Hello, tech fans. Jordan Parker Erb here, reporting to you from Montana.
After Twitter's former security chief filed a series of whistleblower complaints, legal experts told Insider that they're unlikely to be the silver bullet Elon Musk is looking for in his legal battle against Twitter — but they could convince the social media company to let him pay to walk away.
I break that down (and more) below. Let's get to it.
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1. The Twitter whistleblower's complaint is unlikely to help Elon Musk win the company's lawsuit against him. In a series of complaints to regulators, Twitter's former security chief Peiter Zatko broadly painted Twitter's security practices as inadequate and dangerous — but experts told Insider it probably won't be the silver bullet Musk needs to win.
- In the complaint, Zatko accused the company of — among other things — "lying" to Musk about spam accounts on its site. By fueling accusations Musk already floated against the company, the whistleblower's statement could play into the Tesla CEO's legal strategy.
- But experts said the details don't necessarily give Musk an edge. And whether the Delaware court (which is in charge of ruling on Twitter's lawsuit against him) will take the accusations seriously is another matter entirely.
- "I don't think it will change who wins if the case goes to trial," one legal expert told Insider, "but it might increase the chances of Twitter agreeing to settle for a large payment."
Here's what else experts told Insider.
In other news:
2. After 28 years, Amazon's "Day 1" startup mindset could finally be finished. Since starting Amazon, Jeff Bezos preached the importance of a Day 1 attitude: no matter how old a company, it should always preserve the risk-taking spirit of the founding moment. But now, amid a looming recession, current and former Amazon employees say Day 2 has arrived — here's what it means for the company.
3. Ford is slashing thousands of jobs as it goes electric. The company confirmed it's laying off about 3,000 employees, and experts say a tidal wave of layoffs will rock the industry as it undergoes a seismic shift. Here's what experts are saying.
4. Coinbase and Robinhood are massively diluting investors. Analysts said that by issuing more restricted-stock units to employees, the firms could be negatively impacting existing shareholders. A look at what that means.
5. LinkedIn is said to have a growing problem with fake accounts. After Binance's CEO said thousands of people are falsely claiming to be his employees on LinkedIn, experts have warned that it's an example of the platform's bot and crypto scam problem. Get the full rundown here.
6. A former member of a polygamous cult says he was hired as an underage laborer to build Amazon warehouses. Wendell Jeffson, formerly a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, says when he was 17 he'd sometimes clock 18-hour days to build the Amazon distribution centers. Here's what else he said.
7. A billionaire said he regrets not investing in "slightly crazy" Elon Musk. John Doerr, who backed Jeff Bezos and Larry Page, said passing up the opportunity to invest in Tesla in 2007 was "probably the worst investment decision of all time."
8. Instagram is internally testing out a feature similar to BeReal. Called "IG Candid," the prototype feature gives users two minutes a day to post in-the-moment photos — a near-replica of anti-social media app BeReal. Inside Instagram's BeReal clone.
Odds and ends:
9. I used Turo, the Airbnb of cars, and don't think I'll ever use a traditional car-rental company. Overall, I thought the app was outstanding: It's easy and convenient — but had a few small shortcomings. I outline the pros and cons of using the peer-to-peer car-sharing site.
10. Plans for Peter Thiel's massive bunker-like estate were rejected by a local government in New Zealand. Plans for the 10-bedroom compound, which was going to be built directly into the landscape, were shut down after complaints from environmental groups. Check out the design for the estate.
What we're watching today:
- Digital Summit Boston is happening today and tomorrow.
- Salesforce, Nvidia, and others are reporting earnings. Keep up with earnings here.
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.
