It's May Day Monday, mates. I'm Diamond Naga Siu, and I need some caffeine to revive myself from the weekend.
Maybe I'll go to a coffee shop for something stronger than my usual Trader Joe's instant cold brew. Starbucks is the closest to me, though not my go-to spot. But it's been in the news lately — particularly as troves of Starbucks loyalty program members have been getting negative reward stars in their accounts after a promo code mess up.
But before I grab my coffee, let's dive into today's tech.
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Roy Rochlin, Mike Windle / Getty Images; Arif Qazi / Insider
1. The dueling identities of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. There's "Ohana" Benioff — a do-gooder who wants to run the company like a family. And then there's business Benioff — the self-proclaimed highest-performing software executive.
- This duality worked when Salesforce skyrocketed at the beginning of the pandemic. But once the tech industry started to struggle, so did Benioff's balancing act of his two identities.
- Dozens of current and recent Salesforce executives and employees told Insider about the tumultuous year and a half at the company. And they shared the disconnect of Benioff's actions, versus his preaching.
- My colleagues Ashley Stewart and Ellen Thomas decode Marc Benioff's leadership and break down his inner Wall Street vs. Ohana tension.
Dive into the Salesforce leader's dilemma here.
In other news:
Natalia Zorina
2. Pros and cons of renting your car on Turo. One host made more than $900,000 in passive income from Turo last year. But another said they've had three cars totaled and two stolen. Get the full picture of renting on Turo here.
3. Drivers blame Lyft and Uber — not customers — for stingy tipping culture. They cited three main reasons for low tips, including lack of knowledge about what drivers are paid and rising fare prices. Drivers said the companies are to blame. More on the tipping points here.
4. This CTO starts every morning with a 3-minute cold plunge. It's the most challenging part of Brad Margist's day. So everything feels easier after that. But Margist also observed a boost to his focus and motivation. Check out his chilly morning routine here.
5. A Tesla owner says a man set his electric car on fire, and the EV's Sentry Mode captured it on video. Sentry Mode records "suspicious activity" around the vehicle. This Model S reportedly detected the suspected arsonist and ultimately caught them on camera. Watch the vehicular video here.
6. How these OnlyFans creators used Reddit to grow their businesses. Some of them found Reddit the most welcoming platform for adult content. Although the platform has a lot of rules, they said using Reddit is worth their time. Check out their advice on how to do it here.
7. A food blogger used ChatGPT to write a recipe. The chatbot was prompted to make a vegan recipe using tomato, cauliflower, and onions. It used a variety of spices but the results were "underwhelming." Get a taste of ChatGPT's culinary skills here.
8. Tesla's biggest Chinese rival just released an $11,000 EV. The "ridiculously cheap," sleek hatchback offers up to 251 miles in range. And it charges from 30% to 80% in half an hour. Hop in for a full look at the BYD Seagull here.
Odds and ends:
Courtesy of American Airlines
9. The first woman pilot at a major US airline. American Airlines hired Bonnie Tiburzi in 1973 when a women's uniform didn't even exist yet. She was called "the little girl" and told Insider about the responsibility of being first. Fly over for her experience here.
10. Fisherman who survived 24 days on ketchup was disappointed by Heinz's boat offer. Heinz promised to buy the infamous "ketchup boat guy" a boat with a GPS. But he said the money from Heinz only afforded him a small used boat and engines. Ketchup on the saga here.
What we're watching today:
- MIT Technology Review kicks off its annual conference Future Compute. This year's theme is digital dexterity, and leaders from Nvidia, Amazon, Airbnb, and other major companies will speak at it.
- The Met Gala is tonight with the theme "in honor of Karl" (as a tribute to the recently deceased fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld). Here's how to watch it at home.
Curated by Diamond Naga Siu in San Diego. (Feedback or tips? Email dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Lisa Ryan in New York.