10 THINGS IN TECH YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Happy Monday, readers. We've got the low-down on what could be the most expensive holiday season ever, and Jeff Bezos' vision for humans in space.

Without further ado…

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app – click here for iOS and here for Android.

1. This year's holiday shopping season could be the most expensive ever. As global supply chain issues persist, Amazon and Walmart are in a pricing battle to offer the lowest costs. A new study shows that Amazon offers the lowest average price among major online retailers, but that Walmart is quickly narrowing the price gap. Here's what else the data found:

Amazon has the lowest prices for holiday gifts like electronics, toys, and video games — but that's if you can get your hands on certain electronics, as a chip shortage is hurting production of gaming consoles, cell phones, and other tech.
Target became 15% more expensive than Amazon on average.
Specialty retailers, like Chewy and Home Depot, are keeping prices close to Amazon's.

Read the full report here.

In other news:

2. We've got a recap of Elizabeth Holmes' 10th week on trial. Jurors learned last week that Theranos voided as many as 60,000 test results over a two-year period, and an investor described "hostile" behavior from its former COO. Here's what else you may have missed.

3. Genius sold for $80 million, making two of its founders millionaires — but its third founder got nothing. The deal valued the lyric annotation website's common stock at $0, meaning most employee shareholders, including Genius's third cofounder, made nothing on the sale. Here's what we know about what happened.

4. A former SpaceX engineer has accused the company of racial discrimination. In a lawsuit the employee alleges he was paid "substantially" less than his colleagues and suffered severe harassment. SpaceX claims he was fired for making inappropriate facial expressions. More on that here.

5. A top Tiger Global dealmaker has a warning for startup employees. The red-hot VC market may end up hurting some employees who join a startup that later has a drop in valuation, John Curtius said. Read his warning about employees' stock pay.

6. Jeff Bezos predicts that people will one day be born in space. In his vision of the future, humans will live in space colonies and "visit Earth the way you visit, you know, Yellowstone National Park." See more of his predictions.

7. Robots are taking our jobs — but that's not a bad thing. More businesses are automating jobs and using new tech to streamline their operations, and these moves are going to make employees' lives better and help grow the economy, writes columnist Josh Barro. He explains why more robots are good news for everyone.

8. Apple's privacy crackdown has hammered developers but helped the tech giant generate an extra $1 billion a year. The company's new App Tracking Transparency rules put it in a unique position to profit. Read more about the extra ad cash generated since the change.

9. Iceland's tourism body poked fun at Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse ambitions. In a promotional video of the country, a Zuckerberg doppelganger introduces the "Icelandverse" — a parody of the metaverse — and references the Meta CEO's infamous sunscreen photo. Watch the video here.

10. Chinese startups are battling with Tesla for electric-car supremacy. Three electric-car startups have risen to the top of the pack in China, and are challenging Tesla in what's becoming its most crucial market. Take a look at their high-tech cars.

What we're watching today:

The Dubai Airshow is taking place through Nov. 18. Here are eight things we're looking forward to at the event.
President Biden will sign the bipartisan Infrastructure Deal into law.
WeWork is reporting its Q3 earnings. Keep up with earnings here.

Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.