👨🏻‍💻 The $500m Facebook moderator

PLUS: Product samples during COVID. September 7, 2021 [The Hustle] [The Hustle]( Folks, we’ve got a big time social media role we’re looking to fill. The ideal candidate will be: - A creative storyteller with a deep understanding of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok - Obsessed with business and startups (both successes and failures) - Excited about being the face of The Hustle on social platforms Sound like you? [Apply here]( (creativity encouraged). Today’s rundown: - Accenture: Facebook’s $500m secret moderation partner. - Samples: Brands get creative to meet shifting consumer behavior. - Digits: Interesting numbers on Amazon, parking spots, and jewels. Let’s do it. The big idea [working at a computer]( Facebook is paying Accenture $500m a year to moderate content on its platforms Back in [2007](, a settlement with the state of New York required Facebook to remove pornographic posts within 24 hours. At first, Facebook tasked its own employees with the job -- but they were quickly overwhelmed and the company turned to automation and outsourcing. Today, 90%+ of flagged content is removed by AI… … while the other 10% falls on human moderators. Accenture took on the work when Facebook moved on from its original content moderation partner. The scope of the agreement escalated quickly: - The moderation team grew from 300 to 3k workers between 2015 and 2016, and is now at ~5.8k workers - Accenture now employs moderators across 8 offices spanning the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Poland, Ireland, and the US Facebook has several reasons to farm out moderation work… Among them: - Scalability: Utilizing contract labor allows Facebook to scale its efforts up or down globally as quickly as needed - Cost: Contract workers are far cheaper to hire than Facebook employees (who have median annual earnings of [$240k]() Perhaps the biggest reason, though, is the nature of the work. - Moderators can view up to 700 posts per shift, and the content can be disturbing. - An [exposé]( by The Verge in 2019 highlighted examples of the toxic content moderators are subjected to, including videos of killings and animal cruelty. As a result, many moderators have suffered mental health issues from the work. Facebook recently paid a $52m settlement covering 11k+ moderators who suffered from PTSD on the job. So why is Accenture doing this? One reason is money. Digital content moderation is expected to be a $8.8B industry by next year, and Accenture is currently pulling in $500m a year from Facebook alone. The other is exposure to Silicon Valley, which Accenture was lacking prior to taking on the work. Time will tell if the firm will continue to feel that the weight of Facebook’s dirty work is worth it. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Facebook+is+paying+Accenture+%24500m+a+year+to+moderate+content+on+its+platforms%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F09072021-Facebook-Accenture-moderation%3Futm_campaign%3DTuesday%2BEmail%26utm_content%3D09072021-Facebook-Accenture-moderation%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS NEW! Introducing our new and improved [Snippets](. You can now get extra snippets on your favorite topics. Follow the button below to get started. (It takes less than 30 seconds!) Streaming sleeper: YouTube Music’s paid service [surpassed]( 50m subscribers. Alexa’s new gig: Amazon [announced]( plans to release its own TV with Alexa software in the US. Outdoor acquisitions: Solo Stove, maker of a popular line of fire pits, [acquired]( Chubbies Shorts, which will fall under a new D2C portfolio called Solo Brands. Apple reverses course on its plan to [scan iPhones]( for child sexual assault images. The rollout was marred by privacy concerns and Apple’s unilateral approach. Join the 95,118 others who are now enjoying extra, personalized snippets. Click the button👇 to choose your favorite topics and see your list grow in tomorrow’s email. [Personalize Your Snippets]( Sample Tech [brand samples]( “Just one… OK, maybe 10” (Source: Noel Hendrickson / Getty Images) How brands are doing samples in a pandemic Free samples -- arguably the best part of grocery shopping -- disappeared at the onset of the pandemic. As consumer behavior changed, brands were forced to [rethink]( the time-tested practice. Sampling is important because it works Not only does in-store sampling introduce new products and refresh old ones, but also it sways shoppers from their usuals, increases store loyalty, and [creates]( a sense of reciprocity. - In 2005, Marsh Supermarkets [found]( that sampling could increase purchases as much as 2,000%. - To reboot its image, Spam gave away 100k+ samples at 65 UK stores. Sales [rose]( by 656% that week and 10% that year. - A 2019 [study]( found 85% of samplers who bought a product were 1st-time buyers. Samplers were also 11% more likely to buy again within 20 weeks. Meanwhile, not sampling hurts. Rodrigo Salas of Molli Sauces told [Eater]( that sales dropped ~30% after the pandemic halted sampling in 2020. With consumer behaviors shifting... … brands are testing new sampling techniques -- and some of them are pretty creative: - Heineken partnered with meal-kit service HelloFresh to let customers try its new nonalcoholic Heineken 0.0 with their dinners. - Coca-Cola [stuck samples]( in online shopping orders and donated products to frontline workers. - The [Freeosk]( is a contact-free kiosk that dispenses packaged samples at Albertsons, Walmart, Safeway, and other retailers. We can’t speak to the actual quality of samples from a Freeosk, but what a great portmanteau! [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=How+brands+are+doing+samples+in+a+pandemic%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F09072021-brand-samples%3Futm_campaign%3DFacebook%2BAccenture%2Bcontent%2Bmoderation%26utm_content%3D09072021-brand-samples%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( Free Resource How to network better (and hate it less) Building strong relationships is a key skill for entrepreneurs. Strong introductions leave impressions that count, which is something worth striving for. A little thoughtfulness goes a very long way. Here’s some easy and actionable [networking advice]( Love, Dad. I mean, HubSpot. Wait what? This[8-minute video]( highlights the most sensible tactics for less awkward and more awesome networking. Creative activist Ouigi Theodore (of menswear brand Brooklyn Circus) drops in to enlighten you on moving with style and character. There’s also tasteful finger dancing. (Bonus resource for you: [8 elevator pitch sinkers]() [Good morning energy →]( By the numbers [Prime Air]( But can it do same-hour delivery? (Source: Amazon) Digits: Amazon in the sky, billions of parking spots, and $135m jewels 1) More than 70% of the US population now lives [within 100 miles of an Amazon Air airport](, up from 54% in April 2020. 2) Wind power is growing. In 2010, no US wind turbines had rotors over 115 meters in diameter. By 2020, [91% of new rotor installations]( were that size or larger. 3) There are an estimated 250m cars in the US, along with 2B parking spots. [Cars spend ~95% of their existence parked](. 4) German prosecutors filed charges against suspects in a museum heist of [18th-century jewels valued at $135m](. When’s the movie coming out? 5) The organized retail theft industry is doing very well. It’s now responsible for $45B in annual retailer losses, and at CVS, [reported thefts are up 30%]( in the last year. 6) Kraft-Heinz will pay [$62m as part of an accounting fraud settlement](. We’re just surprised the fine was for that and not for creating their mixed ketchup and ranch sauce, [Kranch](. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Digits%3A+Amazon+in+the+sky%2C+billions+of+parking+spots%2C+and+%24135m+jewels%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F09072021-digits%3Futm_campaign%3DFacebook%2BAccenture%2Bcontent%2Bmoderation%26utm_content%3D09072021-digits%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( AROUND THE WEB 💡 Hmm: Thingtesting showcases interesting and sometimes quirky new products, like inflatable paddle boards, cocoa-free chocolate, and this[caffeine mist]( you spray in your mouth. 🎨 Haha: Enjoy these weirdly descriptive color [palettes]( in shades including “grassiest charcoal” and “uncloistered very pale green.” 🥤 That’s interesting: Meet the “[Root Beer Lady](,” a nurse who lived alone in the Minnesota wilderness for decades, brewing root beer from lake water. 🐂 That’s cool: Artist Andoni Bastarrika makes incredibly realistic [sculptures](, but they don’t last. They’re made from sand! 🤸 Wow: A 13-year-old girl in Japan broke 2 Guinness World Records for [spinning]( and doing the splits inside a wind tunnel at an indoor skydiving center. 🖥️  How to: Progressive web apps are online apps you can run on your desktop. Wired explains [how](. Meme of the day [The Office meme] Source: Bored Panda SHARE THE HUSTLE [Hustle Cons Greatest Hits ebook]( Over the years, we’ve learned… secrets. The business secrets, tips, and tricks that have helped founders go from zero to millions -- and even billions -- of dollars. Want to see ‘em? Just refer 3 more friends to The Hustle and we’ll send you our curated set of interviews with founders from brands like Zola, AWAY, Vungle, Bonobos, and more. Here’s a message you can use to share with your friends: Hey! Do you read The Hustle? It’s the best daily business newsletter out there -- only takes 5 minutes to read and you’ll sound like the smartest person in the room. Sign up here, it’s free: [ P.S. 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