10 Things in Tech: Meet the Metamates

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10 Things in Tech: Meet the Metamates
Mark Zuckerberg showing his 'metaverse' avatar during Connect 2021Facebook

Howdy. Facebook employees are now called "Metamates," and tickets are going on sale for Virgin Galactic space flights.

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1. Meta is on a renaming spree. After 15 years, the company is changing the name of Facebook's News Feed, the homepage that displays posts from users' friends and family. Now, the page will simply be called "Feed."

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  • That's not all. Yesterday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced updates to the company's core values. The company had long been known for its slogan "move fast and break things," which was changed years ago to just "move fast." Now, it's "move fast together."
  • "Live in the future," "build awesome things," and "be direct and respect your colleagues" were announced as other core values. But the change that has garnered the most vitriol from employees is — drumroll, please — "Meta, Metamates, Me."
  • "Meta, Metamates, Me" refers to the naval adage "ship, shipmates, self," which Meta's CTO said is something Instagram has been using for a while internally.
  • The slogan — which places primary importance on the company, then one's teammates, then the individual — is "about taking care of our company and each other," Zuck wrote in a Facebook post.

Learn more about Metamates.


In other news:

10 Things in Tech: Meet the Metamates
Virgin Galactic

2. Virgin Galactic will open ticket sales for commercial space flights today. If you've got a spare $450,000 laying around, you can secure your spot on the 90-minute flight to space — complete with "several minutes of out-of-seat weightlessness" and "breathtaking views of Earth." Here's the latest on the tickets.

3. Social-media creators are flocking to Web3. Growing tired of supporting major platforms like YouTube and not sharing its massive financial success, some creators are beginning to see NFTs and tokens as an opportunity for autonomy, money, and community. They share why they're partaking in the Web3 craze.

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4. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel is reportedly pouring $1.5 million into a dating app for conservatives. After announcing his departure from Meta's board, Thiel is investing in a seed round for "The Right Stuff," a dating app built for conservatives living in major, liberal-leaning cities. What we know so far.

5. Some tech workers from underrepresented backgrounds doubt they have much leverage in pay negotiations. As employees quit their jobs in droves, job seekers are buzzing about negotiating better benefits and, in some cases, almost doubling their pay — but some say their experiences interviewing at giants like Google make them doubt they have the same sway. Here's what tech workers told us.

6. Google is hiring more than 1,000 advertising roles, many of them paying over $150,000. The tech giant is pushing to attract top tech talent across account management, marketing, and engineering. More on Google's hiring push.

7. How much does an Instagram influencer earn in a month? We spoke with Mary Margaret Boudreaux, an Instagram and TikTok creator who has about 20,000 followers — and can make thousands of dollars on her platforms. She breaks down how much she earns, and how she does it.

8. Meta agreed to pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit. The suit, filed in 2012, alleges that Facebook kept tracking users even after they logged off. If approved, it would be one of the 10 biggest data privacy class action settlements ever. Get the rundown on the settlement.

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Odds and ends:

10 Things in Tech: Meet the Metamates
Victoria's Secret ditches its AngelsPhoto by J. Lee/FilmMagic

9. Victoria's Secret's axed annual fashion show could return … in the metaverse. A series of trademark applications show the lingerie giant plans to sell virtual goods and run virtual fashion shows, which could signal a digital revival of the famed show that was killed in 2019. More on Victoria's Secret's metaverse patents.

10. The pros and cons of the $24,000 Hyundai Santa Cruz. After test-driving the compact pick-up, Insider's transportation reporter broke down a few things to consider before buying. From its spacious trunk to its not-so-spacious back seat, here are eight pros and cons to think about.


What we're watching today:

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  • Cisco, DoorDash, and Shopify are reporting earnings today. Keep up with earnings here.
  • The House Administration Committee is having a hearing on Big Data at 2 p.m. EST.
  • "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy," a new documentary about Ye, launches on Netflix.

Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.

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