Some remote workers have picked up a nefarious side hustle: outsourcing their work
I have yet to scam my bosses. And while I definitely won't, some folks have, and are taking it to the extreme — by outsourcing their jobs to other people.
I'm Jordan Parker Erb, and I wrote this newsletter. It was not outsourced. Today, I'm showing you how companies are discovering fraudsters with sneaky side hustles.
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1. Some employees are outsourcing their jobs to other people. Senior correspondent Rebecca Knight writes that with remote work has come a wide opportunity for fraud — including having someone else do your job.
- Data on people outsourcing their work is hard to come by, but anecdotal evidence from company execs suggests the practice is on the rise.
- One expert said the practice is most common in technical, IT, coding, and developer roles — and that the employees often earn a relatively high salary.
- Some observers say the fact that rogue employees are doing this could signify a bigger problem: This far into the remote-work revolution, employers do not have a good handle on managing their remote workforces.
How companies are spotting the fraudsters.
In other news:
2. Jeff Bezos' megayacht was quietly towed from a Dutch shipyard. Bezos' yacht was moved before dawn on Tuesday after the company building it scrapped a request to dismantle a historic bridge to let it pass. Watch a video of the boat's journey.
3. Job candidates should ask these questions to ensure they aren't on the wrong side of future layoffs. Jermaine Murray, a recruiter who's placed over 700 people at companies like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, offers three questions job seekers should ask to get ahead of future layoffs.
4. SoundCloud just announced layoffs. According to Billboard, the music-streaming company announced layoffs that will affect up to 20% of its global workforce. Billboard has the latest.
5. Netflix insiders describe a culture shift to "fear-based" decision making. Creators, producers, and other Hollywood stakeholders said the company's culture has changed amid challenges — and some wonder whether the things that made Netflix special are fading away.
6. A former TikTok moderator describes recovering from the work. The former employee said it took months to bounce back after working as a TikTok content moderator, a job where they made less than $7 an hour and saw coworkers cry daily. Read their story.
7. A freelancer earned $1.2 million writing Amazon product descriptions on Fiverr. Levi Newman joined the freelance service marketplace eight years ago to turn writing into a side hustle. Each year since then, he's raked in about $150,000. He explains how he built his business.
8. Tinder's metaverse plans have been shattered. Following disappointing second-quarter earnings, Tinder's parent company Match Group announced a major leadership shuffle, and said it'd be killing plans for metaverse-based dating and virtual currencies. We've got the details.
Odds and ends:
9. Rivian's R1T and Ford's F-150 Lightning go head-to-head in our EV showdown. Insider's transportation reporter test-drove both electric trucks — find out which vehicle came out on top and why.
10. We ranked the 22 best original shows on Apple TV Plus. Despite having a smaller library of shows than competitors like Hulu and Netflix, Apple TV Plus has amassed an impressive lineup of original series, from "Ted Lasso" to "Severance." See our top picks here.
What we're watching today:
- Lyft, DoorDash, and others are reporting earnings today. Keep up with earnings here.
- Tesla stockholders are set to vote on its stock split proposal.
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.