• Several former Twitter Inc. executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, filed a lawsuit against the social media company on Monday, claiming they are owed reimbursement for more than $1 million in legal fees associated with proceedings tied to their corporate roles. It’s the latest in a string of overdue payment accusations from a range of Twitter stakeholders since Elon Musk’s takeover last year. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Amazon.com Inc. now charges customers a $1 fee to send back items at UPS stores if they have another free return option — such as a Whole Foods or an Amazon Fresh store — that is within equal distance, marking the e-commerce giant’s most recent attempt to curb returns-related expenses as it looks to cut costs and improve efficiencies more broadly. The company also added a “frequently returned” warning to some product listings last month. (The Information)
• The U.S. Federal Trade Commission ordered The Bountiful Company, which makes Nature’s Bounty Vitamins, to pay $600,000 in its first-ever action related to the practice of “review hijacking,” or when brands copy consumer reviews for another product to drive sales of its own. The vitamin maker took advantage of an Amazon feature that allows sellers to create “variation” relationships between different products and then sold their offerings under a merged set of reviews, making them appear to have better ratings than they otherwise would have had if marketed on their own listing. (TechCrunch)

Gen Z Is Poised to Reshape the Travel Industry

Morning Consult

Elon Musk’s ad problems

Max Tani, Semafor

Elon Musk travels to Miami later this month in an effort to mollify advertisers as he grapples with the reality of a traditional, difficult, media business.

Johnson & Johnson Launches US Creative Review for Neutrogena and Aveeno

Brian Bonilla, Ad Age 

Move comes as consumer business prepares spinoff as independent Kenvue.

Netflix Sports Docuseries Not Keeping Pace With F1

Tyler Aqualina, Variety

Netflix’s swing to expand its sports programming hasn’t exactly been an ace so far. 

6 startups and VCs investing millions directly in influencers — from licensing back catalogs to full ownership of YouTube channels

Amanda Perelli and Sydney Bradley, Insider

As the creator economy matures, some startups are setting aside capital to invest directly in individual stars and their content. 

Hollywood’s Newest Stars? Nike, BlackBerry and Cheetos.

Zachary Siegel, The New York Times

A new spate of films stars not people but consumer products.

CeraVe’s Dermatologist Influencer Strategy Shows Growth of Experts as Creators

Gillian Follett, Ad Age 

The L’Oréal-owned skin care brand has sharpened its focus on dermatologist influencers in its social media content over the past year.

ABC News president Kim Godwin leading a ‘culture of fear’ after layoffs: sources

Alexandra Steigrad, The New York Post

Godwin — who drew widespread criticism from many at the network as news spread of the salacious affair between “GMA3” hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach — huddled with a coterie of her close-knit aides before firing a slew of workers as part of a phased rollout of 50 job cuts last month, sources said.

‘Succession’ and ‘Dr. Pimple Popper’ Together in New Warner Streaming App

John Koblin, The New York Times

The service, expected to be called Max, is meant to help the company compete more directly with Netflix and Disney.

Fox News Settles Defamation Suit With Venezuelan Businessman Over Election-Fraud Claims

Isbella Simonetti, The Wall Street Journal

Settlement comes days before another defamation case against Fox News is set to go to trial.

Cineworld Formally Files Reorganization Plan, Targets Emerging From Bankruptcy by Mid-Year

Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter

“Among other things, any sale transaction resulting from the marketing process may delay emergence beyond the first half of 2023,” the cinema giant says.

TikTok Struggles to Enlist U.S. Merchants for Shopping Service

Juro Osawa et al., The Information

Relatively few U.S. merchants are showing interest in signing up for the nascent service, both because they’re more focused on expanding in bricks and mortar and because they’re concerned the app could be banned, merchants say.

Social-Media Platform Discord Emerges at Center of Classified U.S. Documents Leak

Sarah E. Needleman, The Wall Street Journal

A federal investigation into a major leak of highly classified U.S. documents has cast a spotlight on a social-media outlet popularized by videogame enthusiasts. 

Apple’s Mac shipments fall more than 40%, worse than major rivals

Rohan Goswami, CNBC

Apple’s worldwide computer shipments fell 40.5% year over year in the first quarter of 2023, amid a broader contraction in consumer demand, according to research firm IDC.

Meta Verified is under fire in sex work circles for revealing users’ legal names

Morgan Sung, TechCrunch

With Meta Verified, users can pay for an enviable blue check next to their name. But the feature also requires users to use their legal name as their profile display name without the option to change it, raising concerns among sex workers, trans creators and other privacy advocates. 

Apple Investigates Reported Music, App Store Outages

Low De Wei, Bloomberg

Apple Inc.’s support team said it was “investigating issues” after thousands of users reported difficulty accessing several of the company’s services, including Apple Music and the App Store.

Biden Administration Weighs Possible Rules for AI Tools Like ChatGPT

Ryan Tracy, The Wall Street Journal

Fears grow over the potential use of artificial intelligence to commit crimes and spread falsehoods.

Twitter Circle tweets are not that private anymore

Amanda Silberling, TechCrunch

Numerous Twitter users are reporting a bug in which Circle tweets — which are supposed to reach a select group, like an Instagram Close Friends story — are surfacing on the algorithmically-generated For You timeline. That means that your supposedly private posts might breach containment to reach an unintended audience, which could quickly spark some uncomfortable situations.

Domino’s gasses up in-car ordering with Apple CarPlay integration

Chris Kelly, Marketing Dive

Domino’s Pizza has rolled out an iOS app on Apple CarPlay that gives consumers the ability to order a meal from their car, according to a press release. The app allows consumers to Tap to Order, which submits a saved or recent order, or Call to Order, which allows for a hands-free call with a customer service representative.

Apple to open first India retail stores next week, signaling growth ambitions in emerging market

Manish Singh, TechCrunch 

Apple said on Tuesday it plans to open Apple BKC in Mumbai on April 18 and Apple Saket in Delhi on April 20. The iPhone-maker’s first retail stores in India have been long-anticipated, but the limited market for high-end smartphones and laptops in the country has tempered Apple’s expansion efforts.

How 2 Marketing Dynamos Reinvigorated McDonald’s for Gen Z

Rebecca Stewart, Adweek

Old McDonald’s? Not anymore, thanks to CMOs Morgan Flatley and Tariq Hassan.

Grocery startups are eyeing convenience stores and grab-and-go formats for growth

Gabriela Barkho, Modern Retail

After targeting major grocery chains like Kroger, Whole Foods and Walmart, food and beverage startups now have their eyes set on the convenience channel.

A new survey highlights the gap between employee burnout and company awareness

Matthew Owenby, Quartz 

3 ways to close the gap on burnout and improve employee well-being.

People Working in the Office Spend 25% More Time on Career Development

Matthew Boyle, Bloomberg

New data from a team of economists back up some business leaders’ calls that workers spend more time in the office. 

Meet the Return-to-Office Whisperers

Emma Goldberg, The New York Times

A niche group of consultants is trying to get you back to the office. It’s not going too well.

Productivity paranoia is bad for everyone

L’oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune

The new age of hybrid work has people stressed on both sides: managers aren’t sure if they can fully trust that remote workers are actually working. Meanwhile, employees are feeling constant pressure to always be on and ready to respond to every email notification within a moment’s notice.

Next Wave of Remote Work Is About Outsourcing Jobs Overseas

Conrad Putzier, The Wall Street Journal

Companies respond to labor shortages and rising wages by moving some positions abroad, consultants say.

Starbucks’ new CEO wants senior leaders to work in stores, and it’s a brilliant idea

Avery Hartmans, Insider

Starbucks’ new CEO plans to work a monthly store shift.