• Influencers have filed a lawsuit against Capital One.
• They allege its Shopping extension hurt their earnings by unfairly claiming credit for sales.
• Capital One said it disagreed with the premise of the lawsuit.

First, the influencers came for PayPal's Honey. Now, Capital One is in the crosshairs.

Capital One is the subject of a lawsuit filed this week by creators, who allege the company's Shopping browser extension hurt their affiliate-marketing commissions by stealing credit for driving sales.

"We disagree with the premise of the complaint and look forward to defending ourselves in court," a Capital One spokesperson told Business Insider.

Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension that searches for discount codes and coupons, compares prices across around 30,000 online retailers, and lets users earn rewards that can be exchanged for gift cards. It makes money by earning a commission when its users purchase an item from its merchant partners.

In a class-action lawsuit filed on January 6 in a Virginia court, two creators who promote products on social media allege Capital One's Shopping browser extension is designed to "systematically appropriate commissions that belong to influencers."

The lawsuit alleges Capital One Shopping "stole credit" by swapping out influencers' affiliate-marketing browser cookies with its own. Cookies are small data files stored on a user's device that help companies track users' browsing history.

The war for the last click

Much like recent lawsuits filed by influencers against PayPal over its Honey browser extension, the Capital One Shopping case hones in on the marketing practice of "last-click attribution."

In this model, cookies, unique web links, promo codes, and other analytics tags are used to determine the last piece of content a user engages with before they make a purchase. That entity, be it a YouTube video or an ad, gets credit for the purchase.

The practice has fallen out of favor in some marketing circles because it doesn't consider the full cycle of convincing someone to buy a product. There are also concerns that some middlemen may try to game the system to unfairly claim last-click credit for purchases that they had little to do with.

Companies in the affiliate-marketing industry often seek to adhere to "stand down" practices, where they won't override another affiliate's cookies.

In their lawsuit, content creators Jesika Brodiski and Peter Hayward allege Capital One Shopping took credit for sales and conversions that were originally derived from affiliate-marketing links they shared to social media.

Brodiski shared affiliate-marketing links on social media for products on Walmart.com, and the lawsuit claims that — if a user had the Capital One Shopping extension activated during the checkout process — Capital One would remove her associated cookie and replace it with its own. The lawsuit said Brodiski earned around $20,000 through affiliate marketing in 2024 but that her earnings were hampered by Capital One Shopping.

Hayward is part of the Amazon affiliate-marketing program and similarly alleges Capital One would replace his referral tag with its own.

The lawsuit also alleges Brodiski and Hayward "face future harm in the form of stolen referral fees and sales commissions because the Capital One Shopping browser extension continues to steal affiliate marketing commissions with each passing day."

A court will need to certify the class action in order for the case to proceed

The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial. If the case is certified as a class action, other influencers could join the suit.

Christopher Roberts, partner and class action attorney at the law firm Butsch Roberts & Associates, told BI the most difficult part of such cases is getting the class certified. The court will need to rigorously analyze various factors, such as whether the class is big enough and whether it would make more sense to litigate complicated cases individually.

Certification aside, Roberts said he felt the case would come down to what discovery shows.

"This case, on its face, is very well-pled, and it's pretty specific as to the code for this app being supplanted on the computer so that they can get the affiliate payment," Roberts said.

• The third book in Rebecca Yarros' "Empyrean" series comes out on January 21.
• It will pick up where dragon rider Violet Sorrengail left off in "Iron Flame."
• Warning: This article contains major spoilers for "Fourth Wing" and "Iron Flame."

The much-anticipated third installment of Rebecca Yarros' "The Empyrean" series is finally hitting bookshelves.

"Onyx Storm," which continues Violet Sorrengail's journey to become a dragon rider, will be released on January 21 by Red Tower Books.

Yarros' dragon-filled romantasy world became massive in "Iron Flame," and it might be difficult to remember everything that happened in the sequel before you read the third "Empyrean" book.

Check out Business Insider's recap of the major events in "Iron Flame" so you're ready for "Onyx Storm." And if you need a refresher on the first installment in the series, you can also read BI's guide to "Fourth Wing."

The rest of this article contains major spoilers for "Fourth Wing" and "Iron Flame."

Violet Sorrengail was reckoning with some major shocks at the start of 'Iron Flame'

When "Iron Flame" opens, Violet Sorrengail is recovering from a battle that brought her face to face with venin and wyverns, evil creatures the government of Navarre — including her mother, General Lilith Sorrengail — told her weren't real.

The battle also revealed that her romantic interest, Xaden Riorson, and other students at Basgiath, the war college Violet attends, have been secretly fighting for the revolution, and it left her friend Liam dead.

As if those revelations weren't enough, Violet also awakens at a rebel outpost in Aretia to discover the mender who saved her life is Brennan, her brother she thought had died. Instead, he has been working with the rebels under an alias since his disappearance.

Violet and her other classmates decide to return to the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath before the school's graduation. They are under strict orders to keep the venin attack — and the true cause of Liam's death — secret. Violet also decides to try to find information about Navarre's wards to help protect innocents from the venin.

During the fight, Violet's younger dragon, Andarna, exerted so much power to protect Violet that she escalated her growth process and had to fall into a deep sleep to complete her change. Violet takes her to the Vale, the home of the dragons, to recover while she returns to Basgiath with her other dragon, Tairn.

New dangers at Basgiath

After graduation, Xaden is assigned to work at an outpost called Samara, a full-day flight away from Basgiath. Xaden and Violet, who is still a student, must visit each other every seven days so her dragon, Tairn, and his dragon, Sgaeyl, can see each other because they are mated.

Meanwhile, the imposing Vice Commandant Varrish comes to work at Basgiath, keeping a close eye on Violet and her classmates who were at the venin battle.

Violet also discovers that Jack Barlowe, her nemesis from "Fourth Wing," whom she thought she killed, was resurrected. Violet is wary of Jack as he's integrated back into Basgiath, but when a first-year student tries to kill her, Jack saves her, telling Violet they're even after his attempts on her life the previous year.

Violet and her squad continue to bond as they face new challenges in a Rider Survival Course. Violet also manages to steal a journal written by Lyra, one of the First Six Riders, from the royal family with their help. She hopes it can offer insight into how Basgiath's wards function.

The danger surrounding Violet at Basgiath comes to a head when Varrish and his cronies torture her for five days for stealing the journal. Visions of Liam keep Violet sane during the torture. When Varrish taps Violet's childhood friend Dain Aetos to wrench secrets from her mind with his signet power, he surprises them all by betraying Navarre and freeing Violet.

Xaden arrives soon after, and he and Violet kill Varrish and confess their love for each other. They also decide to reveal the existence of venin and wyvern to the Basgiath student body, giving their peers the chance to join them as they flee to join the rebels.

They manage to convince around 200 riders to leave with them, including Dain, Violet's squad, and even some teachers, heading to Xaden's home, Riorson House, for safety. Mira, Violet's sister, also joins her siblings at Basgiath.

Violet and her squad join the resistance

Andarna wakes up soon after Violet arrives at Riorson House, and she now appears to be a large, black dragon. Though she has matured into a moody adolescent, her disrupted growth means her wing muscles didn't develop correctly. She will never be able to bear a rider, which is heartbreaking for both her and Violet.

Meanwhile, Violet and the other cadets from Basgiath settle in with the rebels. They continue to train alongside gryphon riders — including Xaden's ex-girlfriend Cat — which can be fraught as the riders learn to trust each other.

Ahead of a wyvern attack, Violet manages to get the wards surrounding Aretia up, though they don't work as well as those in Navarre. Lilith then gives Violet Lyra's journal during a meeting because she wants her children to be safe, and Violet taps her Scribe friend Jesinia to translate it so they can find answers about the wards.

During their time at Riorson House, Violet realizes Xaden has a second signet he has kept secret from everyone but her. He confides in her that he is an inntinsic, allowing him to read people's intentions — a signet that riders are immediately killed for having because of the dangers they pose to other riders.

The conversation also hints that Violet has a second signet that has yet to be revealed because she is bonded with two dragons.

'Iron Flame' culminates with a battle at Basgiath

Violet and her friends rush back to Basgiath when they realize venin are launching an attack on the school. When they arrive, they discover that Jack has secretly turned venin months ago, and he destroys the wards after killing his own dragon.

Dragons, gryphons, and their riders work together to defend Basgiath from venin and wyverns in an intense battle. Brennan manages to mend the wardstone Jack broke, and Jesinia finally translates Lyra's journal, telling Violet they need a seventh type of dragon to make them work.

Jesinia's discovery makes Violet realize Andarna isn't a black dragon as she previously believed and is, in fact, the seventh breed of dragon. Andarna then tells Violet she didn't hatch for 650 years, as she was waiting specifically for her.

The dragons assemble to raise the wards, and Violet nearly gives all her power to secure them until her mother steps in. Lilith sacrifices herself, raising the wards and killing the invading wyvern.

Violet rushes to find Xaden after the battle, and she discovers he has the red-rimmed eyes associated with the venin, as he took power from the land to try to protect Violet. The book ends with Jack telling Xaden there is no known cure to turning venin.

Violet won't continue her studies at Basgiath in "Onyx Storm," instead traveling to find allies to help fight the venin — and save Xaden.

• Mom Lisa Ward lives in Topanga, between Palisades and Malibu, where the LA wildfires are raging.
• Her family was horrified when they saw TV images of their local high school burning to the ground.
• While her 17-year-old won't get the graduation he hoped for, his priority is to help homeless friends.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lisa Ward, 59, a stay at home mom from Topanga, California. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Our family is sheltering in Topanga, a canyon region between Palisades and Malibu that is being ravaged by California wildfires.

The generator turns on and off at random, but we're glued to the local TV news whenever we can be. On Tuesday — when the fires struck our area — my oldest son, Luc, 19, jumped up from the couch.

"That's the high school," he shouted, pointing to the footage of the flames and billowing smoke consuming the campus. "There's the locker building, the baseball field, and the football stadium — they're all burning."

We were in shock. We'd been in the stadium for Luc's graduation from Palisades Charter High School in 2023 and were proudly looking forward to sitting in the bleachers for his 17-year-old brother Cole's graduation in June.

Our youngest, Theo, 15, began as a freshman there last September.

It was terrible to see the campus ablaze, though we knew it wasn't as horrific as watching someone's home burn down. A few minutes earlier, Luc's girlfriend, Nikola, 19, had spotted her condo building on fire around a mile away from the school.

She sobbed in my arms. We later found out she'd lost everything except the bag of clothes she'd grabbed before evacuating. The branches of the trees were in flames as she ran to the car.

My son asked about his graduation and prom

Cole, our senior, was on a snowboarding trip with some classmates in Mammoth Mountain, a five-hour drive from Topanga. They found out about what happened to the high school on social media.

"I won't get my graduation ceremony at Pali High, will I?" Cole asked me. "Or prom?"

"No," I replied as gently as I could. I don't think you will." He had gone to his brother's graduation, and it had been an enormous thing. Cole is a linebacker on the school football team, which plays a huge role in the celebration.

Some people in his cohort have already had their pictures taken for the senior graduating yearbook in their formal dresses and suits. But this year's book can't be finished. The photo lab where they do it has gone.

I could tell Cole was upset, but he's a kid who puts things into perspective. It's best not to have a school than a home. Of the six kids who went to Mammoth Mountain, only two of them — including Cole — still had homes. We've told them that there'll always be a bed for them here as long as we're not evacuated.

Everyone is on edge as we worry about our houses. We haven't really had a chance to think about what classes will look like this year.

But Cole and Theo have been told they will start online schooling before the high school figures out how to relocate about 3,000 kids to other places.

The kids can't really process the events

Remote learning during the pandemic was a nightmare for everyone, particularly Theo, who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was younger. We didn't get through a single day without tears. The social isolation also affected the kids.

As for the here and now, they can't absorb what's going on. When you watch the fires on the news, the images are so shocking that they don't seem real. I can see it in their faces. "My darlings," I told them. "I don't think the human brain can process this because so much has gone in such a short space of time."

I'm a big communicator, even when the boys don't like it. Sometimes, I'll talk and hear nothing back, but I don't stop. I'm constantly checking in on them to tell them that I love them.

"By the time an actor gets to the point of improvisation in a Mike Leigh process, they've got a whole person that they're working with," Marianne Jean-Baptiste tells Newsweek.

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• Trump's nominees must file personal financial disclosures.
• Those reports include information on income, assets, and more.
• On Friday, the first disclosure report for a Trump nominee became public.

How you ever wondered how some of President-elect Donald Trump's appointees and nominees make money? We're starting to find out.

Just like House members, senators, and congressional candidates, Trump's nominees are required to file personal financial disclosures before they assume office or are confirmed by the US Senate.

Those disclosure reports, along with their ethics agreements, include details of each person's assets, sources and amounts of recent income, and other details of their personal finances.

The documents are likely to reveal information like Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth's salary at Fox News, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi's compensation for lobbying, and the sprawling assets of the billionaires working for the administration.

As of Friday, January 10, only one of these disclosures has been made public. This story will be updated as more become available.

• Delta reported fourth-quarter earnings that topped analyst expectations on Friday.
• Revenue from premium seats was a major bright spot for the airline.
• Shares soared more than 9% in trading following the announcement.

People are clamoring for premium air travel, and Delta Air Lines is cashing in on that demand.

The airline reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue on Friday, both of which beat Wall Street estimates. Massive growth in premium seat sales helped send shares up more than 9% in trading Friday.

Revenue from Delta's premium cabins, which include Delta One, Domestic First Class, and Delta Premium Select, increased 8% to over $5.2 billion in the quarter, versus a 2% growth in its main cabin.

Despite taking up a small fraction of an aircraft's cabin, premium seats generated $20.5 billion in revenue during 2024, just $4 billion shy of the amount brought in by economy.

For 2024, Delta reported $61.6 billion in total revenue, up 6% over 2023.

Delta President Glen Hauenstein said baby boomers have played a big role in driving that premium demand.

"Being a boomer myself, I'm proud of us driving our premium results," Hauenstein said during the company's earnings call on Friday. He expects younger generations to account for more premium demand as the older generation of consumers ages out.

"The newer generation is wealthier, and we have a bigger share of that generation. So excited not only for today as the boomers are driving it but excited for tomorrow as we pass it on to the next generations," Hauenstein said.

In recent years, Delta has introduced updated premium cabins and opened new and expanded Delta SkyClub lounges. The airline also recently opened its first DeltaOne business-class lounge in New York.

Americans are clamoring to go to Europe

Demand for international travel gave Delta a boost during the final quarter of 2024.

Transatlantic revenue increased by 6% despite a 2% capacity cut. Revenue from transpacific flights increased by 19%, but that required an outsize 24% capacity increase.

It looks like the strong demand for transatlantic travel will continue into 2025. Hauenstein said Americans' continued desire to travel to Europe during the early months of this year is due to the strong US dollar and will not compromise demand for flights this summer.

"You go to a restaurant in New York and then go to a restaurant in Europe, you'll see a vast difference in the bill," he said. "This is a great time to travel to Europe. People are seeing that."

Delta expects first-quarter 2025 revenue to be 7 to 9% higher than the same period in 2024.

Delta's lucrative credit card partnerships continued their hot streak.

The airline earned $2 billion in the quarter by selling frequent flyer miles to American Express to be offered as rewards card holders. That's up 14% from the same period in 2023.

• Meta is dropping many of its DEI initiatives, BI confirmed.
• The company sent a memo announcing the changes on Friday.
• Meta's VP of human resources said the legal and policy landscape in the US was changing.

Meta is rolling back its DEI programs, Business Insider has learned.

The company's vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale, announced the move on its internal communication platform, Workplace, on Friday, which was seen by BI.

"We will no longer have a team focused on DEI," Gale wrote in the memo.

"The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing," she wrote. "The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI."

She added the term DEI has "become charged" partly because it is "understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others."

Meta confirmed the changes when contacted by Business Insider.

On Monday, Meta said that it is also replacing fact-checkers with community notes on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Meta is the latest company to back away from DEI in the wake of a backlash, legal challenges, and the reelection of Donald Trump as US president.

Read the full memo:

Hi all,

I wanted to share some changes we're making to our hiring, development and procurement practices. Before getting into the details, there is some important background to lay out:

The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing. The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. It reaffirms longstanding principles that discrimination should not be tolerated or promoted on the basis of inherent characteristics. The term "DEI" has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.

At Meta, we have a principle of serving everyone. This can be achieved through cognitively diverse teams, with differences in knowledge, skills, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Such teams are better at innovating, solving complex problems and identifying new opportunities which ultimately helps us deliver on our ambition to build products that serve everyone. On top of that, we've always believed that no-one should be given - or deprived- of opportunities because of protected characteristics, and that has not changed.

Given the shifting legal and policy landscape, we're making the following changes:

• On hiring, we will continue to source candidates from different backgrounds, but we will stop using the Diverse Slate Approach. This practice has always been subject to public debate and is currently being challenged. We believe there are other ways to build an industry-leading workforce and leverage teams made up of world-class people from all types of backgrounds to build products that work for everyone.
• We previously ended representation goals for women and ethnic minorities. Having goals can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender. While this has never been our practice, we want to eliminate any impression of it.
• We are sunsetting our supplier diversity efforts within our broader supplier strategy. This effort focused on sourcing from diverse-owned businesses; going forward, we will focus our efforts on supporting small and medium sized businesses that power much of our economy. Opportunities will continue to be available to all qualified suppliers, including those who were part of the supplier diversity program.
• Instead of equity and inclusion training programs, we will build programs that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.
• We will no longer have a team focused on DEI. Maxine Williams is taking on a new role at Meta, focused on accessibility and engagement.

What remains the same are the principles we've used to guide our People practices:

1. We serve everyone. We are committed to making our products accessible, beneficial and universally impactful for everyone.
2. We build the best teams with the most talented people. This means sourcing people from a range of candidate pools, but never making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics (e.g. race, gender etc.). We will always evaluate people as individuals.
3. We drive consistency in employment practices to ensure fairness and objectivity for all. We do not provide preferential treatment, extra opportunities or unjustified credit to anyone based on protected characteristics nor will we devalue impact based on these characteristics.
4. We build connection and community. We support our employee communities, people who use our products, and those in the communities where we operate. Our employee community groups (MRGs) continue to be open to all.

Meta has the privilege to serve billions of people every day. It's important to us that our products are accessible to all, and are useful in promoting economic growth and opportunity around the world. We continue to be focused on serving everyone, and building a multi-talented, industry-leading workforce from all walks of life.

Do you work at Meta? Contact the reporters from a non-work email and device at [email protected]; [email protected]; and [email protected].

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