Friday Health Plans, a Denver-based health insurance tech company that’s raised more than $300 million in capital, cut 98 employees in companywide-layoffs. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice issued to the state Wednesday, the layoffs will take effect April 30. The given reason for the cuts was "a loss of business." The terminated employees were concentrated at Friday’s headquarters in Denver, as well as its largest office in Alamosa. Various roles were cut, including 24 care representatives, 10 medical department specialists, nine claims analysts, six nurse coordinators and four marketing and sales coordinators, among other jobs. Friday, founded in Denver eight years ago, grew to offer health plans in 185 counties across seven states and serve more than 330,000 members as of May 2022. However, the company announced late last year that it would end its coverage in Texas and New Mexico in 2023. At the time, Friday said it would work toward offering health plans in those states again in 2024. The company now offers plans in Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Oklahoma. It was uncertain Thursday how the end of its operations in Texas and New Mexico affected its membership base. […]

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Find someone to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, ultimately leading to your personal success. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. One of the best pieces of advice I can give to fellow entrepreneurs is to get a business coach . I should know; I’ve had the same one for 12 years. He’s helped me through some of the stickiest challenges I’ve ever faced in my business, and I credit much of my success to his support. Beyond helping me through the tough times, he’s also helped me to identify and lean into my strengths. Here’s how a good business coach should help you do the same. They speak the truth When you’re an entrepreneur , especially one who gains a lot of traction quickly, you’ll find yourself surrounded by many "yes people." They’re usually well-intentioned, eager to please you and say the right thing so you’ll view them positively. Often, they’re also your employees, and the power of a paycheck means they won’t want to risk offending or irritating you. This makes sense, and these people shouldn’t be blamed for their staunchly supportive behavior. Even so, you’ll sink if these folks are the only ones […]

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New York CNN — Facebook-parent Meta on Friday announced a revamp of its “cross-check” moderation system after facing criticism for giving VIPs special treatment by applying different review processes for VIP posts versus those from regular users. But Meta stopped short of adopting all the recommended changes that had previously been put forward by its own Oversight Board, including a suggestion to publicly identify which high-profile accounts qualify for the program. The cross-check program came under fire in November 2021 after a report from the Wall Street Journal indicated that the system shielded some VIP users — such as politicians, celebrities, journalists and Meta business partners like advertisers — from the company’s normal content moderation process, in some cases allowing them to post rule-violating content without consequences. As of 2020, the program had ballooned to include 5.8 million users, the Journal reported. Meta’s Oversight Board said in the wake of the report that Facebook had failed to provide it with crucial details about the system. At the time, Meta said that criticism of the system was fair, but that cross-check was created in order to improve the accuracy of moderation on content that “could require more understanding.” Meta’s Oversight […]

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Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is delaying construction of HQ2’s second phase, the company said Friday. The company’s plans for PenPlace call for nearly 3.2 million square feet spanning the Helix building and three other office buildings. The application was approved by the Arlington County Board last April. Since then, the 11.6-acre site has sat vacant as Amazon completes the first phase of its second headquarters, Metropolitan Park. John Schoettler, vice president of Amazon’s global real estate and facilities team, said that Met Park, with its two 22-story office towers totaling 2.1 million square feet, will have enough space to fit more than 14,000 employees. So far, Amazon has hired 8,000 employees for HQ2, Schoettler said — up from 5,000 since April 2022, the last time the company shared its local employee count. Met Park is slated to open in June. “We’re always evaluating space plans to make sure they fit our business needs and to create a great experience for employees,” Schoettler said. “Our second headquarters has always been a multi-year project, and we remain committed to Arlington, Virginia, and the greater Capital Region — which includes investing in affordable housing, funding computer science education in schools across the […]

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The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card just increased its welcome offer for a limited time, making it a beneficial deal for travel lovers who value Marriott Bonvoy points. The welcome offer, which nearly doubles the 75,000 bonus points previously offered, applies to applicants approved by May 3, 2023. New cardholders can earn 125,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after making $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Beyond the bonus points, there are a number of perks that have elevated this card into a more competitive travel card offering. The Perks To Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex In addition to the welcome offer, Marriott Bonvoy membership provides 10 points per dollar on purchases at participating hotels. Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex cardholders receive an additional 25% bonus on those points via the card’s complimentary Gold Elite status, plus 6 points per dollar at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping and 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases. The card promotion also offers a 7% discount on room rates, one free-night […]

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(Charlotte Harrison/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk) Silvergate Bank lost more than $8 billion in deposits from its crypto customers in the final months of 2022 as its core block of business crumbled under the industry’s implosion – just as the bank’s regulators had predicted might happen for such institutions. The sudden evaporation of most of its deposit base was only one of several worries for the La Jolla, California-based lender. The company has faced pressures from U.S. banking watchdogs that have been insisting that banks shouldn’t concentrate on crypto, and its disclosures this week revealed investigations from regulators and the U.S. Department of Justice, plus a suggestion that ongoing audits may require a restating of its financials. Apart from all that, its one-time crypto strengths were starting to drag it down, according to a CoinDesk analysis of the bank’s financial reports over the past several years. BTC$22,306.25 ETH$1,565.46 BNB XRP APT View All Prices Many of the raw numbers reported by Silvergate over the years reveal an institution that may have peaked in 2021, well before the dramas of 2022 shook the crypto sector. The volume on its Silvergate Exchange Network , for instance, hit a high in the first […]

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is traveling to Asia for a weeklong series of meetings with business leaders and policymakers in the hopes of growing foreign investment. Edwards, who left Friday and will return March 11, will visit South Korea and Japan. In a press release , the Democrat said the trip, which is Louisiana’s first trade mission to Asia in a decade, is designed to “strengthen ties to one of the state’s most important international trading partners, and reinforce Louisiana’s unique advantages for major jobs-creating business development and expansion projects.” “Asian imports, exports and manufacturing investments have driven job creation and economic expansion in Louisiana for decades,” Edwards said. “The impact of those investments has grown dramatically in recent years, and it is imperative that we cultivate opportunities for continued growth.” Louisiana has repeatedly ranked as the top state for per-capita foreign direct investment, according to the governor’s office — a large portion of which is driven by Asia-Pacific companies. Edwards will meet with top executives of numerous companies that have investments in Louisiana — including Zen-Noh, a major grain exporter with headquarters in Covington and Shin-Etsu, the parent company of a PVC […]

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At 7 weeks pregnant she wanted an abortion. Here’s why she turned to a doctor in Austria New York CNN — Walgreens on Friday said it will not distribute abortion medication in 20 states, bowing to pressure from anti-abortion lawmakers and lawsuits targeting the legality of medication abortion. The company said it will not dispense mifepristone , the first of two drugs in the medication abortion process, in 20 states following a February 1 letter from GOP attorneys general in those states. Retail pharmacies have been caught in the middle of abortion battles. Companies are loath to antagonize lawmakers in states where they may face politically motivated reprisals. GOP leaders have recently targeted businesses ranging from Disney to investment funds . 12 blue states sue FDA, saying it’s too strict in limiting abortion drugs as legal battle over mifepristone heats up “We intend to be a certified pharmacy and will distribute Mifepristone only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible,” the company said in a statement. The US Food and Drug Administration had previously said that pharmacies that become certified to dispense mifepristone can do so directly to someone who has a prescription from a certified […]

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FOX Business Flash top headlines for March 3 00:00 00:0002:12GO LIVE Facebook Twitter Email Embed SpeedNormal Autoplay The Raspberry Rally flavor of Girl Scout cookies has become largely sold-out, leading to a resale market in which they sport some eye-popping prices. As of Friday, numerous people put up boxes of the recently released cookie on the online marketplace eBay , with some sellers setting the price of a single Raspberry Rally box in the $20 range. Other listings, meanwhile, aimed to charge prices like $115 for five boxes, $100 for two or $72 for three. Girl Scouts of the USA’s newest cookie, Raspberry Rally, resembles its fan favorite Thin Mints flavor with a chocolate shell and cream center, but instead of a mint filling it has a raspberry filling. NEW RASPBERRY RALLY GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TO JOIN 2023 NATIONWIDE LINEUP The Girl Scouts of the USA announced it would be adding the Raspberry Rally flavor to the organization’s 2023 offering of cookies back in August. The chocolate-coated raspberry-flavored cookie, only for-sale online starting Feb. 27, is a "sister" of the Thin Mints cookie, according to the organization. Girl Scouts and their troops rally their communities to support the Girl […]

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U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised economic expertise when he clawed his way to the top last autumn. British businesses think he needs a refresher. Witness the brewing revolt against the mammoth tax increases Mr. Sunak cooked up with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Messrs. Sunak and Hunt unveiled a revised budget in November and are promising more of the same in their spring fiscal announcement. To balance the budget, they want to raise the top corporate tax rate to 25% from 19%; reduce the threshold for the top 45% personal income-tax rate to £125,140 from £150,000; and soak the middle class by freezing tax brackets until 2028 so inflation drags households into higher tax rates before their standard of living improves.

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