Inside a shadowy troll empire

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— Nicholas Carlson

Wagner Group leak

A freelance writer in Mexico took a job making Instagram posts on politically divisive subjects. Little did he know, he was a bit player in an international troll network that reported to Yevgeny Prigozhin.

As senior correspondent Mattathias Schwartz reports, leaked Wagner Group documents reveal the shadowy shitposting empire of the Russian warlord.

“We have interfered, we are interfering, and we will continue to interfere,” Prigozhin boasted in November, just before the US midterm elections. “Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do.”

Quitting, digital detox, & more

• American millionaires are leaving the US … to find the American Dream. While some are moving to smaller US cities, others are flocking overseas in a bid to avoid gun violence, rising crime, and mounting calls to tax the rich. Get the full story on the trend.
• Welcome to Generation Quit. Quitting has been the big job theme of the last two years — particularly for Gen Z. With low pay and little room for advancement, it’s no wonder many are choosing to move on. More on the new work reality.
• The Salesforce CEO vacationed in French Polynesia amid mass layoffs. Marc Benioff told the NYT he took a 10-day “digital detox” — a trend that’s picking up steam — in the wake of the job cuts. Read more about Benioff’s “freeing” trip.

Ousted Tesla cofounder

But Eberhard and Musk butted heads, and Musk ousted Eberhard from his CEO role in 2007.

In a new interview with Insider, Eberhard sounded off on Musk, how the company has changed, and the EV wars.

WHAT IT’S LIKE

In their words

• “I tried skiing and snowboarding for the first time.” Insider’s Monica Humphries gave snowboarding a shot last winter, and clipped into skis for the first time this year. The biggest differences between the two — and why she’ll be sticking with just one for now.
• “I’m a Zillennial who built a five-bedroom house with my parents.” After a 30-year-old elementary school teacher moved in with his parents at the beginning of the pandemic, they collectively decided to make a more permanent investment in their living situation. Why he thinks more people should do it.
• “I stayed in the cheapest, smallest cabin on one of Royal Caribbean’s biggest cruise ships.” Insider’s Amanda Adler took her family of three aboard the Symphony of the Seas. For one week, her family stayed in a 149-square-foot room with one queen-size bed and no windows. What it was like.

THIS WEEKEND

Entertainment — big and small

• “Sharper,” a new film starring Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, and Sebastian Stan, hits Apple TV+. Check out the trailer.
• “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, arrives in theaters. Here are nine details to look out for — and what the two post-credit scenes mean.
• The NBA All-Star Game kicks off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. Seven-time all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James, who now has the most points scored in NBA history, will draft their teams one hour before tip-off. Here’s the schedule for the full weekend of festivities.

2024 presidential race

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Your responses on AI

• “A few of us might employ AI to more rapidly or thoroughly research data, to engage in scientific discussions, to more carefully plan a construction project or other large logistical endeavor, and that may turn out to be a good thing. But to replace writing with AI is net negative.” – Rick
• “Succinctly, RE: AI for creative endeavors. Don’t. Ever.” – Peter
• “AI could personalize learning materials, their timing, complexity, and delivery methods, to such an extent that the holes of knowledge and skills wouldn’t ever exist. … Few activities are more difficult than unlearning ‘wrong or outdated’ knowledge or wrongly developed skill sets that have become muscle memory.” – M.S.
• “It is my understanding that AI will supply only the information AI finds most appropriate for me. I prefer to decide this for myself. Aside from that, journalists infuse character and personality into the articles. There is no way to replace this additional enjoyment with an electronic brain.” – Kim

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This edition was curated by Nicholas Carlson, and edited by Lisa Ryan, Dave Smith, Nathan Rennolds, and Jordan Parker Erb. Get in touch: insidertoday@insider.com.