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1. Elon Musk went to Richard Branson’s house at 3 a.m. to wish him luck before his flight. Branson tweeted a photo of Musk visiting him on the morning of his historic flight to the edge of space. Jeff Bezos, who is heading to space on July 20, wished Branson well in an Instagram post. Miss Branson’s launch? Check out a video of him in space.

2. About 600 people reserved tickets to space with Virgin Galactic – including A-list celebs. Tom Hanks and Lady Gaga are among those who paid $250,000 for a ticket. Virgin Galactic isn’t the only company offering space tours – here’s what passengers will get when they fly with SpaceX, Blue Origin, or Virgin Galactic.

3. Amazon’s Prime Air drone-delivery team is experiencing more growing pains. Internal conflict, high turnover, and launch delays are threatening one of Amazon’s loftiest projects, which aims to deliver packages using fully electric drones. Here are some of its pain points.

4. Singapore-based Nestron is now shipping its futuristic tiny homes overseas. The company is introducing its artificial intelligence-powered, prefabricated tiny homes – some of which start at $34,000 – to the UK this year. Take a look inside the AI-powered houses.

5. Some of Google’s own employees told Insider the company is too large and complex and needs to be broken up. “Google is all over the place,” one senior employee said of the firm’s sprawling projects. More on their dissatisfaction here.

6. Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos were spotted at the Sun Valley “billionaire summer camp.” This marks Gates’ first appearance at a major event since the announcement of his divorce from Melinda French Gates. More on that here.

7. More than 10 new electric vehicles will go on sale in the US by the end of 2021. From Porsche’s $91,000 station wagon to an electric Hummer “supertruck,” here are nine of the coolest electric vehicles launching this year.

8. WhatsApp is trying to bring Snapchat-style disappearing photos and videos to iPhones. The Facebook-owned app rolled out the feature, called View Once, to iPhone beta testers on Friday. Read up on Facebook’s latest push to mirror Snapchat’s popular features.

9. Salesforce and Amazon are becoming each other’s best allies in the battle against Microsoft. The partnership brings them so many benefits that analysts even suggested an (admittedly unlikely) way they could be even stronger together: Merging the two companies.

10. “Digital nomads” are ruining tropical paradises. Unlike tourists who stay just a few days, nomads – people who’ve willingly moved three times in the last year – create a permanent strain on local infrastructure. Read our exclusive report on the invasion of remote workers.

Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.

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Good morning and welcome to 10 Things in Tech. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

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1. Billionaire Richard Branson is set to beat Jeff Bezos to space on Sunday. Their launches will differ in three big ways, including that Branson will ride a space plane, not a capsule launched by a rocket – and some say he won’t even reach space. Watch the flight live.

2. Instacart poached Fidji Simo from Facebook to be its next CEO. In August, Simo will take over the role from Instacart founder Apoorva Mehta, who is transitioning into the position of executive chairman of the board. More on that here.

3. Square is building a hardware crypto wallet. The payments firm wants to make bitcoin more mainstream. More on the plans.

5. Trump’s presidency drove a wedge between Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. A new book claims the execs often disagreed over how to tackle Trump’s hate speech and misinformation on the platform. Read more from the book.

5. Dodge is making an electric muscle car that will debut in 2024. Future models will be able to hit 62 mph in as little as two seconds – rivalling the Tesla Model S Plaid, currently the world’s quickest production car. Here’s what we know about the car so far.

6. Uber and Lyft could be avoiding $135 million in Canadian taxes every year. By taking advantage of lax financial disclosure requirements and classifying drivers as contractors, the companies could be skirting millions of dollars worth of taxes. Get the full rundown here.

7. Funding into Chinese startups has peaked. New data indicates that China’s share of global venture funding has been waning. Dealroom’s CEO pointed to a drop in mega-rounds, and geopolitical tensions.

8. A senior Google exec will reportedly work remotely after opposing it for staff. Urs Hölzle is moving to New Zealand to work remotely, a decision that sparked outrage as he had opposed remote work for lower-ranking employees. More on Google’s remote-work drama.

9. Amazon is struggling to get Aetna and other health plans to cover its medical-care service. Securing health-insurance coverage would be a crucial milestone as Amazon Care seeks to expand to more people and companies. Here are the roadblocks it’s facing.

10. Our flow chart explains Amazon’s controversial system for fixing or ousting employees. As part of our investigation into the company’s employee review program, we created a chart that takes you through each step in the process. See our exclusive chart here.

Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.

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Good morning and welcome to 10 Things in Tech. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

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1. Employees reveal what it’s really like working at Amazon. We’ve been investigating what the company is like when it comes to hiring, firing, performance reviews, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about working there.

2. SpaceX had to reschedule yesterday’s rocket launch. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the launch was called off because an aircraft entered the so-called “keep out zone.” Here’s what that means – and why Musk isn’t too thrilled about it.

3. Insiders say Bill Gates’ squeaky-clean image was merely good PR. People who worked with Gates told us that he was a hot-tempered office bully who pursued sexual affairs with older women. Here’s what else they said about Gates’ other side.

4. Facebook is worth $1 trillion after a US court’s dismissal of two antitrust lawsuits. The company’s court victory spurred a jump in stock – making it the youngest US company to reach the trillion-dollar milestone. More on that here.

5. Some Amazon warehouse workers in Seattle are struggling to cope with the heatwave. While the company gave iced scarves to workers at some facilities, others said Amazon had been “ill-prepared” for the weather. A look at working conditions amid the record heat.

6. A modified Tesla Model S Plaid sped 3,400 feet up Pikes Peak in less than seven minutes. The drive was part of this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which the modified Tesla won. Watch it rip up Pikes Peak here.

7. Trump reportedly would have joined social-media site Parler – if it banned his critics. According to an excerpt from an upcoming Michael Wolff book, Parler balked at the suggestion, which was made by Trump’s reps. Read more from the excerpt.

8. You can still buy a new Windows 10 laptop – but Windows 11 requires specific hardware. The system requirements for Windows 11 are steeper than 10, but most laptops sold in the past four years will meet them. Here’s what you’ll need to keep in mind.

9. Amazon is building out its influencer program. As part of the e-commerce giant’s push toward working directly with creators, it’s now recruiting YouTube and Instagram stars to join its livestreaming platform and sell products. How the program works.

10. Tech companies are revamping their return-to-office plans. Uber decided to replace its initial plan to send employees back to the office with something a bit more flexible. Plus, a leaked memo shows that Google employees can return to the office in July – and won’t have to wear masks if they’re vaccinated.

Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.

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Good morning and welcome to 10 Things in Tech. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

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1. A judge has dismissed the United States’ antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. The FTC filed a lawsuit against Facebook in December, but a judge determined the FTC failed to show that Facebook had monopoly power in the social media market. Get the full story here.

2. Jeff Bezos is heading to space, but he’s not the only tech mogul obsessed with extreme experiences. A passion for the extreme seems to be common among the world’s billionaires. From racing yachts to meditating for 10 days straight, here are the wild ways tech elites spend their free time.

3. A cofounder war led every employee to quit Instagram’s trendiest cookware company. Great Jones was sent into a tailspin after one founder appeared to push her partner out of the company, causing employees to launch an uprising. More on the mutiny at Great Jones.

4. Tesla will recall about 285,000 cars in China as drivers are accidentally switching on Autopilot. Turning on the assisted driving software while in motion caused some vehicles to quickly speed up or slow down, an issue that Tesla will be fixing remotely. More on that here.

5. Corporations world wide are starting to embrace the four-day workweek. Proponents say a permanent three-day weekend would boost employee happiness and productivity – and these seven companies are giving it a shot.

6. Walter Isaacson is reportedly in early talks to write Elon Musk’s biography. Isaacson wrote the famous biography of Steve Jobs, which sold millions of copies. A look at what we know so far.

7. The Rock and Jeff Bezos are working together on a “big announcement” coming this week. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted a photo on Instagram that teased a partnership between his production company and Amazon Studios. More on their mysterious news.

8. Amazon could debut a Kindle with a folding screen. After a decade on the market, the new Kindle would open and close like a real book. Get the details here.

9. Tech workers are flocking to seven US cities – and not a single one is on the coasts. A new LinkedIn report found that a handful of second-tier cities were luring tech employees away from coastal hubs like New York and San Francisco. See what cities are booming right now.

10. A former McKinsey partner raised $45 million to take on Uber. Will Coleman’s company, Alto, is a premium taxi service that in many ways flies in the face of what Uber and Lyft have built. How it plans to become the Starbucks of the ride-hailing world.

Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.

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Good morning and welcome to 10 Things in Tech. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

Let’s get started.

1. John McAfee has died by apparent suicide in jail while awaiting extradition on tax evasion charges. McAfee, 75, was found dead in a Barcelona jail cell on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Spain’s National Court approved his extradition to face US-based charges. What we know so far.

2. Six Amazon employees reveal what’s driving people to quit. We spoke with half a dozen employees who all cited the same issues: surveillance, the work’s monotonous nature, and burnout. Here’s what else they told us.

3. These 19 companies are the most promising retail startups of 2021. Top VCs named the startups they’re most excited about this year – from Slice, a pizza delivery app, to Tonal, an at-home smart gym system. Check out our list of the ones to keep an eye on.

4. Apple warned that allowing iPhones to use apps from outside its App Store is a security risk. The warning comes as lawmakers seek to force Apple to allow apps from anywhere to be installed on iPhones. Why Apple says “sideloading” apps outside the App Store is dangerous.

5. Microsoft has hit a $2 trillion market valuation for the first time. It’s the second US-listed company – following Apple – to hit the $2 trillion mark. Get the full rundown here.

6. Mark Zuckerberg’s ghostly sunscreen application is back – this time, it’s plastered on his surfboard. It’s an image that haunts us all: Zuck surfing with a thick layer of sunscreen on his face. Now, you can see it immortalized on his surfboard.

7. Tech legend Marc Andreessen says the rise of remote work might be more important than the internet. It’s “a permanent civilizational shift” that has globally expanded the number of good jobs, he recently wrote. Wondering what the future of work should look like for you? Take this quiz to determine if you work best from home, an office or somewhere in between.

8. Apple CEO Tim Cook called Nancy Pelosi to ask her to slow down six tech antitrust bills. The bills – which Cook said would stifle innovation – are aimed at breaking up any market dominance tech giants like Apple, Google, and Facebook hold. More on Cook and Pelosi’s call.

9. Austin lured 67,000 new residents – including numerous tech execs and entrepreneurs – last year. We spoke with recent transplants who told us how no state income tax and a rollicking social scene drew them to the Lone Star State. Take an inside look at life in Texas.

10. Tractable survived near-death, then its founder turned it into a $1 billion unicorn. Just a few years ago, Tractable was hanging on by a thread. This year, the company announced a round of funding that valued it at $1 billion. How CEO Alex Dalyac and his cofounders transformed the startup.

Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.

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