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The official U.S. Department of Homeland Security X account has been testing out a new social media strategy that no one asked foras a meme lord. On Monday, a video posted to the DHSs X account used the Pokémon catchphrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” to compare Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests to hunting the titular creatures. The video ends with mug shots of those arrested by ICE superimposed onto fake Pokémon trading cards, alongside their alleged crimes, including murder, pedophilia, burglary, and child endangerment. On Tuesday, Theo Von, the podcast host of This Past Weekend, which had Trump on as a guest during his presidential campaign, also found himself the star of a clip on the DHS X account. The post includes a sound bite from Von (“Heard you got deported, dude. Bye!”) that the agency uses to celebrate Trumps record on deportations. Neither Von nor the Pokémon Co. International was made aware of their featuring role before the content began circulating on social media. In a since-deleted post, Von took to X, saying, Yooo, DHS. I didn’t approve to be used in this. I know you know my address, so send a check. And please take this down and please keep me out of your banger deportation videos. When it comes to immigration, my thoughts and heart are a lot more nuanced than this video allows. Bye! (Fast Company has reached out to Von for comment.) Via email, the Pokémon Co. International told Fast Company: We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property. The DHS social strategy seems to seek forgiveness, not permission, which appears to involve seizing viral moments and meme opportunities, similar to the official White House social media accounts. In July, British singer Jess Glynne said she felt “sick” after the White House used the viral Jet2holiday commercial featuring her song as the audio to a video promoting deportations. The DHS has also repurposed images from artists, including Thomas Kinkade and Morgan Weistling, without their permission, as well as music from Tom Petty and Woody Guthrie in social media posts. In each case, the usage was unauthorized and the offended parties objected to the use. Fast Company has contacted the DHS for comment. While the post featuring Von has since been removed, the Pokémon clip and many others remain. Trolling those who responded to the post with outrage, the Customs and Border Protection X account replied with a GIF of Detective Pikachu captioned: Border Patrols newest recruit.
Category:
E-Commerce
Starbucks‘ chief technology officer Deb Hall Lefevre resigned without a permanent replacement, according to an internal memo sent to corporate staff on Monday, seen by Reuters. The memo, written by Chief Financial Officer Cathy Smith, named Ningyu Chen, previously senior vice president of global experience technology, as interim chief technology officer. Lefevre’s resignation comes as Starbucks announced its second round of deep cuts in corporate roles, effective Friday, as CEO Brian Niccol pushes a tech revamp in stores to make labor more efficient, part of a turnaround strategy to revive flagging sales after six consecutive quarters of decline. Using AI to revamp how cafes operate The revamp includes an AI-powered automated inventory counter that is in the process of being rolled out to all company-owned stores in North America by the end of September. Other initiatives include an AI assistant for baristas, a new point-of-sales system, and a queuing algorithm meant to help baristas sequence orders during rush hour. Lefevre, a former McDonalds executive, was hired in May 2022 as part of the chain’s focus on improving its drive-through, mobile ordering, and other systems. The memo said she planned to retire. “Our tech priorities aren’t changing,” the memo said. “We’re focused on the tech work needed to deliver our Back to Starbucks plan.” Lefevre didn’t respond to a request for comment Thursday night. On Thursday, the company said it would close underperforming stores in the United States. Its overall company-owned U.S. and Canada store count is expected to drop by 1%, with several hundred stores expected to close by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. It also said 900 non-retail roles would be eliminated, with affected employees being notified Friday. The technology initiatives are part of a corporate turnaround called “Back to Starbucks” being pursued by CEO Brian Niccol, who took the helm last year to revive the chain’s fortunes. He has aimed to revive the chain’s “coffeehouse” appeal following six consecutive quarters of sales declines. Starbucks February layoffs of 1,100 corporate employees hit the IT team particularly hard, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday. They said an outside contractor named Tata Consultancy Services, based in India, has been given an increasing role in Starbucks IT division. Starbucks in a statement Friday said the company will continue to have a very significant in-house technology team, but the focus is on the most important capabilities and the most important work. Shares have lost more than 12% of their value over the last 12 months, compared with a 16% increase in the broad-market Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Waylon Cunningham, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Starting next week on Tuesday, September 30, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will no longer issue paper checks for benefit payments, and instead move exclusively to electronic payments: either direct deposit or a pre-paid debit card. The change is part of a broader government-wide initiative to modernize its services and improve efficiency and security, to ensure some 70 million Americans receive their monthly benefits promptly. However, this could mean trouble for some older Americans who do not know how to set up direct deposit or will have trouble using a pre-paid debit card. In March, President Trump issued Executive Order 14247, which mandates the transition to electronic payments for all federal disbursements by September 30. “Less than one percent of Social Security Administration beneficiaries currently receive paper checks,” a Social Security spokesperson told Fast Company in an email on Friday. “SSA is proactively contacting those beneficiaries to alert them about the change and the process to enroll in direct deposit or receive Direct Express cards.” In cases where a beneficiary has no other means to receive payment, the SSA said it will continue to issue paper checks. According to the Treasury Department, this shift could save the federal government millions of dollars each year. Issuing a paper check costs about 50 cents, while an electronic payment (or EFT) costs less than 15 cents. Electronic payments are also more secure. Paper checks are 16 times more likely to be lost or stolen compared to electronic payments, thus increasing the risk of fraud, according to the agency. How do I sign up for Social Security direct deposit or a pre-paid debit card? For more details, and to learn how to enroll in direct deposit or obtain a Direct Express pre-paid debit card, visit www.ssa.gov/deposit/. To enroll in direct deposit, go online to your personal “my Social Security account” (or create an account, if you don’t have one) on the Social Security Administration’s website. Enrollment in direct deposit and Direct Express Debit Mastercard are also available through the Treasury’s Go Direct website, or via phone at 1-877-874-6347. For additional questions, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.
Category:
E-Commerce
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