Google founder’s flying-car crash

Plus: JPMorgan's return-to-office memo, and weight-loss drug battle.

View in browser Subscribe April 16, 2023 Hi, I'm Matt Turner, the editor in chief of business at Insider. Welcome back to Insider Today's Sunday edition, a roundup of some of our top stories.    On the agenda today: Inside the rise and spectacular crash of Larry Page's flying-car company. Young people are suffering from financial whiplash — and the pain will haunt them for decades. Tech companies are ransacking university AI programs in search of rare talent. The battle over buzzy new weight-loss drugs is putting lives at stake. But first: JPMorgan is asking senior managers to be in the office five days a week. I break down the latest on RTO mandates below.  If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. DISPATCH The big RTO battle Mario Tama/Getty Construction is currently underway on JPMorgan's new corporate headquarters in midtown Manhattan, so it should come as no surprise that the bank is planning on having bums on seats to fill it. The company told senior managers this week that they "have to be visible on the floor" in a memo asking managing directors to be in the office five days a week.  The memo also echoed other recent edicts that focus on the importance of IRL interactions in career development.  Last month, Disney told employees they were expected to be back to the office four days a week. And Amazon said it wants all employees back in the office at least three days a week by next month, setting off both internal opposition and support, and a scramble to get office space ready.  Salesforce boss Marc Benioff caused an uproar when he suggested new employees were less productive, with the company later stepping up RTO requirements. And Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said that an internal analysis showed people who were hired to work remotely were less productive. Meta later stopped offering remote work in new job postings.  What do you think? Does WFH hurt career development? Let me know at insidertoday@insider.com. THIS WEEK'S STORIES A 'Willy Wonka fun house' gone wrong Kittyhawk; Insider Killing off projects had become something of a tradition at Kittyhawk, the secretive flying-car startup launched by Larry Page. But when the Google cofounder decided to get more hands-on, what followed was a series of bizarre experiments, ostensibly intended to save the company. A dozen former Kittyhawk employees told Insider that Kittyhawk found itself torn between the conflicting visions and shifting priorities of its billionaire founder and his handpicked CEO. In the end, the internal chaos proved unsustainable.  The spectacular rise and fall of Kittyhawk. Generation Precarious Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/Insider For millions of Americans, the past few years have redefined their relationship to money. Gen Z and millennials, in particular, have seen the critical years of their financial lives defined by the shifting sands of the pandemic economy. Experts say the financial scars of the pandemic era run deep. And as overlapping crises only intensify in the next few decades, the behaviors young people develop around money will stick around. How the cycle of scarcity and splurging will reshape the economy. Also read: A new survey shows young workers hate their jobs — and employers should be really worried A rare pool Tyler Le/Insider Each decade brings some turning point in technology that lures college students to a new field — and right now, artificial intelligence is all the rage. Students and recent grads are embracing AI, with many hoping to be an early employee at the next big tech giant.  We spoke with a dozen professors, students, and industry professionals about how companies are raiding college campuses to mine for talent, offering six-figure salaries and unimaginable resources. "The student population is getting cleaned out," one dean from Cornell said. Inside the AI talent wars. Also read: 44 of the most promising generative-artificial-intelligence startups of 2023, according to VCs Y Combinator's latest class is a feeding frenzy for VCs looking to back AI startups: 'There's hysteria for a reason' The battle over Ozempic Robyn Phelps/Insider A wave of revolutionary weight-loss drugs, which includes the buzzy Ozempic, represents a watershed moment for obesity treatment. But high costs, insurance hurdles, and a surge in demand are keeping the drugs from getting to many of the people who need them. Doctor offices are overwhelmed by patients asking for the drugs for cosmetic reasons. Celebrities and influencers are raising the drugs' profile even further. But people who need the treatment the most are stuck in the middle. More on the $100 billion tug-of-war. Also read: 'Everybody is on it': A 'game-changing' weight-loss drug is NYC's hottest new trend THIS WEEK'S QUOTE "You just go online, make up a fake name, and that's it — you're up and running. No one's regulating." — Susan Chana Lask, a New York-based consumer-rights attorney, who described how easy it is for moving companies to scam people. MORE TOP READS Solving traffic, a landlord reckoning, & more The wild traffic hack that could pave the way for self-driving cars. Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls was caught on camera fighting an Amazon worker last year. Landlords who bought thousands of apartments are facing a reckoning. Inside the five-hour psychological interview that can make or break your career at one of the finance titans. Housing is so unaffordable that banks are losing money on each mortgage. I Airbnb tiny houses in my yard. It's now my primary income. Why people think they shouldn't have to tip more. A worker quit a six-figure job so she won't have to return to the office full time. CAN'T GET ENOUGH? Keep up with Insider Get Insider's app and notifications to be the first to find out about the stories you want to know — from tech to business. Download it here. Become an Insider subscriber to get actionable, high-value news and insights to improve your career, company, and community. Subscribe here. Want more of Insider in your inbox? Sign up for our newsletters here. This edition was curated by Matt Turner, and edited by Dave Smith and Lisa Ryan. Get in touch: insidertoday@insider.com. Email sent to: elancelorilla.trendlist@blogger.com Manage your email preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy © 2023 Insider Inc. 1 Liberty Plaza, New York, NY 10006