during a heavy metal concert.

☆ This Black founder sold her company to P&G—why she says she’s ‘selling up,’ not selling out
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

On Jan. 11, Monique Rodriguez, founder and CEO of multi-million-dollar natural hair care brand Mielle Organics, announced she had sold her company to P&G Beauty, sending Black Twitter into a frenzy. "I don't wanna hear nothing about supporting Black businesses because the second Black companies get all the support they need from the Black dollar they hand everything over to the person with the biggest check," said one Twitter user. Some would consider selling your company — often for millions — to be a major accomplishment, but Black founders are continually scrutinized by their peers and customers for making this choice. However, when Dennis sold the brand to Unilever in for an estimated $1.6 billion, he was called a sellout. "If there were Black conglomerates, and Black, big, private equity firms and partnerships that allowed them to inject capital and allow us to grow, we would go to those Black companies," Rodriguez says.

☆ The best social-media moments and trends last year, according to rising stars of the creator economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

We asked 22 rising stars in the creator economy what their favorite social-media moment was in 2022. As part of Insider's inaugural list highlighting the next generation of leaders in the influencer space, we asked individuals what their favorite social-media moment was in 2022. These rising stars have spent the past year making tangible change through their work on products, content, or initiatives at startups or social-media giants. (Read our full list of 22 rising stars of the creator economy.) Read the full list of rising stars for more favorite moments and details about their careers:

☆ How Putin was repeatedly snubbed by countries he thought were his allies since invading Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tajikistan's president appeared to berate Putin and demanded respect for his country. Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in December 2021. Sputnik/Evgeny Biyatov/Kremlin via REUTERSThe president of Tajikistan, a close ally of Russia, seemed to berate Putin during a meeting of central Asian leaders in October. Emomali Rahmon said he wanted more respect from Putin despite his country's size. Rahmon also told Putin not to treat central Asian countries as if they were still part of the former Soviet Union, the New Voice of Ukraine reported.

☆ 39-year-old self-made millionaire: 'Success isn't owned, it's rented. And rent is due every day'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The 39-year-old founded Mielle Organics, a natural hair care brand, in 2014 after a devastating loss reshaped life as she knew it. At the time, Rodriquez had an almost decade-long career in nursing, a field her family reassured her was "recession-proof." Here's how Rodriquez navigated funding as a Black woman and the best career advice she's ever received. Yet, only 3% of Black women were operating mature businesses, indicating systemic discrimination in VC and funding — something that Rodriquez knows all too well. "Being a Black woman starting a company, the banks don't believe in you.

☆ The woman behind TikTok's popular text-to-speech voice has made peace with people using her voice to say bad things: 'In my mind, I understand that that's not me'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A radio show host in Canada confirmed last month she's behind TikTok's popular Jessie voice. Kat Callaghan said she's made peace with people using the text-to-speech voice to say bad things. The Jessie voice, and others on the app, read aloud the text that creators write so they don't have to record their own voice. TikTok started using Callaghan's voice last year after another voice actress, Beverly Standing, filed a lawsuit against TikTok saying it used her voice without permission. Her lawsuit said her voice on TikTok could cause her "irreparable harm" because creators could use it to say offensive things.

Having the ability to watch back a video with a voice that more closely aligns with their gender identity has been emotional, trans TikTok users told NBC News. “It’s not something I ever imagined I’d get to experience.”Some videos celebrating the voice feature have racked up millions of views. It’s unclear when the voice filter was added to the app. The benefit of having such a TikTok filter, Rose said, is that it can hopefully alleviate the gender dysphoria that some trans creators may feel. She said she hopes that TikTok might allow users to customize things such as pitch, tone and timbre of the voice filters in the future.

☆ The New Voice Controls Coming to Your Driver’s Seat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Mike Colias | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

You approach the car with arms full of groceries and call out, “Open the tailgate!” On the road, as snow builds, the vehicle asks if you’d like to engage four-wheel drive, which you do by saying “yes.” Wondering what that digital warning symbol is on your dashboard? The car can explain as you drive. The technology behind these scenarios is expected to make its way into cars in the next year or two, as auto makers expand voice capabilities and allow users to control more of the car through spoken word. With the proliferation of screens in cars, car makers are offering verbal commands as a way to help the driver keep eyes on the road and avoid visual distractions. They are moving toward voice commands that go deeper into the car’s controls—verbal cues for turning on the wipers, adjusting the mirrors or popping the tailgate.

The "Voting Choice" program announced last year by the $8 trillion asset manager could reshape corporate elections both by making shareholders more involved and by diminishing the political criticism BlackRock faces from U.S. liberals and conservatives alike. BlackRock said in a statement that at the end of September clients with around $1.8 trillion in equity index assets managed by the company were eligible for voting choices and that clients with $452 billion were doing so. Last month for instance Charles Schwab Corp's (SCHW.N) asset-management arm said it would start polling shareholders of certain funds about their voting preferences. "Our clients have diverse perspectives, and a growing number would like the option to weigh in on how their index funds vote," Vanguard said in a statement. In addition, BlackRock said it would offer voting choice to more investment strategies and work with investor communications platform Proxymity to extend choice to retail investors in some British mutual funds.

Sal Perez got his start in "Sesame Street" right out of college as a production coordinator in 2006. Sixteen years later, Perez, 38, is making history as the beloved children's show's first Latino executive producer, ushering in a new season — the show's 53rd — on Thursday. Creating ‘a feeling of community’In his new role as executive producer, Perez wants to continue creating stories with the “Sesame Street” characters “that so many kids love and families trust” while instilling “a feeling of community” and a sense of belonging. “I hope to bring in as many new voices as possible into the fold of 'Sesame Street' as a family,” he said. A scene from the first episode of season 53 of "Sesame Street."

☆ At Pixar, Steve Jobs hired a director who'd 'just made a big flop'—the result was an Oscar-winning success
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Fresh off the career-threatening flop, Bird was hired by Jobs and Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull to write and direct a movie called "The Incredibles." "They were feeling like, 'We're in danger of falling into certain habits because we have the same group that are doing things ... but we want to shake things up.'" Jobs and Catmull told Bird they hired him because "The Iron Giant" showed a determination to find new ways to tell stories, Bird recalled. "I want people who are disgruntled because they have a better way of doing things and they're having trouble finding an avenue," Bird said. If you're doing it right, you are kind of an underdog," Bird said.

House Democrats have unified as they fight to retain their fragile majority in next month’s midterms. But given Biden’s unpopularity and the GOP lead on the generic congressional ballot (which asks only which party people would support), the more likely scenario is a bad election night for House Democrats. If Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn head for the exits, the leadership matchups become pretty clear. Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on Sept. 20. The Massachusetts Democrat has significant support from fellow female members and has stayed close to the Black, Hispanic and Asian caucuses — big voting blocs in the diverse 220-member Democratic Caucus.

☆ Vista's Robert Smith says investing in DEI businesses vitally important in a bear market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Robert F. Smith, chairman and CEO at Vista Equity Partners, said investing in businesses and managers that emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion remains vital, especially in a bear market. The billionaire investor, who spoke with CNBC's Frank Holland at the Disruptor 50 Summit, said that venture capital and private equity funding should continue to expand to minority-owned businesses. The recent drop in venture capital funding, due to growing recession fears, has disproportionately hit African American, Latinx business owners and founders, he said. They're seeing some outsized reductions in their funding," Smith said. Some venture capital firms that he said are effectively identifying opportunities include the New Voices Fund.

☆ Putin forced to endure a 7-minute-long rant from close ally who rebuked the Russian leader and demanded he shows respect
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The President of Tajikistan, a firm ally of Russia, appeared to berate Putin at an international summit. 'We do not need anything; just to be respected," Rahmon said. According to the New Voice of Ukraine, Rahmon also told Putin not to treat central Asian countries "as the former Soviet Union." The incident follows surprising public criticism from India's leader, another ally of Putin, of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in September, India's Prime Minister Modi told Putin that "now is not the time for war."

☆ Don Mattingly will not return to Marlins in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sep 19, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly (8) watches from the dugout during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY SportsSeptember 25 - Don Mattingly will not return as the manager of the Miami Marlins for the 2023 season. Mattingly and the Marlins mutually agreed on the decision. "We are fortunate to have had Don Mattingly leading our team on the field over the last seven years," Marlins' principal owner Bruce Sherman said in a news release Sunday. Mattingly was named the National League Manager of the Year in 2020 after guiding the Marlins to their first postseason berth since 2003.

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