Tech: Spoiled workers crash to Earth

Plus: #BookTok drives book sales, and leaked Nike meeting.

View in browser Subscribe February 21, 2023 Are you extremely online, reader? I'm Diamond Naga Siu, and I basically have a computer chip in my brain. But if you're not (or if the details of online culture confuse you), Insider created the perfect resource for you: its internet drama clinic. Our team of digital culture journalists will chat with experts about your questions related to all things online. They can explain a meme, teach you about whatever new social media platform everyone's talking about, answer group-chat etiquette questions, or solve other online conundrums. Feel free to submit your questions here. Before we all become computers, let's dive into today's tech headlines. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. iStock; Robyn Phelps/Insider   1. Tech companies spent decades spoiling their employees. But layoffs have burst the perks-at-work bubble.   Massages, free food, video games, rock climbing — companies were racing to offer the best perks and it often seemed too good to be true. This culture prevailed at behemoths like Google and fledgling startups alike.   But this year, Big Tech alone shed more than 50,000 employees. So workers are now facing a new reality: lower salaries, fewer perks, and less purpose at work. My teammate Asia Martin has been following the evolution of tech perks. And she breaks down their past, present, and future.   Dive into everything you need to know about tech perks here. ADVERTISEMENT Laika's Guide to SOC 2 Compliance Simplify SOC 2 with Laika's guide for growth-minded founders. Download the guide to turn compliance from a pain point into a competitive advantage. DOWNLOAD NOW IN OTHER NEWS #BookTok, Nike leak, & more Courtesy Nike   2. #BookTok drives book sales. While book sales dropped last year, authors who were prominently featured in book-related TikToks saw their sales go up. Dive into the reading phenomenon here. 3. Hours after Nike announced the sudden resignation of its top tech exec, a vice president encouraged workers to finish the year strong. Shortly after the sudden resignation of Ratnakar Lavu, Nike's VP of tech operations hosted an all-hands. Leaked audio reveals what was said. 4. Snap, Twitter continue to hurt Big Tech revenue. Snap is the latest company to reduce costs by downsizing cloud services. Cloud is a major revenue source for Big Tech companies, further hampering their finances. Here's what it means for the tech industry's future. 5. More layoffs could hit Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta just gave thousands of employees low performance reviews, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. The harsh reviews line people up to get pushed out or laid off. More on the job cuts here. 6. This investor reveals five keys to a strong startup pitch. A general partner of venture capital firm CRV took Insider behind-the-scenes of a strong startup pitch. It includes being transparent with your finances and sometimes saying "I don't know." Get all the tips here. 7. Forget ChatGPT: OpenAI Playground can write anything for you. The tools are made by the same company. But think of ChatGPT as the entry-level tool. Playground takes AI-generated content to a whole new level. Here's a full rundown of how to use it. 8. Lowe's responds to a TikTok of an employee getting physically crushed. The company told Insider that it took "prompt action" after the incident. Lowe's added that the actions in the viral video are "contrary to the training" it provides. More on the response (and the full video) here. ODDS AND ENDS Top phone cases & centi-millionaires Amazon   9. Team Android: The best Samsung Galaxy S23 cases. We found the 12 best phone cases to protect your new device, for every need or budget. The list features Otterbox, Gear4, Speck, and other trusted brands. See them all here. 10. Colleges that produce the most centi-millionaires. A new study found that eight universities produce 35% of the country's centi-millionaires — AKA people worth more than $100 million. Of course, a bunch of Ivy League schools made the list. Check out the full list here. WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TODAY Earnings, Mardi Gras, & more Quarterly earnings for Coinbase, Walmart, and other companies. Keep up with earnings here. Happy Mardi Gras. The US Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a key internet privacy case. Catch up on Gonzalez v. Google here. It's the first day of Impact 2023 in Atlanta. Top leaders from VMware, Cisco, and other major tech companies will give talks. CAN'T GET ENOUGH? Keep up with Insider Get Insider's app and notifications to be the first to find out about the stories you want to know — from tech to business. Download it here. Become an Insider subscriber to get actionable, high-value news and insights to improve your career, company, and community. Subscribe here. Want more of Insider in your inbox? Sign up for our newsletters here. Curated by Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London. Email sent to: geefunk007.bond1@blogger.com Manage your email preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy © 2023 Insider Inc. 1 Liberty Plaza, New York, NY 10006