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☆ These were the 100 hottest digital brands of 2022, according to Similarweb data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

AutomotiveGas prices over the $6.00 mark are advertised at a Mobil Station in Santa Monica, California, May 23, 2022. David Swanson/ReutersAutomotive brands online saw growth in 2022 thanks to inflation, Similarweb said in a summary of its top 100 brands. Higher gas prices, in particular, forced consumers to find ways to save money. "We are seeing growth in price comparison sites, especially in oil/gas and auto, as well as growth in sites for do-it-yourself and loyalty rewards programs.," the company said. Tireagent.comTraffic: 6.8MYoY change: 86.9%5.

☆ Snapchat's role in fentanyl crisis probed during House roundtable: 'It's a Snap-specific problem'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The roundtable featured the mother of a child who died after taking a drug containing fentanyl allegedly purchased over Snapchat, apparently believing it was a prescription painkiller. "Big Tech has many problems," said Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer who works on cases seeking to hold tech platforms accountable for often offline harms. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice are also investigating Snap's role in fentanyl sales. That's because it does not incentivize safety features, she said, and also prevents tech platforms from reaching the discovery stage in many cases, which could otherwise reveal internal information. But legislation weakening encryption for law enforcement investigations would also likely be at odds with the committee's other goal of increasing digital privacy protections.

To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors. Nearly 4,000 venture-backed startups hoping to be the next household-name company called LA home in 2022, according to Telstra Ventures. VCs closed 1,311 deals in LA worth $23 billion in 2022, trailing only the Bay Area and New York, according to PitchBook. To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors and sought input from its editorial team. Here are 2023's most important VCs in LA, organized alphabetically by the investor's first name.

☆ College wrestler missing after friends say he jumped into California ocean for 'polar plunge'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A San Francisco State University wrestler is missing after jumping into Esplanade Beach for a "polar plunge," friends and authorities said. San Francisco StateThe two other men were able to get out of the water and called 911 for help. The U.S. Coast Guard, California Highway Patrol's air unit, the San Bruno Police Department, and California State Parks Ocean Life Guards were also called in to assist. Friends told KTVU that Alsaudi and his wrestling teammates were doing a polar plunge, when people jump into cold water during the winter months. Alsaudi is a political science major at the university with a minor in Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies.

☆ I left Manhattan for LA. It's easier to make friends, my cost of living is lower, and I'm so much happier here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Daniel Zahler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

I got the full New York City experienceI lived in Manhattan for 12 years. In 2015, I decided to sublet my West Village pad and spend the winter in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is one of the priciest areas of California, but it's still cheaper than Manhattan. Today I'm paying $3,000 a month for a spacious apartment in the heart of Santa Monica with amazing views of mountains and palm trees. New York City is unrivaled in its energy and diversity and is the major league of cities — truly world-class.

☆ Pickleball popularity explodes, with more than 36 million playing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The latest numbers unveiled in the 2023 APP Pickleball Participation report, via a study conducted by YouGov, shows that 14% of Americans played pickleball at least once in that 12-month period. The real dillAcross the country, tennis courts and being replaced, and pickleball courts are moving in as other investors are shoring up big money. Since 2022, Life Time has constructed indoor and outdoor pickleball courts at a rate of five new permanent courts each week. "Pickleball participation [at Life Time] in a given month has risen from about 16,000 people to like 160,000. Major League Pickleball and the Professional Pickleball Association took notice and they have partnered with Life Time to host multiple tournaments across the country this year.

The city did nothing with the property, and it was transferred to the state of California and then to Los Angeles County. The county built its lifeguard training headquarters on the land, which includes a small parking lot. And then it turned into a tragic story for my family,” Anthony Bruce, the great- great-grandson of the Bruces, previously told NBC News. And unfortunately, my family was the victim of a hate crime and the prejudice that was around during those times. Hahn learned about the property’s history and launched the complex process of returning the property, including determining that two great-grandsons of the Bruces are their legal heirs.

☆ In a leaked memo, CEO of electric vehicle leasing startup Autonomy warns the company is in dire financial condition but says he will do whatever it takes to save the business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the market changed at the end of the year as Autonomy suddenly faced a perfect storm. CEO Scott Painter says he will do whatever it takes to save the business, including selling his own assets. It was not the New Years greeting employees of Autonomy, a Santa Monica-based startup offering electric vehicle subscriptions, were hoping to receive in their inboxes. Autonomy announced in August it was moving away from selling Teslas exclusively. Painter said the company would prioritize making payroll and keeping the business operational and added he would do whatever it takes to keep Autonomy operational.

Three-time Super Bowl champion and current NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest was arrested Monday in connection with an assault at a West Hollywood nightclub, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. Witnesses allegedly identified McGinest, a former linebacker for the New England Patriots, as having been allegedly involved in the assault at the Santa Monica Boulevard club. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said its West Hollywood Detective Bureau is handling the investigation. Since his retirement following the 2008 season, he has worked as an analyst for ESPN, Fox Sports and the NFL Network. “We’re aware of the matter and are in the process of gathering information,” NFL Network spokesperson Alex Riethmiller said.

☆ Former mob boss Francis 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme dies at 89 while serving life sentence for murder
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

BOSTON — Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau of Prisons. After being released from prison, Salemme was seriously wounded in a shooting outside a suburban Boston pancake house. The racketeering case revealed that Bulger and Salemme’s best friend, Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi, had secretly worked as FBI informants. Just before DiSarro’s death, the FBI told him he was about to be indicted and should cooperate with the government against the Salemmes. “You’re not going to beat the government,” Salemme told a reporter in 2004.

☆ Mountain lion P-22 was 'compassionately euthanized' after showing signs of physical trauma. Here's how he went from a trouble-making cat to a symbol of Los Angeles.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mountain lion P-22 was euthanized on Saturday after suffering from injuries and illnesses. There was "no hope for a positive outcome" in letting P-22 live, wildlife officials announced. The tests also showed the mountain lion suffered from multiple ailments, including kidney disease, a significant loss of weight, arthritis, and a parasitic skin infection all over his body. P-22, who has been key to mountain lion research in the area, was likely born in the Santa Monica Mountains. A trail camera picture of mountain lion P-22, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., 2012.

☆ The ‘90s Blowout Is Back. Here’s How to Do the Big ’Do Right.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Fiorella Valdesolo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Topanga from “Boy Meets World.” Cher from “Clueless.” These are among the retro references name-checked in the blowout hair tutorials blowing up all over TikTok. (At last count, videos tagged #90sblowout had more than 84 million views on the app.) “[Social media] is really driving the trend,” explained Fekkai founder and CEO, Frédéric Fekkai, referencing Matilda Djerf (TikTok follower count: 1.3 million), an influencer whose signature fluffy blowout has become a frequent subject of viral posts. Jessica Gillin, a stylist at New York’s Jenna Perry Hair, sees her clients’ zeal for fluffy manes as just the latest expression of ’90s and Y2K nostalgia. “Big hair is femininity...it’s also power.”

☆ 2022 People’s Choice Awards: The winners list
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The fans have spoken about what they found to be the best in movies, television, music and pop culture. “Saturday Night Live” cast member and comedian Kenan Thompson hosted the 2022 People’s Choice Awards from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, which aired on NBC and E! Award-winning actor, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds was honored with the People’s Icon Award, while Emmy and Grammy award-winning performer Lizzo was presented with the People’s Champion Award. Lizzo is seen performing at the Citi Concert Series for the 'Today' show at the Rockefeller Plaza on July 15, 2022 in New York City. Shania Twain performs on stage during the 2022 People's Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on December 6, 2022 in Santa Monica, California.

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast files to go public in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John Rosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The VF-8 electric vehicle from VinFast, a Vietnamese automaker producing electric cars and SUV's, is on display at their showroom in Santa Monica, California, on July 18, 2022. Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is going public in the U.S.VinFast on Tuesday said it has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the first formal step toward a public offering next year. The company in March announced plans for a $2 billion factory in North Carolina and hopes to deliver its first vehicles to American customers by year-end. It's now focused entirely on electric vehicles – production of its last internal-combustion model ended in early November. Founded in 2017, VinFast is a unit of Vingroup, Vietnam's largest conglomerate, which has interests in real estate development and education as well as a number of technology businesses.

☆ A tale of 2 tech giants: Struggling Meta is pulling back on offices in LA and NYC to cut costs, while TikTok is expanding
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok is seeking 150,000 square feet in Los Angeles to more than double its footprint in the city. One of the leasing executives who spoke with Insider said TikTok had considered spaces from "Santa Monica to downtown" Los Angeles. Meta, meanwhile, has 260,000 square feet in Los Angeles at the Brickyard, a recently built office complex in Playa Vista. The diverging appetite for office space between TikTok and Meta underscores a change in fortune for both firms. A spokeswoman for Meta said the company would not comment on its LA offices or its plans for them.

☆ Shares of CrowdStrike fall after 'disappointing' earnings, Morgan Stanley says buy the dip
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CrowdStrike shares fell more than 17% in premarket trading Wednesday, a day after the cybersecurity company reported third-quarter results that said new revenue growth was weaker than expected. More than $198 million was net new ARR added in the quarter, which ended Oct. 31. Last year, CrowdStrike's ARR increased by more than 67% in the third quarter, and the company added 1,607 net new subscription customers for that same period. Analysts at Morgan Stanley also said CrowdStrike's results were "disappointing," but they said estimates did not reflect the current macroeconomic environment. An analyst at Stifel said CrowdStrike's results were "disappointing" and downgraded the stock from buy to hold.

☆ Snap employees to work from office starting February
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 28 (Reuters) - Snap Inc (SNAP.N) will require 80% of its employees to return to office from end-February, a company spokesperson told Reuters on Monday. "After working remotely for so long, we're excited to get everyone back together next year with our new 80/20 hybrid model," the company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Bloomberg News first reported the development and said the owner of photo messaging app Snapchat had asked its employees to be in office four days a week starting in February. The tech industry was among the first to allow employees to work from home when COVID-19 hit the United States in 2020. Last month, ride-hailing service Uber (UBER.N) asked its employees to work from office twice a week.

A Tesla Model 3 vehicle is on display at the Tesla auto store on September 22, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. The data firm found that Tesla's market share of new registered electric vehicles in the U.S. stood at 65% through the third quarter, down from 71% last year and 79% in 2020. S&P forecasts Tesla's EV market share will decline to less than 20% by 2025, with the number of EV models expected to grow from 48 today to 159 by then. A drop in Tesla's U.S. market share was expected, but the rate of the decline could be concerning for investors in Elon Musk's autos and energy company. "Given that consumer choice and consumer interest in EVs are growing, Tesla's ability to retain a dominant market share will be challenged going forward."

☆ Snap employees to be in offices 80% of time from end-Feb
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 28 (Reuters) - (This Nov. 28 story has been corrected to say Snap employees will work from office 80% of the time, not that 80% of employees will return to office, in headline and paragraph 1 and changes source to company)Snap Inc (SNAP.N) will require employees to work from its offices 80% of the time, starting from the end of February, the company said on Monday. Bloomberg News first reported the development and said the owner of photo messaging app Snapchat had asked employees to be in office four days a week from February. The tech industry was among the first to allow employees to work from home when COVID-19 hit the United States in 2020. But the extent to which tech companies are embracing permanent remote work is now diverging. Last month, ride-hailing service Uber (UBER.N) asked its employees to work from office twice a week.

☆ AstraZeneca boosts cancer portfolio with $320 mln Neogene deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L) will acquire biotechnology company Neogene Therapeutics for up to $320 million, the London-listed drugmaker said on Tuesday, seeking to build its pipeline of cell-based cancer treatments. Though AstraZeneca's oncology portfolio accounted for more than a third of the company's revenue last year, it does not have an approved cell-based cancer therapy and is behind rivals such as Novartis (NOVN.S) and Gilead (GILD.O). Neogene's approach goes one step further in that its experimental T-cell receptor therapies seek to target DNA mutations specific to tumours, not only certain proteins on the surface of cancer cells. Linnemann founded Neogene in the Netherlands in 2018 along with the Netherlands Cancer Institute's Ton Schumacher. AstraZeneca will make an initial payment of $200 million to Neogene, with a further $120 million dependent on the company meeting certain targets.

☆ Is this the last Christmas for Sears?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Easterling was at the Sears in her hometown of Jersey City, New Jersey, one of only 15 full-line Sears stores still open. The two started a catalog business selling watches and jewelry in 1888, incorporating under the Sears Roebuck name in 1893. The Sears catalog was the way many Americans first started to buy mass-produced goods. File photo/AP People shop inside a Sears store in Morton Grove, Illinois, in 1961. AP Soldiers guard a Sears store in Baltimore after riots broke out following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

☆ Fintechs are opening up access to alternative investments previously reserved for sophisticated investors, but some VCs question if that's a good thing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But some don't think retail investors are ready for the level of risk in the asset class. Alternative investments, as the name suggests, is an asset outside of traditional investments like stocks, bonds, and cash. Investors choose from private-equity funds, venture capital, hedge funds, real estate, and art, among other areas. Such returns have attracted state pension funds, university endowments, and, most recently, individual investors from the ultra-high-net-worth to the Joe Schmoes. Companies like iCapital, Allocate, RealBlocks and CAIS (pronounced case) launched to help wealth-management firms usher their clients into sought-after private market funds.

November marks Native American Heritage Month, and the following 10 LGBTQ+ Indigenous trailblazers are bringing important representation to TV, challenging traditional gender expectations at powwows and elevating issues affecting Indigenous people, such as the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call via AP fileRep. Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk nation, became the first LGBTQ Native American elected to Congress and one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress after winning her race for Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District in 2018. Scott, of Aurora, Colorado, who uses she and they pronouns, leverages her platform to highlight issues affecting the queer Indigenous community. “I just want to flood the industry with Indigenous people, Indigenous models, Indigenous stories, and Indigenous designers.”Kali Reis (KO)Kali Reis, who is Seaconke Wampanaak and Cape Verdean, is a trailblazing Indigenous two-spirit athlete who wears many hats. Native American Heritage Month invites non-Native folks in joining us in recognizing our histories and celebrating our communities.

☆ I've been an actor on Disney Channel and cast shows for Netflix. Now I'm an executive producer — here's how I networked my way through Hollywood.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Katherine Stinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Dru Davis is an executive producer for "Monica," which aired at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. He got his start acting on kids shows and networked with casting directors to change roles. I was born and raised in Santa Monica, and my parents inspired me with their work on the executive and creative sides of Hollywood. From there, I went on to cast talent on shows like "The 100" on The CW, "UnREAL" on Lifetime, and "Altered Carbon" on Netflix. I established myself as a reliable executive producer on multiple projects, including "The Trial of the Chicago 7."

☆ Businesses Rush to Sidestep Rate Shock by Paying Down Debt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Executives are aggressively paying down debt as higher interest rates increase the cost associated with having debt and businesses face the prospect of a recession. As a result, some are taking steps to rein in expenses and cut interest costs, while others are looking to put cash reserves to work as their bank deposits continue to generate minimal yields. Beauty paid an annual interest rate of 4.9% on the loan, according to Mandy Fields, the company’s chief financial officer. About two-thirds of the loan carried a 5% interest rate that was fixed through a swap, which was set to expire in 2025. The two transactions reduced KAR’s annual interest costs by $70 million, to an estimated $15 million a year, Mr. Loughmiller said.

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