10 Things in Tech: Fast's implosion

Happy Monday, folks. Today we’re taking you inside Fast’s implosion, and giving you a tour of a luxury 3D-printed house.

Let’s get started.

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Fast

1. Leaked screenshots and audio reveal the implosion within Stripe-backed Fast. One-click checkout startup Fast plans to lay off half of its staff — and employees are taking to internal Slack channels and all-hands meetings to demand answers.

In February, a Fast exec told Insider the company would be doubling its employee headcount by year’s end.
Last week, however, The Information reported that Fast planned to cut 200 members of its staff, citing that payroll made up more than 60% of its operating expenses in 2021.
Shortly after the story broke, employees shared their concerns in a Slack channel called #teamfun, according to screenshots leaked to Insider.
“All we’re asking for is to know if we will all be out of work tomorrow/this week, and to hear it from our leaders,” one employee wrote.

Everything we learned from the screenshots.

In other news:

Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

2. The aftermath of The Slap continues. Netflix and Sony have put upcoming projects with Will Smith on hold after he slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. What we know so far.

3. Tech startup Bolt embraced the four-day week — and actually made it work. In a buzzy Silicon Valley startup full of lifelong overachievers, the transition to a four-day workweek took some getting used to, employees said. But somehow, the seemingly impossible feat worked out. Here’s how they did it.

4. ICYMI: An Amazon warehouse in New York successfully voted to unionize. After workers in Staten Island became the first in the company’s history to form a union, one organizer popped champagne and thanked Jeff Bezos for going to space: “When he was up there, we was signing people up.” A look at what the unionization means.

5. A Facebook content moderator describes what he feels is like “living in a horror movie.” Daniel Moutang, a content moderator in Kenya, says his job exposed him to images and videos of torture, exploitation, and graphic violence — and that it damaged him forever. Read his story here.

6. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey said he’s “partially to blame” for centralizing the Internet. In a tweet, Dorsey said “centralizing discovery and identity into corporations really damaged the internet,” adding that he regrets the role he played in its centralization. Here’s what he said.

7. In Texas, it’s Elon Musk versus baby sea turtles. SpaceX’s massive launch pad would scorch a fragile ecosystem. But to Musk — and the thinkers known as “longtermists” — that’s a fair tradeoff if it means getting humans to Mars. Inside Musk’s dilemma: space travel, or the planet we already have?

8. These are the best movies coming to Netflix this month. The streamer is getting a batch of new movies in April, from classics like “Bonnie and Clyde” to thrillers like “Inception.” See our top 16 picks here.

Odds and ends:

Icon’s over 2,000-square-foot House Zero in Austin.

Brittany Chang/Insider

9. This writer stayed in a 3D-printed home — and is convinced the tech is the future of home construction. The luxury house’s curved concrete walls, high-end finishes, and practicality made it one of the most uniquely designed homes she’s ever stayed at. Take a look inside the 2,000-square-foot house.

10. Snoop Dogg goes all-in on crypto and the metaverse in his new music video. Set in the artist’s “Snoopverse,” the music video gives viewers a glimpse of what the exclusive virtual world looks like — without having to pay thousands of dollars to join. Watch the video here.

What we’re watching today: