Author: Steve Smith

I am Senior Editor of Business d'Or and lead reports on workplace, career and talent. Prior to joining Business d'Or, I spent more than 5 years writing articles on workplace issues, corporate leadership, leadership and governance for The Washington Post. I graduated from the University of Georgia, majoring in history and journalism.

Out of all the people losing their jobs at Spotify this week, the most significant one is Chief Financial Officer Paul Vogel. He’s been taking care of the company’s money matters since 2020, especially as it got into podcasts and audiobooks. But now, he’s leaving at the end of March 2024. The CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, explained that they decided this because Vogel doesn’t have the right experience to help the company grow and meet the expectations of the market. They’re now looking for someone to take his place. “Spotify has been changing its approach in the past two…

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In October, the number of job openings dropped to the lowest point in two and a half years, suggesting that the job market, which used to be very competitive, might be becoming less so. According to the Labor Department’s report on Tuesday, there were 8.73 million job openings for the month after adjusting for seasonal changes. This was a decrease of 617,000 jobs, or 6.6%. It’s a lot less than the expected 9.4 million estimated by Dow Jones and the lowest since March 2021. This drop in job openings means that for every available worker, there are now 1.3 job…

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Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, announced today that the company is letting go of 17 percent of its employees to reduce costs. This decision will affect more than 1,500 people out of the total 9,241 employees disclosed in the last earnings report. Ek explained to the staff that the reason behind these layoffs is the combination of slower economic growth and increasing expenses. He believes that by making these cuts, Spotify will become a more efficient and streamlined company. Spotify Faces Changes, Layoffs and Growth Reflection Ek expressed concern that as the company grew, it had become too focused on tasks…

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On Wednesday, OpenAI announced that Microsoft will now have a seat on the board at OpenAI, but it won’t include voting rights. This decision helps clear up some uncertainty about Microsoft’s involvement with OpenAI, especially after a tumultuous month where the nonprofit board of OpenAI initially fired and then re-hired CEO Sam Altman. https://twitter.com/OpenAI/status/1730030975931846939 Microsoft’s Integral Role in OpenAI Microsoft’s connection with OpenAI has been close ever since the software giant invested $13 billion in OpenAI and incorporated its AI models into Microsoft Office and other programs. Before this, Microsoft didn’t officially have a say on the board that manages…

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Amazon (which is founded by Jeff Bezos) is making its palm-scanning technology go beyond just grocery stores. Now, they have a version called Amazon One Enterprise that’s meant for businesses. This new system lets employees at companies use their hand to get into the office or see important stuff like financial data and HR records. Some companies that are already using this technology include IHG Hotels and Resorts, Boon Edam (they make turnstiles), and Kone (they do elevators and escalators). The cost of this service hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’s available for a preview in the U.S. starting this…

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk just recently introduced his own AI chatbot named Grok, created by his xAI company. Grok learns from real-time data on the X platform. Recently, someone asked the chatbot to describe Musk in one word, and it playfully chose “overrated.” Musk saw the post and commented that Grok is “accurate.” Tesla Owners Silicon Valley shared the exchange on X (formerly Twitter), captioning it with “Grok roasts Elon Musk in one word: Overrated,” along with a laughing emoji. Tweet Goes Viral The post has gained 80,000 views and 943 likes since it was shared. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1728647329060888776/ A user commented,…

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While Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t have plans to step down from his post anytime soon, he said he’s already thinking about the kind of person who will eventually replace him. “I really want the person to come from within Apple,” Cook told singer Dua Lipa on a recent episode of her podcast “At Your Service.”  Lipa had asked him the rather pointed question of who was in line to succeed him as CEO. Cook responded by smiling, averting his eyes, and explaining that while he couldn’t offer a specific name, his role involves grooming “several people” for the board…

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Sam Altman has said he will return as the CEO of OpenAI. This decision comes after a challenging week of changes in the company, including hiring, firing, and adjustments in the board. Sam Altman, who is also a co-founder, joins the group of leaders who have returned to their roles after taking a break from executive positions. OpenAI revealed on Wednesday that Altman is in the process of finalizing a deal to come back to the company. This move also includes the return of co-founder Greg Brockman and the formation of a new “initial board.” All of this is happening…

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Sam Altman is coming back as the CEO of OpenAI. The announcement was made early Wednesday on a platform called X, which used to be known as Twitter. This decision comes after a lot of pressure from the employees and investors. They had removed him from the position less than a week ago. Bret Taylor, who used to be the co-CEO of Salesforce, and Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary, will now be a part of OpenAI’s board. Bret Taylor will be in charge as the chair. Adam D’Angelo, who is the co-founder and CEO of Quora, will continue to…

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Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, said on Monday that the way OpenAI is managed needs to be changed. This comes three days after CEO Sam Altman was unexpectedly fired. Nadella mentioned, “It’s very clear that something has to change around the governance at this point.” He also stated that Microsoft would discuss this with OpenAI’s board. During his first interview after Altman’s removal, Nadella assured that the important artificial intelligence research at OpenAI is still ongoing, and the partnership with Microsoft continues. However, he didn’t provide clarity on where Altman and fellow OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, who was the company’s chairman,…

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