Block – the parent company of Square, Cash App and Tidal – announced on Thursday that it is cutting more than 4,000 jobs.
The reduction, which represents nearly half of the firm’s total workforce, is part of a radical structural overhaul aimed at embedding artificial intelligence across every facet of its operations.
Following the announcement, Block’s shares surged by as much as 25% in after-hours trading. Investors appeared to shrug off the $500 million in expected restructuring charges, instead rewarding CEO Jack Dorsey’s vision of a leaner, high-margin future.
The layoffs bring the company’s headcount down from roughly 10,000 to fewer than 6,000 employees.
In a candid letter to shareholders, Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, framed the decision as an inevitable evolution of the modern corporation. “Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company,” Dorsey stated.
“A significantly smaller team using the tools can do more and do it better.” He further suggested that Block is simply an early adopter of a trend that will soon become universal, adding: “I don’t think we’re early to this realization. I think most companies are late.”
The layoffs at Block represent a pivotal moment in the AI boom, signalling a shift from experimental “hype” to profound changes in the global labour market. While tech giants including Amazon, Google and Meta have also cut thousands of roles recently to pivot toward AI investment, Block is among the first major players to explicitly credit AI automation for such a massive reduction in the workforce.
Analysts at Evercore ISI described the announcement as a “seminal moment,” noting that tools such as OpenAI’s Codex and Anthropic’s Claude Code are now capable of automating complex software engineering tasks that previously required large teams.
This shift was echoed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who recently noted that projects once requiring entire departments are now being finished by a single talented person equipped with the right tools.
Despite the workforce reduction, Block’s underlying business remains resilient. The company posted a strong holiday quarter, driven by a 33% surge in Cash App’s gross profit. By cutting costs now, Dorsey argues that Block is securing its future on its “own terms”, rather than being forced into a reactive crisis later.
FREE KCRA 3 APP. ALL RIGHT. WE’RE ALSO ON SOME BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW. SACRAMENTO POLICE ARE ON THE SCENE OF A SHOOTING IN SOUTH NATOMAS. A MAN WAS SHOT JUST BEFORE NINE TONIGHT NEAR WEST EL CAMINO AND TRUXEL ROAD. THE VICTIM WAS TAKEN TO THE
1 taken to hospital after shooting in Natomas; police investigate
A person was shot in Natomas on Friday night, according to the Sacramento Police Department.Police said officers responded to the 1500 block of West El Camino Avenue just before 9 p.m. The victim was found at the scene with a gunshot wound and taken to a hospital. The shooting is under investigation and there is still a police presence at the scene. Police have not yet provided suspect information. This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
A person was shot in Natomas on Friday night, according to the Sacramento Police Department.
Police said officers responded to the 1500 block of West El Camino Avenue just before 9 p.m. The victim was found at the scene with a gunshot wound and taken to a hospital.
The shooting is under investigation and there is still a police presence at the scene.
Police have not yet provided suspect information.
This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.
A suspect fleeing a homicide scene in Camarillo led authorities on a high-speed chase Saturday night before dying by suicide near Los Angeles International Airport.
The suspect, whose identity had not been released Sunday morning, reached speeds exceeding 100 mph, pulled off the 405 Freeway near Imperial Highway, then stopped and sometime later took his own life, Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Zapata said.
The incident began shortly before noon Saturday when deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 400 block of Walker Avenue.
Deputies attempted life-saving measures on a man with gunshot wounds, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Zapata said.
The suspect was located in his vehicle and took flight, heading south on the 101 Freeway. The California Highway Patrol was preparing to take over the pursuit but lost visual contact with the fleeing vehicle, Zapata said.
The suspect was then sighted on the southbound 405 before pulling off and coming to a stop.
A spokesperson for the LAPD said the investigation was being handled by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Zapata said Sunday morning that no further information on the suspect or victim was available.
17-year-old shot, killed in Orange County, deputies say
WESH TWO NEWS STARTS NOW WITH BREAKING NEWS. WE WANT TO GET TO THAT BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT. A 17 YEAR OLD HAS DIED AFTER A SHOOTING IN ORANGE COUNTY. ORANGE COUNTY DEPUTIES SAY THEY WERE CALLED TO THE AREA OF 26TH STREET NEAR ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL AT AROUND 9:00 THIS EVENING. THAT’S WHERE WE FIND WESH TWO. DAVID JONES, HE IS LIVE THERE RIGHT NOW. AND DAVID, IT IS STILL A VERY ACTIVE SCENE. THERE. LUANA IT IS JUST AWFUL NEWS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, AS THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS, ANOTHER TEENAGER HAS BEEN SHOT AND KILLED. OCSO HAS BEEN OUT HERE SINCE ABOUT 9:00 THIS EVENING. YOU CAN SEE A LARGE CONTINGENT OF DEPUTIES AND DETECTIVES. ALL OF RIO GRANDE HAS BEEN BLOCKED OFF HERE AT 26TH STREET, WHERE JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM I-4 AND OBT, THEY ORIGINALLY RESPONDED OUT HERE ABOUT A SHOOTING. AND WHEN THEY GOT ON SCENE, THEY FOUND A 17 YEAR OLD BOY HAD BEEN SHOT. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE HE DIED. THE SHOOTING FOLLOWS A SEPARATE SHOOTING ON CHRISTMAS EVE THAT ALSO TOOK THE LIFE OF ANOTHER 17 YEAR OLD BOY, AND A SHOOTING ON CHRISTMAS DAY, WHERE A 15 YEAR OLD BOY SHOT AND KILLED A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL AND TOLD DEPUTIES IT WAS ACCIDENTAL. OF COURSE, IT’S TOO FAR, TOO EARLY FOR OCSO TO RELEASE AN IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM IN THIS SHOOTING. BUT WE WILL, OF COURSE, BE FOLLOWING THIS AND BRING YOU UPDATES AS WE RECEIVE THEM. FOR NOW, C
A 17-year-old is dead after being shot Sunday evening, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to a shooting call in the 1500 block of 26th Street at approximately 9 p.m.Once on the scene, deputies found the teenager with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital where he later died, according to the report. The investigation is in its early stages, and authorities have not released any further information.>> This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is released.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
A 17-year-old is dead after being shot Sunday evening, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a shooting call in the 1500 block of 26th Street at approximately 9 p.m.
Once on the scene, deputies found the teenager with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital where he later died, according to the report.
The investigation is in its early stages, and authorities have not released any further information.
>> This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is released.
A Florida woman was arrested and charged with murder for killing two of her ex-husbands on the same day. One shooting happened shortly before 3 p.m. Dec. 17, in the 7000 block of Chatum Light Run. Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrived to find the 54-year-old victim with two gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died about five hours later. Before his death, he told deputies that an individual, possibly his ex-wife, came to his door and shot him after he answered. Their 15-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting. According to authorities, Susan Erica Avalon, 51, of Citrus County, was later identified as a person of interest. Authorities arrived at her home on Dec. 18 to find her wiping her vehicle with cleaning rags and bleach. After letting Avalon know they were there to speak about her ex-husband, she asked, “Which one?” At that point, they began looking into the welfare of her second ex-husband, who lived in Tampa. The MCSO’s Homicide Investigative Unit requested help from the Tampa Police Department, and he was found dead inside his home in the 1200 block of East Frierson Avenue. He had multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities believe Avalon went to Tampa first to kill her second ex-husband, then traveled to Manatee County to shoot her first ex-husband. The 54-year-old’s name is being withheld due to Marcy’s Law. The Tampa victim’s name has not been released. Detectives have not disclosed a motive at this time.
A Florida woman was arrested and charged with murder for killing two of her ex-husbands on the same day.
One shooting happened shortly before 3 p.m. Dec. 17, in the 7000 block of Chatum Light Run.
Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrived to find the 54-year-old victim with two gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died about five hours later.
According to authorities, Susan Erica Avalon, 51, of Citrus County, was later identified as a person of interest.
Authorities arrived at her home on Dec. 18 to find her wiping her vehicle with cleaning rags and bleach.
After letting Avalon know they were there to speak about her ex-husband, she asked, “Which one?”
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office
At that point, they began looking into the welfare of her second ex-husband, who lived in Tampa.
The MCSO’s Homicide Investigative Unit requested help from the Tampa Police Department, and he was found dead inside his home in the 1200 block of East Frierson Avenue. He had multiple gunshot wounds.
Authorities believe Avalon went to Tampa first to kill her second ex-husband, then traveled to Manatee County to shoot her first ex-husband.
The 54-year-old’s name is being withheld due to Marcy’s Law. The Tampa victim’s name has not been released.
Detectives have not disclosed a motive at this time.
A Southern California driver made a startling discovery Sunday morning when they found a live bird of prey stuck in the grille of their car.
The bird, whose head was peeping out, was a great horned owl, authorities said. An officer with Santa Barbara County Animal Services was called to a residence in the 1000 block of Amethyst Drive in the town of Orcutt around 9:30 a.m. Sunday. At least four firefighters from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department helped with the bird’s rescue, the department told The Times.
“This is the first time we had an owl, that I’m aware of, entangled in a vehicle,” said Scott Safechuck, a public information officer for the county Fire Department. “Usually it’s a cat, or sometimes we have cattle that get onto the highway.”
Firefighters carefully cut away portions of the grille as they tried to extract the owl on Sunday.
(Santa Barbara County Fire Department )
Authorities do not know how long the owl was stuck but say it may have happened Saturday. The removal operation took about 30 minutes, after which the owl, which had sustained injuries, was taken to the Wildlife Care Network, a wildlife rescue center in Goleta.
An employee at the wildlife network said that each animal the center helps receives a series of tests, such as CT scans and X-rays, upon arrival. The organization did not immediately provide an update on the owl’s status.
“It’s infrequent that things like this happen,” Safechuck said. “It’s remarkable the owl was still alive.”
Block Inc. expects profit growth to accelerate over the next three years as Jack Dorsey’s payments firm anticipates launching products at a faster clip while doubling down on efforts to integrate its consumer-focused Cash App and merchant payment service Square. In 2026, Block forecasts 17% gross profit growth year-over-year to $11.98 billion. The outlook marks […]
Sacramento County deputies located an at-risk 11-year-old boy with autism hours after he was reported missing on Monday.The sheriff’s office said the boy was last seen between 4:30 and 5 p.m. in a south Sacramento neighborhood. Officials for the sheriff’s office said he was located safe just before 7:30 p.m. Officials said search and rescue crews had responded to help with the search. Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to remove identifying details of the child now that he has been found. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Sacramento County deputies located an at-risk 11-year-old boy with autism hours after he was reported missing on Monday.
The sheriff’s office said the boy was last seen between 4:30 and 5 p.m. in a south Sacramento neighborhood.
Officials for the sheriff’s office said he was located safe just before 7:30 p.m.
Officials said search and rescue crews had responded to help with the search.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to remove identifying details of the child now that he has been found.
Two women are dead and a third woman wounded in South Gate after being shot by a male relative who then killed himself, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The shooting appears to be a case of domestic violence, officials said.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, South Gate Police Department officers pulled up to the 8400 block of San Luis Avenue early Saturday after a 911 caller said a man was shooting a firearm in her residence.
The suspect was leaving the residence when he fired at police, who returned fire, striking the man, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The man went back inside and the officers heard more gunshots.
Once inside, the officers found a woman in her 70s with gunshot wounds. The woman was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, according to police.
The two women who were killed, a 25-year-old and a woman in her early 50s, had also been shot. The man was found dead after with the Sheriff’s Department described as a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
The weapon the man used to shoot at the South Gate officers was found at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The Sheriff’s Department said it is investigating the incident, including the officer-involved shooting.
Those with information are encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
Cash App released a slate of new features as part of its fall update, including an AI chatbot that can answer questions about users’ finances, a new benefits program, and the ability to discover places that accept Bitcoin payments and make Bitcoin payments using USD.
The company is launching an assistant called Moneybot that can answer questions about spending patterns and income, and provide insights for maintaining savings and setting aside money for investments.
The chatbot will be available to select users at launch, with broader availability planned for the coming months. Users can ask questions like “Can you show me my monthly income, expenses, and spending patterns?” to get reports about their accounts. The bot also surfaces suggestions for actions like splitting a bill, checking a bitcoin balance, or requesting money from someone.
Image Credits: Cash App
“Consumers today are given a host of data around their financial transactions and account balances, but Moneybot takes it a step further by helping to turn those insights into action. No two financial journeys are the same, so we’ve built Moneybot to learn each customer’s habits and tailor its suggestions in real-time,” Cameron Worboys, head of product design at Cash App, said in a statement.
Jack Dorsey-led Block, which owns Cash App and Square, has been creating new ways to promote Bitcoin payments. Last month, it released an integrated Bitcoin solution for merchants to easily receive the cryptocurrency into a wallet. Customers can now discover places that accept Bitcoin through a new map and use USD to pay in cryptocurrency without holding it. The company said it uses the Lightning Network, a layer-2 payment network built on top of Bitcoin, to facilitate transactions via QR codes.
Image Credits: Cash App
The company said that soon it will also allow some customers to send and receive stablecoins through the app.
Block is also changing the benefits structure for Cash App customers. Previously, customers who had direct deposits of at least $300 per month qualified for benefits like a 3.5% yield. Now, the company is starting a new program called Cash App Green, where users who either spend $500 or more per month through the Cash App Card or Cash App Pay, or receive deposits or at least $300, qualify for benefits.
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Image Credits: Cash App
These benefits will include a higher borrowing limit — up to $400 for first-time borrowers and a limit increase of up to $300 for others; free overdraft coverage of up to $200 for Cash App Card transactions; free in-network ATM withdrawals; up to 3.5% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances; and five customized weekly offers at different stores.
Block said that this new program will make up to 8 million accounts eligible for benefits under the Cash App Green program.
The company is also offering a 3.5% APY for teen accounts without any balance limits. Other features in this release include expansion of the Cash App Borrow product to 48 states, and access to some Afterpay buy now pay later (BNPL) services and features within the Cash App without needing a separate login.
Sunset Mesa, the scenic neighborhood tucked on a bluff between Malibu and Pacific Palisades, might never be the same in the wake of the Palisades fire.
But resident Karen Martinez sees one potential change as a good thing.
The January fire torched about 80% of the community’s 500 homes — almost all of them wood-framed. Now, as residents begin the long process of rebuilding, Martinez is pushing her neighbors to chuck the lumber and build with noncombustible materials instead.
The goal? The housing equivalent of herd immunity, where enough homes are fireproof that the entire community can be protected against future fires. Your home is far safer if your next-door neighbors’ houses aren’t burning down and sending fiery debris and showers of embers into the air.
The benefits of herd immunity stretch beyond fire defense; some insurance companies have signaled that they’re open to insuring more homes — at cheaper rates — in neighborhoods that feature higher percentages of fireproof homes.
Rogelio Ramos installs a segment of fire resistant Perfect Block at the start of construction of Karen Martinez’s home in the Sunset Mesa community in Malibu.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
For the last year, Martinez, 62, has become an evangelist for insulated composite concrete forms (ICCF), a building material made from concrete and expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam). She’s been holding Zoom meetings for neighbors, proselytizing just this month when she hosted a community potluck where 70 people watched her lay the first few Perfect Blocks of her fireproof home.
“I want people to know they have options,” Martinez said. “We don’t have to rebuild with something that’s going to burn again.”
…
A Palisades resident for decades, Martinez moved to Sunset Mesa in 2022 following the death of her husband. She’d been aware of ICCF for years, so when her three-bedroom house on Surfwood Road burned down in January, she already knew she wanted to rebuild with it.
In Southern California’s fire-stricken landscape, a handful of fireproofing trends have emerged — from high-tech solutions such as fire-retardant sprinkler systems, to new building materials such as hempcrete or mass timber, large paneled beams of wood that burn slowly at a rate of a half-inch every hour, giving firefighters more time to stop the fire.
Martinez chose ICCF for two reasons. For one, it’s fireproof — noncombustible with a four-hour fire rating. It’s also relatively cheap — Martinez paid $27 per block, and her 1,956-square-foot rebuild will require around 600 blocks, which stack like Legos, forming a grid with hollow cores that are then filled with concrete and rebar.
In total, the shell of her fireproof home cost around $16,000, and the rebuild will cost less than $400 per square foot.
“I’ve gotten multiple quotes, and this material is the least expensive by far,” Martinez said, taking in the ocean view while watching her team pour concrete the day before her potluck. “Going forward, I’d like to see every single house in this neighborhood built with noncombustible material.”
In addition to the blocks, the home will feature a lightweight steel roof and dual-pane windows with aluminum frames.
Her months-long crusade has brought in several believers, including two neighbors who own the lots next to hers. They’re both planning to rebuild with the composite concrete blocks.
In total, she said around 15 people in Sunset Mesa alone are planning to rebuild with ICCF, as well as 15 more in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Martinez claims many more Sunset Mesa residents want to, but they’ve been talked out of it by their architects and contractors, who aren’t familiar with the material and claim it’ll slow down their rebuilds.
In fairness, for Martinez, it did. The material is approved in the city of Los Angeles since it has a Los Angeles Research Report, a review required by the L.A. Department of Building and Safety to make sure a material is safe to use. But since Martinez’s home sits in the unincorporated community of Sunset Mesa, permits are handled by L.A. County, which requires a separate report ensuring that ICCF meets code requirements.
Eco Building Systems, the company that manufactures the concrete blocks Martinez is using, didn’t have one. So she took it upon herself to get them one — even fronting the $12,000 application fee (which was eventually returned to her through a discount on the blocks).
Members of the Sunset Mesa community gather at Karen Martinez’s homesite.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
The process took months. But now that the report is done, others in Sunset Mesa will have a much quicker time securing building permits.
“I was the guinea pig,” she said. “Now, everyone can use it.”
…
Research shows that in the context of a fire, homes often burn or survive as a group.
California’s wind-driven fires spread via embers. If one house sets ablaze, the house next door is much more likely to burn. But if a house is fireproof, it can act as a shield for the vulnerable wood homes behind it.
It’s the reason that newly built neighborhoods such as Orchard Hills in Irvine require higher fireproofing standards for homes on the outer rim of the community.
The concept of communitywide home-hardening has been dubbed “herd immunity,” a disease-related phrase that suggests that if a large enough portion of a population is immune to a virus, it becomes difficult for an infection to spread.
It’s a phenomenon that Victor Joseph, chief operating officer of Mercury Insurance, thinks about regularly. Joseph attended Martinez’s potluck and said he’s been surprised by the number of people in Sunset Mesa and the Palisades who are serious about rebuilding with noncombustible materials.
“They’ve been proactively engaging us to figure out how to rebuild in a way that will be accepted by insurance companies,” he said, adding that he’s hosted two Zoom meetings for locals, each drawing about 100 people.
Over the summer, Mercury launched a discount for homes that meet its fireproof standards: 50% off for the fire portion of a home insurance plan for houses built to be noncombustible. The company also offers a 15% community discount for neighborhoods that meet its requirements.
Joseph explained that insurance companies generally avoid insuring too many homes in a given area because if they all get destroyed, the claims will be too expensive to pay out. It’s the age-old rule of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
But if you build enough fireproof homes to achieve herd immunity, Mercury can justify insuring more homes — and at cheaper rates.
“If 30 fireproof homes are spread across the Palisades, we’d be happy to insure, but the benefits won’t be as significant,” he said. “But if you have 30 fireproof homes clustered on two blocks? That’s fascinating.”
…
Sunset Mesa resident Anita Clark, 91, who lost her home in the Palisades fire, listens as Karen Martinez makes a presentation urging members of the Sunset Mesa community to rebuild homes with noncombustible materials.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Sunset Mesa is at a precipice. As of early November, nine building permits have been issued in the community, according to the L.A. County Planning Department, with hundreds of homes still in the planning phase.
To Martinez, that means a chance for hundreds of homeowners to build in a way that protects not only their homes, but their neighborhoods. To Robert Dugan, CEO of the California Construction and Industrial Materials Assn., it’s a chance to push a neighborhood into becoming a model for the rest of California.
“Every house matters. If we can get one of every five homes, or one of every two homes, to build noncombustible, the risk paradigm changes dramatically,” he said. “Every house built with fire resilience in mind might be the place where the fire stops.”
For many fire victims, many of whom are still living in hotels or renting homes, building with wood makes sense. It’s the quickest, often cheapest way to get back home. So Dugan said it’s important for the fireproofing industry to make the choice easier for homeowners, which includes lining up architects and contractors who are ready to build noncombustible homes.
As a volunteer with the Red Cross, he helped build three homes in Paradise with ICCF and said they can look like any other home. Martinez’s property will be stucco on the exterior, drywall on the inside. You won’t be able to tell it’s made of ICCF.
In the meantime, Martinez is still settling into her role as homebuilder/advocate/microinfluencer. In addition to constant dialogue with her neighbors, she recently launched an Instagram account with the handle @palisadesfirerebuild to document her journey.
A few months ago, Martinez was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer — a byproduct of a five-year fight with uveal melanoma. Her tumors are gone, but the fear of getting sick again is adding to the urgency of her mission.
She got her building permit in late October, poured concrete Nov. 7, and laid the first of the ICCF blocks the following day. She plans to finish the home in a year, shooting for next summer.
“After the diagnosis, part of me asked if I should take it easy,” she said. “But I want to show that this is possible. I’m plowing forward to finish this and make a difference.”
Police are investigating the death of an infant found not far from the USC campus on Monday morning.
About 1:30 a.m. Los Angeles police were dispatched to the 3100 block of McClintock Avenue, said Officer Jeff Lee.
When they arrived, officers found a “deceased, full-term infant,” Lee said.
The child’s cause of death has not yet been determined by the county medical examiner and the investigation is ongoing, Lee said.
Details on where the infant was found on McClintock Avenue were not immediately available.
USC students were seen going in and out of student building F in the 3100 block of McClintock Avenue, according to KABC.
“It was really scary actually for everybody because we didn’t know what was happening and then we did find out it was happening right next to where we lived,” student Sofia Matin told the station. “It was very unsettling.”
When Jack Dorsey co-founded Square in 2009, he narrowed in on a single goal, which was helping sellers make the sale. The Oakland-based company’s first product was a square-shaped smartphone attachment that allowed vendors of all sizes to accept payments by credit card.
But if Square had simply focused on hardware to process card payments, “we would’ve been a very small company and I would not be here talking to at all,” Dorsey said at an event in New York City on Wednesday in which the company introduced a slate of new features for Square.
Instead, the company persisted in asking why business owners wanted to take credit cards in the first place. They didn’t love the hassle and fees of credit cards, but customers were increasingly using cards for everything and no longer carrying cash. If vendors didn’t take cards, they’d miss out on sales.
The card readers were a start, but ultimately, Dorsey said his focus is on creating products that make it more affordable and frictionless to do business. Over the past 16 years, it has rolled out financial services, marketing tools, and business management software.
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Today, its parent company Block (NYSE: XYZ) has a market capitalization of $49 billion. With Dorsey as CEO, Block has grown to include the mobile payments company Cash App, streaming service Tidal, and buy now, pay later service Afterpay.
New Square services to save time and money
The marquee feature Square announced on Wednesday is a service called Neighborhoods, which lets businesses set up online ordering storefronts in Cash App and participate in a common loyalty program. It saves businesses the hassle of building dedicated apps, but allows them to offer some of the features that have made apps from Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Dunkin so popular, without the hassle of building a dedicated app. The processing fee for vendors using Neighborhoods is just 1 percent.
Square is also now integrated with popular delivery apps including DoorDash, Uber Eats, and GrubHub, so restaurants can see all of their incoming orders on a single platform, rather than juggling different tablets for each service. If restaurants also use Square’s banking services, they can access those payments right away, rather than waiting more than a week for the payments to clear with the delivery platforms.
The company also announced several upgrades to its AI services aimed at helping with planning and business insights. Early testers have been particularly impressed by the ordering guide, which allows restaurants to compare ingredient prices across vendors using standardized units and to track prices over time. Square head of product Willem Avé tells Inc. that the goal is that with five minutes of work in the tool, a business could reduce their food costs by 10 percent.
Bitcoin and streamlined pricing
Square now allows businesses to accept bitcoin payments, convert a percentage of incoming revenue into bitcoin, and store bitcoin in crypto wallets within Square. For the first year, Square will not charge transaction fees for bitcoin payments. Dorsey, a longtime crypto advocate, suggested that the audience in New York, which included many business owners that use Square, should consider using bitcoin as a way to diversify their finances and hedge against inflation.
Square also introduced a three-tiered subscription plan (free; a $49 service that includes web and marketing services; or $149 a month for 24/7 support and additional software upgrades), doing away with a complex system of add-ons. Avé says the change was intended to make it easier for users to add new products (a restaurant can now sell merch or tickets to events without adding new features) and that the features announced on Wednesday are available to all users.
Square’s goal: be boring
Like offerings from Clover, Shopify, and Toast, Square’s devices proliferated as contactless and mobile payments caught on, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Today Square’s mobile card readers, terminals, and other devices are used by more than 4 million sellers, from major retailers to mom-and-pop shops and craft fair vendors.
Dorsey, who also co-founded Twitter and created the open-source social media platform Bluesky, said Square has always been giving time back to entrepreneurs, so they can focus on what they’re building.
He and co-founder Jim McKelvey chose the name Square because it was boring and faded into the background. “We didn’t want something that was in front of our customers. We wanted a name…that felt like it was something that a seller could put their whole business on,” Dorsey said. “I think it set the tone for the company.”
Man detained after allegedly robbing a Taco Bell, crashing vehicle into Sacramento-area home
LOCAL SOURCES. FIRST, THOUGH, WE HAVE SOME BREAKING NEWS FOR SCHOOLS IN THE ARDEN-ARCADE AREA. NOW, IN A PRECAUTIONARY LOCKDOWN AS DEPUTIES ARE SEARCHING FOR A ROBBERY SUSPECT. HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW. THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT HAS SET UP A PERIMETER AROUND RIO TINTO AVENUE. THAT’S NEAR EDISON AVENUE JUST TO THE NORTH. AND THEY SAY THE SUSPECT IS WANTED FOR A ROBBERY AT A TACO BELL ON SUNRISE AVENUE. AND WINDING WAY. WE DO HAVE KCRA 3’S PEYTON HEADLEE THERE RIGHT NOW. AND YOU’RE SEEING A LOT THERE, PEYTON. AND YOU CAN PROBABLY HEAR THE SHERIFF’S HELICOPTER THAT’S GOING OVERHEAD. THEY’VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE IN THE AREA THAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR AN ARMED FELONY SUSPECT, AND THEY’RE ASKING NEIGHBORS HERE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND LOCK THEIR DOORS. AND WE’VE SEEN SOME NEIGHBORS WITH KIDS ACTUALLY RUNNING OUT OF THEIR HOMES, GETTING IN THEIR CARS AND LEAVING THE AREA. SO I’LL GIVE YOU A LOOK AT WHAT WE’RE SEEING HERE. WE ARE AT A PRETTY GOOD DISTANCE FROM WHERE THIS IS HAPPENING NEAR RIO TINTO AVENUE AND PEYTON STREET, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE PRESENCE FROM SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES AND SOME OF THEIR SIRENS GOING OFF RIGHT NOW. THEY’VE BEEN DOING THAT TO WARN PEOPLE TO GO BACK INSIDE OF THEIR HOMES. IF THEY SEE THEM COME OUT. SO THIS ALL STARTED AS A ROBBERY AT THE TACO BELL ON SUNRISE BOULEVARD AND WINDING WAY AROUND 4 P.M. OFFICIALS SAY THE SUSPECT USED A GUN, AND DEPUTIES SO FAR HAVE NOT RECOVERED ONE, SO THEY HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THAT SUSPECT IS STILL ARMED. AFTER THAT ROBBERY. WE KNOW THE SUSPECT LEFT THE TACO BELL, BUT A DEPUTY TRACKED THEM DOWN. THERE WAS A SHORT CHASE. THE SUSPECT THEN CRASHED THEIR CAR INTO A HOUSE IN THIS AREA. THE DAMAGE IN THAT HOUSE RIGHT NOW IS NOT CLEAR, BUT WE KNOW THE SUSPECT THEN GOT OUT AND RAN AWAY. AND THEY BELIEVE THAT THAT SUSPECT IS INSIDE ONE OF THESE HOMES. THAT’S WHY THEY’RE TAKING SUCH DRASTIC MEASURES TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF THE AREA. THEY’RE EVACUATING NEARBY HOMES. WE KNOW THAT THE SWAT TEAM IS ON THE WAY. ALSO, AN IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE, THE SAN JUAN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SAID THAT FOUR SCHOOLS IN THE AREA ARE UNDER PRECAUTIONARY SHELTER IN PLACE. ORDERS CONNECTED WITH THIS SEARCH. THOSE FOUR SCHOOLS ARE WHITNEY AVENUE ELEMENTARY, PASADENA AVENUE ELEMENTARY, ARCADE MIDDLE, AND MIRA LOMA HIGH. THEY SAY AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ARE BEING HELD INDOORS UNTIL LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN ABLE TO CLEAR THE AREA. SO AGAIN, A VERY ACTIVE SCENE OUT HERE AS THEY SEARCH FOR THE SUSPECT IN THIS ARMED ROBBERY AT A NEARBY TACO BELL, WE KNOW THEY ARE EVACUATING NEARBY HOMES, ASKING PEOPLE TO LEAVE THE AREA AS THEY FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHICH HOME THIS INDIVIDUAL IS INSIDE, AND THEY TRIED TO TAKE THAT PERSON INTO CUSTODY. THEY HAVE SAID OVER THE SPEAKER OF THE SHERIFF’S HELICOPTER THAT THEY HAVE THIS AREA SURROUNDED AND THAT THEY WILL BE USING. K-9S TO TRACK DOWN THAT INDIVIDUAL AND HAVE ASKED NUMEROUS TIMES FOR THAT PERSON TO COME OUT OF THE HOUSE. SO OF COURSE, WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON WHAT HAPPENS HERE. FOR NOW, WE’RE LIVE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. PEYTON HEADLEE KCRA THREE NEWS. PEYTON, THANK YOU. AND WE WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE CRYSTAL CLEAR FOR PEOPLE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WHO ARE WATCHING THIS COVERAGE, WHAT EXACTLY PEOPLE SHOULD BE DOING. WE KNOW THAT THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES ARE IN A SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER. THERE ARE SOME EVACUATIONS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW. JUST IF YOU CAN SPELL OUT EXACTLY WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE DOING, IF THEY LIVE IN THAT AREA. YES. SO WHAT THE SHERIFF’S HELICOPTER HAS BEEN SAYING TO PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THIS AREA, THEY’RE ASKING THEM TO LOOK OUT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL THAT THEY SAY IS IN ALL BLACK CLOTHING. AND THEN IN TERMS OF EVACUATIONS, THEY SAY TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AND TO LOCK YOUR DOORS. THEY SAID THAT THEY MIGHT GO INSIDE AND SEARCH WITH A CANINE. SO YEAH, BEST MOVE OF ACTION HERE FROM THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS JUST TO EVACUATE THE AREA UNTIL THEY CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT THEY HAVE THE SUSPECT IN CUSTODY. YEAH, PRETTY UNUSUAL THAT WE DON’T GET THOSE KINDS OF INSTRUCTIONS, BUT THAT KIND OF SPEAKS TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF WHAT’S GOING ON THERE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. SO STILL A LOT GOING ON. WE’LL STAY ON THAT STORY THROUG
Man detained after allegedly robbing a Taco Bell, crashing vehicle into Sacramento-area home
Sacramento deputies have detained a man suspected of an armed robbery Friday, hours after law enforcement established a perimeter in an Arden-Arcade neighborhood. Deputies responded around 4 p.m. to the report of a robbery at a Taco Bell in the 4300 block of Sunrise Boulevard. Officials said a deputy spotted the suspect and initiated a short pursuit. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed into a house. It’s unclear if the home sustained any damage.Just after 5 p.m., the sheriff’s office said deputies had established a perimeter in the 4300 block of Rio Tinto Avenue. Around that time, the sheriff’s office said deputies were working to evacuate nearby homes and the SWAT team was responding. The San Juan Unified School District said four schools in the area were under precautionary shelter-in-place orders in connection with the search. The four schools are Whitney Avenue Elementary, Pasadena Avenue Elementary, Arcade Middle and Mira Loma High. After school activities were held indoors until law enforcement gave an all-clear.Around 7:45 p.m., officials said a 35-year-old man was detained in connection with the robbery. He was found under a deck in the 3800 block of Robie Lee Way.The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as Donald Caviness. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for robbery, resisting or obstructing, and evading a police officer and driving in a reckless manner. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
ARDEN-ARCADE, Calif. —
Sacramento deputies have detained a man suspected of an armed robbery Friday, hours after law enforcement established a perimeter in an Arden-Arcade neighborhood.
Deputies responded around 4 p.m. to the report of a robbery at a Taco Bell in the 4300 block of Sunrise Boulevard.
Officials said a deputy spotted the suspect and initiated a short pursuit. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed into a house. It’s unclear if the home sustained any damage.
Just after 5 p.m., the sheriff’s office said deputies had established a perimeter in the 4300 block of Rio Tinto Avenue.
Around that time, the sheriff’s office said deputies were working to evacuate nearby homes and the SWAT team was responding.
The San Juan Unified School District said four schools in the area were under precautionary shelter-in-place orders in connection with the search. The four schools are Whitney Avenue Elementary, Pasadena Avenue Elementary, Arcade Middle and Mira Loma High. After school activities were held indoors until law enforcement gave an all-clear.
Around 7:45 p.m., officials said a 35-year-old man was detained in connection with the robbery. He was found under a deck in the 3800 block of Robie Lee Way.
The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as Donald Caviness. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for robbery, resisting or obstructing, and evading a police officer and driving in a reckless manner.
BOTH SIDES. CATALINA. THANK YOU. A SENIOR CITIZEN IS DEAD AFTER A STOCKTON SHOOTING. POLICE SAY IT HAPPENED AT AROUND FOUR THIS AFTERNOON ON SOUTH SAN JOAQUIN STREET. WHEN OFFICERS ARRIVED, THEY FOUND THE 73 YEAR OLD VICTIM. HE DIED AT THE HOSPITAL. INVESTIGATORS HAVE NOT RELEASED ANY SUSPECT INFORMATION. POLI
Officers are investigating a shooting that killed a man in his 70s on Monday, according to the Stockton Police Department. Officers responded to the report of a shooting around 4:16 p.m. in the 700 block of South San Joaquin Street. Officials said officers found a 73-year-old man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries.The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unknown and Stockton police have not released any suspect details. Stockton police said this deadly shooting marked the 29th homicide in the city this year.This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
STOCKTON, Calif. —
Officers are investigating a shooting that killed a man in his 70s on Monday, according to the Stockton Police Department.
Officers responded to the report of a shooting around 4:16 p.m. in the 700 block of South San Joaquin Street.
Officials said officers found a 73-year-old man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unknown and Stockton police have not released any suspect details.
Stockton police said this deadly shooting marked the 29th homicide in the city this year.
This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.
BACK TO YOU, BRIAN. THANK YOU. WE ARE FOLLOWING SOME BREAKING NEWS IN SACRAMENTO THIS MORNING. POLICE SAY THEY’VE DETAINED A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL FOR THE STABBING OF A 19 YEAR OLD MAN. HAPPENED AROUND 415 THIS MORNING IN A HOME ON NIGHTLINGER STREET IN WEST EL PASO HEIGHTS. OFFICERS GOT THERE AND FOUND THE MAN WITH AT LEAST ONE STAB WOUND. HE IS EXPECTED TO SURVIVE NOW. THE GI
17-year-old girl arrested in Sacramento for stabbing man, police say
A 17-year-old girl was arrested early Monday morning in connection with a non-fatal stabbing in Sacramento, officials said. Officers with the Sacramento Police Department were dispatched around 4:15 a.m. to a residence in the 3700 block of Knightlinger Street in the West Del Paso Heights neighborhood. Upon arrival, a 19-year-old man was found with at least one stab wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and is expected to survive, the police department said. The suspect was detained at the scene. She was then taken to juvenile hall and booked for related charges, the police department said. The relation of the victim to the suspect, along with the circumstances leading up to the stabbing, is unknown to the public at this time. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A 17-year-old girl was arrested early Monday morning in connection with a non-fatal stabbing in Sacramento, officials said.
Officers with the Sacramento Police Department were dispatched around 4:15 a.m. to a residence in the 3700 block of Knightlinger Street in the West Del Paso Heights neighborhood.
Upon arrival, a 19-year-old man was found with at least one stab wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and is expected to survive, the police department said.
The suspect was detained at the scene. She was then taken to juvenile hall and booked for related charges, the police department said.
The relation of the victim to the suspect, along with the circumstances leading up to the stabbing, is unknown to the public at this time.
STOCKTON POLICE. ALSO OUT OF STOCKTON TONIGHT. POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING A STABBING THAT SENT ONE MAN TO THE HOSPITAL. THIS HAPPENED ON IRON CANYON CIRCLE. AND THIS IS NEAR A.G. SPANOS BOULEVARD AND THORNTON ROAD. POLICE SAY A 38 YEAR-OLD MAN WAS IN HIS HOME WHEN HIS RELATIVE STABBED HIM MULTIPLE TIMES WITH A KNIFE BEFORE RUNNING OFF. INVESTIGATORS HAVE NOT SAID HOW THE TWO ARE RELATED, AND WE KNOW THE MA
Man hospitalized after being stabbed in Stockton, police say
A 38-year-old man is recovering after being stabbed in his home Saturday afternoon, Stockton police say.The man was stabbed with a knife multiple times on the 3500 block of Iron Canyon Circle and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police say.Police believe the 38-year-old and the suspect are related. The details of the relationship have not been released. This is a developing story.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
STOCKTON, Calif. —
A 38-year-old man is recovering after being stabbed in his home Saturday afternoon, Stockton police say.
The man was stabbed with a knife multiple times on the 3500 block of Iron Canyon Circle and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police say.
Police believe the 38-year-old and the suspect are related. The details of the relationship have not been released.
This is a developing story.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.
Fire crews quickly converged on a brush fire that ignited Tuesday evening in the Hollywood Hills below several homes, according to L.A. fire officials.
The blaze ignited around 6:40 p.m. north of West Sunset Boulevard in the 2100 block of Sunset Plaza Drive, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It burned about a quarter of an acre of vegetation as it moved uphill, briefly threatening nearby homes.
Within half an hour, officials reported that water drops from Fire Department helicopters were “significantly slowing” fire progress below the homes. About 80 firefighting personnel were assigned to the fire, which burned one car but did not affect any structures.
Water drops from L.A. Fire Department helicopters significantly slowed the fire’s progress, officials said.
(KTLA)
By 7:30 p.m., all active flames were extinguished and forward progress had been stopped, according to the Fire Department.
Those living nearby were instructed to shelter in place while helicopters continued water drops to cool hot spots between homes and hand crews worked to reach 100% containment in very steep terrain. Shelter-in-place orders were lifted around 8 p.m.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass praised first responders for their “heroic” and rapid response to the blaze.
“Tonight’s fire in the Hollywood Hills has been stopped without any structures being impacted thanks to urgent action from LAFD handcrews and helicopters as well as strong collaboration with the LA County Fire Department,” she said in a statement on X. “LAFD will remain on site into the night. We will stay alert through the current heat advisory, which the National Weather Service has extended through Wednesday.”
After a sweltering Labor Day weekend across Southern California, a heat advisory remains in effect for a wide swath of L.A. County until 6 p.m. Wednesday, bringing with it an elevated danger of fire starts — a risk compounded by lightning from late-summer thunderstorms.
Amid January’s historic firestorm in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the Sunset fire ignited in the Hollywood Hills near Runyon Canyon, prompting widespread evacuation orders and massive traffic jams as residents rushed to flee the area. That fire was reported at 2350 N. Solar Drive, burned about 60 acres and was contained within 24 hours, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Payments giant Block is entering “growth mode” as it launches AI tools to help teams internally and aid business clients with data-driven insights. Block launched its AI-driven agent, Goose, in the second quarter, Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said during its earnings call Aug. 7. Goose “is being used by nearly everyone in the company, it’s […]
The days of the “@[insert username] blocked you” page appear to be over. X owner Elon Musk announced a new change to allowing blocked users to see posts of the accounts that blocked them.
Blocked accounts still won’t be able to interact with those accounts but they’ll be able to see their posts. A source from X told the new blocked access feature is being implemented because users can already see and interact with accounts that have blocked them by switching to a non-blocked account.
Musk has wanted to disable the block feature on X for awhile now. More than a year ago, he first expressed (or technically, Twitter) except for direct messages. He wrote that blocking would become “deleted as a ‘feature’” as well as saying “It makes no sense.”
Last May, announced it would implement the blocked viewer change to the platform without including a solid implementation or rollout date. The post said the change would be implemented to give users with blocked accounts the ability to “identify and report any potential bad content that you previously could not view.”
