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☆ Sellers on eBay are trying to auction off Silicon Valley Bank-branded merch, including a cardboard box for $201 and a wine cooler for $42
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Items featuring the Silicon Valley Bank logo were put up for auction on eBay over the weekend. They include a cardboard box for $201 and a wine tumbler for $42, per the listings. The items listed on eBay included a blue cardboard box with SVB's logo displayed on the front, which was priced at $201 at time of publication. It was listed on eBay on Saturday and the site showed there were five days left until the auction for the box closed. The seller said in the description they were "two pieces of genuine Silicon Valley Bank corporate swag."

☆ Here's what's inside the nearly $125,000 gift bag given to Brendan Fraser, Steven Spielberg and other Oscar nominees
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But on top of critical acclaim and higher earning potential, there's another benefit to getting an Oscar nod: the gift bag. "There's nothing like a first time nominee's enthusiasm about getting this gift bag," Fary says. Because of the large quantity of products that is being gifted, Distinctive Assets delivers everything packed into two suitcases. What's included in this year's 'Everybody Wins' gift bag? Director Steven Spielberg has received numerous "Everybody Wins" gift bags for past Academy Award nominations.

☆ Elon Musk reportedly tried to sell Twitter's office plants to employees as part of his push for cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk tried to sell Twitter's office plants to staff, an unnamed engineer at the company told the BBC. Since taking over the site, Musk has tried desperately to cut costs and boost the company's income. Alongside reducing costs, Musk has tried to boost the company's income. To generate more money outside of advertising, Musk has overhauled Twitter Blue, the company's now $8-per-month subscription service. But he's also turned to more unorthodox methods to raise money: He auctioned off hundreds of items of Twitter's office furniture, including industrial kitchen equipment, statues, coffee machines, and office chairs.

☆ Clinics are trying to sell trendy weight-loss injections by flooding TikTok with videos about semaglutide
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The video, which has nearly 60,000 likes, is among a proliferation of TikTok posts tagged with the names of semaglutide weight-loss drugs, including Wegovy and Ozempic. "What drives the video to go viral is if you can generate some kind of discussion," he told Insider. Unlike official ads, partnerships, or promotions, TikTok posts receive little oversight from government agencies or medical boards. All four said the TikTok posts are driving an influx of patients to their clinics. Oden told Insider that her videos are "drumming up quite a bit of new business" among patients of all ages.

☆ Lawsuits accuse Elon Musk's Twitter of owing more than $14 million in unpaid bills, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Several lawsuits concerning unpaid debts have been filed against Elon Musk's Twitter, per the WSJ. Twitter is accused of owing more than $14 million, plus interest, the publication reported. Twitter has faced numerous lawsuits from vendors, landlords, and consultants since Elon Musk bought the platform in October. Since completing his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October, Musk has been seeking to cut costs across the board. Musk had previously said Twitter was losing more than $4 million a day.

☆ Twitter stiffed marketing firm $7,000 for a 'swag gift box' for Elon Musk that included a $689 Japanese whiskey and a branded cheese board, a lawsuit claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A branded-merch company claims it's owed $6,784 for a "swag gift box" Twitter ordered for Elon Musk. Canary Marketing says in a lawsuit that Twitter suddenly stopped paying its bills in September. The invoice for Musk's gift box includes a $689 bottle of whiskey and a custom-engraved cheese board. One of the payments Canary claims Twitter owes is the order from late September for a "swag gift box for Elon" worth $6,783.99, to be sent to Twitter's San Francisco headquarters. Twitter and Canary didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of normal US working hours.

[1/5] A general view of the grand opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 15, 2023. The theme park world is meant to ignite interest from both new and seasoned fans of the Mario games through an immersive experience. It follows in the footsteps of its predecessor in Universal Studios Japan, also owned by the Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) unit. Super Nintendo World will also be added to Universal Studios Florida in 2025. The opening of the park will be followed by the “Super Mario Bros” movie, which arrives in theaters on April 7 and stars “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor Chris Pratt, who voices Mario.

☆ Barney the purple dinosaur is back and he has a new look
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Barney is back, and while Mattel has not yet officially confirmed it, we’re guessing he still loves you. Toy giant Mattel (MAT) announced Monday that Barney, the friendly (and, let’s be honest, cringe-worthy to a large group of Millennials who watched him as pre-schoolers, and to their parents) purple dinosaur is making a triumphant return to TVs and toy shelves next year. The “Barney & Friends” show, featuring the titular violet-hued T-Rex, aired on PBS in the United States from 1992 until 2010. So no beleaguered actor dressed up in a dinosaur costume marching around and singing to young kids. “With our modern take on Barney, we hope to inspire the next generation to listen, care, and dream big,” Soulie added.

☆ Watch: U.S. Military Tracks Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In Africa, FTX Promised Stability and SwagAcross Africa FTX used brand ambassadors and glitzy events to attract new users. Many customers saw cryptocurrency as a way to protect against inflation in local currencies. But when the crypto exchange collapsed many lost their savings. WSJ reporter Alexandra Wexler joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss how FTX grew in Africa and what happened to investors.

☆ Federal regulators tell Amazon that the 'gamification' of its warehouses contributes to a 'high risk of serious' injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon was cited again by federal regulators alleging its warehouse workers face "high" injury risks. Regulators said a "gamification system" encouraged working at a fast pace that could pose injury. Amazon said it is cooperating with investigators and that it has worked to lower injury rates. In a letter targeting the warehouse in Idaho, OSHA said Amazon should change its "gamification system to eliminate incentives for excessively paced work." In recent months, Amazon has been hit by similar OSHA citations relating to injury risks facing workers, and to how it tracked and monitored those injuries.

☆ Southwest is giving workers bonus points worth about $400 to say sorry for the 'physical and emotional toll' of the holiday meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Southwest is giving its 66,000 workers 25,000 SWAG points to redeem in its employee store. CEO Bob Jordan told staff: "I'm sorry about the damage to your confidence and trust." According to The Dallas Morning News, the 25,000 SWAG points could be converted into gift cards worth about $400. In the memo, Jordan told workers: "I'm sorry for the physical and emotional toll. Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

It’s a plot twist the romance writers did not see coming. “I saw the auction that was going on to help raise funds for her funeral,” romance writer T.E. “To find out that it was a hoax, two-and-a-half years later, was just a slap in the face to everybody,” fellow romance writer Samantha A. Cole told NBC News. Cole said she met Meachen around 2017 in one of several online romance writer and reader groups that proliferate on Facebook and elsewhere on the web. Some angry romance writers confronted Meachen online and demanded an explanation, screenshots of the exchanges revealed.

So if workplace weight loss programs don’t actually improve employee health — what is it they are attempting to do? And yet, workplace wellness programs that focus on weight loss and other fatphobic-related measures like BMI and fat percentage persist. There’s not much evidence to suggest these workplace weight loss programs even reduce costs. So we’re shaming fat folks, excluding people with disabilities and triggering those of us recovering from eating disorders for ... absolutely no reason at all. And any workplace wellness program that specifically incentivizes weight loss should be acknowledged as harmful and ended immediately.

☆ Elon Musk's Crackdown at Twitter Offers Hope to Fellow Tech Founders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But there's one group, almost unnoticed in the midst of the online firestorm, that has been cheering Musk on from the sidelines: other tech executives. To some founders, Musk is simply a monstrous version of the executive they wish they could be. Musk is getting rid of perks like free meals in the Twitter cafeteria — and other tech executives are taking note. Musk's slash-and-burn approach gives tech executives cover for making unpopular decisions. But now, as tech companies cut back to prepare for a recession, the "rough waters out there" have forced his staff to "reevaluate" their demands.

☆ Inside the turbulent, doomed campaign of Herschel Walker
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +14 min

Republican candidate Herschel Walker's campaign was starved for cash as it faced Sen. Raphael Warnock and his deep-pocketed Democratic allies. Beyond highlighting an intense clash in a nationally watched political campaign’s crucible, the blowup underscored the core problem of Walker’s campaign: Walker. The so-called “oppo” book, however, didn’t have information about the abortion story, which rocked Walker’s campaign. And despite the damaging information that could come out in a campaign, Walker decided to run anyway. By Election Day, Walker campaign staffers knew they were likely to lose.

☆ FTX t-shirts and swag were stashed away in trash bags during Miami's Art Basel, and some crypto diehards took them home as souvenirs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Solana Embassy, once backed by Sam Bankman-Fried, gave away free FTX t-shirts at Art Basel. Among the stash were close to 1,000 FTX Miami t-shirts, FTX bean bags, a framed Miami Heat jersey that featured an FTX logo, and a signed poster of chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen who took part in an FTX-sponsored tournament. Solana tweeted about its events in Miami and said it had "about 1,000 FTX Miami shirts to get rid of." The t-shirts were originally only supposed to be free for those who opened FTX accounts at the Solana Embassy. The Solana Embassy previously housed an FTX Lounge, and the exchange was its biggest financial sponsor, according to Norby.

☆ Live Updates: Georgia Voters Head to Polls for Final Say on Warnock vs. Walker
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Mr. Warnock consolidated Democratic voters, while Mr. Walker struggled to rally his party behind him. Mr. Walker was wrapping up a campaign that appears to have failed to consolidate the disparate wings of his party. Image Mr. Warnock spoke on Monday in Atlanta at the SWAG Shop barbershop with Killer Mike, the rapper. Credit... Nicole Craine for The New York TimesMr. Kemp kept some distance from Mr. Walker during the general election. Mr. Mathews said he planned to cast his ballot Tuesday for Mr. Walker.

☆ Taylor Swift, Drake, Bad Bunny: How much it costs to see Spotify's top artists live
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Entertainment giant Live Nation reported a record 44 million quarterly attendance at concerts between July and October, with a whopping 89 million fans attending over 11,000 events so far this year. But recent events have highlighted issues fans have with ticket pricing, especially the market dominance Ticketmaster (owned by Live Nation) has taken. Still, Ticketmaster's gross transaction value before fees is up 62% from 2019, Live Nation reports. The survey also revealed 38% of concertgoers were willing to pay more for better seats, up to $328 for their favorite artists. High demand equals high ticket costsNaturally, the most popular artists are able to command higher ticket prices.

Bilt Mastercard® holders will also get eight days to earn bonus rewards, up to a max of 50,000 points. For December's Rent Day, Bilt is giving you a 100% transfer bonus to IHG, the chance to earn up to 50,000 bonus points, and more. To earn points with the Bilt Mastercard®, you must use your card at least five times per statement period. That makes your Bilt Rewards worth 1.4 cents each when transferring to IHG during this 100% transfer bonus. You'll earn 2,500 Bilt points per friend you refer to the Bilt Mastercard® — and 10,000 bonus points after successfully referring five members.

☆ Trumpflation causes MAGA products to skyrocket in price
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump presidential campaign merchandise used to be a lot less expensive. Prices of some MAGA staples — t-shirts, bumper stickers — have nearly doubled in seven years. The prices of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign staples have skyrocketed when compared to what his 2016 presidential committee was charging. DonaldTrump.comAnd a pair of Trump bumper stickers that would have cost $5 during the waning days of the Obama administration are now $9 in President Joe Biden's economy. DonaldJTrump.com via Internet Archive Wayback MachineA pair of Trump bumper stickers sell for $9 on Trump's 2024 campaign website.

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

☆ How an $18-an-hour Amazon warehouse job cured one former tech exec's burnout
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's been a wild week in tech, made even more wild by Elon Musk's Twitter deal closing last night. We've got a ton of news this morning, including an account from a longtime tech exec who took a job at an Amazon fulfillment center to help cure his burnout. How an $18-an-hour Amazon warehouse job cured one tech exec's burnout. He decided to quit his CEO job and, eventually, take on a seasonal role at an Amazon fulfillment center. How Elon Musk's "autocratic leadership" will change Twitter.

☆ Bilt Rewards is offering free United Airlines elite status to members, plus bonus points and more in celebration of 'Rent Day'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Joseph Hostetler | Credit Cards Reporter | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

In advance of Rent Day on November 1, 2022, all Bilt Rewards members can receive free United Airlines elite status for a limited time. On Rent Day, Bilt Mastercard® cardholders can earn double points on non-rent expenses, and all members can participate in challenges to earn points and free rent. cardholders can earn double points on non-rent expenses, and all members can participate in challenges to earn points and free rent. You can also redeem Bilt points toward rent payments, merchandise, Amazon purchases, and even a downpayment on a house. You can earn 2,500 Bilt points per friend you refer to the Bilt Mastercard® — and 10,000 bonus points after you successfully refer five members.

☆ Young Silicon Valley workers are in for a rude awakening as industry giants make major job cuts and ditch ambitious projects for the first time in their careers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Samantha Delouya | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Workers now fear layoffs after tech companies that hired thousands of workers with high pay face a slowing economy. For years, Big Tech companies have competed on pay and perks to lure workers in a tight labor market. It's a first for many tech workers, an entire generation of whom have known nothing but non-stop growth and a bull market. Earlier, the company told managers not to approve employee travel and team offsites unless they are "business critical." Younger tech workers don't just have to fear losing perks.

☆ How to Gift Money for Weddings, Christmas, Birthdays or Any Occasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

A sentimental card or letter can smooth over the transactional rough edges of a cash gift. If you’re sending money electronically, it’s great to note in the card the method by which you’ve sent money: “Check your Venmo for the gift that accompanies this card UNLESS YOU HATE MONEY,” or similar phrasing of your choice. Don’t even give them a gift card, which limits where they can redeem it and adds the pressure of an expiration date. And even if you feel annoyed by an overt request for a monetary gift, don’t decide to opt out with the gift of nothing. If you’d like to receive cashEmbrace transparencyMaybe people used to pretend they didn’t need money or that gifts didn’t…cost money, but those days are happily behind us.

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