DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A TikToker with 3M followers who turned his business into a lifestyle brand shares how much he made in sales and profits in under 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sooraj Saxena has almost 4 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Here's how much he's earned from an apparel line he created based on his follower's comments. While Saxena started growing his online presence through Instagram and YouTube, he said TikTok was the true game changer. Today, the South Asian American creator has a combined following of almost 4 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Though he first gained popularity through his chai pouring videos, he's pivoted his content to short forms and skits that he writes himself.

☆ Bill Gates says an under-the-radar startup could be the biggest winner in AI. Check out its free app, and you'll see why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Bill Gates said the winner in AI will be the company that creates a personal digital agent. Gates added that it's 50-50 as to whether the AI winner behind the digital agent will come from Big Tech or the startup world. The startup was founded by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, Deepmind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman, and Karén Simonyan, and describes itself as an "AI studio creating a personal AI for everyone." And Pi is still a ways away from what Bill Gates is imagining, a personal AI that can do your shopping and help read your emails. But Pi is the best conversational AI I've used so far, and everyone I've spoken to who has used it has been impressed.

Persons: Bill Gates, Pi, it's, Gates, I'd, I'm, I've, Reid Hoffman, Mustafa Suleyman, Karén, Matt Turner, we've, It's, there's, Spriha Srivistava, that's, Brad Davis, Brad, ChatGPT Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Big Tech, CNBC, LinkedIn, Pi Locations: San Francisco, Instagram

☆ Welcome to the final phase of software eating the world. SaaS companies beware, you're on the menu this time.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This could disrupt the way software is created, distributed, and used, VCs and startup founders say. This outcome would flip the traditional software industry on its head, calling into question the value of SaaS companies in a world where everyday people can build software themselves. "This is the final chapter of software eating the world, where a bunch of people can create enterprise software within the enterprise." A 'healthy pressure' for traditional SaaS providersTo be sure, the death of the traditional software company still seems a long way off. However, even skeptics admit that the threat of generative AI to traditional SaaS will push established software companies to prove their worth.

☆ Students and young engineers are fed up with Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Big Tech is losing its appeal for new graduates and young tech workers starting to look elsewhere to launch their careers. Peers and mentors warn them to avoid the trappings of embarking on a Big Tech career. Based on conversations with students and companies, even students from top schools including Stanford and MIT and junior engineers from top tech companies are "feeling the crunch now," Lerner said. Tech students are applying to jobs in other fieldsWhile students and young engineers are still interested in pursuing tech-focused careers, where they want to put in their time is changing. The impact of waning interest in Big Tech among students on major companies remains to be seen.

☆ I replaced my stolen iPhone 14 Pro Max with a 12 and feared my content would be way worse – but Beyoncé helped prove me wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

I downgraded to a cheaper iPhone 12 after my 14 Pro Max was stolen in March by a thief on a bike. I knew when my iPhone 14 Pro Max was stolen by a thief on a bike, I wouldn't be able to afford another $1,199 to replace it (and no, I didn't have insurance). I decided to downgrade to a used iPhone 12 Pro Max that cost just under £500, or about $620. Even directors are using them to make films after all: Vishal Bhardwaj shot "Fursat" on an iPhone 14 Pro. But speaking as someone who's always had to have the latest iPhone, I realized that last year's model can be more than just fine.

☆ 'He'll do anything to come for you': Bang Bang, the tattoo artist to stars like Rihanna and Justin Bieber, is a controlling, vindictive boss, ex-employees say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Melkorka Licea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Yet some former Bang Bang employees said that McCurdy's meticulously curated image as a thoughtful progressive in a rough-and-tumble industry wasn't much more than good PR. At Bang Bang, "they just woke-wash everything," one former employee said. This kind of behavior extended to other Bang Bang employees. Ganser, the Bang Bang manager, also sent Wang a text comparing her behavior to her father's, who was in prison. Photo by Gotham/GC ImagesNearly a decade after opening the first Bang Bang shop, McCurdy still sees himself as a trailblazer.

☆ Elon Musk walks back extreme cut to Twitter's parental leave policy, bringing it close to what Tesla workers get
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk last month cut Twitter's paid parental leave policy from 20 weeks to just two weeks. Twitter workers got something of a reprieve from Elon Musk's decision to drastically reduce parental leave. Last month, Twitter cut paid parental leave from 20 weeks to just two weeks, changing the policy without officially notifying employees. The new policy brings Twitter's leave policy close to that of Tesla. Tesla's workers all receive up to 16 weeks of parental leave, but that's only at full pay under certain circumstances.

☆ A top Twitter staffer said its new encrypted DM feature was tested by a cybersecurity firm, but insiders say the company never signed a formal deal due to layoffs – report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter announced its new encrypted DMs feature last week. The project's lead said it had been audited by a cybersecurity firm; company sources disputed this, per Platformer. A Twitter engineer leading the platform's new encrypted messaging feature for paid users appeared to falsely claim that it had been audited by a top cybersecurity firm, Platformer reported. The idea is that by having DMs encrypted, text can only be read by participants of that conversation – as is the case on platforms such as WhatsApp. "I had [cybersecurity firm] Trail of Bits audit our implementation.

☆ I quit Goldman Sachs after only a year. Here's how I knew leaving for a tech startup was the right career move.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Chris Hladczuk | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Chris Hladczuk leads growth at Meow, a fintech startup, after quitting Goldman Sachs. I picked a weird day to quit — it was my 24th birthday and I called my boss to tell her I was leaving Goldman Sachs. The power of Goldman SachsI love Goldman because it taught me how to win. With my future career in mind, is my pace of learning higher at Goldman in investment banking or at an early-stage startup? Chris Hladczuk currently leads growth at fintech startup Meow.

☆ 'The flattening' at Meta is happening as a stream of longtime executives exit ahead of thousands more layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Several high-ranking and tenured Meta employees said in recent weeks they're leaving the company. The head of Meta's Austin office is among the exits. Meta employees are seeing their internal Workplace platform flooded with goodbye posts as they brace for yet another round of layoffs and more changes at the company. Melrose and Shappley were both based out of Meta's office in Austin, with Shappley acting as the head of the Austin office in addition to her other work. Much Meta office space in the UK is now being sublet.

☆ Drivers are delivering food orders to migrants stuck at the Mexican border near San Diego, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some have resorted to placing food delivery orders to eat, Rest of World reported. One woman told Rest of World she paid $100 for a whole chicken because the Uber Eats driver didn't have change. Jesús Vargas, a delivery driver based in Tijuana, told Rest of World he's delivered Taiwanese food to some migrants. Immigration advocates previously told Insider that migrants who failed to use the app were being penalized. Border patrol agents were stopping volunteers on the US side of the border from providing charging stations, per the outlet.

☆ OnlyFans now has more than 3 million content creators and is a 'global business', says the CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

More than 3 million content creators are now signed up to subscription-based platform OnlyFans. CEO Ami Gan said it's identified Latin America and Australia as future growth markets. The company is now setting its sights on Latin America and Australia to further increase its numbers. "We're looking at growth for the business and Latin America is a huge part of that," Gan said. "We're seeing Latin America is a massive growth region for us and see that opportunity for creators to get exposure to a global audience."

☆ The agony and ecstasy of scoring last-minute face value Taylor Swift tickets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“My family [last weekend] took the gamble to drive down the 5 hours to Nashville to see if we could get face value tickets,” she said. Another Twitter account called @ErasTourResell, which has 120,000 followers, has gained significant traction working with resellers who want to sell their tickets at face value. The trio of twenty-somethings aim to make Swift tickets as accessible to fans as possible without them overpaying or getting scammed. “So far we’ve posted somewhere between 2,700 and 3,000 tickets, all for face value,” the trio said in a DM conversation on Twitter. “It’s truly so rewarding seeing these tickets go to real fans for face value when the resale market has insane prices with people making three times the profit.

Elon Musk made a surprise announcement that he'd found Twitter's next CEO. Twitter employees think they may know who Elon Musk has picked to replace himself as CEO of the social media company. Chatter from the media industry points to Linda Yaccarino, head of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal. Yaccarino has told friends in the past that she wanted to be CEO of Twitter, one person familiar with the situation said. The Wall Street Journal reported that Yaccarino is in talks to be Twitter CEO.

☆ Twitter to launch encrypted direct messages with voice and video chat to follow, Elon Musk says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced changes to the platform's direct messages feature including the introduction of encryption. Twitter could launch encrypted direct messages on Wednesday, Elon Musk said, as the CEO outlined plans to boost communication features on the social media service. Musk said in a tweet late Tuesday that the latest version of the Twitter app contains changes to direct messages or DMs — non-public messages users send to one another. Encryption in messages means that only the sender and receiver are able to see a message. In theory, Twitter and Musk would not be able to see or intercept direct messages between people.

☆ Meta just secured a patent for AI generated ads, which could give the company a needed boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year he wanted to "turbocharge" Meta's generative AI work. Meta is pushing forward with generative AI projects aimed at bolstering its still-recovering advertising business. What's described in Meta's new patent is the alteration and creation of new or "enhanced" ad content through the use of generative AI. In February, Zuckerberg said he was creating "a new top-level product group" at the company to "turbocharge" work in genAI. Instead, an advertiser will have the option to "ask the AI, 'Make images for my company that work for different audiences,'" Bosworth said.

☆ While Asia markets may cheer a Fed pause, watchers are split on growth prospects
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ping Shu | Moment | Getty ImagesWhile a pause in the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate-hike cycle would lead to stronger Asian currencies, the region's recent earnings and disappointing Chinese economic data leave watchers split on the growth outlook. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart iconA Fed pause could boost U.S. stocks, but its effect on regional growth in Asia may not be as straightforward. Nomura's equity strategists kept their views for Asia-Pacific stocks unchanged despite the likelihood of a potential Fed pause, maintaining its year-end target for MSCI Asia ex-Japan. "Nonetheless, in our base case, we do not expect a meaningful decline in Asian stocks. "Asian investors' big worry surrounds China," he said, pointing to the "unsustainability of consumption rebound, especially against the backdrop of persistently high youth unemployment levels."

☆ Elon Musk sparks confusion and anger among Twitter employees who say reduced parental leave policy is 'the last straw'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter's Walter Gilbert tried in an email to calm angry employees over a much-reduced leave policy. Twitter's new head of HR attempted over the weekend to quell rising employee upset over a drastic cut to parental leave under Elon Musk. Twitter employees, whom Musk has reduced by roughly 90%, are angry at the change, the two people familiar said. Gilbert's weekend email seemed liked an attempt to walk back the new hard line on parental leave, the people familiar said. See Gilbert's full email below:Team,We know there are a lot of questions about our parental leave policy.

☆ A man took his Tesla on a road trip for the first time and tells EV owners to beware of the 'charging curve'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Last month, Ryan Shelton took his 2017 Tesla Model S on a road trip for the first time. Ryan Shelton bought his Tesla a year ago but hadn't taken it on a road trip until April. The terrain trapShelton's trip took so long because of the route's hilly terrain. "I was going through these canyons, so I'm going really, really high uphills and really up and down, up and down, up and down," he said. The terrain and camp mode forced Shelton to twice charge his Tesla, which took three hours each time.

☆ How to get Instagram sponsorships for small accounts and make money from brand deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Smaller accounts on Instagram can still make money as influencers. An influencer with as few as 2,300 Instagram followers has landed deals. If you're worried your Instagram account is too small to even think about making money as a content creator — think again. Instagram accounts can get brand sponsorships with between 2,000 and 3,000 followers, according to interviews with influencers. With around 3,000 Instagram followers, Kim is building a business as a travel and fashion influencer by leveraging her small audience.

☆ A new AI chatbot called Pi is designed to serve as your personal assistant — here's how it works
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new chatbot called Pi, launched by Inflection AI, offers personal advice and support. There's a new AI chatbot on the scene — and this one wants to get personal. At one point, I asked Pi to share museum recommendations for a friend visiting New York City. Insider asked Pi how to restart the conversation, and Pi said to "start talking about whatever is on your mind." Inflection AI also said it's "creating a new form of 'boundary training' that will redefine how AIs learn and are trained."

☆ Twitter employees bonuses nixed as fear spreads that Elon Musk's promised stock grants are worthless
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk for months has said "excellent" Twitter employees will be rewarded for their efforts. Employees at Twitter are frustrated by Elon Musk's unkept promises. The latest is paid parental leave, which is now just two weeks, down from a previous paid leave policy of 20 weeks. Outside of that leave period, Twitter employees will be able to take unpaid leave up to the amount mandated by state law. In California, where Twitter is still based, workers are legally entitled to 12 weeks of protected, but unpaid, parental leave.

☆ Elon Musk has chopped Twitter down to about 1,000 employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In six months of ownership, Elon Musk has whittled Twitter's employee count down by close to 90%. Current headcount for full-time employees at Twitter is around 1,000 people, according to two people familiar with the company who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. Getting closer to 1,000 workers means Twitter's headcount is down by almost 90% from just before Musk took over, when the company had roughly 7,500 employees. More frequently, employees at Musk's Twitter are fired or let go piecemeal with little to no explanation after sending in weekly reports of their work for review, the people familiar said. The former CEO has also admitted that he hired too many employees at Twitter when he ran it.

☆ Elon Musk's plan to charge for Twitter API access is unraveling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk is beginning to walk back a hardline attempt to make Twitter money through access to its API. The change of heart suggests that Twitter may need reliable real-time information more than the providers need Twitter. "One of the most important use cases for the Twitter API has always been public utility," Twitter said on Tuesday. We're happy that they've committed to making API access free for the MTA and other public sector agencies. It now has the MYmta and TrainTime apps, as well as email alerts and text messages offering service alerts and updates.

May 1 (Reuters) - Longtime Kleiner Perkins partner Wen Hsieh is leaving the Silicon Valley venture capital establishment to start a fund with backing from the firm and Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC (2330.TW), sources told Reuters. Hsieh is in advanced talks to raise $200 million from limited partners including Kleiner Perkins and TSMC for the new fund called Matter Ventures. A Kleiner Perkins spokesperson confirmed Hsieh's departure and the firm's participation in the fund. Hsieh, with two PhDs from the California Institute of Technology, has worked at Kleiner Perkins for 17 years, leading investments in Chinese drone maker DJI and 3D printing company Desktop Medal (DM.N). He will remain on the boards of companies he invested in at Kleiner Perkins, including orthodontic brackets maker LightForce.

Search resuls for: "DM"

25 mentions found