Amazon's Alexa was Jeff Bezos' pet project; now it's a target for the company's cost-cutting.
Insider reported the Amazon division that built Alexa is on track to lose $10 billion this year.
Voice assistants were supposed to be revolutionary, but no one's figured out how to make them profitable.
The division that houses Amazon's Alexa is on track to lose $10 billion this year alone, as Insider's Eugene Kim reported. And as layoffs hit Amazon, the Alexa team, once 10,000 people strong and a passion project for the then-CEO Jeff Bezos, is now a juicy target for cuts.
The Amazon Echo debuted in 2014 and was the company's first real success as a hardware manufacturer. Early versions of voice assistants existed as far back as the early aughts, and Siri debuted on the iPhone in 2011, but Amazon's Echo spawned an entirely new class of gadgets: the smart speaker. The stand-alone voice assistant was immediately useful, and by 2018, the company sold more than 100 million Alexa-enabled devices.
Amazon sold the Echo device at cost to induce people to buy things from the site, but the smart speaker never became the significant sales driver the company had hoped. Then again, being forced to listen to Alexa read off two minutes of copy about dishwasher pellets to ensure you're ordering the right brand is not exactly a stellar user experience.
But as initial Echo sales surpassed expectations within the company, Amazon and others began thinking of Alexa and voice computing as a new platform. It created an app store, Alexa Skills, hoping to spark the same wild innovation Apple saw when developers were allowed into its App Store in 2008. And it launched first-party products like microwave ovens and TVs with Alexa built in. It even licensed the Alexa voice assistant to other manufacturers, hoping to make the assistant ubiquitous throughout people's homes.
One of the critical weaknesses for Amazon's ambitions to be in the business of nearly everything is that it doesn't own a platform. It doesn't control a PC operating system like Microsoft or Apple, and doesn't have a mobile platform like Google's Android or Apple's iOS (even Amazon Fire tablets just run a modified version of Android).
But Amazon's internal data and user surveys began to show voice commands are great for a narrow range of tasks: setting a timer, playing music, and finding out the weather. You may have heard Alexa plaintively remind you that it can do much more than set a timer — that's because Amazon knows that most people don't do much beyond that. Some people even stop using the product after a few weeks.
The pessimistic view was that "Amazon has succeeded in selling a huge number of glorified clock radios," as Benedict Evans, a former Andreessen Horowitz partner, wrote in 2019.
It's a core paradox for voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant: The technology was tremendously successful. Many consumers find it genuinely useful. And no one can make any money with them.
Amazon can't get people to buy more stuff with Alexa, and it chose not to require Amazon Echo users to have an Amazon Prime account, the only other credible pathway to making money. Amazon Skills has fizzled out as developers realized there's no money to be made building for the platform. Amazon does use voice queries to help with ad targeting, but advertising is a small percentage of total revenue for Amazon.
Amazon isn't alone. Google has shifted spending away from its Google Assistant to improve its Google Pixel smartphone, The Information reported earlier this year. Other would-be Alexa competitors, like Microsoft's Cortana or Samsung's Bixby, are essentially dead.
The only company that seemingly isn't suffering the voice-assistant blues is Apple with Siri. That's because Apple knows its smart speaker isn't a loss leader. It sold the original HomePod for $349 and its MiniPod sells for $99. For comparison, you can buy an Alexa Dot for $15 right now.
Bezos told shareholders in 2013 that Amazon sold its devices at breakeven because "we want to make money when people use our devices — not when people buy our devices." Apple went the opposite route, deciding that if it was going to sell something to play music, set timers, and check the weather, it needed to keep the margins healthy.
Amazon, hoping to lure in users by keeping the price low, made the Echo and Alexa into a commodity gadget: cheap and unremarkable.
There's money to be made selling commodity tech products — plenty of companies stay in business selling laptops, home-office printers, and WiFi routers. But as Amazon faces a new era of cost discipline, a "glorified clock radio" can't lose $10 billion a year or employ 10,000 people.
Panic, mixed with a smattering of anger and disbelief, is a natural response to a bad performance review. But it's not productive.
seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images
Insider spoke with career experts about the steps you should take after you get a bad review.
Some hard reflection is in order. Ask yourself: Is there credibility to what my boss said?
If you feel that the review is flawed or contains incorrect information, don't be afraid to say so.
It's never good to be on the receiving end of a negative performance review. But when your boss appears indifferent — or worse, seems to have it out for you — the situation can feel downright alarming.
"Getting a bad review might not be so troubling in and of itself," Allison Elias, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, said. "But if your manager isn't in your corner — isn't aligned with you and isn't trying to help you advance — it can be really stressful and deflating."
While panic, mixed with a smattering of anger and disbelief, is natural, it's not productive. Insider spoke with Elias and other career experts about the five steps you should take after you get a bad review.
Do some hard self-reflection
For starters, don't be defensive. And don't say anything you'll later regret, Allison Task, a career coach in New Jersey, said. Instead, ask your manager for a copy of the review so you can read the feedback carefully before responding. Then do some hard self-reflection. Ask yourself: Is there credibility to this review? Does my boss (maybe even sorta kinda) have a point?
Get second and third opinions, Task advised. Ask trusted mentors, colleagues, and others willing to shine light on your blind spots what they see.
"Show genuine curiosity," she said. "You're not looking for reassurance or a hug — you're looking for honesty."
Look for signals within the wider context
If you've had a series of great reviews and this is the first bad one, perhaps something has changed about your job or the organization. If your boss seems inclined to work with you to improve, maybe there's hope.
But if this isn't the first one, or you've had consistent negative feedback, Task said, "You need to consider that this job might not be a good fit."
Tristan Layfield, a career coach and résumé consultant in Detroit, said there's a distinct possibility that you're being managed out of the organization, especially if your boss suggested putting you on a formal performance-improvement plan. Or it could be that you're being targeted by a boss who's stack-ranking employees for layoffs.
Politely disagree if the feedback is inaccurate
Find out the specific behaviors and actions your boss wants from you, Tristan Layfield, a career coach, advised.
Tristan Layfield
Next, formulate a response — and put it in writing, as documentation might prove useful later on.
If you believe the review is flawed or contains incorrect information, don't be afraid to say so. A line-by-line rebuttal isn't wise, but Layfield said that some well-reasoned (and polite) counterarguments that debunk or weaken your boss' assessment might be warranted. Include objective measures of your performance that bolster your case and point out achievements that your superiors might have overlooked.
Then, have a conversation with your boss. Test the waters, and find out whether your manager is receptive to seeing your interpretation, Layfield said.
Ask questions and gain clarity, he added. Say, for instance, your boss said you didn't take initiative.
"Ask: 'Can you tell me a time when you wanted me to take initiative and I didn't?'" Layfield said. "'What does taking initiative look like to you?'"
Figure out whether the situation can be resolved
Watch for signals during the conversation that your boss is willing to help you to improve. This includes things like open body language, an encouraging tone of voice, and a plan to forge ahead with your employment intact.
Find out the specific behaviors and actions your boss wants from you, Layfield said. Ask how your progress will be measured, he advised, and develop a system that keeps your boss in the loop about what you're doing to improve.
"Make sure your boss is invested in helping you figure out solutions," he said.
Know when it's time to leave
"An unsupportive boss is presenting you with a record of what you've done wrong with no plan," Allison Elias of the University of Virginia said.
AOM
Otherwise, it might be time to cut your losses, Elias of UVA said.
"A supportive boss wants you to move forward with valid criticism," she added. "An unsupportive one is presenting you with a record of what you've done wrong with no plan."
It's a lot easier to find a new job when you already have one, so depending on the size of your organization, see whether you can navigate to another job or team. In the meantime, activate your network and start looking for roles elsewhere.
Elias also suggested uncovering external opportunities to establish your expertise. Offer to speak at an industry conference, for example.
"Look for things that are within your control that your boss can't take away from you," she said.
Allison Mertzman turned her Disney travel agency side hustle into a full-time job in 2018.
She charges up to $450 to help clients book park tickets, flights, reservations, and hotels.
She's helped more than 250 people plan trips this year and has more than 800,000 social followers.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Allison Mertzman, a 37-year-old former elementary-school teacher who runs the travel agencyAdventures with Allison Wonderlandthat specializes in Disney vacations and is based in Los Angeles, California. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I've been to Disney World more than 50 times, and I go to Disneyland every few weeks. The first time I went to Disney World was when I was nine months old.
I have such happy memories associated with Disney throughout my life. Stepping into a Disney park, you feel the magic right away with the characters. They pump the smells of the bakery onto Main Street, so even the scent of the air is different when you go there. I've experienced that as a child with my parents, and now I get to visit with my two daughters, ages four and seven.
I became an expert in planning Disney trips not just through my own excursions but by planning vacations for friends and family who asked for help. When it comes to Disney vacations, you really need somebody who specializes in it because it requires covering so many details, including dinner reservations and resort locations in relation to the park and other attractions.
Many people think you can go to Disney and just wing it. It has to be planned out.
In January 2016, I posted on Facebook that I would help anyone looking to plan a Disney vacation. The first person I worked with was a referral from a friend, then it kind of spiraled from there.
This year alone, I've worked with 250 different clients. I plan trips for all Disney destinations, including Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, and Adventures by Disney. I sell trips to Disney World the most simply because it's the most popular destination, but my favorite to plan is Adventures by Disney because those clients are traveling all over the world and have really unique and fun itineraries. I have five agents that work for me part-time.
Planning Disney trips was a side hustle that became a full-time career
Mertzman with Minnie Mouse.
Courtesy of Allison Mertzman
I got started as a travel agent just to pay for my Disney trips. It was a side hustle for a long time and became a full-time job in 2018 when I opened my travel agency. I quit teaching because we were moving from Michigan to California after my wife got a new job. We decided collectively it was too expensive to send our daughter to daycare, and my teaching salary didn't outweigh the cost of childcare.
I have 846,000 followers on TikTok and 145,000 on Instagram. I'd grown my social-media following during the pandemic as a fun pastime and ended up getting a lot of clients that way.
I charge a planning fee between $150 for a basic experience — which includes customizable options for hotel and flight planning — and $450 for more detail-oriented planning. Every client gets reminder emails and recommendations around what to book and when and special add-ons they can purchase 90, 67, and 37 days before their trip. I set up their bookings for hotels, help them with flight and park tickets, decide the best places for them to check out, and assist with logistics. One of the most common requests I get from clients is help with dining and picking a hotel based on their budget.
Many people think a Disney vacation will cost them $10,000, but there are so many ways to make it affordable
Mertzman in Epcot.
Courtesy of Allison Mertzman
It's still a luxury to visit a Disney attraction, but I can work within a client's budget to make sure they aren't losing a mortgage over it. My travel agency specifically keeps an eye out for any deals, and I autoapply them to any reservation I've made.
Weekdays are generally cheaper than the weekends. Traveling during Christmas and spring break is always more expensive, so if this is the only time you can go, reconcile with the fact that it's going to be crowded. This year, I saw deals for Disney Plus members and Disney Visa cardholders. Many times, these deals can only be applied to packages, so I recommend booking your hotel and park tickets together.
Every room in a Disney resort has a refrigerator or cooler. I suggest having a quick breakfast in the morning in your room so you can get to the parks earlier, when it's less crowded. (I would say the first two hours the park is open are the least crowded, as well as after the fireworks show in the evening.) Any guest staying at a Disney property is also allowed entry a half hour early. That's the best time to go on the most sought-after rides.
I tend to recommend eating lunch in the park instead of dinner, since you never know where you'll be by the evening, and you may be too tired to stick around. Always have reservations in advance for your meals at the park.
If you need to find the nearest restroom, ask a Disney cast member. They're very prevalent throughout the park and usually have that information.
I really enjoy the after-hours events that start around 9 or 10 p.m., especially if you're a night owl. You have fewer crowds then, so you can get on the more popular rides more easily.
Despite some hiccups, this is something I plan to continue doing full-time
Besides COVID-19 lockdowns, the biggest challenges I've had to deal with have to do with the weather, like hurricanes and tropical storms in Florida. I take care of all of the rescheduling in these types of circumstances, which is baked into my planning fee.
I work really hard to set expectations around what I can do for people so they know what to expect when they work with me. I've passed on people right out the gate.
One person in particular sent me an email three pages long with every single thing she wanted. I knew immediately she was a person who would be consistently unhappy if things didn't go her way (which happens often on vacation). When one of my other agents offered to take her, I forwarded the email with about a paragraph introduction, to which she replied angrily that I was impersonal and couldn't believe I passed her off. I then sent a longer email reply apologizing and explaining that we wouldn't be a good fit — to which she replied with bullet points about everything I'd done wrong in the interaction. I'm just happy I trusted my instincts on that one.
But I love the challenge of making families magical, multigenerational vacations, and I can't imagine stopping any time soon. When someone comes back to me and says, "Allison, this trip was so amazing. Your recommendations were spot on. My kids had a great time. Thank you" — that's everything to me.
Locus robots work alongside workers in a Ceva Logistics warehouse.
Locus Robotics
Locus Robotics raised $117 million in a round led by Goldman Sachs.
The Series F round brings the company's valuation to nearly $2 billion.
CEO Rick Faulk said the company is headed for an IPO as soon as the markets wake up.
Locus Robotics announced a $117 million Series F round Tuesday, led by Goldman Sachs' growth equity division and G2 Venture Partners — both new investors.
Goldman Managing Director Mark Midle, who will be joining Locus' board, called the company a "market leader" in the warehouse automation space in a statement accompanying this announcement. Locus CEO Rick Faulk told Insider that Goldman, G2, and other investors in the oversubscribed round have been watching Locus for more than four years. Faulk's ambition to take the company public in the next year or two encouraged him to bring new talent to the board.
"If the window does open, hopefully in the next 12 to 24 months, we're ready to go. We've got the numbers to do it," Faulk told Insider.
Locus's core product is a "co-bot" — a 5-foot tall robot with a small screen on top and a 2-foot circular base that can hold a box, bin, or shelves. Human workers take items off of warehouse shelves and the robots show up to ferry the items to a conveyor belt or packing station.
The system cuts miles of walking out of workers' shifts, according to the company, and ups productivity by a factor of two or three. Crucially, it offers a relatively straightforward integration process for warehouses, according to the company.
The company now has more than $100 million in contracted, recurring revenue, said Faulk.
The pandemic spring boarded robotics adoption in e-commerce warehouses, and a tight labor market has kept demand high. But that doesn't mean all warehouse robotics startups are flourishing. Venture funding is tightening and those without proven results are in trouble, Faulk said.
Beyond the efficiency brought by the robots themselves, Locus's "robots-as-a-service" business model doesn't require a multi-million upfront purchase, which makes it an easier sell for warehouse operations. Faulk said it's also more resistant to corporate belt-tightening because over the course of multi-year contracts, warehouses get more efficient at utilizing the system, which drives down their costs per order.
Founded in 2014, Locus robots are in use in more than 320 warehouses around the world. Existing customers include DHL, Geodis, CEVA Logistics, Whiplash, Radial, and more.
While waiting for a more favorable climate for an IPO, Faulk said, Locus will grow its headcount to 500 this year from 280 at the end of 2021, expand into the Asian market, and consider acquisitions "opportunistically."
Thousands of demonstrators erupt in rare protests against COVID-19 restrictions across China
AFP/Getty Images
Chinese police conducted random stop-and-search checks on phones, per WSJ and CNBC.
The authorities checked for banned foreign apps such as Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.
These apps were reportedly used by protesters rallying against China's zero-covid policy.
As protests over China's draconian COVID-19 policy intensify, local police tried to quell further escalation by conducting random stop-and-search checks for banned foreign social media apps, the The Wall Street Journal and CNBC reported Monday.
In Shanghai, police conducted phone inspections in People's Square Station, a transportation hub, looking for banned apps, the Journal reported, citing messages posted in a chat room used by protesters and viewed by the publication.
A video posted on Twitter by senior BBC journalist Edward Lawrence showed police officers in Shanghai forcing protestors to delete protest-related imagery from their phones.
"It's just been a cat-and-mouse game to be able to communicate and log in to the free world," CNBC reporter Eunice Yoong said in a live interview on Tuesday.
The Shanghai and Beijing police did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
US stocks and oil both fell Monday as anti-lockdown protests in China rattled markets.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
US stock futures fell in premarket trading Monday as Chinese protests weighed on market sentiment.
Crude oil prices fell to their lowest levels this year on worries about a hit to Chinese demand.
Unrest erupted in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities in protest against zero-Covid restrictions.
US stock futures fell and crude oil prices hit their lowest levels this year Monday, as public protests in China against President Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policies unsettled investors.
Meanwhile, worries about weaker demand for fuel in China sent oil prices lower, with the global benchmark Brent crude declining just over 3% to $81.04 a barrel and the US benchmark WTI crude down about 3% to $73.95 a barrel.
Protesters in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai are campaigning against China's strict lockdowns, which the government has continued to implement in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus cases, which are hitting daily record highs.
Demonstrations broke out after social media posts blamed the restrictions for preventing firefighters from tackling a blaze that killed 10 people.
The unrest and its potential to hit the world's second-largest economy hit market sentiment. It has also shifted investors' focus away from the monthly US jobs report due Friday, which could offer up the most hopeful sign yet that the Federal Reserve will ease up its tightening campaign in December, analysts said.
"The recent narrative has been that markets have room to celebrate the downward shift in Fed tightening expectations and hopes that an eventual opening up of China's economy will help boost global growth," Saxo Bank strategists said.
"The widespread protests at the weekend have changed the plot, driving new uncertainty on how things will develop and possibly outweighing a considerable portion of the implications of the next important data macro data points out of the US, especially the Friday November jobs report," they added.
Asian stocks also fell Monday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index led the selloff by dropping 1.57%, while the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.75%. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 closed 0.42% lower.
Here's what else is happening in markets this morning:
European stocks traded lower, with the flagship Stoxx 600 index down 0.83%. Paris's CAC 40 slid 0.85%, Frankfurt's DAX 40 dropped 0.83%, and London's FTSE 100 fell 0.67%.
Bond prices edged higher, with US 2-year yields down 5.8 basis points to 4.451% and US 10-year yields falling 4.9 basis points to 3.651% at last check.
The US Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other leading currencies, fell 0.36% to 105.58.
Cryptocurrencies continued to trade close to their 2022 lows, with bitcoin down 2.14% to $16,215 and ethereum dropping 3.44% to $1,174.
Brussels mayor Philippe Close tweeted:"I express my strongest condemnation against these thugs who want to attack our capital. The Brussels police will always fight to prevent them from causing harm."
Videos also surfaced on Twitter which showed violence erupting in the neighboring country of Netherlands, as rioters in Rotterdam attacked riot police with fireworks and glass.
The number and extent of injuries remain unclear, though one person was confirmed to have suffered facial injuries, Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere told AP News.
This was Morocco's first ever World Cup match victory since 1998, per CNN. Winning their final group stage match against Canada next Thursday will advance them to the round of 16 off 32 teams, for the second time in World Cup history.
Brussels police and Philippe Close did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Some Twitter users wrote posts saying their accounts had been suspended.
Jakub Porzycki/Getty Images
Some Twitter users say they were told their tweets about Elon Musk were "hateful conduct."
Insider found two users who said they were suspended for tweets poking fun at the new owner.
At least four users say their tweets were marked as violations. Others were told to delete them.
Some Twitter users criticizing or poking fun at Elon Musk say their accounts are getting suspended or they've been told to delete tweets.
Insider found two users who said their accounts were suspended and four who got notified by Twitter that they had violated its rules due to "hateful conduct."
One account claimed they were banned by Twitter for posting a tweet that seemingly described Musk as being "unlikeable" and someone who has been "desperate all his life for people to like him."
The user said they "didn't even mention the person's name" but was banned over accusations that it violated Twitter's terms of service. They also said they appealed against the ban and posted a screenshot on Friday of an email from Twitter saying his account had been "unsuspended."
Another user said their account was locked after Twitter flagged their tweet as "hateful conduct."
They said their account was suspended for a week after tweeting: "The absolute magic outcome of @elonmusk's latest move to reinstate Trump will be when he doesn't re-engage with Twitter and all his deranged redneck followers are left hanging in a vacuum."
A third user posted a screenshot of a Twitter notification after tweeting: "Kinda weird that one dude gets to decide if like a billion of us can communicate or not."
One Twitter account said they received notice from Twitter instructing them to delete their tweet, which said: "idk who in the replies needs to hear this but you can't defend elon musk if the only thing u have in common with him is a receding hairline and that ur girl left u."
Another person said they received the same notification after tweeting: "To be clear, Elon Musk is a tax-avoidance whore."
Musk last month floated plans to create a Twitter "content moderation council" that would be made up of people with "widely diverse viewpoints."
At the time, he tweeted that no accounts would be reinstated before the council met up, but has since allowed former US president Donald Trump back on the platform, although Trump has not yet started tweeting again.
Musk also said that people who had their accounts suspended for "minor and dubious" reasons would be released from "Twitter jail."
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
Plants are listed for sale near me on Facebook Marketplace.
Facebook
Among Meta's many apps and services, Facebook Marketplace has quickly grown to be my favorite.
It's a great way to buy good furniture for an affordable price. I prefer it to eBay or Craigslist.
One Facebook Marketplace user told me she thinks buying second-hand adds "soul" to her home.
Meta has a trove of products and services that billions of people use daily, including Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, but one, in particular, has grown to become my favorite.
The logos of WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook.
Chesnot/Getty Images
And it's not the metaverse: While Meta's recent pivot to the metaverse has been the subject of scrutiny from investors and the corporate world, I'm convinced the company's best product is Facebook Marketplace.
Mark Zuckerberg as an avatar during Connect 2022.
Meta
I've mostly stopped using Facebook as a social network, but I visit facebook.com nearly every day to check out Marketplace.
Facebook Marketplace has all kinds of housewares listed for sale.
Samantha Delouya
Marketplace is a platform on Facebook that allows anyone with a profile to buy and sell goods.
Facebook calls Marketplace "a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community."
Facebook
It's free to use, but Facebook takes a 5% cut whenever a seller ships an item. Meta doesn't share how much money it makes from the service, though last year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that more than 1 billion people visit Marketplace each month.
A photo of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Facebook/Meta
Recently, Zuckerberg said Facebook Marketplace benefited from supply-chain issues that made it hard for people to buy new items from stores without long wait times.
A shortage of shipping containers contributed to supply chain hiccups in 2020 and 2021.
Alex Kantrowitz
It's a great way to buy high-quality furniture for an affordable price, and it's become my go-to source for decorating my new apartment.
This chair retails for $550 on Crate & Barrel's website. I purchased it for $250 in perfect condition.
Samantha Delouya
According to the EPA, Americans throw out more than 12 million tons of furniture annually. The problem is likely to worsen as purchases of cheaply-made furniture have escalated since the pandemic.
According to the EPA, furniture in landfills has grown 450% since 1960.
By using Facebook Marketplace, I know I'm helping to keep furniture out of landfills - and I prefer using Marketplace for furniture over eBay or Craigslist.
There bar stools were listed for only $20 on Marketplace.
Samantha Delouya
Unlike on other selling sites, a user on Facebook Marketplace must have a Facebook profile to use the service, meaning I can attach a face to my interactions.
I purchased this West Elm night table at a significant discount second-hand. The lamp was $25 on Marketplace, but it retails for $60.
Samantha Delouya
There are still certain precautions I take. For example, I'd never enter a person's house by myself to pick up an item.
I secured a Facebook Marketplace purchase in my backseat after pick up.
Facebook Marketplace
The site is easy to use. You can set filters only to show local items within a certain radius – I've set mine to offer items for sale within 9 miles of my Los Angeles apartment. It's not only used for furniture; you can also search for clothing and electronics. There are even cars for sale on Marketplace.
I usually pay sellers in person using cash, Venmo, or Zelle, so I can check the item's quality before paying. You don't use Facebook itself to exchange payment; Facebook acts more as a classified ads service in this case.
Facebook Marketplace
Some local sellers prefer to meet in public areas, depending on how large the furniture items are. Others offer delivery or ask buyers to pick up purchases at the seller's doorway.
A Facebook Marketplace seller delivering dining chairs.
Samantha Delouya
One Facebook Marketplace user who sold me an item told me she thinks there's something "special" about buying previously owned items for her home. "They add a certain level of soul… beyond just being a pretty object," she said.
I purchased this sculpture through Facebook Marketplace for 50% less than its retail price.
Samantha Delouya
I've met some pretty accommodating sellers through the platform. For example, one person kindly offered to drive a dining table back to my apartment after I struggled to fit it in my car.
The seller of this table had ordered two by accident, so it was still wrapped and in the box when I bought it. It was brand new, but I got it for $100 cheaper than if I had bought it on Amazon.
Samantha Delouya
Overall, I'm very satisfied with the future I have bought on Facebook Marketplace for my new apartment.
This second-hand coffee table was one of the heaviest purchases to transport.
Samantha Delouya
I plan to continue using Facebook Marketplace to buy second-hand furniture. Next up: I'm on the hunt for a desk!
Some of the desks for sale near me on Marketplace.
DeepMind said it is pausing the hiring of new interns while it reviews its "strategic priorities."
One applicant tweeted that his interview was canceled an hour before it was supposed to start.
Another said she is "gutted" that it froze hiring and said the "tech hiring freeze is hitting hard."
DeepMind has imposed a freeze on hiring for new interns at the Alphabet-owned company.
The AI firm told Insider on Friday it was not taking on new interns for the time being as it is reconsidering how its "long-term focus" and "strategic priorities" fit with the internship program.
One applicant tweeted on Wednesday that his interview with DeepMind for an intern role was canceled an hour before it was supposed to go ahead and shared a screenshot of the email he received.
The candidate wrote: "Disappointed & shocked to hear that DeepMind 'paused' intern hiring and canceled all scheduled interviews, just one hour before my interview ... Anyone knows more details?"
Another aspiring DeepMind intern tweeted that she was "gutted" to hear about the freeze as she had made it to the final round of the hiring process. "The tech hiring freeze is hitting hard," she added.
A DeepMind spokesperson told Insider: "We've paused hiring for new interns at this time as we review how our Intern Program aligns with our long-term focus and strategic priorities as an organization. We are in communication with all applicants, and are grateful for the time they've invested in the process so far."
A third applicant of its intern program tweeted that it would have been a "dream come true" to work for the DeepMind program, but he didn't make it through the entire process because of the hiring freeze.
Several big tech companies have paused hiring new staff or slashed their workforces this year amid a looming recession.
Earlier this month, an Amazon recruiting director announced it was putting a "pause on new incremental hires." The director Beth Galetti said the e-commerce giant still plans to hire "a meaningful number" of new employees next year.
Tech giants such as Meta and Twitter have made mass cuts to their workforce to save on costs. Meta axed around 11,000 employees – 13% of its headcount – while Elon Musk laid off close to half of Twitter's workforce earlier this month after taking over the platform.
Insider contacted the three applicants for comment and did not receive responses.
Juliana Nehme was traveling to Brazil via Doha on Qatar Airways.
iStock
A plus-size Qatar Airways passenger said she was denied boarding because she was "fat."
Juliana Nehme said she was told to buy a first-class ticket as she wouldn't fit in an economy seat.
Qatar said Nehme became "extremely rude and aggressive" after failing to produce correct documents.
A plus-size model said she was not allowed to board a Qatar Airways flight because she was too fat to fit in an economy seat, but the airline said she had been "extremely rude and aggressive" to check-in staff.
Juliana Nehme, a model and influencer, said in an Instagram post that she was not allowed to board a flight from Beirut to Doha after a holiday in Lebanon with family.
She said Qatar told her to pay about $3,000 to upgrade to first class and refused to refund her the $947 she spent on her economy flight.
"I bought a return ticket to Brazil through Qatar and arriving at the time to check in, a Qatar flight attendant called my mother while another staffer was finishing our check-in, and told her I wasn't welcome to board because I'm fat," Nehme said in Portuguese in the Instagram video, according to a News.com.au report.
A post shared by Juliana Nehme (@juliananehme)
Nehme told her followers that she missed her connecting flight to São Paulo following the incident.
A spokesperson for Qatar Airways told Insider that Nehme became "extremely rude and aggressive" to check-in staff when another person in her party failed to produce the necessary COVID documentation required to enter Brazil.
However, the spokesperson did indicate that passengers could be asked to purchase an extra seat if they could not fit adequately into one.
"Qatar Airways treats all passengers with respect and dignity and in line with industry practices and similar to most airlines, anyone who impedes upon the space of a fellow traveller and cannot secure their seatbelt or lower their armrests may be required to purchase an additional seat both as a safety precaution and for the comfort and safety of all passengers."
Nehme was put on a later flight from Lebanon, the Qatar spokesperson said. It was not clear whether she had to pay for an upgrade to be allowed to fly.
Nehme didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
"If the description says, 'You'll wear a lot of hats,' make sure you know what those hats are and if you think they'll support your goals," Dani Monaghan, the vice president of global cloud recruiting at Google, said.
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Several experts told Insider what red flags indicate a company may not be great to work for.
If they ask you to do a test early in the process, they may be trying to get free work out of you.
If they won't let you meet with team members, they may be hiding low morale or high turnover.
When you're interviewing for a new job — especially if it's with a company you've long admired — it's easy to overlook a few bumps in the road in favor of getting an offer. But employers should be trying to woo you just as much as you should be wooing them. And if a hiring manager exhibits certain bad behaviors during the recruiting process, you're likely going to find yourself working for a bad boss or under a terrible company culture if you accept the role.
No matter how appealing a job sounds on paper, if you come across these six red flags when interviewing at a company, it might be best to pass it over for a better opportunity.
1. They're unreliable in their communication or timetable
Lars Schmidt, the founder of Amplify Academy, a community for HR leaders, told Insider it's a red flag if a hiring manager or HR team seems to dismiss you or blow you off — or worse, sets an expectation around the timeline of the recruiting process, then completely blows that up and institutes a new timeline with no explanation. If they do that to someone they're trying to recruit, think of how uncertain the employee experience might be, with ever-changing timelines and inconsistent communication.
Another not-so-great sign? Radio silence from a recruiter you've been in touch with before.
Dani Monaghan, the vice president of global cloud recruiting at Google, said the best way to suss out whether poor communication or confusing directions is a one-time fluke or a sign of a bigger issue is to ask yourself questions such as:
Are they constantly rescheduling interviews?
Do the recruiters or hiring managers rarely show up on time?
How responsive are they to emails, and how quickly do they usually get back to you?
Is the interview well organized, or did your interviewer show up unprepared?
Do they provide updates when they say they will?
2. You're asked to complete a test or project early on in the process
In some industries, it's normal for employers to require applicants to complete steps beyond an interview, such as completing a coding test, creating a slide deck, or writing something according to the job's specifications. This can be a valid way to assess a candidate's skills, but if an employer is requiring it early on in the recruiting process, it could also signal that the company doesn't respect your time or might be using this step to collect free work.
Skills tests or assignments should happen later, after you've completed at least one interview and gotten a good sense of whether the company is interested in you and would be a good fit, Schmidt said.
3. The job description is vague
Even for a brand-new role, the hiring manager should have a clear picture of what it entails. Otherwise, the company might be setting you up to fail.
"If the description says, 'You'll wear a lot of hats,' make sure you know what those hats are and if you think they'll support your goals," Monaghan said. "If the interview questions are ambiguous, applicants should always clarify."
4. They're being cagey or defensive around compensation
The last thing any job seeker wants is to interview multiple times for a job without knowing if the pay meets their expectations. Fortunately, several states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Washington, now require pay transparency, either in the job listing or when a candidate asks.
Even if you aren't in one of those states, the market is trending toward pay transparency. Janine Yancey, the CEO of Emtrain, a tech platform that uses data and analytics to identify toxic workplace issues, told Insider it's reasonable to ask the pay band on a role early on in the process. If they don't have the pay band yet, they should at least say, "That's a good question, let me get back right to you," she said. That question shouldn't elicit a negative reaction.
5. They're being evasive around negative events
If you've done your homework before an interview, you'll know if a company has negative Glassdoor reviews or recently faced some bad press — and you'll probably want to know more about it before making your decision to accept the job. "If you ask questions about perhaps negative press or even Glassdoor and that gets brushed off and dismissed, that can be a red flag," Schmidt said.
On the other hand, if they acknowledge it and explain how they're working to improve company culture or recover from a scandal, that could be a more positive sign of growth.
6. You're not able to access other team members
Don't just talk to your potential supervisor — talking to as many current employees as possible, including people you'll be managing or peers you'll be working with regularly, can help you feel out the company culture. "If a company won't accommodate, that's also a red flag," Monaghan said. By brushing off such a request, a hiring manager may be trying to cover up high turnover or low morale on the team.
"If an applicant speaks with several people who seem unhappy, listless, disgruntled, then it could be indicative of a negative work environment," Monaghan added.
While everyone has days when they're off their game or say the wrong thing, looking at the sum of interactions can clue you into a company's culture. "If they don't have really talented individuals at the leading edge of the organization, I think that's also an indicator of what you can expect in their people team and their HR team," Yancey said.
More than 1,400 Twitter employees signed up to Blindin the past month, its co-founder told Insider.
About 95% of Twitter's workforce is now on Blind, Kyum Kim said.
Users of the anonymous professional network can only review the company they work for.
Twitter employees have been flocking to Blind, the anonymous professional network, since Elon Musk took control of the social media platform.
In the past month more than 1,400 Twitter employees signed up to Blind, its co-founder Kyum Kim told Insider. About 95% of Twitter's remaining workers are now on Blind, he said.
Blind users can write posts and can only upload a review of a company they work for. The anonymous posters are required to provide their work email address, job title and employer when they sign up so Blind can "gauge the professional status" of its users.
Kim previously told Insider that it had seen "much more usage" this month following mass layoffs in the tech sector.
Musk's $44 billion takeover was finalized on October 27 and a week later he axed almost half of Twitter's workforce, or about 3,700 employees.
Employees swarmed to Blind to write reviews on the day that some staff members learned that mass layoffs would come the following morning. More than 950 reviews of Twitter have been posted by employees since 2020.
One user, a self-described engineering manager, earlier this month wrote about Musk: "Brutalist decision-maker at the helm. Emergency driven work is exciting for those who like thrills. Pay is no longer tied to the stock market fluctuations."
Twitter is not the only tech company whose employees are speaking out on the site. Kim, who is also Blind's chief business officer, told Insider that about 3,000 Meta staff signed up the day before Mark Zuckerberg announced 11,000 job cuts.
He also said more than 7,000 Meta employees joined Blind in the first two weeks of November alone and that 64,000 Meta staff members are now on the site.
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.
"There's a lot of competition, and we all know who the high producers are. So when the game is on, it's fun," one Amazon warehouse worker says.
ane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images
An older Amazon worker shared their experience preparing for Black Friday at the warehouse.
They used to be a packer but switched to a new role after getting carpal-tunnel surgery.
The worker loves the Black Friday chaos but finds the employee-raffle incentive discouraging.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with an Amazon warehouse worker in their 60s. They asked to remain anonymous for professional reasons, but Insider has verified their identity, salary, and employment with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I started working for Amazon as a warehouse packer four years ago. I initially took the job because my wife got sick and we needed health insurance. Health insurance at Amazon kicks in on day one.
The first year, I struggled. It was pretty difficult on my legs and my body. I work 10 hours a day with two 45-minute breaks. This means I'm standing for 8 ½ hours every shift.
But as time went on, I was able to manage a little bit better. I developed a system where I pause intermittently and do simple stretches at my table, so I don't destroy myself.
I recently transferred to a different department out of packing. Even though I was very good at what I did, I wanted to go slower. My hands hurt, and I had to get surgery for carpal-tunnel syndrome. I had issues with my hands before I joined Amazon, but it got worse the more I worked.
Black Friday is peak time. I thrive in the madness.
At my warehouse, a week before peak period starts, all the equipment is serviced in anticipation of the busiest time of the year. Then the warehouse often shuts down an entire shift to do what they call a stress test to make sure all the equipment is functioning. Peak period starts just before Prime Day and extends into the Christmas holidays. The week before a major peak day, like Black Friday, there's mandatory overtime.
During Black Friday, Prime Day, and the holiday season, work shifts are increased from 40 hours a week to 55 hours a week — 11-hour days, five days a week. The size and types of boxes don't really change, just the number. But I'm a high producer year-round. When I was a packer, I'd still try to pack a bit more than usual, as the place got busier.
I find that when we hit peak period, that's when all hell breaks loose and I look around and see people running here and there. With increased orders, there are more boxes to pack and most people are very stressed, but I really enjoy it.
I'm very fast at what I do, and I produce a lot. So when there's a lot of work, I put my head down and the next thing I know I've packed hundreds of boxes. Usually from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., I'd pack 380 boxes. By lunch, I'd try to break 500. I used to pack at least 1,000 boxes a shift, but I've packed up to 1,100 during peak periods.
I see a lot of Apple AirPods being bought during Black Friday. I've also noticed a ton of sex toys. In addition, I've packaged a lot of electronics and Amazon-branded products, like Amazon Fire Sticks. There are a lot of kids toys, too. When I first got here, I packed a lot of books, but I've noticed lately books are less popular.
When I first started at Amazon, I liked the competition
There's a lot of competition, and we all know who the high producers are. So when the game is on, it's fun.
You're there for 10 hours. Can you imagine, you're living in your head for 10 hours? You're either going to pack mindlessly, or you're going to pack with a purpose. You have to have a system that you like — one that doesn't stress out your body and gets the job done.
The supervisors used to call out how much each packer produced, starting with the lowest, then hitting the people that were doing 100 an hour. The supervisors made these public announcements for a while, but then it wasn't fun anymore because people would come up to me and tell me I was stupid for working so hard. They'd say, "Amazon doesn't care about you — they're ruining you." But to me, they're paying me to do the job.
I think some people complained to human resources about numbers being called publicly, but I don't know for sure. Now messages are sent via our computer terminals. It provides rank and rate — for example, it could say you're in third place out of 65 packers with a rate of 117 boxes an hour.
During Black Fridays and other peak periods, Amazon gives out incentives
Amazon used to give out $50 Amazon gift cards during peak periods. Now it's changed to raffle tickets for prizes like TVs, bicycles, or BBQ sets. Once a week, managers pull out the winning ticket. Instead of going to each department and having a department pick somebody, they do the entire building.
It's like the lottery. How are you going to win it?
One time, the supervisors announced the prizes and a person who's never at work got a 60-inch TV. A fast worker saw that and freaked out. He never worked the same.
A lot of people think it's rigged. I see the same people getting the same presents. Now, when I get tickets, I just give them to somebody else. I think they should just throw in $200 as a reward for top performance every quarter instead of giving raffle tickets.
Whenever there's a raise, you could be the worst employee in the world and still make the same as the guy who's the most productive in his group
I was making $16.40 an hour earlier this year, but Amazon raised me to $18.40 an hour in October. I couldn't believe it. It recently gave raises to all employees. You get raises based on your years worked, but 36 months, four years, and five years get the same raise. During Thanksgiving week, I can make $1,150.
Then there's inflation to worry about. It's not fair. There's a guy I work with who was the fastest at packing boxes, but this raise cycle and raffle incentive killed his drive.
I'm really looking forward to retirement, but I have some financial goals to hit before leaving. I'm really grateful for the ability to earn and care for my family, especially my wife's health. I just wish it didn't come at the expense of long hours and damaged hands.
Are you an Amazon worker with a story to tell? Email mlogan@insider.com.
Kanye West, aka Ye, tweeted a video on Thursday alleging details of his interactions with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort.
Edward Berthelot/GC Images and Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Kanye West said former President Donald Trump screamed at him during dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
The rapper said Trump told him Ye would lose in 2024 if he ran for president.
Ye talked about meeting Trump in Florida in a Thursday video dubbed "Mar-a-Lago debrief."
Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, said former President Donald Trump started "screaming" at him during dinner at the Mar-a-Lago resort and told the rapper he would lose if he were to run in 2024.
"When Trump started basically screaming at me at the table telling me I was going to lose, I mean has that ever worked for anyone in history?" the rapper said in a video he tweeted on Thursday evening.
"I'm like whoa hold on, hold on, hold on. You're talking to Ye," he said in the video. The clip was one of several videos posted by the rapper on Thursday with the slogan "YE24."
Ye dubbed the video a "Mar-a-Lago debrief," during which he gave his side of the story about what happened during a visit to Trump's Florida residence on Tuesday.
"I think that was like, lower on the list of things that caught him off guard," Ye added.
Ye also spoke briefly in the video about his political beliefs. "Since we know, and all the Christians in America that love Trump know that Trump is a conservative, we're going to demand that you hold all policies directly to the Bible," he said.
The rapper also claimed Trump said something seemingly unpleasant about Ye's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.
"You can tell her I said that," Trump said to Ye, according to the rapper. The video censored the exact words that Ye alleged Trump said about Kardashian.
However, Ye appeared offended by the comment.
"And I was thinking like, that's the mother of my children," the rapper said in his video.
Ye ran for president under the banner of the "Birthday Party" in 2020. He only appeared on the ballot in 12 states, having missed the deadline for the others. He collected around 60,000 votes out of an estimated 160 million, per the BBC.
Musk tweeted Wednesday FTX would still be ok if SBF was as good at leadership as at 'bribing media'.
He was responding to a tweet which questioned whether SBF will continue to fund certain media outlets.
Musk has been hitting out at the media after reports surfaced SBF may still own a stake in Twitter — which Musk robustly denied.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has taken a swing at FTX's founder, alleging the crypto exchange would still be solvent if Sam Bankman-Fried was as good at running a crypto exchange as he was at 'bribing media'.
Musk made the jibes against the bankrupt crypto exchange's ex-CEO while responding to an earlier tweet that asked whether SBF will be able to continue funding media outlets after it filed for bankruptcy on November 11.
On November 12, Puck's Teddy Schleifer tweeted a list of media outlets that SBF previously funded — including Vox and Semafor — and questioned whether SBF will "continue funding media going forward."
Turkey prices are much higher than last year, the American Farm Bureau Federation said.
Nick David via Getty Images
Turkey farmers in the US face higher costs for feed, electricity and fuel due to an inflation surge.
Bob's Turkey Farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, told Insider that all its costs are up by 25%.
Many Hands, a farm in Massachusetts, hasn't raised its prices as they "try to charge what's fair."
US turkey farmers are grappling with higher costs for feed, electricity and fuel due to soaring inflation, forcing many to charge more for their turkeys this Thanksgiving.
The cost of turkey is up by more than a fifth compared to last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, as a result of supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine, while some farms have also been hit by bird flu.
Bob's Turkey Farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, told Insider the cost of rearing a turkey had jumped by a quarter compared with last year but has only raised prices by up to 16%.
Jenn Brezniak, 31, who works at the farm, said: "All expenses across the board are up 25%. The cost of feed, electricity, fuel, propane, oil and electricity is skyrocketing."
The farm typically sells about 2,700 turkeys to retailers and locals, with the same number again taken by wholesalers.
"The feed costs have gone up astronomically, as has the price of electricity," Brezniak said. "The cost to run all the freezers, refrigerators, lights and feeders is insane. But I don't think anyone is in farming for the money ... it's more a labor of love."
The farm breeds, hatches, raises and processes an average of 8,000 turkeys a year.
"It was a very difficult decision to raise prices," Brezniak said. "It's a balancing act to cover all our bills and make ends meet and not feel stressed."
Indiana-based Becker Farms told CBS News that the cost of feed is 40% higher this year and they are paying more for fuel, labor and packaging. As a result, their prices are up by almost 9%.
Many Hands, an organic farm and sustainability center in Barre, Massachusetts, told Insider that it hasn't raised its prices. The farm typically sells turkeys for about $6 a pound, meaning the average Thanksgiving turkey it sells costs about $100.
Julie Rawson says her Many Hands farm, which has been operating for four decades raises about 87 turkeys, has not seen the cost of grain rise too much.
"The birds live outside, so electricity is not an issue and we have solar panels so we get money back from that for the electricity we produce," Rawson said. "The feed price is not up substantially and we are sustainable so we try to work within the confines of nature and are less impacted by market forces."
Many Hands uses certified organic grain, which may cost less than feed used by other farmers.
"I always try to charge what is fair as we are trying to make a decent living, but we would put costs up if we have to pay more for slaughtering as those costs have gone up," Rawson said.
"In the pandemic people quit their crappy jobs and started to look at life differently and take more control. Lots of people left the industry so there's been a real shake up in the workforce," she added.
