Signs you might be ‘quiet fired’

The stories are harrowing. We spoke with the body collectors who are retrieving bodies from mass graves in Ukraine. Our comics team told the story of Ihor Talalay, who spent 88 days in Russia’s filtration system in Ukraine.

A Goldman Sachs engineer who fled Ukraine told us about the survivor’s guilt she felt for escaping. A 34-year-old founder told us she had to turn to scrappy opportunities like making boots for soldiers. One man told us about his efforts creating a “cyber army” of 1,000 volunteers to help Ukraine defeat Russia.

With that, let’s get started.

— Nicholas Carlson

In today’s edition

• Six ways companies are ”quiet firing” white-collar workers.
• The unraveling of a $1 billion fintech darling.
• The problem with home-flipping giants.

Murdaugh, Lufthansa, & more

• Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of the murders of his wife and youngest son. Three deaths potentially linked to the Murdaugh family remain unsolved. Read our story.
• The Twitter leaders Elon Musk put in place keep quitting or getting fired. See who’s left and who’s recently been hired.
• A dog was on the Lufthansa flight that hit turbulence so severe it sent seven passengers to the hospital. It took hours for the owner to learn if the pup was OK. More here.

Home-flipping giants

Individual flippers typically perform extensive improvements before relisting a home for sale. But these firms — including Opendoor, Offerpad, and now-defunct arms of Zillow and Redfin — would sell properties just weeks after closing on them.

And as the housing market stalls, it’s becoming harder for these companies to make a profit.

Trying to time the market is difficult, and betting that prices will continue to increase indefinitely is tricky for anyone. But the strategy of flipping homes en masse has not had to endure a housing-market downturn — until now.

TOP READS

Quiet firing, fintech darling, & more

• Inside the unraveling of fintech darling Vise. The cofounders raised $120 million by age 21. Then their Silicon Valley lifestyle and demands for fast growth rattled them, current and former employees say. Insider spoke to 31 people familiar with Vise, including both founders. Read our full report.
• How to tell if you’re being “quiet fired.” That’s the term for what happens when companies try to push out employees. From seeing your benefits slashed to having your pay frozen, here are six signs it could be happening to you.
• Google Cloud CEO’s rallying cry. Insider obtained leaked audio from an internal town hall meeting held last month where Google’s Thomas Kurian vowed to build the “best capability” in artificial intelligence, while also calling out competitors. Read our transcript.
• Whether you realize it or not, you’re familiar with Law Roach’s work. The celebrity stylist is the creative mind behind the fashion of stars like Zendaya and Kerry Washington. In a new conversation, the stylist talked about his career and so much more. Read our interview here.
• Remember this next time you see a bear. Today in warnings you didn’t know you need: The National Parks Service says pushing a “slower friend” over and abandoning them isn’t the best way to escape from a bear. What to know.
• “I’m a Gen X working mom who tried TikTok’s ‘Bare Minimum Monday’ trend.” The idea is to eliminate the “Sunday scaries” and lower stress by taking it easy on Mondays. Insider’s Rebecca Knight found that the trend was harder than it looked. Here’s what happened.
• People are using a 20-cent diabetes drug to lose weight and reverse aging — but it can cause severe gastrointestinal side effects. Taken off label, Metformin can lead to explosive diarrhea without warning. Here’s what experts want people to know.

TAKE A LOOK

An astonishing airport

“Mega Prison”

Inside El Salvador’s prison for 40,000 inmates. El Salvador’s government released footage of its new “mega prison,” which is considered the largest in the Americas. President Bukele’s government moved thousands of suspected gang members there. Check it out.

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