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☆ This couple bootstrapped their way to a multimillion-dollar business. Here are their top tips for success
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The duo shared three tips with CNBC Make It on how to run a successful business — in good and bad times. Putting customers firstWhen it comes to building a successful business, Hamilton has one guiding principle: you have to make products that people love. She launched the hair masque in 2018 when she saw a "mid-tier space" in hair care products that had yet to be filled — products of salon-grade quality, but at an affordable price. When people love one product, you can convert product love to brand love. "When people love one product, you can convert product love to brand love," Ostrowski shared.

Persons: Emily Hamilton, Alexander Ostrowski, Coco, Tik, Ostrowski, Emily, Hamilton, Emily Hamilton Co, they're, —, it's, Alexander Ostrowski Co, there's, I've Organizations: CNBC, Hamilton, Eve, Coco Locations: Bali, Singapore, Covid

☆ Singapore overtakes Hong Kong as the most expensive Asia-Pacific city for private homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tobiasjo | E+ | Getty ImagesSingapore's private homes are now the most expensive in Asia-Pacific, having overtaken Hong Kong, according to a new report. Private rental homes in Singapore also had the highest monthly rent in the region at $2,600 — "far exceeding" other cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Hong Kong, according to the report. Hong Kong vs. SingaporeHome prices in Hong Kong "dropped substantially" in 2022, ULI said, citing the significant increase in mortgage interest rates as Hong Kong keeps pace with the U.S. Federal Reserve. Rental pricesSingapore's private rental homes have the highest monthly rent in the region, having increased by nearly 30% in 2022. Home attainabilityDespite Singapore's private homes being the most expensive in the region, the city state also has the highest homeownership rate at 89.3%.

Persons: ULI, Hong, Kong's, David Faulkner, homeownership, Ho Organizations: Yacht, Urban Land Institute, ULI, Asia Pacific Centre for Housing, Singapore, U.S . Federal, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Urban Land Institute Asia Pacific Centre, Housing, Hong, Housing Private, CNBC, Housing Development Board, Board Locations: Singapore, Keppel, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, U.S, Shenzhen, Beijing, Brisbane, Covid, Australia, China, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, Da Nang

loadingWhile major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made efforts to prohibit and remove deepfakes, their effectiveness at policing such content varies. In total, about 500,000 video and voice deepfakes will be shared on social media sites globally in 2023, DeepMedia estimates. Jon Smith, Republican chair for Michigan's 5th Congressional district, is holding several educational meetings so his allies can learn to use AI for social media and ad generation. Political consultancies are also seeking to harness AI, further muddying the line between real and unreal. Democratic polling and strategy group Honan Strategy Group is meanwhile trying to develop an AI survey bot.

☆ Workers want to embrace A.I. — but only 1 in 10 say their jobs involve related skills, Salesforce says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Even as companies make hefty investments into AI, most workers have yet to use AI — with "only 1 in 10" globally saying their day-to-day role currently involves AI skills, said Salesforce. Skills leaders wantPeople leaders said "data security skills, ethical AI and automation skills, and programming skills" will become increasingly important in the workplace, according to Salesforce. Only 14% say their role involves other related digital skills such as encryption and cybersecurity, and 13% claim to use coding and app development skills. "But even for this industry, less than a third of employees use AI skills within their role today," Salesforce added. As for Singapore, the industry that ranked highest for the application of AI skills was manufacturing — even though only 21% say they use AI skills within their role.

With the introduction of new AI features, corporate finance teams will have improved oversight, Ramp CEO Eric Glyman told Reuters. For instance, companies will be able to better detect unusual employee spending in real time, said Ramp investor Logan Bartlett of Redpoint Ventures. The new features also include an accounting co-pilot that makes doing manual tasks much faster. Generative AI has the ability to synthesize large amounts of data and interact using humanlike language. Ramp partnered with OpenAI, the AI behind the chatbot sensation ChatGPT, to build the AI enhancements.

May 17 (Reuters) - The swift growth of artificial intelligence technology could put the future of humanity at risk, according to most Americans surveyed in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday. More than two-thirds of Americans are concerned about the negative effects of AI and 61% believe it could threaten civilization. ChatGPT has kicked off an AI arms race, with tech heavyweights like Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O) vying to outdo each other's AI accomplishments. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that the number of Americans who foresee adverse outcomes from AI is triple the number of those who don't. Those who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 expressed higher levels of concern; 70% of Trump voters compared to 60% of Joe Biden voters agreed that AI could threaten humankind.

☆ ‘Benefits outweigh the harm’: Worried about their livelihood, small business owners push back on potential TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A potential TikTok ban has raised concerns among small business owners on TikTok, who have found success and built sizable audiences without having to pay for marketing. When Aparna Singh first heard about a potential TikTok ban, she "immediately went into panic mode." Concerned about a potential ban of TikTok, small business owners told CNBC Make It why they think the short-video app should stay. Despite the security concerns, small business owners have expressed frustration over the possibilities of a complete ban. Let your followers know where they can find you if the ban is approved," Powers advised other small business owners on TikTok.

☆ Want to buy a cheap house in rural Japan? This millennial farmer offers his advice
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Life on a farm is "very, very busy," says Lee Xian Jie, who harvests his own rice and tea. said Lee Xian Jie, who restored three buildings in Ryujin-mura, a village in Japan's Wakayama prefecture. On the same property is a 100-year-old building, which Lee Xian Jie converted into a guesthouse. Lee Xian JieAnother $37,000 was spent to turn the main house into a living space for himself and a functional cafe. While it will only open in June, Lee Xian Jie said he's already been getting some bookings.

Google already has a Bard chatbot that competes with ChatGPT, the chatbot from OpenAI that has generated huge excitement among users with its humanlike responses. The company says that traditional Google search should still be used for finding and seeking information, such as locating something to purchase. WHAT ARE THE UPDATES TO GOOGLE SEARCH? With the enhanced search termed the Search Generative Experience, Google's home page still looks and acts like its familiar search bar. CAN I TRY THE NEW GOOGLE SEARCH NOW?

☆ Here are the top skills you will need for an 'A.I.-powered future,' according to new Microsoft data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Working alongside artificial intelligence will be "as inherent" as how we work with the internet — and employees need to equip themselves with skills for this new future, said Microsoft. Working alongside artificial intelligence will be "as inherent" as how we work with the internet — and employees need to equip themselves with skills for this new future. AI skill sets leaders think employees will needAccording to Microsoft, 82% of leaders globally and 85% of leaders in Asia Pacific said employees will need new skills in an "AI-powered future." The report found that the three top skills that leaders believe are essential are analytical judgment, flexibility and emotional intelligence. These are skills that are "new core competencies," added Microsoft, not just for technical roles or AI experts.

☆ This digital nomad worked in 20 countries in 5 years. Here are her best money tips
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Daniella Pashuk decided to be a digital nomad 5 years ago, even before the pandemic when she was just 19. But Daniella Pashuk became a digital nomad five years ago, well before the pandemic when she was just 19. "I got to be wherever I want to be and do whatever I want to do in different countries. Daniella Pashuk digital nomadNow 24, Pashuk has traveled to over 20 countries in five years. Daniella Pashuk Digital nomad

May 4 (Reuters) - Two prominent former Google (GOOGL.O) researchers who authored the groundbreaking paper that paved the way for the generative AI boom, have raised $8 million for their new startup Essential AI, four sources told Reuters. Thrive Capital had led the round in Essential AI, founded by Ashish Vaswani and Niki Parmar. Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, is also an investor in Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Essential AI aims to build software for enterprises to use large language models, the core software of a new artificial intelligence system that has powered generative AI applications such as ChatGPT, sources said. The raise came after Vaswani and Parmar left Adept AI, a company they also co-founded in 2021 with former Google director David Luan.

Box customers testing the product have already experienced “revolutionary” productivity gains, Box CEO Aaron Levie told Reuters. He cited a Box customer whose employees were reviewing tens and thousands of files manually. The new AI features were able to do it automatically “within a matter of seconds.”Box partnered with OpenAI, the AI startup backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) behind the chatbot sensation ChatGPT, to build the AI enhancements. While Box is initially building its AI offering with OpenAI’s technology, the goal is to allow customers to select among different AI providers, he said. Box said the new AI features include the ability to summarize financial documents, surface insights from customer surveys and tailor onboarding documents to a specific customer's needs.

☆ Most people aren't honest in exit interviews — the default is bull----, says NYU professor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"There is a strong norm against clear honest and critical feedback in most organizations," said Tessa West, a professor of psychology at NYU. "The default isn't honest feedback, the default is bullsh*t."Found a new job? "There is a strong norm against clear honest and critical feedback in most organizations," said Tessa West, a professor of psychology at NYU. "The default isn't honest feedback. Tessa West professor of psychology, NYU"That takes months and months of practice and daily feedback conversations to build that muscle.

☆ What Is the Debt Ceiling and How Does It Work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( James Benedict | Adrienne Tong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

House Republicans passed a bill proposing to raise the nation’s $31.4 trillion borrowing limit in exchange for deep cuts in government spending. But with President Biden’s reluctance to make cuts, the bill faces an uncertain future in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Congress must raise the debt ceiling before the government runs out of money to pay its bills, which could happen as soon as June. S&P reduced the U.S.’s credit rating when Congress came close to not extending the limit in 2011. This downgrade increased the Treasury’s borrowing cost by about $1.3 billion in the fiscal year, according to the Government Accountability Office.

When Thiel spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention, he had more hope that the party would concentrate on economic issues, his business associate said. Four political sources also told Reuters that Thiel is taking a step back from U.S. politics. In 2012, Thiel backed libertarian lawmaker Ron Paul, and in 2016 he donated some $1.25 million to the campaign efforts of Trump, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination. In the 2022 election cycle, however, Thiel emerged as a potential Republican kingmaker, contributing more than $35 million to 16 federal-level Republican candidates, according to OpenSecrets. The business associate said he was not aware of any special proviso for former employees.

☆ Here are the top 25 companies to work for in India, according to LinkedIn — and most of them are not in tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LinkedIn has released its annual list of top companies in India to work for and "a vast majority" of them are in either financial services or banking. According to the professional networking platform, 10 out of 25 companies are from that space this year — a shift from last year's list which was dominated by tech companies. "In India, the accounting and financial services sector witnessed a significant growth during the pandemic," said Pooja Chhabria, LinkedIn career expert and head of editorial for APAC. India's "LinkedIn Top Companies 2023″ list also saw 17 companies making their debut — an indication of "strong momentum" in the country's business ecosystem, Chhabria said. One of such companies is Zepto, which was also part of the "LinkedIn Top Startups list" last year — a testament to its "significant scale and growth," LinkedIn added.

April 25 (Reuters) - OpenAI is introducing what one employee called an "incognito mode" for its hit chatbot ChatGPT that does not save users’ conversation history or use it to improve its artificial intelligence, the company said Tuesday. The San Francisco-based startup also said it planned a "ChatGPT Business" subscription with additional data controls. The move comes as scrutiny has grown over how ChatGPT and other chatbots it inspired manage hundreds of millions of users’ data, commonly used to improve, or "train", AI. Italy last month banned ChatGPT for possible privacy violations, saying OpenAI could resume the service if it met demands such as giving consumers tools to object to the processing of their data. Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), which has invested in OpenAI, already offers ChatGPT to businesses.

Generative AI gobbles up reams of computing power, amplifying the urgency of Meta's capacity scramble, said five of the sources. Executives also that spring set about reorganizing Meta's AI units, naming two new heads of engineering in the process, including Janardhan, the author of the September memo. According to four of the sources, Meta did not prioritize building generative AI products until after the launch of ChatGPT in November. Zuckerberg announced a new top-level generative AI team in February that he said would "turbocharge" the company's work in the area. Carvill, the Meta spokesperson, said the company has been building generative AI products on different teams for more than a year.

☆ Watching YouTube at work? Your manager may know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Does your manager know that you are watching this video now? But as companies grapple with rising costs and shrinking budgets, some employers want to be sure their employees are as productive as possible. While employee monitoring software can see everything on one's desktop in real-time — keystrokes, browsing activity, emails, and chat apps — some may be taking surveillance to the extreme. What are the implications if employee surveillance becomes the new norm? Watch the video above to learn why surveillance may backfire on companies, whether existing laws are enough to protect workers' privacy – and how one young employee is fighting back.

☆ Employee surveillance is on the rise — and that could backfire on employers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

[Employee surveillance] has increased excessively over the last few years … largely under the guise of ensuring workplace safety and confidentiality and protecting the business. It therefore comes as no surprise that demand for employee monitoring software has skyrocketed since the pandemic. Veriato is one of many employee monitoring software companies worldwide whose sales boomed because of the pandemic. When you're looking at your contract, you're not looking for those clauses — you're looking at how much am I going to get paid? "When you're looking at your contract, you're not looking for those clauses — you're looking at how much am I going to get paid?

Generative AI, which the tech industry has embraced, has the ability to synthesize large amounts of data and answer complex questions. Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar said because companies use its software to track and document projects, Atlassian is in a unique position to use AI to help knowledge workers dramatically increase their productivity. Starting Wednesday, customers can join a waitlist to access the new features, the company said. Atlassian said the new AI features include the ability to extract action items and decisions from a meeting transcript, and draft Tweets and software testing plans based on product documentation. Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Here are the top 15 companies to work for in Singapore, according to LinkedIn — most are new on the list
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The list of top companies in Singapore sees a huge reshuffle this year, which is a testament to "Singapore's strong business ecosystem," according to LinkedIn. LinkedIn has released its annual list of top companies in Singapore to work for — and banking and information technology companies dominated the 2023 list. The list of top companies also saw a huge reshuffle this year, which is a testament to "Singapore's strong business ecosystem," according to the professional networking platform. The banking and finance sector in particular, saw 4 companies in the top 5 on the "LinkedIn Top Companies 2023″ for Singapore. It provides financial products and banking services to individuals, corporations, governments, investors and institutions.

☆ Young people in Greater China are blowing their paychecks every month — even if they don't have to
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"Yue guang zu" ("moonlight clan") refers young singles in Greater China who go broke at the end of each month, or live paycheck to paycheck. Hsu belongs to a group of people in Taiwan, typically young and single workers, called the "yue guang zu" — the so-called "moonlight clan." Eric Hsu Civil engineerBut when a serious knee injury took him out of work for two weeks without pay, Hsu realized he was unable to support himself. "Young people would rather give up that dream and spend money on things they are guaranteed to get today." After his experience, he canceled his credit cards two years ago and committed to saving one third of his salary each month.

☆ From black to green: How an oil-and-gas company pivoted to embrace wind energy — and is now raking in billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Like Sykes, it made a transition from black to green — and in doing so, it demonstrated it's possible for big energy companies to pivot to clean energy. To limit the influence of climate change, those emissions need to rapidly decrease — which means that big energy companies need to change their operations. A 2022 study found that 51% of the world's biggest publicly listed energy companies had not set out a strategy to reduce their emissions. Shell, for example, says it has about 50 gigawatts of renewable energy in operation, under construction, or in development. "If we could do the energy transition without them, I wouldn't be doing this," van Baal added.

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