According to a report from The Washington Post, Musk has told prospective investors he plans to axe 75 percent of Twitter’s 7,500-member staff upon completion of the deal, a move that would likely kneecap its ability to moderate content and ensure users’ security. Internal documents obtained by The Post reveal that, prior to the Musk deal, current company leadership planned to “pare the company’s payroll” by around $ 800 million, a relatively modest 25 percent reduction. The company’s General Counsel Sean Edgett told staff that discussions about cost savings happened earlier this year, and they stopped “once the merger agreement was signed.” Edgett added there have been no plans for company-wide layoffs since then.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Google Messages updates bring iOS reactions and YouTube embeds

• GM officially reveals its $ 107,000 electrified 2024 GMC Sierra Denali

• Google fined $ 161.9 million in India over ‘anti-competitive’ Android policies

• The best streaming devices you can buy in 2022

• Blackmagic’s powerful DaVinci Resolve video editor is coming to iPad

VanMoof’s new A5 and S5 e-bikes are harder to steal and smoother to ride

You might barely feel the upgraded gear-shifting technology.

Engadget

VanMoof’s latest generation of premium e-bikes ushers in changes across the board. The company has tried to make most of the parts on its newest e-bikes. The most significant change might be the removal of the tube-based display of the company’s older bikes, swapping it for a duo of Halo Rings near the buttons on each side. The anti-theft technology in the S5 and A5 (both $ 3,498) includes an improved kick lock on the rear wheel. In addition, the bikes will automatically unlock if they detect the user’s phone nearby. And if you’re willing to pay an extra $ 398 for three years of coverage, your VanMoof ride will have support from a retinue of bike hunters – which still sounds cool.

Continue reading.

Amazon faces $ 1 billion lawsuit over claims it ‘tricks’ UK customers into paying more

The company is accused of using the Buy Box to favor its own logistics network.

The Guardian reports lawyers are filing a class action lawsuit with the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal over claims Amazon’s Buy Box “tricks” shoppers into paying more than they should. Consumer advocate Julie Hunter says the section favors either Amazon’s own products or sellers who use the company’s logistics, not the best price or quality of service.

Continue reading.

James Webb telescope captures ‘knot’ of galaxies in the early universe

The cluster could help scientists understand cosmic expansion.

NASA

Scientists have discovered a tightly packed “knot” of at least three galaxies forming around a quasar 11.5 billion years ago, just over two billion years after the Big Bang. The telescope’s near-infrared spectrograph shows this is one of the densest known areas of early galaxy formation. The density is unusually high enough that lead researcher Dominika Wylezalek suggested there may even be two “halos” of dark matter merging.

Continue reading.

Apple Fitness+ comes to iPhone on October 24th

You won’t need an Apple Watch to use the service.

Apple’s Fitness+ will come to the iPhone, without the need for the company’s wearable, on October 24th. It’ll arrive alongside the iOS 16.1 update. You’ll need the handset to sign up, but it will also be accessible through the iPad and Apple TV. You’ll have access to the full range of workouts and meditations through the Fitness app. The main limitation is accuracy. Where Apple Watch owners can rely on constant heart rate monitoring to determine their calorie burn, iPhone users have to trust estimates.

Continue reading.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics