On the agenda:

• An obituary for the metaverse, the latest fad to join the tech graveyard.
• Why are rents so expensive? Because people ditched their roommates.
• Microsoft instructed managers to give fewer “exceptional rewards.” We’ve got the leaked email.
• BlackRock is wrestling with who could succeed Larry Fink. Here’s who’s in the running.

Award-winning work

• Linette Lopez was recognized for her commentary predicting a stock-market washout. The Nasdaq finished 2023 down more than 20%.
• Kelsey Vlamis won in the travel category for her story on the disaster on Denali.
• Andrew Dunn won for his reporting on a gene therapy that’s out of reach for the kids who need it.
• Insider’s video on the Ukrainian mountain weavers who refuse to surrender their traditions won in the video category.
• In the spot-photography category, a searing portrait of a month of terror in Bucha, Ukraine, was recognized.
• Annie Fu’s infographic on America’s lost Chinatowns was awarded.
• Bradford William Davis won for his story revealing that Major League Baseball used at least two types of balls, and possibly a third.

RIP metaverse

It was once the buzzy obsession of the tech world, Ed Zitron writes. But a lack of a coherent vision for the product put it on a downward trajectory. Then, when the next big wave of excitement washed over the industry — generative artificial intelligence — the metaverse’s fate was sealed.

Despite its short life and ignominious death, the metaverse offers us a glaring indictment of the industry that birthed it.

Read the metaverse’s obituary.

Residents are now asking the question: If so many people left, why is my rent still so expensive? New research has a startling answer: People got sick of living with each other.

Why rents are still high.

Also read:

• Home prices are falling fastest in these 28 cities as affordability gradually improves

CEO Larry Fink, now 70-years old, has the rare distinction of leading a Wall Street behemoth he helped found.

Insiders view a group of roughly seven executives as possible replacements, including a couple of under-the-radar candidates.

Inside BlackRock’s succession saga

Also read:

• ORG CHART: The 150 most powerful people under Larry Fink at BlackRock
• Hedge fund carnage as the once lush index-rebalance strategy dries up

In a separate leaked email, Microsoft’s chief people officer, Kathleen Hogan, instructed managers to give fewer employees “exceptional rewards,” adding that “more will need to be at the middle of the range.”

Read Hogan’s full email here.

Plus, check out:

• Nadella’s original email in full.

Wells Fargo, Zoom, & more

• Google just showed how Big Tech will win again in AI.
• Sixteen top healthcare bankers share predictions for the future of digital health.
• How an ex-police officer made $12 million in three years after buying ATMs.
• Elon Musk is handing a truckload of mess to Twitter’s new CEO.
• “I left Miami for Pakistan — and my quality of life here is infinitely better.”
• Airbnb’s Brian Chesky says many CEOs calling staffers back will be in the Hamptons.
• So, Mark Zuckerberg is shredded now.
• How rich Americans give homes to their children and save big on estate tax.

Keep up with Insider

• Get Insider’s app and notifications to be the first to find out about the stories you want to know — from tech to business. Download it here.
• Become an Insider subscriber to get actionable, high-value news and insights to improve your career, company, and community. Subscribe here.
• Want more of Insider in your inbox? Sign up for our newsletters here.