Happy March, readers. The teen who runs a Twitter account tracking Elon Musk's jet has set his sights on new targets, and we share what to do with your old electronics.
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1. The teen famous for tracking Elon Musk's jet has a new target: Russian oligarchs. The teen's new Twitter account, called Russian Oligarch Jets, tracks the whereabouts of some of Russia's wealthiest businessmen, posting when and where their aircraft takes off and lands.
- The automated feed posted its first tweet on Sunday, after the US sanctioned members of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Despite the sanctions, the country's billionaires are still crisscrossing the globe on private jets and yachts.
- Russian Oligarch Jets has already tracked one Russian billionaire's helicopter trip to the Caribbean.
- The account was made by Jack Sweeney, a college student who made headlines in January for his Twitter account that tracks Elon Musk's travels.
Here's what we know about the new account.
2. Amazon is suspending some Ukraine-based sellers to shield them from late penalties. The sellers were told their accounts were being automatically deactivated, which Amazon said was to "protect" them from unforeseen events and prevent customers from having delayed shipments, according to an email obtained by Insider. Read more in our exclusive report.
More from Big Tech in Ukraine:
- Google Maps disabled its live-traffic feature in Ukraine after reports it was being used to track ground activity during Russia's invasion.
- Twitter said it will add cautionary labels to tweets with content from Russian state-affiliated media sites.
- Meta said that a Russia-linked hacking group broke into Facebook accounts and posted fake footage of Ukrainian soldiers surrendering.
In other news:
3. TikTok will now let users post videos as long as 10 minutes. While videos were previously capped at three minutes, the update will help TikTok compete with other platforms, like YouTube, which allows users to upload videos of any length. Here's what the change means for creators.
4. Elon Musk puts growth ahead of customer service — and it may come back to bite him. Customers of Musk's many endeavors, including Tesla and SpaceX, told Insider they're frustrated with the customer service they've received. Experts said the companies' response to such complaints could tarnish their reputation with consumers.
5. A Chinese app that counts Kim Kardashian and Eileen Gu as users is launching overseas. Hailed as the "the Instagram of China," Xiaohongshu is taking its first steps towards expanding and targeting international users — marking the growing ambitions of Chinese tech firms to take on US giants. What we know about its expansion.
6. Toyota shuts down Japanese factories after a possible cyber attack on one of its suppliers. Toyota will suspend production at 14 domestic vehicle plants, leading to 13,000 units worth of lost output. Everything we know so far.
7. A 23-year-old explains how he went from an Amazon delivery helper to running his own web design agency. A web designer left jobs in security and at Amazon to pursue his dream of working in tech — and now makes up to $57,000 a month running his agency, Ammo Studio. As part of our series "How the Pandemic Changed My Career," he shares how he did it.
8. A former employee is suing Fast, an e-commerce startup backed by Stripe, over claims of "sex discrimination" and "gaslighting." The former employee is seeking damages for what she says are the lost wages, emotional distress, and undermining of confidence from her time at Fast. Here, the employee explains why she's suing.
Odds and ends:
9. Nissan partnered with a camper van maker to create a tiny home on wheels. The Seaside by Dethleffs is based inside a Nissan Primastar van and can sleep four people. Take a look inside the tiny camper.
10. Tossing old tech? You could be throwing away money, too. Throwing old devices away isn't just bad for the environment — it's also giving up a chance to earn a few extra bucks or trade-in credits at a store. Here's what to do instead.
What we're watching today:
- Salesforce, Hewlett Packard, Target, and others are reporting earnings. Keep up with earnings here.
- The House Commerce subcommittee is hosting a hybrid hearing on "Holding Big Tech Accountable: Legislation to Protect Online Users."
- The House Space subcommittee is hosting its latest hearing on Mars.
- Cybertech Global takes place today through March 3.
- Chris Suh becomes Electronic Arts' CFO, replacing Blake Jorgensen.
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Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.