Welcome back to 10 things in tech; we hope you enjoyed your holiday. Today, we're sharing how much tech giants are paying their employees. Plus, Spotify might become a little more like TikTok.
Let's get to it.
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1. How much do tech companies pay their employees? We've been analyzing data to figure out how much Amazon Web Services, Apple, Twitter, and other giants are paying their workers. Here's what some of the biggest companies are paying employees, from engineers to data scientists:
- Every Apple employee included in the data we analyzed makes six figures.
- Uber and Lyft are hiring for thousands of jobs right now — and positions like senior managers in engineering can make upwards of $200,000.
- AWS is also on the hunt for employees for its cloud unit, where they can make a base salary between $160,000 and $185,000. See the highest-paying jobs at AWS.
- Twitter salaries often top $200,000, but many workers earn much more. From data scientists to engineers, here's how much Twitter employees can earn.
- Engineer is one of the hottest jobs at TikTok, and their annual base salaries range from $120,000 to $480,000.
Check out salaries from other major companies here (and see how much you should be getting paid).
In other news:
2. Apple's long-rumored AR headset is reportedly expected in late 2022. The headset is intended to replace the iPhone in the next 10 years and is said to be far more powerful than the current iPhone models. Everything we know about the headset so far.
3. Pittsburgh is emerging as an unlikely tech capital. We spoke with Pittsburgh's recent arrivals and long-term residents, who said its mix of top-tier talent and a more affordable cost of living is fueling the city's tech boom. Why they think Pittsburgh could be the next San Francisco.
4. Climate activists say they blockaded 15 Amazon sites on Black Friday. Activists from Extinction Rebellion protested — with one wearing a giant fake head resembling Jeff Bezos — at sites in three countries. More on the blockades at Amazon sites.
5. Inside the trouble with the Zestimate. The home-valuation tool that made Zillow so irresistible, Zestimate is also what sank the company's reputation. We broke down the feature's history — from why it's so addicting to its role in shuttering the company's home-flipping arm. Get the inside scoop.
6. Lush's CEO is "happy to lose" $13 million by deleting the company's social media accounts. The UK-based cosmetics retailer shut down its TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat accounts on Black Friday, citing concerns about how the apps harm teens' mental health. Here's what else the CEO said.
7. Amazon is struggling to break into SaaS business applications. A damning assessment of AWS's own marketing software, Pinpoint — and an internal pitch to buy $38 billion HubSpot — reflect the challenges Amazon is facing in trying to catch up to its SaaS competitors. AWS employees describe the company's SaaS struggles.
8. SpaceX's Starlink has no license to operate in India, lawmakers say. Indian officials said the public should steer clear until it has approval to operate there — but Elon Musk's company is still taking pre-bookings. What we know so far.
9. Spotify is experimenting with a TikTok-like video feed. To help listeners find new artists, Spotify is testing a "Discover" page — still in beta mode — which has full-screen music videos that users can "like" or "skip." Get the full rundown here.
10. We have an inside look at Blue Origin's Astronaut Village. Located in the Texas desert, space tourists preparing for flight sleep in Airstream trailers and hang out around a firepit at the Astronaut Village. See photos of the campsite.
What we're watching this week:
- It's Cyber Monday. Here are some of the best tech deals to check out today.
- Amazon Web Services' re:Invent conference is taking place through Dec. 3.
- @Hack, an information security conference, takes place in Riyadh through Nov. 30.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.