• Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi sees more trouble ahead for the US economy.
• He recently wrote that while GDP has increased, it's still below what it should be.
• In his view, the economy is growing below its full potential and the Fed isn't likely to help.

The US economy may be growing, Moody's chief economist Mark Zandi says that doesn't mean it's in a healthy state.

The economist hasn't been shy lately about his bearishness on what's ahead of the US. In his most recent newsletter, Zandi noted that while GDP has risen this year and the economy appears resilient, he sees warning signals flashing.

"The economy is growing, but at a rate below its potential, so the situation is tenuous," he said. "Unless growth picks up, unemployment will rise and participation will fall, and at some point, undermine growth altogether."

Zandi has repeatedly warned of the negative impact on the US economy caused by Donald Trump's tariff and immigration policies. In 2025, he described it as being on the edge of recession, a forecast that grew increasingly more bearish in the months that followed.

He acknowledged in the newsletter that the economy held up despite the headwinds he's been seeing, but he sees more cause for concern as consumer prices, specifically fuel costs pushed higher by the Iran war, surge. He's among the forecasters who have said the impacts of the war will offset the benefits of the Trump administration's tax cuts.

But Zandi sees issues cropping up elsewhere, too.

"The soft job market is depressing wage growth, and with inflation accelerating, real wage growth has all but stalled," Zandi said. "Real disposable income has not grown over the past year."

Then there's monetary policy. Zandi highlighted potential problems he sees as a new era begins under Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh. Despite initially describing him as a "reasonable choice" to lead the central bank, Zandi said he has concerns.

Specifically, he's worried about the fact that the central bank isn't in a position to pursue policy that would boost the economy and prop up job growth, namely, cut interest rates.

"The below-potential growth and developing slack in the economy would argue for interest rate cuts, particularly since the federal funds rate target remains above estimates of the neutral rate," Zandi noted. "But the tariffs and the Iran war have pushed inflation to well over 3% and close to 4%, double the Fed's inflation target."

Inflation expectations have surged during the Iran war. Zandi said that if expectations continue rising, it will likely prompt the Fed to raise rates, even if it leads to a full on recession, as policymakers will see bringing inflation down as a top priority.

Zandi made it clear he doesn't see this as a good strategy, adding that economic pain in the short term should be preferable to worse economic conditions in the months ahead.

"For the economy to avoid being derailed, first and foremost, the Iran war must end soon, normalizing global oil production and prices," he said. "The buildout of artificial intelligence and its contribution to overall growth must also continue apace."

The best swim dresses solve the most annoying swimsuit dilemma: finding something that's cute, comfortable, and actually offers a little extra coverage. For as long as I can remember, I've been stuck in swimsuit limbo: The stylish swimsuits never have enough coverage, and the modest swimsuits tend to look like they were designed to make you disappear. But swim dresses have officially entered their comeback era — and the new versions are anything but frumpy.

In fact, I'd go so far as to call swim dresses one of the up-and-coming swim trends for summer 2026. Lately, we've spotted an influx of swim dresses and swim skirts on the NYC fashion crowd at media events and out in the Hamptons, and it makes sense: They're feminine, flattering, and secretly practical. They're also the ultimate boat day outfit, since they give you the ease of a swimsuit with the polish of something you'd actually want to be photographed in.

After researching dozens of options and testing several myself, I found a few swim dresses that strike the right balance between function and fashion. Whether you're looking for a fun patterned pick for a resort vacation, a supportive plus-size style, or a budget-friendly option, these are the best swim dresses for every need.

Also, check out our other extensively tested swim guides, including the best swimsuits for large busts, the best one-piece swimsuits, the best long-torso swimsuits, and more.

Best overall swim dress: Garnet Hill Shoreline Side-Slit Swim Dress

I've only owned a few items from Garnet Hill, but the quality has impressed me every time — these are pieces that hold up well in the wash, and tend to last me for years. The Shoreline Side-Split Swim Dress is no exception, but that's not all there is to love about it. With a surplice-style V neckline, wrap-like skirt, and side slit, it's the kind of silhouette that flatters every body type. Plus, it's designed with a smoothing power-mesh for extra shaping and support. As someone with a large bust (as in DD cup), I also felt super secure in the built-in shelf bra with sewn-in soft cups.

The fabric is soft, lightweight, and most importantly, offers UPF 50+ sun protection. As an added bonus, this swim dress is also machine washable.

Best patterned swim dress: Old Navy Matte Side-Tie Swim Dress

This swim dress is a perfect example of fashion-meets-function. It's machine washable and offers sun protection, but it also comes in a number of on-trend prints — like brown zebra and blue ditzy microfloral.

As far as swimwear goes, this Old Navy swim dress has quickly become one of my go-tos for casual pool days and beach outings. It may not provide as much support and compression as some of the other options, but it's lightweight, comfortable, and stylish enough for everyday use — and the square neck, wide shoulder straps, and wrap skirt give it timeless appeal.

Best swim dress that doubles as a real outfit: Lands' End

The Land's End Square Neck Smocked Mini Swim Dress is one of those rare swimsuits that genuinely looks like something you could wear beyond the pool. At first glance, it reads more like a cute summer mini dress — or even a romper — than traditional swimwear, thanks to the square neckline, smocked bodice, and flouncy skirt. It is definitely on the shorter side, so don't expect tons of leg coverage, but that also keeps it feeling playful, youthful, and not at all frumpy.

The smocked top is more than just a cute design detail, too: it has enough stretch and structure to comfortably support larger busts without feeling stiff or overly sporty. Overall, it's sweet, feminine, and super cute — the kind of swim dress you'll want to throw on for pool days, beach vacations, and any moment when you'd rather look like you're wearing an actual outfit than a swimsuit.

Best stylish swim dress: Venus St. Tropez Swim Dress

If you're on the hunt for a resort-ready swim dress that'll stand out, look no further than this style — which features a playful paisley pattern and sweetheart neckline.

Reviewers rave about the shaping support, which comes from a control lining. And if you're large-busted, you're bound to appreciate how the St. Tropez Swim Dress has molded cups and wide adjustable straps. Criss-cross gathering across the bust and ruching in the bodice add some nice texture, while the flared mini skirt offers movement and moderate coverage.

Best convertible swim dress: Land's End Sculpting Bandeau Lace Back Mini Swim Dress

I'm all about versatility when it comes to style, so it should come as no surprise that I live for anything convertible — because I get multiple looks in one garment. This Lands' End swim dress has removable straps, which is great when I'm in the mood for an off-the-shoulder moment. Bandeau-style tops are typically a disaster for my fuller bust, but that's not the case here. I found that the sewn-in soft cup bra provided pretty impressive lift and support.

I know I'll get a lot of use out of this swim dress, too, because it's made with a special type of spandex, which is resistant to damage from chlorine, sunscreen, and sweat. It's also UPF 50 fabric, which has the Skin Cancer Foundation's seal of approval for sun protection (only for areas covered by the material).

Above all, though, this swimsuit is exceptionally flattering. The adjustable lace-up back cinches my waist while also adding some visual corset-inspired intrigue, and the sculpting panels provide targeted areas of compression to enhance curves.

Best plus-size swim dress: Land's End Smoothing Square Neck Ruched Swim Dress Swimsuit

With regular, petite, plus-size, and long-torso options, this swim dress is definitely one of the most size-inclusive I've come across. Reviewers claim it's well-made with durable fabric that stands the test of time. The chlorine in swimming pools is notorious for breaking down elastic swimsuit fibers, making them more vulnerable to tearing, stretching out, and losing their shape. This swim dress was thoughtfully constructed with a specific type of spandex that's resistant to breaking down due to not only chlorine, but also sunscreen and sweat.

According to the dozens of happy customers who've bought the Smoothing Square Neck Ruched Swim Dress, it also highlights all their best assets — while camouflaging the areas they're less confident about. Cap sleeves offer subtle coverage, while the modest square neckline visually balances out wider hips, accentuates the bust, and elongates the neck.

Best supportive swim dress: Swimsuits For All High Neck Wrap Swim Dress

Finding a swimsuit with enough support for my DD-cup bust is no easy feat. This High Neck Wrap Swim Dress holds me up exceptionally well, thanks to the adjustable straps and the encircled shelf bra with wire-free, molded cups. And the criss-cross neckline doesn't just offer visual interest but also much-appreciated additional lift. Meanwhile, the power mesh lining provides ample compression, making this feel like swimwear and shapewear in one.

A fit-and-flare silhouette and ruched wrap-front detailing give this swimsuit the timeless, chic appeal of a little black dress. I felt like a million bucks wearing this for a family pool day, and even found myself wondering: Is there a world where this could pass for a regular dress?

Best budget swim dress: Blooming Jelly Women's One Piece Swimsuit

Thousands of customers have left five-star reviews for this swim dress, saying it makes them feel both comfortable and confident. That's no surprise, given the flattering ruching in the bodice, the cute side-tie detail, and the eye-catching gold metal accents. The slit lends a flirty twist, while the adjustable straps ensure you get adequate support in the bust.

This swim dress not only comes in a wide range of colors and patterns, but it's available up to size 4XL. And despite the affordable price tag, it's surprisingly well-made: Because laser technology was used to make the hem, you won't have to worry about any fraying.

Best shaping swim dress: Shapellx Smart Sculpt All-In-One Mesh Wrap Shaping Swimsuit

Shapellx is known for its size-inclusive, revolutionary shapewear — but don't sleep on their swimwear. The brand's corset swimsuit was a huge hit with Business Insider's Colleen Sullivan, who raved about the "made-for-you" fit and gentle compression that offers a "held-in feeling" without restricting breathing or movement.

But what sets the All-In-One Mesh Wrap Shaping Swimsuit apart is the attached mesh sarong — turning it into a travel-friendly two-in-one look. The skirt provides extra coverage when you want to grab some beachfront drinks at the resort bar, but you can also lift it to reveal a ruched panel and a more traditional one-piece.

This swim dress also doubles as shapewear, with inner mesh that smooths out your torso — but customers claim it's surprisingly comfortable thanks to the breathable fabric and four-way stretch. Removable padding and wide adjustable straps allow you to achieve customized support, while the keyhole bust cutout and hip side-ties add some feminine flair.

Best modest swim dress: Aleumdr One Piece Swimdress Swimsuit

If you find that the skirt is just a tad too short for your liking on most swim dresses, this one provides the perfect solution — plus, it features a higher neckline. Regardless of the simple and modest design, though, it’s super chic and flattering: The split hem adds a slightly playful touch while ensuring ease of movement. From classic neutrals to rich jewel tones and bright florals, this swim dress also comes in a wide range of shades and prints.

Another practical detail: This swim dress is made with quick-drying fabric. This is actually a noteworthy perk — after testing a number of swim dresses, I’d say my main pet peeve is that most of them take forever to dry.

Did I mention there are pockets? Those definitely come in handy for stashing sunscreen, chapstick, and other summer must-haves.

• Daniela Amodei waded into the discourse around companies overspending on AI.
• The Anthropic president is optimistic that much more capable AI models are on the way.
• Anthropic's AI use is tracked without a leaderboard, she said.

Daniela Amodei has entered the tokenmaxxing discourse in Silicon Valley — and no, Anthropic does not have an AI leaderboard.

At Thursday's Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco, the Anthropic president and co-founder took a question about tokenmaxxing, where developers use as much AI as possible and rack up huge bills with unclear business payoffs.

Amodei was diplomatic, but offered a bullish vision.

She said that though AI models have dramatically improved over the last two years, this isn't the end state of their progress.

"I actually think there's a lot more distance to go still for what the models will be able to do two to four, six to eight years in the future," Amodei said.

The executive also said businesses will find new ways to use the tools, and learn together as a larger community.

She acknowledged that workers are reckoning with a new paradigm, where they're directed to use AI and sometimes even tracked by their employers.

"Today there's this feeling that's like, 'Oh, like AI, you know, the leaderboards, and it's like I have to use it, and what am I going to use it for?'" Amodei said. "My hope is that over time it'll be more incorporated into the day-to-day of how humans do our work, how we communicate together, and that there will actually be a lot more value realized in a way that feels really good to people."

Anthropic does not have a token-usage leaderboard, she noted, though the company does track general use of the company's Claude products as teams work.

"But there's not like, 'You must use AI and you must use Claude'," she added.

Claude Code, Anthropic's juggernaut AI-coding product, is one of the main drivers of the tokenmaxxing discourse.

The tool uses significantly more tokens — the units of AI input and output — than a classic chatbot interface. That gap grew more substantial with the advent of agents, which a user can direct to autonomously churn through tasks. Anthropic and OpenAI partly charge on a per-token basis, so the boom in AI coding has fueled a surge in revenue.

Companies are navigating how to spend on AI, after some executives at top companies encouraged a freewheeling attitude. Amazon recently shut down an informal, employee-made leaderboard that tracked the use of AI tokens.

"Please don't use AI just for the sake of using AI," Dave Treadwell, an Amazon senior vice president, told staff.

A similar leaderboard at Meta was taken down by the employee who made it, The Information reported. It had been titled "Claudeonomics."

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.

Tickets for popular events and artists continue to see higher demand than supply, making resale platforms a must-shop for securing seats. That said, it pays to be selective about where you buy, especially when a big game or once-in-a-lifetime show is on the line. StubHub is one of the biggest names in the resale market, so I broke down why we trust it and what to know before you buy.

StubHub is a peer-to-peer ticket resale platform, meaning it connects buyers directly with individual sellers rather than setting prices itself. Sellers set their own prices, which can rise or fall depending on demand, seat location, and proximity to the event. That kind of dynamic pricing can help you find tickets for high-demand events, but it can also mean paying more than face value.

A major reason StubHub is widely trusted is its FanProtect Guarantee, which ensures buyers receive valid tickets in time for the event. If there's an issue, such as invalid tickets or delivery problems, StubHub will attempt to provide replacement tickets or issue a refund. When an event is canceled and not rescheduled, buyers may receive either a full refund or a 120% credit toward a future purchase.

That said, StubHub isn't without drawbacks. Service fees can be higher than those of some competing platforms, and because prices are set by sellers, availability and cost can vary significantly. It's also important to note that FanProtect does not guarantee refunds for postponed or rescheduled events unless the event is officially canceled.

Below, we break down how StubHub works in 2025, including its buyer protections, refund policies, fees, and tips for avoiding scams—so you can decide whether it's the right place to buy tickets for your next event.

Is StubHub legit?

In short, StubHub is a trustworthy platform for buying and selling tickets to major events. Although the company itself is not the seller, it still offers safeguards for both parties in a sale to prevent potential scams. It does, however, mean that StubHub does not control the pricing of event tickets — these are set by the users selling them. The site will instead recommend price points for sellers during the listing process.

StubHub offers a 100% guarantee on every order through its exclusive FanProtect Guarantee, which I've broken down below.

How StubHub protects ticket buyers

Buying tickets from a reseller is sometimes the only option for sold-out, high-demand shows. StubHub is a great place to find tickets, especially with its FanProtect Guarantee to cover orders. Here's what it promises for buyers:

• Tickets will be delivered in time for the event.
• The ticket will be valid for the event.
• Issues will be resolved with comparable or better tickets or a refund.
• Event cancellations that aren't rescheduled are eligible for a 120% StubHub credit or a full refund.

For even more information, you can check out StubHub's buyer terms and conditions.

How StubHub protects ticket sellers

Whether you've changed your mind or need to cancel a scheduled event, StubHub is a simple platform for ticket sellers. Listing is quick and easy, and pricing research isn't necessary with the site's recommendations. It also protects its sellers just as well as its buyers under the same FanProtect Guarantee.

StubHub's main promise is on-time payment for tickets sold. The full seller terms and conditions explain this more thoroughly.

What about StubHub fees?

Of course, such protections don't come without a price. StubHub, like every other third-party, charges fees for both fans and sellers. For the latter, you don't pay anything until your tickets sell. Percentages aren't set in stone; they can differ based on ticket prices, event dates, supply, and demand.

Only two costs are added to purchases: a service fee and a fulfillment fee. These can be viewed before, during, and after checkout — here's how:

• Before checkout: Click on the event page filters and change "Price Display Options" to "Include estimated fees."
• During checkout: The entire cost is broken down on the "Review and buy" page, underneath "Your order summary."
• After checkout: Check your order receipt to see the fee breakdown at the bottom.

Head on over to StubHub to browse the latest ticket prices for concerts, live sports, comedy shows, and more.

StubHub FAQs

Does StubHub have promo codes or coupons?

Because its platform is reseller-based, StubHub typically does not offer discount codes, coupons, or promotional price cuts. Since each listing is offered by a third party, typically another fan, it's difficult for StubHub to give shoppers promo codes for general use without taking money from the seller.

Are StubHub tickets guaranteed?

StubHub tickets are as guaranteed as your concert or sporting event is. Your reservation is locked in upon purchase, but if the ticketed event itself gets canceled or rescheduled, your tickets will change as well. It often varies, but rescheduled acts often result in the valid ticket's date changing, while cancellations get you a refund or 120% of its value in StubHub credit.

Does StubHub sell gift cards?

If you have a friend or family member who loves going to concerts and sporting events, StubHub offers gift cards in $25, $50, $100, and $200 increments. These can be redeemed anytime on the StubHub website to buy tickets for their next big show, complete with the StubHub FanProtect Guarantee.

How do I contact StubHub customer support?

StubHub's support page includes a library of resources, including frequently asked questions, seller information, and more. If you'd like to contact the company for customized assistance, check out their online chat.

Does StubHub give refunds?

If you change your mind or encounter a scheduling conflict, StubHub sales are final. That means no refunds in the traditional sense; however, you can become a ticket seller on the platform instead.

This doesn't work for last-minute cancellations, but with enough lead time, you can list your tickets on StubHub and hope for another attendee to purchase them. This can help make your money back, or even help you profit a little in the process.

Who is touring or performing on StubHub now?

Who you should see depends on your taste in music, sports, and entertainment — but there are some pretty big names hitting the stage in 2026. Here are some highlights:

• Linkin Park - ongoing through June
• BTS - April through September
• Yungblud - May through June
• Alan Jackson - final performance on June 27
• Ariana Grande - June through August
• Ed Sheeran - June through November
• AC/DC - July through September
• Bon Jovi - July residency
• Zac Brown Band - July through November
• Harry Styles - August through December

Browse more live music, sporting, and comedy events near you on StubHub.

Browse all of our ticket coverage here. Follow our Instagram and WhatsApp channels for more deals and buying guides.

• Challenger said AI was the cited reason for 40% of job cuts in May.
• In 2026, AI is the leading reason companies cite for layoffs.
• The outplacement firm also said this isn't "yet the jobpocalypse some predicted."

AI may not be a complete disaster for jobs yet, but companies are citing it more than any other reason when announcing layoffs, according to a new report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The global outplacement firm's latest report said AI accounted for 40% of 97,006 job cuts by US-based employers in May, the highest monthly total since Challenger began tracking AI as a reason for layoffs in 2023. So far in 2026, Challenger says 87,714 cuts have been attributed to AI, far surpassing the total of 54,836 in 2025.

"AI isn't yet the jobpocalypse some predicted," Andy Challenger, labor and workplace expert and chief revenue officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement accompanying the report. "Like spreadsheets and email before it, the technology will ultimately make workers more productive, but our data shows companies are already acting on it, citing AI for more cuts than any other reason."

Overall, Challenger found that May 2026 saw the highest number of layoffs since 2020, when 397,016 job cuts were announced during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Technology remains the leading sector for layoffs by "a wide margin," the report said.

The extent to which AI is to blame for layoffs is highly contested, including, not surprisingly, by those whose companies are directly involved in the AI boom. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said companies were "AI washing" their layoffs, blaming the nascent technology for their decisions when other business factors were at play.

Elsewhere, Apollo Global Management's chief economist Torsten Sløk wrote last week that he sees "zero evidence of job losses because of AI," citing the ADP National Employment Report.

Outside of AI, Challenger's report found that so far this year, the next biggest reasons attributed to layoffs are "market and economic conditions," which have been cited for 69,645 cuts; "closings," which have been cited for 66,733 cuts; and "restructuring," which has been attributed to 52,249.

• The US Army's new command and control system is more mobile and spread out across posts.
• Soldiers said it doesn't take long to break down the post and they're still connected while moving.
• The mobile, dispersed posts also help troops blend in on the electromagnetic spectrum.

Future warfare will be fast-paced and chaotic. That's forcing the US Army to rethink the field posts that are increasingly in their enemy's crosshairs.

The problem for the US is straightforward: Command posts send and receive a high volume of transmissions on battlefield information that an advanced adversary, like Russia or China, could detect and target.

Ukraine has shown this vulnerability by strikes on Russian command posts and killing more than a dozen generals.

These threats have shifted the US Army's thinking on its new warfighting system, Next Generation Command and Control. The technology, also called NGC2, is a total revamp of how the Army communicates and fights. Most of the capabilities have only been built over the last few months.

Last month at Fort Carson, Colorado, the Army ran a division-level drill with NGC2. The scenario involved a blue and red team fighting alongside many of the capabilities, like electronic warfare, cyber systems, and space-based effects, that the Army anticipates it could face in a potential conflict. It was the most complex testing of NGC2 thus far, with troops wargaming the system in a realistic combat scenario.

"We learned a lot about how to employ that technology and what it feels like when that technology is employed against you," Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, told reporters.

On the ground at Fort Carson, various camouflage tents were spread far out across miles, each concealing vehicles with computers running NGC2. These vehicles make up the command posts for NGC2, designed to be further away from one another and, most importantly, mobile and potentially more survivable.

Anduril Industries was the prime contractor that built the 4th ID's command system under a $100 million contract awarded in 2025.

With the computers in the vehicles themselves, the post can rapidly move to another location. All that needs to be done is breaking down the tent and some other logistics equipment.

"I'd say at the most, like about 30 minutes for us to set up, tear down," Maj. Dan Hickox told Business Insider outside the command post where soldiers identified enemy targets. The netting that covers the post takes the most time. At other posts, the timeframe was similar. Soldiers could pack up, load the vehicle, and get on the move in half an hour or less.

The posts themselves being dispersed across areas, sometimes miles, and not within visual contact, was initially jarring. "If you were to tell me about eight months ago that I would be by myself" not near complimentary teams, Hickox said, "I probably would have a heart attack. I need to get in there in person, sit down next to people, be able to talk. But now there is chat architecture and everything else, it doesn't make any difference."

Command posts are relay points for information and communication regarding every aspect of warfighting, from targeting to medical support, tracking enemy movements, and monitoring how the fight is going. Inside these posts, Army leaders and specialists act as the hubs of intelligence and situational awareness that inform battlefield decisions.

Since these posts are vital to a force's ability to fight, they are prime targets. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that command posts with large and static footprints can be found, targeted, and destroyed quickly. Ukraine's success in attacking Russian commanders has shown the US that its command posts are too big and noticeable, and the Army has been rethinking how to shrink and disperse posts to become smaller nodes that are more survivable.

While the vehicle is on the move to another location, soldiers can still communicate, run through data, and keep connected to other posts. There may be a drop in loading or sending time, but it's not too much to notice. And each command post has built-in redundancy, meaning its functions — like finding targets — can be done by another post if the post is offline or is damaged.

"The fact that we have the ability to maintain communications with folks and it's not just exclusive to chat" but also voice call, Hickox said, "is really impressive." It reduces the downtime between an order and reports as it's executed, small delays that can add up.

Having the posts be mobile and easy to set up gives soldiers more options for keeping their signatures obscured on the electromagnetic spectrum. Soldiers said the vehicle could be driven to a number of locations that would help it hide or reduce its chances of being electronically detected, such as a ditch or within trees. In an urban environment, the post could be moved to a built-up area.

And while on the move, the vehicle can more blend into the noise, whether by operating on the same frequencies or connections as other systems or vehicles, or by looking similar on the spectrum to other Army assets so it's difficult for the enemy to tell who's who.

Soldiers follow guidelines from command on how to hide in the spectrum, crank up the noise to overwhelm frequencies, or which networks to use. If they lose connection or get jammed, there are backup ways to send data on NGC2.

"I think a lot of it comes down to what we think the enemy is going to be able to monitor and then adjusting from there," Lt. Col. Tim Chess told Business Insider.

The exercise more broadly ramped up the use of electronic warfare effects on soldiers, including interference and jamming. Some electronic warfare objectives were what Ellis described as learning opportunities, like soldiers identifying the source of jamming and then destroying it in order to resume connection.

"So they also feel the effects of what happens when you destroy it or why you should focus on it because then your radio communications and your digital communications all get better," he said. "We're balancing some learning objectives with also reinforcing some good behaviors."

• Retail participation in the SpaceX IPO is expected to be high, which could fuel outsize volatility.
• The company and Wall Street pros warn retail participation and hype could fuel volatility.
• The historic IPO's scale and index opportunities could amplify retail investor SPCX exposure.

SpaceX's highly anticipated IPO is likely to be a huge event for retail traders, but that means investors should expect more volatility than usual for a trading debut.

The company is expected to allocate an atypically large amount of stock for retail investors at the IPO price, up to 30% of the shares sold, compared to 5% to 10% for other offerings. Truist, JPMorgan, and SpaceX itself have signaled the stock's retail exposure is a reason to expect heightened volatility when trading begins.

"Retail involvement and index inclusion: these will be key factors in the stock's early trading," Truist analysts said.

It comes as no surprise retail investor enthusiasm around Elon Musk's space company going public is high.

The company is leaning into it, saying retail traders will be able to buy into the public offering at the same IPO prices as institutional investors. The company is targeting an initial offering price of $135 a share.

SpaceX has flagged retail allocation and high retail interest as reasons why the stock "may be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations" in its IPO filing.

IPOs are generally met with volatility in the early days of trading, but SpaceX's scale and heightened retail participation create the potential for "significant" volatility, Truist said.

Retail investors tend to trade on IPOs for the short term, which furthers stock volatility. JPMorgan analysis found that around 86% of retail investors chase intraday momentum and sell intraday dips in newly public stocks.

The IPO reflects a potential valuation of $1.75 trillion, which would make the company one of the largest in the world right off the bat. The price tag has drawn scrutiny and skepticism from some on Wall Street. Morningstar said this week that the valuation should be about half of what markets are estimating.

The valuation has also sparked concentration concerns, particularly with regard to SpaceX index inclusion. Critics have raised concerns about expedited index inclusion leaving retail investors over-exposed to the stock.

The Nasdaq 100 recently enacted a fast entry rule for IPOs ranking among the top 40 companies by market cap already in the index. This makes SpaceX, and likely Anthropic and OpenAI, eligible much sooner after going public than usual.

The S&P 500 index is considering similar rule changes that would cut the required trading time, waive the minimum float requirement, and eliminate the profitability requirement for large enough companies. These changes would make SpaceX eligible for index inclusion in as little as six months.

Freedom Capital Markets' chief strategist Jay Woods is among the critics of SpaceX's index inclusion.

"Every retail investor holding an S&P 500 ETF in their 401(k) would become an involuntary SpaceX shareholder, regardless of whether they believe in the story, understand the business, or are comfortable with the risk of a $1.75 trillion unprofitable company with a 5% float and one man controlling 79% of the votes," he said ahead of the IPO.

Wall Street veteran and longtime Fidelity fund manager George Noble also raised concerns.

"The rules are being rewritten to benefit IPO issuers and early-stage insiders, and your capital is the tool being USED to enrich them."

"45 years in this business and I've watched Wall Street find creative new ways to separate retail investors from their money in every cycle. But usually they at least try to be subtle about it," he said.

The surge in interest for retro tech is about more than nostalgia.

VHS tapes, CD players, and Game Boys are making a comeback as younger consumers seek technology that feels simpler and more intentional.

• OpenAI's "Time to Fly" advertisement for its AI coding tool included an Easter egg for an online minigame.
• Players posted on X that they won free tokens from the game. "Thank you for the credits!" one wrote.
• The free token awards appear to have run out, but the game t is still playable online.

OpenAI's new ad that ran during Game 1 of the Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals included a hidden game of its own.

The company debuted an advertisement for Codex, its AI coding tool, titled "Time to Fly." The ad shows a variety of users vibe coding a product idea. One asks for a companion app; another puts their request on "Extra High" mode. A third seems to be developing a video game.

The name of that game echoes the title of the ad: "Time to Fly." Eagle-eyed viewers found and played the game online — and won some free AI tokens.

The "Time to Fly" game is a "cosmic logic puzzle game about orbital rotation," per OpenAI's website. One employee wrote on X that the team built a "mini game that's waiting for anyone curious enough to follow the clues."

One user posted their "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" screen on X. The screenshot showed that they won $1,000 in tokens. "Thank you for the credits!" another user wrote.

For those mining for some free AI money: apologies, it seems like you missed your shot.

One user posted that they were proud to have placed third, even though OpenAI had run out of tokens. Another posted a screenshot showing the game screen saying, "We're all out of promo codes, but you can still compete on the leaderboard!"

AI tokens, often referred to as credits, are a unit of measurement used to help determine the computing costs associated with using AI products. The rise in popularity of Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex in the last year have given rise to trends like tokenmaxxing — as well as concerns over AI costs and budgeting.

• I traveled from Denver to Salt Lake City on an overnight Amtrak train in January 2025.
• I booked a $400 roomette accommodation for the 15-hour train journey.
• I made a few mistakes along the way, such as not knowing dining etiquette and skipping a rest stop.

Instead of flying from Denver to Salt Lake City in January 2025, I took an overnight Amtrak train. I spent the 15-hour journey in a private 23-square-foot space with two seats and two beds — otherwise known as a roomette accommodation.

I was no stranger to the sleeper car environment. I had previously taken two other overnight Amtrak rides as well as a handful in Europe. And some of those journeys were twice as long as this one. So I thought I'd get through the experience well prepared and with no regrets.

However, I'm still learning from my travel mistakes. Here are four slipups from this long-haul train trip that I won't forget on future rides.

I should have called to request a room on the top floor of the train.

I traveled from Denver to Salt Lake City on Amtrak's California Zephyr — a double-decker train known as a Superliner. My previous Amtrak rides were on single-story train fleets, so I hoped my room would be on the top floor for a new experience.

It wasn't.

Although the views of Rocky Mountain National Park from my room were spectacular, I could see farther from the dining car's second-story windows, and I longed for a room with a higher vantage point.

Though Amtrak's booking platform didn't have an option to select a specific room, Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari told Business Insider that you can call the contact center, speak to a live agent, and request a particular room if it's still available.

He added that family and accessible bedrooms are on the lower level, regular bedrooms are on the top level, and roomettes are on both levels.

I should have brought snacks for in-between meals.

My Amtrak ticket included three meals. An attendant came by my room to reserve a seat in the dining car for each one. I had breakfast after we departed at about 9 a.m. I chose the noon lunch slot and the 5 p.m. dinner slot.

While I didn't get hungry between breakfast and lunch, my stomach started growling at about 3 p.m. In hindsight, I should have packed snacks for the ride.

The train had a café car selling sweet and savory snacks, candy, beverages, and microwavable meals, but I decided to save my money and fuel up at dinner.

I didn't realize I was supposed to wait for meal call before entering the dining car.

I entered the dining car hungry and eager a minute before 5 p.m. The empty tables were set with mini flower arrangements that looked charming against the rolling canyon backdrop out the windows.

At the other end of the car, I spotted a handful of employees looking at me and talking among themselves.

"I'm here for my dinner reservation," I said.

One replied that I was supposed to wait for an attendant to announce dinner over the intercom. Embarrassed, I apologized and started to turn back. They told me to stay and sit at the first table while another employee went to the intercom.

I'd had nearly a dozen meals in Amtrak dining cars before, but this was the first time I'd made this mistake.

I should have taken advantage of every rest stop.

Some stops on overnight Amtrak trains are long enough for passengers to get out and walk around the platform for a few minutes.

I typically take this opportunity to get fresh air and stretch my legs, whether it's sunny or snowing outside. But when this train made its final long stop roughly 15 minutes before dinner, I was engrossed in a book and decided to stay in.

After dinner, I regretted not getting off at that final extended stop when I craved space to stretch out and move my body.

When I arrived in Salt Lake City at about midnight, I was grateful for fresh air and open space.

• Jill Biden published a new White House memoir, "View from the East Wing," this week.
• In the book, Biden recalled an awkward car ride with Melania Trump on Inauguration Day.
• She wrote that she's had "few interactions" with Melania Trump through the years.

The peaceful transfer of power on Inauguration Day is not without the occasional awkwardness.

In her new memoir, "View from the East Wing," Jill Biden recalled a car ride with Melania Trump from the White House to the Capitol for Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration.

It's customary for the outgoing and incoming presidents to travel together in one car while their spouses ride in a separate vehicle. Jill Biden wrote that inauguration committee member John Bessler, who is married to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, "must have drawn the shortest of all possible straws" to be assigned to accompany the car carrying her and Melania Trump.

"The presidents' car was likely frosty too, but at least they'd spent considerable time in each other's company," Jill Biden wrote in the memoir, released on June 2. "This would be one of few interactions Melania and I had ever had."

'Polite and controlled'

The two first ladies have met only a handful of times over the years.

When Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Donald Trump refused to concede and did not invite his successor for the traditional postelection meeting at the White House. Melania Trump followed suit and did not invite Jill Biden for the customary tea.

When Donald Trump won a second, non-consecutive term in 2024, the Bidens revived the White House tradition of extending an invitation to the incoming president and first lady. Donald Trump accepted, but Melania Trump declined, citing a prior commitment.

Jill Biden wrote that they had "met briefly" at the funerals of Rosalynn Carter in 2023 and Jimmy Carter in 2024, and that she'd called Melania Trump after Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"She was polite and controlled as ever," Jill Biden wrote of her call with Melania Trump. "She said they were 'good,' and thanked me for calling."

So when it came time to share a car on Inauguration Day, Jill Biden said she anticipated an awkward ride.

A tense trip to the Capitol

"Poor John had to figure out how to break the tension and find some path to relative peace in the course of that drive," Jill Biden wrote of Bessler serving as their escort. "He'd always struck me as a quiet, reserved Midwestern guy, but as soon as we got in, he began chatting away, pelting us both with questions."

Bessler asked about Barron Trump's experience at New York University, where he's matriculating. Jill Biden asked how Melania Trump's father was doing since her mother's passing.

Melania Trump, she wrote, "kept trying to switch the topic to the weather."

"I tried to get with Melania's weather-only program," Jill Biden wrote. "I said I felt bad for the military dogs we passed along the route because of the cold."

Shortly after Melania Trump answered that no, Barron Trump had never wanted a dog, the car finally arrived at the Capitol.

When reached by Business Insider, the Office of First Lady Melania Trump declined to comment.

• The Jane Goodall Institute has more than 500,000 pages of handwritten chimpanzee research.
• To digitize the data, the institute worked with AWS to create the Gombe AI Research Platform.
• The tool increases data access and provides multimedia analysis to support global research efforts.

Primatologist Jane Goodall and a team of researchers have spent more than six decades quietly observing chimpanzees in East Africa with binoculars.

The field researchers take handwritten notes every 15 minutes when observing a single chimpanzee, and every minute when observing mothers and infants. Then, they must digitize their notes, which come in multiple languages, including English and Swahili. It typically takes up to two days to manually enter all field data into web-based systems, said Lilian Pintea, the vice president of conservation science at the Jane Goodall Institute. He added that the organization has operated with a multi-year backlog of data awaiting upload since it created its first digital database in 1997.

In 2025, Pintea said he began using large language models to accelerate the digitization of more than 500,000 pages of handwritten notes, which makes scientific data more searchable for researchers at the nonprofit Goodall founded in 1977. Following the famed conservationist's passing in October 2025, preserving her legacy by digitizing her handwritten notes has also become a priority, Pintea told Business Insider.

"AI is just a continuation of our long history of different technology cycles," Pintea told Business Insider.

The tech

One of the biggest challenges the Jane Goodall Institute faces is storing an abundance of disparate data spanning five generations of chimpanzees, said Pintea. University researchers who visit Gombe store their findings — in the form of physical notes, photographs, and audio and visual files — in their own institutions' databases.

A new data tool that the Jane Goodall Institute continues to build with Amazon Web Services — called the Gombe AI Research Platform — aims to store this data in a single, more accessible place, which Pintea said will make it easier for researchers to collaborate. A team of nine principal investigators, each supported by two to three Ph.D students, and roughly half a dozen undergraduate students, has helped the Jane Goodall Institute digitize these assets.

It all began in March 2025, when Goodall delivered a keynote at the AWS Imagine Conference in Washington. It was there that Pintea was first asked to explore a potential collaboration between the nonprofit and AWS's cloud computing platform, he said. During a kickoff meeting for the collaboration in April 2025, Pintea said the Jane Goodall Institute wanted to use AI to identify medicinal plant use in video footage and classify which plants the apes were eating. The use case was deemed too rare to pursue further.

By June 2025, AWS and the Jane Goodall Institute had pivoted to a different, more widely helpful idea for AWS's AI: photo and video record analysis. Taimur Rashid, the managing director of the Generative AI Innovation Center at AWS, said the two organizations opted to build on an existing video search tool called WISE, developed by the University of Oxford in January 2023. He said that AWS used WISE's conceptual framework to develop a cloud-based tool for visual search and computer vision models to analyze chimpanzee footage, so researchers wouldn't have to spend hours manually screening the videos.

"We can take all of these years of analog data, digitize it, make it searchable, and add elements of gen AI to look at these data points and really comprehend all these years of data," Rashid told Business Insider.

In August 2025, a team from AWS followed Pintea and field researchers in Gombe National Park to better understand how they work in the field. It was at this moment that the team said it had a breakthrough: the tool could also be used for the digitization of handwritten records. The Jane Goodall Institute and AWS said the AI platform could be used for five tasks: multimedia search, video scene detection, chimpanzee facial recognition, AI-powered behavioral analysis, and automated data processing and translation.

By December 2025, AWS, the Jane Goodall Institute, and AI tool and data platform builder Ode PB held a kickoff meeting to transition the new system, called the Gombe AI Research Platform. Throughout early 2026, the teams worked to map out platform requirements and researcher workflows where AI could be helpful.

Some of the institute's researchers are already experimenting with the Gombe AI Research Platform, and the tool is expected to be fully live by the fourth quarter of 2026, said Rashid. The teams are still developing a few elements, like a specialized dictionary derived from 65 years of field notes and the ability to understand a Gombe-specific dialect of Swahili.

The outcome

Pintea said that he expects the AI to help the organization finally catch up with its six-year backlog of data that has yet to be digitized. He added that he hopes the Gombe AI Research Platform will be used by field researchers, principal investigators, Ph.D. students, and undergraduates beyond the Jane Goodall Institute.

In Uganda's Kibale National Park, two groups of chimpanzees have been fighting in the second-ever recorded civil war among the species. Pintea said the institute's AI efforts are making real-time field data more readily accessible to researchers studying the phenomenon, which was first recorded in Gombe.

"It's about understanding our closest living relative, as a way to understand human evolution and define ourselves," said Pintea.

The second Grand Slam of the year is underway, and it's been a shocking, upset-filled tournament on the clay courts of Roland-Garros. We've gathered everything you need to know about the final matches, including where to watch the French Open, free options, and other details.

Yes, the 2026 French Open has been one for the books. With all of the favorites and most top-ranked players out early, it's an open field. Reigning men's champion Carlos Alcaraz sat out the tournament with a wrist injury, and world No. 1 (and heavy favorite) Jannik Sinner was eliminated in a shocking second-round match. Novak Djokovic and other top prospects also saw early exits, and the highest-ranked ATP player left in the tournament is world No. 3 Alexander Zverev. He'll face Jakub Menšík in the semifinals, followed by an all-Italian semi between Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli.

The women's side has been just as shocking, with defending champion Coco Gauff eliminated in the third round. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion seeking her first French Open title, was bounced by Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals. Shnaider faces Maja Chwalińska in the semifinals, and the winner of that match will square off with Mirra Andreeva in the final.

Coverage is available across TNT and truTV and live streamable in full via HBO Max in the US. TNT Sports coverage via HBO Max is also the go-to option in the UK, although most other European nations will need Eurosport to access live streams. One exception is the host nation, France, which will offer select content for free via France.TV (with some matches on Prime Video). Australia will carry the full tournament on Stan Sport, with select free coverage on 9Now. You can access streaming options from anywhere by using a VPN. Keep reading to learn additional info about global viewing options and remaining matches.

Where to watch the French Open for free

Certain countries will offer select free coverage of the French Open. In France, free streaming is available through France.TV. In Australia, free streaming options can be found on 9Now. Both services just require account creation if you don't already have one.

How to watch the French Open from anywhere

If you're away from the location where your streaming service works and still want to access your free streaming options, you can do so with a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, are handy tools that let people temporarily change the digital location of their devices. They're especially popular among those looking to upgrade their cybersecurity or access their usual websites and apps while traveling abroad.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market. It's fast, easy to use, and offers an impressive selection of global servers. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so it's no sweat if you find that it's not helping you.

Where to watch the French Open in the US

The French Open is available across TNT and truTV in the US. The best way to live stream every moment of the Roland Garros action is through HBO Max. You'll need one of the ad-free tiers of service to access sports streaming. These plans start at $18.49 a month. You can also get HBO Max in some of the Disney Plus bundles.

If you'd prefer to watch on a service that carries other channels (in addition to TNT and truTV), then one of the best live TV streaming services will be able to help you out. After testing, DirecTV is our best overall pick right now, and you can catch TNT and truTV through one of the budget-friendly genre packs (in addition to all of the signature plans). DirecTV's MySports plan carries around 20 popular sports channels and unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited. MySports costs $65 a month, but new users can get $15 a month off their first two months after a five-day free trial.

Where to watch the French Open in the UK

TNT Sports will carry French Open coverage in the UK. Fans can live stream all coverage on HBO Max, the new home of TNT Sports. Subscriptions for TNT Sports access cost £31 a month, but you can usually find some monthly savings if you commit to a longer contract. If you were previously using Discovery Plus to live stream TNT Sports and haven't yet made the switch, you can log into HBO Max by using your Discovery credentials, and you should be all set to start watching.

Where to watch the French Open in France

France will offer extensive free French Open coverage for the host nation. Live streams will be available on France.TV, a free streaming option that just requires account creation to use. Select French Open coverage will be shown on Prime Video in France. While Prime Video is a paid option, the service usually offers a generous free trial for those who haven't had an account in quite some time or haven't had one at all.

Where to watch the French Open in Australia

Australians will be able to catch French Open action on 9Now and Stan Sport. 9Now is a free streaming option (you'll just need to create a login if you haven't already) with select coverage. If you want to watch every single match, you'll need a paid Stan Sport subscription. Stan costs $12 a month for the base plan, and then an extra $20 a month for the sports add-on. In total, this will run you $32 a month.

Where does the French Open take place?

The second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, takes place at Stade Roland Garros in Paris. The bulk of the major matches are held on the Court Philippe-Chatrier.

When is the next Grand Slam?

The third Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon, kicks off not long after the French Open concludes. Wimbledon, held in London, begins at the end of this month and runs through the first half of July. The US Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, begins in late August and lasts until mid-September. The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of each year, took place in January (until February 1).

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.

• Red Lobster's Times Square flagship is closing this month after 23 years.
• When I visited recently, the food was better than I remembered from the chain's bankruptcy era.
• The chain is improving, but its turnaround is far from complete.

When I visited Red Lobster's Times Square location in March for the first time since the chain's bankruptcy filing, I came away with an unexpected conclusion: Red Lobster is getting better.

Inside, servers bustled between a few packed tables carrying steaming Cheddar Bay biscuits, shrimp platters, and seafood pasta dishes. The food was tastier, the portions were big, and the chain finally seemed to understand what customers wanted: quality food and exciting new menu offerings that felt worth coming back for.

Still, despite these promising updates under new CEO Damola Adamolekun, the sprawling restaurant felt noticeably quiet for Times Square during the lunch rush. As I stood inside the multi-level dining room, I was struck by the challenge restaurants this large must face.

This week, Red Lobster announced the Times Square flagship, which has occupied one of Manhattan's most famous corners for 23 years since its opening in 2003, will permanently close on June 14.

In some ways, the closure highlights a strange reality: Red Lobster itself appears to be in better shape than the Times Square restaurant that once symbolized the brand's success.

Since filing for bankruptcy in 2024, Red Lobster has appointed Adamolekun, revamped its menu, exited Chapter 11 protection, and has begun seeing encouraging sales gains. Adamolekun told The Wall Street Journal in February that sales were up 10% year over year.

Yet, even as the chain gains momentum in a challenging casual-dining market, one of its most iconic locations has become harder to justify.

After visiting, I understand why Red Lobster decided to close its Times Square location

During multiple visits to Red Lobster's Times Square location over the past year, I found the restaurant surprisingly easy to miss, even though I knew exactly where I was headed. Construction scaffolding obscured much of the exterior, including its illuminated sign, making it difficult to spot in one of the world's busiest tourist areas.

According to Red Lobster, those visibility issues ultimately contributed to the restaurant's closure.

"Extensive and prolonged construction at 5 Times Square has significantly impacted access, visibility, and foot traffic, making continued operations at this location economically unsustainable," a spokesperson told Business Insider.

"The building's publicly reported transition into a residential tower also means the location does not have a viable long-term runway for a high-volume restaurant," the statement continued.

The size of the flagship, which spans multiple floors and can accommodate up to 400 diners, also feels increasingly challenging in an era when many restaurant chains are focusing on efficiency, smaller restaurants, and expanding into takeout and delivery.

A Times Square flagship location can serve as a billboard for a brand, but when many seats sit empty, the scale can work against the brand's reputation, making it look unpopular. Hospitality experts also note that oversize dining rooms can create a less intimate, buzzy atmosphere.

For a company clawing its way back from bankruptcy, maintaining such a massive location likely became harder to rationalize, no matter how iconic the address.

Despite indications of a comeback, Red Lobster faces rough seas

Americans are dining out less frequently as inflation continues to strain household budgets, while food and labor costs remain elevated across the restaurant industry. For Red Lobster, that means its comeback is unfolding amid a challenging market.

The chain is also still shrinking its restaurant footprint.

Fortune reported that Red Lobster operates roughly 550 restaurants, down from roughly 700 locations a few years ago. It likely won't stop there: Adamolekun told The Wall Street Journal in February that Red Lobster is continuing to examine leases, close underperforming locations, and update the chain's remaining ones to represent a more modern brand identity.

The Times Square closure doesn't necessarily signal that Red Lobster's turnaround is failing. Instead, it may reflect a company making tough decisions about which parts of its business still make sense in 2026, and not being afraid to trim the fat.

In fact, Adamolekun told WSJ that the chain is still open to expanding in underrepresented regions of the country, including upstate New York and New England.

Still, the chain's turnaround is far from complete. Bloomberg reported in March that Red Lobster posted a net loss in 2025, with sales falling at least 20% below pre-bankruptcy levels.

"Unless the chain can reduce its rent or exit those unprofitable restaurants, many of the people say, the turnaround seems doomed to fail," Bloomberg's Eliza Ronalds-Hannon and Anders Melin wrote.

"Even in the best of times, turning around a chain like Red Lobster isn't easy," David Henkes, a senior principal at restaurant industry researcher Technomic, told Bloomberg. "They could be doing everything right, but it's still a tough time for casual dining."

A spokesperson for Red Lobster told Business Insider that the chain "remains focused on strengthening the business, investing in the guest experience, and building momentum across the system."

Red Lobster said it will continue operating restaurants throughout the New York metro area and plans to maintain its marketing investments in the region through the end of the year.

"Times Square has been an important chapter in Red Lobster's history, and we are grateful to the team members and guests who have made this restaurant special over the years," the chain said.

The lights may be going out on Red Lobster's most famous location, but whether that signals the start of a new chapter or another setback remains to be seen.

• Google cofounder Larry Page has been battling over two Caribbean islands for almost 12 years.
• Another party laying claim to the islands may now drag Page's camp back into court.
• The case has offered a rare glimpse into Page's highly secretive family office.

After nearly 12 years of courtroom warfare, mounting legal bills, and family office intrigue, the world's second-richest person has hit another snag in his quest to own paradise.

Google cofounder Larry Page and his wife, Lucinda Southworth, purchased two islands in the US Virgin Islands — Hans Lollik and the smaller neighboring Little Hans Lollik — for $23 million in 2014, Business Insider previously reported. A developer named James Eckel claimed he already had a contract to purchase the Caribbean islands, kicking off a fierce legal battle between Eckel, the seller, and Page's holding company.

The case was dragged through the Texas courts, which ultimately ruled on appeal in 2019 that Eckel was only entitled to financial damages, not the islands. However, the battle has also raged on in the US Virgin Island courts, where Page has sued for Great Hans, the entity owned by Eckel, to remove a document asserting a legal claim to the islands — and to rule that Page's entity, USVI Properties, owns the islands "free and clear of any claim by Great Hans."

Last week, attempts to resolve that case via mediation resulted in an impasse, according to a filing with the US Virgin Islands Superior Court. The issue will require court action, the filing said.

Representatives for Eckel and Page did not respond to a request for comment.

Shooting goats

The long-running legal battle has given a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Page's family office, which is notoriously secretive even within an industry that prides itself on discretion.

Representatives for Page's family office, named Koop, tried to keep Page's involvement hidden from the other parties in the transaction, according to case transcripts previously reviewed by Business Insider. Page's lawyers also fought to prevent the Google cofounder from being deposed, arguing he held no "unique or superior" knowledge of the transaction.

Great Hans has claimed that Page's agents had awareness of the prior negotiations. It has argued that a legal ruling should not be made before Page provides a recorded, sworn testimony.

Page's connection to the transaction was previously confirmed by Business Insider after reviewing legal filings, including a 2016 deposition from the CEO of Page's family office, Wayne Osborne. Gil Simon, a consultant hired to negotiate the transaction on behalf of Page, testified that he did not reveal the Google cofounder's involvement to the sellers to keep his identity concealed.

Page's specific intentions for the islands, located off St. Thomas, could not be learned. His lawyers said in a 2018 filing that he "plans to maintain the Islands in their undeveloped green and natural state."

Osborne said in his 2016 testimony that the plan was to purchase the islands but not develop on them. In 2020, several people were seen dressed in camouflage and shooting "invasive" goats on Hans Lollik, Business Insider previously reported.

Page's island collection

Page, who recently moved from California to Miami ahead of a potential billionaire's tax, has a handful of other islands he can find some respite on.

He purchased Cayo Norte, an island east of Puerto Rico, for $32m in 2018 using the same Virgin Island Properties holding company, Business Insider previously reported.

In 2020, he purchased a majority stake in Fiji's Tavarua Island, famed for its proximity to one of the world's top surfing spots, using a different LLC that Business Insider identified as his. Page and his family spent some of the pandemic in Fiji.

During the Hans Lollik litigation, Osborne confirmed a long-running rumor that Page also owned Eustatia Island, an island in the British Virgin Islands, according to transcripts reviewed by Business Insider. Business Insider previously reported that Page had used that private island to test his flying cars.

Osborne also hinted that Page proposed to Southworth on Hans Lollik. Page and Southworth married on Richard Branson's Necker Island, which neighbors Eustatia, in 2007.

• Nicolás Maduro added Anna Estevao to his criminal defense team.
• She helped Sean "Diddy" Combs win acquittals of top charges in his criminal trial.
• Maduro's lawyer Barry Pollack told BI the firm can handle the "unprecedented situation" of his case.

Nicolás Maduro has a reason to shake his jailfeather.

Anna Estevao, an attorney who represented Sean "Diddy" Combs in his blockbuster criminal trial last year, joined the former Venezuelan president's defense team on Thursday.

The move comes after Maduro's lead attorney, Barry Pollack, joined Estevao's law firm, Harris Trzaskoma LLP.

The boutique litigation firm announced earlier this week that it was bringing on Pollack, best known for representing Julian Assange, and Susan Hoffinger, a renowned trial lawyer who was part of the Manhattan district attorney's prosecution team that won a 34-count fraud conviction of Donald Trump before he was elected president for the second time.

Pollack told Business Insider that he joined the firm because of its stable of "incredible lawyers" who can handle novel legal issues and complex challenges, including in Maduro's case.

"This is a truly unprecedented situation, and there will certainly be a robust defense, and joining this firm is going to give me the resources to assist President Maduro in every way we can," Pollack said.

Estevao played a key role in Combs' Manhattan criminal trial last year, cross-examining his main accuser, Cassie Ventura. The jury acquitted Combs of the most severe charges against him — racketeering and sex-trafficking — but convicted him of two prostitution-related charges. The former hip-hop mogul is appealing his conviction and 4-year sentence.

Estevao told Business Insider that she is excited to work with her new colleagues on high-profile and challenging cases.

Justice Department prosecutors have accused Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of narco-terrorism and weapons charges. They've both pleaded not guilty.

The court proceedings, overseen by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, have taken place in the same 26th-floor courtroom as Combs' trial. Both Combs and Maduro were also housed in the same federal jail in Brooklyn, though not at the same time.

Theresa Trzaskoma, who cofounded the law firm last year with Estevao, Justine Harris, and Allegra Noonan, told Business Insider that Pollack and Hoffinger were "kindred spirits" with other attorneys at the firm.

"It is exciting to have lawyers who can take on all kinds of cases," she said. "Difficult, hard, challenging cases for high-profile clients and others who are facing really difficult circumstances."

• James Whitemore, the chief marketing officer at Indeed, was interviewed for Business Insider's CMO Insider series.
• Since our conversation, Indeed has launched a new brand campaign called "Jobs Need People."
• Whitemore spoke about AI in marketing, the importance of fandom, and his own career move from sales to marketing.

Searching for a job can be brutal. Finding the right talent in a sea of résumés is an HR headache. Neither employers nor workers are happy with the status quo, which is the tension behind Indeed's new brand campaign, "Jobs Need People".

Produced with creative agency 72andSunny, the campaign features warm images of workers in a wide range of job functions engaging with customers and colleagues. Indeed's message is focused on its AI-powered matching tools that it says help people and companies find each other.

"Jobs Need People" is a reminder that while AI can streamline the process, hiring must always remain fundamentally human," wrote the company's chief marketing officer, James Whitemore, in a blog post announcing the new creative.

Whitemore recorded a video interview with Business Insider when the campaign was still under wraps. He spoke then about the balance between the tech and the human — about how his marketing team is unlocking the benefits of AI for refining and tailoring content for its audiences, and arming the sales teams with AI tools to help strategize deals.

"I want my team to be able to be fluent in AI, to have the right skills they need for AI, and help them build their career as a digital AI-savvy marketer," he said.

Whitemore also talked about the power of fandom across the brand's sports partnerships. Soon, as part of the company's broader initiative, Indeed and FOX Sports will announce the winner of its job search for the FIFA Men's World Cup Watcher, a real employee who will earn a $50,000 salary to watch every game from a cube in New York's Times Square.

The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

There are really three areas I'm focused on right now in artificial intelligence for marketing. First, it's about helping us refine our audiences, tailor our content for those audiences, and use our media and campaign dollars as effectively as possible.

We serve hundreds of millions of people across multiple countries and multiple industry segments. The more targeted I can get, the better: using AI to take our first-party data, along with the first-party data from our partners and our media companies, and really building hyper-targeted audiences is the first objective.

The second is to strengthen the relationship between sales and marketing. We're giving our selling teams AI tools that allow them to understand what types of engagements their customers are having with marketing, content, and programs — and suggest next actions for them, and follow-ups for them in response to that. It really changes the whole concept of what a lead is, to become real-time signals and alerts.

The third area I feel very strongly about is helping the marketing teams develop their own AI skills. Marketing is one of the professions that is being impacted most significantly by AI, and I want my team to be able to be fluent in AI, to have the right skills they need, and help them build their career as a digital AI-savvy marketer.

Fandoms as the FIFA World Cup approaches

The concept of a fandom is something I'm very passionate about. Fandoms exist across sports, across entertainment, and in many other areas. Basically, it's a community of like-minded people who are very passionate about a specific topic. And those audiences have a very high propensity to engage with content and share content and generate content themselves. The ability to tap into those fandoms is core to the way I think as a CMO.

The partnerships that we have with F1 are really interesting. F1 taps into billions of people in the fandom. In Premier League soccer, the partnerships that we have with teams like Brentford FC and FC Utrecht and Eintracht Frankfurt will become a lot bigger this summer with the World Cup in the U.S.

We also announced some very interesting partnerships with FOX Sports, where we will be hiring their official FIFA World Cup viewer for the entire duration of the tournament.

Pivoting a career in sales to marketing

I started my career in sales. I got into marketing because I was always the mouthy, pushy salesperson who was telling the marketing teams that I didn't like their content, that it wasn't working, that it wasn't resonating with customers.

Eventually, when I was working with IBM, somebody said, "Well, if you're so good at marketing, you should come work in marketing." So I went and joined the product marketing team at IBM.

When I look back at that, I think I should have been more confident in my ability to tell a story and translate complex technologies into something that resonates with the people that you are actually talking to — especially customers who may not be technologists. It took me quite some time to believe in myself and my ability to tell those stories.

Business Insider's Seed 40 list highlights women who have a knack for turning young companies into successful businesses. The list of the best women early-stage investors is a companion to BI's annual Seed 100.

Nisha Dua, managing partner and co-founder of BBG Ventures, is one of this year's honorees. An early backer of Spring Health, Starface, SuperCircle, and HopskipDrive among others, she stopped by Business Insider's newsroom to speak with senior correspondent Melia Russell.

Dua explains how AI has changed the seed investing landscape, her approach to investing, and how she uses AI in her daily life.

• I moved from the US to New Zealand 10 years ago.
• I'm glad I made the move, but I should have done a few things differently when I first got here.
• Networking, finding my own friend group, and acting like a tourist would have helped me accliamate.

Nearly 10 years ago, I met the man of my dreams and uprooted my life in the United States and headed to New Zealand.

The move turned out to be a smart one. We've been happily married for nearly 2 years, and I've built a meaningful life for myself nearly 8,000 miles away from my home in Chicago.

Looking back, I would have changed a lot about how I prepped for that move to make my transition more pleasant. If you're planning a faraway move, save yourself some heartache and learn from my mistakes.

Treat your new city like a vacation spot

I didn't research New Zealand at all before I moved. I was afraid that finding something negative would cast doubt on this huge life decision. This was a terrible mistake.

I research extensively when I travel — it helps me get the lay of the land and gets me excited about what I'm about to see. Not doing this for my new home left me feeling disconnected and confused once I arrived.

Give yourself time to settle in

Out of necessity, I jumped headfirst into "normal" life after I moved abroad. My partner and I continued working, bought a car, and moved into an apartment all within the first month of my stepping foot on the South Island.

Weekends were for errands, not exploring my new home. With no real adjustment period, life felt bogged down by normality, and the enchantment of being in a new place vanished rather quickly. I wish I had planned a few weekends away to explore, or at least taken a week off to discover my new home before I jumped into the day-to-day routine.

Network professionally, even if you have a job

I worked remotely for an American company when I moved to New Zealand, so I felt set on the job front. It wasn't until I was looking for a new job a year later that I realized I knew no one in my field and didn't have a clue who the desirable employers were.

This was especially tricky in New Zealand, where I've discovered who you know can be much more important than what you know. I started attending networking functions and reaching out to people on LinkedIn for coffee catch-ups, and that eventually paid off for me.

Find your own friend group

Making friends as an adult is hard, and if you moved with a partner, you shouldn't make the same mistake I did and rely on their friend group. While a built-in friend group can be lovely, it's important to find your own support network and seek out friendships based on common interests, not convenience.

Join a social sports team, sign up for an in-person class, or join Facebook groups for newbies in your area. I had luck befriending workmates (after I started networking) and reaching out to people with similar interests on Instagram. Now I have friends with my partner and my own friends I've met on my own, which gives a nice balance to my social life.

Sign up for an in-person class

When I moved to New Zealand, I had no reason to leave my home. I didn't do this, but if I were starting over again, I would sign up for some sort of class on my own. Cooking, art, and exercise — all would have been great.

Signing up for a weekly, in-person class gives you a reason to get out of the house and meet new people. At the very least, you might learn a new skill.

Do something iconic in your new home

New Zealand's mad about rugby. I knew nothing of the sport, and that had to change fast if I was ever going to fit in.

Dressing up in the local team's colors, attempting to understand the lingo, and cheering in a sea of supporters helped me feel a part of something bigger.

Don't be afraid to honor your homesickness

I masked years of homesickness, struggling even more around holidays when I wasn't able to go home. Crying alone, I'd berate myself for being so sensitive and unable to enjoy the good life I had in front of me.

It took me years to realize it's okay to be homesick, and it doesn't mean you're not happy where you are. When I'm blue, I try to honor what I need. Sometimes that's surrounding myself with friends, a dip in the icy sea, or a quiet night with a book. It always gets better.

• I worked as a VIP tour guide at Disneyland and have seen guests regret how they spend their time.
• People who cancel plans because of light rain often just miss out on less-busy park days.
• I've seen guests regret spending too much time at sit-down meals and not dressing functionally.

While working at Disneyland as a VIP tour guide for five years, I watched a lot of parkgoers have amazing experiences. However, I also watched visitors regret parts of their trip or wish they'd made different choices or better plans.

Here are a few common mistakes I saw parkgoers make when visiting Disneyland — and how to avoid them.

Overdressing for a long day in the park

Seeing people dressed in Disney-themed attire is one of my favorite things. In fact, I love coordinating my outfits and taking photos in the parks.

However, these outfits should also be functional. I've seen so many parkgoers regret wearing heels, flip-flops, and brand-new shoes to Disneyland.

Once, I even witnessed a man wearing dress shoes get sneakers delivered to him at the parks via Uber so he wouldn't have to go home halfway through the day because of his aching feet.

So, when planning what to wear to Disney, make sure you've got great walking shoes and a comfy outfit you can really move around in.

Spending too much time at sit-down dinners

Disneyland has some great breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options — many in sit-down restaurants.

However, I recommend remaining mindful of how much time and money these dining experiences may cost. If guests have limited time to explore the parks, spending two to three hours at a costly dining experience might not be worth it.

I've seen firsthand the look of disappointment on people's faces when they walk out of an expensive two-hour dinner only to realize the park is closing soon and they no longer have time to ride the No. 1 attraction on their list.

If you're really looking to optimize your park days, prioritize grabbing quick-service meals and snacks while limiting your time in restaurants. One sit-down dinner a day could be a good place to start.

Only making time for rides

Disneyland has tons of fun rides, but there are so many other things to do in the parks.

For example, the place is full of talented, hardworking staff members who create and perform in shows worth attending.

I recommend checking out parades, nighttime spectaculars like "Mickey's Mix Magic," and other daily events. The way I see it, it's not worth missing out on a great show because of a two-hour wait for a short ride.

Canceling a trip because of light rain

I love spending time in the parks during drizzly weather or light rain showers. As long as I have a coat and the rain isn't too heavy, I can have a great day without the sun beating down on me. Sometimes, the rain is even refreshing.

Unfortunately, I've noticed guests will cancel their plans or leave the parks early due to an expected drizzle. However, many rides and attractions still operate in light rain, and crowds are often not as bad as they are on a sunny day.

Grab an umbrella, poncho, or hooded coat, and don't miss a less-busy park day because of a little rain.

Only going to Disneyland with other people

Going to Disneyland with friends or family can be a lot of fun, but there are also perks to enjoying a park day alone.

When people travel solo to Disney, they don't have to argue about what to do next, can breeze through the single-rider line at certain attractions, and operate on their own schedule.

Even if a fully solo park day isn't in the cards, it may be worth coordinating some alone time during your next visit.

For example, if you're really excited about a certain ride on one end of the park but your friend is dying to try a specialty coffee on the other, consider splitting up and making plans to meet again later at a designated time and place.

This story was originally published on January 31, 2024, and most recently updated on June 4, 2026.

• The Dey Mansion is an estate in Wayne, New Jersey, about 20 miles from New York City.
• For three months in 1780, George Washington and his officers headquartered at the mansion.
• The home has passed through nearly 20 owners, but some original artifacts from the time remain.

When Americans picture the Revolutionary War, they might conjure up heroic images of George Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware or fighting on the battlefield.

For much of the war, however, Washington and his officers were unceremoniously holed up in people's living rooms, parlors, and libraries.

Washington's camps in private homes proved to be crucial to the war effort, allowing him to conduct business and develop strategy in safety and privacy.

In the summer of 1780, five years into the war, the Continental Army was struggling. Looking for a place to set up a base camp, Washington sent a letter to Theunis Dey, a wealthy New Jersey landowner and militiaman, asking for permission to use his 600-acre-property.

Dey granted Washington's request, and the Dey family hosted Washington and his men for a total of three months — first in July 1780, and then again in October and November.

The property, known as the Dey Mansion, is located in Wayne, New Jersey, and still stands today, under county ownership. While the furniture and decor aren't original to the mansion, visitors can see the exact rooms where Washington and his officers stayed.

In May, I toured the mansion and stood where Washington commanded the Continental Army and held meetings that would decide the fate of the Revolution.

See inside the 18th-century mansion.

The Dey family purchased the 600-acre estate circa 1720.

Dirck Dey, Theunis' father, bought the property. Before the mansion was built around 1770, it was a successful farm with about 300 acres of surrounding wilderness.

Theunis Dey soon became one of the wealthiest landowners in the area and was dedicated to the patriot cause, serving as the colonel of the local militia himself.

The estate's grounds contain pieces of history, too.

Archeological surveys have been conducted on the property to find buried artifacts. One 2012-2013 excavation recovered more than 6,000 artifacts, per the mansion's visitor center. These mostly consisted of ceramic shards and pieces of clay, while other recovered tools were likely from Native American peoples.

The property sat in a strategic location for the Continental Army.

While no major battles took place nearby, the area was sought after by Washington for its high ground, as well as its proximity to New York City and the nearby Passaic River.

The mansion was just one of many homes where Washington stayed during the war. He typically requested to use a home in advance, but never forcibly took anyone's property, my tour guide said.

While it was usually uncommon for families to remain in their homes during Washington's stay, Theunis Dey needed to stay because of his militia duties.

The property's gardens and outdoor decor were all more recent additions.

The home's structure and much of the layout are original.

While the furniture and decorations are donations, the home's foundation, as well as many floorboards and walls, have remained unchanged from the 18th century.

Altogether, the home has three floors, including the attic, three bedrooms, as well as multiple parlor rooms and multi-use rooms. The large first-floor hall, where soldiers slept during Washington's stay, was used for dining and social events.

Every main room in the mansion has a fireplace, and the home's largely brick front exterior served as a status symbol at the time.

The parlor room served as a living room for playing games and socializing.

One of the room's primary purposes was to display the family's affluence.

"The parlor in particular would have been the chief means for the family to showcase their wealth, gentility, and their good taste," Lucia McMahon, a professor of history at William Paterson University, said in a virtual talk at the mansion.

The room served as the women's parlor during social events. My tour guide said many women would defy expectations of the time period by privately discussing politics and other subjects, even though such discussions were discouraged.

Washington used the men's parlor as his office during his stay.

This was the busiest room in the mansion during Washington's stay, according to my tour guide. In the three months he was here, Washington wrote roughly 400 letters from this room to Congress and other generals.

The room also served as a dining room for Washington and high-ranking officers. They held dinner meetings lasting up to 12 hours, during which Washington spoke to different groups of officers over multi-course meals.

On some occasions when French officers came to visit, they were surprised by how much Washington ate and quipped that he always had food in his mouth, my tour guide said.

Aides-de-camp stayed in a nearby room.

Washington's small, trusted group of officers, known as aides-de-camp, stayed in the mansion with him and assisted with day-to-day camp operations.

Aides-de-camp consisted of lawyers, physicians, speechwriters, and even equestrians. These officers slept and worked out of one small room. The Dey family eventually gave them an extra room for their personal belongings.

One of Washington's aides-de-camp was a young Alexander Hamilton, then in his 20s.

Soldiers slept in the home's halls, often lying shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor.

With Theunis Dey and at least seven other family members living in the home, the accommodations were sometimes cramped. The Deys and Washington's men essentially split the home down the middle, with each keeping to their respective sides.

My tour guide said roughly 100 soldiers would pack in to the mansion's first- and second-floor halls, largely to prevent anyone from reaching Washington in the night.

The soldiers woke early in the morning and returned late at night to avoid waking the Dey family. During the day, they'd conduct drills and scout the area.

George Washington was given the master bedroom by the Dey family.

At the time, master bedrooms were considered the best bedrooms in the house due to their privacy, ample space, and amenities. The room where Washington stayed included a handful of amenities common for the time.

Bedwarmers were long pans that held hot coals to warm beds. Pictured on the dresser is a wig stand, used to hold the powdered wigs so common of the era, although Washington didn't need one.

During this period, it was also common for mattresses to be held up with ropes. When the ropes needed to be tightened, a bed key — pictured on the bed — was used.

Many notable figures slept in the guest bedroom, including the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold.

Thanks to long stagecoach travel times, guests usually stayed for at least a few weeks. This made guest bedrooms a staple of wealthy homes.

The Marquis de Lafayette stayed about four nights in the room, as did Benedict Arnold. Shortly after Arnold's stay in the room, he was given command of West Point from Washington and soon defected to the British.

Another French officer, Marquis de Chastellux, documented his stay at the mansion. He said he was surrounded by "the greatest and best of men" during his visit, according to the mansion's visitor center.

The Dey Mansion's original kitchen burned down about five times.

Kitchens often had fires burning in fireplaces for long periods. Because the Deys' kitchen was made of wood — a much cheaper alternative to brick and other materials — this meant frequent trouble.

The original kitchen was detached from the mansion, which didn't put the rest of the house in danger and made it easy to rebuild. Most recently, the kitchen was remade in the 1930s, built on the foundation of the original one.

Two chairs are the only things that remain from the house's original decor.

The chairs were donated by descendants of the Dey family and are one of the few surviving belongings from the family's time in the mansion.

When the Deys sold the estate in the early 19th century, it passed through 17 different owners until it was acquired by Passaic County, New Jersey, in the 1930s.

One souvenir from Washington's stay was accidentally left behind.

Pictured above is George Washington's favorite shaving mug, which he forgot to take with him upon leaving the residence. It stayed in the Dey family for 200 years before being donated to the county.

The mansion serves as a reminder that the war was won in homes as much as on the battlefield.

As the spotlight on the US' founding grows brighter for the 250th anniversary, historic properties like the Dey Mansion showcase the combined effort and support of Americans across the 13 colonies, and how, without this support, the Continental Army might not have prevailed.

• The top AI chip stocks tumbled on Thursday, dragged by Broadcom's disappointing results.
• The iShares Semiconductor ETF dropped nearly 4%, though it's still up 95% for the year.
• Elsewhere, blue-chip stocks pushed higher on continued optimism for a US-Iran peace deal.

The blistering run-up in the market's chipmakers sputtered on Thursday, with the gains derailed by a lackluster earnings report from AI darling Broadcom.

Companies supplying the hardware underpinning the AI trade took a beating on Thursday as earnings disappointment triggered a wave of selling in the sector.

The declines hit pause on the red-hot rally in chips and memory stocks in recent week, with the sector rising to new records on a string of earnings beats and unrelenting enthusiasm for AI.

"Chip stocks finally hit a speed bump early today, and much of Wall Street pressed the brakes on its extended rally," Joe Mazzola, a head trading & derivatives strateigst at Charles Schwab, wrote of the sell-off on Thursday.

Broadcom led the losses in the sector. The Nvidia partner dropped as much as 16% after it missed on revenue for the second quarter.

Here were the most notable moves in the sector:

• Broadcom: -15%
• Micron: -7%
• AMD: -6%
• Qualcomm: -4%
• Intel: -3%
• Marvell: -3%
• Nvidia: -1%

Away from the chip trade, shares of CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, tumbled 10%. The firm beat on earnings and lifted its annual revenue target, but results weren't as strong as some investors were hoping for, adding to the bearish sentiment in tech.

Some forecasters have been warning of a broader correction as some of the froth around earnings season, particularly in the chips sector, gets taken out of the market.

The iShares Semiconductor ETF dropped nearly 4% by Thursday morning, but was still up 88% for the year.

Here's where US indexes stood around 11:00 am ET on Thursday:

• S&P 500: 7,551.77, down 0.03%
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 51,395.56, up 1.40% (+708 points)
• Nasdaq composite: 26,672.94, down 0.67%

Elsewhere, blue-chip stocks bucked higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is less exposed to pure-play AI trades, rose 700 points as investors took in news that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire. The conflict between the countries has been a key sticking point in US-Iran negotiations.

Investors are still navigating confusion over how much progress is being made in peace talks. The hope has been that the two sides are close to an agreement that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but mixed messages on both sides have left markets moving mostly sideways until a more meaningful development takes place.

• My husband and I were spending a lot on socializing with friends, so we weren't saving.
• We created a budget that allowed us to still see friends but spend more mindfully.
• I worried we'd lose friends, but we were open about our issues, and everyone was understanding.

My husband and I had a decent dual income, but by the end of every month, we had nothing left to save. The biggest culprit wasn't rent, shopping, or travel — but our social life.

I've always been an extrovert with a social circle that extends way beyond immediate family — from old friends and coworkers to neighbors, fellow school moms, and in-laws. I love staying connected with everyone, meaning my friend list is constantly growing.

There was hardly a weekend when we weren't packed with casual or formal events. If we weren't invited somewhere, we hosted. We even happily went along with every impromptu plan, like trying out a cool new place or going for a coffee run.

For a long time, I didn't think about how these back-to-back plans consumed our monthly income. While these phases gave me cherished memories, we realized last year that they were breaking the bank.

I was apprehensive about saying no to plans

Socializing ate up almost 40% of our budget. But saying no, canceling, or scaling back felt painful, almost as if I were denying my own nature. I love hosting and giving gifts. I worried loved ones would judge me or think I was pulling away.

But the truth was clear. We couldn't keep spending a huge chunk of our earnings on socializing, leaving us with zero savings and even risking our essential expenses.

My husband helped me understand that we needed a balance that preserved our precious bonds without draining our finances. To find that middle ground, we decided to ration our social spending to 20% of our expenses.

We created a system that works for us

When budgeting, we set a specific allocation for social expenses, which is enough to enjoy comfortably while prioritizing savings. Pre-decided plans were given precedence, while spontaneous outings, hosting, and gifting continued smoothly until the allowance ran out.

However, we knew traditional budgeting could fail in social contexts since everyone in our social circle has different timelines and mindsets. So, we agreed that once the fund was exhausted, we would either curtail less important outings or suggest budget-friendly alternatives.

For example, instead of one person bearing the cost of a meetup, we switched to potlucks. Long drives were replaced by walks to nearby spots, costly amusement park trips that once cost us hundreds turned into low-cost public park hangouts, and hosting (mostly) shifted from fancy restaurants to intimate home-cooked dinners. For gifts, we turned to discounts and brand sales.

If an unavoidable event arose, we spent the money but deducted it from the next month's allowance to protect our savings.

We also learned that you can actually say no to a plan without losing a friend. We just started being honest about our budget and what we were prioritizing that month.

Pre-deciding spending creates financial and emotional clarity

Managing this allowance proved easier than expected. While it requires flexibility, it works incredibly well.

One month, we didn't even exhaust the budget, so we carried the surplus forward to treat the kids to an out-of-city restaurant road trip they had been looking forward to for months.

Although I initially feared judgment, my friends and family were far more understanding than I expected when I suggested budget-friendly plans or turned down expensive ones.

My social life remains enjoyable, just a little different than before. The biggest surprise wasn't how much money we saved. It was realizing that the people who mattered most never needed expensive plans to stay close to us.

• A version of this story originally appeared in the BI Tech Memo newsletter.
• Sign up for the weekly BI Tech Memo newsletter here.

Silicon Valley's AI infrastructure boom has created a surprisingly physical problem: there's only so much data you can push through copper wires before heat, distance, and power consumption become overwhelming.

That's why investors, chipmakers, and cloud giants are suddenly paying close attention to photonics, using light instead of electrical signals to move data between AI chips and servers.

I recently visited Lightmatter's Silicon Valley headquarters, where the startup demonstrated its latest photonics hardware for AI data centers. After the event, I sat down with Lightmatter CEO Nick Harris to talk about why optics may become essential infrastructure for the AI era.

Harris looks annoyingly young and he's annoyingly bright, with a Ph.D. from MIT. And Lightmatter is already annoyingly successful, having raised $850 million from huge backers including Google, Fidelity, and T. Rowe Price.

On Tuesday, Lightmatter joined Nvidia's NVLink Fusion ecosystem, which should help the startup's technology work better with Nvidia's dominant AI hardware.

Here's my conversation with Harris, lightly edited for clarity and length.

Q: Why are AI companies suddenly interested in photonics?

Harris said the AI industry has reached a point where scaling performance is less about making individual chips faster and more about connecting huge numbers of GPUs together efficiently.

Today's AI systems rely heavily on copper connections between GPUs. That works fine at smaller scales. But as companies connect hundreds or thousands of GPUs together for frontier AI models, copper becomes a bottleneck because electrical signals weaken over relatively short distances and generate huge amounts of heat.

Photonics uses light traveling through fiber instead. That allows data to move farther, faster, and with less energy.

"Let's say you have 500 GPUs and you have copper that's linking those together so they can talk in what's known as a scale up domain. People run model training workloads on those systems."

With copper wiring, you need four separate racks of GPU servers to get to 500, but "when you switch that to being all optical instead of copper, you can connect all 500 GPs directly," Harris told me. "Your time to train the AI model drops dramatically. Think about frontier models like Claude. It's 3 times faster."

"Whoever gets the technology first and the frontier race is going to be releasing models faster. They have two choices. One is I can release the models every month, or I can take three months but have a way bigger model," he added.

"Say I'm energy constrained. For the same amount of power I'm getting 3x the performance. This makes that gigawatt feel like three gigawatts. Or, you use the same amount of power for a third the time," Harris explained.

Q: What's wrong with copper connections inside AI data centers?

"Copper only goes about a meter," Harris said, because electrical signals weaken rapidly as they travel through copper cables.

"The signal launches the electrical signals in the wire and it gets smaller and smaller as it goes. After about a meter, the data's lost."

That physical limitation creates another problem: heat. Racks of GPU servers in AI data centers are now packed tightly together because copper cables can only reach short distances.

"They're jammed together," Harris said. "The problem is I need them to be all on top of each other so the copper can reach. But the downside of that is the cooling's really hard."

Photonics changes that because light signals can travel much farther and faster without degrading, so GPU servers and racks can be spaced out more.

"Optics doesn't care how far things are," Harris said. "They could be a kilometer away."

That gives data center operators more flexibility in how they design and cool AI clusters, potentially saving more money on electricity for cooling these systems.

Q: What is BiDi, and why does it matter?

One of the more practical innovations Lightmatter is working on involves reducing the sheer amount of cabling required inside AI data centers.

Harris said some next-generation AI clusters require about 300 miles of cables. Lightmatter aims to cut that in half with a technology called BiDi, short for bidirectional communication.

"Normally with either copper or optical, if I want to make a connection between this GPU and that GPU, I have to do two wires," Harris explained. "One of them is transmit, the other one is receive."

Lightmatter's approach combines both directions into a single cable.

For hyperscale data centers, that reduction matters because cables take up space, generate heat, complicate maintenance, and add cost. Cutting total fiber requirements from 300 miles to 150 miles could significantly simplify the construction of massive AI clusters, according to Lightmatter

Q: Why wasn't photonics adopted earlier?

Harris said the main issue was cost. "Photonics was too expensive," he said.

That's changing because manufacturing techniques have improved and AI infrastructure needs have exploded, Harris explained.

"The people who architected these systems, they look for a reliable 2x improvement. 2x the bandwidth, 2x the performance, and they do it on a regular cadence. There was still a little bit of performance to squeeze out a copper and now that's over. And more than that, there's gas on the fire, which is that people realize the first to adopt and deploy photonics — Nvidia will probably be the one — has a huge performance advantage."

"So it used to be 'only switch out of necessity.' Now it's switching for competitive advantage," Harris said.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.

• Veteran investor Matthew Tuttle says energy is the AI bottleneck investors should be watching.
• He detailed four energy stocks that he thinks are the best positioned to benefit.
• The list includes under-the-radar names such as Quantas Systems and Eaton Corporation.

Matthew Tuttle thinks investors are focused on the wrong bottleneck as the rush on memory and AI chip stocks drags on.

The CEO and chief investment officer of Tuttle Capital Management, which manages roughly $5 billion in assets, recently revealed that he sees power delivery as the bigger problem facing the AI boom. It may not be the most visible bottleneck for investors, who are still piling into areas like memory stocks, but Tuttle views it as the most significant as the AI expansion fuels unprecedented demannd for power.

"Hyperscalers can ORDER power. They can't force the grid to deliver it," Tuttle wrote on X. "This is exactly why SoftBank just committed €75 BILLION to French AI data centers. Because EU grid interconnection timelines beat the US. The sovereignty trade isn't sentiment — it's operational necessity."

Tuttle told Business Insider that investors aren't paying attention to the right things as they navigate the shifting AI landscape. He noted that Europe likely hasn't seemed interesting to most investors, as it has nothing to rival the Magnificent Seven or other booming tech trades. However, it may represent untapped potential for investors with enough insight.

In US markets, Tuttle named four under-the-radar stocks that he sees as well positioned to benefit from the AI power bottleneck.

• Quanta Services: +68% year-to-date
• Vertiv Holdings: +92% year-to-date
• Eaton Corporation: +29% year-to-date
• MYR Group: +102% year-to-date

Tuttle clarified that the only two his firm maintains position in are Eaton, a company that builds energy infrastructure equipment and Quanta, which connects and installs these systems.

"We see those two names especially as the linchpins, the pick and shovels of this whole trade," he said.

Quanta had previously been touted as a strong AI infrastructure play by investors such as Steve Eisman of "The Big Short," who saw it as beneficiary of the utility boom fueled by the early rise of AI.

Tuttle noted that MYR Group, a specialty electrical contracting firm, recently came onto his radar, and he sees it as a strong AI power play.

"I think that there is still room to go, but that assumes that we keep this massive pace of the hyperscalers spending," he added. "If that keeps going, this trade keeps going. Nothing goes up in a straight line forever, but right now, I'd rather be buying these companies than Sandisk or something like that," he said, referring to the memory chip maker whose shares are up about 650% this year.

He noted, though, that if the AI data center boom were to cease in the near future, his top pick among the stocks he named would be Quantas, as he views it as the most diversified for a market not strictly tied to AI demand.

I used to think the best pajamas were mostly about finding a cute matching set. But after testing dozens of pairs, I'm convinced that fabric matters more than anything else. The wrong pajamas can make you feel hot, clingy, or weirdly stuffy by the middle of the night, while the right pair can genuinely make bedtime feel better.

For this guide, I tested lots of pajamas from brands that tout their comfort and quality. But the more I tested, the more I discovered that the sets and nightgowns I loved had one thing in common: they were all made from 100% natural textiles. Anything synthetic I tested ended up trapping stuffy heat while I slept or pilling in the wash.

I tested crisp cotton nightgowns, lightweight summer pajama sets, washable silk pajamas, and long sets that still feel cool enough to sleep in. I also paid attention to details that make a pair more practical, like whether the fabric washes well, if the waistband digs in, and whether the cut feels comfortable enough for actual sleep — not just lounging around before bed. I also washed each of these sets at least twice before

In the end, I found great options for hot sleepers, silk lovers, nightgown people, and anyone who wants pajamas that look polished but still feel easy and comfortable.

The best fabrics for pajamas

• Cotton: The king of all pajama fibers. I believe that everyone should have at least one crisp, 100% cotton pajama set (or nightgown) for the summer. Though there are many types of cotton weaves, the ones I recommend most for summer pajamas are poplin (crisp and cool), lawn (airy and light), and jersey (smooth and stretchy). I also highly recommend opting for Pima cotton, which is made with long-staple cotton fibers so it feels smoother, softer, and stronger than regular cotton.
• Linen: The breeziest fabric, but also one that is a bit divisive, since lower-grade linen can be rough against the skin. Look for keywords like European flax linen or Belgian linen. Also, keep in mind that you might need to wash it a few times before it softens.
• Silk: The most luxurious pajama fabric, best for anyone who wants something smooth, lightweight, and temperature-regulating. Look for 100% mulberry silk with a 15 to 22 momme weight — lighter silk feels airier, while higher momme silk is more durable and opaque. For a full guide on how to buy silk sleepwear, see my article on the best silk pajamas.

Why you should avoid pajamas made from synthetic materials

If there's one overwhelming thing I learned when researching and testing pajamas, it's that synthetic fibers have no place in sleepwear. As a rule, synthetic fabrics tend to trap heat, which is my biggest gripe with them as a pajama material. But they don't keep you warm like a great flannel in winter; instead, they tend to create a stuffy heat because they block airflow.

Synthetics also tend to hold onto odors more readily, irritate sensitive skin, and shed microplastics. As a rule, I try to avoid polyester unless it makes sense (workout clothes, swimsuits, and outerwear are almost always made of synthetic materials), but sleepwear should be breathable and plastic-free. Still, I see too many pajamas even in the $200+ range that lean on "blend" language and prioritize trendy looks over quality garments.

Best overall: Soft Surroundings Savannah PJs

Very few pajamas check all the boxes that these do. For one, they're made from 100% cotton. They also come in petite sizing, which was a huge game changer for me, since you'd be hard-pressed to find many sets that are made for petite proportions. Plus, they wash well, are available in plus sizes, are easy to maintain, and cost under $100.

Material: 100% cotton.

How they look: The Savannah PJ set has a feminine, vintage-inspired look, with a button-front cami, pintucks, and eyelet ruffle trim on both the top and cropped pants. It's not the most opaque set, but the thinner cotton weave keeps them cool.

How they feel: I've been wearing these on warm nights. You can still feel the breeze of a fan through the cotton, and the material is airy and light. It might seem counterintuitive to wear pants to sleep in the summer, but these feel even cooler than shorts because the loose, cropped silhouette lets air circulate without any fabric clinging to your legs. They have that fresh, barely-there feel I want in summer pajamas.

Skip these if: You want a set of pajamas that are completely opaque. Though these aren't overly see-through, the single layer of breathable cotton might be too thin for people who prioritize modesty.

Best luxury: Clementine Silk Short Pajama Set

Clementine's Silk Short Pajama Set is the best luxury pajama set I've tried. Not every pair of pajamas on this list is silk, but this one makes a pretty convincing case for splurging on the fabric. Silk is naturally cool, smooth, and fluid, and Clementine's version feels especially rich.

The Organic Silk Pajama Set is made from 22 momme, grade 6A silk (some of the highest I've ever encountered), which means the fabric is thick, tightly woven, and made from the highest-quality silk fibers. In real life, that translates to pajamas that feel weighty, glossy, and expensive the second you take them out of the box.

Material: 100% silk.

How it looks: This is a classic short pajama set, with a short-sleeve button-up top, matching shorts, and mother-of-pearl buttons that make it feel more polished than your average sleepwear. The silk has a high-shine finish that catches the light beautifully, and the fabric drapes instead of clinging. It also arrives in a sturdy orange box with a dustbag, so the whole thing feels giftable before you even put it on. I recommend keeping the packaging, since it gives you a safe place to store the set between wears.

How it feels: The silk is what sets this pair apart. Momme refers to how thick and tightly woven silk is, and Clementine's 22 momme fabric feels noticeably more substantial than thinner silk pajamas. It still has that cool, smooth, almost liquid feel you want from silk, but it doesn't feel flimsy or overly delicate. The 6A grade gives it that mirror-like sheen and fluid movement that lower-grade silk doesn't always have. After washing it at least five times, the set kept bouncing back to its original shape and feel, and the fabric still looked just as shiny and luxe as it did on day one.

Skip this if: You want an affordable pajama set, something stretchy, or a waistband with lots of give. This is a true splurge at $350, and I do wish the waistband were slightly looser. But if you're shopping for the most luxurious pajamas on this list — the kind that feel special from the packaging to the fabric to the finishing details — Clementine is the set to beat.

For a full explanation on silk and how to pick the right set for you, see my article on the best silk pajamas.

Best cooling: LAKE Alice Nightgown

The Alice Nightgown from Lake is made from cotton seersucker, a puckered fabric that feels crisp, cool, and breathable in hot weather. It's the kind of piece that feels made for peak summer humidity, which is why it made our list of the best cooling pajamas.

Material: 100% Pima cotton seersucker.

How it looks: The white color has a classic, feminine nightdress look, with thin straps and an easy, body-skimming shape. It feels sweet and relaxed, but not sloppy. The seersucker also gives it more substance than a gauzy cotton dress: Even in white, it isn't overly sheer or translucent in direct sunlight.

How it feels: I can already tell the Alice Nightgown will spend a lot of time in the laundry, because it works just as well on hot nights as on hot days. In front of a fan, the thin straps and lightweight seersucker make it feel far cooler than sleeping in an old T-shirt, especially one made with synthetic fibers that trap heat. This is the kind of nightgown that proves how much fabric matters when you're trying not to overheat. It feels cool to the touch, airy, and crisp without being stiff.

Skip this if: You want pajamas that feel stretchy, slouchy, or ultra-soft. This has the crispness of woven cotton rather than the cozy give of jersey, so it's best for people who prefer airy, structured sleepwear.

Best long set: Petite Plume Olivia Wide Leg Pima Pajama Set

Petite Plume's Olivia Wide Leg Lightweight Pima Pajama Set is the pair I'd reach for if I wanted long pajamas for the summer that are still breathable and cool to the touch. It's made from 100% Peruvian Pima cotton, which feels noticeably softer and smoother than regular cotton. Unlike silk, it's easygoing and low-maintenance, making it the kind of set you can happily wear night after night.

Material: 100% Pima cotton.

How it looks: This feels like a relaxed update on a classic pajama set. The three-quarter sleeve top gives it a polished look, while the wide-leg pants make the whole outfit feel a bit more modern and effortless. I especially like that it has the tailored details of traditional pajamas without feeling overly structured. It's the kind of set that looks put-together enough for a slow morning around the house but still feels like proper sleepwear.

How it feels: The Pima cotton is really what makes this set stand out. It has that soft, broken-in feel right away, but it's also smooth and breathable. The wide-leg pants also make a difference — they feel airy, comfortable, and easy to move around in, whether you're sleeping or lounging.

Skip this if: You're specifically looking for the cool, silky feel of silk pajamas, or if you prefer a more fitted silhouette. This set is all about soft cotton comfort, with a relaxed fit that prioritizes ease over structure.

Best silk: Eberjey Inez Washable Silk Short PJ Set

Eberjey's Inez Washable Silk Set is the silk pajama set I reach for constantly. It's made from 16 momme, grade 6A silk, so it still has that smooth, glossy feel that makes silk special, but it's not heavy or stiff.

Material: 100% silk.

How it looks: The short Inez set has a soft, relaxed shape that feels pretty without trying too hard. I tried the blue-and-white Wedgewood print, and as someone who loves antiques, that pattern made the set feel even more special to me. Eberjey also makes a long-sleeve and long-pant version of the Inez set, and I love that the line comes in so many prints. The more silk pajamas I test, the more I appreciate a pattern, because it helps disguise the tiny signs of wear that come with pajamas you actually live in.

How it feels: This is one of those sets I put on and immediately wonder why I own any other pajamas. The silk is soft, smooth, and billowy, almost like it's hovering over my skin instead of resting heavily on it. The waistband is also a major reason I love it: It sits comfortably on my hips without digging in, and I can roll it down without creating an awkward lump, which is especially helpful since I'm petite. Both the short set and the long set are among the most comfortable pajamas I own.

Skip this if: You want pajamas you can throw in the wash with zero thought. The silk is washable, which helps, but it still needs a little more care than cotton or jersey, especially if you want it to stay smooth and wrinkle-free. For me, though, the fit, the prints, and the floaty silk fabric make the extra effort worth it.

See our full Eberjey review for our thoughts on the Inez silk sets and more pieces from the beloved pajama brand.

Best nightgown: Eileen West The "Madison" Cotton Dobby Stripe Ballet Nightgown

If you haven't tried sleeping in a nightgown, you're missing out. The breezy cotton and cool fabric are summertime godsends — and the lack of a waistband is a pleasure that transcends sweatpants. For anyone who is ready to join their foremothers in the cult of the sleep dress: join me, it's beyond comfortable over here.

Material: 100% cotton.

How it looks: A billowy cotton nightgown falls somewhere between grandmacore and old Hollywood glamour, and all Eileen West picks charmingly toe the line. This one is relatively sheer, but not translucent (you can see the outline of your legs, but nothing else), and the lace adds a fun, feminine touch.

How it feels: The 100% cotton dobby stripe fabric feels light, crisp, and cooling — exactly what I want in a warm-weather nightgown. It has enough texture to feel a little more substantial than plain cotton lawn, but it's still airy and breathable against the skin. The ballet length gives you coverage without feeling heavy, and the machine-washable cotton makes it easy to wear on repeat.

Skip this if: You want something completely opaque. Also, since this nightgown is a midi length, it can bunch up a little in bed — if this is a big concern for you, opt for the short version of the Madison.

Best short set: Piyama Nicolette Sleep Set

The Nicolette Sleep Set from Piyama is the one I'd pick if you want pajamas that are cute enough to wear as a real outfit, but still comfortable enough to sleep in. It's made from pre-washed 100% cotton, so it already has that soft, lived-in feel when you put it on.

Material: 100% cotton.

How it looks: This set is so cute that I've worn it as a regular outfit more than I've worn it to bed. It looks like a great matching set, with ruffled sleeves and hem. The top has a relaxed shape with an elastic panel at the back, offering some give while still looking pulled together. And it's available in so many colors and patterns that you're bound to find a style you like.

How it feels: The cotton is soft, light, and breathable, with a more natural woven feel than a stretchy T-shirt feel. Since it's pre-washed, it doesn't feel stiff or overly crisp right out of the package. I like that the top and shorts both have some ease to them without feeling baggy. The elastic back on the top and drawstring waist on the shorts help the set move with you, so it feels comfortable for sleeping, lounging, or slow mornings around the house.

Skip this if: You want pockets, a super oversized fit, or pajamas with a lot of stretch. The sleeves also run a little tight around the underarm.

Best slip: Petite Plume Cosette

Petite Plume's Silk Cosette Nightgown is the silk nightgown I'd choose if you want something that feels elegant but still easy to sleep in. It's made from 100% mulberry silk, so it has that smooth, cool-to-the-touch feel that makes silk such a treat, especially if you tend to overheat at night. The brand says the fabric is 22 momme, which means it's thicker and more substantial than a lot of lightweight silk sleepwear, but the cut still feels airy and simple.

Material: 100% silk.

How it looks: This nightgown is romantic without feeling overdone. It has delicate spaghetti straps, a sweetheart neckline, and a tea-length shape that skims the body instead of clinging to it. It looks more polished than an old T-shirt or cotton nightgown, but it still feels like something you can actually sleep in. It also arrives in a gift box, which makes it feel a little more special from the start.

How it feels: This is where the silk really makes the case for itself. Silk is naturally breathable and temperature-regulating, so it feels cool when you're warm but not synthetic or slippery in an unpleasant way. The 22 momme fabric gives this nightgown a smoother, weightier feel than thin silk that can sometimes seem flimsy. It moves fluidly, feels soft against bare skin, and the open straps make it a good choice for hot sleepers who still want something that feels refined.

Skip this if: You prefer pajamas with more coverage, stretch, or structure. This is a slinky silk nightgown, not a cozy cotton set, so it won't give you that bundled-up feeling. It's also best for people who are willing to treat silk with a little extra care, since the brand recommends washing it by hand or in a laundry bag on cold and drying it flat.

FAQs

What is the best fabric for pajamas?

The best fabric for pajamas depends on how you like to sleep, but I generally prefer natural fibers like cotton, linen, and silk. Cotton is the most versatile and easy to care for, linen is great for hot sleepers who want something extra breezy, and silk feels smooth, lightweight, and temperature-regulating. I try to avoid synthetic pajama fabrics because they can trap heat and feel stuffy overnight.

Are cotton pajamas good for summer?

Yes, cotton pajamas are one of the best choices for summer, especially if you choose the right weave. Crisp cotton poplin, lightweight cotton lawn, and soft cotton jersey all feel breathable in warm weather. I especially like loose cotton pajama sets and nightgowns because they let air circulate instead of clinging to the body.

Are silk pajamas worth it?

Silk pajamas can be worth it if you want sleepwear that feels cool, smooth, and luxurious. The best silk pajamas are usually made from 100% mulberry silk, ideally around 19 to 25 momme. Lighter silk can feel airier, while a higher momme silk tends to feel more substantial and durable. They do require more careful washing than cotton pajamas, but they can make bedtime feel much more special.

What pajamas are best for hot sleepers?

The best pajamas for hot sleepers are lightweight, loose, and made from breathable fabrics. Cotton nightgowns, cotton seersucker pajamas, linen pajamas, and lightweight silk pajamas are all good options. I would avoid polyester, microfiber, satin made from synthetic fibers, and other plastic-based blends, since they tend to trap heat rather than let your skin breathe.

Should pajamas be loose or fitted?

For sleeping, I usually prefer pajamas with a relaxed fit. Loose pajamas allow more airflow and are less likely to twist, cling, or dig in while you sleep. That does not mean they have to look oversized or sloppy — many of the best pajama sets have a polished shape while still leaving enough room to move comfortably.

• The stock market could face a "severe decline" while oil prices remain elevated, HFI Research said.
• The energy research firm said markets are complacent about the effects of higher oil prices.
• It floated a 70s-style setup in markets that could hammer stocks and bonds.

Stocks look primed for a 1970s-style decline that could leave investors with little room to hide, HFI Research warns.

The energy research firm said it's bracing for more pain in financial markets amid as the oil shock doesn't appear to be waning. The US-Iran war has sparked the greatest crude supply disruption in history, but stocks are "priced to perfection," the firm said, with the major indexes hovering close to record highs.

Jon Costello, a lead analyst at the firm, pointed to the relatively muted reaction in equities and oil despite the massive hit to crude supply. Brent crude, the international benchmark, slipped 2% to around $95 a barrel on Thursday as traders continued to await a peace deal with Iran.

Much of the rally has been fueled by hope that a peace deal is just around the corner, though that optimism looks misplaced, HFI suggested. Even if the US and Iran were to come to an agreement immediately, supply is likely to remain disrupted for months, the firm said, pointing to higher shipping insurance costs and an estimate from the energy group ADNOC that it would take at least four months to restore around 80% of the lost oil supply.

Global oil reserves, meanwhile, are dwindling as countries rush to fill the supply gap. The US's Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 357 million barrels last week, the lowest level in about two years, per the latest update from the Energy Information Administration.

The situation resembles that of the oil shock in 1973, HFI added, the year that an oil crisis sparked a 48% peak-to-trough decline in the S&P 500, Costello said. The index didn't recover those losses for about seven years.

"Sustained high oil prices act as a tax on a slowing economy, and sudden price spikes become more likely, pressuring both the economy and stock prices. The market has priced in none of this, which leaves it dangerously exposed to a severe decline," Costello wrote in a client note on Wednesday.

Bond turmoil

The bond market wouldn't offer a shelter from an oil-driven sell-off, HFI said. The firm pointed to rising concerns about inflation, which have pushed yields higher in recent weeks. The idea has been that higher oil prices could stoke inflation in other areas of the economy, which could raise rates in the long-run and dent appetite for US Treasurys.

The 10-year US Treasury yield has cooled from its wartime peak, but remains close to 4.5%, a key psychological threshold that suggests investors are anxious about the underlying economic picture.

Inflation, meanwhile is still rising. Consumer prices accelerated 3.8% year-over-year in April, the fastest pace of growth in about three years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Should higher prices spark a recession and a stock decline, that could also hit US tax revenues, amplifying concerns about the fiscal deficit and pushing yields higher, Costello speculated. He pointed to how bonds endured a long-running decline after the stock sell-off in the 70s, with the 10-year US Treasury peaking at about 16% in the early 80s.

"Bonds Are No Safe Haven in a Supply Shock," Costello wrote. "Investors who held bonds hoping for a counterweight to equities instead suffered losses," he added of the historical precedent.

Costello said he doesn't expect the market to be hit as hard as it was in the 70s, due to the economy being less reliant on oil, though the market decline in '73 was "instructive" of what could come next.

"If oil stays high, this is akin to a 1973 setup," he said, adding that he preferred to hold cash and own high-quality names and short-duration investments in his portfolio. "For a decade, every oil shock was a buy. This is the one that isn't."

• As a longtime Costco employee, I always look forward to seeing the new items that arrive on shelves.
• This month, the warehouse is stocked with tasty meals like a premade spinach salad.
• The Ninja Blend Boss, which easily converts from a blender to a tumbler, caught my eye.

One of my favorite things about working at Costco is seeing all the great new items that arrive at the warehouse each month. And as an employee of 20 years, I know where to look to find the best deals.

From tasty snacks and meals to summer-focused essentials, here are nine of the best things I'm seeing on shelves right now.

The Titan Pro cooler is perfect for outdoor events and gatherings.

Whether you're planning a camping trip or a beach day, the Titan Pro cooler is perfect for keeping food and drinks cold.

It comes in gray and blue colorways and can hold up to 48 standard cans. Or, you can use the removable bins to separate sandwiches, snacks, and beverages.

The cooler bag also has an adjustable shoulder strap and comes with a detachable bottle opener.

Nothing screams summer like a fresh smoothie.

Homemade smoothies are one of my favorite parts of summer, but cleaning up after making one can be a pain. That's why I love the Ninja Blend Boss, which easily converts from a blender to a tumbler by switching out the detachable lid.

This single-serve blender is compact but powerful enough to crush ice, blend smoothies, and create frozen drinks.

Each box contains two 26-ounce leakproof tumblers that are perfect for enjoying beverages on the go.

This month, the deli is carrying a spinach salad with poppy-seed dressing.

I always love browsing the selection of Costco premade meals, and this month, I came across a spinach salad with poppy-seed dressing.

The ready-to-serve salad kit includes spinach, tomatoes, chopped onions, shredded mozzarella, crumbled bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and dried cranberries.

It's perfect for parties, dinners, or even as a side dish.

Fairlife Core Power protein shakes are a great post-workout treat.

Protein seems to be everywhere these days, and if you're looking to add more to your diet, I suggest checking out the Fairlife Core Power protein shakes.

Each bottle contains 42 grams of protein and 230 calories per serving, making it a great recovery drink after a tough workout. Plus, it tastes just like chocolate milk.

The Toto Washlet bidet caught my eye.

The Toto Washlet electric bidet seat seems like a great way to elevate any bathroom and keep you feeling clean.

In addition to a warm-water wash and air dryer, the bidet also has a heated seat, which I think is a nice touch. Plus, it could help you save money on toilet paper.

I love snacking on Biena roasted edamame.

In my opinion, the Biena roasted edamame with pink Himalayan salt is the perfect snack. These crunchy soybeans are so satisfying and contain 13 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving.

Plus, they're made with simple ingredients and are gluten-free.

The Swiffer Power Mop kit makes cleaning easy.

The Swiffer Power Mop starter kit includes everything you need to clean your floors without having to lug around a bucket.

I love that the mophead swivels 360 degrees, making it more convenient to clean hard-to-reach areas.

Each box includes a Swiffer Power Mop, batteries, mop-pad refills, and cleaning solution.

Mason Dixie pancake sandwiches are a quick and easy breakfast.

If you're looking for a fast and convenient breakfast option, I suggest checking out the Mason Dixie pancake sandwiches.

Each box comes with eight individually wrapped breakfast sandwiches made with fluffy pancakes, cage-free eggs, and sausage.

Method body wash smells great and is made with plant-based cleansers.

This month, I also saw a two-pack of Method body wash at Costco.

Made with plant-based cleansers, this popular body wash is made without parabens and phthalates. This particular pack comes with two scents: Tropic Wonder and Simply Nourish.

Costco was not involved in the sourcing or writing of this story. The views contained within represent the author's personal views.

• Moving abroad to Spain was my dream, and parts of my life there were really wonderful.
• However, working US hours made it tough to fully integrate into life in Madrid.
• After five years, I moved to New York City — and months later, I know I made the right choice.

When I graduated from college in 2021, all I cared about was moving abroad.

As a Spanish and communications student, I was supposed to spend a full year studying abroad in Seville, Spain — something I had looked forward to for years.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though, I had to leave in March 2020. Ever since, I knew I wanted to go back.

My dream was to receive a Fulbright scholarship, and when I was accepted to come teach English in Madrid, it felt like everything had fallen into place.

There were parts of life in Madrid that I loved, but I started struggling to integrate

During that first year, I taught at a university, where I also led a weekly dialogue group with students in Afghanistan, many of them women without access to in-person education. It became one of the most meaningful parts of my experience abroad.

After that year, I wasn't ready to leave. I found a remote job in tech PR so I could stay in Madrid, but it came with a trade-off: I had to work US hours, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

At first, it felt worth it. I was living in Spain, after all. I had friends, favorite cafés, weekend traditions, and spots in my neighborhood that felt like home. From the outside, it looked like I had fully integrated.

As the next two years went on, though, my schedule started to wear me down. I was working while my friends were out living their lives. They were going to events, pursuing hobbies, and building routines.

Meanwhile, I couldn't join evening activities or commit to things like volunteering. I was out of sync with the city around me, living a kind of reverse life that started to feel isolating.

Plus, even though I spoke fluent Spanish, I became increasingly aware that I would never fully fit in. I felt an underlying awareness, both from other people and within myself, that I was stepping into an already established world.

Friendships, too, felt different than what I was used to. I made some Spanish friends who welcomed me into plans, but between my work hours and the fact that everyone else had known each other for years, it was challenging to build a consistent, integrated social circle instead of feeling like I was occasionally stepping into one that already existed.

Living in Madrid made me realize that many friendships were built with permanence in mind. People invested in relationships they believed would last long-term, and as someone who wasn't from Spain — even though I once thought I'd stay forever — I couldn't relate to that stability.

I was welcomed, but I didn't feel like I truly belonged. Over time, I realized I couldn't picture building a long-term future there. At least, not in the way I wanted.

A lot of people were surprised when I decided to leave Madrid

Toward the end of my time in Spain, I met someone I genuinely thought I might build a long-term relationship with. At first, this felt like a sign that I should stay abroad.

When that relationship didn't work out, though, I was forced to look at my life more honestly. Without that imagined future anchoring me there, I realized how disconnected I was from the day-to-day life I actually wanted.

Then, I turned 27. With 30 on the horizon, I felt a sudden sense of urgency. I didn't just want a life that looked exciting from the outside; I wanted one that felt connected and sustainable every day.

So I made a decision that surprised everyone around me: I left Madrid and moved to New York City, a place I had once lived for a three-month internship. I had one close friend in the area, and a few loose acquaintances.

I was terrified I'd regret it immediately, that I'd miss Spain and feel like I'd made a mistake.

Within weeks of arriving in New York, I noticed a difference

After leaving Spain, I realized how much I'd missed small, spontaneous moments of connection. Here in New York, I've had a surprisingly easy time talking to strangers, whether it's a quick chat in a grocery-store line or a conversation at a bar.

Crucially, I was also able to start building routines in a way I hadn't been able to in years, due to my work schedule in Madrid. I signed up for hip-hop classes, started playing pool every Wednesday at my local bar, and began recognizing familiar faces on my daily walks.

For the first time in years, my life felt aligned with the way I actually wanted to live it.

Now, I've been here for five months, and I'm so happy I made the jump. Looking back, I didn't leave Madrid because it wasn't a good life — in many ways, it was exactly what I dreamt of — but I left because it wasn't fully mine.

I'll always be glad my dreams led me to Madrid, but I'm also happy I recognized when it was time to go. Now, I'm living my dream life somewhere new.

• We've made work-related moves to different parts of California, North Carolina, and Texas.
• I tried to make the best of each move, but no place felt like home, especially once we had kids.
• Once we stopped moving for work and chose a place we'd love, our family began to thrive.

When my now-husband, Zach, and I got engaged in February 2015, we were living in the San Francisco Bay Area in a one-bedroom apartment we rented for over $2,000 a month.

We both had family there and loved everything the Bay Area had to offer, but when we began looking to buy a condo or townhome, it was clear that affordability would be an issue for us.

Everything in our price range was so far removed from where we both worked that the commute alone would have made our lives miserable.

As we contemplated the reality of buying in the Bay Area, Zach was offered a promotion that would take us to Charlotte, North Carolina.

After a quick visit, we decided to take a chance on a new place where we could buy a home and build a life together.

We prioritized work for several moves, but we wanted something more once we started a family

When Zach and I wed in January 2016, we were living in Charlotte in a home we'd purchased in a family-friendly neighborhood we loved.

We'd made friends in our neighborhood and through work, and we even joined a curling club, where we spent most of our free time.

At first, it was great. We enjoyed our neighborhood and the camaraderie we found in our curling leagues. Then, one night at a neighbor's house, I mentioned to some friends that Zach and I were trying to start a family.

One of my neighbors, who had just had her second child, remarked that she couldn't have done it without family close by.

It got me thinking about how our family was scattered across California, Texas, and Florida, and I knew that if we wanted help from our parents, we'd have to move again.

Luckily, Zach had another promotion opportunity that allowed us to move back to California, this time to Fresno, about a two-hour drive from my mom and stepdad.

Being closer to my parents was the right move at the time, but after two years in Fresno and two babies, we knew it wasn't the right place for us.

We were still hours from other family and friends, which felt isolating. Plus, we struggled with the hot summer days that often exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Bay Area was still too expensive, especially with two children, so Zach began looking for other work opportunities within his company that could take us somewhere we hoped we'd like better.

His next role took us to Colleyville, Texas. We had some family in the state, but I didn't know anyone close by. Building community was tough and, as our boys got older, it became clear this wasn't the right fit for us, either.

The weather was erratic and hot in the summers, and though we had a big backyard, our kids got eaten alive by mosquitoes whenever we spent time outside.

We were also far from mountain activities like camping and skiing, things Zach and I both grew up doing, and wanted to share with our kids.

So, we decided to make one more move — this time, for personal reasons.

Over the course of almost a year, we made a list of must-haves, including a more moderate climate, mountains for hiking and skiing, vibrant city life with access to cultural events and unique experiences, and highly rated public schools.

It was a tall order, but we knew we couldn't uproot our family again for something we weren't sure about.

Once we made a move just for us, we finally found our perfect home base

Using our list of needs and knowledge of places we had traveled, we eventually set our sights on Denver. We both knew people in the area, either through work or personal connections, including my youngest sister, who had moved to Colorado a few months prior.

It was a place we had always talked about living, and a quick trip to look at neighborhoods confirmed that Denver was what we had been looking for. The only thing left to figure out was work.

While we were living in Texas, I had started building a freelance writing business, which was great for flexibility with the kids, but inconsistent because it's project-based.

Zach's job had always been our driver for moving and provided the stability we needed as a family. We knew any move we made for personal reasons had to be supported by his work as well.

Luckily, after a difficult but constructive conversation, his employer allowed him to work remotely. Within a couple of months, we were on our way to our new home in Denver.

Since moving last summer, we feel more settled than ever before. We found a walkable neighborhood we love. We're making friends and enjoying the activities we've always wanted to share with our kids, like skiing and hiking.

We're spending our weekends having porch drinks with neighbors and visiting local attractions with school friends. We're enjoying life more than ever because we've finally found a place that suits us.

After all the moves, it feels good to know we've finally found our forever home.

• No two states' economies are the same.
• A recent WalletHub study ranked the economies of every state and Washington, DC, from worst to best.
• Massachusetts topped the list overall, while South Dakota ranked no. 1 in economic health.

California's economy is the fourth largest in the world, having passed Japan's last year and trailing only the US, China, and Germany in terms of GDP.

But GDP metrics don't always tell the full story of what conditions are like for the people and businesses located there.

A recent WalletHub study ranked all US states and Washington, DC, on their economies by evaluating their performance in 28 different economic indicators. These metrics made up three overall categories: economic activity, economic health, and innovation potential.

Economic activity was measured by factors including the state's change in GDP from 2024 to 2025, its share of fast-growing companies, and exports per capita. Economic health included the state's unemployment rate, foreclosure rate, and fiscal health. Innovation potential was measured by the share of jobs in high-tech industries, entrepreneurial activity, and other indicators.

WalletHub then calculated each state's weighted average across the three dimensions, which provided the basis for its overall ranking. The study drew on data from a range of sources, including the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis.

While the study doesn't paint the full picture of the economic conditions for residents, it may indicate the states where workers might have more job opportunities and where businesses have strong growth potential. WalletHub added that its analysis also shows "which states are pulling the most weight in moving the US economy forward."

"A strong state economy doesn't guarantee success for the state's residents, but it certainly makes financial success more attainable," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the study.

Here's the list of every US state and Washington, DC, ranked by their economies, from worst to best.

51. West Virginia

Economic Activity Rank: 51

Economic Health Rank: 30

Innovation Potential Rank: 51

50. Kentucky

Economic Activity Rank: 43

Economic Health Rank: 38

Innovation Potential Rank: 50

49. Louisiana

Economic Activity Rank: 37

Economic Health Rank: 48

Innovation Potential Rank: 47

48. Maine

Economic Activity Rank: 50

Economic Health Rank: 25

Innovation Potential Rank: 41

47. Rhode Island

Economic Activity Rank: 49

Economic Health Rank: 35

Innovation Potential Rank: 31

46. Wyoming

Economic Activity Rank: 46

Economic Health Rank: 20

Innovation Potential Rank: 44

45. Mississippi

Economic Activity Rank: 34

Economic Health Rank: 32

Innovation Potential Rank: 45

44. Hawaii

Economic Activity Rank: 30

Economic Health Rank: 14

Innovation Potential Rank: 49

43. Oklahoma

Economic Activity Rank: 39

Economic Health Rank: 23

Innovation Potential Rank: 40

42. Missouri

Economic Activity Rank: 44

Economic Health Rank: 33

Innovation Potential Rank: 32

41. South Dakota

Economic Activity Rank: 47

Economic Health Rank: 1

Innovation Potential Rank: 48

40. North Dakota

Economic Activity Rank: 48

Economic Health Rank: 5

Innovation Potential Rank: 38

39. Iowa

Economic Activity Rank: 45

Economic Health Rank: 29

Innovation Potential Rank: 28

38. Ohio

Economic Activity Rank: 32

Economic Health Rank: 44

Innovation Potential Rank: 33

37. Illinois

Economic Activity Rank: 27

Economic Health Rank: 50

Innovation Potential Rank: 26

36. Arkansas

Economic Activity Rank: 24

Economic Health Rank: 15

Innovation Potential Rank: 46

35. Nevada

Economic Activity Rank: 21

Economic Health Rank: 34

Innovation Potential Rank: 43

34. Nebraska

Economic Activity Rank: 40

Economic Health Rank: 7

Innovation Potential Rank: 37

33. Washington, DC

Economic Activity Rank: 25

Economic Health Rank: 51

Innovation Potential Rank: 14

32. Alaska

Economic Activity Rank: 14

Economic Health Rank: 42

Innovation Potential Rank: 42

31. Wisconsin

Economic Activity Rank: 41

Economic Health Rank: 26

Innovation Potential Rank: 18

30. Pennsylvania

Economic Activity Rank: 29

Economic Health Rank: 41

Innovation Potential Rank: 16

29. Vermont

Economic Activity Rank: 38

Economic Health Rank: 28

Innovation Potential Rank: 21

28. Alabama

Economic Activity Rank: 26

Economic Health Rank: 22

Innovation Potential Rank: 34

27. Michigan

Economic Activity Rank: 42

Economic Health Rank: 46

Innovation Potential Rank: 11

26. New Mexico

Economic Activity Rank: 36

Economic Health Rank: 36

Innovation Potential Rank: 13

25. New Jersey

Economic Activity Rank: 23

Economic Health Rank: 47

Innovation Potential Rank: 15

24. Oregon

Economic Activity Rank: 33

Economic Health Rank: 45

Innovation Potential Rank: 8

23. Kansas

Economic Activity Rank: 20

Economic Health Rank: 13

Innovation Potential Rank: 30

22. Indiana

Economic Activity Rank: 13

Economic Health Rank: 39

Innovation Potential Rank: 27

21. Minnesota

Economic Activity Rank: 28

Economic Health Rank: 12

Innovation Potential Rank: 20

20. Maryland

Economic Activity Rank: 35

Economic Health Rank: 43

Innovation Potential Rank: 4

19. Montana

Economic Activity Rank: 17

Economic Health Rank: 6

Innovation Potential Rank: 35

18. South Carolina

Economic Activity Rank: 11

Economic Health Rank: 17

Innovation Potential Rank: 39

17. Tennessee

Economic Activity Rank: 12

Economic Health Rank: 3

Innovation Potential Rank: 36

16. Connecticut

Economic Activity Rank: 22

Economic Health Rank: 40

Innovation Potential Rank: 7

15. Arizona

Economic Activity Rank: 16

Economic Health Rank: 16

Innovation Potential Rank: 23

14. Virginia

Economic Activity Rank: 18

Economic Health Rank: 9

Innovation Potential Rank: 19

13. New Hampshire

Economic Activity Rank: 31

Economic Health Rank: 10

Innovation Potential Rank: 6

12. Georgia

Economic Activity Rank: 10

Economic Health Rank: 21

Innovation Potential Rank: 25

11. Idaho

Economic Activity Rank: 19

Economic Health Rank: 2

Innovation Potential Rank: 17

10. Florida

Economic Activity Rank: 6

Economic Health Rank: 19

Innovation Potential Rank: 29

9. Colorado

Economic Activity Rank: 15

Economic Health Rank: 24

Innovation Potential Rank: 5

8. Texas

Economic Activity Rank: 7

Economic Health Rank: 11

Innovation Potential Rank: 24

7. New York

Economic Activity Rank: 4

Economic Health Rank: 31

Innovation Potential Rank: 22

6. North Carolina

Economic Activity Rank: 9

Economic Health Rank: 8

Innovation Potential Rank: 9

5. Delaware

Economic Activity Rank: 1

Economic Health Rank: 27

Innovation Potential Rank: 10

4. California

Economic Activity Rank: 2

Economic Health Rank: 49

Innovation Potential Rank: 3

3. Utah

Economic Activity Rank: 3

Economic Health Rank: 4

Innovation Potential Rank: 12

2. Washington

Economic Activity Rank: 8

Economic Health Rank: 18

Innovation Potential Rank: 2

1. Massachusetts

Economic Activity Rank: 5

Economic Health Rank: 37

Innovation Potential Rank: 1

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Annie Nicol, 76, who lives in Petaluma, California. Nicol is homeschooling her grandson, who lives with her son in a tiny home on her property. It helps them stay close-knit and financially within their means. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

It's a trend in our family that we take care of our own.

My parents, who both lived into their 90s, were retired educators and played a big role in caring for my kids. My son and I shared caregiving responsibilities for them. My husband is 80 and works part-time as a therapist, and he takes care of his grandkids every Friday and on some Tuesdays.

My grandson, who lives with me, lost his mother when he was an infant. He has an auntie he's very close to, but it took some time because she lives out of town.

My son and grandson live near my husband and me in a tiny house next door

My son and grandson have a tiny house on the property. The building was there when I moved here 42 years ago, and it was showing its age then. The knob and tube electricity present when I purchased the house was common in homes built between 1880 and 1940. The main old farmhouse was built over 100 years ago. I imagine the outbuilding was built around the same time. The repurposed space outside is adjacent to the main house.

My son and grandson basically have a bunkhouse, which includes my son's workshop. It's maybe 200 square feet total and about 15 feet from our back door. The bathroom and kitchen are inside the main house. My grandson has a bedroom in the main house, too, where he keeps his trains, Lego bricks, and school work. He prefers to bunk close to his dad in the outbuilding at this time. We all eat dinner together at home.

I retired at 75

I'm a retired nurse practitioner. I went into nursing instead of medicine partly because of a divorce and needing more flexibility in my life, especially with taking care of my kids. I've worked with a lot of substance use and community health centers. I developed a clinic within a shelter in my town, which is still running.

When my children were small, we would go camping all over California. When I worked full-time, I didn't have that flexibility. I wish I could have kept this up a little longer, but financially, I had to be careful.

I perhaps would have retired sooner had COVID not hit. The support structures were somewhat destroyed, and people were afraid. I felt I needed to mentor some of the people who would be taking over my position. I love my patients, and I've had some for almost their whole lives. I got as much as I gave. I retired last year.

I became my grandson's homeschool teacher.

While I was working, I helped my grandson with his schooling at least three days a week because it was interrupted during COVID. He has another set of grandparents who live outside our community and wanted to be involved. Hence, we started doing the homeschool thing, splitting responsibilities.

His other grandma, who was a teacher, and his auntie, also a teacher, would come down from their community and volunteer one day a week at his school. They really wanted to be involved in their daughter's son's life. The other grandpa set this up, with a homeschool supervisor-teacher who manages the curriculum to meet California's standards. I do what's called Studies Weekly, which uses a somewhat Socratic method. You're looking for a deeper response rather than just spitting out information.

My commitment started with a "We have to do this." I appreciated what he was learning, and it helped me learn new things and understand his needs. It's really fun to see when he is engaged and by what. It's kind of what I did when I was somewhat teaching my patients. I'd look for that glimmer in their eyes that says, "I got it." When he rolls his eyes or looks the other way, I see that I don't have his attention. It's important for me to know that he's grasped the concepts. It's giving, taking, and sharing.

I've tried to be as involved as I can in my grandchildren's lives.

I have a daughter who lives in Santa Barbara, and I don't see her three kids as much. Still, they would call me Grandma Airport because I'd always arrive at the airport instead of a car.

To a certain extent, I contribute what I can for birthdays and gifts. My son has a house that he's not living in and is rented out, so I'll help with that. For the other kids, the majority of funding goes toward things like museum or theater tickets. I'm taking my grandson to Disneyland, which I haven't been to in 30 years, or I'll visit my granddaughter in Hawaii. I'm also putting some funds toward experiences that help them engage in other forms of education, and I'm putting money aside for them when I die so they'll have some help with college.

I also spend my time going through boxes of my parents' belongings. They died a decade ago, but my mom was a writer and wrote a tremendous amount. I am also on a local board focused on our unhoused population and do whatever I can to help.

I live on three acres and have a small farm that grows a lot of vegetables. We have sheep, too. I love working in the soil.

We live frugally, and I'm not too worried. I own three properties, so if push comes to shove, I can sell them. I've always been careful and don't buy anything that's expensive. I go out to eat maybe once a month. The biggest financial issue right now is that my century-old house needs a lot of repairs, so I'm trying to strategize.

• Leading social psychologist Jonathan Haidt warned about the impact of AI toys in a TED Talk.
• Children risk becoming attached to AI companions if they bond with them, he said.
• This could weaken children's bonds with their parents, he said.

Jonathan Haidt, the NYU Stern School of Business professor whose book "The Anxious Generation" helped spark a global debate about the impact of smartphones and social media on young people's mental health, has a new concern: AI toys designed for children.

Speaking at a recent TED Talk, Haidt said that the rapidly growing market for AI-powered toys and chatbots could interfere with children's relationships with their parents by becoming emotional attachment figures.

"We're seeing a booming AI toy market. Chatbots are being put into dolls and teddy bears," Haidt said.

While he didn't single out specific products, a growing category of AI-powered toys and companions has emerged over the last couple of years.

Examples include Moxie, an AI-powered social robot designed to be children's friend, tutor, and mentor, as well as chatbot-enabled dolls and teddy bears developed by startups like Curio. Toy giant Mattel has also partnered with OpenAI to explore AI-powered products, showing how quickly the category is evolving.

Market research firm Grand View Research estimates that the global smart toy market, including AI toys, will grow from $14.39 billion in 2025 to $44 billion by 2033.

The social psychologist said these products are designed to be highly responsive to children, offering comfort, conversation, and companionship whenever they're needed.

That constant availability could make them especially appealing to young users.

"These chatbots are super responsive to the child. They're always there to offer comfort, to be there for the child — and of course, the parents are often busy," Haidt said.

The danger of artificial relationships

Haidt's warning comes as AI companions are already reshaping people's social and romantic lives.

Users say they've fallen in love with AI partners, relied on chatbots for daily companionship, and even feared losing the relationships they've formed with virtual companions.

Haidt's concern, however, centers on how children form attachments.

Young children naturally gravitate toward people who consistently respond to their needs, he said. If AI companions become more reliably responsive than parents, they could begin to occupy an unhealthy role in a child's emotional development.

"If the chatbot is super responsive while the parents aren't as responsive, the child's attachment system, which is looking for who in my environment is the person who responds to me, may well imprint or focus on the chatbot, which is going to compromise their relationship with their own parents," Haidt said.

Techno-skeptic

The warning is part of a broader argument Haidt has been making about what he calls "techno-skepticism."

He said society moved too quickly in allowing social media companies to shape children's social lives and educational technology companies to reshape classrooms.

"We let social media companies take over our kids' social lives, and they've harmed our kids' social lives and their mental health," he said, adding: "We let EdTech companies take over our kids' schools, and they appear to be doing more harm than good."

Now, he said, AI companies are targeting an even more intimate part of childhood: relationships.

"AI companies are coming for their relationships, to be their friends, their therapists," Haidt said. "What could go wrong?"

While he said AI therapists may eventually have a role, he said that companies should not be allowed to deploy emotionally persuasive AI products to children without years of safety testing.

"Give them nothing that conveys that it understands the child or that it cares," Haidt said. "Because it doesn't."

• Living in Denmark changed how I think about parenting and independence.
• I realized much of my parenting anxiety came from fear of falling behind.
• Danish culture taught me to trust my child more and control less.

If you looked at my Danish husband's social media, you wouldn't know he is a parent.

There are no monthly updates about our 3-year-old son, Aksel, no sentimental captions about milestones, and no proof that he is involved in family life.

The truth is, he is an incredible father. He just doesn't feel the need to narrate it.

When I moved from the US to Denmark eight years ago for love, I barely noticed that difference. But after becoming a mother in Copenhagen, I started to see how much of the parenting culture I had absorbed in America was about proof: proof I was trying hard enough, sacrificing enough, and doing enough.

In Denmark, parenting feels less curated and less dependent on public approval. While that does not mean love is absent or less intense, it feels different from the constant social media comparisons around motherhood that seem to dominate my American social media feed.

The longer I parent here, the more I realize that becoming a "good parent," at least for me, has meant unlearning instincts I did not even know I had absorbed: the urge to manage, document, and enrich every aspect of my child's life.

Fatherhood looks different here

Before having Aksel, I, of course, believed in gender equality. However, motherhood taught me how swiftly those ideals can collapse after having a baby, especially for women raised in cultures where maternal love seems measured by the burdens they shoulder without complaint (American trends, such as TikTok tradwives, exacerbate this).

Denmark challenged what I had accepted as normal because, here, fathers aren't usually applauded for the bare minimum. In many Danish families, including my own, dads are expected to be full parents, not assistants to motherhood.

Denmark's parental leave system reflects that expectation, too. Under the latest parental leave model, rolled out in October 2022, leave is divided more evenly between genders, with each parent receiving a portion that cannot be transferred to the other. All over Copenhagen, you'll see dads pushing strollers, coffees in hand, often walking with other fathers on leave. This isn't a novelty; it's just parenting.

That makes shared caregiving more explicit than the model I grew up with in the US. My mother, an elementary school teacher, had two weeks off after I was born. My father, a teacher at the same school, had none.

Not every Danish family lives in perfect equality. But the baseline feels different when fathers are treated as parents from the beginning. In the US, I often saw motherhood framed as self-erasure. The mother who anticipates and sacrifices everything is often treated as a "good parent," as if being indispensable is the same thing as being loving.

This was one of the first things I had to unlearn.

I had to stop optimizing childhood

Childhood is imagined differently here, too. I grew up in Connecticut, where achievement started early — so early that I told my parents I wanted to go to Harvard when I was 6. That sounds absurd now, but I'm a product of a high-achieving environment where competition could begin in kindergarten.

Living here, that pressure seems especially stark. Danish early childhood education emphasizes play, independence, outdoor time, and social development over grades, creating room for children to grow before measurement takes over.

This has been confronting for me. I did not realize how much of my own parenting vocabulary was built around expressions like "enrich," "prepare," "stimulate," and "schedule."

In Denmark, unstructured time is not considered wasted time, and boredom is not seen as a parental failure. That has required more unlearning than I expected. I had to question the instinct that told me a good mother should always be offering more.

I am unlearning control

One of the hardest lessons to overcome is my need to constantly suggest the activity, frame the lesson, or reassure myself that I am doing enough. But I am starting to see that some of what I called "attentiveness" was really control, and some of what I called "involvement" was really anxiety.

Living in Denmark has shown me that sometimes love looks less like hovering and more like trusting your child to explore, be bored, and take small risks.

I do not think Danish parents love their children more, or that Denmark has solved modern family life. I also do not think American parents are wrong to be more anxious. In the US, there are legitimate reasons parents feel they have to optimize everything: less structural support, less affordable childcare, and more competition.

But raising Aksel here has forced me to see how much of what I once considered "good parenting" was conditioned by an American fear of falling behind.

That instinct is still in me, and maybe it always will be. But I notice it more quickly now, and I don't let it become consuming.

And maybe that is the part of "good parenting" I most needed to unlearn: the idea that love has to look like constant effort to count.

• Business Insider spoke with stylists about which shoe trends are in and out this summer.
• The experts said jelly shoes, shorter heels, and closed-toe mules will be popular this season.
• However, classic flip-flops and round-toed shoes are being replaced by more modern styles.

Summer is almost here, which means it's time to start thinking about the shoes you'll be wearing over the next few months.

But as trends come and go, it can be hard to know which styles are worth revisiting and which ones may start to feel dated.

To help narrow down the options, Business Insider spoke with stylists about the shoe trends they're seeing right now. Here's what they said.

Jelly shoes are making a comeback.

According to wardrobe stylist and personal shopper Allie McKenna, jelly shoes, which were popular in the '80s and '90s, are back.

From flat mules and sandals to flip-flops, these shoes — which are made using flexible plastic — come in a variety of different styles.

Although jelly styles can be known to make your feet sweat, the stylist suggested looking for a pair with a cork sole to help absorb the moisture.

Sneakers are getting even slimmer.

Low-profile sneakers have already been trending for a while, but McKenna said the latest versions are moving toward an even sleeker silhouette this summer.

These shoes sit close to the ground with minimal tread and often draw inspiration from vintage athletic styles.

Closed-toe clogs are sticking around.

According to Los Angeles-based stylist Cat Wright, closed-toe clog styles, including Birkenstock-style versions, aren't going away this year.

She said the shoes have moved beyond their more casual roots and are increasingly becoming part of everyday outfits.

Derby shoes will be a popular choice this summer.

McKenna said derby shoes offer another option for those looking beyond the usual summer footwear rotation.

The slim lace-up flats are often made with leather or suede and draw inspiration from vintage menswear styles with a more old-school feel.

Shorter heels are having a moment.

According to several of the stylists BI spoke with, open- and peep-toe mules with smaller heels are becoming increasingly popular.

Brenda Gonzalez, a personal stylist and founder of Styled By B, also said more defined shapes and block heels are feeling more current.

Mary Jane sneakers are adding a more feminine twist to athletic shoes.

This season, softer details like straps, mesh, and lace are finding their way into sneaker styles. McKenna pointed to Mary Jane and ballerina-inspired versions as examples.

"It's a really cute way to be comfortable and cute at the same time," the stylist told BI.

On the other hand, traditional rubber flip-flops are out.

McKenna said the classic flat rubber flip-flop is out, and giving way to more elevated versions of the shoe.

For example, she mentioned wedge thong sandals as one style to look out for. These shoes feature a wedge sole and a V-shaped thong strap, giving the familiar flip-flop silhouette a little extra height while keeping the casual feel.

Round-toed heels feel dated.

Gonzalez said round-toed shoes are beginning to feel less current.

Instead, she recommends experimenting with almond- or square-toed options. She said this slight upgrade can help modernize a shoe's overall look.

Gladiator sandals won't be popular this summer.

Both McKenna and Wright said overly strappy styles like gladiator sandals are starting to feel less current.

"Anything that's too strappy or laces up the leg is out," Wright told BI.

Instead, simpler silhouettes like jelly sandals and peep-toe mules are taking their place.

• I'd always heard about the "terrible twos" and thought we'd avoided it with our son.
• Then, I went back to work, and his behavior started to change.
• I quit my job to spend more time with him, but he still wasn't happy. A weekly "fun-day" helped.

After having my son, I heard the horror stories of the "terrible twos." I'd stare down at my newborn and think there was absolutely no way this little bundle of rolls could one day be anything like my friends were describing. I kept that mindset as we rolled straight through his second birthday, and his behavior remained unchanged.

I thought I won the golden ticket. My toddler was fantastic; no meltdowns in sight. Like any naive first-time parent, I was so wrong. My son turns 3 in August, and he started having tantrums recently. However, after asking him what was going on, I figured out a reason for the behavior — and something that helped.

My son had a hard time when I went back to work

I've had the incredible pleasure of being home with my son for the majority of his life. Then, when I returned to the office full-time last October, I slowly began to notice changes. His grandpa watched him while I was at work, and we started to notice he wasn't listening to either of us as well; his moods also had taken a dip.

Coming home every day and seeing him upset broke me as a mom. In January, I decided to quit my job and return home full time to be with him. Since I've returned home, I've noticed that even though I'm here and we're spending a lot more time together again, his moods sour. He'd refuse to stop throwing toys and would have tantrums when he wouldn't listen to anything I asked him to do. But the usual things we'd do to quell this behavior — like time-outs and incentives for good behavior — also weren't working.

A lightbulb moment went off when I sat down and asked him what was wrong. His answer was "I miss you" or, worse, "I want to see you." I didn't understand why he was saying this when I was literally right there. The same behaviors kept happening, and he kept giving the same answers; when I truly thought about it, I realized that even though I was physically right there, I mentally wasn't. My son was next to me, but I was focusing on cleaning, reading, or doing other things I thought were important, when he was the most important thing.

I wanted to be more present with him, so we started having a weekly 'fun-day'

This realization led to a non-negotiable once-a-week "fun-day." I hated feeling like I was doing my son a disservice by not being present, so I wanted to fix it. I created an activity jar, filled with folded-up pieces of paper with special places on them.

My son gets to pick from the jar, and one day a week, we do a fun activity together that gets us off our screens and focusing on each other. The change in my son was almost immediate. The joyful little boy was back. There were fewer tantrums, he was listening again, and he was visibly happy.

Over the last few months, we have spent days at the Georgia Aquarium learning about his favorite species, like sting rays, sharks, and the brilliant red-and-orange octopus that reminds him of The Octonauts. We rode on a trolley at the Atlanta Zoo and learned about big silverback gorillas.

His favorite thing to do is pack a lunch, have a picnic at a park, and then explore by hunting for unique rocks, learning about the different trees, and seeing how many different animals we can find. We've also been painters at an art studio, engineers like his dad at the Atlanta Children's Museum, and we got to be firefighters for a day at the firehouse.

He still has meltdowns, but things have improved

Like any toddler, he still has his meltdowns. I've learned over the months to give him more grace, as simple things are new things to him. I've realized I tend to forget that he is experiencing everything for the first time. We are both learning and growing together every day, and I am beyond happy to spend my days with him.

This time together has shown me to take a step back for him and to soak it all in. Rarely do I hear him say, "I want to see you" as the reason for a meltdown anymore. It's more "I'm hungry" or a rebuttal against me telling him he can't do or have something, which we are working on. With summer quickly approaching, I cannot wait to bring him to more places to explore and meet new friends. So far, the terrible twos aren't as terrible as I thought they would be once we figured out that our fun-days are the key to success.

• United Airlines is set to take delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR on Wednesday.
• The specially-designed long-haul plane is expected to replace Boeing 757 routes.
• It has doors and beds in business class and a snack bar in economy.

United Airlines is set to roll out its newest long-haul plane — and it's billing it as ultra-premium.

Flight-tracking data showed the Airbus A321XLR departed the planemaker's factory in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday and landed in Tampa, Florida, later in the evening.

The highly anticipated XLR is a specially-designed extra-long-haul plane that United says will deliver a "wide-body experience on a narrow-body jet."

That means it can open new international routes that don't require a larger aircraft, when it's expected to debut this summer.

The premium-heavy jet will feature sliding doors and beds in a suite-style Polaris business class and a walk-up snack bar in economy. All 150 seats — a fifth of which are business or premium economy — will have Bluetooth connectivity for pairing with the in-flight entertainment system.

It's part of United's new "Elevated" cabins, which will also be installed on its Boeing 787s, A321neo "Coastliners," and CRJ450 regional jets. The redesign reflects United's continued bet on premium long-haul demand as more travelers show they're willing to pay up for better comfort.

United said the A321XLR will replace flying that's now handled by the Boeing 757 — a dated plane from the 1980s that the A321XLR can outperform with better range and fuel burn. Thanks to an extra gas tank in the belly, the jet can fly about 5,400 miles — or roughly 11 hours nonstop — across oceans and continents.

Its extended range and lower operating costs allow it to serve lower-demand routes that were previously out of reach for older narrowbodies or uneconomical for larger widebodies.

For United, the A321XLR is expected to enter service on select international 757 routes this summer before expanding into Europe, South America, and beyond. It's unclear what the specific inaugural destination will be.

"You can't really get much further than Spain with a 757," Patrick Quayle, United's SVP of global network planning and alliances, previously told Business Insider. He said to expect far-flung destinations in places like Northern Italy, France, Scandinavia, and West and North Africa.

United has 50 A321XLRs on order and plans to have more than half in service by 2028. Here's a closer look at what the A321XLR will offer:

Business class will have doors, but flyers can't use them quite yet.

United gave Polaris business class a facelift by adding what is among the industry's most popular perks: sliding doors. Airlines like American and Air India have recently adopted doors, too.

However, United's have yet to earn regulatory approval and will remain open at launch. The FAA is expected to certify them as airworthy, but it's uncertain when it will make that decision.

Polaris passengers will also get the usual plush linens, elevated meals, an amenity kit, and a 19-inch television screen with Bluetooth. connectivity for headphones. The bed will stretch up to 78 inches.

The Polaris seats face inward instead of forward.

Because wide-body Polaris seats can't fit in a forward-facing configuration on narrowbodies, United has to angle them inward.

This means they will face the aisle rather than the window — something that could frustrate frequent flyers accustomed to a full bird's-eye view.

The new Premium Plus has more privacy and no middle seat.

United has rolled out a new Premium Plus design — its most noteworthy upgrade being the privacy dividers. Unlike its widebody counterpart, the A321XLR version won't have a middle seat.

Otherwise, the revamped A321XLR cabin sports 12 large reclining loungers, a 16-inch Bluetooth-enabled screen, and a foot and legrest. It also gets nicer meals and linens compared to regular coach.

Overall, the A321XLR's 32 high-dollar seats between business and Premium Plus are 16 more than the 757 has.

There's a self-serve snack bar in the back of economy.

A snack bar will be situated behind the economy cabin. United had to remove several rows of coach seats to make room.

The walk-up perk, which is already available on the airline's CRJ550 and A321neo, is available to all passengers.

Coach will otherwise use the typical 3x3 layout with 118 seats, including 36 with extra legroom. The seats have 13-inch Bluetooth screens.

Large overhead bins mean fewer gate checks.

United said its A321XLR will feature larger overhead bins — designed by Airbus as part of its Airspace XL cabin — to accommodate more roller bags and reduce gate-checking during boarding.

The same bin design is already in service on United's A321neo aircraft.

The A321XLR will complement United's new "Coastliner."

The "Coastliner" is an A321neo exclusively flying transcontinental routes between United's hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Newark, New Jersey.

The Neo has less range than the A321XLR but will sport the same coach snack bar and lie-flat Polaris cabin with doors.

United joins a growing fleet of A321XLRs.

Spain's Iberia was the launch customer, flying the inaugural from Madrid to Boston in November 2024.

American Airlines, Australia's Qantas, Ireland's Aer Lingus, Hungary's Wizz Air, and Uzbekistan's Qanot Sharq all also fly the plane. There have been more than 500 total orders for the A321XLR.

Beds on long-haul narrow-body planes aren't new.

United has long operated its lie-flat Polaris cabin on Boeing 757s flying across the Atlantic; so has Delta.

JetBlue Airways has similarly flown its bed-equipped Mint cabin to Europe on Airbus A321LR aircraft — the A321XLR's predecessor.

As a New Yorker in a small one-bedroom, I try not to encourage too many overnight guests. I work hard to prevent my small one-bedroom from becoming a hotel for friends-of-friends and high school acquaintances. But after moving apartments, I needed a sofa compact enough for my space and comfortable enough for the way I actually live: reading, working, watching baseball, and sprawling out with my senior chihuahua.

I was also looking for something made with higher-quality, PFAS-free materials. As a cancer survivor with skin sensitivities and lingering respiratory symptoms, I've become more mindful about the fabrics and foams I bring into my home. That's what led me to Sabai, and eventually to the Sabai Eclipse, a funky, chunky, colorful sleeper sofa that looks like a statement couch first and a guest bed second. It's rare that I actually like the look of a sleeper in its couch form. Suddenly, the idea of an additional bed in my living room felt like it would be a game changer for movie nights, friend sleepovers, and yes, I suppose, the occasional out-of-town guest.

After a month with the 90-inch Eclipse, including three nights sleeping on it in bed mode, it has become my favorite place to hang out in my apartment.

What is the Sabai Eclipse Sleeper Sofa?

Sabai released the Eclipse Sleeper in response to customer feedback about an interest in a sleeper sofa without a metal mechanism. The 90-inch version, which I tested, comfortably fits three and transitions into a queen-size bed. The sofa is also available as a 70-inch queen two-seater for smaller spaces and a Twin XL sleeper chair. The sizing differences are important to note, as it's not just two sofas, with one being shorter than the other. The 90 inch has a shallower depth of 34 inches (23 inch seat depth) and requires less floor space to expand; the 70-inch design is deeper at 44-inch depth (33-inch seat depth) and flips out further. Both convert to queen sizes mattress, with the 90 inch version, you sleep horizontally across, while the 70-inch your head rests against the back cushions.

I also want to reiterate, this is not the sad beige futon of sleepers past. It looks like a real couch first, and a sleeper second — exactly what I want for a piece that I'll keep in couch form 90% of the time.

The Eclipse has a rounded, statement look that sets it apart from many sleeper sofas. It comes in three upholstery options — upcycled poly, hemp blend, and recycled velvet — across more than 35 colors, including stripes and contrast piping.

The colors are exceptionally vibrant, modern, and distinctive-looking, with hues and combinations you don't see everywhere (indigo with amber piping or cornflower with mustard piping!). I chose recycled velvet in amber with chocolate piping after ordering free swatches, which I highly recommend.

Additionally, I've been eager to break free from the "fast furniture" cycle. Sabai also appealed to me because it's designed to be repaired rather than replaced. The brand sells individual parts, including cushion inserts, sofa arms, and slipcovers, and its expansion kits let you turn some sofas into sectionals if your space changes. Of note, Sabai uses mechanical fasteners, not permanent glues, so components can easily be replaced over time.

Sabai offers returns within 30 days of delivery, but deducts a 10% return processing fee or 15% if you don't keep the original boxes. It backs its products with a one-year warranty, and they offer an optional two-year product protection package that covers things like spills and tears.

Delivery and assembly

From ordering to delivery, the process took exactly one month. Shipping varies according to what you purchase at Sabai, but it is $195 for standard delivery or $245 for White Glove Delivery, which includes assembly. It's just a $50 difference for a hands-off experience.

The white-glove delivery process was smooth, with clear communication throughout. The service that Sabai works with called me the week of the delivery to coordinate a day and timeframe for delivery. During that exact window, a team of three men arrived and quickly got to work assembling the couch; from start to finish, the whole process took 30 minutes. And once they left, and I flopped down on it, the couch felt extremely sturdy and sound.

Most customers assemble the Eclipse themselves; it arrives in four boxes with online instructions (as opposed to printed in the box). They looked straightforward, though I'd want a second person to help. Sabai says its average shipping time is three to five weeks, with some colors noting a couple extra weeks for shipping. However, some online reviewers have reported waiting over two months to receive their couches. Given that the pieces are custom-made, there seems to be greater variability in delivery times

First impressions

Right away, I love how chunky and plush the couch looks and feels. The deep, sculptural cushions are medium-firm and offer a nice balance of bounce and support. The amber-chocolate fabric-piping combo is even more vibrant in person and immediately became the center piece of my living room. It's undeniably a statement piece, but one I quickly feel comfortable being messy and lazy on. My dog started digging on it immediately, and the fabric still doesn't show any tears or scratches. (Though the dog hair does start to accumulate, it easily vacuums off.)

Sitting comfort: plush, deep, and loungey

In its couch form, the Eclipse is really plush and cozy, with the cushions offering enough support that you don't feel like you're melting, but not so stiff you can't relax. Even though the piece takes up a substantial amount of my small Brooklyn living room, I appreciate how deep it is: the cushions are 23 inches deep, which gives me enough room to sit cross-legged or lie side by side with my dog while watching TV. The trade-off is that it's not especially well-suited to working or sitting upright for long stretches. When I sit with my feet flat on the floor, my back doesn't naturally reach the back cushions; when I scoot all the way back, my feet don't comfortably touch the floor. I tend to slouch as a result, which can start to irritate my shoulders after a while. This isn't a major issue for me, since I spend most of the day working at my desk or sitting cross-legged on the sofa, but I usually need an extra throw pillow for back support if I'm sitting upright for several hours.

But the cushions are extremely plush, and the recycled-velvet feels very luxurious against the skin.

Three adults can fit really comfortably on it. But even better, I can lie down on the couch for a nap without even having to convert it to a bed.

Sleeping comfort: Is it actually good for guests?

The conversion style is manual fold-out, which takes literally less than 30 seconds to set up. (Sabai promises less than 5 minutes, but it takes me less than a minute.) Once I make the bed with sheets, I'm still only at 2 and a half minutes. I love that one person can easily open and set up the bed: you just take off the back cushions, and then fold out the seat cushions into the mattress. There are handles on the cushions to help with this.

The mattress itself is medium-firm with that nice foam cushiness and no uncomfy metal bars or creakiness. The bed is stable and secure, and I find it offers enough support that a mattress topper isn't needed. Sheets fit easily around it. Because the bed is a fold-out, there is a little groove in the middle between the two cushions that fold together to form the seat of the couch. So if you sleep directly in the center of the bed (I don't, I always choose a side), you might want to invest in a mattress topper to cover it. But with two evenly spaced adults, that small middle groove is a non-issue.

As for the most important metric, sleep quality, my chihuahua and I slept on the bed for three nights during testing, and I didn't wake up with any nagging back discomfort or soreness. The medium-firm foam is an excellent match with my sleep personality, and it's kind of fun to be so close to the floor (something I enjoy about many beds in Japan). I definitely plan on having sleepovers on it in the future. Folding it back up and returning it to couch form took less than a minute.

Durability and everyday use

After a month of eating, drinking, napping, and burying socks (my dog) on this couch, the piece still looks clean and vibrant. Dog hairs accumulate on it, but no more than any single item in my house, and they come off easily with a lint roller and the vacuum. For small spills, spot-cleaning with water has done the trick, but I imagine I'll want to remove the covers and bring them to the laundromat at some point.

As I've mentioned, my dog is an aggressive digger, and digs on the couch every day, and so far, the velvet is none the worse for it. No tears, pilling, or visible scratches—somewhat miraculously. The fabric is still silky-soft and richly pigmented, even after my dog has scratched it incessantly every day for 30 days straight.

The durability feels a step above all of my past couches. For one, there's no wobbling, groaning, or creaking when I toss my entire body on it dramatically. I really get the feeling that this is built to last—and it damn well should be, because that's what they're promising.

The eco-friendly details that actually matter

Sabai's sustainability claims are a major part of the appeal. The brand uses PFAS-free fabrics and FSC-certified wood, and offers three upholstery options all with a sustainability focus: recycled velvet, upcycled poly, and a hemp blend. My recycled velvet fabric is made from recycled water bottles and is OEKO-TEX certified. The upcycled poly is GreenGuard-Gold certified and made from 100% upcycled Olefin, a material that requires no land or water for production, while the organic hemp blend is 55% hemp and 45% cotton.

The sofa also uses Cocolok, a rubberized coconut fiber, around the frame instead of polyester upholstery fiber. Sabai says it avoids polyurethane foam, a common material in upholstered furniture that can emit VOCs, which may irritate people with respiratory sensitivities.

Just as importantly, the sofa is designed to be repaired. Sabai sells replacement parts and covers, offers expansion kits for some pieces, and has a BuyBack Program that lets customers resell eligible sofas instead of sending them to a landfill.

What I didn't like

The main drawback is that the Eclipse is better for lounging than upright sitting. The deep seat can make working from the couch awkward without a back pillow. It also has no under-couch storage, and the mattress sits low to the ground, which may be difficult for guests with mobility issues. Finally, because Sabai pieces are custom-made, delivery can take several weeks, and some online reviewers report longer waits. This is in contrast to sites like Wayfair and Amazon have spoiled us with next-day delivery expectations, even on big-ticket items like chairs and couches.

The price point is also quite high compared to sleeper options from IKEA, Wayfair, and Target, but on par with other sleeper sofas from Interior Define, Joybird, or even West Elm, and maybe even less expensive.

What are your alternatives

In addition to the Eclipse, Sabai also offers the slightly larger 96-inch Elevate, which converts into a sleeper sofa with a mattress-topper add-on, and the Essential, a mid-century-inspired design with legs. In terms of appearance, Koala Sofa Bed is the closest alternative, with a similarly chunky fold out design and the exact same depth of seats. The Koala is also less expensive, with a range from $1,450 to $1,990, depending on if you get the twin, full, or queen. (Sabai only has queen options, offered in 70 or 90 inches and a twin XL sleeper chair.)

The Coddle Switch Sleeper sofa is another alternative in a similar price area to the Sabai, but it offers even more versatility (it can also fold out into an optional sectional) and cool bonus features like outlets in the armrest. For an oversized, sectional-first piece with loads of pet-approved fabrics, the Joybird Wilder Sleeper Sectional has a traditional fold out design with a really nice range of color options, over 92, including pet-friendly and Greenguard Gold certified fabrics.

The bottom line

This is a stylish, comfortable sleeper sofa that is really built to last and is priced fairly, if higher than options from retailers like IKEA and Wayfair. The range of unique color options across three PFAS-free fabrics makes it a delight. Washable covers and the easy-to-fold-out, medium-firm mattress make it a fuss-free piece that you (and pets) can actually live your life on. With replacement parts available for purchase — cushion inserts, sofa arms, slipcovers — you can refresh the look and feel of your couch if you move without having to toss it and buy a new one. If you often find yourself WFC (Work from Couch), I'd look for options that have less seat depth.

Buy it if:

• You care about non-toxic and sustainable materials that can also be repaired and expanded
• You want a stylish made-to-orderpiece that doesn't look like every other couch
• You want a queen-sized sleeper that is comfortable to sleep and sit on
• You need something pet- and life-friendly

Skip it if:

• You prefer a firm, upright sofa.
• You like having storage under your couch
• You want the most affordable sofa bed
• Need it fast

• Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said artificial general intelligence is a "few years away."
• He said AI will have huge societal implications, bringing about a "post-scarcity" world.
• Hassabis estimated that AGI will arrive around 2030.

The CEO of Google DeepMind said a more advanced AI is just around the corner — and humanity needs to prepare as soon as possible.

During a fireside chat at the Stanford Graduate School of Business that was posted on Tuesday, Demis Hassabis said artificial general intelligence, or the ability for AI to perform cognitive tasks at or beyond human levels, is a few years away.

"Maybe 2030, plus or minus a year, which is astounding to think, really. I think that will be such an enormous transformative technology; it's gonna effectively be a new human era," Hassabis said.

He equated its arrival to the singularity — a point in time when there's no turning back from a breakthrough technological development.

Hassabis, who leads one of the world's most influential AI labs, has been among the frontier AI executives warning that society has a narrow window to prepare for the next stage of the technology.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that AI could make wide swaths of jobs disappear, while Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said half of entry-level white-collar work could vanish in the next half-decade. Recently, the executives pulled back the doomerism talk.

During the fireside chat, Hassabis said some of his peers in the industry are being "way too certain" about their predictions. But he said AGI could unlock medical breakthroughs and economic transformation, raising the possibility of a "post-scarcity world" — an idea invoked by futurists like Elon Musk.

Because of AGI's potential, the DeepMind CEO said now is the time to brace for the impacts, calling on humanities and STEM students to adapt to the new era and "lean in" to the technology.

"Society needs to hear that because we don't have long to prepare for what that means," he said. "The future, in my view, is still to be written, but these next few years are going to be very critical as to which way that will go and how we collectively want that to look like."

• Alex Ruber and his cofounder, Parth Chopra, entered YC's fall 2024 batch with an AI shopping tool.
• After running at a loss, they pivoted through five to six ideas before finding success.
• He said their biggest mistake during the search for a winning app was how they handled pivots.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alex Ruber, a 29-year-old cofounder and CEO, based in San Francisco. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

About five months after being in Y Combinator, my cofounder, Parth, and I thought we might have to give up.

We met through Y Combinator's Co-founder Matching Program, a free resource to help people find potential business partners, in January 2024. We were both working full-time. After building some projects together, we launched an AI-powered shopping tool and were accepted into Y Combinator's fall 2024 batch.

It became clear that the shopping app was not economically viable and was running at a loss, with no clear path forward. We entered what I call our three-month pivot hell. Within those three months, we tried out about five to six different ideas and almost gave up.

Then, we built a very simple game on a whim, and by August 2025, roughly five months after launch, our monthly revenue had reached $144,533.

We did not want to let go of our first app idea

Parth and I were both full-time engineers when we met and bonded over our love of building projects on the side. Also, we're both really into fashion, especially thrifting.

We thought that the secondhand shopping market would only grow as concerns about the environment grew. Combining that with the advent of AI, we built a basic conversational search engine where users could type anything in natural language, like "I'm looking for a leather jacket under $500 with two stripes, and it has to be a little bit worn in." The engine would search resale sites like Poshmark, eBay, Mercari, and ThredUp, then compile all the results into a single page.

We loved using the app and got some traction, but it was very expensive to run. People were browsing every day, but they weren't necessarily buying. The commission we made on the final sale wasn't great either.

We had poured so much time and energy into this, and wanted to continue because of that, but we hit a breaking point. Eventually, we made the call to explore other ideas as our main pursuit.

We spent 2 to 3 weeks on each new idea

We cycled through five to six fleshed-out ideas, up to 10, depending on how you define an idea execution. We tried everything from a therapy product to a self-journaling product to ideas for dating apps. We even went into the B2B side of the insurance and paper industries.

We'd constrain ourselves to build the solution in one to two days so that we could put it in front of real users through friends, family, Reddit, X, and online communities as quickly as possible.

For each of these ideas, we went super hard for maybe two to three weeks. We did user interviews. We'd also determine the product's success metrics, and we were ruthless about them. We asked ourselves a simple question: Do people come back, or care enough to pay? If the answer was no, we'd switch to a new idea very quickly.

Constantly trying to dive into a new industry or space put a huge mental and physical strain on us, but we were really trying to find a problem we could help solve.

Right before we came up with our successful app, we hit a low point

We had cycled through so many ideas, and the metrics weren't looking good. We were completely exhausted and didn't know what to do.

There was one night when Parth and I decided to go for a walk. We both wanted to take a break and, honestly, get out of the startup world. We took two or three days off to reflect on what went right and what went wrong for each pursuit.

On the last day, we went back to the whiteboard. We decided we wanted to build in the consumer space. That's one thing that we learned from that whole pivot hell: we didn't love B2B.

We started making observations about the world around us. Being a founder is a very lonely experience, and we noticed that a lot of our friends and family were worried about us. Every time they checked in or called, we'd always be like, "Oh, we're just working." Same bland answer every time.

So we built a very early version of Candle, our social connection app, mainly to feel closer to our loved ones again. It gives a one-question-a-day prompt for both people to answer.

We didn't have any metric goals when we first created our best idea

We were so strict about the metrics during our constant pivot cycle, but we didn't have metrics for Candle right away because it wasn't one of the ideas we took seriously enough to define metrics for before we built it.

Then it started making a big difference in our own relationships. The retention seemed really good organically among our family and friends. We started measuring it, and it was the best metric-wise of our ideas.

We published the app on the App Store in March 2025. We have a full-time team of four, and in our first year, we made over $1 million in revenue.

We don't throw AI at every step, but it does help us

We have a large question library, and we're actually opposed to AI-generated questions for our app. We feel like they come across as inauthentic, and this is an app for human connection, so we have human question writers. However, we do use AI to edit grammar.

We use Claude Code and Codex for much of our code generation and for building mini-games in the app. We don't have a translator, so we've started using AI to translate into German, French, and Spanish. This has worked very well, especially using Gemini and Claude. We also have AI recommendations for activities that two users could do together.

Using AI to recommend content or information that helps two people connect is how I think AI should be used, not to replace the connections humans form with each other.

We pinpointed our biggest mistake and learned from it

We feel so passionate about our app. Looking back, the biggest mistake we made was making an industry pivot that was too large each time we explored a new product idea.

Instead of picking a problem space we really love, trying our solution, and, if it didn't work, switching to a different solution, we kept switching industries. We lost our passion for what we were building as we did that.

My advice would be to pick the problem space and not change it very easily. How you approach that problem is what you should be changing.

Do you have a similar story to share? If so, please reach out to the reporter at aapplegate@businessinsider.com.

• A pair of YouTuber-helmed horror films scored big at the box office, and others could follow.
• Media insiders told us which creators they think could get the Hollywood movie treatment next.
• They include filmmakers like Kinigra Deon and Baron Ryan.

Hollywood is hungry for new breakthrough films and talent. Is YouTube the next place to mine for popular IP and filmmaking stars?

YouTuber-helmed horror hits "Obsession" and "Backrooms" beat Disney's "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" this past weekend in ticket sales.

They build on an earlier box office darling, "Iron Lung," from YouTuber "Markiplier" (Mark Edward Fischbach), and show how a digital creator with a small budget can draw movie theater crowds.

Hollywood is beginning to make bets on YouTube creators, and industry insiders say horror films like these, as well as comedy, will lead the way because they're cheaper to produce and can be box-office draws.

Large-scale investments remain rare due to the limited number of creators with proven directing and writing experience. In making the leap to film, follower counts don't always translate to Hollywood success, said Kai Gayoso, a managing partner at Range Media.

Talent and storytelling chops carry more weight.

Digital media has produced TV stars like Issa Rae and hits like "Broad City." As more filmmakers emerge from social media, executives expect new ideas and franchises to originate online.

"We need more turns at bat," said Adam Wescott, CEO of Mind Chatter Media, a digital media company and content studio.

Business Insider asked agents, media executives, YouTube editors and creators, and other industry insiders who could get a crack at the big screen next. Their picks represent a mix of people known for their work in comedy, scripted, and more.

One thing is clear — Hollywood's next filmmakers may not be the biggest names now, but have been developing characters, worlds, and directing skills online for years.

The establishment players

The most obvious names are creators who have already crossed over to Hollywood with streaming deals.

Fox Corporation's Tubi courted Kinigra Deon, behind scripted YouTube shows like "The Hairshop," to direct the film "Sundown" this year through a deal with Kevin Hart's Hartbeat. Gray Fagan released a high-school comedy, "Senior Prank," on Tubi and is working on a comedy horror. TikTok comedian Kelon Campbell, who goes by Psyiconic, had a film based on his character, Terri Joe, debut on the streamer in 2026.

Then there's Mark Phillips, who built a comedy universe in RDC World and has co-developed a scripted series for HBO with Issa Rae. The YouTube studio Almost Friday, born on Instagram as "Friday Beers," is developing a comedy series for FX called "Last Night Was a Movie."

"We're starting to have more and more conversations about film," Almost Friday's president, Andrew Kenward, told Business Insider. "We want to be pretty targeted and really rally around a thing or two if we're going to go pursue something there because the life cycle of those projects is much longer."

It's hard to overlook the creators who've built online universes and developed their own big production studios, too.

Think of prolific young adult (YA) YouTube creators like Alan Chikin Chow, whose signature show, "Alan's Universe," is also on Amazon's Prime Video, Roku, and Tubi. Morality tale-maker Dhar Mann, who has a Samsung TV channel and a micro drama production deal with Fox, could also break into family-friendly films.

The independents scoring awards and festival nods

"YouTube is the next Sundance," Max Reisinger, CEO of media incubator Creator Camp, told Business Insider.

Baron Ryan, known online as American Baron, directed "Two Sleepy People," which showed at about 100 US theaters this winter and was recently picked up for distribution in Europe. It was the first feature film to emerge from Creator Camp.

Underscore Talent, which represents a slew of creators, including comedian Kareem Rahma — who recently launched a new show with YouTube — has comedy actor and writer Pooja Tripathi under its wing. Tripathi's scripted show, "Brooklyn Coffee Shop," has nearly 500,000 Instagram followers and scored a spot in Tribeca Festival's creator showcase. This year, Tribeca is also highlighting Jeb McCormick, the brains behind the Fallen Media show "15 Second Film," fast-paced short films for social media.

"The narrative has been social media is coming for traditional," Range Media's Gayoso said. "We're landing in a much more even place now. You can launch TV shows off of short-form platforms. Movies were always going to be next."

Christian Del Grosso, a digital comedy creator, just directed his first feature, "Boot Lake," an indie thriller. Sarah Bahbah, a Palestinian artist and creator based in Los Angeles, was mentored via the Netflix Series Director Program in 2025. TikToker Max Zavidow makes dark comedies and surreal short films like his Webby-nominated project, "Coming Home."

Zavidow said studios should look for creators whose content is "so good and the voice is so distinct, and the style is so cohesive, that even if you take them out of their medium, they can still thrive because they have a very potent sense of self."

Kariza Santos, who used to make traditional media projects, built an audience of around 1 million subscribers on YouTube, making cinematic vlogs of her life that she releases in seasons. Tristan Tales, a writer and TikToker, has a YA series, "Lostlings," that's bound for streaming and linear in the fall after a YouTube release.

Other creators are being tapped for larger projects based on their experience making TV-style series, which could serve as an on-ramp to feature films. Matthew Patrick, known online as MatPat, the creator behind YouTube network Theorist, recently signed a studio deal for behind-the-camera work.

Being popular on YouTube doesn't guarantee a box office win

Before Hollywood studios go running after every creator with hopes of ticket sales and endless IP opportunities, not every creator with millions of fans is a guaranteed box-office hit.

Creators have tried their hand at pivoting from phone screens to the big screen before, with mixed degrees of success. For instance, Ryan Kaji's "Ryan's World" (2024) or Dude Perfect's "The Hero Tour" (2025) had muted theatrical releases.

The latest creator-made films are changing that tune.

"I don't think this is the gold rush for taking every big creator with a massive audience and saying, 'Let's make a movie,'" Gayoso said.

It is, however, an opportunity for studios to sweep up young talent with a knack for good storytelling and the ability to achieve big things with small budgets.

"When you go to YouTube, you're wearing all the hats. You're your own producer and writer and director and makeup artist and wardrobe," Santos said. "You learn how to just do everything."

• Rob Arnott suggests reducing exposure to expensive US growth stocks.
• Arnott highlights opportunities in small-cap value and emerging markets value stocks.
• Emerging-market value stocks are cheaper relative to the S&P 500 than 80% of the time since 1996.

It's been a stellar few years for US growth stocks, but in a richly valued market, it's time to start looking elsewhere for deals, says investing legend Rob Arnott.

Arnott, the founder of Research Affiliates, doesn't recommend dumping growth shares all at once, but rather, thinks investors should start whittling their exposure while looking toward other unloved corners of the market.

"I'd be worried about being complacent about a market that's as expensive as it is today, but I'd also be worried about bailing out too aggressively," Arnott told Business Insider in a recent interview.

"I think the best course for investors is to just gradually average their exposure to US and especially US growth down," he continued, "but average it down over the course of months, even over a couple of years, and pivot that money into the segments of the market that are cheap."

One such area of the market is small-cap value stocks, according to Arnott, who is a pioneer in alternative index construction.

This particular corner of the market overlaps with two factors that find themselves in historically cheap territory. For one, small-cap valuations relative to large-caps are uber cheap, said Arnott, calling the spread between the two groups "enormous."

According to an April study published by Fidelity looking at data since 1990, when small-cap valuations are in their cheapest quintile relative to large-cap valuations, small-caps outperform large-caps over the following 10-year period 96% of the time.

The factor is value versus growth. The two groups' valuations are at their largest ever spread, as shown in the chart below from Yardeni Research.

To put on finer point on just how extreme things have gotten, Arnott dropped an eye-popping stat: there are now seven individual companies in the S&P 500 that alone have a larger market capitalization than the entire Russell 2000 value index.

"There is no precedent for that, and that's how stretched the market has become," he said.

Another cheap area where investors can find opportunities, Arnott said, is in emerging-market value stocks.

The chart below from Research Affiliates shows that emerging market stocks are cheaper relative to the S&P 500 than 80% of the time since 1996.

Investors can gain exposure to these trades through funds like the iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN) and the Avantis Emerging Markets Value ETF (AVES).

• Uber is recruiting fewer ride-hailing drivers in some cities, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.
• The pullback comes as self-driving cars from companies like Waymo become more common.
• Khosrowshahi said that the move is meant to make it easier for existing drivers to earn on the app.

Automation is finally coming for the human rideshare driver.

Uber is cutting back on recruiting drivers in cities where autonomous vehicles, like those from Waymo, are operating, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told Fast Company in an article published on Monday.

Having fewer new entrants in those markets ensures "that the drivers who are [already] in-market, who are experienced, and who've been with us through this whole journey continue to earn," Khosrowshahi told the magazine.

The comments provide evidence of what some ride-hailing drivers have long feared: The spread of robotaxis will mean fewer opportunities for them to earn a living.

It's not all bad news for rideshare drivers, however. Uber says that while it's recruiting fewer drivers, it's seen more drivers sign up as demand for the service grows.

Khosrowshahi said that human drivers in markets where Uber has added driverless cars, such as Atlanta and Austin, are busier than their counterparts in cities without the tech.

Drivers in those cities are "making more money," Khosrowshahi said on an episode of the "Invest Like the Best" podcast on Wednesday.

"The number of drivers joining the platform is increasing, because it looks like AVs are actually adding incremental demand to the platform," the CEO said, referring to autonomous vehicles.

An Uber spokesperson told Business Insider that both of Khosrowshahi's statements "can be true at the same time," adding that the company is reducing its marketing spending in some cities while seeing more drivers sign up for Uber on their own as they respond to increased rider demand.

Even with robotaxis, Uber says it will still need human drivers.

Andrew Macdonald, Uber's COO, said last year that the number of Uber drivers could rise in the coming years as more people choose to use ride-hailing services instead of owning cars.

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• A Brooklyn home seller will accept bitcoin or Anthropic shares for a $5.99M Williamsburg property.
• The home has been on the market since August and has undergone several price reductions.
• Homeowners are embracing AI startup equity as currency amid rising valuations in tech companies.

Forget cash — this Brooklyn seller wants Anthropic stock for their $5.99 million property.

A luxury home in Williamsburg has hit the market with an unusual payment option: The seller is willing to accept bitcoin or vested shares in Anthropic, the artificial-intelligence startup valued at over $1 trillion on secondary markets.

The Brooklyn listing is the latest example of homeowners embracing private tech-company equity as currency, as AI-fueled fortunes reshape everything from investing to real estate.

"Every generation has its wealth-creation vehicle. For many people today, that's private technology companies and digital assets," the seller said in an emailed statement to Business Insider delivered via the listing agent. "The mention of Anthropic shares and bitcoin was a way of acknowledging that reality while signaling that we're open to creative transaction structures."

"If someone has been fortunate enough to participate in one of those trends and wants to exchange a portion of that position for real estate, we're happy to have the conversation," the seller's statement continued.

The appeal of Anthropic shares has only intensified in recent weeks. The Claude-maker recently confidentially filed paperwork for an initial public offering, kicking off what could become one of the most closely watched tech public-market debuts and giving employees and investors a potential path to cash out their holdings.

The seller said they are a daily user of Anthropic's products. They added that news of the S-1 filing prompted them to include shares as a potential purchase option so employees could leverage their "windfall liquidity" to buy property in the exclusive neighborhood the seller has called home for the last decade.

Located in a private mews beside Williamsburg's Domino Park, the four-bedroom home spans multiple levels and includes three full bathrooms, two powder rooms, a finished basement, and a private garage with EV charging capability.

The property is designed around indoor-outdoor living, with a landscaped garden for entertaining and a rooftop deck offering views of the Manhattan skyline and Williamsburg Bridge. Inside, features include soaring ceilings, wide-plank white oak floors, exposed concrete details, and a full-floor living room centered on a gas fireplace.

The primary suite occupies the top floor and includes a spa-like bathroom and walk-in closet, while the lower level offers flexible space for a home theater, gym, office, or studio.

The home is part of the Wythe Lane Townhomes development, a short walk from Domino Park, restaurants, the East River ferry, and other Williamsburg amenities.

The willingness to accept Anthropic shares comes after several attempts to sell the property through more traditional channels.

Zillow records show the home last changed hands for $4.17 million in 2016. It hit the market again in August 2025 for $6.5 million, underwent two price reductions, and was relisted this spring at just under $6 million, where it remains.

Christine Blackburn, one of the listing agents for the Brooklyn property, told Business Insider that the seller was inspired to accept shares in Anthropic as payment after seeing a similar listing in the Bay Area. She said the decision was not related to prior price reductions.

As private AI companies mint a new class of paper millionaires, some homeowners are beginning to treat startup equity like a currency.

Real estate agents have already reported that AI wealth is reshaping housing markets, particularly in the Bay Area, where employees and investors whose fortunes have swelled alongside companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI are helping fuel bidding wars and rising luxury-home prices.

In recent months, sellers have advertised homes that can be purchased with shares in companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, wagering that coveted private-company stock could ultimately prove more valuable than cash.

The Brooklyn listing is the latest sign that private AI equity — once largely confined to venture-capital circles — is increasingly finding its way into real-world transactions.

• Fatema Ali was laid off from IBM in April 2024 and is still searching for full-time work.
• She says today's job market feels harder than it did when she graduated during the Great Recession.
• Living off savings has helped her family navigate financial uncertainty after her layoff.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Fatema Ali, a job seeker in her 30s who lives in Texas. She previously worked for IBM as a project manager before being laid off in 2024. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In early 2024, I began to worry that my time at IBM could be coming to an end.

I was a delivery project manager based in the Dallas area and had been working remotely since joining IBM in 2018. That January, IBM announced that all US managers would be required to report to an office or client location at least three days a week or risk losing their jobs. There was an office about 15 minutes from my home, and I started going in regularly.

In February, my manager started warning me that broader layoffs could be on the horizon. By the time I was laid off in April, I wasn't completely surprised.

More than two years later, I'm still looking for full-time work.

My husband and I were suddenly both out of work at the same time

What made the layoff more difficult was that a few months earlier, my husband had left his job to pursue a startup idea that wasn't yet generating income. We had three children to support, and suddenly neither of us had a traditional full-time job.

One thing working in our favor was that we had already paid off our house. That gave us some breathing room and relieved some financial pressure.

Even so, there was a lot of financial uncertainty. We cut back where we could and tried to live more simply, including traveling less with the kids. For a period, we were largely living off savings and the severance I received, which amounted to about three months of salary.

I started looking for work immediately, both inside and outside IBM. There was one promising internal opportunity I applied for, but it would've required me to move to North Carolina. I had recently bought a home in Texas, had family nearby, and didn't want to uproot my three children.

Instead, I focused on finding opportunities closer to home, primarily in project and program management, while also applying for roles in higher education, nonprofits, and government.

The job search feels harder than it did during the Great Recession

When I graduated from college in 2008 during the Great Recession, the job market was difficult. Looking back, it almost feels like a walk in the park compared with what I've experienced over the last two years. Back then, I was getting more interview opportunities.

One of the most frustrating parts of the process has been dealing with applicant tracking systems. I have dozens of résumé versions for different roles because I know résumés can be filtered out if they're missing the right keywords. It feels like strong candidates can be overlooked before anyone has a chance to review their experience.

I can spend hours tailoring an application and never speak with a human recruiter. It's become a nightmare.

I try to reach out to people in my network. If I see a mutual connection who works at an organization where I'm applying, I'll try to reconnect with them directly. Simply applying online without a referral has become one of my least effective job-search strategies.

I've landed a few interviews over the last two years and have made it through multiple rounds with some employers. In many cases, companies ultimately chose an internal candidate or someone with more experience in a specific area. Occasionally, I check LinkedIn to try to figure out who ended up getting the role based on their title and start date.

I've tried to make the most of my time away from work

While I've been looking for work since my layoff, I haven't always been consistent with my applications. I spent time helping my husband with his startup and devoted a lot of time to caring for my youngest child.

Last year, my husband decided to focus less on his startup and return to the workforce, landing a new job in November. That provided some financial relief for our family.

As my children have gotten older, I've also had more freedom to focus on my career again. By the middle of last year, I became much more consistent with my job search.

While I'm still looking for work, I've scaled back my job search somewhat in recent months to spend more time pursuing projects with my husband, notably P1loop, an app we launched together. My husband used his experience as an iOS developer to help build it.

The app is designed to help teams communicate about urgent operational issues. It isn't generating any income yet, but we're hopeful. My layoff experience has forced me to rethink stability, take a risk, and try to build something meaningful from scratch.

The biggest lesson I've learned is patience

I've been working since I was 19, and I'm looking forward to returning to work.

My job search has been stressful, but I didn't want that pressure to show on my face. I don't want my children to feel like there is anything wrong. I want to carry on with the day and stay grounded as best as I can.

Being unemployed hasn't felt like much of a break. When you're dealing with financial uncertainty, caring for children, looking for work, and trying to build something new, your mind is always racing.

My best advice to anyone going through this is to stay patient, whether you've worked really hard and things are going exactly the way you hoped, or things aren't falling into place yet.

While I'm still looking for the right opportunity, I've learned the importance of staying the course.

Hannah Lowery expected to lose acting jobs to rivals — but not to AI.

Earlier this year, the 19-year-old actor, based in Los Angeles, was thrilled to find out she'd been cast in a new show about the cutthroat world of ice skating. Then came the bad news: The project was shifting entirely to AI. She and the other humans were out.

"It's disheartening because the amount of jobs that everyone would have in that production, and the creativity that everyone would bring to that story, is now just completely gone," she told Business Insider.

Lowery's experience shows how actors' AI nightmare scenario is becoming a reality in one corner of Hollywood — the fast-growing $1.3 billion industry of US "micro dramas," or short-form series designed for mobile viewing.

The sector had become a rare bright spot for actors slogging through a yearslong slump in film and TV production, especially in Los Angeles. Now it's turning into ground zero for AI displacement of human actors.

Blake Manning, a 21-year-old actor who grew up in Orange County, was tapped to play a renegade hockey star in April before finding out that the project was flipping to AI. Faith Orta, an actor who appeared in half a dozen short series this year, said she lost a role to AI less than two weeks before filming was set to begin. Rebecca Berg, another short-drama star, said her audition calls have been drying up. She had five calls in a recent week, down from the usual 20 to 30.

A big driver of the shift is cost savings. TrueShort, a new AI film startup backed by Khosla Ventures and Jeffrey Katzenberg's WndrCo, said it can make 20- to 30-minute shows for $1,000 to $3,000 each — a fraction of the typical $100,000 to $300,000 cost of those using human actors. Beijing-based startup StoReel said it can make an hourlong series using AI for $20,000 to $40,000.

In China, where micro dramas — also called "verticals" — first gained popularity, a significant share of the work has already shifted to AI. These AI productions are expected to drive around $3.5 billion in revenue this year, according to state-run media. It pegged the overall Chinese micro drama market at more than $14 billion last year.

Hollywood's broader film and television industry could be next. Members of the actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, are voting on a contract proposal that introduces some limitations on AI actors, but still allows producers to bargain for the use of synthetic performers as long as it brings "significant additional value."

The technology is already making its way into mainstream filmmaking. The movie "As Deep as the Grave" grabbed headlines in March for using an AI replica of the late Val Kilmer. "Hell Grind," a mostly AI-generated action movie from startup Higgsfield AI, premiered in May at Marché du Film in Cannes.

"Actors are existentially worried about AI," said Zak Barnett, an acting coach who's spent decades training Hollywood aspirants. "It feels like verticals are the first real testing ground."

'A lot of people rely on this for work'

Micro dramas, which feature soap-opera plotlines like "The Fake Debutante and the True Billionaire," experienced rapid growth in the US last year. Major streamers like Paramount+ and Peacock have begun exploring the format. Issa Rae, an actor and co-creator of HBO's "Insecure," launched a micro drama series earlier this year.

The shows have become an important source of jobs for Los Angeles actors since many productions have moved out of Hollywood to places with favorable tax incentives, such as London, Vancouver, and states like Georgia and New Mexico. In the first half of May, nearly a third (28%) of the LA casting opportunities listed on the Actors Access jobs portal were for roles in verticals.

Luke Dodge, a 20-year-old actor who followed his parents into entertainment, said he earns between $1,200 and $2,000 per day on a nine- or 10-day micro-drama shoot.

"They just keep coming in, it's almost like working a 9-to-5, they're so rhythmic," he said of verticals. "I was able to quit my jobs, and actually have a nice little jump in this industry, which is cool."

Like other young actors, Dodge has noticed AI creeping into his work this year. A production company recently sent him an approval request seeking permission to include an AI version of him in additional scenes.

Dodge is worried about micro dramas fully pivoting to AI actors.

"A lot of people rely on this for work," he said. "It would be, definitely, very destructive if they went AI. We would all be out of jobs."

Orta, a 26-year-old actor who regularly stars in short dramas including "Marrying a Prisoner" and "Rooming with the Devil," said she was cast in a lead role in February. She said a producer then told her that the series was shifting to AI and that they could make 60 AI shows with the same budget.

She said the decision cost her other opportunities she'd passed up for the rare chance to play a strong female lead.

"I don't get to do such roles so often," she said. "She was super strong. I was sad it was taken away."

The sudden shift has sent a chill through the vertical community. Short dramas have provided a steady source of income and offered an on-ramp for unproven actors who otherwise would have had to settle for background work.

"This is 100% my income," Berg said. "My hope is to make TV shows and movies, but I'm not an established TV and film actor yet."

Reviews are … mixed

Guy Chachkes, a film producer, said he's watched around 15 verticals featuring AI characters, and their performances felt fake.

"The problem is they're not emotionally believable, and as humans we're really good at calling out really minute details that feel fake to us," Chachkes said. "Whether that's important or not, that is what time will tell. The acting is definitely not there to mimic real, true human emotion."

AI actors' faces and voices are getting more consistent from one scene to the next, but their eyes can appear vacant, and voices don't always match facial expressions, body language, or context, said D'Arcy Smith, an acting and voice professor at the University of Cincinnati.

"Big shifts in emotion can make the character sound like another character" in the film, he said.

Steven Diamond, owner of Lumovex, a studio that produces AI-generated micro dramas, said his company has dedicated much of its efforts to humanizing its synthetic characters.

"We realized that every character that we saw that was being generated by AI looked soulless," he said. "We worked really, really hard on figuring out: What is that life force behind the eyes? How can we create that? How can we duplicate that so that the characters are believable?"

Some viewers prefer AI characters.

On TikTok's PineDrama app, one commenter described the AI actors as "better than the human ones" in "Sorry Ex-wife, I'm The Hidden Trillionaire."

Others aren't so sure.

One commenter on "The Hoodie Hides a Fortune" wrote that AI-generated stories are "really getting out of hand these days."

TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

'There for the humans'

Ultimately, viewers will determine the future of AI in shows.

Among the 1,670 short-drama fans who responded to a November survey conducted by Jen Cooper, an industry consultant, 93% said the star was the biggest factor in their decision of what to watch.

"The current audience in the West is there for the humans, and people are aware of AI's impact on jobs," she said.

Several of the actors Business Insider spoke with said their loyal fan bases offered them job security, even as studios looked to cut costs.

"They watch the show because we are in the show," Lowery said. "I've seen so many actors and actresses that are so talented just move people in ways that robots can never do and AI can never replicate."

Some performers, like Manning, have millions of followers on social media, enabling them to promote shows in ways a synthetic actor can't. The actor regularly posts behind-the-scenes photos and videos from set to tease shows via TikTok and Instagram.

"It's so cool to see how many people we have on our side that want us to succeed and that push us every single day," Manning said.

Isabel Dréan, a micro-drama producer, said she receives "daily" requests from apps to make AI-generated films. She said the industry's greatest challenge is the high cost of marketing the micro dramas, which AI actors would not help solve.

A sign of things to come for Hollywood

Are movie stars the next target for AI disruption?

Hollywood studios have been wrestling with how to leverage AI's benefits without upsetting the creative community or alienating viewers. Some are using the technology in limited ways, such as to de-age characters, while others are making deeper bets in areas like animation.

Nikola Todorovic, an artist and cofounder of the VFX studio Wonder Dynamics, said his company uses AI and other tools to generate natural-looking crowd scenes and to design realistic, non-human characters that don't exist in real life (think "Planet of the Apes").

The technology has its limits, Todorovic said. AI-generated video doesn't allow for the necessary tweaking of motion and emotional details that are hard to prompt, for instance.

If the tech improves to the point where it can more effectively mimic actors' work, it would likely draw renewed backlash. When AI character Tilly Norwood came on the scene in 2025 through a short film and Instagram account, SAG-AFTRA and several of its famous members decried her creation.

Still, actor outrage may not be enough to slow down Hollywood executives eager to cut costs.

Bryn Mooser, CEO of Asteria Film, an AI-driven film studio, said he expects "exponential growth" in the use of synthetic humans, noting the spread of AI avatars in China who sell things online. He sees Hollywood using AI to create minor characters or those whose faces aren't visible, but believes the industry isn't close to replacing movie and TV stars.

"A world where Tilly Norwood is made for an Avengers movie is far away," he said.

In some corners, it's AI or nothing.

Andrew Pearce, an LA-based producer who makes verticals, said that in recent weeks, at least three platforms had told him they were pausing live-action production and shifting to AI.

"Clients are telling me, 'We're not doing any shows that aren't AI,'" he said. "We can't compete."

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• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has become a market-moving voice.
• The AI icon called Marvell the next $1 trillion company, sparking a major rally in the stock this week.
• Software and quantum names are some of the other stocks that have moved on comments from the CEO.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is a market-mover.

His leadership of the biggest company on Earth doesn't just have an impact on Nvidia stock. His comments have sparked major rallies—and losses—in other parts of the market.

As the AI trade commands more and more attention, Huang's remarks have become fodder for investors looking for the next frontier in tech.

Here are four instances when Huang's remarks have fueled moves in various corners of the stock market.

Marvell

Marvel stock skyrocketed after Jensen Huang said it would be the next $1 trillion company. Shares climbed as much 32% on June 2 after Huang's comments, and extended gains on Wednesday.

Recently, Micron and SK Hynix joined the $1 trillion club as surging AI-driven memory chip demand has sent memory stocks soaring.

Huang's comments signaled to investors that Marvell could be set for similar gains. Nvidia announced a $2 billion investment in Marvell in March.

The company is a chipmaker with exposure to other areas like optical tech, which has become an emerging bottleneck in AI.

Software stocks

Software stocks soared after Snowflake's blowout earnings report sent the stock up 36% on May 28.

Days later, Huang's comment fueled a fresh rally in the space, piling on to the bullish sentiment that helped lift many beaten-down stocks out of their rut.

"This is actually an incredible time to be a software company," Huang said, dismissing the fears about an AI-driven wipeout that sent the sector spiraling in the first quarter of the year.

The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF saw nearly 6% gains on Monday, adding to the more than 6% rally the Friday before.

"A lot of people have said, 'Jensen, AI is coming. Agentic AI is coming. Therefore, all of the software companies are going to go out of business.' I said it's exactly the opposite because there are going to be so many agents," Huang said.

It's not the first time that the CEO pushed back on the idea that AI would eat software. He said the idea that AI will replace software is the "most illogical thing in the world" as AI hype turned to fear and pummeled software stocks in the first quarter.

Quantum stocks

Huang's comments can also send stocks lower.

Quantum stocks plunged last year after the Nvidia CEO said that practical uses for AI are decades away.

"If you said 15 years for very useful quantum computers, that would probably be on the early side. If you said 30, it's probably on the late side," he said. "But if you picked 20, I think a whole bunch of us would believe it."

D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, Quantum Computing, and IonQ fell double digits, with some quantum names recording as much as 50% declines.

Later in the year, Huang actually turned bullish and took back his earlier comments about quantum, sparking a move in the opposite direction after he said the technology is at an "inflection point."

Quantum stocks have seen significant gains in 2026 driven by investment from the Trump administration and computing updates from Nvidia.

Dell

Dell stock popped after Huang called out the company on Nvidia's earnings call in 2024.

The stock gained roughly 4% in the trading session after the CEO underlined the the chipmaker's ethernet efforts and called out Dell specifically within its partner ecosystem.

During this time, Nvidia strengthened its Dell ties with its AI factory projects helping the legacy player secure its place in the AI era.

More recently, Dell has seen massive gains after its latest earnings report as legacy computer company benefits from AI spending on hardware.

Dell stock has more than tripled since the start of 2026.

• Walmart's Code Puppy aims to avoid vendor lock-in, offering flexibility with diverse AI models.
• Mike Pfaffenberger developed Code Puppy to prevent AI dependency and reduce tech costs for Walmart.
• Code Puppy has gone viral inside Walmart and is used by VPs as well as store managers.

I recently asked a startup CEO for his take on the best AI coding tools. He mentioned the usual suspects: OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code.

Then he brought up a less familiar name.

"There's another coding agent, Code Puppy, built by an amazing guy called Mike Pfaffenberger at Walmart, " this CEO told me. "It's got masses of usage in Walmart."

The tip sent me down a rabbit hole that revealed something much bigger than another AI coding assistant. Code Puppy is part of Walmart's effort to avoid what many technology executives fear could become one of the defining business problems of the AI era: getting locked into a handful of powerful providers.

The risk is familiar. Companies rush to adopt a breakthrough technology, redesign their systems around it, and then discover they've become dependent on a small number of suppliers. Switching becomes too expensive, disruptive, or risky.

It happened with IBM. It happened again with cloud computing. Now, many companies worry that it could happen with AI.

Code Puppy is Walmart's attempt to avoid that fate. It's become even more important lately, as companies blow through tech budgets by spending millions of dollars on AI coding tools and agents.

Pfaffenberger's flex

Code Puppy, based on the Pydantic AI library, was created by Pfaffenberger, a distinguished engineer in Walmart's Global Tech group. The AI coding assistant helps developers write, edit, test, and manage software using natural-language instructions.

Like Claude Code and Codex, it can build features, fix bugs, and analyze projects. But unlike many rivals, Code Puppy isn't tied to a single AI model or provider.

Instead, it can work with dozens of models from different suppliers, allowing developers to switch between them, compare results, or use several at once. It can also distribute workloads across providers, helping avoid usage limits and control costs.

That flexibility is central to Pfaffenberger's vision.

"It gives us the ability to not be locked into a vendor and have freedom to control and integrate with our own internal systems," he said during a presentation posted on YouTube in late April.

Cost control

This approach has multiple benefits. First up: Code Puppy could potentially save Walmart money on tokens, the main unit of AI usage. If one AI model provider increases token prices or introduces stricter rate limits, the system can help developers switch to cheaper models relatively easily.

Code Puppy works with models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and dozens of other providers, according to the project's public Github page.

And instead of sending every request to the same AI model, Code Puppy can be set up to automatically rotate between multiple models. That spreads workloads, reducing the risk of hitting rate limits.

Code control

Code Puppy is also about control, particularly over codebases, the vast collections of software code that underpin most modern companies.

AI coding tools like Claude Code and Codex are helping companies generate software at unprecedented speed, causing codebases to grow beyond what human developers can realistically maintain on their own.

That creates a potential dependency: if a codebase was largely built with Claude Code or Codex, companies may find they need to keep paying for those same tools to maintain, update, and understand the software they've created.

At first, Pfaffenberger said Code Puppy was a little more expensive than just using AI coding services such as Cursor or Windsurf.

"But what I really, really liked about it was I was in control," he said during his recent presentation. "I was willing to pay a little bit more money to have my own source code base that nobody can mess with."

"Enshittification"

At the moment, Anthropic and OpenAI are competing intensely with Cursor, Google, and others for AI coding market share. That means these services are still relatively affordable and flexible.

However, Pfaffenberger warned this could change, given how previous technology waves evolved.

In his presentation, he described this cycle of adoption and lock-in as the "enshittification" of tech. He showed a slide describing the process and how AI is intensifying it this time round.

Business Insider found the slide on CodePuppy's public GitHub page. Because the presentation was stored as code instead of a PowerPoint deck, BI used ChatGPT to generate a viewable image of the slide.

Enshittification, coined by writer Cory Doctorow, describes how technology platforms often become less attractive to users over time as companies seek to increase profits and exert more control.

"I'm really, I'm kind of proud of what I built here and just proud to be separated from what I would say is the investor-funded slop cycle," Pfaffenberger said in his presentation. "That's kind of like the gist of this slide."

"Helpless"

Pfaffenberger's concerns stem partly from his own experience as an enthusiastic user of AI coding tools. He said he began building Code Puppy after watching turbulence in the market for AI coding services.

Last year, when Windsurf appeared close to being acquired by OpenAI, Anthropic pulled access to one of its most popular models from the platform. Around the same time, Cursor sharply reduced usage limits, making heavy use of its service substantially more expensive.

"I was looking at all this happen and I felt kind of helpless," Pfaffenberger said during the presentation.

So he built his own alternative. The first version took only a few hours to create. Pfaffenberger then used the software to improve itself, allowing the coding assistant to help develop new versions of Code Puppy.

Going viral inside Walmart

The project struck a chord inside Walmart. The Code Puppy team was given an award during a Walmart tech all-hands meeting.

And in a LinkedIn post, Walmart SVP Dave Glick said Code Puppy had spread well beyond engineering teams, with everyone from tech VPs to store managers using it to create simple automations and bring new ideas to life.

Pfaffenberger said Code Puppy "kind of went viral inside of Walmart."

Qian Li, cofounder of startup DBOS, highlighted Pfaffenberger's advocacy for using an "LLM council." The idea is simple: instead of trusting one AI system, ask several models to tackle the same problem and compare their answers.

That approach reflects a broader philosophy behind the project. Rather than relying on one AI provider, Walmart can maintain flexibility to switch models as prices, performance, and capabilities change.

"Nightmare scenario"

Pfaffenberger is unusually outspoken about why that matters.

In the same presentation, he argued that the AI industry has become a circular ecosystem. AI model companies raise money to buy computing power from Nvidia. AI application startups raise money to buy access to those models. Users receive heavily subsidized services whose economics may not yet be sustainable.

Eventually, Pfaffenberger warned, somebody has to pay the bill.

"I just see this, like, nightmare scenario where… we as users who are not part of this agentic AI bubble, we need to do everything we can to protect ourselves from when that bubble goes pop and there's no access to tokens or software or whatever," he said in the presentation. "That was what motivated me to write Code Puppy."

"Oh, I forgot, I forgot this part," he added. "Walmart does require me to say that, like, all of my opinions are my own."

"We build our tools to be platform agnostic, which gives us the flexibility to work with the best partners and capabilities across the industry. Our strategy is not to lock ourselves into one vendor or model, but to give associates access to the right tools for the right work as the technology continues to evolve," a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.

• Shift cleaners wear head-mounted cameras while doing household chores.
• The footage is turned into training data for AI labs and robotics companies.
• Shift is part of microagi, a German lab founded by Formula One engineers and an AI researcher.

In New York City, where almost nothing is free, a startup called Shift Robotics is offering to clean your apartment for $0.

There is, of course, a catch: The cleaners wear head-mounted cameras that record first-person footage as they do dishes, mop floors, and fold laundry. That footage is turned into training data for AI labs and robotics companies.

Few people had heard of Shift before last week. Then its launch video went viral, drawing more than 8 million views. The initial 250 cleaning sessions sold out almost immediately. "We had thousands and thousands of people trying to book," Harry Kilberg, Shift's US General Manager, told Business Insider.

Shift is part of a growing scramble for real-world data as AI companies move from chatbots to machines that can work in homes, warehouses, and factories. Sam Altman has declared robotics OpenAI's next frontier, while Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla are all ramping up their own robotics efforts.

Kilberg, who stars in the launch video, said he expected the frenzied response. "We knew this idea is world-changing, so we thought it would go viral," he said.

Shift is the consumer-facing brand of microagi, a research lab founded in a Munich hacker house last year. The lab, headquartered in Germany, says it is working on "end-to-end physical AGI," or artificial general intelligence for machines that can act in the real world. microagi was founded by Bercan Kilic and Yoan Iliev, both former Formula One aerodynamic engineers, and Anton Poletaev, a former researcher at The Alan Turing Institute.

Shift operates in 15 countries and has 14,000 operators collecting real-world data, according to Kilberg. He described it as a marketplace "aimed at accelerating the transition from an economy where people work out of necessity, to one where everyday goods and services can become increasingly abundant and accessible."

Kilberg said robots that can reliably handle household chores are still far off. Until then, he said, people can be paid to gather the examples, aka the data, that those systems need to learn.

That data has become one of the biggest problems for startups and Big Tech companies trying to move AI from chatbots into machines that can act in the physical world. Large language models are trained on vast amounts of text and images from the internet. Since a comparable corpus for robots does not exist, the industry is trying to create one from scratch by paying gig workers to record the work robots may eventually do.

The free cleaning offer raises an obvious question: Does the math work?

"The unit economics are a lot better than you think," Kilberg said. microagi's internal technology processes the data in a way that makes it significantly higher quality, allowing it to command a premium when sold to AI labs and robotics companies, Kilberg said. Faces and screens are automatically blurred in the videos to anonymize the data, and no audio is captured. microagi also uses the data for its own internal research.

Kilberg said the idea for the launch came from early users who were already recording themselves doing tasks around their homes and wanted to do more.

"They started putting up flyers in their apartment buildings offering cleaning to neighbors because we would foot the bill," Kilberg said.

Others began stocking shelves at local bodegas or volunteering at soup kitchens while recording the work, he said. Kilberg declined to say how much people are paid to record themselves doing chores.

New York is just the beginning. Kilberg said Shift plans to expand across the US and add free or subsidized services beyond cleaning, including cooking and plumbing.

Shift is part of a growing market for data collected from the physical world. Scale AI, Turing, and micro1, which helped supply data for the chatbot boom, have moved into real-world data collection. The goal is to help close what UC Berkeley roboticist Ken Goldberg has called the "100,000-year data gap": the idea that robots are far behind chatbots because they lack enough real-world training examples.

The more services Shift offers, the more useful its footage becomes. AI labs and robotics companies need training data from a wide range of tasks and settings so robots can learn from the messiness of the real world.

Shift is also focused on geographic diversity. Kilberg said the company operates in countries where few others are collecting this kind of data, including Bulgaria, Georgia, and South Africa. He said Shift has especially caught on in Turkey.

• Staff compensation is becoming a target for employers looking to invest heavily in AI.
• Software company Teradata told employees they won't get raises this year due to AI spending.
• Such candor marks a "genuinely new" rhetorical shift, a workplace strategist told Business Insider.

AI isn't just coming for your job. It's coming for your pay.

As companies look for cash to fund their AI transformations, some are finding it by shrinking employee benefits and compensation packages.

Teradata, a global cloud software company, told its 5,100 employees in January not to expect an annual salary raise this year as it reallocates the budget toward AI investments, according to an internal memo seen by Business Insider and not previously reported.

Teradata's focus for 2026 is to "win in the market with AI," CEO Steve McMillan said in the memo, and to help achieve that, the company will be increasing investment in AI talent and expertise.

"We will fund this AI investment by reallocating the budget from 2026 annual salary adjustments," said McMillan.

Teradata did not comment on the budget decision. A spokesperson told Business Insider that the company is actively investing in AI to innovate its products and services.

Two US-based Teradata employees, both of whom have been at the company for over 10 years, told Business Insider they generally received annual salary increases of 2% to 4%, though they said the increases were not guaranteed each year.

Employees may still receive performance-based bonuses and equity shares as part of their compensation, the memo said. The decision applies to employees in countries where regulators do not require market-aligned salary adjustments.

Teradata is the second company that Business Insider has reported is openly telling staff it is pursuing AI spending over workforce investment.

TTEC, a midsize technology and services firm, recently paused 401(k) matches for its US employees through the end of 2026, saying in internal communications that the benefits retreat would help fund the tools, training, and capabilities necessary for the company's AI future.

The candor with which leaders are naming AI as the reason for cuts marks a new rhetorical shift, said Jennifer Moss, a workplace strategist and the author of "Why Are We Here? Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants."

"Whether that's more honest or more cynical depends on your read, but it does mark a real shift in what leaders are willing to say in public," Moss said. "And what becomes sayable tends to become more doable."

Financing an AI transformation

TTEC and Teradata are technology services companies operating in an industry where failure to adapt to AI is seen as a particularly existential risk. Across industries, businesses are increasing their AI spending. 

A recent CIO survey from RBC Capital polled 117 IT professionals at companies with annual revenues from under $250 million to more than $25 billion. It found that 90% of those surveyed planned to increase AI spending in 2026.

AI spending can range from tens of thousands of dollars for small pilots or basic integrations to millions of dollars for enterprise-scale AI transformations. Those costs are hitting as many companies are already operating with tighter budgets, driven by inflation, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions.

Teradata and TTEC have both faced financial difficulty in recent years, with global revenue declining 5% and 3.2%, respectively, in each company's latest financial year.

While AI costs may be rising, cutting worker compensation is a choice, not an inevitability, Moss told Business Insider.

Transformations can be financed through measures like taking on debt, reallocating nonessential spending, adjusting executive compensation, making acquisitions, phasing investments over time, or accepting lower margins for a defined period, she added.

Alphabet, for example, announced this week that it plans to sell $80 billion in stock to fund its investments in AI infrastructure.

"The reason workforce compensation ends up being the source is that it's the largest controllable expense line at most companies and the one with the least organized resistance," said Moss.

The actual cost of AI investment for most companies is relatively small compared to total compensation expense, she added.

According to BCG's 2026 AI Radar, a survey of 2,360 global companies that was released in January, companies only expect to spend about 1.7% of revenue on AI in 2026.

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an economist and director of Oxford University's Wellbeing Research Center, told Business Insider he expects more companies to make similar trade-offs as they pursue AI, saying it is indicative of a "short-term mindset."

"When leaders openly cut human compensation to fund AI, they are trying to project decisive, tech-forward management. However, the actual message traveling to the workforce is that they do not have a secure future in the organization," De Neve said.

Employees are losing power

Cuts to benefits and salary adjustments sit at the gentler end of the spectrum. Others have tied AI adoption to layoffs and fewer hiring opportunities.

Meta, for example, laid off 10% of its workforce in May, a move it linked to a push for efficiency and the need to fund investments.

Meta's stock price has surged in recent years, and in January, the company said its capital spending for the year would range from $115 billion to $135 billion.

Other firms, including Snap, Cisco, and Salesforce, have also announced staff cuts, citing AI efficiencies as a rationale; and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in May that he'll cover the cost of increasing AI investment by hiring fewer people.

Teradata's head count has fallen by over 21% since December 2023, a drop of 1,400 people that the company said was made to support its growth strategy, company filings show.

Ellen Raim, an employment attorney with 30 years of corporate HR leadership experience, told Business Insider that many companies are leaner and under increasing organizational pressure to show productivity gains and stronger head count ROI.

"AI is being positioned as a way to do that quickly," she said.

Many workers have struggled with a perception that AI could lead to their well-being being sidelined, something recently reinforced when Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters described some roles as "lower value, human capital." Winters later apologized. Alongside the growing tide of layoffs and examples of AI-focused compensation cuts at TTEC and Teradata, the power balance is shifting against workers as companies prioritize their AI futures.

Comments like Winters' reflect a broader trend of executives talking about people primarily as costs or capacity, Raim said. "That may make sense on a spreadsheet, but it can be corrosive inside an organization."

The risk, Raim said, is that companies underinvest in employees and undermine trust, at the very time they ask them to embrace these new tools and help figure out where AI can meaningfully improve the business.