Stores are kicking off Black Friday sales earlier than ever this year. Brands across style, furniture, tech, streaming, beauty, and travel are all trickling in with shocking discounts before the inevitable flood of markdowns arrives the week of Thanksgiving. So if a November birthday, a broken vacuum, or a lost earbud has you browsing now, don't fret: you can take advantage of these early Black Friday deals.

As someone who has been covering Black Fridays for over a decade, I'm not exaggerating when I say that the deals are pretty ripe for the picking already. While some retailers are holding out for the holiday to drop their best discounts, offers like $15 Mint Mobile and $1,500 off at Koala are already the lowest drops we're likely to see. If you can wait until the big day, do so — but you can shop worry-free with the deals our team has gathered below.

• Read our editors' early Black Friday roundups: Streaming services | TVs | Headphones | Verizon

• Read our editors' early Black Friday roundups: Mattresses | Coop Sleep Goods | Saatva | Koala | Rifle Paper Co. | Pet carriers | Litter boxes

• Read our editors' early Black Friday roundups: Shoes | Luggage | Alo | Vuori | Lilysilk | Spanx

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday 2026 lands on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. The following Monday, November 30, will be Cyber Monday. As you can see above, though, many stores have started their sales early, hoping to steal a march on the competition.

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• The White House salary report shows its top-paid staffers earn up to $197,200 annually.
• Senior advisors, legal counsel, and policy directors are among the highest earners listed.
• Government salaries can fall below private sector pay but far exceed the national average income.

Working at the White House might be one of the most exclusive and prestigious jobs in the US, but you'd be surprised by how much some of the people around the president make each year.

For starters, having the top job — that is, being the president of the US — brings in a salary of $400,000, which some independently wealthy presidents, such as John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, and Donald Trump, have chosen to donate instead.

While the figure is significantly higher than what the average American makes — $72,800 in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration — it's also less than you would need to be in the top 1% of earners across all US states.

In 2025, the top 1% of earners in Maryland and Virginia, which border the District of Columbia, earn $677,543 and $701,792 annually, respectively.

Government salaries often lag behind what professionals earn in the private sector, since serving the public isn't as lucrative as maximizing shareholder value. Still, to say that those working at the White House are underpaid would be an overstatement.

On July 1, the White House shared with Congress the salaries of all employees inside the White House Office, including aides, advisors, and staff leaders, as it is legally required to.

Some of the highest-compensated workers around the president include policy advisors and legal counsel, while others are responsible for the president's communications and personnel management. Lower-paid roles include research assistants and press assistants.

Other notable names, like Marco Rubio and David Sacks, declared a $0 salary from the office of the president, either forgoing their salary or receiving compensation from other branches of government.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

See the 34 highest-paid White House staffers listed in the July 2026 report. Some staffers, including Susie Wiles and Karoline Leavitt, have since changed roles or left the White House.

Gary Barnett

Role: Senior policy advisor

Salary: $197,200

Scott Brady

Role: Executive director of the Anti-Fraud Task Force

Salary: $197,200

Lucas Croslow

Role: Senior policy advisor

Salary: $197,200

Blake Deeley

Role: Deputy executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council

Salary: $197,200

Harry Jung

Role: Deputy director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets

Salary: $197,200

Peter Lake

Role: Senior advisor

Salary: $197,200

James "J.C." Miller

Role: Senior policy advisor

Salary: $197,200

Joseph Simonson

Role: Senior policy advisor

Salary: $197,200

Nick Stewart

Role: Policy advisor

Salary: $197,200

Jarrod Agen

Role: Executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council

Salary: $195,200

Brittany Baldwin

Role: Senior policy advisor

Salary: $195,200

Walker Barrett

Role: Assistant to the president for policy

Salary: $195,200

Meghan Bauer

Role: Cabinet Secretary

Salary: $195,200

James Braid (former role)

Role: Director of legislative affairs

Salary: $195,200

James Braid left his role as the White House director of legislative affairs in early October. Katie Bailey succeeded him.

Steven Cheung

Role: Director of communications

Salary: $195,200

John Coale

Role: Deputy assistant to the president and deputy special envoy to Ukraine

Salary: $195,200

Coale has since been appointed special envoy to Belarus. He was also nominated by Trump in October 2026 as the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, though he has not yet been confirmed.

Joshua Fisher

Role: Director of management and administration and director to the Office of Administration

Salary: $195,200

Shawn Flynn

Role: Associate counsel

Salary: $195,200

Vince Haley

Role: Director of the Domestic Policy Council

Salary: $195,200

Hayley Harrison

Role: Chief of staff to the first lady

Salary: $195,200

William 'Beau' Harrison

Role: Deputy chief of staff for operations

Salary: $195,200

Kevin Hassett

Role: Assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council

Salary: $195,200

Anne Hawkins

Role: Senior policy advisor

Salary: $195,200

Tom Homan

Role: Border czar

Salary: $195,200

Karoline Leavitt (former role)

Role: White House press secretary

Salary: $195,200

Karoline Leavitt left her role as the White House press secretary in August. She was briefly replaced by Katie Zacharia. Trump has not yet announced a replacement.

Stephen Miller (former role)

Role: Deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor

Salary: $195,200

Miller was promoted to chief of staff after Susie Wiles' exit on November 6. Trump described him as "one of my most trusted advisors." He starts on November 9.

Peter Navarro

Role: Senior counselor for trade and manufacturing

Salary: $195,200

Daniel Scavino

Role: Deputy chief of staff director of the Office for Presidential Personnel

Salary: $195,200

Will Scharf

Role: Staff secretary

Salary: $195,200

Courtney Stecker

Role: Senior policy advisor

Salary: $195,200

David Warrington

Role: Counsel to the president

Salary: $195,200

Susie Wiles (former role)

Role: Chief of staff

Salary: $195,200

Susie Wiles left her role as the White House chief of staff on November 6, Trump announced on Truth Social. He said she "has done an outstanding job." Trump named Stephen Miller as her replacement.

Patrick Witt

Role: Executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets

Salary: $195,200

Ross Worthington

Role: Director of speechwriting

Salary: $195,200

Editor's Note: This article was first published in October 2022 and most recently updated in November 2026.

I review TVs year-round, so I know just how expensive top models can be. That's why I'm excited to see so many great early Black Friday TV deals available right now. The main event is still a few weeks away, but some of my favorite TVs from Samsung, LG, TCL, Hisense, and Sony are at all-time low prices.

The Samsung S90H OLED is an especially good value. It's my pick for the best TV overall, combining pixel-level contrast with an impressive anti-glare screen that significantly reduces reflections. The 65-inch size is down to a record-low of $1,398 on Amazon. But if you're on a tighter budget and after a smaller screen, I highly recommend the TCL 55-inch QM6K, which is 20% off on Amazon, bringing it down to $478. The QM6K is my pick for the best budget TV, and it stands out from a lot of entry-level rivals by offering Mini LED local dimming and a high 144Hz refresh rate.

Though I anticipate even bigger savings on some TVs once Black Friday officially arrives, all of the early TV deals I've included below represent good discounts on each model's typical street price. I'll be keeping an eye on more TV deals throughout the holiday shopping season, so be sure to check back for the latest discounts.

The best early Black Friday Samsung TV deals

Some of the best Samsung TVs are on sale in the lead-up to Black Friday. Most notably, the S90H and S95H OLEDs are getting excellent discounts, with some sizes down to the lowest prices I've seen so far. The S90H is the brand's most versatile set and a top value for most needs, while the S95H delivers industry-leading OLED brightness. You can learn more in our Samsung S90H TV review and Samsung S95H TV review.

The best early Black Friday TCL TV deals

TCL's TVs are known for competitive pricing, and these early Black Friday deals only sweeten the pot. In addition to excellent discounts on the entry-level QM6K, I recommend the step-up QM8L and QM7L, which offer brighter panels and a wider color range. In particular, those with larger budgets who want a massive screen should check out the 98-inch QM8L, which is $3,000 off right now, which matches its Prime Day price. Check out my guide to the best TCL TVs for more details.

The best early Black Friday Hisense TV deals

Like TCL, Hisense has some of the most competitive TV pricing on the market, and several of its top displays are getting excellent early deals. Most notably, Hisense's 2026 U7SG and U6SF Pro are both great values for anyone looking for an affordable TV suited to a bright room. Both are getting great discounts and feature anti-glare screens (in sizes under 100 inches). That's a rarity for TVs at such budget-friendly prices. For more details, see our guide to the best Hisense TVs, and check our full review of the Hisense U6SF Pro.

The best early Black Friday LG TV deals

LG makes some of my favorite OLED TVs, and its C6 and C6H are both getting excellent discounts. The C6H is my go-to recommendation for anyone who wants an extra-large OLED. This model is only sold in 77- and 83-inch sizes, and it delivers a noticeably brighter image than the standard C6, which is available in smaller sizes. The 83-inch C6H is at a record low of $3,300 on Amazon. Though that's still a big investment, it's one of the lowest prices I've ever seen for an OLED this large and this bright. For more info, head over to my LG C6H TV review and guide to the best LG TVs.

The best early Black Friday Sony TV deals

Though Sony makes some of the most impressive TVs on the market, its top models often carry a premium over similar offerings from other brands. But right now, you can snag one of the company's most advanced TVs for a surprisingly competitive deal price. The Bravia 7 II True RGB TV is up to $1,000 off in various sizes. For the money, the Bravia 7 II is the best RGB TV I've tested, and it's my pick for the best Sony TV for most needs. It features the brand's new True RGB backlight system, which uses separate red, green, and blue LEDs to produce a richer, purer range of colors than a standard QLED or Mini LED set.

TV deal FAQs

When is Black Friday?

In 2026, Black Friday will be on November 27. Cyber Monday will follow on November 30. I'll be tracking deals on TVs and other tech products throughout the sale, so check back for more coverage.

How do we pick TV deals?

I’ve been covering TVs for over 10 years and follow the market year-round, which means I keep close tabs on price changes. To vet each discount, I compare the advertised sale price against a TV’s usual street price and its original launch MSRP using price-tracking tools such as CamelCamelCamel and Keepa.

Not every deal above matches a record low, but each one offers meaningful savings compared with what that TV typically costs.

What type of TV is best for you?

The TV industry is packed with marketing jargon, but terms like LED, QLED, Mini LED, OLED, and RGB LED do translate to meaningful differences in performance. Your best choice will depend on your budget, the amount of light in your room, and what you watch most often. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• OLED TVs: OLEDs, including QD-OLED and tandem OLED models, offer the best all-around picture quality on the market. Because each pixel can control its own light, they produce perfect black levels, an infinite contrast ratio, and very wide viewing angles — all of which make them especially well-suited to home theaters. The downsides are their higher cost, especially for larger sizes, lower peak brightness than top Mini LED/RGB LED/QLED sets, and a small risk of burn-in. For a deeper dive, see our OLED vs. QLED comparison.
• QLED TVs: QLED TVs, including newer SQD models, use LED backlights and quantum dots to create bright, rich colors. Top models work particularly well in sunny rooms, are available across a broad range of screen sizes and price points, and aren’t susceptible to burn-in. The best models also use Mini LED local dimming to enhance contrast, but they still fall short of OLED in black levels and off-center viewing.
• LED TVs: Basic LED TVs are usually the cheapest option on the market, especially if you're looking to upgrade to a larger screen size on a very tight budget. They can get the job done for everyday viewing, but they often lack features like quantum dots, local dimming, and wide-color support, which limits their overall picture performance. Most notably, entry-level LED TVs are dim and produce cloudy black levels that look washed out in a dark room.
• RGB LED TVs: Sometimes called Micro RGB, RGB Mini LED, or True RGB, these newer TV models use individual red, green, and blue LEDs in their backlight to achieve a wider range of colors than any other type of TV. The potential is exciting, but there are only a few options, and OLED still offers better contrast and viewing angles. Learn more in our RGB LED vs. Mini LED comparison.

What size TV should you buy?

The ideal TV size depends on your room, viewing distance, and budget. A 65-inch screen is a good baseline for general home theater use, as it's typically a sweet spot for most living rooms. Smaller sets are better for compact rooms and apartments, while going beyond 65 inches can make sports, movies, and games feel even more immersive. However, a large screen doesn't automatically mean good picture quality.

When looking through Black Friday TV deals, it’s easy to get drawn to a low-priced giant TV. But in many cases, spending the same amount on a smaller, higher-tier model will get you better brightness, color, contrast, and overall image quality. Consider the screen size alongside the display technology and picture features to find the best match for your space and budget.

Shopping for more discounts today? Check out our deals homepage for more savings across tech, home, kitchen, style, streaming, pets, and more.

As we come to a close on the first week of November, even more Black Friday deals have started to arrive early. I owe some of my coziest in-flight outfit moments to Vuori, and while there's no Black Friday sale live yet, it currently has plenty of in-season clearance items at up to 50% off.

Last year on Black Friday, Vuori ran a promotion deal for a free zip pouch or tote with a minimum purchase. But to me, Black Friday isn't about freebies. I'm more interested in how much I can save on sweats I'll wear all winter.

Until Black Friday does hit, Vuori's bestsellers from past seasons will gradually run out of stock. Popular sizes and colorways are the first to go, so it's wise to look at what's left before your preferred ones are gone.

• Shop Vuori's early Black Friday deals for men and women

The best early Black Friday Vuori deals

Since there was no actual Vuori Black Friday sale last year, and we don't yet know whether that's about to change, now's the time to secure savings on Vuori's comfortable, upscale loungewear.

From the best travel pants for women to soft hoodies and polished base layers, here's what I'd buy while it's discounted right now at Vuori. See our full Vuori review to learn which styles we like best. There you'll also find detailed fit guidance to help you choose the right size.

• See the full list of all women's sale styles at Vuori.

The best early Black Friday Vuori deals for men

Among the most comfortable men's athleisure we tested, Vuori's sweats and track jackets have come in clutch during pre- and post-workout routines. The Sunday Performance Joggers in particular feel as "smooth-as-silk" with a tapered fit that's "just right — not too loose, not too tight," says our men's style contributor Mark Marino.

• See the full list of all men's sale styles from Vuori.

FAQs on early Black Friday Vuori deals

When is the Vuori Black Friday sale?

It's not yet known whether the brand will have deals. This year, Black Friday falls on November 27. Last year Vuori ran a promotion offering a free tote or pouch instead of a sitewide sale.

What are the best Vuori clothing on sale right now?

While our fitness gear experts prefer other workout clothing brands for their performance, Vuori does excel at comfortable, stylish basics for travel and casual errand days. The Halo Essential Wideleg Pant deal is our standout pick. See our full Vuori travel loungewear review and learn more about how the Reviews team tests clothing at BI.

Does Vuori have free shipping and returns?

Returns are free. Ground shipping is free for orders over $75. For anything less, the standard shipping rate costs $6.

• Tesla's Cybertruck is getting the ax after 3.5 years of production.
• The electric pickup has had several iconic moments.
• Those moments gave the Cybertruck unique salience in pop culture — but didn't generate volume sales.

The Tesla Cybertruck is getting the ax.

On Friday morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on X that the silver-clad, angular EV truck will wind down production until the "middle of next year." The EV maker delivered an estimated 76,000 units in all over the past three years, according to Cox Automotive data — far below its original lofty sales expectations.

It marks the end of the line for perhaps the strangest-looking car on American roads today.

"The design generated tremendous attention," Stephanie Valdez Streaty, a director of industry insights at Cox Automotive, told Business Insider, but the weird looks "also narrowed its appeal."

Still, the Cybertruck occupied a large role in American culture and politics, even if it didn't sell a lot of units.

Here are some of the Cybertruck's most iconic moments, in images:

2019: Cybertruck's unveiling

The Cybertruck was revealed to the world on a cloud-filled stage at Tesla's design center in Hawthorne, California, in November 2019.

The "Blade Runner" inspired truck was supposed to start at $39,900, Musk predicted. He said the truck would start production in late 2021 — and that Tesla was hoping for three trims with 250-, 300-, and 500-mile ranges.

2019: Windows demo goes awry

At the reveal event, Musk said the car's steel skin could shrug off bullets from a 9mm handgun. Then, Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief designer, threw a metal ball at the driver's window to test its ruggedness.

The driver's window shattered on contact.

"Well, maybe that was a little too hard," Musk said before they decided to throw the ball at the rear-seat window — which also shattered. "It didn't go through!"

Musk said that 146,000 paid $100 to reserve a Cybertruck after the event.

2019: A tug-of-war with Ford

Days after the Cybertruck's 2019 unveiling, Musk posted a tug-of-war video on X (then called Twitter) between the Tesla and America's best-selling pickup, the Ford F-150.

The stunt was meant to demonstrate the Cybertruck's brute strength — but critics questioned whether it was a fair matchup: The F-150's rear tires spin in the footage, and some suggested Tesla had pitted an all-wheel-drive Cybertruck against a two-wheel-drive Ford.

2021: Production delays, a few public sightings

Tesla's original plan to deliver the Cybertruck to customers by late 2021 was delayed by pandemic-related supply chain snags.

The EV maker still captured attention by displaying the truck's prototype at its dealerships — including in May 2021, when one landed at Tesla's New York City retail store in the Meatpacking District.

2023: Workers surround the first Cybertruck

After two years of delays, production Cybertrucks started rolling off Tesla's assembly lines in mid-2023.

2023: Cybertruck races a Porsche — while towing a Porsche

Tesla started delivering the Cybertruck to the first batch of customers in November 2023.

During the delivery event, Tesla showed a video of the Cybertruck in a drag race with a Porsche. The pickup reached the finish line before the German sports car — while it was towing a Porsche.

Tesla didn't specify which Porsche model it raced against.

2023: Alexis Ohanian takes delivery

Multiple people picked up their Cybertruck during a livestreamed delivery event — the biggest name was Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian.

2024: Pharrell Williams struggles to parallel park

In the months after the Cybertruck's release, several A-list celebrities were spotted with the electric pickup — including Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, and Justin Bieber.

No celeb spotting was more consequential than Pharrell Williams's.

The singer-songwriter and Louis Vuitton creative director was pictured struggling to parallel park the giant truck in Miami in January 2024. Eventually, a valet driver took over.

"That truck was never going to fit," Roxana Gonzalez, a bystander who watched the parking attempts, told Business Insider at the time.

2024: A snowy driveway

Despite Musk's statements about the Cybertruck's ruggedness, viral videos after the truck's launch painted a very different picture.

In late 2023 and early 2024, social media lit up with videos of Cybertrucks struggling to traverse snow.

2024: The recalls start

So far, the Cybertruck has been recalled 11 times.

In April 2024, Tesla recalled nearly 3,900 early trucks because a loose accelerator pedal pad could cause the car to accelerate rapidly.

More recalls followed, including windshield wiper issues, loose exterior trim, delayed rear-camera images, potential power loss, and body panels that could detach while driving.

2025: Tesla protests

As President Donald Trump reclaimed the White House — with the strong backing of Musk — the Cybertruck became a political object, fused with MAGA.

In early 2025, as Musk began his government role as the public face of DOGE, protests outside Tesla dealerships began. The Cybertruck was common poster board material.

2025: The Cybertruck at the White House

On March 11, 2025, Trump turned the White House South Lawn into a Tesla showroom.

He and Musk held a press conference in front of five models — including a Cybertruck — as the president praised the cars and planned to buy a red Model S.

"Everything's computer," the president famously said as he got into the sedan.

The photo op made the political association surrounding Tesla impossible to miss.

2025: Partnerships with SpaceX

SpaceX, Musk's space exploration and AI company, reported in its S-1 in May that it spent $131 million to buy Cybertrucks from Tesla in 2025.

Depending on the unit price, that amounts to roughly 1,200 to 1,800 vehicles.

Black Friday is still a few weeks away, but Alo's sale section is already well stocked. The brand has marked down hundreds of women's and men's styles — including leggings, tennis dresses, cozy layers, trousers, and jackets — by 20% to 40%.

Alo can get expensive, so this is a smart time to shop if you've been eyeing its activewear or cold-weather layers. Most of the strongest discounts are 30% off, though a few women's styles are 40% off. Sizes and colors tend to sell out quickly in the sale section, so I wouldn't wait until Black Friday itself if you spot something you actually want.

Alo deals on women's clothing

The brand has tons of women’s styles marked down, including leggings, tennis dresses, cozy layers, outerwear, and pieces that look more like real clothes than gym gear.

Alo deals on men's clothing

There are also more than 100 men’s Alo styles on sale, including long-sleeve tees, sleek trousers, jackets, and elevated sweats.

Alo sale FAQs

Does Alo have an early Black Friday sale?

Alo hasn't announced a sitewide Black Friday promotion yet, but its women's sale and men's sale are already stocked with hundreds of marked-down styles. Current discounts range from 20% to 40% off.

Will Alo's Black Friday sale be better?

Alo's Black Friday sale was 30% off sitewide last year, so its current markdowns — which range from 20% to 40% off — are already competitive, especially on the styles discounted by 30% or more.

Can you return Alo sale items?

Yes — Alo's sale items can generally be returned within 30 days for a refund, exchange, or store credit as long as they're unused, in sellable condition, have their original tags, and include proof of purchase. The exception is anything explicitly marked Final Sale, which cannot be returned, exchanged, or credited.

• Famed attorney Alex Spiro said AI could cut the "fat in the middle" from the legal industry.
• AI tools could make it easier for lawyers to decide whether a case is worth trying, he said.
• Spiro has represented high-profile clients including Elon Musk, Alec Baldwin, and Jay-Z.

High-profile attorney Alex Spiro said artificial intelligence could strip much of the "fat in the middle" out of the legal industry, pushing more cases toward either quicker settlements or all-out trials.

Spiro, a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan's New York office and Elon Musk's go-to attorney, said during a Thursday appearance on the tech talk show TBPN that AI tools could help make it easier for lawyers to decide whether a case is worth taking to trial.

"I think AI will eliminate a layer of a lot of things, including my day job. And by eliminating that layer, it allows you to get to the truth and synthesize it faster," Spiro said. "If you can do that, then I think you can make quicker decisions on, this is something to resolve or this is something to go all the way on."

Spiro, who has represented actor Alec Baldwin, rapper Jay-Z, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, said this could mean fewer cases languishing in costly, drawn-out litigation.

"Maybe the way it'll work is a lot of the fat in the middle is going to be cut out," Spiro said. "Cases will settle quickly or go to trial, and there won't be as much in-between litigation that is pointless and sort of ebbing between the two."

Ultimately, the use of the technology could lead to more trials by helping attorneys analyze cases more quickly and identify which cases are worth fighting.

"Maybe there are more trials, frankly, because people just say, 'Okay we just did an analysis of these 10 cases. These nine should settle. This one shouldn't. We're going all the way,'" Spiro said. "And then people don't get that nervousness that they get where some companies they'll think in their mind, 'Okay, these three are going to have to be tried,' but then they end up caving because they're too risk averse."

Still, Spiro said AI would not change his strategy.

"I haven't changed my approach to trying cases or how to present in front of a jury in 20 years," said Spiro, adding, "There are argumentative techniques that work and some that don't."

Jurors, he said, "are not changing based on AI."

"So I'm going to talk to them exactly the same way," Spiro said. "It just may be that the people that get me the information that I distill into my arguments, there needs to be fewer of them, or they have a simpler, more linear path in getting me that information because they have technological tools that make it faster, sleeker."

Asked whether AI could make clients overly confident in their own legal judgment, Spiro quipped that he was already familiar with that dynamic.

"I represent almost exclusively clients that think that they know more about the law," said Spiro. "It's my specialty."

• Abdulrahman Alfozan was an engineer at OpenAI before he was accused of bugging the startup's office.
• He's charged with intercepting oral communications and was previously denied release.
• Alfozan entered a not-guilty plea on Friday in San Francisco's federal courthouse.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, the OpenAI engineer fired and arrested last month on accusations that he'd bugged the company's office, pleaded not guilty on Friday.

He entered the plea in San Francisco's federal courthouse, a few weeks into his detention. A judge at a prior hearing deemed the Saudi a flight risk and declined his request for bond.

Federal agents arrested Alfozan on October 9 and charged him with one count of intercepting oral communications. Prosecutors say the 35-year-old engineer hid a recording device wrapped in toilet paper behind a television in an OpenAI conference room. They also alleged that his wife's chatbot history showed multiple prompts about building, testing, and hiding an audio recorder.

On Friday, Judge Peter Kang reminded Alfozan of his rights to remain silent and to an attorney.

Alfozan's lawyer, David Rizk, waived the reading of Alfozan's indictment and entered a not-guilty plea.

Alfozan and his wife lived in Millbrae, California. Neighbors told Business Insider that the couple largely kept to themselves, though they would occasionally host parties. Before OpenAI, Alfozan worked at Facebook, a Y Combinator-backed startup called Nash, and as a venture capital investor for a Saudi firm.

He's lived in the US since college. His previous lawyer said he had a green card, making him a permanent legal resident, and had been weeks away from a naturalization interview before his arrest.

Alfozan's next hearing is scheduled for November 17.

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

• "I Play Rocky" tells the behind-the-scenes story of how "Rocky" was made.
• The movie features Anthony Ippolito's spot-on performance as Sylvester Stallone.
• Here's how the cast compares to the real-life people they play.

If you thought "Rocky" was a remarkable underdog story, wait until you learn how it was made.

"I Play Rocky," from director Peter Farrelly ("Green Book"), recounts the story of how Sylvester Stallone got his start in Hollywood. As a struggling actor in the 1970s, Stallone wrote the "Rocky" screenplay as a way to give himself a starring role. After gaining the attention of producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, who had a first-look deal with MGM, Stallone then had to battle the producers and the studio to allow him to play Rocky Balboa.

"Rocky" would go on to win the best picture Oscar and launch a massive franchise, and Stallone went from an unknown to a global superstar overnight. But as Farrelly chronicles in his movie, the making of "Rocky" was far from smooth sailing: it was shot on a shoestring budget, and Stallone suffered injuries throughout the production.

"I Play Rocky" is heightened by top-notch performances from Anthony Ippolito as Stallone, Anna Sophia Robb as Stallone's first wife, Sasha Czack, and Matt Dillon as Stallone's father.

Here's how the actors compare to the real-life people they play in "I Play Rocky."

Anthony Ippolito plays Sylvester Stallone.

Stallone was the lifeblood of "Rocky." He wrote the script and would only agree to sell it to Winkler and Chartoff on the condition that he played Balboa, turning down over $200,000 for him to sell the script without starring in it. By betting on himself, he would make not just Balboa a household name but himself, as well.

Ippolito is a 27-year-old from Long Island who is just beginning his career in Hollywood. Before "I Play Rocky," his biggest credit was playing Al Pacino in the 2022 Paramount+ miniseries "The Offer," which chronicled the making of "The Godfather."

From his voice to the way he moves on screen, his performance as Stallone is astoundingly accurate.

AnnaSophia Robb plays Sasha Czack, Stallone's first wife.

Czack dated Stallone back when he was a struggling actor. They married in 1974, two years before "Rocky" was released and became a sensation. Czack was also the still photographer on the "Rocky" set. She and Stallone divorced in 1985.

Robb has been acting since she was a child. She played Violet Beauregarde in Tim Burton's 2005 "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Other credits include "Soul Surfer" (2011), "The Way, Way Back" (2013), and "Rebel Ridge" (2024).

She portrays Czack as Stallone's emotional rock and biggest cheerleader. She types out Stallone's handwritten pages of the "Rocky" script and keeps him upbeat throughout the challenging "Rocky" shoot.

Matt Dillon plays Frank Stallone Sr., Sly's father.

Frank Stallone Sr. was a barber and aspiring actor. His only acting credit was playing the timekeeper in the boxing match between Balboa and Apollo Creed at the end of "Rocky."

Dillon is an acclaimed actor whose credits range from classics like "The Outsiders" (1983), "Drugstore Cowboy" (1989), and "Wild Things" (1998) to modern auteur movies like "Crash" (2005"), "The House that Jack Built" (2018), and "Asteroid City" (2023). This is not his first time working on a Peter Farrelly movie. He starred in the 1998 comedy classic "There's Something About Mary," which Farrelly made with his brother, Bobby.

Dillon plays Stallone Sr. as a tough father who often talks down to his son. Sylvester has said his relationship with his father was fraught, and revealed in his 2023 Netflix documentary, "Sly," that his father was "physical" toward him and his older brother.

P.J. Byrne plays "Rocky" producer Irwin Winkler.

Winkler is a Hollywood producer who formed the production company Chartoff-Winkler Productions with Robert Chartoff. The company made hit movies like "Point Blank" and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" in the 1960s. After winning the best picture Oscar for "Rocky," they produced "Raging Bull" (1980) and "The Right Stuff" (1983) before dissolving their company in 1985, though they were both producers on all the "Rocky" sequels. Since then, Winkler has produced "Goodfellas" (1990) and "The Irishman" (2019).

Byrne has played memorable roles in "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), "Rampage" (2018), and the current TV series "The Rainmaker."

He portrays Winkler as a tough but fair producer who isn't immediately sold on Stallone playing Balboa, but when he finally comes around, he's loyal to Stallone.

Toby Kebbell plays "Rocky" producer Robert Chartoff.

Chartoff is the other half of Chartoff-Winkler Productions. After the company dissolved in 1985, Chartoff's credits included "The Tempest" (2010) and "Ender's Game" (2013). He died in 2015.

Kebbell is an English actor who has worked steadily in Hollywood since the early 2000s. His credits include "War Horse" (2011), "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014), "Ben-Hur" (2016), and "Kong: Skull Island" (2017). He played Dr. Doom in the ill-fated "Fantastic Four" (2015).

Kebbell plays Chartoff as the softer half of the Chartoff-Winkler duo. He's the one who suggests they lower the film's budget so they can have final say on casting.

Stephan James plays Carl Weathers, who starred as Apollo Creed in "Rocky."

Before his acting career, Carl Weathers was a football player who signed with the Oakland Raiders in 1970 and played seven games. After a short stint playing in the Canadian Football League in 1973, he retired from football.

Playing the bombastic Creed in "Rocky" was Weathers' breakout role. He would go on to enjoy a long acting career, starring in three "Rocky" sequels, hits like "Predator" (1987) and "Happy Gilmore" (1996), and "The Mandalorian" TV series, for which he was nominated for an Emmy. Weathers died in 2024.

James is best known for starring in the acclaimed 2018 movie, "If Beale Street Could Talk."

James plays Weathers with a lot of bravado, though it's eventually revealed he has as limited a boxing ability as Stallone.

Jay Duplass plays "Rocky" director John G. Avildsen.

Avildsen won the best director Oscar for "Rocky." He went on to direct "The Karate Kid" (1984) and the next two sequels. He also returned to the "Rocky" franchise to direct "Rocky V" (1990). Avildsen died in 2017.

Jay and his younger brother Mark started their careers as major figures in the "mumblecore" indie film movement, a DIY style that often featured non-actors and non-traditional plots. Jay's acting credits include "The Mindy Project," "Transparent," and "Industry."

Duplass portrays Avildsen as a fast-talking, fast-moving filmmaker who is determined to make "Rocky" less a boxing story and more a character study.

Kiki Seto plays Talia Shire, who starred as Adrian in "Rocky."

Shire was one of the few established actors on the "Rocky" set. She had played Connie Corleone in "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part II (1974), which earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She would go on to earn an Oscar nomination for best actress for playing Adrian and would reprise the role in four more "Rocky" sequels.

"I Play Rocky" marks Seto's first feature film role.

Seto has limited scenes, but makes the most of them. Seto's highlight in the movie is when she reveals to Stallone and Avildsen before a scene at an ice rink that she doesn't know how to ice skate.

"I Play Rocky" is in theaters now.

• After my second child was born, I couldn't justify spending half my wages on childcare.
• I left my job of 17 years and started earning money through several small businesses.
• I now earn up to $2,000 a month while working fewer hours and spending more time with my kids.

After having my second child, I quit my job of 17 years because I couldn't justify sacrificing half my wages for childcare.

Instead, I'm running multiple side hustles that rarely require me to be away from my kids. And, no, I'm not getting rich playing games or taking surveys on my phone. I'm trying to replace the income I previously earned without giving up the flexibility I want as a mom.

Right now, I bring in $1,400 to $2,000 a month. Some hustles have clear pros and cons. Some are more convenient, lucrative, or glamorous, whereas others I may need to consider dropping altogether.

Turo is the closest thing to passive income

I was hesitant to rent my beloved Toyota Tacoma to strangers. But it's paid off, I'm not commuting anymore, and we have access to my husband's vehicle.

In the nine months it's been listed on Turo this year, the truck averages $400 a month in earned and projected income. The app handles most of the process, and renters treat it respectfully.

The biggest inconvenience is coordinating pickup and drop-off, especially airport runs. Occasionally, I need help from others. Still, compared with the almost nonexistent time I spend managing it, Turo is my easiest yes.

The photo booth has the best earning potential

For a decade, I've been a photo booth attendant for a local event company. I typically make $200 for a three-hour event, although drive time, setup, and teardown make for longer evenings.

Recently, my husband and I bought our own mirror photo booth and started our Phoenix-based company, True Reflections Photo Booth Co. Since most of the gear was secondhand or discounted, the upfront costs were under $ 5,000.

Our typical event charges $600. If my husband or I run it, we keep the profit and skip the middleman. In theory, we can recoup our investment in fewer than 10 events.

Of course, now we're responsible for insurance, software, equipment, marketing, storage (our garage), and taxes. We've had one gig so far and have two more lined up, but need to get booking ASAP.

I didn't have to worry about networking as a hired hand, but, to me, that's half the fun. Either way, this is a lucrative hustle I never refuse.

Freelance writing is the hardest hustle for me to quit

Despite having an English degree and maintaining my own lifestyle blog, landing paid assignments can feel impossible.

Freelance writing requires ridiculous persistence. Rejection is common, even for veterans.

I've written for $10 and even for free to get noticed. When a pitch finally convinces an editor, though, I earn $125 to $250 for an 800- to 1,000-word article.

If it weren't my longest-running passion, this tumultuous gig isn't always worth it as a momtrepreneur. Alas, I continue to pitch and sometimes get lucky.

Cleaning pays well, but only thanks to free childcare

Through Care.com, I found a weekly housekeeping and meal-prep job that pays $25 an hour, or about $300 a month. I also occasionally clean a friend's Airbnb for $150, usually in three hours.

The money-to-time ratio is solid. I enjoy the physicality and catching up on audiobooks.

But family watches my kids for free. If I had to pay for childcare so I could clean someone else's house, the math really wouldn't add up.

My simple syrup business is small, inexpensive, and fun enough to keep

I started making homemade coffee syrups to avoid overspending on artificial drive-thru coffee. This summer, I joined Arizona's Cottage Food program and began selling them.

An 8.5-ounce bottle sells for $12, and my margin is about 70%. The ingredients are inexpensive, and I've streamlined my process enough that production only takes a few hours each week, including managing my Hotplate storefront.

My toddler and I occasionally run a driveway coffee stand to highlight flavors. He gets the cash tips.

Since I make these for my own home café anyway, this microbusiness is worth growing for now.

Print-on-demand has potential, but not worth the effort right now

My husband is a designer, and we run a Shopify store using Printify for shirts, mugs, hats, and other merchandise.

Unfortunately, it isn't profitable yet.

Original, non-AI designs take time. Uploading them to various products is tedious. Then comes SEO, advertising, and social media — all the work required to persuade strangers that the products exist.

A $60 hoodie sounds promising until nobody buys it.

We haven't shut the store down, but it's on the back burner until we can devote creativity and time toward it without compromising quality.

I've learned flexibility has value, too

In the past, I read tons of articles that claimed extra income is a cinch. Clearly, it's not; I don't always reap as much as I sow. But it can be done, and there are endless options.

My side hustles aren't as consistent as my prior job. Every month looks different; managing multiple small businesses means wearing many hats and constantly balancing my calendar.

But I'm earning close to my old paycheck while spending more time at home with my boys. I used to work about 70 hours a month; now I only work half that amount.

Time is truly my favorite currency.

• Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges is watching SpaceX's Starlink mobile ambitions closely.
• A competitive network would need a land-based presence, and that will cost a lot of money, he said.
• Höttges' larger concern is SpaceX creating a new kind of communication business, as Musk did in autos.

The CEO of one of Europe's largest telecom networks is not stressed about Elon Musk's Starlink mobile ambitions — yet.

"If he has the money, go for it," Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges said during the company's third-quarter earnings call Thursday. "My assessment is that SpaceX, at least, if they want to play in that industry, needs at least minimum €200 billion."

Deutsche Telekom owns a 55% controlling share of T-Mobile US.

Like his US counterparts at AT&T and Verizon, Höttges said that satellite-based networks aren't sufficient for handling the kind of mobile coverage that consumers have grown accustomed to in well-developed areas.

"If you have an antenna 10 meters or 100 meters away from you, why should you go 400 kilometers up and down?" he asked.

The consensus among established carriers is that terrestrial networks — made up of tens of thousands of towers and hundreds of megahertz of spectrum, developed over many years — are the only viable competition to their services.

"Welcome to the party," Höttges said.

Still, even though he believes Starlink faces such massive financial and infrastructural hurdles, Höttges is not taking his eye off Musk.

"SpaceX is creating a new category," he said.

Between the chipsets, data centers, AI platforms, and satellites Musk owns, there's an opportunity to create a new kind of vertically integrated communications company in the next five to ten years, he said. After all, that's one lesson of the Tesla story.

"That is why I'm saying I take that super serious, because I was witnessing what happened to the car industry," Höttges said. "They were ignoring it for too long, and we have to face the situation."

• I've seen 31 US states from the passenger seat.
• I've viewed countless towns and city skylines from highways and overpasses across the country.
• I've figured out exactly how to pack for a successful road trip.

I'm 30 years old, and I still don't know how to drive, but that hasn't stopped me from spending hundreds of hours in the passenger seat on road trips across the country.

I've road-tripped more than 26,000 miles across 31 states in every region of the continental US.

When it comes to packing up the car, I've certainly made some mistakes. I've forgotten important items and wished I'd packed essentials I hadn't even considered bringing.

But 400 hours and more than a dozen trips later, I think I've mastered the art of packing for a road trip. Here are the things I'll always bring with me, no matter the destination.

I often forget to pack motion sickness medicine for road trips and end up stopping for some on the way.

I've always been prone to motion sickness, but even if you're not, driving on winding, hilly roads may make you feel woozy if you're not used to them.

I always pack my own source of caffeine.

I hate that I need caffeine to stay alert, but that's where I'm at.

I love a coffee stop on a road trip. But I don't like to rely on them for caffeine because costs rack up quickly — especially on long journeys.

I prefer to bring Mio Energy to squirt into my water bottle. It adds a flavorful boost similar to Gatorade and keeps me hydrated.

I download playlists and podcasts to keep the car entertained.

When you're driving on open roads, you never know when you'll lose service.

I pack headphones to take breaks from socializing in a full car.

I've always road-tripped with other people. And as someone who values alone time, I find that packing headphones is the only way to get it in a cramped car.

Especially when road-tripping with others, comfy shoes feel essential to sustaining my good mood.

I always pick a cozy pair that slips on and off easily, like Wally shoes or Crocs.

Another mood booster for me is a clean car.

From empty food containers to candy wrappers, a road trip can quickly make a car messy. So don't forget to bring a small trash can or bag to keep things tidy.

Don't forget wipes — especially when eating in the car.

When something spills, or your hands are sticky, you'll be glad you packed them.

And lastly, don't forget a camera to capture those stellar American landscapes.

Of course, there are other essentials for road trips, like emergency gear, sunglasses, and a reusable water bottle. But the items on this list have helped me make a long, bumpy ride go smoothly.

• Democrats' control of Congress could recalibrate the path of interest rates.
• The impact on things like the Iran war and the AI trade have implications for financial conditions.
• 10-year Treasury yields have dropped 13 basis points since Tuesday.

Markets were crushed this week by fears about what Democrats' wins in the midterms could mean for AI, but their landslide victory has implications for rates and monetary policy as well.

Prior to the election, rates were in focus as inflation and fiscal concerns sent yields soaring to nearly 25-year highs. Recent moves in the 10-year Treasury have reversed since Tuesday's vote, as the subsequent plunge in tech stocks sent investors running for the hill and into government bonds. In the immediate, the expectation is still for one more rate hike this year, especially on the heels of a strong October jobs report.

But what could Democratic victories mean for the Fed and rates over the longer-term?

One narrative that has emerged after the election results came in is that the election result could end up pushing rates lower.

That's not the conventional wisdom, as Democrats, with a greater willingness to spend on things like healthcare and entitlement programs, have been seen as bigger spenders than Republicans.

This time around, markets have treated the outcome of the midterms as a reason to believe the government could soon exercise more fiscal restraint. That was evident in a few ways in the immediate aftermath of the vote. For one, oil prices plunged on the idea that Democrats in control of Congress could mean the war in Iran soon ends. Bond yields and the dollar dropped, as well.

Meanwhile, a slower AI buildout could end up tamping down growth if things like data center construction slow, raising the possibility that lower rates from the Fed could be on the way to prop up the economy.

Since Tuesday, yields on the 10-year Treasury have fallen 13 basis points to 4.83%.

"Little chance" of new fiscal stimulus

Market pros are mixed on what Democrats' newfound power will mean for interest rates, but many point to downside on both ends of the Treasury yield curve.

David Russell, Global Head of Market Strategy at TradeStation, told Business Insider on Thursday that Democrats' harsher stance on AI data centers could cause Treasury yields to fall.

AI stocks plummeted on Wednesday as investors digested the results and what they might mean for data centers.

If AI spending and development pulls back, it could spell trouble for the economy, Russell said, which could spark a broader flight to safety into Treasurys, sending yields lower.

Meanwhile, George Bory, the chief investment strategist for fixed income at Allspring Global Investments, said that view of fiscal tightening is probably correct, and yields are likely heading lower.

"Expect fiscal tightening in 2027 versus 2026 with little chance of new fiscal stimulus while capex depreciation, tariffs, and defense spending likely come under heightened scrutiny," Bory said. "Higher taxes are unlikely in the near term, but Dems may start to lay the groundwork for 2028. The deficit could shrink next year which would be good for bond investors."

If the fiscal picture improves, it becomes less of an input for the Fed in determining the path of interest rates, said Preston Caldwell, a senior US economist at Morningstar.

"The Fed, they adjust interest rates to offset demand side shocks, and the main one that comes from the government is changes to fiscal policy," Caldwell told Business Insider in an interview on Thursday.

But not everyone agrees with the idea that government spending be pared.

Gene Tannuzzo, Columbia Threadneedle's global head of fixed income, said that some additional spending is possible on issues that Democrats and Trump agree on.

For example, Congress could try to reverse medicaid cuts or extend CHIPS Act subsidies that are due to expire.

"These items both increase deficits at a time when the Treasury market is vulnerable," Tannuzzo said. "This could steepen the curve and push long-term rates up."

• OpenAI says it isn't changing its plans after the 2026 midterms.
• CFO Sarah Friar said the company will keep investing in data centers.
• Across the country, Democratic candidates who pledged to rein in the AI industry were successful.

The 2026 midterms haven't changed OpenAI's IPO plans, OpenAI chief financial officer Sarah Friar says.

"Look, we are paid as operators to manage scenarios," Friar said on Friday during a live interview on CNBC. "I don't think there was something that dramatically changed for us."

Friar referred back to OpenAI's previous plans to target an IPO sometime next year. All eyes are on Anthropic, OpenAI's chief rival, and whether it will forge ahead with an IPO, perhaps as soon as this month.

Democrats turned in a generational-level rout of Republicans in the midterm elections, not only flipping control of Congress but coming into the new year with healthy majorities. At the state level, Democratic candidates flipped governorships in Texas, Georgia, and Ohio after running on promises of reining in new data center development.

Friar said OpenAI, which is trying to rebrand data centers as "compute campuses," will continue to invest in the sprawling facilities that are central to both OpenAI and the broader AI industry's future.

"When I think about the midterms, I need to keep thinking about how do we keep investing to meet that customer demand," she said. "It starts early with having built relationships with all of the hyperscalers, and it will continue to mean that we raise capital."

On Thursday, OpenAI announced what it called "a new standard for responsible AI infrastructure." Under its pledge, OpenAI said it would pay the full cost of the electricity it uses and any necessary grid improvements, do away with non-disclosure agreements with public officials (with narrow exceptions), and publish data on the jobs it expects to create.

"If the midterm means more focus on data centers and communities, we're going to keep doing the work to get into those communities and to build trust with them," she said.

Friar said that OpenAI's business remains healthy. She said that in the third quarter, OpenAI's revenue grew 70%, including a doubling of its enterprise sales. She said that OpenAI's latest private funding round is at a $1.25 billion pre-money valuation, though she likely misspoke and meant $1.25 trillion. In March, OpenAI announced that it had closed a funding round at an $852 billion post-money valuation.

"I genuinely think that is a good indication of our Q3 momentum and how that momentum carries into 2027," Friar said.

Friar said one reason she's excited for an IPO is because a market debut would be in line with OpenAI's mission to ensure artificial intelligence for all.

"I personally feel very driven to put that economic value creation that's happening into as many hands as we can," she said. "Like, why should it just be limited to institutions?"

Vinyl can be an expensive hobby to get into. Big audiophiles can easily spend $1,000+ on high-end turntables, but there are plenty of more affordable options that still offer a great experience. The Fluance RT81+ is one of those record players. It's my team's midrange pick for the best turntable under $500, offering excellent performance and a handsome design.

The RT81+ typically costs $350, which is already an excellent value. However, right now, the Piano White model is on sale for $53 off at Amazon. This is the lowest price it's been all year, and I doubt we'll see a better one until Black Friday arrives. The RT81+ is also available in Piano Black and Natural Walnut colorways, but those editions are not currently discounted.

During testing, our reviewer found the Fluance RT81+ to be an ideal midrange record player and an especially great fit for anyone ready to upgrade from an entry-level turntable. It offers a clear step up from the cheaper construction and lower-end components found on less expensive models, while still coming in at a reasonable price.

Looking for more turntable recommendations? Check out our guides to the best budget record players and the best Bluetooth record players.

Why we love the Fluance RT81+ turntable

• The Fluance RT81+ is a perfect upgrade from an entry-level turntable. This record player has a solid-wood body and uses quality components that are a step up from the plastic construction used on cheaper models. These parts help bring out clear, full-sounding playback.
• Its design helps keep music steady. Adjustable rubber feet reduce vibrations, and the acrylic mat helps limit static compared to felt mats used on some cheaper models.
• The turntable's Audio-Technica VM95E cartridge is a solid component for this price range, and our reviewer was impressed by its full, deep playback, offering the rich, warm sound vinyl is known for.
• It features an integrated preamp for easy playback with many powered speakers. The built-in preamp is also selectable, so you can turn it off if you prefer to add a dedicated one later.
• The RT81+ isn't fully automatic, but we love how it stops spinning when a record side ends. However, you'll still need to return the tonearm manually.
• It's available in three colorways: Piano White, Piano Black, and Natural Walnut, all of which feature an elegant look. That said, they all have a glossy finish, which may be a pro or con depending on your preferences.
• The RT81+ turntable's wired playback preserves the full range of a vinyl record without the compression introduced by a wireless connection. This is ideal for purists, but the player's lack of Bluetooth support may limit its appeal to more casual listeners.

Shopping for more discounts? Check out our deals homepage for more savings across tech, streaming, home, kitchen, style, pets, and more.

• I got divorced and became a single mom shortly after my mother died last year.
• My stepdad and I were both grieving and lonely, so I asked him to move in with me.
• Our living dynamic has helped us both, and we plan to keep it up for the foreseeable future.

When my mom died a little over a year ago, it was sad, but also expected. She had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease several years earlier.

What surprised me, though, was my husband and I deciding to divorce just two months after her death.

I had prepared myself to lose my mom, but not my marriage. Its sudden ending left me reeling. On top of my grief, I worried about how I'd manage my household alone as a single mom to my 10-year-old daughter.

Turns out, my stepdad was also at a crossroads.

My stepdad and I were both struggling, so I came up with an idea

My 76-year-old stepdad, Don, dedicated his life to making my mom happy.

When they met in 2004, she had just bought a modest house of her own. He helped her fix it up, remodeling the bathroom and building raised beds in the backyard to plant the garden of her dreams.

Throughout my mom's illness, Don's devotion never wavered. He cared for her in their home until stress and exhaustion threatened his own health.

When we moved my mom into a memory-care facility, Don always made sure she had a fresh bouquet of flowers in her room. If she couldn't enjoy her beloved garden at home, he would bring a bit of it to her.

Both Don and I struggled immensely in the months after my mom's death. When my husband moved out and we began sharing custody of our daughter, I was terribly lonely during my weeks without her.

At the same time, I worried about my stepdad being isolated in his grief. I called frequently to make sure he was OK.

"Everything reminds me of your mom," Don told me. He felt like he was living with a ghost. For the first time, he let weeds overtake the garden beds.

Late one night, an idea struck: What if I invited my stepdad to move in with me?

He could help me with the home maintenance that my husband had always done. I could cook for Don and drive him to his doctor's appointments. We could both keep each other company.

Don was hesitant to accept the invitation at first. After I repeatedly assured him he wouldn't disrupt my life, he agreed. Eight months after her death, he sold my mom's home.

Even with some growing pains, living together has been wonderful

Don moved into a spare bedroom and paid me rent, which alleviated my financial worries.

Just like he did with my mom's home two decades ago, Don jumped right into helping with my house. He busied himself with hosing down my patio furniture and clearing yard debris with a leaf blower.

On what would have been my mom's 68th birthday, we went to a garden store together and bought flowering hostas in her honor. Don tucked colorful petunias into pots and installed hanging baskets of calibrachoa on the back porch.

For the past few years, I'd been too depressed over my mother's illness and my strained marriage to plant anything. Suddenly, there were flowers again.

That's not to say everything was immediately perfect. It took a while for my stepdad to feel at home; he constantly worried he was in my way.

But I learned Don thrived with a to-do list. When I asked him to trim the landscaping and change burned-out lightbulbs, it gave him a sense of ownership and belonging.

I've never seen him more triumphant than when I found him on my roof, having just repaired some damaged window screens.

As helpful as he's been around the house, I've also encouraged my stepdad to visit the local senior center to get involved with activities and make friends.

He's fought me on it, preferring to watch TV after completing his day's work. (Sometimes we jockey for control of the remote — he likes to binge-watch episodes of "Antiques Roadshow," whereas I prefer to catch up on "The Kardashians.")

Don feels his purpose is now to take care of my daughter and me, but I hope he'll venture out and build meaningful connections apart from us, too.

It hasn't all been roses, but there are plenty of benefits

Despite the tougher moments, the benefits of this arrangement have been undeniable.

My dog, Wally, is thrilled to have my stepdad as his primary walker and near-constant companion. And since I leave early for work, Don helps my daughter get to school on time.

He has a front-row seat to watch her grow up — an opportunity my mother would have been thrilled to have if she could.

On the weeks my daughter is with her dad, it's especially wonderful to have my stepdad as a companion. I've enjoyed making his favorite meal — chicken soup from scratch — and watching TV shows with him. We had fun on a jazz walk and took each other out to dinner on our birthdays.

Best of all, we talk about my mom every day. When we recount our favorite memories of her, it feels like she's with us.

Now, seven months in, my stepdad and I are still new to navigating life without our spouses. We've hit our stride as roommates, though, and plan to continue living together for the foreseeable future. I know we'll continue to help each other heal.

• AI doesn't seem to be wiping out jobs; instead, it's changing which kinds of workers are in demand.
• White-collar job growth in professional and business services was robust in October.
• The healthcare sector and transportation and warehousing also had solid growth.

It was a surprisingly strong month for America's labor market — and for the workers worried about an AI-driven white-collar wipeout, new jobs were a bright spot.

Professional and business services, a broad sector that includes white-collar industries like legal services, consulting, and scientific research services, added 70,000 payrolls in October. That's well above the sector's average monthly gain of 15,000 jobs throughout the past year, and welcome news for the white-collar workers who saw the sector hit a low just a year ago.

"The bounce back in professional and business services is a good reminder that AI isn't wiping out white-collar jobs," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said in written commentary. "There was even a big boost in administrative assistant hiring, another encouraging sign."

While AI may not be wiping out white-collar work as was widely feared, it is changing what people in tech-heavy roles actually do on the job and what employers are looking for in new hires. ZipRecruiter economist Nicole Bachaud told Business Insider she thinks AI is changing role requirements and the skills in demand, leading to volatility in tech-related industries. Employers may be looking for people with AI knowledge or soft skills like critical thinking, rather than traditional technical skills.

"As these skills change so rapidly, I think we're going to see more turnover and, as a result, more volatility in professional and business services, in financial activities, and information," she said. "The next couple of months are really going to be telling of where that lands, but I do think we're going to see some bouncing back and forth."

Some of the gain in professional and business services comes from temporary staffers; help services added 18,600 jobs in October after a drop of 5,600 in September. Bachaud said that this indicates employers are starting to make business commitments without hiring new full-time workers.

Still, Cory Stahle, senior economist at Indeed, told Business Insider he wonders how sustainable the growth in professional and business services really is — and said it's still below its long-term trend.

"You can see that there are far fewer jobs than we would expect if it just continued what it was doing prior to the pandemic, so I think some of this could be trying to catch back up a little bit with that," Stahle said. "It's too early though from a single report, especially on a noisy industry, to draw any conclusions about AI or knowledge workers."

Meanwhile, robust data center building wasn't enough to prop up the construction industry. The sector still shed jobs, with gains in electricians and other specialty contractors who work on data centers and other commercial and industrial projects not enough to offset losses elsewhere.

Beyond professional and business services, other sectors experienced net job growth; healthcare, a stalwart of the job market for years, added about 42,000 jobs and manufacturing added 19,000 jobs. Some holiday hiring was also likely reflected in the report; transportation and warehousing experienced a solid gain of about 25,000, with couriers and messengers accounting for 70% of that.

"There's a lot of expectations that maybe this holiday shopping season is a little bit dampened given high gas, high inflation, high prices, high rates," Bachaud said. "But seeing this uptick in transportation and warehousing, especially in courier services, that might be a signal that the holiday shopping season might be ramping up more so than was expected."

Overall, the new jobs report shows a brighter job market, given upward revisions to the previous two months' job estimates and better-than-expected growth in October alongside a rise in labor force participation.

"People are ready to make moves in this market, and we're starting to see some of that pent-up demand starting to unlock now," Bachaud said.

• Dolly Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver, was fired after her estate accused him of making threats to employees.
• However, the LLC she created before her death, She's Alive, dropped the suit in November.
• Dolly Parton left behind a $450 million estate, with a theme park and her catalog of hits.

The legal drama swirling around Dolly Parton's estimated $450 million estate may be drawing to a close.

Nearly a month after Parton's death in August, her nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, was fired and sued by Parton's manager, who represents one of the entities established to oversee Parton's business affairs, She's Alive LLC.

In court filings, Parton's manager, Danny Nozell, and She's Alive allege that Seaver made violent threats against employees and vowed to damage her business empire unless his demands were met.

Seaver confirmed he was fired but disputed that he made threats, saying the language was taken out of context.

On November 5, She's Alive filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal Without Prejudice — which means that if something changes, the estate could file this suit again later, legally speaking.

Seaver, Nozell, and Parton's estate did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

The dispute had cast a spotlight on the business empire Parton built over her decadeslong career and on the people now responsible for protecting it.

Here's what you need to know about the fallout and what's at stake in this conflict.

Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026. She was 80.

Parton died after a private battle with cancer, though she had referenced unspecified health issues earlier in the year.

Her death sent shockwaves around the world. There were tributes across the US, including a heartwarming one to her at the 2026 Emmys, with a song performed by Reba McEntire.

President Donald Trump ordered all the flags to be lowered to half-staff, a rare honor for a private citizen.

Her death was announced on Instagram by her nephew, Bryan Seaver. He was her head of security for over 20 years.

"This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven't truly felt it until now," said Seaver in the video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton)

"Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you," he concluded.

Seaver is the son of Parton's younger sister, Cassie, one of her six surviving siblings.

About a month after Parton's death, Seaver was fired from his role as her security.

The New York Times reported that Seaver was fired from his role as head of security for Parton's estate and properties. His firm was replaced by new security personnel.

On September 22, Nozell and She's Alive LLC filed a lawsuit against Seaver and sought a temporary restraining order. On September 23, a judge granted the temporary restraining order.

Variety reported that Nozell alleges Seaver "engaged in a campaign of coercion, extortion and violent threats."

The joint filing for the suit and restraining order says that Seaver referred to himself as "literally an international arms dealer and mercenary" and said he's "not an entertainment person. I'm a killer."

The next day, Seaver confirmed he had been fired but disputed Nozell's version of events.

"The restraining order is spurious and simply a publicity stunt," Seaver told ABC News.

"I was fired. After the estate negotiated with me and my company for services in perpetuity and agreed to that service provision from my company," the statement continues. "A week later, they fired me for these contrived 'threats.'"

"Dolly called me her killer. It was a joke we used around her camp," he added. "Danny Nozell took that text out of context to somehow imagine that I was threatening him. He's always called me The Killer."

Nozell and She's Alive LLC, an entity set up by Parton before her death to protect her legacy, allege that Seaver demanded money or else.

While Nozell (pictured with Parton above) is acting on behalf of She's Alive LLC (SAL), dedicated to overseeing Parton's posthumous legacy, it's separate from the DP Dean Trust, the entity controlling Parton's estate.

Variety reported that the suit alleges Seaver threatened to interfere with his aunt's businesses unless he was paid. One filing said Seaver said he would start a podcast "dedicated to ruining Dolly's brand partnerships" without financial compensation.

The suit also contains text messages that it says were sent by Seaver. One reads: "I am about to become the hand of retribution for my entire family."

Seaver disputed the characterizations of his texts to The New York Times.

"This is a contrived out-of-context explanation of how this went down, and it is being done in an effort to solidify me as some sort of opposition to her brand in her legacy," he wrote, "and that is not the case."

He added, "I trusted Danny, and that's what those messages were, two friends and brothers commiserating on the people that have screwed Dolly over for many, many years."

Parton had an estimated net worth of $450 million.

Forbes reported Parton's net worth was $450 million in June 2025, about a year before her death.

Parton didn't come from money — in fact, she had humbler beginnings than most. She and her 11 siblings grew up in a two-room log cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee. It had no electricity or running water.

But decades of iconic songs and smart business decisions led to her wealth growing.

Dollywood was her biggest asset.

Dollywood is an amusement park located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It opened in 1986 and has been a popular attraction in the area ever since.

According to a 2021 Forbes report, Parton retained a 50% stake in the park, worth about $165 million.

There's also the adjacent water park, Dollywood's Splash Country.

Splash Country, adjacent to the theme park, opened in 2001. Her shares in Splash Country were worth about $20 million, per the 2021 Forbes report.

She was a co-owner of DreamMore Resort and Spa and HeartSong Lodge and Resort in Pigeon Forge.

Dollywood has two affiliated resorts located in Pigeon Forge: DreamMore and HeartSong. Parton was a co-owner of both.

Her stake in DreamMore was worth $15 million.

Her songwriting catalog is estimated to be worth about $120 million.

Parton recorded 49 studio albums (plus more compilations and live albums) over the course of her career, and thousands of songs — and she owned the publishing for most of them.

Famously, Elvis Presley wanted to record a cover of "I Will Always Love You," but, as his (infamous) manager Colonel Tom Parker told her, Presley typically took 50% of the profits from covers he recorded.

Parton refused, later allowed Whitney Houston to cover the song while retaining ownership, and, as she famously said, earned enough money from that one cover to purchase Graceland itself.

As Forbes reported in 2021, her catalog was worth about $120 million.

Her likeness and brand have been licensed to everything from Duncan Hines baking mixes to pet gear.

Parton had restaurants, cookware, jewelry, cookbooks, boxed mixes, home decor, and more, all of which bear her name and earned her a profit.

There are also multiple charities bearing Parton's name.

Parton was famously very giving. The Dollywood Foundation was founded in 1988 and has been responsible for efforts such as the Imagination Library, which now distributes 3 million books a month to children from birth to age 5.

She also established the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund to support the Moderna vaccine, and funded the Dolly Parton Center for Women's Services and Dolly Parton Birthing Unit at the LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville.

Nozell and She's Alive dropped the suit on November 5, but could refile in the future.

A filing on November 5 showed that She's Alive filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal Without Prejudice, meaning the case is dismissed for now, but they reserve the right to refile the same suit in the future.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in September 2026 and most recently updated in November 2026.

• I grew up in Los Angeles and never thought I'd leave, but love led me to move to Santa Barbara.
• It's been hard to live away from my community and try to make new friends in my 20s.
• It's been hard getting used to the coastal culture, but I've become more comfortable being alone.

I never imagined I'd leave Los Angeles. The city is where I was born and raised, and where my family, childhood friends, and all my favorite local hangouts are.

Then, I fell in love with a guy who lived a few hours away in Santa Barbara, the coastal city where he'd spent much of his life.

I moved, and didn't need much convincing to do so. Santa Barbara was still in California, and it had my partner, accessible beaches, walkable pathways, and scenic vistas.

Soon, though, I realized just how different this coastal city was from where I was raised in Los Angeles County.

Making new friends proved to be difficult

Growing up in Los Angeles, I was surrounded by people in different stages of life — those still figuring it out, those already established, and those somewhere in between.

I was never too far from friends I'd made throughout my life, and they had their own friends whom I'd also become acquainted with. All this kinship is something I lost when I moved to Santa Barbara.

Here, I felt lonely without any sense of community or preexisting connections. I was suddenly mostly surrounded by my partner's childhood friends, college students, and our happily retired neighbors.

From where I stood, it felt like a lot of locals already belonged to an established clique and community. Many people I met had either never left Santa Barbara or had moved away for college and then returned.

In any place, it can feel especially tough to make new friends in your 20s — especially because it's not uncommon to be on a completely different path than someone just a few years older than you.

Still, I tried putting myself out there on the Bumble BFF app and made a few connections, but none felt organic or long-lasting.

I found myself meeting many people my age who didn't plan to stick around. To them, Santa Barbara was a pass-through city or day-trip destination rather than a place to settle down.

Pastimes in a coastal city feel drastically different

Even though I didn't relocate to a different state, it felt like I had at times. For one, driving from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles is an hourslong commitment.

I'd grown up in an inland part of California, where going to the beach was viewed as a special treat reserved for weekends when you were OK with spending hours stuck in traffic to get there.

Therefore, grabbing a latte and heading to the mall was seen as an acceptable pastime. I was in for a rude awakening by the coast.

Now, the closest mall is about an hour's drive away, and not having an outdoorsy pastime other than walking on the beach makes me feel more like a transplant than a local.

I was not shocked to discover that many people in Santa Barbara like to surf and play beach volleyball, though I was surprised to find out how big a deal pickleball is here.

Although I'm open to learning, I've never been athletically gifted, and many of these activities require a group, whereas I'm still trying to find even just a couple of people I feel comfortable around.

This has added to my challenges with making new friends. I still recall feeling like a complete outsider when I turned down an invite to a pickleball birthday party of a girl I'd just met on Bumble BFF.

The rest of her group jumped at the opportunity, but in all honesty, I didn't want to take away from her big day by having to be taught how to play the sport.

After moving, I also felt like I lost my sense of cultural identity

In Los Angeles, I spent much of my time in my hometown of Glendale, a city known for its large Armenian diaspora.

Being an American-Armenian, I'd frequently indulge in cultural foods, visit Armenian markets, and comfortably speak my native language to those around me. I never realized how rooted I was in my cultural identity until I moved away.

One day, it hit me. I no longer have access to my favorite cultural hubs, and I still find myself calling relatives as an excuse to practice the language I grew up with.

It's been 4 years since I moved, and I'm making the most of it

Four years since moving, I can attest that the first two were the most difficult. In time, I found a way to make the most of living here.

I began diving headfirst into philanthropy and giving back. I became an active volunteer with organizations like the American Red Cross, The Dream Foundation, and ENGin. This work has been incredibly healing, and it's made me feel silly for dwelling on life's minor inconveniences.

I also started writing for a local magazine, which has given me the opportunity to meet talented artists, designers, and business owners I otherwise would not have had the privilege of speaking with.

In the midst of it all, I've become extremely comfortable with being alone. I've started dining alone with a book, visiting museums by myself, and catching movies solo.

Although I haven't found my tribe yet, I've found a loving life partner and a city that's rich in coastal beauty, creative energy, and slow living. All I can do is continue showing up for my new community and hope that the right people will find me at the right time.

• On Friday, Singapore Airlines unveiled new cabin designs for every class, from economy to first.
• The new seats and other enhancements will begin rolling out on select aircraft in 2027.
• The innovations are designed to offer passengers more space, storage, privacy, and comfort.

Singapore Airlines was named the world's best airline by Skytrax in 2026 — but they're not resting on their laurels.

The airline is investing over S$2 billion, or around $1.5 billion, to overhaul its long-haul experience across all cabins, from economy to first class, including its in-flight entertainment system, Starlink WiFi, food and beverage offerings, amenity kits, and more.

"When we set out to do this, our vision is to redefine long-haul travel, to create a journey that's more comfortable, personal, and intuitive for the customers," Ong Wah Li, vice president of product experience at Singapore Airlines, told Business Insider.

Starting in the second half of 2027, the new seats and cabin products will be introduced on select Boeing and Airbus jets in Singapore Airlines' fleet. Its future Boeing 777-9s — which are set to deliver in 2027 but are still awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration — will feature all four redesigned cabins.

The Airbus A350-900 and the A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range) will be upgraded with the new business class, and the A350-900ULR will also get first class for the first time.

"While each cabin has been designed individually, they are united by the same ambition to make the experience more comfortable, flexible, and rewarding for our customers," Lee Lik Hsin, Singapore Airlines' chief commercial officer, told reporters at a media preview on Thursday.

The upgrades, which go beyond the cabin to also include enhancements to Singapore Airlines' airport lounges, come as an increasing number of airlines pivot toward premium offerings that customers are willing to pay more for.

"We have seen rising travel in premium classes from non-corporate segments, whether it is leisure travel, whether it is family travel, even student travel — parents sending their kids to college on business class," Hsin said.

On Friday, Singapore Airlines unveiled its first look at the new cabins. Here's what passengers can expect.

The new and improved economy seats on Singapore Airlines will feature more knee and shin clearance and multiple storage options.

The economy seats will have 31 to 32 inches of legroom, up to 6 inches of recline, and a four-way adjustable headrest.

Economy passengers will also have access to a cupholder, coat hook, and under-monitor seatback pockets with separate compartments.

The cupholder will give customers a place to keep their drink without having to fold down the tray table.

Singapore Airlines' new premium economy seats will feature more legroom and a deeper recline.

Legroom in the new premium economy seats, co-designed by Factorydesign, will increase from 38 inches to 40 inches. The recline will also deepen from 8 inches to 9 inches.

Like the economy seats, premium economy will also have four-way adjustable headrests.

Premium economy will also include more storage.

Premium economy will feature a water bottle holder, an additional compartment under the armrest, and a cocktail tray for keeping snacks and beverages without deploying the tray table.

"All of these will help customers to keep their things organized and within reach," Li said.

Business class is getting a whole new look co-designed by Designworks, a BMW Group company.

Singapore Airlines' current business-class offerings feature a color palette of gray, plum, and mauve. The redesigned business-class seats will also include gray, with new yellow, silver, and blue-black touches.

"Many cabins are going warm and more traditional right now, but we wanted this business class to stand on its own with its own attitude," Designworks CEO Julia de Bono said.

She added that the "automotive-inspired seat" offers both structure and comfort, allowing passengers to "feel held without being constrained." Passengers can save their preferred seat-positioning settings, similar to some cars.

For the first time, Singapore Airlines' business class will include privacy doors.

Central seats configured next to each other in the cabin's 1-2-1 layout will have electronically adjustable privacy dividers between them.

The footwell was relocated from the seat side to the center, allowing flyers to keep their legs straight instead of sitting or sleeping at an angle.

Li told reporters that moving the footwell to the middle of the seat was a highly requested change in the airline's survey of 5,000 frequent flyers, which helped inform the overall design principles.

The new first-class suites can be configured as two separate spaces, or as one room with a two-seater sofa for people flying together.

Co-designed by PriestmanGoode, the suites' central dividers span the full height of the room and can be adjusted to either partially or fully divide the space.

Singapore's previous first class also had the option to combine two suites into one.

The two-seater sofa can fold out into the largest double bed in commercial aviation.

The full-flat double bed, which Singapore said is the industry's largest, measures 60 inches wide and 80 inches long.

First-class cabins will also get new mattress toppers from the luxury bedding brand Paradies.

The new first-class seats allow passengers to sit across from each other at mealtimes.

The table can double as a workspace with a wireless-charging station.

First class will also feature a personal wardrobe and numerous storage spaces for luggage and personal items.

All cabins, from economy to first class, will be enhanced with a new KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system.

The new KrisWorld system will offer 4K high-resolution touchscreens, spatial audio, and Bluetooth audio pairing. Passengers will be able to access flight maps and wellness planners while continuing to watch their movies and TV shows from theaters and streaming services.

Singapore Airlines was already renowned for its luxury, but the award-winning carrier continues to innovate.

Singapore Airlines' senior vice president of customer experience, Yeoh Phee Teik, said the airline is "continuously upping our game so that we stay a leader in this industry."

Eight months after testing the Koala Sofa Bed (4^th Gen), it's still where you'll find me nearly every evening. The adorable small-space sofa is comfortable and supportive, and it transforms into a queen-size bed with a quick tug.

The Koala Sofa Bed is reasonably priced, but I can't deny the Koala Black Friday sale isn't appealing. From now through December 1, many of the brand's most popular sleepers and modular sofas are up to $1,500 off, with some at up to half price.

If you're looking to upgrade your living room before holiday guests arrive, my top pick is the Koala Sofa Bed, but there are several other discounted models worth considering, like the brand's newest launch, the Tamarama, which is Koala's customizable take on the Cloud Couch with a unique curved silhouette.

See all Koala Black Friday deals.

Why you'll love it

The Koala Sofa Bed comes in four sizes, eight colors, and three fabric options. The queen-sized sofa measures 70 inches wide, making it compact enough for an apartment yet comfortable in larger living rooms. It's also offered in sizes ranging from 46-inch twin to 81-inch king. I was able to assemble it entirely on my own without needing any tools.

The surface of the Koala Sofa Bed [4^th Gen] is just as supportive as the [3^rd Gen] but far more comfortable. Koala upgraded this newest iteration by incorporating pillow-like inserts above the main cushions. The deep seat offers solid lumbar support, which keeps my lower back pain-free. The soft surface makes it easy to stretch out, though the back profile is slightly lower than I prefer—filling the space behind me with a throw pillow easily solves this when working on a laptop.

Converting the sofa takes only a few minutes and flips flat onto the floor. The mattress is surprisingly supportive for your hips and lower back, and I find it far superior to traditional pull-out couches with uncomfortable metal bars. Note that the mattress is on the firm side, so stomach and back sleepers will adapt quickest, while side sleepers may need a few nights to adjust. Conveniently, all sofa and pillow covers are fully removable, machine-washable, and water-resistant.

Good to Know

While assembly is tool-free, the washable covers don't come preinstalled and must be stretched over the frame, adding more effort to the assembly. The mattress is on the firmer side, and I notice the middle seam when lying down. If you're sensitive to these things, I suggest adding a soft topper for a little bit of softness.

Koala shipping, returns, and warranty

Every Koala sofa includes free shipping, a 120-night home trial, and a 5-year warranty for the original purchaser. Koala ships throughout the continental U.S. across multiple boxes (the 4th Gen Sofa Bed arrives in six). If you prefer a hands-off setup, White Glove Delivery is available for $179 and includes room-of-choice placement, full assembly, and packaging removal.

More Koala Black Friday deals to explore

• We let Costco handle Thanksgiving dinner by ordering a premade meal from the warehouse chain's site.
• The $180 meal for eight people included a turkey breast, rolls, six sides, and two pies.
• Our super tasty dinner required little work to reheat, giving us more time to spend with family.

I love the holiday season and all the delicious food it brings — so much so that I've even cooked an entire Thanksgiving feast from Ina Garten recipes.

But in recent years, my family and I have embraced a simpler approach to Turkey Day, turning to chains such as Cracker Barrel to order our Thanksgiving meal to-go.

One year, I purchased a heat-and-serve Thanksgiving dinner for eight from the food-distribution company Fortune Fish & Gourmet through Costco.

Perks such as it being shipped right to my front door and coming with easy-to-follow reheating instructions especially caught my eye. The total came to $180, after a $50-off deal for Costco members.

Here's what it was like to let Costco handle our early Thanksgiving dinner, which we planned for when my mother-in-law would be in town.

The Thanksgiving meal included everything my family needed, from rolls to pie.

Our Thanksgiving meal was easy to order online. At checkout, I chose a delivery date a few days before we planned to eat it.

I was emailed easy-to-follow instructions for reheating the meal in advance, and it later arrived on my doorstep in a cooler box.

The box contained a 5-pound turkey breast, 24 ounces of turkey gravy, 2 pounds of mashed potatoes, green-bean casserole, mac and cheese, sweet corn, cornbread stuffing, 12 dinner rolls, a 20-ounce container of cranberry sauce, a pumpkin pie, and an apple cobbler.

The turkey breast turned out moist and delicious.

We could cook the turkey from frozen or thawed, and instructions were included for each method.

We thawed our turkey in advance, followed the cooking instructions on the package, and were rewarded with 5 pounds of tender, juicy breast meat.

While the turkey cooked, all that was left to do was reheat each side dish in the oven-safe container it came in, thaw and serve the cranberry sauce, heat the gravy on the stovetop in a pan, and warm our rolls.

We spent no more than 30 minutes in the kitchen preparing the meal, as everything but the turkey came precooked. My oven truly did all the work.

The side dishes were tasty, and one of our favorites was the green-bean casserole.

Green-bean casserole is one of my favorite holiday side dishes, so I'm always skeptical about ordering premade versions of it.

Fortunately, the green-bean casserole in this meal kit was perfectly creamy and savory, with well-cooked green beans and a nice flavor. It was so delicious that I didn't miss my home-cooked version, nor did the rest of my family.

Other sides, such as cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, were just as good as my homemade versions, too.

There were plenty of essential Thanksgiving carbs, such as rolls and mac and cheese.

We thoroughly enjoyed the dinner rolls that came with this meal, especially when paired with butter. Easy to heat through and serve, they were crispy on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside.

We also loved the cornbread stuffing, even though we normally make homemade stuffing from cubed white bread on Turkey Day.

Since there were only six of us eating a meal intended for eight, we had plenty of leftovers — and carby options such as mac and cheese and dinner rolls were delicious in the days after our feast.

The meal even included two desserts.

Once we cleared the table and went for an after-dinner walk, it was time for dessert.

The pumpkin pie was really good and tasted like something I'd bake at home myself. The apple crumble was delicious as well.

I made only two extra purchases for the dessert course: canned whipped cream for the pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream for the apple crumble.

It was also fun to focus on setting my table instead of cooking.

I love setting a holiday table as much as I love cooking a meal, so it was fun to focus on creating a beautiful tablescape this year instead of spending most of the day (and the day before) in the kitchen.

I was able to pull out my great-grandmother's china, set a gorgeous table, and top it off with silly crafts for my family to do as we ate.

Having a bit of extra time to set the table allowed me to facilitate some great Thanksgiving memories for my family, such as laughing until we cried about how difficult the "kids craft" turkeys I bought were for four adults and two teenagers to assemble.

The meal felt pretty complete to us, though some might wish for sweet potatoes.

The meal we ordered from Costco truly included everything our family would normally cook for Thanksgiving dinner, down to the turkey gravy and the cranberry sauce.

The only popular Thanksgiving dish that I noticed was missing was yams or sweet potatoes, but my family isn't big on them anyway, so we didn't miss them.

I would definitely order this Thanksgiving dinner through Costco again.

Based on our experience ordering the Fortune Gourmet Thanksgiving meal from Costco, I'd absolutely order this again or a similar meal package.

It was delicious, and the dishes tasted remarkably close to many of my usual recipes.

I loved not having to spend several days in the kitchen making things from scratch, and the cleanup was incredibly easy since so many of the dishes came in oven-safe containers for reheating.

This year, the same company is offering a near-identical Thanksgiving dinner through Costco for $270, or discounted to $200 for Costco members.

I'm interested in trying this again — and my fingers are crossed that the warehouse chain will sell something similar for Christmas dinner, too.

This story was originally published on November 19, 2024, and most recently updated on November 6, 2026.

As Business Insider's sleep editor, I frequently coordinate mattress testing among my expert product testers, and the brand that comes up as their dream bed to try first, time after time, is Saatva.

While I've gotten to test and review a few myself, I recently visited one of the brand's 35 viewing rooms, where I got to lie on each mattress and get a big-picture view of the entire lineup.

It's easy to see why Saatva ranks among the best mattresses year after year. The brand delivers a thoroughly luxurious sleep experience, backed by high-quality materials, free in-home setup, a yearlong sleep trial, lifetime warranty, and a strong commitment to sustainability.. Their made-to-order business model means the bed may take a little longer to receive than your standard bed-in-a-box (typically 9 to 21 days), but you'll also have peace of mind knowing the bed hasn't been sitting in a warehouse.

If you're shopping for a new mattress before the end of the year, I suggest you consider Saatva in your hunt, especially with this early Black Friday mattress deal. With our exclusive reader discount, you can save $425 on any purchase that includes a mattress of $1000 or more. No code necessary; just use our link.

If you are still comparing options, I've also been tracking all the best early Black Friday mattress deals across competing brands.

Shop all Black Friday deals from Saatva.

The best Black Friday Saatva mattress deals

Throughout November and in the lead-up to Black Friday, Saatva is offering our readers $425 off any $1000 purchase that includes a mattress. Keep in mind that your savings will be applied in your cart, so your discount will be applied to your total purchase rather than a single item.

Best Saatva mattress

Best Saatva mattress for back pain

Best Saatva mattress for plus-size sleepers

Best organic Saatva mattress

Best memory foam Saatva mattress

Best Saatva mattress for couples with different firmness preferences

Why we love Saatva mattresses

Beyond standout perks like free white glove delivery, a 365-night trial, and a lifetime warranty, Saatva offers a diverse lineup tailored to a wide range of sleep needs. Whether you're looking for back pain relief, an adjustable mattress for different sleep preferences, all-natural latex, or hotel-like comfort, Saatva offers a model for you. Many of the beds are also HSA/FSA Eligible with TrueMed.

• Saatva Classic: The brand's flagship model is a traditional innerspring design featuring zoned firmness and advanced lumbar support. Available in three firmness levels and two thicknesses, it delivers luxury comfort without an exorbitant price tag.
• Saatva Rx: An exceptionally plush option designed specifically to alleviate chronic joint and back pain.
• Saatva HD: Built specifically for plus-size sleepers, it strikes the ideal balance between heavy-duty support and contouring comfort.

Read more about our experience with Saatva in our Saatva Mattress Review.

More Saatva products to consider

Saatva mattress FAQ

What is the best Saatva mattress?

Our team has tested six Saatva mattresses. The Saatva Classic is the best for most people, since it has excellent temperature regulation and alleviates back pain regardless of sleeping position. It's sold in three firmnesses.

The Saatva Classic is the best choice for most sleepers due to its versatile support and temperature regulation. For customized firmness, consider the Solaire; for plus-size support, choose the HD; and for targeted joint relief, look at the Saatva Rx.

For more details, check out our guide comparing the best Saatva mattresses.

What else does Saatva offer beyond mattresses?

Beyond mattresses, you can outfit your entire bedroom with Saatva, including high-quality furniture, lamps, rugs, and bedding essentials like sheets, comforters, mattress protectors, and pillows.

Where can I try Saatva mattresses in person?

If you're the kind of person who likes to try a mattress in store before you purchase, Saatva operates 35 viewing rooms across the country. Every mattress is on display, along with furniture and bedding. The experience is very calming and hygienic, with sleep associates providing disposable sheets and pillow covers to lie on.

For those unable to visit a showroom, Saatva's 365-night sleep trial gives you ample time to decide whether the mattress is right for you. Note that a 30-day break-in period is required, and a $99 processing fee applies to returns.

• The freakout over AI stocks abated on Friday as the US indexes inched higher.
• Some investors are buying the dip in chipmakers after the worst selling day for retail since the pandemic.
• Markets even brushed off the strong October jobs report, with strong gains pointing to a likely rate hike.

The bloodbath in AI stocks paused on Friday.

The tech sector was pummelled in Thursday's session as investors took in the Democratic victory in the midterms and panicked over the possibility of a data center moratorium in key states. Investors were breathing a little easier as the week wound down, with the tech names up Friday morning as some investors bought the dip in chipmakers and other battered areas of the AI trade.

The Nasdaq 100 gained more than 1%, with the S&P 500 also inching higher. Blue chip stocks, an outlier, extended their declines, with the Dow dropping another 500 points after yesterday's 1,800-point plunge.

Here's where US indexes stood around 10 a.m. ET:

• S&P 500: 7,429.57, up 1%
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 51,456.95, down 0.13% (-66 points)
• Nasdaq 100: 27,230.89, up 2.26%

Here were some of the notable moves in tech:

The gains held even as investors digested a blockbuster October jobs report that raised the odds of a December rate hike from the Fed.

The US economy added 165,000 payrolls last month, much more than economists anticipated. While that's good news for the economy, it points to tighter financial conditions on the horizon, which could be negative for risk assets like stocks.

Investors see about an 80% chance the Fed will raise rates another quarter-point next month, up from 73% before the jobs report, according to CME FedWatch.

Treasury yields rose after the data.

Investors, however, are taking the positive labor data as a sign of economic strength, a welcome indicator as fears rise that a slowdown in AI development could hobble growth.

"Friday's stronger-than-expected jobs report is a relief, and suggests that the labor market is still able to produce jobs even in this elevated interest rate environment," Clark Bellin, the chief investment officer at Bellwether Wealth, said in a statement.

"It reinforces the distinction between a market correction and an economic downturn: an AI-led market correction does not have to translate into a broader deterioration in economic fundamentals," Seema Shah, the chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management, said of the latest jobs data.

Sentiment is still dicey as investors recover from yesterday's volatility. Across the ocean, the AI sell-off continued in Asia and Europe.

South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index plunged over 8% in early trading, triggering a trading halt before ending the day 6% lower. Memory chip giants Samsung and SK Hynix bore the worst of the losses, falling 11% and 14% respectively.

Japan, Taiwan, China, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK were also caught in the sell-off.

"When $2.5 trillion of value is lost from one of the major US stock market indices in a day, it's understandable that investors are feeling on edge," Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, said in a morning email. He noted that in early trading only eight companies listed on the UK's FTSE 100 were in the green.

Wall Street's terrible Thursday

Friday's action followed a bruising session on Wall Street on Thursday. The freakout in the AI trade marked the worst single day of selling for retail investors since the pandemic, according to data from Vanda Analytics.

The sell-off was sparked by the idea that a Democratic sweep in Congress would lead to tighter data center regulation, putting new construction on hold at a time when the focus is still predominantly on AI infrastructure. The selling intensified into the afternoon as top lawmakers called for an immediate moratorium on data centers in posts on social media.

Texas is at the epicenter of the market's anxiety. The state is set to oversee around 25% of data center capacity in the US, and Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who won the race for governor, has been among those calling for an immediate data center moratorium.

Investors have also been growing increasingly antsy about the AI trade lately, punishing tech giants at any clue that points to a slowdown in the artificial intelligence boom. Scrutiny has particularly intensified around the hyperscalers, who continue to worry markets with capex spending even when beating on the bottom line.

Wall Street split on the latest decline. Some commentators brushed off the idea that the sell-off had created a buying opportunity, while other strategists floated the idea that the latest decline was overblown.

"The timing is uncomfortable. Investors were already lining up for a year-end rally…and now some are throwing in the towel out of frustration. Part of what we're seeing is portfolio pain and indiscriminate selling. The candor of the flows today seems directionally rational; it's the magnitude that's raising eyebrows," Ron Adler, the co-head of global high touch trading at JPMorgan, wrote in a note.

"The stock market is in the midst of a correction, and the only way a correction ends is once we find a bottom, which can take time," Bellwether's Bellin said.

• A version of this story originally appeared in the AI Insider newsletter.
• Sign up for Business Insider's weekly AI Insider newsletter here.

I attended the Fireworks AI conference in San Francisco on Tuesday and met the company's VP of technology and strategy, Rob Ferguson.

He showed me a stunning demo in which an AI model running on Fireworks' systems created a video game from scratch in about five seconds. (A LOT faster than Claude Code, by the way.)

The game was Asteroids. Watching Rob play it brought childhood memories flooding back.

I used to play Asteroids on my Oric-1 computer. My dad bought it because it was cheaper than a Commodore 64. (Yes, I'm still bitter.) I had to load the game using a cassette tape player, a process that took about 10 minutes.

Now, an AI model can create the game, not just load it, in seconds.

Why does this matter?

Rob explained that speed is crucial if AI agents are going to handle tasks efficiently on our behalf.

Today, working with AI agents often means waiting for them to finish something, occasionally nudging them along. It's called botsitting, and it's a drag.

Faster AI models could change that. Instead of waiting around, we could watch agents complete tasks in seconds, without interrupting our flow of work.

That's exactly what happened with Rob's demo. Asteroids appeared so quickly that he could immediately ask the AI to improve it, turning the game into 3-D and adding new weapons, including colorful lasers.

He didn't just use AI to create Asteroids from scratch. He made it better, too. All in about 15 seconds.

Sign up for the AI Insider newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com

• I didn't feel ready to leave my college town after graduation, so I decided to stay.
• Surprisingly, living close to my friends didn't make the postgrad transition any easier.
• Even though staying in the same place doesn't freeze time, I've learned to love this new chapter.

When I graduated from Texas Christian University last year, I didn't want to leave.

I enjoyed my time at school so much, and the thought of parting ways with the community, the people, and the routine I had settled into over the past four years didn't sit right with me.

I didn't want to stop visiting the Stockyards for group dinners and rodeos, walking along the Trinity River at sunset, or attending the church I'd frequented for so many years.

Plus, I felt there was more to experience in Fort Worth beyond my campus bubble, and I didn't want to return to my hometown in California. So, I thought staying in the city I had come to love so much would make the transition after graduating easier and ease my anxieties about postgrad life.

My boyfriend was still in school at TCU, and all of my closest friends decided to stick around as well, either by getting jobs nearby or by continuing their studies, which made my decision even easier.

I expected us to hang out all the time, go out to dinner, and show up at each other's apartments unannounced, just like when we were in school.

It seemed like I had created the most seamless transition into this next phase of adulthood — or so I thought.

I stayed close to the people I loved, but still felt lonely

In the months after graduation, I started to feel a loneliness creep in that I couldn't make sense of.

I was living with two of my best friends, the rest of them lived in the same apartment complex as us, and my boyfriend and I had just celebrated our first anniversary. Yet, I still felt isolated.

I was the only one out of our group of friends with a standard 9-to-5 job — everyone else had more flexible roles or was continuing their education.

I felt completely out of sync with them: while I sat in an office all day, some of them bounced from class to class or didn't have to work much at all. When I came home from work tired and wanting to stay home for the night, some of them were desperate to go out.

Along with our routines being nothing alike, I didn't really understand their daily responsibilities anymore, and they didn't understand mine.

I would try to explain my job in advertising strategy to my friend who worked with kids in special education, and it felt like there was a disconnect. We recognized the basics of each other's work, but there was less common ground to relate to.

On top of that disconnect, scheduling time to spend with anyone took more effort than I'd ever had to make before. Instead of being completely spontaneous, an evening walk after work with a friend suddenly had to be planned a week in advance.

My days also rarely lined up with my boyfriend's. Because he was still in school, he had pockets of free time throughout the day, but his extracurriculars took up his weeknights. Meanwhile, my day was blocked off from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., leaving me available only in the evening.

I thought staying in my college town would help avoid the difficulty of living far away from everyone I loved. Instead, I was right next to them, but I felt further removed than ever.

I learned that staying in the same place didn't mean time would freeze

Now, a year and a half later, I've learned adult friendships require more intention. To help foster and maintain my relationships in this new era, I've accepted that extended time with anyone other than my roommates is easiest to achieve on weekends, not during the week.

However, inviting friends into my existing routines on a weekday has also been great, whether that's going to the gym together or cooking dinner.

Regardless of the challenges, life after college has still been positive in other ways.

I've become more financially independent, established new weekly routines that fill my cup, and taken more ownership of my time by doing things like running a marathon, leading a small group in the college ministry I used to attend, and visiting my family whenever I'd like, rather than just during the holidays.

Recently, my boyfriend proposed, so now, postgrad life also includes wedding planning and preparing for marriage.

This has been a season I've gotten to share with a few of my friends, with many of our weeknights now spent on the couch, sending out save-the-dates, looking for bridesmaid dresses, and talking through vendor decisions.

Ironically, my fiancé and I intend to stay in Fort Worth for the foreseeable future. Do we see ourselves here forever? Not necessarily.

Regardless of where we are, though, I no longer want to hold onto the version of life I had in college; instead, I want to appreciate the one taking shape now.

• Season four of "The Gilded Age" premiered on November 1.
• While some of its characters are fictional, the show is populated with real people from the era.
• Grover Cleveland, Booker T. Washington, Oscar Wilde, and Clara Barton have all popped up.

Few eras have captivated people more than the Gilded Age, a period in the late 19th century characterized by extreme wealth (and wealth inequality), progress, immigration, and a certain ruthlessness among the age's businessmen.

And now, any history buff can tune into HBO's "The Gilded Age" to see this iconic time period brought to life.

The show is populated by a mix of entirely fictional creations and a few characters who differ only in name from real people of the time.

Here's a guide to every real person who made the jump from history books to HBO in "The Gilded Age."

Warning: There are some season three and four spoilers ahead.

Carrie Coon plays Bertha Russell, who's based on Alva Vanderbilt.

Alva Vanderbilt Belmont was a Gilded Age socialite who married William K. Vanderbilt, a Vanderbilt railroad heir. In 1882, the couple built a mansion that took up a whole city block on Fifth Avenue in New York City — much like the mansion the Russells move into in the series premiere.

Bertha isn't exactly Alva, but the similarities are there, including Alva's hunger and determination to be accepted by the upper crust of New York society, her strong personality, and love of the opera.

Taissa Farmiga plays Bertha's daughter Gladys, based on Alva's daughter Consuelo.

If there was any doubt that Bertha and Gladys were based on Alva and Consuelo, that doubt ended when Gladys married off to a British duke against her will, in order to elevate her family's status and credibility.

While Gladys and Hector's relationship was at a high point at the end of season three — though, after the season four premiere, there seems to be a major conflict incoming — if you don't want to know what could happen to Gladys, skip ahead.

In real life, Consuelo's marriage to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, was largely an unhappy one, though she and her husband mostly lived separately.

They separated in 1906 and were officially divorced in 1921. The marriage was annulled in 1926.

However, Bertha's husband George (Morgan Spector) isn't based on a Vanderbilt. Much of his character comes from Jay Gould.

George is portrayed as a full-blown robber baron, much like Gould was. In fact, Gould is remembered as one of the most cutthroat railroad tycoons of the Gilded Age.

As his Encyclopedia Britannica entry notes, he "remained ruthless, unscrupulous, and friendless to the end" before his death in 1892. George is similarly unafraid to cross anyone, as long as it benefits his bottom line.

And much like Gould, while George spares no feelings for his competition, he has shown great love for his wife and children — and, as fans of the show have pointed out, is quite handsome. They even call him "Railroad Daddy."

Peggy Scott, as played by Denée Benton, is inspired by a few real women, including Julia C. Collins.

One of the first things we learn about Peggy is that she's an aspiring writer, and a talented one at that. It's clear that "Gilded Age" creator Julian Fellowes was inspired by Julia C. Collins, the first Black female author to publish a novel.

Collins' book, "The Curse of Caste; or The Slave Bride," was published in serial form across eight months in 1865. However, she died of tuberculosis before she was able to finish it.

Thankfully, Peggy has fully recovered from the illness she contracted at the beginning of season three … and it introduced her to Dr. William Kirkland, her now-fiancé.

Donna Murphy plays Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, the queen of New York high society.

During the Gilded Age, the undisputed queen of New York was Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, who, despite her husband William Backhouse Astor Jr.'s enormous wealth, was actually the richer of the two due to her family's wealth dating back to the first settlement of Manhattan by Dutch colonists in the 1600s.

Astor was the leader of a group called the Four Hundred, a list that contained anyone who was anyone in the late 1800s. Perhaps coincidentally, her townhouse's ballroom could fit up to 400 people comfortably.

Murphy, a two-time Tony Award winner, brings needed gravitas to the role.

Just like in the show, her third daughter, Charlotte Astor Drayton (played by Hannah Shealy), caused a scandal with her divorce.

The real Charlotte Astor married J. Coleman Drayton in 1879, and their relationship made headlines in 1892 when he challenged another man, Hallet Alsop Borrowe, to a duel following rumors of an affair between Borrowe and Astor. The fight didn't happen, but the Draytons divorced in 1896.

The scandal gets its own storyline in "The Gilded Age." The show depicts how divorce — as experienced by both Charlotte Astor and fellow socialite Aurora Fane (Kelli O'Hara) — sees women cast out of society. It is shocking to the establishment, therefore, when Bertha Russell invites both Charlotte and Aurora to her Newport ball, suggesting society is opening its arms to divorced women.

Caroline's youngest daughter, Carrie Astor, is played by Amy Forsyth.

Carrie Astor has had a recurring role throughout "The Gilded Age," popping up in four seasons mainly to convince her mother to let the Russells join their elite circle of friends.

If the show follows what happened in real life, Carrie's future marriage to banker Marshall Orme Wilson will cause quite a stir, as her parents did not approve of the match. In fact, according to a biography of the Astors, Carrie "starved herself into bulimia" until her mother acquiesced.

One of the show's more eclectic characters is Mamie Fish, played by Ashlie Atkinson.

Fish is one of the first people we meet in "The Gilded Age" when Bertha and George's son, Larry, is invited to vacation at her home in Rhode Island.

In real life, Fish was another of the era's most powerful socialites, alongside Alva Vanderbilt and Tessie Fair. The three ruled as the "Triumvirate" after Caroline Astor's death in 1908.

In both fiction and real life, Fish loved to throw a lavish party.

Caroline Astor's right-hand man, Ward McAllister, is played by Nathan Lane, distinct mustache and all.

McAllister is the one who dictated the official "Four Hundred" list to The New York Times in 1892.

In the show, Bertha has been seen sucking up to McAllister to help her get in good graces with the Astors.

But in the penultimate episode of season three, McAllister was officially put out to pasture by the ladies of NYC high society, as he published a tell-all book that did not endear him to, well, anyone.

This happened in real life, too — McAllister published his memoir, "Society as I Have Found It," in 1890, which left him excommunicated from Manhattan's elite.

While trying to make it as a writer, Peggy meets Timothy Thomas Fortune, played by Sullivan Jones.

After deciding not to take her name off her writing to be published in white newspapers, Peggy meets Fortune, the real publisher of The New York Age, a leading Black newspaper of the day (called The New York Globe in the show).

In both the show and reality, Fortune was married by the time of "The Gilded Age," but it didn't stop Peggy and Fortune from developing a relationship during season two.

John Sanders plays the famous (and problematic) architect, Stanford White.

If you've ever walked around Washington Square Park in Manhattan, you've seen one of White's most renowned pieces of work: the Washington Square Arch.

In the show, White is also responsible for designing the Russells' behemoth of a townhouse on Fifth Avenue.

In real life, White was involved in one of the era's biggest scandals. When he was 48, he was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting 16-year-old Evelyn Nesbit, a model and actor.

In 1905, when Nesbit was 21, she married another prominent New York figure, Henry Kendall Thaw. When Thaw learned what White had done to his wife, he murdered him during a performance at Madison Square Garden (a building he designed).

The subsequent trial was a media circus and was even dubbed the trial of the century. Public opinion of White plummeted during the trial when the public learned about his private life. According to The New York Times, Vanity Fair even ran this headline: "Stanford White, Voluptuary and Pervert, Dies the Death of a Dog."

Thaw was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Clara Barton, as played by Linda Emond, appeared in the first season.

In season one, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) takes her aunts to a talk by Barton, a Civil War nurse, voting-rights and equal-rights activist, and a key member of the American Red Cross.

J. P. Morgan, as played by Bill Camp, joined the cast in season three.

The real Morgan was considered the greatest banker who ever lived, so it shouldn't be surprising that George, in need of capital, would turn to him for help.

Jordan Waller played Oscar Wilde in a season two episode.

The famous playwright and author of "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" popped up in season two while his play "Vera; or, The Nihilists" premiered in New York. Of course, he found time to hit on John Adams (Claybourne Elder), as well.

Emily Warren Roebling, one of the engineers of the Brooklyn Bridge, was played by Liz Wisan in season two.

Roebling essentially took over for her husband, Washington Roebling, as chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge after he developed decompression sickness and became bedridden.

The Brooklyn Bridge is unveiled during a season two episode, and George sends his son, Larry (Harry Richardson), to represent him at a trustees meeting, when he discovers that Emily is the one running the show.

Suffragist Sarah J. Garnet, as played by Melanie Nicholls-King, appears in season two as well.

Nicholls-King appeared in three episodes of season two as Garnet, a landmark figure in Black history, as she was a principal, the founder of the Equal Suffrage League, and the owner of her own seamstress shop.

There are two public schools in New York City named for Garnet today.

Booker T. Washington, played by Michael Braugher, also appeared in two episodes of season two.

Washington is known for his work advancing the education of Black Americans in post-Civil War America, including serving as the first leader of the Tuskegee Institute, now the HBCU (Historically Black College or University) Tuskegee University.

Washington is in two episodes of the second season, when Peggy and Fortune make their way to Tuskegee to report on it for the newspaper.

Gladys gets her portrait done by artist John Singer Sargent (played by Bobby Steggert).

Sargent's season three appearance is in 1883, just before he became famous for his painting "Portrait of Madame X" in 1884 — in fact, he mentions the then-scandalous painting while speaking with Bertha, who notes that some scandal will only make him more expensive.

Gladys' husband, Hector Vere, the Duke of Buckingham, is based on Charles Spencer-Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. He's played by Ben Lamb.

In the show and in real life, this duke was desperate for a sizable dowry so he could continue the upkeep on his castle (Sidmouth Castle in the show, Blenheim Palace in real life).

However, so far, Hector seems like he'll be a better husband to Gladys than Charles Spencer-Churchill was to Consuelo Vanderbilt, although he does keep a major secret from Gladys in the season four premiere.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper is played by LisaGay Hamilton in season three.

Peggy brings Harper to a ladies' tea she's hosting to help drum up support for the suffrage movement, much to the displeasure of the conservative Elizabeth Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad).

Harper was one of the first Black female authors to be published — and left behind a large body of work — and also was an activist for suffrage, temperance, and abolition.

Russell Risley Sage, played by Peter McRobbie, joined the show in season three.

When George is summoned to a meeting by J. P. Morgan, he meets other financiers, including Sage.

Sage, in real life, worked closely with Jay Gould (if you'll recall, the basis for George's character). The two managed railroads together. However, in "The Gilded Age," the two have a much more adversarial relationship.

Sage is perhaps most famous for surviving an assassination attempt at his office by using one of his employees, William R. Laidlaw Jr., as a human shield. Laidlaw survived but sued Sage after he was permanently disabled.

As The New York Times put it, Sage was found to owe him $25,000, "simply because he used William R. Laidlaw, Jr., as a shield to save his gray hairs from being brought prematurely to the grave."

President Grover Cleveland, as played by Jim Gaffigan, will make his debut in season four.

Gaffigan was announced as part of the season four cast in March by Deadline.

The comedian hasn't popped up yet, but much has been said about the president visiting Ada and Agnes' home as a way to connect with the city's elites, so we can surely expect Cleveland — who was also the governor of New York from 1883 to 1885 — to show up soon.

Cleveland's Secretary of the Treasury, Daniel Manning, will be played by Dallas Roberts.

Manning was a key figure in Cleveland's path to clinching the Democratic nomination, and later, his (first) win for the presidency. To thank him, Cleveland appointed Manning as Secretary of the Treasury, a position he held until 1887.

He hasn't shown up yet, but we can assume that Roberts, best known for his roles in "Insatiable," "The Good Wife," and "The Walking Dead," will appear alongside Gaffigan.

John D. Rockefeller, the world's first billionaire, will finally pop up in season four, played by Neal Huff.

The Rockefeller dynasty is well known to this day, especially in New York City. Rockefeller Center is an iconic building and tourist attraction.

That all began with John D. Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil in 1870 and was, at one point, the richest man in America. He was also huge in the railroad business, so he'll probably show up in scenes with George and the other robber barons.

Real-life journalist Louisa Knapp Curtis will be played by Bonnie Milligan.

Milligan, a Tony Award winner, posted on Instagram about joining the cast, writing, "I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for this!!! I have loved @gildedagehbo since episode one, and to get to delve into this glorious world, is the thrill of a lifetime!"

She'll be playing Curtis, the very first editor of Ladies' Home Journal, a real magazine that was published from 1883 to 2016. She was in charge from 1883 to 1889. Before that, she had her own column in her husband Cyrus Curtis' Philadelphia newspaper, Tribune and Farmer.

As Peggy is our resident journalist, we can only hope she'll interact with Louisa.

Correction — August 4, 2025: An earlier version of this story misidentified the actor who plays Gladys Russell. She's played by Taissa Farmiga, not Vera Farmiga.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in August 2025 and most recently updated in November 2026.

• Fox finalized its Roku deal on Friday, months ahead of schedule.
• Owning Roku will give Fox control of two top free streamers.
• Fox told investors that it expects to save $400 million annually from the deal within two years.

Fox has bought Roku in a deal that could transform the TV giant into a free streaming powerhouse.

The $22 billion deal will help Fox scale its advertising business while giving it control of The Roku Channel in addition to Tubi, the second- and third-largest free streaming services by US TV viewership. (YouTube is the clear No. 1.)

Fox's digital platforms business will be co-led by Paul Cheesbrough and Anthony Wood, the company said in its Friday announcement. Cheesbrough had overseen Tubi Media Group, which includes Tubi, subscription streamer Fox One, and the creator network Red Seat Ventures. Wood founded Roku and had been its CEO.

"Together we have premium live sports and news, a growing streaming portfolio, and a leading connected TV platform," Cheesbrough and Wood told employees on Friday morning in a memo viewed by Business Insider.

As part of the deal, Roku executives Charlie Collier and Chris Handman are departing, as is Robyn Peterson, the EVP of AdRise, an adtech platform owned by Fox.

Tubi CEO Anjali Sud is also leaving for "a new role outside of the company," the memo said.

Mustafa Ozgen will be Roku's new CEO. He was formerly its president of devices, products, and technology. Pete Distad will continue to lead Fox's streaming business, which will now include Tubi and Frndly TV, a live TV service.

Here are the five top goals for Fox after buying Roku, according to Cheesbrough and Wood's memo:

1. "Grow Platform Share and Engagement: Expand connected TV device sales and platform engagement through affordability, simplicity and creative partnerships."
2. "Lead in Free Ad-Supported Streaming: Be a top destination for movies, TV shows, podcasts and creator content."
3. "Lead in Premium Subscriptions: Build a compelling destination and bundling ecosystem for premium subscriptions."
4. "Win in Performance Advertising: Invest in AdTech, data and go-to-market capabilities to become the premier advertising partner at scale."
5. "Grow our Portfolio Globally: Use our combined strengths to expand on and off platform in the US and internationally."

Fox supercharges its ad business ahead of schedule

The timing of this deal is a surprise. Fox originally said it expected its acquisition of Roku to be finalized in the first half of 2027.

Fox had said in September the US Department of Justice requested more information about its Roku deal, though the broadcast titan said that move was "expected."

"Fox quickly closed on Roku before Democrats could control Congress and mount any opposition," said Ross Benes, an analyst at Emarketer, Business Insider's sister company.

Together, Roku, Tubi, and Fox's broadcast channel and cable networks — which include Fox News and FS1 — generate more TV viewership in the US than Netflix or NBCUniversal, according to Nielsen.

"Fox has been the only major broadcast network lagging behind streaming scale," said media analyst Mike Proulx of Forrester. "This deal gives Fox more traction in streaming through a backdoor that's not getting enough attention."

Roku's connected TV platform is in over 100 million households. It drove over $727 million in advertising revenue in its September quarter, up 23% from the year before, the company said on Monday.

Fox said in its deal announcement on Friday that it expects to generate about $400 million in annual cost savings within two years by buying Roku.

Gaining The Roku Channel gives Fox another asset in a hot area. As paid streamers raise prices, consumers have been increasingly turning to free services for their TV viewing.

"Fox will become a powerhouse in free ad-supported TV viewing," Benes said.

Read the full memo from Cheesbrough and Wood below:

Team,

Lachlan shared this morning that FOX's acquisition of Roku is complete. This is a big day for all of us. To our new Roku colleagues: welcome to FOX. And to everyone across FOX and Roku who made this possible: thank you.

Together we have premium live sports and news, a growing streaming portfolio, and a leading connected TV platform. More importantly, we have talented teams who know how to build, innovate, and deliver for viewers, partners, and advertisers. We have a lot to celebrate—and a lot to build.

With the inclusion of Roku, Tubi Media Group is now FOX Digital Platforms. It brings our digital businesses together around five goals:

1. Grow Platform Share and Engagement: Expand connected TV device sales and platform engagement through affordability, simplicity and creative partnerships.
2. Lead in Free Ad-Supported Streaming: Be a top destination for movies, TV shows, podcasts and creator content.
3. Lead in Premium Subscriptions: Build a compelling destination and bundling ecosystem for premium subscriptions.
4. Win in Performance Advertising: Invest in AdTech, data and go-to-market capabilities to become the premier advertising partner at scale.
5. Grow our Portfolio Globally: Use our combined strengths to expand on and off platform in the U.S. and internationally.

For our first 100 days, we'll organize around three core teams while we identify the biggest growth opportunities and determine the right long-term structure.

Roku

Mustafa Ozgen will lead Roku as CEO. He helped grow Roku into a platform reaching more than 100 million households, and we're excited to have him lead its next chapter. Roku's open platform—central to its success with viewers and content partners—will remain open. We intend to protect and build on that strength.

Mustafa will continue to lead Roku's Device, Product and Technology organization and will expand his scope across the business by taking on AdRise advertising product and engineering, the Roku Channel, Streaming Services Partnerships, Roku Subscriptions, Howdy, Roku Pay, and Roku Brand and Creative.

Direct-to-Consumer

Pete Distad, CEO of FOX Direct-to-Consumer, has built a strong team and has developed, launched, and grown FOX One into a formidable consumer offering. Effective today, Tubi and Frndly TV will join his portfolio. Bringing free and subscription services together creates opportunities to better serve viewers, connect audiences, and build smarter bundles.

Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi, is taking on a new role outside of the company but will be helping us through the transition. She and her team have helped take Tubi from a challenger brand to a free streaming force. We want to thank her for her extraordinary contributions and wish her every success in her next endeavor.

Mike Bidgoli is being promoted to President of Tubi, reporting to Pete. An early Tubi investor, Mike has led its product and engineering teams with a focus on innovation and execution. The Tubi leadership team will report to Mike.

Andy Karofsky, co-founder and CEO of Frndly TV, and the Frndly team will also join Pete's group. Welcome to FOX.

Lisa Holme, Head of Content for The Roku Channel, will report to Pete and work closely with Adam Lewinson and the Tubi content team. Together they will coordinate content investments, strengthen our programming, and help us compete more effectively for free streaming audiences.

Office of the CTO

Melody Hildebrandt will continue as our CTO, leading IT, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure governance, while coordinating AI adoption across FOX. Jeff Dow, EVP of Platform and Media Technology, will retire at the end of the fiscal year, and the Tempe broadcast and distribution facility will move into Melody's organization.

Group Leadership

As Lachlan noted, all advertising sales across the portfolio will continue to report to Jeff Collins, President of Advertising Sales at FOX. Gil Fuchsberg will serve as Chief Strategy Officer, reporting to both of us. He will lead group strategy and continue to oversee major retailer and OEM deals.

Supporting the whole group: Finance, led by Andy Croxson, CFO; Human Resources, led by Pooja Dalal, SVP of HR; Legal, led by Angie Park, EVP, General Counsel of FOX Digital Platforms; and Communications, led by Seana Sullivan, SVP of Corporate Communications. Some members of legal, finance and HR will also become part of the wider corporate functions across FOX, and those teams will hear more directly.

Red Seat Ventures and Credible

Red Seat Ventures, led by CEO and co-founder Chris Balfe, is growing quickly in the creator economy, with two shows currently in YouTube's top five. Credible, led by CEO Robert Humann, is making financial decisions simpler and more transparent through technology. Both businesses will continue to report to Paul and have our full support.

Thank You to Three Valued Leaders

We're also saying goodbye to three leaders who have made major contributions to these businesses. Charlie Collier, President of Roku Media, has had a major impact on Roku's advertising and content businesses. Chris Handman, SVP and General Counsel at Roku, has been instrumental in Roku's success. And Robyn Peterson, EVP of AdRise, helped FOX unify ad inventory and measurement across the portfolio. We're grateful to each of them and wish them the very best.

What Happens Next

We won't have every answer on Day 1. We'll share decisions as they're made, be clear about what's still open, and keep moving. Our priorities remain the same: build great products, serve our viewers and partners, and support each other.

We'll host Town Halls in San Jose and San Francisco on Monday; the FOX Lot and Santa Monica on Tuesday; Austin Wednesday and New York Thursday with international offices to follow. Here we'll go deeper on the strategy, meet colleagues across the combined business, and answer your questions directly. You can expect invites shortly.

This is the start of an exciting chapter. We have the opportunity to build something special together, and we're ready to get to work.

Paul & Anthony

• Business Insider embarked on the UK's newest aircraft carrier during operations near Norway.
• The HMS Prince of Wales is smaller and has fewer sailors and jets than American aircraft carriers.
• The warship's leadership described it as "lean-crewed" with a "highly efficient" air wing.

ABOARD THE HMS PRINCE OF WALES — An F-35 stealth fighter roars down the flight deck of Britain's newest aircraft carrier, hurtling toward a ski-jump ramp above the Norwegian Sea.

Seconds later, the jet is airborne, climbing into the sky. Silence returns to the flight deck of the HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's flagship.

The Prince of Wales can carry up to 36 F-35 fighter jets, but only a handful were aboard when Business Insider visited the warship while it was operating off the coast of Norway this week.

"We have a relatively modest, yet highly efficient, air wing with the aircraft that we have," Capt. Ben Power, the carrier's commanding officer, said on the bridge.

Even with relatively few fighters onboard, the carrier can sustain high-tempo flight operations.

The Prince of Wales, currently leading the UK carrier strike group, is deployed to the Norwegian Sea for the second phase of Operation Firecrest, a deterrence mission in the Arctic and North Atlantic. It is sailing with NATO warships while also participating in the alliance's recurring Neptune Strike exercise.

The carrier can accommodate up to 72 aircraft, including 36 F-35Bs, the short take-off and vertical landing variants — and a mix of helicopters, like the Merlin Mk2, which is designed for anti-submarine warfare. The ship can also carry up to 1,600 sailors and Royal Marines.

Power said the Prince of Wales is smaller than the US Navy's Ford-class carriers and typically operates with just 1,200 sailors, compared with nearly 5,000 aboard USS Gerald R. Ford, which can carry more than 75 aircraft, including dozens of fighter jets.

We are a "very lean-crewed, effective, and efficient platform, as you would expect, because this is very modern technology," Power said of the Prince of Wales.

Power credited the Prince of Wales' high sortie rate to its well-trained crew and advanced technology aboard the $4 billion vessel, commissioned in 2019. He singled out the automated weapons-handling system that moves bombs and missiles from magazines deep inside the ship to the flight deck, reducing the manpower needed to arm fighter jets and get them back into the air.

Both of the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers use the Highly Mechanised Weapon Handling System. Power called it an "incredibly efficient process" that distinguishes the British ships from other NATO carriers, which use weapons elevators but often rely more heavily on personnel to move munitions around.

"It's effectively all automated," Power said. "It's a series of lifts and a series of processes that's run by a computer that, when we place the demand signal for the weapon systems, they are delivered. So there are no humans in that process. It's all fully automated."

The Prince of Wales demonstrated its ability to operate with a larger air wing last year, carrying 24 F-35s. The UK said at the time it was the largest number of fifth-generation jets ever assembled on either of its Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.

The number of fighters aboard varies depending on the mission and potential threats, officers said. They argued that operating with fewer jets does not necessarily limit the carrier's effectiveness.

Commodore Richard Hewitt, the UK carrier strike group commander, said the Prince of Wales can sustain flight operations 24 hours a day, adding that "there is considerable planning that goes into these deployments to make sure that we're ready."

A flight deck officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that when the Prince of Wales reached full operational capability last year, it demonstrated the ability to launch eight jets at 30-second intervals.

During the first phase of Operation Firecrest in early July, F-35 jets took off from the Prince of Wales to conduct NATO air policing operations, marking the first time that the alliance has launched such missions from a European aircraft carrier.

Hewitt characterized the mission as "hugely successful" and said the carrier could play a greater role in such operations in the future.

"Prince of Wales was the first NATO carrier to deliver that capability off the coast of Iceland," Power said. "We are positioned and able and ready to do further policing operations should we be required to do so."

• Many big-name managers lost money in a turbulent October.
• Hedge funds are shedding traders and senior executives as the pain mounts.
• Traders investing across asset classes have been affected, and the pain has continued into November.

Halloween has passed, but times have never been more frightening for the hedge fund industry's rank-and-file.

October was a brutal month for nearly every firm, regardless of strategy focus. Multi-strategy giants like Millennium Management and Balyasny Asset Management lost money, while macro superstars like Greg Coffey and credit wunderkinds like Hamza Lemssouguer made headlines for the wrong reasons. The carnage shows no signs of slowing, as artificial-intelligence-linked stocks tumbled Thursday following Democrats' dominance in Tuesday's midterm elections.

It's been a bloody stretch for an industry known for its insatiable demand for investing personnel, potentially justifying Elliott Management founder Paul Singer's view that the talent war has been "exaggerated" by "the non-stop bull market."

"The next serious bear market could lead to a comprehensive rethink of how investors determine excellence," he wrote in an investor letter from late January.

The consequences of these losses are no surprise for those familiar with the cutthroat nature of the industry: Nameplate changes. There is very little patience for people who aren't making money, especially at the sprawling multi-strategy funds which, on average, turn over 20% of their portfolio managers each year.

On the stock-picking side, Walleye Capital and Engineers Gate just cut senior leaders, including Anil Gondi and Mike Daylamani, respectively, and other equity-focused staffers, while Balyasny's Corbets unit shed investors in October, Business Insider reported. Funds had to battle a volatile market in October when several big-name tech stocks, such as Meta and Intel, sold off.

Macro traders meanwhile had to navigate the ripple effects of rising interest rates, war-driven oil price fluctuations, and an electoral surprise in Brazil.

It resulted in the worst month on record for Kirkoswald Capital, the firm run by Coffey, the macro investing legend nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz." The manager dropped more than 6%, though its year-to-date gains are still above 16%, a person close to the manager told Business Insider.

There's also been plenty of personnel departures from macro trading desks across the industry. ExodusPoint, the fixed-income-oriented multi-strategy fund, saw two pedigreed PMs leave its Dubai office less than a year after joining, and it also recently cut currency-trading legend Jim Leitner, a person close to the manager said.

In credit land, where a flood of corporate paper has distorted the market, Arini Capital's Lemssouguer has sold hundreds of millions of positions from his book in the midst of a drawdown — though the young founder is not hunkering down and licking his wounds. An attendee at Bank of America's recent industry conference in Miami said London-based Lemssouguer met with investors in Florida and spoke onstage about his market views.

Arini declined to comment.

Meanwhile, credit traders have been on the chopping block at well-known investing platforms. Manav Gupta, who joined Millennium earlier this year, has already departed Izzy Englander's fund. And Brevan Howard, the $35 billion manager, shed five credit portfolio managers as its credit-trading head, Andy Silver, transitions into an advisory role. Brevan's two largest funds — Alpha Strategies and its Master fund — are both roughly flat on the year.

In total, the onslaught of trading losses and pink slips has been stunning, even for grizzled veterans.

"It's definitely adult swim now," said one longtime portfolio manager, who told Business Insider that they'd survived "for now."

• I tried Ina Garten's bourbon chocolate pecan pie recipe for Thanksgiving. 
• The recipe has barely any steps or prep and uses a store-bought pie crust. 
• I thought the pie was super easy to make, and it was deliciously crunchy and creamy. 

I love making Ina Garten's recipes, especially during the holidays.

Whether it's her delicious brown-butter skillet cornbread or creamy potato gratin, Garten has never let me down on Christmas and Thanksgiving.

But I'd never tried making one of Garten's desserts for my family's festivities. So when I saw a recipe for bourbon chocolate pecan pie in her "Go-To Dinners" cookbook, which includes a store-bought pie crust, I knew it'd be an easy addition to my Thanksgiving menu.

Ina Garten's pecan pie includes a store-bought crust, chocolate chips, and bourbon.

To make Garten's bourbon chocolate pecan pie, which serves six to eight people, you'll need: 

• 1 9-inch store-bought frozen pie crust (make sure you defrost it the night before baking)
• 2 extra-large eggs 
• 1 cup of whole pecans, large-diced 
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 
• 1 ¼ cups of semisweet chocolate chips (Garten recommends Nestlé)
• ½ cup of light brown sugar, lightly packed 
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ tablespoons of good bourbon (Garten recommends Maker's Mark)
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• Good vanilla ice cream for serving (Garten recommends Häagen-Dazs)

First, I prepped my pecans.

Garten's recipe calls for whole pecans to be "large-diced." To save time, I bought pecans that had already been halved and gave them a quick, rough chop to get them down to size. 

Then I added all of my dry ingredients into a bowl.

I threw in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and flour, along with one teaspoon of salt, before mixing everything together.

I whisked the liquid ingredients together.

I threw in the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and bourbon and whisked everything together.

I poured my wet ingredients into the bowl with my dry ingredients.

I stirred the ingredients with a rubber spatula until they were combined. 

Then I stirred in my chocolate chips and pecans.

And just like that, my filling was done!

I placed my pie crust on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and poured the filling in.

Garten recommends crimping the edges of your store-bought crust with a floured fork. Since my crust already had a design, I decided to skip this step for fear it could end up looking messy.

It was time to bake!

I smoothed the top of my pie and placed it on the center rack of the oven, which was set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Garten recommends baking the chocolate bourbon pie for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is "evenly golden brown on top and as firm in the middle as it is at the edges." 

My pie needed 44 minutes total to firm up more in the middle. Once I was confident my pie was ready, I transferred it to a wire rack and let it cool completely. 

My bourbon chocolate pecan pie looked stunning.

I'd never made a pecan pie before, so I was really excited when it came out of the oven. The top had turned a pretty caramel color, while the store-bought crust made the pie look clean and professional. 

I'm still a novice when it comes to making desserts, but this is a pie I was proud to present at the Thanksgiving table. 

Garten's bourbon chocolate pecan pie tasted like a decadent dream.

There's so much texture and flavor in Garten's bourbon chocolate pecan pie. The pecans gave each bite a delightful crunch, while the filling had an ooey-gooey creaminess from the chocolate chips that was so satisfying. And the store-bought crust was flaky and subtle, allowing the rich flavors to take center stage. 

My dad said the pie reminded him of a brownie, and he loved the burst of flavor it got from the bourbon. 

"Prue would love this!" he exclaimed, referring to former "The Great British Bake Off" judge Prue Leith, who has a penchant for boozy desserts. 

Garten recommends serving her pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which helps lighten all that chocolate flavor. 

Garten's bourbon chocolate pecan pie is sure to please everyone at Thanksgiving.

Garten's bourbon chocolate pecan pie couldn't have been easier. There was barely any prep, and I didn't even need to break out the stand mixer. Just a chop here, a whisk there, and everything was ready for the oven. And since it needs time to cool, this pie is a great dessert to make on Thanksgiving morning before you have to throw the turkey in. 

For those guests who don't love pumpkin pie or want some sweet variety, Garten's pecan pie will definitely make everyone happy.

• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are continuing to up their fashion game.
• The couple has worn standout, coordinated looks at events like the Met Gala and Paris Couture Week.
• They've also made a few fashion mistakes, mostly in the form of forgettable outfits.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are continuing their quest to conquer the fashion industry.

After making style waves in 2025, the married couple kicked off this year with a bang.

They attended Paris Couture Week, made promotional appearances, and sponsored the 2026 Met Gala. Naturally, they did all of the above in eye-catching looks.

Here are the best and worst outfits they've worn so far.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos played it too safe during one Paris Couture Week show in January.

The couple walked into a Schiaparelli runway show hand in hand, both wearing monochrome looks.

Sánchez Bezos paired a red blazer with a matching knee-length skirt and velvet heels, while her husband opted for a classic black suit with a matching shirt, dress shoes, and sunglasses.

Neither outfit was particularly memorable.

The billionaire should have worn a statement accessory, such as a brooch, on his jacket to add flair, and Sánchez Bezos should have opted for a shorter skirt to make her outfit appear less formal.

They looked chic, though, when photographed at a Christian Dior event.

The couple walked into the runway show wearing edgy neutral looks.

The Amazon founder paired a navy blue suit and shirt with his signature sunglasses, which let his wife's standout two-piece set shine.

Sánchez Bezos wore a Dior skirt with a ruffled hem and a matching blazer over a visible lace bra. The blazer had a fur lining, which made for an eye-catching detail you couldn't miss.

She completed the look with velvet heels and a small Dior purse.

Bezos didn't stand out at his own Blue Origin event in February.

When he appeared onstage in Cape Canaveral, he wore a navy blue suit that looked a lot like others he's been seen wearing this year.

The only difference is that this time, he paired it with a white undershirt, a red tie, and a diamond feather brooch.

It would have been refreshing to see Bezos try a suit in a different color.

Sánchez Bezos artfully promoted her book during a trip to New York City in March.

For an appearance on the "Today" show, she wore a white skirt suit designed by Sergio Hudson. It comprised a fitted blazer with a floral appliqué and a leather belt, as well as a peplum skirt.

The outfit fit her perfectly and was accessorized with festive pieces.

She wore $995 Louboutin heels, diamond stud earrings, oversize sunglasses, and a beaded bag that mirrored the cover of her latest children's book.

The all-black outfit she wore to a pre-Oscars dinner needed some tweaks.

She was photographed at the Chanel dinner wearing a vintage gown from the French brand's Spring 1986 collection. It was made from black silk taffeta and designed by Karl Lagerfeld.

The top portion of the gown looked chic on Sánchez Bezos, with its ruched bodice, thick belt, and single sleeve.

Unfortunately, the skirt looked too long and shapeless on the author. Simple tailoring could have improved the look.

The couple looked their best at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar party.

They wore matching black outfits to the Oscars after-party, creating a glamorous fashion moment together.

Bezos wore a standard black tuxedo with a white button-down and a black bow tie. The outfit was simple, but it worked with Sanchez Bezos' gown.

Her strapless John Galliano dress was made in 1995. It had peplum detailing at the waist, a high slit in the middle of its skirt, and ruffles along its hem.

She wore it with sheer tights, platform pumps, and 85 carats of pink and white diamonds on a Lorraine Schwartz necklace that matched her engagement ring.

Sánchez Bezos dressed a little too corporate ahead of the Met Gala in May.

As a sponsor and honorary co-chair of the 2026 Met Gala, Sánchez Bezos spoke at a press conference hours before the red carpet opened.

She wore a vintage John Galliano dress in gray, which had long sleeves, an ankle-length skirt, and a low back.

Though the dress was pretty and elegantly styled (with pumps and diamond earrings), it would have been better suited to a business meeting.

One half of the couple dressed on theme for the Met Gala, while the other missed the mark.

When Sánchez Bezos arrived at the Met Gala, she wore a custom Schiaparelli design inspired by John Singer Sargent's "Madame X" painting.

The blue gown was form-fitting, with a V-neckline and pearl-encrusted straps, one of which hung loosely across her arm.

Bezos, on the other hand, chose to wear his standard evening look: a black tuxedo.

It would have been nice to see him complement his wife's outfit and participate further in the event with an art-inspired look.

Sánchez Bezos mixed too many styles during a Paris outing in June.

Her vintage Christian Dior dress from 2001 was fun, with a blue crocheted bodice and silver chainmail embellishments across its neckline and skirt hem.

Unfortunately, the piece was styled all wrong. Sánchez Bezos wore it with tan Louboutin pumps, a see-through Chanel clutch that resembled ice cubes, and black sunglasses.

Strappy, silver sandals and smaller shades would have made a big difference.

By July, the couple was embracing 2026 trends — and it worked for them.

They attended a FIFA World Cup match together in Seattle and wore Team USA jerseys.

Their outfits weren't only on-theme, though. They were also accessorized with coveted pieces: statement sunglasses.

Bezos wore a metal-rimmed pair, while Sánchez Bezos donned brown goggle-like glasses. The latter are a popular fashion status symbol for the fall season.

They took the same approach to fashion at the Sun Valley conference that month.

They both attended in dark-wash jeans and casual tops, letting their accessories do the talking.

The Amazon founder wore his signature beaded bracelets, a silver chain necklace, and silver-rimmed sunglasses.

Sánchez Bezos, on the other hand, completed her outfit with a thin Yves Saint Laurent belt, diamond earrings, and $655 men's Bottega Veneta sunglasses.

Their casual-but-elevated looks were sharp.

The couple should have coordinated better for the next day, though.

Sánchez Bezos looked pretty in baby pink thanks to her Dior ensemble. It comprised a high-waisted, pleated skirt with a black, ink-style print and a pastel button-up top knotted at the waist.

She also wore platform pumps, diamond earrings, and gold sunglasses, and carried a white Hermès bag.

Next to her, Bezos' outfit looked too simple. He wore dark jeans, black cowboy boots, and a black polo top. His signature sunglasses weren't enough to take the look to the next level.

They were right on trend at the US Open in September.

The couple sat in the stands at the tennis tournament wearing outfits that matched fashion trends seen throughout the audience.

Bezos wore a dusty-blue polo top, dark jeans, and tinted sunglasses. Sánchez Bezos sat beside him in a white dress with a ruffled skirt, a diamond heart-shaped necklace, and her own tinted shades.

Their outfits worked well for the sporting event.

Americans consume more than 600 million pounds of honey each year, so much that honey has to be imported to meet the demand. Honey depends on healthy bees, which are facing an uphill battle domestically, with 50% of bee colonies dying in the US every year. Pests, like the Varroa mite, and constant movement put hives at risk. So Nate's Honey and Sweet Harvest Foods are turning to artificial intelligence to help keep bees healthy. They use AI detection devices to monitor the sounds hives make. And they've employed a robotic hive, which helps determine if mites are spreading. But can these technologies actually help the US make more honey?

• Russia can build new launch bases for its Geran-5 strike drones in just a few months.
• Satellite images taken from August onward show an empty field being rapidly converted into an advanced base.
• It's a "very fast turnaround" for such a complex facility, one analyst said.

Recent satellite images show that Russia turned an empty field into an attack drone base in a matter of weeks.

The photos, provided by US commercial satellite imaging firms Vantor and Planet Labs, capture work at a site in southwestern Russia roughly two miles from an air base in Millerovo.

The area is home to one of about a dozen publicly known launch sites for its Gerans, Russian versions of Iranian long-range strike drones. Moscow launches these drones alongside ballistic and cruise missiles, making barrages larger and more complex.

In recent months, Russia has pivoted toward mass-producing its newer, jet-powered Gerans for attacks, further stressing Ukraine's already strained air-defense network.

A photo taken on August 8 shows that the field near Millerovo was essentially empty at the time.

By September 12, the groundwork for a compound had clearly emerged, with construction roads built and land cleared for launch rails and buildings.

Nine days later, the site's layout had begun to take shape, with berms, designated launch bays, and structural foundations. In the photo, an access road cuts into the heart of the base.

By October 12, the base's features are clearly visible, including storage facilities and support buildings.

Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security who studies Russian and Iranian drones, told Business Insider that this is likely a launch facility for the newer Geran-5.

The most obvious tell is the two longer catapult launch rails for the drone installed at the edge of the site, he said.

The Geran-5, thought to be a Russian version of the Iranian Karrar, is reported to fly at speeds up to 370 mph and exhibits some characteristics of a cruise missile. It is known to require launch rails of about 280 feet or longer. It is the fastest of Russia's two types of jet-powered attack drones.

Such drones are a high-priority concern for Ukraine, which fears it will have to take them down with expensive air defense missiles because many of the interceptor drones able to take down the older Gerans can't fly fast enough to keep up with the new ones.

The new launch site here was built with a "very fast turnaround for a base to be in such an advanced stage of construction since ground break in August," Faragasso said.

"What's concerning here is the fact that Russia was able to build this facility in such short order," he said, adding that it showed the Kremlin was gaining experience and expertise in building its drone bases rapidly.

It would be unsurprising to see Russia build similar bases elsewhere, Faragasso added.

"If one base were to be attacked and destroyed by cruise missiles or ballistic missiles, another likely could be built quickly," he said.

A photo from October 27 shows the site was still under construction. It's unclear if it's now operational, but it's unlikely.

The photo shows that Russia has set up at least eight launch bays at the new installation, possibly all for Geran-5s.

Brady Africk, an open-source analyst with the American Enterprise Institute, told Business Insider that the October 27 image shows several of these bays haven't had catapult rails installed yet and that buildings for equipment and munitions storage are likely still being erected.

While its layout is similar to most of Russia's other Geran launch bases, this one indicates that Moscow has been learning new lessons, Africk said.

"It has more launch rails, and longer ones, than some of Russia's earliest drone launch sites, along with protective areas for munitions and equipment," he said.

Russia is making a 'massive infrastructure bet'

The drone base near Millerovo is only about 14 miles from Ukraine's internationally recognized border, though the front line is about 130 miles away. A drone launched from this site would have to fly roughly 200 miles to reach major cities like Kharkiv, or 450 miles to Kyiv.

In an analysis shared with Business Insider, drone threat intelligence firm DroneSec said that the site also includes an isolated construction area to the southeast, which it suspected could be for air defenses.

With four other rails already at the Millerovo air base, this new construction project could bring the total number of Geran launch bays in the area to 12, per DroneSec's analysis.

Mike Monnik, the founder of DroneSec, previously told Reuters that this Russian base could likely launch 100 Geran-5s a day — an assessment that Ukraine's military intelligence agency also reported in late October.

Advanced drones like the jet-powered Geran-5, which began emerging more frequently in early 2026 and are now a common pillar of Russia's regular drone waves, have Ukraine scrambling for solutions.

Cost and quantity are a major factor in this air war. Ukrainian estimates say the Geran-5 costs about $115,000 per drone, compared to the million-dollar missiles Kyiv will have to expend if it cannot develop a cheap, reliable way to counter newer Gerans.

"This is why Russia is making a massive infrastructure bet," Monnik told Business Insider.

The Kremlin launched about 4,000 jet-powered drones, including the Geran-5, in October alone, per Ukrainian reports. That's an average of about 133 daily, a number that could surge as launch sites expand and new ones emerge.

"By standardizing launch bases and building hubs to warehouse thousands of units, they are creating an assembly-line model designed for four-figure saturation waves," Monnik said.

• Protesters have broken into a Microsoft Amsterdam data center construction site and unfurled anti-AI banners.
• The activist group Geef Tegengas said it had organized the protest.
• The protest highlights that the rising backlash against data centers isn't just a US issue.

Protesters broke into a Microsoft data center construction site on the outskirts of Amsterdam on Friday during an anti-AI demonstration.

Images on social media show activists scaling fences and congregating inside the construction site. Some of them climbed a crane, unfurled a banner with an anti-AI message, and let off flares.

Geef Tegengas, a Dutch activist collective, said on social media that it organized the action and that hundreds of its supporters were blocking construction of the site.

"We won't accept Amsterdam being used for the creation of AI slop and the facilitation of genocide," said Geef Tegengas spokesperson Roos Molenaar in a statement. "This data center is gulping up our drinking water to make the rich even richer."

A Microsoft spokesperson said that it's aware of the "demonstration" at the Westpoort Amsterdam site.

“We understand that people feel strongly about the project, and we respect their right to express those views peacefully," they said. "However, we do not condone any actions that are unlawful or that put people's safety at risk. The wellbeing of everyone at and around the site, including workers, staff and neighbors is our first concern.”

The protests are the latest example of backlash against data centers, the machines that have become a symbol for people's fears of AI and concerns over its environmental impact. They were a key issue in the US midterm elections and widely rejected at the ballot box over concerns about power bills, water use and other impacts on local communities.

In its statement, Geef Tegengas said the Microsoft project would strain the power grid during a housing shortage and give the tech company more control over data and the flow of information.

The group also objects to what it describes as the use of Microsoft's technology for surveillance and military operations.

A video posted on X by Dutch journalist Tom Olthof shows people hanging banners opposing the project, while a separate demonstration is held across the road.

Police feared possible damage to the construction site from chemical use, Olthof said in the caption.

The Amsterdam site was also targeted in June by Geef Tegengas activists, temporarily halting work.

• I was born and raised in India, and I've spent years exploring the whole country.
• The Taj Mahal is worth the hype, and I always tell first-time visitors to check out Varanasi.
• However, I've found the Lotus Temple somewhat underwhelming, and the Gateway of India too crowded.

India still surprises me, and I was born and raised here.

I've spent years exploring the country, from the palaces in Rajasthan to the backwaters of Kerala, and almost every trip turns up something I didn't expect.

Friends, family, and plenty of strangers online ask me the same question: "What's really worth seeing in India?"

It's a big question for a country this size, and not every famous stop deserves a spot on a short itinerary. Some places have stayed with me for years, whereas others I was happy to see once and move on from.

Here are the three I'd suggest to any first-time visitor, and the two I'd skip.

The Taj Mahal is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and it's a must-see.

If you only have time for one monument in India, make it the Taj Mahal.

Commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the white-marble mausoleum has become one of the world's most enduring symbols of love.

Nearly four centuries after construction began, its extraordinary symmetry, intricate stonework, and sweeping gardens remain as impressive as its reputation suggests.

Just plan strategically to make the most of your visit. Arriving at the East or West Gate before sunrise can help you avoid the worst crowds and summer heat. Keep in mind that the Taj is closed on Fridays, too.

Plenty of visitors take their photos and leave, but don't make that mistake. I recommend crossing the Yamuna River to Mehtab Bagh, a Mughal garden directly opposite the monument.

Entry costs 300 Indian rupees, or a little over $3, for foreign visitors, and it's one of the few spots where you can see the Taj with an open sky and fewer people. It's also open on Fridays, when the Taj itself is closed.

Varanasi is my favorite place in India, and the evening Ganga Aarti is the best way to see why.

Varanasi sits on the Ganges, the river Hindus consider sacred, and it's often described as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Its ghats, the stepped embankments that lead down to the water, are the heart of the city — there are more than 80 of them.

A can't-miss experience is the nightly Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Priests swing towering brass lamps in unison as bells and chants build around them, and the flames flicker on the dark water. I get goosebumps every time.

The ceremony is free, lasts for about 45 minutes, and begins shortly after sunset, typically between about 5:30 and 7 p.m., depending on the season.

If you'd rather watch from the steps, arrive 30 to 45 minutes early, since the ghat fills up long before it starts. On the ghat, you'll also come across kids with baskets of tilak, a mark of sandalwood paste or vermillion applied to the forehead.

You can let them put one on you and give a small tip if you wish, though it's not necessary. If you don't want one, a polite "no" is enough.

Kerala's backwaters are worth the trip, but head north for the calm.

Kerala's backwaters are a network of lagoons, lakes, and canals running parallel to the Arabian Sea coast. The classic way to see them is from a kettuvallam, a traditional rice barge converted into a houseboat.

In my opinion, an overnight stay aboard — where you'll drift past villages and wildlife — is one of the best things to do in the state. Short on time? A day cruise is a good alternative.

Most people choose to do this in Alappuzha (also known as Alleppey), a city in Kerala south of Kochi. Alleppey is worth seeing, but the canals are so full of boats that it can feel like rush hour on water.

For a quieter alternative, head up to Valiyaparamba in Kasaragod, Kerala's northernmost district. This backwater stretch is lined with mangroves and coconut groves, and home to around 90 species of birds, so bring binoculars.

To explore them, book a houseboat from the Kottappuram terminal near Nileshwar, the main gateway to these backwaters. Houseboats can range from about ₹8,000 a night for a basic boat to well over ₹25,000 for a luxury one, and meals cooked by an onboard chef are usually included.

October through March is the best time to go, and December and January are the busiest, so I suggest booking ahead.

Meanwhile, I probably wouldn't go inside the Lotus Temple again.

The Lotus Temple in New Delhi is genuinely beautiful, especially if you like modern architecture.

It belongs to the Baha'i faith, but welcomes visitors of any religion. Twenty-seven marble-covered petals form a half-open lotus, surrounded by nine pools, and it's a striking sight.

However, I was a little underwhelmed by the inside. On a Saturday, I waited 30 to 35 minutes in line, then spent about five minutes in the prayer hall.

It's a quiet, plain space where visitors mostly sit in silence and can't take photos. Without any statues, idols, or religious images, there wasn't much to look at, and the wait didn't feel worth it to me.

That said, entry is free. The gardens and pools are the best part, so I'd spend my time there and skip the line.

The Gateway of India is an impressive landmark, but not worth the crowds.

Most visitors to Mumbai stop by the Gateway of India, and it's easy to see why. The yellow basalt arch, completed in 1924 to commemorate the 1911 visit of King George V and Queen Mary, is undeniably striking — and free to visit.

The problem is that the visit rarely amounts to much beyond a nice photo op. Even getting a good photo can be frustrating, too, with crowds frequently wandering into the frame.

My advice? Instead of visiting, head to the jetty beside the monument and catch a ferry to Elephanta Island. The roughly hourlong boat ride takes you to a UNESCO-listed complex of rock-cut caves featuring remarkable sculptures dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva.

I'd much rather spend a morning exploring Elephanta's ancient temples and enjoying the journey across the harbor than linger at the Gateway of India.

• AI-generated content is flooding social media feeds.
• Mark Rober, the science YouTuber, says creators should lean into real-world content to stand out.
• "Do you want to see a simulation of someone dunking a basketball with a sick trick, or do you want to see someone actually do it?" he said.

AI slop is mucking up our feeds and making some creators worry that their content will get buried under a sea of generic videos. So, what's the remedy?

Creators can fight back by going out in the real world and actually doing something, Mark Rober, a science YouTuber who has more than 85 million subscribers, told Business Insider.

"Do you want to see a simulation of someone dunking a basketball with a sick trick, or do you want to see someone actually do it?" he said. "The fact that you know it's real is what makes it crazy."

AI presents both a challenge and an opportunity for creators. It can speed up video editing and help content spread further via tools like AI language dubbing. However, it's leading to the commodification of content. That's a big problem for some types of creators, like not-on-camera YouTubers or animated channels. It could also offer an edge to creators with a recognizable face and a dedicated audience, Rober said.

"Our brains developed for hundreds of thousands of years with human connection," and there will be a craving for "real and authentic" content, he said.

"At least for a while, I think I have a moat on the YouTube channel," because of that, he added.

Social media platforms are aware that AI-generated content is proliferating in their feeds, and some have begun to crack down on it. YouTube is demonetizing AI content that looks mass-produced or generic as part of its inauthentic content policy. LinkedIn allows users to flag when a post "seems like AI slop." TikTok lets users toggle the amount of AI content they see in their feeds, and Substack offers a Pangram-powered tool to scan newsletters for AI writing.

While Rober says his appearances in YouTube videos can help them break through, his long-term goal is to shift more to the background and let his company, CrunchLabs, take center stage.

"I want CrunchLabs to be a lot more well known than Mark Rober," he said.

Rober said his company broke even on its YouTube channels last year, earning around $17 million in revenue while incurring a similar amount of costs. Its profit driver is CrunchLabs, which sells a mix of consumer goods, including maker kits designed to teach young people about science and engineering. It also offers a free educational curriculum for schools. The company now has over 200 employees, Rober said. Its mission is to encourage learning and curiosity.

"Curiosity is so important in this new age of AI," Rober said. "It means you just have a lifetime of learning, versus like, 'Oh, this thing knows the answer, so who cares?'" he said, referring to the instant answers that AI chatbots can provide.

The best new television I'm watching isn't on HBO or Netflix. It's on Instagram.

Flipping through channels — ahem, I mean, scrolling through my Instagram feed — I've found myself tuning into episodes of a new generation of sitcoms. There's "Brooklyn Coffee Shop," where two deadpan baristas face stereotypical New York City customers. Then there's "The Ick," where real-life submissions of dating mishaps are acted out in roughly a minute or less.

There may not be a laugh track, but the new comedy shows taking over social media feeds are reinventing the banter of the television sitcom to fit into short-form, vertical video slots.

For me, landing on a sitcom in the algorithm is a welcome escape from a barrage of AI slop, podcast clips, and ads.

A break is "what a lot of people are looking for," says Jourdain Fisher, a longtime comedian and co-creator of the weekly show "Secondhand Exchange." They're seeking out laughter and levity.

Fisher and his co-creator, Max Manticof, published the first episode of "Secondhand Exchange" in June. The two play fictional employees at a New York City thrift store, bantering with drop-in customers — typically other comedians like "Saturday Night Live" stars Tommy Brennan and Kam Patterson — before buying the secondhand drop-offs. Each three-minute episode ends with either Fisher or Manticof saying "we'll take it."

In less than five months and with 24 episodes, the Instagram page for the short-form sitcom has racked up 130,000 followers and 17 million views.

It's part of a cresting wave of Instagram shows.

Jon Stahl, a producer who has been in the TV industry for over a decade and worked on sitcoms like "Veep," has closely tracked the format's rise. According to Stahl's analysis of 34 scripted short-form shows on Instagram, the niche has collectively drawn over 1.4 billion views since 2023. The number of episodes is ramping up, too. Stahl tracked 44 short-form sitcom episodes released in October 2025, which tripled to 136 in October 2026.

The rise of short-form sitcoms is part of what Adam Wescott, CEO of Mind Chatter Media, calls the "cable-ification" of social media. Slowly but surely, the creator economy has spread into genres that were once staples of cable TV. There are late-night television replacements (like Kareem Rahma's "Subway Takes"), daytime talk shows (like the many man-on-the-street interview series), and reality TV (like Fallen Media's dating show "Street Hearts"). Soap operas have been reborn as "micro dramas," which have taken off on TikTok.

Social media and TV are increasingly blurred. It's all "entertainment," said Jon Henson, director of talent and media development at Underscore Talent.

Proving scripted short-form content can be a stable business is the industry's next hurdle.

"We knew that we could make enough money to stay afloat doing commercial work and branded series because those things had taken off," said Ari Cagan, cofounder of American Picture Company, which produces "The Ick." "The white whale, so to speak, was scripted."

Scripted shows require more planning, hiring talent, and higher production costs than typical unscripted social shows. Some shows, like "The Ick," are finding early success with brand sponsorships fueling the business. Others are scrappily self-funding their shows in hopes of selling their series to studios or streaming platforms.

The making of a social sitcom

Stahl isn't just tracking social sitcom shows; he's making them.

He's produced five scripted social series since February 2025, "two of which went nowhere," two that are still in production, and one that's become an instant hit.

In August, Stahl put out the first episode of "Near Death," which follows a revolving cast of people who've experienced near-death experiences and have to face "Death" himself, played by "Veep" actor Matt Walsh. The show got 10 million views across Instagram and Facebook in about a month.

There's a successful social sitcom recipe here: A main character (sometimes two) experiences different iterations of more-or-less the same situation.

It's what has worked for "Brooklyn Coffee Shop," where the baristas, played by Pooja Tripathi and Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr., interact with a new customer each episode, as well as for "Secondhand Exchange," Elliott Walker's "Time Travel Department," and Mutuals Media's "Gen Z Therapist."

The "repeatability," Stahl said, is what makes the format so moldable to social media. Crews can shoot episodes in bulk, and familiar sets and characters signal to viewers that they've been there before. That "recognizability," said Mutuals Media's CEO Amelia Montooth, is critical in getting "people past the three-second mark where you lose half your audience."

Other successful styles include slice-of-life vignettes, such as "The Ick," or Jonah Feingold's "Flirting!" series, which follows two people through a flirtatious exchange.

"We're working on our version of micro dramas, but we don't call them that," Feingold said. "We call them romantic-coms, and they are basically if you made 'You've Got Mail' today and released it on your phone."

In part, these shows are successful on social media because the algorithm echoes our old habit of flipping through TV channels. If you land on one of these shows, you don't need to know the whole context or what happened last week. You can drop in, laugh, leave, and pray that the algorithm will deliver the content to you again.

"Every episode can be someone's first," said NowThis editor in chief Michael Vito Valentino. "That shapes everything from the writing to the pacing, because each episode is both a story and a potential entry point into the series."

Short-form sitcoms are on the rise

Audience size matters to these sitcoms as much as it does for cable television.

However, there's an added layer of engagement that gauges a show's success: comments and shares. For example, the most viral episode of "Brooklyn Coffee Shop" — a crossover episode with another show, "Mechanical Pencil" — has over 10 million views, 13,000 comments, and 267,000 shares.

"If something is very shareable, that's how we know it's sticking," said Fallen Media's Rowan Winch.

Replacing the pilot

With viral episodes and a loyal, returning audience, creators hope to prove their show's worthiness to studios.

"This is going to be the new pilot model for comedy TV shows," Stahl said.

It's happened before.

In the 2010s, with the rise of YouTube and video platforms like Vimeo, web series emerged as a new breeding ground for television hits. HBO tapped web show creators like Ben Sinclair ("High Maintenance") and Issa Rae ("Insecure"), while Comedy Central picked up a series by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer ("Broad City").

Now the second wave is coming. This time, it's short-form creators who have been trained by the TikTok algorithm.

Streaming companies and studios are tapping in.

Last week, streaming platform Tubi announced the cohort of 10 creator-made shows from its partnership with TikTok. The shows, which will premiere exclusively on Tubi, will be longer-form and are an effort to showcase the talent coming out of TikTok.

"We look for creators who have built something people are already invested in, whether that's a world, a set of characters or a format, that keeps fans coming back," said Tubi's VP of creator partnerships, Kudzi Chikumbu.

In October, Netflix also debuted "Minimum Wage," a new sitcom that began as a web series from the short-form comedy troupe American High starring new "SNL" member Grace Reiter.

Underscore's Henson said part of the talent management firm's job is now helping its creator clients develop their shows, build an audience, and open up "Hollywood opportunities." Underscore represents several scripted shows, including "Brooklyn Coffee Shop," "Eavesdropping," and "Time Travel Department."

For creators like Manticof, a successful social sitcom proves "the work we can do on a production level."

Comedy is a creator business

Short-form sitcom creators have a major (and perhaps not surprising) obstacle: making money.

"It's hard to monetize, but it's not impossible," American Picture Company's Cagan said.

There are monetization options available across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, but short-form video pays a lot less than long-form.

"We do monetize on YouTube," said Feingold, but it's not enough to fuel a business. "I can buy somebody lunch."

Instagram, where the majority of these shows are seeing recent success and growth, also has limited monetization capabilities. As the platform expands into more long-form video and funds some creators directly, the company has said it is exploring more options.

Some shows are turning to paywalled content on Patreon, like "Eavesdropping," which offers fans early access and exclusive episodes, or on Substack, where "The Ick" shares paywalled short stories about people's dating icks. Others sell merch, like Jay Renshaw's show "Chit."

Most shows are turning to the prime engine of the creator economy: brand deals.

Cagan's company works directly with brands on projects and occasionally shares sponsored posts on the "The Ick" account. Feingold has also worked with brands like Valentino on an episode of "Flirting!" while "Brooklyn Coffee Shop" has worked with brands like Tory Burch on an episode.

Several industry insiders who spoke with Business Insider described seeing brand deals for short-form scripted shows that ranged from $10,000 to $100,000, with larger shows and more deliverables pushing budgets into the six figures.

Brands want their own shows, too.

Last year, fintech company Bilt developed "Roomies," a weekly sitcom about four New York roommates, in-house as its own branded show. Aeropostale launched a new season of "The Intern Diaries" this summer, starring Deja Clark. The show follows new interns in the style of "The Office." In October, Banana Republic released a five-episode short-form sitcom starring TikTok star Jack Innanen, who also stars in the popular FX comedy "Adults." Its few episodes are getting millions of views on both Instagram and TikTok.

"Brands know that there's attention to be had here," Stahl said.

Working with brands pays the bills, but social sitcom creators still have a bigger goal in sight. Social shows are an "incubator," Wescott said.

The goal for many social sitcoms is to "prove the appetite for specific IP, characters, different personalities and actors" at a "lower cost," Wescott added. Expansion, derivatives, and streaming opportunities come later.

• Three major nostalgia-packed AAA video games are releasing this month — including "GTA 6."
• The result? Lots and lots of workers are using PTO at the same time.
• Some companies are giving employees the day off. Others are bracing for an influx of call-outs.

This month, a lot of video gaming adults might be — ahem, ahem — "sick."

November is filled with three highly anticipated, nostalgia-filled video game releases. On Wednesday, "World of Warcraft: Forever" debuted. On Thursday, it was "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" remake.

They arrived roughly two weeks before the granddaddy of all video game releases: "Grand Theft Auto 6," which comes out November 19 after a 13-year buildup.

That's all creating a bit of an awkward staffing situation.

"This is a singularity event," Omar Soliman, a cofounder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving — a company that employs a lot of college-age men, a core gamer demographic — told Business Insider. "I can't think of an entertainment vehicle or video game that's captured the zeitgeist of the young generation like this one."

Activision Blizzard's "World of Warcraft: Forever" is a fresh take on a long-running massively multiplayer online roleplaying game: it's a new, subscription-based version that sends players back to a revamped version of the game's original fantasy world.

"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" is a built-from-the-ground-up remake of the 1998 blockbuster, now on Nintendo Switch 2 — its surprise announcement led many fans to post tearful reaction videos. And "GTA 6" is perhaps the gaming industry's most anticipated release. It's the franchise's first complete refresh since "GTA 5" came out in 2013 — and reportedly had a $1 billion to $1.5 billion budget.

Lots and lots of PTO (or sick time)

There's been a major influx of PTO requests that correspond with the game releases, several agencies told Business Insider. Workforce management tech company UKG said time-off requests for the week of "GTA 6's" release are up roughly 20% compared to the same week in previous years. Accounting firm PwC estimates that this month's PTO requests are 9% to 17% higher than usual.

In a survey of 1,040 American workers, Zety found that 11% were planning on taking time off for the fresh "GTA 6" release. The survey also discovered a gender gap: 19% of men are planning to take launch day off, compared to 7% of women.

"PTO is meant to replenish, relax, and do whatever you need to do to feel good," said Jasmine Escalera, a Ph.D. career expert who authored the study. "And if that is playing a video game for the day, there's nothing wrong with that."

Still, not everyone is letting their bosses know about their plans. 15% of respondents to the Zety survey said they're planning to call out sick to play the games.

Gamers are already talking about taking time off

The people making November's biggest games know exactly what some fans are planning to do with their vacation days.

"Are you taking November 4 off?" the official World of Warcraft account posted on X. In the account's unscientific poll, nearly 60% of respondents said: "Yes, absolutely."

Other World of Warcraft players online traded tips for maximizing the effectiveness of their PTO — such as taking off the day after launch, since the game was released in the afternoon.

In the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit, there was a similar question to fans ahead of the "Zelda" release: "Have you put your PTO in?"

"I have too many games I haven't played yet," one gamer responded. "I'm not gonna get it until I finished most of those first."

The games are also creeping into some workers' online identities. The social media bio of Thariq Shihipar — who recently left Anthropic's technical staff to take "a break before diving into something new" — now reads: "playing WoW forever."

The crowded release calendar has also prompted the inevitable productivity jokes.

In September, Houston Rockets center Steven Adams joked during a press conference that the performance of professional athletes would "go down" when "GTA 6" releases.

"Look at all the leagues, and watch them plummet, mate," he said. "Coaching as well, by the way. The coaching and scouts are going to be horrendous, mate, just for November, but it should bounce back in December, hopefully."

Not every employer is bracing for the fallout.

James Killick, a media relations manager at UK-based Raptor PR, an agency that works with technology companies in the gaming industry, requested November 19th off months ago to play "GTA 6."

"This is a seismic moment in our lives," he told Business Insider.

His boss, CEO Rana Rahman, went a step further. He gave the nine-person company an extra day of annual leave to commemorate the big day. He also bought everyone a copy of "GTA 6."

"It's something to celebrate," Rahman said.

• My parents are still in good health and independent.
• However, I know we should talk about aging before it becomes an issue.
• I keep avoiding the conversation, but I also don't want to be caught unprepared.

My parents are in their mid-60s and in good health. They still do everything on their own and don't need help from my brothers and me, for now. By every visible measure, nothing is wrong, and there are no signs that will change soon.

Which is exactly why I keep not saying anything about the future.

The window where it's easy is the window I'm wasting

Right now, any conversation about their future would be hypothetical. There's no health crisis, no diagnosis, no stairs, or house projects they can't manage. We could sit at the kitchen table and talk it all through calmly as a thought experiment, because none of it is real yet.

That's exactly what makes it the right time, yet also what makes it feel unnecessary and easy to avoid. Why bring up wills and living arrangements and conversations like "what if one of you can't care for the other" when they're still healthy? It feels morbid, like I'm aging them before their time.

What I've started noticing anyway

Both my parents are slowing down. There are small mobility issues now, the kind that don't affect their independence yet but didn't exist five years ago. And I know what's in the family. My grandmother on my mom's side had dementia. Both of my dad's parents died of cancer in their 80s. While none of that is a prophecy, it's a reason not to assume the runway is as long as it looks on a good day at the kitchen table.

I watched a friend go through it unprepared

What shifted my mindset from "someday in the future" to "soon" was watching a friend lose both his parents to cancer a few years apart.

He was close with them, a good son. But the illnesses arrived faster than the planning did, and he spent those years making enormous life decisions while juggling grief and long-term care logistics. I don't want to do the version of this where the planning and the crisis happen at the same time, as it did for my friend. He didn't choose that. It just happened, the way it tends to.

I'm the one who moved away

There's one fact that sits under the surface of all this, and it's by my own design.

In 2017, my wife and I moved from Calgary to Nelson, BC, a seven-hour drive from both sets of grandparents. We did it for our kids, the mountains, and a smaller life, and I don't regret it.

But I made a choice that assumed my parents would stay capable, independent, and healthy indefinitely. That assumption is holding for now, but the problem is that when it stops holding, I won't be 20 minutes away. I'll be half a day's drive and a packed bag away, trying to make decisions I never laid any groundwork for in a hurry, probably over the phone.

The distance doesn't change what I should do. It just raises the stakes of waiting.

The conversation has already half-started

In one narrow sense, it's already begun. My parents have told me I'm the executor of their will.

That's a piece of information about the end of their lives, which means they've been thinking about their future. I don't know where the will is, what they'd want if one of them couldn't care for the other, or what "help" would even look like to them before they'd pick up the phone and call me.

So I've started writing the questions down on my phone. Not urgent ones. The boring "someday" versions, the ones I want to ask while my parents can still answer as the capable people they are, rather than from the middle of some emergency.

For now, I've got a list of questions, two slower-but-healthy parents, and no excuse left except that asking is still slightly awkward. I'm trying to decide if that's a good enough reason to keep waiting.

I don't think it is.

• The nine richest tech tycoons lost over $150 billion in wealth during Thursday's sell-off.
• Elon Musk's net worth shrank by over $80 billion as Tesla and SpaceX shares tanked.
• Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, and Larry Ellison saw their fortunes decline by over $10 billion each.

Thursday was a bad day to be a tech boss.

The world's nine wealthiest tech titans saw just over $150 billion wiped from their combined fortunes in a single day due to a frenzied rout in AI and chip stocks.

The Nasdaq 100 plunged into a correction, posting a more than 6% drop and its worst day since the COVID-19 pandemic. Investors sold off tech stocks in anticipation of Democrats reining in AI and data-center spending after winning control of the House and Senate in the US midterm elections this week.

Elon Musk took the biggest hit to his net worth as Tesla stock tanked 11% and SpaceX stock tumbled 9% on the day. The richest man on the planet saw his wealth shrink by about $80 billion, or over 9%, to $785 billion.

Michael Dell's net worth fell by over 9% as well, dropping by about $19 billion to settle at $190 billion, as Dell Technologies stock plummeted 15%.

Nvidia's Jensen Huang saw his fortune shrink by 9% or around $15 billion, to $151 billion, as the AI chipmaker's stock slid 9%.

Oracle's Larry Ellison took a 6% hit to his net worth, which fell by $10 billion to $158 billion. That was fueled by a 7% drop in Oracle stock.

Their peers saw less dramatic declines. Meta's Mark Zuckerberg saw his net worth fall by nearly 4%, or about $8 billion, to $215 billion.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took a 3% hit, or roughly $6 billion, trimming his net worth to $188 billion, as Microsoft stock slumped by about 4%.

Alphabet cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, saw declines of less than 2% or below $5 billion, as Alphabet and Amazon retreated by a little over 2% each.

Taken together, these nine tech leaders saw $152 billion erased from their collective wealth in a single day. But it's worth underscoring that they all ranked among the 15 richest people on Earth at Thursday's market close, and many remained wealthier than 12 months prior, thanks to a historic boom in AI stocks.

Musk was still up $312 billion. Bezos was up $100 billion, Dell was up $31 billion, and Ballmer was up $13 billion.

However, Ellison's net worth was down by $152 billion or 49%, and Huang was down about $19 billion or 11%. Zuckerberg was also in the red for the past 12 months, while Page and Brin were up less than 1%.

Several of these tech bosses were poised to recoup some of their wealth declines on Friday. As of 6:30 a.m. ET, Nvidia, SpaceX, and Oracle shares were higher in premarket trading.

• The comments section is becoming a key place for social media users to build influence.
• LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are making comments more prominent and interactive.
• Brands have a chance to participate but should tread lightly.

Branding consultant Nadine Jarrard had been posting on LinkedIn for six years when she noticed something strange: her comments were getting more traction than her actual posts.

In October, three comments each racked up more impressions than any of her posts, despite her daily posting habit.

"It was a little crazy," Jarrard told me.

Comments have become a hot area of activity on platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, as they look to promote interaction to boost engagement and time spent.

The increased relevance of comments also presents brands with an opportunity to participate and boost their creator marketing. Instagram, for example, offers brands a way to pay creators for endorsements in the brand's comments.

"Comments are culture currency and drive trends," said Maggie Reznikoff, chief client officer at Open Influence, a creator marketing company. "We're in this era where the comments can be as influential as the content itself."

A Morning Consult survey published in January found that 77% of US adults who use social media at least once a week proactively seek out and read comments.

LinkedIn said it had seen an 18% year-on-year increase in time spent reading comments on the platform, and that members who commented on posts received 2.5 times as many profile views as those who didn't. LinkedIn has taken steps to make comments more valuable, including limiting the visibility of automated comments, testing ways to show people comments directly in their feeds, and letting people pin comments to guide the discussion.

Creators have long paid attention to their own comment sections as a way to build connection with their fans and prove the worth of their communities to brands. Now, they increasingly see an opportunity to jump into conversations happening elsewhere. Creator economy insiders said this opens up another area of influence for brands to tap—and potentially incorporate into future sponsorship deals.

"Comments are one of the most interesting pop culture trends right now," said Scott Sutton, CEO of the influencer marketing firm Later.

Creators are honing their comment strategies

Colin Rocker, a careers-focused creator, said he has notifications turned on for people who talk about topics he's interested in, like careers and AI, so he can comment on their posts.

"They really like to promote content that triggers a conversation in the comments," he said of LinkedIn. "It's definitely a part of my strategy to not just post but, 'How can I get involved in conversations that are happening across the platform.'"

Zack Starikov, a digital strategist, said he's been leaning into comments on LinkedIn over the past few weeks.

"It used to be, you could try a video, and it would get a lot of impressions. Nothing seems to get the amount of impressions comments get," he said. "I decided to be more strategic. Before, I would just say, 'great, fantastic.' I look to make sure if I share a point of view, I can back it up with a reason or data."

The impact goes beyond vanity metrics. Starikov depends on LinkedIn to attract new clients and get more work. He said his profile views are up 27% in the past 90 days.

"I'll see people looking at my profile and my business as well," he said.

AJ Eckstein, a business-to-business creator — who posts about topics like the creator economy and B2B marketing — credits his commenting activity with helping him build his business, Creator Match, to seven figures. He routinely spends twice as much time on comments as he does on posts, including remarking on clients' and prospective clients' posts and those of other creator-economy players. He said people he engages with tend to return the favor when his own posts go live.

"It's reciprocal by design," he said.

There can be a risk of getting too precious about comments.

"Just try to be real. Don't censor yourself in the comments," said Yoni Frenkel, a content strategist for tech executives and investors. "Everyone on LinkedIn overoptimizes to be smart."

Jarrard said she tries to make sure her comments reflect her personality, even leaving in spelling errors so they aren't mistaken for AI slop.

The lessons for brands

Comment sections are a way for brands to participate online in a more down-to-earth way, Later's Sutton said.

"I think the comments are here to stay, and they're only going to ramp up," Sutton said. "Brands are going to have to find new ways to be in the conversation without being cringe, without being self-serving, without being all of these things that they're kind of known to be."

Yahoo has used the comments to introduce itself to creators — which led to a sponsorship with leafeveryday, "the OG leaf cruncher" — and hasn't been afraid to make fun of itself in others' comment sections.

It also uses comments to see how its creator collaborations resonate with the audience, said Kemma Kefalas, head of Creative Lab at Yahoo.

Some brands also ask their creator partners to comment on each other's posts as part of campaigns. This can backfire if the commenting is forced or pre-written, though.

Reznikoff encouraged brands to seek out creators who are already fans of the brand so their interactions are authentic. Brands should also chime in with their own comments.

"When brands show up to engage with the consumer, it makes a real difference," she said. Some brands, like Duolingo and Wendy's, have long adopted a sassy personality online, including when replying to others' posts.

Creator marketers also said that comments are an opportunity for brands to go beyond sentiment analysis to learn what people are saying about them and about other cultural shifts.

While LinkedIn provides ordinary users a lot of intel about their own usage, Instagram and TikTok give brands the ability to do deep dives into broader cultural shifts and consumer trends, Sutton said.

Looking ahead, creator marketers envision comments becoming a unit of influence. Sutton said platforms could tie commenting behavior to a business outcome, such as sales.

Reznikoff said she thinks comments could become a new performance metric as brands evaluate creators based on what they say on others' posts. She also thought there could be rewards for strong commenting down the line.

"I could see a world where we eventually monetize the people making that content more engaging," she said.

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
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The red wave arrived. Just not the kind anyone was hoping for.

A day after midterms delivered a blue wave that markets celebrated, things turned red. Very red.

All three major indices finished the day down big: the S&P 500 (-4.36%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (-3.44%), and the Nasdaq Composite (-5.52%).

Some took it worse than others, like neocloud providers and Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla. But the sell-off was as broad as it was bad, with every sector finishing the day down.

By early this morning, the US premarket was offering a patchy reprieve: S&P futures were steady, Dow futures were down 1%, and Nasdaq futures were up 1.2%.

Historically, the six months after midterms have been a sweet spot for stocks, with the S&P 500 gaining an average of 14% since 1970. So what gives?

Dave Wagner, the head of equities and a portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors, continued the ocean theme of the past few days when describing the situation to me.

"The tide went out a day after it came in," he said. "When the tide goes out, you find out who was at the most risk, and right now it's anything that needed Washington to stay friendly. Elections change the lifeguards. They don't change the ocean."

Data centers sit at the center of the turmoil.

Exit polls showed AI infrastructure was a key issue on voters' minds, leading them to back politicians who promised to clamp down on data centers. Now markets and the tech industry are trying to unpack what the incoming lawmakers mean for the AI buildout. Here's a roundup of what smart people are saying.

Joe Ciolli, author of our First Trade newsletter, is also a smart person. He unpacked the argument that a potential data-center slowdown is short-term pain for eventual long-term gain. It would allow the entire supply chain to catch up with demand, easing bottlenecks while reducing the risk of the industry overbuilding and flooding the market.

Brian Mulberry, chief market strategist at Zacks Investment Management, said Thursday's sell-off was the culmination of weeks of mounting concerns.

"There were some tough questions over the past couple of weeks (before the election) around the decline of free cash flow at the hyperscalers," he told me. "If these large capex plans do not yield returns sooner than later, then profitability could be under negative pressure for a long time. All those concerns got exacerbated today."

Big picture, Mulberry doesn't see a significant pullback in people's interest in growing AI capacity. He cited usage surpassing available compute and stable AI adoption rates as signs that demand isn't diminishing.

"We still need more compute. It's just a question of where it will come from and when it comes online," he said. "That uncertainty is the root of the volatility."

• Influencers have a trust problem with their audiences around brand deals.
• People think creators should disclose paid deals, but only a quarter think influencers do so regularly.
• Audience trust is critical as the creator economy grows as a marketing channel.

There's a trust gap between creators and their audiences around brand deals.

Sixty-nine percent of US adults think creators should disclose paid promotions, but only one in four think influencers actually do so consistently, according to a survey by Morning Consult conducted exclusively for Business Insider, of roughly 2,000 people in September.

Emily Steele, CEO of Hummingbirds, a marketing platform that connects creators with retailers, said she blames the distrust on the growing number of creators out for a quick buck.

"There are creators who only post UGC or sponsored content without any cohesion around what they're posting about and why," she said. "Why would I, as a follower, trust you when I feel like all you post is a paid brand deal?"

Influencers themselves say they disclose brand deals far more often than the audience seems to think. A recent SheSpeaks survey found that 14% of creators said they didn't always disclose brand ties, while 18% said a brand had explicitly requested that they not disclose a partnership in the past year.

Creators have spent years convincing marketers to take them seriously. Now, the creator economy has become an established marketing channel, with advertisers expected to spend $44 billion with creators in the US this year, more than tripling in five years, per the Interactive Advertising Bureau. As more ad dollars flow into the space, creators have to ensure they retain the audience trust that makes them valuable to marketers in the first place.

More distrustful with age

There is broad agreement among age cohorts that influencers should disclose their paid posts, but older audiences are more likely to believe creators don't always do so.

Fifty-three percent of boomers say influencers rarely or never clearly disclose paid deals, versus 21% of Gen Z.

Boomers feel less rosy about creators generally. The research from Morning Consult also found boomers were less trusting of influencers, skeptical of their recommendations, and more likely to find their content "annoying." This could partly be because marketers, who often target young consumers, tend to work with influencers whose content isn't relatable to older audiences, industry insiders said.

Leila Marsh, chief talent officer of The Drive Agency, said older people grew up seeing celebrity endorsements in which the financial relationship is clear, whereas many creator partnerships appear on mobile screens with disclosure language that is small and potentially unfamiliar to them.

"They may fly under the radar until someone scrolls and sees 'hashtag partner,'" she said of the disclosures.

Disclosure comes with a catch

Creators face a dilemma with disclosures.

Finding out that content is sponsored makes people across all age and income groups trust it less.

There are ways creators can improve their sponsored content, though. The survey found people were most likely to trust a sponsored post's authenticity when the creator said what they liked or disliked, if they appeared to use the product themselves, and if they said why they chose the brand.

Colin Rocker, a careers-focused creator, said it's a balancing act to promote a brand's message in a video while staying true to his voice, knowing how suspicious audiences are.

"Most people that don't create content have a base level of distrust today against content creators that we're always up against," he said.

Jennifer Santos, programs director of the Institute for Responsible Influence, part of the Center for Industry Self-Regulation, said disclosure remains important because concealment is what really damages trust. The institute's own 2025 survey found seven in 10 consumers would feel deceived or negatively toward a creator who didn't disclose a brand deal.

"Audiences respond to honesty, and they're quick to punish anything that feels hidden," she said.

Santos believes that trust will become a competitive advantage as audiences grow more skeptical.

"Creators who can show they understand the rules and follow them consistently will be the partners brands want and that audiences trust," she said.

• As a brutal sell-off hits markets, some have turned to an old adage: If you don't laugh, you'll cry.
• Jokes about the plunge in tech stocks flooded social media on Thursday as the Nasdaq fell nearly 6%.
• As you might expect, Elon Musk got in on the action, sharing a grimace emoji.

When things get rough, you can always count on the internet for a laugh.

Wall Street’s AI-fueled rally came to a screeching halt on Thursday, with technology stocks leading a broad sell-off. But as prices fell, the mood on social media was one of gallows humor.

Financial commentators, investors, and meme accounts turned the sell-off into a running joke, offering tongue-in-cheek reminders that the most important thing in a panic is, naturally, to panic.

The losses gave them plenty of material. The Nasdaq fell 5.5% and entered correction territory, while the S&P 500 dropped 4.4% and the Dow shed more than 1,800 points. Nvidia fell 9.3%, AMD sank 17.3%, and the semiconductor index tumbled more than 12%.

Concerns that regulation and local resistance could slow data-center construction weighed on AI stocks. Higher energy prices and uncertainty around interest rates added to investors’ unease.

Financial blog Zero Hedge tried to put the scale of the wipeout into terms its audience would appreciate: "almost 3 Elons."

It was comparing the roughly $2.9 trillion erased from S&P 500 companies’ market value on Thursday with Musk’s fortune, which the Bloomberg Billionaires Index put at about $785 billion after the close.

By Thursday's close, the math put the wipeout closer to 3.7 Elons.

Elon Musk himself joined in with a grimacing emoji. He was responding to a post that treated a reported reassurance from Jim Cramer about the AI sell-off as a decidedly worrying sign.

The jokes then moved from the market’s losses to investors’ own.

Tech investor and entrepreneur Chris Bakke, who has 1.7 million followers on X, found a silver lining for anyone worried about their tax bill this year.

One user offered the sort of advice that tends to sound terrible on a trading floor and perfectly reasonable in a meme.

Some kicked the melodrama up a notch, with Gemini, a trading platform, posting a video seemingly comparing the stock wipeout to before and after the detonation of the atom bomb.

Others imagined the Nasdaq as a disaster zone.

For another user, the trouble meant one thing at home: Christmas was off.

Financial advisor Douglas Boneparth closed out the coping strategies with a different take on diversification: five varieties of alcohol to help him forget his portfolio.

Even longevity bro Bryan Johnson got in on the act, reimagining the sea of red in the market as a dose of red-light therapy.

For investors watching their portfolios shrink, making light of the situation was the day's safest trade: laugh now, cry later.

• Private student-loan companies reported growth in their lending and graduate portfolios.
• They credited Trump's repayment overhaul, which eliminated the Grad PLUS program.
• Advocates and lawmakers said private lending can expose borrowers to higher rates and riskier terms.

Private student lenders are seeing a surge in graduate borrowing.

Sallie Mae and Navient both more than doubled their graduate loan originations year-over-year in the third quarter of 2026, the first earnings period after President Donald Trump's federal student-loan repayment overhaul took effect.

The overhaul eliminated the Grad PLUS program, which had allowed graduate students to borrow the full cost of attendance. It also capped the Parent PLUS program, which parents use to borrow for their child's education. Private lenders had expected these changes would create funding gaps that they could fill.

Sallie Mae's graduate lending grew 119% from a year earlier, accounting for 70% of the company's year-over-year increase in private education lending, according to a Business Insider analysis of financial filings.

"We continue to be excited about the PLUS opportunity and believe the investments we have made and performance this quarter position us well for future originations growth," said CEO Jonathan Witter during their latest earnings call.

Navient's graduate lending increased 173% from a year earlier, accounting for 95% of its growth in new in-school loans.

"We originated graduate loans at more schools, reflecting growth across both existing and new school relationships," said CFO Steve Hauber, adding that the company was equipped to "serve significantly more graduate borrowers during the peak season."

Private lenders are also attracting borrowers looking to refinance existing debt.

SoFi, which offers student loans along with other financial products, reported that its student-loan originations were up 96% from a year earlier. CEO Anthony Noto said borrowers are turning to the company for more favorable interest rates.

"Your federal student loans are at 8%, we're giving them to you at 6%. We still make a great return on that product," Noto said during the earnings call.

Private loans can offer lower rates for borrowers who qualify, but rates can fluctuate, and they lack federal protections and relief programs such as income-driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Borrowers have reported spiking monthly bills under Trump's changes and have faced errors and glitches as they navigated the new repayment landscape.

Democratic lawmakers have warned of the risks posed by the influx of federal borrowers into the private market.

"The Trump administration should focus on lowering costs for students and borrowers, not giving predatory private lenders free rein to profit off of American families," Sen. Elizabeth Warren previously told Business Insider.

Have a story to share about student loans? Contact this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.

• The blue wave rattled the AI supply chain, putting its breakneck data-center buildout on notice.
• A slowdown might be painful in the near term, but it could also offer a healthy reset for AI trade.
• Sign up for First Trade, Business Insider's daily markets newsletter.

The AI trade got a harsh reminder Thursday that its biggest risk may not be whether artificial intelligence works.

It may be whether America can — or wants to — build enough data centers to make it work.

While the stock-market carnage was deep and spared no major sectors, AI-linked tech felt the pain to an outsized degree. The Nasdaq 100 plunged more than 6% for its worst day since 2020. Within the AI trade, chipmakers and neoclouds — both central to the AI-infrastructure buildout — were standout losers.

The jitters are straightforward: Political backlash against data centers could slow the construction boom that's kept the AI trade humming.

But there are two very different ways to interpret that risk, which has fueled a mounting debate: Is a slowdown a direct blow to AI's biggest growth engine, or a needed cooling-off period that could help prevent a bubble?

The negative case: The AI boom hits a wall

The immediate argument is not complicated. If Democrats use their new influence to do things like tighten permitting, scrutinize power and water usage, or curb tax incentives, then fewer data centers get built. And the ones that do take longer and cost more.

That hits the AI supply chain from the bottom up. Chipmakers lose orders. Power-equipment suppliers lose projects. Data-center developers — especially the ones heavily reliant on debt financing — have a harder time justifying their massive spending plans.

And it comes at an already-fragile moment for the AI trade. Even before the election, investors were starting to question capex bills and gravitate towards "quality" companies with strong finances. A policy-driven delay only injects more uncertainty.

UBS has gone as far as to put a number on it. They project that roughly 30% of expected data center additions in 2028 could be impacted by construction pauses.

The positive case: Near-term pain for long-term gain

This is where it gets really interesting. What if slowing down the AI buildout ends up being a … good thing?

The thinking goes that a slower, more expensive buildout could help ease fears of an AI bubble. It's been a popular narrative as the AI trade has exploded higher, with skeptics arguing that supply will eventually outrun real demand.

If the buildout slows down, hyperscalers could have more time to show investors tangible results from their capex spending. Developers may also be forced to be pickier about which projects get built. In theory, those developments could help silence the haters and bubble-mongers.

It could also intensify the flight to quality already playing out in the stock market. The companies that can fund their own power and absorb delays, without having to tap debt markets, will be well-positioned. In other words, quality companies look attractive in both the negative and positive scenarios.

Thursday's market action made clear which side investors favor right now: The blue wave looks like a fresh threat to the AI trade.

But a slower buildout is not necessarily the same thing as a broken one. If it turns a capex arms race into a more disciplined race to prove returns, today's political roadblock could look less like a wall, and more like a guardrail.

• Tesla is bidding farewell to the Cybertruck.
• Elon Musk said production of the electric pickup would end to free up space for Tesla's Cybercab.
• Tesla's attempt to conquer the US truck market didn't quite go to plan.

Farewell Cybertruck, we hardly knew ye.

Elon Musk said on Friday that Tesla would wind down Cybertruck production from the middle of next year.

It comes after sales collapsed and the science-fiction-inspired pickup became a target of vandalism and ridicule.

The Tesla CEO wrote in an X post that Cybertruck production at the EV giant's Texas gigafactory would end to make room for Tesla's Cybercab robotaxi.

Tesla shares were up slightly premarket, after collapsing over the past few days amid concerns that Texas' Democratic sweep in the midterm elections will impact Musk's business empire, and a broader AI sell-off.

It marks the end of the road for the polarizing angular electric pickup, which launched in 2023 after years of delays. The Cybertruck amassed over 1 million reservations before launch, and Musk initially predicted Tesla could sell at least 250,000 a year.

However, the truck's unique trapezoid design and its higher-than-expected sticker price meant it struggled to get a foothold with customers.

Tesla sold 20,000 Cybertrucks last year, per data from Cox Automotive, and has shipped around 16,000 so far in 2026.

The Cybertruck's distinctive stainless-steel-clad appearance also made it a target of anti-Musk and anti-Tesla protests. Owners told Business Insider in March 2024 that they had faced vandalism and abuse as backlash against Musk's government cost-cutting at DOGE swept the nation.

The truck also attracted a cult following among Tesla fans, with some turning their Cybertrucks into mobile pizza ovens and launching guerrilla campaigns to get it past Europe's notoriously strict vehicle regulations.

Wes Morrill, Tesla's Cybertruck lead engineer, confirmed that the truck was ending its four-year production run in a separate post on X.

"Cybertruck was an incredible technology development platform and lives on through Cybercab. Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the future looking like the future," Morrill wrote.

The biggest buyers of Cybertrucks in recent years have been Musk's other companies. Last year, SpaceX bought $131 million worth of Cybertrucks to use as support vehicles. Responding to a post on Friday that the vehicle had been discontinued, Musk said: "True, but the Cybertruck fleet will be around for a long time."

The Cybertruck is Tesla's latest conventional vehicle to face cancellation as the EV pioneer pivots toward robotaxis and humanoid robots.

The company discontinued its Model S and X premium EVs earlier this year to free up factory space for its Optimus humanoid robot.

Tesla is gradually expanding its robotaxi service, which now operates in multiple cities in Texas and Florida. Musk told investors last month that Optimus production has begun, with deliveries to customers expected by the end of next year.

Tesla's board is also weighing up a potential merger with SpaceX, which would see Musk's two trillion-dollar-plus public companies combine into a mega-conglomerate covering everything from robotaxis to rockets.

The Cybertruck's discontinuation caps a rough week for Musk. Tesla and SpaceX's stock slide wiped around $80 billion off his fortune on Thursday, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, reducing Musk's wealth to $785 billion.

• Turning 65 forced me to look back on my life, which has gone by in a blur.
• It's hard to believe that I have more years behind me than ahead. How did that happen?
• As I care for my aging mom, I'm pursuing my first novel and embracing aging with hope.

If I'm being honest, I'm freaking out. I am trying to grasp the reality, the ramifications, the ridiculousness that somehow, I am 65.

How did this happen? Where has time gone?

The years stacked up quickly. I remember chunks of time vividly, but quite frankly, there are some stretches when I was seemingly sleepwalking through life, so the memories are vague, and some are just, well, gone.

The years went by so fast

The early years — being a kid, middle school, the teen years, and college days — are all easily recalled.

My 30s, though, were all about transitions, including marriage, a baby, and juggling it all with work. There were high highs and low lows, and much of it is a blur. I blinked, and I hit 40. It was a wake-up call, but I still felt youngish and hopeful.

What surprised me most was how fast 50 came. Good grief, when did a decade start feeling like five years? Heavy sigh. I

was mostly grateful at this time in my life. By then, some hurdles had been crossed. I was enjoying life as a freelancer, even if I wasn't making the big bucks I envisioned. When it came to parenthood, the exhausting toddler and teen years were behind me. Things felt good, things felt stable.

Then we made some big changes

The stretch from 50 to 60 had some big milestones. My husband and I sold our home on Long Island and built a house in Jamaica. I was excited and nervous at the same time. What would life be like in Jamaica as I would spend more time there, and eventually retire there?

I also lost my beloved big sister, which was one of the lowest points in my life.

Part of what kept me going during this time was my desire to see the world. As a young girl, I had an imaginary club called "The World Travelers." That proved to be prophetic, as a lifelong dream of traveling finally became a reality when I added travel writing to my work life. Those trips — going on a safari in Africa, gorilla trekking in Uganda, setting foot in Russia and Australia — changed me forever.

Life took another turn

In my early 60s, I found myself living in Houston. Texas had never been on my radar as a place to live, but with my mom aging and my sister, who used to look after her, gone, I wanted to step in. Texas was a more affordable place to live, and one of my other sisters lived there, too.

Somehow, the last five years became a bit of a blur. It seems life is moving faster than ever. A week feels like three days, a month comes and goes with a batting of an eye. The clock is ticking, and doing so rather loudly.

At 65, I now feel that there are more days behind me than in front of me. I realize some things just aren't likely to happen in my lifetime. After all, I probably won't be a millionaire. But what is still possible? What do I want to do with my remaining time on the planet? That's where I'm choosing to put my energy.

I've kind of, sort of, made peace with where I am

At 65, I'm exhaling a bit, putting my shoulders back, telling myself it's time to do it, whatever the "it" is.

Fearing that I might never write my novel, I started doing some creative writing a few months ago. I'm determined to make it happen. If not now, when?

On good days, I kind of, sort of, make peace with where I am, not tripping about what's not happening now or didn't in the past, what I don't have. I'm choosing to be grateful about everything. I trust that I am right where I'm supposed to be. I know my story is still unfolding, and I can't wait to see what the next page brings.

• Chris Long turned a problem he faced as a contractor — not enough storage — into a business.
• His company, Longyards, rents storage yards to contractors and other businesses on a month-to-month basis.
• He's expanded to four locations in Canada and the US, with more in the pipeline.

Chris Long ran into a problem while running his construction company in Ottawa, Canada: He had bulky equipment but nowhere to store it.

So he built the kind of place he wished existed.

Long, 38, is the founder and CEO of Longyards, a company that rents secure outdoor storage yards to contractors and other businesses on a month-to-month basis. Customers can park work vehicles, containers, equipment, and materials behind a gate instead of signing a long warehouse lease.

"We brought this self-storage model to dirt," Long told Business Insider.

The idea grew out of his own experience in construction. Long had spent years working as a carpenter before starting Conrad Construction, named after his grandfather. As the business grew, he began buying residential properties, but he found managing tenants frustrating — and still didn't have a good solution for storing his own tools and equipment.

Outdoor storage yards seemed to solve both problems. The model offered contractors flexible, secure space, while allowing Long to build a commercial real-estate business with simpler operations than his construction company.

Getting the first site open, however, was anything but simple.

A two-year clock to make the idea work

Long bought a 10-acre property in Ottawa and planned to turn it into his first storage yard. Then, he said, a big-box retailer failed to pay his construction company for a major job, wiping out the cash flow he had expected to use for the project.

He had the land but little money to develop it — and only two years to pay off the seller-financed loan. If he couldn't get the site operating and find new financing before the deadline, he risked losing the property.

The yard opened on October 1, 2019, without a single tenant. Long said he had roughly six to eight weeks to lease the spaces before winter slowed business activity in Canada.

"I had to validate the market," he said. "Will people rent it? Is this crazy?"

He went looking for the answer himself, cold-calling landscapers and approaching potential customers at gas stations, in Home Depot parking lots, and even while stopped at red lights.

Among his first tenants were a roofer, an electrician, a landscaper, and an RV-and-boat operator. Within six weeks, Long said he had leased the initial spaces. That traction helped him secure an investor who paid off the seller financing shortly before the deadline.

At its most basic, a storage yard requires gravel, fencing, cameras, gates, lights, and software that lets customers sign up and receive digital gate access. But Long said the model is not as passive as it might appear. After finding correctly zoned land and securing permits, operators still have to screen tenants, enforce insurance requirements, manage security, and watch for potential contamination risks.

"There are still headaches. People can abuse the facility, and you need to be on top of that," Long said. Unlike residential real estate and long-term rentals, he said, there is no established playbook for this business. "I'm building the roadmap, and that's painful. It's cost a lot, and it has not been easy."

Demand first, land second

Long has since expanded beyond the original Canadian location to Florida, where he and his family currently live, and Texas, with additional sites in the pipeline.

Business Insider reviewed an appraisal for Long’s first Canadian storage-yard location, Longyards’ US franchise disclosure document, and a recent 90-day snapshot of one of the company’s Canadian bank accounts.

When it comes to adding more locations, he doesn't begin by hunting for cheap land. His approach is "demand first, land second."

Before entering a market, Longyards tests whether local contractors and businesses are actively seeking secure outdoor storage. Only once the company sees enough interest does it look for a suitable property.

That order matters. A plot of land may look inexpensive but be unusable for outdoor storage because of zoning restrictions, costly site work, or weak local demand. And in fast-growing markets, land suitable for the business can be hard to find as more parcels are developed.

Long believes the opportunity is substantial because the problem is so unglamorous — and so persistent. Contractors will continue to need a place to park a truck, store equipment, or keep materials secure between jobs.

Before Longyards, he was managing 17 employees and multiple construction jobs. He now says one storage yard has generated more income than that more complicated operation did.

"Simple cash flow creates freedom," he said. "I went from bankrupt carpenter in Canada to financially free in Florida from a single storage yard."

For Long, the business began with a mundane problem hiding in plain sight: extra dirt.