• Stacy Lentz has co-owned the Stonewall Inn with three others since 2006.
• She went into credit card debt to buy the Inn, and has never made much money.
• Owning it has been the responsibility of a lifetime, and given her purpose, she says.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stacy Lentz, co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and CEO of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up middle-class, in the middle of a cornfield, in the middle-of-nowhere Kansas. That's a lot of middles, but once I moved to New York City in my 20s, I felt like I had discovered the center of the world.

I probably knew that I was gay since I was younger, but I fought it. I went to school with the same 16 kids each year. I knew that I tended to develop crushes on my friends who were girls. As for the guys, I wanted to be their best friends, but had no desire to date them.

At 24, I walked into my first gay bar in New York and immediately thought, "Oh, these are my people."

I took on credit card debt to buy the Stonewall Inn

After that, I spent a lot of time in LGBTQ+ bars. There was a piano bar three buildings down from The Stonewall Inn that I just loved. Having grown up as a theater kid, being in a piano bar in New York City has always been fun. I became a regular there, and befriended the manager, a man named Kurt Kelly, who has since become like a brother to me.

I had walked into the Stonewall Inn before, in the 90s. At the time, I knew a bit about the significance, but the site wasn't being treated with any historic reverence. Then, in 2006, Kurt and I heard that the Inn was shutting down.

We realized we had a chance to preserve history for our community. So, along with two other partners, we bought the Stonewall Inn. I had to go into credit card debt to do that, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I haven't made much, but it's not about the money

My background is in marketing, and by that point, I had become a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. I knew I could help make the inn a success and raise its profile. Still, the first year was really difficult. We had a roof collapse and needed to put a lot of work into the building.

I made my investment back within the first couple of years, but I've never made much money from the bar. We're very transparent about that. Our rent is $55,000 a month. That's a lot of vodka soda to sell.

For me, it's never been about the money. That wasn't the point. I see myself and my co-owners as stewards of this place. When we purchased it, there was nothing about the history of the Stonewall Inn displayed. Today, there are historic artifacts, including the original "raided property" sign from 1969. Upstairs, we have a community center where we host everything from fundraisers to weddings.

We're honoring the legacy and continuing to take action

Owning the Stonewall Inn has been the responsibility of a lifetime. It's not just about keeping the lights on; it's about keeping the mission alive.

My co-owners and I believe that queer history can't be preserved without providing for queer futures. In 2017, we started a nonprofit, the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. We provide safe-space training to other establishments, and also provide support to the LGBTQ+ folks in the places where it's most difficult to be queer, like Mississippi, Uganda, or Kansas, where I grew up.

The nonprofit has a small budget of between $60,000 to $120,000 a year. Still, it's something my co-owners and I are really proud of. If we rely on our legacy, without continuing to take action, it just becomes branding. That's why we're determined to not just honor the Inn's past but to also have a real impact on the future of the LGBTQ+ community.

• In 2023, I graduated into a volatile job market, but thankfully, I landed a job.
• I was living in New York, with an inordinately high cost of living, which made staying untenable.
• Moving to Texas, with its much lower cost of living, allowed me to succeed.

After graduating with a bachelor's in computer science in 2023, a software company offered me an exciting job that paid $60,000 a year.

The catch? I had to move away from home.

I had grown up on Long Island all my life, but the company didn't have an office within commuting distance of my parents' house. Moving felt daunting. Moving across the country? Even more so.

But I felt like I had no choice because of the difficult job market and the rising costs in New York, so I packed up and moved to Texas.

The East Coast was nearly impossible to afford

I did the math. The average rent for an apartment in most East Coast states is $2,000 to $3,000 a month.

Over the course of a year, on average, that would be $30,000. This was half of my annual income — before accounting for any other expenses.

New York State income taxes are also high, plus there's federal tax on top. Already, with back-of-the-napkin math, I found that I would be left with less than half of my annual salary before accounting for food, insurance premiums, utilities, and rainy-day savings.

After all that, there would be next to nothing left for student loan repayments, and I wouldn't be able to save any money to eventually buy a house.

Texas was the much cheaper option

Researching my options, I learned the company had an office in San Antonio. As I researched this unfamiliar city, what I found astounded me.

Even in a large city like San Antonio, rent averages $1,000 to $1,500 a month. Texas also has no state income tax.

I would have significantly more of my annual income to spend and save if I lived in Texas with the same job.

I decided to move across the country to Texas

Though the numbers were promising, I had never been south of Virginia until my move. I had no clue what San Antonio was like and had no family or friends there for support.

I found my apartment in this new, unfamiliar city remotely. I scanned Google Maps. I made a list of apartments with ideal locations and read their tenants' reviews. I focused on ones with two to four stars to avoid being misled.

As part of my research, I looked at crime statistics. I was happy to see it was very low. I then narrowed my commute down to five minutes.

I'm financially comfortable in Texas

After the move, I paid about $1,250 a month for a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment with an in-home washer & dryer, community gym, and pool.

There is a rule in personal finance called the 50/30/20 rule. Ideally, you should spend 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and save 20% of what you earn. Living in Texas, I easily spent less than 50% on needs and saved more than 40% of what I earned.

All of that would not have been possible on the East Coast at my entry-level, new-grad salary.

Lastly, home prices in Texas are much lower, so my goal of homeownership finally felt achievable.

I made my cross-country move work for me

As a new graduate, I faced a market with low salary expectations, frequent mass layoffs, and high job volatility.

I made it work by moving away from a state with a high cost of living to one offering a 50% discount on life.

New graduates and early professionals may find success doing the same.

• Higgsfield AI made a sci-fi action thriller called "Hell Grind" starring AI actors.
• The movie cost around $500,000 to produce.
• I went to a screening to see how it held up.

For a brief moment toward the midpoint of the AI-generated film "Hell Grind," I caught myself experiencing something unexpected: genuine emotion.

As the male lead, Roco, gazed at a photo of his recently kidnapped love interest, he flashed back to memories of them growing up together in an orphanage. The sadness and yearning felt real.

The sensation didn't last.

Mid-flashback, Roco and his AI-generated costars began laughing in an eerily synchronized fashion, their eyes peeled wide open. As I sat in New York's Metro Private Cinema this week, scooping up handfuls of popcorn, the uncanny valley of AI came roaring back.

Generative AI has crept into a variety of corners of the entertainment business this year, spooking many creatives who worry what it could mean for their jobs. While post-production teams are turning to the technology for de-aging and other effects, some actors in short dramas are already losing out on roles to AI characters. The shift is a top concern for the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, which approved new contract language this week that pushes producers to bargain over the use of synthetic performers.

"Hell Grind," which takes AI usage to the max, sprang up in May at the Marché du Film in Cannes (a side event that's not the famous Cannes Film Festival). The brainchild of startup Higgsfield AI — which runs an AI platform for creatives, brands, and marketers — it was conceived as a way to show the tech's potential as more than just a tool for making short videos. The company, which crossed a $1 billion valuation earlier this year, spent around $500,000 to produce its 95-minute film, with much of its budget going to computing costs. While AI regularly shows up in bits and pieces of Hollywood productions, "Hell Grind" is the highest-profile film made entirely with AI-generated visuals.

Higgsfield tapped a group of in-house creatives and outside filmmakers who used highly specific text prompts (typically around 3,000 words) to generate around 100 hours of content, which was edited down. The company did not use AI to write the script, except for a few short filler moments, which Higgsfield's CEO, Alex Mashrabov, told me he thought were noticeably less effective in the film.

The result is a visually impressive movie with a passable plot line, landing somewhere between a video game and an effects-heavy project like "Planet of the Apes."

"It's a new workflow, and it's also very important for us so that we show to the world what's possible," Mashrabov told viewers at the screening this week. "The production process looks different where it's actually possible to go back and iterate with AI and deliver exactly the emotion which the creative director was envisioning."

At various points during "Hell Grind," I was taken out of the story when a character did something that just felt … off. The way Roco held a slice of pizza in one scene looked like it was his first time encountering the food, for example. The synthetic children in the movie generally creeped me out, and the AI-generated voice work didn't always feel consistent (one character seemed to flip between a British and American accent, for instance).

Still, it was hard to shake off the feeling that talented AI prompters may soon be coveted players in Hollywood.

While I wouldn't expect to see AI actors or writers playing a big role in the making of films like "Tár" or "One Battle After Another," it feels like this technology will be hard to resist for budget-sensitive executives angling to speed up movie production. That's especially true in genres like action and sci-fi, where visual effects budgets can be a big constraint. And the technology may open doors for independent filmmakers who have grand ideas but small budgets.

"Budgets and opportunities are not equally distributed across the world," Mashrabov said. "Hopefully, this will spark the next generation of creativity."

• I travel a lot but typically stay in luxury hotels.
• My sister recently asked me to go to an adult summer camp with her, and I was hesitant.
• However, I'm so glad I went, and it changed the way I think about "comfort."

I'm a luxury travel reviewer, so I've spent years refining my standards for comfort. I've stayed at extraordinary hotels and resorts around the world — properties with the plushest bedding and robes, private infinity pools, dedicated butlers, and absolutely no need to take care of myself while on property. Once you get used to that level of comfort, it's hard to un-know it.

So when my sister started trying to convince me to attend a women's retreat at an adult summer camp in Northern California, I was skeptical.

I grew up camping, but stopped doing it over the years

To be fair, I'm not anti-camp. I grew up going to summer camp and even did a fair amount of recreational camping with friends into adulthood. But then I had kids, a life stage that necessitated so much gear schlepping and cleanup that doing so for recreation ceased to appeal. Camping lost its novelty.

Meanwhile, my work as a lifestyle writer moved increasingly toward luxury travel coverage. Over time, I became accustomed to certain elite-level comforts — and, if I'm being honest, attached to them.

My sister asked me to go to an adult summer camp

My sister, whose tastes differ from mine in plenty of ways, recruited two of our closest friends from high school and college to attend, too. It felt like a strategic FOMO operation — and it worked. About a week before the retreat, I finally caved and booked my flight.

I expected rustic accommodations, communal bathrooms, and the general feeling of roughing it.

Instead, I walked into all sorts of surprises.

For one thing, the camp itself had been rebuilt in recent years and felt far more polished than I anticipated — and certainly much more elevated than the Southern California camp of my youth. Our cabin for the four of us had heating and air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom, ample charging ports, and was spotless. The food in the dining hall was genuinely great, including lots of vegetarian options for me.

It felt less like roughing it and more like a conference center situated among trees.

But the accommodations weren't the only type of comforts that surprised me.

The bigger surprise was realizing how many forms comfort can take that have nothing to do with luxury amenities.

I found comfort in community and rest

There were 175 women at the retreat, and many of them were older than we were. My group ranged from age 48 (me) to 51 (my sister), but many attendees were in their 60s, 70s, and even their upper 80s. There was something unexpectedly grounding about being surrounded by women carrying decades of perspective and experience. The atmosphere felt notably free of performance or pressure.

Then there was another luxury I'd almost forgotten: being an off-duty mom in an adults-only environment. My sister has three kids; my two friends and I each have two. For a few days, nobody needed snacks. Nobody needed a ride somewhere. Nobody was making an impassioned case for me to extend their screen time.

Instead, I had time for things I almost never make space for anymore. I tried to learn Mahjong. I made beaded bracelets and dipped my own candles. I dozed through a sound bath and tried forest bathing.

The activities themselves almost felt beside the point.

Luxury hotels are designed to create comfort. That's literally their purpose.

But somewhere along the way, I think I'd unconsciously narrowed my own definition of comfort into something highly curated and highly physical — softer sheets, nicer rooms, better amenities.

I left adult summer camp with the reminder that some of the greatest comforts have nothing to do with thread count at all.

• Facebook Marketplace sellers are using images of women to draw attention to items for sale.
• There's just one thing: The women aren't real. They're AI-generated.
• I talked to one seller who said the tactic got him a lot of views, but not necessarily more sales.

Let's say you've got a 2013 Jeep Wrangler you want to sell. It's a great car — low mileage, good condition, and a custom-lifted suspension. But there's a lot of Jeep Wranglers out there on Facebook Marketplace — how do you make your listing stand out?

For Rogelio Llamas, it was a little sex appeal that was missing. He added an image of a woman in a bikini top, denim shorts, and cowboy boots leaning on the hood of his Wrangler. Now there's a way to draw eyeballs. Just one thing: The woman wasn't real. Llamas generated her with AI.

Llamas, who's in Southern California, is part of a trend I've seen on Facebook Marketplace lately. He told me he got the idea from a YouTuber who makes videos about how to buy items at thrift stores and resell them for a profit.

On Reddit and social media, people have started to notice a strange new trend: scantily clad AI-generated women propped up against everything from cars to dump trucks to other items for sale.

In one listing for a motorcycle, a hot goth girl appears to be sitting on it. In another, three women in nearly identical outfits (yet slightly too tall) lounge across a 2010 Mercedes. In a listing for what appears to be a dilapidated hot tub, three young women in tank tops and short shorts sit atop the filthy plastic.

On X, someone found a listing for some kind of Caterpillar heavy machinery equipment — featuring a sexy woman in a bathing suit posing on the rusted metal. All had hallmarks of AI images — strange figures, slightly off sizes, and generally improbable looks.

Using attractive women to appeal to car or boat buyers isn't a new concept by any means. Sex sells! But the addition of AI-generated babes to Facebook Marketplace listings feels new.

For one thing, images on Facebook Marketplace typically look kind of crummy. The whole point is you're getting a listing of a real used item sold by a normal person, not a professional. As a frequent Marketplace buyer myself, I'm generally wary of any listing that looks too professional or whose photos are too good — to me, that's a sign the seller knows what they have and may be pricing it too high.

Llamas said that in the influencer video he watched, it suggested using a larger body size for the AI-generated woman rather than a slim one, because it creates a curiosity gap that makes someone want to click. (Who knows if that's the case?) The fact that it seems obviously AI is intentional. "It's supposed to be funny, but also be like, damn, is she real??" Llamas told me over Messenger.

The WTF-factor seems to be a trend. In one Marketplace listing someone posted on Reddit, a seller put an AI sumo wrestler standing on the drawers of a large toolbox, presumably to demonstrate the strength of the drawers and also to catch attention.

But the eye-catching tactic doesn't always translate to a sale. Llamas said that, indeed, he got way more views and clicks on his Jeep listing after adding the photo with the woman. Unfortunately, they're not all serious buyers. "They are messaging if she comes with the car, if she's real, or they think I'm her." He said. "I get negative messages like 'go to the gym' or 'you're fat,' very few have actually messaged me for the car itself."

The Jeep has been on the market for 19 weeks so far.

• Business Insider asked six tech workers which task they're saving the most time on with AI.
• Some workers said AI has turned tasks that once took hours into minutes.
• Others said the productivity gains haven't necessarily led to shorter workdays.

Ask a tech worker how AI has changed their jobs, and chances are they'll answer with a single number: hours saved.

In interviews with Business Insider, Big Tech software engineers, product managers, and data scientists described using AI to compress hours of work into minutes. They use it to draft documents, summarize months of meetings, review code, automate reports, and more.

Faster doesn't always mean easier, however. One Amazon data scientist said AI is adding hours to his workweek as he builds the automation systems that should eventually save him time. Another Amazon employee said any time saved is quickly redirected to the next project.

Here's how six tech workers said AI is saving them the most time. (Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.)

The time AI saves me gets reinvested into the next problem

Priyanka Devi Ramesh is a business intelligence engineer at Amazon. She's 30 and lives in Virginia.

Document writing is where AI has had the greatest impact. With the help of an AI tool called Pippin, it's become easy to translate my thoughts about the projects I'm working on into polished documents that can be technical or customer-facing. This saves a massive amount of time — I spend hardly 15 to 20 minutes max to write and finalize a document that would have previously taken me well over an hour.

On the technical side, I use Kiro and Amazon Quick. Kiro is great for brainstorming ideas and making logic updates in minutes. I'm building agents within Amazon Quick to automate common customer questions about dashboards and to surface insights from data.

AI hasn't reduced my work time. We're constantly looking for ways to clean up messy data and finding opportunities to automate wherever possible — so the time saved in one area gets reinvested into the next problem.

AI helps me make sense of months of meetings at Google

Prerit Pathak is a security engineer at Google. He's 27 and lives in New York City.

I use Gemini for a variety of purposes, but recently it has bolstered my note-taking.

I used to take shorthand notes during meetings to record interesting or important information. Now, I let Gemini take notes on my work calls, and the improvement has been incredible. A summarization task — such as understanding what happened over the previous six months — that once would have taken one to two hours now takes five to 10 minutes.

I'm working longer hours now, so AI can save me time later

Sarthak Gupta is a data scientist at Amazon. He's 29 and lives in Seattle.

AI has been most helpful with building end-to-end automation pipelines for recurring workflows.

It used to take 8 to 10 hours over a couple of days to create a monthly stakeholder report that involved pulling data, cleaning it, generating visualizations, and writing the summary. Now, an AI pipeline handles the data pulls, transformations, and dashboard refreshes. I spend maybe 45 minutes reviewing the output and adding context before sending it out.

However, my overall working hours right now are running longer than normal. The reason is that we're in the middle of an automation phase. Building the pipelines, integrating the AI tooling, validating outputs, and onboarding all of this into existing workflows is front-loaded work, and that upfront investment is real. The payoff comes later, when the same task that took a couple of days collapses into a button click.

So in the short term, AI is actually adding hours to my week, not subtracting them. I'd expect that to flip once the foundational pipelines are stable and the automation is doing the heavy lifting on its own.

AI helps me turn messy ideas into polished plans

Tanvi Pisal is a UX designer working as a contractor for Apple via Red Oak Technologies. She's 29 and lives in San Jose.

One of the biggest ways AI saves me time is in early-stage product thinking and documentation.

As a product designer, I used to spend hours drafting product requirement documents, brainstorming user stories, mapping edge cases, outlining use scenarios, and refining ideation before I even got to visual design.

Now, I can start with rough notes or a messy draft, and AI helps turn that into a much more structured document in minutes. What used to take me three to four hours can often be reduced to 30 minutes with feedback and refinements.

AI gets me to the starting line faster at Amazon

Udit Mehrotra is a head of product at Amazon. He's in his 30s and lives in Seattle.

Writing product documents is where I've seen the biggest change. Every major initiative at Amazon starts with a written document, and for years, the first hour or two of that process was building scaffolding: setting up the structure, filling in the sections you know by heart, and building something worth reacting to before you could get to the actual thinking.

Now I can use AI to input the customer problem and constraints and get a solid first draft in minutes. What surprises me is that it's often more comprehensive than what I'd have written on my own under time pressure.

Getting from 80% to 100% is still where the real work lives, and AI doesn't change that. The strategic judgment, the tradeoffs between what customers need and what's technically feasible, the decisions that require years of accumulated context about a specific customer problem — that thinking still takes the same depth and care it always did.

What has changed is that I arrive at the starting line faster, with a more complete structure to react to and push against. The quality of the final document is often better as a result, not because AI did the hard thinking, but because I spent more of my time on it.

What used to take a week can now take a day

Iren Azra Zou is a software engineer at the trucking logistics startup Double Nickel. She's in her 20s and lives in New Jersey.

I use AI, mostly Claude Code, for the majority of my coding. It's honestly hard to quantify the time savings; it feels like what used to take a week can now take a day.

We also rely heavily on AI to review and provide feedback on code, unless a change is particularly risky. That alone saves a huge amount of time. Instead of waiting days for human reviews, you get multiple rounds of feedback within hours. It also means I spend less time reviewing others' code, which probably saves me several hours each week.

There are tradeoffs — less human review can have downsides. But right now, the speed of iteration and innovation is incredibly valuable for us.

Do you have a story to share about how you're navigating a career crossroads? If so, please reach out to the reporter via email at jzinkula@businessinsider.com, or via Signal at jzinkula.29.

• Alexandra Frost is a former teacher who lives in Ohio and has five children.
• During each pregnancy, she faced logistical challenges due to maternity leave rules.
• Self-employment gave her more flexibility, but it blurred the lines between work and parental leave.

I was 38 weeks pregnant when I stopped being able to walk, at age 28, with my first child of five.

I remember the exact moment, standing in a long hallway, where I couldn't race back to my class where 30 high school kids sat waiting for instruction. I grabbed a rolling chair from a nearby classroom and inched my way back from the bathroom, sitting.

I'd developed a painful pelvic bone condition, and I thought for sure I'd be sent home to bed for the rest of my pregnancy.

But that's not what happened next. Instead, I got a call from HR, detailing my options. I could stop working now — since I couldn't walk and all — but that would count as starting maternity leave early. And that would mean two fewer weeks I'd get to spend with my baby.

So I rolled from student to student in that same chair for the next three weeks, until I delivered my baby overdue.

This was the beginning of my abrupt education into the world of maternity leave, and how policies, procedures, and the workplace dictate what's best for you — not your body, your mind, or even your doctor.

Over the decade that followed, I'd go on to have four more babies, work for multiple employers, and experience multiple parental leave policies. Each one shaped the story of my pregnancy, birth, and motherhood in different ways — some that I valued, and some I'd like to forget.

Baby 1: Toughing out the last weeks of pregnancy for a longer leave

Data from around that same time showed a growing trend of moms working right up until birth, a fear I had with my first child — would my water literally break at a student's feet? It's also why, in education, many teachers try to strategically conceive their babies to line up with school breaks.

In 2014, I learned on leave from my first baby that it was the first of many decisions I'd make as a new mom that involved choosing between my own health and well-being or my child's, who benefited from having me home longer after birth. Ultimately, I was glad to have prolonged the start of my maternity leave as long as I could to get the most healing time possible before heading back to work.

Baby 2: Arbitrary leave rules with big impact

Around 18 short months later, I was back in the delivery room in 2016, and navigating leave with another school district. This one had a unique rule that didn't quite make sense to me — if you had banked 12 weeks of sick leave, you could use all 12 for maternity leave, but only six of those could be paid. As a young working mother now with two babies, also married to an educator, this meant going six weeks without pay to get the most time off with my new baby, while trying to pay for our $4,000 hospital bill and double the diapers.

I called HR multiple times to clarify. Clearly, I'd heard wrong that if I had the sick time that I'd saved up, I couldn't use it still for paid time off? Except I hadn't. Their justification was that they had to make sure we had enough "extra" sick time in our bank so that we wouldn't be in a bind if we or our kids got sick. And here I was thinking it was my decision when and how to use my own sick time.

It taught me that the system isn't really built for moms' or babies' needs; it's for the benefit and convenience of the business, corporations, and districts where we work.

Baby 3: Revolving a leave around benefits

My third child arrived within weeks of a job change in 2018. If I had the baby, due ironically on Labor Day, before the start of a new month, I'd have a certain set of leave benefits. If I had the baby after, I'd have a different set, including insurance with a deductible that would reset. The timing was bizarre.

In this birth, I made the decision to be induced early to reap the massive financial and leave benefits I'd accrued at my first job — I'd met my deductible and the birth would be free if the baby came in time. Induction before the body is ready can come with a slew of risks, I found out. It soon turned into a hellish 28-hour labor, with a failed induction that wouldn't progress and I couldn't turn back from.

I learned that I could try to play God and manipulate my circumstances for financial gain and convenience, but that the body and the baby don't follow your best laid plans. In another world, both employers would have had equally great benefits and leave, and the baby could have come when he was ready. I greatly regret how I handled this, and had to work to undo the trauma of this birth that I caused by trying to rush it.

Baby 4: How it was supposed to be

If you have enough babies, eventually, parental leave will go your way. That was the case with my fourth son, in 2021, when I encountered a largely "chill" contact at my employer who was determined to infuse as much flexibility as possible around the company's standard leave practices.

Late in the pregnancy, when my pelvic pain returned, I was able to take up to five regular sick days off consecutively at a time without them counting toward official leave. This meant I could work for a day, take five days, and repeat — which I did, a handful of times — making the end of pregnancy much less stressful and painful.

I learned from this leave that encountering a contact or boss who would allow the policies to stretch as far as possible to benefit the people who need it. Though real nationwide change would be better, this was a step in the right direction.

Baby 5: Self-employment…better, but worse

A few years into parenting four sons, I quit teaching to establish my own writing, content marketing, and strategy business. I was now my own boss — so the policies better be good, right? Turns out, it's not as easy to take leave as a business owner as I thought.

When it was time to have my fifth baby, I had clients on retainers and editors with deadlines. I had a subcontractor who was luckily loyal and helpful who helped me navigate this. But around a month in, even with the help of a few part time, remote assistants, the emails, projects, and missed opportunities were piling up. I tried to walk the line as carefully as possible to avoid missing opportunities for the sake of full-time bonding with my baby. In reality, this meant only five weeks truly off.

From there, the lines blurred between leave and flexible work. I'd sneak in some work at naptime to keep the bank accounts balanced. I'd work as I nursed a fussing toddler during witching hour in the evenings. I worried as a mom of five about the choice to take time off at the expense of our finances. But in the end, I was in control, which felt better.

From this leave, I learned that maybe I didn't need super long leaves; I just needed choice. I didn't regret going back to work "early" when it was my own decision, not being forced on me by an employer or policy.

Do you have a story to share about your career? Contact this editor, Debbie Strong, at dstrong@businessinsider.com.

• Serena Williams is returning to tennis at age 44, with her first pro match the week of June 8.
• Williams has been open about using a GLP-1 to lose weight, saying it helps her move better.
• Her comeback is great news for people who believe in peptides for longevity and performance.

The GOAT is bounding out of retirement.

Tennis great Serena Williams is back in the game, after openly endorsing GLP-1s for weight loss, and emphasizing how great her knees feel at her new, lower weight.

"I'm moving better on Ro," she said in a Super Bowl ad for Ro, a telehealth company that prescribes Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound. (Williams' husband, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, sits on the board and is a major investor.)

In the commercial, Williams said she can move more easily and enjoy steadier blood sugar levels throughout the day while she trains. In general, she feels "healthier" on her injectable medication, which she's said helped her lose 34 pounds after the birth of her second child in 2023.

"After having two kids, I wasn't able to be at a weight that was healthy for me," Williams told the "Today" show when she first announced her paid partnership with Ro in 2025.

Her comeback is huge for tennis, of course — but also for the burgeoning peptide movement.

Yes, GLP-1s ("glucagon-like peptide-1") are peptides.

For the uninitiated, injectable peptides are hot stuff right now. They have become wildly popular among gym-goers, athletes, and bodybuilders looking to trim fat, control inflammation, and avoid injuries. Ultimately, they want to find an edge in their routine.

Peptides are critical signaling molecules our bodies use to build muscle, heal injuries, and control hormones. Gym bros' favorite peptides include BPC-157 (aka "the Wolverine shot") for recovery, ipamorelin CJC-1295 for lean muscle growth — and, of course, GLP-1s for weight loss.

To be clear, Williams isn't suggesting that GLP-1s should be used as performance-enhancing drugs. She is simply emblematic of a growing trend, from regular folks on up to competitive bodybuilders and elite athletes, who are using GLP-1s to stay nimble as they get older.

Her experience mirrors what many doctors are seeing in clinical practice: Their patients are recognizing GLP-1s as a health optimization tool — seeing that the fat reduction and anti-inflammatory benefits of these drugs go beyond treating diabetes and obesity. Research shows the medications can improve heart health, liver function, and sleep quality. And scientists are also probing whether these drugs could help with healthier aging and longevity.

"It's the most powerful drug we've ever seen for helping people lose body fat," exercise physiologist Pat Davidson, who is using an unapproved GLP-1 drug to help shred fat for bodybuilding, told Business Insider. "You are never putting that genie back in the bottle."

GLP-1s target dangerous belly fat

The trend isn't limited to high-powered sports stars.

In San Francisco, Dr. Nima Afshar, a concierge doctor at longevity-focused Private Medical, said he has "dozens" of elite clients who are using these drugs to remove dangerous visceral fat from their midsections and feel better in their bodies.

Visceral fat is stored deep in the belly, providing essential cushioning for vital organs such as the liver and kidneys. While some visceral fat is normal, too much can be a problem, as this fat is metabolically active, and can impact a person's risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Increasingly, Afshar is initiating conversations with patients who he says are "not that overweight" but who he thinks could use these drugs to boost their longevity by driving down visceral fat stores and lowering inflammation across the body.

"I almost don't use the word weight," Afshar said. "Some people can carry visceral fat, but tolerate it well and have no metabolic effects — that's uncommon." For most people, extra "toxic" mid-section fat, which is not always visible, "can ultimately make you not feel quite as good."

Once the negative signaling from that extra visceral fat is gone, a whole chain of health benefits can ensue, he said.

Afshar uses multiple clinical measurements — including InBody scans, routine bloodwork, liver and kidney ultrasounds, and blood pressure readings — to assess whether GLP-1s could be prescribed to improve a patient's health.

At the same time, he recommends all his patients on GLP-1s up their protein intake to "the maximum" recommended dose, and incorporate more movement into their daily routines, to help safeguard their musculature and prioritize fat loss over muscle wasting as they eat less food.

Some private insurers are getting wise to the same idea and mandating that patients adhere to some kind of exercise and nutrition program in order to get access to these medications.

Dr. Mitch Biermann, an obesity medicine physician at Scripps Health in San Diego, said the practice is emblematic of a wider shift in his field, toward a more holistic assessment of excess fat and body composition.

While insurance companies may not cover every indication (i.e., medical reason to take a drug), doctors are increasingly prescribing GLP-1s to a wider array of people with health concerns tied to carrying around excess weight, including joint pain, inflammation, and high blood pressure.

"I think there are quite a lot of indications that people can justifiably use the medicine," Biermann said. "There are just many different definitions of obesity now."

Bodybuilders and athletes are using peptides to get an edge

Whether it was steroids or insulin, bodybuilders have long used exogenous hormones to pursue bulgier muscles, along with protein-rich diets and more strength training than cardio.

GLP-1 drugs are essentially the next generation of that playbook: powerful new drugs that are like supercharged versions of our own hunger-checking hormones, which can help athletes get lean.

Take Davidson, the bodybuilder, who is gearing up for a couple of Mr. Universe-style bodybuilding competitions this July. He's aiming to cut his body fat, without sacrificing muscle.

So, alongside his ultra-high-protein, low-carb diet, he started taking an ultra-powerful but not-yet-released GLP-1 drug called retatrutide, which is still in development at Eli Lilly, about three months ago. (He's part of a groundswell of gym-goers tapping into underground "peptide" markets selling research materials.)

Davidson said he has lost over 30 pounds in three months. He feels like the GLP-1 has helped him maintain more strength than he usually does in the slim-down phase before a big event.

"I really haven't gotten any weaker," Davidson said.

Afshar said the "super optimizers" like Davidson are rarities in his practice, but he knows at least a few people who fit into the category.

Doctors vehemently recommend against doing this without medical supervision.

Williams is not part of this performance enhancement and fitness-optimization-through-peptides band of GLP-1 users; she is promoting these drugs for FDA-approved uses, including blood sugar control and clinical weight loss.

Still, her big comeback to the court next week is great news for the pro-peptide guys, who are keen to show that peptides are much more than drugs to treat chronic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes.

• Private student-loan collectors penalized for claims of misleading behavior could work with borrowers again.
• It's part of Trump's transfer of defaulted student loans from the Education Department to the Treasury.
• It could expose borrowers to high collection fees and repayment challenges.

Private companies penalized for their student-loan collection tactics may be making a comeback.

As President Donald Trump transfers federal student loans from the Department of Education to the Treasury Department, defaulted borrowers will be routed through the Treasury's "Cross-Servicing program," which uses private contractors to collect federal debts. Two agencies in that system, Pioneer Credit Recovery and Transworld Systems, were previously sued or fined by federal watchdogs for "misleading" or "abusive" practices.

Lawmakers and administration officials in Trump's first term pushed to terminate contracts with private collectors over high costs and accusations of predatory behavior. Former President Joe Biden ended their contracts in 2021. Now, with student-loan defaults at a record high, education policy experts say bringing private collectors back could expose borrowers to higher collection fees, confusion, and greater risk of falling back into default.

More than 10 million student-loan borrowers are in default or delinquency, Department of Education data shows. Involuntary collections, which include wage garnishment and federal benefits seizure, have been paused since January while the department prepares for major repayment changes. The department has not specified when the pause will lift, and did not comment in time for publication on the extent to which Pioneer and Transworld would be involved in collections once they resume.

"No reasonable person would expect that these companies are going to be doing what they're supposed to be doing and going to be effectuating borrowers' rights," said Bonnie Latreille, a former official in the Education Department's Federal Student Aid office.

The Trump administration says that the Treasury is best equipped to manage collections. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a March press release that the agency has "the unique experience, the operational capability, and the financial expertise to bring long overdue financial discipline to the program and be better stewards of taxpayer dollars."

A troubled student-loan collection history

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which began supervising private collectors in 2013, found that they made various misrepresentations to defaulted borrowers, such as implying they'd be sued when that wasn't certain, and pushing more expensive repayment pathways.

Lawmakers later said private collection agencies "receive more than ten times as much" money for steering borrowers into their preferred repayment option, despite high redefault rates. "The Department is rewarding these agencies for behaviors that work in opposition to the prospect of student borrower success," they said.

In 2017, the CFPB sued Pioneer for engaging in "deceptive" and "abusive" practices and violating consumer protection laws, including by steering borrowers into costly forbearances instead of more favorable income-driven repayment plans. The court ordered the company in 2024 to pay $100 million to affected borrowers. Also that year, CFPB fined Transworld $2.5 million for filing debt collection lawsuits without proof that the debt was owed.

Transworld said at the time that it settled with the CFPB to avoid costly litigation. Navient, which oversaw Pioneer, denied any wrongdoing.

Because the Treasury already uses these companies to collect other payments, like taxes, using them is "the most straightforward way" to resume collections on defaulted student loans, said Colleen Campbell, former executive director of Federal Student Aid's loan portfolio management office under Biden. Simplicity for the administration doesn't necessarily mean clarity for borrowers.

"It just gets a little bit more complicated when there are more entities and agencies involved in what happens with the borrower," Campbell said.

Collecting on defaulted student loans requires specific knowledge of student-loan borrowers and policy, said Sara Partridge, the associate director of higher education at the left-leaning think tank the Center for American Progress. There's no evidence the Treasury has the necessary expertise to oversee these agencies, she said.

With private collectors returning, borrowers could face high collection fees, a harder time getting complaints resolved, and potential redefault, higher education policy experts said.

Campbell added that private companies were previously criticized for their variable fee structures. For example, the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute said in a 2018 report that "harsher penalties are imposed on borrowers who quickly repay their loans in full after defaulting than on those who engage in a lengthy, bureaucratic 'rehabilitation' process but make no progress in paying down their debts."

Another concern is potentially poor coordination between agencies as the transfer happens, Campbell said.

"What you don't want is for somebody to go through all of the steps of getting out of default, only to have them feeling like they're lost in the process yet again because of the handoffs that have to happen between vendors," Campbell said.

Partridge added that the shift could make it harder for borrowers to get repayment help because two agencies would be responsible for managing accounts.

The Department of Education did not specify a timeline for the transfer to the Treasury, which will begin with defaulted borrowers before expanding to the broader federal loan portfolio. Undersecretary Nicholas Kent said during a fireside chat in April that it's "undeniable" that the Treasury is well-equipped to manage federal student loans.

"We want to make sure that we're developing best practices, along with our Treasury colleagues, to be able to service that debt in a much more effective way than we ever have," Kent said.

• Full-time trader Erik Smolinski is always watching the markets. Currently, it's in "a weird place."
• His advice to everyday investors is two-fold. First, don't panic-sell because stocks are at record highs.
• Next, investors should review what they already own.

As a full-time trader, Erik Smolinski is always watching the markets. Lately, he says, conditions have become especially interesting.

"It's actually really anomalous where the market is right now," Smolinski, who started trading in 2007 and consistently beats the S&P 500, told Business Insider.

Stocks have been on a record-setting run lately, with investors shrugging off the Iran war while stellar earnings fuel unbridled bullishness. At the same time, the interest-rate backdrop has become more complicated, as investors weigh whether the Federal Reserve will need to keep rates higher for longer — or even raise them — if inflation pressures persist.

Smolinski said that the combination makes the current market unusual. It is not, in his view, a reason for investors to panic, but it's a reason to pay attention and potentially make some changes.

His advice for everyday investors: Don't make emotional decisions just because stocks are near highs, but do review what you own.

Don't panic-sell because stocks are at records

"The market is hovering right around all-time highs, and the train is never late," Smolinski said. "I will happily beat this horse to death: The market spends most of its time here."

It's natural for investors to get nervous when stocks are near records, he said, adding that it can be tempting to hedge portfolios, reduce exposure, or avoid risk altogether in anticipation of a pullback. In his view, that's the wrong mindset for long-term investors, since owning stocks generally means accepting risk in exchange for the possibility of higher returns.

"Realistically, most people are spending time in equity markets actually looking for risks," he said. "It's how you make money. If you get too hesitant on risk, it's kind of like, what are you doing here? This isn't the party for you."

Smolinski's overarching point: All-time highs alone are not a reason to sell.

"Don't start overreacting because the pundits are going to be out in force talking about how the market is going to collapse," he said.

Bond yields are the signal to watch

While investors shouldn't make rash decisions about their money, they shouldn't be complacent about their current setup either. After all, "the market is in a weird place," Smolinski said.

The signal he's watching most closely is coming from the bond market, but not simply because the 10-year Treasury yield is approaching a particular round number.

He said he cares more about the speed of the move in yields than the level itself.

"A slow grind toward 5% on strong growth is a completely different animal than a fast, disorderly spike. A 40-to-50-basis-point move in a couple of weeks tells me far more than the round number does. That kind of velocity is what tends to break equities."

He is also watching real yields, which adjust for inflation, rather than just nominal yields. In his view, a 5% 10-year Treasury yield means something very different when inflation is 2% compared to when it's at 4%.

"When the 10-year real yield pushes toward the top of its post-2022 range, that's when bonds start genuinely competing with stocks for capital," he said, adding that he also tries to understand what's driving yields higher. "A selloff because growth is hot is one thing. A selloff driven by inflation re-accelerating, or by worries about supply and the deficit, is the one that historically gets ugly for risk assets."

At the time of the interview, Smolinski said the bond market was also signaling that investors should not assume rates will move lower smoothly. He pointed to the CME FedWatch Tool, which tracks market-implied expectations for Federal Reserve interest-rate moves, as one way investors can externally validate what the market is pricing in.

Smolinski is adamant about investors verifying market claims for themselves, rather than relying solely on commentators: "My biggest recommendation to everybody is: Don't listen to anybody. If you can't externally validate it, ignore it."

At the time of the interview, he said the bond market was pricing in the possibility of a rate hike next year — not a cut. Smolinski said the setup is notable because stocks are near highs while rate expectations have become less favorable.

"We're at all-time highs with, I don't want to call it extreme leverage, but compared to historic precedent, extreme leverage," he said. "That isn't necessarily a recipe for completely smooth sailing."

Review what you own

While investors shouldn't be making any dramatic moves — "it's not necessarily a time to go dump everything and go buy gold," Smolinski said — what they can do is review their portfolios.

Make sure you're comfortable with what you own if the rate environment becomes more challenging, he advised.

For regular investors, that could mean checking whether their portfolios are too concentrated in a single stock, sector, or theme and ensuring they understand why they own each investment. You can also confirm that your asset allocation still aligns with your time horizon and risk tolerance.

It's not about predicting exactly what the Fed or the market will do next, he emphasized. The important thing is to understand what you own well enough to hold onto it if conditions change.

The bottom line is that record highs are not a reason to run for the exits, but it is a good time to make sure your portfolio still makes sense.

• AI has become a hiring buzzword, and five employees explained how they added it to their job titles.
• Two non-technical Microsoft employees said having a humanities background was a strength.
• One worker transitioned from UX design to AI communications.

AI is the buzziest word on the job market — and many workers want to know how to pivot into it.

As some technical workers upskill to stay on the cutting edge, others are moving into AI-focused roles from entirely different industries.

Many companies are pouring an eye-watering amount of money into AI, cutting some roles while adding new positions tied to the technology.

Against that backdrop, moving into AI could be a way for workers to future-proof their careers as the employment market reshuffles. AI engineers, consultants, strategists, and researchers rank among the top five fastest-growing roles in the US, according to LinkedIn's Jobs On the Rise 2026 report.

There's no single path into AI, and Business Insider spoke with five workers who took very different ones. Read on to learn how they pivoted their careers.

Natasha Crampton, Microsoft chief responsible AI officer

Natasha Crampton got her start as an attorney and is now Microsoft's first chief responsible AI officer.

Her job includes working side-by-side with engineering, sales, and research teams to ensure they uphold principles as they build AI systems. It also includes external work, such as helping establish new laws and standards in the space.

Crampton studied information systems in addition to law, and said she always had an interest in the intersection of technology, law, and society. During the strictly legal phase of her career, she said she always worked on technological issues, such as helping Microsoft draft contracts.

She said people looking to move into tech from other fields should start by using the technology themselves. She added that many technical skills are learnable, so coming from a different background shouldn't limit someone's ability to help shape it. She said, "a huge amount of the value" lies at the intersection of technical knowledge and insights from the social sciences.

Georgian Tutuianu, Hubspot AI engineer

Georgian Tutuianu has had several transitions in engineering, from structural to traditional to software to AI at HubSpot.

Tutuianu said that his ability to get technically in the weeds was an asset during the interview process, and showed he had experience with AI.

He also highlighted that his résumé has a section dedicated to personal projects. Tutuianu said he included one AI project, but it was enough. He said it came up naturally in the interview because he was asked about a time he used or built an AI agent.

"It was a juicy project where I could talk about it, and that was good enough," Tutuianu said.

Tutuianu said he also had to do a take-home coding assignment and review it with the hiring manager afterward, but there was no algorithmic component to the interview.

"Instead of the typical software engineering way that these interviews go, which is 'go solve this algorithm in front of me,'" Tutuianu said. "It's more of 'can you build the things that we care about? Show me.'"

Jai Raj Choudhary, StackAI engineer

Jai Raj Choudhary transitioned from a data-focused role to an AI engineer at AI agent startup StackAI.

The engineer said he got his job by reaching out to StackAI's cofounder multiple times on LinkedIn. Choudhary said he had used the company's platform as a student, so he messaged the cofounder and started posting about StackAI, offering advice to the company.

He said he thinks he got offers from StackAI was because he understood data quality, the edge cases for the clients, the matrix, and the failure modes of the AI model or any LLM systems that were being used.

He said moving to San Francisco, where '996' culture has become more prevalent, helped open his opportunities in the space.

"It's not like a 9-to-5 cushy job," Choudhary said. "We work 9-to-9, six days a week. You wake up, you think about the problem that a client had, and you sleep thinking about what is not fixed yet."

Also, taking a job at a startup that helped him grow and devoting himself to continuous learning made a big difference. Choudhary said he spent hours studying every day.

Brit Morenus, Microsoft senior AI gamification program manager

Brit Morenus, a senior AI gamification program manager, studied English, communications, and marketing in college. She started at Microsoft about 13 years ago as an executive assistant, and for the first five and a half years at the company, she was a contract worker.

She later moved into a role focused on gamification — using game mechanics to teach and market Microsoft's products.

She spent about a year getting certifications that taught her about game mechanics, and in that position, she became a full-time employee. Six years later, she had the opportunity to start gamifying learning about AI, and spent three months learning about the tech.

Her advice to others who want to transition is to resist letting fear keep you from stepping outside your comfort zone. She also said that with AI roles, you need to learn how the technology works, not just use it.

Morenus added that she doesn't regret her English degree because it's now more important than ever to understand how to apply the English language to AI.

Sajani Lokuge, AI content manager

Sajani Lokuge started her career as a UX designer. Nearly a year ago, she transitioned to lead AI communication and content strategy at her company, where she focuses on broadcasting AI.

She said the transition felt like the next logical step in her career. She had already studied computer science and spent years inside the company doing design work and translating technical problems to users. She was also building a public platform on LinkedIn focused on design careers and AI, which now has about 26,000 followers.

Lokuge told Business Insider that her job title may be different, but she's using a lot of the same skillset that was relevant to her as a UX designer. Instead of designing screens and interfaces, she's designing how people understand a new product category.

For those considering a similar career shift, she advises taking the leap before feeling completely ready. The technology is evolving so quickly that everyone is learning as they go, she said, and AI skills can be learned.

She also emphasized the importance of building a portfolio that showcases your abilities. For her, posting about AI-related content on social media helped demonstrate that she could clearly communicate technical ideas, which made her a good fit for the role.

An earlier version of this story appeared on April 25, 2026.

• Uber is getting into white-collar gig work through its AI Solutions business.
• Four contractors said that the AI training roles pay up to $150 an hour.
• Getting hours — and keeping the gig — can be challenging, they said.

On a May evening, a calendar invite titled "Project Sandbox Kickoff" popped up in the inbox of some AI training contractors who worked for Uber.

It was a surprise for some of them, since they hadn't heard from the company in months.

"I thought, 'This is the job I had heard back about in December, and now they're finally getting back to me,'" one of the contractors told Business Insider. He had been approved to start working for Uber in December, but hadn't received work since then.

For years, Uber delivered passengers and burritos using drivers who are independent contractors. Now, Uber is expanding its gig-work model into white-collar jobs, like training AI for clients — part of the company's bid to become a "platform for work," as CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said last year.

It's entering a competitive field, with companies like Mercor and Snorkel AI specializing in AI training work. Uber has been aggressively recruiting contractors with PhDs to do this work since late last year, Business Insider previously reported.

The jobs are appealing since they often have high hourly pay rates, Guggenheim Securities analyst Taylor Manley told Business Insider.

"A lot of AI engineers probably have better earnings potential through that format versus traditional full-time employment," Manley said.

Four workers — two current and two who were recently let go by Uber — said the job paid a higher hourly rate than similar AI training positions they previously held. The workers started their contracts with Uber and Google between last December and May. Three of the contractors worked on projects for Google, including Project Magi, the search giant's effort to add AI replies to search results.

Chaotic scheduling, sudden changes like the contractor who started getting work from Uber months after being onboarded, and a lack of training, meanwhile, hampered their day-to-day experience at Uber, the contractors said.

Uber and Google did not respond to requests for comment.

Good pay, tough scheduling

The contractors Business Insider spoke with said that they earned between $50 and $150 an hour working for Uber AI Solutions, its AI training business. Three of the workers previously had similar AI-training contract roles at other companies that paid as much as $30 per hour, they said.

Uber told two of the workers in an email that they would have flexible schedules — a key benefit for many gig workers — and that they would be expected to work between 20 and 40 hours each week, with management deciding how many hours they would receive.

The caveat: The workers had to work at least 70% of their hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT "to facilitate real-time collaboration and regular standup meetings," according to the email.

Google, the client, would assign each worker hours week to week, one contractor who managed a team of other Uber contractors said. Weekly hours were generally given out on Sundays for the week ahead.

While some contractors received close to a full-time allotment, others received zero hours and were told to check in the following week in case they were assigned hours. That system was different from the gigs that two of the workers had at other AI training companies, which included working a consistent number of hours each week.

Once on the job, the contractors said, they were expected to get to work right away. Neither Uber nor Google provided training on how to vet queries or annotate data — a major difference compared with other AI training jobs, two of the workers said.

One of the workers, who previously trained AI for Google as a contractor for another company, told Business Insider that the orientation process lasted days and involved identity verification, signing non-disclosure agreements, and classes on how to do the work.

At the Uber gig, they received "no orientation, no real training on anything," the contractor said.

Termination comes suddenly

While a job description sent to contractors indicated that their contracts would last three months, some said their time with Uber and Google ended sooner. Uber terminated some of its AI contractors working on a Google project about a month into their three-month contracts in the fall of last year, Business Insider reported in November.

This year, the contractor who had experience training AI for Google through another company was terminated at their Uber gig about a week after starting, according to an email shared with Business Insider. The email didn't include a reason for the termination.

Another worker, whom Uber recruited and onboarded last fall for a job that would pay $150 an hour, never received any hours. In December, he received an email saying the project he was recruited for had ended, and that Uber would reach out if it had more work for him.

In May, Uber emailed him with a new work offer: He could record short clips of himself speaking in different environments, such as a noisy coffee shop or a quiet library, for $10 each.

The contractor said he's been completing the tasks since they are related to his AI experience, though it isn't the job he initially signed up.

"At least it's something for my résumé," he said.

The worker who received the sudden meeting invite in May said the lack of clarity has continued since he started working for Uber. At least one person on his team has been terminated since he started the gig, he said. Business Insider confirmed the termination.

No one at Uber or Google mentioned the termination after it happened, the contractor said. He found out from colleagues outside work channels.

"Nothing has been discussed whatsoever," the contractor said.

Do you have a story to share about Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or another gig-work service? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• It often feels like my kids can't handle being bored.
• I'm a single mom, I don't have the budget or time to pack every minute of downtime with activities.
• I want my kids to get bored, and then get creative about how they spend their time.

I was resting my eyes on a Saturday morning when my son burst into the living room and uttered the dreaded words, "What are we going to do today?"

When I told him the plan (again), he wasn't pleased. We had some chores to do, and then we were going to meet up with his friend. Not a bad Saturday, in my opinion, but he didn't know how to fill his time, and he demanded that I provide him with entertainment — immediately.

I sent him away with a graphic novel and a piece of French toast and started scrolling Threads to distract myself. An exchange among other users caught my eye. They were all sharing how their kids expected parents to fill their time with activities. It seems none of our children could handle being bored. I felt seen.

Some kids have packed schedules

The discord on Threads prompted me to hold a staged reading for my kids. Of course, they hated it. The original poster said she didn't depend on her parents for entertainment all weekend when she was younger. The commenters chimed in with their own experiences and the reasons why "kids these days" need a cruise director. Some people misinterpreted the original poster's intent — it's not that we don't want to spend time with our kids, it's that I cannot pack their time to the brim with top-tier activities all weekend.

Many of my friends have their kids in multiple sports, dance, drama, gymnastics, etc. They arrange several playdates and host sleepovers, where the kids seemingly stay up all night.

I'm not gonna do it.

This just won't work for us

In my particular family, we can't live the perfect, busy life of my friends. Everyone in my house is neurodivergent, and sometimes we have to play a game of "who needs an accommodation most right now?" Is it my sensory-seeking son who wants to play indoor soccer on a rainy day, or is it me, the mom with chronic migraines, who has a headache after getting hit in the face with his ball?

We can't handle a ton of disparate activities, all of which have different levels of demand, sensory input, and activity level.

I'm also a single parent. I can't be everywhere at once. My friends who have two kids in five sports split the schlepping with their spouse. I don't have the income to take my kids to the zoo every weekend or enroll them in more than one activity at a time.

Entry to our zoo would cost my family of three $68 — that's before any costs inside such as food or a train ride. Sports and arts programs are also pricey. Plus, no one else around here is going to do the chores — we have to deal with a sink full of dishes or a yard overrun with weeds, even if going to the zoo would be more fun.

I'm OK letting my kids find their own ways to unplug

Even if I didn't have practical challenges, on a philosophical level, I still don't believe I should pack my kids' weekends full of activities and outings. I'd like to find a middle ground between what some people described in the Thread about their own childhoods — when their parents didn't do anything with them on the weekend unless it was a special occasion, and the childhood my kids seem to expect, one in which parents never do anything except kid-centric activities.

I do have fun with my children, throughout the week and on weekends and school breaks. We go to the movies. We take day trips to the coast. I take the soccer-lover down to the school and kick the ball around. They go on playdates.

But I know it's also OK to ask them to do their own laundry and then spend some time unplugged in their rooms, gazing out the window, doodling, reading, or doing whatever they desire that they can handle on their own. It's okay to be bored. It's okay to be alone for a Sunday afternoon. I'm right downstairs, ready with the chore list and a book suggestion.

• A-listers have spent big to attend the NBA Finals, paying thousands for tickets and more for jets.
• Traffic spiked at Stinson Municipal Airport, San Antonio's hub for private and business jets.
• A private jet from New York costs five figures an hour. Seeing the Knicks win? Priceless.

Two games into the NBA Finals, billionaires and celebrities are going coast to coast — or at least New York to Texas — to watch the Knicks and Spurs battle it out from courtside seats, and they're paying more than $10,000 an hour to get there.

Big names like former Disney CEO Bob Iger, power couple Stewart Butterfield and Jen Rubio, and Knicks superfans Spike Lee and Ben Stiller were among those who traveled to San Antonio this week for the first two games in the series.

Private jet traffic at Stinson Municipal Airport, San Antonio's hub for private and business jets, has surged.

On Wednesday, the day of game one, there were 138 arrivals and departures, 18% more than the previous Wednesday, while traffic for the week through midday Friday was up 25% compared with the same period last year, according to data from flight tracker FlightAware.

While the NBA Finals always attract wealthy fans and their private aircraft, the presence of the New York Knicks has fueled an outsize influx of them this year.

The tri-state area, riddled with fans of the orange and blue, is a top market for private jet owners and charter customers, and commercial flights from the region to San Antonio are limited. The team's first Finals appearance in nearly three decades adds to the draw.

"Given these Finals present the possibility of ending a 53-year title drought, they may mark the kind of special sports occasion people utilize their flight hours for," a Flexjet spokesperson told Business Insider.

The spokesperson pointed to the 2016 World Series, when demand for private jets spiked around the opportunity to watch the Chicago Cubs end a century-long championship dry spell.

"It's our time," Lee said in an interview on CBS ahead of game one. Fans are willing to pay for it.

Earlier in the week, charter flights from New York to San Antonio on private jet marketplace XO started at about $45,000. More expensive planes exceeded $150,000 — and that's not for a round trip.

Flexjet advertises its rates as starting at $7,000 an hour and rising to $23,000, inclusive of management fees, operating costs, and the buy-in. With the flight between New York and San Antonio lasting about four hours, that'd be at least $28,000.

That's on top of tickets for the games, which started at $800 and went well into the six figures for games one and three. (That's a steal, nothing compared to tickets for Madison Square Garden, where nosebleed seats are going for $7,500 a pop and courtside seats were being auctioned off for $500,000.)

For many Knicks fans, the playoffs were reason enough to splurge, with Flexjet owners taking helicopter trips between New York and Philadelphia and private flights to Cleveland for the Eastern Conference Finals. XO saw a 31% year-over-year uptick in flight requests between New York and Cleveland during the series.

Sports are big business for private jets

Sporting events have become big business for private jet operators.

The Super Bowl, F1 races, and The Masters are among the biggest draws annually, with charter and fractional ownership firms hosting special events and offering VIP perks to connect with and market to clients.

"Access to those sorts of events" is "essential" for the type of person who flies private, Mike Francis, Citi's global head of private aircraft finance, told Business Insider. "Are there more private jets showing up? Yes."

While many of Flexjet's owners are local to Madison Square Garden, the venue for games three and four, don't expect them to drive or take the train home.

Flexjet will have helicopters on call to provide "seamless transport" to and from Midtown.

• I went to ElevenLabs' NYC pop-up, where I bartered with an AI voice for a cheaper baseball cap.
• "Our founder is always encouraging us to show, not tell," ElevenLabs' Sam Sklar told Business Insider.
• Other features, like the coffee-pouring robot, didn't stick the landing.

I just learned that I'm not a great haggler.

I tried my best to barter with the AI shopkeeper at ElevenLabs' New York pop-up, which boasted that "every part of the experience is run by a voice agent."

In my headphones, an excited artificial voice told me that it couldn't sell me the $27 hat for $15. I countered — why would I pay $27? We got down to $24 before I called it quits.

The SoHo space was part of ElevenLabs' move to bring its voice AI to new customers. The company specializes in speech and translation. Fittingly, the room was filled with talking robots, AI audiobook narrators, and agents to ring over the phone.

"Our founder is always encouraging us to show, not tell," ElevenLabs' Sam Sklar told me. "It's difficult for an audio-based, often digital product to create a physical manifestation."

The space had three types of attendees, Sklar told me: ElevenLabs customers, general New York Tech Week attendees, and random passersby on the street.

Here's what I saw.

The line for the coffee robot was deceptively short.

ElevenLabs had a sign-up screen at the entrance, but most attendees ignored it; they wanted the coffee.

There were four people in line for Adam, the coffee robot, when I arrived. I'd still have to wait a while for my coffee, though, as the robot was slow and often required multiple prompts to make it.

Adam was great at pouring cold brew. Almond milk proved challenging.

When I reached the front, I asked, "Hey, Adam." I paused, and eventually Adam responded, asking what I wanted. I asked for a cold brew with almond milk. (It was a brave choice at 4:30 p.m.)

Adam seemed to short-circuit at this moment, repeating back strange combinations of "cold brew," "milk," and numbers. An employee asked me to order again. This time, Adam got it.

He poured me a cold brew, his robot arms moving methodically to grab a cup, dump in ice, and position it under a spigot. He missed my almond milk, which I later got when an employee grabbed some from the fridge and poured it himself.

So … not great, coffee bot! But the gimmick was fun, and I appreciated the free drink.

The pop-up was filled with ElevenLabs merch.

A long table covered in merch sat in the center of the pop-up. There were t-shirts, baseball caps, and water bottles.

AI companies have long been producing and selling merch, some of which has turned into a status symbol for techies. This merch had another purpose, though. They were goods to barter over.

I tried bartering for lower prices with an AI shopkeeper.

Opposite the merch was a line of screens with headphones, ready for customers to haggle.

Sklar told me the strategy: they programmed the AI to accept good reasoning, but to push back on anger. I couldn't yell my way into a free T-shirt. One attendee had spent 30 minutes fighting with the AI shopkeeper, Sklar said.

I tried my hand at it. The baseball cap was $27; I countered with $15. I told the AI bot: I could find a random cap on the street for $10, and I'd pay a $5 premium for the ElevenLabs logo. It countered, and we went back and forth a bit before I gave up, landing at around $24.

I decided not to buy the hat, re-racking my headphones.

I listened to AI Albert Einstein reading "Pride and Prejudice."

ElevenLabs has a variety of AI characters that can read you an audiobook. I turned on "Pride and Prejudice" and cycled through a few.

Michael Caine's voice was soothing; Albert Einstein's was harsher. Other options included Judy Garland and Maya Angelou.

There was an AI photo editor.

After attending several of these tech pop-ups, I've learned one thing: there's a good chance you'll spot an AI photo booth.

There was an AI photo generator at Meta Labs that turned my dog into an animation. There was also one at the Tinder Sparks conference, making some friends and me into a '90s band.

Sure enough, there was the ElevenLabs AI photo tool, ready to make me into a comic book.

I called my AI agent on the telephone.

There was a phone booth in the corner, where attendees could call an AI agent. I picked up the phone. The agent asked me what industry I wanted to hear about.

I answered "media," and it told me about TV stations that use ElevenLabs to translate their broadcasts. That use case was interesting — honestly, more interesting than any of the screens or activations in the pop-up.

I couldn't imagine stores setting up AI bartering agents, but I could certainly see the value of TV translation.

I left feeling lightly caffeinated.

After sipping about a quarter of my coffee, I decided that I'd rather not stay up all night. I tossed it.

Did I see the revelatory future of AI voices? Not particularly. But I had a good time, and I learned a thing or two.

• More day traders are vibe coding their own AI agents to help them beat the market.
• Investors who used AI and automated tools told BI the tech significantly improved their performance.
• The tools come with a few limitations, but are fueling a race among traders to get access to AI.

Matt C. has been through the wringer, as far as his career in markets goes. The 37-year-old has been trading currencies and crypto for a little over a decade, accumulating some "big" losses along the way.

But he thinks he's stumbled across what could be a new trading life hack: getting AI to trade for him.

Many of his friends in the markets have already jumped on the trend and are automating their trades. Currently, he's speaking with an AI platform about using their tech to create a semi-automated trading system, which he hopes could help him make some money on the side while he handles the stress of a new baby, he told Business Insider.

"One domino falls and then everyone else like me has gone, 'Oh, actually that sounds like a good idea,'" he said.

More day traders are deploying AI-powered tools to gain an edge and avoid some common (and costly) human errors in their trading: panic-selling, over-trading, and revenge-trading, to name a few.

The result has been a rush of investors who have turned to AI to vibe code their own stock screeners, trading agents, research assistants, and other automated tools to help them gain the edge.

Many of the traders who spoke with Business Insider say that the AI has helped boost their overall performance, and that the tools have the potential to do what was previously thought to be impossible: turn a bad trader into a good one.

The number of investors who used AI to pick investments in some way soared 75% in the last year, according to a 2025 survey conducted by eToro. 38% of investors said AI would likely make better investment decisions than they would, and 46% said the technology is the future of investing.

René Balke, a 32-year-old content creator who sells AI trading bots to investors, estimates that the number of investors signing up to use his AI tools through his YouTube channel has increased by around 50% in the last year.

Brendan Li, a former banker who runs an educational group for traders to vibe code their own AI tools, echoed that, with interest in his group also skyrocketing. He estimates that inbound clients have soared more than 500% in the past year, largely due to the craze around vibe coding.

"It's pretty much all possible with Claude"

Li says he was once more of a gambler than a trader.

He began dabbling in markets while in college, around the time crypto was starting to take off. At the time, many of his trades were speculative and fueled by emotion.

He came across several online guides at the time that showed how investors could automate their trades. In 2024, as AI chatbots and agents went mainstream, he vibe coded a trading agent on the AI platform Cursor and saw a marked improvement in his portfolio's performance.

Li declined to go over his lifetime trading metrics, but said the AI agent he vibe-coded using Claude has helped him return 87% in the last month, handily beating the S&P 500, according to screenshots of one brokerage account he showed Business Insider.

Li now sells courses and mentors other traders looking to vibe code their own bots. He has around 380 "core members" in his group, many of whom stay month after month as they refine their AI tools and find support in the community.

There are several ways a trader can approach vibe coding a trading tool from scratch, Li said, though the process typically starts by asking the LLM to create a coding project and providing prompts to set the structure of the trading system. That includes giving the AI a trading strategy, telling it which trading signals to look out for, how to open and when to sell positions, and giving it access to real-time market data.

The bots can be as simple or as complicated as a trader would like, Li said. No special equipment is needed, besides a computer and a subscription to Claude or ChatGPT.

"Whether you want to focus on fundamentals, whether you want to try to build an algo, whether you want a fully automated system, it's pretty much all possible with Claude," he said, referring to the AI model he uses most often.

"It helps control fear and greed"

AI comes with a few caveats. For one, AI tools can't help a trader who doesn't understand the fundamentals of the market, Li said, adding that he avoids working with beginners for that reason.

Second, AI can't give a trader a winning strategy, he said, adding that the tool may be most helpful to those who merely struggle with sticking to a trading plan or want to test out several strategies.

For many, that benefit alone is a game changer. Over 35% of traders said their biggest challenge when trading was managing emotions or dealing with losses, according to a 2025 survey by Quantified Strategies.

Li pointed to one of his own pitfalls when trading: becoming impatient and selling a position at a loss.

"I'm not making emotional calls at 2 a.m," he said. "I think most importantly, it's just about consistency and removing emotion from the process."

Dr. Reid Daitzman, a 79-year-old psychologist and a software programmer, sees similar value in AI. He began "experimenting" with ChatGPT in April last year, and, after feeding it a screenshot of the S&P 500 and prompting the LLM with a few parameters, created a system to help traders find good market opportunities. He calls it Merlin.

Merlin is always being refined, though Daitzman said it took several weeks to get the system up and running at first. Now, he's able to feed Merlin some general inputs about the market, like giving it the level of the S&P 500 that day, and the program gives him about a page-worth of pre-market buy and sell signals, one-minute price predictions, as well as a brief explanation for why certain signals are flashing.

Building the program wasn't difficult, though it does require an investor to be fluent in the world of markets for the bot to be fully functional, said Daitzman, who's been trading for 50 years.

Daitzman coaches traders alongside his work as a psychologist and is well-acquainted with the emotional mistakes investors can make in the markets. Traders typically knock on his door in moments of despair and often after losing large sums in the market.

Frequently, their issues stem from not handling their emotions when trading, he said, pointing to problems such as revenge trading — a trader's attempts to make up for a loss by placing increasingly aggressive trades — overtrading, undertrading, and other errors.

"It helps control fear and greed," he said of why the program was effective. "If you have a buffer between you and the screen, it gives you perhaps a sense of security."

Daitzman said his performance had improved as he used Merlin more. One demo brokerage account he used, Merlin, posted a 788% return in the last month, according to screenshots and written performance records viewed by Business Insider.

Daitzman added that the more he uses Merlin, the more Merlin's principles become intuitive to him, allowing him to spot the same buy and sell signals on his own.

"A lot of the time, I don't even use it because I've learned from it," he said.

Balke, who sells automated trading systems, has seen similar success with AI tools. He first began trading 12 years ago. After two years of mostly losses, Balke, who has a background in programming, said he decided to manually code an automated trading system to help him execute his trades and stick to a strategy.

Balke has since vibe coded several more bots in Claude, and now runs a handful of fully automated brokerage accounts, meaning he never executes trades himself anymore. One of the accounts is up 106% this year, according to performance records he showed Business Insider.

Some of that success is due to the run-up in the major indexes in recent years, Balke said, though much of the help has been because he can now follow his strategy without falling victim to his own emotions.

"Ever since I used the trading bots, it's a lot more stable," he said. "It will just execute the strategy perfectly without having any feelings."

The most ambitious of traders will likely look to AI tools over the coming years, simply because the benefits are too good to pass up, Balke speculated.

Li said that in his opinion, AI systems have virtually closed the gap between retail traders and institutions.

"There's just so many things that you can build or have AI essentially analyze for you to learn from your mistakes. So, it 100% can make a bad trader a good trader," Li said.

Daitzman, who's been trading since the 1970s, said it was too early to tell if AI was the future for retail trading, but there's a lot of potential.

"If you asked back in 1975 what the world would be like—I was holding my new calculator I just bought for $250," he said. "Can you imagine what the technology is going to be like in 50 years?"

Do you have a story to share about vibe coding or trading the markets? Contact this reporter via email at jsor@businessinsider.com.

• Israel Garcia, a tech consultant, changed his appearance to better match the image of AI companies.
• Garcia said he often faces hiring managers in tech and AI companies who are half his age.
• Garcia said job seekers should focus on the message they're sending with how they look.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Israel Garcia, the
principal consultant on digital and AI transformation at Cambridge Experts, a UK-based consultancy company that focuses on tech product strategy. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.

After years of working in technology and AI consulting, I found myself making an unexpected career move: shaving off my beard.

The beard had gone almost completely gray, and as I interviewed for roles in AI and tech, I started to worry it was sending the wrong message. On paper, my experience looked strong. But when I met hiring managers who were often half my age, I couldn't ignore the contrast.

I wasn't just trying to look younger. I was trying to make sure my appearance matched the image I wanted to project in one of the fastest-moving industries in the world.

My advice to job seekers is simple: focus on the message you're sending with how you look.

My appearance didn't match the message I wanted to send

I've spent years helping companies build AI strategies and systems, and I've worked in technology long enough to understand how first impressions work.

When I looked at photos of myself before I shaved, I saw a long beard with gray hair everywhere. I started thinking about the roles I was pursuing and the people interviewing me. Many of them were significantly younger than me.

Before, I thought looking older helped me seem more experienced, more credible, and more like leadership material.

The issue wasn't age itself. It was perception.

In my view, every interview starts before you say a word. The way you present yourself sends a message. If you're interviewing for a highly technical role and show up in a suit and tie, people may think you don't fit the culture. If you're interviewing for a CEO position in sneakers and a T-shirt, they may question whether you're ready for leadership.

It's the same with age.

It is not about how old I am. I just didn't want to look old-fashioned or out of touch. I felt the image I was presenting wasn't aligned with the message I wanted employers to receive.

That's why my advice is to think less about appearance itself and more about the impression they're trying to create. Do you want to communicate deep experience? Technical expertise? Energy? Leadership? Your appearance should support that message.

AI companies want experience and adaptability — and that's a difficult balance

One of the contradictions in tech is that companies want experience, but they also want people who fit into a culture that often skews young.

In AI, especially, companies are looking for people who are adaptable, flexible, and able to move quickly as technology changes. At the same time, they want the benefit of years of experience.

That's a difficult combination to find.

I've worked with people less than half my age, and because I look more senior, people often assume I have credibility before I've even spoken. Experience carries weight. But there's also a perception that older workers may be less flexible or less able to adapt to rapid change.

I think that's why many experienced professionals who have recently been laid off from large tech companies may struggle when they move into newer AI startups. The culture can feel different, and there can be pressure to prove that you're still adaptable and aligned with where the industry is heading.

At the same time, younger workers face the opposite problem. They may fit the image companies want, but they don't yet have the experience employers are asking for.

In many ways, companies want everything at once: experience, flexibility, cultural fit, and long-term commitment.

That's why I tell people not to obsess over looking younger. Instead, think carefully about the message you want to communicate. Your appearance, the language you use, and the way you present yourself all work together.

For me, shaving my beard wasn't about hiding my age. It was about making sure my appearance reflected who I am today and where I want to go next.

• Young colon cancer is becoming more common in people under 50.
• Ultra-processed foods, pesticides, and overuse of antibiotics may all play some role, new research suggests.
• Researchers and doctors shared their best tips for helping safeguard your gut.

It's not the same old colon cancer anymore. Research presented this week at the world's largest cancer conference points to unique factors that distinguish young colon cancer from traditional cases.

Scientists and doctors are scrambling to understand this phenomenon, which has been on the rise and getting worse since the 1990s. This year, colon cancer became the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50, and the only cancer that is becoming more deadly in that age group, not less.

"Something is just not the same with these early-onset colon cancer patients," Dr. Deepak Vadehra, chief of gastrointestinal oncology at ChristianaCare Health System in Delaware, told Business Insider. Vadehra has spent several years studying how young colon cancer may be different, in a bid to improve treatment outcomes. "The why — that's what we want," he said.

A few new clues are emerging.

At the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago this week, several presenters coalesced around the idea that young-onset colorectal cancer is a distinct disease from the kind that tends to hit people in their late 60s or early 70s.

These younger cases, increasingly being diagnosed in people under 50 around the globe, appear to have more links to our modern environment: the big changes in what we eat and how we live, that have taken place since Baby Boomers were born.

A string of early-stage research presented at ASCO this year is pointing toward inflammation tied to ultra-processed foods and a lack of microbial diversity in our guts as two emerging "whys" that may help explain the trend.

Too much oil and grease, not enough nuts and fish

Dr. Ning Jin at The Ohio State University has gone straight to the source to better understand young colon cancer. She's investigated a small set of 16 tumors from young-onset colorectal cancer patients and compared them to 26 older patients' tumors. Her work has pinpointed 11 cancer genes that are more prevalent in young people, revealing what she calls a new genetic "fingerprint" for young colon cancer.

"Our study showed that early-onset colorectal cancer is a biologically unique disease," Jin told Business Insider. "The cancer behaves differently."

She said key differences in young cancer involve inflammatory pathways in the body, pathways that may be activated by the modern, unbalanced way we eat.

Modern diets tend to include an overabundance of omega-6 fatty acids from ultra-processed foods that are often loaded with vegetable oils, and not enough essential omega-3, which you can find in fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.

Jin's latest work, presented at ASCO, is bolstering her theory that ultra-processed foods ignite an "inflammatory metabolic pathway" that can make cancer more aggressive.

The finding lends more evidence to the idea that our modern environment — from the foods we eat, to the air we breathe, and the products we use — may stoke colorectal cancer in new ways, and from a very early age.

"I think it is a very complex interplay of things," Vadehra said. "There's the real concern that a lot of the things that we used to just do and go about without thinking twice, maybe we start thinking and being a little bit more scrutinizing about the choices that we make."

Jin hopes her work can provide a framework for developing new blood tests that could one day help identify who's most at risk of developing young colon cancer, decades before colonoscopies are recommended.

Not enough good bugs in the gut

Scientists are also growing increasingly concerned about the bugs that colonize young patients' guts. If bad bugs are crowding out the good ones in early life, could it be making young colons less cancer-resistant?

"In the last 50 years we've become a lot cleaner," cancer geneticist Rachel Purcell, from the University of Otago in New Zealand, told Business Insider. "That's a good thing in some ways, but in another way, it's actually not, because we need to be exposed to microbes to develop a healthy, functioning immune system and that immune system is really important in clearing tumor cells."

Purcell, who studies how harmful bacteria can help colorectal cancer thrive, has identified a specific kind of toxic E. coli, which is more common in young colon cancer tumors, called cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1.

It's still unclear where this new toxin is coming from, or why it's more present in young colon cancer cases than old. Previous research linked a second toxic bacteria, colibactin, to young colon cancer, a trend scientists suspect is seeded through infections in very early life, before kids reach age two.

"All the bugs in our gut, they're vying for space and nutrients, and if we're not feeding the good ones, it does allow our pathogenic microbes to flourish," Purcell said. "Looking at microbiomes, they've just become so much less diverse, and that just makes us vulnerable."

How do we put this science into practice?

The general public is clamoring for answers. The food industry is seeing surging skepticism around ultra-processed foods and demand for "gut-healthy" products.

But oncologists have mixed feelings about the new research. While it is interesting, it doesn't change much for how they treat the disease now, or help identify who's most at risk.

"We are seeing some differences when you compare the early-onset to later-onset population, and these are important, but they're not completely polarizing," Dr. Stacey Cohen, an oncologist who studies how genetics impact gastrointestinal cancers and treatment at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, told Business Insider. "That's great for science, but it doesn't really change the person that then walks into your office tomorrow. Whether they're 26 or 56, you're going to end up kind of treating them the same," she said.

Fibermaxxing with nuts, seeds, and whole grains can help your gut thrive

While the research on what's driving young colon cancer is still in its infancy, and doctors stress a lot of young-onset colorectal cancer diagnoses may come down to pure bad luck, scientists agree there are a few evidence-based lifestyle tips for the general public to follow.

1. Avoid ultra-processed junk foods, especially sugary drinks, and aim to eat more nutrient-dense real foods. Fiber is fantastic for gut health, and it's plentiful in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

"Healthy gut bacteria need to have the fiber so that they can ferment, they can produce more beneficial metabolites," Jin, the oncologist, said.

A diet rich in fiber and whole foods will inherently drive down inflammation, and cut down a person's intake of additives like emulsifiers, which may also play a role, Jin said.

2. Avoid overuse of antibiotics, especially if you have a viral infection, as antibiotics won't help cure it, and they essentially strip your gut microbiome naked of good bugs.

"Try to avoid antibiotics — unless you really, really need them," Purcell said.

Cancer doctors and researchers hope that these new clues will eventually lead to better testing and treatments for young colon cancer, all more targeted to some unique biological processes that may be underway in this novel disease.

"We're still learning a lot about how to treat cancer and how to figure out what are some of the risk factors," Cohen said.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Loren Castle, the 41-year-old CEO of Sweet Loren's cookies, based in Los Angeles. The following has been edited for clarity.

I started Sweet Loren's cookies in 2011, five years after I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma. The diagnosis came shortly after graduating from college at the age of 22. After overcoming cancer, health and happiness became my top priority.

I wanted a career that could help turn this negative experience into a positive one and to start my own business focused on better-for-you indulgence and making joy more accessible. I spent some time working in restaurants and discovered a passion for baking while working at Levain Bakery in New York City.

My official idea for Sweet Loren's came about in 2010, and the first product debuted in 2011 at a Whole Foods in NYC. The company became a national brand in 2016, when Kroger and Publix began selling Sweet Loren's products.

My team has grown to 35 employees. Here's a day in my life in LA.

I start my day at 6:30 a.m. with my family

Before I open my email or take work calls, I start each day with my daughters and my son. We usually start the day at 6:30 a.m. so I can be fully present for them.

This morning send-off is the most important part of my day. Being there for them before school helps them and me thrive.

Support from family and friends was crucial to me in the early days of my aspirations to become a cookie entrepreneur. There were many times I questioned if starting a vegan and allergen-free cookie company was worth it, but now Sweet Loren's generates millions in annual sales.

For breakfast, I keep things light — usually coffee and fruit.

I start working at 9 a.m.

My workday starts at 9 a.m. I'm based in LA now, but I got my start while living in a small apartment in NYC.

I work from home and have a C-suite that I'm so proud of. My assistant is also based here. My team is distributed across the country, including an R&D center and a large concentration of employees in Colorado.

Other team members are based near key retail partners and operational hubs, such as Bentonville and Minneapolis (Walmart and Target headquarters), as well as near manufacturing facilities.

My go-to productivity tool nowadays is calendar stacking. I try to schedule calls and emails back-to-back (without it being too overwhelming) so I can get as much done as quickly as possible.

The key is addressing time-sensitive issues in the morning, so I have more time to be creative and strategic in the afternoons. I also love taking walking calls. They keep my mind and body engaged.

I wear many different hats in my business — marketer, spokeswoman, CEO, recipe creator. I love that no two days are the same at Sweet Loren's. I prefer it that way.

I pause to work out every day around 10 a.m.

One non-negotiable in my day is a workout. It's one hour to myself where I prioritize my physical and mental well-being. I love Pilates, running, yoga, and anything that keeps my mind and body active for a productive workday.

I try to get my workout in earlier in the day whenever I can, typically at 10 a.m. This gives me the opportunity to spend my mornings with my kids while also checking emails and addressing anything urgent for work.

I eat lunch around 11:30 or noon, after my morning workout

Some of my go-to lunches include egg and avocado tacos in grain-free tortillas or a large, nutrient-dense salad with arugula, chickpeas, tomatoes, quinoa, raw vegetables, crunchy nuts, and a protein such as roast chicken or tuna salad.

Cookies are a family ritual. My kids love the Sweet Loren's Chocolate Chunk cookies. When we want a little variety (or are trying to avoid chocolate closer to bedtime), we opt for seasonal Sweet Loren's cookie flavors — sugar cookies, lemon, and pumpkin spice.

It's a tough business because very few suppliers can meet our standards for allergen-free, gluten-free, and vegan products, but I believe staying dedicated to our brand and mission is so worth it.

I finish working at 5 p.m.

My husband, Greg, works from home, too. Our nanny handles most school drop-offs and pick-ups, but it's important for my husband and me to handle them a few times a week, especially when our kids ask.

Once work ends, I'm back into family mode. I love to cook and bake when I have the time. It results in more nutritious meals, and I get to spend more time with my family.

I love rotating between meals like Asian-marinated steak, barbecue steak, gluten-free lasagna with veggies, and big salads. They're all well-seasoned, and my kids enjoy them, too. Healthy meals go hand in hand with healthy activities with my kids and husband — bike rides, dance parties, and drawing are among my kids' favorite things to do.

I usually go to sleep at 10:30 or 11 p.m.

I wind down with a relaxing bath, realistically, one last email check, and planning my tasks for the next day. Then I let myself unwind and watch some TV with my husband.

I love to relax on the weekends by prioritizing time with family and friends. This includes hikes with girlfriends, brunch by the beach in Malibu, and simple moments like laughter-filled evenings. Greg and I also love having date nights at romantic restaurants.

David Schwartz knows there's no quick fix for New York's housing crisis. But turning unused properties into apartments might help.

The market is ruthless, supply can't keep up, and over half of residents pay more than 30% of their income in rent — the threshold economists say is unaffordable. Schwartz, a property developer and lifelong Brooklynite, hopes a conversion of the historic Stewart Hotel can be part of the solution.

By 2029, the midtown Manhattan building's 611 vacant rooms are scheduled to become over 550 affordable apartments for low-income and formerly-homeless New Yorkers. It's part of New York City's ongoing housing push, which includes building thousands of new units and converting underused offices and hotels into homes. The Stewart project earned a shoutout in City Hall's recently released "Block by Block" plan. It's an example of local government, private actors, and nonprofits working together — a policy strategy that has been championed by the Mamdani administration.

"It feels good to build projects that can house people that need it forever," Schwartz said. "New York only works if it works for everyone." The need for more accessible apartments is "virtually infinite."

This week, I joined Schwartz and Brenda Rosen — CEO of the nonprofit Breaking Ground, which is partnering on the project — on a tour of the 31-story hotel. Construction hasn't yet started, but the group is feeling optimistic.

Not only is the Stewart conversion "the right thing to do," but Schwartz said it's a solid investment as a developer. "The business side of it makes sense, because the supply and demand dynamics are very strong."

The hotel's cardboard-covered doors open to a stalled escalator and a grand art-deco lobby. Opened in 1929 as the Governor Clinton, it's dusty, dimly-lit, and paint is peeling from the walls. The high ceilings and gold-plated elevators seem unchanged from eras past.

Slate Property Group and Breaking Ground bought the space for $255 million at the end of last year — after it closed around 2022 and briefly served as a migrant shelter. Financing came from a collection of state and city affordable housing subsidies, and contributions from partners like Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and the Low Income Investment Fund. The total project cost will be higher, and the team is still working on construction estimates.

Schwartz said that having this financial backing is vital, and it's often a big barrier to building affordable housing. Land, construction, and architecture costs are the same as any other build, he said: "That's the challenge."

Once it's up and running, the building's tenants will be pulled from two main sources: New York City's existing Housing Connect Lottery system — which typically serves households living at or below 60% of the area's median income — and referrals for homeless individuals from Breaking Ground and the NYC Department of Homelessness.

As we walked through the building, the team showed me samples of rooms that they plan to renovate into studio or one-bedroom apartments. Hotels are ideal for affordable home conversions, Schwartz said. The rooms already have windows and their own bathrooms, and some even have existing kitchenettes, reducing extra construction costs and logistical headaches that an office-to-apartment conversion might require.

Stewart's Midtown location also makes it a good housing candidate. It's near major subway and bus lines, job opportunities, and schools. The Prince George — another historic hotel Breaking Ground helped convert into affordable housing — is a few blocks away.

New tenants at the Stewart can expect to pay rent that's about 30% or less of their income, which will likely be under $2,000 a month. With rent-stabilized units, Rosen said she expects residents will stay for the long term.

The team behind the Stewart conversion is also building an on-site health and social services hub. In what were some of the hotel's old business centers and conference rooms, Rosen said the building will have a dedicated case manager, medical staff, and therapists available free of charge to residents. They'll also offer benefits counseling.

"It's an entire suite of programming that is designed around wellness," she said.

In the hotel's chandelier-clad lobby and ballroom, the building will offer a space to host weddings and special events. Revenue from those event rentals will go back into funding the affordable units and social services, Rosen said. It's also where she plans to host an annual tenant Thanksgiving dinner.

While initial plans for the Stewart conversion predate the Mamdani administration, both Schwartz and Rosen said City Hall has been immensely supportive of the project. It also goes hand-in-hand with Mamdani's pledge to build 200,000 new affordable homes in the city, alongside pitches to make groceries, childcare, and transportation more affordable. All of these initiatives could help New Yorkers build lasting housing security, Rosen said.

The team also hopes the Stewart is a model for successful affordable housing in other cities.

"If we can build this in Midtown Manhattan," Schwartz said. "We can do it anywhere."

• Steven Bartlett shared that drinking three glasses of wine ruined his life for as many days.
• The "Diary of a CEO" podcast host's comments sparked a debate about wellness culture.
• "Optimization is killing fun," was one response.

It has been two week weeks since Steven Bartlett's three-glasses-of-wine-ruined-my-life comments and the results are in: people are getting sick of optimization culture.

In a clip from a 2025 episode of the British entrepreneur's "Diary Of A CEO" podcast that resurfaced on May 23, he recounted having his first alcoholic drink for a year. "I had a couple of glasses of wine, didn't get drunk, it ruined three days of my life because of the domino effect that it caused," he said. (Later in the podcast he said he drank three glasses of wine).

Bartlett, who had been sober for three years, added: "It meant that I got worse sleep that night, I ate more poorly the next day because my dopamine system or the cortisol system or whatever was all messed up. Then I podcasted worse, and I didn't go to the gym the day after, and I could track all of this on my Whoop."

Perhaps a year or two ago, Bartlett's comments would have been informative to some and eyeroll-worthy to others, but not newsworthy.

In today's longevity-obsessed world, where wearable tech that tracks your sleep, heart rate, and mood is commonplace, however, his words struck a nerve. Wrongly or rightly, he represented a prototypical health-optimizing biohacker acting in deference to his health tracker and the "grindset."

"Optimization is killing fun," Greg James, a British radio DJ, said in an Instagram reel shared on May 31.

"You can have ambitions and goals, get good at a skill, and do well in your life professionally, and also have a great time. Not everything has to be like work."

"I genuinely sometimes podcast better on a hangover," Fearne Cotton, a TV presenter and the host of the podcast "Happy Place," said.

Fellow TV presenter Laura Jackson wrote on Instagram: "Most people's legacy will be the people they loved, the laughs they shared and how they made others feel. Spoiler alert THESE are the things that matter. It's NOT their sleep score or their step count." Bartlett's representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wellness culture is just culture now

It's not surprising that people are fed up with optimization culture. From TV shows to grocery store shelves, it has become impossible to escape the $6.8 trillion global wellness industry.

In an episode of Ryan Murphy's "All's Fair," the 2025 lawyer drama starring Kim Kardashian, the female leads discuss the longevity treatments they've had, including laser collagen stimulation, long-lasting fillers, a muscle-contraction machine, and vaginal platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. Many high profile people wear fitness trackers like Whoop bands and Oura rings. And a couple years ago, continuous glucose monitors went from a prescription-only tool for people with diabetes to a piece of buzzy over-the-counter wellness tech.

Of course, maintaining healthy habits like eating a balanced diet, exercising, and sleeping enough are incredibly important. But there's little evidence to suggest that the payoff of monitoring our daily bodily functions is worth the effort.

James, the presenter who posted on Instagram about "winegate," said that it wasn't Bartlett's choice to go sober that bothered him, as alcohol can of course be harmful, but that he seemed to prioritize a good score on his wearable over enjoying a night out.

"My issue is this endless optimization and measuring of everything to the point where it starts to make you feel a bit miserable," James said.

As of September 2025, you could buy a camera that lives in your toilet bowl and analyzes your poop in real time.

Yes, a wearable for your toilet. I'll leave you to ponder that.

• Palantir CEO Alex Karp is out on tokenmaxxing.
• The outspoken CEO compared the practice to porn addiction.
• "People are just sitting there all day," he said.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp isn't buying into the "tokenmaxxing" hype.

Never one to mince words, Karp compared the urge to use AI in such an insatiable manner to watching pornography.

"Really, we call it the demastibatory, like get off masturbation thing internally," Karp said, describing Palantir's token tracking during a live interview on TBPN on the sidelines of Palantir's AIP Con 10. "Sure, it's like people are just sitting there all day kind of like a porn addiction."

Karp's comments echo what Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar told analysts on an earnings call last month about how the data analysis and technology firm calls itself "a no slop zone." Sankar said companies need to understand that cheaper AI alone won't create more value unless you have a system like Palantir's AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform) that can ground an AI model.

"More tokens means more slop," Sankar said. "And the more commodity cognition you consume, the more you need a system that can prevent the economic harm, so you can harness the economic value."

Tokens are the building blocks of large language models, which break down words into numerical units. A single token is roughly 3/4ths of a word. AI companies and AI model providers often charge based on the number of tokens consumed and the model that was used.

In the last few weeks, parts of Silicon Valley and the tech community have swung hard against "tokenmaxxing," the culture that championed almost unfettered AI usage to match the rise and capability of AI agents.

Uber COO Andrew Macdonald highlighted those concerns when he said that the rideshare company was struggling to see the link between rising AI bills and meaningful returns, such as increased productivity. In reference to Macdonald's comments, Karp said that until recently, perhaps it was not considered wise to publicly raise questions about AI.

"When we first met, it was like AI, maybe real," Karp said, addressing when he first met the TBPN crew. "Then, I would say somehow until about two weeks ago there was like a holy fuck, this is real, but somehow it's not working, but we're not allowed to say it publicly because we'll look stupid."

Karp said people realize AI is real, but many of the issues surrounding the technology, including whether competitors may try to build something like Palantir's ontology, come down to a matter of "taste."

"All these things can be scaled in a very valuable but largely going to commodify way, but you can't scale the taste of what is the business problem you want to have to solve and need to solve," he said.

There are some problems that AI models can solve really well, Karp said. He gave an example of a prompt like, "I want to write a report on GDP growth in China."

It's the more complicated dilemmas where AI alone is not the answer, he said.

"'I want to understand the specialized way I drill for oil and gas that's both legal, ethical, and reduces the cost of production. I want to change the supply chain of my industry, whether that's military or whether that's building boxes or whether that's cars.' These things require actual, precise ongoing processes," Karp said. "They are enhanced by large language models. They are not replaced by large language models."

• Sergey Brin said that instead of replacing humans, AI could push humans to perform better.
• Brin said Google's AlphaGo challenged top Go players Lee Sedol and Ke Jie to improve their skills.
• Multiple tech leaders recently said that many soft skills cannot be replaced by AI.

As workers worry that AI could make their jobs obsolete, Google cofounder Sergey Brin is offering a different view.

Speaking during an unscripted fireside chat at Google DeepMind Build Day at AGI House, Brin pointed to games like Go and said that human achievement has continued to advance after computers surpassed people in those domains.

"And by the way, since AlphaGo, the game of Go has advanced a lot," said Brin. "The players that played against it, Lee Sedol, became vastly better after, and Ke Jie after he played AlphaGo also. It has pushed the state of the art."

Sedol was one of the world's top Go players and a multiple-time international champion when he won one of five games against AlphaGo, powered by Google DeepMind, in March 2016. Jie was the world's No. 1-ranked Go player when he faced AlphaGo in 2017 and lost all three games.

Go is a two-player board game that originated in China, usually played by placing black and white stones on a grid. The goal is to control more territory than the opponent and capture their stones.

"The fact that computers can do things well has actually not stopped humans getting better and better at them, getting more and more recognition and enjoying those things," Brin said. "I think we're going to find AI can do a whole lot of pretty surprising things, but I think they also help advance people in doing it."

Brin's comments also land amid a broader debate about whether AI will replace workers or augment them. A recent poll by Quinnipiac University found that 30% of Americans believe AI could make their jobs obsolete.

While some executives have pointed to AI as a factor in layoffs, many researchers and economists argue that the evidence for widespread AI-driven job losses remains limited. Instead, much of the discussion in Silicon Valley has shifted toward how AI changes the nature of work, allowing people to focus more on judgment, creativity, and decision-making while machines handle routine tasks.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn, and former Google distinguished engineer Kelsey Hightower have all recently said that soft skills like empathy, communication, and relationship-building cannot be replaced by AI.

• On the Italian island of Sardinia, fresh produce, beans, and whole grains are staples.
• An Italian chef who grew up following the Mediterranean Diet on the island shared three recipes.
• Francesco Mattana's "Live to 100" minestrone soup is a nod to Sardinia's many fit older citizens.

Francesco Mattana grew up eating freshly caught fish and locally grown produce by the beach.

The Italian chef was raised on the slow-paced Italian island of Sardinia, where his grandparents were fishermen and farmers. His family had access to the freshest ingredients, and his mamma and nonna were on hand to cook him up a fresh pasta or hearty stew.

This is how he learned the lessons of the Mediterranean diet, the famously healthy eating pattern of countries in this region, which has been linked to a host of health benefits, from a lower risk of type two diabetes and early death to better gut health.

Now, Mattana is sharing those lessons in his new cookbook, "Eat Like A Sardinian: Live to 100." The title is a nod to Sardinia's high population of healthy older people, earning it "Blue Zone" status.

"Sardinian food is fresh, seasonal, and full of variety," Mattana writes. He shared three nutritious recipes from his cookbook.

Live to 100 minestrone soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 100g (3 1/2oz) dried borlotti (cranberry) beans
• 100g (3 1/2oz) dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 white onion, roughly diced
• 2 celery sticks, chopped into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into 1cm(1/2 inch) cubes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 15g (1/2oz) basil
• 15g (1/2oz) parsley, finely chopped
• 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped (or halved if using small tomatoes)
• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped into 2cm (3/4 inch) cubes
• 4 large Savoy cabbage leaves, tough stalks removed and roughly chopped
• 40g (1 1/2oz) pecorino, grated
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. The night before, wash the beans and chickpeas in cold water.

2. Place them in a large bowl and cover them with fresh cold water. They will expand as they soak, so make sure the container is large enough, and there is plenty of water. Cover the bowl and leave them to soak for at least 12 hours (or longer—check the packet).

3. The next day, drain and then rinse the beans and chickpeas thoroughly with freshwater. Set aside.

4. Place a large casserole dish (Dutch oven) or ceramic pan over a medium heat.

5. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and olive oil and cook for 8—10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Now add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook for a further 2 minutes.

7. Tear the basil leaves and stir them in along with the chopped parsley, and cook for another minute.

8. Next, add the tomatoes and potato, give everything a stir, and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes are starting to soften.

9. Add the drained beans and chickpeas and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with water and bring it to the boil.

10. Once boiling, reduce the heat back to medium, cover, and cook for 1—1 1/2 hours, or until the beans and chickpeas are soft. If needed, top up with water so that the vegetables are always submerged.

11. Once the beans and chickpeas are cooked, add the cabbage, cover, and cook for a final 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

12. To serve, use a slotted ladle to divide the vegetables, beans, and chickpeas equally between serving bowls, then pour over the warm broth. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle over some olive oil.

Roast chicken with rosemary potatoes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the chicken

• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped
• 2 fresh bay leaves, stalks stripped and leaves finely chopped
• 2 large white onions, chopped into thick petals
• 100ml (scant 1/2 cup)Vermentino or a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the potatoes

• 1.2kg (2lb 10oz) potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3cm (1 1/4 inch) cubes
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly crushed
• 1 large sprig of rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. First, marinate the chicken. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands, give it a good stir, then cover and set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/425°F.

3. Put all the ingredients for the potatoes into a large bowl, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Stir well to coat the potatoes in the seasonings.

4. Line a large baking tray (pan) with baking parchment. Pour in the seasoned potatoes, making sure they don't overlap, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

5. While the potatoes are cooking, discard any liquid from the marinated chicken, add a generous glug of olive oil, season with salt, and give it a good stir.

6. Arrange the chicken and onions in the tray by nestling the chicken in between the potatoes and tucking the onions under each chicken piece. Make sure the chicken and the potatoes are not overlapping, so that they will color evenly.

7. Place the tray back in the oven and roast for 40—45 minutes, or until the chicken and the potatoes are golden and fully cooked. Serve nice and hot.

Tuna steaks in tomato sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 2 x 120g (4 1/2oz) tuna steaks
• 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red chilli, thinly sliced
• 300g (10 1/2oz) baby plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 100ml (scant 1/2 cup) Vermentino or a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
• 5g (1/4oz) parsley, finely chopped, plus 1 sprig for garnish
• 10 Taggiasca olives, pitted
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Heat half the oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat.

2. Add the anchovies and cook for one minute, then add the tuna steaks and cook for one minute on each side. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate.

3. Add the remaining oil, the shallot, garlic, and chilli to the pan. Cook for three minutes, stirring constantly, before adding the tomatoes and wine (if you prefer not to use wine, use water instead and add the juice from 1/4 lemon just before serving).

4. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, piercing half the tomatoes with a fork halfway through cooking so that they release their juices.

5. Taste and lightly season the sauce with salt and pepper as needed, then stir in the chopped parsley and olives.

6. Place the tuna on top, cover again, and cook for one minute so it is still pink in the middle.

7. Serve garnished with a few parsley leaves. Tuna steaks can become dry if left too long after cooking, so enjoy them straight away.

The theme was "magical fantasy forest." Celina Tolbert and a friend spent the day decorating the chateau's wood-paneled dining rooms and spiral staircase with moss, leaves, and fairy lights to make it feel enchanted.

By evening, guests had arrived in corsets and chainmail before heading to a make-your-own-potions station. A playlist of medieval-style pop covers played in the background as they sipped Champagne.

And that was just the first night of the three-day, 30th birthday celebration Tolbert threw for herself. She invited 21 friends to a French chateau about 80 miles south of Paris, shelling out about 2,200 euros ($2,557) hosting it.

"If I can actually afford it," Tolbert said, "why would I not?"

The chateau birthday boom

Tolbert, an American social media strategist who lives in Paris, is part of a growing wave of older Gen Zers and young millennials swapping bars and restaurants for castles and chateaux for milestone celebrations.

"Our data indicates a clear shift toward experience-led milestone birthdays," Oliver Bell, cofounder of the British luxury rental company Oliver's Travels, told Business Insider. "Travelers are increasingly choosing distinctive, heritage-style rentals for major celebrations, and the trend spans both domestic and international markets."

Oliver's Travels said that, in its analysis of booking data from the past five years, close to 40% of inquiries for milestone birthday stays came in the last two years alone. As for bookings, around one in three 30th-birthday bookings during that five-year period were made in the last two years.

Chateaux, manors, and castles are popular backdrops for these milestone celebrations, the company said. France was the most popular destination, followed by the UK, with most customers coming from the US and Britain.

Airbnb has also seen a rise in chateau stays among younger travelers. Gen Z travelers are increasingly "swapping city breaks for rural castle stays," and the trend is "only gathering pace," said Lisa Marçais, Airbnb's general manager for the UK, Ireland, Northern Europe, and MEA.

Bram Gallagher, director of economics and forecasting at AirDNA, which collects short-term rental data from the likes of Airbnb and Vrbo, said demand for stays at chateaux in France has been "steadily increasing over the past three years."

According to AirDNA's data, the number of nights stayed over the 12 months ending April 2026 was almost 16% higher in France compared to the same period in 2022.

One reason, he said, is that milestone birthdays fit into the growing trend in the short-term rental market of favoring experiential travel.

For Tolbert, hosting her birthday in a historic French chateau also offered a way to make up for another celebration.

"Some of us aren't getting married, or didn't have money when we did," Tolbert said.

She had a civil union in 2023 and kept the celebration low-key "due to finances," but said it never "scratched that itch" to do something grander. By the time she turned 30, she finally felt able to splurge on herself.

"I don't plan to have kids, and a lot of my friends don't either," she said. "I could think of this as spending the money my friends are spending on their kids on myself. I could get a really expensive dog, or I could rent a chateau."

The new wedding substitute

Amanda Rollins, a 35-year-old content creator from Boston who also lives in Paris, has turned chateau birthdays into a tradition. "I did it last year, I did it the year before, and I'm going to do it this year too," she told Business Insider.

For her 34th birthday, Rollins booked Chateau de Rubelles, about 36 miles southeast of Paris. The 93-acre site has deer and wild rabbits, an ornamental pond, and, inside, a grand ballroom. The venue and private chef cost around 7,700 euros in total, with Rollins covering 4,450 euros herself. Her 26 guests each contributed 125 euros each.

The following year, for her 35th birthday, she booked a 19th-century castle in Manou through Airbnb, about 75 miles southwest of Paris, for roughly 5,500 euros. Surrounded by a moat and flanked by stone towers, it looked straight out of a fairytale, though Rollins said it was a little more rustic inside than the previous year's venue. She covered about a fifth of the cost, while her 36 guests each contributed 120 euros.

Like Tolbert, Rollins sees these celebrations as standing in for large weddings. "My girlfriends, beautiful, intelligent, capable women, are all single by choice at the moment," Rollins, who is also single, said. "So it's like, if I'm not going to have a wedding, well then hell yeah, I'm going to throw a party."

In some ways, the chateau birthday boom sits at the perfect intersection of trends that have become synonymous with millennials and Gen Zs. Americans today are getting married and having kids later than previous generations, often in their late 20s and early 30s rather than their early 20s, and tend to prioritize experiences over things. The same is true in Europe.

"Millennials are reaching traditional milestones later in life," Northwestern Mutual financial advisor Justin Hacks told Business Insider, "which can provide more flexibility to travel and to budget for destination celebrations."

It might also reflect a change in spending habits. Northwestern Mutual's Consumer Sentiment Survey of 2,511 people, published in April, found that families who spend intentionally during an uncertain economy feel more in control of their finances. The survey described intentional spending as "well-planned splurges that bring lifetime memories."

'30 is kind of special'

For London-based media lawyer Beks Lockie, who is originally from New Zealand, her three-night 30th birthday celebration at a French chateau near Bordeaux in 2024 was about creating core memories with her closest friends.

"Whether it's going to a concert or going on a holiday or whatever it is, I think people are more inclined to spend their money on experiences and creating memories," Lockie said. "With AI, things that are real have higher value to people."

The birthday trip, including accommodation, flights, a private chef, groceries, and a wine tour, cost about $8,700 in total, which was split among 13 guests at about $670 each.

Lockie said it was worth it, because there are few other opportunities in life "to get dressed up and literally run around a castle" with her friends.

By the time she turns 40, she expects those kinds of trips may be harder to pull off as more of her friends settle down or have children.

"I don't think it'll be as easy to pull 13 people away to a castle for a long weekend," she said. "I think 30 is kind of special."

• Beta Technologies aims to revolutionize travel with its electric aircraft, the Alia CX300.
• I flew on the plane during Beta's media day and thought it was smooth and quiet.
• There are still questions around certification, infrastructure, battery life, and public acceptance.

The future of aviation isn't a sleek jet — it's a tiny whale-shaped airplane that could turn The Jetsons fantasy of aerial commuting into reality.

Vermont-based startup Beta Technologies aims to convince US consumers that electric aviation has arrived in ways that will change how they travel for work and leisure, and invited media to ride in the state-of-the-art all-electric aircraft that it calls the Alia CX300.

For 20 minutes, we zipped above Burlington at over 100 miles per hour as test pilot Chris "Pooter" Caputo showed us how it banks, glides, and manages energy. The ride was smooth, quiet, and surprisingly fast, with sweeping views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains below.

This new industry believes electric aircraft like the Alia CX300 will take over short regional routes from today's small fuel-powered turboprops and helicopters — making travel cleaner, cheaper, and quieter.

Beta's CX300, a type of aircraft designated cTOL, already has orders from carriers like Air New Zealand and is expected to begin revenue-cargo flights later this year under a Transportation Department pilot program. Full certification is expected in late 2027.

Beta is also developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL — the Alia 250 — to certify in the years after its CX300. It mirrors much of the CX300's technology but takes off from a vertiport rather than a runway, making it particularly suitable for city commutes.

This approach differs from that of other US competitors, such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, which are primarily focused on eVTOL aircraft instead of stepped certification.

Beta president and CEO Kyle Clark said it's a pragmatic strategy that ultimately makes vertical certification easier: "By the time you get the cTOL certified, you effectively have 80% of the requirements for the eVTOL."

Still, the company faces major hurdles, particularly around charging infrastructure, certification, and public acceptance — especially if expected cost savings don't translate into affordable fares. And the up to $13 million in projected battery replacement sales over each aircraft's lifetime, outlined in a 2025 SEC filing, could spook potential customers.

Here's a closer look at the Alia CX300 and what my flight was like.

Alia CX300 can carry five passengers and one pilot.

The Alia CX300 can carry five passengers and one pilot, with no divider between the cockpit and the cabin.

Inside, two rows of seats sit behind the pilot. My colleague Dan Allen, who sat in the back row at over six feet tall, said he had plenty of legroom. I sat in the front and felt the same.

Flying from the cockpit gave me a bird's-eye view, and the visibility below seemed to eliminate some blind spots.

That said, you do feel every bank and bump in a small aircraft like this, and some passengers may get motion sickness. Dramamine probably wouldn't hurt.

It runs on rechargeable battery packs.

Up to five battery packs stored in the belly of the aircraft provide around 250 kWh of energy — roughly 390 miles of range under ideal conditions. The redundancy in case a battery fails is crucial for safety and certification.

While not fully certified yet, the company secured special federal permissions to operate demonstration flights like this one.

Beta has spent years developing its electric propulsion system in-house, with separate versions for its cTOL and upcoming eVTOL aircraft.

The batteries can be recharged in about an hour using large, cube-shaped charging units, which Beta also builds and sells to other operators for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The charging business is part of its broader strategy to diversify revenue beyond aircraft sales.

By designing and building much of its technology in-house, Beta has greater control over quality and costs, Clark said — a vertical integration strategy similar to SpaceX, which also builds much of its rockets and supporting infrastructure itself.

Our pilot cut the engines halfway through the flight.

To demonstrate the CX300's glide, Caputo cut the engines at about 1,300 feet. While it was slightly rattling, the aircraft maintained a controlled glide and gradually lost altitude.

Caputo said that even in the event of complete power loss away from an airport, the aircraft could glide down onto a suitable landing strip.

The engine itself is also built with redundancy. The rear-mounted electric propulsion unit is designed with independent power paths, meaning one can fail while the other continues operating.

Our flight cost a few dollars. That doesn't mean fares will be cheap.

Our flight technically cost only a few dollars in electricity, Caputo said. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy similarly took a demo flight with Beta last week that cost $3, per the company. A similarly sized fuel-powered Cessna would cost a few hundred dollars.

But that doesn't necessarily translate into cheap fares. Operating costs still include pilots, maintenance, insurance, and infrastructure — so the true economics are still a big question.

But electricity is still cheaper than jet fuel, especially as oil prices remain sky high amid the US war in Iran.

Alia CX300 has already been tested on real-life missions.

Beta has partnered with several airlines, including Republic Airways, Air New Zealand, and the UK's Loganair, to conduct real-world test flights. For example, Beta and ANZ completed more than 100 flights — including organ deliveries — across 12 airports and roughly 7,000 miles earlier this year.

In the US alone, there are more than 4,000 public-use airports that are too rural or small for larger commercial jets, yet still need more affordable connections to the broader air network — think leisure places like the Hamptons and Catalina Island, or remote Alaskan communities that rely on regular supply flights.

That network could become the backbone for the Alia CX300, flying short-haul routes within airline fleets or as a standalone service opening untapped routes at lower cost — ultimately laying the groundwork for Beta's vision of eVTOL flying taxis.

"We're ready to go today with cargo cTOL aircraft," Clark said. "Tomorrow it's going to be passenger cTOL aircraft, then cargo VTOL aircraft, then passenger VTOL aircraft."

It's surprisingly difficult to find a well-fitting bikini top when you have a smaller bust. Some swimsuits create awkward gaps, accidental nip slips, or simply don't flatter people with an athletic build or petite cup size.

We both wear a size 34B, and spent two summers testing 25 two-piece swimsuits with tops that support smaller chests. From sporty sets with a snug, stay-put feel to chic, minimalist styles that enhance your natural shape, these are the best bikinis for small busts that we actually loved wearing.

Check out more of our swimwear favorites in our guides to the best swim dresses and the best long torso swimsuits.

Advice from your testers

When it comes to small-bust swimwear, the best support is a compressive fabric. Together we tested 25 bikinis from our favorite swim brands in order to find tops that work for petite wearers without bulky padding or underwire. We also asked testers with larger band sizes to share other small-cup-friendly swimsuits.

Triangle bikini tops are your best friend. Adjustability is key, and with triangle tops, it's easier to avoid any gaps or awkward spacing when you have the ability to shift the cups around the band. This is especially helpful if you have East-West breasts, or wider athletic breasts with more muscle than tissue.

Avoid underwire tops. Fixed underwire cups don't allow you to space out your boobs accordingly, and besides, it pokes at your ribcage and can warp over time. Underwire tops are better suited for large busts that need the support.

Thick padding absorbs water, which doesn't look that great when wet. The trade-off between a push-up effect and waterlogged padding isn't worth it. Lightly lined bikini tops felt more sleek and quick-drying and during our swim tests.

Best overall: Left On Friday Sunday Top and Hi Hi Bottom

This Left On Friday two-piece is the best small-bust bikini we tried. The buttery-soft fabric and seamless design stood out above the rest.

The material is both compressive and comfortable, supporting me without any padding, clasps, or ties. The straps are short and aren't adjustable, but they had just the right amount of stretch, offering a snug, stay-put fit without digging in or slipping. Although it doesn't offer much coverage, it still felt very secure (without squeezing).

The high-waisted bikini bottoms are just as impressive. Its high-rise cut is flattering without feeling too tight, and the compressive yet comfortable fabric holds up beautifully in and out of the water. It's also easy to wear under clothes—it doesn't bunch or show through, making it a great option for beach-to-boardwalk days. It's machine washable and even dryer friendly.

As people wit small cups and a curvier bottom, it's almost better when bikini tops and bottoms are sold separately, since we size differently in each. Choosing a color was honestly the hardest part — there are 39 shades, ranging from soft neutrals to bold neons. The good news is that the collection is made for mixing and matching, so we'll definitely be grabbing a few more. At $95 a piece, this set is certainly a splurge. But between the quality, the comfort, and the long-lasting fabric that doesn't fade in the sun, we found it well worth the investment.

Best budget: Fatty Tiger Women's High Waisted Thong Bikini Set

Amazon is a treasure trove of affordable swimsuits for women, though you do have to weed through some cheap-looking options to find the true gems. Over the years, I've bought (and returned) a slew of swimsuits on Amazon, and this two-piece is easily my favorite I've tried. I wore this on my minimoon to Tulum in 2023, and it's remained one of my most reached-for swimsuits since.

It strikes the perfect balance between comfort and style thanks to a supportive, padded top with adjustable straps that criss-cross in the back and a high-waisted, high-leg thong-style bottom. I wore it while relaxing in a plunge pool and taking long walks on the beach. It held up well without needing to be adjusted in either setting. The thong bottom is pretty cheeky, so I wore a sarong for beachside lunches or cocktails. The top sits flat without any bulky ties, so it was easy to slip a t-shirt over it.

Although I typically prefer bikinis sold as separates, the thong-style bottom and adjustable top offer some size flexibility. The Medium fit me well in both pieces. It comes in 19 colors, and the coffee color I chose looked exactly as pictured. It hasn't faded after years of wear. It's hand-wash only, which is annoying, and the top takes a bit longer to dry due to the padding.

Best triangle: Quince Italian Triangle Bikini Top and High-Leg Bikini Bottom

Quince brands itself as "affordable luxury," and that's exactly how I'd classify this classic two-piece. The bikini's timeless triangle-style, string-tie top is modernized by a daring thong-style bottom. The string ties are accented by weighted gold beads, which are an elegant touch.

The recycled fabric feels more substantial and expensive than it is, plus it's rated UPF 50 and PFA-free. Senior associate style editor Gabrielle Chase has worn hers for two seasons in a row, and she reports it still looks brand new.

Although I'm not opposed to a thong-style bikini bottom in the right scenarios, this one was a bit skimpier than I prefer. I also found the top less supportive than the other styles on this list. It's a solid choice for sunbathing, but I'd probably pick something sturdier for swimming.

Read more in our full Quince review.

Best quick-drying: Carve Designs

Even after I spent and afternoon swimming in this amazingly soft Carve Designs Bia bikini top, I was able to wear it on the subway ride home because it air-dried so quickly. That's because the cups are only lightly lined, and with the pads removed it dries even faster.

The Bia is designed specifically for A/B cups. While the triangle cups are at a fixed position, the gently compressive fabric gives me enough of a squeeze that I don't feel myself at risk for a nip slip. This is another great bikini top if you wear a wide band size with a small cup size.

Best athletic: Vuori Encinitas Bikini and Swim Shorty

I love a skimpy bikini as much as anyone, but there are other times when a secure fit and good coverage are my top priorities — for instance, family beach days or trips to waterparks. In these cases, Vuori's sporty two-piece fits the bill. The pullover top fits like my favorite sports bra. Although it's low-cut, it's supportive enough for small busts (it runs small, though, so you may want to consider sizing up).

The shorty bottoms were my favorite part. The thick, high waistband was supportive, though the drawstring kept coming undone (thankfully, the shorts don't need it to stay up). The bottom had the perfect amount of coverage without being too much. I'd be much more comfortable in these than a typical bikini bottom during my period. I found them very forgiving while I was bloated. A bonus: The duo can also be worn as a summer matching workout set thanks to the smooth, moisture-wicking fabric.

Best retro: Reformation Soleil Bikini Top and Azure Bikini Bottom

This bikini set is as elegant as it is eco-conscious — an ideal pick for anyone who wants their swimwear to feel just as luxe as it looks. From the moment I tried it on, I could tell the fabric was a cut above. It has a smooth, weighty texture that feels expensive against the skin, and the timeless design makes this set one I'll reach for year after year. The top is unlined and features a hefty, gold-tone clasp closure that feels more like jewelry than typical swimwear hardware. The high-waisted bottom offers flattering coverage with a structured silhouette.

The adjustable straps on the top let you fine-tune the fit. One note: The waistband on the bottom can dig in slightly, so if you're between sizes or prefer a less snug fit, I suggest sizing up. Like many of Reformation's pieces, this bikini is made with sustainability in mind, crafted from renewable, plant-based materials that align with the brand's eco-forward mission. It's definitely a splurge, but it's a nice quality, consciously crafted swimsuit.

Best tankini: Mimi Flamingo Blake Midikini and Brooke High Waist Pant

The word "tankini" brings me right back to the late 1990s, but this set is a big upgrade from the higher coverage two-pieces I remember. Instead of a top that reaches down to your hips, this one is more like a longline bra, which reveals just a small sliver of the waist thanks to a super high-waisted bottom. In fact, the top could easily be worn with shorts like a crop top. I found the combination comfortable and flattering.

Other details I loved about this set are the soft, ribbed fabric, adjustable straps, and thick waistband that stayed put. The top didn't have padding and the straps were super stretchy even when tightened, so it ultimately doesn't offer a ton of support, but that's more a matter of preference. If I had to do it over I'd size up in the top, but the bottoms fit me perfectly.

Best crinkle swimsuit: Youswim Aplomb High Waist Two-Piece

The Youswim Aplomb two-piece stands out for its flattering design, minimalist style, and most notably, its incredibly stretchy fabric. "No matter how my body shape fluctuates, this suit fits like a glove," writes beauty editor Maiya Pascouche. "I never feel it digging into my skin while wearing it nor do I notice it falling or drooping throughout the day. It stays molded to your body comfortably all day long without feeling compressive."

Youswim suits are lightweight, unlined and seamless. The fabric is made from a flexible Oeko-Tex certified nylon yarn and elastane blend that has a plush, puckered texture that snaps back to its original shape no matter how far you stretch it. It's safe to run through the washing machine on a gentle cycle, but be sure to line dry this suit — it loses its elasticity if you put it in the dryer.

Best plus-size: Popilush x Angela Shapewear Ruched Tummy Control Bikini Set

"If you prefer to have more shapewear built into your swim, the affordable brand Popilush should be on your radar," writes freelance style reporter Sarah Chiwaya.

"I tried the Shapewear Ruched Tummy Control Bikini Set, since the ruched mesh in leopard print felt very of the moment. Worn with the coordinating mesh pareo, I felt glamorous and pulled together. The power mesh built into the high-waisted bottoms fit comfortably and smoothed the lower belly area even after an indulgent vacation brunch. Unlike some shapewear swim, this bikini wasn't overly restrictive and didn't pinch or dig in uncomfortably.

"If you have a very full bust, this probably isn't the best suit for you: While I absolutely loved the way I looked in this Shapewear Ruched Tummy Control Bikini Set, I did have some side spillover in the top due to lack of cup depth. I'd suggest checking the size chart before ordering if you feel like this might be an issue for you too. I'm such a big fan of the rich colorway of this fabric, though, so I might have to order the coordinating one-piece to see if that is better suited for larger cup sizes — I don't want to let this look go!"

See more in our guide to the best plus-size swimwear.

Best one-shoulder: Summersalt The Bow-Shoulder Ruched Sidestroke Bikini

Summersalt makes some of the best bathing suits we've ever tested, thanks to its fair prices, durability, and classic, modest designs that look and feel great on a range of bodies. The Sidestroke one-piece is one of the brand's most popular styles, so I was excited to test the newer bikini version of the design. It did not disappoint. I was immediately drawn to the oversized white bow on the right shoulder of this otherwise-black set— it's the perfect fancy-but-not-fussy detail that gave the entire swimsuit a sophisticated look. It makes it a bit tricky to wear a shirt or cover-up on top, but I wasn't interested in covering up this beauty anyway!

Though you can choose any black bikini bottom to match the top, I went with this ruched, high-rise version. I found the ruched sides both flattering and comfortable, and they stayed put while I swam but never dug into my sides. The back is just a little cheeky while offering enough coverage that I'd be comfortable wearing it for a family outing. I'm in between sizes, so I sized up in both the top and bottom, but I'd probably size down in both, if I had to do it over.

Learn about our other favorite designs in our full Summersalt swimwear review.

Best textured: Peixoto Fifi Tayrona Bikini Top

With no hardware or bony underwire, this Peixoto bikini top felt comfortable in the sauna and poolside lounge chairs, even as I laid down or leaned up against walls. I also like how the ruffled netting adds some edge and creates a more voluminous look. However, the halter ties may be too precarious if you're wearing this top in the ocean, where a strong wave could send it flying off.

The main plus is that the triangle cups are unlined and movable. This let me adjust their position when they shifted down after pulling myself up out of the pool.

What didn't make the cut

Sabal Swim: The idea is tantalizing — a bikini that adds a cups size without any foam padding. Unfortunately, the material isn't strong enough to hold the silicone pads in place, so when it got wet, the fabric showed tension from being weighed down.

TA3: Our large-busted friends and colleagues swear by TA3, but the problem is most have underwire. They look empty at the top if you don't have enough breast tissue to fill them. The Surfy created impressive cleavage, but the cinch-waist wasn't very comfortable while sunbathing.

Youswim Poise: This crinkle bikini top is super stretchy, but looks more like a tube top and wasn't as flattering on small busts as the scoopnecked Aplomb.

Learn more about how the Reviews team tests clothing at BI.

The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be the most profitable tournament for FIFA and the most expensive for fans in history. Business Insider reporter Pete Syme investigated why ticket prices are so high and compiled five charts that illustrate just how out of reach many of the tournament's games are for average fans. What Syme discovered is that ticket prices are higher than ever because FIFA has adopted ticketing practices common in North America, like dynamic pricing and running its own secondary resale market, where prices skyrocket further. But it doesn't stop there. The additional costs fans have to pay are also high, including flights, hotels, and transit to game stadiums. Some American cities are jacking up transit prices on game days. When it's all said and done, FIFA stands to make $13 billion during the 2026 World Cup cycle.

We all know that shopping for a new pair of glasses can be frustrating and expensive, but online retailers like Zenni are designed to streamline the process. Zenni offers a variety of fashionable, affordable frames on everything from prescription lenses to sunglasses. An easy way to ensure you're getting the deepest discount on your next purchase is by using one of the many Zenni promo codes we've rounded up below.

Our editors have tested out all the leading online eyewear retailers, and Zenni consistently makes the cut as one of the top options thanks to its stylish, budget-friendly glasses. The brand's in-house frames deliver impressive quality for the price, while designer options from labels like Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs prove you don't need to spend luxury-level prices to get a polished look. Zenni offers a massive selection of frames and lenses, including options for all ages and face types. There are even niche products, like VR Lenses for Meta Quest and FL-41 lenses for light sensitivity. For a closer look at why we recommend the retailer, you can check out our full Zenni review.

Zenni is already a budget-friendly option, but savvy shoppers can save even more by using a promo code at checkout. We've scoured the internet for new discount codes and tested out the best options to ensure they're still active at the time of writing. We've rounded up the best promos below, including offers up to 15% off.

Today's best Zenni discount codes

Previous Zenni promo codes

Are there any other Zenni sales running at the moment?

You can check out Zenni's sale page anytime for a full list of current markdowns on their frames. At the time of writing, Zenni is also running the following promotions.

• Follow our Instagram page and WhatsApp channel for more deals and buying guides

How to use Zenni promo codes

Start by adding eligible items to your cart. From the "Shopping Cart" page, scroll down to the bottom where it says, "Have a promo code?" You can paste a discount code into the text box and click "Apply." Then, continue to checkout as a guest or with an existing account.

Can you stack Zenni discount codes?

Zenni doesn't allow customers to stack multiple promo codes, which means that only one code can be used per purchase. If it's your first purchase in the Zenni mobile app, we recommend using the 15% off FIRSTAPP code rather than one of the many 10% off codes, which you can use on future orders.

Zenni promo code frequently asked questions

Does Zenni offer discounts for students, teachers, and the military?

Zenni offers eligible college students, teachers, military members (active, reserve, and veterans), and military spouses a 10% discount on all purchases. First responders and medical personnel can also receive a 10% discount on orders.

People eligible for these discounts must verify their status to take advantage of the offer. These discounts can't be combined with other promo codes or offers.

If you're a student or educator, check out our roundups of the best student discounts and best teacher discounts for more ways to save.

Does Zenni take insurance?

Zenni doesn't take insurance directly. However, they will provide a detailed receipt with your order that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

Zenni does allow you to spend FSA and HSA dollars directly on the site. Simply enter your FSA/HSA card at checkout like you would a credit or debit card. Learn more about using FSA and HSA dollars on Zenni's website.

Does Zenni offer free shipping?

Shoppers can receive free standard shipping on orders of $89 or more. Free shipping will automatically be applied once you have enough items in your cart, so you don't need to enter a promo code. Free shipping is also combinable with other offers and promotions.

How do I choose the best glasses for my face shape?

Zenni lets you shop frames by face shape on their website, so you can choose from frame shapes that typically complement your features. For example, they suggest choosing round frames if you have a square face shape or square and aviator frames for a heart-shaped face.

If you're unsure of your face shape or what would look best on you, Zenni also has a virtual try-on feature that allows you to see what any of their frames look like on your face.

Do I need a prescription to use Zenni?

Zenni offers plenty of non-prescription eyewear, so you don't need a prescription to use the site. You can shop for non-prescription readers, sunglasses, sports goggles, and blue-light-blocking glasses with Zenni.

What is Zenni's return policy?

Zenni allows shoppers to return items within 30 days of the original purchase in exchange for site credit and reimbursement of any shipping fees. For returns made within 14 days of your original purchase, you'll have the option to receive a full refund to your original payment method instead of site credit. Learn more about making returns on Zenni's website.

Can I reuse a Zenni promo code?

Zenni does not explicitly prohibit using promo codes multiple times. However, certain codes may only be applied to one order per person, so be sure to check the specific terms and conditions for the code you want to use.

How do I know which size frames to get?

If you don't know which size to get for your frames, Zenni can help. Visit the size guide on the Zenni website for information on how to measure your face and sample frames you can print out to test your size.

Looking for more eyewear? Check out our roundups of the best GlassesUSA promo codes.

• SpaceX's S-1 shows that entities controlled by Antonio Gracias own roughly 7.3% of Class A stock ahead of the IPO.
• Based on the $1.5 trillion valuation investors expect SpaceX to achieve, that stake would be worth roughly $90 billion.
• That level of wealth could instantly vault Gracias to the ranks of some of the richest people in the world.

Antonio Gracias, one of Elon Musk's closest confidants and an early SpaceX investor, could land a massive multibillion-dollar windfall from the company's upcoming IPO.

The SpaceX S-1 filing shows that Gracias owns more than 500 million shares of SpaceX stock through investment firms affiliated with Valor Equity Partners, the private equity firm he founded. The filing says those holdings represent roughly 7.3% of SpaceX's Class A stock ahead of the IPO.

Based on a $1.5 trillion valuation some investors expect SpaceX to achieve in its IPO, those holdings would be worth roughly $91.6 billion.

The amount would mark one of the biggest fortunes ever created by a venture investor.

Gracias' relationship with Musk dates back more than two decades.

The two met through Silicon Valley and PayPal circles in the early 2000s, shortly after Musk sold PayPal to eBay. At the time, Gracias was growing Valor Equity Partners, the Chicago-based investment firm he founded in 1995.

Gracias became one of Musk's most trusted confidants and one of the small group of executives Musk repeatedly leaned on for advice.

When Tesla faced repeated financial challenges during the late 2000s, and again during the Model 3 production ramp, Gracias emerged as one of Musk's strongest defenders inside Tesla's boardroom. He was also involved across multiple other Musk companies as the billionaire entrepreneur expanded into rockets, AI, satellites, and infrastructure with SpaceX and xAI.

Valor became one of the earliest major institutional investors in SpaceX and steadily expanded its position while the company remained private for more than two decades.

The SpaceX filing shows the relationship now extends well beyond stock ownership.

According to the S-1 filing, subsidiaries tied to xAI entered into nearly $20 billion in lease agreements with Valor-affiliated entities for AI infrastructure and computing equipment. Those contracts generated hundreds of millions of dollars in payments to these Valor-related entities during 2025 and early 2026.

Nosek and Shotwell will also make billions

The filing shows how concentrated SpaceX stock ownership remains among the rest of Musk's longtime allies.

Luke Nosek, a fellow PayPal alum and early Musk associate, owns nearly 33 million SpaceX shares through direct holdings and Nosek Capital. At the current IPO valuation, his stake would be worth roughly $6 billion. Nosek also co-founded VC firm Founders Fund.

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, owns roughly 12.6 million shares of SpaceX. Her holdings would be worth about $2.3 billion at the estimated IPO valuation.

Shotwell joined SpaceX in 2002 as employee No. 11 and became one of the company's most impactful executives, helping secure NASA contracts and overseeing the growth of Falcon launches and Starlink into businesses.

Other directors own smaller but still substantial positions.

Ira Ehrenpreis, the VC best known for serving on Tesla's board, owns about 1.37 million SpaceX shares. Those holdings would be worth roughly $250 million.

Randy Glein, founder of VC firm DFJ Growth, owns about 278,000 shares. His holdings would be worth roughly $50 million.

A new filing released Thursday indicated that the company aims to raise $75 billion in its initial public offering. It plans to offer 555,555,555 shares of common stock at $135 per share. That offering would be over twice the prior record for the largest IPO, set by Aramco when it raised $29 billion in its 2019 debut.

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

Yes, the 2026 French Open has been one for the books. With all of the favorites and most top-ranked players out early, it's an open field. Reigning men's champion Carlos Alcaraz sat out the tournament with a wrist injury, and world No. 1 (and heavy favorite) Jannik Sinner was eliminated in a shocking second-round match. Novak Djokovic and other top prospects also saw early exits, and the highest-ranked ATP player left in the tournament is world No. 3 Alexander Zverev. Zverev will head to the final, where he'll face Flavio Cobolli, who automatically advanced through the semis after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew due to illness.

The women's side has been no less shocking, with defending champion Coco Gauff eliminated in the third round. Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula were also defeated relatively early on. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion seeking her first French Open title, was bounced by Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals. Shnaider, in turn, fell to Maja Chwalińska, who will face Mirra Andreeva in the final.

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

Where to watch the French Open for free

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

How to watch the French Open from anywhere

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

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

Where to watch the French Open in the US

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

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

Where to watch the French Open in the UK

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

Where to watch the French Open in France

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

Where to watch the French Open in Australia

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

Where does the French Open take place?

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

When is the next Grand Slam?

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

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

Spanx might be best known for its shapewear, but the brand has expanded well beyond its original claim to fame. Today, shoppers can find everything from leggings and activewear to jeans, work pants, loungewear, and everyday basics designed with the same comfort-focused approach. Whether you are shopping for smoothing essentials or versatile wardrobe staples, Spanx has become a go-to for pieces that balance style and function.

The style editors on our team have tested several Spanx items over the years, and the brand has consistently impressed us. The Spanx Air Essentials Half-Zip and Wide Leg Pant are recommended in our roundup of the best sweatsuits for women, while the SuperSmooth Stretch Twill Slim Straight Pants top the charts in our guide to the best women's work pants. Our guide to the best women's workwear brands ranks Spanx as the top choice for comfort, and we're even fans of Spanx jeans.

One of the best ways to regularly lower the price of your cart is by applying a coupon, which is why we've scoured the internet for Spanx promo codes. We tested the best options to ensure they're still active at the time of writing and rounded them up below, with discounts up to 20%.

Today's best Spanx coupons

Previous Spanx promo codes

Are there any other Spanx sales running at the moment?

You can find a full list of sales and markdowns at any time on the "Sale" page of the Spanx website. As of right now, Spanx is running the following promotions.

Use Spanx voucher codes on these items

Using the promo codes WELCOME15, ECOOKXSPANX, NASREENXSPANX, CARALYN15, XK15VMZH, SWCXSPANX, or NENAXSPANX can help you save 15% on some of our favorite Spanx apparel. The Air Essentials Half Zip costs $128, and the Air Essentials Wide Leg Pant currently costs $118. If you add one of the aforementioned coupon codes, you can bring the final cost of our favorite matching set down to around $209.

Or, if you're in the market for new workwear, you can test out the same codes on the Ponte Flare Pant, which currently costs $158, and get one of our favorite women's work pants for $134.

Are the deals from Spanx promo codes worth it?

The discounts available from Spanx promo codes are definitely worth it, with savings reaching up to 20% off your order. Over the time we've tracked Spanx discounts, the retailer has consistently had at least one active coupon, making these promo codes a reliable way to save. Sitewide sales are pretty rare, especially outside the holidays, which means that coupons are often the only way to save, especially on certain popular items that are rarely discounted.

If you do find a marked-down item, such as something from the sale section of the Spanx site, you can often save even more by combining the deal with one of the above coupon codes. Most coupon codes can't be applied to items marked Final Sale.

• Follow our Instagram page and WhatsApp channel for more deals and buying guides.

How to use Spanx voucher codes

Start by adding coupon-eligible items to your cart. Once viewing your cart, you can apply a coupon by pasting the voucher code into the text box that says "Promo code" and clicking "Apply." From there, continue to checkout to enter your shipping and billing information.

Can you stack Spanx coupons?

Spanx promo codes can't be stacked together. Only one coupon code can be applied per order. If you try to add a second coupon code, it will automatically replace the first discount code you entered.

Spanx promo code frequently asked questions

Does Spanx offer discounts for students, teachers, and the military?

At the time of writing, Spanx does not offer special discounts for students, teachers, or the military, so your best bet is to take advantage of their other coupons and deals.

If you're a student or educator, check out our roundups of the best student discounts and teacher discounts for more offers from your favorite brands.

What is Spanx's return policy?

Spanx allows returns for a full refund within 30 days of the original delivery date. All returned items must still have their original tags attached. You can visit the Spanx website to learn more about the retailer's return policy.

Does Spanx offer free shipping?

Spanx offers free standard shipping on orders of $75 or more in the US. If you spend less than $75, standard shipping is $7. Shoppers who opt for faster shipping (including basic, expedited, or overnight) will need to pay a fee of $15 to $30. Learn more about shipping rates on the Spanx website.

Can I use Spanx voucher codes in-store?

Typically, Spanx coupons are only valid for online purchases. That said, there may be some exceptions, so be sure to check the specific terms and conditions for the code you want to use.

Can I reuse a Spanx coupon?

The majority of Spanx coupons are only valid for one use per customer. That said, there may be exceptions, so it's worth reading through the terms and conditions of the specific code you're hoping to use. Several of the codes we've highlighted offer 15% off, so you can always try using one code on your first order and another on your next purchase.

Looking for more style deals? Our guides to the best Abercrombie promo codes, Athleta coupon codes, and Madewell coupon codes can help lower prices at checkout.

• Two top Anthropic officials said leading AI companies should consider a global pause in development.
• "We believe it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause," Marina Favaro and Jack Clark wrote.
• In response, many commentators have questioned the motives of such a proposal.

Anthropic wants the world's leading AI labs to come together to consider a potential pause of leading global AI development.

"We believe it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause frontier AI development to enable societal structures and alignment research to keep up with the advance of the technology," two top Anthropic officials wrote in a blog post.

On Thursday, Marina Favaro, who leads Anthropic's research institute, and Jack Clark, an Anthropic cofounder, suggested that AI labs develop a partnership similar to how countries monitor the proliferation of nuclear weapons while stressing that the world does not have "decades" to wait for such an agreement to come to fruition.

Their proposal is off to an inauspicious start, with some in tech characterizing it as a self-serving effort by a leading AI company that has begun the steps toward an IPO.

An Anthropic spokesperson told Business Insider the firm is not calling for a pause. Instead, Anthropic wants its leading competitors to have systems in place that would allow for a pause. Given the pace of development, the company wants to study the topic now before such limitations are deemed necessary.

Here is what leading people in AI, tech, and politics are saying about the idea of a pause on global AI development:

Mitt Romney, former US senator and 2012 Republican presidential nominee

Former Sen. Mitt Romney said the US should focus on developing "AI safeguards."

"Our highest and most urgent national priority should be AI safeguards," Romney wrote on X, quoting news coverage of Anthropic's statement.

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee said, "The risks of AI weapons, pathogens, mass unemployment, surveillance, and even extinction must not continue to be largely ignored."

David Sacks, former White House crypto and AI czar

David Sacks, a former top White House advisor, was harshly critical of Anthropic's suggestion.

"Signs you might be trying to get your frontier AI lab nationalized: You compare it to nukes… threaten half of white-collar jobs… warn recursive self-improvement could end humanity… then race ahead anyway," Sacks wrote on X.

Trump's former AI and crypto czar, who once publicly accused Anthropic of running a regulatory capture scheme, did not name the AI company directly in his post. Based on his past statements and the details of what he wrote, the subject of his ire was abundantly clear.

"In other words, you want the government to save us from… you," he wrote.

Andrew B. Hall, professor of political economy at Stanford

Andrew B. Hall, an advisor to Forum AI and previously an advisor to Meta Platforms, said that Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has previously said he would support a global pause, provided all frontier developers complied.

"This would have seemed totally non-credible even pretty recently, but between what we've seen with the EO, Glasswing, and OpenAI's proposal for beefed-up model review yesterday---it no longer seems so farfetched," Hall wrote on X.

Hall said he's "skeptical" about how a pause would work, especially as it would apply to Chinese-based companies or open-source models.

"If nothing else, it might be possible to agree to slowdown consumer release of models separate from development---something Hassabis seems to support based on my read of the Infinity Machine and his preference for pure research," he wrote.

Tae Kim, author of "The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant"

Tech journalist Tae Kim said Anthropic was fueling needless alarmism.

"Anthropic FUD scaring normies + hot jobs/rate hike on table + misinterpretation of Semianalysis memory piece = growth trade breather," Kim wrote on X.

Kim, who is the author of "The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant," had a stern message for the AI company.

"Hey Anthropic, stop it."

Kylan Gibbs, CEO Inworld

Kylan Gibbs, CEO of Inword AI, said that Anthropic is laying the groundwork to shape AI regulations in its favor.

Gibbs, who previously worked at Google DeepMind, said if you're the one telling governments that AI is dangerous, when it comes time to regulate, officials come to you first because they trust you. This gives Anthropic a chance to mold the regulations the way they want, such as limiting open-source rivals and controlling GPU exports to China.

"This is also related to prior trends we've seen, of large incumbents pushing for regulations they know only they can pay their way through, ultimately impacting the smaller companies who don't have the legal resources to navigate it effectively," he added.

Gary Marcus, an AI researcher and professor emeritus at New York University

AI commentator Gary Marcus said people should read Anthropic's proposal "carefully."

"They want it both ways. They don't actually want a pause - at least for now. Rather, they want to rush ahead, hinting at 'least cautious actors' for justification," Marcus wrote on X.

Marcus called Anthropic's suggestion "an incredible, cost-free piece of rhetoric — perfectly timed for the IPO." He said that the AI company would never actually want a pause.

"Instead, they want people to talk about an 'option' they don't actually plan to take, and are unlikely to ever take," Marcus wrote. "(More likely, they will like always hint at China, and continue rush ahead.)"

Luis Garicano, professor at the London School of Economics and former member of the European Parliament

Luis Garicano, a public policy professor at the London School of Economics, said Anthropic was trying to block open model competitors.

"The key threat to the profitability of frontier models is open weights. If they scare the hell out of everyone, the natural move will be to forbid them and allow only 'trusted developers,'" Garicano wrote on X. "Sorry for being cynical."

Francesco Bianchi, professor of economics and department chair at Johns Hopkins University

Francesco Bianchi, an economics professor at Johns Hopkins University, said Anthropic's proposal appeared self-serving.

"The risk here might be real, but it is very convenient for a market leader to ask to freeze the status quo," Bianchi wrote on X.

Jen Zhu Scott, cofounder and CEO of Power Dynamics

Jen Zhu Scott, founding partner of IN. Capital, which focuses on AI and deep tech, said Anthropic needs a pause.

"Anthropic is running out of compute and energy," Scott wrote on X.

Alistair Barr contributed to this report.

• SpaceX secured a $920M monthly deal with Google for compute power.
• SpaceX's S-1 recently revealed Anthropic was paying it $1.25 billion a month for compute.
• The deal comes ahead of SpaceX anticipated record-setting IPO.

SpaceX has added another lucrative deal to its revenue stream just ahead of its anticipated IPO.

Google has agreed to pay SpaceX $920 million a month for compute capacity from October 2026 to June 2029, according to a SpaceX filing submitted to the SEC on Friday.

The filing said the compute power included "approximately 110,000 NVIDIA GPUs, CPUs, memory, and other related components." Starting in 2027, either side can terminate the deal with 90 days' notice, according to the filing.

Google said in a statement to Business Insider that the deal was needed to meet demand for Gemini Enterprise, its agentic AI platform.

"Google Cloud and SpaceX are long-time partners," a Google Cloud spokesperson said. "This is a short-term, timely agreement to ensure we have bridge capacity to meet surging customer demand for our agent platform, Gemini Enterprise, which has been even higher than we expected."

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The filing came as SpaceX prepares for what's expected to be a record-setting IPO.

The deal with Google was also similar to another deal SpaceX has with Anthropic, the scope of which was revealed in SpaceX's S-1 filing last month. Anthropic is paying $1.25 billion a month through May 2029 in exchange for compute capacity from SpaceX's Colossus data centers.

"This structure allows us to monetize unused compute capacity in our infrastructure, while still permitting reallocation of the capacity for our own internal initiatives if needed in the future," SpaceX's S-1 said.

The battle for the NBA title is underway, and the New York Knicks are squaring off with the San Antonio Spurs in a can't-miss series. We've compiled everything you need to know about Knicks vs. Spurs, including info on where to watch NBA Finals live streams, venues, odds, and a game schedule.

If you don't want to read any further, you can live stream the games on ABC through ESPN Unlimited or a live TV service in the US, Prime Video in the UK, and the NBA League Pass in most other countries around the world. Keep reading to learn more about global watch options and other details about the series.

Where to watch the NBA Finals in the US

The NBA Finals will air on ABC in the US. This means you can live stream the series directly through ESPN Unlimited or on one of the best live TV streaming services we've tested. ESPN Unlimited costs $30 a month and unlocks full live streaming capabilities across ESPN's family of networks, including ESPN on ABC content.

If you'd prefer a service with other channels, then DirecTV or Fubo might be of interest. These are two of the best ABC-friendly services we've evaluated. DirecTV MySports carries around 20 popular sports networks and unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited. Subscriptions cost $65 a month, but new users can get $15 a month off their first two months after a five-day free trial. ABC is also included in DirecTV's Signature plans.

Fubo Sports + News features around 29 popular news and sports channels and unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited. Subscriptions cost $56 a month, but you can get $10 off your first month of service after a five-day free trial. ABC is also included in Fubo's Pro and Elite packages.

Where to watch the NBA Finals in the UK

In the UK, NBA fans can live stream all of the action through Prime Video. Subscriptions start at £8 a month and include all standard Amazon Prime plans (£9 a month). If you haven't had a subscription before, there's usually a pretty generous free trial offer going on, which would cover you for the duration of the finals, plus Prime Day at the end of the month.

How to watch the NBA Finals from anywhere

NBA Finals live streams are pretty accessible around the world. Prime Video will live stream the Finals in the UK, France, Ireland, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, and several other regions. In most countries outside the US and Canada, you can live stream the games through the NBA League Pass. Subscription prices vary by region.

If you find yourself traveling through an area where you're unable to access your usual streaming options, you can still use them with the help of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy tech tools that let people temporarily change their virtual locations. A VPN is also a solid way to improve day-to-day cybersecurity and online privacy. Since the services we've highlighted require country-specific payment methods, this option will work best for those who are just traveling abroad at the moment.

NordVPN is our top recommendation right now. It's fast, easy to use, and has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not what you're looking for. You can learn more about the service in our guide to the best VPNs. From now until June 9, you can use our exclusive code INSIDER for extra savings on one and two-year plans, thanks to a special NordVPN deal.

NBA Finals schedule

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

Where will Game 2 of Knicks vs. Spurs take place?

The second game of the Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals series will be held at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Game 1 also took place in San Antonio, but the series will head to Madison Square Garden in New York for Games 3 and 4. If the series heads to Game 5, the teams will return to San Antonio.

Who won Game 1 of the NBA Finals?

The New York Knicks won the first game of the NBA Finals on San Antonio turf. The Knicks defeated the Spurs 105-95, thanks to a strong second half. Prior to that, the two teams last faced off at the beginning of March during a regular-season game, which saw the Knicks win 114-89 in New York.

Who is favored to win Knicks vs. Spurs?

Despite the Game 1 loss, the Spurs are the 6.5-point favorites to win Game 2. According to DraftKings at the time of writing, the Spurs are -230 on the moneyline, while the Knicks are +190. However, the Knicks are the current favorites to win the overall series following their Game 1 road victory.

How much are Knicks vs. Spurs tickets?

At the time of writing, the cheapest remaining standard admission tickets on Ticketmaster start at $939.45. Resale sites have cheaper starting prices, with the cheapest listings starting at $650 on StubHub and $662 on Vivid Seats (at the time of writing). Overall, the starting prices are lower than those we saw ahead of Game 1. Game 3, which takes the series to New York, is another story. For Game 3, resale listings start at over $8,000 on StubHub and Vivid Seats.

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

A diet specially formulated for weight management can help cats lose weight safely and effectively. The best weight loss foods for cats are typically lower in calories and fat than standard formulas, but they deliver more nutrients per serving. Many also contain extra fiber to help cats feel full even when they're eating fewer calories.

To choose the foods for this guide, we asked veterinarians what factors matter most when selecting food for overweight cats. Based on their guidance, our top picks include Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Medley wet food and Royal Canin Weight Care Adult Dry Cat Food. Both are formulated with ingredients that support fat metabolism and help cats feel fuller for longer.

All of the foods featured in this guide meet or exceed the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards and align with the Global Nutrition Guidelines published by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), benchmarks endorsed by the veterinarians we consulted. Learn more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Highlights for the best weight loss foods for cats

Best overall wet: Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Medley, 2.9 oz. cans (24 count) - $52 at Chewy

Best overall dry: Royal Canin Weight Care Adult Dry Cat Food, 6 lb. bag - $43 at Chewy

Best budget wet: Blue Buffalo True Solutions Weight Control Chicken Recipe, 3 oz. cans (24 count) - $33 at Chewy

Best budget dry: Purina One +Plus High Protein Chicken, 7 lb. bag - $18 at Chewy

Best for seniors: Iams Proactive Health Healthy Senior Chicken Recipe, 7 lb. bag - $17 at Chewy

Best wet overall

Wet food contains 75% to 78% moisture, compared with just 10% to 12% in dry food. This difference is significant because cats tend to get most of their hydration from what they eat rather than from drinking water, says Dr. Debra Zoran, a small animal internist, nutritionist, and professor at Texas A&M University. What's more, the higher water content in canned food can also help cats feel fuller, even when they're consuming fewer calories.

Since wet and dry cat foods differ so much in moisture content, you'll need to convert wet food values to a dry matter basis when comparing their nutritional content. This means removing all moisture from the wet food and calculating nutritional values based on the remaining solids. For our picks, we contacted manufacturers directly to obtain nutritional information on a dry matter basis. If you want to compare other dry and wet foods, you can use the instructions from the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University, reach out to the food manufacturer, or ask your veterinarian for guidance.

Our recommendations for the best wet cat food for weight loss include added fiber from ingredients like powdered cellulose. This extra fiber can help your cat feel satisfied longer, which may cut down on begging between meals. These recipes also include L-carnitine, an amino acid that helps the body burn fat for energy and may support weight loss.

Best dry overall

Your veterinarian might recommend dry food with added salt as part of a weight management plan. Although salt may seem like an unusual ingredient, Freeman says pet food manufacturers include salt to encourage cats to drink more water. "It's another mechanism to help pets feel full and reduce food consumption," he says. 

Managing calorie intake is also key to helping cats lose weight. That doesn't mean cat treats are forbidden, however. They're important for bonding with your cat and rewarding them, says Dr. Julie Churchill, a veterinary nutritionist and professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. That said, she recommends setting aside a portion of your cat's kibble for treats. This way, you can give your cat a few small pieces of a complete and balanced food without disrupting their diet.

Our picks for the best dry cat food for weight loss include both soluble and insoluble fiber sources, such as beet pulp, oats, psyllium seed husk, and inulin derived from chicory root or Jerusalem artichoke. Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel in the stomach, which slows digestion and increases a cat's feeling of fullness. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool and supports a healthy digestive system. These formulas also contain fish oil, a source of omega-3 fatty acids that can help reduce inflammation and improve joint health. This may help ease joint pain caused by the added stress of carrying excess weight.

Best budget wet

Along with added moisture, many wet cat foods contain carbohydrate sources that can help your cat lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. For instance, Tufts University says complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and whole corn are more fiber-rich than other carbohydrates. They can help your cat feel full for longer. Our experts recommend whole, complex carbohydrates over processed carbohydrates such as flour and meals. This is because cats use more energy to break whole carbs down, says Dr. Korinn Saker, a retired veterinary nutritionist who was associate professor of clinical nutrition at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Our budget picks for the best affordable cat food for weight loss include fiber to help your cat feel full and L-carnitine to help them burn fat. If wet food still feels too pricey (it tends to be more expensive per serving than dry food), you can ask your vet for help creating a meal plan that mixes wet and dry food. Zoran says she offers her cats wet food to keep them hydrated, but also incorporates a small amount of dry food in feeder puzzles. This helps slow her cats' eating by making them work for their food, which can help them feel more satisfied and promote weight loss. You can learn more about the differences between canned food and kibble in our wet vs. dry cat food explainer.

Best budget dry

Budget dry food is a good option for cat owners looking for an affordable way to help their cat lose weight. Both budget and premium weight loss cat foods may contain cost-effective protein sources like meat byproducts and byproduct meals. These are secondary ingredients from the human food industry, but they meet the nutritional requirements for pets set by the AAFCO. Our experts agree that byproducts and meals make good protein sources for cats. 

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need animal-based proteins for essential amino acids like taurine. Budget dry cat foods can meet your cat's dietary needs as long as proteins in the form of whole meat, meat meal, or byproducts come first on the ingredient list.

Our budget picks for the best weight loss foods for cats are low in calories and fat, like our other recommendations in this guide. They contain proteins such as chicken, chicken byproduct meal, and turkey meal. Our pick from Purina also contains L-lysine, an amino acid that supports the immune system and may boost a cat's resistance to certain viruses.

Best for seniors

Senior cats are more likely to develop health problems, especially if they are overweight. Churchill says maintaining a healthy weight can add years to a pet's life, improve their quality of life, and delay many chronic diseases that occur with aging.

When choosing among the best senior cat foods, it's important to work with your veterinarian to determine your pet's specific needs. Some cats may require a diet with lower levels of phosphorus, sodium, or protein, while others may benefit from a high-protein diet. Many senior cat foods, such as the ones below, also contain ingredients like fish oil, glucosamine, and chondroitin that can help improve mobility and reduce inflammation. Our senior picks also contain cranberries and blueberries. These ingredients provide antioxidants, which can help keep a cat's liver, kidneys, and brain healthy.

Our top picks compared

What to look for in cat foods for weight loss

When shopping for the best cat foods for weight loss, you'll want to consider the following criteria: 

AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for adult maintenance or all life stages: The AAFCO is a nonprofit organization that provides nutritional guidelines for pet food. An AAFCO statement indicates that a food meets the nutritional needs of cats based on their life stage. You can confirm a cat food is nutritionally complete and balanced for "adult maintenance" or "all life stages" if it has an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement on the label. 

Keep in mind that cat food will only meet your cat's nutritional needs when served in the right portions. Giving your cat a smaller portion could lead to a nutritional deficiency, while overfeeding them may lead to weight gain, especially if they don't get much activity. 

Growing kittens need more calories and nutrients than adult cats so we recommend the best kitten foods for young felines. Therefore, weight management foods don't make a good choice for kittens, even if the food is labeled for "all life stages." If you have any concerns about your kitten's weight, consult a vet before you change their diet or feed them smaller portions. As your cat nears their first birthday, your vet can evaluate their weight and how many calories they should consume daily. 

Guaranteed analysis and nutrient profiles: The guaranteed analysis on a pet food label shows the percentages of important nutrients, including protein, fat, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Food for adult cats, including seniors, must have a minimum of 26% protein and 9% fat. Our experts say it's important to carefully examine the guaranteed analysis of protein, fat, and fiber percentages to ensure the recipe meets your cat's needs. The best weight loss foods for cats generally contain low to moderate fat and high fiber. 

Ingredients list: The ingredients on a pet food label appear in order of weight. As obligate carnivores, cats must eat diets made up of animal-based proteins. So, animal proteins in the form of whole meat, meat meal, or animal byproducts should appear first on the ingredients list of any cat food. To add fiber to your cat's diet and keep them feeling full between meals, opt for recipes with whole complex carbohydrates such as whole corn, whole brown rice, oats, and inulin. Sources of inulin you may notice on cat food labels include chicory root and, less commonly, Jerusalem artichoke.

Expert formulations: Expert formulation is even more important when it comes to weight loss diets since the best weight loss foods for cats are developed to provide more nutrients per serving, with fewer calories. We only recommend food from brands that employ a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist or a PhD-level animal nutritionist. This helps ensure your cat's food meets nutritional recommendations and includes the right ingredients for cats. It also aligns with the WSAVA guidelines and our experts' guidance.

Manufacturing standards: We expect commercial cat food brands to be transparent about their quality control measures. This means providing information about the types of tests they conduct, how often they test, and the results of those tests. If this information doesn't appear on a pet food company's website, brand representatives should provide the information upon request.

Calorie content: The calorie content of cat food is listed in kilocalories (kcals). Weight management foods generally have fewer calories per serving but are nutrient-dense to meet nutritional needs. However, the calorie needs of adult cats can vary depending on their age, ideal weight, and overall health. Our experts emphasize the importance of switching to a weight management diet instead of just giving your cat less food. Your vet can recommend the best weight loss cat foods and the right portion size for your cat. When a pet is only a little overweight — 10% to 15% — a successful approach to weight loss may involve switching to a lower-calorie food and adjusting treats and snacks, combined with increased exercise, Churchill says. Pets more than 15% heavier than their ideal weight are considered obese and may benefit from a prescription weight loss diet.

Vets can use a scale and the body condition scoring (BCS) system to assess your cat's weight and body fat. Your vet will consider your cat's lifestyle, ideal weight, and overall health to recommend the ideal number of daily calories your cat should eat. You can ask your vet to teach you how to use the BCS system to check your cat's body fat at home between wellness visits. Churchill says that frequent monitoring of your cat's weight is important since it allows veterinarians to fine-tune caloric intake and ensure that weight loss stays safe and healthy. She adds that cats should lose weight gradually, at a rate of 1% to 2% of their body weight per week.

How we selected the best weight loss foods for cats

To pick the best weight loss foods for cats, we consulted four veterinarians, including three specializing in animal nutrition. Our experts didn't recommend specific foods, but they helped us determine what makes an effective weight loss food and how to ensure your cat loses weight in a safe and healthy way.

• Dr. Debra Zoran is a small animal internist, nutritionist, and professor of small animal clinical sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. 
• Dr. Korinn Saker is a board-certified veterinarian and a retired professor of clinical nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University. 
• Dr. Julie Churchill is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and a professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. 
• Dr. Mark Freeman is a board-certified veterinarian and clinical associate professor of community practice at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. 

We also consulted guidelines and recommendations from the AAFCO, the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines, and other publications and organizations linked in this guide.

Meet the expert behind this guide

Janelle Leeson, pet nutrition reporter: I've covered feline health and nutrition for Reviews since 2023, combining in-depth research with expert insight to help cat guardians make informed decisions. For this guide, I reviewed scientific literature on feline obesity and weight management, interviewed veterinarians about what makes a diet effective for weight management, compared the nutrient profiles and ingredient lists of more than 40 formulas, and applied rigorous, vet-informed criteria to every recommendation. My reporting is rooted in credible sources, objective comparisons, and a passion for helping cats thrive.

Weight loss cat food FAQs

What is the best food for cats to lose weight?

The best weight loss foods for cats are specially formulated for and labeled as "weight management," "weight loss," or "healthy weight" cat food. These weight management cat foods typically contain fewer calories and less fat while offering more nutrients per serving than regular cat food. Still, there's no one-size-fits-all food for overweight cats. Your cat's ideal diet depends on factors like their individual needs, age, ideal weight, and overall health. That's why consulting your veterinarian before making changes to your cat's diet is essential. They can recommend an appropriate food and help you create a safe, effective weight loss plan tailored to your cat.

Is wet or dry cat food better for weight loss?

Both wet and dry cat foods can help your cat lose weight, but wet food is generally better for weight loss than dry food. It's lower in calories per bite, higher in moisture to help cats feel satiated, and often includes complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice and whole grain corn, which take longer to digest.

Dr. Liza Cahn, a veterinarian and consultant for Embrace Pet Insurance, says dry food is typically more calorie-dense, making it easier for cats to overeat, especially when they're free-fed. The carbohydrates in kibble tend to come from processed flours and meals, which usually don't keep cats feeling full for long. However, a lower-calorie, high-fiber dry food can support weight loss when portions are measured carefully. Regardless of the type of food you choose, regular exercise through play and enrichment is essential for effective weight management.

What is the best way for an indoor cat to lose weight?

Successful feline weight loss relies on three pillars: a balanced diet, portion control, and regular exercise. A weight management food plays an important role, but how much you feed matters just as much. Freeman emphasizes the importance of portion control. He and his team provide pet parents with a carefully calibrated measuring cup for portioning food. Churchill recommends using a kitchen scale to measure portions accurately. Remember that treats also count toward your cat's daily calorie intake. Because treats are typically empty calories, which means they're not complete and balanced, Churchill recommends giving your cat a small portion of their meal as a reward instead. Exercise is especially important for indoor cats. It burns calories and prevents boredom. Churchill recommends using puzzle feeders, and all of our experts agree that cat trees and perches can help encourage activity.

How much should I feed a cat that needs to lose weight?

Your veterinarian can calculate the appropriate amount of calories your cat should eat based on their age, health, and body condition. As a starting point, you can use the Pet Nutrition Alliance Calorie Calculator to estimate your cat's daily calorie needs based on their current and ideal weight. For obese cats (those 15% to 20% over their ideal weight), Churchill says simply feeding less of their regular diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Instead, your vet may recommend a therapeutic weight loss diet.

How long should it take a cat to lose weight?

Cats should lose weight slowly, about 1% to 2% of their body weight per week, Churchill says. This gradual weight loss helps avoid health issues such as muscle loss and hepatic lipidosis, a potentially fatal condition. Hepatic lipidosis, also called fatty liver disease, can occur when a cat's food intake decreases so rapidly that they are in a state of anorexia. The body responds by sending fat stores to the liver. However, the liver can't process such large amounts of fat, so it builds up in liver cells, causing irreversible damage. While roughly 90% of cases stem from underlying conditions such as kidney disease, cancer, or diabetes, rapid calorie restriction for weight loss can also cause fatty liver disease, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. However, obesity also puts cats at greater risk of developing fatty liver disease.

Do slow feeders help cats lose weight?

Yes, slow feeders can help cats lose weight. Slow feeders and puzzles allow cats to mimic natural hunting and foraging behaviors, providing mental stimulation and reducing boredom, which can lead to extra eating or begging. Some slow feeders and puzzles, such as the Catit Senses Food Tree, encourage physical activity by requiring cats to sit up, reach, or circle the feeder to get food. Others, like kibble-dispensing balls, motivate cats to push the toy to release food. Even when using slow feeders and puzzles, portion control remains essential, so you should still carefully measure your cat's food.

• Steve Cohen's $50.7 billion Point72 continued its strong 2026 in May.
• Big-name managers, including Millennium and Balyasny, mostly performed well in May.
• The S&P 500 index climbed more than 5% in May, pushing the year-to-date gains to 11%.

Steve Cohen's $50.7 billion hedge fund has continued its strong run of returns with a 2% gain in May, a person close to the firm tells Business Insider.

That gain puts Cohen's firm at 10.5% for the year, following a 17.5% gain in 2025, when the manager outperformed its main rivals in the multistrategy space, namely Millennium and Citadel.

May was generally good for big-name managers, people close to the firms told Business Insider. Millennium was up 2.4%, pushing its 2026 gains to 6.1%. Balyasny is now positive for the year thanks to a 1.4% gain last month. Citadel also gained 1.4% in May; Ken Griffin's firm is now up 3.9% in 2026.

Still, funds struggled to keep pace with equity markets, which surged in May thanks to continued enthusiasm for tech and AI stocks. The S&P 500 index ended last month up 11% after a more than 5% gain in May.

A few managers lost money for the month. Walleye and North Rock both posted small losses — 0.9% and 0.2%, respectively — in May.

The funds listed below declined to comment.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on June 3 at 12:16 p.m. New figures have been added to the table below as they have been learned.

Athleta may be best known for leggings and workout gear, but the brand has grown into a destination for much more than activewear. Alongside sports bras and performance pieces, shoppers will find comfortable basics, travel-friendly styles, dresses, jumpsuits, and office-ready pants. If you are looking to save on your next order, an Athleta coupon code can help bring down the cost.

Our style team has tested a wide range of Athleta products over the years, and the brand continues to stand out for its comfort, quality, and versatility. Favorites like the Ultra High Rise Elation Legging and Endless High Rise Pant have earned spots in our workout set and stretchy work pants buying guides thanks to their flattering fit and all-day wearability.

While Athleta regularly runs sales on select colors and styles, promo codes can unlock even more savings. Below, we have rounded up the best Athleta coupons, promo codes, and current deals to help you save on leggings, activewear, workwear, and more.

Today's best Athleta coupons

Previous Athleta coupons

Are there any other Athleta sales currently running?

You can find a full list of all current markdowns at any time on Athleta's website, which we've compiled for you below. As of the time of writing, Athleta is running the following promotions.

Use Athleta coupon codes on these items

You can use Athleta coupons to save on styles we've recommended in our guides, including one of our favorite pairs of women's workout leggings. The Ultra High Rise Elation Legging is already on sale, bringing the price down from $99 to $75. However, when you apply the coupon code MEGHAN10, you can reduce the price by 10% to around $67.49. Alternatively, use the same code on our favorite stretchy work pants, the Endless High Rise Pants, which currently retail for $109, to reduce the price to just $98.10.

• Follow our Instagram page and WhatsApp channel on mobile for more deals and shopping news

How to use Athleta coupon codes

Start by adding coupon-eligible items to your cart. Once you're on the "Shopping Bag" page, you can apply a coupon by pasting the coupon code into the text box under "Promos" that says "Enter Promo Code" and clicking "Apply." From there, continue to checkout and enter your shipping and billing information.

Can you stack Athleta coupons?

Athleta does allow some coupon codes to be stacked together. However, there may be exceptions, so be sure to check the terms and conditions for the specific codes you want to stack. Some coupon codes can't be combined with other existing offers, such as limited-time sales.

Athleta coupons: frequently asked questions

Does Athleta offer discounts for students, teachers, and the military?

As of the time of writing, Athleta does not offer special discounts for students, teachers, or military members, so your best bet is to take advantage of their other coupons and promotions.

If you're a student or teacher, check out our roundups of the best student discounts and teacher discounts for more offers from your favorite brands.

Does Athleta offer free shipping?

Athleta offers free shipping on all orders over $50 to members of its rewards program. For non-members, shipping fees will be calculated at checkout based on your delivery location and order cost. For All-Access cardmembers, the free shipping minimum is $35+. Learn more about the rewards program and sign up on Athleta's website.

What is Athleta's return policy?

Athleta allows you to return items for a full refund up to 30 days after the original delivery date or in-store purchase.

Can I use Athleta coupon codes in-store?

Some Athleta coupons can be used both online and in-store. However, many coupons are online-exclusive, so be sure to check the terms and conditions for the specific code you want to use.

Can I reuse an Athleta coupon?

Some Athleta coupon codes can be used multiple times. However, there are certain codes that can only be used once, so be sure to check the terms and conditions for the specific code you want to use.

Does Athleta have a rewards program?

Athleta offers two ways for shoppers to earn rewards. You can open an Athleta rewards credit card, which earns you 20% off your first purchase and five rewards points for every dollar you spend (plus a few other perks), or sign up for the rewards program for free without opening a card, which earns you one rewards point for every dollar you spend and a birthday bonus.

The free rewards tier is known as a Core membership, but if you spend $350+ in a year, you unlock more benefits as a Premier member. Learn more about the benefits and how to sign up at Athleta's website.

Looking for more activewear? Check out our roundup of the best Spanx coupons.

GlassesUSA has become one of the most popular places to buy glasses online, thanks to its large selection of frames and prices that are often lower than what you will find at a traditional optical shop. The retailer carries everything from budget-friendly in-house styles to designer brands, making it a solid option whether you are shopping for prescription glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, or blue-light-blocking frames. If you are looking to spend less, a GlassesUSA coupon code is one of the easiest ways to cut the cost of your order.

Our team has tested many of the best online glasses retailers over the years, and GlassesUSA continues to stand out for its combination of affordability, selection, and convenience. Whether you need everyday prescription glasses, a backup pair, or stylish sunglasses, there are options for every budget and preference. You can also check out our full GlassesUSA review for a closer look at the shopping experience and frame quality.

GlassesUSA regularly runs promotions throughout the year, with discounts on frames, lenses, contacts, and more. Below, we have rounded up the best GlassesUSA coupons, promo codes, and deals available right now to help you save on your next order.

Today's best GlassesUSA coupons

Previous GlassesUSA promo codes

Are there any other GlassesUSA sales running at the moment?

You can find a full list of current markdowns at any time on the sale pages of GlassesUSA's site. At the time of writing, GlassesUSA is running the following promotions.

• Follow us on Instagram and WhatsApp for the latest content from the Reviews team.

How to use GlassesUSA promo codes

It's easy to use GlassesUSA promo codes. You can start the process by adding coupon-eligible items to your cart. From there, you can click the "Secure Checkout" pop-up or the shopping cart icon to navigate to the "Shopping Cart" checkout page, where you'll be able to apply a coupon by pasting the code into the "Coupon/Store Credit" text box and clicking "Apply." Some codes may be automatically applied when you go to your cart. Once you add the coupon, you can continue the checkout process by inputting your shipping and payment information.

Can you stack GlassesUSA discount codes?

GlassesUSA does not allow coupons to be stacked together. Only one promo code may be applied per order.

GlassesUSA coupons: Frequently asked questions

Does GlassesUSA offer discounts for students, teachers, and the military?

GlassesUSA offers students a 40% sitewide discount. The retailer also offers a $20 service discount to first responders, military members, teachers, nurses, medical providers, hospital workers, government employees, and senior citizens. Eligible customers must verify their status to receive the discount.

If you're a student or teacher, check out our roundups of the best student discounts and the best teacher discounts for more ways to save from your favorite brands.

Does GlassesUSA take insurance?

GlassesUSA accepts insurance from several major providers, which are listed on the website here. If your provider isn't listed, GlassesUSA can provide a detailed receipt with your order that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

GlassesUSA also allows you to use HSA and FSA dollars directly on the site. Simply enter your FSA/HSA card at checkout like you would a credit or debit card. Learn more about using FSA or HSA dollars on GlassesUSA's website.

Does GlassesUSA offer free shipping?

GlassesUSA offers free standard shipping on all orders in the United States. For faster shipping or next-day delivery, you may need to pay an extra fee.

What is GlassesUSA's return policy?

GlassesUSA allows items to be returned for a full refund within 45 days of the original purchase. Learn more about how to make a return on GlassesUSA's website. You'll need your order ID and email address to get started.

Does GlassesUSA have a virtual try-on feature?

GlassesUSA's virtual try-on feature can help you see what certain frames look like on your face before you buy them. When you're on the product page of the frames you're interested in, simply click "Live Try On" on the product photo to use the feature. If you prefer to test out your frames in person, GlassesUSA also offers a 45-day home try-on feature.

If you need more help deciding which frames are right for you, GlassesUSA offers a Pairfect Match AI quiz on its website that can help you find the best pair for your needs.

Can I reuse a GlassesUSA coupon?

The majority of GlassesUSA coupons can only be used once per customer. However, there may be exceptions, so be sure to check the terms and conditions for the specific code you're interested in using.

For more eyewear deals, check out our roundups of the best Zenni promo codes.

• US stocks plunged, with losses on Friday driving the Nasdaq 100 to its worst week since April 2025
• A strong jobs report is positive for the economy, but has dashed rate cut hopes for this year.
• Investors now see a 70% chance the Fed will hike rates this year.

Good news is bad news for markets this Friday, as stocks tanked hard after a key economic update.

It was another amazing month for the US job market, but that wasn't really what investors wanted to hear. US employers added 172,000 jobs in May, far more than the 88,000 economists were expecting. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3%.

It's a positive signal for the US economy, suggesting that employers haven't yet been deterred by hotter inflation and lingering uncertainty over the US-Iran war.

But for markets, a red-hot jobs report has come to mean one thing: say goodbye to rate cuts.

Stocks plummeted as investors dumped high-flying growth stocks across tech and AI. The Nasdaq 100 plunged nearly 5%, recording its worst single-day loss since October of last year and its worst weekly loss since Liberation Day. The S&P 500 snapped a nine-week streak of gains, its longest winning run since 2023.

Here's where US indexes stood at the 4 p.m. ET closing bell:

• S&P 500: 7,383.81, down 2.64%
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 50,866.78, down 1.35% (-695.15 points)
• Nasdaq 100: 28,957.60, down 4.7%

Investors look to be taking profits, especially in the semiconductor sector, Louis Navellier, the CIO of Navellier & Associates, wrote in a note.

"Equity markets paused following an historic run, heading for the first losing week in 10," Mark Hackett, the chief market strategist at Nationwide, wrote in a note on Friday. "As market indexes settle, it is important to look below the surface for signs of investor risk tolerances," he added, pointing to the momentum in the chips sector in recent months.

The logic goes like this: Investors have been waiting for months for lower interest rates, something that's expected to boost the price of risk assets, like stocks. But there are two things that stand in the way of the Fed loosening monetary policy: higher inflation, and a strong labor market.

On the inflation side, markets already knew that the central bank had less room to cut rates than it did prior to the start of the US-Iran war. Inflation accelerated to its hottest pace in about three years in April, largely due to the recent surge in energy prices.

But now, hiring looks like it's tipped out of favor for rate cuts as well. If the job market were struggling, there might be a stronger case for the Fed to cut rates to boost economic growth.

Investors were quick to dial back odds of a rate cut and dial up the odds of a hike.

The odds that the Fed would cut rates at all by the end of the year shrank to 1.1%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. That compares to a 70.7% chance of a rate hike, which is considered to be the worst-case scenario for stocks.

US Treasury yields, another reflection of interest rate expectations in the economy, also increased.

The 10-year US Treasury yield rose to 4.54%, breaking above the key 4.5% psychological threshold that suggests investors see higher interest rates for longer, which can weigh on stocks.

The 20-year and 30-year US Treasury yields also ticked higher, pushing further above 5%.

"Any hopes of a Fed rate cut have effectively been eliminated with this morning's strong jobs report," Ron Temple, the chief market strategist at Lazard, wrote in a note. "While I still view a rate hike as unlikely, the case for easing has been invalidated with headline CPI inflation next week likely to top 4%," he added of the coming May inflation report.

Bank of America also flagged the possibility of a "hawkish Fed shift" in a note published after the jobs report.

Chris Zaccarelli, the CIO of Northlight Asset Management, said a rate hike wasn't a done deal in markets yet, though rate cuts were likely off the table for 2026.

"The Fed won't be able to cut rates with inflation this high, but if it is staying under control — especially with the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz — then they won't feel pressure to raise rates either," Zaccarelli wrote in a note on Friday.

June has officially arrived, which means summer shows are starting back up, along with some fun films. We've rounded up the best TV premieres, finales, and movie streaming debuts you can watch the weekend of June 5, 2026.

This week, "Hoppers" finally lands on streaming after its theatrical run. "Office Romance" and "Lorne" have also premiered, if you're looking for other new movies in the romcom or documentary sphere. "Love Island USA" is back for a new season, but our top recommendations this week go to the premieres of "The Vampire Lestat" and "Cape Fear."

6: Hoppers

If you're looking for something that the whole family can enjoy, "Hoppers" is the way to go this weekend. The animated movie is Pixar's latest, following a college student who puts her mind into a beaver to interact with and understand animals. Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, and Dave Franco lend their voices to the film. "Hoppers" is now streaming on Disney Plus.

5: Love Island USA

A new cohort of bombshells enters the villa in the latest season of "Love Island USA." The reality romance series is in its eighth season after its jump in popularity over the past few years. If you can't get enough, the series that started it all ("Love Island UK") is also dropping its newest season across the pond. New episodes of "Love Island USA" stream almost daily on Peacock.

4: Office Romance

Following "Marry Me" and "Shotgun Wedding," Jennifer Lopez's recent romcom revival continues with "Office Romance." The film is cowritten by "Ted Lasso" star Brett Goldstein, who stars alongside JLo as the work flirt whom she falls for. The pair develop feelings for each other while working at Lopez's (character's) airline company, where they must keep their office romance undercover. The movie is now streaming on Netflix.

3: Lorne

If you've ever wondered about the man behind the "Saturday Night Live" machine (and you're looking for something more in-depth than the "Saturday Night" movie that dropped a couple of years ago), then "Lorne" has you covered. The documentary is a deep look into Lorne Michaels, bolstered by interviews from "SNL" mainstays like Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, John Mulaney, Conan O'Brien, Chris Rock, and others. The film is now streaming on Peacock.

2: The Vampire Lestat

The TV adaptation of "Interview with the Vampire" is back with a new season — and a new name. The third installment in Anne Rice's iconic story finds the titular vampire (Sam Reid) on tour as a rock star following the publication of Daniel Molloy's (Eric Bogosian) book about him. "The Vampire Lestat" airs on AMC on Sundays, starting June 7. Cord-cutters can live stream new episodes through services like AMC Plus, AMC Plus via Prime Video, Philo, DirecTV MyEntertainment, and Sling TV Blue or Orange.

1: Cape Fear

Apple TV continues its hot streak with "Cape Fear," the pulpy TV reimagining of the '90s film of the same name (a remake of a '60s film, based on a '50s novel — so there are layers to it). The limited series stars Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson as married lawyers who are forced to reckon with their past when a man (Javier Bardem) that they helped put away in prison is released and hell-bent on terrorizing them. Notably, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are executive producers on the thriller series. New episodes drop on Fridays globally (Thursday nights in the US) on Apple TV.

Also streaming:

Each week, we highlight the best TV show premieres, finales, and new-to-streaming movies (along with stand-up comedy specials, when something sparks our interest). However, there are also several ongoing series that are currently dropping excellent new episodes. You can find some of our top recommendations below.

• "Dutton Ranch" (new episodes Fridays on Paramount Plus)

• "Widow's Bay" (new episodes Wednesdays on Apple TV)
• "Criminal Minds: Evolution" (new episodes Thursdays on Paramount Plus)
• "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" Season 11 (new episodes Fridays on Paramount Plus)
• "Star City" (new episodes on Fridays on Apple TV)

If you're interested in learning more about these streaming apps, check out our guides to the best streaming services and best live TV streaming services. For additional recommendations, you can explore our roundup of the best streaming deals and bundles.

World Cup ticket prices are constantly changing as we get closer to the June 11 start date. The initial ticket launch from FIFA frustrated football fans around the world, with affordable prices nowhere to be seen on the cumbersome website. And while I can't say things have improved that much, there are at least more options to buy now, with some games starting around $250.

If you want to know where to buy World Cup tickets at this late stage, your best bet is likely via official reseller platforms like StubHub and Vividseats, traditional platforms we've used for years for other sporting events and live music.

I've been keeping an eye on World Cup ticket prices since launch, and over the last 60 days, prices have dropped by around 20% on average. This trend has started to turn around, though, with the average over the last two weeks going up by 5%. However, as we get closer to the tournament, prices could drop again, especially on the reseller marketplaces.

While no World Cup tickets are anything close to 'cheap', it's worth keeping an eye on fixtures near you, as you might get a better price the closer we get to game time.

2026 FIFA World Cup tickets for every game

Below you'll find links to purchase World Cup tickets via StubHub for every tournament fixture, along with recent entry-level prices. Prices are subject to change daily, but are correct at the time of publication.

Group Stage

Round of 32

Round of 16

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Bronze medal match

Final

Where to buy World Cup tickets

The official FIFA website has been drip-feeding out a few additional ticket releases in recent weeks, but with exceptionally high prices, usually starting way over $1,000. Every visit to the site prompts a wave of Captcha events, multiple logins, code resends, and a loop of waiting rooms. And when the prices end up being higher than online reseller markets, it's hardly worth checking anymore.

Instead, we've noticed StubHub and Vividseats have had better prices and a much wider variety of seats available. The StubHub prices listed above were the cheapest ones I've seen at the time of writing, and are usually quite far from the pitch. Prices climb dramatically the closer you get.

Are resellers safe?

Yes, official resellers like StubHub and Vividseats are eligible options for buying World Cup tickets, with various protections in place that offer refunds if anything goes wrong with the seller. Check out Sarah's guide as she answers the popular question cautious ticket buyers online always ask: Is StubHub legit?

What city has the cheapest World Cup ticket prices?

Prices are largely driven by the teams playing rather than the city itself, as the most popular teams can significantly raise ticket prices for a fixture. Brazil, Portugal, and Mexico games are trending the highest right now.

At the time of writing, according to TicketData.com, San Francisco has the lowest average get-in price for group stage fixtures at $281. Atlanta is up next at $376, with Vancouver and Kansas also coming in a few bucks short of $400.

On the other end of the scale, Mexico City has the highest average ticket price for group games at $1,465, followed by Miami ($1,271) and Guadalajara ($1,104).

• Polymarket paid high-profile influencers hundreds of thousands to promote its prediction market.
• Those influencers, however, never disclosed that they were being paid.
• Polymarket CMO Matthew Modabber paid the creators using a personal PayPal account, POLITICO found.

When far-right influencer Nick Shirley posted a viral video in January alleging fraud at Minnesota daycares, he showed his 1.6 million followers on X something else too: a gray hoodie emblazoned with the Polymarket logo.

Polymarket had made other appearances in the 24-year-old's content, like in a series of man-on-the-street interviews about the "current state of America" posted in December.

The first post came after Shirley began receiving money from Polymarket's chief marketing officer, Matthew Modabber. The second came after he had taken in a total of $3,100 from Modabber, according to records reviewed by POLITICO.

Modabber, who once wrote that the key to growth is "a product people can't shut up about," was putting his money where his mouth is. The Polymarket executive used a personal PayPal account to send at least $350,000 to Shirley and other content creators between January 2025 and February 2026, an analysis of the transactions shows.

That sum is almost certainly an undercount. Modabber used his personal PayPal account, which is registered to an email for a salad spot he cofounded, to send over $2.5 million to more than 800 people during the 14-month span, the analysis shows. POLITICO independently verified the identities of about two dozen content creators who received money from Modabber by using public records and analyzing their social media accounts.

At least 20 of the content creators identified by POLITICO promoted Polymarket on social media after they began receiving money from Modabber, according to payment records and POLITICO's analysis of their social media activity. During the 14-month span reflected in the payment records, they posted about Polymarket at least 490 times on the social media platform X without clearly disclosing a paid partnership. The analysis of payment records and concurrent social posts highlights the company's under-the-radar campaign to generate buzz in the political world around the highly controversial prediction market.

Among those paid: conservative influencer Alex LoRusso, progressive political commentator Brian Krassenstein, and Riley Gaines, a collegiate swimmer-turned-Fox News contributor who has campaigned against trans women competing in women's sports.

The PayPal transaction records were shown to POLITICO by a person with access to the data. They were granted anonymity for fear of retribution.

A Polymarket spokesperson told POLITICO the partnerships with influencers were part of its standard business practices.

"We routinely collaborate with a diverse range of independent organizations, partners, and content creators spanning the political spectrum and constantly monitor, evaluate our progress, and make the necessary adjustments in order to achieve our core mission of providing the most accurate, transparent, and data-driven market insights to a global audience," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson declined to answer questions on the company's strategy for partnering with influencers, its policies for disclosing those deals on social media, why Modabber used a personal account for the transactions, and whether the payments were reported as business expenses to the IRS.

Modabber did not respond to requests for comment.

Led by 28-year-old CEO Shayne Coplan, Polymarket has primarily functioned outside the US since Wall Street regulators banned it for operating without a license in 2022. But the company — which offers users the chance to bet on US elections, the Super Bowl, and even the Iran war — has seen its trading volumes skyrocket since President Donald Trump's reelection in 2024, as prediction markets have entered the mainstream.

Trump's administration faces mounting pressure to rein in prediction market platforms like Polymarket and its main competitor, Kalshi, over insider trading concerns. But the president, whose son Donald Trump Jr. is an investor in Polymarket and a paid advisor to Kalshi, has taken a mostly laissez-faire approach. Trump's administration dropped a pair of investigations into the company last summer, effectively clearing the way for Polymarket to re-enter the US market by acquiring a federally regulated exchange. Last week, he attacked several blue state leaders who have sought to regulate the platforms, saying it's "critically important" the federal government takes the lead and that the companies "will thrive."

As the policy debate over prediction markets plays out, Polymarket is harnessing influencers' massive online audiences to turn itself into a household name. On X, the influencers trumpet claims about Polymarket's accuracy, whether it's predicting the outcome of the New York City mayoral election in 2025 or the exact date when a government shutdown would end — all while failing to mention the company's role in bankrolling their posts. In many of their posts, Polymarket is framed as an authoritative source, and viewers may never realize they're scrolling past sponsored content.

"People are not consciously thinking about whether an influencer is profiting every time they see a post," said Renée DiResta, author of a book about social media propagandists, "Invisible Rulers," and a Georgetown University professor who studies influence in the digital age.

The Federal Trade Commission says social media influencers have a responsibility to disclose any "material connection" to products they endorse, but the agency did not respond to questions about how those rules apply to posts about prediction markets.

None of the X posts made during the records' 14-month timeframe included disclosures that they were part of paid promotions, POLITICO found. The platform rolled out the ability to label posts as paid promotions on March 1, though an X spokesperson said clear disclosures like "ad" or "sponsored" were always required in commercial posts.

"It sounds like this would be the type of thing that generally should be disclosed," Robin Moore, former deputy general counsel for the FTC, said in an interview.

Kalshi has been known to partner with online content creators, too, underscoring the importance of social media to prediction market companies' growth strategies. Last year, Kalshi hired a cryptocurrency influencer to lead its digital assets efforts, and it has partnered with social media influencers to boost its profile with sports fans and women.

"Everybody was either Polymarket or Kalshi," said one social media influencer paid by Polymarket, who was granted anonymity because they feared retribution. "Kalshi and Polymarket, they literally at some point owned all big influencers."

The influencer, who has hundreds of thousands of followers on X, said they received thousands of dollars from Polymarket to post about the company since 2024.

Kalshi spokesperson Elisabeth Diana declined to comment for this report.

'Cannot be faked'

In May 2024, Shane Ginsberg asked passersby in Atlanta: "Trump or Biden?" All four people featured in the video he posted on his @shaneyyricch Instagram account expressed a preference for Trump in the upcoming presidential election against Joe Biden.

But the man-on-the-street-style interviews were not just about the election.

"I bet $5,000 on Trump to win the election," Ginsberg tells one interviewee, as an image of Polymarket pops up on the screen. "Are you confident enough that he'll win that you would bet?"

"Well, pull out your phone real quick," Ginsberg responds, after the man says yes. "There's a place called Polymarket. Polymarket.com. It's the only place where you can bet on news, the election."

Ginsberg was 19 at the time — old enough to vote in his first presidential election. And the self-proclaimed 8th-grade dropout had just started working with Polymarket to boost the company's brand recognition, according to his website.

Ginsberg had started a social media marketing business called Street Poller, touting his ability to "dominate the scroll" by making videos of unscripted man-on-the-street interviews, then using a network of 50-plus content creators to boost their reach, as a Polymarket case study on his website describes it.

In some cases, Ginsberg's fleet of interviewers didn't even mention Polymarket. They simply wore the company's logo on a T-shirt.

The timing couldn't have been better.

Polymarket was paying social media influencers across the country to promote election betting in the months leading up to the presidential race. US bettors were still barred from placing wagers through Polymarket under the company's 2022 settlement with federal regulators, but the influencers rarely mentioned that.

Ginsberg, who received at least $77,000 from Modabber over PayPal, did not respond to emails requesting comment on his work for Polymarket.

Asked about Modabber's use of a personal PayPal account for what appear to be business transactions, a PayPal spokesperson declined to comment on specific accounts but referred POLITICO to a section of its user agreement that describes personal accounts as "primarily for personal, family, or household purposes."

"If the activity associated with your personal account primarily involves business or commercial activity, PayPal may close your account unless you agree to cease the business or commercial activity or convert your personal account to a business," the company's agreement states.

In the lead-up to the election, when Polymarket users successfully wagered millions of dollars on Trump beating then-Vice President Kamala Harris to win a second term, the platform saw a surge in popularity. More than $1.5 billion traded hands on Polymarket's wager that Trump would win, while more than $1 billion flowed behind Harris' candidacy. One measure of monthly trading volumes on the company's main platform jumped nearly 400% between September and October 2024, according to Dune Analytics, which tracks prediction market data.

The second Trump administration seemed to augur a friendlier regulatory environment for prediction markets after a Biden-era crackdown. Under Biden, the Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission were investigating whether Polymarket was continuing to accept bets from U.S. customers, in violation of the company's 2022 settlement. Shortly after the 2024 election, FBI agents raided the Polymarket CEO's New York City home — a step he painted as a "last-ditch effort" by the Biden administration "to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents."

Trump's return to the White House yielded plenty of possibilities to bet on. After Trump created the slash-and-burn DOGE initiative with an executive order in January 2025, Polymarket debuted a dashboard to track all the cuts.

Influencers spread the word on X, the social media platform known as Twitter before Tesla CEO — and DOGE leader — Elon Musk bought it in 2022.

Eric Daugherty, a conservative content creator who received at least $15,000 from Modabber, according to the records reviewed by POLITICO, announced the Department of Government Efficiency dashboard's release to his 1 million followers as a "BREAKING" update on February 14, 2025.

Riley Gaines, who was paid at least $6,600, according to the records, shared the DOGE news with well over 1 million followers on X, opining: "This is awesome!"

Conservative media personality Elijah Schaffer, who received more than $8,400, wrote "Exciting news!" in a post last February, adding that the new dashboard would "be bookmarked for the next 4 years."

None of these posts mention being paid by Polymarket or Modabber, though in a comment on his post, Schaffer said he is a "long term brand rep" for Polymarket. "I'm not paid for this post directly and they don't force me to say anything so it's technically not an ad. However I do clarify we work together," he wrote.

Daugherty, Gaines, and Schaffer did not respond to emails requesting comment on their Polymarket partnerships and whether they were paid to post about the DOGE dashboard. Months after his DOGE post, Schaffer also said on X that he partnered with Polymarket and "made some pretty solid money."

When Polymarket inked a partnership in June with xAI, an artificial intelligence startup co-founded by Musk, paid influencers again swooped in to hype the news. Eight of the roughly two dozen influencers reviewed by POLITICO posted about the partnership on the same day, all within hours of one another.

Dominick McGee, a conservative content creator who received at least $3,200 from Modabber and was once ranked by an analytics firm as the third-most-influential user on X, wrote: "X is about to change the game with this, and it's honestly a match made in heaven."

"Polymarket really took over, it feels like they have always been here," McGee, who goes by Dom Lucre on social media, wrote in another X post about the collaboration several days later. Musk and spokespeople for xAI did not respond to requests for comment.

On McGee's website, where he touts his "media influence" as someone "delivering unfiltered truth," he says he charges at least $2,500 to comment on a social media post and upward of $15,000 to post a "breaking" or "developing" item. McGee did not respond to requests for comment.

Modabber also sent money to two people, Debbie D'Souza and Amjed Yacu, who have substantial online followings on the right — and ties to Trump's administration — but do not appear to have posted about Polymarket on social media. D'Souza is the wife of conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, whom Trump pardoned in 2018 following a felony campaign finance conviction; she helped write and direct Dinesh D'Souza's 2024 documentary "Vindicating Trump" and contributes to her husband's self-titled podcast. Yacu serves as the Defense Department's deputy digital director and runs a far-right Instagram account called Snowflake.Tears.

D'Souza, who netted at least $20,000 from Modabber, and Yacu, who received at least $850 prior to his employment with the administration, did not respond to requests for comment.

Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez said Yacu "currently maintains no active business partnerships related to his personal social media pages" — nor would he in the future as a Defense Department employee. Valdez declined to answer a follow-up question on whether Yacu held any business partnerships related to his personal social media accounts at any point during his employment with the department.

Last summer, Trump's administration dropped the two investigations into Polymarket. The company proceeded to spend $112 million to acquire a licensed exchange and clearinghouse, putting it well on its way to a US comeback.

"The cultural relevance and brand recognition of Polymarket is something that cannot be faked," one person posted on X in August 2025.

Modabber shared the post on his own X account, adding, "CANNOT BE FAKED."

Obsessed with accuracy

When former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced off against democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in last year's Democratic primary to become New York City's mayor, content creators invoked Polymarket to gauge the odds of an upset.

Alexander Kaufman, a climate reporter who runs a Substack newsletter, received at least $1,200 from Moddaber. "Wild," he wrote on X the day before the primary, including a screenshot of the platform's trading volume on the race. "Polymarket finally has @ZohranKMamdani with pretty good odds of actually winning the primary against Andrew Cuomo."

After Mamdani bested Cuomo to win the Democratic nomination, influencers posted about Polymarket as a kind of oracle.

Arash Azizi, a historian who writes about Iran for The Atlantic and received at least $3,000 from Moddaber, wrote in October 2025: "It's fascinating how Polymarket numbers are a good guide for the direction of events. Before any polls, it saw the rise of Mamdani for instance!"

Neither Kauffman nor Azizi responded to requests for comment about whether they were paid to post about the mayoral election.

The paid influencers' posts about Polymarket often drew attention to specific bets by framing betting odds as news developments. About a third of the more than 490 X posts identified by POLITICO characterized Polymarket's odds for a given event as "BREAKING" or "NEW" updates.

They appear to be conscientious choices. The influencer, who was granted anonymity, told POLITICO that the company wrote posts for them to share on X and asked them to promote specific bets.

"They actually told us, 'This one needs to get out now, this one needs to get out now,' as if we were cattle," the influencer said.

Moore, the former FTC official, said advertisers should include disclosures in any sample text they draft for their partners because they could be liable for what their endorsers say.

"As a general rule, if an endorsement is paid, the endorser needs to clearly and conspicuously disclose a material connection to the advertiser," Moore said.

Polymarket and Kalshi have sought to cement themselves as authoritative sources on politics and current events, namely through partnerships with traditional media brands like CNN and Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal's website now highlights a "Featured Prediction Market" from Polymarket.

Paid social media activity has been reinforcing that narrative for months, quietly sowing Polymarket's legitimacy as it gears up for legislative battles.

As Brian Krassenstein, a progressive political commentator, put it in an October X post with no paid-promotion disclaimer: "It really is unbelievable how accurate Polymarket has been these last 9 months."

Krassenstein, who received more than $9,300 from Modabber in the PayPal records reviewed by POLITICO, did not respond to requests for comment.

Over a two-week period in late December and early January, six influencers shared 10 posts on X about the Polymarket odds for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, facing criminal charges over allegations of day care fraud stemming from Nick Shirley's viral videos. Later in January, six influencers posted about the odds of the US acquiring Greenland.

Alex LoRusso — a conservative influencer who received at least $18,750 from Modabber over PayPal, according to the records — was another avid X user who posted dozens of times about Polymarket without mentioning a sponsorship.

"Polymarket odds of a government shutdown are spiking with just under 10 hours to go before the deadline," he wrote in September. "Democrats know exactly what they're doing."

Sometime after POLITICO reached out to LoRusso, asking if he was paid to make that post, a "paid partnership" label appeared at the bottom. LoRusso did not respond to requests for comment. Some — not all — of his Polymarket-related posts now bear that disclosure.

Sam Sutton contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared on POLITICO and is courtesy of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which harnesses the resources of the company's newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces, and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms.

Verizon and AT&T are two of the three major carriers in the US, and they're primarily known for their mainstream postpaid unlimited data plans.

Both offer a variety of other plans, including economical prepaid plans. However, we generally recommend checking out other affordable options, such as the best prepaid phone plans and the best cheap plans guides from smaller carriers if you're looking for the best savings.

MVNOs like Mint Mobile or Visible, in particular, can save you large amounts on your monthly bills.

When just looking at Verizon and AT&T, you'll find they offer similar plan prices roughly in the same ballpark. Both carriers often run promotions to entice customers to switch, so pricing can vary. At the end of the day, however, choosing between Verizon and AT&T essentially comes down to which option has the best coverage in your area.

• Check out the latest deals at: AT&T | Verizon

Plan offerings and flexibility

Verizon and AT&T's mainstream plans can be classed as premium, mid-range, and entry-level. Both carriers also conveniently allow mixing plans in multi-line accounts, which adds flexibility for families and friend groups.

Verizon's and AT&T's plans are overall comparable. However, Verizon offers more incentives, including 40% off popular third-party services, like the Disney Plus streaming package, Netflix with HBO Max, Apple One, Apple Music, YouTube Premium, and more. Both carriers offer discounted tablet and smartwatch coverage, depending on which plan you choose.

AT&T stands out with more international features, including unlimited talk, text, and data between the US, Canada, and Mexico for most plans, and more included countries on the Premium and Elite plans.

*AT&T plans include a $10 discount with paperless billing and AutoPay.

**Verizon plans are price-locked for three years before increasing in price.

Overall, they're about equal, with Verizon winning with add-ons, while AT&T offers more hot spot opportunities and international capabilities bundled in. Prices are most affordable with at least four lines on an account — solo shoppers may want to consider an MVNO like Mint or Visible to save money while still receiving similarly reliable coverage.

Coverage and data speeds

If Verizon and AT&T's coverage maps are taken at face value, almost anyone in the US should get coverage on either carrier. Reputationally, AT&T has superior coverage in rural areas, which is corroborated by its coverage map.

However, the reality is that there are many areas where either one or the other has better coverage and data speeds. The best way to find out which carrier has the best coverage is to talk to friends, family, and neighbors where you'll be needing coverage the most.

Verizon and AT&T have typical advertised data speeds as a point of reference (above). Verizon has faster high- and mid-band 5G, but AT&T has faster low-band 5G networks (Sub-6GHz). With that said, Verizon's low-band 5G speeds are more than enough for most people. Both have comparable 4G LTE speeds.

Customer support

Whether customer support is effective is almost a case-by-case affair — sometimes it's quick and smooth, other times it can take a long time and get little resolved. It's usually best to approach carrier customer support expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

Based on our experience, we've had most of our issues resolved on both Verizon and AT&T, but timing can vary. Both start you off with unhelpful automated support, but it's fairly easy to get in touch with a person. Verizon and AT&T also have convenient options for call-back scheduling, so you're not waiting on hold.

Verizon and AT&T also have several physical locations, whether corporate or authorized third-party. That's helpful to get support from a human being for any issue.

The Verizon and AT&T apps have everything you need for plan management. For Verizon's app, specifically, it's easy to navigate as long as you stick to the Account tab. Other tabs like "Discover," "Shop," and "myAccess" clutter the experience

Discount eligibility

Qualified users may be able to secure a discounted rate from either carrier. To qualify, AT&T requires you to verify your eligibility by providing additional details, such as your date of birth, branch of service, school, or workplace. AT&T offers price cuts to:

• Shoppers over 55
• Military and veterans
• Retired responders
• Teachers
• Nurses
• Physicians
• Students
• Select union members.

As for Verizon, if you're comfortable disclosing additional details for verification, Verizon offers the following discounts:

• Military and veterans
• First responders
• Students

Which carrier should you sign with?

Both Verizon and AT&T have generally comparable offerings, but AT&T edges the win for us with its additional hot spot and international inclusions. Verizon's extra perks do sweeten the deal, but in the end, they still rack up additional costs that you may not need from your cell plan.

Regardless, which one you pick will depend entirely on coverage — a 100GB hot spot is useless if AT&T is unreliable in your area. If both Verizon and AT&T offer equally good coverage in your area, we'd recommend AT&T for its competitive pricing and additional features.

• Check out the latest deals at: AT&T | Verizon

Not ready to commit to either? Check out our roundups of the best Mint Mobile deals and the best Visible deals for savings on more affordable options. We also have a comparison of T-Mobile vs. Verizon.

Follow our WhatsApp channel and Instagram for more deals and buying guides.

• Companies are trying to figure out the best way to manage all the AI agents they're using.
• Part of the answer might involve treating them like people, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said.
• AI agents should have identities and permissions like human employees, he said.

Microsoft uses a lot of AI agents. To help manage them, it's starting to think of them like human employees.

CEO Satya Nadella said the software giant is figuring out what kinds of tools and policies it needs to oversee all the agents it's created. That includes giving agents specific permissions for what they can and cannot access within the company, as well as ways to audit their work, he said.

"You need to give them identities, you need to give them sandboxes, then you need to set policies to govern them," Nadella told Reid Hoffman in an episode of the "Possible Podcast" posted on Friday.

During the discussion, Hoffman also said that after 10 years, he'd be leaving Microsoft's board to return to what he called "founder mode."

While companies are spending vast sums to adopt AI, many are still figuring out how their AI agents will work with their human employees. Figuring out how to manage AI agents represents a particularly tough problem.

It's a challenge that Nadella himself has dealt with, he told Hoffman. The Microsoft CEO said that he often runs 100 AI coding agents at once, and guiding each through a chat interface is tough. "The cognitive load on me managing this is so high," he said.

Microsoft has created Agent 365, a suite of tools that includes Entra, its digital identity and network access product, as well as Purview, which the company uses to label data AI agents create, he said.

"I think security, containment, managability, and observability is the way we're going to have confidence around these agents," Nadella said.

Have a tip? Contact these reporters at dreuter@businessinsider.com and abitter@businessinsider.com. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Dimitri Semenikhin kicked off the Beyond Meat short-squeeze in October 2025.
• Now, the day trader is betting against three top AI stocks.
• His short targets include chipmaker AMD and alternative energy producer Bloom Energy.

Dimitri Semenikhin is the trader who kicked off the last year's short-squeeze in Beyond Meat stock, but these days, he's taking a more bearish view of a trio of AI infrastructure stocks.

Semenikhin wrote on X this week that he's betting against Neibus Group, Advanced Micro Devices, and Bloom Energy.

"Right now, built into the valuations are near certainty-level assumptions that demand will keep growing from what is currently projected and that the levels of power needed for all of this compute will be astronomically higher than they are now, increasing reliance on hardware," Semenikhin told Business Insider in an interview.

He noted that he previously held a long position in Nebius, a company that provides full-stack AI infrastructure and cloud computing services. While he doesn't regard it as a bad company, he maintains that it doesn't make sense as an investment right now while hype is soaring.

"The AI supply chain has gone simply out of control, similarly to the hype that was happening around the build out of the internet infrastructure and web layers," Semenikhin said. "I'm sure we'll end up using more and more AI systems but it's likely they will become lighter and trigger less power reliance not than current use, but than currently projected in the future."

All three of the AI stocks Semenikhin is betting against have performed extremely well in 2026. Nebius us up 167%, Advanced Micro Devices has gained 121%, and Bloom Energy has surged 202%.

Bloom, primarily a fuel-cell energy producer, has emerged as a favorite of the AI trade this year. Filings show it's a top holding in the hedge fund founded by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, which helped spark momentum for Bloom Energy stock early in the year.

Semenikhin said he's also not swayed by the fact that AMD smashed Wall Street's expectations for first-quarter earnings, prompting many analysts to rush to raise their price targets.

The stellar growth of the market's AI leaders is partly why Semenikhin is betting against them. While he maintains a dim view of the broader sector, he sees these three names as the most logical shorts given their enormous gains in a short period of time.

"I think all of the hardware and infrastructure related part of the AI trade are currently overvalued, however smaller names experience wilder swings which is why I didn't include them in the short," Semenikhin added.

• US News & World Report conducted a study of the best countries in the world.
• Switzerland ranked No. 1 for its high-ranking governance, health, and culture scores, among others.
• The European country also boasts strong opportunities and economic development, the report found.

While many people know Switzerland best for its chocolate, watches, or neutrality, a new global ranking highlights its strengths in a range of areas.

Switzerland recently topped US News & World Report's annual ranking of the best countries in the world, released in May. The ranking evaluated 100 countries on factors such as economics, environment, health, and infrastructure.

European countries were the most prominent among the top half of the list, occupying all but one spot in the top 15. Switzerland finished first overall — ahead of Denmark in second, and Sweden in third — thanks to its high scores in nearly every major category considered by the study.

Switzerland's cultural contributions come in different forms, from art to academics

Switzerland ranked No. 2 in culture and tourism in the report, which cited 19 Nobel Laureates who were born in Switzerland. This doesn't include Albert Einstein, who emigrated from Germany and lived in Switzerland for roughly 20 years.

Switzerland is home to 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other notable historic sites include Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva, a medieval castle dating back roughly 800 years, classified as a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance.

The country draws large numbers of tourists for its mountains and historic cities. In 2024, the Swiss hotel industry had a record number of overnight stays, largely because of American tourists, Reuters reported.

The country also exports $59 billion in creative goods and services per year, according to US News & World Report.

It has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world

Switzerland ranked No. 1 in economic development. The report cites "low corporate tax rates, a highly developed service sector led by financial services and a high-tech manufacturing industry" as factors contributing to the country's strong economy.

The country also has a high number of patent applications, indicating strong research and innovation. Switzerland exports $90 billion in high-tech products each year, according to the report.

"Exports surge, inflation stays low, and innovation keeps us ahead," Sven Siepen, a senior partner at Roland Berger's Zurich office, said in a 2025 report about the country's economy. "Even as global challenges mount, Swiss stability remains our greatest asset."

Switzerland also has a strong and stable government

This earned the country the No. 1 spot in the governance category. US News & World Report gave the country perfect scores in political violence, regime turnover, and inflation volatility.

Switzerland has a federalized government in which two chambers elect a seven-member body known as the Federal Council, according to Presence Switzerland.

Swiss residents generally find their government to be trustworthy. In 2023, "62% of people had high or moderately high trust in the national government," according to the OECD. Across all OECD countries, the average is 39%.

Despite these promising figures, the country has issues with voter turnout — which averages 46.09%, per the International Foundation for Electoral Systems — earning a low score from US News & World Report.

High life expectancy and ample medical care can be found in the country

The report ranked Switzerland No. 4 in health. The country has a life expectancy at birth of 84.1 years, earning it a perfect score in the metric in the report. Based on data from the World Bank Group, Switzerland has the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world.

The country has universal health coverage through a mandatory private system. Though everyone is covered, the country spends the second-most per capita on healthcare in the world, trailing only the US, according to the Bern University of Applied Sciences.

In 2022, the country had 4.5 physicians per 1,000 residents, compared to 3.7 in the US and the global average of 1.9, according to the World Bank Group.

It did, however, receive a low score for the number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents, at 4.4 in 2023. This is below the European Union average, which was 5.1 beds per 1,000 people in 2022, according to World Bank data.

Swiss residents have access to educational opportunities

Switzerland, which is home to top universities such as the University of Zurich, ranked No. 2 in opportunity. The average number of years spent in formal education for adults aged 25 and older is 13.9 years, according to the report. This is roughly on par with the US, per the State of the Nation Project.

The average annual tuition for Swiss students at public universities was equivalent to $1,427 in 2022-23, according to the OECD.

Though Switzerland has strong educational opportunities, the report found that it lagged behind in economic opportunity, indicated by low scores in income taxation and foreign direct investment.

Despite ranking highly in most major categories, the country fared lower in others

Switzerland ranked 19th in natural environment, with only 12.5% of its land designated as protected areas, compared with 21.1% across the European Union, according to World Bank data.

The country ranked 15th in civic health, having relatively low scores in anxiety, which measures anxiety disorders per 100,000 residents, and income equality, among other metrics.

It also ranked 15th in infrastructure, where the report gave it lower marks on the renewable-electricity metric. The report's metric excludes hydroelectric power, Switzerland's biggest renewable electricity source.

• I stayed in a cylindrical tiny home hotel in Germany during a train trip through Europe in 2022.
• The 106-square-foot home made smarter use of space than any tiny home I've seen in the US.
• The European tiny home was two stories and less than half the size of the US tiny homes I've booked.

As a New Yorker who's rented several cramped apartments over the years, tiny homes inspire me.

Making the most of a minimal square footage requires some creativity. I often book fun-sized accommodations when I travel, hoping to discover new space-saving hacks to make the most of my own little dwelling.

From Florida, Maryland, and Tennessee to Canada, Austria, and Switzerland, I've stayed in several tiny Airbnbs around the world.

None of those homes utilized indoor space as efficiently as this tiny home hotel in Germany, which I found on Airbnb back in 2022.

I was looking for tiny stays in Germany when I found one with a unique, cylindrical shape that packed a lot inside, so I booked it for two nights for $140.

The Airbnb was part of a tiny home hotel in Neustrelitz, Germany, called Slube. The company designs minimal concrete "Slubes" for up to two people.

There are three types of Slubes: a one-story Basic, a two-story Home, and a Tower, which is two stories with a rooftop terrace. I booked a Home Slube.

It was less than half the size of any tiny home I'd stayed in before.

The 16-foot-tall Slube with two floors was 106 square feet. Prior to this stay, the tiniest home I'd ever booked was 250 square feet.

There was no physical key to my room. I checked in with a code sent to my phone.

When I arrived by train from the airport in Berlin, I didn't see any employees at the tiny home hotel.

At first, I was confused, but then I checked my email. A message from Slube informed me I'd be staying in room five and could check in by myself.

Inside, the 53-square-foot bottom level had a bathroom on the right, a sitting area on the left, and a ladder to the second floor.

The sitting area had a foldout table that I could push against the wall to save space.

Across from a foldout table was a bench with two seat cushions in lieu of a couch.

I stored my luggage beneath the bench.

This tiny home utilized more vertical space than those I've seen in the US.

There were hooks and storage cubbies above the bench, so I stored all my clothing and toiletries on the first floor.

I was impressed by the amenities packed into such a small room.

In the back right corner of the sitting area, there was a nook with built-in shelves that housed a small coffee machine, a hair dryer, and a few dishes.

The bathroom had an efficient layout.

There was a curtain separating the showerhead and sink from the toilet and storage space.

Even with two windows, I felt I had enough privacy.

The first-floor windows had a film covering most of the glass, letting in natural light without sacrificing privacy.

After checking out the first level, I headed up the ladder to the second-floor bedroom.

I thought it was easy to climb, but it could be challenging for some.

There was a latched gate at the top of the ladder, which I imagine was installed to prevent people from falling.

Knowing I was securely fastened into the bed area made sleeping easier.

The bedroom was the same size as the living space and bathroom combined — 53 square feet.

The floor space was covered by a comfy, full-size bed. The pillows had the ideal ratio of fluff to firmness for my neck and head.

Above the bed was a mounted TV equipped with Netflix and other streaming services.

Before bed, I watched some of my favorite shows on Netflix.

I used the lower platform on the far side of the bed as a nightstand.

It had easily accessible outlets, a pocket for the TV remote, and more space for my electronics and water bottle.

Above the bed, a large window opened so I could let the breeze into my room.

It had a blackout curtain for privacy and blocking early morning light.

The Slube also had smart electricity that made my stay feel a tad luxurious.

I controlled the lights and temperature of each story from my phone.

I found it fascinating that this tiny home truly left no space unused, from the loft bed to the wall cubbies.

I can't stick a second story into my own rental, but the European tiny home still gave me inspiration for how I could make better use of my space, starting with vertical storage hacks.

• Actors Chuck Norris, Patrick Muldoon, Robert Duvall, and James Van Der Beek died in 2026.
• So did "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams, Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, and Grammy winner Peabo Bryson.
• Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, mogul Ted Turner, and NASCAR star Kyle Busch also died.

Below, we look back at those we lost in 2026, listed in alphabetical order.

Scott Adams, 68

Adams based the character in his beloved "Dilbert" comic strip on his coworkers at the telephone company he worked at in the 1980s. By the end of the decade, the character and his satirical office humor began appearing in comic strips.

At its peak, "Dilbert" was syndicated in over 2,000 newspapers. A cartoon series debuted in 1999 and ran for two seasons.

Adams gained notoriety when he began writing blog posts praising Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential run. In 2023, "Dilbert" was pulled from newspapers across the US following racist comments made by Adams.

Adams died on January 13 following a bout with metastatic prostate cancer.

Brad Arnold, 47

As the lead singer of 3 Doors Down, Arnold launched the group into fame with the 2000 rock anthem "Kryptonite," which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.

The success led to other hits like "Loser," "Here Without You," and "When I'm Gone." Arnold's vocal range and lyrics focused on love and love lost, which fueled the group to stardom.

Arnold died on February 7 after a battle with cancer.

Afrika Bambaataa, 68

Regarded as a pioneer in hip-hop during the 1970s and 1980s, Lance Taylor, known professionally as Afrika Bambaataa, would go on to influence the likes of Queen Latifah and A Tribe Called Quest throughout his career.

First gaining attention as a DJ in the Bronx, Bambaataa signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1981 and released landmark songs like "Jazzy Sensation" and "Planet Rock."

Bambaataa founded the hip-hop awareness group, Universal Zulu Nation, in the 1970s to steer kids away from gang life. Bambaataa stepped down as the head of the organization in 2016 after accusations of sexual abuse.

Bambaataa denied all claims.

He died on April 9 due to prostate cancer.

Rob Bass, 59

One of the pillars that brought hip-hop to the mainstream, Rob Bass crafted the iconic track "It Takes Two" alongside DJ E-Z Rock.

The track, released in 1988, reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Songs chart and later went certified platinum. In 1989, Spin magazine voted it the greatest single of all time.

Bass died on May 22 following a battle with cancer.

Nicholas Brendon, 54

Brendon played the beloved character Xander Harris in all seven seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Brendon also starred in other TV shows, including "Criminal Minds" and "Kitchen Confidential."

Brendon died in his sleep on March 20. According to his family's statement, the cause was natural. In 2023, Brendon suffered a heart attack and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. He also had cauda equina syndrome, which led to several spinal surgeries.

"While it's no secret that Nicholas had struggles in the past, he was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis, and he was optimistic about the future at the time of his passing," the statement to The Hollywood Reporter read. "Our family asks for privacy during this time as we grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart."

Peabo Bryson, 75

Two-time Grammy winner Peabo Bryson is responsible for some classic love ballads.

Bryson began putting out music in the late 1970s, but one of his first major hits was opposite Roberta Flack on the 1983 duet, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love." He continued hitmaking a year later with the smash "If Ever You're in My Arms Again," and in 1991, he topped the R&B charts with "Can You Stop the Rain."

Bryson found global stardom with his renditions of two Disney classics. In 1991, he released the pop version of "Beauty and the Beast," alongside Céline Dion, and a year later, he duetted with Regina Belle on "A Whole New World" from the 1992 release of "Aladdin."

Bryson died on June 2. No cause was given.

Kyle Busch, 41

A star on the NASCAR circuit, Busch was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion considered one of the greatest racers of all time.

On May 21, Busch was hospitalized and it was announced he'd miss two upcoming races. Hours later, he was pronounced dead. No cause of death was given.

Robert Carradine, 71

As a member of Hollywood's famed Carradine family, Robert was destined for a career on screen.

He got one of his first screen credits starring in his brother David Carradine's popular 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" and went on to land roles in everything from Samuel Fuller's World War II classic "The Big Red One" to the "Lizzie McGuire" series that made Hilary Duff a star.

But for a generation, Robert Carradine will always be known as the king of the nerds, embodying the iconic geek Lewis Skolnick in the 1980s franchise "Revenge of the Nerds."

Carradine's family shared statements with Deadline that emphasized being open about his struggles with mental illness.

"We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby's valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder," Carradine's family said. "We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness."

Carradine died by suicide on February 23.

If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or has had thoughts of harming themself or taking their own life, get help. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is also available through the Crisis Text Line — just text "HOME" to 741741. The International Association for Suicide Prevention offers resources for those outside the US.

Bud Cort, 77

Cort's baby-faced looks, combined with his wit and sophisticated persona, led to him becoming the epitome of 1970s counterculture when director Hal Ashby cast him as the lead in the 1971 movie "Harold and Maude."

The dark comedy stars Cort as Harold, a twenty-something who is obsessed with suicide until he meets 79-year-old eccentric Maude (Ruth Gordon). The movie would go on to become a cult classic thanks to Cort and Gordon's unique on-screen chemistry.

Before that, Cort scored bit parts in Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H*" (1970) and "Brewster McCloud" (1970).

After "Harold and Maude," Cort worked steadily for the rest of his life, occasionally showing up in hit movies like Michael Mann's "Heat" (1995) and Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004).

Cort died on Feb. 11 following a long illness.

Eric Dane, 53

Long before becoming one of TV's most recognizable heartthrobs, Eric Dane was building his career with guest roles on series like "Saved by the Bell" and "Married… with Children."

He later gained wider attention with appearances on "Charmed" before landing his breakout role as Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan on "Grey's Anatomy." He most recently starred in HBO's "Euphoria," where he played Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi's character, Nate Jacobs.

Dane has two children with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart. In April 2025, the actor said that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

Dane died on February 19 at age 53 after battling the disease, his publicist confirmed in a statement to Business Insider.

"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world," his publicist said.

Robert Duvall, 95

Robert Duvall built a career of timeless cinema classics: "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II," "Apocalypse Now," "THX 1138," "The Natural," "Days of Thunder," "The Apostle," and the list goes on.

Duvall will be best remembered for starring in three of director Francis Ford Coppola's iconic films: playing Tom Hagen in the first two "Godfather" movies and playing Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now," in which he delivers one of the most memorable lines in movie history: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Duvall was lauded for his acting talent, from not saying a word while playing Boo Radley in his first big screen role in the 1962 classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" to his portrayal of a country singer dealing with alcoholism in 1983's "Tender Mercies," which earned him an Oscar.

He died on his ranch in Virginia on February 15, no cause was given.

Mark Fuhrman, 74

Fuhrman cemented his place in popular culture as one of the lead LAPD detectives on the 1995 murder case of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Fuhrman found the famed bloody glove on the Simpson estate, and during the trial, he gained infamy when Simpson's defense team used his past racist language to discredit him as a witness.

Fuhrman retired from the LAPD after the Simpson trial and moved to Idaho, where he wrote true crime books.

Fuhrman died on May 12 of throat cancer.

Valentino Garavani, 93

For over six decades, one name has been synonymous with women's high fashion: Valentino.

The Italian designer launched his fashion business in Rome in 1960 and never looked back. Soon, every star wanted to be seen in his creations. They've been worn by icons like Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Sharon Stone, and more.

Though Garavani retired from designing in 2008, his label is still a red carpet staple, as is his famous shade of bright red dubbed "Valentino Red."

Garavani died on January 19. No cause was given.

Donald Gibb, 71

No one defined a bully for a generation more than Gibb's hulking fraternity character Orge in the "Revenge of the Nerds" movies of the 1980s.

Since the original raunchy comedy was released in 1984, Gibb's intimidating size and loud yells of "NERDS!" have become as memorable as the pocket protectors worn by the movie's geeks.

Gibb went on to star opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in his classic 1988 action movie "Bloodsport." He also landed guest star roles through his career on shows like "Quantum Leap," Magnum P.I.," "MacGyver," "Night Court," and "Cheers."

Gibb died on May 12 following health complications.

Anthony Head, 72

Rising up through the UK stage scene in the 1980s, Head found fame when he was cast as Rupert Giles, who became a father figure to Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy Summers in all seven seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Most recently, he played the bitter former owner of AFC Richmond on "Ted Lasso."

Head's death was announced by his family on June 5. They stated the cause was "complications due to pneumonia."

Jesse Jackson, 84

The Rev. Jesse Jackson was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, a minister, and an activist icon who twice ran for president.

Born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson experienced Jim Crow segregation on public buses and at school firsthand. It would shape the rest of his life.

His fight for civil rights began in the 1960s, when he helped organize protests and demonstrations across the US and worked closely alongside civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

His decadeslong career as a leading civil rights activist included support for modern national movements, such as the push for voting rights, the fight against racism, and a higher minimum wage.

Jackson ran for president twice, both times as a democrat. He placed third for the party's nomination in 1984 and second in 1988. This marked the most successful presidential runs of any Black candidate prior to Barack Obama.

Jackson announced in 2017 that he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In November 2025, Jackson was treated in a Chicago hospital after complications from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative condition.

Jackson died on February 17.

Patrick Muldoon, 57

In the 1990s, you couldn't escape the piercing eyes of Patrick Muldoon.

He played Austin Reed on "Days of Our Lives" for most of the decade, and when he wasn't on the soap, he was over on "Melrose Place" playing the villain role of Richard Hart.

If being on two iconic shows wasn't enough, he also showed up on "Saved by the Bell" and had a role in the cult classic movie "Starship Troopers."

Muldoon died on April 19 after a heart attack.

Tom Noonan, 74

Standing at a towering 6' 5", Tom Noonan was born to play the bad guy. And he did just that, starring as the villain in movies like "Manhunter," "RoboCop 2," and "Last Action Hero."

But this actor had more to show off. He showcased his comedy chops as Rodney Dangerfield's degenerate gambling friend in the 1983 comedy "Easy Money," and set up the heist for Robert De Niro in Michael Mann's 1995 classic "Heat."

His knack for storytelling also translated behind the camera. Noonan wrote, directed, and starred in the drama "What Happened Was," which won the grand prize at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.

Noonan died on February 14; no cause was given.

Chuck Norris, 86

Few action stars Chuck Norris' credentials.

Before he ever stepped in front of a camera, he was a martial arts champion and a black belt in Karate, judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, and Tang Soo Do.

His talents would become known the world over in 1972, when he faced off against Bruce Lee in "The Way of the Dragon."

Through the 1980s, Norris became one of the biggest action stars in the world thanks to movies like "A Force of One," "The Octagon," and the "Delta Force" and "Missing in Action" franchises.

In the 1990s, he took over the small screen, playing the lead in the "Walker, Texas Ranger" TV show, which aired in over 100 countries during its run from 1993 to 2001.

Norris was hospitalized on March 19 in Hawaii and died the following day, according to his family. No cause was given.

Catherine O'Hara, 71

O'Hara, who was best known for her roles in "Beetlejuice" and "Home Alone," got her start in the Canadian comedy scene, appearing in the now-legendary cast of "SCTV."

It would mark the beginning of a fruitful partnership with fellow actor Eugene Levy, who became her frequent costar and collaborator in memorable appearances in Christopher Guest films like "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show" and television series like "Schitt's Creek," which earned her an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in 2020.

O'Hara's representation confirmed her death to Business Insider on January 30. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed in a death certificate viewed by People that O'Hara died of a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer listed as an underlying cause.

Valerie Perrine, 82

Perrine found herself cast alongside the biggest stars of the 1970s.

She played the love interest opposite Jeff Bridges in 1973's "The Last American Hero" and Robert Redford in 1979's "The Electric Horseman." She earned an Oscar nomination for starring alongside Dustin Hoffman in 1974's "Lenny."

For most, she'll be remembered best for sharing the screen with Gene Hackman as the secretary to his evil Lex Luthor in 1978's "Superman." She also starred in the sequel. As Ms. Teschmacher, her loyalty to Luthor is questioned when she rescues Superman (Christopher Reeve) after he's chained with Kryptonite.

Perrine died in her home in Beverly Hills on March 23. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015.

Sonny Rollins, 95

One of the most influential jazz musicians in history, Rollins recorded more than 60 albums over his seven-decade career.

His live album, "A Night at the Village Vanguard," is considered one of the greatest jazz albums ever made.

Rollins died on May 25; no cause was given.

Neil Sedaka, 86

Sedaka is responsible for some of the biggest pop songs of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Brooklyn native wrote over 500 songs, including classic hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Bad Blood" and the Captain & Tennille song, "Love Will Keep Us Together."

Sedaka died on February 27; no cause was given.

Kiki Shepard, 74

In her 15-year tenure as a co-host on "Showtime at the Apollo," Kiki Shepard was considered royalty at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater.

Known in the building as "Apollo Queen of Fashion" thanks to her dazzling outfits, Shepherd was a fixture on the show from 1987 to 2002.

Throughout her career, Shepard also appeared on TV shows like "Baywatch," "A Different World," "NYPD Blue," and "Grey's Anatomy."

Shepard died on March 16 after suffering a heart attack.

Béla Tarr, 70

Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr became a legend in the arthouse world for his unflinching work featuring several-minute-long takes.

With movies like "Family Nest" (1979) and "The Turin Horse" (2011), Tarr showcased his slow cinema style while focusing on marginalized characters living bleak lives. Tarr pushed the envelope with his style when he made "Sátántangó" in 1994, which had a run time of 450 minutes.

His work influenced several arthouse filmmakers, including Jim Jarmusch and Gus Van Sant's "Death Trilogy" ("Gerry," "Elephant," and "Last Days").

Tarr died on January 6 following a battle with a "long and serious illness."

James Tolkan, 94

You might not recognize the name, but if you're a movie fan, you know the face.

Tolkan's tough-guy persona made a mark on movie history in films like "Top Gun" and the "Back to the Future" franchise.

In "Top Gun," he played Commander Tom "Stinger" Jardian, who famously gives Tom Cruise's character a tongue lashing, saying, "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash."

In "Back to the Future" and its sequels, he played Principal Strickland, who had zero tolerance for "slackers."

Other credits include "Serpico," "WarGames," "Masters of the Universe," and "Dick Tracy."

Tolkan died on March 26; no cause was given.

Ted Turner, 87

Ted Turner changed the television landscape thanks to his maverick maneuvers to harness the 24-hour news cycle.

After taking over his father's advertising company in the 1960s at the age of 24, Turner embarked on a path to change the media landscape by buying up radio and TV stations around the South. He even bought sports teams including the Atlanta Braves MLB team and the Atlanta Hawks NBA team.

All of that programming would eventually become part of TBS, a "super station" that showed old movies, reruns, and Braves and Hawks games.

Turner then set his sights on the news. He founded CNN, the first 24-hour news channel, in June of 1980.

Over the decades, Turner gained celebrity status, particularly after marrying with Jane Fonda, a union that lasted from 1991 to 2001. In 1991, he was named Time's "Man of the Year." He sold his networks to Time Warner for $7.5 billion in 1996.

Turner died on May 6; no cause was given.

James Van Der Beek, 48

Van Der Beek was beloved all over the world for his role as the titular teen Dawson Leery on the WB series "Dawson's Creek."

The series, which ran from 1998 to 2002, turned Van Der Beek into a star and a teen heartthrob. While "Dawson's Creek" was still airing, he'd cement his stardom playing the lead role of high school quarterback "Mox" Moxon in the 1999 coming-of-age drama "Varsity Blues."

Van Der Beek found steady work the rest of his career in movies like "Texas Rangers" and "The Rules of Attraction, and memorably played a fictional version of himself on the TV series "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23," and performed on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2019.

Van Der Beek learned he had stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, and publicly announced his diagnosis in late 2024.

Van Der Beek previously told Business Insider that the news came as a shock, given the subtleness of his symptoms and his efforts to stay as healthy as possible.

"I was doing everything," he said. "I was doing sauna, cold plunge, weightlifting, Pilates. I would dance and also do football training."

Van Der Beek died on Feb. 11.

Bob Weir, 78

Weir was one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead.

The singer-songwriter wrote and/or sang on songs like "Sugar Magnolia," "Playing in the Band," "Truckin,'" "I Need a Miracle," and "The Other One."

After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir went on to form several other bands, including Kingfish, Bobby and the Midnites, RatDog, The Other Ones, and, alongside John Mayer, Dead & Company.

In the summer of 2025, Weir was diagnosed with cancer.

Weir died on January 10.

Frederick Wiseman, 96

For over five decades, Wiseman's brand of non-fiction storytelling put a spotlight on everyday people.

From high schoolers to hospital workers to Air Force cadets training for nuclear war, Wiseman's close to 50-film catalogue is an unvarnished reflection of America over the last half century.

Wiseman died on Februay 16, no cause was given.

• Bill Smead says investors should pile into commodities to prepar for a lost decade for stocks.
• The $4 billion CIO pointed to the S&P 500's monster gains in recent years, specifically in tech.
• But commodities outperformed after the market's lost decade in the 1970s, gaining more than 300%.

One bearish investment chief is warning of a rough decade for the stock market—but he sees one unusual safe-haven investors should consider piling into for shelter.

Bill Smead, the chief investment officer at Smead Capital Management, said his firm is bullish on commodities, specifically on energy and real estate. That's because he's eyeing a lost decade for stocks—a period in which the US market could see little to no returns.

"What can do well in this monstrously expensive S&P 500 Index in a decade of heartache? Look no further than the 1970s," Smead wrote to clients on Thursday, pointing to how commodities vastly outperformed other asset classes in that decade.

Stocks, US Treasurys, and corporate bonds all lost value in that era, though commodities were up 324%, Smead, whose firm manages more than $4 billion in assets, said.

"We are expecting inflation in energy prices and a decline in interest rates when the poop hits the AI mania fan," he said, adding that his firm is overweight on oil stocks and home builder stocks in particular. "These industries prospered in the 1970s, once the stock market mania broke in late 1972," he added.

Talk about a lost decade in markets has picked up as investors begin to fear that the stunning gains in recent years are unsustainable. Smead pointed to the exuberance for tech stocks in particular, with information technology stocks in the S&P 500 up 187% over the past five years, compared to the 45% gain in the ProShares S&P 500 Ex-Technology ETF over the same time frame.

Smead also pointed to concentration concerns in the market, with the information technology sector now making up around 40% of the overall benchmark index.

More forecasters have also been drawing comparisons of the current market climate to the 1970s. Alongside a huge run-up in mega-cap stocks, investors are also beginning to feel the ramifications of an oil price shock, which defined much of the market's performance in the 70s.

Commodities, one area of the market that has tended to outperform during inflationary periods, has already started to gain alongside the surge in oil prices. The AI boom has also fueled demand for commodities, like silver and copper.

The iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF, one fund that tracks an index of commodities, is up 37% year to date.

"The Index will get slaughtered because it is massively over-weighted in technology and tech-related stocks," Smead said of the broader S&P 500, adding that he believed the market looked to be in "Late-Stage Mania."

Concerns about high valuations and inflated earnings have flared up intermittently in recent years, though overall enthusiasm for the AI trade remains strong. Investors dumped chip names amid earnings disappointment this week, but appear to be rotating to other tech names, with the Nasdaq 100 on track to end the week in the green.