April 21, 2023 Hello, Insiders. Pardon our lateness — we're having some technical issues today.  Shona Ghosh, UK deputy executive editor, here. Tech executives were briefly wild for flying cars, including Larry Page, Google’s billionaire cofounder. Hugh Langley and Rob Price earlier took us inside the spectacular failure of Page’s flying-car company, Kittyhawk. They’ve now got hold of some wild Kittyhawk designs — that’s today’s big story.   Here’s what else we’re covering:   Breaking down the nine US cities with the most billionaires. Elon Musk's prized Starship mega-rocket exploded into a fireball. How TikTok is trying to become the music industry's everything app. — Shona Ghosh If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

THE LATEST BuzzFeed, Twitter, & more BuzzFeed is shutting down its news arm and laying off 15% of staff. Some insiders complained of “brutal mismanagement” at the company. Read more. Twitter users including Bill Gates and Kim Kardashian are seeing their blue checkmarks disappear as Elon Musk charges $8 a month for verified accounts. More here. Vladimir Putin is planning the best way to attack the UK by sending spy ships to map infrastructure on the British coast, a British MP said. Find out more.

THE BIG STORY Flying-car fail Kitty Hawk   Google billionaire Larry Page spent years building his flying-car company,Kittyhawk, before it closed its doors last September. It was a stunning failure. Internally, however, the company had been in trouble for a while, according to former employees who spoke to Insider. Priorities were constantly shifting, long gestating plans were suddenly scrapped, and no one could figure out the company’s direction. Throughout the turmoil, Kittyhawk developed a series of wild ideas for its theoretically revolutionary flying car. Insider was able to get its hands on some of the wildest plans and designs, including a vehicle that a former employee described as a "reverse Boba Fett Slave I ship" — a reference to the legendary Star Wars villain's spacecraft. We’ve compiled these far-out plans to give a peek behind the curtain at one of the most secretive failed startups in Silicon Valley. READ THE FULL STORY HERE

TOP READS Billionaires, TikTok, & more iStock; Robyn Phelps/Insider   TikTok is trying to become the music industry's everything app. The company, which has transformed music discovery, is now pushing into other areas of the music business, including signing artists — even if it risks “pissing off” record labels. More here. About 770 billionaires live in the US — and there are a handful of cities they love to call home, or at least park their private jets when they're in town. Three of the four biggest clusters are classic destinations for the uberwealthy: NYC, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. See the rest. 14 HR leaders who are leading through tumultuous times. Despite the neverending challenges of layoffs and fights over employees' work-from-home desires, these HR pros are focusing on compassion, mental health, and DEI to get their companies through. Read more. “Pity city.” MillerKnoll CEO Andrea Owen went viral after telling workers to stop asking about being motivated without bonuses and "leave pity city." Owen later apologized for her comment in a company-wide email. The full story. The 18 coolest cars at the Shanghai auto show. From self-driving taxis to supercars, the expo is packed full of outlandish concept cars and models you can actually buy. Check them out. A CEO said many of his remote workers didn't open their laptops for a month. Clearlink CEO James Clarke said many remote workers had "quietly quit," Vice reported. He added that “only the rarest of full-time caregivers” can be productive employees. Read more. Disney and DeSantis’ yearlong feud. It began after the company spoke out against a controversial piece of legislation dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Since then, DeSantis has targeted Disney's special self-governing powers in Florida. Here's a timeline of the events.

TAKE A LOOK All 5 Starship explosions Gene Blevins/Reuters; SPadre.com   SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded above Texas on its first attempted orbital launch. But this isn't Starship's first explosion. Four other prototypes have blown up on smaller flights. See all five.

WATCH THIS Loadout A US Air Force A-10 "Warthog" instructor pilot breaks down every item she carries during a mission, including a G suit, helmet, and iPad. Watch now.