Web3 monetization: Decentralizing the blueprint for creator-fan relationships

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Social tokens and Web3 can deepen uncover new and rewarding methods of interaction between creators and their fans.Read More

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AWS Survives Review Process to Win NSA Contract

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AWS Survives Review Process to Win NSA Contract

AWS has won a major contract with the National Security Agency (NSA), after the contract award came under review.

AWS was awarded a $10 billion contract with the NSA, but Microsoft immediately challenged the award, much as AWS had challenged Microsoft winning a major contract with the Department of Defense. According to FedScoop, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) instructed the NSA to review the bid after concerns in how Microsoft’s bid was evaluated. Despite the review, the NSA has once again awarded AWS the win.

“NSA recently awarded a contract to Amazon Web Services that delivers cloud computing services to support the Agency’s mission,” said an NSA spokesperson. “This contract is a continuation of NSA’s Hybrid Compute Initiative to modernize and address the robust processing and analytical requirements of the Agency.”

“We’re honored that after thorough review, the NSA selected AWS as the cloud provider for the Hybrid Compute Initiative, and we’re ready to help deliver this critical national security capability,” said an AWS spokesperson.

AWS Survives Review Process to Win NSA Contract
Matt Milano

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T-Mobile’s 5G Network Fuels Record Quarter

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T-Mobile’s 5G Network Fuels Record Quarter

T-Mobile delivered another stellar quarter, setting a Q1 record and leading the industry in key areas.

T-Mobile reported 348,000 postpaid net account additions in Q1, as well as 1.3 million postpaid net customer additions. Both figures were industry-leading, with the former being a Q1 company record and the latter being the best Q1 results in eight years.

Interestingly, another bright spot for the company was its broadband internet service. T-Mobile racked up 338,000 net customer additions, another industry best and company record.

“T-Mobile continues to be the growth leader in this industry, with another beat and raise quarter that delivered front-of-the-pack postpaid, new account, and broadband customer results,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “Only the Un-carrier’s unparalleled network leadership in the 5G era has enabled us to give customers the best network and best value without compromise, and effectively solve one of the most prevalent pain points in the wireless industry. And we are accomplishing this while advancing our integration and delivering bigger synergies faster than expected. I’m excited to carry our momentum forward through the rest of the year.”

T-Mobile’s 5G Network Fuels Record Quarter
Matt Milano

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Twitter Users Leaving En Masse After Musk Buyout

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Twitter Users Leaving En Masse After Musk Buyout

Twitter has a problem on its hands, with “mass deactivations” in the wake of Elon Musk’s successful bid for the company.

Elon Musk’s bid to purchase the company for $54.20 a share was accepted on Monday. Despite Musk’s attempts to reassure users the platform will respect free speech and strive to be politically neutral, it seems many users are not happy with the prospect of his stewardship.

According to NBC News, many high-profile Twitter accounts have lost thousands of followers. The company says the activity is “organic,” and not an arbitrary cleansing of old accounts.

“While we continue to take action on accounts that violate our spam policy which can affect follower counts, these fluctuations appear to largely be a result of an increase in new account creation and deactivation,” Twitter said in a statement.

Twitter Users Leaving En Masse After Musk Buyout
Matt Milano

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PayPal Is Closing Shop in San Francisco

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PayPal Is Closing Shop in San Francisco

PayPal is closing its offices in San Francisco, the latest indication of the changes brought about the global pandemic.

PayPal’s San Francisco location is primarily use by its Xoom business unit, which it acquired in 2015. According to TechCrunch, the company is now looking to offload those offices as it reevaluates its office strategy worldwide.

A company spokeperson told TechCrunch:

At PayPal, we are continually looking at and evolving how we can work in the most collaborative and efficient ways possible, and we routinely evaluate our global office footprint and spaces to ensure that our company and our employees are best set up for success. The pandemic, in particular, has taught us there are many ways in which we can work effectively while providing our employees with flexibility. PayPal remains fully committed to the Bay Area and to California and we will continue to hire into and invest in our business and people working within the state.

PayPal is not the first company to take advantage of the benefits pandemic-driven remote work have brought. Companies have increasingly been offloading expensive real estate in favor of a decentralized workforce, or moved to less expensive locations and let employees work remotely.

PayPal Is Closing Shop in San Francisco
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Intel Wins DARPA Contract For Off-Road Autonomous Vehicle Sim Software

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Intel Wins DARPA Contract For Off-Road Autonomous Vehicle Sim Software

Intel has won a contract to provide the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with simulation software for autonomous off-road vehicle testing.

Automakers around the world are working to develop autonomous vehicles, but their application goes far beyond the highway. Unfortunately, most autonomous vehicle development focuses almost exclusively on highway travel, leaving a gaping hole in the technology’s future, as Intel highlights:

In the context of autonomous driving, the gap between on-road and off-road deployment is still very significant. Many simulation environments exist today, but few are optimized for off-road autonomy development at scale and speed. Additionally, real-world demonstrations continue to serve as the primary method to verify system performance.

Off-road autonomous vehicles must deal with substantial challenges, including a lack of road networks and extreme terrain with rocks and all types of vegetation, among many others. Such extreme conditions make developing and testing expensive and slow. The RACER-Sim program aims to solve this problem by providing advanced simulation technologies to develop and test solutions, reducing deployment time and validation of AI-powered autonomous systems.

To solve these problems, DARPA is turning to Intel to provide simulation software to help further off-road development.

“Intel Labs has already made progress in advancing autonomous vehicle simulation through several projects, including the CARLA simulator, and we’re proud to participate in RACER-Sim to continue contributing to the next frontier of off-road robotics and autonomous vehicles,” said German Ros, Autonomous Agents Lab director at Intel Labs. “We brought together a team of renowned experts from the Computer Vision Center and UT Austin with the goal of creating a versatile and open platform to accelerate progress in off-road ground robots for all types of environments and conditions.”

Intel Wins DARPA Contract For Off-Road Autonomous Vehicle Sim Software
Matt Milano

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Microsoft Takes Page From Rivals, Targeting ‘Holdout’ Businesses For Cloud Services

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Microsoft Takes Page From Rivals, Targeting ‘Holdout’ Businesses For Cloud Services

Microsoft is taking a page from rivals in a bid to expand its cloud business, targeting “holdout” businesses that have yet to migrate to the cloud.

Microsoft is currently in second-place in the cloud market, behind AWS and ahead of Google Cloud. The company is taking a more hands-on approach, according to The Information (by way of Seeking Alpha), investing $200 million to establish an acquisition team that will work to bring cloud holdouts onboard.

The strategy is similar that employed by Amazon, Salesforce, and Zoom. Microsoft evidently wants to proactively go after these holdout companies in an effort to sew up their business before the company’s rivals do.

Microsoft already has a major advantage over some other companies, thanks to its ecosystem of software and services that goes back decades. Emulating strategies that other successful companies have been using should help the Redmond giant even more, and may aid it in its efforts to close in on AWS.

Microsoft Takes Page From Rivals, Targeting ‘Holdout’ Businesses For Cloud Services
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Apple Hires Law Firm to Crack Down on Unionizing Efforts

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Apple Hires Law Firm to Crack Down on Unionizing Efforts

In the wake of Atlanta store employees petitioning the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to become a union, Apple has hired a law firm to fight back.

According to The Verge, Apple has hired lawyers at Littler Mendelson, a law firm specializing in anti-union efforts. The move is in response to employees at the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta taking steps to join the Communications Workers of America.

Some see Apple’s decision to hire the firm as antithetical to its stated positions of listening to employees and being inclusive.

“From the start I’ve thought unionization was a good thing,” one current retail employee told The Verge. “Pay is so unequal at the stores — there are people who’ve been in roles for less time making more than people who’ve worked in those same roles for years. They position themselves as a company that’s open to feedback but nobody acts on it. With a union backing the employees, they’ll be more pressure on them to actually act on it.”

Littler Mendelson has quite a reputation, being hired by Starbucks and McDonald’s to fight unionization efforts among their employees.

“By retaining the notorious union busting firm Littler Mendelson, Apple’s management is showing that they intend to try to prevent their employees from exercising their right to join a union by running the same playbook as other large corporations,” said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens. “The workers at Starbucks, another Littler client, aren’t falling for it and neither will the workers at Apple.”

Apple has been struggling with employee relations of late, with many unhappy over the company’s return-to-office policies. Hiring a firm like Littler Mendelson is not likely to help the company’s image.

Apple Hires Law Firm to Crack Down on Unionizing Efforts
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Wisq’s social platform aims to help workers connect on non-work things

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Wisq is similar in operation and appearance to business-only internal networks such as Slack, Teams or Asana, but it stands apart because it provides a different, much more personal environment for team members at a company.Read More

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Michigan Have the First US-Based Wireless EV Charging Road

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Michigan Have the First US-Based Wireless EV Charging Road

Driving an electric vehicle (EV) is on the way to becoming less stressful, with the first wireless EV charging road coming to Michigan.

Range anxiety is one of the biggest impediments to widespread EV adoption. One of the most promising solutions is wireless charging tech embedded in roadways. Much like an HOV lane, users could simply switch to the charging lane, and receive a bill later, or pay a subscription fee.

Michigan is poised to be the first state to test, tapping Electreon to design and implement the infrastructure for a one-mile section of Detroit road.

“As we aim to lead the future of mobility and electrification by boosting electric vehicle production and lowering consumer costs, a wireless in-road charging system is the next piece to the puzzle for sustainability,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “I am happy to see Michigan lead and keep building on these ground-breaking initiatives creating new business opportunities and high-tech jobs. Together, we will continue growing our economy and putting Michiganders first.”

We are proud and thankful to be selected by the Michigan Department of Transportation to lead and implement the first wireless electric road system in the United States,” said Stefan Tongur, vice president of Electreon. “We’re excited to be transferring our success in wireless charging for a variety of electric fleets – from cars to buses and heavy-duty trucks – to this innovative project. There’s important work ahead with our partners in Detroit to develop scalable, ‘plug-free’ charging that will future-proof the city’s EV infrastructure.”

Michigan Have the First US-Based Wireless EV Charging Road
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Twitter Accepts Offer, Elon Musk Will Be New Owner

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Twitter Accepts Offer, Elon Musk Will Be New Owner

Twitter has officially accepted Elon Musk’s offer to buy the company, marking one of the biggest changes the social media platform has undergone.

Elon Musk has simultaneously been one of Twitter’s biggest fans and critics, culminating in an offer to buy the company for $54.20 per share. After initially fighting back, even adopting a “poisoned pill” strategy, the company has relented and accepted Musk’s offer.

The agreement was struck at Musk’s offer price, putting the deal’s value at approximately $44 billion. The price is a 38% premium over the stock’s closing price on April 1, 2022, one day before Musk’s 9% stake in the company was made public. Ultimately, that premium was too much for the board to ignore.

“The Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon’s proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing,” said Bret Taylor, Twitter’s Independent Board Chair. “The proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitter’s stockholders.”

Once the deal is completed, Musk plans on taking the company private, which will make it easier for him to reshape the company in his image.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Musk. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”

At this time it’s unclear what, if any, role current CEO Parag Agrawal will have moving forward, although he expressed his pride and support for the company.

“Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world,” Agrawal said. “Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important.”

Twitter Accepts Offer, Elon Musk Will Be New Owner
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Twitter May Accept Musk’s Deal After All

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Twitter May Accept Musk’s Deal After All

A new report indicates Twitter may be open to a deal with Elon Musk, after initially fighting it aggressively.

Musk made a bid for Twitter in mid-May, with his offer price coming in at $54.20 per share. The board almost immediately adopted a “poisoned pill” strategy to combat the takeover, but has also faced criticism from none other than founder Jack Dorsey.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company may be on the verge of relenting and reconsidering Musk’s offer. The two parties met Sunday to discuss the deal, and Reuters is now reporting that Twitter may accept Musk’s offer as early as Monday.

We will continue to monitor and report with updates.

Twitter May Accept Musk’s Deal After All
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Report: Software engineers have only 10 hours per week for ‘deep work’

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Software engineers are now splitting time between core coding responsibilities, communication processes, complex testing and even hiring.Read More

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The Need For Buy Now Pay Later

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The Need For Buy Now Pay Later

A recent 2022 study revealed that Americans prefer delayed payments for dental and veterinary visits and supplementary charges, a preference driven by payment concerns of many types. Concerned about the costs of healthcare expenses, 3 out of 4 Americans, between the ages of 43 and 57, cite this as a driving force and comprise the highest proportion of any other age group. 2 in 3 U.S. adults acquainted with buy now pay later systems. They count on it as a substitute for traditional cash, credit, and debit payment methods, the switch to delays draws them.

The Case for BNPL

BNPL answers concerns about payment due dates, upfront costs, and sacrificing expenditures unexpectedly. These systems also afford consumers flexibility. It appeals to budgeters, which allows them to allocate and reserve expenses for big buys over time. 69% of consumers abide by a budget according to plan, with 78% of pet owners following strict ones. 77% of pet parents are aware of buy now pay later payment methods and 56% have tried it for themselves with success. By integrating expenses into long-term spending habits, instead of forfeiting large sums out of pocket, buy now pay later caters to consumers by allowing them to pay at the convenience of their calendar.

Buy now pay later methods offer other lesser-known, but perhaps more exciting perks. Ones that are much appreciated by parents of furry friends. 43% express gratitude for the temporal flexibility delayed pay offers. Not only in providing a larger window for payment but even in extending the set end date as needed. 30% are attracted to these systems for their capacity to steer clear of credit card fees and prices paid due to interest, keeping those unforeseen charges afar. 22% of pet owners commend buy now pay later’s fixed and unwavering or tiered rates. These give everyone the same fair grounds and expectations for payment, without being blindsided by fine print policies.

What Buy Now Pay Later is Used to Pay

Both veterinarian and dental expenses need time to be paid in full. 38% of American pet owners pay for vet visits with a credit card. For only 18% of them, pet insurance covers the costs of vet fees in full. In dentistry, 40% of U.S. adults take one month, at minimum, to pay the full cost of a dentist visit. Both pet and people patients need more effective tools to help them cover healthcare expenses on their own time.

Interestingly, American East Coast residents express a higher preference for the implementation of buy now pay later. 55% report being very interested and more likely to use buy now pay later as opposed to 42% of West Coast dentist patients and pet parents who share the same sentiment.

In Conclusion

The results of a decisive study that gauged American adults’ holistic preference point to buying now and paying later over the ways we’ve always paid. 71% of U.S. dentistry patients cite a preference for BNPL. A whopping 86% of pet owners preferring this way of covering veterinarian costs. It’s time that healthcare professionals, practices, and institutions cater to the people’s preferred way to pay by offering more time. Also, they should offer convenience, as patients pay when the time is right.

Source: Opy.com

The Need For Buy Now Pay Later
Brian Wallace

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Report: 80% of consumers will talk to a bot if they can live transfer to a human

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It’s clear that consumers have yet to be convinced that chatbots can deliver the quality customer service interactions they’re looking for.Read More

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Microsoft Advertising Adds Target Impression Share Automated Bids

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Microsoft Advertising Adds Target Impression Share Automated Bids

Microsoft has released its August product updates, including Target Impression Share automated bidding.

Manually managing a search campaign can be a tedious process, especially when trying to stay at the top of the results. Microsoft’s August update aims to help address that with Target Impression Share automated bidding.

“A new addition to our suite of automated bidding strategiesOpens in new window is the exciting new Target Impression Share strategy, now available in Microsoft Advertising online and Editor,” writes Kevin Salat, Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft Advertising. “With this strategy, you set your budget, where you want your ads to appear, and your Target Impression Share, and Microsoft Advertising automatically sets your bids.”

Microsoft is a distant second to Google in search market share. Nonetheless, rolling out features that continue to make it easier for customers to use its services can only help it gain ground.

Microsoft Advertising Adds Target Impression Share Automated Bids
Matt Milano

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Meta Investigating Sandberg For Allegedly Using Company Resources to Help Activision’s CEO

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Meta Investigating Sandberg For Allegedly Using Company Resources to Help Activision’s CEO

Sheryl Sandberg has been a staple at Facebook and Meta for years, but the executive is now accused of improperly using company resources to help Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.

Kotick has been under fire for allegedly knowing about, and turning a blind eye to, sexual harassment and discrimination issues within Activision. According to The Wall Street Journal, Sandberg was dating Kotick when reporters were investigating him. During this time, Sandberg allegedly worked with Kotick to pressure Daily Mail reporters to drop their investigation.

Sandberg, who serves as Meta’s Chief Operating Officer, worked with a team comprised of Facebook and Activision employees, as well as paid outside consultants. In both 2016 and 2019, Sandberg contacted Daily Mail to dispute elements of their reporting.

While many do not believe Sandberg directly threatened Daily Mail in either interaction, some believe any contact by the executive could be viewed as a threat, given the power Facebook wields over the news industry and the traffic it relies on.

A spokesperson for Meta gave the following statement to WSJ:

“Sheryl Sandberg never threatened the MailOnline’s business relationship with Facebook in order to influence an editorial decision.”

Despite the statement, the company is clearly concerned of some impropriety, and is now investigating whether Sandberg crossed a line.

Meta Investigating Sandberg For Allegedly Using Company Resources to Help Activision’s CEO
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Brave and DuckDuckGo Push Back Against Google AMP

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Brave and DuckDuckGo Push Back Against Google AMP

Brave and DuckDuckGo are pushing back against Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), bypassing the technology in their browsers and apps.

AMP is a framework developed and deployed by Google under the guise of helping webpages load faster, especially for mobile devices. When a user clicks on a search result, Google essentially pre-loads the web content, optimizes it, and then presents it to the user, with no visual indication the page is being served from Google’s servers instead of the publisher’s. Both Brave and DuckDuckGo’s web browsers will now work to de-AMP web pages, serving up the publisher’s original site instead of Google’s AMP version.

Brave outlines their approach in a blog post:

Brave will protect users from AMP in several ways. Where possible, De-AMP will rewrite links and URLs to prevent users from visiting AMP pages altogether. And in cases where that is not possible, Brave will watch as pages are being fetched and redirect users away from AMP pages before the page is even rendered, preventing AMP/Google code from being loaded and executed.

DuckDuckGo is taking similar measures with their web browser, as well as all of their apps and browser extensions:

NEW: our apps & extensions now protect against Google AMP tracking. When you load or share a Google AMP page anywhere from DuckDuckGo apps (iOS/Android/Mac) or extensions (Firefox/Chrome), the original publisher’s webpage will be used in place of the Google AMP version.

DuckDuckGo (@DuckDuckGo), April 19, 2022

There are a number of reasons why both companies are pushing back and adopting this approach. First and foremost, privacy is one of the biggest casualties of AMP, as Brave points out:

AMP gives Google an even broader view of which pages people view on the Web, and how people interact with them. AMP encourages developers to more tightly integrate with Google servers and systems, and penalizes publishers with decreased search rankings and placements if they don’t, further allowing Google to track and profile users.

AMP is also a security nightmare since users aren’t clearly informed that they are browsing a website from Google’s servers, and not from the site’s publishers. This, in turn, gives Google far more control, increasing their monopolization of the web. As Brave points out, AMP doesn’t even deliver the performance improvements Google touts.

It’s hard not to see AMP, and its upcoming successor, as an unabashed attempt by Google to further control the future of the web. Thankfully, companies like Brave and DuckDuckGo are continuing to fight back.

Brave and DuckDuckGo Push Back Against Google AMP
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Hybrid Work Disparity Is Fueling the Great Resignation

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Hybrid Work Disparity Is Fueling the Great Resignation

Disparity between hybrid work requirements for managers and employees is leading to near-record dissatisfaction, further fueling the Great Resignation.

Despite many companies thriving during the pandemic, most large companies have fought to bring employees back to the office as soon as possible. Many employees, while wanting the option to go into the office, have pushed back against efforts to make them return five days a week. This hasn’t stopped many companies from moving forward with their plans, and now employee dissatisfaction is hitting near-record highs.

In Slack’s latest Future Forum Pulse survey, the company found that 34% of knowledge workers have returned to the office five days a week. This represents the highest percentage since the surveys began in mi-2020. Interestingly, along with this shift in the workplace, “work-related stress and anxiety is at its worst since our surveying began.”

One of the main issues many employees have is the unfair disparity between executives and employees. Non-executive employees are almost “twice as likely as executives to be working from the office five days a week,” while their “work-life balance scores are now 40% worse than their bosses, plummeting at five times the rate of executives over the last quarter.” Those same employees are experiencing more than twice the work-related stress and anxiety as their bosses.

Unsurprisingly, this dissatisfaction is likely to start costing businesses in the form of higher turnover. The survey showed that “knowledge workers with little to no ability to set their own work hours are 2.6x as likely to look for a new job in the coming year, compared to those with schedule flexibility.” This trend could especially impact working parents, people of color, and women, all of whom are more likely to want flexible schedules.

Slack’s latest survey should be a warning to companies large and small, and force them to reevaluate their in-office policies. At the very least, it should cause companies to focus more on implementing their policies fairly.

Hybrid Work Disparity Is Fueling the Great Resignation
Matt Milano

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Oracle Releases Massive April 2022 Critical Patch Update

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Oracle Releases Massive April 2022 Critical Patch Update

Oracle has released a major April 2022 Critical Patch Update, fixing a whopping 520 issues.

Oracle regularly releases updates to its software and service. This update, however, is a large one, containing hundreds of fixes. The update also slightly changes the quarterly release schedule, making it easier to plan for future updates

“With this Critical Patch Update release, Oracle is making a small adjustment to the Critical Patch Update release schedule,” Eric Maurise, Vice President of Security Assurance, wrote in a blog post. “Critical Patch Updates will no longer be released on the Tuesday closest to the 17th of the month of January, April, July, and October, but they will be released on the third Tuesday of January, April, July, and October. This minor adjustment will not affect the frequency of Critical Patch Update releases (still 4 times a year), but essentially, makes it easier to set calendar reminders and determine the date of future Critical Patch Update releases.”

Oracle Releases Massive April 2022 Critical Patch Update
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IBM’s Hybrid Cloud Strategy Pays Off in Latest Quarterly Results

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IBM’s Hybrid Cloud Strategy Pays Off in Latest Quarterly Results

IBM has released its latest quarterly results, lending support to the company’s efforts to pivot to a hybrid cloud provider.

IBM announced in 2020 it planned to split into two companies, spinning off its legacy hardware business, with the core company focusing on hybrid cloud solutions. The company has since been on a spending spree, buying up smaller companies to help round out its offerings.

The company’s strategy appears to be paying off, if its latest quarterly results are any indication.

“Demand for hybrid cloud and AI drove growth in both Software and Consulting in the first quarter. Today we’re a more focused business and our results reflect the execution of our strategy,” said Arvind Krishna, IBM chairman and chief executive officer. “We are off to a solid start for the year, and we now see revenue growth for 2022 at the high end of our model.”

The company reported revenue of $14.2 billion, up 8%. Software revenue was up 12% and consulting revenue was up 13%, while infrastructure revenue was down 2%. Hybrid cloud revenue, however, was up 14%, coming in at $5 billion.

“In the first quarter we continued to strengthen the fundamentals of our business, consistent with our medium-term model,” said James Kavanaugh, IBM senior vice president and chief financial officer. “We are a faster growing, more profitable company with a higher-value business mix, a significant recurring revenue base and strong cash generation.”

IBM’s Hybrid Cloud Strategy Pays Off in Latest Quarterly Results
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The Business of Energy Drinks

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The Business of Energy Drinks

Energy drinks and pre-workout drinks are often used by athletes before a big game or before they start a heavy workout. The ingredients that are found in these drinks claim to help increase stamina and endurance, and even virtual athletes can benefit from these drinks. With such a large consumer base, do these ingredients actually do the things they claim? And why are these drinks growing in popularity so rapidly?

The Science Behind Energy Drinks

Athletes tend to reach for pre-workout drinks before any strenuous activity because the amino acids that are found in them can help increase energy, stamina, and help prevent damage to cells. 87% of pre workout drinks contain  beta-alanine, an amino acid that improves strength and endurance. 71% of these drinks also include citrulline, another amino acid that can help increase stamina and energy. Some of these drinks also include taurine which can help prevent cell damage that can occur during exercise. All of these amino acids working together along with caffeine can lead to an overall more intense workout with less fatigue. 

Looking at athletes off the field, esports players also reach for energy drinks when it comes time to play in virtual tournaments. Many energy drink companies sponsor some of the biggest esports teams today, and gamers tend to use these drinks for the same reasons athletes on the field do. Energy drinks include some of the same ingredients as pre workout ingredients and offer similar benefits. Gamers use these drinks to increase focus, reaction time, and stamina which are all important in maximizing their overall gaming performance.

Athletes both on and off the field are using energy drinks and pre-workout in order to improve their performance, but there are still people who oppose drinking these beverages. Long term use of pre-workout can increase muscle mass and strength, but using large doses in a short time can lead to adverse effects. It is important to remember to use energy drinks and pre-workout in a safe and healthy way in order to reduce the likelihood that these side effects will occur.  Opponents of energy drink use have also noted that these drinks are too caffeinated and too artificial. In fact, many pre-workout brands have many ingredients that aren’t even listed on the label! 

What’s in an Energy Drink?

In getting criticism about ingredient use and the amount of caffeine in their drinks, many energy drinks companies have started making changes to their recipes. Many brands are switching to using more plant-based energy ingredients such as guarana and green tea. This allows for less artificial caffeine ingredients to be used and leads to an overall healthier product for consumers to enjoy. Brands are also using nootropic elements that are used to increase focus, and are using overall better quality and organic ingredients. 

In Conclusion

With these changes being made to already popular products, it is expected that even more people will be using energy drinks and pre-workout to help in their daily routines or before exercise activity. With so many benefits now being packed into a healthier product, it’s no wonder athletes on the field and gamers on the virtual field are using energy drinks to boost their performance.

Learn more about energy drinks and how they can help your workout in the infographic below:

The Business of Energy Drinks
Brian Wallace

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SimplicityDX publishes 2022 ‘State of Social Commerce’ impact study

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Gerry Widmer, CEO and director of SimplicityDX, said "social commerce represents both the biggest problem and the biggest opportunity in revenue and customer satisfaction for e-commerce brands today.”Read More

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Top Ways That AI Improves Cybersecurity

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Top Ways That AI Improves Cybersecurity

Given the massive and unprecedented online threats we’re facing, can we possibly harness AI technology to keep us safe? Cybersecurity experts believe we can do precisely that, given the far-reaching implications of strategically-deployed AI resources. So, let’s take a look at eight ways that AI improves cybersecurity.

IP blocking

AI-based systems can be used to block known malicious IP addresses and websites. Automated systems that use machine learning algorithms can quickly identify known malicious IP addresses and websites based on past data. These systems can then automatically block access to these addresses or sites, preventing users from accidentally accessing them. 

Spam filtering

We can use machine learning to develop better spam filters that are more effective at identifying and blocking unwanted emails. Spam email is one of the most common types of attacks organizations face today. To combat this, machine learning algorithms are often used to develop spam filters that are more effective at identifying and blocking unwanted emails. 

AI encryption

We can use AI-based systems to encrypt data so that it is unreadable by unauthorized users. Data encryption is one of the essential tools available for protecting information from being accessed by unauthorized individuals. We can use AI-based systems to encrypt data so that it is unreadable by anyone who does not have the proper key or password automatically. 

Browser protection

Smart browser-protection tools like WOT can enhance your cybersecurity by helping you to avoid malware, scams, viruses, and other online threats. These tools offer powerful anti-Phishing functions, popup blockers, real-time threat protection, and suspicious site detection, all within a powerful machine-learning construct—the perfect AI vehicle for keeping you safe online. 

Firewalls

We can use machine learning to develop better firewalls that are more effective at blocking malicious traffic while allowing legitimate traffic through firewalls. These are among the most important tools available for protecting networks from attack. However, traditional firewalls tend to be less effective at blocking malicious traffic while still allowing legitimate traffic. Machine learning-based firewalls can be trained to be more effective at distinguishing between different types of traffic and selectively blocking only the malicious traffic while still allowing the good traffic to pass through. 

Algorithms

We can use machine learning algorithms to analyze large volumes of data looking for patterns that could indicate a security breach. One of the most common ways cybercriminals gain access to sensitive information is through large-scale data breaches. To prevent this from happening, we can use machine learning algorithms to analyze large volumes of data looking for patterns that could indicate the presence of a security breach. 

AI Chatbots

We can use AI-based chatbots to intercept phishing attempts and other attacks. Phishing attacks often use email or other messages to lure victims into entering their sensitive information into a harmful website. To prevent this from happening, we can use AI-based chatbots to intercept these phishing attempts and notify the user before they have had a chance to enter any sensitive information. 

Machine Learning

We can use machine learning to develop better intrusion detection systems that are more effective at identifying and responding to attacks. Intrusion detection systems are designed to identify and respond to malicious activity on a network. However, traditional intrusion detection systems tend to have a high rate of false positives, leading to unnecessary alerts and wasted time and resources. We can train machine learning-based intrusion detection systems to be more effective at identifying and responding to actual attacks while reducing the number of false positives.

In Summary

AI is playing an increasingly important role in cybersecurity, with machine learning-based solutions being developed to address many of the challenges faced by organizations today. By leveraging the power of AI, organizations can improve their ability to block known threats, detect new attacks, and respond quickly and effectively to security breaches.

While it is still in its early developmental stages, AI technology has already shown great promise in cybersecurity. For example, AI-based systems can quickly identify and block known malicious IP addresses and websites by using machine learning algorithms. 

In addition, we can use machine learning to develop better spam filters that are more effective at identifying and blocking unwanted emails. Finally, we can use AI-based chatbots to intercept phishing attempts and other types of attacks.

Top Ways That AI Improves Cybersecurity
Brian Wallace

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Elon Musk a Social Media Influencer? Tesla CEO Teases the Possibility

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Elon Musk a Social Media Influencer? Tesla CEO Teases the Possibility

Elon Musk is well-known for his social media presence, but the Tesla CEO is teasing a full-time switch to social media influencer.

Musk has long been a vocal Twitter user, boosting cryptocurrencies, taking jabs at rivals and discussing upcoming Tesla features. His tweets have even landed him in hot water with the SEC, but that hasn’t slowed the CEO down.

In one of his latest tweets, Musk teases the possibility of trading in his jobs as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX for that of social media influencer.

thinking of quitting my jobs & becoming an influencer full-time wdyt

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2021

In all likelihood, this is just another one of Musk’s famous attempts at humor — but only time will tell.

Elon Musk a Social Media Influencer? Tesla CEO Teases the Possibility
Matt Milano

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B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Ultimately Conversion

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B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Ultimately Conversion

“We co-create content with (B2B Influencers) in concert with brand messaging,” says TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden. “So now instead of people just ignoring the press release we actually have storytelling happening with these different voices. You have this intersection of one or two or three or four influencers talking about this topic and those audiences intersect and cross. Your customer is hearing this credible message not only from the brand but also from people that they trust in different channels. That all adds up to yes. That all adds up to nurture and ultimately conversion.”

Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Marketing, discusses how B2B influencer marketing can be a highly effective force in driving leads and conversions for companies. Lee was interviewed by Tim Washer at the 2019 Content Marketing World Conference & Expo:

Influencer Marketing Is Powerful Because Of Influence Itself

Influencer marketing is powerful because of influence itself, not about the people. Influence has always been a factor in being persuasive and being effective as a communicator, as a marketer, and really being able to tap into the dynamics of that. The psychology and sociology of that is something that is everlasting, it’s evergreen. While there are trends in terms of tactics that come and go, there’s this consumerization of B2B. B2C influencers are misbehaving and have fake followers, etc. and some of that’s leaking over into B2B. But I think that’ll reconcile a little bit and kind of clean itself out. In the future brands are going to be looking at influence as a really key component of their holistic marketing strategy internally and externally.

A lot of people when they think of influencer marketing they think of a Kardashian or some people think of something like Baddiewinkle, a 90-year-old woman who wears hip-hop clothes and now has her own makeup line on Sephora versus someone like Tamara McCleary interviewing an executive at Dell about the right IT infrastructure for doing edge computing. That’s really what it’s about in B2B.

B2B Influencers Actually Have To Have The Main Expertise

One of the big differences between B2B and B2C influencers is that in B2B you actually have to have the main expertise. You actually have to be knowledgeable and have a depth of that expertise in what it is that you’re influential about. It’s also important to have a network for distribution and a place to publish your content. It’s great to have a personality and that’s less common in B2B, where you have charisma. Well, lack of personality is a form of personality I suppose. 

The good thing is that we’ve figured out ways to coach folks that have that domain expertise and an active following but they’re not necessarily used to being social. We are coaching them in how to activate themselves and to pull out the best of what they have to share in a way that’s very promotable. Many of them start to open up a little bit after we show them how to do it.

B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Conversion

In the planning stages (with a client looking to promote something) we’ll look at the topics that are important around the announcement and how it affects customers and how customers will think of that news and how it’ll affect or change their lives. Those topics are then what we want to be influential about. We’ll use those keywords or topics to search our network using influencer marketing software to find who is influential around those topics, who’s publishing content, who self-identifies around that topic, and whose audience is actually activated around that topic. We find those people who have trusted voices with an active community and we invite them to collaborate on content and give their opinion about the announcement. 

We co-create content with them in concert with brand messaging. So now instead of people just ignoring the press release we actually have storytelling happening with these different voices. You have this intersection of one or two or three or four influencers talking about this topic and those audiences intersect and cross. They intersect across channels too. Your customer is hearing this credible message not only from the brand but also from people that they trust in different channels. That all adds up to yes. That all adds up to nurture and ultimately conversion.

B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Conversion – TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden

B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Ultimately Conversion
Rich Ord

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Why Video Marketing Is Important For Your Business

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Why Video Marketing Is Important For Your Business

In an era of YouTube, Instagram Stories, Live Streams, webinars, and more, it is evident that this is the age of video supremacy. Given this exponential rise of video content in modern times, more and more online content marketers are looking for compelling ways to include video content in their digital marketing strategy.

From promoting a product or service, increasing engagement with clients, or extending their reach on social media platforms, video content marketing is flexible and accessible. In addition, it presents an influential lead over your competitors when executed right and built with a superior online video editor.

Significance of Video Marketing For Your Business

Video digital marketing engages your potential clients by conveying a compelling story about your product interactively and bringing life to your products.

While a high-quality photo and a brief description provide a fundamental view of your product, a video can convey all of the elements and advantages, explaining why the clients should be interested in purchasing your product. Listed here are some reasons why video marketing can prove beneficial for your business growth.

Videos Are an Excellent Way to Describe Your Product

Online video content assists potential customers in learning more about your product. According to a recent report, 94 percent of online marketers believe using video content helps improve user knowledge of a product or service.

In addition, clients will only purchase your goods when they know better about your product and how they can use them. Unsurprisingly, video content exceptionally provides better visuals and helps companies clearly describe how things work.

Video Content Provides a Higher Return on Investment

The return on investment (ROI) from your video marketing depends on numerous factors, including how well you have managed your content design and the quality of your promotional videos.

However, 83 percent of respondents say that video marketing provides them with a higher return on investment. In addition, while many online marketers think of video as a costly and time-consuming process, you can use a video maker or an online video editor, making it effortless to create video fast without a considerable budget.

Video Marketing Can Help Boost Your Conversion Rates

Yes, it is a fact. Recent research indicates that using videos in your online marketing campaign can help boost your conversions by around 14%. An excellent way to use video on your landing page can be an explainer video for your products or services. This is an excellent option for your client to watch a quick video to know all about what your product or service does, usually in an entertaining or eye-catching way.

Therefore, it is valuable to hold your finger on the pulse here. In addition, video content invariably changes. Key trends that you can try include a product video (a live demo) and product reviews. This content becomes engaging for clients, and by having them on your online marketing, you can drive sales and boost your conversions more than you would ever expect.

The Future of Video Marketing Is Bright

As technology proceeds to pivot and change, how we employ it too. For video marketing, that implies more forms than ever to make your online audience receptive and engaged to you and your business.

It is crucial to understand how videos can be deployed to significantly influence one-to-one promotional videos to live streams. With the future of AR, VR, and online video streaming services at your disposal, it is the ideal time to get into video content marketing, remaining updated on the most advanced ways you can convey your message to your audience.

Video Content Engages Even the Laziest Audience

Video content has become an excellent tool for understanding, but it is also effortless to consume. Modern life is too busy to go through lengthy product descriptions or explore in-depth services. The contemporary client likes to see their preferred product in action.

Video preference is one of the most significant driving forces of employing video in your video content marketing. In addition, video marketing can help you attract a wide base target audience, and it operates on numerous levels.

Video Marketing Is Your Email Campaign’s Best Friend

Compelling viewers to open your email in this fast-paced, modern world is a significant challenge. However, according to a study, just using the word ‘video’ in your email subject line can improve your CTR (Click-through rate) by 200-300%

It is why more and more online marketers are now using interactive video content in their email campaigns. This could indicate anything from showcasing a product that a client has rejected to a welcome email for your first-time clients to build a relationship.

In addition, engaging video content within your email marketing strategy can assist you in engaging, persuading, and informing your target audience. Also, as it is well-known that online users love watching videos over any form of media, why not leverage its benefits to boost your business growth.

Google Prefers Optimized Video Content

Apart from videos being excellent elements in numerous online marketing campaigns and being a fantastic tool to provide information, another significant advantage for online marketers is better ranking on search engine results pages.

In addition, if you take the time to guarantee that your video content remains SEO optimized, with an engaging and appropriate thumbnail, good quality content, and eye-catching title, your video marketing can bring plenty of organic traffic to your website. It can likewise improve your search engine ranking and earn higher views in the process.

Final Words

In a nutshell, video marketing online businesses is a significant factor. It is a reinforcement mechanism for those companies that have just started their online journey. The most meaningful side of video marketing is that it transforms how online users see your products or service. Therefore, while creating exceptional video content, it is better to understand your strengths and execute them.

This way, you can drive on your way towards achieving heights and growth you never imagined. Also, video marketing can help you drive higher organic traffic to your website that boost your business visibility, and help you become more profitable.

Why Video Marketing Is Important For Your Business
Brian Wallace

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Oracle Turns to AI to Automate Digital Marketing With Fusion Marketing

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Oracle Turns to AI to Automate Digital Marketing With Fusion Marketing

In an industry first, Oracle is using artificial intelligence (AI) to help automate digital marketing.

AI is revolutionizing a wide range of industries, but Oracle is applying it to digital marketing campaigns, with its newly announced Fusion Marketing platform. Unlike many lead generation systems, that merely raise brand awareness, Fusion Marketing is specifically designed to generate leads.

Fusion Marketing uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically score leads at the account level, predict when consumers are ready to talk to a salesperson, and generate a qualified sales opportunity in any CRM system.

Oracle hopes Fusion Marketing will address the disconnect many salespeople feel when using a CRM system, where siloed data often works against making a sale. Oracle’s new system is designed to address that and accelerate marketing campaigns by automating the lead generation process from end-to-end.

“It is time for our industry to think differently about marketing and sales automation so that we can transform CRM into a system that actually works for both the marketer and the salesperson,” said Rob Tarkoff, executive vice president and general manager, Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience. “This is not about forecasts and rollups or a reporting tool to see how the sales force is performing, but instead about turning CRM into a system that helps sellers sell. A huge part of that change is bringing marketing and sales teams together and eliminating the low-value, time consuming tasks that distract from building customer relationships and closing deals. That’s why we have invested so much time engineering a system that will help marketers fully automate lead generation and qualification and get highly qualified leads to the sales team faster.”

Oracle’s Fusion Marketing is just the beginning, as experts say AI will continue to transform digital marketing.

“Machine learning algorithms are integral to digital marketing and that will only increase over time. The best digital marketers have embraced this fact, and have already shifted their focus towards more human-first activities. Machines are better at crunching numbers and making data-driven decisions. But they still need humans to decide what data to feed into those systems. This comes from understanding human behavior, a deep sense of empathy, and expert-level storytelling that are hard to replicate through AI.” – Dennis Consorte, Digital Marketing Expert and Expert at Digital.com, told WebProNews.

Oracle Turns to AI to Automate Digital Marketing With Fusion Marketing
Matt Milano

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$20 per Hour — Verizon Raises Its Minimum Pay

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$20 per Hour — Verizon Raises Its Minimum Pay

Verizon has raised its minimum wage for Customer Service, Retail and Inside Sales personnel.

Inflation has been increasing at a record pace, with many companies raising their pay to help employees make ends meet. Verizon is the latest to do so, raising its minimum pay to $20 an hour.

“Our V Teamers give their best day in and day out to support our customers with all of their needs, which is why we want to make sure we support them as well,” said Krista Bourne, Chief Operating Officer for Verizon Consumer Group. “These changes are the direct result of employee feedback and will help us remain an attractive employer in this competitive environment.”

The company is also offering signup bonuses for many markets.

“I’m confident these changes will help us attract and retain the very best talent, and allow us to continue to improve our customer experience,” said Bourne.

$20 per Hour — Verizon Raises Its Minimum Pay
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Lawmakers Demands Answers From Inuit Over ‘Free File Scams’

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Lawmakers Demands Answers From Inuit Over ‘Free File Scams’

Lawmakers have written a letter to Intuit CEO Sasan K. Goodarzi demanding answers over what she calls the company’s “Free File scams.”

Tax preparation companies in the US, including Intuit, have a long history of making it difficult to find Free File options. While any taxpayer making under $69,000 a year can legally file their taxes for free, many companies have gone to great lengths to bury those free options, making it difficult for consumers to find.

Senator Warren, Congresswoman Katie Porter, and Congressman Brad Sherman are taking aim at Intuit specifically, writing a letter demanding answers about the company’s behavor.

We are writing regarding your company’s ongoing pattern of hiring former regulators to defend TurboTax products that scam American taxpayers into paying for services that should be free. Most recently, a court filing related to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) complaint against Intuit for its deceptive advertisements of its “bogus” free tax preparation products revealed that former FTC Commissioner Jon Liebowitz has served as outside counsel for Intuit. Given this new revelation and Intuit’s track record of lobbying to protect its shady business practices, we seek to understand the extent to which Intuit has used former government officials to defend and maintain its unethical and potentially illegal practices that cost American taxpayers billions of dollars.

The lawmakers go on to highlight the general failure of the Free File Program, in addition to Intuit’s role in that failure.

The Free File program has been a failure, scamming taxpayers into paying for services that should be free. Free File was supposed to cover 70% of American taxpayers, but as of 2018, only approximately 3% of taxpayers participated each year. As we noted in 2019, deceptive practices and outright sabotage from Free File companies have driven this under-utilization, and Intuit, with approximately 60% market share in consumer tax software, bears much of the blame for these practices. Intuit deliberately hid its IRS Free File program from Google results using “dark patterns” – adding code into the website to suppress results, and instead pushing taxpayers into their in-house “freemium” edition where they could be tricked into paying into services that should be free under Free File. In addition, Intuit repeatedly changed the names and landing pages for the Free File and freemium programs, creating additional confusion for consumers that are eligible for truly free filing.

The lawmakers want Intuit to provide information on its employees and their relationships with the federal government, in an effort to prevent a repeat of the Jon Liebowitz situation.

It remains to be seen what additional action the lawmakers may propose.

Lawmakers Demands Answers From Inuit Over ‘Free File Scams’
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AWS Scores Australian Government Cloud Contract Renewal

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AWS Scores Australian Government Cloud Contract Renewal

AWS has secured an renewal of its whole-of-government cloud deal with the Australian government, extending the contract by three years.

AWS initially signed its cloud contract agreement with the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) in 2019. The contract provides AWS services to federal, state, and territorial departments, agencies, public universities, and government-controlled companies.

The new agreement builds on the previous one, extending the company’s commitment to Australia’s public sector.

Under the enhanced agreement, which will start on May 1, 2022, AWS’s public sector customers continue to receive the benefits of the Whole-of Government Agreement via the DTA, or they can choose to purchase directly from AWS or through authorised partners on the AWS Partner Network. This will ensure our public sector customers in Australia will maintain easy access to our reliable and secure cloud services as well as provide greater choice in how they procure them.

The contract is valued at AU$174 million.

AWS Scores Australian Government Cloud Contract Renewal
Matt Milano

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Report: 93% of CIOs say the Great Resignation has made it harder to hire skilled developers

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As demand for faster innovation increases, today’s skill shortage piles pressure on stretched teams, which may cause developers to tap out.Read More

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Jack Dorsey Criticizes Twitter Board — Not Elon Musk

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Jack Dorsey Criticizes Twitter Board — Not Elon Musk

Jack Dorsey has finally weighed in on Twitter’s current status, and his comments could be seen as good news for Elon Musk.

Elon Musk has made an offer to purchase Twitter, one the company’s board is fighting. The board has adopted a “poisoned pill” strategy to counter Musk’s efforts. Meanwhile, Musk has pointed out the board’s minuscule ownership stake in the company, questioning their commitment to shareholder interests.

“Wow, with Jack departing, the Twitter board collectively owns almost no shares! Objectively, their economic interests are simply not aligned with shareholders.”

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk), April 16, 2022

Twitter’s most well-known board member has broken his silence, and not to come out in favor of his fellow board members. Dorsey was responding to a tweet by Gary Chan:

“The wrong partner on your board can literally make a billion dollars in value evaporate. It is not the sole reason behind every startup failure but it is the true story a surprising percentage of the time.”

— Gary Tan (@garytan), April 16, 2022

After a number of replies discussing the Twitter board’s checkered past, Dorsey weighed in:

“it’s consistently been the dysfunction of the company”

— Jack Dorsey (@jack), April 17, 2022

Twitter was already under pressure over Musk’s bid. Dorsey coming out with criticism of the board is only going to increase that pressure even more.

Jack Dorsey Criticizes Twitter Board — Not Elon Musk
Matt Milano

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Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: ‘We’re Passionate About Improving Safety’

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Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: ‘We’re Passionate About Improving Safety’

Andy Jassy has written his first letter to shareholders since becoming Amazon CEO, and he emphasized the company’s focus on worker safety.

Amazon has been criticized for having a higher rate of workplace injuries in its warehouses than competitors, with its injury rate going up 20% in 2021. Despite the increase, Jassy says its injury rates are “misunderstood,” an the company is committed to improving safety even more.

Our injury rates are sometimes misunderstood. We have operations jobs that fit both the “warehousing” and “courier and delivery” categories. In the last U.S. public numbers, our recordable incident rates were a little higher than the average of our warehousing peers (6.4 vs. 5.5), and a little lower than the average of our courier and delivery peers (7.6 vs. 9.1). This makes us about average relative to peers, but we don’t seek to be average.

Jassy says that he focused on looking for a “silver bullet” to improve worker safety when he first became CEO, ultimately not finding it. He did, however, help implement a number of additional measures aimed at tackling the problem one step at a time.

We have a variety of programs in flight (e.g. rotational programs that help employees avoid spending too much time doing the same repetitive motions, wearables that prompt employees when they’re moving in a dangerous way, improved shoes to provide better toe protection, training programs on body mechanics, wellness, and safety practices). But, we still have a ways to go, and we’ll approach it like we do other customer experiences—we’ll keep learning, inventing, and iterating until we have more transformational results. We won’t be satisfied until we do.

Jassy has already developed a reputation as a hands-on CEO, personally intervening to help customers receive resolution to issues they’re having. His approach to improving worker safety appears to be another example of his leadership style.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: ‘We’re Passionate About Improving Safety’
Matt Milano

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SocialFi could empower content creators to break free of brand partnerships

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SocialFi, where content creators earn tokens on crypto-empowered social networks by creating or engaging with content, might replace risky brand partnerships and ad revenue.Read More

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To truly target hate speech, moderation must extend beyond civility

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Content moderation overlooks the underlying purpose of hate speech — to punish, humiliate and control marginalized groups.Read More

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Social media is making us stupid, but we can fix it

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Social media distorts the mental models we build of the world, degrading our collective intelligence and our ability to make good decisions.Read More

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Waiting for the metaverse? The revolution is already here

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Get active in AR/VR/XR marketing to entertain your audiences and keep your brand top-of-mind creativity revolution in the metaverse.Read More

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Report: 94% of women in tech say they’re held to a higher standard than men

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Despite efforts from various tech organizations, is enough being done to shatter the glass ceiling and create equality for women in tech?Read More

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Twitter Adopting a ‘Poisoned Pill’ Strategy to Fight Elon Musk Takover

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Twitter Adopting a ‘Poisoned Pill’ Strategy to Fight Elon Musk Takover

Twitter has announced it is fighting back against Elon Musk’s hostile takeover attempt, adopting a “poisoned pill” strategy.

Elon Musk made an unsolicited bid to purchase Twitter for $54.20 a share. Since making the offer, Musk has indicated his desire to take Twitter private if the deal goes through, but Twitter’s board is not interested.

The company has announced it is enacting “a limited duration shareholder rights plan (the ‘Rights Plan’)” to fight Musk’s takeover attempt. Under the plan, if any one shareholder gains a 15% or greater stake in the company, more shares would become available for all other shareholders to purchase at a discounted price. This would dilute Musk’s stake in the company, and allow other shareholders to effectively counter Musk by making it prohibitively expensive for him to purchase more than 15% of the company.

“The Rights Plan is intended to enable all shareholders to realize the full value of their investment in Twitter,” the company writes. “The Rights Plan will reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of Twitter through open market accumulation without paying all shareholders an appropriate control premium or without providing the Board sufficient time to make informed judgments and take actions that are in the best interests of shareholders.”

While Elon Musk may be the richest man in the world, Twitter’s poisoned pill may make the takeover too expensive even for him.

Twitter Adopting a ‘Poisoned Pill’ Strategy to Fight Elon Musk Takover
Matt Milano

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