Apple has instituted a hiring freeze. Here's what to know.

Today's the day. Netflix's lower-priced subscription tier, Basic with Ads, is now available, so you can spend less to watch your favorite shows.

Apparently it's also National Sandwich Day, so kick your feet up, eat a sandwich, and binge watch some of the new series that hit the streamer this week.

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I'm your host, Jordan Parker Erb. Let's get to today's stories.

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1. Hiring freezes are underway at Apple. Since the summer, the company has touted its "deliberate" decisions about investment and hiring. But three sources with close knowledge of conversations at the company told Insider it has paused almost all hiring.

• Staff across divisions, the sources said, have been told the company won't be onboarding new hires for a number of months — and that the pause could last through September 2023.
• The hiring stall affects full-time employees inside the company, one person said, with divisions such as retail still likely to add sales staffers at Apple locations in advance of the holiday gifting rush.
• Officially, Apple has said it's taking a cautious approach to onboarding new recruits. In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson said the company wants to make "smart decisions that enable us to continue fueling innovation for the long term."

An inside look at what we know so far.

In other news:

2. Musk's Twitter has a list of thousands of employees who will be laid off, representing about 50% of the company's workforce. According to two sources and an internal message, the list, which identifies those who may get severance, had about 3,700 people on it when it was being finalized Wednesday.

3. In a leaked recording, Cerebral execs explain their rationale for mass layoffs. The audio recording, obtained by Insider, reveals executives telling workers that they blew through too much money too quickly. How the embattled mental-health startup is changing course.

4. Google searches for excuses to skip work increased nearly 1,900% since 2020. Amid return-to-office mandates, people Googled excuses to skip work more than 2 million times this year. Why more people are looking to play hooky.

5. A "magic" new AI tech has become the hottest thing in Silicon Valley. VCs are keeping their eyes on "generative artificial intelligence," or AI that can generate text, images, videos, code, and more — but some are raising concerns over its ethics and safety. We break down why everyone's watching generative AI.

6. A Twitter employee shared a picture of his boss sleeping on the office floor. The photo shows his boss in a sleeping bag and eye mask on the floor — illustrating Elon Musk's new hardcore work culture. See the photo here.

7. Jack Ma's former assistant reveals the "secret sauce" behind Alibaba's meteoric rise. In a new book, Brian A. Wong details Alibaba's management ethos and how it can be applied by others to achieve similar success. Read some key takeaways from his book.

8. "TrumpIsDead" began trending on Twitter as an apparent test of moderation on the platform. Following Elon Musk's takeover, an actor and comedian put his control of Twitter and its moderation practices to the test. Here's what went down.

Odds and ends:

9. A Chinese Tesla rival built the most literal interpretation of "flying car" we've seen yet. Code-named the X3, Xpeng's flying car is designed to "fly over traffic congestion" and seamlessly switch between driving and flying. You can watch its maiden voyage here.

10. A viral Tweet Generator uses AI to imitate your tweeting style. Can't think of anything to tweet? Let Tweet Hunter's AI Tweet Generator do it for you. The free tool analyzes your tweets, then tries to come up with a bunch of new posts that sound like something you'd write. Here's how it works.

What we're watching today:

• The 2022 Forbes Iconoclast Summit starts today in New York City.
• Coinbase, DoorDash, PayPal, and others are reporting earnings. Keep up with earnings here.

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 Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.