Newsletter Feb 20, 2023

3 things you must know

Meta introducing paid subscriptions to Facebook, Instagram
Meta will launch a paid subscription service for Facebook and Instagram, allowing users to verify their accounts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Sunday, following a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter. Meta Verified, which will roll out first in Australia and New Zealand this week, will let users "verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support," Zuckerberg said. There would be no changes to already verified Facebook and Instagram accounts.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO GET A VERIFIED ACCOUNT?

Google, Microsoft engaged in a gold rush to capitalize on AI
Microsoft and ChatGPT may already have the early advantage in developing AI models that promise to change Internet search and transform digitalization. But Google's Bard may eventually win the race, as the search engine leader has the core competencies and the synergies to bring AI to the masses. In the case of AI, OpenAI and Microsoft are the pioneers in the development and launch of ChatGPT for the industry, but Google could be the main colonizer.
THE AI 'GOLD RUSH' BETWEEN MICROSOFT AND GOOGLE

Amazon orders employees back to work in pandemic's wake
Companies have been eager to get their employees back into offices for work as fears about the COVID-19 pandemic have waned, despite its continued presence. Now, Amazon is calling employees back to its offices and ending some of its remote work benefits. The move was announced by CEO Andy Jassy, saying it was in the best interest of the company for employees to return.
HOW AMAZON EMPLOYEES ARE REACTING TO THE ORDER

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Markets

DJIA	33,826.69	0.39%
S&P 500	4,079.09	-0.28%
Nasdaq Composite	11,787.27	-0.58%
Japan: Nikkei 225	27,531.94	0.07%
UK: FTSE 100	8,004.36	-0.10%
Crude Oil Futures	76.98	0.84%
Gold Futures	1,853.40	0.17%
Yen	134.13	0.02%
Euro	1.07	-0.04%
* As of market close

Blinken visits Turkey, meets with China's Yi

Turkey on Sunday said rescue efforts following last week's devastating earthquake had ended in all but two provinces as visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $100 million in fresh humanitarian aid. The winding-down of rescue operations came as Blinken arrived in Turkey to show solidarity with a NATO ally with a new aid package. Turkey's death toll had risen to 40,689, while Syria's is now 44,377. On Saturday, Blinken met with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, in the first face-to-face meeting since the balloon incident two weeks earlier.

HOW DID BLINKEN'S MEETING WITH CHINESE OFFICIAL GO?

Supreme Court takes on big tech immunity

The US Supreme Court this week examines a quarter-century old law that has protected tech companies from lawsuits and prosecution for content posted by their users, with a chance that the rules governing the internet will no longer stand. Enacted in 1996, Section 230 helped set the rules of the road for the internet, which was still in its infancy as an online playground for all. But those days may soon come to an end.

SEE HOW TECH GIANTS COULD SOON LOSE THEIR IMMUNITY

Jimmy Carter, 98, receiving hospice care

Jimmy Carter, the 98-year-old former US president who led the nation from 1977 to 1981, is receiving hospice care at home, where he will spend his "remaining time," his nonprofit foundation said over the weekend. Carter, the oldest living former president and a Nobel peace laureate, resides in Plains, Georgia, where he was born and worked as a peanut farmer before becoming the governor and later president.

CARTER TO SPEND HIS FINAL DAYS AT HOME WITH ROSALYNN

Presidential prizes

Jimmy Carter is one of four former presidents to earn a Nobel Prize. Name the other three, and the year and reason Carter was honored.

Friday's answer: Bruce Willis' first fully credited leading movie roll came in the 1987 romance-comedy "Bind Date," co-starring Kim Basinger.

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