Elizabeth Holmes' $4.5B fortune, luxury lifestyle 'created powerful motive' for fraud, prosecutors say

Prosecutors working the fraud case against blood-testing startup Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes have fired back at the defense’s claim that her wealth and social standing are not relevant to the crime scheme, arguing that her six-figure salary, billion-dollar stake in the company and jet-setting lifestyle were motivating factors behind the alleged lies, court papers show. READ MORE

Employers deciding if they’ll require COVID-19 vaccines

Employers are in the midst of discussing and deciding if they’ll require their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

A new survey of 211 business and talent leaders from human capital research firm i4cp finds that most organizations (41%) say they are still deciding whether they will mandate COVID-19 vaccination for their employees. Just 5% say they will require employees to get the vaccine, while 39% say they won’t. Another 11% say they don’t know yet. READ MORE

She helps Google workers be productive. Here are her pro tips

We can all use a little help when it comes to being more productive, especially these days.

Whether we're working from home or still going into the workplace, many of us have struggled to stay as productive as we were before the pandemic.

Google said last month that its employees won't be returning to the office until September. That means the company will have to make a concerted effort to keep its workforce motivated and effective. READ MORE

Low on workers, manufacturers recruit their executives for the factory floor

Wendy Marcus was midway through a recent meeting with senior leaders at Newell Brands Inc. when word came that she needed to leave immediately.

The Newell-owned factory that makes Yankee Candles was once again short on workers, and the plant needed Ms. Marcus, an R&D manager, on the assembly line to help pack the famously scented knickknacks into gift baskets.

“I told them, ‘I have to work the overtime shift,’ and they just said, ‘OK, thank you and go ahead,’” recalled Ms. Marcus. READ MORE

PreSales: The Secret Weapon In Customer Experience

PreSales is a pretty hot buzzword in the B2B tech industry right now. Unfortunately, not enough people actually understand what it is, what it does, and why it’s the key to creating a customer experience that keeps your customers coming back over and over again. 

Because of the increasing complexity of SaaS products and the larger demand for demos and free trials before a sale is made, PreSales is becoming more vital to a successful sales process.  READ MORE

What to expect at the first ever all-digital CES 2021

Disinfectant gadgets, next-generation fitness equipment and robots that help you cook dinner.

Those are a few of the countless new products expected to be unveiled next week at the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual splashy tech conference that typically sets the tone for the biggest trends of the year. Home automation, health and 5G will once again be buzzy topics, but many companies will also introduce pandemic-specific features to reflect our increased time at home. READ MORE

Amazon vendors hiked prices on 'essential' products amid coronavirus pandemic, report suggests

Amazon sellers raised prices on 136 items deemed essential, including some personal protective equipment, during the coronavirus pandemic, a new report suggests.

A report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund released Thursday analyzed prices of “essential” products such as face masks, pulse oximeters, surgical gloves, hand sanitizer and toilet paper and found the sellers of 409 items raised the prices by more than 20% in the last year. READ MORE

A 25-Year-Old Bet Comes Due: Has Tech Destroyed Society?

On March 6, 1995, WIRED’s executive editor and resident techno-optimist Kevin Kelly went to the Greenwich Village apartment of the author Kirkpatrick Sale. Kelly had asked Sale for an interview. But he planned an ambush.

Kelly had just read an early copy of Sale’s upcoming book, called Rebels Against the Future. It told the story of the 19th-century Luddites, a movement of workers opposed to the machinery of the Industrial Revolution. Before their rebellion was squashed and their leaders hanged, they literally destroyed some of the mechanized looms that, they believed, reduced them to cogs in a dehumanizing engine of mass production.  READ MORE

What is a Sales Trigger Event and Why It’s Important to Close More Deals

No, it’s not another buzzword. A sales trigger event is crucial because it distinguishes hot leads from cold ones. It gives you the opportunity to maximize the effectiveness of your sales pitch and help you close a deal.

As a salesperson, timing is everything. Selling your product or service at the optimal time can be the difference between making a minor profit or major bank. In a competitive market, it’s paramount that you incorporate trigger events in your sales process to keep the upper hand and make your sales pitch at the best possible moment. Trigger events help with sales prospecting by indicating the best time to sell your product or service, and can help you customize your outreach. READ MORE

Elon Musk responds to Capitol riots with dig at Facebook

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a swipe at Mark Zuckerberg Wednesday evening in a tweet that appeared to blame the founding of Facebook for the violence that ensued at the U.S. Capitol.

"This is called the domino effect," Musk wrote alongside a meme that seemingly tied the origins of Zuckerberg's Facebook to the mob that proceeded to storm the Capitol building to protest the results of the presidential election. READ MORE