Insider Finance - Business - The rise of the ‘workfluencer’

Nicholas Carlson November 10, 2022

Hello, Insiders! So it’s been a couple days, and I think we can safely say that the GOP underperformed versus expectations in the midterms. It may still win the Senate, and will almost certainly take the House — but barely. (Check out the latest updates here.)

This is a pretty surprising turn of events, given how bad the economy looks right now. Plus, the party not holding the White House usually does much better during midterms. GOP insiders are blaming Trump, and they say he should get out of the way in 2024 for someone like Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who won by a huge margin Tuesday.

I’d like to hear from the conservatives reading this newsletter. Do you agree with the GOP insiders who blame Trump? Do you think he should step aside? Let me know: insidertoday@insider.com.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The latest

• Inflation cooled in October. The Consumer Price Index rose 7.7% year-on-year — falling quicker than economists’ expectations. 

• Mark Zuckerberg's giant middle finger to Wall Street backfired for Meta. More on that here.

• Elon Musk ended remote working at Twitter, as per Bloomberg — and ordered staff back to the office for at least 40 hours a week. 

The big story

Tyler Le/Insider

Everyone is suddenly getting vulnerable about their jobs on LinkedIn and TikTok.

Since the start of the pandemic, there’s been a shift in how (and where) people talk about work. 

Stuck at home, without coworkers to complain to in the office kitchen, many workers have flooded TikTok and LinkedIn to rant, sob, and gossip about their careers — and have inadvertently created a new “online watercooler.” 

Across social media, creators share salaries and day-in-the-life vlogs about their jobs, and post about once-taboo issues like pay transparency and discrimination. Lawyers to entrepreneurs have parlayed this into new careers and lucrative side hustles — while others have gotten in trouble with their employers for oversharing about work.

Inside the rise of the “workfluencer.”

Top reads

Vicky Leta/Insider

• A man with ALS who can't use his hands got one of the first implanted brain-computers. Now he can text, shop online, and play games — all just by thinking. Here’s why the implant could be a game-changer. 

• Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX went from $32 billion to a fire sale in 11 months. The implosion of crypto exchange FTX has led to a sharp reversal in SBF's $15 billion crypto fortune. Go inside the spectacular nosedive.

• A 34-year-old shares how she earns up to $42,000 in revenue a month on Amazon. With just $2,000 upfront, Shan Shan Fu built an e-commerce business selling tights and socks. She explains how she got started.

• A millennial couple built a tiny home on an empty plot of land in Alentejo, Portugal. Pepe Romero and Eugenia Diaz — who had been traveling around Europe in a camper van they converted themselves — built the entire home by hand in just six months. Take a look.

• A real estate investor says now is a “once in a lifetime opportunity, bigger than 2008.” Travis Hanson, an investor who owns 109 properties, shared five tips to take advantage of a coming 20% correction in the housing market. Read his advice here.

Today’s sound bite

Is this headline real or fake?: "TSA agents find gun inside raw chicken at Florida airport."

Play along with The Refresh’s weekly game, Two Headlines and a Lie, and check out the full segment in today’s episode of The Refresh from Insider.

Watch this

Insider visited Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado to learn about the Space Force and to find out how the Delta 4 guardians train to detect incoming missiles.

Today's team

Nicholas Carlson (@nichcarlson), Lisa Ryan (@lisarya), Hallam Bullock (@hallam_bullock), and Jordan Parker Erb (@jordanparkererb).

Can't get enough of Insider?

• Compare salaries with our Salary Database
• Build better pitch decks with our Pitch Deck Library
• Listen to our news briefing The Refresh from Insider
• Get even more of Insider delivered to your inbox
• If this newsletter was forwarded to you, sign up here
• Download Insider's app for news on the go