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Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has experienced its best quarterly sales growth in over two years and has initiated its first-ever dividend. The strong results are attributed to the company's investments in artificial intelligence, which have made targeted ads more effective. Despite regulatory challenges and concerns about child safety, Meta's revenue increased to $40.11 billion in the last quarter of 2023, representing a 25% growth compared to the previous year. The company's stock price also jumped 17% in premarket trading. Other tech giants, such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, have also reported positive financial results. However, Meta is facing legal battles and regulatory scrutiny, particularly regarding the safety of children on its platform. The company expects its first-quarter revenue for 2024 to be between $34.5 billion and $37 billion. [Extracted from the article]

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, tech CEOs, including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta Platforms, faced criticism from senators who argued that social media platforms should bear more legal liability for harm caused to children online. Senators shared stories of sexual exploitation and suicide linked to social media platforms, with some referencing The Wall Street Journal's reporting on the dangers to children. While lawmakers acknowledged the limitations of their legislative response, they highlighted the wave of lawsuits filed by parents and state attorneys general seeking to hold platforms accountable. The hearing also addressed issues related to data protection and encryption on social media platforms. [Extracted from the article]

Nikki Haley, despite losing in the New Hampshire and Iowa primaries to Donald Trump, is continuing her campaign efforts for the Republican nomination. She plans to focus on South Carolina, her home state, where she currently trails Trump by over 30 points in the polls. Trump and President Biden are already looking ahead to a general election rematch, with Trump declaring himself the leader of the GOP and Biden shuffling staff for a 2024 rematch. Haley's campaign is facing challenges, but she remains determined to stay in the race. [Extracted from the article]

Former Twitter employees have turned relics from the company into home decor after Elon Musk acquired the social media platform. Items from the auction, including a 6-foot-tall hashtag statue and a painting of Barack and Michelle Obama, were purchased by former employees and others. The whereabouts of some items remain unknown, but those who bought them have found creative ways to incorporate them into their homes. The sale of these relics reflects a long history of people coveting items from corporate dramas, such as the Enron scandal. [Extracted from the article]

Preteen girls, or tweens, are increasingly interested in skincare and have developed elaborate routines and preferences for specific products. They are influenced by social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where they learn about and covet products from popular beauty brands. Tweens are knowledgeable about complex ingredients and are asking their parents for skincare products as gifts. While some parents are concerned about the potential harm of certain products, others support their children's interest in skincare and see it as a way to monitor the ingredients. Skincare has become a popular category for tweens, even surpassing makeup in popularity. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the emerging trend of hiring "wedding content creators" or "social media wedding concierges" to curate and capture social media-ready images and videos of weddings. These vendors cater to couples who want to share their wedding moments in real-time on social media platforms. The services provided by these content creators range from edited Instagram Reels or TikToks to raw iPhone photos and videos delivered on the night of the wedding. While some couples find value in these services, there is a debate among traditional wedding photographers and videographers about the potential dilution of their work. The article highlights the perspectives of both sides and emphasizes that these content creators aim to meet the growing demand for immediate social media sharing rather than replace traditional vendors. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses a new trend in the dollhouse hobby, where enthusiasts are creating modern and contemporary miniature homes instead of traditional ones. These dollhouse devotees, who are often younger than the previous generation of hobbyists, are using social media and reality shows as inspiration. The hobby serves as a creative outlet and a way to relax for many individuals, allowing them to express their personal style and preferences. Some artisans are embracing technology like 3-D printers, while others prefer to stick with traditional tools. The article highlights the diverse perspectives and motivations of dollhouse enthusiasts, showcasing their passion for the hobby. [Extracted from the article]

Oreo fans have expressed concern over the amount of creme filling in the cookies, with some claiming that there has been a decrease in the filling's quantity. Mondelez, the snack maker that produces Oreos, denies making any changes to the cookie-to-creme ratio and attributes any perceived differences to manufacturing variations. Some consumers have turned to social media to voice their complaints and have even started testing other brands. Mondelez maintains that it is committed to improving its products and welcomes feedback from fans. [Extracted from the article]

As for his message to Israel, Biden said in a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday that "it would be a mistake" for Israel to occupy Gaza. Keywords: israel; gfx-contrib; Africa; Asia; Emerging Market Countries; Developing Economies; Egypt; Gaza Strip; Middle East; Mediterranean Countries EN israel gfx-contrib Africa Asia Emerging Market Countries Developing Economies Egypt Gaza Strip Middle East Mediterranean Countries N.PAG N.PAG 1 10/18/23 20231017 NES 231017 U.S. has been trying to get Americans out of Gaza, aid into Palestinian enclave by negotiating opening a border crossing with Egypt President Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday to reinforce his support for America's closest ally in the Middle East, as Israel's leadership gears up for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that has raised the risks of a regional war against Iran-backed militant groups. As the Gaza-Egypt border talks unfold, the U.S. military has selected roughly 2,000 troops to prepare for a potential deployment to support Israel, U.S. defense officials said Monday. [Extracted from the article]

The TikTok employees say they are worried that the appointments show ByteDance plays a greater role in TikTok's operations than TikTok has disclosed publicly. Qing Lan, an executive who worked on the Chinese version of TikTok, called Douyin, for nearly five years, in May took over the TikTok division that caters to small and medium-size companies that advertise with TikTok. [Extracted from the article]

When Musk's friend, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, complained that Twitter was showing him too many posts that didn't interest him, Musk told engineers to fix the problem, according to people familiar with the incident. Keywords: gfx-contrib; photo-commission; wsjcorp; leder; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; North America; United States EN gfx-contrib photo-commission wsjcorp leder Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology North America United States N.PAG N.PAG 1 09/11/23 20230908 NES 230908 Kanye West and Marc Andreessen got owner's attention after his takeover of the platform now called X Kanye West reached out to his friend Elon Musk early this year for a favor: Let me back on Twitter. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen complained that Twitter was showing him too many posts that didn't interest him.MARK J. REBILAS/USA TODAY SPORTS, David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News At times, the company's policies prevailed over Musk's initial inclinations. "Old Twitter would measure twice, cut once...more than they had to", said Erik Berlin, a Twitter engineering manager who was laid off along with thousands of others a week after Musk took over. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: wsjcorp; kwexclusive; Computer Services; Cloud Computing; Business/Consumer Services; Data Services; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology EN wsjcorp kwexclusive Computer Services Cloud Computing Business/Consumer Services Data Services Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology N.PAG N.PAG 1 05/09/23 20230506 NES 230506 Company logged categories of content and users on app in effort to boost engagement; spokeswoman says TikTok has restricted access to that data For at least a year, some employees at TikTok were able to find what they described internally as a list of users who watch gay content on the popular app, a collection of information that sparked worker complaints, according to former TikTok employees. Internally, some employees had argued that the data was safe to collect, because it didn't indicate whether users really were members of a particular group, some of the former employees of TikTok said. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: a-hed; wsjcorp; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Corporate/Industrial News; Government Finance; Government Budget/Taxation; Economic News EN a-hed wsjcorp Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Corporate/Industrial News Government Finance Government Budget/Taxation Economic News N.PAG N.PAG 1 04/14/23 20230413 NES 230413 People who earn income off social-media posts test the limits of the IRS; "I need an accountant that understands outrageous". A-hed, wsjcorp, Online Service Providers, Media/Entertainment, Social Media Platforms/Tools, Technology, Corporate/Industrial News, Government Budget/Taxation, Economic News, Government Finance. [Extracted from the article]

Laid-off tech workers are finding jobs with smaller and midsize firms, landing tech roles at nontech companies and becoming freelance consultants. Keywords: wsjcorp; gfx-contrib; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Labor/Personnel; Corporate/Industrial News; Small/Medium Businesses; Content Types EN wsjcorp gfx-contrib Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Labor/Personnel Corporate/Industrial News Small/Medium Businesses Content Types N.PAG N.PAG 1 04/11/23 20230410 NES 230410 Laid-off workers from companies such as Meta and Amazon choose stability over status For engineers and other tech workers, landing a job with one of the industry's best-known companies was long the ultimate professional achievement. For years, there was fierce competition for tech talent, with companies wooing workers with generous compensation packages, in-office perks and a suite of benefits, not to mention job stability. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: ukraine; wsjworld; kwexclusive; Political/General News; National/Public Security; International Relations; Politics/International Relations; Risk News; Military Action; SYND EN ukraine wsjworld kwexclusive Political/General News National/Public Security International Relations Politics/International Relations Risk News Military Action SYND N.PAG N.PAG 1 04/11/23 20230408 NES 230408 Documents include details on Ukrainian forces, U.S. arms provided to Ukraine The Pentagon is investigating social-media posts that purport to reveal highly classified U.S. government documents on the war in Ukraine and other key international topics, in what could be one of the most dangerous intelligence breaches in decades. Ukraine, kwexclusive, Political/General News, National/Public Security, wsjworld, International Relations, Politics/International Relations, Risk News, Military Action, SYND. [Extracted from the article]

Loading tweet... The "Seinfeld" actor Jason Alexander, who has roughly 732,000 followers on Twitter, said in a recent tweet that he will leave Twitter if he loses his check mark. Keywords: wsjcorp; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Marketing; Pricing/Prices; Corporate/Industrial News; Markets/Marketing; Political/General News EN wsjcorp Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Marketing Pricing/Prices Corporate/Industrial News Markets/Marketing Political/General News N.PAG N.PAG 1 04/03/23 20230331 NES 230331 William Shatner and Jason Alexander criticize plans for social-media platform Twitter Inc.'s plan to remove legacy blue check marks for verified accounts heralds an end to a longtime social-media status symbol and is prompting complaints from some of the platform's celebrity contributors concerned about potential impersonation. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: wsjcorp; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Corporate Strategy/Planning; Management; Labor/Personnel; Corporate/Industrial News; Corporate Organizational Restructuring EN wsjcorp Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Corporate Strategy/Planning Management Labor/Personnel Corporate/Industrial News Corporate Organizational Restructuring N.PAG N.PAG 1 03/16/23 20230315 NES 230315 CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in email to employees, talks about the advantages of a leaner organization Graph: Meta says the layoffs are aimed at making Facebook more efficient. Meta reported a head count of 86,482 employees at the end of December, up 20% from a year earlier, but said that figure still included most of the 11,000 employees affected by the November layoffs. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: wsjlifework; Computers/Consumer Electronics; Software; Applications Software; Computing; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Labor/Personnel EN wsjlifework Computers/Consumer Electronics Software Applications Software Computing Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Labor/Personnel N.PAG N.PAG 1 03/13/23 20230309 NES 230309 Big companies from Silicon Valley to Wall Street are scaling back the office extras many employees have come to expect The ping-pong tables have turned. A 2022 survey of more than 2,000 employees by MetLife Inc. shows how tech workers' expectations about benefits of all types are much higher than the average employee's. [Extracted from the article]

The FTC also asked for all internal Twitter communications "related to Elon Musk", or sent "at the direction of, or received by" Mr. Musk. Keywords: kwexclusive; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Regulation/Government Policy; Ownership Changes; Anti-Competition Issues; Labor/Personnel; Corporate Actions EN kwexclusive Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Regulation/Government Policy Ownership Changes Anti-Competition Issues Labor/Personnel Corporate Actions N.PAG N.PAG 1 03/09/23 20230308 NES 230308 Documents obtained by a House panel shed light on the probe into Twitter's compliance with settlement Graph: The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to depose Elon Musk in connection with its probe into Twitter. [Extracted from the article]

"Every Parent's Nightmare": TikTok Is a Venue for Child Sexual Exploitation Like many teens, she also had accounts on other social-media sites, but TikTok is where she openly conversed romantically with Mr. Moffett. TikTok, which features short videos, has been a magnet for children and teens, who spend more time there each day than on any other social-media platform. Keywords: leder; wsjinvestigations; Computer Services; Cloud Computing; Business/Consumer Services; Data Services; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology EN leder wsjinvestigations Computer Services Cloud Computing Business/Consumer Services Data Services Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology N.PAG N.PAG 1 02/20/23 20230216 NES 230216 Law-enforcement officials say platform has emerged as biggest danger zone; adults who watch videos of young people are served up more of them FORT WORTH, Texas - A 42-year-old Alabama man uploaded to TikTok videos of himself lip-syncing to music and sharing depressive thoughts. [Extracted from the article]

Wsjcorp, corpearnings, Online Service Providers, Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Media/Entertainment, Social Media Platforms/Tools, Technology, Corporate Strategy/Planning, Earnings, Financial Performance Keywords: wsjcorp; corpearnings; Artificial Intelligence Technologies; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Corporate Strategy/Planning; Financial Performance; Earnings EN wsjcorp corpearnings Artificial Intelligence Technologies Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Corporate Strategy/Planning Financial Performance Earnings N.PAG N.PAG 1 02/06/23 20230202 NES 230202 Social-media giant plans to buy back additional $40 billion in shares, says its costs are set to decline and its global users increased Graph: Meta has faced growing competition from TikTok, a tough economic climate and fallout from Apple's ad-tracking changes. [Extracted from the article]

Twitter's unsecured bridge loans, which total $3 billion, are the most expensive portion of the $13 billion debt package Mr. Musk incurred as part of his $44 billion acquisition of the social-media company. Keywords: wsjcorp; kwexclusive; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Ownership Changes; Acquisitions/Mergers/Shareholdings; Corporate Actions; Corporate/Industrial News EN wsjcorp kwexclusive Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Ownership Changes Acquisitions/Mergers/Shareholdings Corporate Actions Corporate/Industrial News N.PAG N.PAG 1 01/30/23 20230126 NES 230126 Billionaire has held talks with investors about selling new Twitter shares Graph: Twitter's unsecured bridge loans, which total $3 billion, are the most expensive portion of the $13 billion debt package. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: wsjcorp; Computer Services; Cloud Computing; Business/Consumer Services; Data Services; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Corporate Strategy/Planning EN wsjcorp Computer Services Cloud Computing Business/Consumer Services Data Services Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Corporate Strategy/Planning N.PAG N.PAG 1 01/19/23 20230117 NES 230117 Chinese-owned app proposes giving U.S. officials oversight of its algorithms Graph: TikTok, the video-sharing app, has revealed details of a $1.5 billion plan to reorganize the company's U.S. operations. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images Two years into negotiations with U.S. regulators about whether TikTok will be able to remain in the country, the popular video-sharing app is trying a new tack: increased transparency. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: leder; electric vehicles; evs; wsjcorp; Motor Vehicles; Alternative Fuel Vehicles; Automotive; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools EN leder electric vehicles evs wsjcorp Motor Vehicles Alternative Fuel Vehicles Automotive Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools N.PAG N.PAG 1 01/17/23 20230114 NES 230114 Tesla's aura as an elite tech disrupter dims as EV competitors multiply and improve their offerings A year ago, Elon Musk's Tesla Inc. TSLA -0.94% decrease; red down pointing triangle was thriving, the unrivaled leader in electric cars with a valuation that had peaked above $1.2 trillion. Photo: -/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images As the auto industry began chasing Tesla, planning a barrage of new models, Mr. Musk's focus at times seemed directed elsewhere. Tesla's stumble buys time for its emerging EV rivals, said Marc Winterhoff, a partner at consulting firm Roland Berger who has advised several of Tesla's U.S. competitors. Tesla's U.S. rivals are borrowing heavily from Tesla's playbook as they ramp up EV production - capturing buyers' attention with new models, seizing greater control of their supply chains and investing heavily in digital services. [Extracted from the article]

Historically, Mr. Musk has been a cash-poor billionaire, depending upon so-called margin loans - borrowing backed up by his shares - for his personal expenses and business investments B b while holding on to his Tesla shares and benefiting from their rising value. Keywords: wsjcorp; Motor Vehicles; Alternative Fuel Vehicles; Automotive; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment; Social Media Platforms/Tools; Technology; Financial Performance; Share Price Movement/Disruptions EN wsjcorp Motor Vehicles Alternative Fuel Vehicles Automotive Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment Social Media Platforms/Tools Technology Financial Performance Share Price Movement/Disruptions N.PAG N.PAG 1 12/27/22 20221224 NES 221224 Billionaire's borrowing power has shrunk with Tesla share decline Graph: The decline in Tesla's valuation comes after years of growth that has allowed Elon Musk to easily borrow money without having to cash out his shares. [Extracted from the article]