Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced plans to lay off 7,000 workers as part of a companywide effort to reduce costs. There has been speculation about the cuts since Iger returned as CEO last November to take over from Bob Chapek, who had lost the faith of many shareholders. The entertainment giant has faced multiple economic challenges, and Iger took over with a mandate to shake up the organization. Along those lines, Disney is also restructuring itself into three divisions: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and a Parks, Experiences and Products unit.
TWITTER GLITCH
Twitter experienced a series of technical glitches on Wednesday that cut some users off from their direct messages and forced others to schedule their tweets to post. CEO Elon Musk soon acknowledged the issues, but was fairly vague about their cause, saying there were "multiple internal & external issues simultaneously." As of Thursday, the problems appear resolved, but the incident has stoked fears that Musk's recent firings have left Twitter without necessary resources.
NETFLIX PASSWORD RULES
Netflix has finally revealed its new password sharing rules, laying the groundwork for the end of an era for many streaming users. The company said more than 100 million households share accounts globally, but many are confused about who can (and cannot) share. Users in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain will see changes first. Here's a quick breakdown of how it will work:
BED BATH & BEYOND CLOSURES
Embattled retailer Bed Bath & Beyond has announced it's closing 149 stores just one week after shutting down 87 other locations. The company is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and is pulling out all the stops to stay solvent, including seeking additional capital and paring down its operations. The chain's total number of stores has fallen from 760 to 360.
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
