Welcome to Monday, readers. Jordan Parker Erb here, reporting to you from New York. Twitter and Elon Musk are in the midst of a very public, very chaotic breakup, and I'm here to walk you through it.
Let's get started.
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1. A Twitter exec told employees the company will "be ok." After Elon Musk backed out of his agreement to buy Twitter, an internal memo shows an exec telling employees — some of whom had already taken to social media to express "glee" or "relief" — to use "discretion" in tweeting.
- ICYMI: Musk on Friday sent a letter (read it here) to Twitter's board saying he's decided to "terminate" the $44 billion deal — but he has no intention of paying the $1 billion fee for backing out.
- The next day, Musk flew to Sun Valley, Idaho to attend the exclusive Allen & Co. conference. In an interview, Musk notably skirted all conversation about his breakup with Twitter. Here's what he talked about instead.
- Twitter has since hired one of the world's best law firms to sue Musk, and execs are trying to quell employees' concerns. In response to Musk's letter, general manager Nick Caldwell wrote a memo to staff, saying: "Phew! This is a lot."
Get caught up on Elon Musk's chaotic Twitter saga.
In other news:
2. Gmail users could soon see more political emails in their inboxes. Google has asked federal regulators to OK a plan letting political committees avoid spam filters — but officials are giving users a little time to express their feelings on the potentially pivotal ruling.
3. Softbank-backed startup Remote is cutting 10% of its staff. Remote, an onboarding startup valued at nearly $3 billion, cited ongoing economic uncertainty and a focus on sustainable growth as it laid off nearly 100 workers. What we know so far.
4. Uber used a tactic known as the "kill switch" to block company data during police raids. Documents leaked to the Guardian suggest Uber activated the protocol at least 12 times in 2017 — when the app was illegal in several countries. Documents also appear to show its former CEO urged drivers to join protests against Uber, saying "violence guarantees success."
5. DoorDash is closing robotics company Chowbotics. DoorDash said it shuttered the business because it didn't meet certain internal benchmarks — resulting in layoffs and signaling a roadblock in its already slow adoption of automation. Inside DoorDash's robotixcs setback.
6. A new lawsuit alleges that embattled crypto platform Celsius is a Ponzi scheme. Jason Stone, the CEO of a firm Celsius acquired, says it failed to hedge risk and manipulated the market. What to know about the lawsuit.
7. How much do Amazon Web Services employees make? Insider combed through data to find out how much engineers, analysts, and hundreds of other employees at the cloud computing subsidiary make, and some are bringing in up to $185,000. See how much you could earn at AWS.
8. Researchers in China claim they have developed "mind-reading" AI. The Sunday Times UK first reported that researchers say they've developed artificial intelligence capable of measuring citizens' loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. Get the full rundown here.
Odds and ends:
9. Take a tour of the Rivian R1S, the coolest new EV in the US. Shipping to customers later this summer, the R1S is a stylish — but rugged — SUV that can handle itself both on-road and off. Insider's transportation reporter got up close and personal with the EV — check it out here.
10. Amazon Prime Day kicks off tomorrow. While there are already some early deals going on (like sales on Apple Watches, iPads, and other Apple products), one of the best promotions we've seen is offering up to $284 in credits to use on Prime Day — here's how to claim every promotion. Plus, Axios has a look at the inner workings of Prime Day.
What we're watching today:
- "Better Call Saul" returns for its final six episodes on AMC.
- Nano Labs is expected to announce its final IPO pricing.
- Fortune Brainstorm: TECH event kicks off today in Aspen, Colorado.
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.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.