10 THINGS IN TECH

Summer is officially over. As we creep into fall, now's a good time to evaluate your time off: have you used your vacation days yet — or do you at least have plans to do so?

Our story on the efficacy of unlimited PTO is a good reminder to schedule the rest of your vacation days for the remainder of the year, and to take the time you need to avoid burning out.

We're looking at that and more today — but first, let's kick things off with the latest on Amazon compensation.

I'm your host, Jordan Parker Erb. Let's dive in.

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1. Leaked email reveals that Amazon is walking back employees' raises. A software bug caused Amazon to overstate some corporate employees' raise packages, according to the email.

Many Amazon employees who just got promoted are finding out that their raise packages actually won't be as high as they thought, according to an email seen by Insider that was sent to managers on Thursday.
Per the email, the glitch caused Amazon to overstate bonuses for recently-promoted employees by relying on older, higher stock prices for Amazon shares. The glitch was fixed by the company on Tuesday.
The glitch comes amid an upswell of discontent over pay at Amazon. In response, Amazon nearly doubled its base pay cap and promised raises, but that wasn't enough to quell the gripes.

Read our exclusive report here.

In other news:

2. Your company's offer of "unlimited" time off is basically a sham. In many cases, seemingly worker-friendly time-off policies don't help make work easier on employees. The result is a workforce that feels burnt out and unable to free themselves from their desks. What to know about unlimited PTO.

3. Former President Donald Trump's Facebook ban could be lifted as soon as January. Meta executive Nick Clegg said the company will be deciding whether or not to reinstate his account, and will base the decision on whether it poses a risk of "real world harm." More on that here.

4. Leaked documents show where Microsoft's new moonshot team is placing its bets. The team's first growth strategy plan, viewed by insider, reveals the group's desire to change Microsoft's image "from being viewed as a productivity vendor to a strategic cloud and mission-driven innovation provider." Everything we learned from the leaked documents.

5. Elon Musk says he and his brother have financially supported their father for years. In a tweet, Musk said he and his brother have bankrolled their 76-year-old father, Errol Musk, since he "ran out of money in the 90s." What we know about their relationship.

6. Netflix insiders reveal "contentious" debates over data and why some beloved shows don't get renewed. Three former Netflix execs said the streamer's reliance on data is both a potent weapon and a "flawed science." How Netflix uses data to drive its creative decisions.

7. Twitter is looking for documents showing possible ties between Elon Musk and the whistleblower. Former Twitter exec turned whistleblower Peiter "Mudge" Zatko accused the company of lax security and other missteps during his time there. Now, Twitter wants to know if Zatko has had prior dealings with Musk. More on Twitter's search.

8. Tesla recalled more than a million cars over a fault with its automatic windows. According to a filing from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automatic reversal system on some vehicles' windows might not work correctly if an obstruction gets in the way. Here's which Tesla models may be affected.

Odds and ends:

9. An astronaut who spent a year in outer space describes what his days were like. After 355 days, Mark T. Vande Hei has returned from orbit aboard the International Space Station. In an interview with Insider, he said the experience still chokes him up. Read what it's like to live on the ISS.

10. A YouTuber remotely crashed his car — to test out the iPhone 14's new crash-detection feature. YouTuber TechRax taped the phone to the back of the driver's seat. After a direct hit into junkyard vehicles, he found an alarm was going off from the phone, showing the feature works. More here.

The latest people moves in tech:

Shopify hired Jeff Hoffmeister as its CFO, and announced a number of new hires and promotions to its C-suite.

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 jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.)