Asana founder Dustin Moskovitz made a strong accusation against Tesla on Wednesday.
Horacio Villalobos – Corbis/Getty Images
Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz lobbed one of his boldest claims against Tesla on Wednesday.
The tech founder alleged in a Threads post that Tesla has misled consumers on a "massive scale."
He did not provide detailed evidence for each of his allegations.
A Facebook cofounder's attacks against Tesla continues, and it comes with one of his boldest allegations against the company to date: Tesla is the next Enron.
Dustin Moskovitz, the Facebook cofounder who later went on to start Asana, claimed in a Threads post on Wednesday that the EV maker has misled consumers "on a massive scale," accusing Tesla of lying about its Full-Self Driving software and the vehicle's ranges.
Spokespeople for Tesla and Asana did not respond to a request for comment.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not directly address Moskovitz's allegations but instead, on Friday, hurled insults and a slur at the Facebook cofounder on X.
Musk then followed up with another post: "I'd like to apologize to Dustin Moskovitz for calling him a 'retard'. That was wrong. What I meant to say is that he is a pompous idiot whose his head is so far up his own ass that he is legally blind. I wish him the best and hope that someday we can be friends."
I’d like to apologize to Dustin Moskowitz for calling him a “retard”. That was wrong.
What I meant to say is that he is a pompous idiot whose his head is so far up his own ass that he is legally blind.
I wish him the best and hope that someday we can be friends.
Moskovitz had not yet addressed Musk's posts on Friday.
On Wednesday, the Facebook cofounder acknowledged the gravity of his comments in his social media post.
"I know I sound crazy to most people who don't follow $TSLA closely but at this point it really needs to be said," he wrote. "This is Enron now, folks."
To recap the two-decade-old scandal, Enron, the energy giant, filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after it was caught using creative accounting to hide billions of dollars in debt and lying about its sources of revenue. The company's chief executives were found guilty of fraud and conspiracy in 2006.
Moskovitz didn't outline detailed evidence for each of his allegations, but he did share graphs from Tesla that he claims reveal how the automaker is trying to show an increase in miles driven with FSD, Tesla's driver-assistance technology that is critical for the company's path to autonomous driving and robotaxis.
The tech founder went as far as predicting that people would end up in jail.
No executives at Tesla have been charged with a crime, and the company has never been found liable for consumer or securities fraud.
The company has faced lawsuits and probes from federal regulators regarding Tesla's FSD technology or Autopilot and its vehicle range, but there are no legal challenges related to the automaker misleading people about mileage usage with Tesla's driver-assistance feature.
Most lawsuits have come from drivers who alleged that Tesla is misleading customers about FSD's capabilities. So far, the company has either settled or has been found not liable.
On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was investigating whether Tesla sufficiently addressed issues with the company's Autopilot software after its December recall of 2 million vehicles.
Tesla is also facing a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bloomberg reported last year that federal regulators are investigating how Tesla's driver-assistance software was marketed and if Musk had any involvement in the promotion of the technology.
In the company's 2023 third-quarterearnings report, Tesla disclosed that the Justice Department subpoenaed the company for information related to "vehicle range" and other matters.
Moskovitz also has long been skeptical of Elon Musk and his ventures.
Last year, the Asana founder suggested that Tesla and SpaceX are overvalued and that the companies' leader is given too much credit.
"The point is I don't really see these companies as dispensating impact, or at least don't give nearly as much credit to him as others do," Moskovitz said on Threads. "If they were really built on outward lies, rather than just self-deceptions (rose-colored glasses), then we should really see them as scams he got away with."
Moskovitz has even called on Musk to resign from his executive role in all his companies after Musk called an antisemitic post on X the "actual truth."
"I call on Elon Musk to resign," Moskovitz said on Threads last year, adding that he should resign "(from everything)."
Woman at home office having a incoming call on her phone.
Guido Mieth/Getty Images
If you've ever sent a message that said "hi" and nothing else, you may be guilty of "hey hanging."
Some workers say the practice can cause anxiety and disrupt productivity.
"Please don't say just hello in chat," a website on the issue reads. "Just ask the question!"
Have you ever been deep in the zone, finally making quality progress on a challenging project that had stumped you for weeks, when the audible, abrupt, triple-ping alert of a new Slack message pulled you out of your concentrated state, only to read a simple message of:
"Hey."
And nothing else.
You may be a victim of so-called "hey hanging," in which a coworker sends a brief greeting in an instant message but does not actually tell you what they want — leading you to, naturally, enter an anxiety spiral of speculation about whether you've done something horribly wrong or if you're about to get pulled off task into another project.
Or maybe you've been the one to send a "hi hi" or "heya" or "hello" and then forgotten to follow up.
The practice of "hey hanging," as it was called in The Wall Street Journal, is a small way in which coworkers can find themselves out of step with each other, especially in the age of remote work, which studies suggest has negatively impacted communication in the workplace.
Workers who engage in "hey hanging" may not see the harm in it, or they might intend to send a quick follow-up but get distracted or pulled into another task themselves. Regardless of why they do it, some people on the receiving end are begging them to stop.
There's even a website dedicated to condemning the practice: nohello.net.
"Please don't say just hello in chat," the website says, "Imagine calling someone on the phone, going hello! then putting them on hold…"
"Just ask the question!" the website reads, along with a whining emoji.
The Journal talked to pairs of coworkers who had different views on the subject. One brand strategist in Chicago told the outlet when her colleague "hey hangs" her via text, she simply doesn't respond until they send a follow up with the actual question.
But the "hey-hanging"colleague told the Journal she thought starting with a simple greeting was just being polite.
"It's kind of rude to jump into someone's texts and word-vomit whatever I want," she said. "But now I'm seeing it's a thing that people don't necessarily love."
Ultimately, if a colleague regularly "hey hangs" you and you find it disruptive, it's best to communicate to them openly and honestly that you'd prefer more information in the initial reach out, Constance Hadley, a professor of management and organizations at Boston University, told the Journal.
In part, because I could relate to having my editor "hey hang" me, I hesitated a moment before bringing this story up to her via Slack.
But she responded very quickly.
"ugh i do this to ppl all the time," she wrote. "and i feel terrible."
Donald Trump watches testimony by longtime assistant Rhona Graff.
Reuters/Jane Rosenberg
Longtime personal assistant Rhona Graff took the stand Friday in Trump's NY hush-money trial.
On cross, a defense lawyer asked multiple questions about Trump "multi-tasking" while signing checks.
Trump may argue he was distracted when he signed the only allegedly-falsified records he personally handled.
A longtime personal assistant to Donald Trump was compelled by subpoena to take the stand against him in his New York hush-money trial Friday — but she may have helped her former boss more than harmed him.
The now-retired assistant, Rhona Graff, told jurors that Trump was prone to "multi-tasking" and sometimes would be on the phone at the same time he signed checks.
And nine of Trump's personally-signed checks — reimbursing his then attorney, Michael Cohen, in monthly installments for a $130,000 hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels — are the most damning evidence in the GOP frontrunner's Manhattan criminal trial.
The testimony was elicited during Graff's cross-examination by Trump attorney Susan Necheles.
"Am I correct that when he would sign checks he was also multi-tasking?" Necheles asked Graff.
"It happened on occasion," Graff answered.
"You would see him often on the phone when he was signing checks?" the lawyer pressed.
This phone-in-one-hand, Sharpie-in-the-other multitasking didn't happen often, Graff told Necheles — but it did happen.
"I don't know how common it was at the White House," the former assistant added.
The nine checks are the only records bearing Trump's signature out of 34 checks, invoices, and business-ledger records he allegedly falsified.
Friday's testimony suggests that the defense — or Trump himself if he takes the stand — may be laying the groundwork for a claim that he was on the phone and distracted by running the country throughout 2017, as he affixed his signature to nine monthly hush-money reimbursement checks made out out to Cohen, his attorney and "fixer" at the time.
One of Trump's personal check for $35,000, paid to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.
House Oversight Committee
District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges that the nine checks — one each for the months April through December — were cut from Trump's personal bank account.
Each month, another check was sent through Fed- Ex Fed-exed from the Trump Organization to the White House for Trump's signature, Bragg alleges.
After Trump signed each check, it would be sent through FedEx back to the Trump Organization's Trump Tower headquarters, scanned into the company records, and then cut and mailed to Cohen.
The checks reimbursed Cohen for having directly paid Daniels $130,000 to stay silent just 11 days before the November, 2016 election, prosecutors allege.
On direct examination, Graff gave some damaging, or at least cringe-worthy, testimony, telling jurors that as part of her Trump Organization duties she kept Windows Outlook contact cards with phone numbers for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal on file.
Prosecutors allege Trump falsified business records in an election-influencing conspiracy to keep Daniels (a porn star), and McDougal (a former Playboy Bunny), from going public with allegations of having sexual liaisons with Trump.
Daniels was wired $130,000 in hush money just 11 days before Trump won the 2016 election. Trump denies sleeping with Daniels and McDougal or cooking his books.
"Did you create it?" a Manhattan prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, asked Graff, as People's Exhibit 83 was displayed on four large screens in the courtroom. Each screen showed an Outlook card for Daniels, her cellphone number blacked out.
"I believe I did," answered Graff, who said she could not recall a single instance in 34 years working for Trump when he used a computer.
But defense lawyer Susan Necheles used her cross examination to ask a series of softball questions that allowed the loyal ex-assistant to speak glowingly about Trump.
"Was he a good boss?" Necheles asked.
"I think that he was a fair and — what's the word I'm looking for? — respectful boss to me," Graff told jurors of working alongside Trump in the Trump Organization headquarters on the 25th-floor of Trump Tower.
Trump asked about her family, told her to go home when she worked late, and gave her a good seat at his inauguration, the assistant said.
"I was on the platform," Graff said, smiling at the memory of the inauguration. "I don't think I deserved to be, frankly, but I was on the platform," she added.
"I'll say it was a pretty unique, pleasurable experience," she added.
Testimony is set to continue on Monday, and the trial is expected to last another month. If convicted, Trump faces anywhere from no jail to four years in prison.
When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Samsung's S95D OLED 4K TV has stunning image quality.
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
The S95D is one of the best Samsung TVs you can buy and one of the most impressive high-end displays from any brand this year. It's Samsung's latest flagship OLED, improving upon last year's already excellent S95C. Most notably, it delivers the highest peak brightness I've ever recorded on an OLED display.
It also offers top-notch color performance and incorporates a new anti-glare filter that cuts down reflections better than any display of this type. The matte screen does hurt black-level performance in bright rooms, but the S95D is the only OLED I've seen that can handle glare this well.
Competitors in this class, like the LG G4 and Sony A95L, perform a bit better in certain areas (and worse in others), but there's no doubt the Samsung S95D is a top contender in the premium TV market.
A new benchmark for OLED TV brightness
The S95D can get incredibly bright while maintaining an infinite contrast ratio with deep black levels.
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
The Samsung S95D is a picture performance champ with all the bells and whistles that buyers should expect from a TV in this price range. Thanks to its QD-OLED panel (OLED with quantum dots), the display offers pixel-level contrast and a wide range of vibrant colors, which leads to exceptional high-dynamic-range (HDR) images. And on top of that, the S95D is the brightest OLED I've ever measured.
I put the TV in Filmmaker mode for testing purposes, which offers the most accurate picture settings. Using an X-Rite colorimeter, I measured a peak brightness of around 1,700 nits on a 10% HDR test pattern (a white box that takes up 10% of the screen). That's about 350 nits more than last year's version of this TV, the Samsung S95C, and about 200 nits more than the S95D's top competitors, including the LG G4.
However, the S95D can only hit 1,700 nits in short bursts before dimming significantly. On the 10% test pattern, the TV gradually fell to around 750 nits and dropped more over time. I've seen this kind of behavior on a few other OLED TVs, but it's more extreme on this model than on competitors. But while that might sound like a major drawback, it actually isn't that big of a deal. It's rare for HDR videos to call for sustained brightness that high. Most highlights that actually need to get very bright (like a gunshot or an explosion in a movie) only flash on the screen quickly, and the S95D can handle those instances well.
As it stands, the S95D's brightness capabilities help the TV produce a vibrant image and give you plenty of headroom to pump up luminance and adjust settings to suit spaces that let in a lot of light. It also helps the TV display high-brightness HDR videos closer to how filmmakers intended them to look. And the results are fantastic.
The S95D delivers impressive image quality when watching actual movies and TV shows. During my testing session, I sampled various film sequences I use across all the TVs I evaluate, including scenes from 4K Blu-ray discs like "The Matrix," "Aquaman," "Ex Machina," "Blade Runner," "Game of Thrones," and "La La Land," as well as HDR streaming demos from YouTube.
Quantum dots help the S95D produce a wide range of vibrant colors.
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
With high-quality 4K material, the TV simply stuns. Fine details are sharp, contrast is high, and saturation is rich with bold hues that pop from the screen when called for. That said, while most demo material came through with the kind of bright saturation I expect from a QD-OLED with such high color volume, the climactic battle in "Aquaman" looked a bit more subdued than I was expecting. I have a hunch something wonky was going on with the settings, so I'll revisit that sequence when I conduct extended testing and update this section with additional findings.
The opening scene from "The Matrix" is a great showcase for the S95D's contrast performance in a dark room. Bright specular highlights, like a police officer's flashlight, pop off the screen while black levels remain deep. And since each pixel on the TV's OLED panel can dim and brighten independently, the S95D is completely free from the kind of backlight blooming issues you'd see on competing QLED TVs. With the lights on, however, this scene reveals some of the drawbacks associated with the S95D's matte-screen finish (more on that in the next section).
The S95D handles gradients smoothly with minimal instances of banding. Our go-to real-world test scene from "Ex Machina" only revealed tiny hints of banding in the extreme red shades around one character's shoulder, which is about equal to what I've seen on other high-end sets.
I also sampled a few regular HD videos in standard dynamic range and some lower-quality streams from Samsung's free live TV service, Samsung TV Plus, and the S95D handled them well. That said, upscaling isn't quite as good as you'll see on Sony's flagship TVs, so you'll get a slightly softer image with more source-related flaws visible.
Note: The S95D is available in 55-, 65-, and 77-inch screen sizes, and they all offer the same display specifications. Samsung says all S95D models being shipped to retailers in the US right now use QD-OLED panels. However, there is speculation that the brand could sell versions of its 2024 OLED TVs with WRGB panels instead. WRGB OLED panels don't incorporate quantum dots, so any S95D TV with that panel type would offer reduced color and brightness capabilities. Again, this shouldn't be a concern for anyone shopping for an S95D now, but I'll update this review if WRGB variants end up being released in the US.
The matte screen nearly eliminates reflections, but black levels suffer
You might be able to make out a faint hint of my reflection on the left side of the screen, but the S95D eliminates the mirror-like effect that other OLED TVs have.
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
One of the S95D's most striking features is its new glare-free screen filter. Virtually every other TV sold right now (including last year's S95C) uses a glossy finish that causes a reflective quality when you watch TV in a bright room. But, the S95D has a matte finish that significantly reduces glare and reflections. In fact, it almost eliminates them entirely.
Seriously, this is one of the best screens I've seen for handling glare. The only other notable TV with a similar matte coating is Samsung's own Frame, but that model can't match the S95D's overall image quality. And when you add in the TV's high brightness capabilities, the S95D cements itself as a great option for rooms that let in a lot of light. However, the TV's glare-free screen does have a negative effect on black-level performance.
Instead of having the deep, inky quality that OLED black levels are known for, blacks look a bit elevated, hazy, and gray when watching TV with the lights on. This was very evident when viewing dark scenes, like the opening sequence of "The Matrix," in a bright room.
The matte screen is great for reducing glare in bright rooms, but it can give black levels a gray and slightly hazy look. (Note: The camera exaggerates this effect so it's a bit less noticeable in person).
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
I'm a bit torn about this side effect, and while I know that many buyers will love the perks of the S95D's matte screen, I lean toward preferring a glossier look that preserves black levels. I studied filmmaking and am a huge movie buff, so picture accuracy is one of the most important aspects of a TV to me. Deep black levels are a huge part of preserving the intended look of a movie, so the matte screen's negative impact on contrast is disappointing. That said, there's no denying how well the filter works at reducing reflections, so if you have a big issue with glare in your room, the pros here will outweigh the cons.
Outside the matte screen, the S95D's design looks a lot like the 2023 S95C, and that's not a bad thing. This 2024 model carries over its predecessor's uniformly thin profile and has a similar pedestal stand, as well as a One Connect box, which houses all of the TV's video and audio ports instead of having them built into the panel. Build quality is also sturdy and a clear step up from cheaper designs used on sets from more budget-friendly brands.
The smart TV interface is solid, and you can stream Xbox games with a subscription
Samsung's smart TV interface is easy to navigate.
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
Samsung's smart TV interface, which runs on the Tizen operating system, has received a few minor design tweaks for a slightly more streamlined look, but by and large, it offers a similar experience compared to last year's offering.
Navigation through menus was snappy during my initial time with the TV and seemed a bit more consistent than last year's model. Some apps can still take a little longer to load than they do on dedicated streaming devices I've tested, but I like how there's now a loading bar that appears when opening apps.
As with last year's model, the interface features a dedicated Gaming Hub section, and Samsung is still the only TV brand to offer built-in support for the Xbox app. This means you can stream Xbox games directly to the TV without a console, so long as you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership and a Bluetooth controller.
If you have an S95D and a Game Pass Ultimate plan, you can stream titles like Forza Horizon 5 without an Xbox console.
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
Xbox streaming performance relies heavily on your internet connection and is limited to HD resolution in standard dynamic range with two-channel sound, but the feature gets the job done. It's not how I'd recommend playing top-tier releases, but it's solid for more casual titles.
Meanwhile, when playing video games via a connected console or PC, the S95D has all the premium features you should look for, including a variable refresh rate and support for up to 4K/144Hz to enable smooth gameplay.
Should you buy it?
The S95D is one of the top OLED TVs on offer this year.
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
Based on my initial testing, the Samsung S95D is an excellent option for anyone who wants a high-end OLED TV. It delivers fantastic image quality with the highest peak brightness I've seen on a display of this type, and its matte-screen filter is a game changer for buyers who struggle with glare and reflections in their living rooms.
However, that glare-free screen does hurt black-level performance with the lights on, so there's a definite tradeoff. If your room doesn't have issues with reflections, I recommend considering last year's S95C instead. It's cheaper and uses a glossy coating. And though the S95C's peak brightness is about 30% dimmer than the S95D's, it still gets bright enough for most needs.
In this class, you should also consider the LG G4 and Sony A95L as alternatives. They both use glossy screens and have some other pros and cons compared to the S95D. Neither can get quite as bright as Samsung's flagship, but the G4 can sustain high brightness levels for a longer period of time, and the A95L benefits from Sony's superior picture processing to provide a slightly more accurate image. And they both support Dolby Vision, while the S95D does not. Check out our guide to HDR and Dolby Vision for details on why that feature could be a worthwhile perk.
Ultimately, buyers seeking a premium viewing experience can't go wrong with any high-end OLED TV. But, the S95D's matte screen and exceptionally high brightness do give it an edge for viewers who want an OLED that's uniquely suited for combating glare and reflections in rooms that let in a lot of light.
The median compensation for associates was $27,642, according to Walmart's annual proxy statement.
Since 2009, McMillon has received a combined $136 million for his work as a Walmart executive.
The CEO of the world's largest company just had another very good year.
Walmart's Doug McMillon received total compensation last year of more than $26.9 million, up $1.6 million from the year before, according to the company's annual proxy statement filed Thursday with the SEC.
The pay package consisted of $1.5 million in base salary, $19.6 million in stock awards, and $5.8 million in other compensation.
It's a sizable increase from his first wage job unloading trucks for the retailer earning $6.50 an hour in 1984, which would be about $19.79 in today's dollars.
The 57-year-old Arkansas native is now in charge of 2.1 million workers across more than 10,000 retail stores around the globe, and annual sales of $648 billion — that's more people and higher sales than any other private employer in the world.
Of those 2 million-plus workers, the median employee was paid $27,642 last year, up 1.8 percent from last year. McMillon's compensation is 976 times that amount.
Under a new calculation that companies are required to disclose as of last year, McMillon saw his net worth grow by nearly $47.5 million last year after adjustments to recognize the fair value of his stock awards.
Since 2009, Walmart has paid McMillon a combined total of nearly $163 million for his work as an executive. Prior to becoming CEO, McMillon was in charge of the corporation's international division from 2009 to 2014, and head of Sam's Club from 2005 to 2009.
The median employee at Meta earned over $379,000 in 2023, according to a recent filing.
This figure is significantly higher than many tech jobs, though on par with rivals like Google and Amazon.
Meta has laid off workers and is spending billions on AI.
If you're a tech worker at Meta, you probably make out pretty well for yourself.
That's according to a recent SEC filing, where the company stated that its median employee made just over $379,000 in 2023.
Meta employs around 67,000 people, according to the filing, so there's bound to be considerable variation.
An Insider analysis previously found that higher-level software engineers and researchers at the company tend to make more in base pay than product designers and user experience professionals.
Nevertheless, Meta's median figure is substantially higher than the average tech position, which tends to fall between $35,000 to $120,000 depending on the role, according to data listed by one recruitment firm.
But within the world of Big Tech, Meta's median salary isn't as eye-popping as it might seem. Industry giants like Google and Amazon also have positions that regularly offer well above $300,000 in compensation.
The same filing noted that CEO Mark Zuckerberg's total compensation in 2023 was $24.4 million.
Most came from security and logistical costs since the Facebook cofounder took home a salary of just $1 last year. (Of course, most of Zuckerberg's $157 billion net worth is tied up in his stock options.)
Even with such attractive compensation, it doesn't mean that working at Meta is becoming any easier.
Earlier this year, Zuckerberg told employees that, going forward, the company will make its so-called "Year of Efficiency" — the drive to maximize productivity by stepping up performance reviews and layoffs — the permanent state of affairs.
The company has cut 22% of its staff since 2022 with no end in sight. Meta reported strong earnings in its latest quarterly call, but also doubled down on Zuckerberg's plan to spend billions more on AI, spooking investors.
Taylor Swift performs at the Eras Tour in Singapore.
Ashok Kumar/Getty Images
Taylor Swift recently posted a video that shows her wearing a $60 Popflex athletic skort.
Cassey Ho, an influencer and the skort designer, told Business Insider it's a dream come true.
Ho said Swifties have since wiped out existing inventory, and 7,000 skorts have been preordered.
When Taylor Swift uploaded a YouTube Shorts video to promote her new album on April 19, Blogilates founder Cassey Ho was getting her roots touched up at a hair salon.
"I was so ugly with my hair in the bowl and a towel over my head, but my husband, Sam, kept calling. He was like, 'You need to check your messages,'" she told Business Insider.
So she did, and she quickly discovered that Swift's video featured a clip of the musician playing pickleball while wearing the $60 Pirouette Skort from Ho's brand Popflex.
"I wish I had screamed or jumped. I was numb," she said. "That was my reaction. Couldn't move, couldn't think. Nonfunctional."
The Taylor Effect: athleisure version
Ho — a fitness influencer and entrepreneur — said she was equally shocked when fans alerted her that Swift had also seemingly referenced the Popflex skirt in a track on "The Tortured Poets Department."
"Lilac short skirt, the one that fits me like skin," Swift sings in "imgonnagetyouback."
While Ho can't confirm whether Swift was specifically referencing her design, the lyric has only made the experience more exciting for herself and her employees.
"Our entire team has just been living in this Taylor dream from Friday into this week. It's just been so cool," Ho said.
Swifties can't get enough of the skort, either. According to Ho, her brand's inventory of the Digital Lilac shade Swift wore was wiped out in minutes. She said Popflex has now sold 7,000 of the skorts in preorders.
"The Taylor Effect is like nothing else in the entire world. It's insane," Ho said. "We had our biggest sales day of the year and our second biggest sales day ever. This is also the first time we've taken preorders. We normally don't do that, but people really want the original."
An invisible string between Ho and Swift
In the early days of Ho's career — when she posted videos of herself doing exercise routines on YouTube — Swift's songs often played in the background.
Those "Pop Pilates" routines, as Ho dubbed them, skyrocketed her into internet stardom, and Swift took notice.
In 2014, Ho received a direct message from Swift's team inviting her and her sister to a Secret Session, or a private listening party where Swift showed fans her then-upcoming album "1989."
"We were just nervously there, and Taylor walked out with her red lips, short hair, a crop top, and a pleated skirt," she recalled. "Then, she walked up to our little group and said, 'Cassey, I love watching your videos.' I was like, 'Are you kidding me?'"
Swift then shared a message about doing one of Ho's workout routines on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in 2019.
Omg Taylor! You did!??? Ahhhhh!!! I’m legit dying right now! Your music has helped me get through so much. Thank you for doing the challenge!!! I hope your abs are sore! 💪💪💪
"People assume I must have sent the skort to her, but absolutely not," Ho told BI. "I have no contact with Taylor. I don't know her address, nothing."
But given their connected history, Ho thinks Swift may have seen one of her promotional videos for the skort.
"I think she was Tay-lurking," she said.
The bigger picture
While Ho is ecstatic about Swift wearing her skort design from the perspective of a business owner and Swiftie, she's also grateful for another reason.
Since releasing the Pirouette skirt nearly three years ago, Ho said she has dealt with numerous online retailers copying her design and selling cheaper versions.
"It's happened two times on Shein and a million times on Amazon," Ho said. She called out Shein in a July 2023 blog post after noticing that the fast-fashion retailer was selling a similar skort, which was no longer available on the site as of Friday.
Ho also said she's seen new knockoffs popping up now that Swift has been seen wearing the original.
"I've already seen sites using my videos and Taylor's video in ads on TikTok, which direct to sketchy sites," she said, adding that she's working to get those listings removed.
But in the meantime, she said, Swift wearing the original feels like the "ultimate karma" against shops that have stolen her work — something Swift herself is deeply familiar with.
"She is the ultimate inspiration for taking control of a bad situation," Ho said.
But even as knockoff Popflex skorts appear online, Ho and her team are celebrating.
In addition to a dinner party she'd like to host in the future, Ho told BI that she's also distributing $4,190 bonuses to each of her employees — a number she picked by taking the date Swift posted her video, April 19, and multiplying it by 1,000, or the number of times she's "felt so lucky over this past weekend."
"I don't know what you call this. Maybe an invisible string, I guess," Ho said of her journey with Swift. "But the past few days have been a beautiful dream. I'm just so grateful."
A Tesla Model S driver told authorities he was using Autopilot when he fatally hit a motorcyclist last week.
Feds this week questioned whether Tesla's December recall was enough to ensure driver attention.
Tesla recalled over two million vehicles and installed an update to increase alerts in Autopilot.
A 56-year-old Tesla Model S driver said he was using Autopilot when he hit and killed someone on a motorcycle last week about 15 miles outside Seattle.
The Washington State Patrol's affidavit said the driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide "based on the admitted inattention to driving," while on Autopilot mode and using a cell phone while driving, according to a CNBC report. The department did not respond to Business Insider's request for records.
The driver told a Washington State Patrol trooper that he was in Autopilot mode and looked at his cellphone while the Tesla was moving, according to the CNBC report.
"The next thing he knew there was a bang and the vehicle lurched forward as it accelerated and collided with the motorcycle in front of him," the trooper wrote in a probable-cause document, according to CNBC.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it was opening an investigation to "evaluate the adequacy" of the December recall to "address misuse, mode confusion, or usage in environments the system is not designed for."
The new investigation will look into Model Y, X, S, 3, and Cybertruck vehicles with Autopilot made between 2012 and 2024, according to the NHTSA report.
In December, Tesla recalled over two million vehicles to update the Autopilot software. The recall stemmed from a two-year NHTSA investigation that identified at least 13 crashes with at least one fatality and multiple serious injuries. The software update aimed to improve driver awareness by increasing warnings and alerts.
The NHTSA document stated that Tesla said "a portion of the remedy both requires the owner to opt in and allows a driver to readily reverse it."
It's not known whether the driver involved in the Washington accident had the software update installed in his Tesla.
According to NHTSA documents, most newer Teslas have software that would automatically update.
In a document published Thursday on the recall query, the NHTSA notes that the term "Autopilot" may lead drivers to think "the automation has greater capabilities than it does and invite drivers to overly trust the automation."
Tesla's website states Autopilot mode does not make the vehicle autonomous and drivers must use additional caution and pay attention.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Justice Department settled over 100 claims from victims of Larry Nassar for $138.7 million.
But it's ignored claims from Jeffrey Epstein victims, who say law enforcement failed to protect them.
The Justice Department has already concluded that it botched an investigation into Epstein.
This week, the Justice Department agreed to a mammoth $138.7 million settlement to resolve more than 100 claims brought by accusers of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor.
It was announced nearly three years after the Justice Department's internal watchdog found that the FBI botched its handling of its investigation into Nassar, who has been the subject of hundreds of sexual abuse claims and is currently serving over a century in prison sentences after being convicted of sexual assault and child pornography charges.
But the FBI seems less interested in resolving claims from victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
Jordan Merson, an attorney representing about 30 of Epstein's victims in claims against the FBI, told Business Insider that the Justice Department has so far turned a blind eye to his clients.
"We are happy that the FBI has resolved those cases so that the Nassar victims can have that sense of accountability, responsibility, and justice and try to get some peace moving forward," Merson told Business Insider. "But it's curious as to why the FBI won't do the same thing in this case, won't allow these women who have bravely come forward to get that accountability, responsibility, and justice."
Merson filed the lawsuit, initially on behalf of 12 Epstein accusers, against the FBI in February. It alleges the law enforcement agency knew about the well-connected financier's serial sexual abuse of girls since at least the mid-1990s — and did nothing to stop him.
The agency ignored numerous tips and pleas from victims as early as the 1990s, according to the lawsuit. And the FBI also failed to act when visas and passports were issued for girls who flew on his plane — actions that should have required background checks, the lawsuit alleges.
Representatives for the Justice Department didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment Friday.
"Epstein orchestrated an illegal sex trafficking ring for the elite and the FBI failed to adequately investigate the abuse, failed to interview the victims, failed to investigate the crimes and did not follow routine procedure or offer victim assistance notwithstanding credible reports and tips," the lawsuit alleges. "The FBI sat back while Epstein and his co-conspirators sexually abused Jane Does 1-12."
The DOJ concluded it botched an earlier Epstein investigation
In 2019, Epstein killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York.
Years earlier, in 2007, he reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors in Florida that allowed him to serve an insubstantial sentence on a prostitution charge, even though law enforcement officials believed at the time that he had sexually abused dozens of girls. The deal was widely recognized as a corrupt bargain between Epstein's lawyers and then-US Attorney Alexander Acosta, who later resigned as labor secretary in Donald Trump's cabinet following an investigation into the agreement by the Miami Herald.
The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility later concluded that Acosta exercised "poor judgment" with the agreement, which was also kept secret from Epstein's victims. And in December, US Senators Cory Booker and Marsha Blackburn pressed FBI Director Christopher Wray on "getting to the bottom" of the scope of Epstein's sex trafficking and the failures of the FBI to investigate his accusers' claims.
Wray told the senators that it had "been a while since I looked at the specific case" and that he would "figure out if there's more information we can provide" with his team.
But Merson told Business Insider that Wray has been uninterested in resolving claims from Epstein's victims, even though it's been nearly a year since he filed administrative claims against the FBI.
"The FBI has so far shown no interest in resolving these cases amicably," Merson said. "And it makes you scratch your head. Like, why is that? And what about this case? Why are theyout these women who have come forward with claims against Jeffrey Epstein and the FBI's role?"
Jeffrey Epstein.
Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images
In addition to the FBI's failures in investigating their sex crimes, Epstein and Nassar are connected in another way: While in jail, Epstein attempted to send Nassar a letter.
It was returned to the sender, and the contents have not been made public.
A compensation program formed by Epstein's estate after his death identified 136 different victims, while later litigation put the number closer to 200.
Merson's clients initially filed Standard Form 95 claims with the FBI — which offers federal agencies the chance to resolve claims efficiently and quietly, and serves as a precursor to a lawsuit if they don't — in May 2023. But the Justice Department, while not denying wrongdoing, hasn't engaged in settlement talks, he said.
Since filing the lawsuit in February, Merson has more than doubled the number of clients with claims against the law enforcement agency for failing to stop Epstein.
He said, "It's confusing and confounding" that the FBI isn't addressing the claims of Epstein's victims with the same urgency it gave Nassar's.
"Why won't the FBI do the right thing for sexual abuse survivors of Jeffrey Epstein?" Merson said.
The author, not pictured, couldn't decide which college to go to.
Yana Paskova/Getty Images
I was accepted into Duke, Columbia, and Yale, so I had to choose which one was right for me.
Serious deliberation removed Columbia; it took a coin flip and following my gut to make up my mind.
I'm a student at Yale, and I now realize my choice didn't really matter all that much.
College application season is finally over, but the stress isn't gone completely.
For many students, April is still a stressful time; you may still be debating which school to go attend. Sometimes, the college decision isn't so clear-cut. For example, what do you do if you apply to multiple dream schools expecting to only get into one, and you're lucky enough to get into multiple?
That was the case for me this time last year. As a kid, my dream school was Columbia, and for most of high school, it was Yale. At the last minute, Duke crept near the top spot. In the end, I was blessed enough to get into all three, and while it took some time, here's what helped me decide.
Make sure to learn as much as possible about each school
Doing your homework before decision season is crucial. Visit colleges early to get a feel and plan what you could see yourself doing. Of course, you will change your mind over time, but getting a sense of your playing field is important.
Many schools offer fly-in programs to admits, and while they can make for a hectic schedule in April, attending these can give you a great sense of what the school is like. While Duke was initially below Yale on my list, attending their Black Student Alliance Invitational brought them way up.
At these programs, you get to see the schools, sit in on classes, check out clubs, and meet students. I met people at BSAI that I instantly connected and still do my best to keep up with.
Revisit what made you want to go to each school in the first place
Ok, so you've done your research, gone to the fly-ins, and are now trying to decide. First, ground yourself and check on the factors that are most important to you. While getting into great colleges can feel like the stars have aligned, it's worthwhile to remind yourself of what led you to apply to each school in the first place and what you anticipated valuing before decisions came back.
For me, this meant looking very closely at financial aid and location. Being from a somewhat well-off family, I received substantial aid from Yale, Duke, and Columbia, but none offered me a full ride. All three schools were also situated in very different environments and were different sizes.
Both of these factors eliminated Columbia from my list. The aid package there was less substantial, and while I have loved New York for short periods, I couldn't imagine living there, much less making the most of it.
However, after considering these hard factors, I was left with two equally good options. Duke and Yale gave me two different but incredibly enticing visions of my future. I couldn't possibly choose myself; I was torn.
So, I flipped a coin.
Trust me, the coin flip works
I know it sounds stupid, but a coin flip is the best method for figuring out what school to go with if you've done everything you could but can't decide. You shouldn't follow through on what the coin flip says, but you should act like you will. Your reaction to the coin flip will tell you where you want to go.
In my case, it landed on Duke, and I felt unsettled. I planned on going to North Carolina after undergrad school anyway because my dream is to go to Duke Law on a Mordecai scholarship, so I wondered if Duke was right for my undergrad years, too. Yale was my dream school, and Duke's emerging quad system was different from Yale's residential college system, which I loved.
All these factors made me realize that I wanted to go to Yale. I committed before even going to Yale's fly-in program, Bulldog Days.
After you pick, don't dwell on it
Do I think about what would have happened if I had chosen Duke? Of course. But in the end, it doesn't matter. Going to college is already an incredible privilege, and picking between multiple top-tier schools is an abundance of riches. There is no wrong answer.
In the end, it's important to have confidence in yourself. I would still be Miles at Columbia or Duke. Sure, the environments would have molded me into a different version of myself, but in the end, I would still be Miles. That's what matters.