Volkswagen/Tim Levin
Good morning and welcome to 10 Things in Tech. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.
Let's get started.
1. Volkswagen's April Fools' Day joke went terribly wrong. A press release from the automaker said it would rebrand to "Voltswagen," signaling its commitment to electric mobility. Unfortunately, almost no one got the joke – including Wall Street. How a prank gone wrong affected the company's stock.
2. You'll soon be able to escape Facebook's oft-criticized algorithm. The tech giant will be giving its users more control over what they see on their News Feed, offering an escape from its algorithm. Here's what else you can expect when you log in.
3. LinkedIn could be Clubhouse's next competitor. The professional networking site is in the early stages of testing audio features similar to those on Clubhouse, the buzzy new audio app. See a mockup of LinkedIn's audio features.
4. Leaked documents reveal how Amazon built a Twitter army to defend itself from criticism. In a secret project codenamed "Veritas," the retailer coached employees how to "set the record straight" and rebut online critics. Read details from the leaked documents.
5. H&M pledged its "long-term commitment" to China after its web presence was removed from the country. After the Swedish retailer made negative comments about forced labor in China, the country virtually wiped it from the map. Now, the company is backtracking, saying it's dedicated to regaining the country's trust. More on that here.
6. Want a free burrito and $25,000 in bitcoin? In honor of National Burrito Day, Chipotle is giving out free burritos and a total of $100,000 in bitcoin to people who can correctly guess a six-digit code. (The company told us this isn't an April Fools' prank.) Here's how to participate.
7. An Amazon delivery driver shared his experience with poor working conditions. The employee told us about times he's had to pee in water bottles or eat lunch in his van, and how new surveillance cameras feel like a breach of privacy. This is his story.
8. Google employees won't be disciplined if they discuss wages and working conditions. The company will not bar employees from discussing pay with their colleagues, settling a complaint filed to the National Labor Relations Board. More details from the settlement.
9. These are the 20 most valuable startups in America. VC-backed startups like Instacart, Robinhood, and Stripe made the list - and after two years in a row as number one, SpaceX was dethroned. See who took the top spot.
10. Amazon Web Services quietly expanded its $51 billion cloud empire beyond infrastructure under outgoing CEO Andy Jassy. AWS has a host of diverse solutions that have expanded its cloud empire, and analysts say its new CEO Adam Selipsky would be wise to keep all those balls in the air. We examined how AWS expanded, positioning itself to keep its top spot among major competitors.
Have an Amazon Alexa device? Listen to this update by searching "Business Insider" in your flash briefing settings.
Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email [email protected] or tweet @JordanParkerErb.
Sign up for more Insider newsletters here.