Hello there, tech fans. If I had a dollar for every advertisement or promotional email I've seen that says summer is over, I'd have enough money to buy, I don't know, like a million Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes? (They are back on the menu starting today, by the way).
I'm your host, Jordan Parker Erb, and I'm wistfully holding onto the final weeks of summer. And while cooler days are surely on the way, one thing still is hot: the conversation around "quiet quitting."
Let's talk about it.
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1. So, what's up with "quiet quitting"? The term, which gained traction after Insider published a story on "coasting culture" back in March, describes a phenomenon of workers refusing to go above and beyond for their companies, and choosing instead to focus on their work-life balance.
- Quiet quitting has been around, under different names, for generations. Gen Xers might have called it "slacking off" or "coasting," while millennials might have said it was "having boundaries" — so it's not just a "Gen Z thing."
- Nor is it necessarily a bad thing, Ed Zitron writes. In his latest piece, Zitron argues that quiet quitting isn't a nefarious rebellion against well-meaning employers. It's workers doing exactly what they were paid to do — in the hours they're told to do it.
- Looking to focus more on your own boundaries with work? We outlined 25 large companies with the best work-life balance, and the list includes firms like Squarespace and Chegg.
Here, three generations of workers talk quiet quitting.
In other news:
2. Mark Zuckerberg sat down for a rare interview with Joe Rogan. In the eclectic, free-wheeling interview, the two discussed the metaverse, exercise habits, and those jokes about Zuckerberg being a robot. Read all the biggest revelations.
3. The directors of UC Berkeley's startup accelerator share what they're looking for. SkyDeck's founding partner and executive director review more than 1,000 applications for each cohort, but only accept about 2% — and are looking for founders who think big, not safe. Here's what else they want in an application.
4. Revolut salaries have been revealed — with senior talent earning as much as $300,000. The banking unicorn is currently hiring for over 200 positions across the firm. Here's how much certain roles could earn, from management to marketing.
5. Microsoft's MIT blackjack whiz who was accused of treating women unfairly is leaving. According to a leaked internal memo, Microsoft for Startups boss Jeffrey Ma is leaving the company. Insider previously reported Ma's leadership led to an "exodus" of senior women execs from the organization. What else we learned from the leaked memo.
6. NASA's Artemis I launch was delayed by technical issues. The launch, which was scheduled for Monday, has been pushed back until Friday at the earliest. When it does blast off, there will be no humans on board — but a plush Snoopy and a "Shaun the Sheep" doll will be.
7. Why are more early-stage startups raising "supergiant" seed-funding rounds? Seed-funding rounds are typically around $1 million, but lately, some startups have been fetching more than $10.5 million in seed funding. We explain why the massive funding rounds are all the rage in Silicon Valley.
8. Elon Musk wants fully self-driving Teslas to go on sale by Christmas. While speaking at the ONS conference, Musk said he'd like the cars ready by the end of the year, but his hopes are dependent upon regulatory approval. A look at what else he said.
Odds and ends:
9. We may have just gotten a hint at what Apple's new product could be called. Corporations tied to Apple filed trademarks for "Reality One," "Reality Pro," and "Reality Processor," and Bloomberg reports that the filings signal what the company could name its unreleased mixed reality headset. Everything we know about the new gadget.
10. You won't recognize Netflix's very first logo from 25 years ago. As the streaming app turned 25 yesterday, we took a look at some of the changes it's experienced during the past quarter century. See all the iterations of Netflix's logo.
What we're watching today:
- HP, Best Buy, and others are reporting earnings. Keep up with earnings here.
- Photoshop World is happening virtually through Sept. 1.
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.