10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning, readers. Jack Dorsey is no longer Twitter's CEO, and Disney+ dropped an episode of "The Simpsons" in Hong Kong.
Let's get to it.
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1. Jack Dorsey has stepped down as Twitter's CEO. Dorsey, known in the tech world for his eyebrow-raising eating habits, signature beard, and bitcoin evangelism, announced his immediate departure Monday. He'll remain a member of the Board until 2022.
- In a letter detailing his resignation, Dorsey said he believes "the company is ready to move on from its founders." You can read the full letter he sent to employees here.
- CTO Parag Agrawal is Dorsey's successor, effective immediately. The 37-year-old machine learning and AI expert has been with Twitter since 2011 — here's everything we know about the incoming CEO.
Get the latest on Dorsey's departure.
3. Insiders say ghost kitchen startup Reef's ambitious growth led to chaos. Eighteen former employees said the company's rush to grow resulted in limited potable water, "fireballs" in food trailers, and serving customers undercooked food. More on Reef's frenzied growth.
4. Meta's acquisition of Giphy is set to be blocked by an antitrust regulator. The Financial Times reported that the UK agency is expected to reverse Meta's acquisition of Giphy in the coming days. Why the regulator believes an acquisition will harm competition.
5. Why does the tech job interview process still suck? Companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta can't seem to hire developers fast enough, but they still haven't done much to reform their intensive interview processes — and insiders say a developer shortage isn't enough for them to take action. Experts explain why Big Tech doesn't have to change.
6. Disney+ dropped an episode of "The Simpsons" in Hong Kong. The episode, first aired in 2005, makes a joke about the suppression of information around the Tiananmen Square massacre. What we know about the missing episode.
7. An internal pitch listed a handful of marketing software companies Amazon should consider buying. We previously reported that a team within Amazon suggested buying HubSpot to help it catch up to competitors — but it also pitched buying startups like Braze and Hootsuite. See the full list of companies Amazon internally pitched as acquisition targets.
8. Bill Gates shared five book recommendations for the holidays. The Microsoft cofounder's list includes two sci-fi novels and two non-fiction books, as well as one fictional reimagination of William Shakespeare's life. Check out his annual list here.
9. Amazon employees at a warehouse in Alabama will get another chance at unionization. The National Labor Relations Board authorized a new union election at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, which garnered national attention during a union drive earlier this year. Get the full rundown.
10. Elon Musk promises a Cybertruck update in January. After production challenges pushed the car's expected arrival from 2021 to 2022, Musk said he'll give an update on the truck's availability during Tesla's next earnings call. More on that here.
What we're watching today:
- Earnings are expected from Microsoft, Salesforce, Hewlett Packard, and Allbirds. Keep up with earnings here.
- NASA astronauts on board the ISS are expected to embark on a spacewalk to repair a faulty antenna system.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.