Happy Thursday, readers. I'm Jordan Parker Erb, and we've got lots to talk about today, so I'll get right to the point.
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1. Insider reported that Elon Musk quietly welcomed twins in November, 2021. The children's mother, Shivon Zilis, is a top executive at Musk's brain-computer interface company, Neuralink.
- Court records obtained by Insider showed that Musk and Zilis filed to change the twins' last names to their father's, keeping their mother's as part of their middle names.
- The technology mogul, whose net worth hovers around $220 billion, is currently ranked the wealthiest individual in the world.
- Musk, who has been increasingly outspoken about the declining birth rate, now has nine known children.
In other news:
2. Sheryl Sandberg, Warren Buffett, and others have been spotted at the Sun Valley conference. Uber, GM, and Nike execs have also been seen at the ultra-exclusive event this week, checking into the resort, getting coffee, or heading out for a bike ride. These are all the high-profile guests seen so far.
3. Electrifying the world's cars is way dirtier than you think. Given the amount of mining required to electrify more than 1 billion cars, creativity around consuming less — or in different ways — could move the world closer to sustainable development goals. How we can rethink the climate crisis.
4. Big Tech firms are snapping up laid-off Tesla employees. Rivian, Amazon, and Apple are scooping up dozens of workers affected by Elon Musk's workforce reduction plans (like one who says he was let go while on vacation). Here's where former Tesla employees are headed.
5. Recruiters and execs at Amazon, IBM, and Google share how to break into cloud sales roles. Cloud salespeople can make $185,000 in base salary, so we touched base with industry experts, who said certifications and a willingness to learn can help land one of the lucrative positions. Read their other advice.
6. Apple's new "Lockdown Mode" will offer users "extreme, optional protection." The feature will be available this fall in the next version of iOS: iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura — but only a "very small number of users" who face threats to their digital security will have the option. Get a look at how it'll work.
7. Streamers aren't really interested in comedies anymore — and writers are freaking out. Despite their insatiable appetite for content, major streamers like Netflix don't seem to be buying as many comedy series. Instead, they're looking for more shows with cliffhangers. How Netflix's "binge model" is squeezing out sitcoms.
8. Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX has a "few billion" to aid struggling firms. The industry giant believes the worst of the cryptocurrency rout is now likely over. It comes as crypto broker Voyager filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, after hedge fund Three Arrows Capital defaulted on a loan from the company.
Odds and ends:
9. A futuristic new airport screen can show you personalized flight info. Up to 100 people can view the screen at a time, and each of them will see something different — including what gate their flight is at, when it's leaving, and even how to get there. See how it works.
10. Amazon Prime members can now get a year of Grubhub+ for free. After the e-commerce giant took a 2% stake in Grubhub's parent company, Just Eat Takeaway, Prime members have free access to the service — which usually costs $9.99 per month. Here's how to claim a year's subscription to Grubhub+ for free.
What we're watching today:
- President Joe Biden is posthumously awarding Apple co-founder Steve Jobs with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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.