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San Antonio Rolls Out $1.4M in Grants to Help Construction-Impacted Small Businesses
San Antonio is launching a new $1.4 million grant program to support small businesses affected by city-led construction projects, according to the latest from San Antonio Report. The initiative, presented by the city’s Economic Development Department, includes three separate grants to provide assistance before, during, and after construction. The largest of the three, the Stabilization Construction Grant, is backed by $1 million and will offer up to $35,000 to eligible businesses along streets like South Alamo and within the Zona Cultural. To qualify, businesses must demonstrate net revenue losses from the past year. An estimated 266 businesses could benefit from this funding. The Mitigation Construction Grant targets businesses preparing for major upcoming projects. This round focuses on the Marbach Road Streets and Drainage Project, expected to begin this fall. Grants of $2,000 will be available for up to 40 businesses to help cover marketing and signage expenses. A total of $80,000 has been allocated for this effort. The third grant, the Accelerate Recovery Grant, supports businesses along roads where construction was recently completed, including Broadway Street and Bulverde Road. With $120,000 in funding, the program will offer $5,000 grants for up to 24 businesses to make exterior or interior improvements—such as painting, signage, or seating upgrades. Applications for the Stabilization and Recovery grants open by May 1, while the Mitigation Grant application period begins June 2. According to San Antonio Report, city data shows past construction-related grants improved small business survival rates, particularly in food and accommodation sectors. This article, "San Antonio Rolls Out $1.4M in Grants to Help Construction-Impacted Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article
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CalChamber Launches Small Business Grant Program to Aid California Entrepreneurs
The California Chamber of Commerce has announced the launch of the first Small Business Grant Awards, offering $20,000 in total funding to support small businesses across the state. In partnership with the Sacramento Host Committee, the California Retailers Association, the California Restaurant Association, the California New Car Dealers Association, Western Growers, and Visit California, CalChamber will award four $5,000 grants to selected recipients. Two of the grants will go to small businesses impacted by recent wildfires in Los Angeles—specifically one business affected by the Eaton Fire and another by the Palisades Fire. The remaining two grants will be awarded to small businesses from the Greater California area. In addition to the financial support, each recipient will receive a complimentary one-year Online Membership with CalChamber, valued at $499. To qualify, applicants must meet several eligibility criteria. They must be independently owned and operated, located in California, and have 100 or fewer employees. Additionally, they must have average annual gross receipts of $15 million or less over the previous three years and demonstrate alignment with CalChamber’s mission to enhance California’s economy and business environment. Applicants must also show how their business contributes in the areas of leadership, employee relations, community impact, and innovation. This includes efforts in job creation, financial growth, workforce development, sustainability, and the implementation of unique business solutions. Applicants affiliated with CalChamber’s board or employed by the organization are not eligible. All applicants must be available to attend the California Business Outlook Dinner in Sacramento on June 4, 2025, where the awards will be presented. Applications must be submitted via the official Small Business Grants Submission Form no later than April 11, 2025. The four grant recipients will be announced on May 5, 2025. Grant funds may be used to support business operations, recovery, growth, or other legitimate business needs, but may not be applied to political or lobbying activities. Recipients are solely responsible for any tax liabilities associated with the grant. Award recipients will also be expected to comply with all federal, state, and local regulations, and participate in promotional activities related to the program, such as interviews and testimonials. Failure to comply with the program’s terms may result in forfeiture of the grant and potential legal action. CalChamber and its partner organizations reserve the right to modify or cancel the grant program at any time. All decisions by the selection committee are final and not subject to appeal. Applicants are advised that information submitted will be used solely for program administration and evaluation. Confidential business information will remain protected unless disclosure is required by law. By applying, applicants consent to the use of their business name and general information for promotional purposes. Questions about the Small Business Grant Program can be directed to the Grant Awards Administrator at smallbizgrants@calchamber.com. This article, "CalChamber Launches Small Business Grant Program to Aid California Entrepreneurs" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article
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CalChamber Launches Small Business Grant Program to Aid California Entrepreneurs
The California Chamber of Commerce has announced the launch of the first Small Business Grant Awards, offering $20,000 in total funding to support small businesses across the state. In partnership with the Sacramento Host Committee, the California Retailers Association, the California Restaurant Association, the California New Car Dealers Association, Western Growers, and Visit California, CalChamber will award four $5,000 grants to selected recipients. Two of the grants will go to small businesses impacted by recent wildfires in Los Angeles—specifically one business affected by the Eaton Fire and another by the Palisades Fire. The remaining two grants will be awarded to small businesses from the Greater California area. In addition to the financial support, each recipient will receive a complimentary one-year Online Membership with CalChamber, valued at $499. To qualify, applicants must meet several eligibility criteria. They must be independently owned and operated, located in California, and have 100 or fewer employees. Additionally, they must have average annual gross receipts of $15 million or less over the previous three years and demonstrate alignment with CalChamber’s mission to enhance California’s economy and business environment. Applicants must also show how their business contributes in the areas of leadership, employee relations, community impact, and innovation. This includes efforts in job creation, financial growth, workforce development, sustainability, and the implementation of unique business solutions. Applicants affiliated with CalChamber’s board or employed by the organization are not eligible. All applicants must be available to attend the California Business Outlook Dinner in Sacramento on June 4, 2025, where the awards will be presented. Applications must be submitted via the official Small Business Grants Submission Form no later than April 11, 2025. The four grant recipients will be announced on May 5, 2025. Grant funds may be used to support business operations, recovery, growth, or other legitimate business needs, but may not be applied to political or lobbying activities. Recipients are solely responsible for any tax liabilities associated with the grant. Award recipients will also be expected to comply with all federal, state, and local regulations, and participate in promotional activities related to the program, such as interviews and testimonials. Failure to comply with the program’s terms may result in forfeiture of the grant and potential legal action. CalChamber and its partner organizations reserve the right to modify or cancel the grant program at any time. All decisions by the selection committee are final and not subject to appeal. Applicants are advised that information submitted will be used solely for program administration and evaluation. Confidential business information will remain protected unless disclosure is required by law. By applying, applicants consent to the use of their business name and general information for promotional purposes. Questions about the Small Business Grant Program can be directed to the Grant Awards Administrator at smallbizgrants@calchamber.com. This article, "CalChamber Launches Small Business Grant Program to Aid California Entrepreneurs" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article
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Heathrow airport closed after fire breaks out
Blaze at nearby electrical substation causes power outage at UK’s main transit hubView the full article
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Top execs reportedly fired at Freddie Mac, FHFA
The head of operations at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and two C-suite leaders at the government-sponsored enterprise are out, according to Semafor. View the full article
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Israeli cabinet sacks head of Shin Bet intelligence agency
Move set to intensify split between Netanyahu government and legal authoritiesView the full article
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The effects of crime you don’t think about
The correlation between reduced crime rates and thriving communities is profound. Lower crime not only ensures the safety of residents but also sets off a chain reaction of positive outcomes that enhance the overall quality of life. In short, crime reduction touches not only the potential would-be victims and families. It also touches the entire neighborhood and community that may not even directly understand the downstream effects. We’ve observed this time and time again over the past 8 years in building Flock Safety, a technology company that builds tools to solve and reduce crime. When cities feel the impact of lower crime, it’s reflected across every aspect of daily life. Here are five downstream areas that can feel the effects. 1. Economic growth and job creation A safe environment is a fertile ground for economic development. Businesses are more likely to invest in areas where crime rates are low, leading to job creation and economic prosperity. Conversely, high crime rates can deter investment and prompt existing businesses to relocate, resulting in job losses and economic decline. A 2021 study tracking the impact of crime on local businesses found that “the estimated effects of property crime and outdoor crimes on consumer visits in the following month are negative, meaningful and strongly significant.” 2. Housing and urban development Safety plays a crucial role in the housing market. Communities with lower crime rates experience higher property values and increased homeownership rates. This not only benefits homeowners but also attracts real estate development, leading to improved infrastructure and amenities in a self-perpetuating benefit cycle. A report by the Center for American Progress highlighted that the largest economic benefits of reducing violent crime arise from the impact on housing values, as safer neighborhoods become more desirable places to live. On average, a reduction in a given year of one homicide in a ZIP code was correlated with a 1.5% increase in housing values in that same ZIP code the following year. 3. Public health and well-being The link between public safety and public health is undeniable. Communities free from violence experience better physical and mental health outcomes. Some of these effects are quite direct—one study tracked a 1% decrease in neighborhood violent crime was associated with a 0.21% decrease in cardiovascular death rates—while others center around a general sense of well-being. The absence of crime fosters a sense of security, reducing stress and anxiety. Moreover, safe neighborhoods encourage outdoor activities, social interactions, and community engagement, all of which contribute to overall well-being. 4. Educational opportunities Safety is a fundamental prerequisite for effective education. Students in secure environments are more likely to attend school regularly and perform better academically. A controlled study with the New York City Department of Education and the New York City Police Department identified that exposure to violence in students’ neighborhoods and an unsafe climate at school led to substantial test score losses. And lower crime creates a positive feedback loop where education leads to better job opportunities, further contributing to community prosperity. 5. Community cohesion and trust Effective public safety outcomes, specifically reduced crime, fosters trust among community members and between residents and law enforcement. This trust is essential for community programs, local governance, and collective efficacy. When people feel safe, they are more likely to participate in community activities, support local businesses, and engage in civic duties, all of which strengthen the social fabric. The ripple effects of reduced crime are vast and transformative. From economic growth and improved public health to stronger community bonds and enhanced educational outcomes, safety is the cornerstone of thriving communities. Garrett Langley is founder and CEO of Flock Safety. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. View the full article
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ONS change to pension valuation is ‘fundamentally flawed’, think-tank says
Institute for Fiscal Studies accuses official statisticians of ‘jumbled economic reasoning’, in latest setback for agency View the full article
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How data centers are transforming local communities
At a recent groundbreaking for one of our data center campuses, three members of the community told our team, “Great, we’re going to get a Trader Joe’s now.” It may sound funny, but this is one small part of the data center effect. Having Starbucks and Whole Foods establishments in the neighborhood famously have been associated with higher property values. Data centers also boost the communities where they’re located, by creating jobs and supporting revitalization efforts, for example. Of course, the industry faces criticism too, often based on outdated perceptions that don’t reflect advances in design and sustainability. But public opinion is shifting—partly thanks to growing recognition of data centers’ vital role as the digital backbone of the economy and helping enable AI. Those who haven’t seen the data center effect in their community may soon. As of last year, the U.S. was home to almost 5,400 data centers. With facilities under construction expected to reach a new high in 2025 and demand projected to grow almost 10% annually through 2030, development is picking up outside urban cores and in secondary markets. Here are some of the overlooked ways that data centers are transforming the communities where they operate. 1. They are driving the shift to green power Data centers are pivotal in the transition to green energy. This is part of a broader sustainability push, as the industry aims to shrink its environmental footprint while diversifying power sources to keep up with AI’s demand. In fact, our company gets 100% of its electricity from zero-carbon renewable energy. To cool equipment, we leverage a closed-loop system that uses little or no outside water. We also prefabricate electrical and mechanical infrastructure, dramatically reducing waste and minimizing on-site construction. In our home state of Texas and elsewhere, data center providers are seeking more renewable options and funding their development. For example, hyperscalers Amazon, Google, and Microsoft invest heavily in clean energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear. By 2029, the U.S. sustainable data center market is expected to double, topping $35 billion. Thanks to such efforts, energy is becoming cheaper and greener, benefiting local communities and society at large. In 2023, 81% of new utility-scale renewable energy projects had lower costs than fossil fuel–powered alternatives. As the price of going green keeps falling, consumers will reap the rewards. 2. Data centers boost the local labor market Like any business that sets up shop in a community, data centers create jobs for local people. We see it in Dallas–Fort Worth, where providers are generating employment opportunities and attracting new talent. As the industry grapples with a labor shortage, reskilling is crucial. In addition to hiring trade school grads to build and maintain our facilities, we’ve filled key technical roles by retraining skilled military veterans. The impact on local labor markets can be profound. In Virginia in 2023, the data center industry provided more than 26,000 operational and construction jobs. In total, it supported some 78,000 jobs, delivering $6.2 billion in pay and benefits and $31.4 billion in economic output. Not including construction, each job in a Virginia data center supports 3.5 more. Data center providers are also partnering with post-secondary institutions to back industry-specific offerings. I sit on the advisory board of Southern Methodist University’s Master of Data Center Systems Engineering program, one of the few degrees of its kind. 3. Data centers attract other businesses Data centers exert their own gravitational pull, drawing other companies to the communities where they establish roots. In fact, the surge in new projects recently prompted Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to open properties near data centers. When a hyperscale data center moves into a market, businesses that support its services follow. If the applications using that facility are latency-sensitive, the need for speed pushes companies to locate nearby, too. The result can be a new business ecosystem for some communities and regions. In Virginia, the companies serving data centers include those in power distribution and management, IT hardware, cybersecurity, design, construction, and management consulting. The cybersecurity that local data centers provide is another business magnet. Meeting the security needs of industries with strict data privacy and storage rules, such as healthcare and financial services—as well as players in the AI arms race—is driving expansion. For customers, data protection combined with zero downtime is a powerful draw. 4. Data centers deliver broader economic benefits When a data center comes to town, the ripple effects are far-reaching. One perk? Better public infrastructure. Upgrades to roads, broadband, power transmission, and other needed services can improve residents’ quality of life. Data center companies can also breathe new life into long-dormant districts, redeveloping brownfields into new campuses. For local governments, data centers can be a major revenue source. Because they’re taxed locally but serve customers globally, they bring in tax revenue from outside. In Virginia in 2022 alone, the industry paid $640 million and $1 billion, respectively, in state and municipal taxes. When using public services, data centers have a high fiscal benefit–to–cost ratio. In Loudoun County, for every dollar of local public services required, data centers pay about $26, versus roughly $4 for manufacturing plants. 5. Data centers create community partnership opportunities In many cases, the data center industry enriches communities by giving back. Being a good neighbor requires asking residents what contributions they need and working with them to deliver. We’ve partnered with a nonprofit to support reforestation near our campuses, teamed up to educate students on industry careers, and provided donations to organizations supporting families in need. As the data center industry keeps growing, many more communities and state and local governments will find themselves approached by providers. Of course, each must make the decision that’s right for them. But the data center effect is worth considering. The industry still has work to do, but data centers can help build strong local economies with more opportunities for people and businesses…and, perhaps, even get their own Trader Joe’s. Andrew Schaap is CEO of Aligned Data Centers. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. View the full article
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Patriot National raises $50 million, parts ways with CEO
The Connecticut bank said its newly minted president, Steven Sugarman, successfully led a private placement and signed a long-term employment agreement that makes him a potential CEO. David Lowery, current chief executive of Patriot, plans to step down in April. View the full article
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The AI and DEI Balancing Act
Artificial intelligence and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are rapidly becoming two of the most challenging and consequential communication arenas for modern companies. According to Mission North’s 2025 Brand Expectations Index (BEx), public sentiment is evolving in ways that require corporate leaders to rethink how they communicate about these issues, balancing transparency with strategic messaging to maintain trust and relevance. We conducted BEx 2025 in November 2024, surveying 1,000 members of the general population adults and 500 knowledge workers. The goal was to provide practical and positive guidance for how executives such as CEOs, CCOs, and CMOs can bolster their brand’s reputation while also avoiding actions that might unintentionally harm it. We previously conducted BEx 2024, identifying and measuring leading factors affecting brands today, and used this as a foundation for Bex 2025. AI: BUILDING TRUST IN A FAST-MOVING LANDSCAPE AI adoption is surging, with tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini becoming household names. As AI continues to disrupt industries, public perception of AI companies has shifted significantly—though trust remains divided. Top survey findings include: Trust in AI companies and startups jumped 9 points in 2025 over 2024, reflecting increased awareness and adoption. Big tech is leading the trust surge with Google (66%), Amazon (65%), and Microsoft (61%) ranking the most trusted AI companies among the general public.Trust lags significantly for newer players (OpenAI: 41%, Anthropic: 23%). Communication builds trust. Knowledge workers overwhelmingly support transparent AI development, with 81% emphasizing security, 78% ethical oversight, and 77% privacy. Owned content from companies ranks just behind local news as the most trusted source of AI information. Security, privacy, and ethics are big factors in building trust. Security is a top driver of trust in AI companies for 81% of knowledge workers and 69% of the general public. Ethical oversight is also critical: 77% of knowledge workers and 66% of the public support external governance of AI development. Only 40% of the general public trust the government to regulate AI responsibly; 58% of knowledge workers prefer industry self-regulation, reinforcing the need for corporate AI ethics programs. The CEO is your best (or worst) asset, with 67% of knowledge workers and 57% of the public saying a company’s CEO reputation directly influences their trust in the brand. DEI AND ESG: NO LABELS, JUST ACTION In a climate of political and cultural pushback against DEI and ESG initiatives, companies face a paradox: While these programs are under attack, employees and consumers still widely support their underlying principles. The public supports DEI values—but not always the label. While corporate DEI programs face external pressures, 69% of the general public and 78% of knowledge workers believe in incorporating diverse perspectives. However, companies should remember that the DEI term may carry political baggage and could be rebranded to reflect its broader, inclusive mission. Actions speak louder than words. The study reveals a significant perception gap: 73% of the public supports inclusivity measures, but only 49% believe companies are following through. Businesses must showcase real, meaningful action rather than performative statements to bridge this gap. Environmental stewardship remains a priority. Despite shifting political winds, 68% of the general public and 77% of knowledge workers support corporate sustainability initiatives. Public stances on social issues remain divisive. While 65% of knowledge workers support corporate activism, only 50% of the general public feels the same. Companies should weigh external positioning carefully, prioritizing internal action and policies that reflect core values. SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? As AI reshapes industries and DEI/ESG debates continue, communicators must stay ahead of evolving expectations. BEx presents some clear pathways forward: Own your narrative: For companies looking to tell their AI story: take control of your story, educate stakeholders, and focus on security, privacy, and ethical leadership to maintain and build trust. Double down on executive comms: The general public and knowledge workers are looking to CEOs for direction; look closely at how your leaders show up, both in words and actions. Transparency and authenticity are essential elements of an executive platform. Focus less on labels and more on results. Embedding inclusive and sustainable practices into company culture without drawing unnecessary controversy will allow brands to maintain credibility while avoiding political landmines. Direct communications is king. Audiences want to hear from you, and content increases knowledge; 81% of the general public and 84% of knowledge workers rank direct communications from companies (podcasts, long-form articles, and videos on technical and human-interest topics) as one of the most trusted sources of information, second only to local news. COMMUNICATE WITH CONFIDENCE The research makes one thing clear: Companies that proactively shape their narratives around AI and DEI will maintain stronger, more resilient brands. AI is no longer an emerging trend—it’s an operational reality. Meanwhile, DEI and ESG efforts remain essential to corporate success, even requiring strategic repositioning. Companies that take control of their messaging, prioritize transparency, and consistently communicate their values will be best positioned to navigate the challenges and opportunities of 2025. By doubling down on education, trust-building, and authentic storytelling, corporate leaders can ensure their brand survives and thrives in the ever-evolving landscape of AI and DEI. Tyler Perry is co-CEO of Mission North. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. View the full article
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5 critical trends to watch in DevOps
Software increasingly makes the world go round. Without this critical digital infrastructure, the economy—and society at large—wouldn’t function. But as recent events like last year’s CrowdStrike outage have shown, enormous leaps in software power and complexity, including the integration of AI into the development process, ratchet up the potential for things to go sideways, fast. How can software teams better harness the supercharged new tools at their disposal? Here’s a look at five things that lie ahead. 1. As consumers lose patience with outages, developers make software more resilient For consumers, the CrowdStrike outage is just the tip of the iceberg. Other recent software disruptions include American Airlines’ holiday stoppage, the global shutdown of Meta’s apps, and a Microsoft 365 failure. When we commissioned a survey of U.S. consumers in 2024, their resentment was palpable. More than half had been impacted by software outages. And for 70%, releasing “bad” code is equal to—or even worse than—supermarkets selling contaminated food. Business leaders are worried too. When asked late last year, almost 90% of global executives expected major IT outages in 2025. The irony is these outages aren’t the result of hackers or security compromises—they’re due to preventable glitches and oversights in the development process itself. The way out of this mess? Moving forward, more companies will fully embrace modern DevOps practices—tools and processes that make software delivery more reliable and efficient. An emerging discipline just a few years ago, DevOps is quickly becoming table stakes across industries. The most crucial safeguard: automating the software development pipeline. If every engineer must follow the same steps for planning, writing, testing, deploying, and maintaining code, the entire process is smoother, faster, and safer. 2. AI transcends the hype Roughly 60% of developers deployed AI in 2024, up almost 20% from the previous year. But so far, we haven’t seen the expected AI productivity gains. That will change going forward. As software teams figure out how to operationalize AI, the technology will start to show its real value. After all, AI’s role in the development lifecycle goes well beyond writing code. Developers now have access to AI-native software delivery platforms that weave AI agents into every stage of the development process, not just coding. For example, a DevOps assistant lets software teams instantly create pipelines—and easily modify them. 3. Security threats (and responses) While invaluable to developers, AI has also been a boon to hackers. For instance, state-backed actors from China, Russia, and Iran have been using OpenAI tools to sharpen their skills and deceive targets. Indeed, the majority of hackers agree that businesses adopting AI have created new attack vectors. One vulnerability increasingly exploited: APIs, the doors and windows into code that allow apps to “talk” to each other. In the past two years, 57% of organizations were hit by an API security breach. And in a survey we conducted, more than two-thirds of businesses said genAI poses a risk to API security. For companies, fighting back requires taking stock of APIs and detecting and preventing attacks. The key steps: conducting an API inventory, ensuring that APIs meet specific security standards, and using smart tools to spot threats. Equally important: integrating security into the developer pipeline. This so-called “shift left” isn’t new—progressive companies have been working for years to get developers in on the ground floor of security initiatives. But we’ll see shift left strengthen—part of a broader effort to close the gap between Dev and functions like FinOps and continuous integration/continuous delivery. 4. DevOps platforms offer developers a one-stop shop As DevOps matures, a significant problem has surfaced: too many tools. Point solutions, handy tools and automations that make developers’ lives easier, are starting to overwhelm them. They add to daily toil instead of alleviating it. Currently, the average developer is asked to manage 14 different vendor tools. This context shifting between different interfaces, workflows, and licenses leads to confusion, cognitive overload, and development inconsistency. This all points to the need for a robust, integrated platform bringing the needed developer tools into one place. Critically, however, all the solutions need to be best of breed. Developers aren’t forgiving and would rather build their own tools than use inferior ones. For all these reasons, expect platform engineering to go mainstream this year. Indeed, Forrester predicts that in 2025, half of enterprises will abandon individual software tools for DevOps platforms. 5. Cloud costs tools become mission-critical For developers, getting a handle on cloud services costs has always been a headache. AI has taken that frustration to a whole new level. Because the latest AI applications use so much processing power, cloud costs can quickly escalate, leading to huge surprise bills. For the average business, cloud spending has leaped 30% in the past year, largely because of generative AI. That’s one reason why FinOps—another emerging discipline that bridges the gap between finance and engineering—is increasingly important. With developer visibility into cloud spending and accountability for it, companies should see significant savings and efficiency gains. But that hinges on new tech and on harnessing AI as part of the solution. AI-powered tools let anyone easily pinpoint cloud waste by asking questions in plain language. Armed with that knowledge, developers can get recommendations on the right fixes. The best cloud cost management tools also automate fixes, forecast cloud spend, and enforce rules for cloud usage. The result is significant savings—as much as 50% at Fortune 1000 companies I know. For software developers, big opportunities lie ahead, along with growing threats. Teams that stay vigilant and take advantage of the best tools will be better positioned to see real productivity gains from AI while avoiding the security and quality pitfalls. Jyoti Bansal is CEO of Harness. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. View the full article
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Trump invokes wartime powers to increase US minerals production
President signs Defense Production Act in attempt to wean the country off critical resources from ChinaView the full article
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Verizon Business Launches GenAI Assistant for Small Businesses
Verizon Business has introduced Verizon Business Assistant, a generative AI-powered text messaging solution designed to help small businesses automate customer interactions. This tool provides instant responses to frequently asked questions, learns from interactions, and connects customers to live employees when needed. AI-Powered Customer Support Verizon Business Assistant enables small businesses to enhance customer engagement by automating responses via text messaging 24/7. According to Verizon Business, this tool helps businesses save time, serve more customers efficiently, and gain valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. “Small business owners are constantly juggling multiple responsibilities, and want to use technology to improve operations and better connect with their customers,” said Iris Meijer, Chief Product & Marketing Officer, Verizon Business. “Yet access to that technology and AI tools that work for small businesses can be a challenge, which is where we want to help champion them. Verizon Business Assistant is one example of a solution we’re rolling out to support small business owners. It also addresses an increasing customer demand – particularly from younger generations – for easy digital tools to communicate with businesses on simple matters. This allows small business owners to focus on growing their business while ensuring their customers feel valued and connected to the business.” Key Features and Benefits Verizon Business highlights several features of the AI-powered assistant, including: Automated Responses: Provides immediate answers to customer inquiries, reducing the need for manual responses. Live Team Member Handoff: Transfers complex inquiries to a live employee when necessary. Continuous Learning: Builds a knowledge base over time to improve response accuracy. Text Messaging (SMS/MMS): Uses a familiar communication channel to enhance customer engagement. Insights Dashboard: Provides business owners with data on customer interactions and trends. Easy Setup and Customization: Integrates with existing Verizon mobile devices without requiring additional hardware or software. Business owners can customize responses and training to fit their specific needs. Enhancing Small Business Operations Verizon Business notes that the launch of Business Assistant comes as small businesses seek technology solutions to streamline operations and better serve customers. The company references findings from its fifth Annual State of Small Business Report, which indicates that small business owners are increasingly looking for ways to improve efficiency and connect with customers through digital tools. With Verizon Business Assistant, small businesses now have access to AI technology typically leveraged by larger enterprises. By automating routine interactions, the solution allows business owners and employees to focus on higher-value tasks while ensuring customers receive prompt and accurate responses. Verizon Business Assistant is now available and easily deployable for small business owners looking to enhance customer service through AI-driven automation. This article, "Verizon Business Launches GenAI Assistant for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article
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Verizon Business Launches GenAI Assistant for Small Businesses
Verizon Business has introduced Verizon Business Assistant, a generative AI-powered text messaging solution designed to help small businesses automate customer interactions. This tool provides instant responses to frequently asked questions, learns from interactions, and connects customers to live employees when needed. AI-Powered Customer Support Verizon Business Assistant enables small businesses to enhance customer engagement by automating responses via text messaging 24/7. According to Verizon Business, this tool helps businesses save time, serve more customers efficiently, and gain valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. “Small business owners are constantly juggling multiple responsibilities, and want to use technology to improve operations and better connect with their customers,” said Iris Meijer, Chief Product & Marketing Officer, Verizon Business. “Yet access to that technology and AI tools that work for small businesses can be a challenge, which is where we want to help champion them. Verizon Business Assistant is one example of a solution we’re rolling out to support small business owners. It also addresses an increasing customer demand – particularly from younger generations – for easy digital tools to communicate with businesses on simple matters. This allows small business owners to focus on growing their business while ensuring their customers feel valued and connected to the business.” Key Features and Benefits Verizon Business highlights several features of the AI-powered assistant, including: Automated Responses: Provides immediate answers to customer inquiries, reducing the need for manual responses. Live Team Member Handoff: Transfers complex inquiries to a live employee when necessary. Continuous Learning: Builds a knowledge base over time to improve response accuracy. Text Messaging (SMS/MMS): Uses a familiar communication channel to enhance customer engagement. Insights Dashboard: Provides business owners with data on customer interactions and trends. Easy Setup and Customization: Integrates with existing Verizon mobile devices without requiring additional hardware or software. Business owners can customize responses and training to fit their specific needs. Enhancing Small Business Operations Verizon Business notes that the launch of Business Assistant comes as small businesses seek technology solutions to streamline operations and better serve customers. The company references findings from its fifth Annual State of Small Business Report, which indicates that small business owners are increasingly looking for ways to improve efficiency and connect with customers through digital tools. With Verizon Business Assistant, small businesses now have access to AI technology typically leveraged by larger enterprises. By automating routine interactions, the solution allows business owners and employees to focus on higher-value tasks while ensuring customers receive prompt and accurate responses. Verizon Business Assistant is now available and easily deployable for small business owners looking to enhance customer service through AI-driven automation. This article, "Verizon Business Launches GenAI Assistant for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article
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European military powers work on 5-10 year plan to replace US in Nato
UK, France, Germany and Nordics among countries engaged in informal discussions over a managed transferView the full article
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What's New on Max in April 2025
Max's April slate includes anticipated new seasons of several original series. First up is the fourth installment of Max Original comedy Hacks starring Jean Smart as an aging comedian and Hannah Einbinder as her young writer trying to get their late night show up and running. Two episodes will premiere on April 10, with additional episodes dropping weekly until the season finale on May 29. Next is the sophomore season of HBO Original post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us (April 13), based on the video game franchise of the same name. This season picks up five years after the events of the season one—Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will return as Joel and Ellie, with Kaitlyn Dever appearing as Abby. New episodes of the Primetime Emmy-winning show will be released weekly, also streaming in American Sign Language (ASL). On the film side, Max will be streaming A24's Y2K (April 4), a disaster comedy set on New Year's Eve 1999, and Babygirl (April 25), the thriller starring Nicole Kidman as a CEO having an affair with her intern (played by Harris Dickinson). Max subscribers will also get a variety of live sports, including NHL and NBA regular season and playoff games as well as early season MLB matchups. Here's everything else coming to Max in April. What’s coming to Max in April 2025Available April 1A Kind of Murder (2016) A Stolen Life (1946) Aftersun (2022) All I See Is You (2017) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011) April in Paris (1952) Bad Santa (2003) Bad Santa 2 (2016) Black Death (2010) Brittany Murphy: An ID Mystery (ID) Chopped After Hours, Seasons 1-3 (Food Network) Chopped Junior, Food Network, Seasons 6 & 7 (Food Network) Chopped Next Gen, Season 1 (Food Network) Deception (1946) Doubling Down with the Derricos, Seasons 1-3 (TLC) Drinking Buddies (2013) Edge of the City (1957) Expedition Unknown, Season 1 (Discovery) Friday (1995) Friday After Next (2002) Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail, Season 2 (Discovery) House Hunters Ho Ho Home, Season 1 (HGTV) House Hunters Renovation, Season 10 (HGTV) I'll See You in My Dreams (1952) In This Our Life (1942) It's Love I'm After (1937) Jezebel (1938) Jimmy the Gent (1934) Juarez (1939) June Bride (1948) Kid Galahad (1937) Land of the Lost (2009) Little Men (2016) Logan (2017) Lucky Me (1954) Lullaby of Broadway (1951) Marked Woman (1937) Moonshiners: American Spirit (Discovery) Moonshiners: Master Distiller, Season 3 (Discovery) Moonshiners: Whiskey Business, Season 1 (Discovery) Mr. Nobody (2011) Mr. Nobody: Extended Director's Cut (2011) Mr. Skeffington (1944) My Big Fat Fabulous Life, Seasons 6 - 9 (TLC) My Dream is Yours (1949) My Golden Days (2016) Naked and Afraid, Season 14 (Discovery) Next Friday (2000) Nobody Walks (2012) Now, Voyager (1942) Old Acquaintance (1943) On Moonlight Bay (1951) Panama Hattie (1942) Parachute Jumper (1933) Payment on Demand (1951) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Romance on the High Seas (1948) Satan Met a Lady (1936) Severance (2007) Sixteen Candles (1984) Special Agent (1935) Stampede (1949) Station West (1948) Storm Warning (1951) Suspicion (1941) Tea for Two (1950) That Certain Woman (1937) The Biggest Little Farm (2019) The Double (2014) The Old Maid (1939) The Prince (2014) The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) The Star (1952) The Terminator (1984) The Tree of Life (2011) The West Point Story (1950) The Wild North (1952) The Working Man (1933) Three on a Match (1932) Winter Meeting (1948) Young Man with a Horn (1950) Available April 2Bateau Mouche: Sinking Justice, Season 1 (discovery+) Ride of Your Life with Courtney Hansen, Season 2 (discovery+) Available April 3Fix My Frankenhouse, Season 2 (HGTV) HOP, Season 1C (Max Original) Available April 4Y2K (A24) Available April 5HGTV Smart Home 2025 (HGTV) Available April 6Iyanu, Season 1A (Cartoon Network) Lazarus, Season 1 (Adult Swim) Available April 72073 (2024) Barney's World, Season 1C Available April 890 Day Diaries, Season 6 (TLC) Available April 9All Access PD: Grand Rapids, Season 1 (ID) Available April 10Gremlins: The Wild Batch, Season 2B (Max Original) Hacks, Season 4 (Max Original) Available April 13The Last of Us, Season 2 (HBO Original) Available April 15Rock The Block, Season 6 (HGTV) Available April 16100 Day Dream Home, Season 6 (HGTV) Fist Fight (2017) Available April 17Cookie Monster's Bake Sale: Block Party (Max Original) Ghost Adventures, Season 29 (Discovery) Available April 18Lu & The Bally Bunch, Season 1B (Cartoon Network) Available April 19Bugs Bunny Builders, Season 2D (Cartoon Network) Impractical Jokers, Season 11B (truTV) Outback Opal Hunters, Season 7 (Discovery) Sal Vulcano: Terrified Available April 20The Rehearsal, Season 2 (HBO Original) Available April 21Yellowstone Wardens, Season 6 (Animal Planet) Available April 22Love It or List It, Season 20 (HGTV) Planet Earth III, Season 3 (discovery +) Available April 24Life of the Party (2018) Available April 25Babygirl (A24) Available April 2824 in 24: Last Chef Standing, Season 2 (Food Network) Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks, Season 2 (ID) Filthy Fortunes, Season 1 (Discovery) Available April 29Contraband: Seized at the Border, Season 6 (Discovery) Available April 30Castle Impossible, Season 1 (HGTV) Polyfamily, Season 1 (TLC) Twitter: Breaking the Bird, Season 1 (CNN) View the full article
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Kind Lending taps Tammy Richards to grow retail
Kind Lending has big plans to grow its retail channel and is signaling this by putting industry veteran Tammy Richards in charge of the operations. View the full article
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'Salt, Sugar, MSG' Is a Great Cookbook for Mix-and-Match Meals
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own. I love cookbooks that combine comfort food with a smattering of unfamiliar recipes that make me think, “Ooh, I wonder what that's like.” This mingling of brand-new dishes with ones that stir a bit of nostalgia is usually a hit for me. This week, I chose Salt, Sugar, MSG to feature for my cookbook of the week. Not only does it tick those boxes above for this Asian-American kid, but this book is also a reliable resource for those dinners when you're in the mood for a little bit of everything. About the bookSalt, Sugar, MSG is hot off the presses—it was published on March 18—and comes from chef Calvin Eng along with Phoebe Melnick. It may be Eng’s cookbook debut, but if you’ve ever tried his food at Win Son or Bonnie’s, you know that he is no flash-in-the-pan recipe developer. He’s been charming New Yorkers with interesting and bold flavors for some time—and there are many great examples of exactly that in Salt, Sugar, MSG. As you might guess from the title, this cookbook is not MSG-free. Quite the opposite actually: You’ll find MSG popping up here, there, and in unexpected places—kind of like how MSG and other glutamates naturally pop up in a lot of our food. Eng uses MSG like any other seasoning in this cookbook, because that’s exactly what it is: A cheap, easy, and harmless solution to boosting umami in your dishes, like Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein and MSG Caramel. Not only does the actual food benefit from the addition of monosodium glutamate, but I appreciate him using MSG in the title. It normalizes an ingredient and an entire community that once heavily suffered from the complete bullshit toxic myth of “Chinese restaurant syndrome.” Chef Eng has even teamed up with Ajinomoto to help dispel the myths surrounding MSG. If you’re just stretching your MSG wings, this cookbook offers plenty of opportunities for you to start getting your reps in. A great cookbook for mix-and-match pairingsThroughout the book, in the headnotes and in chapter introductions, you’ll read anecdotes from Calvin Eng’s childhood and his current shopping habits in Chinatown. His stories about the smell of warm soy milk and shopping for vegetables reminded me of grocery shopping with my mom at our local Asian market in New Jersey. One of my favorite parts of that shopping trip was (and still is) the fresh bakery section. Everything in that area of the store had been freshly made that morning, and we’d pick up a little bit of everything. We’d grab congee, pork buns, soy milk, hot noodle dishes, vegetable stir fries, and armfuls of scallion pork floss buns. At home, my mom would unpack everything and we’d all snack and basically chow down on this kitchen table banquet. Salt, Sugar, MSG welcomes this mix-and-match style of eating. Many of the dishes in this book are satisfying as single snacks or parts of a greater meal. Somehow, they all seem like they’d pair well with each other. If you picked three recipes out of this book blindfolded, you’d likely have a well matched meal. To test that theory, I just did exactly that and here’s the menu I came up with: the Lemon Cola Chicken Wings, Perfect Pot of Steamed Rice, and Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup. See? You need some vegetables? Same technique in the vegetable chapter—Hot Salad (romaine lettuce with a sweet and salty soy sauce dressing). Done. While other cookbooks might give you a single recipe that includes the meat, veg, and carbs all together, Salt, Sugar, MSG gives you space to formulate the perfect meal for what you’re craving. This style of eating reflects how you might order at a dim sum restaurant or banquet hall—a plate of greens, a dish of steamed prawns or roast pork, steamed egg custard, and some rice. It’s actually a great cookbook for small appetites (just make a few plates for snacking) as well as for big family meals. The dish I made this week Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I did my own version of mix and match for lunch this week with the Piggies in Scallion Milk Bread Blankets and Yeun Yeung (milk tea with coffee). I don’t much care for the average American hot dog on a bun, but dammit, if you change that bun to milk bread and add scallions, it’s a whole different ball game for me. The milk tea recipe, as simple as it is, was the first thing I decided on. It asks for orange pekoe tea, so I grabbed the Twinings Ceylon at my Shoprite and set up my boiling water, evaporated milk, and condensed milk. I was a little nervous that it would be too sweet (sometimes Thai iced tea overwhelms me) but it was perfectly creamy and sweet with a welcome bitter edge. I saved the rest for the morning so I could make the Bonus Recipe Yuen Yeung, which is just the addition of black coffee. The piggies were fantastic. I should have made all 12 like the recipe told me, but I turned the other half of the bread dough into a large milk bread loaf. (I was such a fool.) The milk bread recipe starts with a simple tangzhong (roux) which helps keep the bread dough soft and spongy. The sugar, egg, and butter enrich the dough and give the finished bun that perfect balance of richness along with the salt and umami from the hot dogs. Scallion hot dog buns and milk tea coffee—my new favorite lunch. Where to buy itSalt, Sugar, MSG is available as a hardcover, or as an e-book for a reasonable price. Since it’s brand new, you will definitely be seeing this one at the big box book shops and likely even at the local independent bookstores. Even if you don’t see it on their shelves, ask to see if they can order it to their location. Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home $14.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $14.99 at Amazon View the full article
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Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS join utilities firms to launch an AI power grid consortium
At NVIDIA’s developer conference on Thursday, a large group of energy companies—along with a few technology companies—announced plans to collaborate on building AI models and apps aimed at improving the generation and distribution of electric power. The initiative, called the Open Power AI Consortium, is organized by the Palo Alto-based Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Founding members include Nvidia, Microsoft, AWS, and Oracle. Notably absent from the group are all of the leading developers of frontier AI models such as Anthropic, Google, or OpenAI. “This is about getting the right data, and getting it clean, so that it can be used for AI,” Jeremy Renshaw, who leads the consortium at EPRI, tells Fast Company. Renshaw says energy companies have mountains of data, but organizing it in a way that AI models can process is key. But already, over two dozen regional power companies in the U.S. have signed on, including Con Edison, Duke Energy, New York Power Authority, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Westinghouse Electric Company. EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor said in a statement that the consortium will create an AI model, datasets, and apps to “enhance grid reliability, optimize asset performance, and enable more efficient energy management.” It will also foster a collaborative environment where utilities, startups, academics, and national labs can work together to address power sector challenges using AI. The consortium doesn’t include representatives from government agencies, but Renshaw said he’d like to see their inclusion. “We intend to include anyone involved in the making and moving of electricity,” he says. “Government is important because they do the permitting, licensing, and they provide regulations.” The announcement comes amid growing concern in the tech sector over the strain that AI workloads can place on data centers. (Google even pledged last year to buy energy from small modular reactors developed by Kairos Power to support its growing AI ambitions.) Axios climate reporter Alex Freedman notes that the power demands of the so-called AI boom have become a top priority for energy company CEOs in the U.S. Freedman highlights an ongoing debate within that sector over whether the power demands of AI will prolong the use of fossil fuels. Should that prove to be the case, AI could further push back constructive work toward climate goals. View the full article
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America’s global happiness ranking just dropped to record lows, with Gen Z feeling especially bleak
It’s World Happiness Day, otherwise known as International Day of Happiness, but if you’re not feeling the love, you’re not alone. Many Americans aren’t that happy, according to the World Happiness Report 2025, which ranks happiness across nations. In fact, America doesn’t even make the top 10 or top 20 happiest countries in the world, and instead now sits at No. 24—earning its lowest ranking yet. (Spoiler alert: Finland once again is the happiest.) The report, which asked people from 140 countries to evaluate their life, looked at six major factors to predict happiness: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Each person ranked their own happiness over the last three years from 2022 to 2024. While all those factors are important, the key to happiness is often attributed to Harvard University’s landmark 85-year Study of Adult Development, which discovered that close relationships are the strongest predictor of happiness throughout our lives. The young and the hopeless Perhaps one reason for America’s plummeting levels of happiness can be understood through the eyes of Gen Z, who are currently experiencing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation (as are many Americans, but not to the same extent). The report found young people worldwide were increasingly lonely, with 19% reporting in 2023 that they have no one to count on for social support, a 39% increase from 2006. “The decline in the U.S. in 2024 was at least partly attributable to Americans younger than age 30 feeling worse about their lives,” Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup, part of the World Happiness Report 2025, told CNN. “Today’s young people report feeling less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices and less optimistic about their living standards.” It also found that in the United States and parts of Europe, lower levels of both happiness and trust have greatly contributed to more polarization along political lines. The silver lining? One positive finding was that people often underestimate other people’s kindness; that is to say, people are often kinder than we think, and doing nice things for others, actually makes you happier. What are the world’s happiness countries? Here are the world’s 20 happiest countries in 2025. Finland Denmark Iceland Sweden Netherlands Costa Rica Norway Israel Luxembourg Mexico Australia New Zealand Switzerland Belgium Ireland Lithuania Austria Canada Slovenia Czech Republic The five countries where people were most unhappy? Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zimbabwe, in that order. The report is the result of a partnership between Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an editorial board. View the full article
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Tesla Cybertrucks are getting roasted on TikTok—one prank at a time
Under cover of night, a group of TikTokers known as the Cybertruck Hunters roam the streets, hunting Tesla Cybertrucks in the wild. When they spot one, they pull up behind it and project anti-Elon Musk and anti-Cybertruck messages directly onto its tailgate. The unsuspecting driver? Completely oblivious. The Cybertruck Hunters account popped up on TikTok just a month ago, but it’s already gone viral with a string of slick videos showing their antics. In some clips, they’re seen chasing down Cybertrucks in a black Lamborghini Aventador, the driver masked as Jack Skellington (the protagonist in The Nightmare Before Christmas). Turns out, the Cybertruck’s stainless-steel tailgate is an ideal projection screen. The messages appear razor-sharp—almost like the truck is broadcasting them itself. “Me just now realizing you are projecting this onto a stranger’s truck from behind,” one viewer commented. The messages? Anything but subtle. “Musk, this truck really is like you…tons of hype,” one reads. “Don’t think of this as a truck…think of it as a small penis enlarger,” says another. Naturally, the videos have sparked plenty of reactions, with one video racking up some five million views. “The word I’m looking for is HERO,” one commenter wrote. “I love people who have extra time. The pettiness is top tier,” added another. Unfortunately for Cybertruck owners, the public trolling isn’t their only problem. Tesla is recalling 46,096 Cybertrucks in the U.S.—essentially every unit built before February—due to an exterior panel that can detach while driving. While Tesla hasn’t released official Cybertruck delivery figures, analysts say the recall likely affects most of the trucks currently on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the stainless-steel trim poses a potential road hazard. Tesla will replace the faulty panel at no cost, but it won’t protect owners from the glowing taunts of the Cybertruck Hunters. View the full article
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How bogus stories about Amazon laying off 14,000 managers spread like wildfire across the internet
If you’ve been on Google or virtually any social media website over the last few days, you might have seen stories about Amazon layoffs making the rounds. And if you were curious enough to click through to any of those stories, you might have discovered that Amazon is supposedly planning to lay off 14,000 managers by the end of this quarter—a stunning figure, even for a company as big as Amazon. But that figure is untrue. Not only that, it seems to have been essentially conjured up out of nowhere, before being picked up by a stream of headlines on Google News, viral Reddit threads, and would-be LinkedIn influencers dissecting it as if it were fact. In reality, what’s happening is less a story about an e-commerce giant flattening its management structure, and more a cautionary tale about how quickly and indiscriminately false news can spread in our current media environment. What did Amazon announce? The first thing to know is that Amazon did not announce 14,000 layoffs, nor did it say it wanted to trim its manager ranks by that number. “This claim is false and based on inaccurate assumptions,” Amazon spokesman Brad Glasser told Fast Company. “In September 2024, we shared with employees that we set a goal to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by 15% across our organizations because it was the right time to bring us closer to customers and reinforce our culture of ownership. There are a number of ways to achieve that increase without eliminating roles. We’ve now reached that goal, which we believe will allow our teams to move even faster as they innovate for customers.” The contributor-to-manager plan referenced in Glasser’s statement was no secret. It was the subject of a memo from CEO Andy Jassy, which was shared publicly on Amazon’s website months ago. In it, Jassy said the plan would “remove layers and flatten organizations more than they are today.” Although that definitely sounds like Amazon was looking to have fewer managers, nowhere does Jassy say anything about 14,000 managers. And yet that figure was reported by a large number of online news outlets—many apparently based in India—just this week. So frequent were these reports that “Amazon layoffs” became a top trending search on Google. [Screenshot: via Google] Most of these stories contained vague references to sources, or no sources at all, with some simply attributing the news to “media reports.” At the same time, many of these outlets were indexed by Google News, giving them an air of legitimacy. And so if you were to scan headlines after searching for “Amazon layoffs” on Google, you could easily come away with the idea that Amazon is laying off managers by the thousands. We’ve reached out to Google for comment about whether any of these stories violate its content guidelines for Google News. [Screenshot: via Google] Where did the 14,000 figure come from? A reverse-chronological search of recent Amazon-related headlines reveals that at least one of the earlier stories cited Business Insider as the original source of the 14,000 figure, but Business Insider never reported that. In October, BI did report on a Morgan Stanley note in which the investment bank estimated that Amazon could save as much as $3.6 billion if it eliminated roughly 13,834 manager roles. BI’s headline rounded that estimate up to 14,000, but again, the story was not about layoffs that actually happened. It was about a speculative analysis for investors performed by a third-party company. What could likely have happened is that another news outlet misinterpreted the number, applied it to actual layoffs, and ran with it. It’s unclear which outlet was the first to do this, although India’s Financial Express website appears to have published one of the earliest stories. Its article, published on Tuesday, does not include any linked sources or even a byline. (We’ve reached out to the Financial Express to clarify the sourcing for the article.) Over the next few days, other outlets followed with their own version of the Amazon layoffs story. Those stories begot more stories, all citing each other or merely reporting the figure as fact. Cue the social media influencers, who presumably saw those headlines and used them as an opportunity to snag some engagement by weighing into Amazon’s strategy. Why is this happening and why should anyone care? Figuring out what’s real and what’s fake in our current information environment is difficult enough, but social media algorithms, incentives for engagement and clicks, and a lack of quality control on the part of large platforms are all making the situation worse. It’s not a new problem. Last year, we wrote about how a string of bogus stories about $12,000 stimulus checks from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) trended on Google for several days, driven largely by websites that had repurposed old URLs. But these phenomena are not victimless. False news can create real-life harms, whether it’s raising hopes among low-income Americans that a giant stimulus check is on the way to help them pay their bills, or creating unnecessary anxiety for people who happen to work as managers at one of the biggest companies in the world. View the full article
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Why is UK wage growth so strong?
Pay is out of line with the state of the economy, puzzling analysts and worrying the BoEView the full article
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‘Extermination camp’ discovery horrifies Mexico
Pressure mounts on President Claudia Sheinbaum after remains, clothing and apparent crematorium were found at ranch View the full article