For most of the day Monday, connectivity issues with Amazon Web Services (AWS) impacted the apps and websites of more than 2,500 individual companies, slowing if not halting work. Over 11.3 million users reported issues through website tracker Downdetector. 

And it’s not necessarily over yet. As of 8:50 a.m. EDT. Tuesday morning, there were over 1,200 reports of AWS-related outages, though reports have since come down.

Amazon is one of the world’s largest cloud service providers, powering the operations of thousands of companies around the world. But this week’s outage—which could have caused hundreds of billions of dollars in financial damages, one expert told CNN—showed just how many companies and employees rely on a singular online platform to work each day.  

Happy reading and hope you have a lovely week!

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Holiday hiring could fall to record lows this year amid inflation and tariff fears, reports Mary Whitfill Roeloffs. While searches for seasonal openings are at a five-year high, there’s only been a 2.7% increase in job postings as of the end of September, as employers increasingly rely on regular, full-time workers for the holiday season. 

At least five young Republicans are out of jobs after Politico published a series of racist text messages from a Young Republicans group chat. In it, members fantasized about violence against their enemies, celebrated Hitlers and repeatedly used racial slurs.  

The State Department has revoked the U.S. visas of at least six foreign nationals over comments made over Charlie Kirk’s assasination, Siladitya Ray reports. The department continues the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown on social media and public posts it has deemed inflammatory. 

The founders behind HR software startup Deel are $500 million richer thanks to a $300 million raise last week, Matt Durot and Phoebe Liu report. But they are still not as rich as Parker Conrad, founder of fierce rival Rippling, whose fortune is still larger by more than $1 billion, Forbes estimates. The two software companies accused each other of corporate espionage in lawsuits earlier in the year. 

OpenAI is hiring former investment bankers to train its AI model on how to build financial models, work typically done by junior bankers in the industry, Bloomberg reports. For $150 an hour, bankers write prompts and build financial models, using industry standards, to train the assistant. 

Amid economic uncertainty, U.S. workers are looking for a different kind of benefit from their employers: financial guidance. From help with emergency funds, paying down debt and overall financial wellness, more employees want perks beyond healthcare coverage and retirement plans.