10 THINGS IN TECH

It is Wednesday, my dudes. This is Matt Weinberger, filling in once more for Jordan Erb. This may be a contrarian position, but Wednesday is my favorite day of the week — it's when new comic books come out (well, DC started releasing them on Tuesdays in recent years, but still).

It's my pleasure to introduce to you Insider's list of 100 People Transforming Business in 2022 — our annual celebration of the people who are bucking trends and upending convention across industries. This year's list includes some of tech's biggest movers and shakers, including BeReal CEO Alexis Barreyat, YouTube chief business officer Mary Ellen Coe, and key union organizer Jessica Gonzalez. Check out the full list here.

On a more somber note, Amazon has begun layoffs that could affect as many as 10,000 employees, Insider's Katherine Long reports. Those cuts are said to be focused in the devices, retail, and human-resources divisions of the company.

There's much to discuss, so let's dive in.

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1. 100 People Transforming Business. Every year, Insider spotlights the 100 people who made the biggest dent in the world of business. While the list goes well beyond the realm of technology, several top industry figures made this year's list.

Honorees included the CEO of BeReal, YouTube's chief business officer, and even key tech labor organizer Jessica Gonzalez.
In a tough year that saw economic conditions sour across the board, these leaders stood out as representative of broader trends sweeping the world of tech.
Insider's Katie Malone writes that this year's crop of Transformers in the field of Emerging Tech reflects a growing trend towards prioritizing transparency and productivity when it comes to everything from remote work to personal fitness.

Read the full list of Transformers here.

In other news:

2. Layoffs hit Amazon. The sweeping layoffs at the online retail giant, first reported on earlier this week, finally started in earnest on Tuesday. As many as 10,000 jobs could be cut in what may prove to be Amazon's largest layoff to date. For more on Amazon:

Insider's Eugene Kim and Katherine Long report that employees are unhappy with the lack of communication from higher-ups about the job cuts.
Katherine reports that employees are sharing tips with each other on how to deal with the anxiety around the layoffs, especially by filling out an unofficial "Freak-out Incident Response Form," or FIRF.
Earlier this week, Eugene reported that Amazon's Grand Challenge lab — responsible for the company's most cutting-edge work — is getting downsized, in a major sign of CEO Andy Jassy's commitment to cost-cutting.

3. Twitter insiders worry that a crash is incoming. Under Elon Musk, Twitter's user count is up, and its headcount is way down. People close to the company tell Insider's Kali Hays and Lara O'Reilly that they worry it's a recipe for the service to go down in a major way, sooner rather than later. Read more about their concerns. Oh, and Twitter workers have started calling Musk by a new nickname, Elmo.

4. Microsoft pledges to hold senior execs accountable. Earlier this year, Insider's Ashley Stewart reported that Microsoft had a history of turning a blind eye to allegations of misconduct against senior leaders who were deemed critical to the mission. On Tuesday, Microsoft pledged to do better in holding its top execs accountable.

5. Recurrent Ventures hits turbulence. Insider's Steven Perlberg writes that Recurrent Ventures, which raised $300 million last year, is going through some tough times. The owner of media brands including Popular Science and The Drive is disorganized and struggling to sell ads, Insiders say. Read more here.

6. Wall Street takes aim at Alphabet. TCI, a major investor in Google's parent company Alphabet, sent a letter on Tuesday urging Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to cut costs. Specifically, they worry that Alphabet has too many employees who are getting paid too much, and that the company burns too much cash on so-called moonshots.

7. Google employees are worried that layoffs are coming for them next. Parent Alphabet is one of the few Big Tech companies not to have done layoffs this year, but staff fear Google may use more aggressive performance reviews to quietly reduce headcount.

8. Lucid is trying to undercut Tesla. Lucid Motors, an electric-vehicle startup, is aiming to undercut the Tesla Model S with its new Air Pure, hitting the streets before year's end. It boasts a slightly longer range than the Model S — and at $92,900, it's $12,000 cheaper.

Odds and Ends:

9. Taylor takes her toll on Ticketmaster. On Tuesday, Swifties across the country were dismayed to find that Ticketmaster was struggling to keep up with the demand for tickets to Taylor Swift's upcoming "Eras" tour. Needless to say, people aren't happy.

10. For gamers, Black Friday starts now. As as inveterate deal-hunter, I love Black Friday shopping season. And if you know where to look, there are already deals to be found. Here's Insider's rundown of the best Black Friday gaming deals available now.

What we're watching today:

Chip giant Nvidia and networking titan Cisco both report earnings after the closing bell on Wednesday.

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 Matt Weinberger in San Francisco. (Feedback or tips? Email mweinberger@insider.com or tweet @gamoid.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.