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Category: Business

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  • TikTok Introduces New Features to Protect Teens

    TikTok Introduces New Features to Protect Teens

    TikTok is unveiling new features designed to protect teens as the social media app is under fire from all sides.

    TikTok is facing increased pressure from jurisdictions around the world over its ties to Beijing and its handling of user data, especially that of children. The company has been accused of abusing child privacy on multiple occasions, and multiple states have launched investigations into the platform’s effect on children.

    The company is now rolling out measures to better protect children, including limits on how much teenagers can use the app per day:

    In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit. While there’s no collectively-endorsed position on the ‘right’ amount of screen time or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we consulted the current academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital in choosing this limit. If the 60-minute limit is reached, teens will be prompted to enter a passcode in order to continue watching, requiring them to make an active decision to extend that time. For people in our under 13 experience, the daily screen time limit will also be set to 60 minutes, and a parent or guardian will need to set or enter an existing passcode to enable 30 minutes of additional watch time.

    Teens will be able to opt out of the 60-minute limit, but TikTok will prompt them to set some limits:

    Research also shows that being more aware of how we spend our time can help us be more intentional about the decisions we make. So we’re also prompting teens to set a daily screen time limit if they opt out of the 60-minute default and spend more than 100 minutes on TikTok in a day. This builds on a prompt we rolled out last year to encourage teens to enable screen time management; our tests found this helped increase the use of our screen time tools by 234%. In addition, we’ll send every teen account a weekly inbox notification with a recap of their screen time.

    The company is also rolling out a number of features to help parents have greater input on how their children use TikTok.

    Ultimately, it’s unclear if these measures will save the platform. It has already been banned from government-owned devices in the EU, Canada, and the US, and some lawmakers are putting forth bills to ban it entirely.

  • Sen. Bernie Sanders Wants to Subpoena Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

    Sen. Bernie Sanders Wants to Subpoena Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

    Senator Bernie Sanders has some tough questions for Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and wants to subpoena him to get the answers.

    Starbucks has been under growing scrutiny for its anti-union efforts against Workers United. In the US, companies are strictly regulated regarding how they interact with unions and are prohibited from interfering with organizing efforts.

    Senator Sanders believes Starbucks has crossed that line and wants to question Schultz about, according to a tweet he sent Wednesday:

    Unfortunately, Howard Schultz has given us no choice, but to subpoena him. A multi-billion dollar corporation like Starbucks cannot continue to break federal labor law with impunity. The time has come to hold Starbucks and Mr. Schultz accountable.

    Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders), March 1, 2023

    Sanders cites the 75 complaints the National Labor Relations Board has brought against Starbucks:

    “While Howard Schultz is a multi-billionaire who runs a very profitable multi-national corporation, he must understand that he and his company are not above the law,” Sanders said. “The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed over 75 complaints against Starbuck for violating federal labor law and there have been over 500 unfair labor practice charges lodged against his company. These violations include the illegal firing of more than a dozen Starbucks workers. For nearly a year, I and many of my colleagues in the Senate have repeatedly asked Mr. Schultz to respect the constitutional right of workers at Starbucks to form a union and to stop violating federal labor laws. Mr. Schultz has failed to respond to those requests. He has denied meeting and document requests, skirted congressional oversight attempts, and refused to answer any of the serious questions we have asked. Unfortunately, Mr. Schultz has given us no choice, but to subpoena him. A multi-billion dollar corporation like Starbucks cannot continue to break federal labor law with impunity. The time has come to hold Starbucks and Mr. Schultz accountable.”

    Sanders plans on calling a vote next week of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on whether to subpoena Schultz.

  • Qualcomm CEO: Apple Will Use Their Own Modems in 2024

    Qualcomm CEO: Apple Will Use Their Own Modems in 2024

    Qualcomm isn’t holding out any hope of continuing as Apple’s primary modem supplier and is expecting to lose that business in 2024.

    Apple and Qualcomm have a contentious relationship, one filled with alternating deals and lawsuits. For the time being, Qualcomm is the primary provider of the modems Apple uses in its iPhones and iPads, but the Cupertino company has been working hard to build its own modems and end reliance on Qualcomm.

    It appears those plans are closer to reality than ever before, according to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

    “We’re making no plans for 2024, my planning assumption is we’re not providing [Apple] a modem in ’24, but it’s their decision to make,” Amon told CNBC at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

    Apple bought Intel’s failed modem division after the latter exited the business, accusing Qualcomm of creating a “a web of anticompetitive conduct designed to allow Qualcomm to coerce customers, tilt the competitive playing field and exclude competitors, all the while shielding itself from legal scrutiny and capturing billions in unlawful gains.”

    While there’s no love lost between Apple and Qualcomm, the latter is sure to feel a financial hit from losing the lucrative iPhone business.

  • Former Microsoft/Meta Exec Replaces Jamie Siminoff as Ring CEO

    Former Microsoft/Meta Exec Replaces Jamie Siminoff as Ring CEO

    Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff has announced he is stepping down, paving the way for Elizabeth (Liz) Hamren to replace him.

    Siminoff founded Ring and has served as CEO, taking the company from a scrappy startup to one of Amazon’s leading divisions. The executive penned a blog post announcing his decision to step down from the top job and re-focus on his passion:

    Invention is my true passion. I am constantly looking at how we can adapt to deliver for our neighbors, which is what we’ve always called our customers. This is why I decided to shift my role to Chief Inventor and bring on a new CEO.

    Hamren has been tapped to replace Siminoff as CEO, bringing years of experience at Microsoft, Meta, and Discord:

    Today, I’m excited to introduce our new CEO, Elizabeth (Liz) Hamren, who is joining us most recently from Discord where she is COO. Liz has a long history in consumer devices and subscription services, building and launching some of the most innovative and beloved consumer products from Oculus to Xbox and more. When she and I met eight years ago, Ring was so small and I hadn’t shared our mission with anyone except our team, mostly because no one would listen. Even then, Liz understood what I was feeling about the space: Our work wasn’t about trying to make a faster chip or shinier plastic, it was about changing the way neighbors think about security for the better. I’ve felt a kinship with her ever since, and I am honored and excited to have her join the team on this mission.

    See also: Amazon’s Ring and Google Nest Give Footage to Police Without Warrants

    Siminoff says this decision has been a long time in the making, first revealing the transition plan to employees in June 2022. At the time, Siminoff emphasized that the company would take the necessary time to find the right replacement, and he voiced his confidence that Hamren is that person.

    Hamren Ring following a number of privacy and security scandals that have tarnished the company’s image. The tech industry in general, and Amazon specifically, are also facing greater legislative challenges and regulatory scrutiny, ranging from antitrust to privacy concerns.

  • Hackers Had Access to News Corp’s Systems For Two Years

    Hackers Had Access to News Corp’s Systems For Two Years

    News Corp has revealed that a previously acknowledged breach was much worse than originally thought.

    News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal, revealed in February 2022 that it had suffered a cybersecurity breach. The company said the breach involved “persistent cyberattack activity” in a third-party cloud service it used.

    Unfortunately, in a breach notification first spotted by Ars Technica, the company has admitted that the breach went on for two years:

    “Based on the investigation, News Corp understands that, between February 2020 and January 2022, an unauthorized party gained access to certain business documents and emails from a limited number of its personnel’s accounts in the affected system, some of which contained personal information,” the letter stated. “Our investigation indicates that this activity does not appear to be focused on exploiting personal information.”

    The company did say that it does not believe any fraud or identity theft has been committed as a result of the breach. Instead, News Corp told Ars that investigators “believe that this was an intelligence collection.”

    That conclusion would certainly be in line with conclusions gathered last year when the breach was first discovered. At the time, News Corp enlisted security firm Mandiant to help it resolve the situation. Mandiant’s conclusion was that the attack was carried out by hackers affiliated with the Chinese government.

  • Google Workspace Finishes Client-Side Encryption Rollout

    Google Workspace Finishes Client-Side Encryption Rollout

    Google has taken a major step toward improving privacy and security for Workspace users, rolling out client-side encryption (CSE).

    CSE is an integral part of a complete security approach since it ensures that only the owner can decrypt and view their own data. Google already deployed CSE for Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Meet last year, but is now finishing the rollout by bringing it to Gmail and Calendar.

    Writing in a blog post, Google Workspace Director of Product Management Andy Wen and Product Manager Ganesh Chilakapati, outline how CSE compliments the privacy and security features already present in Workspace:

    Workspace already encrypts data at rest and in transit by using secure-by-design cryptographic libraries. Client-side encryption takes this encryption capability to the next level by ensuring that customers have sole control over their encryption keys — and thus complete control over all access to their data. Starting today, users can send and receive emails or create meeting events with internal colleagues and external parties, knowing that their sensitive data (including inline images and attachments) has been encrypted before it reaches Google servers.

    Remaining compliant with various regulations is a key benefit of CSE:

    Users can continue to collaborate across other essential apps in Google Workspace while IT and security teams can ensure that sensitive data stays compliant with regulations. As customers retain control over the encryption keys and the identity management service to access those keys, sensitive data is indecipherable to Google and other external entities.

    The rollout of CSE could help Google make significant headway, especially in those markets that require heightened security:

    “We have been searching for the capability to guarantee that our encrypted communications remain inaccessible to third-parties, including our technology providers, for some time. Google appears to be uniquely positioned with client-side encryption in providing us with complete control over our sensitive data, ensuring that we remain compliant as an organization in the ever changing world of data regulation. These features now being available across Google Workspace represent a pivotal moment for us. We’re enthusiastic about the ability to continue to benefit from the efficiency in working that Workspace provides us with, whilst at the same time maintaining trust with our customers that their confidential data will stay private and compliant,” said Shaun Bookham, UK Operations & Technology Director at PwC.

  • Amazon Employees Can Use Their Stock to Finance Home Purchases

    Amazon Employees Can Use Their Stock to Finance Home Purchases

    Amazon employees are about to enjoy a new perk: being able to use their company stock to finance home purchases.

    According to TechCrunch, Amazon has struck a deal with Better.com to make it easier for employees to purchase a home. Under the terms of the deal, employees in Florida, New York, and Washington State will be able to use their vested equity as down payment collateral. It’s believed the program will expand to other states in time.

    Interestingly, the deal does not require an employee to give up their shares, only to pledge their vested equity. The deal also extends to former employees that still have a stake in Amazon.

    Amazon is “always looking for opportunities” to improve its employee perks “and better support employees’ mental, physical, and financial wellness,” company spokesperson Brad Glasser told TechCrunch.

    “As part of that, we offer a wide-ranging slate of financial benefits, including saving resources, tools to grow financial knowledge, and programs that help employees feel financially sound,” he said. “Eligible employees can access these benefits starting on the first day of their employment with us, regardless of role or location.”

    “Financial wellness, mental wellness, and physical wellness are all essential facets of employee health, and they all affect each other,” Glasser added. “For financial wellness, that means providing benefits that aid with both short- and long-term financial success, for employees’ time at Amazon and beyond.”

  • Hackers Reportedly Compromised T-Mobile 100+ Times in 2022

    Hackers Reportedly Compromised T-Mobile 100+ Times in 2022

    T-Mobile does not have a good reputation when it comes to cybersecurity, and that’s about to get a whole lot worse.

    T-Mobile has had multiple cybersecurity breaches over the last few years, impacting tens of millions of users and costing the company hundreds of millions in settlements. Unfortunately, that may be just the tip of the iceberg, according to a new report from Krebs on Security.

    According to Krebs, three different hackers groups claim to have accessed the company’s internal systems:

    Three different cybercriminal groups claimed access to internal networks at communications giant T-Mobile in more than 100 separate incidents throughout 2022, new data suggests. In each case, the goal of the attackers was the same: Phish T-Mobile employees for access to internal company tools, and then convert that access into a cybercrime service that could be hired to divert any T-Mobile user’s text messages and phone calls to another device.

    The hackers’ goal was SIM-swapping, a term for when a hacker is able to gain control over a victim’s cellphone number.

    The data regarding attacks was collected by monitoring various Telegram channels used by the hacker groups. The message “Tmobile up!” or “Tmo up!” was posted anytime a hacker successfully SIM-swapped a target.

    Krebs initially planned on counting the instances for all of 2022, working backward from the end of the year. Unfortunately, the number of hacks racked up much faster than anticipated.

    But by the time we got to claims made in the middle of May 2022, completing the rest of the year’s timeline seemed unnecessary. The tally shows that in the last seven-and-a-half months of 2022, these groups collectively made SIM-swapping claims against T-Mobile on 104 separate days — often with multiple groups claiming access on the same days.

    It’s unclear why T-Mobile is suffering so many of these attacks. While there are similar efforts against Verizon and AT&T, the number of successful attempts is far less. Some experts believe the magenta carrier is not doing enough to secure its systems.

    “These breaches should not happen,” said Nicholas Weaver, a UC Berkeley researcher. “Because T-Mobile should have long ago issued all employees security keys and switched to security keys for the second factor. And because security keys provably block this style of attack.”

    For its part, T-Mobile told Krebs it is combating the issue while also emphasizing it is an industry-wide problem.

    “And we are constantly working to fight against it,” the statement reads. “We have continued to drive enhancements that further protect against unauthorized access, including enhancing multi-factor authentication controls, hardening environments, limiting access to data, apps or services, and more. We are also focused on gathering threat intelligence data, like what you have shared, to help further strengthen these ongoing efforts.”

    There is evidence to suggest the company is making progress, with the hacker groups complaining that their access after a successful swap is being severed much sooner than before. Some have even theorized that T-Mobile’s security team may be monitoring the Telegram channels.

    While it’s encouraging to see T-Mobile is making progress, it’s still disturbing that the company is experiencing this many breaches.

  • EU Poised to Warn Broadcom Over VMware Deal

    EU Poised to Warn Broadcom Over VMware Deal

    The European Union is poised to issue a warning to Broadcom over its proposed purchase of VMware for $61 billion.

    Broadcom announced a deal to acquire VMware for $61 billion in May 2022. The deal came as a shock to many, including many VMware employees who were not happy with the prospect of joining Broadcom.

    Regulators have expressed concerns about the deal, with the EU Commission opening an investigation in December, after UK regulators took a similar step in November.

    According to Reuters, the EU is now preparing to issue a warning to Broadcom over the proposed deal. This will give the two companies an opportunity to address concerns and offer potential remedies, although the outlet’s sources say Broadcom has no intention of preemptively offering remedies before seeing the charges in the warning.

  • Canada Bans TikTok From Government Devices

    Canada Bans TikTok From Government Devices

    Canada is the latest jurisdiction to ban TikTok from government devices, another setback for the Chinese social media platform.

    According to AP News, the Canadian government has banned the popular app from all government-owned devices. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t rule out additional steps down the road.

    “I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,” Trudeau said.

    “I’m always a fan of giving Canadians the information for them to make the right decisions for them,” he added.

    The EU Commission and US Congress has already banned the app on government devices. US lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban the app entirely, and the EU has signaled it could do the same if TikTok fails to respect user privacy.

  • Ford Is Working on Self-Driving Repos

    Ford Is Working on Self-Driving Repos

    Ford has a novel idea for self-driving tech, with plans to use the it to automatically repossess cars from owners that default on their payments.

    Ford originally filed for a patent in 2021 describing a system that would enable a vehicle to repossess itself. The patent, which was just rewarded last week, would allow a lender to ramp up repossession efforts, from sending notifications to limiting the vehicle’s movements to a specific geofenced area.

    In the final state of the process, when the repossession involves an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle’s computers can drive the vehicle back to the lender or repo agency.

    In some other cases, the vehicle can be an autonomous vehicle and the repossession system computer may cooperate with the vehicle computer to autonomously move the vehicle from the premises of the owner to a location such as, for example, the premises of the repossession agency, the premises of the lending institution, an impound pound, or any other pre-designated location. The address of such locations may be previously stored in a database of the repossession system computer.

    Ford’s approach is certainly an interesting use of self-driving tech, and one that will probably make more than a few customers uncomfortable.

  • Amazon Is Taking Half of Sellers’ Revenue

    Amazon Is Taking Half of Sellers’ Revenue

    Many e-commerce companies rely on Amazon for the bulk of their business, but it is a costly proposition with Amazon taking half of their revenue.

    According to research by Marketplace Pulse, Amazon has increased its fulfillment fees and mandatory advertising, increasing the percentage it takes from sellers. This has resulted in an increase in Amazon’s cut from 40% five years ago to 50% today.

    Interestingly, the base transaction fee has remained a steady 15%. Fulfillment fees, however, have grown to 20-35% and advertising can rack up another 15%. What’s more, the advertising is not optional, meaning sellers are going to pay for it whether they want it or not.

    Credit: Marketplace Pulse

    As the research firm highlights, this is leaving many companies making far less than they planned:

    Sellers are combating fee increases by either raising prices, diversifying from FBA, or diversifying from Amazon altogether. However, sometimes it’s only at the end of the tax year that they realize how little net profit they have left. A few sellers showed paying 60% and even 70% of their revenue to Amazon in fees. They still had to pay for inventory, freight, employees, and other expenses.

    To make matters worse, there are not many good options for companies that want to avoid Amazon’s fees. Walmart is cheaper for new sellers, but doesn’t have nearly the reach that Amazon does. Shopify and eBay, while significantly cheaper, also require the seller to handle more of their own logistics.

    With an economic downturn, only time will tell if Amazon is squeezing its sellers too much.

  • YouTube TV Is Experiencing Issues

    YouTube TV Is Experiencing Issues

    YouTube TV appears to be experiencing an outage, one that is impacting Apple TV, TVision Hub, and other streaming devices.

    Users began reporting errors on Monday afternoon. According to 9to5Mac, Apple TV users seem to be heavily impacted, although it’s not the only device experiencing trouble.

    WPN confirmed that the Android-based TVision Hub was also impacted, although the problem appears to be fixed.

  • Move Over Subscription Economy, Usage-Based Billing Is Here

    Move Over Subscription Economy, Usage-Based Billing Is Here

    Subscription pricing models may be an unforeseen casualty of the economic downturn, paving the way for usage-based billing.

    Subscription pricing models have permeated everything from cloud services to mobile apps and are a far cry from the early days of computing and the internet. For those old enough to remember, software was sold — often in a box — for a one-time fee for that major version of the software. When a major new version was released, users could usually pay a cheaper upgrade fee to move to the latest and greatest.

    With the rise of the internet, however, subscription models quickly dominated the market and all but supplanted the one-time fee model. Thanks to the economic downturn, however, Business Insider makes the case that subscription pricing may be on the verge of going the way of its predecessor.

    In place of subscriptions, usage-based billing is the new hot thing in the software market. Rather than a flat monthly rate, usage-based billing only charges customers for what they actually use. As Insider points out, this is not uncommon among cloud providers but is poised to spread out to other areas of the industry.

    The model could be a viable and appealing option for much wider use, especially as businesses are looking to rein in expenses wherever possible.

    “If you think about the evolution of business models, it’s always trended more and more towards being more friendly to the customer,” Rishi Jaluria, an RBC software analyst, told Insider. “It is very likely, in my opinion, that there will be more companies that are either on a consumption model or offer a consumption element to the model.”

    Jaluria’s views are shared even by those entrenched in the subscription model approach.

    “The best companies are saying, ‘We want to have a mix of models that really accommodates all our different customers,’” said Tien Tzuo, CEO of Zuora, a subscription-billing-management company. “Different customers might want different things as well.”

  • Former App Store Editor: ‘Apple Doesn’t Care About Games’

    Former App Store Editor: ‘Apple Doesn’t Care About Games’

    Former App Store Editor Neil Long has disappointing news for mobile game developers, saying, “Apple doesn’t care about games.”

    Long served as an App Store Editor, giving him a behind-the-scenes look into how Apple’s processes work. Unfortunately, the picture he paints in an article in The Guardian is less than flattering, saying Apple is pocketing billions without making the necessary re-investment in the App Store.

    Long lists a number of early game hits and then makes the case that Apple was unprepared for its newfound success:

    So what did Apple do next? Nothing really. It seemed to create a whole new games ecosystem by accident, and ever since has presided over it like a contemptuous landlord. It takes a tasty 30% cut of almost every in-app purchase while doing next to nothing to earn that fee. Recent privacy policies – including the introduction of that “ask app not to track” pop-up you will have seen again and again – have even actively harmed the mobile games business.

    Apple’s issues are especially apparent during the app review process:

    The woefully understaffed team of app reviewers couldn’t handle the volume of games coming through – and seemingly still can’t today. Ask any staffer at a mobile game studio and they’re guaranteed to have an app review horror story involving their game being repeatedly rejected for an arbitrary reason, or removed from sale entirely. Developers are being treated with contempt.

    Long also takes aim at the plague of copycat apps that so many game developers have to deal with, arguing that Apple could and should have improved the situation through further investment:

    Apple could have reinvested a greater fraction of the billions it has earned from mobile games to make the App Store a good place to find fun, interesting games to fit your tastes. But it hasn’t, and today the App Store is a confusing mess, recently made even worse with the addition of ad slots in search, on the front page and even on the product pages themselves.

    App developers have increasingly grown tired of Apple’s stewardship of the App Store, pushing for more freedom regarding how they publish their apps and make money off of them. Reading Long’s take on the condition of the App Store — especially for game developers — one comes away understanding developers’ plight a little more.

  • Google Wants Employees to Share a Desk

    Google Wants Employees to Share a Desk

    Google is taking an unusual approach to bringing people back to the office, asking them to share a desk.

    Like many in the tech industry, Google has been working to bring employees back to the office at least part-time. According to an internal document seen by CNBC, the company is looking to optimize its use of real estate by asking some employees to share a desk on alternating days.

    “Most Googlers will now share a desk with one other Googler,” the internal document stated, describing a system of alternate work days so desks don’t have two people using them at the same time. “Through the matching process, they will agree on a basic desk setup and establish norms with their desk partner and teams to ensure a positive experience in the new shared environment.”

    In the event someone comes into work on an off-day when their desk will be in use, they will have to use “overflow drop-in space.”

    Google’s approach is a novel one to the new normal in which hybrid workflows require rethinking traditional office space requirements.

  • Qualcomm: Phone Makers to Unveil iPhone-Style Satellite Tech

    Qualcomm: Phone Makers to Unveil iPhone-Style Satellite Tech

    Qualcomm has said more phone manufacturers plan to roll out satellite connectivity, much like Apple’s latest iPhone.

    The iPhone 14 included a first for Apple’s phone: the ability to send an emergency SOS via satellite. According to PCMag, Qualcomm has revealed that Honor, Motorola, Nothing, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi plan to use the company’s tech to bring similar features to their own phones.

    Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite relies on Iridium, a leading satellite communications provider. The company also claims its chips will enable emergency SOS support worldwide, as opposed to the iPhone 14, which only offers the ability in the US, Canada, and parts of Europe.

  • Microsoft Angering Users With Overly-Aggressive Edge Ads

    Microsoft Angering Users With Overly-Aggressive Edge Ads

    Microsoft is hell-bent on keeping people using its Edge web browser, resorting to overly-aggressive ads to accomplish its goal.

    Edge is the company’s default browser and successor to Internet Explorer. By all rights, Edge is a very capable browser, but Microsoft seems intent on pushing it as much as possible, even resorting to ads within Windows.

    According to Windows Latest, the company is displaying a popup whenever a user visits the Google Chrome website from within Edge. Interestingly, the popup seems to engage in a bit of false advertising.

    “By continuing, you will set Microsoft Edge as your default browser. Offer valid for 1 person/account within first 14 days of joining,” the popup reads.

    Microsoft Edge Ad – Credit WindowsLatest.com

    It’s unclear why the popup says the offer is only valid for 14 days, since a user can obviously use Edge as their default browser any time they want. The popup was likely recycled from another promotion, and someone forgot to clean up and change the verbiage.

    Clicking on the “Browse securely now” button doesn’t do anything — evidently another bug — but clicking the “X” in the upper right corner closes the dialog box.

    While it’s good to see Microsoft playing nice with other companies, unlike how the company behaved under Gates and Ballmer, it’s more than a little disconcerting to see the company cluttering up its product with ads — especially after users have paid a premium to use those products.

  • Twitter Payments Head Esther Crawford Has Been Laid Off

    Twitter Payments Head Esther Crawford Has Been Laid Off

    The carnage at Twitter continues, with Twitter Payments head Esther Crawford laid off, along with most of her team.

    Esther Crawford was head of Twitter Payments, putting her in charge of Twitter Blue. According to Platformer’s Zoë Schiffer, Crawford is the latest to be purged from Twitter since Elon Musk’s takeover.

    Crawford’s departure is especially surprising since she was viewed as a Musk loyalist. in fact, she was one of those employees that answered Musk’s call to fully commit to the company.

    The Verge’s Alex Heath says the layoff extends to most of “product org.”

    Crawford’s departure makes one thing crystal clear: No one is safe in Musk’s Twitter.

  • Amazon Reports First Unprofitable Year in Almost a Decade

    Amazon Reports First Unprofitable Year in Almost a Decade

    Amazon delivered its quarterly report and it was bad news as the company turned in its first unprofitable year in almost a decade.

    Amazon reported net sales for 2022 of $514.0 billion, an increase of 9% year-over-year. The company’s AWS cloud business came in at $80.1 billion for the year, an increase of 29%.

    Despite the increased sales, the company posted a net loss of $2.7 billion for the year, or $0.27 per share, its first since 2014. While a $2.7 billion loss is bad enough on its own, it’s even worse when compared to the $33.4 billion net income the company posted in 2021.

    Much of the company’s loss can be attributed to its investment in electric vehicle maker Rivian.

    2022 net loss includes a pre-tax valuation loss of $12.7 billion included in non-operating income (expense) from the common stock investment in Rivian Automotive, Inc., compared to a pre-tax valuation gain of $11.8 billion from the investment in 2021.

    “Our relentless focus on providing the broadest selection, exceptional value, and fast delivery drove customer demand in our Stores business during the fourth quarter that exceeded our expectations—and we’re appreciative of all our customers who turned to Amazon this past holiday season,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.

    Jassy also was optimistic about the future, especially given the cost-cutting measures the company has already taken.

    “We’re also encouraged by the continued progress we’re making in reducing our cost to serve in the operations part of our Stores business,” Jassy continued. “In the short term, we face an uncertain economy, but we remain quite optimistic about the long-term opportunities for Amazon. The vast majority of total market segment share in both Global Retail and IT still reside in physical stores and on-premises datacenters; and as this equation steadily flips, we believe our leading customer experiences in these areas along with the results of our continued hard work and invention to improve every day, will lead to significant growth in the coming years. When you also factor in our investments and innovation in several other broad customer experiences (e.g. streaming entertainment, customer-first healthcare, broadband satellite connectivity for more communities globally), there’s additional reason to feel optimistic about what the future holds.”

  • New Year, New Goals: 3 Goals Your Team Should Work Toward in 2023

    New Year, New Goals: 3 Goals Your Team Should Work Toward in 2023

    The demands placed on teams and organizations are vastly different today than they were just five years ago. Between leaps forward in technology, pandemic-driven upheavals, structural shake-ups, and transformed customer expectations, the learning curve might be mistaken for a mountain.

    However swift various changes arrive, teams need to be just as agile, if not more. And for business leaders, it’s essential to convey clarity, steadfast vision, and awareness of what’s ahead. As you structure your goals for 2023, resist the urge to load up your team with surface-level goals. Instead, drill down to the foundational work needed to help you achieve your most significant milestones this year and beyond. 

    1. Establish a Clear Vision with Storytelling

    Teams come to work, they complete their tasks, but then what? Without an understanding of how their daily deliverables impact the organization’s whole picture, it’s tough for employees to stay engaged. Whether you’re leading a front-line contact center, development team, or marketing department, communicating how their expertise fuels success matters. 

    Take your organization’s broad goals and use them to develop a clear vision for your team. Say your contact center tracks average handling time and first call resolution rate metrics. These quantitative measurements may feel more like grades than a way to serve your customers. If agents do well, life is great, and if they fall short, it can feel like a losing battle.

    Bring your goals to life by using storytelling to achieve strategic alignment between metrics, employee output, and customer experience. Your vision may be “customers feel heard and are supported when they need us most.” This vision is relatable across generations, roles, and styles. 

    Next, outline how your team’s specific work drives this vision forward. Break down your vision into specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely tactics that’ll help teams achieve them. This format, also known as S.M.A.R.T. goals, allows for accountability and clear measures of success. Without this time-proven structure, your well-meaning vision is at risk of falling short. 

    2. Improve Efficiency for Today’s Workforce

    Distributed teams, different time zones, and allowance for varying work styles can provide employees with greater flexibility. However, when you shift from a standard 9-to-5 workplace, it also invites complexity. Assess your current work styles, technology solutions, and the known gaps and issues among them. 

    Interview colleagues across the organization to get a clear picture of problems known and uncommunicated. Use surveys, guided discussions, and open feedback to get a pulse on where the issues exist and to source solutions. Without a request for this type of feedback, many employees are hesitant to provide it. Once you’ve sourced feedback, keep your team up-to-date with what’s being done with the information. Even if there’s not an immediate solution, open dialogue and transparency will build trust over time. 

    Partner with relevant departments to make improvements for your team. Some updates will require cross-functional collaboration, like implementing a collaboration tool. Others can be successfully launched within your group, like a method for managing team workload or files. Newly distributed teams that regularly share documents for editing may be feeling the pain of version control. After assessing specific needs and success criteria, you may find that a cloud-based file-sharing platform will solve the problem.

    By developing specificity for your efficiency initiative, you can ensure proposed solutions have higher odds of success. Launch change initiatives only after conducting user testing, providing training, and identifying a support structure. With checks and balances, your team will benefit from thoughtful and strategic efforts designed to boost efficiency without confusion.

    3. Prioritize the Human Needs of Your Team

    The business world’s obsession with work-life balance has been replaced with a more realistic, refreshing outlook: work-life integration. At first glance, this may appear to be a pre-approval to shed the boundaries between home and work. However, it’s really an acknowledgment that humans crave both flexibility and purpose for both work and life. 

    Forget for a moment the constraints of your line of work. Instead, get curious about what your team wants and needs without adding in qualifiers. Schedule exploratory conversations with your direct reports to share your desire to learn more about their lived experiences. Keep these open-ended and casual, focusing on “what-if” statements and listening more than you speak.

    You may be surprised to learn about the challenges your team faces outside of their workload. Long commutes eat up valuable hours of daylight and add stress at the front and back end of their days. Their continuing education goals keep getting set aside because it’s hard to find the time. Take notes and listen to what’s not said as much as what is to get to the heart of the issues. 

    One conversation likely won’t be enough to identify the depth of the issues or the breadth of the opportunities. Integrate this type of conversation into your quarterly reviews to build a culture of communication that improves over time. Then consult with your leadership team to determine how you can improve your employees’ work life. Updates to policies, benefits, and practices can fuel a better employee experience that improves worker satisfaction and business results. 

    Nurture Your Goals Toward Success

    Now that you’ve launched your 2023 goals, it’s time to nurture them toward their fullest potential. Make your qualitative and quantitative goals part of your organization’s vocabulary. Hold a kickoff meeting that lays out the goals, why they matter, and how the team can make a difference. With consistency, clarity, and steady leadership, your team’s results will take your organization to the next level.