Tech: From layoffs to unions

Plus: Luxurious tiny houses are booming, and Salesforce cuts employee bonuses.

View in browser Subscribe March 8, 2023 You know how tech bros keep accidentally "inventing" things? I'm Diamond Naga Siu, and unions seem to be the latest invention on their mind. Ross Pomerantz, the self-proclaimed Corporate Bro, told careers connoisseur Rebecca Knight about his latest idea: professional prenups. He proposed that workers should insist on contracts with their employer that outline a severance agreement in case they're laid off. Pair that with pay raises, benefits and other aspects of working conditions, and you basically have a union contract. For full disclosure, Insider is currently in the process of unionizing and we've been bargaining with the company for a professional prenup, or contract, for more than a year. Labor experts say the sweeping layoffs have created a perfect storm for tech workers to unionize. We have that and more tech below. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. P.S. Do you know any up-and-coming ad-techies? We're seeking nominations for our annual list of rising adtech stars.   Robyn Phelps/Insider   1. Layoffs inspire interest in unionizing. Google's layoffs did two things, my teammate Paayal Zaveri writes. They shattered the utopian illusion of working at a giant like Google. And it encouraged droves of Googlers to join the Alphabet Workers Union.   High wages and generous benefits made unionizing seem trivial. But the recent, brutal year of layoffs and cost-cuts has ushered in a new urgency for collective action. Paayal breaks down the future of tech unionization efforts in her latest story. Dive into how tech workers are rethinking their relationship with their employers. ADVERTISEMENT Don't just dream it, build it. Unlock technology as powerful as your vision and push the boundaries of the possible with Deloitte. Our practiced human experience combined with innovative technology can help you build tomorrow-today.  LEARN MORE IN OTHER NEWS Tiny house boom, Elon Musk, & more Wheelhaus   2. Luxurious tiny houses are booming. Wheelhaus sells luxurious, tiny, prefab homes starting at $150,000. Its sales have been skyrocketing as more people seek affordable alternative housing options. Get a full tour of its most popular unit here. 3. Meta managers get the "opportunity" to no longer manage. Meta is offering managers an "opportunity to convert" to non-management, reports Insider's Kali Hays. This comes as employees expect additional layoffs at Facebook's parent company. More on the ominous opportunity here. 4. Elon Musk publicly trolls an employee. Musk and Haraldur Thorleifsson — a Twitter employee who was laid off — publicly sparred with each other on (where else) Twitter. Musk later apologized after publicly accusing an employee of using their disability as an "excuse." Read more. 5. Salesforce cuts employee "gratitude" bonuses by 30%. Employees are upset about the changes, according to internal emails and messages shown to Insider. Here's what upset employees are saying. 6. Amazon Web Services HR head hints at rehiring laid off employees. Leaked audio revealed that he said the retailer's recent job cuts are "incompatible" with Amazon's "Earth's Best Employer pledge." See what else he said here. 7. YouTubers reveal how much they received from their first payday. YouTube started sharing ad revenue from its Shorts, based on views. One of them made $0.04 for every 1,000 views. Check out what others made here. 8. Charging a non-Tesla EV at a Tesla charger. A YouTuber documented what it was like charging their Rivian R1T at a Tesla supercharger location. It "descended into chaos." Get their full experience here. ODDS AND ENDS Gen Z dating  Arif Qazi / Insider   9. Gen Zers are dating their friends. Dating apps are no longer hip among young people. New data shows that Gen Zers — especially women — are dating within their friend groups. Dive into the friend-to-partner pipeline here. 10. New cars with the highest resale value. Most new 2023-model cars will lose half their value within five years, per a new study. But it also revealed the vehicles that are likely to depreciate the least, including the Tesla Model X and Honda Civic. Check out the full list here.   WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TODAY Mark your cals Happy International Women's Day. Time is hosting its annual Women of the Year gala. Quinta Brunson, Megan Rapinoe, and other women will be honored during it. The main draw of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament — also known as the Fifth Slam or Indian Wells — starts today. Spotify is hosting Stream On in the Arts District of Los Angeles. Quarterly earnings for Asana, MongoDB, and other companies. Keep up with earnings here. 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 Diamond Naga Siu in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Matt Weinberger in San Francisco, and 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