Hello, Insiders. This week, we're exploring life three years into COVID-19. Today, a big question: Are we still in a pandemic? |
- First of all, the World Health Organization classifies a pandemic as a fast-spreading disease outbreak that covers wide swaths of the world.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci last year walked back his statement that we were "out of the pandemic phase" of COVID-19, clarifying that the pandemic was still here.
- WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in January that COVID-19 remains a "global health emergency" but he's "hopeful" this phase of the pandemic will end soon.
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So, we're still in it. But given that life seems almost back to normal in some places, I worry that some people may take the next pandemic less seriously. Let me know what you think: insidertoday@insider.com. — Nicholas Carlson |
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ON THE AGENDA In today's edition |
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THE LATEST Soviet tanks, Twitter outage, & more |
- Twitter's latest outage was reportedly caused by one engineer's mistake. More here.
- A major student-loan lender just asked a federal court to end the payment pause. It wants certain borrowers to resume repayment. Read more.
- Russia's elite tank unit is fighting with 60-year-old retired Soviet tanks, per UK intelligence. Get the full story.
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THE BIG STORY Secrets of a hot tiny-home startup |
Boxabl, founded in Las Vegas in 2017, makes tiny homes that retail for just $60,000 each. That price has attracted a 157,000-person waiting list, over $4 million of down payments, and endorsements from the likes of Elon Musk. But a lawsuit filed by a former high-ranking executive, the company's financial disclosures, and an investigation by Insider, raise questions about whether Boxabl is the groundbreaking solution to America's housing crisis its founders claim — or a mirage in the Nevada desert. The father-and-son duo behind Boxabl have doubled their own salaries, sold off millions of dollars of their shares, and lavished money on expensive cars, pricey real estate, and other luxuries. The company promised to revolutionize housing. But production problems, questionable governance, and its founders' spending are standing in the way. |
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TOP READS AI email, Gen Z dating, & more |
- AI is coming for your email. The modern inbox is ripe for disruption — and companies are racing to cash in. A team of ex-Googlers created a tool that uses AI to sum up emails for you — and it spits out a simple summary to save you time. Our writer decided to try it out, and found it helped, to an extent. More on that here.
- Gen Z's dating revolution. Young people are twice as likely as previous generations to find romance in their friend groups, marking a monumental shift in how Americans meet their partners. More on the friend-to-dating pipeline.
- Watch out for "quiet hiring." If your boss is asking you to do more work for the same pay, you're being "quiet hired." More on the trend — and what it means for employees and employers.
- 13 times solar storms caused freak events on Earth. The sun is about to get more active, and it's likely to send more solar storms our way. When it does, charged particles and radiation barrel toward Earth, causing bizarre events. Our list of the weirdest consequences from solar storms.
- Elon Musk's bodyguards. A Twitter engineer says at least two bodyguards accompany Elon Musk around Twitter HQ — even to the restroom. Read the full story.
- "I was fired from my teaching job for being an OnlyFans creator." Sarah Juree lost her 20-year career as a teacher after photos were sent to her employer. But she made her entire annual teaching salary in just six months as an OnlyFans model. Find out more.
- Marc Andreessen says college will soon cost $1 million. The billionaire investor warned that the prices of education, healthcare, and housing are "going to the moon" in a recent blog post. More here.
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TAKE A LOOK MDMA's effects |
What MDMA does to your brain and body. The party drug can cause feelings of empathy and sociability, but it's also being studied as a possible treatment for a host of different illnesses. Insider created an interactive page that offers a step-by-step look at how MDMA affects you. Check it out. |
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How movies make characters appear taller or smaller. Since the invention of film, filmmakers have tried to trick viewers into believing that an actor is either shorter or taller than they really are. From classic techniques like forced perspective, to body doubles and floating monitors, here's how filmmakers use sophisticated systems to trick your eyes. |
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This edition was curated by Nicholas Carlson, and edited by Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan, Dave Smith, Nathan Rennolds, Mia de Graaf, Zachary Tracer, and Jack Robert Stacey. Get in touch: insidertoday@insider.com. |
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