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How business and tech leaders are reacting to the latest fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

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Tear gas fills the air in Minneapolis after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti on Saturday morning. Star Tribune via Getty Images/Star Tribune via Getty Images Federal immigration officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis on Saturday. It was the second fatal shooting of a US citizen by ICE in Minneapolis this month. The killing elicited sharp reactions from Americans, including business and tech leaders. Federal immigration agents on Saturday shot and killed a US citizen in Minneapolis — the second fatal shooting involving ICE officers this month — adding more fuel to an already explosive national debate over immigration enforcement. The killing sparked an outcry on Minneapolis streets , as well as online, eliciting sharp responses from all sides, including leaders in the business and tech communities. The billionaire CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, Bill Ackman , for instance, wrote in a post on X that it was "time to take the temperat...

Meta's decision to deprioritize VR in favor of AI and internet-connected glasses has chilled the VR industry, leading to concerns about its future (Jonathan Vanian/CNBC)

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Jonathan Vanian / CNBC : Meta's decision to deprioritize VR in favor of AI and internet-connected glasses has chilled the VR industry, leading to concerns about its future   —  Meta's deprioritizing virtual reality in favor of artificial intelligence and Internet-connected smart glasses has chilled the industry, leading to concerns about its future. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/zCaEHGT

SanDisk's stock has surged ~1,000% in the past five months, driven by AI demand for its chips, which have a cost advantage thanks to its 20-year JV with Kioxia (Matt Phillips/Sherwood News)

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Matt Phillips / Sherwood News : SanDisk's stock has surged ~1,000% in the past five months, driven by AI demand for its chips, which have a cost advantage thanks to its 20-year JV with Kioxia   —  Soaring chip prices have fueled a nearly 1,000% run for Sandisk in a matter of months.  Industry insiders, prolific hedge fund managers … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/amGOLs4

How ICE chaos and a boycott plan are turning Minnesota retailers into community spaces

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Community donations at Smitten Kitten (left and right), and BabyBel Mozzarella the cat (middle), are supporting Minnesotans. Mikayla Stanek (Smitten Kitten); Vanessa Beardsley (Catzen) January is typically a slow month for retailers — a time for restocking, chores, and tax prep. This year, small businesses in the Minneapolis area have thrown that out the window. They're offering aid during heightened ICE activity. A second fatal shooting by federal officers in Minneapolis on Saturday has further inflamed tensions in the city. Immigration agents, in full view of filming protesters, tackled a 37-year-old man to the ground before one shot him multiple times. City officials said in a press conference on Saturday that the man, who they believed to be a US citizen, had died at the scene. The shooting occurred as thousands of protesters converged in downtown Minneapolis to rally against the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Metro Surge, which has flooded Minnesot...

Nifty Gateway, the NFT trading platform which had facilitated $300M in sales by mid-2021, enters withdrawal-only mode and plans to shut down on Feb. 23, 2026 (CoinDesk)

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CoinDesk : Nifty Gateway, the NFT trading platform which had facilitated $300M in sales by mid-2021, enters withdrawal-only mode and plans to shut down on Feb. 23, 2026   —  What to know: … Nifty Gateway, the non-fungible token (NFT) trading platform that was once central to the 2021 digital art boom, will shut down on Feb. 23, 2026. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2jcD0tR

I moved away from my family in my 30s. When I called crying, my dad dropped everything and came to see me.

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Ruth Davis's dad dropped everything and went to visit her when she needed him. Courtesy of Ruth Davis Ruth Davis is a 39-year-old mom who moved two hours away from her family in 2019 for work. Leaving her dad was harder than she expected. Although Ruth doesn't regret her move, she wouldn't advise her daughter to make the same one. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ruth Davis, a Creative Director in LA. It has been edited for length and clarity. In 2019, I relocated with my 12-year-old daughter and fiancé to Los Angeles, which is two hours away from the "family village" where I had grown up. All my family — siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents — all lived within 15 minutes of each other. I knew it was going to be a hard move for our nuclear family unit, but I was convinced LA was the right place for us to be. I didn't fully understand the impact it would have on me. My dad is my everything It was my dad whom I i...

'High School Musical' at 20: How Kenny Ortega made a musical on a shoestring budget — and turned it into a multibillion-dollar franchise

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Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens as Troy and Gabriella in "High School Musical." Disney For the 20th anniversary of "High School Musical," Business Insider spoke to director Kenny Ortega. Ortega revealed how the cast's tight-knit relationships behind the scenes helped shape the movie. Though he's not attached to a fourth movie, Ortega said he'd be open to getting the cast and crew back together. Do you remember what you were doing on this day 20 years ago? If you were an avid Disney Channel viewer, chances are, the answer is living and breathing " High School Musical ." In January 2006, a direct-to-TV movie musical starring a cast of largely unknown teenagers set a single-night audience record on the Disney Channel. It was such a hit that the house of mouse promptly doubled down with repeat screenings, sing-along versions, piles of merchandise, and a live concert tour that packed arenas across the country. By the time the year was out, ...