Amazon has gutted the safety teams for its ambitious drone delivery program, as employees warn of stepped-up pressure to meet delivery goals

Amazon has gutted the safety teams for its ambitious drone delivery program, as employees warn of stepped-up pressure to meet delivery goals

Amazon’s drone delivery program has been in the works since 2013. Amazon launched its Prime Air drone delivery program ten years ago. A string of crashes at one test site has led some employees to raise safety concerns. Prime Air’s safety teams have been hit hard by Amazon’s far-reaching layoffs, employees said. Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . When Amazon announced last summer that the towns of College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California, would be its first test sites for package delivery by automated drone , some residents expressed concerns. The possibility of Amazon’s nearly-90-pound drone "falling from the sky onto our home, onto our car, onto our children" was nerve-wracking, College Station resident Amina Alikhan said at a public meeting last summer. Amazon did its best to assuage those anxieties. "Safety is of the utmost importance" to Amazon, […]

AMD Stock Rises As Data Center Business Drives Fourth-Quarter Beat

AMD Stock Rises As Data Center Business Drives Fourth-Quarter Beat

AMD stock rose Wednesday after the chipmaker reported stronger-than-expected data center chip sales in the fourth quarter. But Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) tempered that news with soft guidance for the current period. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company late Tuesday said it earned an adjusted 69 cents a share on sales of $5.6 billion in the December quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected AMD earnings of 67 cents a share on sales of $5.51 billion. On a year-over-year basis, AMD earnings fell 25% while sales rose 16%. The acquisition of Xilinx boosted revenue and helped offset declining PC and gaming chip sales. In the fourth quarter, AMD’s PC chip sales dropped 51% year over year to $903 million amid weak personal computer demand. Gaming segment revenue slid 7% to $1.6 billion. Meanwhile, data center chip sales increased 42% to $1.7 billion, driven by Epyc server processors. AMD Stock Rises After Report For the current quarter, AMD predicted sales of $5.3 billion, down 10% year over year. Analysts were looking for $5.5 billion in the first quarter. On the stock market today , AMD stock jumped 12.6% to close at 84.64. During the regular session Tuesday, AMD stock […]

7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to boost your productivity, make your job easier, and save a ton of time

7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to boost your productivity, make your job easier, and save a ton of time

Here are seven ways ChatGPT can make your job easier. ChatGPT won’t replace your job anytime soon. But it can make it a little bit easier. With its impressive functions, the buzzy AI chatbot could give some workers a "productivity boost." Insider compiled a list of seven ways workers can use the AI tool to help do their jobs. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . OpenAI’s ChatGPT and similar AI tools may not replace jobs anytime soon . But they can help workers across many industries – from tech to media – do their jobs better and more quickly. "It’s almost like a bit of a productivity boost that some of these occupations might get," Anu Madgavkar, a partner at economic research firm McKinsey Global Institute, told Insider. The buzzy conversational chatbot – which attracted one million […]

Twitter is reportedly planning to charge businesses $1,000 per month to keep gold verified checks

Twitter is reportedly planning to charge businesses $1,000 per month to keep gold verified checks

Twitter is reportedly planning to charge businesses $1,000 to keep gold checks. Social media consultant Matt Navarra first reported that Twitter is reaching out to businesses about the plan. There is reportedly no timeline for when non-paying accounts will lose their checks. Elon Musk also tweeted about other changes this week, such as removing "legacy" blue checks. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In the latest revenue generating effort for Elon Musk’s Twitter, the social media giant is reportedly set to make businesses pay $1,000 per month to keep their gold verification check. Social media consultant Matt Navarra first reported the new charge, along with screenshots allegedly showing Twitter employees offering the price to businesses looking to sign up as a "Verified Organization." The Information confirmed the report Friday, adding that it is currently unclear when the […]

Southwest Airlines reducing minimum requirements for pilots: report

Southwest Airlines reducing minimum requirements for pilots: report

Southwest Airlines’ customers remain loyal despite service meltdowns: Sal Lagonia 00:00 00:0002:54GO LIVE Facebook Twitter Email Embed SpeedNormal Autoplay Southwest Airlines is reportedly reducing the number of hours prospective pilots must have spent flying jets and other turbine-powered aircraft. While the airline had required applicants to have spent at least 1,000 hours flying such aircraft, The Wall Street Journal said Saturday that it will now consider candidates with less of that type of experience. The outlet said the change is set to go into effect Feb. 7, citing a message sent to pilots this week. The carrier reportedly has noted there was an increased demand for highly qualified pilots across the industry. Southwest Airlines pilots conduct a pre-flight check in the cockpit of an airplane on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles Sept. 6, 2013. The pilot credentials listed on Southwest’s website show 500 hours in a fixed-wing turbine aircraft are "preferred." Ticker Security Last Change Change % LUV SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. 36.35 -0.47 -1.28% Powered By Southwest Airlines told FOX Business in an emailed statement it had exceeded its 2022 hiring goal and was on an early track to meet its expanded 2023 […]

Air France-KLM, Lufthansa Eye UK Carrier Flybe: Telegraph

Air France-KLM, Lufthansa Eye UK Carrier Flybe: Telegraph

Flybe passenger aircraft on the tarmac at Exeter Airport, Exeter, UK. Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Air France-KLM are in talks to buy bankrupt UK airline Flybe , the Telegraph reported , without saying where it obtained the information. Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are considering an offer because they are interested in Flybe’s seven pairs of take-off and landing slots at London’s Heathrow airport and five pairs of slots at Schiphol in Amsterdam, the Telegraph said. Media representatives at Air France and Lufthansa declined to comment. Flybe ceased operations last month, less than a year after the low-cost airline returned to the skies after an initial bankruptcy in 2020 triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline operated seven daily flights at Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport, to Amsterdam, Belfast, Newcastle and Newquay in Cornwall, Cirium data show. The carrier’s bankruptcy administrator has just days to work out a rescue and avoid the business being wound down, the Telegraph said. Lufthansa and Air France-KLM have been competing elsewhere of late. The German carrier last month entered talks with the Italian government to buy a minority stake in ITA Airways, the successor of Alitalia SpA. Air France-KLM also was interested in the ITA […]

‘It’s going to take a lot more than water’: Small business reopens six months after devastating floods

‘It’s going to take a lot more than water’: Small business reopens six months after devastating floods

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) – Six months after flooding rocked many areas of Eastern Kentucky, a small, family-owned business in the Garrett area of Floyd County has officially reopened. In July, Garrett was one of many communities hit with flooding, and the Hanekamp’s home and small business, Hanekamp Manor Bikes & Books, were not spared. “Seeing the water come up and hearing the building groaning it was kind of like our future goals were just being almost, figuratively, flushed down the toilet,” said Deedra Hanekamp. “We knew the water was in our home, and we could hear it going in the business. We knew that that was our source of income, and it was just being washed away.” Following the floods, the Hanekamps focused on rebuilding their home and returned by Thanksgiving of 2022 and continued their work to reopen the business. “I love the small community, I love our community, there’s not much here,” said Onas Hanekamp. “We’re trying to bring some life back into the community and keep what little life is here, we’re trying to keep it here.” On Monday, Jan. 30, Hanekamp Manor Bikes & Books officially reopened its doors. “It’s going to take a […]

North County Business Briefs, Feb. 5: Escondido landscapers; Vista High career fair; free date-scam webinar

North County Business Briefs, Feb. 5: Escondido landscapers; Vista High career fair; free date-scam webinar

ENCINITAS Food program receives USDA grant PlusBox (+BOX), a nonprofit that offers programs that improve nutrition, expand access, and support food sustainability, recently received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant of more than $137,000 will be used to develop +BOX Connect, an app-based technology aimed at increasing participation and connection to nutrition resources. PlusBox will pilot +BOX Connect at Bella Mente Academy, a K-8 charter school in Vista. PlusBox’s warehouse and distribution center are in Carlsbad. Volunteers are always welcome to participate in Pack Outs at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, where boxes are packed with nutritious food for students and their families. Visit www.plus-box.org/volunteer . ESCONDIDO Firehouse Subs underwrites grant to firefighters The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation recently gave a $16,147 grant to the Escondido Fire Department, which used it to buy two thermal imaging cameras. The cameras will allow first responders to see through smoke, darkness and heat-permeable barriers to help locate the source of a fire or victims needing rescue. Proceeds from purchases made at U.S. Firehouse Subs restaurants provided the funding for the grant. To date, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has granted more than $1.7 million to first responder organizations […]

New Orleans housing market cools after two years of frenzy; here's what's causing the changes

New Orleans housing market cools after two years of frenzy; here’s what’s causing the changes

Roxana Campos stands in her dining room on Thursday, February 2, 2023 where most of her belongings are packed in boxes awaiting the moving truck that will take her and her husband to Florida. She has been trying to sell her Metairie home. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) When Roxanna Campos and her husband put their 40-year-old Bucktown house on the market in January, they thought the three-bedroom brick Ranch would be a quick sell. She had reason to be optimistic. As a local real estate agent, Campos had a front-row seat to the bidding wars and buying frenzy that pushed up home prices across the metro area by more than 25%, on average, since 2019. But it’s been two weeks since her listing, and despite positive signals at the open house for agents and brokers, Campos hasn’t gotten a single offer. “I would have thought we’d have multiple offers by now,” said Campos, who is selling because of an upcoming move to Florida. “If we haven’t had any movement in the next week, we might have to rethink things.” Cooling off Campos’ experience is not unique. Across the metro area, sellers, […]

It's Your Business includes Michelle McCormick, John Bell, Cory Hollar, Kurt Patberg

It’s Your Business includes Michelle McCormick, John Bell, Cory Hollar, Kurt Patberg

Topeka Capital-Journal Hires Michelle McCormick , LMSW, will join the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence as its new executive director on Feb. 20. McCormick has a background in victim advocacy and intervention with deep experience working with and serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence. She joins KCSDV from the Office of the Kansas attorney general, where she was the director of the victim services division and the victim rights’ coordinator. She has a bachelor of science in sociology from Emporia State University, and a master of social work from the University of Kansas. McCormick takes the reins from longtime executive director Joyce Grover who led KCSDV for 11 years. Grover announced her Feb. 3 retirement in November. Mammoth announced athletics consultants Kurt Patberg and Tim Selgo , formerly of Athletics Staffing & Consulting, are joining the modern master build firm to provide success strategies and growth plans for educational institutions nationwide. Patberg and Selgo will work closely with Mammoth chief business officer Brian Morris, with their focus to provide custom solutions exclusively for NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA institutions. Selgo has 40 years of successful college athletics experience, including 20 years as athletics […]