• Silicon Valley has started reassessing whether higher token use actually boosts productivity.
• Business Insider asked four executives how they measure AI ROI at Mistral AI's summit in Paris.
• They said they focus on business outcomes, not how many tokens employees consumed.

Silicon Valley has spent the past year turning AI usage into a scoreboard.

But after asking four executives about how they measure AI return on investment at Mistral AI's summit in Paris last month, I noticed something striking: none of them started by talking about how many AI tokens employees were using.

Charles Holive, chief AI officer at BNP Paribas CIB, said his team focuses on outcomes rather than what he called "vanity metrics."

"We try to go away from vanity metrics — billions of tokens per day," he said. "We try to make sure that what we track is an outcome, not a vanity metric."

Instead of asking how many AI tokens employees have used, Holive said he asks: "What did you do, you didn't do before? How much faster did you do it?"

Antoine Pichot, director of innovation, digital and data at La Banque Postale, told Business Insider the bank measures AI by whether it makes employees more efficient, improves customer service, and delivers value for money.

Amit Kapur, chief AI and transformation officer at Tata Consultancy Services, one of the world's largest IT services and consulting firms, said his focus is on whether AI is improving business performance rather than just how many tokens employees consume.

Meanwhile, Sujay Bhattacharya, NTT DATA's executive managing director and global head of Digital Workplace Services and Mistral AI, who helps large companies adopt AI tools from multiple AI providers, said his customers are increasingly looking beyond token counts and focusing on the overall cost and business value of AI projects.

The 'tokenmaxxing' backlash

The comments at Mistral's AI summit come as some US companies are beginning to shift away from "tokenmaxxing" — the idea that greater AI use and higher token consumption automatically lead to higher productivity.

Amazon shut down an internal AI-use leaderboard last month after employees began performing tasks simply to climb the rankings.

Uber COO Andrew Macdonald has publicly questioned whether higher AI spending is producing more useful products, saying it remains difficult to draw a direct line between token consumption and customer value.

Meanwhile, OpenAI, Anthropic, and GitHub have all moved toward usage-based pricing for businesses, putting more pressure on employees at customer companies to prove that higher AI usage is delivering meaningful returns.

The shift away from tokenmaxxing doesn't mean companies have stopped tracking AI token usage.

Holive said his team at BNP Paribas CIB continues to monitor token consumption to control costs and measure adoption.

But the executives I spoke to in Paris all appeared to agree on one thing: while tokens may tell you how much AI is being used, they don't necessarily tell you whether it's yielding a tangible return on investment.

• Instawork is launching Instacore, a wearable camera system for gig workers.
• The system records workers doing tasks to help train robots.
• CEO Sumir Meghani says gig workers could become robot wranglers and trainers.

The robot-training gold rush is coming for gig work.

Instawork, best known for matching hourly staff with shifts at hotels, warehouses, and stadiums, is launching a wearable camera system that helps gig workers collect real-world data for training machines.

Business Insider got the first look at the new system, called Instacore. It includes five cameras mounted on the head, chest, and wrists, connected to a compute backpack built to last an eight-hour shift.

The goal is to have Instawork workers, known as Pros, record themselves doing tasks on the job, from chopping vegetables in a commercial kitchen to stocking shelves in a grocery store. That footage can then be used by robotics companies and AI labs trying to teach robots how to operate in commercial environments.

Instawork, which has raised more than $150 million from investors including Benchmark, Greylock, and Spark Capital, declined to name customers but said it is working with leading research labs.

This is part of a growing scramble for real-world data as AI moves from chatbots to machines that can act in the physical world. Sam Altman has declared robotics OpenAI's next frontier, while Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla are all ramping up their own robotics efforts.

Instawork has about 10 million Pros on its platform, giving it access to a wide range of tasks and settings. That variety makes the data more valuable to AI labs and robotics companies trying to train robots for the messiness of the real world.

"We will be rolling out Instacore across the world and collecting what we think will be the largest and most diverse commercial data set for robotics," said Aaron Bromberg, head of robotics at Instawork and a former Amazon technologist who worked on the company's Astro home robot.

'Instacore inception"

At Instawork's Mountain View warehouse, workers were already wearing Instacore systems to record themselves assembling more of the devices.

"It's like Instacore inception — they're recording data of themselves as they build the units," Bromberg said as he gave me a tour.

Two months ago, the space was empty. Instawork has moved into hardware at remarkable speed after nearly a decade as a labor marketplace. After noticing last year that robotics companies were posting shifts on Instawork's platform, CEO Sumir Meghani began taking walks with founders near Y Combinator's headquarters in Dogpatch to learn more about robotics.

"People start to use your product in ways you didn't intend, and then you follow that signal," Meghani said. "It struck me that robotics is the intersection of physical labor — which we are really good at — and AI."

No RoboCop

The biggest challenge was designing a system that Pros could wear across a wide range of jobs. Bromberg said the company did not want to build something that made workers look like RoboCop.

Early versions were too heavy, did not have enough battery life, and got too hot, making some workers feel like they had portable space heaters strapped to their backs. Instawork kept iterating based on feedback from Pros.

The final system balances worker comfort with the detailed data robotics companies want. Two head cameras help calculate depth, a chest camera captures the broader environment, and wrist cameras track hand movement. The system also syncs video and sensor data, and weighs less than three pounds.

"You definitely have to get used to it," said Aaron Kerchner, an Instawork Pro who is now an on-site supervisor at the Mountain View facility. "There are cables that can get caught on things, and so you learn to be aware of it."

Instawork is currently assembling hundreds of Instacore systems in Mountain View, but plans to move production overseas to scale up. Parts are sourced from China and the US, while some are 3-D printed in-house.

Other companies are also using gig workers to collect real-world data. A few weeks ago, a startup called shift went viral in New York for offering free apartment cleanings if cleaners could wear head-mounted cameras as they did dishes, mopped floors, and folded laundry.

Instawork plans to send thousands of Pros to gigs wearing Instacore. Data collection will be opt-in and anonymized, the company said.

Meghani's long-term bet is that physical AI, a term popularized by Jensen Huang to describe AI systems that can act in the real world, will create new jobs, including robot "wranglers," trainers, and technicians.

"Because of the acceleration of physical AI, there are all these new jobs being created, and our focus is on making our Pros relevant in a world with robots," Meghani said.

The HSBC Championships are always exciting grass tournaments ahead of Wimbledon, but this year's event has catapulted to WTA must-watch status with the return of tennis icon Serena Williams. We've rounded up everything you need to know about where to watch Queen's Tennis, including free and global streaming options.

If you don't want to read any further, the Queen's Club Championships will be available to live stream for free through BBC iPlayer in the UK, via the Tennis Channel and live TV services in the US, TSN in Canada, and beIN Sports in Australia. You can access streaming from anywhere with the help of a VPN. Keep reading to learn additional worldwide viewing options.

Where to watch Queen's Tennis in the UK

Broadcast coverage of the Queen's Club Championships will be available free on the BBC for UK fans. Early matches will air on BBC Two, and later matches, including the final, will be on BBC One. All coverage will be available to live stream for free through BBC iPlayer. Viewers will just need to create an account if they don't already have one.

How to watch Queen's Tennis from anywhere

Tennis fans who will be away from the UK during any notable matches are in luck. They can still access their free streaming service with a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy tech tools that let people temporarily alter the location on their electronic devices. They're especially popular among those hoping to keep up with their usual apps and websites while traveling abroad or looking to upgrade their cybersecurity.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market. It's fast, user-friendly (even for beginners), and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so it's no sweat if you find it's not helping you.

Where to watch Queen's Tennis in the US

In the US, coverage of the Queen's Club Championships will be available through the Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel 2 (T2). You can live stream coverage directly with a subscription through the Tennis Channel website or via a live TV service. Some of the best live TV streaming services we've tested (with Tennis Channel and T2) are DirecTV, Fubo, and Sling TV.

Fubo carries Tennis Channel and T2 in its Sports + News plan, which costs $56 a month ($10 off the first month after a five-day free trial for new customers). DirecTV carries Tennis Channel in its MySports plan, which costs $65 a month ($15 off the first two months after a five-day free trial). T2 is available for free through a MyFree DirecTV account.

Sling TV also offers T2 for free through its Sling Freestream plan. To watch the main Tennis Channel, you'll need a base plan and then the Sports Extra add-on. Sling TV prices vary by plan, and whether you're opting for a monthly plan or a short-term Sling Orange pass with the Sports Extra add-on.

Note: VPN use is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content may constitute a breach of the terms of use for some services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

• In a breakthrough for longevity science, a reverse-aging treatment has been injected into a human.
• The technique is a sought-after solution for improving longevity by reprogramming cells.
• Competitors in the space include projects backed by Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, and Eli Lilly.

A first-of-its-kind shot that promises to reverse aging was just injected into a human body.

It's a pivotal moment for longevity science, the first opportunity for researchers to prove that epigenetic reprogramming — a technique that trains aging cells to act young again — can actually improve how people age in the real world.

On Tuesday, Boston-based biotech startup Life Biosciences announced that its first patient has been dosed with a cellular reprogramming injection, designed to reverse age-related diseases.

Billionaires, including Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman, as well as pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Merck, have been increasingly investing in this idea, which, until now, had been relegated to mouse and monkey research.

If this first human trial is successful, it could usher in a new era of aging therapies aimed at making cells more youthful across the body, in a bid to improve how our DNA is expressed as we age.

In this case, the injection went into one eyeball of a single person with glaucoma. The company did not share any other information about the patient. Over the next six months, scientists will be watching to see how well the technique works, while doctors keep an eye out for any safety issues.

"To me, it represents a potential transformational moment, not only for the company, not only for the field of aging biology, but I think potentially, and I don't say this lightly, for medicine," Life Biosciences CEO Jerry McLaughlin told Business Insider, shortly before the news was announced.

"We're really looking at the ability to restore function, to reverse disease at a very fundamental level in the body."

What is cellular reprogramming? Unpacking the hottest trend in longevity science

The concept of cellular reprogramming has been one of the most tantalizing theories in longevity science for almost two decades.

In 2007, scientist and surgeon Shinya Yamanaka first successfully reprogrammed adult human cells, work that later won him a Nobel Prize. The "Yamanaka Factors," as they are now called, are four specific proteins that he discovered can reprogram cells, basically making old cells act brand new again.

Longevity scientists would like to unlock new ways to partially reprogram old cells, so they don't get completely reprogrammed into newborn ("undifferentiated") stem cells, but instead can act more youthful and resilient, while still maintaining their identity and role in the body. Two hot areas of research include liver cells and muscle cells. The goal is to improve how the cells in these tissues perform, optimizing our strength and vitality as we get older.

In recent years, multiple researchers and companies have been throwing wads of cash at this idea, trying to unlock the best way to safely and effectively test partial reprogramming in a living person without pushing cells all the way back to their birth state.

Pharmaceutical giants are beginning to take notice. This month, Eli Lilly was part of a late-stage $435 million series C funding round for New Limit, another biotech startup focused on cellular reprogramming. Merck Animal Health just poured new funding into Rejuvenate Bio. And tech titans Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman are also funding Silicon Valley startups, Altos Labs and Retro Biosciences based on this buzzy concept.

But Life Biosciences is the first to test this in humans, with a little under 20 patients slated to participate in the initial FDA trial of ER-100. Clinics in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, and Charleston are recruiting patients with either glaucoma or NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy), a common cause of sudden vision loss.

The company's cofounder, Harvard geneticist David Sinclair, is one of the most well-known and controversial figures in longevity science. Sinclair, who's no longer involved in the day-to-day operations at Life Biosciences, has been known for hyping up his own experimental anti-aging treatments that have never quite met expectations. But for all his misses, his ideas helped lay the foundation for this new trial, which, if successful, could be groundbreaking.

The risks and rewards of achieving cellular reprogramming are both sky-high

The potential for cellular reprogramming to reshape how doctors diagnose and treat disease is massive.

If cells can be re-engineered to perform better as we age, there are applications well beyond better eyesight and stronger muscles. The therapies could, one day, extend healthy life. (Though any potential drug in this category is still likely more than a decade away from being FDA-approved.)

"I think we're in the early days of showing the technology works, and it absolutely makes sense to start in the eye, but I think it gets truly exciting when we start getting towards these ideas of systemic changes," Daniel Oliver, the CEO and co-founder of cellular reprogramming startup Rejuvenate Bio, told Business Insider.

"These technologies get really, really exciting when you go into things like muscle, possibly liver, neuronal tissue, where we absolutely know that when you have positive effects there, it tends to have positive effects across the body."

A big concern with cellular reprogramming is cancer. Critics have been worried because two of the four cellular reprogramming factors Yamanaka identified are oncogenes, which can divide indefinitely. In cellular reprogramming research on mice, some have developed cancerous tumors.

In the case of Life Biosciences, researchers are controlling their reprogramming therapy with a pill-based on/off switch — participants in this trial are taking the common antibiotic doxycycline daily to activate the therapy. If there are safety concerns during the trial, patients could stop taking their daily pill, and the cellular reprogramming will stop. They're also only using three of the four Yamanaka factors in this therapy, skipping the one that is most closely associated with cancer development.

Longevity scientists acknowledge that these therapies have the potential to make a significant difference in how we age, with a much greater impact than supplements or repurposed generic drugs.

They're also cautious. On a recent episode of longevity researcher Matt Kaeberlein's podcast, he asked his colleague Brian Kennedy, who directs the Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University Health System in Singapore, what he thought about where this is all headed.

"I am supportive of the concept of epigenetic reprogramming, partly because I think that it has, conceptually, the potential to have a big effect on aging if it can be done correctly," Kennedy said on the podcast. "I've always been skeptical that we have enough knowledge to do that safely and effectively in a human."

"Having said that, this is an interesting place to look," he added, since the eye is semi-protected and sheltered from the rest of the body, it's "presumably going to have less side effects."

• South Korea's main stock index, the Kospi, is having a turbulent start to the week.
• The index lost more than 8% on Monday, then rebounded by 8% on Tuesday, erasing its losses.
• The Kospi has gained more than 180% in the past 12 months as AI investors pour into the country.

South Korea's red-hot stock market index, the Kospi, is experiencing a volatile start to the week, dropping 8% on Monday, before gaining 8% on Tuesday.

The Kospi dropped sharply at Monday's open, losing around 700 points, or 8%, as investors took stock of a US market sell-off at the end of last week, which particularly affected tech stocks.

On Tuesday, it recovered all those losses, closing at 8,096 points, a gain of 8.2% on the day, and around 50 points above its Monday opening price.

"A day with a rise or fall of less than 5% in the Kospi has become rare — a sign of just how volatile this market has become," Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at Swissquote, wrote in a morning email.

South Korea's stock market is dominated by two tech giants — Samsung and SK Hynix — which have both passed market capitalizations of more than $1 trillion in recent weeks.

The two firms account for around half of the index's total market capitalization, meaning that when they see big share price movements, the Kospi is also likely to move sharply.

On Monday, SK Hynix lost more than 10% of its value, while Samsung dropped around 8%. On Tuesday, Hynix gained 15%, while Samsung rose 9%.

The fortunes of both companies are closely linked to US AI giants like Nvidia and Google, so when US tech stocks suffer, so too does the Korean market at large. As a chipmaker, SK Hynix is particularly vulnerable to US market moves.

On Friday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq index in the US plunged almost 5%, driven lower by profit-taking among investors in the semiconductor sector. As Korea's market was closed by the time the Nasdaq made its move on Friday, the impact of the US sell-off wasn't fully felt in Asia until Monday.

Long regarded as something of a backwater in the investment world, the South Korean stock market has shaken off that reputation in the past couple of years.

The Kospi has more than tripled since the start of 2025, driven not only by the global AI rally, but also by market reforms aimed at making the country a more attractive investment destination.

• The New York Knicks' run through the NBA playoffs has helped Madison Square Garden stock.
• Shares of both MSG Sports and Entertainment are near record highs.
• MSG's momentum will only continue amid reports Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce plan to get married at the arena.

Last night's Knicks game brought a spectacle to Madison Square Garden that's rarely been seen in modern US sports history.

The cheapest ticket just to get into the building for Game 3 of the NBA Finals cost thousands of dollars. Two tickets on celebrity row fetched $1 million in an auction. Speaking of which, the vast array of celebs who have become mainstays — including Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe, Larry David, and Spike Lee — showed up in force. Even President Trump, whose security detail created a TSA-like environment around the arena, was there to root on the Knicks.

And that was just inside the arena. To truly appreciate the next-level fandom of the Knicks, one must understand the madness that happens outside MSG before, during, and after games — the chants, the wildly dressed characters, the viral moments.

While the Knicks lost on Monday night, they had rattled off 13 straight wins before that. The excitement level remains at a fever pitch heading into Game 4 on Wednesday.

No matter who you're a fan of (I'm actually a ride-or-die Chicago Bulls supporter … blech) it's impossible to deny that the Knicks and MSG have something special.

But fear not, non-sports-loving investors: this success and heightened interest has manifested itself in the stock market, namely in the form of strong gains for both of MSG's sports- and arena-specific entities.

The chart below shows the market-beating gains in action. Over the past year, shares of MSG Sports (which owns the NBA's Knicks and the NHL's Rangers) have soared 103%, while MSG Entertainment (which owns the MSG arena, Radio City Music Hall, and the Beacon Theatre) has climbed 89%.

Note that both stocks have climbed throughout the NBA playoffs, as the Knicks have mostly blown past the competition.

Curry Baker, a Guggenheim Securities analyst who covers MSG Sports, recently boosted his price target on the stock specifically because of the Knicks' recent success. The logic is simple: a team that plays in high-demand, do-or-die playoff games will generate more revenue and increase its value. (Do you hear that, Bulls?)

Other positives cited by Baker also included a possible spin-off of the Knicks and Rangers into separately traded entities, as well as the NBA's plans to expand into two new markets, and a possible foray into Europe.

As for MSG Entertainment, power couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly planning to get married at the arena in July, an event that's sure to deliver heavy buzz — and revenue.

Both MSG companies roll up into Knicks owner James Dolan. Add in Sphere Entertainment, which is also owned by Dolan — and is enjoying a record-setting stock surge of its own — it's clear that he's having a moment.

His flagship sports team is on the brink of a title, and it's the hottest ticket in town during the week that the soccer World Cup starts. He has people traveling from around the country to spend thousands on legacy musical acts in a unique, visually unprecedented environment.

Dolan is making loads of money — for himself, and for investors — by facilitating fun and enjoyment for thousands of people. It's a feel-good story all around. Now the Knicks just need two more wins to truly solidify this golden era.

Hollywood workers, take note.

An AI-made feature film headed to the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday offers a glimpse of what filmmaking jobs could look like in the future.

Ash Koosha, the creative force behind "Dreams of Violets," said he brought it to life almost entirely alone from his London flat using Anthropic's Claude and other AI tools in lieu of a traditional cast and crew. It is the first fully AI-generated feature film to screen at Tribeca, one of the most competitive stages in independent cinema.

An Iranian exile, Koosha said he relied on AI out of necessity to create the film, which he described as a memorial to the victims of the Iranian government's January crackdown on protesters. He said he would've preferred a full production, but he couldn't safely erect a set in Iran or put real actors' lives at risk of retaliation.

"I've been subject to the prosecution, the brutality in Iran," he told Business Insider. His goal, he explained, was to create a visualization of events that the world would likely never fully witness through traditional journalism or filmmaking.

"Dreams of Violets" follows five strangers hiding from a violent soldier during a protest crackdown, while a child in a wheelchair witnesses their plight and decides to intervene. It is set in Tehran and was inspired by real events from 47 years of civilian resistance.

AI's role in filmmaking first became a point of tension during the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes. Koosha's experiment provides a real-world example of how the technology could dramatically alter employment across cinema, from pre-production to the silver screen.

His film's place on the Tribeca slate also raises a thorny question: If one person can make a festival-caliber film with AI, what happens to Hollywood jobs?

"I didn't need anyone to do this," said Koosha, 40. "Not a single employee."

Koosha doesn't see AI replacing conventional filmmaking altogether. Though he said some stories are impossible to tell through traditional filmmaking, he added that "others are impossible to make with AI."

He credits AI for giving him more than just independence. He said it also allowed him to work at "the speed of news." He produced "Dreams of Violets" in roughly two months and said he could've gotten it done in just three weeks if he didn't have a day job as the CEO of a tech-infrastructure startup.

The 75-minute production cost only about $2,000, according to Koosha, which is significantly less than most microbudget independent films. He said the budget consisted largely of subscription fees for AI tools he normally pays for, plus some additional usage credits.

Koosha said he wrote the script himself and used AI primarily to generate video elements that would otherwise have required a team of people, such as actors, costume designers, location scouts, and camera operators. He stressed that he was in control the entire time.

"I am the pure 100% decider of the output," he said. "I'm only using AI models to render, almost print, the output that I desire."

Koosha's background is mainly in music production and technology. He said he doesn't consider himself a filmmaker, though he played the lead role in "No One Knows About Persian Cats," a 2009 film about his life that won a Cannes award and forced him into exile. He said he also unsuccessfully attempted to direct a feature film in 2015 because it required more than he could afford or technically execute at the time.

Still, Koosha said AI isn't a substitute for filmmaking expertise, and he doesn't want "Dreams of Violets" to leave people with the impression that anyone can suddenly produce a movie by typing prompts into an AI app.

"This is the false advertisement of the current AI model sellers," he said. "It's an absolute joke."

Besides, he added, the AI tools he used were available to others at the same time, so technology alone doesn't explain the film's success in getting accepted into a major festival.

"The models themselves did not do this film," he said. "You have to be a cinema-affiliated person."

What "Dreams of Violets" shows, said Koosha, is that AI isn't eliminating filmmaking expertise so much as it is changing how that expertise is applied. He said the future belongs to people who already understand the industry's fundamentals and can translate those instincts into AI workflows.

This means some film jobs could evolve rather than disappear. Workers who once handled physical production tasks may instead spend more time on research, world-building, image generation, and creative decision-making, he said, and experts in areas such as lighting and sound might apply their techniques through AI tools rather than on a set.

"They know so much about positioning of light and reflections and the camera and the cinematographer's needs," he said. "If they learn how to store lighting in image generation in AI, that by itself is a specialist job."

To be sure, there is at least one area where AI comes up short, Koosha said: Voice acting. With "Dreams of Violets," Koosha said he voiced six characters, including a woman and a child. He said AI voice models lack realism and that he used a basic voice changer to adjust for gender and age.

For his next film, Koosha is looking to hire five individuals who will use AI just as he did, so together they can accomplish more and in less time than he did with "Dreams of Violets."

"Those are new jobs, and they require cinema experience," he said. "I can't just get anyone from any industry and bring them in."

• Ukrainian mobile air defense groups are learning to operate new, high-tech interceptor drones.
• The crews have historically used .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns to battle Russian drones.
• Even with new weapons, they aren't quite ready to say goodbye to the aging guns.

IRPIN, Ukraine — The soldiers arrived in darkness. Pulling up to a field in a van, they began quietly setting up their ground control station on the side of the road. Headlamps cut through the night as they prepared to launch.

Before sending up the interceptor drone, they flew a small quadcopter out to scout the area and check for radar interference. Inside the van, the Ukrainians watched its progress on a computer screen.

Suddenly, the feed vanished into static.

Something had disrupted the scout drone's signal, likely electronic interference. They couldn't launch the interceptor, and the mission was grounded before it began.

In moments like these, it's good to have a fallback.

Ukrainian mobile air defense crews, such as this one in a Kyiv suburb, have long used .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns mounted on the beds of pickup trucks to battle the Russian one-way attack drones regularly striking their cities.

But like other mobile defense units in Ukraine, they are learning to use high-tech interceptor drones alongside the Browning, a particularly versatile American-made heavy weapon designed at the end of World War I and fielded in the early 1930s.

Business Insider recently linked up with this unit to observe soldiers as they trained on the interceptors. Losing the scout drone to suspected electronic interference underscores how delicate these operations are at a time when electronic warfare is becoming more prominent not just on the battlefield but also in civilian areas.

Interceptor drones are playing an increasingly important role in Ukraine's air defense network, making mastery essential for mobile fire groups. Last year, Russia modified its drones to fly faster and at higher altitudes, well beyond machine-gun range, leaving their effectiveness in question.

The interceptor drones, which can hunt targets at altitudes of up to 5,000 meters and at speeds of nearly 200 mph, help close that gap. The mobile unit near Kyiv is training with the P1-Sun and Bullet, two models made by Ukrainian companies Skyfall and General Cherry, respectively.

Despite their advantages, the interceptors are not without their limitations. They are hamstrung by poor weather and electronic interference, as demonstrated by the training incident. Russia has also upgraded some of its drone tactics to make them more maneuverable to avoid interception.

"There are different conditions where Browning machine guns are still really effective," explained Oleksiy, commander of the mobile air defense unit. He could only be identified by his first name for security reasons.

The old machine guns are useful against Russian drones flying low enough to evade radar, at altitudes up to 100 meters. Video footage of an engagement earlier in the day showed one of the machine gunners in Oleksiy's unit firing at Shaheds during a massive Russian bombardment across Ukraine.

"This is a deeply layered defense system that includes different types of weapons and means of engagement," Oleksiy said.

A pilot with Oleksiy's unit who is training on the relatively new interceptor drones said previous experience with first-person-view (FPV) drones helped prepare her for the interceptors.

The pilot, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said one challenge in learning to use interceptor drones is getting comfortable controlling an aircraft at much higher altitudes than she is used to. She said she is eager to put those skills to use in combat.

"I want the war to end," she said. "My children live here, and I want to do something."

Ukrainian officials have described interceptor drones as a successful and growing part of the country's wider air-defense network.

Oleksiy Vyskub, the country's first deputy defense minister, told Business Insider in a recent interview that while these weapons are used alongside aviation assets, such as helicopters, and other antiaircraft systems, the interceptor drones account for "the majority" of drone kills.

The share of Russian Shahed drones shot down by low-cost interceptor drones has doubled since the start of the year, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's defense minister, told reporters last month. Interceptor drone deliveries have also increased.

"This is a cheaper, faster, and more scalable response to Russia's mass attacks," Fedorov said.

Ukrainians have said that there is a definite learning curve to mastering the interceptor drones, although mobile air defense units like Oleksiy's are more than ready to give it a go.

"We always try to master every new technology we get," Oleksiy shared. "At first, it was regular FPV drones, then interceptor drones. We believe the more technologically advanced we are, the better our chances of victory."

• Our California-based family has cheered the Knicks on across the country this season.
• From coast to coast, Knicks fans share an instant, unbreakable bond wherever they find each other.
• Watching this historic run alongside strangers who feel like family has been unforgettable.

My husband grew up in New York in the 80s, watching the Knicks, and moving to California did nothing to change his support for the team.

As a lifelong Knicks fan, the fact that their last Finals appearance was in 1999 and that their last Championship win was before he was even born had no bearing on his love for his team. He watched through all of it, mostly alone on the couch, the only basketball fan in his family.

Over the years, my husband invested countless hours teaching our family the players, the history, and the game. Our kids, now 19 and 13, were mildly interested at times, but their love for the Knicks grew over time.

I was born and raised in California, and so were our kids, but through and through, we're a Knicks family. It wasn't until this year that my husband — and his team — are finally getting the respect and recognition that he's been telling us they deserve all along.

Taking the show on the road

For years, whenever the Knicks came to Los Angeles, we packed up the family and went to cheer them on. But this season, we've taken our Knicks family on the road to support them across the country. We flew to Salt Lake City for a quick 24-hour trip just to watch them play the Utah Jazz. Walking up to the venue, Knicks fans were coming from every direction, strangers yelling "Go Knicks!" across the street.

That's the thing about being a New York fan outside New York: the moment you spot another one, the connection is instant, and the cheering begins.

When the Knicks made the playoffs against Atlanta, my husband wanted to see them in a playoff game for the first time in his life. Tickets to see them at home at Madison Square Garden were too expensive, but we scored seats in the first section in Atlanta at a price we could stomach. As always, we were surrounded by Knicks fans because they come from far and wide; that's just what they do.

It was an intense game, and the Knicks lost by one point in the final moments. Walking out of the arena, two young fans stopped my husband. They were devastated, asking whether the Knicks were done after two straight losses. He stood with them for over half an hour, one lifelong fan talking two younger ones through it, the way you do when you've carried this hope for decades and recognize it in someone else. That night was the turning point. After that, the Knicks went on a 13-game winning streak. As a Knicks family, we feel like we had a small part in that.

Finding our Knicks community

For Game 1 of the conference finals, I looked online to see if I could find a fun place to watch the action with other fans. I came across the Instagram account for the Left Coast Knicks, a legendary community of fans in Los Angeles. Before noon, people lined up at 33 Taps, a bar they had posted about online for their watch party. Many had laptops and playing cards in hand, committed to spending the whole day there just to be together for tip-off. We got there two hours early, and the bar was already full, not a seat in the house. Luckily, the organizers expanded into the restaurant next door.

Our family of four scored the front table, and within minutes, my husband was connecting with everyone around us. They weren't strangers. They were the Knicks family we were going to spend the next two hours cheering, yelling, and rooting with. We high-fived on every basket and questioned every ref call together. Our kids were surrounded by Knicks fans, and they were cheering as loudly as everyone around them.

We're still going strong

We live halfway between LA and San Diego, so on Wednesday, we're headed to join the SD Knicks for Game 4, another community that found each other through nothing but their shared love of our team.

Everyone says New York fans are different. When you're a New York fan, you already know that. But this Knicks run has shown the world that we are on a different level. Fans fill away stadiums because even when you leave New York, you never stop being a New Yorker.

My husband spent his childhood watching games alone. The childhood our kids are growing up in looks completely different: family cheering, arenas filled with Knicks fans as we travel the country, and watch parties where strangers walk in and immediately become family. Whatever happens, every member of our family will carry this experience with them forever. Go New York, go New York, go!

• EY's global consulting AI leader said cost-cutting represents the smallest ROI for companies.
• Dan Diasio said companies should focus on AI for growth, not just efficiency.
• He said by focusing on cost-cutting, leaders are creating fear, which can block creativity.

Wall Street tends to reward CEOs who slash jobs in the name of efficiency.

However, those companies are leaning into an area with the "smallest level of return," Dan Diasio, EY's global consulting AI leader, told Business Insider.

"There's a very clear limit to the amount of value you can create by just focusing on productivity and cost reduction," said Diasio, who also serves as EY's Americas consulting CTO.

He said AI may be able to shrink the time spent on a task, but it doesn't necessarily eliminate the job around it. If cost reduction is the main strategy, those companies are effectively asking AI to pay for itself by reducing headcount.

Diasio doesn't discount that AI can be a powerful tool for cost reduction and increased productivity, especially in areas like software engineering. At EY, Diasio said that AI has enabled engineers to move much faster and, in some cases, has begun merging multiple engineering roles into a single job.

Diasio added that it's understandable that CFOs want a clear return on technology spend and AI investment. After all, AI doesn't come cheap: Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google plan to spend as much as $725 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, according to first-quarter earnings calls. That's roughly $100 billion more in total than originally projected for the year.

Leaders focused only on efficiency may also find that they still need people to run, supervise, improve, and govern AI-enabled workflows. If too much is automated without human context, the output can become generic, brittle, or disconnected from what customers and employees actually need, Diasio said.

However, productivity gains and cost savings are related, not identical. Software engineering clearly demonstrates that distinction, he said.

AI tools speed up coding, drafting, analysis, research, testing, summarization, and workflow routing. However, the role still involves judgment, architecture, coordination, exception handling, client or user context, review, and overall ownership, Diasio said. Companies may see productivity gains before they see structural cost reduction, he said.

Diasio added that leaders cannot ignore the full cost of AI-enabled workflows. These tools still require platforms, governance, human oversight, adoption, maintenance, and recovery when things go wrong, he said. A working AI tool is not automatically an AI tool that pays for itself, the leader said.

He added that when companies approach AI with fear-based strategies, they risk stifling employees' creativity. In the age of AI, many employers have ramped up the pressure on workers with AI-related layoffs or AI leaderboards tied to evaluations. Diasio said that if workers believe AI is only a head-count weapon, they're less likely to help redesign the work.

Diasio said AI's bigger opportunity lies in driving growth by creating new business possibilities. Diasio said that potential "has no limit," and the harder question to ask isn't whether AI can perform a task, but whether the organization can redesign workflows around that capability, he said.

"The real promise is about unlocking new things, and that can be new businesses, that can be new markets, that can be new business models for companies," Diasio said.

When leaders focus on growth and reimagining workflows, AI isn't something to fear, but an exciting prospect, Diasio said. The leader added that companies have an opportunity to "reimagine an entirely new way of working." For example, he said if AI gives people time back, the leadership question is where that time gets redeployed.

"Those are the companies that are positioning themselves to win," Diasio said.

• SpaceX is set to be the largest IPO ever raising $75 billion for a $1.75 trillion valuation.
• The company, which is expected to go public on Friday, is set to have a very low free float.
• The low float could contribute to SPCX price volatility.

SpaceX will make its trading debut on Friday following what's expected to be the biggest IPO ever by a long shot.

The company is aiming to raise $75 billion by selling stock at $135 a share, taking its valuation to around $1.75 trillion. But for an IPO with such eye-popping numbers being tossed around, SpaceX is issuing a relatively tiny amount of stock to the public this week.

That small "float"—which describes the portion of shares available to trade, with the rest being held by early investors and insiders—has prompted concerns about intense volatility in early trades.

SpaceX float 'in a different universe'

Most companies that trade on major indexes have about 80% of their stock available for public trading, according to Nasdaq. SpaceX's free float is projected to be dramatically lower, with roughly 4% of shares doled out to investors.

Recent IPOs before SpaceX have also trended lower, with nearly a third of companies that went public in 2025 having free float lower than 30%.

Still, SpaceX's float "is in a different universe," Focused Wealth Management's Jacob Friedman said.

SpaceX is expected to float roughly 5% of its shares. The majority of ownership will stay with executive insiders, early investors, and employees.

The "puny free float," as Wall Street veteran Ed Yardeni described it, is well below SpaceX's soon-to-be peers among public mega-cap tech firms. Anthropic and OpenAI are also expected to have low float percentages of around 5%, according to BCA Research.

Why it matters

Generally, a stock with a higher float offers better liquidity, resulting in more pricing stability, while names with low floats are subject to more volatile moves.

"Low public float increases the stock's sensitivity to demand and supply fluctuations," Peak Frameworks said, outlining, "As fewer shares are available, even moderate buying or selling activity can result in large price movements."

This can discourage longterm investors like mutual funds and pension funds and fuel investments from more speculative traders and risk-chasing retail investors.

SpaceX has made active efforts to encourage retail investor participation, allocating a larger-than-normal portion of shares at the IPO price to retail, prompting Fidelity to lower its IPO eligibility requirements.

SpaceX's low float adds to already high potential for stock volatility from the retail component of this particular IPO.

Another factor for investors to consider is SpaceX's index inclusion. The Nasdaq 100 added a fast entry rule for mega cap companies to join the index sooner and changed its minimum float requirements, making SpaceX eligible to join the index after just 15 trading days.

Index inclusion will add SpaceX exposure to popular ETFs that mirror the index. As price-insensitive ETFs gobble up shares, that leaves even less stock available to trade, driving up volatility even further.

"This is forced buying colliding with a very limited supply," Yardeni said.

• Citrini Research thinks the AI trade is on the verge of a shift.
• "Tokenomics" and the rising costs of using AI mean companies embrace new models.
• The firm said a shift toward "edge AI" will present opportunities for investors.

"Free AI is ending. Tokenomics is beginning."

That's the message from Citrini Research, the firm that sent the stock market into a tailspin with a report on the potentially dire economic impacts of AI earlier this year.

As AI power users focus their efforts on "tokenmaxxing," or maximizing their use of AI tools to boost productivity and stay ahead on internal leaderboards, Citrini says the associated costs will reshape the market's AI trade.

"Tokenomics" refers to the economics of AI usage as measured by tokens, the blocks of text or code being constantly processed by large language models. While tokenmaxxing has already become one of the hottest workplace trends of 2026, Citrini's says the economics are unfavorable for companies.

The tech industry has been rocked by a surge in demand for tokens as companies push their employees to continuously scale their AI usage. The bill is already coming due, and in Citrini's view, it marks a sea change in how companies will approach AI.

"The deepest pockets in the world — hyperscaler cash flow, venture capital, sovereign wealth, public credit, private credit, public equity — are footing most of the bill," the author noted. "Eventually, customers have to start picking up the tab."

So, what happens when they do?

Citrini maintains that the AI boom will continue to shift toward a more spending-conscious phase driven primarily by efficiency, as companies seek out ways to lower AI costs.

This could be accomplished by local inference, such as running AI models on a device like a PC, something that Nvidia has recently doubled down on helping users do through its new PC chip. This could create a new class of AI winners, Citrini said

"AI devices, running local models, will eventually be a thing," it added. "This trend will not wipe out cloud computing or large, remote models — it's both-and instead of either-or."

Citrini sees a shift toward "edge AI" as the next phase of the boom. Importantly for investors, the new dynamic could create a range of opportunities.

"The first AI trade was solely about centralized compute. As that becomes more adequately priced in, we see more asymmetry available in distributed inference, the surrounding hardware, and the software required to secure and orchestrate it all."

Edge AI refers to a computational model that runs AI either on or near a device without sending every task to a cloud or a data center.

In this case, edge AI is a broad ecosystem that distributes computer power across many different devices that can include not just powerful PCs, but also laptops and smartphones.

• The NBA Finals returned to New York on Monday night as the Knicks hosted the Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
• Game 3 marked the first Finals game at Madison Square Garden in more than two decades.
• Here are the celebrities, sports personalities, and business executives we spotted at the NBA Finals.

The NBA Finals returned to New York for Game 3 on Monday night, drawing a star-studded crowd to Madison Square Garden as the Knicks hosted the Spurs.

San Antonio defeated New York 115-111, cutting the Knicks' series lead to 2-1. Game 4 is set for Wednesday.

Here are the politicians, business executives, celebrities, and sports personalities we spotted at the NBA Finals so far.

President Donald Trump and Kai Trump

President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden alongside his granddaughter, Kai Trump.

During a pregame interview on the "NBA Tip-off," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that Trump was a guest of Knicks' owner James Dolan.

"He's welcome to be here. I think that's what makes sports so special, especially when there's so much that divides people. It's something that we have in common," Silver said.

Silver also called Trump a "genuine Knicks fan" and said that the president's attendance at Game 3 had prompted heightened security at Madison Square Garden.

This marks the first NBA Finals game attended by a sitting US president, per ESPN. The president is no stranger to major sporting events, having attended the Super Bowl and the US Open during his time in office.

Zohran Mamdani

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was also spotted arriving at Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3.

In a video shared on X by The Athletic, Mamdani was seen fist-bumping fans as he entered the arena.

Michael Bloomberg

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg attended Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.

He briefly found himself in the middle of the action when the Knicks' point guard Jose Alvarado tumbled into his courtside seat while pursuing a loose ball.

A video posted on X by the New York Post showed Alvarado checking in on Bloomberg and giving him a pat on the chest before returning to the game.

Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Timothée Chalamet

Longtime Knicks fan Ben Stiller attended Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio before returning to support the team for Game 3 in New York.

Stiller was seated courtside alongside his wife, Christine Taylor, and fellow Knicks supporter Timothée Chalamet, who had also attended the first two Finals games in San Antonio.

Jeremy Lin and Spike Lee

Filmmaker Spike Lee has followed the Knicks throughout the Finals, making the trip to San Antonio for Games 1 and 2 before showing up for Game 3.

In an interview with ESPN before the match on Monday, Lee said he had read that his seat for Game 3 could have fetched a hefty sum on the secondary market.

"It went down, but it was half a million," Lee said.

In 2024, Lee was recognized as a SuperFan by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He has held New York Knicks season tickets since 1985, per ESPN.

The filmmaker was also photographed posing with former Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, who attended the game.

Tracy Morgan and Tina Fey

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was spotted courtside with Tina Fey, both wearing Knicks jerseys in support of the home team. The longtime friends and former "30 Rock" costars have also been seen together at previous Knicks games.

This time, they were seated next to Stiller, Taylor, and Chalamet.

Morgan has long been one of the Knicks' most outspoken celebrity supporters. In a May video with Complex Sneakers, Morgan said he bought the team two pairs of Nike Kobe 5 "Bruce Lee" sneakers each in 2024.

"Just to let them know I'm part of the fanbase and we appreciate what they do," Morgan said in the video.

Morgan recently lent his voice to special New York City subway announcements encouraging fans to take the train to Knicks watch parties and home games at Madison Square Garden.

Jay-Z

New York native Jay-Z, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, was among the celebrities in attendance at Madison Square Garden.

Derek Jeter

Baseball icon Derek Jeter attended Game 3.

During his 20-year career with the New York Yankees, Jeter helped lead the team to five World Series titles before retiring in 2014.

Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni

"Law and Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay and her former costar Christopher Meloni were also at the game on Monday night.

Knicks captain Jalen Brunson has previously spoken about being a fan of the longtime crime drama.

"I've always loved that show," Brunson said during a May 2025 episode of "The Roommates Show" podcast, which he hosts with his teammate Josh Hart.

Larry David, David Zaslav, and Robert Kraft

Larry David was seated courtside next to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president David Zaslav and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

In July 2024, The Athletic reported that the NBA had reached a new 11-year, $76 billion media rights agreement with Disney, NBC, and Amazon — a deal that ultimately brought Warner Bros. Discovery's 35-year partnership with the league to an end after the 2024-25 season.

At a Morgan Stanley conference in March 2025, Zaslav said Warner Bros. Discovery was better off investing in its own franchises rather than sports rights, which he described as a "rental business."

Celebrity sightings from Game 2

Game 2 of the NBA Finals took place on Friday, and there were several familiar faces back in the crowd, including Stiller, Lee, Morgan, and Chalamet — all of whom were also at Game 1.

Twelve-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul was among the attendees at Game 2. He played for the Spurs during the 2024-25 season and brought his son, Chris Paul II, to the game.

Celebrity sightings from Game 1

The NBA Finals tipped off on June 3 at Frost Bank Center in Texas.

The Knicks, making their first Finals appearance in more than two decades, opened the series with a 105-95 victory over the Spurs.

Several notable Knicks supporters were in attendance, including Stiller, Lee, Morgan, and Chalamet.

They were joined by former New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, one of the hosts of the NBA Finals pregame show "NBA Tip-Off" and the postgame show "Inside the NBA."

Disney board member Bob Iger, Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro were also present at the game, together with Silver.

During the broadcast, the commentators for the night joked that the men made up a "murderers' row of executives." The NBA Finals air on ABC and are produced by ESPN, two Disney-owned networks.

• Zach Yadegari, 19, cofounded Cal AI, an AI-powered nutrition and calorie-tracking app.
• MyFitnessPal acquired Cal AI in December 2025.
• Yadegari is already working on his next business venture, a new brand called Flow.

While most college kids spent December cramming for finals, 19-year-old Zach Yadegari was selling his multimillion-dollar nutrition app.

MyFitnessPal acquired Cal AI, an AI-powered calorie-tracking app that Yadegari cofounded while he was in high school, late last year. The app officially launched in May 2024, amassing 10 million users and $30 million in annual revenue. While there are many reasons to sell an app — money, partnerships, shifting consumer trends — Yadegari said honest conversations between the founders solidified their decision.

"Ultimately, it came down to us discussing everyone's priorities and goals in life. That framework really helped us come to a consensus of what we all wanted," Yadegari told Business Insider.

For Yadegari, that meant financial freedom and the ability to pursue new projects.

"We want the legacy of Cal AI to live forever and continue to grow," Yadegari, who is based in Miami, said. "At the same time, my life's mission isn't building a calorie tracking app."

Even before Cal AI, Yadegari had been making a name for himself in the tech space. He sold his first app, Totally Science, an unblocked website that lets students play games during school, for $100,000 when he was 16.

In the months following the acquisition, Yadegari assembled a team to pursue a new business venture: Flow.

Go with the Flow

Flow is a brand that intends to host a suite of products geared toward productivity and improving people's health.

The Flow Alarm Clock, released in March, helps people who hit snooze on their alarm clocks one too many times or spend their mornings doomscrolling. Customers must purchase a small, portable dock that can be placed anywhere in their home and download the Flow app.

On the Flow app, customers can set alarms and select which apps they'd like to block. When the alarm goes off, customers have to physically get up and tap their phone on the dock to turn it off. Tapping the dock also unblocks the apps.

Additionally, the Flow Alarm Clock can track users' sleep patterns and record sleep sounds.

"I wanted to make something physical, but I didn't want it to take a year of research and development," Yadegari said. "It's also something that would solve my own problems. I sometimes wake up, and I scroll on my phone for 30 minutes."

Physical products are a new territory for Yedgari, but it's one he's been eyeing for a while. It doesn't come without challenges, though.

"The elephant in the room is that we have to ship physical products and manufacture them," Yadegari said. "We have to scale with the amount of supply that we carry, and that's tricky. Shipping delays can also slow us down."

Still, having experience from previously running a successful company has given Yadegari the confidence to start from scratch and try something new. Especially when the health and wellness industry is booming. The Global Wellness Institute said the wellness economy reached $6.8 trillion in 2024 and is forecast to hit $9.8 trillion by 2029.

"These are my favorite categories to work — health, productivity, and wellness — because they make a real impact on people's lives," he said.

• Mary Grigsby left NYC for Mexico and started The Fish Ranch, a fly fishing business, in Baja.
• Mary's move to Baja was inspired by her love for the Sea of Cortez and desire for a smaller community.
• She manages her business while raising her son, and she loves her new lifestyle.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mary Grigsby, a 43-year-old who moved from New York City to Baja, Mexico, and is the founder of The Fish Ranch. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was raised in Oregon and took a non-traditional route that led me into policy work and, eventually, finance. I was working in Manhattan when the pandemic hit, and I decided to visit my dad and brother in Baja, Mexico, where they spend a significant amount of time enjoying the climate and culture.

I fell in love with Agua Amarga, a little town on the Sea of Cortez, and decided to move there.

After a year working my finance job remotely from Mexico, I resigned and opened a fly-fishing business, The Fish Ranch, with custom trips and a fly shop in town. It's been a wild ride.

I traveled and chased waves in my early years

I left Oregon after high school and traveled the world, surfing and sailing places like Hawaii and Tahiti. I did a six-month stint in Baja and ultimately landed in Southern California, where I studied landscape architecture.

When the big earthquakes hit Haiti in 2010, I volunteered and found a calling in disaster relief and international relations. I began studying Arabic at a community college in California, then transferred to Columbia University, where I completed the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies program. I traveled for school and spent summers studying and working on grants in numerous countries.

Finance was never on my radar

That changed when I had a random conversation in passing with a man about my studies. He offered me a job on the spot. I was burned out on policy work and was between gigs, so I took a chance and entered the business world.

I worked as an asset management analyst on several different finance teams. I ended up loving the work and found that business was a powerful mechanism for effecting positive change and outcomes in our society.

I eventually landed an amazing job at a major endowment in lower Manhattan, where we worked on responsible, sustainable investments.

I started fly fishing in NYC

My boyfriend at the time was really into fly fishing, and we would fish the waters around the city. It gave me a reason to be on the water, and we had fun chasing striped bass and other fish in the area.

I fell in love with the fly fishing community. It was such an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life who shared a common love for the sport. We would attend gatherings and dinners where you'd find local fish bums at the same table as extremely wealthy people, all sharing the same passion.

Many of my connections from the fly fishing community at that time are clients in Baja today.

As much as I loved NYC, I was missing the ocean and wanted a smaller community

When I'd visit my dad and brother in Mexico, something about the Sea of Cortez side attracted me. I would always drive over to Agua Amarga. I started looking for a property there while still working in NYC.

I had pitched my job on remote work before the pandemic, but it wasn't an option at the time. When COVID-19 hit, the company went fully remote. I grabbed my dog and my computer monitors and flew down to Cabo on an empty flight.

I was a little nervous when I first moved

I'm the only American woman in my area, but the community has been great. It's safe, and everyone is very nice. I had traveled enough that there wasn't any culture shock or issues moving from the city to a rural community.

I also enjoy living in the same place as my fishing captains. These relationships are really special, and I'm lucky to be here. I can't say enough good things about the people in small-town Baja, and, of course, I'm near the water with great fishing.

I didn't plan on turning this into a business

I wasn't planning to run a business initially, but there was a disconnect between the fishing captains and the people who wanted to book trips.

I started talking to local captains about building a website that would function as a booking engine for local operators. At that time, they didn't have social media, websites, or any way of planning a trip in advance.

I also wanted an office space separate from home, and that has become the current Fish Ranch fly shop. I started booking trips and putting together hats, stickers, and clothing as a passion project. I love having a creative outlet, and designing apparel has been surprisingly fun.

It's not always easy

The biggest challenges didn't stem from being in a small town or in Mexico. I'm a single mom now, with a wonderful 3-year-old. Having the bandwidth to grow the business was difficult.

There were plenty of times when I was exhausted and wanted to give up. Ultimately, I stuck it out and kept pushing to build something special while also raising my son.

This is a rewarding business for me

I love seeing how happy and excited people are when they get on the water. The fishery and ecosystems are exceptional, and it makes me happy to send people off to have a great experience each morning.

I also love the community connections. We have guests who return each year because of the relationships they develop with the captains, support staff, and the community as a whole. It's a really special bond. I'm also lucky to have my son with me on many of the trips.

I miss some parts of life in NYC, with its diverse and worldly nature, but I can always visit. I'm very happy in Mexico and don't plan to leave.

On Sunday, the New York Times published an explosive interview with "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley, his first since he was fired from CBS News last week. In it, Pelley detailed a series of serious allegations — most notably, that editor in chief Bari Weiss "was putting a thumb on the scale on behalf" of the Trump administration — that dominated the news cycle that followed.

But as I listened to the hourlong conversation, what I found most striking were his objections to the way he felt Weiss and her new lieutenant Nick Bilton treated him and his colleagues. That's when Pelley was most emotional, at times tearing up and pausing to steady his voice.

"That's a family at '60 Minutes,'" he said. "It's a very loving and empathetic organization, and we were met with cold, callous indifference."

In the interview, Pelley described a variety of ways he saw this callous indifference manifest. He was floored that Bilton, in his first meeting with employees in the wake of recent firings, read a prepared statement from his phone. He choked up as he described how his executive producer Tanya Simon was summarily dismissed and told to clear out her desk by 5pm. He felt so betrayed by the dismissal of his colleagues that he compared it to "your spouse being murdered."

Cold and callous? Sure. But coldness and callousness are now pretty standard in corporate America, where lawyered statements, management shakeups, and abrupt firings have become the norm. Why was he so surprised? I wondered if his expectations were out of touch with the times — maybe even naive. Even the bright-eyed Gen Zers I talk to know not to expect much from our employers these days.

But listening to Pelley, who'd worked at the network since 1989, it's impossible not to be moved by the fierce loyalty he and his colleagues demonstrated to CBS News. And up until last week, it sounds like CBS News demonstrated the same loyalty back to him. By his account, the culture of mutual loyalty at the network somehow managed to stay intact all these years — even as it died across much of corporate America.

Pelley described his colleagues who've worked and traveled and dined together for "10, 20, 30 years." He spoke about how they risked their own lives in war zones in service of their viewers. That forges "very strong bonds, very emotional bonds," he said. "To have people running CBS News who don't know that, have never felt that, and don't understand it, is a tragedy I never expected to see."

For me, the most telling moment was midway through the interview, when Pelley recounted the day he was fired. After being summoned to a meeting with the top brass last Tuesday, he returned to his office to find a whole crowd of his colleagues awaiting news of his fate. They waited with him for hours, even though they had their own families to get home to. Pelley didn't think much of this until it occurred to him: "This is a vigil." Hearing this, I was touched and also jealous, that he had this then and he likely had it his whole career, surrounded by all these colleagues who cared so deeply about him that they refused to leave his side. It's the kind of camaraderie that develops only in the kind of loyal organizations that are becoming rarer by the day. It's the kind of camaraderie most young people will probably never experience.

Management scholars refer to these expectations of loyalty as a psychological contract. It consists of what you believe you owe your employer and what your employer owes you in return. This contract — however implicit — is foundational in every workplace, and when both parties uphold their end of the bargain, you get a functional organization. But when somebody breaks the contract? That's the debacle that's unfolding at CBS News right now — the same debacle that's wreaked havoc across so many other companies over the last few decades.

It's perfectly possible for organizations to retire old contracts and forge new ones but until you do, you get a race to the bottom where both parties end up doing less and less for each other. That can't be good news for "60 Minutes" — for its employees, for its executives, or for the millions of people who watch it every week.

For someone like Pelley, who is out of the job he devoted nearly four decades to, the normal thing to do is to become disloyal yourself. I've heard it from so many people over the years: I'll never go above and beyond for a company again. But Pelley remains loyal — to the show he no longer belongs to, as well as the people he no longer works with. That's why he's speaking out. "I don't care about me," he said. "I am not emotional about this because I have lost this job. I've done it for a long time. I've had the greatest experiences. But the people I leave behind, treated in this way? That breaks my heart."

Aki Ito is a chief correspondent at Business Insider.

• Perplexity is sticking with its 2028 IPO target as OpenAI and Anthropic head toward Wall Street.
• CEO Aravind Srinivas says the AI industry's biggest listings will have industry-wide ripple effects.
• Investors are closely watching whether OpenAI and Anthropic can justify their lofty valuations.

Perplexity is keeping its 2028 IPO plans intact as OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX lead a wave of high-profile offerings that could put investor appetite to the test.

Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of the AI-powered search and answer engine startup, told CNBC that the company's timeline remains unchanged by the market reception to upcoming debuts from peers OpenAI and Anthropic.

"Agnostic of these two companies, we were planning for something in 2028, so that still remains the case," Srinivas told the network in an interview that aired on Tuesday.

His comments come as the AI industry moves toward what could be one of the busiest periods of tech listings in years.

Anthropic, the maker of Claude, confidentially filed for an IPO last week. OpenAI has also confidentially filed for an IPO, while SpaceX's upcoming debut is expected to test investor appetite for mega-cap technology offerings.

Together, the offerings could shape how public markets value the next generation of AI and technology giants.

Srinivas acknowledged that the performance of those offerings will matter to the broader industry, even if they don't alter Perplexity's own plans.

"I certainly think there will be ripple effects if they don't go well, like there is no sugar coating on that," he told CNBC.

Srinivas defended the lofty valuations attached to OpenAI and Anthropic, arguing that both companies remain at the cutting edge of AI development.

At the same time, he suggested that investors will continue to scrutinize whether leading model developers can maintain a rapid pace of improvement.

"If for six months you don't see a model capability advance from one of these two companies, then it's a problem for them," Srinivas said.

The debate over AI valuations comes as companies take a harder look at their AI budgets. Srinivas said customers are becoming more selective about which models they use.

"If there is an open source model that gets the job done 90% of the time, I'd probably use that if it's 10 to 20 times cheaper than the frontier model," he said.

• OpenAI's top leadership said it doesn't want a future where everything is automated.
• Sam Altman and Jakub Pachocki said AI is making the role of applying human judgment more important.
• This comes as agentic AI is the biggest buzz phrase in the tech and business spheres.

OpenAI said a world where everything is automated would be dangerous.

In a blog post on Monday, CEO Sam Altman and OpenAI's chief scientist, Jakub Pachocki, said they were "clear-eyed about the risks" of AI, despite the productivity benefits it brings.

"Entirely automating everything is not the future we want," the duo wrote in the post. "It would be unfulfilling, and it would be dangerous."

They said that AI systems must remain safe and subject to human control. And as AI systems become more capable, the human roles of "setting directions, making tradeoffs, applying judgment, and bringing values, taste, care, and responsibility to the work" will become more important.

Agentic AI — AI systems that perform tasks and workflows with minimal human intervention — is the biggest buzzword in the tech and business spheres at the moment.

Anthropic and OpenAI are vying to get companies hooked on enterprise accounts for their Claude Code and Codex coding platforms, ahead of both of the companies' looming IPOs.

OpenAI's post comes less than a week after Anthropic put out a similar blog post warning about the risks of rapid AI development. An Anthropic employee said in the post that they were not able to keep up with automation, and were at a loss on how to fix problems when the AI systems produced errors.

In the blog post, Anthropic called for a slowdown in AI development to "enable societal structures and alignment research to keep up."

Other company executives have spoken about human roles that AI can't automate or replace, such as Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn saying his top designers produce much better work than AI, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff saying the company won't slow down hiring in its sales department.

"For some things, AI is quite ready to do high-quality work. For some things, it's just not," von Ahn said in a May podcast interview. "We're not going to decrease quality just for the sake of using AI."

• Apple unveiled Siri AI and new features at the 2026 WWDC.
• Apple faced criticism and a lawsuit after delaying features promised for 2024.
• Analysts said Apple could gain an edge over AI companies if it delivers on its promises.

All eyes are on Apple after the company spent Monday trying to answer the question that's hung over the company since 2024: Can it finally deliver on the future it promised?

At its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, the iPhone maker unveiled Siri AI, a long-awaited overhaul of its voice assistant, powered by a new generation of Apple Intelligence models developed in partnership with Google. It also announced a slate of new AI features across its ecosystem.

The stakes are high for Apple. The company spent the past two years facing criticism and a class action lawsuit after many Apple Intelligence capabilities it previewed in 2024 were delayed or failed to arrive as initially promised.

Here is what smart voices in business and tech are saying about Apple's flurry of announcements.

Gene Munster — managing partner, Deepwater Asset Management

Gene Munster wrote in a post on X that Monday's moves would be a success for Apple if it could deliver everything it showed in the demo.

"Keep in mind, it's still a demo, they overpromised with demos two years ago," Munster wrote. "That said, if they deliver what they showed today, it will drive hardware sales."

"It goes beyond one-shot prompts and can reference previous conversations. The examples felt 10x better than using ChatGPT for personal tasks," Munster added.

Munster wrote in a subsequent tweet that Apple is "aggressive" in its new child safety tools, which he called a "smart move because these little features tighten the grip that keeps parents in the Apple ecosystem."

Christina Warren — developer relations executive, GitHub

Warren wrote on X that Apple's AI strategy reflects the growing reality in the industry that smartphones aren't powerful enough to run the most advanced AI models entirely on-device.

"As I expected, Apple is going to punt the 'on-device' story for Apple Intelligence and push towards the 'private cloud compute' story for the models that you'll actually want to use," Warren said on Monday.

"I'm glad on-device isn't going away, but it's clear a hybrid approach is absolutely necessary," Warren added. "We will probably reach the point in the future where you could do good-enough on-device processing for certain tasks, but that day isn't today."

Ben Bajarin — CEO, Creative Strategies

Bajarin said that Apple seems to be turning Siri into a central hub for a one-stop AI experience rather than a collection of separate tools.

"As we talk about enterprise workflow control plane, the Apple opportunity here is Siri is turning into the control plane for consumer AI," Bajarin wrote on X on Monday.

"Personal context, screen awareness, app actions, writing, search, and visual intelligence route through one assistant layer, which is a different product experience all together," Bajarin added.

Max Weinbach — consumer technology analyst, Creative Strategies

Weinbach wrote on Monday that the Siri upgrade is potentially bad news for AI companies looking to build consumer products.

"If the new Siri and AI features are good, and Apple can provide them for free with every new Apple device, everyone should be terrified of what happens to the AI companies," Weinbach said on X.

"Siri AI is basically what most consumers use ChatGPT and Gemini for," Weinbach added in a follow-up post. "RIP consumer ambitions for AI companies."

Alex Heath — tech journalist

Heath said in a series of tweets that Apple is aiming for exactly what the big AI players are: a "super personalized, all-knowing/present assistant."

"What Apple is showing — Siri understanding whatever is on an iPhone's screen and providing contextual responses — is a huge unlock if it works as shown," Heath wrote on X on Monday.

"Also shows how Apple continues to leverage platform control to do things folks at the app layer can't," Heath added.

Heath was previously a senior reporter for Business Insider.

Ernest Wong — head of research, Baskin Wealth Management

Apple's lengthy introduction of its new child safety feature is "a perfect example" of "strategy credit," meaning an uncomplicated decision that improves the company's image relative to other competitors, Wong said.

"It's an easy decision for Apple that simultaneously brings kids/teens into their ecosystem and handicaps competitors (social media apps), and looks good while doing it," Wong wrote on X.

Chris Pirillo — tech reviewer

Apple's AI could make creating automations as simple as describing the result you want, much like vibe coding, Pirillo said.

"This is basically vibe coding, folks. At a macro level," Pirillo wrote on X.

Joanna Stern — chief tech analyst, NBC

Stern said in a series of posts on X that she used to be an "Apple Shortcuts hater," but the AI updates might significantly change her perception.

"I'm glad Apple is finally giving parental controls some attention. But parents don't just need more controls. We need the controls to actually work," Stern added in subsequent posts regarding Apple's child safety updates. "I hope there's a major under-the-hood improvement here focused on syncing, reliability and consistency across devices."

Dan Ives — tech analyst at Wedbush Securities

Ives, a perennial tech bull, said in a note on Monday that Apple was finally delivering on what it promised two years ago with a "robust AI strategy and the announcement of Siri AI."

"Overall, this was an impressive event that did not disappoint as Cook and Apple finally unveiled an AI strategy that will unleash the true monetization opportunity for AI in the Cupertino consumer ecosystem after a few years of promise … now it's finally here," he wrote.

Edison Lee — Apple analyst, Jefferies

In a note on Monday, Jefferies analysts led by Edison Lee wrote that Apple's announcements were "evolutionary instead of revolutionary."

For one, new features were in line with expectations and still in the works, the analysts wrote. Far more importantly, the company lacks access to third-party app data, which they deemed critical for smartphone companies developing AI.

"In order for Apple to offer highly personalized AI capabilities via Siri, the lack of access to these third-party apps' data will be a big limiting factor," the analysts wrote. "Model is not the key, since a highly capable model still could not offer smart advice if it does not have enough app data to connect the dots."

• Astha Chaturvedi and her husband lived in the US for over 15 years.
• They were both in the green-card backlog when they decided to move with their daughter and dog to Bengaluru, India.
• It's taking time to adjust, but she says that India feels more vibrant than the US.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Astha Chaturvedi, 38, the founder of Mouri Living. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.

After a decade in Big Tech and at McKinsey, I was working at Ripple in San Francisco when I decided to build my own startup.

I traveled to India in 2024 to hire a CTO. While I was there, a cousin suggested I open an office in India, pointing out that the startup ecosystem was booming. That sent my husband and me down a rabbit hole of exploring a move.

We'd spent about 15 years building our lives in the US, but there was still no clear path to permanence. My husband and I were both waiting for green cards, and the backlog felt endless. His place in line dated back to 2015, while mine was from 2020.

I had always wanted to start my own company, but I couldn't do so while on an H-1B visa because my work authorization was tied to a sponsoring employer.

To pursue that dream, I switched to an H-4 dependent visa through my husband. Once I became eligible for an H-4 EAD, which gave me work authorization, I finally had the flexibility to launch my business.

We've always been risk-takers

Planning a change that drastic wasn't too hard. Fifteen years earlier, when we had bought a house in Austin and were married, people thought we were settled.

But three years later, in 2016, we sold it and moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Chicago so I could pursue an MBA. Our thinking was similar back then; we would rely on our savings. It kept us afloat for nearly two years.

I'm from Jaipur, in northwestern India, and my husband is from Vishakhapatnam, a coastal city in the south. We met in the US.

Having grown up largely in the US, we were initially apprehensive about work culture and corporate life in Bengaluru. After several discussions with people, it became clear that when you are the boss, you get to have a lot under your control.

Divide and conquer

I traveled to Bengaluru at the beginning of the year to visit schools and go apartment hunting — leaning on alumni connections.

My husband, Karthik, handled logistics and insurance.

I took care of the house sale in San Francisco, decluttering, and setting up our home in India.

The transition was fast. Between February and April, we had moved out.

We had transformed a single-family home near downtown into our three-bedroom, two-bathroom dream home. We sold it for about $2.3 million.

Recently, when our Bengaluru landlord decided to sell the four-bedroom apartment we had rented, it shook us a little because we loved the neighborhood and community. So, we bought it for about $1 million.

It's tricky to compare the cost of living. India isn't cheap if you want a premium lifestyle. In fact, quality goods like furniture and electronics can be more expensive than in the US.

But healthcare and household help are much cheaper, so I've found that it balances out. Bengaluru is a costly city, but that's because we budget for a top-end lifestyle.

Everyday realities

Parenting is different here. People in our circle rely more on nannies, though we've chosen to stay hands-on with our daughter. I also find that the parenting style is more relaxed here, especially in the early years.

Professionally, everything has aligned well for me. I started off with an AI-led home marketplace but realized the ecosystem wasn't ready. So I pivoted to building the infrastructure. That led me to manufacturers, and I realized many global brands are made in India. Now I'm building a global luxury home brand.

It's not all smooth sailing, though. Opening bank accounts and setting up companies has been slow and paperwork-heavy. Managing labor is challenging. I miss the proximity to parks, beaches, and the freeway drives.

Traffic in Bengaluru is a pain, so we've chosen to hire a full-time driver to get around. What I don't miss are chores. Bottom line: We've made up for the chaos by investing in support systems.

Moving from San Francisco to Bengaluru began to feel like the right decision when my daughter settled into school and started thriving. At the same time, US immigration uncertainties reinforced our choice.

We left on our own terms

What can really make or break your life is community. For us, that's been incredible. Our building and school gave us an instant network— we have a social circle of similar families in similar life stages. That's led to friendships, playdates, and even professional opportunities.

We were concerned about whether our dog — a mini goldendoodle named Mojo — would adjust. In fact, one of the decision factors was that if we couldn't take him to India, we wouldn't come. Thankfully, he's also happy here.

Culturally, I don't feel a gap at all. India feels more vibrant than the US.

• Clea Barry, 44, left the US for Thailand with her husband and their three kids in 2022.
• To make the move work, her husband accepted a teaching job at an international school in Chiang Mai.
• She says she and her husband have been able to enjoy their kids' childhood years more.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Clea Barry, 44, an interior designer who moved from Kansas City to Chiang Mai, Thailand, with her husband and three kids in 2022. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My husband and I met 20 years ago, and our shared love of travel brought us together.

Over the years, we lived in several cities across the US with our three kids, including San Diego and Denver. Before moving abroad, we were living in Kansas City, where my husband taught middle school and I worked as an interior designer.

I traveled quite a bit for work. Life with little kids already felt hectic, and then the pandemic happened. After about a year and a half of online school, we felt ready for a change.

We had friends working abroad as international teachers, and seeing their experiences inspired us.

We thought it would be a good opportunity for my husband to teach abroad for a couple of years while our kids attended the same school. It felt like a chance for all of us to experience life in a new country together.

A new chapter abroad

While we had considered moving abroad before, and had even received a few offers over the years, the timing never felt quite right. However, when a teaching opportunity in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, came up in 2022, we jumped at it.

By then, I had already scaled back my work after our third child, and I was freelancing remotely, which made it easier for us to move. It also helped that my husband and I had visited Chiang Mai on our honeymoon in 2009, so we knew we loved the Thai culture, food, and lifestyle.

When we talked to our kids — who were 9, 7, and 2 at that point — about the move, we framed it as a family adventure.

We also showed them YouTube videos about fun things they could try in Thailand, such as rolled ice cream, a popular dessert available at the night markets. That really excited them.

In July 2022, we packed up our bags and officially moved to Chiang Mai.

The original plan was to live for two years, but now it's been four. We're living in a three-bedroom home in Hang Dong, a district about 15 minutes outside Chiang Mai's city center.

The home came furnished, including plants. We have a pool and a garden, and it's an eight-minute drive to the international school. There's a coffee shop across the street, and we're also right by walking trails. Rent is 32,000 Thai baht, or about $975, each month.

Our kids have adjusted well. Since people move in and out of Chiang Mai throughout the year, it's common for a new student to arrive in August, January, or any other time. Instead of thinking it's strange, the kids get excited. They're very open to meeting new people because they know everyone comes from different parts of the world.

I started volunteering at my kids' school over the holiday season, and that experience has been great because I get to see my kids at school, have lunch with them, and head home together.

On days when I'm not volunteering at school, I drop off my kids at 8 o'clock in the morning, head home to do my design work, then pick them up again in the afternoon.

Another thing I appreciate is that the school has club activities, like swimming and soccer, for the kids. Back in the US, I often had to shuttle them from place to place for activities.

A family-friendly lifestyle

The slower pace of life has been great for our family. On the weekends, we enjoy hiking together and going out to eat.

One thing we love about Chiang Mai is its play cafés — restaurants with built-in play areas or activities for kids. So much of the dining here is outdoors, which means the kids get to run around. It almost feels like stepping back into the '90s.

It feels safe here, and we feel comfortable letting the kids have a bit more independence. My daughter, now a tween, likes to go to the mall and meet her friends.

It's also been very easy for us to find our community, especially through the school and through social media groups. There are a lot of events happening every weekend in Chang Mai, you almost have to pick and choose what you want to do.

I still work remotely, but I don't have to work as many hours as I used to. In the US, I only had a few weeks of vacation each year and didn't have summers off, which made family travel much harder. Since moving to Chiang Mai, we've been able to travel to 10 different countries together, including Laos and Vietnam.

What has been nice is that we've had a lot more time together. I'm able to enjoy my children's childhoods more, and that's something I'm really grateful for.

• Starbucks is expanding its Refresher line, a $2 billion platform, to attract afternoon customers.
• New blended Refreshers capitalize on social media trends and demand from younger consumers.
• Gen Z and millennials see cold drinks as expressive and social, fueling demand across the industry.

Starbucks isn't just launching another drink. With its latest Refreshers debut, announced Monday, the coffee giant is expanding one of its fastest-growing businesses as it races to win customers long after the morning coffee rush ends.

Beginning July 14, Starbucks customers will be able to order any Refresher drink blended, the latest move in the company's effort to expand what executives describe as a $2 billion beverage platform.

The launch follows April's rollout of customizable Energy Refreshers, which Starbucks executives said recently exceeded expectations and helped drive new customer occasions.

Refreshers, which are iced juice and tea drinks often mixed with fruit pieces, have become one of Starbucks' biggest beverage businesses since launching in 2012, helping drive traffic later in the day as the company looks to expand beyond its traditional morning coffee roots.

"The success of Refreshers reflects an evolution in how customers are engaging with Starbucks, with a growing preference for cold, customizable beverages alongside our core coffee offerings," Dana Pellicano, Starbucks' senior vice president of global product experience, told Business Insider.

Starbucks said Refreshers are helping drive growth in afternoon visits, an area the company has increasingly focused on as it seeks new sources of traffic. It sees customization as a key reason for the platform's success.

The strategy reflects a broader shift underway across the restaurant industry, as chains compete not only with each other but also with energy drinks, functional beverages, and social-media-fueled drink trends for younger consumers' attention and spending.

"Since Refreshers first launched in 2012, we've seen increased interest in drinks that are flavor-forward, visually compelling, and easy to personalize," Pellicano added.

"Chains are no longer just competing with each other for coffee occasions," Noah Pozin, a food, agribusiness, and beverage industry consultant at Truist, told Business Insider. "They are competing with energy drink brands, bottled teas, functional waters, and customized soda concepts for the broader 'cold, caffeinated, customizable treat' occasion."

Chasing younger tastes

Dutch Bros has expanded its energy-drink offerings, which executives say now account for about 25% of its business. Customized soda chains have also surged in popularity, and restaurant brands from McDonald's to Taco Bell are investing heavily in cold beverages. Analysts at JPMorgan and KeyBanc have pointed to a growing pipeline of innovation from both Starbucks and Dutch Bros as chains race to capture demand for customizable, functional drinks.

Part of what's driving that demand is a shift in how younger consumers think about beverages.

"Gen Z and millennials treat beverages more like personal expression, social content, functional fuel, and affordable indulgence," Pozin said.

As younger consumers navigate persistent inflation, housing affordability challenges, and broader economic uncertainty, beverages have become a relatively accessible luxury, he said. Consumers are increasingly looking for opportunities to experiment, customize, and discover new products without making a major purchase.

That trend has made beverages especially attractive to restaurant operators. Drinks typically carry higher margins than many food offerings and can help drive customer frequency throughout the day, making them an increasingly important growth engine for chains seeking new revenue streams.

Social media has only accelerated the trend.

"One of the biggest insights for us has been just how creative customers are with Refreshers," Pellicano said. "From early on, we saw customers take the core beverages and make them their own — whether that was swapping in coconut milk, which led to the creation of the Pink Drink, or layering in new flavors, textures, and colors."

"What started as customization quickly became culture," she added.

Pellicano said social media has become a "real-time feedback loop and source of inspiration" for Starbucks, helping the company spot emerging drink trends and scale them more quickly.

With blended Refreshers arriving this summer — and additional innovations already in the pipeline — Starbucks is signaling that its future growth won't come solely from coffee.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and its chief scientist say the company is entering its third phase.
• They said in a blog post that OpenAI is focusing on AI abundance, accessibility, and safety.
• The plan was published the same day OpenAI announced it had confidentially filed for an IPO.

Three and a half years since OpenAI ushered artificial intelligence into the mainstream with the release of ChatGPT, its CEO and cofounder says the company is entering its third phase — making AI abundant, accessible, and safe.

Sam Altman and Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI's chief scientist, published a blog post on Monday outlining their plan for the company. They said the first phase of OpenAI was about research toward artificial general intelligence, while the second was about offering their products to the world and learning how people actually use them.

"Now we are entering the third phase," Altman and Pachocki wrote. "The economy is beginning to reshape around AI. The central question now is how to make advanced AI abundant, affordable, safe, useful, and easy enough for every person and organization to benefit from it. Frontier capability is only part of the job. The bigger task is turning that capability into tools people can actually use to thrive."

They said OpenAI has three main goals: to build an automated AI researcher, to accelerate the economy, and to give everyone on Earth a personal AGI.

"Powerful systems must remain safe, aligned with human intent, and subject to human control," they wrote, adding, "Entirely automating everything is not the future we want. It would be unfulfilling, and it would be dangerous. AI should help people pursue their goals, not become untethered from them."

They also said national and global coordination was needed and reiterated their call for an international organization that would work on reducing risks posed by AI and could slow down the development of frontier models if needed.

"A good AI future cannot be one where a small number of institutions control most of the capability and most of the upside. It should be a future where many people, companies, communities, and countries can build, benefit, and hold power," Altman and Pachocki said.

The plan came the same day OpenAI announced it had confidentially filed for an initial public offering, though the company said it "may be a while" before its stock actually hits the market.

The blog post was also reminiscent of one from another leading AI company eyeing an IPO. Researchers at Anthropic said in a post last week that AI is advancing so quickly that leading frontier labs may need to slow down.

"We believe it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause frontier AI development to enable societal structures and alignment research to keep up with the advance of the technology," the post said.

Read the full blog post from OpenAI here.

Casper helped put bed-in-a-box mattresses on the map, and it remains one of the most recognizable names in online sleep shopping. The brand offers a range of memory foam and hybrid mattresses, along with pillows, sheets, bed frames, and other sleep accessories designed to make upgrading your bedroom a little easier.

A big part of Casper's appeal is its approachable, middle-of-the-road feel. The mattresses are designed to work for a variety of sleep styles, making them a popular choice for couples and combination sleepers who do not want anything too soft or too firm. Our sleep team has tested several Casper models over the years, and the Casper Dream Hybrid Mattress continues to stand out as our favorite cooling mattress for back and stomach sleepers. For a closer look at how each model performed, check out our full Casper mattress review.

Since a new mattress is rarely an impulse purchase, many shoppers wait for a sale before buying. Casper regularly discounts mattresses, bedding bundles, and sleep accessories throughout the year, and promo codes can further reduce prices. Below, we have rounded up the best Casper coupon codes and deals available right now.

Today's best Casper coupons and promo codes

Previous Casper promo codes

Are there any other Casper mattress sales running at the moment?

You can find a full list of clearance markdowns on Casper's website at any time. As of the time of writing, Casper is running the following promotions.

How to use Casper coupons and promo codes

Casper coupons are pretty easy to use. Copy the code you're planning to apply. Add the product you're buying to your cart, then click "Apply promo code" to open the entry field. Paste your discount code there, then click Apply.

Can you stack Casper coupon codes?

Casper coupon codes are not stackable, so you can apply only one per purchase. Therefore, it's important to use the best one available.

Luckily, the coupon codes work with any ongoing Casper sales.

Can I use Casper coupons in-store?

Casper coupon codes vary in whether they can be used in-store. Most often, they are limited to online use, but in-store associates can price-match any discounts you have proof of.

What mattress should I buy from Casper?

Casper offers a full lineup of great beds designed for different sleepers. You can learn more in our full Casper mattress guide, or check out these favorites of ours:

Casper coupons: frequently asked questions

Does Casper offer discounts for teachers, students, or the military?

Casper offers exclusive military, education, and healthcare discounts for verified members. Active-duty service members, veterans, military family members, teachers, students, nurses, healthcare professionals, first responders, and hospital employees can all save 5% on Casper purchases.

If you fall into the education category, be sure to check out our roundups of the best student discounts and best teacher discounts you can score year-round.

Do Casper mattresses have a warranty?

Casper offers a 10-year limited warranty that automatically comes with mattresses purchased on Casper.com. It covers defects, including abnormal deterioration, physical flaws in the foam, and manufacturing errors in the zipper assembly. If you bought your bed from another retailer, you can register your bed here.

Final sale and clearance items receive a shorter warranty than other purchases.

What is Casper's returns/refunds policy?

Casper's return policy aims to be as painless as possible, offering free returns anytime after the 30-night adjustment period. Just reach out to support within the first 100 nights of your purchase to have the brand remove the mattress from your home and provide a full refund.

Other products, like pillows, sheets, and accessories, can be returned by printing out a given shipping label and sending it back for free.

Does Casper offer free shipping?

Every mattress order with Casper receives free, no-contact delivery. As the term "bed-in-a-box" suggests, each mattress arrives tightly coiled in a box for you to place on your bed and unfurl.

Other items, such as headboards and bed frames, may incur a shipping fee depending on where you live. Learn more about the specific costs here.

Does Casper offer white-glove delivery?

Casper offers an in-home delivery and setup service starting at $199. After placing your order, you can schedule a delivery date for two to four weeks in the future. From there, you'll receive a four-hour delivery window the day before to prepare for your new product's arrival.

Will Casper remove my old mattress?

If your order includes in-home delivery and setup, Casper will offer disposal options for your old mattress. If your order does not include in-home delivery, check Casper's website or contact their customer support team for suggestions.

Does Casper only offer mattresses?

In addition to mattresses, you can shop for pillows, bedding, and furniture on Casper's site. You can even purchase dog beds from Casper to show your pets some love.

How does Casper compare to other online mattress companies?

Many online bed-in-a-box companies have risen in popularity in recent years, and each has its own merits and drawbacks. Check out our full guide to the best mattress to see how Casper compares to competitors across criteria like price range, mattress types, and delivery options.

Can I reuse a Casper coupon?

For the most part, Casper promo codes can only be used once per person. However, there may be exceptions, so be sure to check the terms and conditions for the specific code you want to use.

For the latest buying advice updates, follow us on Instagram and WhatsApp

• Apple said it will bring a major efficiency feature to older iPhones.
• Models as old as the iPhone 11 will receive an update later this year with iOS 27 to better manage CPU use.
• Apple said the changes "will make older iPhones feel even more responsive."

Apple wants older iPhones to run better.

That's why on Monday, Apple announced that one of its major efficiency improvements will be coming to iPhones as old as the iPhone 11 lineup.

When iOS 27 arrives this fall, older iPhones will have access to an advanced CPU scheduler, a system already available on newer models that helps manage a phone's workload.

Stacey Ford, Apple's vice president of OS program management, said the addition "will make older iPhones feel even more responsive."

"Even when you're doing a ton of things at once requiring a whole lot of compute, the CPU scheduler ensures the right work is executed at precisely the right time," Ford said.

As part of the news, Apple also confirmed that the forthcoming iOS 27 will be available on the iPhone 11, which was first released in September 2019.

"This continues our industry-leading support and means iOS 27 is available to more users than any iOS release ever," Ford said.

A number of Apple-focused accounts on social media celebrated the news while also lamenting that many owners of older Apple Watch models would be left out for watchOS 27, such as the Apple Watch Series 9, first sold in 2023.

Google's Pixel 4 and 4 XL, and Samsung's Galaxy S10, as noted by Android Authority, both released around the same time as the iPhone 11, received just 3 years of platform updates. With Monday's news, the iPhone 11 is set to receive seven years of major updates.

That doesn't mean older iPhones will get all the bells and whistles of the new iOS, especially the revamped Siri, which finally brings more robust AI-enabled features to Apple's virtual assistant.

Apple said that to access those improvements, customers will need an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, or an iPhone 16 or later. And to take advantage of the most advanced Apple Intelligence features, including a new Siri voice experience, an iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, or later models will be required.

• Apple previewed new software for the iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro at WWDC 2026.
• The star of the show was the new AI-powered Siri chatbot, part of Apple's new Apple Intelligence features.
• The keynote marked Tim Cook's final WWDC as Apple CEO.

Apple's AI era is taking shape.

On Monday, the iPhone maker held its Worldwide Developers Conference — the annual event that offers developers, customers, and investors a road map for the company's future product vision.

This year's conference previewed software coming next to the iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. The keynote also carried extra weight as Tim Cook's final time hosting WWDC as CEO.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Apple's presentation.

Everything is AI, AI, AI

If there was one phrase the company wanted people to remember from WWDC 2026, it was Apple Intelligence, its very Apple-y branding for its suite of AI features.

Apple said its new AI software, which has undergone a broad overhaul, is being threaded through every product — including its phone-based digital assistant Siri and the Vision Pro wearable.

Siri, in particular, is getting an AI glow-up (more on that below). Safari will be able to organize tabs by topic, monitor webpages for updates, and create custom extensions from a natural-language prompt. Messages, Mail, Calendar, Phone, Home, and Shortcuts are all getting new AI-powered features that will help users do tasks faster.

"We believe that truly helpful AI must be centered around you and your needs," Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, said.

Own an older iPhone? Good news…

Apple says iOS 27 is designed to make some aging devices feel more responsive.

Stacey Ford, Apple's vice president of operating systems program management, said the company is bringing an optimized CPU scheduler to older mobile devices, going all the way back to the iPhone 11. The system helps manage how the phone allocates computing power as users juggle different tasks throughout the day.

Ford said the software update's inclusion of older phones makes it "available to more users than any iOS update, ever."

Siri gets the chatbot treatment — and its own app

Siri is getting a much-needed makeover — and it's largely powered by AI.

"We know there are times when you expect more from Siri," Mike Rockwell, Apple's VP of Siri engineering, said. "Siri is now a profoundly more capable assistant that helps you find what you need and gets more done."

Siri's software will make the assistant more conversational and better able to handle multi-step requests, even in third-party apps. The new AI-enhanced Siri can answer follow-up questions, pull from personal context located on the device, understand what's on your active screen, and take actions across apps — like finding photos from a trip and adding them to a shared album.

Apple is also giving Siri AI its own app, where users can revisit past conversations across devices.

Apple leans further into altering your photos with AI

Apple wants to be an iPhone user's photographic editor. The photo app has three new tools to help.

Photos is getting an upgraded Clean Up tool, which removes distractions even in busy images; Extend, which can generate more images around the original frame; and Spatial Reframing, which lets users shift the perspective as if they had moved the camera before taking the shot.

Apple says the tools are meant to improve composition, not rewrite reality.

"At Apple, we have a deep respect for the craft of photography," Alok Deshpande, Apple's director of photo and camera software engineering, said. "Our goal for bringing AI into the Photos app is to help photographers enhance their images in ways that respect the original moment."

Sorry, Apple fans in China and the European Union — you'l have to wait

After laying out all the benefits of Siri AI, Federighi shared the catch: users in the EU and China will find their access restricted.

Apple cited the Digital Markets Act for the restriction, and said that it had spent "several months" proposing solutions that EU regulators have rejected. Users in the EU will be able to use Siri AI on their Macs, but not on their phones or watches.

"We're working hard to find a path forward that preserves our users' privacy and security," Federighi said.

After riding high for much of WWDC, Apple's stock sank following the announcement.

Parents: Your oversight powers are leveling up

Apple is expanding its protections for child accounts, introducing restrictions on how long your child can use their device and what they can see.

Parents can now instruct their child to request website access before browsing, or to request to text someone before messaging. They can also set time allowances for apps and restrict access during certain times of day, such as school hours.

For those wanting an immediate shutdown, parents now have a "pause device" button.

"For those under the age of 13, access to personal devices should be limited and expanded when a child is ready," said Sumbul Ahmad Desai, Apple's VP of Health. "As parents, we want our kids to develop healthy digital habits."

Hate Apple's Liquid Glass design theme? There's now a slider for that

Last year's WWDC brought a new "Liquid Glass" interface to Apple's screens. Not everyone loved it.

After rolling out the glossy design language last year, Apple said it is making tweaks to improve readability and make apps feel more structured.

While the company isn't letting users fully get rid of the fresh look, a new settings slider lets users adjust Liquid Glass from ultra clear to fully tinted.

Tim Cook reflected on his final WWDC as CEO

This is Cook's final WWDC as Apple's top boss. He'll make way for John Ternus to take over as Apple's CEO in September.

Cook ended the conference with a "personal note" about his career at the company.

"Some of the greatest highlights of my time as CEO have been events like this," he said. "I truly believe that the best is still ahead."

Cook said that his work at Apple has been the "honor of a lifetime."

After a dominant first two games on the road, the New York Knicks return home to take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. We've gathered everything you need to know about where to watch the NBA Finals, including worldwide live streaming info, a series schedule, and more.

If you don't want to scroll anymore, we've got you covered. You can live stream all NBA Finals games on ABC via ESPN Unlimited or a live TV service in the US, Prime Video in the UK, and the NBA League Pass in most other countries around the world. Keep reading to learn more about global streaming options, so you can make sure you're able to tune in no matter where you are.

Where to watch the NBA Finals in the US

Game 3 of the NBA Finals, along with all other games in the series, will air on ABC in the United States. The game is scheduled to tip off on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET, but ABC's coverage will begin at 8. If you have cable or an antenna, there's a pretty good chance you'll be able to get the network, but cord-cutters will need a streaming option to access the game.

ESPN Unlimited is ABC's direct sports streaming counterpart. The service costs $30 a month and unlocks full access to all of ESPN's linear channels, along with ESPN on ABC events and exclusive streaming-only ESPN Plus content.

If you're interested in checking out a service with other channels beyond those found in the ESPN family (or you'd like an app with a free trial), one of the best live TV streaming services we've evaluated might be of interest. Our top ABC-friendly options are DirecTV and Fubo.

DirecTV's MySports package is a one-stop shop for sports fans. The plan carries around 20 popular sports channels, like ABC, and unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited. Subscriptions cost $65 a month, but new users can get $15 a month off their first two months after a five-day free trial.

Fubo's Sports + News package is another popular sports-focused option with ABC. Subscriptions cost $56 a month, but new customers can get $10 off their first month after a five-day free trial.

How to watch the NBA Finals from anywhere

It's good news for NBA fans outside the United States. Live streams of the NBA Finals are pretty accessible around the world, especially this year. Notably, Prime Video will live stream the Finals in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and several other countries. Subscription prices vary by country, but Prime Video often has a free trial for new users. Fans can also live stream the NBA Finals through the NBA League Pass in most regions outside the US and Canada. Subscription prices vary by region.

If you find yourself traveling through an area where you're unable to access your usual streaming options, you can still keep up with them with the aid of a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, are easy-to-use tech tools that allow people to temporarily change their virtual locations. Virtual private networks are also handy ways to upgrade cybersecurity and online privacy, even from home. The services we've recommended today require country-specific payment methods, so this option will work best for those who are simply traveling abroad right now.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs we've tested. It's fast, user-friendly (even for beginners), and has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not what you're looking for. Thanks to a special NordVPN deal, you can use our exclusive code INSIDER for extra savings on one and two-year plans (until June 9).

Where does Game 3 of the NBA Finals take place?

After two games in San Antonio, the Knicks vs. Spurs series heads to Madison Square Garden in New York. Game 4 will also take place at MSG. If the NBA Finals extend to Game 5, the series will head back to San Antonio. Potential Games 6 and 7 would take place in New York and San Antonio, respectively.

Which famous people are attending the NBA Finals?

The NBA Finals have been a star-studded affair so far. Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, and Tracy Morgan (all frequent fixtures at Knicks games) have been some of the most famous people spotted at the NBA Finals so far. President Donald Trump has also announced his plans to attend Game 3.

Who won the first two games of the NBA Finals?

The New York Knicks won the first two games of the NBA Finals, despite San Antonio's home-court advantage. The Knicks won Game 1 105-95, but Game 2 was much tighter. The Spurs almost clawed their way back in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks ultimately pulled off a 105-104 win.

Who is favored to win Spurs vs. Knicks?

The New York Knicks are currently the favorites to win both Game 3 and the overall NBA Finals. Ahead of Game 3 (at the time of writing), DraftKings has the Knicks as 1.5-point favorites and -130 on the moneyline, while the Spurs are the +110 underdogs.

NBA Finals schedule

• Game 1 on Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 2 on Friday, June 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 3 on Monday, June 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 4 on Wednesday, June 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 5 on Saturday, June 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 6 on Tuesday, June 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 7 on Friday, June 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Note: VPN use is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content may constitute a breach of the terms of use for some services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

• OpenAI announced it has filed its confidential S-1 to go public.
• The draft brings Sam Altman's company a step closer to a huge IPO and the public markets.
• OpenAI's post said the company has not yet decided on the timing of the IPO.

OpenAI has filed its confidential S-1, the first official step toward a blockbuster IPO.

The ChatGPT developer announced the filing on Monday in a short, blunt blog post. The confidential S-1 draft gives the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission time to review OpenAI's plans for an eventual public listing — though the post made it sound like that could be a ways out.

"We expect it to leak so we're just announcing it," OpenAI's post said. "We have not decided on timing yet; it may be a while because there are things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company."

It continued: "But it's a complicated set of tradeoffs and this gives us the option to go public sooner if that ends up being best."

OpenAI's confidential S-1 announcement arrives exactly a week after Anthropic's filing, part of a long-running rivalry between the two frontier AI labs. Each of the IPOs is expected to value its company at more than $1 trillion, 10 times Facebook's valuation at its landmark 2012 public listing.

OpenAI's last funding round in March valued the company at $852 billion. Anthropic's last round, raised in May, placed its valuation at $965 billion.

Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, downplayed the idea that the rivals are racing to IPO first after Anthropic's filing on June 1.

"I think there is a race to deliver the best technology and build the best business," Altman said on CNBC. "But, you know, going public is a financing event, and I don't think that's one that we're focused on the timing of. We'll do it when we think it makes sense."

Confidential S-1 documents typically arrive about 6 to 9 months before a company goes public, though the timeline varies.

An OpenAI IPO would cap off one of the most frenzied eras in tech history. Since the company released ChatGPT in 2022, trillions of dollars of investment have poured into AI-focused software and physical infrastructure. Altman is now one of America's most famous businessmen, the face of a powerful but divisive technology.

An IPO would bring liquidity to employees and raise billions of dollars in funding for OpenAI's compute buildout, but it would also entail risks. The company would have to publicly disclose its revenue, expenses, and profits for the first time and, after the listing, face the day-to-day whims of the stock market.

Further complicating OpenAI's IPO, the company is in discussions with the Trump Administration about the government taking a stake in the company.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at scouncil@insider.com, or over text, Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 415-757-8198. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Apple detailed its long-delayed overhaul to Siri at WWDC 2026.
• The tech giant's AI assistant is set to finally get AI-powered capabilities, some of which were initially teased in 2024.
• Apple announced a deal with Google in January to have Gemini power Siri's AI.

Siri's full-fledged AI moment is finally here.

On Monday, Apple unveiled its long-awaited, much-delayed overhaul of Siri as it looks to catch up in the AI race.

"Today, we are introducing an entirely new version of Siri, Siri unlocked by Apple Intelligence," said Mike Rockwell, VP of engineering, said during the company's 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference. "We call it Siri AI."

The new Siri AI will exist within Apple's software ecosystem but also as a standalone app. Siri AI will launch in beta later this year, but it will not launch in the European Union or China initially.

The underlying architecture of the new Siri is the result of Apple's partnership earlier this year with Google. The new features will launch in English with other languages to come.

Rockwell showed Siri using a variety of AI-powered capabilities, including the ability to find previously sent addresses, photos from particular locations, and more, "using your personal context." In one example, Rockwell showed how Siri could find specific photos he needed and share them with a group without ever opening the Photos app.

Siri will have a brand new voice experience "that enables Siri to sound incredible and a lot more expressive." Rockwell said users can also customize how expressive they want Siri to be. Along with voice improvements, Rockwell said Siri is also getting a dictation improvement "with a major boost in accuracy."

The Siri updates were just one part of the bevy of AI-enabled features Apple plans to roll out as part of its overhaul of Apple Intelligence, including the ability for iPhone to gather context during calls, reposition the framing of photos after they've been taken, and recognize faces with home cameras. Apple said some of the new AI features will have daily usage updates.

After encountering product development delays, Apple reached a deal in January with Google to have Gemini power Siri's artificial intelligence capabilities.

Federighi detailed the company's "deep collaboration" with Google.

"Together, we created the next generation of Apple Intelligence models," Federighi said during the WWDC livestream.

In a statement, Apple said the Siri AI launch delay in the EU was due to disputes with European regulators over how the landmark Digital Markets Act applies to Apple's AI capabilities.

For everyone else, Apple said the latest Apple Intelligence features and Siri AI in iOS 27 will be available on iPhone Pro 15 and later models, and iPhone 16 and later models. (A full list of the other devices that will be capable of using the AI features is here.)

The most advanced AI features, including Apple's most powerful on-device AI model, will only be available on the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and later models. Among the most powerful features will be Siri's new voice update and enhanced dictation abilities.

Siri troubles lead to embarrassing delays

If some of this sounds familiar, that's because much of it is.

In 2024, Apple announced a massive update to Siri, promising a more "natural" and "personal" assistant powered by Apple Intelligence. But then it ran into development issues.

By March 2025, Apple made the exceedingly rare move to announce that the Siri revamp was delayed.

That complicated Apple's marketing efforts. Apple also pulled down a September 2024 ad featuring "The Last of Us" star Bella Ramsey that featured Ramsey using Siri's AI to pull information from the calendar app to remember someone's name.

Last month, Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of misleading customers about the availability of AI-enhanced features.

Tim Cook reflects on his last WWDC as CEO

This is Cook's final WWDC as CEO, marking one of his last opportunities to close the chapter on Apple's AI setbacks. Apple's hardware boss John Ternus will take the helm as CEO starting on September 1.

Before the keynote presentation closed, Cook reflected on his time leading Apple.

"On a personal note, some of the greatest highlights of my time as CEO have been events like this," Cook said.

"Sharing powerful new tools with all of you and then seeing what you create with them has been a constant reminder that imagination has no limits," he said. "Over the years, you have helped people connect, create, learn, and experience the world in extraordinary new ways."

• Tools for Humanity, a startup co-founded by Sam Altman, is laying off employees.
• The company has struggled to show how its eye-scanning "Orb" can generate revenue.
• It's unclear how many employees would be affected by the layoffs.

Tools for Humanity, the eyeball-scanning startup co-founded by Sam Altman, is laying off employees, according to an internal email viewed by Business Insider.

The company has struggled to show how its iris-scanning "Orb" can generate revenue and win over regulators, despite a $2.5 billion valuation and millions of sign-ups. Investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital, and Khosla Ventures have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the venture, according to PitchBook.

"As we enter the next step of our company strategy and operating priorities, we have made the hard decision to make changes to some roles and teams across the company," Tools for Humanity said in the email, which was sent to staffers Monday from the people team. The company will share details on its strategy and next steps in a town hall meeting on Tuesday, the email said.

It's unclear how many employees would be affected by the layoffs. Tools for Humanity employs more than 500 people, according to its website. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tools for Humanity was founded on the idea of using iris scans to prove a person is human and not an AI bot. The startup's Orb—a shiny, volleyball-sized sphere—scans irises to generate a digital ID. People who participate can receive tokens of Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency distributed by the Cayman Island-based World Foundation.

Do you work for Tools for Humanity or have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at neinbinder@businessinsider.com or Signal at neinbinder.70. Use a personal email address, a nonwork device, and nonwork WiFi; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Upcoming IPOs for companies like SpaceX and Anthropic have some retirees worried.
• Experts overall agree that these IPOs may have limited immediate impact on 401(k)s.
• The Nasdaq 100 and Russell 1000 are expected to include SpaceX relatively soon after going public.

Retirees may have questions about huge, soon-to-be public companies like SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI coming to their retirement accounts. But despite all the attention these initial public offerings are getting, the first lesson for most people with retirement accounts and index funds is simple: these new stocks are unlikely to make a big, immediate difference in their retirement accounts.

That's because most retirement accounts are built around mutual funds and ETFs that track broad indexes, and those indexes don't usually snap up a new company at its full market value the moment it goes public. Instead, they often rely on "free float" — the shares actually available to public investors — and weight new stocks gradually.

"IPOs don't meaningfully move retirement portfolios right away," said Rodney Comegys, chief information officer and head of global equity at Vanguard Capital Management. "Due to float-adjusted indexing, even mega IPOs will enter broad indexes at very small weights, so the near-term impact on 401(k)s is limited."

The Nasdaq 100 and Russell 1000 are expected to include these giants relatively soon after they go public. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has reportedly pushed indexes to allow SpaceX to trade within days, anticipating a strong performance. The S&P 500 is a holdout, blocking SpaceX for at least 12 months after declining to amend proposed rule changes that would have sped its entry to the benchmark index.

Some prominent financial experts have called SpaceX's targeted valuation of $1.8 trillion too high. Morningstar valued the aerospace manufacturer at $780 billion, citing revenue gaps and AI risks, while "Dean of Valuation" and NYU professor Aswath Damodaran put it at $1.3 trillion.

For holders of retirement funds that will soon allow SpaceX to begin trading, this uncertainty could mean greater risk and volatility.

Some financial advisors told Business Insider that retirees often don't know what's in their 401(k)s and are thus unlikely to reduce their tech exposure. Still, the consensus is not to worry much in the short term, especially since the number of shares available to the public will be limited at first until more stock is sold.

U.S. households aged 65 or older made up the largest age cohort with zero retirement savings, as of the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, meaning these IPOs will affect many older Americans the least.

Of course, many of these funds counter big moves in large-cap companies via diversification, holding stable assets like bonds to offset big swings in the stock market.

Mikel Van Cleve, advice director of retirement and complex planning at USAA, told Business Insider that while diversification retains the strength of index investing, portfolio exposures shift over time, which may prompt investors to adjust their risk tolerance.

"From a behavioral finance standpoint, the challenge is that many investors associate index funds with being broadly diversified and inherently conservative, without always recognizing how index composition can evolve over time," Van Cleve said. "During periods of excitement around AI and innovation, that can contribute to overconfidence and elevated return expectations, while periods of volatility can trigger fear-based reactions or reactive decision-making."

Marcus Sturdivant Sr., of The ABC Squared, a Registered Investment Advisory firm, told Business Insider that retirees may be shielded from the impact of having SpaceX in their 401(k)s because the stock won't be included in the S&P 500.

"I think if it had been included in [the index], retirees would have been screwed," he said. "But there are going to be plenty of retirees who actually want this stock in spite of the 95 to 100 times earnings, just because they know Tesla. I can definitely see retirees not particularly minding.

More specifically, he thinks those with years before retirement may not mind SpaceX exposure, but those who plan on cashing in their 401(k)s soon will likely be more worried about short-term volatility.

"If you're about to retire, you probably don't want it there, but if you've got the horizon, it's fine," he added.

Are you buying SpaceX stock? Are you an older American with thoughts about how upcoming IPOs may impact your portfolio? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sandy Yawn, a superyacht captain who leads yacht crews on Bravo's "Below Deck Mediterranean." For the premiere of the show's eleventh season, she walked us through a day in her life at sea. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

I started my yachting career young and worked my way up. Along the way, I worked for some extraordinary owners who taught me a lot about being a leader.

I remember once working for this one owner and hearing him on the phone in his office. He was dealing with his boat and he goes, "I don't know, take 15 minutes and educate me." And I thought, "He doesn't know! Wow, I don't have to know everything." That was a big learning for me.

As the captain and leader on board, my biggest challenge is keeping consistency with the crew. No owner or client wants to go through different crew for repeat charters. It's like "Cheers" — you always go back to where people know who you are, right? They know your preferences, how you like your tea or how you take your coffee. We have logs where we keep tabs on our repeat clients.

My superpower is that I'm good at leading crew so they come back. I don't lead with fear and I don't lead with intimidation. I lead like a puppy: If you've got a puppy and you want to teach them how to swim, you go swimming. The puppy's going to watch you on the steps. Next thing you know, they're going to crawl in that water and start swimming with you.

Here's what a typical day in my life at sea looks like.

I'm on deck at 7 a.m. and work out every day

As far as my routine on board, I'm on deck at 7 a.m. and I'm there until the last person goes to bed. I try to get a rest period in the middle. We're required to have eight hours of rest in a 24-hour period — that's maritime law — but how we choose to use our rest time is up to us.

I'm a creature of habit. I like a good coffee in the morning. I'm not a morning eater, so I usually don't eat in the morning until about 10 or 11 a.m., but I'll have fresh orange juice. When I'm home in Florida, I'll squeeze fresh orange juice every day.

I try to eat well, but filming this season of "Below Deck Mediterranean," I ate a lot of croissants. I was there a week before filming started, and man, did I put some weight on. Thankfully, we had a gym in our house.

I'm a gym person. I like going where people are. At home, we have two SoulCycle bikes and a gym. I've been working out every day because, the older you get, the harder it is to stay fit.

My routine and leadership style is influenced by my sobriety

I'm sober. I have the magic of the 12 steps, which to me is life-changing, and I go to meetings.

In the morning, I'll read a meditation, and then I hit my knees and I ask for help for the day and ask to be a good human being and not selfish. And then I start my day.

At the end of my day, I review my day, because that's part of the 12 steps, too: Have I hurt anyone? Do I owe an amends? It's the maintenance part of recovery.

I'll never forget, once, I had a phone call in my cabin with the boat's owner. It was about money, the budget — I'd gone over. I come out, and my first officer asks me a question. I bit his head off.

I looked at his face, and he went from happy to sad, and I was like, "Oh my God, I love this guy. He's such a great guy. I don't want to make him sad." So I said, "Rob, you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

Promptly admitting when you've made a mistake and saying you're sorry, that's the 10th step. Even on "Below Deck," even with the crew, if I say something that hurts someone's feelings or I'm not thinking, I'll apologize.

Yachting keeps me away from home, but not as much as it used to

The maritime industry has evolved since I started. Before, when we worked, people didn't see me for a long time.

I wasn't there when my mom died. I wasn't in her life for two years. I'd talk to her, but I hadn't seen her. That was terrible, and I was like, "Something has to change."

The industry has changed since then. Now, you get these rotations on these bigger boats. Some crew may get four months or five months on, five months off.

For me, in between "Below Deck," I'll run a few boats. It isn't like charters, because to run a charter, the owner wants to hire you. And I'm like, "I've got to go do this TV show, sorry!"

Filming 'Below Deck' is a whirlwind, and I arrive early to adjust. At the end, my wife visits me.

Filming "Below Deck" is a lot more intense than a typical yacht season. We are in it until it's done.

When you're chartering, you usually have more time in between charters, so you get a longer break to recharge your batteries. Here, you're back-to-back.

But listen, I've done back-to-back charters and 24-hour turnarounds in my career, too.

When I'm filming "Below Deck," my wife Leah comes out to see me at the end.

Filming is six weeks, and I'm gone for eight weeks. I go early to adjust to the time zone. I'm taking on a boat for the first time, with a whole new crew — I need at least four days to prepare.

I prefer in-person and phone conversations to emails and texts

Being on deck is about speaking clearly. We learn in maritime school how to project our voices. We have to be crisp in our communication. Our enunciation and pronunciation have to be spot-on. We practice in a classroom how to talk on a radio and ask for help.

If you're talking softly, people are not going to listen. If you're talking too harshly, they're not going to listen. But if you talk in a way that's inviting and invigorating and direct, they're going to listen because it's almost like a respect of that. So your voice is everything. Your voice is your power.

I always say to my friend who runs a charity and works a lot on email, "Pick the phone up." You've got to have conversations.

If I start seeing more than two, three, or four texts going back and forth, I pick the phone up. Otherwise, it gets escalated in your mind. You might think the tone's different.

At home and off-charter, I like traveling and seeing live music with my wife

Recently, I said to Leah, "We're not having fun. We work too much. We're working all the time." I'm like, "I want to see some live music, take some dance lessons with you. " So we'll do something.

I grew up with Southern rock and roll, but I like pop music. I like all of it. My playlist is very mixed.

I've got friends all over the place, and we'll travel to really nice places. I'm an experiences person. I want some nice clothes, of course, but I would rather spend money on experiences. So we'll go to the Monaco Boat Show. We're going to the Hamptons for a week, then we're going to go to Newport, and then we're going to finish in Boston.

Leah and I have fun together. We laugh all the time. At home, our desks face each other in our office. We collaborate, we talk, and we have a whiteboard in there with all the things I have to do.

I'm the organized one in the family, and Leah's the creative one. I'm very organized because I work on a boat. You have to know which manual to grab when you're in trouble.

Season 11 of Below Deck Mediterranean premieres at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.

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• I took my first adults-only cruise in August 2023 with the luxury cruise line Virgin Voyages.
• The ship was full of surprises, including a tattoo parlor and a playground for grown-ups.
• The biggest surprise of my adults-only cruise was that it made me feel like a kid again.

After my first cruise in 2022, I didn't think the vacation style was for me.

My inaugural sailing aboard Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas felt like Kid Central. From the waterslides and splash pads to the carousel and escape room, many of the ship's activities and amenities were geared toward children.

While more experienced cruisers might be able to tune them out, I found it tough to relax with kids running around screaming on the pool deck. By the end of the trip, I was ready to give up cruising altogether.

Then, I heard about Virgin Voyages, a luxury, adults-only cruise line that first set sail in 2021. I thought sailing on an upscale ship free of children might change my mind about cruising, so I booked a seven-night Mediterranean cruise in August 2023 on Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady ship. I stayed in a cabin with a balcony. The starting rate was $5,910, though Business Insider received a media rate for the weeklong cruise.

My second cruise was far better than my first. I sailed in peaceful luxury from Spain to Italy and France, and the ship was full of surprises.

The first thing that struck me was the ship's unique and alluring aesthetic.

The ship was more stylish than I could have imagined. Multicolored lighting, iridescent panels paired with bold artwork, and modern furniture gave it a futuristic and glamorous feel. Pops of Virgin's signature bright red dotted the decks, from furniture to accent pieces.

Colorful glows, from pink and purple to blue and green, lit the decks and elevators. I felt as if I were surrounded by rainbows. Simply wandering the ship renewed my sense of childlike wonder, yet no kids were in sight.

My cabin felt more spacious than I thought it would.

I was prepared for my 225-square-foot cabin to feel at least a bit cramped, especially since I traveled with a friend. So I was surprised when multipurpose furniture and clever storage hacks left us both with enough floor space to stretch and move around.

The queen-size bed transformed into a couch during the day, an ottoman was tucked underneath the desk instead of a chair, and the nightstand was thin and light, making it easy to move out of the way when not in use. A large wall mirror facing the balcony made the space feel bigger and brighter.

The balcony had a side table, two chairs, and a big, netted hammock. Three years later, I still reminisce about how peaceful I felt curled up in that hammock in the middle of the sea.

I didn't expect to find a playground on a ship for grown-ups.

The last thing I expected to find on an adults-only cruise ship was a playground. But it wasn't just any playground — everything was jumbo-sized, from the seesaws to the swings. It was clearly built for grown-ups.

The cruise ship playground was filled with fun activities, including a human-sized chess set, a boxing ring, and gymnastics equipment. Nearby, a net suspended above an ocean view made me feel like I was on a catamaran.

If there had been children around, I wouldn't have felt comfortable taking up space on this playground. I remember feeling weird as the only adult in a round of laser tag during my first cruise. But on this kid-free ship, I felt free to enjoy these activities surrounded by only adults.

Going on the swings and playing competitive games made me feel like a kid again. Simply playing refreshed my state of mind in a way I didn't expect, and I think all adults could use it on vacation.

There was no shortage of play indoors, either.

When I wanted to beat the heat, I headed inside on deck seven, where I found a retro-style arcade and a game room full of board games, puzzles, decks of cards, and large tables to play on.

The board game selection was nostalgic — I spotted childhood favorites like Mouse Trap, Candyland, and Cranium.

I never thought I'd see a tattoo parlor on a cruise ship.

While wandering the indoor shopping strip on deck six, I was surprised when I spotted a tattoo shop called Squid Ink. Virgin Voyages says it's the first cruise line to offer tattooing on board. According to Cruise Gear, tattoo pricing starts at about $150.

I love getting tattooed, so seeing the shop excited me, but I resisted the urge to get one on this trip.

With so many high-end restaurants on board, I was surprised that none of the food cost extra.

On my first cruise on board Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, a lot of the food on the ship was included in the ticket price, but specialty restaurants incurred an additional price. Many cruise lines operate this way, so I was surprised to learn that none of the food on my Virgin Voyages cruise cost extra.

The all-inclusive dining was especially shocking, given the upscale restaurants offering everything from fresh pasta and Mediterranean seafood to sushi and steak. I felt like a queen as I indulged in the opportunity to forget about finances while dining.

I expected to see a lot of day drinkers on board, but the communal decks were calm during the day.

On my first cruise, I spotted many people drinking and partying throughout the day, so I expected to see even more of that on an adults-only cruise. But the communal decks were surprisingly calm when the sun was up. It was easy to relax by the pools — one had music playing, while the other was quiet.

I talked to a bartender about my differing experiences, and they said Mediterranean cruisers tended to be less interested in partying than Caribbean cruisers.

The last thing I expected from my adults-only cruise was to feel like a kid again. And that was the best surprise of all.

On a luxury ship without kids, I expected to enjoy my adults-only cruise more than my first cruise. But I didn't expect the Virgin Voyages cruise to make me feel like a child myself.

Playing for hours surrounded by rainbows and eating whatever I wanted without thinking about money allowed me to let loose in a way I hadn't in over a decade.

I would definitely cruise with Virgin Voyages again, and maybe next time, I'll get some fresh ink.

• Grocery shopping has changed dramatically over the last century.
• Supermarkets first started emerging in the 1920s, forever altering how people shop for food.
• Photos show the shift from small stores to supermarkets in the US.

For most Americans who don't use Instacart, grocery shopping today probably doesn't look all that different from their childhoods — they may mourn the discontinued Dino Pebbles cereal or be grateful for the option to self-checkout, but the fundamentals aren't all that different.

Go back over 100 years, though, and many familiar features wouldn't be found. Many US city-dwellers relied on markets, peddlers, and small shops to get most of their goods. If they did visit a grocery store, a clerk would wait on them, selecting each item from a shelf or back room.

Throughout the 1920s and '30s, food shopping started to change. Larger grocery stores started popping up around the country. At these new supermarkets, customers would pick out their own groceries, place them in their shopping cart, and haul them out to the parking lot. A decade earlier, all of that would have been unheard of.

Photos show how the US transitioned from small grocery stores to massive supermarkets.

Before grocery stores, US families went to a variety of shops to buy food.

Purchased food, as opposed to home-grown or homemade, was an increasing part of Americans' diet, especially for those who lived in cities during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Stocking up on groceries "was — and was understood to be — difficult, time-consuming, and important work," historian Tracey Deutsch wrote in "Building a Housewife's Paradise: Gender, Politics, and American Grocery Stores in the Twentieth Century."

Shoppers, often women, had to haggle over price. Availability could be inconsistent, so a seller might run out of a necessary ingredient, making meal planning difficult. Traipsing from one store to another could take up a substantial part of the day.

Differences in race, ethnicity, and language among shoppers and sellers could add difficulty or friction to these tasks as well.

Early grocery stores relied on clerks to give shoppers personal attention.

In the 1920s, grocery stores were tiny hubs of local activity. They were typically around 500 square feet, the size of some present-day apartments.

Most products were behind counters or in storerooms, and clerks would fetch the items and tell the customer the price. Shoppers had to trust that they were getting quality goods and a fair deal.

These stores usually operated on credit. Customers could put purchases on their tab and settle their accounts when their wages came in.

Shoppers might still need to buy produce and meat from separate shops or peddlers because grocery stores didn't offer them.

Chain stores started growing in the 1910s and '20s.

Unlike small, independent stores, chains could buy large quantities of goods at lower prices, passing the savings on to customers. This was especially attractive during the inflationary period that followed World War I, when potatoes cost 147% more in 1923 than they had a decade earlier.

Since smaller grocery stores often didn't list their prices, chain stores seemed to offer more transparency. Some contemporary estimates found chains selling branded items for roughly 9% and 11.5% less than independent retailers.

Opening economy stores helped A&P achieve explosive growth.

One of the first grocery chains in the US began as Gilman & Company in the 1850s and later became the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P. After the Chicago Fire in 1871, the company expanded outside of New York. Five years later, it had 100 stores.

By the 1930s, over 15,000 A&Ps were located throughout the country, making it the US' largest grocery store chain.

One reason the company was able to expand so quickly was the introduction of its cash-and-carry economy stores in 1912. Instead of customers buying items on credit, they paid right away. Free delivery wasn't offered at these stores, and they all had the same products and layouts. Most of the products were canned or shelf-stable, like flour, but small iceboxes held perishables including butter and eggs.

Economy A&Ps didn't have to keep track of customer accounts, track down late payments, or spend time traveling around the city dropping off groceries. They were more efficient to open and run, leading to substantial growth.

"Although discounting was not a new idea, the economy store was an important building block on the way to the supermarket," historian Benjamin Davison wrote in a 2016 journal article. A large number of customers wanted low prices over perks like personal attention and free delivery.

In the 1930s, some states started passing anti-chain bills over concerns they'd force mom-and-pop shops out of business. The more stores a company owned, the more they were taxed. A&P's growth model was suddenly a lot less attractive.

Kroger helped usher in the era of one-stop shopping.

In the 1920s, some independent retailers started embracing what was known as combination stores. They expanded into existing butcheries to sell meat to customers. Meanwhile, many chains relied on prepackaged food and couldn't sell fresh produce or meat.

Kroger stores were an exception. Bernard H. Kroger started the Great Western Tea Company in 1883 in Cincinnati. As the chain expanded, so did its services. In 1901, some of its stores started baking their own bread. Three years later, the company purchased a meat packer to supply in-store meat departments.

Cutting out suppliers helped Kroger have more control over pricing. He told the New York Times in 1901 that he could sell bread for 2 cents, half the price of everyone else in the city. "He buys coffee by the ship load and browns it himself," a man who had spoken with the grocery store founder told an Ohio newspaper the same year.

By 1925, the Kroger Grocery & Baking Co., as it was then known, was making over $116 million (over $2 billion today) in sales, the Wall Street Journal reported in 1926. It operated 2,858 stores and several bakeries for bread, crackers, and cakes.

Piggly Wiggly started a trend as the first self-service grocery store.

Customers who entered a Piggly Wiggly went through a turnstile into an aisle lined with packaged foods. Unable to leave through the door they entered, they wound through the aisles, browsing goods with their prices prominently displayed. Employees might be restocking shelves, but they weren't there to sell shoppers on the latest detergent or entice them with a bargain on bacon.

While that doesn't strike today's shopper as odd, to a reporter for the Boston Daily Globe in 1918, "the whole place is absolutely novel."

Clarence Saunders had designed the first self-service Piggly Wiggly two years earlier in Memphis, Tennessee. Instead of having a clerk gather everyone's items, the shoppers could pick and choose the brand of soap or type of soup they wanted themselves.

Flour, pickles, and other items were pre-weighed, so customers didn't have to guess the final price or wait for an employee to help measure the right amount. That also meant there was no meat counter with a butcher slicing ham or packing up pork chops.

Piggly Wiggly was novel but not totally unique.

California and Montana had self-service stores pre-dating Piggly Wiggly. However, Saunders gained attention for his opening-day stunts, like handing out roses to redheaded women, and for patenting some of his stores' designs, like the one-way layout that ended at the checkout station.

The unique name, which one trade magazine described as having a "Mother Goosey sound," may have helped, too. Saunders seemed to purposefully shy away from explaining its origins.

Franchising the name and design helped expand the store's reach quickly. By 1923, the US had over 1,200 Piggly Wigglys, most independently owned. That year, Saunders resigned after trying to raise the company's stock price by buying shares.

Some historians have crowned King Kullen as the first true supermarket.

In 1944, the Wall Street Journal reported that even industry experts couldn't settle on a definition for supermarkets. Most agreed the stores had several departments — including produce, meat, and dairy — and the grocery areas were self-service. The Super Market Institute put the minimum sales volume at $200,000 a year (about $3.6 million today).

For some historians, all the pieces come together in Michael Cullen's King Kullen. In 1929, he was managing a Kroger in Illinois when he wrote to the company's president, William Albers, with an idea to create "monstrous" stores where goods would move quickly because they were priced with little markup. Thanks to the volume of items, they would still make a profit, he said. He predicted he'd sell $10,000 worth of groceries a week.

By saving the public $1 to $3 on their food bills, he wrote, "I would be the 'miracle man' of the grocery business."

Albers never saw the letter, and Cullen instead opened his own store in Queens, New York, in 1930. He took out ads calling King Kullen the "world's greatest price wrecker." The warehouse's 6,000 square feet held 1,000 items. Customers quickly started lining up.

In 1936, Cullen died after complications from an appendectomy. His wife took over the company, which had opened more than a dozen stores, which together made more than $6 million a year (more than $139 million today).

Three years after King Kullen announced itself as a price wrecker, Albers left Kroger to open his own eponymous stores, the first to use the term "super market" in its name.

Ralphs is also a contender for the title.

Like A&P and Kroger, Ralphs started in the 19th century. In 1873, brothers George and Walter Ralphs started selling local produce and grains in Los Angeles. The business grew, and in 1926, it had over 40 stores. Many catered to Los Angeles' commuters instead of relying on foot traffic.

Car ownership in the US grew by over 4,000% between 1910 and 1930, especially in areas with little public transportation.

When Ralphs opened its 10,000-square-foot self-service store in West Hollywood, it was the company's largest. It had a large parking lot for the shoppers' vehicles.

Inside, the high-ceilinged, spacious store didn't seem like a typical grocery store. One columnist compared it to a "marketplace of Rome, where Phoenicians came to peddle their bright silks and bits of treasure from afar."

"Some of these early Ralph buildings are almost as modern today as when they were built 25 and 30 years ago," supermarket analyst M. M. Zimmerman wrote in 1955.

Taking advantage of its location, Ralphs prominently displayed its California produce. Its prices were higher than A&P's, but its business model proved popular enough that other LA-area grocers had created 30 similar stores by the time King Kullen opened in 1930.

Big Bear was a bit like the Costco of its day.

Many supermarket histories include New Jersey's Big Bear, which opened in 1932. Transforming a 50,000-square-foot auto plant into a cavernous, boisterous market, Robert Otis and Roy Dawson tipped their hats to King Kullen by calling their store a "price crusher."

Only 15,000 square feet were devoted to grocery items, mostly in cans and packages. To get there, shoppers first had to pass by meat, produce, and bakery counters.

A soda fountain, electronics, tools, cosmetics, drugs, and other departments made up the rest. Customers crowded around tables piled with merchandise. Some traveled 40 miles to take advantage of the store's low prices.

It took Big Bear three days to rake in $31,000, one historian estimated. It might take a small chain store months to sell as much.

People began referring to Big Bear and its many imitators as "barney stores." Some industry analysts dismissed the cheap fixtures and overwhelming layouts of these "wild animal" stores, which often featured leopards, tigers, or other beasts in their names.

Early supermarkets were large and operated by self-service.

Other commonalities included free parking, a high volume of products, a certain amount of annual sales, and a variety of departments. By combining butcheries, bakeries, produce, and packaged goods under one roof, they offered one-stop food shopping. Sometimes these were independent contractors leasing space in a building with a big commercial footprint.

These stores also differed from earlier grocers in other ways. Customers paid in cash, and the stores often didn't offer delivery services. The unofficial motto was "pile it high, and sell it cheap," one supermarket owner told Zimmerman in 1955.

"What made supermarkets novel was not their low prices or self-service cash-and-carry approach, however, but the extraordinary array of goods and services they provided under one roof: fresh produce, dairy, meats, baked goods, and canned and packaged foods were to be had, but so were a stunning variety of other items and services," Shane Hamilton wrote in "Supermarket USA: Food and Power in the Cold War Farms Race."

While some businesses, including Ralphs, incorporated attractive design into their layouts, others, like the barney stores, opted for affordability over aesthetics.

Many early supermarkets were independent. It took large chains like A&P and Kroger longer to catch on to the new business model.

Major grocery chains didn't open supermarkets right away.

A few months after Big Bear opened in New Jersey, a grocery industry analyst told The New York Times it was a novelty that would wear off.

"When that time comes, the verdict will be much the same as in Syracuse and Detroit, where 'warehouses' or supermarkets enjoyed a brief period of outstanding success and then experienced a decided drop in sales volume," he said.

A&P's president, John Hartford, also said later that his company didn't take supermarkets seriously. Then it realized King Kullen was crushing its regional shops. By 1936, Safeway, A&P, and Kroger started opening bigger stores.

Adapting to larger, high-volume stores proved successful for these chains. They closed smaller shops to focus on more lucrative supermarkets.

The Depression, an increasing number of cars, and several other factors led to supermarkets' growth.

Many customers were lured in by supermarkets' promise of low prices and a large selection. Shoppers with jobs also appreciated supermarkets' evening hours, as many chains closed at 6 p.m. Owners who had previously run smaller grocery stores saw their operating costs cut in half.

Historians cite a variety of factors, from taxes on chain stores to improved refrigeration technology to regulations on food prices, to explain why the number of supermarkets exploded in the late 1930s and '40s.

Mounds of products required new layouts and inventions.

During this era, owners started figuring out how to better manage an influx of customers at busy times. They tried out new ways of displaying merchandise to attract buyers' attention. Placed at eye-level, the products would sell themselves.

"Silent salesmanship prevailed in the subtlety of aisle displays that halted the progress of shoppers, at which point they might observe other shoppers and be influenced by their purchases," historian Lisa C. Tolbert wrote in "Beyond Piggly Wiggly: Inventing the American Self-Service Store."

Navigating these spacious supermarkets packed with goods also prompted the spread of the shopping cart in the late 1930s.

Owners wanted to attract wealthy customers.

While some businesses had bargain prices that brought in a variety of shoppers, some chains that were closing stores in low-income neighborhoods opened their new supermarkets in wealthy areas, Deutsch wrote. They worried that cheap products weren't enough to bring in the middle-class women they wanted as customers.

To distinguish themselves from barney stores, some supermarkets invested more in decor and offered perks like employees who carried groceries to shoppers' cars.

"Upscale supermarkets were welcomed into postwar suburban housing developments in and around Chicago and quickly began emphasizing the quality and convenience of goods they sold, continuing to move away from an emphasis on price," Deutsch wrote in a 1999 journal article.

Similarly, in Southern California, business owners strategically placed their supermarkets and mostly had all-white clientele.

"In part, this was because a new supermarket had the potential to transform the demographics and economic life of an area, but it was also because operators carefully built stores adjacent to the most desirable clientele," Davison wrote.

Supermarkets had a huge impact on how Americans ate.

More types of prepackaged foods, the advent of frozen food, improved freezer technology, and other changes began impacting Americans' diets as supermarkets continued to grow.

Farming methods were becoming more industrialized, and A&P and other sellers used new advances to their advantage to tap into a network of producers to find the most appealing potatoes, peaches, and peas from around the country. Customers in northern states got used to having certain fresh fruits and vegetables year-round instead of just seasonally.

While they didn't have complete control of the supply chain, stores like A&P bought produce in large quantities, and "farmers who did not comply with the firm's demands for high-volume, standardized production were sure to be left outside the marketplace," Hamilton wrote.

Supermarkets continued to expand in the 1950s.

While some contemporary analysts had predicted that supermarkets would die out after the Depression ended, there were more stores than ever in the years following World War II. Many were stocking six times as many items as the earliest supermarkets.

Most adopted the more sedate design of chains like A&P. "The older chaotic supermarkets were quickly replaced by the ordered, and overtly-feminized, space of the postwar super-market," Deutsch wrote.

Many of these chains have since melded together or completely disappeared. Yet in just a few decades, they completely changed the way many Americans shopped for groceries, and we're still feeling those influences today.

Sources: "Supermarket USA: Food and Power in the Cold War Farms Race" by Shane Hamilton; "Building a Housewife's Paradise: Gender, Politics, and American Grocery Stores in the Twentieth Century" by Tracey Deutsch; "Beyond Piggly Wiggly: Inventing the American Self-Service Store" by Lisa C. Tolbert; "Carried Away: The Invention of Modern Shopping" by Rachel Bowlby; "The American Grocery Store: The Business Evolution of an Architectural Space" by James M. Mayo; "The Super Market: A Revolution in Distribution" by M. M. Zimmerman; "From 'Wild Animal Stores' to Women's Sphere: Supermarkets and the Politics of Mass Consumption, 1930-1950" by Tracey Deutsch; "Super City: Los Angeles and the Birth of the Supermarket, 1914—1941" by Benjamin Davison; "The Rise of the Supermarket" by Tevere Macfadyen; International Directory of Company Histories; and Smithsonian Magazine.

Editor's note: This article was first published in May 2025 and most recently updated in June 2026.

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Big-screen TVs are more popular and affordable than ever. I have a 75-inch TV in my own living room, and I never want to go back to a smaller size. Movies and gaming feel more immersive, and a 75-inch screen is great for sports watch parties during events like the World Cup. But a big display doesn't guarantee a good picture on its own. The quality gap across various models is greater than you might expect. That's why I put together this guide to the best 75-inch TVs (plus a few 77-inch sets) that are actually worth the money.

My team and I reviewed popular TV models from every brand to find 75-inch options for different needs and budgets. For most people, the Samsung S90F is hard to beat. Its OLED panel delivers deep black levels and rich, punchy colors that really shine on a screen this large. But if you want something more affordable, the TCL QM6K is a great value at under $1,000. It can't match the S90F's contrast, but its QLED display still delivers impressive color, and its Google TV interface is smooth and easy to use.

I've also included 75-inch TVs that prioritize top-tier picture quality, as well as models that crank up the brightness for rooms with lots of light. My recommendations include both 75-inch QLEDs and 77-inch OLEDs, as the small size difference is simply a result of how each panel is manufactured.

Our top picks for the best 75-inch TVs

Best overall: Samsung S90F 4K OLED TV - See at Amazon

Best on a budget: TCL QM6K 4K QLED TV - See at Amazon

Best premium model: LG G5 4K OLED TV - See at Amazon

Best for high brightness: TCL QM8K 4K QLED TV - See at Amazon

Best anti-glare screen: Samsung S95F 4K OLED TV - See at Amazon

Best overall

When it comes to balancing performance and price, Samsung's S90F OLED stands out as the best 77-inch TV on the market.

The S90F utilizes a QD-OLED panel, which combines pixel-level contrast control with the rich color range of quantum dots. The result is deep, inky black levels and vibrant hues. In dark rooms, the S90F avoids the washed-out grays that plague many QLED and LED sets. Black levels rise slightly with the lights on, but not enough to be distracting.

Samsung's quantum dot tech also helps the S90F produce a brighter image than comparable LG OLEDs. During testing, our reviewer measured a peak brightness of around 1,460 nits, which is excellent for a midrange OLED and about 200 nits higher than the older S90D. That brightness makes HDR movies and shows pop, with crisp highlights and nuanced color that closely match the performance of more expensive models.

Viewing angles are another strong point: you can sit off to the side without noticeable loss of color or contrast. That's something that QLED and LED TVs can't match. Gamers will love the 120Hz refresh rate (144Hz with a PC), which ensures smooth motion with the PS5, Xbox Series X, or Switch 2. Additionally, Samsung's built-in Xbox app lets Game Pass members stream titles directly to the TV without a console.

Samsung's Tizen smart TV platform offers every major streaming app and runs smoother than it has on older models. That said, the interface's organization is a bit clumsy compared to the more intuitive designs of rivals like Google TV and Roku.

As with all Samsung TVs, the S90F doesn't support Dolby Vision, an advanced HDR format used by many streaming services. While Dolby Vision can deliver slightly more accurate HDR performance, the difference is subtle, so its absence isn't a dealbreaker. For more information, check out my HDR TV guide.

Buyers should note that Samsung also has a 2026 version of this TV, the S90H. I tested the S90H, and it offers similar performance, but costs more. The biggest difference is that the S90H has a glare-free screen coating, which reduces reflections but lowers contrast in bright rooms. With that in mind, the cheaper S90F remains my recommendation for most needs. You can learn more in my 2026 Samsung OLED TV roundup.

Read our Samsung S90F 4K TV review.

Check out our guides to all the best TVs, best smart TVs, and best Samsung TVs.

Best on a budget

The TCL QM6K is easily one of the best 75-inch TVs on a budget. This QLED display features a Mini LED backlight with local dimming and wide color capabilities. Those features are often missing on competing TVs in this class.

As a result, the QM6K offers better image quality than a lot of its rivals. When reviewing the set, I loved the TV's rich colors. It also offered solid contrast with excellent backlight control. Most budget TVs feature washed-out black levels or halos around bright objects, but the QM6K does a great job of minimizing these flaws.

The TV also gets decently bright for such an affordable display. I measured a peak of around 557 nits on a 10% HDR test pattern and around 763 nits on a 50% test pattern. That's enough to provide a good entry-level HDR picture. However, this is the dimmest TV in this guide, so it's not the best fit for rooms with a lot of light. Viewing angles are also a bit limited, as image quality degrades when you sit off-center. That said, this has improved compared to older models in the series.

Another improvement comes in the TV's gaming capabilities. The QM6K is one of the most affordable 75-inch TVs that supports a 144Hz refresh rate. This is a cool perk for PC gamers who want smoother motion during gameplay. I was also impressed by the QM6K's Google TV interface. In the past, I've run into glitches and lag on some TCL Google TVs, but the QM6K was snappy and free from any notable bugs.

Read our TCL QM6K 4K TV review.

Check out our guide to all the best budget TVs.

Best premium model

The LG G5 is one of the company's top high-end TVs, delivering the deep black levels and infinite contrast ratio that all OLEDs are known for. However, what sets this model apart from other options is its exceptionally high brightness.

During my review, the G5 hit 2,410 nits in HDR Filmmaker Mode. That's the second-highest measurement I've recorded on an OLED, and only behind the more expensive Samsung S95H. Now, it's essential to keep in mind that only certain HDR movies and TV shows are mastered to take advantage of such high brightness, but when paired with the right content, the G5 is stunning.

Specular highlights — explosions, reflections, lightning, sunsets — pop with incredible impact, and because it's still an OLED, you get pixel-level contrast without backlight issues like blooming. Some QLEDs can get even brighter, but they can't match the G5's ability to harness its brightness so precisely. Visit our QLED vs OLED comparison for more details.

The result is an outstanding image: in a dark room, black levels blend seamlessly into the background, while bright elements shine cleanly and accurately. Wide viewing angles and a 165Hz refresh rate for PC gaming round out the G5's performance perks.

Of course, the G5 isn't flawless. No TV is. The display exhibited signs of posterization (blocky rather than smooth colors) in certain HDR scenes, but firmware updates have largely resolved this issue. LG's webOS platform is smooth and well-stocked with apps, but I still find Roku OS and Google TV more intuitive. I also ran into some early voice-search hiccups that smoothed out over time.

Design-wise, the G5 looks sleek and comes with a mount that hangs nearly flush against your wall. However, it doesn't include a traditional stand, so you'll need to purchase one if you aren't wall-mounting.

A 2026 version of the G5, called the G6, is also available. I saw a side-by-side comparison between the two, and the newer TV has an improved anti-reflective filter and better processing to help reduce banding. That said, the G6 is around $1,000 more than the G5. If you're a serious enthusiast without budget constraints, the pricier G6 is worth considering, but for now, the more affordable G5 remains my pick. You can learn more in my 2026 LG OLED TV roundup.

Read our LG G5 4K TV review.

Check out our guides to the best LG TVs and best TVs for picture quality.

Best for high brightness

The QM8K is an impressive QLED that rivals top models from Sony and Samsung but costs considerably less. Most notably, it's one of the best 75-inch TVs for a high-brightness image.

Like TCL's budget-friendly QM6K, this pricier flagship model uses a QLED panel with Mini LED local dimming. However, the QM8K has a more advanced backlight with additional dimming zones, enabling it to deliver a significantly brighter image and better black levels.

Our reviewer measured a peak brightness of 3,648 nits on a 10% window, making the QM8K the brightest TV in this guide and one of the brightest TVs on the market. Of course, raw luminance on a test pattern is meaningless if the TV can't control its light well when displaying actual content. Thankfully, the QM8K can control its brightness to deliver fantastic HDR image quality. This also helps it overcome glare in rooms with ambient light.

The TV also impressed our reviewer with some of the best contrast control he's seen on a Mini LED TV. Halos around subtitles were absent, and blooming was minimal in various test scenes. OLED TVs still offer more precise contrast, but the QM8K QLED holds its own well.

The QM8K's viewing angles are also solid for a QLED. Color and contrast still degrade a bit off-center, but not to the point that the picture looks dramatically washed out. Again, OLED TVs still have an edge here, but the difference isn't as significant as it used to be.

Gaming capabilities are also excellent, with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. However, the QM8K isn't capable of 165Hz, which is a feature supported by a few competing TVs, such as the LG G5 and Hisense U8QG.

If you're looking for a premium 75-inch QLED with excellent contrast control and brightness, the QM8K is a fantastic buy. However, shoppers should note that TCL also sells a newer version of this TV, called the QM8L. I tested the 75-inch QM8L, and it offers similar brightness while delivering a wider color range thanks to TCL's new SQD technology. The QM8L is an impressive TV, but I still give the edge to the QM8K since it costs less.

Read our TCL QM8K 4K TV review.

Check out our guide to the best TCL TVs.

Best anti-glare screen

The Samsung S95F is a stellar QD-OLED TV that excels at addressing an all-too common annoyance for many viewers: screen reflections. Most TVs use glossy panels that create mirror-like reflections, which can make daytime viewing (especially sports) frustrating in rooms with lots of windows.

The S95F tackles that head-on with a matte-like screen that dramatically reduces glare. It's not perfect, but for anyone who battles reflections in their living room, it can feel like a revelation. In my testing, the TV performed exactly as promised, with virtually no irritating reflections.

There is a tradeoff, though. That matte finish lifts black levels. In a dark environment, the S95F's black levels look pitch-perfect, but with the lights on, darker scenes take on a slightly gray, hazy appearance. Glossy screens — like those used on every other TV in this guide — maintain deeper black levels in bright rooms, but they also reflect more light. Ultimately, choosing between the S95F's matte approach and a traditional glossy panel depends on which you find more bothersome: reflections or lower contrast.

Beyond the anti-glare feature, the S95F delivers impressive performance across the board. I measured peak brightness at 2,170 nits, which is top-tier for an OLED. It also supports a 165Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth PC gaming and features a premium design that routes inputs through a separate connection box, rather than cluttering the TV's rear panel.

Samsung also sells an improved 2026 model, called the S95H. The new TV gets even brighter, features a metal frame, and adds access to Samsung's Art Store. The cheaper S95F remains the best value for most people, but the S95H's improvements make it a better choice for enthusiasts who don't mind paying extra.

Read our Samsung S95F 4K TV review.

Check out our guide to the best OLED TVs.

The best 75-inch TVs, compared

How we test 75-inch TVs

We picked the best 75-inch TVs through hands-on testing with various display models. We've been reviewing home entertainment products for over 10 years and used that expertise to inform our testing parameters and requirements.

When evaluating TVs, we typically review the 65-inch size, as it's the industry's flagship tier. However, overall performance for a specific TV model usually remains the same across sizes. For example, a 77-inch LG G5 OLED and a 65-inch G5 OLED have the same specifications. The only difference is the panel's size. As such, most test results for 65-inch TVs also apply to their 75- and 77-inch counterparts. 

However, some QLED displays with local dimming, like the TCL QM6K and QM8K, have more zones in larger screen sizes than in smaller ones. This can cause slight differences in contrast performance, but not enough to alter our overall takeaway. In rare cases, some TV models have more dramatic differences across sizes. We consider these differences when recommending displays and note them when applicable.

When we test TVs, we evaluate picture clarity, color quality, contrast performance, peak HDR brightness, gaming features, navigation speed, off-axis viewing capabilities, and overall value. To measure brightness and color, we use a meter in combination with a pattern generator and the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc. 

Test patterns are great for objective measurements, but watching real-world content is the only way to fully evaluate how a TV looks. We sample a variety of shows and movies to assess how a display performs in both dark and bright environments. Part of our evaluation involves watching the same assortment of scenes on each TV we review to compare performance. Sequences are chosen to show off HDR highlights, shadow detail, black levels, upscaling, and motion. We also vary the quality of our material to assess how a TV handles 4K, 1080p, and standard definition (SD) programs from Blu-ray discs, streaming services, and cable TV. Gaming capabilities are also tested using a PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

For more information about our testing process, check out our page detailing how we review tech products.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Steven Cohen, senior tech editor: I lead tech product coverage for Business Insider's Reviews team, and I've spent years testing all kinds of TVs. I studied filmmaking, too, so I'm a bit obsessive about picture quality. I want movies and shows to look the way the creators intended. My team and I use professional calibration tools, pattern generators, and benchmark discs to measure brightness and color accuracy, but numbers alone only tell part of the story. I also use every TV I review the way you would at home — streaming, watching movies, gaming, and channel surfing — to see how it really performs day to day. The picks in this guide stood out not just in lab tests but also in real-world use.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

75-inch TV FAQs

Is 75 inches a good size for a TV?

A 75-inch screen is an excellent option for filling a large space or providing an immersive experience in a smaller room. Big screen sizes fill more of your field of view, so your eyes can focus on the image and not your surroundings. This creates a viewing experience that's closer to what you'd get in a movie theater.

Many of our favorite TVs are sold in 75 or 77 inches, so you have plenty of options. Some brands are also starting to use 75 inches as the entry point for their most advanced models. For instance, the new TCL X11L SQD TV isn't available in smaller sizes.

That said, you need to consider certain logistics when buying a large TV. You'll need a stand or mount that can accommodate the width and weight of a 75-inch TV. Visit our guides to the best TV stands and best TV wall mounts, where we have several picks that can fit large displays.

Meanwhile, if you don't have the space for a 75-inch TV, check out our guides to smaller TV sizes:

• Best 65-inch TVs
• Best 55-inch TVs
• Best 50-inch TVs
• Best 43-inch TVs

Or if you want something even larger, check out our guides to the best 85-inch TVs and best 100-inch TVs.

Do we recommend 75-inch RGB LED TVs?

Not yet, but they're definitely on our radar. RGB LED is a new display type that uses separate red, green, and blue LEDs in its backlight. As a result, these TVs have the potential to produce a wider range of color than you'd get on a typical QLED, Mini LED, or OLED display.

Different brands offer variations of the tech, and many use different names to market it. For example, Samsung calls its version Micro RGB, Hisense uses RGB Mini LED, and Sony calls its tech True RGB. They're all chasing a similar goal, but performance can vary.

We'll be testing RGB LED TVs throughout 2026 to see whether any deserve a spot in this guide. So far, we've had an early look at the Samsung R95H, and its color performance is the best we've seen. But based on our initial testing, its contrast and brightness weren't quite good enough to earn a top spot.

For now, we're not recommending any 75-inch RGB LED TVs in this guide, but that will likely change once we test more models and prices come down. For more details on RGB backlighting, check out our first look at Sony's True RGB tech and our RGB LED vs. Mini LED TV comparison.

Should you buy a 2026 or 2025 75-inch TV?

In most cases, 2025 TV models still offer a better value than 2026 options. Brands such as Samsung, LG, TCL, Sony, and Hisense have all launched new TVs for 2026, but they cost more than their 2025 counterparts. Though many 2026 TVs offer improved performance, the difference is rarely dramatic enough to justify their increased cost. This will change later in the year as 2025 TVs sell out and 2026 TV prices come down, but for now, most people are better off snagging a 2025 75-inch TV while it's available at a discount.

Why are some TVs offered in 75 inches and others in 77 inches?

This comes down to how the panels are made. Traditional LED, QLED, and Mini LED TVs are commonly produced in 75-inch sizes, while OLED panels are typically manufactured in 77-inch sizes. In real-world use, though, the two-inch difference is minimal, as you're essentially getting the same big-screen experience either way.

Do brands sell 70-inch TVs?

Though increasingly uncommon, some brands do sell 70-inch TV models. Notably, Samsung, LG, Insignia, and Walmart's Onn brand all offer 70-inch options in their current lineups. However, that size is typically limited to a few entry-level options. Top TVs usually skip the 70-inch size and are instead sold in 65-inch and 75-inch/77-inch models. We generally recommend that shoppers focus on TVs available in those sizes instead.

How much should you spend on a 75-inch TV?

Depending on the performance class you choose, the best 75-inch TVs can cost between $600 and $5,000.

Budget-friendly 75-inch QLED TVs, such as the TCL QM6K, are sometimes available for as low as $700. Midrange QLED options with higher brightness typically sell for $800 to $1,400, while high-end models start at around $1,800.

If you want an OLED TV (made in 77 inches rather than 75), you'll need to pay a bit more. The cheapest 77-inch OLED TVs start at around $1,500, while premium options can cost over $4,000.

The best 75-inch and 77-inch TVs often go on sale, but the biggest discounts typically appear during shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day, as well as around major sporting events like the Super Bowl and March Madness.

For cheaper TV recommendations in smaller sizes, check out our guide to the best TVs under $500.

Do I need HDMI 2.1 for a 75-inch TV?

If you're a gamer with a PS5, Xbox Series X, or PC, we recommend ensuring that any TV you buy has HDMI 2.1 ports. HDMI 2.1 enables 4K at 120Hz and smoother motion with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). All of our picks for the best 75-inch TVs support HDMI 2.1.

Do 75-inch TVs have good sound quality?

Even the best 75-inch TVs have mediocre built-in audio performance. Some of our pricier recommendations, such as the LG G5, offer better clarity and slightly more bass than our entry-level picks, like the TCL QM6K. However, they still lack the depth and range that you'd get with a separate audio system.

Companies typically build their displays with small speaker drivers to keep costs down and maintain slim screens, resulting in poor low-frequency performance and overall fidelity. For better sound quality, we recommend purchasing a separate soundbar or surround sound system, especially one that supports Dolby Atmos.

Check out our soundbar and speaker guides to see our top recommendations:

• Best soundbars
• Best Dolby Atmos soundbars
• Best budget soundbars
• Best soundbars with subwoofers
• Best Sonos soundbars
• Best Bose soundbars
• Best surround sound systems

Should you buy a 75-inch 8K TV?

Some brands, such as Samsung, offer 75-inch 8K TV models. However, in most cases, 8K TVs aren't worth the extra money they cost. Outside of some YouTube videos, there's no 8K content available to watch. Though 8K TVs benefit from upscaling and higher pixel density, which can provide a slightly sharper image if you sit very close to your screen, this benefit is subtle.

As it stands, most people are better off buying a 75-inch 4K set with high-end features than spending a similar amount or more on an 8K model.

That said, if you're determined to make the jump to 8K, we suggest considering the Samsung QN990F. This QLED TV delivered impressive contrast and brightness in our testing. But again, if you're willing to sacrifice resolution, a good 4K TV, such as the 77-inch Samsung S90F, actually offers a better overall image for less money.

• Gabby Zappia, 37, started experiencing blood in her stool when she was pregnant.
• Her rectal bleeding was dismissed by her doctor as pregnancy-related hemorrhoids.
• When she got screened months later, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

When Gabby Zappia started experiencing blood in her stool for the first time, her obstetrician quickly reassured her. She was six months into her third pregnancy and was told the symptom was likely caused by pregnancy-related hemorrhoids.

So, Zappia returned to her busy life. Caring for her two kids, ages 4 and 5 at the time, involved nonstop carpools, lunches, laundry, and dishes.

"I still have a little bit of a hard time slowing down," Zappia, 37, told Business Insider.

The day before her due date in June 2024, Zappia, who's based in Mission Viejo, California, saw significantly more blood in the toilet, describing it as "blood diarrhea." She immediately went to OB triage, where she said the staff seemed in disbelief, asking her if she'd taken any photos. After a vaginal exam found nothing wrong with the baby, they decided to induce labor.

After her son's birth, Zappia wanted to focus on being with him. But when the bleeding persisted, she called her primary care physician and was put on a three-month waiting list to see a gastroenterologist. In December 2024, six months after she gave birth, Zappia was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

Zappia, who had no family history of colon cancer, had expected a diagnosis like polyps or Crohn's disease. "I'm still shocked, honestly," she said. "I was just heartbroken. I thought that I was invincible before this."

A baseball-sized mass

Zappia said her GI was the first time she felt her symptom was being taken seriously. While she was in the office, he gave her a guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT), performed on a card that turns blue when stool samples contain blood. The entire card turned blue, indicating a higher amount of blood.

He scheduled her for a colonoscopy, which involved another monthlong wait. It was then, in November 2024, that Zappia learned she had a mass so big that it nearly blocked her whole colon. She was scheduled for a colon resection surgery, a procedure to remove part of her large intestine, one month later.

"The mass was the size of a baseball when she ended up taking it out, which is absolutely insane because I'm a small person, too," Zappia said.

It put in perspective how much discomfort she brushed aside in the prior months, including the extreme fatigue she chalked up to pregnancy. "The days when I felt the most sick, like I was in thick mud just trying to get my day started, were the days that I pulled myself together the most," she said.

Zappia would always put on makeup and try to be her usual bubbly self — something she wonders may have made it harder for doctors to believe her. "If I was kind of looking sick, maybe they would've been more concerned," she said.

Balancing motherhood with treatment

After her colon resection and a biopsy on her liver, where the cancer had spread, Zappia was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

After she had healed from the surgery, Zappia underwent a second surgery for her chemotherapy port, which provides a convenient access point for chemo treatments, before starting a chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimen. In between those treatments, she also underwent a liver resection and ablation surgery to remove tumors. Zappia also had a hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump installed in her abdomen to deliver concentrated doses of chemo directly to her liver.

The mom of three young children said the hardest part of her diagnosis was being a patient while continuing to be an engaged parent.

"When you're a mom, you don't get to pause," she said. "Your kids still need you. They still want snacks. They still want you to be there for bedtime." While she said they pushed her to stay active, forcing herself to get up on days when she was recovering from chemo side effects such as bone pain and flu-like symptoms, it still made her experience extra challenging. For example, she was afraid to hold her kids out of fear of them accidentally pulling the tubing of her chemo pump out.

It was also difficult to find childcare on days she was at the hospital. Still, she had her husband.

"I am so incredibly lucky to have an amazing husband," she said, who handled nearly all of her household and childcare responsibilities throughout treatment. "We've tried to tackle this as a team and work hard to normalize life as much as possible for the kids, keep things routine, celebrate the little things, and just make sure our home still feels safe and full of joy."

Friends, family, neighbors, and people from Zappia's church also chipped in to help with carpools and meals. "It really does take a village, and we've really needed to lean on them throughout this whole experience," she said.

Bumps in treatment

After her liver resection, Zappia finished chemotherapy and rang the bell in September 2025 after having no evidence of disease. "It was an incredible milestone in my journey, but early," Zappia said.

Three months later, a PET scan found some cancer activity in her liver. After the initial shock of her new diagnosis wore off, Zappia said she realized she'd have "bumps in the road."

"It's just important to focus on what I can control," she added.

Zappia underwent a robotic liver resection at the end of 2025 to remove the affected area. But after an MRI revealed a new tumor nearby, she had the procedure again in March 2026 — marking her third liver surgery overall.

After multiple surgeries, her blood tests found no signs of disease as of April 2026.

Because colorectal cancer is now the deadliest cancer for people under 50, Zappia believes people should be on the lookout for symptoms like bloody stools, which is one of the most common signs of colon cancer.

"Sure, it might be hemorrhoids, and that would be awesome, but confirm that," Zappia said. "Don't just take the possibility that that's what it is."

Flying with a cat can be stressful, but one of the best airline-approved cat carriers can make the journey smoother. When you place your cat at your feet in the plane cabin, a thoughtfully designed soft-sided pet carrier with the right features helps keep them safe and comfortable — and helps you relax, too.

To find the best airline cat carriers, I consulted veterinarians and pet travel experts and tested 31 models myself. My top pick, the crash-tested Sleepypod Air, compresses to fit under seats as narrow as 16 inches and includes comfortable touches that make it easy to carry and maneuver. For a more affordable option, the Frisco Premium Airline Compliant Quilted Carrier Bag is sturdy and cozy enough to keep your cat comfortable throughout your trip. Just keep in mind that it lacks a padded handle wrap, and its softer structure may make it slightly less comfortable to carry.

Before flying with your cat, double-check your airline's size limits for pet carriers. Southwest Airlines allows carriers up to 18.5 inches (L) by 13.5 inches (W) by 9.5 inches (H), while the maximum dimensions for Delta, American Airlines, and United are 18 inches (L) by 11 inches (W) by 11 inches (H). Some airlines have even smaller maximum sizes.

Read more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Our top picks for the best airline-approved cat carriers

Best overall: Sleepypod Air - $200 at Chewy

Best budget: Frisco Premium Airline Compliant Quilted Carrier Bag - $42 at Chewy

Best stylish: Away The Pet Carrier - See $228 at Away

Best expandable: Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Expandable Carrier - $119 at Amazon

Best backpack: Mr. Peanut's Monterey Series Backpack Airline Compliant Pet Carrier - $119 at Amazon

Best overall

At a recent vet appointment, my two cats made their preference for the Sleepypod Air clear. My 10- and 11-pound cats climbed into the Air together, completely ignoring the second carrier I'd brought along. The soft, dark, roomy interior seemed to help them stay calm. For skittish fliers, the carrier includes a privacy screen that slides through the mesh top. While it significantly reduces your cat's access to fresh air, its ventilation is around 20%, which is still above the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) 16% minimum for in-cabin live animal transport.

The Sleepypod Air is also one of a handful of pet carriers certified by the Center for Pet Safety (CPS), a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that crash-tests pet carriers to ensure their safety in automobile collisions. It earned a 4 out of 5-star rating, losing one star because it lifted slightly off the seat during testing. Even so, Lindsey Wolko, founder and CEO of CPS, says the result is a positive one and that the carrier performed exceptionally well.

Instead of traditional doors, the Sleepypod Air uses a continuous zipper that runs from end to end. With one pull of the zipper, it transforms into an open bed, converts for use as a car seat, or rolls up for convenient storage. The ends are also designed to fold in about 2.5 inches each, meeting the size requirements of most major airlines. I recommend practicing compressing the carrier before your trip.

The padded cross-body strap felt supportive, and the carrier rested comfortably against my body without collapsing inward. The built-in luggage strap kept the carrier balanced on top of my suitcase when navigating curbs and rough sidewalks.

The Sleepypod Air isn't cheap. But its versatility, comfort, and impressive safety features make it a worthwhile investment. The company offers a one-year return policy, whether or not the carrier has been used, and will replace it if it's damaged in a car accident.

Best budget

Although this carrier is a fraction of the price of our other picks, it performed well in durability testing. At home, it was also the carrier my cats chose to lounge in time and time again. In short, the cozy Frisco Premium Airline Compliant Quilted Carrier Bag is an excellent budget carrier.

Susan Nilson, a cat and dog trainer and behavior specialist, recommends leaving a carrier out at home with the doors open so your cat can get comfortable with it before a trip. I did just that, and it quickly turned into one of my cats' favorite spots to nap. Even after running the interior fleece mat through the washing machine, it retained its softness and cat appeal.

The carrier features two doors — one on top and one on the side — a feature associate home editor Kinsley Searles appreciates. "I have a wiggly, young kitty who isn't used to being in a carrier just yet, but she's always so comfortable in her Frisco carrier," she says. "I can leave a side open for her to crawl in naturally or place her inside through the top. Since it's so easy to take her in and out, her acclimation to the carrier has been seamless and stress-free."

The carrier is outfitted with two storage pockets: a Velcro-secured pocket to stash your keys and phone, and a mesh pocket for treats and travel documents. It also comes with a collapsible silicone bowl and an ID tag, so you can check two essentials off your packing list.

The adjustable shoulder strap and carry handle aren't padded, which may make them less comfortable on longer journeys. Like higher-end options, the Frisco carrier has a luggage sleeve that slides over your suitcase handle. However, it doesn't keep the carrier well-balanced over curbs and uneven sidewalks, so you'll need to keep it steady with your free hand.

Best stylish

The Reviews team is a big fan of Away's luggage line for its streamlined designs and thoughtful features. With the Away Pet Carrier, your feline companion can travel with the same sophistication and comfort. Like the Sleepypod Air, the carrier is certified by the CPS and earned a perfect 5-star crash-test rating.

My feline testers loved the soft sherpa interior mat, making this carrier a prime napping spot at home and on the go. Mesh windows on two sides and the top provide excellent ventilation while still giving your cat a sense of security. If your cat is an anxious traveler, simply roll down the privacy window for a calmer experience.

To navigate busy airports, you can slide the handy back sleeve over the handle of luggage from any brand. There's also an adjustable shoulder strap so you can wear it crossbody, and the carrier is rigid enough to keep from collapsing inward on your precious cargo. You can also carry your cat with the leather hand strap.

The carrier's nylon exterior and interior are easy to wipe clean. Even the pockets are lined with nylon, and the waterproof front pocket is waterproof includes drainage holes, ideal for storing a collapsible water bowl. The machine-washable interior liner attaches with velcro and is easy to remove, so you can toss it in the wash once you reach your destination.

Best expandable

On long travel days with time spent waiting in the airport, Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Expandable Carrier offers jet-setting cats extra space to stretch out. It includes a zippered panel on its right side that unfolds into a mesh atrium, nearly doubling the carrier's interior space. While the expandable section can't be used in flight, the feature makes it the best carrier for cross-country flights with layovers and extended stays away from home.

The spacious carrier is front, top, and side-loading with a roll-up privacy flap over the top door. Importantly, the Gold Series Expandable Carrier offers plenty of ventilation to keep a cat from overheating. Inside, it has a soft plush bolster bed and a safety tether. Outside, it's outfitted with an adjustable padded shoulder strap and a faux leather carry handle. There's also a 10-inch by 4-inch mesh pocket on the backside. All of the materials and zippers excelled in my testing.

When I used the luggage strap, the carrier remained mostly balanced on my suitcase, slipping only about an inch to one side. Carrying it on my shoulder was comfortable, and the strap was easy to adjust to the correct length.

The bed was easy to spot clean, and although it is labeled hand-wash only, it came out of the washing machine looking nearly new after air-drying.

At times, this carrier is available in limited colors. If you prefer more color options, we also tested the Mr. Peanut's Platinum Series Expandable Carrier, which costs $30 less. Both carriers held up well in testing, standing up to drops and stomps without any damage. The only drawback is that the Platinum Series doesn't have a roll-away privacy flap over the top ventilation panel. Alternatively, veterinarian Dr. Jo Myers says that if your carrier lacks privacy panels, draping a towel or blanket over the carrier can help keep a stressed cat calm.

Best backpack

If you already have your hands full, Mr. Peanut's backpack carrier might be your best bet. It's a cat carrier you can wear on your back to keep your hands free and your cat safe.

The backpack prioritizes a cat's comfort with a wider profile similar to a traditional carrier. This design eliminates the need to turn the carrier — and your cat — on its side for stowing under the seat in front of you. It does sit a bit higher on my back than my favorite cat hiking backpack (reaching mid-back or higher depending on your height), but it's a small price to pay for a cozy feline friend. The adjustable, padded shoulder strap offers a carrying alternative but isn't long enough for a crossbody fit.

According to the brand, an interior machine-washable thermal pad is designed to keep cats comfortable in any climate. While I can't confirm its effectiveness at regulating temperature, my cats certainly approved of it as a napping spot. To test its ease of cleaning, I smeared a mix of dry and wet cat food on the interior and exterior. A quick wipe-down with a damp paper towel removed most of the mess from the nylon exterior. The interior quilted design trapped some dried food bits in the crevices, but the washing machine took care of the mess. A pre-wash scrub may be necessary for some dried-on accidents.

The carrier didn't put a strain on my back during walks, thanks to its mesh padding that offers breathability and cushioning. However, it lacks a waist or chest clip for added stability on long airport treks, so I tightened the shoulder straps to hold the carrier flush against my back. The carrier comes in medium and large, but only the medium size meets most airline carry-on restrictions.

Our top picks compared

What to look for in an airline cat carrier

The best airline-approved cat carriers come in many different styles at varying price points. Our experts recommend considering the following factors when shopping to ensure you get the best value for safety, comfort, and minimizing stress for your cat.

Key features: Several factors contribute to a carrier's usefulness, comfort, and safety. Based on our own experiences traveling with cats and the advice of veterinarians, below are the key features to consider.

• Shape and design: A carrier should be large enough for a cat to comfortably lie down and turn around. Some cat carriers have built-in expandable sections that can double or even triple the size of a carrier. These are ideal for allowing your cat to stretch out between flights safely.
• Interior mat: Ideally, a floor mat will be removable and machine washable. It should securely attach to the bag's interior to prevent it from sliding around.
• Loading doors: Dr. Gwen Gadd, a veterinarian at the East Bay SPCA Theodore B. Travers Family Veterinary Clinic, says the best cat carriers have two doors. If your cat refuses to come out of their carrier, it may be easier to gently lift them from a door at the top of the carrier rather than struggling to remove them from the door in the front.
• Carrying straps and handles: A quality carrier should have a removable shoulder strap, preferably padded for comfort, and a double handle for lifting. A strap that wraps around and secures the handles helps keep them balanced and out of the way.
• Pockets: Pockets are essential for keeping your cat's gear and yours close at hand. A cat carrier should have multiple pockets, with at least one secured by a zipper, button, or hook-and-loop closure.
• Ventilation: According to IATA live animal regulations for in-cabin transport, pet carrier bags must have a minimum of 16% ventilation. Most soft-sided carriers meet or exceed this requirement with mesh panels.
• Privacy flaps: Some carriers feature a privacy flap that can be lifted or lowered depending on temperature and a cat's specific needs. While you will need to keep at least some areas open for ventilation, hiding helps cats feel safe, which is especially useful during a stressful event such as flying.
• Interior safety tether: An interior safety tether that clips to your cat's harness can help prevent sudden escapes. However, Wolko says to use it only during breaks to feed or give water to your pet. "The tether inside the carrier should not be used during active travel, as the pet can become tangled," she says.
• ID tag: The carrier should have its own ID tag to help reunite you with your pet if you're separated, though it's no substitute for outfitting your cat in one of the best cat collars with an ID tag attached or microchipping.
• Luggage strap: While not essential, a luggage strap or trolley sleeve that slides over a suitcase handle makes navigating the airport with a cat in tow much easier.
• Dimensions and in-cabin airline capability: Most major airlines, including Delta, American, and United, allow in-cabin carriers up to 18 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 11 inches high. Carriers that meet — or can slightly compress to meet — these dimensions are generally a safe bet. A few other airlines, like Southwest (18.5" L x 13.5" W x 9.5" H) and JetBlue (17" L x 12.5" W x 8.5" H), have stricter size limits.
• Ease of storage: Unless you frequently travel with your cat, a carrier that quickly folds flat for storage adds convenience.

Safety: Unlike child car seats, there are no universal safety standards or inspections for cat carriers. Some brands advertise their carriers as "crash-tested" or "safety-certified," but those claims can be misleading. "In-house crash testing may be inherently biased or skewed when it is conducted by the same company that manufactures the product," says Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, a veterinarian and veterinary medical advisor for Rover.

Some brands go the extra mile by subjecting their carriers to rigorous testing by third-party or nonprofit safety organizations. We recognize crash safety ratings from the Center for Pet Safety (CPS), a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that studies the safety of pet products. "They are one of only a few independent bodies that does crash testing under transparent, standardized, and scientific conditions, using benchmarks based on safety standards for children's car seats," Greenstein says. CPS collaborates with Subaru of America, Inc., to conduct specially designed crash tests with dummies. Among our recommended picks, the Sleepypod Air and Away Pet Carrier have been crash-test certified for auto transport by the CPS.

Currently, CPS studies do not extend to air travel and flight safety. Despite the absence of standardized air travel safety tests, crash-test certification remains the gold standard. Wolko says carriers are most susceptible to failure at seams where the mesh connects to the carrier body. She recommends inspecting carriers for any signs of loose threads, weak spots, or faulty zippers to ensure their overall safety and reliability throughout transit.

Wolko says you'll want to consider your entire journey, including driving from home to the airport and transportation to your destination. Some carriers include exterior straps for securing a car seat belt. However, Wolko says that unless the carrier has been crash-tested and third-party safety certified by an organization such as the CPS, a cat carrier should always be placed on the backseat floor behind the passenger seat instead of on the seat itself. "It minimizes the impact and provides a lot of protection," she says. "If you do get into a sudden stop, they're not going to fly all over the place."

Size: A carrier should be roomy enough for your cat to comfortably turn around and lie down while still compact enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Carrier size requirements vary by airline, so double-check your airline's specific requirements.

Fortunately, size isn't usually a limiting factor for cats. More often than not, they prefer to curl up in a small ball and hide during the trip, says Myers, adding that extra room for playing, eating, drinking, or using the litter box during the flight is typically unnecessary. However, if you anticipate a long layover and want extra legroom for your cat, an expandable carrier like Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Expandable Carrier is a good choice.

Weight restrictions: Many in-cabin cat carriers are suitable for cats weighing up to 15 or 18 pounds. If your cat is on the heavier side, double-check the weight limit for the carrier you're considering purchasing and make sure your cat has room to move around comfortably in it.

Ventilation: Most carriers are designed with enough ventilation (at least 16%) to meet the International Air Transport Association (IATA) minimum requirement. Some carriers may have less or more, so the amount of ventilation you choose depends on your and your cat's preferences.

Since Myers says most cats prefer to hide in stressful environments, carriers with privacy walls and flaps may be beneficial. Alternatively, she recommends bringing a towel or blanket that you can place over the carrier if your cat becomes stressed. "Even if you cover the carrier with a towel, it's far from airtight," she says. "Simply check on your cat occasionally, without disturbing them any more than necessary."

How we tested the best airline-approved cat carriers

This guide was reported by Shoshi Parks and Janelle Leeson, both seasoned cat product testers with a combined clowder of four cats who sniff, paw, ride in, and, if they're comfortable enough, nap in the selection of carriers up for consideration.

Parks is a certified professional dog trainer who has tested everything from litter boxes to cat toys with her two cats. Leeson is a former foster cat mom who has transported dozens of stressed-out cats and kittens and once flew cross-country with her own cat in the cabin. Her two cats regularly help evaluate the latest and best pet products for Business Insider Reviews.

With advice from veterinarians and pet safety experts, we developed our selection and testing criteria for the best airline-approved cat carriers. Since 2021, Shoshi and Janelle have tested 31 carriers, and Janelle continues to test new carriers as they're released to keep this guide current. The dozens of carriers we evaluated underwent the tests described here.

Feature comparison: We created a system for scoring each carrier based on the key features described in the What to look for section above.

Scrape test: We scraped a mesh section of each carrier 50 times with a fork to test its durability, noting any damage or discoloration.

Zip test: To test the durability of each carrier's zippers, we completely zipped and unzipped one of its loading entrances 50 times. In the process, we observed changes in the zipper's ability to run its course smoothly.

Luggage test: If a carrier included a luggage strap, we evaluated how well it remained balanced on top of a suitcase. We placed a 10-pound weight inside and attached the carrier to a suitcase handle so it rested on top of our luggage. Then we rolled it over a curb, up a ramp, and along the sidewalk and street of a city block.

Ventilation test: Wolko says ventilation is important to prevent a cat from overheating during travel. We measured the dimensions of each carrier's mesh panels and calculated the percentage of the total surface area they comprised. We favored bags with more ventilation. According to IATA live animal regulations, pet carrier bags must have a minimum of 16% ventilation.

Walk test: We took each soft-sided carrier containing a 10-pound weight on a 15-minute walk around a neighborhood. Each was carried using the shoulder strap and held at the front of the body the way a person would if they had a real cat inside. For the last block of the walk, we switched to using the hand-carry straps. The backpack carriers were taken on the same walk but were not carried by hand. With each one, we paid attention to how comfortable it was to carry, how much it bounced, and whether it collapsed inwards.

Goop test: We devised this test to determine how easy it would be to clean the carriers if a cat vomited or defecated in transit. We mashed together cat kibble, canned food, and water with a mortar and pestle to make the goop, then spread a tablespoon on an exterior wall and interior mat of each carrier. After 48 hours, we wiped the goop from the exterior using dish soap and water and cleaned the mats in the washing machine.

Drop and stomp tests: We brought the carriers to a local park, loaded each one with a 10-pound weight, and threw them off of a 10-foot play structure, looking for any damage that occurred upon landing. We then rolled the bags several times on the ground with the weight still inside, looking for damage to the stitching, mesh, or zippers. Later, at home, we placed each carrier on a rug and stomped on it a dozen times with bare feet, noting whether its frame changed shape or the bag suffered any other damage.

How to prepare a cat for flying

In the weeks before their trip, introduce your cat to their carrier or kennel in a positive way. "Make the carrier feel like a cave or a home or something that's comfortable, something that they're not just jammed into the first time they're on their way to the airport," says Murtaugh.

Place the carrier in an area of the home where your cat spends a lot of time and encourage them to explore it by placing catnip and treats inside or by playing with them in and around the space.

Murtaugh says that taking your cat on a car ride or other forms of transportation while in their carrier may also be helpful in the weeks before the flight. He recommends placing a bed or blanket that smells like home inside the carrier and using a pheromone spray or collar to help take the edge off.

If your cat has a history of experiencing debilitating stress during travel and will be flying in the cabin, you can speak to your vet about prescribing an anxiety-relieving medication. However, it's important to test the medication out before your flight. "Make sure there won't be any untoward side effects," says Murtaugh. "Your vet can help you tailor that to your cat's needs."

The IATA recommends against sedating a cat before flying in the cargo hold. It can be fatal for older, chronically sick, or highly stressed animals. Nilson says calming pheromones such as Feliway or Pet Remedy are safe alternatives.

Airline cat carrier FAQs

What do vets recommend for cat carriers?

Cats should always be transported in a secure carrier specifically designed for pets — never in a cardboard box, tote bag, or laundry basket. A well-designed carrier prevents escapes and can help your cat feel calmer while traveling. When properly secured in your vehicle, a pet carrier can also offer life-saving protection if you need to brake suddenly or are involved in a collision. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for securing the carrier in your vehicle or place it on the floor behind the front passenger seat. While only a limited number of carriers have been crash-tested, Dr. Alison Gerken, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist at San Francisco SPCA, recommends choosing CPS-certified models, such as the Sleepypod Air.

To minimize travel-related stress, look for a carrier with multiple access points, such as a front door and a top entry or removable top. This setup allows you to gently lift your cat in and out rather than pulling them through an opening or tipping the carrier. "That kind of handling can be extremely frightening and can create lasting fear around future travel or veterinary visits," Gerken says. Dr. Lisa Radosta, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, agrees that feline-friendly design features are essential for comfort. She also recommends Sleepypod carriers for their proper ventilation, soft cushioned interiors, and optional privacy panel for anxious cats.

Do cats prefer hard or soft-sided carriers?

It really comes down to the individual cat. Some feel more secure in a hard-sided carrier, while others prefer the coziness of a soft-sided one. For air travel, however, soft-sided carriers are typically the better choice. "Soft-sided carriers are lighter, cozier, and often easier to carry," Gerken says. The trade-offs are that soft carriers can sag inward on your cat and are more difficult to clean if your cat has an accident.

For trips to the vet with an anxious cat, a hard-sided carrier is the best option. These carriers are sturdy, easy to clean, and, most importantly, commonly feature a removable top. "This design lets cats stay in the bottom half during the exam, which helps them feel more secure," Gerken says. There are some drawbacks, though: Hard-sided carriers tend to be bulky, harder to carry, and are rarely crash-tested.

Because both styles have advantages, Gerken says many cats do well with a hybrid or semi-rigid carrier. That's why she recommends the Sleepypod Air, which blends the structure of a hard carrier with the comfort of a soft one. It can also unzip into a bed to allow for lower-stress handling at the vet.

How do I know if my cat carrier is airline-approved?

If you're bringing your cat into the plane cabin, you'll need a soft-sided carrier that fits within your airline's size restrictions, which vary slightly by airline. No matter which carrier you use, Wolko advises making sure your cat has enough room to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. There should be at least 2 to 3 inches of space between the top of your cat's ears and the inside roof of the carrier.

How much does it cost to fly with a cat? 

In-cabin pet fees vary by airline. United Airlines charges $150 for a one-way flight, and Delta charges $150 for domestic flights. Transporting a cat in the cargo hold on a domestic flight typically costs around $300 per trip. For international flights, you can expect to pay as much as three times that amount.

How much ventilation should a carrier have? 

For soft-sided carriers, Wolko says mesh should be on at least three sides to ensure proper airflow. If your cat is flying in cargo, airlines require kennels to have ventilation on all four sides. According to the IATA live animal regulations, both soft- and hard-sided carriers must provide at least 16% ventilation. 

Do cats need to go to the bathroom on a flight? 

Most healthy cats won't need access to a litter box during a standard flight. "Just based on the physiology of cats, they could probably go from Boston to Hawaii without needing to void," says Dr. Bob Murtaugh, a veterinarian and chair of veterinary medicine for the National Academies of Practice.

If your cat is traveling in the cargo hold, kennels can't be outfitted with a litter box — only an absorbent liner and soft bedding are permitted. "If the travel day will be more than eight hours, during a layover pet owners can arrange a comfort stop for cats to be let out of their carrier," says Elaine Mathis, pet travel specialist and project manager at Happy Tails Travel. When you let your cat out of their carrier, secure them with one of the best cat harnesses attached to a leash.

Do cats need food and water on a flight? 

For shorter in-cabin flights, most cats won't need food or water. However, if your cat is flying in cargo, Mathis says both a food and water bowl should be in the carrier, regardless of flight duration. She recommends using dishes that secure to the crate's door and are easy to refill from the outside, such as Lixit's Quick Lock Crock 10-ounce bowls.

What are the signs that my cat may be in distress in flight?

Murtaugh says there are a few clear signs of distress during air travel, often caused by fear or excessive heat. Panting, restlessness, and vocalization may signal significant anxiety or overheating. Bright red gums may indicate overheating, which requires immediate cooling.

With approval from a flight attendant, you can place the carrier on your lap so your cat can feel airflow from the overhead vent or wipe them with a wet cloth to help lower their body temperature. Before your trip, Nilson recommends lightly spraying the carrier with calming pheromones to help reduce stress. 

• President Donald Trump's H-1B visa fee is facing new legal trouble.
• A federal judge ruled on Monday that the $100,000 fee for new petitions is "unlawful."
• The fee caused uncertainty among tech workers since Trump introduced it last year.

President Donald Trump's $100,000 visa fee for H-1B applicants has hit a new legal roadblock.

A federal judge at a US District Court in Massachusetts ruled Monday that the fee violates the Constitution's Administrative Procedure Act.

Judge Leo Sorokin found that the fee is "unlawful," according to his ruling. Sorokin said the fee constitutes a tax and requires congressional approval to implement.

Trump's implementation of the $100,000 fee for new petitions using an executive order last year "exceeds the scope of the President's discretionary authority" under US immigration law, Sorokin wrote.

The fee has faced legal challenges since Trump signed the executive order in September.

The President has argued that companies have used the visa to replace US workers. Employees at tech companies are among the most common applicants for the visas.

While the battle over whether the fee is constitutional will likely continue, the order has already had an effect. The number of H-1B visa applications from Big Tech companies such as Google and Microsoft fell at the end of last year after Trump signed the executive order. Major AI companies, meanwhile, such as OpenAI and Nvidia, have filed more applications, according to federal data.

The fee was previously as much as $5,000 per visa before Trump made the change last year.

The Trump administration has also changed other parts of the immigration process. High-paid applicants now get multiple lottery entries, giving them a better chance of being selected versus those hoping to land lower-paid positions.

• After many years of living in New York City, I moved to the Connecticut coast.
• For a while, I felt I was thriving among beautiful views, fresh air, and lower living costs.
• Almost two years later, I missed New York City, warts and all, and moved back. I'm so glad I did.

The first time I set foot in Brooklyn was to look at an apartment.

I vividly remember the slow chug of the M Train over the Williamsburg Bridge — watching the Lower East Side shrink behind me, and the contour of the Kings County skyline approaching across the East River.

I was 23. I felt like I'd arrived and my future was limitless. I moved to that apartment. Shoebox would have been a generous description for my $900 a month room with Craigslist roommates.

For the next seven years, I bounced between North Brooklyn dwellings, my rent rising faster than inflation. By May 2023, I was paying $1,900 a month to live with two roommates in a basement that had a tendency to flood.

Maybe it was a third-life crisis, maybe it was the natural progression of the American millennial, but sometimes I felt like I just needed to touch grass. So I did what many people before me had done: I moved to the country.

My grandmother had died about six months prior, and her home on the Connecticut/Rhode Island border was about to sit empty for the summer.

This situation, my disdain for my job at the time, and the impending end of my lease seemed to be a cosmic sign that I was meant to go coastal.

I applied to a few seasonal restaurant jobs online and quickly secured employment. I sold my bed frame, desk, and dresser, loaded my late grandmother's Jeep with what remained, and put New York in the rearview.

I'd officially become one of those people who used to live in the city.

For a while, I felt like I was thriving in the pink cloud of the Connecticut coast

Economic benefits aside, I took to country life at first. Waking to the sounds of chirping birds instead of honking horns was refreshing.

My commute was now filled with the smell of freshly cut grass instead of literal garbage, and I was beholden to tourist traffic and streetlights instead of the L-train delays.

I no longer needed to go to a public park to look at trees, and I could enjoy the weather from a golf course or waterfront. Of course, I could've played golf or seen the sea in Brooklyn, but the courses would probably have been more crowded and the water less picturesque.

My restaurant wages were lower than what I'd made at my corporate job in New York, but I no longer spent nearly half my income on rent.

I was spending less on food, too. I always enjoyed cooking, but the ease and temptation of world-class cuisine often meant I was eating out in New York.

There weren't as many restaurants on the coast, and I frequently found myself in the kitchen, cooking local seafood and fresh vegetables from farmstands.

I even cooked fish I'd caught, which I suppose is also possible in New York (but only recently deemed safe).

After reckoning with the limits of my lifestyle, I realized I wanted to be back in New York

Although the culture shock was mostly positive for a while, there were signs that my new reality conflicted with my conditioning.

One night, I left work famished around 8 p.m. I looked up restaurants in the area and noticed most of the kitchens had either closed or would do so by the time I could drive there.

In a moment of desperation, I pulled into a Burger King, only to find that closed too. In Brooklyn, people would just now be heading to dinner — if I hurried, I might be able to catch them.

This was the first realization that I missed city life. Not long after, I found myself growing impatient with the line at a coffee shop, lamenting the price of gas, and the quality of the local bacon, egg, and cheese.

I visited New York a few times over that year. Leaving got harder each time. People on the coast often asked how "dangerous" city life was, but in reality, I often felt safer on the subway platform at midnight than I did driving on Connecticut's pitch-black backroads.

I knew my new life had become unsustainable when I took the Amtrak down to the city on a hot August weekend. I exited Penn Station to the stickiness of Midtown and was greeted with thick air and a cacophony of horns.

I acknowledged the objective unpleasantness, and yet I felt at ease.

Maybe it was part nostalgia, but if I missed the disgusting chaos of arguably one of the worst places in Manhattan, then maybe this was where I was meant to be.

Shortly after that, I started applying to jobs back in New York and scrolling various apartment sites.

This time, I feel like I've returned home for good

By November, I had two restaurant jobs lined up and met someone on Reddit renting a cheap room a few blocks from one of my old apartments. I was going home.

I've been back in Brooklyn now for about as long as I was away, a little over a year. The first few months, I worked almost every day just to cover rent, and felt a rude awakening every time I looked at my credit-card bill or bank account.

I'm down to one job now, and while the financial pains are still real, at least I know where to get a cheap meal at midnight.

Sometimes I get a yearning for grass and fresh air. At the end of each month, I certainly yearn for cheaper living quarters, but not when I take the M train.

Even now, at 32 years old with a jaded lived reality and mounting bills, when I chug over the Williamsburg Bridge, I feel 23. I see the city lights on every side of me, and I'm filled with this childlike wonder and optimism.

I feel like I'm home, where anything is possible.

• Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong talked about some of Coinbase's strategy for keeping token costs "roughly flat" on X.
• "We're working hard on routing prompts to cheaper models where appropriate," Armstrong wrote.
• The post ignited debate over token-saving strategies — and what it means for the big AI labs.

Not every AI prompt needs Opus 4.8.

As the fervor of tokenmaxxing dies down, some AI users are wondering how to get more bang for their buck and keep their monthly costs in check. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong shared the crypto company's strategy: not skimping on the cheaper models.

"We're working hard on routing prompts to cheaper models where appropriate, and in some cases have been able to keep costs roughly flat, while token usage continues to grow exponentially," Armstrong wrote on X on Sunday.

While the latest models like Opus 4.8 or GPT-5.5 promise bleeding-edge benefits, they can also devour more tokens. (That's before you turn on Fast mode.) When Anthropic launchedi Opus 4.7, many users complained that they were quickly hitting rate limits.

Armstrong wrote that he anticipated "80% of workloads will be running on 99% cheaper models within 12-18 months."

The only times when users will use the latest models, Armstrong predicted, are when they need to be "IQ maxing." This includes scientific breakthroughs or agent orchestration.

"This leads me to think the limiting factor will be energy and compute, not better models," Armstrong wrote.

The Coinbase CEO's post caught the attention of some tech luminaries. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen called it "interesting." Hugging Face cofounder Julien Chaumond wrote that "model routing is growing a lot these days."

Box CEO Aaron Levie wrote that Armstrong's numbers were a "bit extreme," but that AI use would likely stratify in the coming years. "High end" work will be completed by leading models, Levie wrote, while "high volume" work will be relegated to the cheap models.

"Intelligence allocation is going to be extremely important," Harvey cofounder Winston Weinberg wrote.

The efficiency mindset is relatively new — or at least new to publicly flaunt. Not long ago, when tokenmaxxing was all the rage, tech leaders would post their high token bills or flex their usage of the latest models.

That mindset is especially popular in the startup space, where Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan advises founders to "let it rip" with tokens. Lance Yan, a YC-backed startup founder, told Business Insider in April that rationing tokens was "stupid."

The tide seems to be turning. Glean cofounder Tony Gentilcore commented that Armstrong's post was "spot on."

"Everyone technical already knows this," Gentilcore wrote. "The financial markets are the only ones extrapolating out Opus prices to infinite scale."

• The rising costs of higher education are prompting some people to reconsider four-year degrees.
• Higher educational attainment is associated with higher earnings across all 50 US states.
• Adults with some college or an associate degree earn the most in Maryland, with a median of $55,301.

The cost of higher education across the US continues to rise, and for many Americans, the decision to pursue a four-year degree is as much a financial calculation as an academic one.

Some of the benefits of a college education are intangible, such as the development of character, independence, and critical thinking that come from four years of organized instruction.

But going to college can also lead to an earnings premium. Across the US, bachelor's degree-holders earn an average of 38.6% more than adults with an associate degree or those who attended some college but did not complete a four-year degree.

That translates to an average earnings gap of about $18,539 a year across states.

Business Insider analyzed earnings data from the US Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey and ranked states by the median earnings for adults 25 and older with some college or an associate degree, to account for people who may have pursued careers in more technical trades after graduating from high school. We also identified the median earnings for high school graduates in each state.

Across all states, higher levels of education were largely associated with higher median earnings.

The ranking does not adjust for differences in cost of living across states, which often overlap with educational attainment levels and can affect how far those earnings go. States with large professional labor markets are often ranked among the highest-cost-of-living states.

Still, for people who decide to forgo a four-year education, these are the states ranked by median earnings, from lowest to highest.

50. Arkansas

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $41,732

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,020

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $57,152

49. Mississippi

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $41,781

Median earnings for high school graduates: $35,287

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $55,481

48. New Mexico

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $42,468

Median earnings for high school graduates: $37,038

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $56,159

47. Louisiana

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $43,459

Median earnings for high school graduates: $35,973

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $59,917

46. West Virginia

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $43,674

Median earnings for high school graduates: $37,207

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $56,967

45. Oklahoma

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $43,787

Median earnings for high school graduates: $37,015

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $60,006

44. Montana

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $43,921

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,322

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $56,457

43. Wyoming

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $44,339

Median earnings for high school graduates: $46,543

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $54,213

42. North Carolina

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $44,474

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,689

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $65,170

41. Florida

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,172

Median earnings for high school graduates: $37,044

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $60,618

40. Alabama

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,321

Median earnings for high school graduates: $39,147

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $61,183

39. Kentucky

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,352

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,137

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $60,854

38. Missouri

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,360

Median earnings for high school graduates: $39,568

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $62,091

37. Tennessee

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,492

Median earnings for high school graduates: $39,835

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $62,654

36. Michigan

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,580

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,399

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $66,497

35. Idaho

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,707

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,114

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $60,198

34. Kansas

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,825

Median earnings for high school graduates: $40,694

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $65,534

33. South Carolina

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,860

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,043

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $63,731

32. Georgia

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $45,919

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,311

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $70,582

31. Nevada

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $46,278

Median earnings for high school graduates: $40,969

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $62,782

30. Ohio

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $46,601

Median earnings for high school graduates: $40,810

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $67,591

29. Vermont

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $46,998

Median earnings for high school graduates: $44,859

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $61,949

28. Nebraska

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $47,163

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,356

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $62,021

26. (tie) Texas

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $47,269

Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,098

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $69,494

26. (tie) Maine

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $47,269

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,689

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $62,442

25. Oregon

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $47,544

Median earnings for high school graduates: $42,165

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $69,562

24. Illinois

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $47,598

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,132

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $72,625

23. Arizona

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $47,923

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,518

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $67,466

22. Indiana

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $47,929

Median earnings for high school graduates: $40,985

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $63,367

21. Iowa

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $48,062

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,765

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $62,244

20. Pennsylvania

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $48,250

Median earnings for high school graduates: $40,765

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $70,261

19. Delaware

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $49,094

Median earnings for high school graduates: $39,495

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $65,673

18. New York

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $49,538

Median earnings for high school graduates: $40,608

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $76,760

17. Utah

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $49,669

Median earnings for high school graduates: $44,405

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $65,299

16. South Dakota

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $49,698

Median earnings for high school graduates: $40,822

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $58,207

15. Rhode Island

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $50,264

Median earnings for high school graduates: $42,251

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $69,496

14. Wisconsin

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $50,315

Median earnings for high school graduates: $42,333

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $65,697

13. Virginia

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $50,450

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,012

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $75,575

12. Hawaii

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $50,549

Median earnings for high school graduates: $42,373

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $62,969

11. California

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $51,031

Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,535

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $80,874

10. Colorado

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $51,247

Median earnings for high school graduates: $46,010

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $75,637

8. (tie) North Dakota

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $51,644

Median earnings for high school graduates: $47,787

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $60,560

8. (tie) New Jersey

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $51,644

Median earnings for high school graduates: $46,624

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $81,107

7. Connecticut

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $51,686

Median earnings for high school graduates: $44,573

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $77,879

6. Minnesota

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $52,185

Median earnings for high school graduates: $42,121

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $72,538

5. Massachusetts

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $52,218

Median earnings for high school graduates: $46,742

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $81,784

4. New Hampshire

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $52,513

Median earnings for high school graduates: $47,609

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $71,669

3. Washington

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $53,857

Median earnings for high school graduates: $47,996

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $81,640

2. Alaska

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $54,950

Median earnings for high school graduates: $45,904

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $69,031

1. Maryland

Median earnings for adults with some college or associate degree: $55,301

Median earnings for high school graduates: $45,273

Median earnings for adults with a bachelor's degree: $79,242

• Steve Eisman says he's cautious on the SpaceX IPO.
• 'The Big Short' investor took a look at the SpaceX S-1, highlighting some numbers he finds concerning.
• In his view, Elon Musk's company is too capital intensive, particularly its AI spending.

SpaceX is gearing up for its record-setting IPO, but one prominent investor says he's treading cautiously amid the hype.

Steve Eisman, one of the traders who bet against the housing market in crisis-era saga "The Big Short," told CNBC on Monday that while he isn't planning to short the space stock when it starts trading, the company's S-1 filing raises some concerns.

"I think what is probably most important in the prospectus is how capital-intensive SpaceX has become," Eisman noted. "If you go back to fiscal year 2023 and you compare revenue to capex, capex was only 42% of revenue, and in the most recent first quarter, it was 215% of revenue."

Eisman attributed the capex surge to the significant AI buildout in which SpaceX has attempted to pivot toward branding itself as an AI services and infrastructure company company as opposed to a more pure-play space tech firm. In his view, the AI endeavors are making the company too capital intensive, contributing to his pessimistic view.

He also said that he doesn't view Grok as a leading AI model, and despite SpaceX's compute partnership with leading AI startup Anthropic, he still sees the company's business as overly capital intensive.

Eisman added that he thinks the most important news story of the past week is Google's $80 billion capital raise, because it highlights just how capital intensive the entire tech sector has become, with the whole business model shifting from asset-light to asset-heavy as the data center buildout continues at breakneck pace.

"Despite the incredible sums of money that are being spent, what's being produced in terms of LLMs and agentic AI, which is great, is not really differentiable," he added. "It's very commoditized. People are switching constantly from one to the other. There are no moats, so for all the money that's being spent, what's being created, it seems to me, is a commodity."

Eisman also addressed the topic of betting against Elon Musk, responding to the argument that as a CEO, he has constantly found new ways to survive and innovate, even when faced with multiple headwinds.

While he didn't deny Musk's record of success, Eisman reiterated his concerns about the capital intensive nature of SpaceX's business, highlighting what he sees as an over reliance on costly AI in a market where uncertainty is still high.

"The entire company is being bet on AI in terms of its future, not on space and not on Starlink," Eisman said.

• Mojo Joyo and his wife, Zainab, run chai cafes in California.
• They tried setting zones of the house and days of the week to avoid business talk.
• Ultimately, they realized they needed a more integrated communication technique.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mojo and Zainab Joyo, owners of Elaichi Co. It has been edited for length and clarity.

A few years ago, I found myself missing a very specific piece of my childhood: sitting in chai cafés in Pakistan with my cousins. We'd be together, late at night, sharing stories and enjoying quality time together — and chai was at the center of it.

I wanted to recreate that feeling, especially after the social isolation of the pandemic. My wife Zainab and I talked about how to do that, and finally, in 2024, we had the courage to open Elaichi Co., a chai café in Berkeley.

At first, we were both working full-time while running the company. Zainab, especially, felt a lot of social pressure to hold onto a stable job. But when she was laid off in November 2024, we decided she would work at Elaichi full-time, while I continued with my day job.

I felt like I was living with my business partner, not my wife

Zainab was wearing many hats: marketing, events, HR, inventory, and more. When I got home, she'd fill me in on everything I needed to know about. It wasn't long before we realized that about 95% of our conversations were about the business. That wasn't what we wanted.

Finding the right tech tools helped some. We were able to get quick insight into our finances without getting into the weeds when we started using the fintech company, Mercury. Yet tools alone weren't enough.

We had only been married a few years, but Zainab wasn't getting the emotional support she needed from her husband, and I felt like I was living with my business partner, not my wife. Business kept getting in the way of our relationship, so we decided to make a shift.

We made the bedroom and dining room business free zones

Both of us found it frustrating to lie in bed at night, only to have the other person bring up a business question. We decided to designate certain areas of the house for personal talk only, not for business. The bedroom and dining room were spaces for our relationship.

It sounded great in theory, but it was inevitable that someone would bring business up when it popped into their head. If Zainab asked me a business question and I reminded her about our rule — no business talk in bed — she'd just be even more frustrated.

We abandoned this approach within a week.

Designating family days didn't work well either

Next, we tried blocking off certain days of the week for family time. Saturday night was for us as a couple, and Sundays were for extended family. This worked much better, and we were able to stick with it for about three months.

As the owners, however, we were always on call. If an employee called out or there was a big event, we needed to be there. It was hard to maintain the rhythm of family days when we were constantly being thrown off.

We stopped fighting against business talk

Everything came to a head about a year ago. We went to Puerto Vallarta for Zainab's 30th birthday. It should have been a great trip with just the two of us, but we felt disconnected throughout. We didn't like that we were still unhappy with how our relationship was going, despite trying different solutions. Neither our marriage nor our business was going to succeed unless something changed.

Once we got back, we shifted from talking about our rules to thinking about why we were using them. We realized we were trying to fit into other people's ideas of what makes a good relationship.

We really enjoy running our business together, and we realized that if we were having fun talking about Elaichi, that was OK. We don't have to force ourselves to have a business-free night out together if we're actually really excited about working on a new business project together. Fighting against that had actually been making our work-life balance harder.

I'm doing business with my life partner

This year, we've had more fluid boundaries between our marriage and our business partnership. We focus on what we want to do together, rather than on arbitrary boundaries that we thought we needed. If we want to have a date night, we do; but we also sometimes talk about business at the dinner table, because it's something we're both passionate about.

That's defused a lot of tension, and we're able to communicate with each other quickly and more honestly. We have a level of trust and understanding that we don't have with anyone else.

Today, I no longer feel like I'm living with my business partner; I feel I'm doing business with my life partner. That's a much better approach.

• I live alone, but I still love shopping in bulk at Costco and using my executive membership.
• I always buy the Kirkland Signature breakfast sandwiches and Stonefire naan dippers.
• Frozen options like the Bibigo vegetable spring rolls are perfect for a single shopper like me.

Even though I live alone and only grocery shop for myself, I still love stocking up on everything I need at Costco.

In fact, I've been a Costco executive member for years, and even split the membership with a family member to get the most bang for my buck.

Whether it's comfort food, snacks, vegetables, or on-sale deals, I always find something new to try. Here are ten Costco items I always buy.

On busy mornings, I reach for a Kirkland Signature breakfast sandwich.

My freezer is always stocked with a box of Kirkland Signature breakfast sandwiches, so when a morning is particularly busy, I can still have a delicious breakfast in a flash.

These croissant sandwiches — made with applewood-smoked bacon, egg, and cheese — heat up in minutes in the microwave or air fryer.

My secret to delectable at-home coffee is the Nescafé Gold instant espresso.

I'm so happy Costco carries the Nescafé Gold instant espresso, since I haven't had luck finding it at other stores.

Every time I use it to make coffee at home, it feels like a special treat.

The 4Earth Farms rainbow carrots are delicious and last me a while.

I always leave Costco with a bag of 4Earth Farms rainbow carrots.

This 2-pound bag of hand-peeled carrots makes for a colorful side dish. Plus, the bag is enough for multiple servings.

I typically either cook them in the oven with a little butter and chopped dill, eat them plain as a healthy snack, or blend them into smoothies.

I love snacking on the Stonefire naan dippers.

Whenever I want to try something new, I always check out which items are on sale at Costco.

On my most recent visit, the Stonefire naan dippers were $2 off, so I decided to check them out — and they were great.

I especially liked pairing them with Bolani cilantro chutney for extra zest.

The Bibigo vegetable spring rolls help me avoid ordering out.

Instead of heading to a restaurant, I like to reach for the Bibigo vegetable spring rolls, which taste like takeout, but come straight from my freezer.

A bonus: the box comes with a delicious soy ginger sauce to serve on the side.

Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese is an essential in my home.

I use cheese in a lot of my everyday meals, which is why I love to stock up on Tillamook sharp cheddar whenever I'm at Costco.

This cheese has a bold flavor and is my go-to for enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches, and omelets.

I also love to snack on it with some crackers.

Skippy creamy peanut butter is a versatile must-have in my kitchen.

I always make sure to pick up a two-pack of Skippy creamy peanut butter at Costco.

Not only does this peanut butter have a good shelf life, but it's also so versatile.

I like to add it to my breakfast smoothies, use it as a dip for apples, or blend it with a chili-garlic sauce to serve with chicken breast strips.

My go-to protein source is the Kirkland Signature chicken breast chunks.

The Kirkland Signature chunked chicken breast is extra lean and stores well, making it the perfect protein to keep on hand.

This chicken, which has 13 grams of protein per serving, is my secret to delicious sandwiches and chicken salad.

It also tastes great sautéed with peas, mushrooms, and béchamel sauce, then served on toast.

I always use the entire pack of Highline organic mini bella mushrooms.

Even though the Highline organic mini bella mushrooms look like a large purchase for one person, I always end up eating them all, since I use them in so many everyday meals.

Typically, I sauté these mushrooms with olive oil, garlic, and parsley, then add them to some cooked pasta.

They're also great when sliced and thrown into salads, or baked with cream cheese and garlic on top.

Costco's wine selection is a single shopper's dream.

Luckily, wine at Costco doesn't need to be bought in cases, so I can just buy one bottle at a time.

I normally grab a bottle that's on sale, and since Costco typically discounts different wines each time I visit, I've had the chance to try a variety of options.

• Supplements are more popular than ever, but they're unregulated in the US.
• There is a time and place for supplements, but often a food-first approach is better.
• The dietitian Josie Porter takes three evidence-backed supplements.

As a registered dietitian who worked in clinical settings for a decade, Josie Porter has seen supplements go from a treatment for deficiencies to a wellness product taken in the pursuit of self-optimization.

"I've seen the stacks of supplements getting longer over time. So I can definitely see how the supplement industry is becoming more and more profitable, and more and more popular," Porter, the author of "How Not To Take Supplements," she told Business Insider.

Although supplement ads can be convincing, there is often limited evidence behind the health claims made by manufacturers, she said.

The supplement industry isn't regulated by the FDA, meaning that unless a product is third-party tested, it is hard to know if it truly contains what's on the label. It could contain more, less, or none of the nutrients you're looking for, Porter said. And lots of supplements contain a mix of ingredients, raising the risk of unknowingly taking more than you need.

Porter shared the three supplements she takes based on scientific evidence. "It's really just about sensible supplements," she said.

Vitamin D

In the darker fall and winter months, Porter, who lives in London, takes a vitamin D supplement. This is the recommendation of the UK's National Health Service, as during those months there is limited sunlight, a major source of vitamin D.

Few foods naturally contain vitamin D, but fatty fish, egg yolks, cheese, and fortified milk and cereal are among the richest sources.

Vitamin D supports the immune system and helps the body absorb calcium, which is important for bone health, among other things.

Omega-three

Porter takes omega-three capsules, but only when she hasn't eaten oily fish for a while. "I just take it as and when I need it," she said.

Omega-three fatty acids are found in oily fish such as salmon and sardines, as well as walnuts and chia seeds. They have been linked to better heart and joint health, lower inflammation, and lower blood pressure. Evidence suggests eating oily fish is superior to taking supplements when it comes to benefiting from omega-three.

Collagen

When she injured a tendon, the tough, fibrous cord of connective tissue that attaches skeletal muscles to bones, Porter took a collagen supplement. She has also experimented with collagen as skincare.

She took her collagen as a powder stirred into liquid, but it's also available as a gel in a liposomal form, tablets, and gummies.

"The best ones to go for are marine or bovine," Porter said. There are so-called vegan collagen supplements, but they contain collagen-boosting ingredients such as vitamin C rather than collagen, she said.

Collagen is a protein that we produce less of as we age, which the body produces naturally and is essential to the structure of the skin. The science is mixed, but evidence suggests that collagen supplementation can improve skin hydration and elasticity, giving a more youthful appearance.

• I'm a professional baker, and I tried 10 different desserts from Whole Foods' bakery section.
• I was really impressed by both the chain's tres leches and chocolate-eruption cakes.
• I felt the brownies and macarons were disappointing, and the berry Chantilly cake was just OK.

Whole Foods is known for its quality food and a wide selection of specialty, natural, and organic ingredients.

Its salad bar and hot buffet are great for lunch, and it also has a large bakery section with items ranging from breakfast pastries to decorated cakes.

But just how good are Whole Foods' desserts, really?

As a professional baker, recipe developer, and former bakery owner, I always prefer home-baked desserts, but I recognize that sometimes you need a quick fix or an easy pick-up-and-go treat for a special occasion.

So, I shopped for a range of treats from my nearest Whole Foods store in the Seattle area to see what's really worth buying.

The berry Chantilly cake was on display in the bakery case.

First, I tried the beloved berry Chantilly cake.

This treat has had a longtime cult following and is probably the most popular bakery item at Whole Foods. It went viral when the chain tried to change its recipe a few years ago, and has since inspired many dupes.

It had a prime spot on the bakery display when I visited my local Whole Foods.

According to its ingredients list, it consists of vanilla cake, Chantilly icing and frosting, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, raspberry syrup and puree, and a mixture of fresh berries — including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

I got a 6-inch round for $30.

I don't think the cake lives up to its hype.

I've tried this cake before, and after the second time, I still don't feel like it lives up to the hype.

The cake layers were pretty dry, but the smooth Chantilly cream helps make up for it. Though the ingredient list mentions raspberry syrup and puree, I couldn't seem to taste or find either.

A few berries were added to the layers, with a thin layer of cream between each. Before owning my own bakery, I was a grocery-store cake decorator, and I can certainly understand how tricky these layers would be to stack with chunks of fresh fruit.

Is it better than many other grocery-store-bakery cakes? Yes. It's also wonderful that there's real, fresh fruit in the cake. However, I was still longing for something a bit more.

Overall, the flavor is excellent, without the cake being too sweet — I just wish the actual cake layers were a bit moister.

The store had New York cheesecake in rounds and slices.

At my local Whole Foods, I saw whole New York cheesecakes in the bakery case and individual slices in the cold case.

I grabbed a slice for $5.

Every bite of this cheesecake was very rich.

To me, a good cheesecake should have a flavorful, textured crust balanced by a smooth, rich filling.

This cheesecake slice was almost there, but had a few shortcomings. The crust was soggy and reminded me of a sugar cookie. I'm a graham-cracker-crust fan, so this was a bit of a drawback for me.

The texture of the cheesecake filling was wonderfully smooth and rich, and the flavor wasn't too sweet, but it was pretty overwhelming. It had a very robust cheese flavor, and I wished for a bit more balance.

Although this cheesecake didn't win me over, I could see it pairing well with a fruit sauce or fresh berries.

I was told the chocolate-eruption cake is a crowd favorite.

A store employee told me the chocolate-eruption cake is another customer-favorite dessert (alongside the berry Chantilly cake, of course).

I had a 6-inch cake boxed up from the bakery display cake for $27.

This cake had an excellent chocolate flavor.

I'm still thinking of this chocolate cake long after tasting it, which means it was a top winner for me.

The cake itself looked stunning, with a ganache drip, piped details, and chocolate curls to spruce it up even further. The three layers of chocolate cake were wonderfully moist and tender — and pairing them with a chocolate-mousse filling made it even better.

As the name suggests, it was incredibly chocolaty but not too rich. It was well-balanced, making it easy for a chocolate lover to enjoy every bite.

I was intrigued by the tres leches cake.

Packaged and ready to grab from the cold case, the family pack of tres leches cake looked quite unassuming.

The simple-looking piece cost me $14.

This was easily my favorite dessert.

What this dessert lacks in appearance, it certainly makes up for in flavor. Talk about finding a hidden gem!

The simple cake base is soaked in cream and sweetened condensed milk and finished with a whipped topping. The texture was incredible with an excellent, balanced flavor.

Every bite contained subtle notes of coconut and caramel that were neither too sweet nor overpowering.

It's perfect on its own, but there's certainly room to dress it up at home if you plan to serve it for a special occasion. A few sliced strawberries on top could go a long way.

Sampling a chocolate-chunk cookie was a must.

There are plenty of cookie options in the Whole Foods bakery, but I chose something classic with a slightly elevated twist.

I picked up a pack of four brown-butter chocolate-chunk cookies for $7.50

These are excellent for curbing a craving.

Perfectly chewy and packed with flavor is the best way to describe these tasty cookies. I loved that they had chocolate chunks rather than chips — and there were plenty of them.

Thanks to the brown butter and vanilla extract, the flavor of this cookie was slightly richer than that of a typical chocolate-chip cookie.

Overall, it was excellent in every bite.

There were multiple flavors of macarons to choose from.

I found several flavors of Parisian macarons in the bakery display case. I chose one vanilla, one chocolate, and one salted caramel.

Each macaron was $2.

The texture of the macarons disappointed me.

I will always get macarons if they're offered at a bakery. I'm a forever fan, and I had high hopes for these offerings.

I tried three different flavors, and though each tasted decent (especially salted caramel), their textures seemed a bit off to me.

Although the interiors of the macarons were chewy, the exteriors were far too crunchy and dry, in my opinion.

I was surprised by the numerous pie flavors available at my Whole Foods.

The Whole Foods bakery had several pie flavors available, including pecan, four-berry, and apple.

To get a taste for the crust and fruit filling, I purchased a 9-inch cherry pie for $15.

This was a decent pie for the price point.

Putting together a homemade pie can feel like a lot of work, even for seasoned bakers. For $15, this feels like a decent option if you aren't up to making your own.

The not-too-sweet flavor was excellent. The crust, however, wasn't one bit flaky or buttery and seemed a bit soggy, as if it had been pulled out of the oven a few minutes too early.

Overall, I wished for a better pie crust, but it's a decent option in a pinch. I also wonder if I just got a dud.

Whole Foods had individually wrapped brownies and larger packs of them.

Brownies are a classic, and every bakery should offer a great version of this treat.

My Whole Foods had brownies in packs of four and individually wrapped ones. I chose to buy the latter and paid $2.75 each.

These fell a bit flat for me.

It's hard for me to believe that a grocery-store bakery would produce a lackluster brownie, but I think Whole Foods has.

The top of the brownie seemed surprisingly dry and crackly, yet underneath, it had a wonderful cakey-meets-fudgy balance.

Unfortunately, the dry top detracted from that. In terms of flavor, I expected a wonderfully balanced, chocolaty brownie — but I thought it was relatively bland and disappointing.

The dog-shaped shortbread cookies I found were too cute to pass up.

Among the bakery's cookie selection, I found shortbread shaped like little Scottie dogs that were partially dunked in a chocolate coating.

The four-pack of cookies cost me $5.50.

I wished these adorable cookies tasted a little better.

I hoped for an adorable cookie that also tasted fantastic, but I ended up disappointed.

These were definitely more of an impulse buy, based on the cookie's cute shape and design, but biting into one let me down.

The texture was fine, but the flavor was oddly artificial to me. I don't think they tasted balanced or buttery, and the hint of vanilla I was expecting didn't come through.

The tiramisu cake looked beautiful in the display case.

My local Whole Foods had tiramisu dessert cups, and there was also a whole tiramisu cake in the bakery display case.

I bought a pretty 6-inch tiramisu cake for $27.

This is a great dessert for a special occasion.

Making tiramisu isn't difficult, but it does require a few steps. If you want to skip them and buy it premade as a cake, this one from Whole Foods is a worthy option.

The two-layer dessert had terrific flavor thanks to the vanilla cake paired with a creamy, coffee-flavored filling. The top was dressed up nicely with even more piped cream, a dusting of cocoa powder, and chocolate curls.

I think it's a bit pricey for what it is, but a good option if you need to pick up a showstopping dessert for a special occasion.

This story was originally published on November 20, 2024, and most recently updated on June 1, 2026.

• The stock market's nine-week winning streak came to an end due to Friday's sell-off.
• Morgan Stanley CIO Michael Wilson says the pullback is a "healthy reset" for bullish gains to continue.
• Rates remain a key risk to the strategist's bullish outlook.

The S&P 500 recorded its largest drop of 2026 on Friday, while the Nasdaq capped off its worst week since the Liberation Day tariff rout. It was a bruising moment for investors, but a top strategist says the pull back actually supports a continued bull run.

Morgan Stanley CIO Michael Wilson said the sell-off represents a "healthy reset," maintaining his 8,000 year-end target for the S&P 500, implying 7.5% upside from Monday's open.

"While Friday's positioning-driven sell-off was notable, earnings and macro data remain strong and supportive of broader participation over the coming months," Wilson wrote.

The S&P 500 recorded its largest single-day decline of the year on Friday after a stronger-than-expected jobs report nixed any hopes of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in 2026.

The chip-led decline

Friday's sell-off marked an end of the stock market's nine week winning streak.

The declines were led by chip stocks, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF seeing its largest daily losses since March 2020. The ETF is up over 80% year-to-date.

"Friday's move lower was led by Semiconductors and Memory stocks, where sharp year-to-date gains met crowded positioning across hedge funds and levered ETFs," the Morgan Stanley strategist said, noting that the firm's research found that semis represent around 25% of the global hedge fund book. Wilson explained that this positioning likely amplified the sell-off.

"From here, the path for markets will likely depend on how quickly positioning normalizes, as well as how rates, rate volatility, oil, and the US dollar trade," the strategist outlined.

The chip ETF opened Monday's trading session higher, taking back some of losses from Friday, alongside the tech-heavy Nasdaq which led major indexes higher.

Bullish 'glass half full' outlook

Morgan Stanley's CIO isn't the only investing pro on Wall Street saying Friday's sell-off isn't cause for concern.

"In spite of Friday's sharp weakness across traditionally riskier asset classes, we continue to forecast glass-half-full outcomes for diversified portfolio," Northern Trust Wealth Management CIO Eric Freedman said.

"Friday's volatility has been admittedly uncharacteristic, yet likely overdue. Before Friday's sell-off, the S&P 500 had risen 20% since March 30, increasing in a near straight-line fashion," he explained.

Both Wilson and Freedman point to earnings fueling fundamental strength that will support the bull run continuing through year end. The stronger-than-expected first quarter earnings season has raised some worries on Wall Street with some exports saying the AI bubble is an earnings bubble.

Nancy Tengler, CEO and CIO at Laffer Tengler Investments pushed back on AI bubble fears, saying, "If we're in a bubble, then it'll pop, but I'm not convinced we're there yet."

"There's still a tremendous amount of skepticism, which is a good thing for investors because markets tend to climb a wall of worry. I think what we're seeing in the short term is a flight toward what's next," she said.

Risks remain

Morgan Stanley's base case signals the S&P 500 is set for further gains, but the firm's CIO says risks to the bull market remain.

"Rates and rate volatility remain a near-term risk, contingent on inflation data as well as Fed and Treasury liquidity provisioning."

The 10-year bond yield sits at 4.51%, above the level Wilson has flagged as a bearish indicator for equities.

The Fed will announce its latest interest rate decision on June 17 at its first FOMC meeting since Kevin Warsh succeeded Jerome Powell.

The market sees a rate hike before year-end as the most likely outcome, according to CME's FedWatch tool, a stark contrast from the two to three rate cuts investors expected at the beginning of the year.

Investors will get fresh inflation data this week with a CPI release on Wednesday and PPI reports on Thursday.

• I've traveled to more than 50 countries, but there are just three I keep going back to.
• Italy feels like home to me, and it has some of the best food and views across its diverse regions.
• Iceland and Switzerland are some of the most incredible places I've ever visited.

As a travel writer and photographer, I'm incredibly lucky to have ventured to so many special corners of the world.

From hiking with goats in Austria and camping on the snow in Antarctica, to completing an eight-day solo pilgrimage trek in Japan, and going lobster fishing in Newfoundland, I've had no shortage of wild adventures.

Having been to all seven continents and more than 50 countries so far, one of the questions I'm most often asked is, "What's your favorite place that you've been?"

I find it nearly impossible to answer, because I truly believe that every destination has something to offer. There are a few places, though, that have captured my heart in such a tight hug that I've been lured back into their embrace heaps of times.

Places that fulfill me the most are a joy to photograph, have a fantastic food and beverage scene, and offer show-stopping outdoor endeavors, small towns meant for slow wandering, and opportunities to connect with the local culture, people, and nature in meaningful ways.

These are the three countries that regularly fuel my daydreams, and I can't resist going back to them again and again.

Everything feels cooler in Iceland

On day one of my first trip to Iceland, I fell head over heels, and I've returned several times since, with no plans to stop anytime soon.

I've always been a huge fan of road trips, and this country is made for them, down to the incredible gas station hot dogs (no, seriously). The otherworldly landscape, endless waterfalls, rich Viking history, and oh my goodness, the natural hot springs and swimming culture — I love it all.

Each season has something different to offer, from spotting puffins in the summer months to watching the northern lights flaunt their winter moves above.

Having explored on my own several times, I've always felt super safe and believe Iceland is a fantastic destination for solo travelers. My camera gets a serious workout in Iceland — it's exceptional for photography with endless beauty at every turn.

Although I'm not a huge city person, Iceland is also home to my favorite capital: Reykjavik. The food and culture scene is out of this world, and if you get the chance to ring in the New Year there like I did this past year, it'll blow your mind.

I can't get enough of Italy

At this point, Italy feels like a second home to me, and not just because I have family heritage ties to the country.

My very first trip there more than a decade ago sparked an obsession and a longing to visit nearly every year — I even spent a summer teaching English at a small school in Tuscany.

I've walked in the footsteps of my maternal grandfather in the small village where he was raised, and explored everywhere from the Lake District, Tuscany, Liguria (where I attended a fish festival), Puglia, the Dolomites, the Amalfi Coast, and, most recently, Sicily.

My top place from a two-week vacation with my partner was the Aeolian Island of Salina, where we experienced a delightfully slow few days at the best hotel I've ever stayed in, Principe di Salina.

I've found that each region offers something different, plus there are numerous festivals and events throughout every season. Every nook and cranny feels like a history lesson and living museum between the tiny medieval hilltop villages, ancient ruins, arts, and culture.

Don't even get me started on the food and wine! Italy is a mecca for everything I crave.

Switzerland is such a special place

The first time I set foot on Swiss soil, I was starstruck. I was also somewhat lost, in all senses of the word. Physically, I was looking for a cog train; mentally, I was figuring out my next life chapter.

It turns out that spectacular scenery, a change of pace, and hiking with sheep can do wonders to clear your head. So, Switzerland will always hold a special place in my heart.

Although I've visited the country more than seven times since that initial trip, I'm still enamored by the crisp Swiss air, spectacular outdoor adventure opportunities, and chocolate.

I've criss-crossed the country on the incredibly efficient and scenic trains, trekked to peaks, through small villages, behind waterfalls, and valleys, and even raced down a mountain track on a Super Mario-style cart.

Although I've spent time in many of the diverse regions, Switzerland's sunny Ticino may be my favorite. This region on the edge of Lake Maggiore blends the best of Swiss and Italian food and culture, and is the perfect alternative to Lake Como, away from the crowds.