Hey everyone, don't forget it's Tax Day in the US. Tensions are running high at Mailchimp, and we're giving you a glimpse into Volkswagen's funky new electric van.
Let's get started.
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1. At Intuit-owned Mailchimp, tensions are running high. A leaked email shows Intuit gave most Mailchimp workers a 10% raise this month. But current and former employees said morale is still low at the email-marketing company, and that people, feeling belittled, keep quitting.
- The pay increase came after a wave of departures as the once proudly quirky and independent company endured a rocky transition after the $12 billion Intuit deal closed late last year.
- Employees said strong demand for tech workers and discontent with senior management has resulted in the string of key departures, especially in technical roles.
- "Basically, every staff engineer I can think of has left," one former employee said.
Inside the discontent at Mailchimp.
In other news:
2. Spotify is launching a new app: Spotify Live. The new app lets users listen to live podcasts as they're being recorded, and chat with the hosts and other listeners. Here's how it works and how to listen.
3. DoorDash is changing the way it compensates employees in stock. To keep employees happy after a rough few months for the company's stock, CEO Tony Xu laid out a new two-year vesting schedule for equity grants, a big change from the company's previous policy. Why DoorDash is implementing quicker vesting.
4. Elon Musk said he doesn't own a home and crashes at friends' places. In a video interview with TED's Chris Anderson, the world's richest man also said he doesn't own yachts or take vacations —but has a plane to save time. Here's what else he said.
5. Some VCs aren't investing in Y Combinator's latest startups. Investors told Insider the accelerator's new investment terms had bumped up valuations to extremes, and now, some are reluctant to pay such high prices for seed startups. Inside the year "VCs just say no to YC."
6. Reddit's former CEO says if Elon Musk takes over Twitter he's "in for a world of pain." In a viral Twitter thread, Yishan Wong explained why he thinks Musk "shouldn't waste his time" on the platform. Read his take on Musk's offer to buy Twitter.
7. Microsoft wants to bring ads to Xbox games. The company is working on a new program that would let brands place advertisements — which could show up as digitally rendered billboards in a car-racing game, for instance — in free-to-play games. A look at Microsoft's plans for ads.
8. Apple workers in New York City are taking steps to form a union. Workers at Apple's flagship store in Grand Central Terminal have begun collecting signatures to form a union, The Washington Post first reported. Get the latest here.
Odds and ends:
9. We got a close-up look at the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. The modern version of the company's iconic hippy bus, the ID.Buzz has a bunch of funky features like phone-charging nooks, a removable center console, and special wheels to boost range. See inside VW's nostalgic electric minivan.
10. This reporter explored Chipotle in the metaverse. One of Insider's retail reporters visited the fast-food chain's virtual location, and was transported to 1993, when the first Chipotle restaurant was opened. Here's what the experience was like.
What we're watching today:
- Miami Tech Week continues through April 24.
- Bank of America, Charles Schwab, and others are reporting earnings today. Keep up with earnings here.
- Today kicks off the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings Week.
- It's Tax Day.
- The Washington Post is hosting a virtual event with Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian.
Keep updated with the latest tech news throughout your day by checking out The Refresh from Insider, a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. Listen here.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.)