 Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to reiterate his commitment to purchasing Twitter during a virtual all-hands Q&A session with employees. Pre-accepted questions were read aloud to Musk by Twitter's chief marketing officer Leslie Berland. When asked about his position on free speech, Musk said that users should be allowed to tweet nearly anything that doesn't violate existing laws, though he said that tweeting a message doesn't necessarily equate to amplification of that message. More: - In response to a question about remote work, Musk said that employees whose work is "excellent" would be allowed to continue working from home.
- Musk said he believes Twitter is too reliant on advertising, and suggested that the company should aspire to reach more than 1 billion active users and "further civilization and consciousness."
- Many Twitter employees reacted negatively to the meeting on internal Slack channels, according to CNBC's Lauren Feiner, and continue to worry about layoffs and less content moderation should Musk take over.
- It remains unclear exactly how long the process will take for Musk to take ownership of Twitter. He threatened to walk away from the $44B deal earlier this month if he did not receive adequate information about the number of fake accounts on the platform.
- Separately, some SpaceX employees published an open letter to the company's executives on Thursday, denouncing some of Musk's crass tweets and other behavior.
| |
 Mortgage rates saw their highest one-week increase since 1987, leaping more than half a percentage point to 5.78%, according to Freddie Mac. Rates have nearly doubled year-over-year due to inflation expectations and actions by the Federal Reserve – a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.93% in June 2021. The 5.78% rate is the highest since November 2008. More: - Despite rising rates, home prices remain high, though there are signs that the market is beginning to cool.
- New sales of existing homes have dropped in recent months, as home buying becomes less affordable for many Americans.
- Mortgage rates tend to move when the Fed raises interest rates, as it did Wednesday. The Fed's rate influences the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield, which in turn influences mortgage rates.
- A year ago, a person buying the median home with a 20% down payment would have a monthly mortgage payment of $1,304, according to Freddie Mac. Today, that monthly payment would be $1,827 for the same home.
| |
 A message from LAIKA If you’re trying to close deals, SOC 2 is probably a thorn in your side. What is it, and who cares? Your business needs SOC 2. But building compliance from scratch is complicated, time-consuming, and the cost can be crippling. Laika has you covered. Uncomplicate SOC 2 with our guide for growth-minded founders. In the guide by Laika you’ll learn: - What is SOC 2 compliance and why it matters for your startup
- How to close more deals faster by becoming SOC 2 compliant
- How to prepare for SOC 2 compliance
- What to expect in terms of time and cost
- What to do after the report is in
What makes Laika the authority on SOC 2? They’re the only compliance automation solution that was built by compliance experts. Learn how to turn compliance from a pain point into a secret edge over your competitors. Download Now 
| |
 Dom Phillips interviewing two Indigenous men in Brazil A fisherman has confessed to the murder of a British journalist and a Brazilian researcher in the Amazon rainforest, more than a week after the pair went missing. Freelance reporter Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira disappeared on June 5 in the Javari Valley, a remote part of the Amazon in western Brazil. Suspect Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira confessed that he shot the men and led police to their remains. Police have also arrested his brother, though he denies any involvement in the murders. More: - Phillips' family, in a statement, said they were "heartbroken," but praised the investigators who uncovered what happened after the pair's disappearance. They also lauded Phillips and Pereira's efforts in reporting on Indigenous groups in the area.
- Da Costa de Oliveira also confessed to sinking the pair's boat in the Itaquai river.
- Indigenous communities in the Javari Valley were reportedly crucial in helping track down the suspects and discovering the whereabouts of the victims' remains.
| |
 GOOD NEWS: Pandemic-era stimulus money may have precipitated a revival in the independent bookstore industry, according to a trade group. The American Booksellers Association (ABA) says its membership has increased by more than 17% since spring 2021, with the addition of more than 300 independently-owned bookstores. The group associates some of the increase to members who delayed renewing their membership more than a year ago, but at least 100 of the new members opened just in the last year. The ABA is also getting more diverse, with a number of stores with BIPOC owners emphasizing author diversity in their inventory. Book sales are higher than they were before the pandemic, and independent sellers have remained resilient amid consistent economic challenges.
| |
 A message from ADOBE MARKETO Done right, metrics and analytics can strengthen trust, build budget, and increase business impact for marketing teams. But according to Forrester, 77% of global B2B decision-makers say that using data and analytics to guide decisions is one of their top weaknesses. Our fact sheet, Metrics That Make a Big Difference, covers helpful tips for measuring — and proving — the value of your marketing content and campaigns. A few tips to get you started: - Tip #1: Don’t fixate on costs.
- Tip #2: Define your metrics —and how you’ll measure them—upfront.
- Tip #3: Choose a marketing attribution model.
Download the guide to see the rest of our tips, and in-depth analysis of how, why and when they should be applied. Download Now
| |
 The man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, John Hinckley, Jr., was unconditionally released from all court-ordered surveillance on Wednesday. Hinckley never served any jail time as he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1981 shooting and wounding of Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, and two others. Instead, he was held and observed at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. until 2016. On Wednesday, Hinckley tweeted: "After 41 years, 2 months and 15 days, FREEDOM AT LAST!!!" More: - Since 2020, Hinckley has been allowed to publicly showcase artwork and music under his own name. He occasionally posts performances of original and cover songs to his YouTube channel.
- Hinckley's acquittal led to public outrage and the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984, which made such not guilty verdicts more difficult for defense attorneys to achieve.
- Hinckley's motive for attempting to assassinate Reagan was to impress actor Jodie Foster, whom he had been stalking for years. He has since publicly apologized to those he shot and to Foster.
- Hinckley now lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.
| |
 Cosmetics company Revlon filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, as it seeks to lose some of its debt and line up new financing. Though Revlon's sales have risen over the past year and a half, it has yet to regain its losses after sales dropped 21% in 2020. For much of the last 35 years, Revlon has relied on its controlling shareholder, billionaire investor Ronald Perelman, for frequent injections of cash; his daughter, Debra, is the current CEO. More: - Revlon has faced similar supply chain issues as other cosmetics companies and those in other industries.
- The company says it expects an additional $575M in financing from lenders and will continue daily operations.
- Perelman's holding company MacAndrews & Forbes acquired Revlon in a hostile takeover in the 1980s.
- Revlon was founded in 1932 and became one of the bestselling cosmetics brands of the late 20th century.
| |
QUICK HITS - Trying to deliver on big expectations with a small team or budget? Use this worksheet to learn how you can do more with less.*
- New Mexico's Supreme Court has ordered Otero County officials to certify the results of its June 7 primary. The county's commissioner has refused to certify the results over "concerns" about Dominion voting machines used in the election. Those voting machines were the subject of debunked conspiracy theories alleging fraud in the 2020 election.
- Beyoncé is releasing a new album, "Renaissance," on July 29. The album may be the first in a multi-part series, as streaming services and her social media profiles have it listed with the subtitle "Act I."
- WNBA star Sue Bird, 41, says she will retire at the end of the league's 2022 season.
- About one-third of the top hospitals in the U.S., according to The Markup, use a data tracker that sends details to Facebook about patients' medical conditions and prescriptions.
- USA Today has removed 23 articles from its website after allegations that a reporter continually fabricated quotes.
*This is sponsored content.
| |
| |
Upcoming Events - June 22 - AMA with Daniel Stedman (Pressto) (Register Here)
- June 29 - June 30 - Polkadot Decoded: The Biggest Polkadot Event of the Year (Register Here) *
- June 30 - HR Strategies to Retain Remote Employees (Register Here)
- July 20 - Need To Know NoCoder - Yassine Tahi (Kinetix) (Register Here)
- July 20 - The Rise of Metaverse Gaming (Register Here)
- August 17 - Investments To Make In Down Markets (Register Here)
- September 14 - Are Electric Cars Worth It? (Register Here)
Want to see all of our upcoming events? Visit us at https://inside.com/events *This is a sponsored post
| |
 |  | Jonathan Harris is a writer and editor who lives in Los Angeles. |  | | Editor | Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade. | |
Laika is a unified compliance platform that automates workflows for audits, infosec monitoring, and vendor due diligence in a single, collaborative space. | |
| |
Comments
Post a Comment