Welcome to February, readers. We've made it through job-cuts January. I'm Diamond Naga Siu, and it was pretty hard to avoid starting every newsletter with layoffs. But we're likely not out of the woods yet.
This week, we have many earnings calls on deck (my brilliant teammates Paayal Zaveri, Asia Martin, and Emilia David will walk you through them). While the calls are pretty technical and sometimes kind of boring, they're important. They can signal more layoffs and/or give valuable insights into what top executives and investors are thinking.
Meta (Facebook's parent company) has its call tonight. And many employees will likely have their ears peeled for hints to the future. Multiple workers told my colleague Kali Hays that they're already bracing for more job cuts. Snap employees are similarly prepping themselves for round two of layoffs.
Speaking of which, I'm hosting a Reddit AMA on tech layoffs. It's on Thursday, February 2 at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET. Before that happens though, let's jump into today's tech.
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1. Microsoft warned employees against sharing "sensitive data" with ChatGPT. Amazon issued similar guidance recently. And now it's Microsoft's turn.
- Leaked internal communications revealed that Microsoft's CTO office told employees that using ChatGPT is fine. But it cautioned against sharing sensitive data in case it's used for future AI training models.
- "This is new territory for all of us," Eugene Kim, who reported the story, told me. "Companies and employees are all scrambling to find out the exact rules around using ChatGPT for work."
- He added: "The interesting thing here is that Microsoft is a big partner and investor of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. In theory, Microsoft stands to gain when ChatGPT collects more data and improves its technology. But they also have to make sure their own confidential data doesn't get shared with ChatGPT."
Get Eugene's full story on the leaked messages here.
In other news:
2. This is how shopping sites get you to buy more. Companies often tap into people's FOMO and use data to build personal relationships with customers — ultimately convincing them to make more purchases. Check out their tactics here.
3. You could soon pay to restore broken snapstreaks. Snapchat is considering letting people pay $0.99 to revitalize broken snapstreaks (the true marker of teenage friendships). Users frequently even email support to help restore the broken streaks. More on the plan here.
4. High-income dudes are working fewer hours — low-earning ones are quitting. Guys earning six figures are openly cutting their work hours, a new study found. It's fueling a downwards trend of overall number of hours worked in the US. Check out this step beyond quiet quitting.
5. Facebook and Snap employees are both bracing for Layoffs, Round Two. Recent comments by both CEOs have left their employees fearful of more job cuts. And industry experts corroborated their fears. More on the tenuous situation here.
6. Maryland is pushing for a 4-day workweek. Work hours would go from 40 to 32 hours without reduced pay or benefits. As an incentive, employers would get a tax credit. Get the full government plan here.
7. Shopify is majorly raising its prices. Following recent turmoil — Chaos Monkey 2023, high-profile departures, and more drama — it's increasing product prices by up to 33%. It might upset small businesses, but experts say customers will likely still stay. More on the price jump here.
8. Apple execs including CEO Tim Cook possibly violated worker rights. The federal government said that it found evidence of Apple bigwigs breaking labor laws. If Apple doesn't settle with its former workers who lodged the complaint, the government could prosecute the company. More on Apple's possibly illegal conduct here.
Odds and ends:
9. Peep inside this 1960s Greenwich Village apartment. It's the first time this two-bedroom condo has legitimately hit the market for more than 50 years. The 1,135-square-foot condo is nearly entirely covered in maple plywood panels. Get the full tour here.
10. The ultimate LG G2 4K OLED TV review. This is one of the best high-end tellies you can currently buy. It boasts an elegant design, extra-large screen options, and robust smart TV features. Check out all its impressive features here.
What we're watching today:
Curated by Diamond Naga Siu in San Diego. (Feedback or tips? Email dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Matt Weinberger (tweet @gamoid) in San Francisco and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.
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