10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning and welcome to 10 Things in Tech. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Plus, download Insider's app for news on the go - click here for iOS and here for Android.
Let's get started.
1. Amazon just dethroned Walmart. Shoppers spent $610 billion on Amazon last year, allowing it to officially surpass Walmart as the world's largest retailer outside of China. Here's what that means for Amazon - and why experts "don't see a path for Walmart to catch up."
2. T-Mobile confirms hackers stole personal data from more than 40 million customers. Records from 7.8 million current customers were breached, as well as those of 40 million former or prospective customers. Along with social security numbers, here's what else hackers got.
3. Twelve former Cisco employees have raised billions for buzzy startups. Some startups from Cisco alum - like Zoom - have already achieved fame, while others are still in their early stages of fundraising. Meet the Cisco mafia, who are founding startups spanning e-commerce to cybersecurity.
4. Three former Netflix employees have been charged with insider trading. The SEC charged the employees - as well as one of their brothers and close friends - for operating an insider trading ring that raked in more than $3 million. More on that here.
5. Grimes shared a video of X AE A-Xii during their vacation in Italy. Though she and her boyfriend, Elon Musk, have kept their son out of the spotlight since he was born, the video shows them visiting museums and other scenic locations. See the footage here.
6. WhatsApp shut down a helpline set up by the Taliban. The app shut down the hotline, which was established for people to report looting and violence, to comply with US sanctions against the Taliban. Here's what you need to know.
7. Jeff Bezos now owns $119 million worth of real estate in a single NYC building. Bezos just spent $23 million on a Fifth Avenue condo, in a high-rise building where he already owns four other units. Here's what we know about his sprawling NYC apartment.
8. Humanoid robots are getting terrifyingly nimble. Boston Dynamics is back at it again with another video of its bipedal robot - this time, the robot is performing a parkour routine. Check out the video of it hopping, leaping, and crossing a balance beam.
9. Amazon employees are blasting the company's latest return-to-office plan. Employees are taking to internal message boards to decry the plan, which delayed the return to office from September to January. Workers say it's "turning into a circus" - and want to work from home forever.
10. Uber is starting to show ads on its app. In its search for profitability, the company is revisiting the business model, which former CEO Travis Kalanick had rejected for being bad for users. More on its decision to go against Kalanick's guidance.
Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.
Sign up for more Insider newsletters here.