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☆ This app lets Silicon Valley workers commiserate about layoffs in secret
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Blind members verify that they work at a particular company by signing up with a work email address. Now, Blind is filled with posts from workers comforting each other about how to get through periods of unemployment. (Some tech workers have also lamented the pay cut they’d have to take by switching industries.) “We just all realized that there’s a need for communication that is kind of independent of company control,” Kim said. While Blind is not exclusively for tech workers, it has become incredibly popular in the industry amid the recent turmoil.

☆ That real estate listing you just saw for your dream house may have been written by ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The house is just one of the listings put up by Iowa realtor JJ Johannes using help from AI, CNN reported. "It saved me so much time," Johannes told CNN. "ChatGPT wrote it as a legal issue and all of a sudden, the developer showed up at her house," he told CNN. Even if ChatGPT, now free for users, becomes a paid service, Asion told CNN the price tag would be no question. "I would easily pay $100 or $200 a year for something like this," he told CNN.

☆ Netflix is thinking about a free streaming service to boost its ads business, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Netflix said it's open to adding a free, ad-supported streaming service. A FAST offering could help Netflix scale its nascent ads business, which has been slow to take off. Could Netflix launch a free, ad-supported service? A FAST channel — free, ad-supported television — is a linear stream, a model media companies are increasingly using to complement traditional TV and paid streaming services. For Netflix, a FAST could be a quick way to scale its ads business.

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter has a headcount of about 2,300
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Twitter Inc has about 2,300 active employees, Elon Musk said in a Tweet on Saturday. CNBC on Friday reported that Twitter's full-time headcount has reduced to about 1,300 active, working employees, including fewer than 550 full-time engineers by title. There are about 2300 active, working employees at Twitter," billionaire Musk tweeted in a response to a tweet quoting CNBC. "There are still hundreds of employees working on trust & safety, along with several thousand contractors," Musk added. Musk took over Twitter in October and swiftly moved through a number of product and organizational changes.

☆ The promising new Alzheimer's drugs to watch — and the far-out ideas that could reshape how we treat the disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But amid some positive news, companies focused on Alzheimer's have said they've received an influx of investor interest. In trials, Leqembi was found to slow the rate of cognitive decline by 27% in Alzheimer's patients over 18 months. Eli Lilly's drug donanemab is expected to have data soon but just faced a setback from the FDAEli Lilly's donanemab is the focus of a late-stage trial. In the first half of this year, Eli Lilly is expected to release data for its Alzheimer's drug donanemab, which is being tested in a late-stage trial. Getty ImagesAduhelm, the first Alzheimer's drug to be approved in 18 years, was OK'd by the FDA in 2021 but has faced controversy.

☆ Twitter plans further layoffs - Insider
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 18 (Reuters) - Twitter Inc plans to lay off 50 workers in the social media site's product division in the coming weeks, news site Insider reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the company. Twitter did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Musk took over Twitter in October and swiftly moved through a number of product and organizational changes. The company rolled out Twitter-verified Blue check-mark as a paid service and also laid off about 50% staff. Musk had said in November that Twitter was facing "a massive drop in revenue" as advertisers dropped out.

☆ The FDA just approved a new Alzheimer's drug that's set to be a blockbuster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The FDA just approved a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease from Eisai and Biogen. Alzheimer's disease affects roughly 6.5 million Americans and has no cure. The FDA granted an accelerated approval of the drug, meaning the companies will have to conduct additional follow-up studies. While the drug has been approved, questions about cost remainWhile Leqembi has been approved by the FDA, the drug will have to face other key hurdles before it becomes widely available to patients. Aduhelm, an Alzheimer's drug also developed by Biogen and Eisai and approved by the FDA in 2021, failed to garner support from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, even after it was approved by the FDA.

☆ Here are key things you need to know if you’re eyeing a Medigap policy alongside basic Medicare
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

For about 23% of Medicare's 65.1 million beneficiaries, the solution for covering those outlays is a so-called Medigap plan. The reasons that some beneficiaries instead choose Medigap alongside basic Medicare vary from person to person, according to Elizabeth Gavino, founder of Lewin & Gavino and an independent broker and general agent for Medicare plans. watch nowHere's what to know about Medigap policies if you're considering purchasing one. There's huge variation in costDespite Medigap policies' standardization, the premiums can vary greatly. The way a Medigap plan is 'rated' also mattersAnother difference in Medigap premiums can come from how the plans are "rated."

☆ We read through the 45-page congressional investigation into Biogen's Alzheimer's drug. Here are the 3 most shocking takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Leah Rosenbaum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A Congressional investigation into Biogen's controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhlem was just released. Aduhelm was developed by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company Biogen and Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai. The duo is currently developing another Alzheimer's drug, called lecanemab, which is expected to receive approval from the FDA in January and has shown more promising data in clinical trials. Insider reviewed the 45-page investigation into Biogen's Alzheimer's drug. Here are three of the most shocking takeaways:Biogen gave Aduhelm a crazy price tag despite knowing it would become inaccessible to many patientsFrom the moment Biogen announced Aduhelm's $56,000 price tag, the company faced backlash.

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☆ The benefits and risks of using a password manager to protect your online identity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

But there are some key decisions to make in choosing, and using, a password manager. Most web browsers have some type of password manager, which are convenient and user-friendly. For more robust security and features, security professionals say a dedicated password manager is a better choice. How to choose a strong master passwordMake sure you have a strong master password, one that's not easily guessable. What happens if you lose online accessThe master password is your entry to the password manager.

FollowNEW YORK, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out the insider trading convictions of four defendants, including two former hedge fund partners, over leaks from a U.S. healthcare agency about planned changes to Medicare reimbursement rates. The court agreed with prosecutors that the May 2018 convictions could not stand after a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that clarified when alleged misuse of property triggered federal fraud laws. They said Blaszczak passed the information to Huber and Olan, who used it to make $7 million by trading healthcare stocks. The appeals court upheld the defendants' convictions in 2019, but the Supreme Court ordered a reconsideration after ruling in the so-called "Bridgegate" case. The court said the alleged scheme did not aim to obtain "property" within the meaning of the underlying fraud statute.

☆ Americans can once again get free COVID-19 tests — here's how
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Andrea Michelson | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Health-insurance firms are required to cover eight at-home COVID-19 tests per customer a month. Insurance companies must cover eight over-the-counter at-home COVID-19 tests per person per month, the Biden administration announced in January of 2022. More free tests will be home-delivered starting in DecemberAmericans with private insurance are able to order tests through pharmacy retailers like CVS and Walgreens. Each household is limited to four at-home tests, and the orders will begin to ship before Christmas this year. The Biden administration will also be distributing free at-home tests to 6,500 Department of Housing and Urban Development-assisted rental housing properties and up to 500 major food banks.

Dovly Uplift provides credit monitoring and monthly TransUnion credit reports and credit scores. Visa offers free credit repair for cardholders through Dovly UpliftOn Tuesday, smart credit repair company Dovly announced an agreement with Visa. The agreement will provide Visa cardholders with Uplift, a smart credit repair service created by Dovly for Visa cardholders, free of charge. In broad strokes, credit monitoring describes the process of checking your credit reports consistently to see if there are any errors or inaccuracies on your credit reports. While consumers can currently see their credit reports every week through the end of 2023, when that period ends, the Fair Credit Reporting Act only affords consumers three credit reports each year.

☆ A Silicon Valley biotech just showed a simple blood test can detect a hidden and deadly type of cancer. But the results fell short of investors' hopes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Leah Rosenbaum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Guardant Health said that its blood test to screen for cancer caught 83% of colorectal cancer cases. On Thursday, Silicon Valley-based biotech Guardant Health announced that its blood-based cancer screening test correctly caught colorectal cancer cases in 83% of people who had the disease. The company already has several products on the market, including Guardant360CDx, an FDA-approved blood test to test cancer genomic markers that could help show what treatments the cancers are susceptible to. Colonoscopies are still the gold standard of colorectal cancer screening, despite involving sedation and hours of unpleasant physical preparation. And while colorectal cancer is the first cancer that is being studied for a blood-based screening, it certainly won't be the last.

☆ You can still sign up for 2023 health insurance through the public marketplace — but waiting past Dec. 15 can delay coverage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

FamVeldIf you don't have health insurance lined up for next year, there's still time to get private coverage through the public marketplace. The deadline is Dec. 15 — Thursday — to sign up on Healthcare.gov for a health plan to take effect Jan. 1. Most marketplace enrollees — 13 million of 14.5 million — qualify for federal subsidies (technically tax credits) to help pay premiums. For enrollees who get subsidies, coverage is generally dropped after three months if premiums are not caught up. That's been the case even if a worker wanted their dependents covered too — meaning the actual cost of family coverage could far exceed that threshold.

Aura provides comprehensive credit monitoring and additional identity protection services for individuals, couples, and families. Editor's Rating 4.6 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.6 out of 5 Stars Pros & Cons Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. In addition to credit monitoring and other financial account monitoring, Aura also offers several safety tools including a VPN service and ad blockers. Credit monitoring is the process of keeping tabs on changes to your credit report, which influence fluctuations in your credit score. The basic function of credit monitoring services, like Aura, is to notify you when there are any changes in your credit report, such as a new line of credit.

☆ Popular Medicare Advantage plans have 'clear cases of overpayments and improper billing of US taxpayers,' advocates and analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The original Medicare program is offered directly through the federal government. "There hasn't been enough of an indictment of Medicare Advantage plans," Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst at the Senior Citizens League, told Insider. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the share of all Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans will grow to 61% by 2032. The politics of Medicare AdvantagePoliticians, primarily Republicans, have done their part to promote Medicare Advantage over the original Medicare plans since President George W. Bush overhauled the program in 2003. Johnson said Medicare Advantage was so popular among conservatives because it shifted financial responsibility from the government to patients.

☆ Residents of this state have the worst average credit score—see how you stack up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Read on to see the 10 states with the lowest average credit scores and what credit experts say you can do if you want to bring your score up. Credit scores generally run from 300 to 850, with scores over 750 considered "excellent." Plenty of Americans have some work to do on the credit score front. That's bad news for Mississippians, whose average credit score of 662 is the worst in the nation, according to a recent report from WalletHub , based on data from TransUnion. But being among the worst when it comes to credit scores is especially disappointing.

☆ I have 3 passive income streams that bring in more than $5,100 a month—here's how I got started
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After serving more than 125 weddings, I've been able to use my brand to create three passive income streams that generate more than $5,100 a month. Sharing products I lovePassive income earnings: $3,000 a month I have been blogging about wedding planning since 2011. I love sharing behind-the-scenes looks at my life and business with my 100,000 social media followers and 40,000 newsletter subscribers. Creating online coursesPassive income earnings: $2,000 a month In 2017, I created my first course to teach people how to start a wedding business. I typically do this by sending them surveys and polls, either on social media or through my newsletter.

☆ Doctors explain why pending 'ominous' cuts to Medicare would limit healthcare for seniors in the new year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Reimbursements for doctors who see Medicare patients are set to be cut by up to 8.5% starting next year. Doctors warn cuts will prevent seniors from getting vital health services. Among them are Medicare cuts to doctors through the Physician Fee Schedule, which is used to determine which services doctors are reimbursed for, and how much they get. It affects the quality of care patients are able to get, and can even impact how many Medicare patients a healthcare provider can take on, Shalgain said. "And as that Medicare number goes down, you can't see as many Medicare patients," he said.

☆ The Federal Trade Commission says it is tracking Elon Musk's Twitter 'with deep concern' as top privacy execs quit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FTC said it's tracking developments at Twitter "with deep concern," per Reuters. It made the comment after four top execs in charge of privacy at Twitter reportedly resigned. Elon Musk said on Thursday that he and his team would fully comply with FTC rules. Twitter has also fired half of its global workforce, roughly 3,700 people, alongside several other tech giants that conducted mass layoffs. Chief Privacy Officer Damien Kieran and Chief Compliance Officer Marianne Fogarty also resigned, according to Reuters, citing a Slack message among Twitter's staff posted by an internal lawyer.

☆ Elon Musk tells Twitter advertisers he wants to stop fake accounts, pursue truth
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Elon Musk's photo is seen through a Twitter logo in this illustration taken October 28, 2022. Days after Twitter rattled users and advertisers by cutting half its staff, over 100,000 listeners tuned in to hear Musk speak on Twitter's Spaces feature. In the week since Musk took over, GM, General Mills and Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ.O) have pulled ads off Twitter, concerned Musk could loosen content moderation rules. He told advertisers Twitter would move aggressively to suspend accounts that "engaged in trickery" or deception. Musk said in a tweet on Wednesday that he "killed" a new "official" label for Twitter accounts, on the same day that it began rolling out.

☆ Elon Musk and a key adviser have discussed putting all of Twitter behind a paywall, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk and a key adviser have discussed paywalling all of Twitter, Platformer reported. The plans could see a monthly limit on how many tweets users can view, the report said. Any plan is a way off, however, with the current focus being on Twitter's proposed paid verification. Platformer reports that Twitter could be free for a certain amount of time each month, before a metered paywall kicks in. On Monday, Musk said that Twitter usage has hit an all-time high, but the platform has also seen many users leave.

☆ Evictions are piling up across the U.S. as Covid-era protections end and rents climb
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Still, rents nationwide were up 9% in September, compared to a year earlier, and more than a dozen cities had double-digit rent increases, it said. In Phoenix, for example, rent increases have slowed in recent months, but in June were up 24% year over year, with a median asking rent of $2,261. In Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, evictions are at their highest levels since at least 2016, with more than 45,000 filings this year. Zenovia Johnson is one of those Phoenix renters who’s been struggling to stay in her home because of rising rents. In Minneapolis, where rent increases have trended below the national average, evictions in September were 37% above their historical averages after shooting up in June, when the state lifted its eviction moratorium.

☆ Elon Musk joked that his Twitter business model was inspired by British surreal comedy group Monty Python
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk joked that his Twitter business model takes inspiration from Monty Python. Monty Python member Eric Idle is among the prominent figures to criticize Musk's plan for a paid service. The most discussed is his decision to charge verified users to keep their symbolic blue ticks, which signal they are who they say they are. Amusingly, one prominent figure to criticize Musk's plans to charge users was Monty Python member Eric Idle. Idle, who does not appear in the sketch Musk shared, tweeted Monday to say he'd likely leave Twitter if he had to pay.

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