• A new educational policy in Russia is expanding high school military training to at least 17 hours.
• It's part of a mandatory course for students in 6th to 11th grade on national security.
• The training includes lessons on first aid, firearm handling, hand grenades, and drones.

Russia is more than doubling the amount of basic military training in a compulsory national defense class for 6th- to 11th-graders, its education minister said on Friday.

Sergei Kravtsov said that 50% of the course, "Fundamentals of Homeland Security and Defense," would be dedicated to military training by September 1.

That's up from a previous 20% of the curriculum reserved for such training, which will now also include lessons on uncrewed aerial vehicles, otherwise known as flying drones, and field exercises, Kravstov said.

The entire course contains 34 hours of material each school year, so Kravstov's announcement would mean that the course will now include at least 17 hours of basic military training.

While the course contains lessons on Russian military history, civic service, and wartime survival, it also teaches older students combat-relevant skills such as first aid, basic firearm handling, and how to use a hand grenade.

The lessons echo the Soviet-era Initial Military Training, a compulsory subject for older high schoolers that included drill, first aid, rifle handling, and field-exercise camps. The course was abolished in 1993, but Moscow reintroduced elements of the training after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

Independent Russian media outlet Vertska reported that, amid the recent educational push, prosecutors filed over 200 lawsuits against schools in 2024 for failing to install military training facilities, such as shooting ranges.

Russia has plans to expand school-based military training even further. In April, authorities discussed reviving Initial Military Training through a separate 64-hour course focused on discipline, combat, and survival skills.

A final decision hasn't been made. Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported that month that officials were discussing a pilot program for the new format, starting in September for 9th- to 11th-graders in 10 regions, including occupied Crimea.

The revised courses come as tensions between Russia and NATO continue to worsen. Multiple Western leaders, including the UK's prime minister, Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, warned earlier this month that Russia may be ready to launch a large-scale attack on Europe by 2030.

Their warning has been used by some in Moscow as a further call to surge military readiness among schoolchildren.

Viktor Vodolatsky, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, suggested to local media on June 22 that, in light of the NATO statements, students should begin war-relevant classes after the 5th grade.

"Russian children should be prepared for war with NATO and the European Union immediately after primary school," said Vodolatsky.

• Coinbase's Brian Armstrong shared tips for keeping AI spending low while letting his engineers experiment.
• He said he didn't want to suppress AI usage, but rather make scaling up more sustainable.
• His tips: use Chinese LLMs as defaults and expect tangible results from high-spending employees.

Coinbase's CEO wants his engineers to keep tokenmaxxing — while keeping AI costs down.

In an X post on Friday, CEO Brian Armstrong outlined five ways in which the crypto exchange is keeping AI costs low.

The first of his five strategies was selecting better default LLMs — the models most engineers use by default when submitting prompts. He said Coinbase was experimenting with Chinese LLMs as defaults, which are significantly cheaper than models from frontier American AI labs like Anthropic and OpenAI.

"We're experimenting with defaulting to open weight models like GLM 5.2 and Kimi 2.7 through our LLM gateway, while still encouraging engineers to choose the right model for the task," Armstrong wrote.

GLM 5.2 and Kimi 2.7 are models developed by the Chinese AI labs Z.ai and Moonshot AI, respectively.

His second strategy, one he had spoken about earlier in June, is routing prompts to their most appropriate models based on their difficulty levels.

"For instance, you may want a frontier model for planning, but not for execution where they can be overkill," he wrote. "Ultimately, humans shouldn't be choosing models - AI can automate this task."

The third tip was to use better caching, a technique that reduces inference costs.

The fourth was to keep context lean, meaning starting new sessions when switching between tasks.

And his final strategy is to improve visibility into AI spending across the company. This means all his engineers can use as many tokens as they want, but they can see their usage. Coinbase will expect "more impact" from employees who spend more on AI.

Armstrong attached a graph at the end of his post tracking token usage and AI spend at the company over time, though the exact timeline was not specified. The graph shows that token usage has recently reached one of the highest levels in the company's history, while AI spending has fallen significantly, to nearly half its peak level.

"The goal isn't to suppress usage. It's to build the infrastructure that makes exponential growth sustainable," he wrote.

Armstrong's post comes less than two months after Coinbase laid off 14% of its staff, partly due to AI changing how people work.

"Over the past year, I've watched engineers use AI to ship in days what used to take a team weeks," Armstrong said in a post in May, adding that, "the pace of what's possible with a small, focused team has changed dramatically."

His strategy to reduce AI costs falls in line with the industry, which has moved on from the short-lived tokenmaxxing trend in favor of imposing usage caps on employees to curb rampant token consumption.

• My husband and I have been trekking all over the globe for more than 40 years.
• We've tackled trails like the Muktinath in Nepal and the Coast-to-Coast across northern England.
• We're not uber-athletes, but we've found walking is a way we can continue to explore new places.

For more than 40 years, my husband Barry and I have undertaken long-distance walks throughout the world, usually coinciding with a milestone birthday

The year I turned 30, we hiked the Muktinath trail in Nepal; at 40, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu; at 50, the Camino de Santiago; at 60, the Coast-to-Coast across northern England; and at 70, Hadrian's Wall, near the Scottish border.

Barry is now 83, and I'm 74, but we have no intention of stopping. In the last two years, we did shorter treks in the Ecuadorian Andes and the silvery-spired Italian Dolomites.

We're not uber athletes, but we've found that as long as you're in reasonable health, you can always keep walking. It's true, though, that some hikes are more challenging than others. During our Machu Picchu trek, for instance, the Inca steps were so steep, I don't know how anyone could clamber up and down them. My knees are happy we did that trek when I was 40!

Over the years, we've gained some hard-earned insights from our walks.

Beauty can be very simple

We've climbed to elevations of 18,000 feet in the Himalayas, and a humble 1,200 feet in the countryside near Hadrian's Wall. Yet that simple landscape, consisting of ordinary green fields, hills, and stones, took my breath away.

Long-distance walking abroad isn't the same as backpacking

Walking is much cushier than backpacking. On our overseas walks, we sleep in beds, not on the hard ground. We stay in guesthouses, hostels, mountain huts, or B&Bs, and don't schlep food or cooking gear, because our hosts serve us home-cooked meals or we eat in budget-friendly restaurants.

The walking environment isn't the same, either. The Himalayan "wilderness," for example, is filled with yaks, shepherds, climbers, hikers, and porters. There are no shepherds when Barry and I hike back home in California.

Preparation is key

On the Coast-to-Coast, our fellow hikers were well-kitted, as the Brits say, with waterproof boots and gaiters. Not us. Most nights, I'd park my soaked boots in the establishment's "airing cupboard." By morning,,, they'd be dry, only to turn wet again by night, because even on dry days, the soil was puddled and muddy. Now, I make sure to pack waterproof boots and gaiters if we're walking in a rainy climate.

Mental preparation is important, too. A long-distance walk is kind of like a job, where we'd set small goals that partitioned the day. On the Camino, we'd wake early and get a few kilometers under our belts before rewarding ourselves with a café con leche and pastry. We'd break around mid-afternoon, when we'd wash our clothes, relax, and enjoy a discounted "pilgrims" dinner. Bed by 8:30 for an early start the next day.

Conversations and friendships develop organically

Some conversations with fellow walkers were profound, others routine. On the Camino, coffee breaks were opportunities to admire each other's blisters, chuckling over the saying, "Sus ampollas son sus pecados," (your blisters are your sins). A Brazilian companion said hers hurt worse than childbirth.

We made a lasting friendship on the Coast-to-Coast with a British woman while holing up in a bunkhouse (a small hostel) on a rainy day. Since then, we've gotten together in Britain, Spain, and Mexico, where Barry and I live part of the year. I love telling people, "We met while walking across England."

At home or away, walking is my favorite transportation. Alongside my feet, my mind treads a parallel path, rambling, exploring, and wandering, sustained by this timeless practice. I'm literally following in the steps of the ancients, joining the long line of all those who walked before me.

• Cognition CEO Scott Wu said that employees should be ranked by their output, not token usage.
• Cognition is valued at $26B and is best known for Devin, its AI coding tool.
• Tech leaders have been critiquing tokenmaxxing for being wasteful.

Token leaderboards have a right idea, wrong execution problem, says the CEO of one red-hot AI coding startup.

On an episode of the "Founders" podcast released on Sunday, Cognition's Scott Wu said there are better ways to incentivize employees to use AI.

"It is directionally correct, but I think there are definitely some places where people have gotten carried away," Wu said. "People are like, 'We rank our engineers by how many tokens they're spending.' Well, let's try and rank people by how much output they're actually producing."

Cognition was founded in 2023 by Wu, Steven Hao, and Walden Yan and is best known for Devin, an autonomous AI software engineer. The San Francisco-based company has attracted backing from investors including Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, Elad Gil, and Pear VC. In May, it raised more than $1 billion at a $26 billion post-money valuation, making it one of the most valuable AI coding startups globally.

On the podcast, Wu acknowledged that compute is expensive. But he said if engineers can ship three times more than they would without AI, it is "clearly worth it."

Still, he added that companies need to ensure they tie rewards to less lofty metrics. Specific outcomes could include how many tickets are resolved and how much cheaper and faster a project can be.

Wu is the latest tech leader to critique tokenmaxxing — using tons of AI tools like Claude, Codex, and Cursor to boost productivity and get ahead on internal AI use dashboards and reviews.

Earlier this month, the chief technology officer of legal AI startup Legora said employees should not be rewarded just for using AI.

"A lot of people, say, get a leaderboard and bring up token usage at performance reviews," said Jacob Lauritzen on a podcast. "That leads to tokenmaxxing, which is people just burn tokens just to look good."

"That's a really stupid way to do anything," he added.

At a Bloomberg conference this month, Andrew Feldman, the CEO of Cerebras Systems, said that the idea of giving employees unlimited tokens was "boneheaded from the get-go."

"You don't need a Ferrari to go to the grocery store, right? Use a lower-cost open source model," he said about being more efficient with tokens. "What we're learning is how to shop at Costco."

• Olivia Wilde says Hollywood's beauty standards have made it harder to find expressive female actors.
• She said she doesn't fault them for getting cosmetic procedures because she faces "the same pressures."
• "I've had the thing of people being like, 'She looks old and dead and awful,'" Wilde said.

Olivia Wilde, 42, says becoming a director changed the way she viewed Hollywood's beauty standards.

On Friday's episode of "The Run-Through with Vogue," Wilde spoke about aging and the pressures female actors face in the entertainment industry.

"It's interesting because as a director, I now am constantly searching for actresses who can still move their faces, and it's not easy," Wilde told Vogue's head of editorial content Chloe Malle.

Wilde said she doesn't fault actors for getting cosmetic procedures because she understands the industry pressures they face.

"I am a product of the same machine. I am under the same pressures. I get it," Wilde said, adding that she hopes the beauty industry would develop less aggressive anti-aging treatments than those currently available.

"There's something so medieval about a lot of these things," she added.

Female actors face an impossible balancing act between preserving their ability to perform and meeting Hollywood's expectations around aging, she said.

"I've had the thing of people being like, 'She looks old and dead and awful.' And you're like, 'Fuck! How do you win? It's impossible,'" she added.

Wilde isn't the only actor to have spoken about the beauty standards women face in showbiz.

In June 2025, "White Lotus" star Carrie Coon said she is often typecast as older women despite being in her early 40s.

"My voice is lower, and I don't have Botox, so I tend to play older than I am. And so I've always had a gravitas or some authority," Coon said.

In April, Nikki Glaser said that once cosmetic procedures are financially accessible, choosing not to get them can begin to feel like a personal failing.

"It's like that failure that you feel of anything that you could do that you're not doing," Glaser said.

• Rhaenyra Targaryen has finally claimed the Iron Throne in "House of the Dragon" season three.
• "Game of Thrones" fans may remember that Rhaenyra's death is mentioned in the show's third season.
• Here's how Rhaenyra dies in the original book, "Fire & Blood," and possibly "House of the Dragon."

Warning: Major spoilers for the book "Fire & Blood" and "House of the Dragon" season three.

In the "House of the Dragon" season two finale, Prince Daemon has a vision of his wife, Rhaenyra Targaryen, on the Iron Throne.

Daemon comes to believe that Rhaenyra is the chosen one, the "Prince That Was Promised," who will unite the realm against darkness, a belief that motivates Rhaenyra herself to seize power in season three, even through grief, treason, and doubt.

But her story won't be so triumphant if the series follows its source material.

Although many fans will be thrilled to see Queen Rhaenyra finally materialize after she was named her father's heir all the way back in season one, actor Emma D'Arcy said the show's third season explores "a movement towards tyranny."

"I think in Rhaenyra's case," D'Arcy told Entertainment Weekly, "it's a kind of religious fanaticism, actually, that starts to radicalize her position."

Meanwhile, Rhaenyra's half-brothers — the primary challengers to her crown — are still at large: Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), aka Aegon the Usurper, quietly fled King's Landing after he was critically injured in battle at Rook's Rest, while Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) has flown to the Riverlands with his massive dragon Vhagar to claim Harrenhal castle.

Here's what happens to Rhaenyra in the original book, George R. R. Martin's "Fire & Blood."

Rhaenyra becomes Queen of Westeros, but both the throne and the smallfolk reject her

As in season three of "House of the Dragon," Rhaenyra presses her advantage once Aemond sets forth to retake Harrenhal, leaving King's Landing unprotected. Only one dragonrider remains in the city: Queen Helaena, bonded to Dreamfyre, described in the book as a "broken woman" who's unable to fight or fly. (In the show, she's perfectly lucid but refuses to use her dragon to burn people.)

Rhaenyra and Daemon fly to King's Landing on their own dragons, Syrax and Caraxes, flanked by her newly recruited dragonriders. They find the knights of the City Watch have remained loyal to Daemon, so they're easily able to coax a surrender from the Dowager Queen Alicent.

"The sight of the queen's dragons in the sky above took the heart out of the opposition, and King Aegon's remaining loyalists hid or fled or bent the knee," the book reads, although Aegon himself is nowhere to be found when Rhaenyra arrives in the Red Keep.

But Aegon's escape is only the beginning of Queen Rhaenyra's problems. When she finally ascends her father's throne, the ancient seat made of melted swords, it cuts her legs and hands. Onlookers watch as blood drips from her skin. In Westerosi lore, this is considered an ill omen, as if the throne itself is rejecting her claim.

Soon enough, the smallfolk turn on Rhaenyra. She is forced to drastically raise taxes, since three-quarters of the crown's gold had been shipped away by Aegon's master of coin (and Aegon spent whatever was left). There isn't enough food in the city, either, so the criminals of King's Landing are publicly executed. Their heads are displayed on spikes above the city gates, and the rest of their corpses are fed to the queen's dragons.

People begin spreading scandalous rumors about Rhaenyra's cruelty, and some even come to see dragons as evil, unnatural creatures, not as symbols of House Targaryen's power and divinity.

Eventually, a series of disasters and betrayals brings a premature end to Rhaenyra's reign.

Hugh Hammer and Ulf White, two of the dragonseeds that Rhaenyra recruited for her army, double-cross the queen and scheme to seize power for themselves. Daemon dies fighting Aemond. Helaena, beloved by the smallfolk, dies by suicide. King's Landing erupts in riots, leading to the deaths of multiple dragons (including the queen's own dragon, Syrax) and Rhaenyra's thirdborn son, Prince Joffrey.

Dragonless and vulnerable, Rhaenyra has no choice but to flee. She uses the last of her resources to escape the city with her last living son, Aegon the Younger, and retreat to Dragonstone, her former stronghold. (Her fifth and youngest son, Viserys II, is presumed dead after the Battle of the Gullet.)

Rhaenyra returns to Dragonstone, where she is eaten by her brother's dragon

When Rhaenyra reaches Dragonstone, her brother Aegon is already there. Aegon's dragon, Sunfyre, had also found his way back to the island after recuperating in the woods next to Rook's Rest.

Aegon and Sunfyre had taken control of Dragonstone and slain Rhaenyra's supporters, though both were greatly weakened in the process. The book says that by the time Rhaenyra returned, Sunfyre was on the brink of death.

"Dear brother," Rhaenyra says when she sees Aegon's scarred face. "I had hoped that you were dead."

"After you," Aegon answers. "You are the elder."

Sealing his victory, Aegon feeds Rhaenyra to his dragon while her son, Aegon the Younger, watches in horror.

Rhaenyra's fate is revealed in 'Game of Thrones' season three

"House of the Dragon" is a prequel to "Game of Thrones," set about 170 years before the main series begins.

That means "Game of Thrones" fans already know a few spoilers. By the time we meet famous characters like Ned Stark, Cersei Lannister, and King Robert Baratheon, dragons have been extinct for generations; House Targaryen has recently been ousted from power, and there are only a few members of the family left alive.

Some fans may even remember a more specific spoiler, courtesy of Cersei's eldest son, Joffrey Lannister.

In "Game of Thrones" season three, episode four, "And Now His Watch Is Ended," Joffrey is giving his future queen, Margaery Tyrell, a tour of the Sept of Baelor in King's Landing.

"Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather, his dragon," Joffrey recalls. "It ate her while her son watched. What's left of her is buried in the crypts right down there."

Ayomikun Adekaiyero contributed to a previous version of this story.

• "House of the Dragon" is no stranger to death, murder, or even fratricide. 
• Some of the show's most tragic deaths are tied to children and childbirth.
• Here are the 13 saddest deaths in the show, including King Viserys, Prince Jace, and more.

Warning: Major spoilers through "House of the Dragon" season three, episode two.

If you're watching a show in the "Game of Thrones" universe, you should know you're signing up for some devastating character deaths.

This is especially true for "House of the Dragon," a prequel about the bloody civil war that decimated the Targaryen dynasty.

From the first moment that Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) clashed over the Iron Throne, it was clear that death and destruction awaited both sides. As Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) wisely notes, "There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin, and no war so bloody as a war between dragons."

Here are the saddest deaths so far in "House of the Dragon," ranked below in ascending order.

13. Viserys dies after a long bout of illness.

Hear us out: We loved Paddy Considine as King Viserys the Peaceful, but his death was so obviously inevitable that it didn't inspire much shock or devastation.

For one, the king's death was always going to be necessary to kick off the war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons, which is the whole point of this show. But more importantly, Viserys' death was preceded by a long, painful, leprosy-like illness, such that it almost came as a relief to see his suffering end.

12. Otto Hightower is the first traitor to die under Queen Rhaenyra's rule.

By the time Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) was beheaded by Queen Rhaenyra as a traitor, viewers hadn't seen him for a season's worth of episodes.

After Otto was fired by his grandson in season two, the former Hand of the King was secretly imprisoned in the dungeons of the Red Keep, awaiting the day he might become a useful political pawn. That day came when Rhaenyra took the Iron Throne, and Otto was delivered to Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) as a prisoner.

Daemon urged his wife to execute Otto — the father of her childhood best friend — as a show of strength and justice. With the throne room full of onlookers, Rhaenyra had no choice but to decapitate Otto on the spot.

The scene is only heartbreaking to watch because of Rhaenyra's guttural reaction. It's hard to imagine many fans mourning Otto himself — a brutal striver who schemed to crown his moronic grandson, to the realm's obvious detriment.

11. Daemon murders his first wife, Lady Rhea Royce.

We barely got to know Lady Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford), Daemon's estranged first wife, before she was heartlessly murdered by her own husband.

Given that Daemon referred to Rhea as the "Bronze Bitch" and refused to consummate their marriage, what we did know of her wasn't very compelling.

Still, it was hardly fun to watch Daemon sacrifice a real person in his quest for power.

10. Lyonel and Harwin Strong die offscreen at Harrenhal.

Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) and his father, Lord Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes), didn't have much time to make an impression on the audience. Still, their untimely deaths came as a shock — especially because the tragedy was orchestrated by their own blood, Larys Strong (Matthew Needham).

Following the birth of Rhaenyra's third son, Joffrey, Harwin was confronted by Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), who insinuated that Harwin fathered all three of Rhaenyra's children.

In the wake of their clash, Lyonel attempted to resign from his position as Hand of the King, citing the dishonor that Harwin brought on their family. Viserys rejected his resignation but allowed Lyonel to escort his son back to Harrenhal. Unfortunately, an apparent murder plot was waiting for them: both men died in a mysterious fire once they arrived at the damp castle.

By all accounts, Harwin seemed like a pretty decent guy. Even worse, his death is a personal blow to Rhaenyra.

9. Despite his surrender, Simon Strong and his two sons are killed by Aemond.

Thanks to Daemon's season-two Harrenhal arc, viewers spent a bit more time with Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) than with his previously murdered relatives.

Simon acted as the de facto Lord of Harrenhal in Larys' absence. He was quick to surrender, weak by some standards, but also shrewd and resilient in his own way. He ingratiated himself with Daemon when the prince claimed the castle — no small feat — and managed to keep himself and his sons alive without resorting to violence, even as Harrenhal changed hands between murderers and warmongers.

That is, until Aemond came knocking in season three — and by knocking, of course, we mean burning and plundering. In contrast to his uncle, Aemond had no patience for Simon's benign, measured submission.

Aemond stabbed Simon and his two sons almost immediately upon taking over Harrenhal, robbing the show of one of its last few likable blokes.

8. The Cargyll twins killed each other after ending up on different sides of the war.

In season one, Ser Arryk Cargylle (Luke Tittensor) and Ser Erryk Cargylle (Ellliot Tittensor) worked together as Kingsguard knights, protecting the royal family. But when the Hightowers usurped the throne, the twins were split for the first time in their lives. Arryk sided with King Aegon, while Erryk left to join Rhaenyra's Queensguard.

In season two, Criston sent Arryk to slay Rhaenyra. The plan was for Arryk to impersonate his brother and enter Dragonstone undetected. However, Erryk was alerted to the intrusion, forcing the brothers into a harrowing showdown.

After killing his brother, Erryk begged Rhaenyra to forgive him and fell on his own sword.

In the book, the Cargylle twins' tragic deaths inspired singers and storytellers for generations to come.

"In the end," the book reads, "Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk dealt each other mortal wounds, and died in one another's arms with tears upon their cheeks."

7. Joffrey Lonmouth is brutally beaten to death by Criston Cole.

The murder of Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod) was the first time that we really saw Criston's true colors, and man, they were ugly.

When a young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) agreed to marry, they came to an understanding that both would pursue other lovers, namely Criston and Joffrey. But that didn't turn out exactly as they'd hoped.

At the wedding, Joffrey confronted Criston.

"You don't know me, Ser Criston, but we are both deeply invested in this union," Joffrey said. He told Criston that Laenor was "dear" to him, and that he understood Criston and Rhaenyra's relationship. The strategic move was meant to bond them in the shared secret of Rhaenyra and Laenor's lavender marriage.

Instead, in the midst of revelry, Criston beat Joffrey into bloody, lifeless pulp.

While the audience didn't know Joffrey particularly well, he didn't do anything wrong — certainly not wrong enough to merit such a brutal and public death.

6. Jahaerys Targaryen is beheaded in his crib.

"House of the Dragon" season two kicked off by adapting an infamous murder from "Fire & Blood."

In a reckless act of vengeance, Daemon hired two mercenaries named Blood and Cheese to assassinate Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) in the Red Keep. Daemon told the men that he wanted "a son for a son."

When the pair failed to find the prince, they settled for plan B. In a shocking act of cruelty, they forced Queen Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) to point out which sleeping toddler was her son.

Blood and Cheese then descended upon Jaeharys with knives, decapitating the boy in his crib.

Thankfully, Helaena fled the room with her daughter. But the extent of their brutality is displayed for all of King's Landing to see during Jaeharys' funeral procession.

5. Laena Velaryon commits suicide by dragonflame.

In the premiere episode of "House of the Dragon," Rhaenyra's mother told her the birthing bed is a woman's battlefield.

That is proven more literal than figurative, as season one featured more than one agonizing death related to pregnancy and childbirth, including that of Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell).

After he murdered his first wife, Daemon married Laena. The couple moved to Pentos and welcomed two healthy daughters, Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell).

However, Laena's third pregnancy proved fatal. In episode six, "The Princess and the Queen," she struggled with a complicated delivery and began to bleed out. Daemon was offered the same choice that Viserys once had: save his wife, or save the baby. Instead, Laena took matters into her own hands and decided her fate.

Laena commanded her dragon, Vhagar, to incinerate her.

While the scene is gut-wrenching to watch — especially since Vhagar seemed reluctant to kill her rider — it's a small comfort to know that Laena died on her own terms as a dragonlord, with fire and blood.

4. Rhaenys sacrifices herself and her dragon, Meleys, at Rook's Rest.

As soon as Rhaenys flew off to battle at Rook's Rest, there was already a sense that she wouldn't make it back.

But that didn't make her death at the hands of Aemond and Vhagar any less wrenching. Across two seasons, Rhaenys had distinguished herself as virtuous and loyal, at once level-headed and fierce, making her a favorite character among fans.

Even as Rhaenys realized she couldn't hope to defeat Vhagar alone, she didn't run away. Instead, she strapped herself tighter into her saddle and fought valiantly till the end, dealing serious damage to King Aegon and Sunfyre in the process.

One of the true noble warriors in "House of the Dragon" is now gone, and to paraphrase Otto Hightower, we (the audience and Westeros) are poorer for it.

3. Queen Aemma dies during childbirth after Viserys orders his son to be cut out of her.

"House of the Dragon" made a bloody debut in the season one premiere with the heartbreaking death of Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke), the beloved wife of King Viserys.

When Aemma went into labor, the baby got stuck, and Viserys was forced to decide whose life to save. Despite his love for Aemma, the king chose his unborn child in the hopes of getting a son.

The maesters cut Aemma's belly open to save the child, killing her in the process. In her final moments, Aemma's agency was stripped away, and her life was tossed aside for the mere concept of an heir to the throne.

The withering loss was only made worse when Aemma's newborn baby, Baelon, died a day later.

2. Lucerys is the first major casualty of the Dance of the Dragons.

Lucerys and his dragon Arrax's deaths are some of the biggest tragedies in "House of the Dragon."

Though the Greens and the Blacks were preparing for a war, bloodshed wasn't yet inevitable. It may have been possible to find another way to settle the dispute after a cooling-off period. But there could be no reconciliation once Rhaenyra's son was slain.

The murder of Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), aka Luke, was a turning point in the Dance of the Dragons — made all the more tragic because it looked like an accident.

The scene unraveled almost like a horror movie, with Aemond and Vhagar stalking and taunting Luke in the dark, rainy skies. Aemond likely saw this as an opportunity to toy with Luke, as payback for his missing eye, but a dragon's fury is not so easily restrained.

After a brief moment of seeming relief, Vhagar emerged from the haze, ripping tiny Arrax and his rider apart.

Luke lost his life; Rhaenyra lost a son; Jacaerys lost a brother; Corlys lost an heir; Rhaena lost a future husband; and Aemond lost the respect of his family — forever known to history as a ruthless kinslayer. The ripple effects from Luke's death are vast and untold.

1. Jacaerys is killed in the Battle of the Gullet while trying to make his mom proud.

What's more tragic than one of Rhaenyra's beloved children being murdered? Two of Rhaenyra's beloved children being murdered.

Rhaenyra's firstborn son and heir, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), aka Jace, had always been eager to prove himself. He was passionate, clever, daring — yet constantly (and lovingly) restrained by his mother, who feared his youth and lack of experience would spell disaster in battle.

Sadly, Rhaenyra was right. In the season three premiere, Jace forcibly took his mother's place at the Battle of the Gullet, locking Rhaenyra in her room and flying off to his doom.

While Jace burned enemy ships on his dragon, Vermax, those enemies were plotting to take him down. Vermax was impaled from the sky and pulled to his watery grave, while Jace managed to survive by unclipping from his saddle — though his survival was all too brief. Jace was quickly shot by enemy arrows, and his corpse was left to float among countless other warriors.

Over two seasons, Jacaerys had become a surprisingly savvy diplomat and a fan-favorite character. It's devastating to know that he won't grace our screens again — and even more devastating to imagine how his death will affect Rhaenyra, who's already lost one son in her quest for the Iron Throne.

• HBO's "House of the Dragon" is adapted from "Fire & Blood," a fictional history of House Targaryen.
• An early death in season three is notably different from its vague description in the book.
• In earlier seasons, the deaths of characters like Laenor and Rhea were portrayed in unexpected ways.

Warning: Major spoilers through "House of the Dragon" season three, episode two.

"House of the Dragon" has returned for its third season, continuing its tradition of expanding on the source material.

HBO's flagship "Game of Thrones" spinoff is based on George R. R. Martin's "Fire & Blood," a fictional history of House Targaryen. The book is written as an overview of major events during the dynasty's reign.

Unlike Martin's main series ("A Song of Ice and Fire," which inspired "Game of Thrones"), "Fire & Blood" is not told from the major characters' points of view but is recounted in retrospect by maesters, members of the royal court, and other third-party observers.

Thus, "Fire & Blood" readers don't get definitive causes or clear motivations for why characters take certain actions — and, in some cases, the book may be missing key in-universe information. As the "Fire & Blood" narrator frequently notes, not even eyewitness accounts are entirely reliable. His sources often disagree, each saddled with unique baggage, blind spots, and biases.

This means the TV writers hired for HBO's adaptation had a lot more leeway with the story and an opportunity to create a consistent canon of events.

So let's take a closer look at some of the pivotal "House of the Dragon" deaths so far, and how they compare to the details found in "Fire & Blood."

Aemma's final moments of life are made more brutal by Viserys opting for a C-section.

In the show: Director Miguel Sapochnik says the scene that killed Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) was designed to show how King Viserys (Paddy Considine) "effectively murdered" his beloved wife.

When Aemma goes into labor, her baby is facing the wrong direction, and the maesters can't get it to turn. This means Aemma will certainly die, but there's a small chance they can save the baby by cutting it out of her.

The maester offers the choice to Viserys, who picks the surgery without consulting Aemma or telling her what's about to happen. Instead, she's dragged down on the bed and restrained while the maester cuts open her belly. She bleeds to death as the baby is "born."

In the book: Death by childbirth is fairly commonplace in Westeros, and it's treated as such in the text. "Fire & Blood" provides no details or context to Aemma's death, and doesn't mention Viserys being a part of the labor and delivery process at all:

"Queen Aemma was brought to bed in Maegor's Holdfast and died whilst giving birth to the son that Viserys Targaryen had desired for so long. The boy (named Baelon, after the king's father) survived her only by a day, leaving king and court bereft."

Rhea's death in the book is regarded as a "hunting accident" instead of cold-blooded murder.

In the show: In season one, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is married to Lady Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford), though neither is particularly happy about it.

Hoping to marry his royal niece instead, Daemon sneaks up on Rhea during a hunting trip and spooks her horse. After she's thrown, Rhea is paralyzed from the neck down and unable to fight back. She lobs insults at Daemon until he picks up a rock and bashes in her skull.

In the book: According to the historical record, Rhea's death was "a tragic mishap." Daemon is not suspected of being involved:

"The 'bronze bitch' of Runestone, Lady Rhea Royce, fell from her horse whilst hawking and cracked her skull upon a stone. She lingered for nine days before finally feeling well enough to leave her bed…only to collapse and die within an hour of rising."

Joffrey is killed by Criston in both the show and the book, but in "Fire & Blood," his death happens under the guise of a tourney.

In the show: While still teenagers, Lord Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) agree to get married — not out of love, but duty to their families. They also secretly agree to keep their marriage open, since Laenor is gay, and Rhaenyra is having an affair with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel).

Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), Laenor's lover, outs himself to Criston as the future king consort's boyfriend. Big mistake.

Cole, embarrassed and infuriated by the exposure of his own secret tryst with Rhaenyra, lashes out and beats Joffrey to death in the middle of the wedding welcome feast.

In the book: "Fire & Blood" historians recall that Joffrey was killed by Criston during a tourney, during which Criston had been "fighting in a black fury" against all his opponents. Joffrey's relationship with Laenor isn't mentioned as a possible motivation for his death:

"Cole's favorite weapon was the morningstar, and the blows he rained down on Ser Laenor's champion cracked his helm and left him senseless in the mud. Borne bloody from the field, Ser Joffrey died without recovering consciousness six days later."

Harwin and Lyonel canonically die in a fire at Harrenhal, but the show clarifies the arsonist.

In the show: House Strong controls Harrenhal, the largest castle in the Riverlands. It's where Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) and his father, Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes), meet their doom after leaving King's Landing in season one.

"House of the Dragon" makes it clear who to blame: Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), a sneaky man who wants leverage on Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke), hires two miscreants to set the castle ablaze in one of the show's most egregious acts of kinslaying. As an added bonus, with his older brother and father both dead, Larys inherits Harrenhal.

In the book: Harwin and Lyonel are indeed killed in a mysterious fire at Harrenhal, but Larys is floated as just one of several suspects for the arson:

"Shortly after their arrival, a fire broke out in the tower where they were sleeping, and both father and son were killed, along with three of their retainers and a dozen servants. The cause of the fire was never determined. Some put it down to simple mischance, whilst others muttered that Black Harren's seat was cursed and brought only doom to any man who held it.

Many suspected the blaze was set intentionally. Mushroom suggests that the Sea Snake was behind it, as an act of vengeance against the man who had cuckolded his son. Septon Eustace, more plausibly, suspects Prince Daemon, removing a rival for Princess Rhaenyra's affections. Others have put forth the notion that Larys Clubfoot might have been responsible; with his father and elder brother dead, Larys Strong became the Lord of Harrenhal.

The most disturbing possibility was advanced by none other than Grand Maester Mellos, who muses that the king himself might have given the command. If Viserys had come to accept that the rumors about the parentage of Rhaenyra's children were true, he might well have wished to remove the man who had dishonored his daughter, lest he somehow reveal the bastardy of her sons. Were that so, Lyonel Strong's death was an unfortunate accident, for his lordship's decision to see his son back to Harrenhal had been unforeseen."

Like Aemma, Laena's cause of death isn't detailed in the book beyond childbirth. The show gives her a fiery end.

In the show: Just like Aemma, Lady Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) is unable to safely deliver her baby. A medieval C-section offers a tiny chance for the baby's survival, and Laena's husband, Daemon, is given that option.

But Laena takes her fate into her own hands and opts for a dragonrider's death. While still in labor, she orders her dragon, Vhagar, to incinerate her.

In the book: Laena officially dies of "childbed fever" and apparently doesn't make it to Vhagar in time:

"During her final hour, it is said, Lady Laena rose from her bed, pushed away the septas praying over her, and made her way from her room, intent on reaching Vhagar that she might fly one last time before she died. Her strength failed her on the tower steps, however, and it was there she collapsed and died."

Laenor fakes his own death in a big change from the book.

In the show: Even after marrying and having children with other people, Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) are drawn to each other. They want to make it official as husband and wife, but Rhaenyra is trapped in a lavender marriage with Laenor (John MacMillan).

Daemon and Rhaenyra seem to conspire to kill Laenor so they can finally be together — and that's what Laenor's mother long believed — but the show reveals that Laenor was in cahoots with the couple all along.

Daemon kills a High Tide castle servant while Laenor and his lover, Qarl, stage a sword fight in the main hall. After another servant runs to get help, Daemon presumably helps Laenor dress the body of the dead servant in his own clothes, and they burn the servant's face beyond recognition.

Laenor and Qarl sneak away to Essos with Daemon's help, leaving the realm to gossip about the tragic and fishy death of Rhaenyra's husband.

In the book: Qarl stabs Laenor in broad daylight. Rumors spread that it was an act of passionate jealousy, or maybe a murder plot, but no damning evidence was ever collected:

"Ser Laenor Velaryon, husband to the Princess Rhaenyra and the putative father of her children, was slain whilst attending a fair in Spicetown, stabbed to death by his friend and companion Ser Qarl Correy. The two men had been quarreling loudly before blades were drawn, merchants at the fair told Lord Velaryon when he came to collect his son's body. Correy had fled by then, wounding several men who tried to hinder him. Some claimed a ship had been waiting for him offshore. He was never seen again."

In the book, Otto Hightower is executed as a traitor. The show makes his death more climactic by having Rhaenyra swing the sword.

In the show: After he's unceremoniously removed as Hand of the King by his grandson, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), viewers barely see Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) until his death.

Otto tells his daughter, Alicent, that he's returning to House Hightower's seat in Oldtown, though she finds it odd that he doesn't answer any of her letters.

Upon Rhaenyra's return to King's Landing, we discover that Otto never made it home. He was captured and imprisoned in the Red Keep's dungeon by none other than Larys, Aegon's master of whisperers.

Otto is brought before Rhaenyra, and Daemon urges her to execute Aegon's former Hand as a traitor. "If you wish to rule," he says, "show them you do not waver."

Unfortunately, Rhaenyra was raised to be a lady, not a knight. She has never beheaded anyone — let alone the father of her childhood best friend. She panics and misses Otto's neck on her first stroke, burying her sword in his shoulder blades. On her second stroke, Rhaenyra cuts off Otto's head, choking back sobs.

In the book: When Rhaenyra takes the Iron Throne in "Fire & Blood," it's said that she set about "rewarding her friends and inflicting savage punishments on those who had served her half-brother." Otto is simply listed as the first traitor to die under Rhaenyra's rule, sans any grisly or personal details:

"Queen Alicent was fettered at wrist and ankle with golden chains, though her stepdaughter spared her life 'for the sake of our father, who loved you once.' Her own father was less fortunate. Ser Otto Hightower, who had served three kings as Hand, was the first traitor to be beheaded."

• Grace Cong Sui is raising her daughter in Los Angeles without family nearby.
• During a two-month visit to Qingdao, China, she realized her family's parenting style differed from her own.
• The experience helped her continue to find her own parenting path between two cultures.

My aunt chased her granddaughter around the living room with a spoon and a bowl of rice and vegetables. My niece's eyes stayed fixed on the TV as her mouth opened and closed automatically while my aunt slipped in bite after bite. My daughter sat beside them, watching quietly.

I needed to say something.

"You shouldn't feed her like that," I said. "It's not good for her."

Before my aunt could respond, my mother shot me a look from across the room — the kind many Chinese mothers can give without saying a word. I fell silent.

After nearly a decade abroad, this was the first time I'd brought my daughter back to China. We were in Qingdao, about halfway between Beijing and Shanghai, to celebrate Lunar New Year and spend time with my extended family.

My family was thrilled to be together again

I was relieved to step away from the constant demands of parenting, with no extended family nearby.

For the first time in years, I wandered around the city streets on my own, caught up with old college friends, and sat through dinner without reminding anyone to chew. My parents happily took over with my daughter, a luxury my husband and I don't have in the US.

Watching them with her transported me back to my own childhood in Shandong Province in the 1990s. I was raised by a village of relatives. My grandparents took turns living with us, someone was always waiting at the school gate, and every school holiday I stayed with them so my parents could focus on their careers.

Parenting in the US

I became a mother 3 years ago, thousands of miles away in Los Angeles. With no family nearby, I leaned heavily on parenting books, expert advice, and plenty of trial and error.

Over time, I found my own approach. Once my daughter turned 2, I encouraged her to feed herself. I let her focus uninterrupted during independent play and reading, responded to tantrums with calm explanations instead of distractions, and limited her sugar intake.

Help from my family in China

We both loved being surrounded by family. They were always ready to help. I slipped easily into the rhythm of having extra hands around.

Before I noticed my daughter was cold, someone had already found her another layer. Before I realized she needed bedding for kindergarten — a local Chinese school she attended while we were there — my mother had packed everything and set it by the door.

But before long, I started feeling strangely displaced as a mother.

"It's only ice cream," my mother would say whenever I tried to explain to my daughter why she shouldn't eat too many sweets.

During quiet playtime, my father often interrupted to offer a puzzle or fruit. At meals, my mother encouraged "just one more bite," often feeding her herself.

Whenever my daughter argued with my niece over a toy, my mother quickly redirected her attention instead of letting her work through her emotions. It wasn't how I had learned to parent.

As a child in China, I never questioned those habits. My grandparents raised me the same way.

Living in America changed how I think about parenting. My husband and I carefully established routines around sleep, meals, screen time, and the boundaries we wanted to set.

Back in China, those routines gradually disappeared. My family cared for my daughter with love, but their way of helping often left me feeling as though my role as her mother had quietly slipped into the background.

My daughter enjoyed the attention

My daughter seemed happier than ever in China. At family gatherings, she bounced from lap to lap, proudly shouted "Xin Nian Kuai Le" ("Happy New Year") to relatives, and ate more than usual while competing with her cousin at mealtimes. Watching her, I felt both overwhelmed and deeply comforted.

Back in the US, life quickly returned to normal. Once again, it was just my husband and me.

One evening, I placed dinner in front of her as usual. Instead of reaching for her spoon, she sat quietly.

"Mommy, feed me," she said.

I pointed to her utensils.

"You can do it yourself."

"No," she said more firmly. "Please feed me."

Without thinking, I picked up my spoon.

As I fed her, I caught myself doing the very thing I'd spent weeks resisting in China. Part of it was exhaustion. Part of it was the familiar worry that she wouldn't eat enough if I didn't help.

In that moment, I realized how easily old habits can resurface. I had thought I'd left that style of parenting behind, but it was still part of me, shaped by the family who had raised me.

My daughter still asks when we can go back to China to see her grandparents. She misses the constant attention and the feeling of being surrounded by family.

I still believe my husband and I should make the decisions about how we raise her. But I no longer see my parents' approach as simply something to resist. It came from love, just as mine does.

Now I'm trying to figure out what parts of each I want to pass on to my daughter as we navigate motherhood — and childhood — together.

• Lana Ng left her marketing job in 2023 to take care of her children.
• This year, she started experimenting with side gigs to chip away at the family debt.
• She said they've helped her feel more sane, not lose herself in motherhood, and recover her spark.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lana Ng, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mother based in Houston. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I used to work as a marketing coordinator at a local hospital in Houston. I worked in a hybrid role, spending three days working from home and two days in the office, earning about $70,000 a year, and I enjoyed it. That's until I got pregnant with my son.

I was so happy; my husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for months. I didn't really think about what would happen once he was born, as I just thought I'd go back to work.

But the day before my maternity leave ended, my boss called me and said he was taking away my flexibility to work from home, and he wanted me in the office 40 hours a week.

I was in a state of shock, but the choice was clear. I handed in my resignation letter almost immediately and became a stay-at-home mom in 2023.

Working on 4 side hustles at once

We were living on one income from 2023 to the beginning of 2026, during which we had our second child, a girl.

When I gave up my salary, half of my husband's take-home pay went toward our mortgage, so the money was starting to feel a little tight.

I started wishing I could bring in an extra couple of hundred dollars a month to help us cover our groceries. I saw all these women online making money through content creation and side hustles, which inspired me to try it too.

So in January, I made a video on Instagram sharing how much debt my husband and I had in total and how much I planned to pay off this year, which was $18,000. This was everything except our mortgage, including our student loans, medical debt from having our kids, and some credit card debt.

Over the last six months, I've dabbled in mystery shopping, creating user-generated content (UGC) for brands on social media, doing brand deals, and freelance graphic design work. I've also experimented with print-on-demand products sold through Etsy.

UGC takes up most of my time, about 10 hours a week, which involves scripting, filming, and editing videos.

Over the last few months, my earnings from side gigs have helped me reduce our debt from $18,000 to $13,100.

Balancing side gigs and motherhood

During the day, I work while my son and daughter nap. When they're both asleep at the same time, I usually have an hour or two during the day when I can work. That's really not a lot of time.

But in the evening, from about 7 p.m. to midnight, I have time to do uninterrupted work because my husband comes home, looks after the kids, and handles their bedtime.

My side hustles have affected the time I spend with my husband. It's either work or time with the kids, because we don't have house help. I'm thinking about having at least one day a week when I don't use social media at all so that I can focus on my marriage and family.

What I love about working side gigs is that I don't have to answer to anyone, unlike in my previous job. If I wanted to take a day off because my kids are sick or to spend more time with my kids, I don't have to ask anybody.

Feeling like myself again

When I had my kids, I gave all of myself and my energy to them and lost myself in motherhood. I'd realize that at the end of the day, I didn't really do anything for myself.

I also didn't love giving up my salary and living off one income. I understand we're a married couple and it's our money, but I wanted to bring in my own money so I could buy things for myself, and not have to rely on my husband.

We budget hard, so every dollar has a job. At the beginning of the month, all the money is automatically assigned to something, like the mortgage, bills, groceries, or diapers.

There's not much left over, and if we spend money on something for me, I start to feel really guilty. So I think the biggest achievement for me is that I can bring in some money, for myself and for my family.

Content creation has been such a creative outlet for me, and I've always been a creative person, so it feels like my skills aren't going to waste. It's given me a little bit of my spark back.

The third Grand Slam of the year is here, and it's shaping up to be a star-studded affair. We've rounded up everything you need to know about where to watch Wimbledon, including free and global streaming options.

If you don't want to read any further, you can live stream Wimbledon on ESPN Unlimited in the US, and free on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and 9Now in Australia. You can access your favorite watch options from anywhere with a VPN. Keep reading to learn additional worldwide streaming options.

WTA No. 3 Iga Świątek and ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner will attempt to defend their titles on the grass courts of SW19. Carlos Alcaraz, who lost to Sinner in the final last year and has been his biggest competition at Grand Slams, will sit out the 2026 tournament with a wrist injury. Other than Alacaraz's absence, most of the usual suspects are set to make an appearance.

The most notable entry to Wimbledon this year is Serena Williams, who returned to professional doubles earlier this month. She'll pair up with her sister, Venus Williams, for the doubles portion of Wimbledon in July. But first, she'll have a go at singles for the first time in nearly four years. Williams will face Australian Maya Joint in the first round.

Where to watch Wimbledon for free

Fans in several countries are in luck, as Wimbledon coverage is available for free in a few regions. In the UK, the host nation has full coverage across the BBC, meaning viewers can live stream the action for free via BBC iPlayer. Australia will also have select free coverage available on 9Now.

In the US, fans can take advantage of a free trial from a live TV service, such as Fubo or YouTube TV.

How to watch Wimbledon from anywhere

If you're a tennis fan who's away from the location of your desired streaming service, you can still access your free watch option with the help of a VPN. These virtual private networks are handy tech tools that let people temporarily alter their digital locations. They're popular apps among those looking to access their usual websites and apps while traveling abroad or hoping to upgrade their cybersecurity.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market. It's fast, user-friendly, and has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not what you're looking for. You can also use this to watch a free World Cup stream for every game.

Where to watch Wimbledon in the US

In the US, Wimbledon TV coverage is available across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. You can live stream all of the action with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, which carries all of the linear broadcasts along with full live streams of all matches. ESPN Unlimited subscriptions cost $30 a month.

If you'd prefer something with a free trial or other channels beyond ESPN's, one of the best live TV streaming services might be of interest. Fubo and YouTube TV are our top two recommendations right now.

Fubo carries ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC in its Sports + News, Pro, and Elite plans, which start at $65 a month. You can also get access to ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost when you sign up for these plans. All plans include a free trial for new customers, and you can often get additional discounts on your first month.

YouTube TV also offers access to ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC in both its main and sports plans. Through August 31, new users can get $15 a month off the main plan for five months straight, bringing subscriptions down from $83 a month to $68 a month. The sports plan is also discounted for new customers, with plans going for $55 a month for 12 months (instead of the standard $65 a month rate). YouTube TV offers a free trial for first-time customers.

Where to watch Wimbledon in the UK

The host nation will offer comprehensive free coverage of Wimbledon through the BBC. Matches will air across BBC channels, and people can live stream all the action on BBC iPlayer. Fans need to create an account if they don't already have one, and then they're all set to start watching.

Where to watch Wimbledon in Australia

9Now will carry free Wimbledon coverage on several matches in Australia. Users will need to make an account if they don't already have a login. To watch absolutely every match, fans will need a paid Stan Sport subscription, which costs $32 a month ($12 for a base Stan subscription, and then $20 for the Sport add-on).

Who is favored to win Wimbledon 2026?

Heading into the tournament, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are favored to win Wimbledon. According to DraftKings (at the time of writing), Sinner is the -165 favorite, followed by Novak Djokovic (+600), Alexander Zverev (+900), and Ben Shelton (+1600). On the women's side, Sabalenka is the +350 favorite, followed by Elena Rybakina (+550), Iga Świątek (+750), and Mirra Andreeva (+800).

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.

• High taxes and concerns about school safety prompted Allyson and Andrew Rappaport to consider leaving the US.
• They moved from Connecticut to a car-free beach town in Costa Rica with their two sons.
• Living in Costa Rica allows the Rappaports to spend more quality time together as a family.

For years, Allyson and Andrew Rappaport spent their days caring for animals at the veterinary practice they owned in New York, often working six days a week.

At night, they returned to their cozy four-bedroom home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where they lived with their two sons.

Although they had built a comfortable life, they found the cost of living high and dreamed of slowing down. They were also worried about school safety and their kids growing up in what they saw as a highly competitive, consumption-driven culture.

When the opportunity to sell their veterinary practice arose, the couple saw it as a chance to retire and make a lifestyle change.

"We started soul-searching about what we really wanted our lives to look like and what we wanted our kids' lives to look like," Andrew, 65, told Business Insider.

The couple knew they wanted to leave the cold behind, but they couldn't think of anywhere else in the US they wanted to live. Instead, they kept coming back to the idea of Costa Rica, a country they'd visited multiple times and loved.

When they returned for another family vacation, they checked out a few properties and found Las Catalinas, a car-free beachfront town on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. It felt like the perfect fit.

"Immediately we're like, 'Oh my God, this is where we need to be,'" Allyson, now 50, told Business Insider.

They didn't have to do much convincing with their sons, who were 6 and 8 at the time. Having already visited Costa Rica, both boys were excited about the move, she said.

In 2020, they sold their Connecticut home for $915,000 and relocated permanently to Costa Rica.

The car-free beach town they fell for

The Rappaports, who consider themselves retired, now live in a four-bedroom home in Las Catalinas with their two sons.

Their current residence is the second property they've owned in Costa Rica. They said they sold their first house in Las Catalinas for around $1.5 million before purchasing a larger home nearby for $1.6 million in 2021.

They spent roughly $200,000 upgrading it. The home sits steps from the beach and features a pool and garden.

Their annual property taxes in the US were about $15,000. Now, they pay around $5,000.

A comparable beachfront house would likely have been out of reach in the US, Andrew said. "We would not have been able to afford that anywhere."

One of the things the couple appreciates most about the town is its strong sense of community. In the US, they rarely interacted with their neighbors. Here, it's common to run into people they know while walking through town.

Their sons attend an international school and have formed friendships with kids of different ages and backgrounds, Andrew said.

"The walkability of the town has been so great for the kids, because they can just go out and we don't have to worry about them getting hit by a car," Allyson added.

Back in Connecticut, their sons regularly participated in active-shooter drills at school, something Allyson found deeply unsettling.

"Our kids were going to grow up in this environment where you have to worry about being shot in school," she said. "It's not some place I'd want to raise my kids."

The reality of starting over

The Rappaports are among many Americans who have chosen to make Costa Rica home. According to the US Embassy in Costa Rica, approximately 120,000 Americans live in the country.

It helps that Costa Rica offers multiple residency options for foreigners, including visas geared toward retirees, digital nomads, and investors. The investor program allows foreigners to qualify for residency by making a minimum $150,000 investment in the country, including in real estate — the route the Rappaports took.

Business Insider has spoken to several Americans who have relocated to Costa Rica in recent years. Many pointed to the country's affordability, slower pace of life, and outdoor lifestyle as reasons for making the move.

Still, moving abroad came with a learning curve for the Rappaports. While English is widely spoken in Costa Rica, the family initially struggled with the language barrier. Now, they are fluent in Spanish.

The slower pace of life comes with trade-offs, too. Everyday tasks and bureaucratic processes often take longer than they would in the US, but the couple said it's simply part of adapting to a different culture.

"Pura Vida, that's the local thing. Like, 'Oh, it's all good. Pura Vida!" Allyson said, referring to a Costa Rican phrase that's often used to express a laid-back, optimistic attitude toward life.

Still, there are aspects of life in the US that the Rappaports miss. Specialty ingredients are sometimes hard to come by, and online shopping isn't nearly as convenient or accessible as it was back in Connecticut.

That said, Allyson sees an upside: The family has become more mindful about what they buy.

"You realize, maybe I don't really even need that," she said.

More than anything else, the Rappaports say they get to spend a lot more time together.

"Our kids have us growing up, both of us. We're at all the functions now," she said.

Running errands also takes more time than it did in the US. A trip to the grocery store, a car service appointment, or other routine tasks can easily take several hours, Andrew said.

"People say to me, 'Aren't you bored all the time?'" Andrew said. "We fill every day. There's really not a lot of downtime, yet we never feel rushed or pushed or stressed."

On a typical chore-free day, that lack of urgency is easy to see.

After making breakfast and getting the kids ready for school, Allyson heads to the tennis courts before the couple meets for lunch. In the afternoons, they're often at the beach, by the pool, or working out at the gym.

The slower pace of life has benefited their marriage, too.

"Even after seven years, it still feels like we're living on vacation," Allyson added.

• I took a family vacation, knowing my sons are getting closer to adulthood
• Watching them grow more independent made the trip feel especially meaningful
• I'm learning that family connection changes shape as children get older

I had no idea that the last bedtime story I read my kids would be the last ever. Or that the last time I held them — or kissed a scraped knee or sang them a silly song — would be the last time I'd do any of those things.

That's a good thing, of course. It saved me, at least in the moment, from the pain of knowing those sweet little rituals were coming to an end. But realizing it later opens the door to a new awareness of just how quickly it all goes. And, for me anyway, a new dread that it will be over far faster than I'm comfortable with.

Parenting teens has a weird finality to it

Unlike when your kids are little, and their needy period seems to drag infinitely (and exhaustingly) on, there's this weird sense of finality when you're parenting teens and young adults. Because one of the things that happens as your kids get older is that you realize just how painfully true that adage is — you know, the one you rolled your eyes at as the weary parent of a toddler — "The days are long, but the years are short."

Unfortunately, another thing that happens when they get older is that they pull away. One minute, you can't even make a solo trip to the bathroom, and the next, between friends and extracurriculars and part-time jobs, you're practically begging them to hang out with you.

So, like any mom who's secretly feeling desperate to grasp any moment of connection she can, I made my four boys, ranging in age from 13 to 20, an offer they couldn't refuse: a family vacation. To them, it was a trip to Beaches Turks and Caicos. To their dad and me, it was a precious chance to soak up these last few opportunities for complete togetherness.

We can see the empty nest coming

They're all still living at home, but our oldest will soon turn 21, our second is graduating in a couple of weeks, our third graduates next year, and the "baby" is entering high school — so we're all too aware that we're hurtling toward an empty nest at breakneck speed.

Even though we won't be there for a few years yet, our time as a family of six is dwindling fast; this vacation was the perfect way to create those last few memories while we're still all together. And what better place to do it than in a literal paradise, where even the moodiest teenager can't help but be a little less surly?

At home, I'd have been in my PJs by 7 p.m., but bolstered by the warm Caribbean breeze, we ventured out for the Friday night street party, led by a vibrant parade of dancers and musicians with an intoxicating beat. I can't recall the last time my kids and I smiled and danced to the same music, but miraculously, here we were.

Watching my boys become men happened gradually — and all at once

I couldn't help watch the parents with their toddlers in tow, wishing I could magically compel them to really savor this time with their littles, like some harbinger from the future. But that's one of the things you only truly realize once those days are behind you, so I just looked at my own kids and reflected.

Their rounded faces have sharpened into jawlines, their voices have deepened into those of men, and I couldn't pick any of them up if I tried. It happened so fast. And it makes me realize the importance of taking these moments when I can, even if they look a little different than they used to. Because at this age, "together" doesn't necessarily mean always doing everything as an entire family unit.

I don't know if this was our last family vacation

Hopefully, that's a metaphor for how life will go. They'll venture out, they'll experience things on their own, but they'll always come back to loop us in on how things are going. And maybe, hopefully, they'll experience some of those things together, even if it doesn't involve their parents.

Someday we'll take our last-ever vacation as a family before everyone heads in different directions; whether it was this one, I don't know. But I do know that I'm eternally grateful we took the opportunity to squeeze it in before the window closes. And I'm pretty sure our kids know that no matter where life takes them, we're always here when they want to come back, eager to hear every last detail of their adventures.

After a lengthy run with the group stages, the World Cup knockouts finally begin. We've scoured the global watch options to highlight everything you need to know about where to watch South Africa vs. Canada, including free World Cup streaming services.

South Africa and Canada have both advanced to the Round of 32 after solid group stage performances, finishing second in their groups. The teams will duke it out in California for a place in the Round of 16, where they will meet either Morocco or the Netherlands.

A range of international streaming options is listed below, with paid and free World Cup streams available. You can access your favorite viewing option from anywhere with a VPN. If you're hoping to tune in to the rest of the tournament, make sure to bookmark our massive where to watch the World Cup streaming guide (or try going in person with our World Cup tickets guide).

Where to watch South Africa vs. Canada for free

World Cup fans in several countries are in luck this year. There are tons of free options for all of the games, including South Africa vs. Canada. This match is available to stream for free on ITVX in the UK and SBS On Demand in Australia. More free international options include RTVE in Spain and Turkey's Tabii.

US viewers can watch at no immediate cost with a free trial from a live TV service, such as Fubo or YouTube TV.

How to watch South Africa vs. Canada from anywhere

If you're away from the location where any of these streaming services work, don't worry. You can access the free options from anywhere with a VPN (virtual private network). VPNs are easy-to-use apps that let people temporarily change the location on their devices so their favorite websites work from anywhere in the world. They're popular among those looking to keep up with their usual services while traveling abroad or hoping to boost their day-to-day cybersecurity and privacy.

NordVPN consistently ranks among the best VPNs we've tested. It's fast, user-friendly, and offers an impressive selection of global servers. Plus, it includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there's no sweat if it's not what you're looking for.

Where to watch South Africa vs. Canada in the US

South Africa vs. Canada, and much of the rest of the tournament, will air on FOX in the US. Other matches will be available through FS1. If you're a cord-cutter looking for a streaming service to watch the rest of the World Cup, you have several options.

Fubo Sports + News offers FOX, FS1, and around 27 other channels in its lineup. Subscriptions also unlock access to ESPN Unlimited. If you're looking for even more channels, FOX and FS1 are also available in Fubo's pricier Pro and Elite plans. Fubo Sports + News costs $56 a month, but first-time customers can get $10 off their first month after a free trial.

YouTube TV carries FOX and FS1 in both its main and sports plans. The main plan typically costs $83 a month, but a limited-time deal can bring the first five months down to $68 a month for new customers. Similarly, the sports plan typically costs $65 a month, but new users can get $10 a month off their first 12 months. YouTube TV also typically offers a free trial for first-time customers.

Fans interested in Spanish-language coverage in the US will need to subscribe to Peacock. Sports-friendly plans start at $11 a month for Peacock Premium and unlock access to all 104 World Cup matches.

Where to watch South Africa vs. Canada in the UK

BBC and ITV split coverage rights in the UK, but South Africa vs. Canada is available through ITV. This means fans will be able to live stream all the action for free with an ITVX account. Users just need to create an account if they don't already have one, and then they're all set to start watching.

Where to watch South Africa vs. Canada in Australia

All World Cup games, including South Africa vs. Canada, are available to live stream on SBS On Demand in Australia. This is a free streaming service that supports SBS channels and just requires account creation to use.

Who is favored to win South Africa vs. Canada?

Canada is favored to advance today. On DraftKings (at the time of writing), Canada is favored to advance at -310, while South Africa is the underdog at +230. Canada is currently -140 on the moneyline, while South Africa is +425.

Has South Africa vs. Canada ever won the World Cup?

Neither South Africa nor Canada has ever won a World Cup title. In fact, this is the first time that either team has advanced to the knockouts.

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.

• After traveling across Europe, I have a few favorite destinations for summer travel.
• Gozo, an island near Malta, had delicious food, cool hikes, and a stunning beach.
• My other top recommendations are Hvar, Croatia, and Comporta, Portugal.

At 21, I planned a girls' trip to Iceland and fell in love with the art of crafting the perfect itinerary. I've been traveling internationally ever since.

Now, years later, I've been all over Europe, from Spain to Germany to Slovakia. I work in the industry as a travel consultant, and I love nothing more than discovering new places that I'm excited not only to share with clients, but also to return to again and again.

If you also have the travel bug this summer, there are three European spots that I'd recommend for an incredible time.

I can't stop thinking about Comporta, a laid-back beach town in Portugal

Seventy-five miles south of Lisbon — or about an hour-and-a-half drive away — is Comporta, a dreamy village with white-sand beaches, pine forests, and clear blue water.

During my time there, I soaked in the sun at Praia da Comporta and Praia do Pego, where the ocean was the main attraction and superb beach clubs were never too far away.

I loved Comporta Café Beach Club, which was nestled in the dunes of Praia da Comporta and offered plenty of delicious, traditional Portuguese seafood.

One of the highlights of my visit was horseback riding right on the beach. I visited a local equestrian school that offered scenic trail rides — and, while riding, I learned that Madonna was a frequent visitor.

If you're looking for a true gem that offers serenity, great food, and a bit of adventure, I'd plan a trip to Comporta.

Gozo, an island located in the Maltese archipelago, is relaxing and unique

Malta had been on my list for a long time, but I had no idea that its sister island, Gozo, would leave such a lasting impression. I first learned about this island from the owners of a local Maltese restaurant, who recommended that my partner and I visit.

Getting there was straightforward: We took a quick ferry ride from Malta, and within 40 minutes, we were instantly awestruck by the island's dramatic coastline.

Once we arrived, we chatted with some locals and learned about the famous Maxokk Bakery. We were told that the ftira — a flattened Maltese bread often used for sandwiches — would be well worth the hourslong wait times. After trying a tuna ftira and anchovy pizza ourselves, we agreed.

Soon, we took a quick ride-share to Ramla Bay, a gorgeous red-sand beach. After some relaxing, we hiked up to Mixta Cave, a natural cave overlooking Ramla Bay. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip.

Next time, I want to stay for even longer, and explore towns and villages like Xlendi and Marsalforn — not only for some seaside dining, but to check out the diving scene and more natural wonders.

After exploring Croatia, Hvar was my favorite spot

Split and Dubrovnik were both highlights of my trip to Croatia, but the true standout was Hvar, a stunning island in the Adriatic Sea. It's easy to get there — just fly into Split, then take a 90-minute ferry ride.

There are tons of cool places to stay here. We found a gorgeous Airbnb located right in Hvar Town, about 90 steps from the water.

The seafood here was also delicious. Two memorable spots were Mamato Bar, which offered a laid-back lunch with great ocean views, and Laganini Lounge Bar and Fish House, a slightly fancier spot that we reached by boat. There, we enjoyed Dalmatian cuisine and a live DJ music set.

Speaking of music, Hvar has a great nightlife scene. Specifically, Carpe Diem Beach Hvar and Hula-Hula Beach Bar provided some legendary sunsets, dancing, and drinks.

For a lively place where you can relax and dance the night away, I'd recommend Hvar.

• When I first met my partner's mom, we couldn't communicate because we didn't share a language.
• I realized she was learning about me through my food preferences and remembering every detail.
• Even when words fail us, food has become our shared language.

When my boyfriend's mother and I met a few years ago, I was nervous. Not because I didn't think we'd like each other, but because we couldn't communicate. I'm American, and she's Italian. I didn't know how we'd be able to make a good impression on each other without speaking.

While I've been learning Italian (and she's picked up some English), she has another language she communicates in: food.

While many people cook for the ones they love, she also pays attention to my preferences, which makes me feel seen and cared for. She's not just saying "I'm taking care of you," to me, she's also saying "I'm interested in who you are."

My relationship with food was different growing up

Growing up, I hated onions. Every time my mom made pasta, she'd add lots of onions to the jarred tomato sauce. I recall asking her if, just once, she could add the onions in after I had served myself, but there on my dinner plate, was always onions.

This continued when I was older. I always felt like she didn't know the types of food I liked or ate. For example, I only started liking mushrooms a few years ago, but when I'd visit her, she told me I loved mushrooms. One year, on my birthday, she brought out a chocolate cake and told everyone it was my favorite. It's not, I like carrot cake.

My boyfriend's mom started paying attention

My boyfriend's mom started asking if I liked the dishes she cooked. She wanted to know which ones I enjoyed, what was too spicy, and what flavors I liked best. Looking back, I can tell that she was gathering data and taking notes in her head.

Now, when her son and I come to visit, she has the fridge stocked with foods we both like. She has planted dill and cilantro in her garden (even though she doesn't eat them). She knows I like my food saltier. She keeps a bottle of balsamic vinegar under the sink even though nobody else uses it, and she keeps my preferred spices and teas in her cupboard for when I visit. If my boyfriend and I miss a holiday with her, she puts some of our favorite foods in the freezer for when we return.

She noticed we had become vegetarians before we told anyone

It all clicked last year when she told my partner and me that she had noticed we had stopped eating meat, and so for an upcoming event, she had requested vegetarian options for us. We hadn't told anyone about our lifestyle change, but she knew. She had been paying attention.

By contrast, when I became a vegetarian for the first time in my early 20s, I faced a lot of pushback from my parents. My mom stocked the fridge with lots of beef and offered to cook me chicken. When I became a vegetarian a year ago at 31, it was easier because I had more support this time around.

Of course, my boyfriend's mom has tried her hand at making vegetarian versions of classic Italian dishes, and she keeps the freezer stocked full of beans for when she cooks meat for others at the table.

Food became our shared language

I'd like to think I'm special, but I know my partner's mother has a mental notebook of what everyone in the family likes to eat (and the rest of my boyfriend's family shares the same talent).

She saves cookies for people, she knows who likes lemon on their food and who doesn't, and what each of us will want on our pizza. In the four years I've known my boyfriend's mom, I've learned enough Italian to communicate: to thank her, to tell her I'm happy around her, to learn how to bake with her, and to ask her what food she likes.

When words aren't enough (and when my attempt at Italian sounds very broken), we can eat together.

• I use AI regularly for work, parenting, and everyday problem-solving.
• My children are learning to question AI's answers rather than accept them blindly.
• I believe AI can encourage curiosity and resilience when used intentionally.

It is the bottom of the third inning, and I am on my phone.

My boys play travel baseball, and I have spent about 4,000 hours on the bleachers watching nothing happen for long stretches. I have also, during those hours, written code for my AI startup, rehearsed answers for an investor interview, pressure-tested a crisis comms plan, and argued with Claude about the infield fly rule.

My kids see me do this.

I could easily be the cautionary tale about modeled behavior. Mom on her phone, missing the game, checked out behind a screen, later surprised by her kids' device addiction. But AI is a welcome guest in my household, and here's what I think my three young boys are learning from it.

AI is not social media

My husband Pete is a product leader. Whip smart and chronically online in the way that tech people are. Before AI, he scrolled incessantly — X, Instagram, Slack, group chats — struggling to quiet his overactive mind with passive digital consumption. Since he started using AI, he's given up social media entirely.

Pete now spends his free time talking with Claude, interrogating ideas, using them to build things, and working through business problems that used to just rattle around in his head. Our kids don't see us doomscrolling anymore; they see us thinking out loud.

The tool reflects the person using it

My eldest son, Dash (13), has a Claude subscription and has started building complex games on Roblox. AI acts as his math tutor when 7th-grade geometry gets too much for his parents.

He says Claude is really good at helping him with school work, but he is also aware that kids can use it to cheat on assignments and tests. He already understands something many adults don't: AI reflects the judgment of the person using it.

Dash is also skeptical in ways adults often aren't. He complains that AI search results are frequently wrong, having once tried to look up the specs for an e-bike model and being confidently lied to. He rolls his eyes at what he calls "obviously fake" AI-generated videos because the spelling in the captions is wrong, people appear to be levitating, or poorly lip-syncing.

"I haven't been fooled yet," he told me proudly.

We only fear what we don't understand

I work in tech PR, so I'm familiar with how quickly world-ending narratives form around new technology, and how rarely they capture what something feels like in practice. Don't get me wrong, I'm still fearful of what will happen to my kids' future jobs, and their ability to think critically or problem-solve as adults. But in our house, we engage intentionally with AI to better understand it (and, as a consequence, fear it less), and replace lower-quality attention with higher-quality attention.

It also just makes life run better, which is its own kind of demystification. Before a family trip, we used to spend hours down TripAdvisor rabbit holes, half-reading travel blogs written by people trying to sell us luggage. Now we listen to a history podcast in the rental car and ask Claude for the top five things to know about wherever we're going.

Driving into Alberobello last summer (my 72-year-old dad in the back seat alongside the boys), we already knew we were walking into a UNESCO village of 1,500-year-old trulli — stone huts built without mortar so peasants could dismantle them fast when tax collectors came. Sure, we could have Googled that, but pulling up Claude and asking questions on the fly turned sightseeing into a conversation. Even my dad, who'd never touched AI before the trip, became a power user.

I don't know if any of this makes us an atypical family. As with most parenting decisions, it's probably too early to say whether I've miscalculated and will end up as the aforementioned cautionary tale.

I do know when the top of the fourth inning is, and that my son is stepping into the batter's box, and that's when I put down the phone.

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

AI coding agents are increasingly being trusted to work without human oversight.

New data from Cursor shows the share of AI-generated code changes reaching production without a separate manual review step has jumped in the past six months.

This suggests developers are becoming more comfortable letting AI handle larger chunks of the software-development process on its own.

While Cursor doesn't directly measure the quality of fully autonomous code, it says AI-generated code is surviving at higher rates than before, a sign that developers are finding the output increasingly reliable.

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

• Every US state has a capitol that houses its state legislature.
• Many state capitols are domed buildings similar to the US Capitol, but others are more unique.
• Maryland's State House is the oldest capitol in continuous legislative use in the US.

A state's capitol can tell you a lot about its history.

State capitols house each state's legislative branch of government, executive offices, and other administrative and ceremonial spaces. While their function may be the same across all 50 states, their architectural designs vary.

Many state capitols feature references to their locations, like the Kansas State Capitol, which is topped by Ad Astra, a statue representing a Kansa (Kaw) warrior, while the New Hampshire State House, built largely from locally quarried granite, nods to the state's "Granite State" identity.

Some buildings date back to the founding of the United States. Maryland's State House in Annapolis, completed in 1779, is the oldest one in continuous use as a legislative center. That makes it just three years younger than the country as a whole.

Every capitol has a unique look and distinct origin. Here's what the capitol looks like in every state and Washington, DC.

Montgomery, Alabama

Alabama's capitol served as the first capital of the Confederacy, and there's a brass star on one of the porticos marking the spot where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as its president, according to the Alabama Historical Commission.

The building that stands today was constructed in 1851, after a fire burned down the original building in 1849, according to the Alabama Historical Commission.

One of the more famous parts of the capitol grounds is the Avenue of Flags. It has the flag of every state, plus a native rock from each state at the base of its flag. It was dedicated in 1968, according to Exploring Montgomery.

Juneau, Alaska

The Alaska State Capitol, completed in 1931, doesn't look much different from any other office building in Juneau, save for the marble columns. According to Alaska's official website, it is one of the few state capitols that do not feature a dome.

As The New York Times reported in 1981, neither the building nor the location was popular with locals — both were chosen because of cost concerns shaping both construction and relocations. Voters approved a measure in the 1970s to move the capitol, but the effort ultimately failed.

As recently as 2022, Alaskan senators sponsored a bill to move the capital, this time to Willow, reported Alaska Public Media, but for now, Juneau remains the Last Frontier's capital city.

Phoenix, Arizona

Arizona's capitol was dedicated in 1901. It stopped being the home of the legislative branches of government in 1960, and by 1978, all government officials had been moved to other buildings nearby in an area called the Capitol Complex.

The original building was then officially converted into a museum open to the public.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Arkansas' capitol took 16 years to complete. Construction lasted from 1899 to 1915, and the building was originally designed by architect George R. Mann, with later revisions by Cass Gilbert, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

This building replaced the State House, which is now the Old State House Museum, according to Arkansas Heritage.

Sacramento, California

The building was constructed between 1860 and 1874, and designed by Reuben S. Clark. It has been listed as a California Historical Landmark since 1974, according to the Historic State Capitol Commission.

Its design was based on the US Capitol in Washington, DC, among other well-known American buildings, according to the State of California Capitol Museum.

The California State Capitol is located inside the 40-acre Capitol Park, which contains trees from around the world, a World Peace Rose Garden, and the Civil War Memorial Grove.

Denver, Colorado

The Colorado Capitol, which was completed in 1901, was also designed to look like the US Capitol, but with a Colorado twist: The dome is covered in real gold leaf donated by gold miners to reference the Colorado Gold Rush from 1858 to 1861, according to the Colorado General Assembly.

Hartford, Connecticut

The current Connecticut State Capitol is actually the third capitol the state has had since the American Revolution. This one, designed by Richard M. Upjohn, opened in 1879, according to Connecticut's official state website.

The golden dome is surrounded by six pairs of statues representing agriculture, commerce, education and law, force and war, science and justice, and music, according to the State Capitol Preservation & Restoration Commission.

Dover, Delaware

The Delaware Legislative Hall was dedicated in 1933 and replaced the Old State House, which is opposite the Hall on the Capitol Mall. It was designed in the Colonial Revival style by E. William Martin, according to Delaware's official state website.

Washington, DC

The United States Capitol is located on Capitol Hill in DC. It was under construction for decades, partially destroyed in 1814, and then finally finished in 1829, according to the Architect of the Capitol. The famous, gigantic dome was later added during an expansive addition in 1855, designed by Thomas U. Walter.

Atop the dome sits the "Statue of Freedom," a 19-foot statue of a woman wearing a battle helmet, holding a sheathed sword in one hand, and a laurel wreath and shield in the other. She's been there since 1863, according to the Architect of the Capitol.

Tallahassee, Florida

The current capitol, also called the New Capitol, is located directly in front of the original — together, they form the Capitol Complex. The New Capitol was built in 1977 by architect Edward Durell Stone and the firm of Reynolds, Smith, and Hills, according to the Florida Capitol website.

The website reports the building was designed in an "international style to reflect a modern Florida," and includes a 22-story central tower.

The Old Capitol still stands, and it was restored to its original 1902 glory in the '80s. Currently, the building is the Florida Historic Capitol Museum.

Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia's capitol was finished in 1889 and designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Franklin P. Burnham, according to the city of Atlanta's website. It sits on the site of the former Atlanta City Hall/Fulton County Courthouse, which was there from 1854 to 1884.

According to the city, it's one of 43 National Historic Landmarks in the state.

Honolulu, Hawaii

At the dedication of the Hawaiian capitol in 1969, then-Governor John A. Burns explained the design of the building, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported.

"In this great State Capitol there are no doors at the grand entrances which open toward the mountains and toward the sea," he said. "There is no roof or dome to separate its vast inner court from the heavens and from the same eternal stars which guided the first voyagers to the primeval beauty of these shores."

The building is also surrounded by a reflecting pool meant to symbolize the Pacific Ocean, which surrounds the chain of 137 recognized islands that make up Hawaii, according to the State of Hawaii.

Boise, Idaho

Idaho's capitol was designed by architects J.E. Tourtellotte and Charles Hummel, and was constructed between 1905 and 1920. According to Idaho's Capitol Commission, it's the only capitol in the US that is heated by geothermal water. It comes from a spring 3,000 feet underground.

Springfield, Illinois

According to a pamphlet by the Illinois Secretary of State's office, the current capitol (the state's sixth) was completed in 1888, 20 years after crews broke ground. At the time of its construction, the limestone dome was illuminated by 144 gas jets. However, the carbon emitted by those jets eventually turned the dome black.

It took 100 years, but it was finally cleaned in 1986.

Indianapolis, Indiana

According to the Indiana Department of Administration, Indiana's capitol was completed in 1888, and is home to all executive offices, the Indiana State Senate, the Indiana House of Representatives, and the Indiana State Supreme Court, among others. It was constructed with Indiana limestone.

Des Moines, Iowa

The large golden dome is 23 carats, and the entire building is 275 feet tall, according to a visitor's guide. It's been re-gilded four times since its construction in 1886.

Overall, Iowa's capitol has a total of five domes, making it the only capitol in the US with five.

Topeka, Kansas

Kansas' capitol dome is topped with a statue called "Ad astra" (Latin for "to the stars"), which is part of the state's motto, "ad astra per aspera" ("to the stars through difficulties"), according to the Kansas Historical Society.

The statue itself is a bronze depiction of a warrior from the Kansa tribe (also known as the Kaw Nation or Kanza), who call Kansas home and gave the state its name.

The entire building took 37 years to construct, also according to the Kansas Historical Society, from 1866 to 1903. 

Frankfort, Kentucky

Kentucky's capitol was designed by Frank Mills Andrews, according to Kentucky's official state website. There are also statues lining the front portico that represent Kentucky, the central figure, with Progress, History, Plenty, Law, Art, and Labor as her "attendants," according to the state website.

The current building is the fourth capitol in the state, and it was completed in 1910.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Louisiana Capitol is just one of nine capitols in the US that doesn't feature a dome — and at 450 feet tall (or 34 floors), it's also the tallest capitol in the country, according to Louisiana's House of Representatives.

It was dedicated in 1932, without the person who had spearheaded the effort to build it, Senator Huey P. Long, a controversial figure in Louisiana's history, as reported by Encyclopedia Britannica.

Augusta, Maine

The capital of Maine was originally Portland when the state broke away from Massachusetts in 1820. But when Mainers asked for a more centrally located capital city, Augusta was chosen in 1827, according to the Maine State Legislature. The building was completed by 1832.

The State House's dome is topped with a female figure of Wisdom, which was designed by sculptor W. Clark Noble of Gardiner, a town 6 miles from Augusta.

Annapolis, Maryland

Maryland's State House is the oldest capitol in continuous legislative use in the US, built in 1779, according to its official website. It's also the only state capitol to have once served as the US capitol when the Continental Congress met there from 1783 to 1784, according to the website.

Boston, Massachusetts

The Massachusetts State House, built in 1798, originally had a wooden dome, but Paul Revere's own company was responsible for covering it in copper in 1802, CBS News reported.

And the land it was built on? It used to be owned by none other than John Hancock, who was Massachusetts' first elected governor.

Lansing, Michigan

The floors of Michigan's capitol, which was dedicated in 1879, are made of limestone and have visible fossils in them, as you can see on the capitol's official website.

St. Paul, Minnesota

According to Explore Minnesota, the state's capitol is the second-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, only behind St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Architect Cass Gilbert insisted on using Georgia marble for the dome, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. Some were critical of using out-of-state materials, so as a compromise, the contractor leased the quarry in Georgia and imported the rough marble so Minnesotans could do the work in-state.

It took nine years, but was completed in 1905.

Jackson, Mississippi

Designed by architect Theodore Link and constructed between 1901 and 1903, Mississippi's state capitol was built on the site of an old state penitentiary, according to the state capitol's official website. The building spans 171,000 square feet and features 4,750 original electric light fixtures, as well as an 8-foot statue of an eagle on the top of its dome.

Jefferson City, Missouri

Missouri's state capitol was completed in 1917, according to its official website. Ceres, the goddess of grain, sits at the top of its dome.

In addition to Missouri's state legislature, the 500,000-square-foot building houses the Missouri State Museum with exhibits about the state's history and natural resources.

Helena, Montana

The main building of Montana's state capitol was completed in 1902, and its two wings were added in 1911 and 1912, according to the Montana Historical Society. Inside, the building features works of art such as the mural "Lewis and Clark Meeting Indians at Ross' Hole," painted by Charles M. Russell in 1912.

Lincoln, Nebraska

Nebraska's state capitol was designed by architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and completed in 1932, according to its official website. The 400-foot tower is topped with a 19-foot bronze statue called "The Sower."

It is the only state legislature to be unicameral, meaning it only has one chamber.

Carson City, Nevada

Nevada's state capitol was built from 1870 to 1871 out of sandstone sourced from a quarry belonging to Abe Curry, the founder of Carson City, according to Travel Nevada. It features a silver-colored dome, a nod to Nevada's nickname as "the silver state."

Concord, New Hampshire

The New Hampshire State House was constructed between 1816 and 1819 with locally sourced granite from Rattlesnake Hill in Concord, according to the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.

In 1818, a wooden sculpture of an eagle painted with gold was installed on top of the capitol dome. It was replaced with a copper replica in 1957, but the original sculpture can be viewed on display inside the capitol, according to EverGreene, the architecture firm that restored the State House's gold-plated dome.

Trenton, New Jersey

After Maryland's, the New Jersey State House is the second-oldest capitol still in use, completed in 1792, according to the state of New Jersey's official website. Much of the original building, designed by architect Jonathan Doane, was destroyed in a fire in 1885.

Architect Lewis Broome restored the capitol and added a cast-iron dome plated with copper and gold and featuring the Latin phrase "Fiat Justitia Ruat Coelum," meaning  "There must be justice even though the heavens fall."

Santa Fe, New Mexico

New Mexico's capitol, known as the Roundhouse, is the only round capitol in the US, according to Santa Fe's official tourist website. Architect Willard C. Kruger modeled the design after the Zia sun symbol, which he also incorporated into the capitol rotunda skylight. The symbol is also part of New Mexico's state flag.

Albany, New York

When New York's state capitol in Albany was finally finished after 32 years in 1899, it was at a cost of $25 million, making it one of the most expensive government projects in the US. In 2013, The New York Times reported the figure was equivalent to more than half a billion dollars today.

Inside the granite building, visitors can find 25 murals by William deLeftwich Dodge in the Governor's Reception Room.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Completed in 1840, North Carolina's 3-story capitol includes a copper dome, according to the National Park Service.

Bismarck, North Dakota

North Dakota's state capitol is the tallest building in the state at 241 feet and 8 inches tall, according to the official government website. The Art-Deco structure is nicknamed the "Skyscraper on the Prairie," according to the Society of Architecture Historians.

Columbus, Ohio

Construction of the Ohio Statehouse took over 20 years, from 1839 to 1861, according to its official website. Much of the work was done by prisoners at Ohio Penitentiary, some of whom left graffiti on the walls that was uncovered during restoration work, the website says. Built in the Greek-Revival architecture style out of Columbus limestone, the Statehouse is a designated National Historic Landmark.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Built in 1917, the dome on Oklahoma's capitol was added more recently, in 2002, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society — it was left out of the original construction due to costs. The grounds of Oklahoma's capitol also had active oil rigs until 1986. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Salem, Oregon

Oregon's Art Deco capitol is made of white Vermont marble with a gold statue of an "Oregon Pioneer" atop the dome, according to the capitol's official website. In-person guided tours are paused due to construction.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's capitol, designed by architect Joseph Huston, cost $13 million to build when it was completed in 1906, which would be over $403 million today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The building's 272-foot dome is decorated with green glazed terra cotta tile, according to the capitol's official website.

Providence, Rhode Island

The Rhode Island State House, built between 1895 and 1904, features the fourth-largest freestanding marble dome in the world, according to the Rhode Island Restoration Committee's official website. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970.

Columbia, South Carolina

The construction of the South Carolina State House began in 1854, but halted due to the Civil War. The building still features cannonball marks from when the Union army captured Columbia in 1865, according to Discover South Carolina. The State House was finally completed in 1903, and it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976, according to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

A portrait of state senator Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in the 2015 shooting at Charleston's Mother Emanuel AME Church, hangs in the Senate Gallery.

Pierre, South Dakota

South Dakota's state capitol was constructed between 1905 and 1910, not long after South Dakota became a US state in 1889, according to the South Dakota Bureau of Administration. An annex was added in 1932. The Neoclassical building features scagliola plaster columns, war memorials, and stained-glass windows, according to Travel South Dakota.

Nashville, Tennessee

The Tennessee State Capitol opened in 1859. The architect, William Strickland, died during its construction in 1854 and was buried on the capitol grounds along with President James K. Polk and first lady Sarah Childress Polk, according to the Tennessee State Museum.

Austin, Texas

Completed in 1888, the Texas State Capitol dome is topped with a statue of Libertas, the goddess of liberty, according to the official website for the Texas House of Representatives. It stands 14 feet taller than the US Capitol.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah's State Capitol was designed by architect Richard K.A. Kletting and was completed in 1916, according to its official website. The rotunda features bronze and marble statues of Native American leaders, LDS pioneers, and US presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, according to its website.

Montpelier, Vermont

The Vermont State House, designed in the Greek Revival architecture style, dates back to 1857, according to the National Park Service. A statue of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, adorns the top of the dome.

Richmond, Virginia

Thomas Jefferson designed Virginia's state capitol to look like the ancient Roman temple of Maison Carée, according to the Virginia General Assembly's official website. The building also features a bronze statue of Jefferson, who is depicted holding the capitol's architectural blueprints.

Olympia, Washington

The Washington State Legislative Building features the tallest freestanding masonry dome in North America at 287 feet, according to the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services. Designed by Walter Wilder and Harry White, it was completed in 1928.

Charleston, West Virginia

West Virginia's capitol, designed by Cass Gilbert, took eight years and almost $10 million to construct before its completion in 1932, according to its official website. The dome stands at 293 feet tall — 5 feet higher than the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

Madison, Wisconsin

Wisconsin's state capitol features the only granite dome in the US, according to Travel Wisconsin. On top of the dome, a gilded bronze statue by Daniel Chester French is aptly named "Wisconsin."

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Wyoming's state capitol, constructed between 1886 and 1890, was built in the Renaissance Revival architecture style, according to the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information. It is one of 20 state capitols designated as a National Historic Landmark, according to the National Park Service.

• Wisconsin Dells had many family-friendly activities, but its water parks weren't a draw for us.
• Our big group had fun exploring the area's natural beauty with canyon tours and boat rides.
• We didn't love a lot of the area's tourist-trap vibes, but our kid-friendly rental was great.

In December, my parents gifted my siblings and me a family vacation. We all live in different places, and getting together can be challenging, especially now that there are 14 of us, including kids.

With everyone's schedules, it took over a year to get a trip on the books.

We all suggested ideas for various family-friendly destinations in the US, but when my stepsister mentioned she and her husband were heading to Wisconsin for a work trip, a new idea began to take shape: Wisconsin Dells.

The city is a popular Midwest vacation spot for families because of its stunning natural beauty and many kid-friendly attractions.

Famously, it's also considered the "Water Park Capital of the World" because of its high concentration of both indoor and outdoor water parks, from Great Wolf Lodge to Land of Natura.

We found a vacation rental that catered to families, and our kids didn't want to leave

As a tourist destination, Wisconsin Dells offers all kinds of accommodations, and finding one that fit our family proved easier than expected.

With so many hotels and resorts, we were happy to stay away from the water-park traffic in a VRBO vacation rental in a quiet neighborhood within walking distance of town.

We rented a two-story duplex, connected by the garage. The main floors featured expansive living rooms, with large wall-mounted TVs, perfect for watching the NBA finals as a family.

The best part was the kids' play areas in each garage. I'm talking foosball tables, swing sets, play houses, and climbing structures — our kids didn't want to leave.

Our rental was a highlight of our stay and the most kid-friendly place I've ever stayed.

A lot of Wisconsin Dells felt like a tourist trap, which we didn't love

Walk down Broadway, and you'll find a plethora of arcades, like Wild Fun Zone, and interactive activities like Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Wizard Quest, and the aptly named Cheese Ball Croquet mini-golf course.

Each destination is designed to appeal to families, but all that manufactured fun comes at a price.

Many tickets for in-town attractions cost around $20 per kid and $30 or more per adult. Before you know it, you're dropping hundreds of dollars for a couple of hours of entertainment, not to mention the additional expenses for snacks and other add-ons each place offers.

We mostly chose not to partake, instead saving our money for other activities.

On top of all of that, there seemed to be souvenir and T-shirt shops on every corner. Walking through town with our kids felt like navigating a minefield. They were constantly asking to pop into another shop, buy an ice-cream cone, or play yet another claw machine.

For us, it was overwhelming, and by the end, we were tired of constantly saying no. After our initial walk through town, we decided to avoid it.

Our kids loved the over-the-top restaurants

On a similar note, every restaurant we visited had a theme, often paired with over-the-top decor and simple menus.

Breakfast at Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty was exactly what you'd expect from the name: a large wooden cabin, featuring a towering statue of Paul Bunyan and all-you-can-eat family-style platters of pancakes, sausages, eggs, and doughnuts. There was plenty of food, but the choices felt minimal.

For dinner, we went to two well-known restaurants: Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co. the first night, and Buffalo Phil's Pizza & Grille the next. The latter featured Lego, Star Wars, and Taylor Swift decor. Model trains delivered all the food and beverages to the table. It was also connected to a massive arcade, something our kids reminded us of throughout dinner.

Although our children loved the fun decor and kid-friendly food, as an adult, I found the menus repetitive — a lot of pizzas and burgers.

We skipped the water parks to enjoy the area's natural beauty

I've never been much of a water-park person. It doesn't help that I burn super easily, making an entire day baking under the sun feel like a punishment rather than a vacation.

Although there were indoor options, water parks just didn't feel ideal for our mixed-age travel group, which ranged from preschoolers to septuagenarians.

Having kids ages 4 and 6 made that kind of water play even less appealing. They'd require a lot of extra-close supervision around all the water, and we worried they'd be limited to mostly shallow splash areas and small slides.

Luckily, there were plenty of other fun activities in the area.

Aside from being home to one of the largest water parks in the US, Noah's Ark, Wisconsin Dells is also known for its natural beauty, including towering sandstone cliffs and pine-tree forests.

We enjoyed some of this beauty up close on a horse-drawn carriage ride with Lost Canyon Tours on Lake Delton — perfect for the entire family. The mile-long ride through deep-cut sandstone gorges felt like a trip back in time.

After our carriage ride, we took in the area's scenery from the water on a duckboat tour with Original Wisconsin Ducks. Tickets felt a bit pricey, costing our family of four $120, but it was by far the best activity we did.

The World War II-era amphibious boat took us through fern-covered forests and into several waterways, including the Wisconsin River, Dell Creek, and Lake Delton.

The kids loved driving through trails and in and out of the water.

Wisconsin Dells had something for everyone in our group, but I wouldn't go back

The Dells has a lot to offer families, from massive water parks and outdoor tours to kid-friendly restaurants that feel like an attraction themselves.

Everyone in our group of 14, ranging in age from 4 to 74, found something to enjoy.

I think our experience might have felt more complete if we were a water-park family, since they are the main attraction. Still, we found plenty to do.

As beautiful as the area was, I feel we checked off a lot of what interests us, and I am not eager to navigate the more touristy parts with kids again.

I wouldn't go back at this point, but I'm glad we got to experience the uniqueness of The Dells.

• My husband and I are sharing a car while we save up for another.
• Recently, my 12-year-old son suggested we take a more scenic route to school.
• Surprisingly, it didn't take much longer, and it's gotten us all talking more in the car.

My husband and I have been sharing one car this summer while we save up for a second, and we've been opting to take the scenic route for trips around town. We can actually credit our 12-year-old son for the change, who requested we start taking a different way to school in the morning — one through town, on side roads, instead of the highway.

We were OK with the change as long as the drive didn't take too much longer. My husband compared the two routes on Google Maps, and we were all surprised to discover that the scenic route only took one minute longer. No one minded leaving the house a minute early in the morning to avoid the highway, so we tried it.

After testing out the scenic route just once, we were hooked

The highway speeds are enough to make me grip the wheel tighter, and I know our son can feel that kind of energy shift in the car. As a driver, I need to focus solely on the road, and even when I'm in the passenger seat, I keep my eyes straight ahead. When I shared this with my husband, he said he felt similar in that it is far more draining to take the highway.

We started experimenting with other routes to our most frequent destinations and found that the time difference was about the same for nearly all of them. If we're just going somewhere nearby, it often takes the same amount of time to get there via the more scenic — and much more relaxing — route.

Taking the more beautiful way has helped me feel more grateful for where we live

I like pointing out how lucky we are to be driving along the coast in our Florida town, because I don't want any of us to start taking our own backyard for granted. After sharing this with another local, I learned that one of our favorite routes is actually designated as the Indian River Lagoon National Scenic Byway, which is meant to be an alternative to taking the highway to admire our natural Florida landscape. It starts just north of where we live in Titusville, Florida, and runs almost 250 miles down along the coast.

We live in a small town with a lot of nature sanctuaries, so it's not uncommon for us to see all kinds of wildlife. My husband also loves driving through the main streets in town, admiring the architecture, and getting home and gardening ideas. We even learn about upcoming events around town from the signs we see when we're out. All of these things boost our mood and give us a lot to start talking about.

The scenery helps us get the conversation going

I started noticing that we were all talking more during drives. And then I realized that our preteen son was opening up more with us in the car; it's one of the few times our son really starts talking these days. Adding one more minute to our drives sometimes feels like a bonus just to hear him talk a little more and learn about what's going on with him.

By eliminating the stress we'd otherwise be under on the highway and with so much more to see along the way, the family conversations we've been having in the car have become much more meaningful. Even when it's just me and my husband — or me and my son — the effect is the same. We just talk more overall when we take the scenic route.

Taking the more relaxing way together has been the unexpected life hack that got our whole family talking again this summer.

• Brian Russino is a 35-year restaurant vet and kitchen operations manager for The Cheesecake Factory.
• A personal rule of thumb he follows is to avoid the "Monday bun."
• He says The Cheesecake Factory prevents the "Monday bun" with strict systems.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brian "Rusty" Russino, an area kitchen operations manager for The Cheesecake Factory. He oversees nine busy Southern California restaurants across Orange County and San Diego. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I've spent more than 35 years in the restaurant industry and more than 22 years with The Cheesecake Factory.

Over the years, I've learned a lot about food quality, inventory management, and how restaurants handle fresh ingredients.

That's why there's one habit I've developed when dining out that still influences what I order at the start of the week.

I call it the "Monday bun."

It's something I used to joke about with my wife when we went out to eat on Mondays and Tuesdays, which were often my days off.

To be clear, the Monday bun isn't about food safety. It's about freshness.

It's a personal rule of thumb I've developed over the years when eating at restaurants in general—not something I associate with The Cheesecake Factory.

Why I avoid buns on Mondays

In my profession, I've noticed that many restaurants receive deliveries on Fridays or Saturdays.

If they don't use all of that product over the weekend, some of it may still be in inventory on Monday.

That doesn't mean anything is wrong with it. It simply means that it's not as fresh as it could be. Bread is a prime example.

A bun that's been around for a few days can be very different from one that arrived more recently. It may not be as soft and pillowy as I'd want.

That's where the phrase "Monday bun" came from.

Another example is seafood. Again, I'm not saying it's unsafe. I'm saying it may not be as fresh as it was a few days earlier.

The systems I rely on in restaurants

One reason I have confidence when dining out is that good restaurants have systems in place to manage freshness and food safety.

At The Cheesecake Factory, for example, we date products upon arrival, follow rotation systems, and track shelf lives.

We have people responsible for validating products as they come through the back door, and we pay close attention to how ingredients are stored and cared for.

We also use forecasting and ordering systems designed to help us avoid carrying excess inventory. We're busy restaurants, and that's one reason we don't have a lot of product sitting around after the weekend.

Still, after 35 years in restaurants, the "Monday bun" has stuck with me as a personal habit when I'm dining out. It's simply one of those industry quirks that makes me think about freshness at the start of the week. But thanks to the inventory and quality systems we use at The Cheesecake Factory, it's not something I worry about in our own restaurants.

• At 31, I quit my job and became an intern; the other interns were Gen Z and a full decade younger.
• The Gen Z interns taught me valuable lessons, like the power of asking "why" and work-life balance.
• Now that I'm in my dream career, I still use those lessons in my work life.

I recently quit my full time role to take an unpaid internship that eventually earned me my dream job.

I learned so much from the opportunity to start from scratch, yet my most useful lessons came not from management, but from my fellow interns — some of whom were a decade younger than me.

Headlines often paint Gen Z as being the most challenging generation to work with. But that wasn't my experience at all. In fact, I found them to be perfectly practical and rather inspirational.

Working alongside them as a 31-year-old with nearly a decade of experience made me wonder whether some of what gets criticized as weakness is actually a paradigm shift toward emotional intelligence.

Here are two lessons my fellow Gen Z interns taught me that made me question which aspects of professionalism I'd learned were wisdom and which were toxic work-culture conditioning.

Ask the big questions

From day one, I noticed their willingness to ask The Big Questions.

Makes sense, right? Interns are supposed to ask questions. But while all of us asked the usual procedural questions, I noticed that the youngest in our crowd were always ready to skip superficialities and go straight for the jugular.

"Why?" they asked often.

They genuinely wanted to know and offer their two cents.

Why are we doing it like this? Why is this the process?

If a particular procedure came off as convoluted or confusing, they asked, "Why do it this way when we could just do it that way?" When a procedure came off as redundant or lacking in value, they asked, "...why bother?"

After working in professional settings for years, I was used to upper management being closed to conversations that go beyond doling out instructions. I realized I hadn't asked a "why" question beyond the interview stage in a long time.

Gen Z reminded me that questions are tiny signals that convey: while we trust our team to guide us, business as usual may not be the only path to success.

Questioning helps keep the core philosophy behind what we do at the forefront of our minds, so we can operate more effectively and be more aligned with our overall mission.

Protect time with boundaries

As the internship workload increased, I noticed that my fellow Gen Z interns fiercely protected their time. They cared about their work and worked hard, but when the clock ticked 5 p.m., they were gone.

They took their work hours literally.

I remember when I got my first job, a Xillennial coworker told me to say goodbye to my free time. Several people in the company had the same mantra: working on weekends was the price of a promotion someday.

The interns I personally connected with? Well, I learned quickly that when they were out, they were out and gone. They were balancing school, personal obligations, the internship itself, and a social life, too.

They knew how to block their time.

They set boundaries. They had lunch, clocked out on time, and communicated when they needed a brain break. No, they weren't lazy; they simply embodied work-life balance.

Meanwhile, I was juggling nine different freelance roles, building a small business on the side, and still tediously rearranging my bare-minimum sleep schedule so that, if I needed to stay late, I could.

Gen Z reminded me that constant availability is not proof of dedication. Answering an email in thirty seconds is nice, but not an indicator of commitment. Taking on extra work that carried beyond hours just to say "yes" was not a strength, especially if it came at the cost of rest.

The skills behind the lessons

My takeaway isn't that Gen Z has everything figured out. None of us does.

My takeaway is that Gen Z taught me an invaluable lesson: curiosity, in the form of big questions, and self-respect, in the form of boundary-setting, are essential skills.

Asking questions creates understanding, and boundaries create sustainability. Together, they create a work environment with clarity, respect, and high performance.

And I know these skills can be stunted once we begin ascending into large-company roles because by the end of the internship, my fellow interns taught me one last critical lesson: I used to have these same skills once upon a time. But I'd unlearned them over the years, thinking they wouldn't serve me well.

I was wrong. Gen Z's emotional intelligence turned our internship into a flourishing ecosystem, and now, I apply these skills wherever I go.

Jackie Garcia-Morales is an author, publicist, and literary agent based in New Jersey. Connect on Linkedin.

• Career coach Emily Worden says the job market in 2026 feels worse than it was last year.
• Worden advises against applying to jobs all day and instead offers a specific, four-hour schedule.
• She says more is not always better when it comes to applying to jobs.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Emily Worden, a career coach in Boston. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I meet with maybe 10 new job seekers a week, and I'd say at least four or five of them cry during our first meeting.

Not only are they burned out, but they've been ghosted and rejected to the point that they start thinking, "It's me. I'm not good enough, and I'm never going to find a job again."

A year ago, I said we were in the worst job market I'd seen in my 10 years as a career coach. This year feels worse. It's not just more people competing for fewer roles; job seekers are sifting through scams, creating personal brands, getting referrals, and going through six rounds of interviews, only to get ghosted.

A lot of my clients tell me they wake up in the morning with the whole day ahead of them and want to make sure they're making the most of it. The No. 1 thing they default to is brute-force applying to as many jobs as possible. But if you're in a cycle of applying for eight hours straight with rejection after rejection, you'll be burned out in a week.

That's why I recommend a specific four-hour schedule for job seekers to avoid burnout and maximize opportunities.

Spend 1 or 2 hours on job applications, and don't check emails first thing in the morning

When you first wake up, don't grab your phone right away because you're likely going to see rejection emails, and it's going to set your mentality for the day. Instead, greet the day, stretch, drink water, and move your body.

Ideally, you're getting job board alerts in the morning for jobs that match your requirements. I like niche job boards and even Google, which searches across all job boards. Once you start your search, if there are companies you really want to work for, bookmark their personal job boards so you can easily check them each day, too.

After checking your alerts, you can apply to jobs. If no jobs interest you that day, even better. That gives you an excuse to take more time off.

Sometimes people say they just want to apply for a job to feel like they've done something, but I feel like that's a waste of time. If no jobs are speaking to you, I'd rather have you spend that time on other activities.

Dedicate 30 minutes to an hour each day to commenting on LinkedIn

I'm finding that recruiters are so overwhelmed with applicants that they're going back to old-school sourcing and finding people on LinkedIn.

My advice is to search for topics on LinkedIn that interest you and are in your industry. If you're in consumer goods, type "consumer goods" into the search bar. Find people who are writing about it and leave a thoughtful comment on their posts.

Take a leisurely break around lunchtime and then network for 1 to 2 hours

After a really productive morning, get some food in, move your body, play with your animals, and do whatever makes you feel happy.

If you were an athlete training for a marathon, you'd have rest days and take breaks. Job seekers have to do the same thing. You'll reenergize to get through the rest of your afternoon, which should consist of at least one to two hours of networking.

Hands down, networking is my favorite way to find a job. I find that many job seekers don't like it, but it's just as important as applying to jobs. Your afternoon of networking could look like researching people to contact, sending out messages, going for coffee chats, or reaching out to old coworkers.

Close the computer and walk away without guilt

Your job for the rest of the day is to engage in activities that fill your cup.

I've found volunteering to be amazing for my clients because it gives them a sense of community, helps them meet like-minded, generous people, and makes them feel productive. So I say volunteer, exercise, meet friends, work on your hobby, cook your favorite dinner, jam out to your favorite songs, or play guitar for three hours.

Each day is going to fluctuate depending on whether you see more jobs you like or if you have some more networking to do, but that shouldn't take eight hours.

More is not always better

If a job alert comes in the afternoon for something that really excites you, go jump on that, but remember that doing more is not always better.

I get why people feel they should push through on applications for jobs they don't even really want. If you're worried about paying bills and everyone's breathing down your neck, you want to be able to say, "Look, I applied to 10 jobs today. I'm doing what I can." However, I really don't like the word should: it implies guilt.

If you're doing the same thing over and over and not getting the results that you want, switch up the tactic. Give yourself permission to take a break and refill your cup.

Do you have a story to share about navigating the job market? If so, reach out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.

• I graduated debt-free by earning scholarships, going to school close to home, and working.
• My husband had student loans, and we want our kids to avoid taking out student loans.
• I care more about my kids not going into debt than where they go to college.

When I was 14, I overheard my parents say they would not be paying for their kids to attend a four-year university.

If any of us wanted the traditional college experience, we'd have to figure out how to pay for it ourselves. Community college was always an option, and they'd let us live at home while going to school.

As the oldest kid, I remember feeling stunned at first. For many of my friends, college was treated like an automatic next step that parents somehow financed. But after the disappointment wore off, it lit a fire in me. I threw myself into academics, determined to earn scholarships large enough to make my four-year university dreams possible.

I finished high school with a full-ride academic scholarship to any in-state university. But since my scholarship didn't include housing, I chose the least glamorous option by attending the school closest to home. I commuted to class, nannied, overloaded credits every semester, including summers, and gratefully accepted the $2,000 a year my parents offered toward expenses.

Mostly living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and praying my debit card had enough money to fill up my gas tank, I graduated debt-free in three years. My younger siblings each found their own version of the "scrappy" route, too. My sister started community college classes at 15. My brother launched a business as a teenager.

Watching other people's choices changed how I viewed college debt

Then I married someone with student loans.

Compared to many other borrowers, my husband's debt load was actually modest, around $20,000, but in our early years of marriage, even that felt overwhelming. Every time we deferred the loans, the interest just kept on accruing. So we took on side hustles to pay them off faster, working weddings and bar mitzvahs and proctoring ACT tests on weekends.

At the same time, I watched several friends without degrees out-earn many college graduates because they had entered the workforce earlier and developed entrepreneurial skills. Fortunately for them, they weren't weighed down by student loans.

It dawned on me that the narrative that going to college equals success is a black-and-white view of life that's not always true.

Working in admissions further made me rethink the "dream school" mentality

My husband and I both worked as university admissions counselors, where we watched families willingly take on staggering amounts of debt in pursuit of their child's university dream. Some shrugged off six-figure loan amounts as though it was simply the unavoidable cost of giving their children the "full experience."

But I often walked away from meetings worried that students didn't understand the long-term choices they were making. My husband and I developed a slogan we used to advise our students: graduate college in the least amount of time possible with the least amount of debt.

It was the only way we could ethically keep doing the job.

Why we won't fully fund our children's college educations

As parents, my husband and I are in agreement that we will not pay tens of thousands of dollars for our children to attend a university.

We value education, but we also value financial freedom. If one of our children wants to pursue a career with high earning potential that requires extensive schooling, that's one thing. But we don't believe an 18-year-old should casually take on $100,000 in debt for a career path that may never realistically allow them to repay it.

I'm more than happy to invest time in helping my kids navigate the scholarship process, educating them on how student loans work, and asking them to review all the options to determine what's best for their needs — this might mean attending community college, going to trade school, or entering the workforce earlier.

Whatever path my children choose, I just hope they walk away from our home understanding that sometimes the easier or more glamorous path comes with the hardest long-term consequences.

• Yousuf Imran earned nearly $1 million at Google before leaving to start an AI company.
• He said "AI FOMO" helped convince him to leave Big Tech.
• Imran shared how he prepared financially before betting on himself.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Yousuf Imran, a 41-year-old former account executive at Google based in the Bay Area. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I earned nearly $1 million last year as an account executive at Google, but I felt some "FOMO" around the AI boom.

I think most people at Google would tell you the same if they were being candid.

Google pays very well, but the equity packages at OpenAI and Anthropic are in a different universe. A three- or four-year stock grant at one of these companies can be life-changing money.

That math was part of my own calculus in deciding to start my own business focused on AI sales tools. If the only way to get real upside in this AI moment is equity, at some point, you ask yourself whether the equity should be in your own company.

How I built a million-dollar sales career

I grew up in Queens and got into sales because it's a profession where talent can outrun credentials.

After a roughly 15-year career in sales, I joined Google in 2020, helping customers solve business problems using Google's AI and machine-learning technologies.

My base salary last year was roughly $170,000, but commissions made up the majority of my compensation. My W-2 income was about $986,000.

I think part of my success came from what I call the immigrant hustle. My family moved to New York when I was five years old from Bangladesh, and I grew up believing that if you don't put in the work, you won't get results.

Also, I believe my curiosity differentiated me. I spent a lot of time learning about my customers' businesses, understanding the problems they were trying to solve, and becoming deeply knowledgeable about AI and machine learning so I could help them use the technology effectively.

AI became more than my day job

Over time, my interest in AI went beyond my work at Google. While I was selling AI products during the day, I was spending nights and weekends experimenting with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

At first, I was building small projects for myself. Since I'm not a software developer by trade, I'd talk to multiple AI tools to try to figure things out and, after some trial and error, get a win. Vibe coding felt kind of like a video game.

As AI tools improved, those projects became more ambitious. I built several apps and side projects over a roughly year-and-a-half period and began thinking seriously about the opportunity to start my own business.

I also thought about my job security at Google, given the company's layoffs in prior years. What struck me about the recent layoff rounds at Google was that they hit genuinely talented people. The uncertainty of a potential layoff was another input into my decision to bet on myself.

In April, six years after joining Google, I left Google to found Mangosteen Studio, an AI product lab building go-to-market tooling for account executives. The thesis is simple: I spent 20 years quota-carrying at some of the biggest companies, so I'm building the tools I wish I'd had.

I prepared financially before taking the leap

Leaving Google wasn't something I did impulsively. Google is a vast organization with incredible resources and teams working on bleeding-edge AI. Losing that "insider" access and being less visible in that world was a major point of hesitation for me.

There were also financial considerations, particularly making sure I had enough savings to give the business a real chance without having to make major changes to my lifestyle.

I set aside $200,000 to fund the business for two years and another $150,000 to cover my mortgage and personal expenses during that time.

My primary goal is to bootstrap the business for as long as possible and not feel pressured to raise money, because investors quickly take your equity. I also wanted to be comfortable enough financially to focus on building the business rather than worrying about paying my bills.

AI is changing entrepreneurship

Today, I'm running the company as a solo founder with a small team of engineers, marketers, and other contractors. It's still early, but many sales professionals have already used our AI tools free of charge, which has given me confidence that we're building something people find useful.

For people who feel stuck in their careers or aren't being challenged, AI is giving people an opportunity to build something of their own. The key is having domain expertise you can lean on. I wasn't a software engineer, but I spent 20 years learning the problems salespeople face.

Ultimately, I recognized that leaving Google meant leaving a lot of things behind — both financially and professionally. But my confidence and domain expertise made me feel like this was the right moment to take the risk.

Do you have a story to share? Reach out to the reporter via email at jzinkula@businessinsider.com, or via Signal at jzinkula.29.

• My two sons still live with me so they can save on housing costs.
• That means my expenses have gone up, like electricity and grocery budgets.
• I should be enjoying the financial freedom of an empty nest now, but I'm trying to adjust.

My 21-year-old son recently accompanied me to the grocery store. Our list wasn't lengthy. We needed a few items for a cookout with neighbors: hot dogs, brats, buns, some fresh produce, and chicken.

On these shared trips, the two of us have taken to playing a "Price is Right"-inspired guessing game. Who can correctly estimate the final total without going over? He's uncannily good at this game, beating me nearly every time, often guessing within a dollar.

"I think $80.78," he whispered as the Aldi checker stacked our items in the basket. "And I'll say $77.35," I responded.

"$92.17," our checker stated. He won our game, but the victory was bittersweet because of the cost.

"I'm never going to be able to move out," my son lamented, a hint of a joke in his voice as we packed up our groceries. But we both knew there was some seriousness to his plea.

My two adult sons moved back in to save money on housing

My 21-year-old just moved back into his childhood bedroom in May after being out on his own. He'd been subleasing a shared apartment and managing his other social expenses, but ultimately decided he didn't want to pay rent. While my husband and I prioritize tuition for our two young adult sons, we don't have the disposable income to cover all their living expenses. Unwilling to accrue debt just to live near campus, he chose to come home.

He isn't the only one under our roof making that calculation. His older brother opted to attend a nearby college specifically to save on housing, so now we have both sons living at home for the foreseeable future.

We live in St. Paul, Minnesota, across the river from Minneapolis, where housing prices are considered "affordable" when compared to other major cities. According to Apartments.com, the average studio costs $1,424 a month.

My sons aren't failing to launch

They're part of a growing nationwide trend. We have friends whose college graduates moved back home to hunt for jobs, and other friends whose daughter and her husband live in their basement as they save for a down payment on their first house.

For my sons, a part-time student job just didn't provide enough income to justify exorbitant rent costs.

My husband and I decided that as long as our sons are full-time students, they can continue to live at home with few expenses. They both chip in to put gas in the family cars, but we foot the bill for the rest of the household expenses.

But my expenses have increased as a result

While I'm proud my sons are savvy with their hard-earned money, having them both back home for a season means our expenses have increased. My husband and I are realizing the financial freedom associated with an empty nest won't be our reality for a while.

Four adults living at home means increased utility bills. The lights are on more. More water is needed for showers, laundry, and the dishwasher. We had an earlier-than-expected heatwave here in Minnesota, so the air conditioner has been running more often.

Our grocery bills are higher, too, and not just because of war, tariffs, and inflation. When my son lived on his own, he often ate a small breakfast, skipped lunch, and planned cheap dinners like eggs and toast. That's changed now that we're buying groceries. Long gone are the days of satisfying the family of four with a couple of boxes of macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches.

On that recent trip to Aldi, we spent nearly $20 on chicken that would last a couple of dinners. While that's considerably less than what we would spend going out, it's also way more than I would be spending on dinners of cereal and popcorn if our sons weren't home. I primarily shop at Aldi because of their lower prices, but even those prices add up for twenty-somethings focused on weightlifting, clean eating, and prioritizing protein.

I'm not sure what the future holds for our family

Will our young adult sons continue to live here after graduation, packing a lunch before heading out to their jobs — if they can find those jobs? What kinds of parameters will my husband and I establish if that time comes?

I don't know, so for now I will try to relax into this season as much as I can, enjoying the shared meals and chaotic mornings as everyone heads out to summer jobs.

If you need me, I'll be over here researching economical protein sources and water-saving showerheads.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Tiny truck takeover

One story had our newsroom buzzing this past week: the surprisingly low price for the tiny electric truck backed by Jeff Bezos.

Slate Auto revealed its base-model, two-seater would cost $24,950, branding it the "most affordable truck in America." It is expected to hit US roads by the end of the year.

How exactly does Slate keep the price so low? By stripping away many of the features that drivers have come to expect. There's no touchscreen or built-in stereo. The windows operate with old-school manual cranks. Its estimated range tops out at just 205 miles.

The truck is tiny, too. At just 14.5 feet long, the vehicle is closer in size to a Toyota Camry than a Ford F-150. The driver's seat is low to the ground, more like a sedan than an SUV.

The price tag is undeniably attractive, especially at a time when new cars seem to only get more expensive. Fewer than 5% of new vehicles sold last year had starting prices under $25,000, according to car-shopping website Edmunds.

But it wasn't the price that divided our newsroom; it was the design.

A colleague called it "the ugliest thing I'd ever seen." Another said they'd happily buy one. Dan DeFrancesco, this newsletter's weekday writer, was also a fan: "I know this country was built on excess. (And God knows I love an all-you-can-eat sushi spot.) But less is more with pick-up trucks. Unless you have a professional need for it, owning anything bigger than a Ford F-150 just makes you a hardo."

EV demand has cooled in recent years, making it a tough time for Slate to come to market. Still, one of its main selling points is its level of customization.

The company says it will offer more than 200 accessories and add-ons, including vehicle wraps, seat covers, roof racks, light covers, a stereo, and interior tech. BI's Ben Shimkus offered a detailed overview of all the add-ons and their costs.

My take: At first glance, I thought the truck was ugly. But after playing around on the website with accessories, colors, and designs, the concept grew on me. There is also something quaint about an old-school design without all the bells and whistles found in today's vehicles.

Plus, you can't beat the price.

What do you think about Slate's new EV truck? Would you buy one? Drop me your thoughts at srussolillo@businessinsider.com.

One of my strongest memories of growing up in London was coming home from school to a piping-hot filet of fried cod, fluffy chips, and sometimes a saveloy — a mildly seasoned, boiled sausage — all wrapped in newspaper.

Since moving to New York, I've had to accept that, beyond a couple of iconic establishments like A Salt & Battery, the neighborhood chippy simply isn't part of the city's dining culture.

That is beginning to change. From Sunday roasts to pub grub and British-Indian fare, chefs are tapping into the comfort and versatility of the modern British dining scene.

One Friday evening in May, I visited Dame, a British seafood restaurant tucked beneath a navy-blue awning on MacDougal Street.

I started with a Pimm's Cup — a staple at garden parties back home — before the headliner arrived: fish and chips. The plate was simple, featuring golden battered fish, thick-cut chips, tartar sauce, and lemon, served with a bottle of malt vinegar. There was no newspaper in sight, but the straightforward presentation made it feel authentic.

By dessert — a warm slab of sticky toffee pudding drenched in dark sauce and cream — Dame's argument for a modern take on British food was clear: it isn't being reinvented so much as reintroduced.

"There's a lot of similarity between a meat pie and a pot pie, and fish and chips is not that alien of a concept to an American who grew up in the Midwest and has a fish fry on the weekends," chef and co-owner Ed Szymanski told Business Insider.

Szymanski, who grew up in England and trained in London before moving to New York, opened Dame in 2021 with his partner, Patricia Howard, a hospitality veteran who has worked at some of New York's most notable restaurants. What began as a pandemic-era fish-and-chips pop-up evolved into a permanent restaurant that has become one of the leaders of New York's new British restaurant boom, even earning Szymanski a James Beard nomination.

There seems to be a crowd in New York hungry for it. The only reservation I could get on a Friday at 5:30 p.m. was a seat at the bar.

The appetite also extends beyond New York. Los Angeles recently welcomed three new British restaurants: Chicago's Piccadilly Pub, a self-described "neighborhood chippy," opened last December; further west, Seattle is getting a taste of meat pies at Little Beast; and Gordon Ramsay is set to open a London-inspired gastropub at Downtown Disney in California this year.

In a dining landscape shaped by economic pressure, comfort food is resonating again, albeit with a chef's touch. In that context, British restaurateurs are thriving.

Comfort food with a glow up

Few British restaurants exemplify that trend better than Dean's, which opened in SoHo this spring.

"There's more appetite for flexibility, less interest in rigid formats, with people wanting to shape the experience a bit more themselves," Annie Shi, who cofounded Dean's with British-born chef Jess Shadbolt, told Business Insider. "That's exactly what a pub offers: a sense of ease and community that feels especially relevant right now."

Reviews for Dean's have largely been positive, though some note this is not an everyman's local pub.

The New Yorker called Dean's "a hot downtown restaurant wearing a pub's clothing." Restaurant guide The Infatuation rated it 8.1 out of 10, lamenting how difficult it is to snag a reservation, especially compared to the walk-in culture of a traditional pub.

The menu leans heavily into comfort food, but with more polish. Menu staples include fish and chips with triple-cooked fries and tartar sauce, Guinness bread served with butter and Marmite, and stargazey pie, a Cornish staple featuring a seafood pie with the fish heads poking up out of the pastry.

The details at Dean's also skew distinctly British: Guinness is served in true 20-ounce pints.

"It's less about rewriting the narrative and more about presenting British cooking in a way that feels honest to us," said Shadbolt, whose upbringing along England's coastline inspired much of the menu.

"We've always wanted to showcase its range — the dishes people know and love, but also the parts of the cuisine that are often overlooked, like preservation, baking, and roasting."

British food culture is international

British cuisine doesn't have the best reputation, thanks to World War II rationing that limited the kinds of food available. "British food was quite grim," Syzmanski said.

Over the past decade, however, London's food scene has undergone a transformation, moving past its reputation for bland or uninspired cuisine. Today, it's a hub for regional fare, immigrant-driven concepts, and restaurants shaped by personal history and cultural identity — all things that New York diners know well.

For buzzy UK restaurant group Dishoom, expanding into New York in 2027 means focusing less on the brand's British identity and more on cultural storytelling.

The group, which began in London in 2010 and now operates 15 locations across the UK, is rooted in Bombay café culture — an all-day, communal dining tradition named for the city's former official name. Although the city is officially called Mumbai, many locals still use Bombay in everyday speech.

The menu features a variety of dishes familiar to international audiences: chicken tikka, biryani, and samosas, as well as local Bombay favorites like crispy prawn Koliwada and Pau Bhaji, which features buttery mashed vegetables and soft buns.

"New York is a city we have long admired," cofounder Kavi Thakrar told Business Insider as he gears up to open their first stateside location. Like Mumbai and London, New York is defined by its diversity, and by diners willing to explore new dishes and cultures.

"It feels like a place that you could easily call home," he said. "People are very open-minded."

It's not just cuisine — it's the British way of dining

As Shadbolt sees it, diners aren't necessarily chasing Britishness. They're embracing restaurants where "you can have a quick drink, a full meal, or stay for hours without it needing to be one specific thing."

Shi believes that's what gives a great pub its staying power. "The best pubs evolve naturally over time because they're shaped by the people inside them," she said. "That sense of informality — where you can come in, stay a while, and feel like you belong there, whether it's your first visit or your fiftieth — is what makes them so special."

For UK transplants like me, this new wave of British restaurants offers a small taste of home. For New Yorkers, it offers the chance to see British food not as a punchline, but as a cuisine — and a dining culture — that is both comforting and far more varied than its reputation suggests.

In that sense, Britain's biggest culinary export may not be fish and chips at all. It may be a way of dining that feels relaxed, generous, and increasingly suited to what Americans want from restaurants today.

• I moved to Japan from the UK in my early 20s to teach English to high schoolers.
• Expectations in Japanese workplaces, like giving coworkers gifts after vacations, surprised me.
• I left after realizing that British workplace culture gave me a better work-life balance.

In my early 20s, I moved my life from the bustling metropolis of London to a quiet, scenic town in the mountains of Japan. I had been offered a job as an English teacher in a high school, and I was eager to take advantage of what I imagined would be a quieter life, daydreaming about slow afternoons meandering through rice paddies.

I knew things wouldn't be easy. I expected to be tripped up by unfamiliar food and a complex language. What I hadn't expected, however, was just how different — and difficult — a new working culture

Gift-giving as a workplace obligation

When I first arrived, it seemed like every day a smiling colleague thrust a small, individually wrapped cookie into my hand.

I couldn't understand why this was happening, so one day I tapped someone on the shoulder and, pointing sheepishly at the plastic-covered pancake on my desk, asked what it was for.

My coworker explained that if you took time off, you were expected to return with snacks for the office, something between an expression of gratitude and an apology. He picked up the pancake and pointed at the colleague who gave it to me. "He had to go to a funeral last week," he said, gruffly.

I took stock of the number of people in the room; there were around 40 of us. "For everyone?" I asked.

My coworker grinned. "Yes, yes. Very expensive!" he said, chuckling.

At first, I found the practice oddly charming, but it didn't take long for the novelty to wear off. Every trip I went on was ever-so-slightly soured by the fact that, at the end of it, I knew I would have to lug gifts back for our 40-person office. I began to mourn the plastic waste and the money spent. I wished I could opt out of the whole thing, tell everyone that from then on, they could bring back 39 cookies and count me out.

Time off is something to be rationed

On my first day, I had a meeting with my supervisor. He handed me a contract and noted that I got 20 days of vacation. A little less than the 25 I got in the UK, but manageable, I thought.

My supervisor saw me nod and said, "I would save 10 of those for sick days if I were you. If you use it all up and then get sick, it will get taken as unpaid leave."

I balked at the suggestion. "Is there no sick leave?" I asked. He explained that while sick leave technically existed, a hospital trip was required to secure it.

Sure enough, I was struck down with illness three months into the job. After taking two weeks off, I was dismayed to find that my annual leave had been reduced by half.

Teachers in Japan are still required to work during the school holidays, even though there is little for them to do. During those long periods, I began to notice that, even with no children to teach, none of my colleagues seemed to be taking any time off.

I brought this up once to a fellow teacher, and the office leave book was promptly plonked on my desk. He flipped through to his leave record and pointed at all the days he hadn't used: 120 in total.

"They won't even let me accrue any more," he said. "I haven't taken a day off in six years."

Presenteeism

It wasn't just taking time off that felt different: it was the working day itself.

I would watch other teachers work 12-hour days, running clubs that met every day after school. I felt a need to match their efforts; I didn't want to seem like a slacker.

After a while, I started to work overtime even when there was no real need, to avoid being the only teacher leaving at 5 p.m. After a stretch of working from 8 a.m to 6 p.m, one teacher took me aside and told me how well I had been fitting in recently.

I smiled through gritted teeth.

Return and re-evaluation

I worked in Japan for a year before moving back to London. I didn't leave because anything was broken or wrong. The system worked, and it was coherent, with its own logic and expectations.

Over time, however, I realized that I was operating from a different set of assumptions about work, rest, and obligations.

I came to understand that it wasn't Japan's office culture that was the problem. I was just far more shaped by a British idea of work-life balance than I had recognized before. The experience taught me how deeply cultural norms shape what we consider sustainable, and how difficult it is to unlearn them once internalized.

I have been in the UK ever since. While I look back on my job in Japan fondly, I now know that when it comes to office culture, London works for me.

• Financial influencer Haley Sacks recently called the FIRE movement a 'sham' and compared it to 'financial anorexia.'
• FIRE followers told BI the critique targets the movement's extremes, not how most practice it today.
• They said FIRE has evolved beyond aggressive saving and early retirement into a 'choose your own adventure' strategy.

The FIRE movement is polarizing.

Short for "financial independence, retire early," FIRE is typically associated with aggressive saving and investing, often with the goal of leaving the workforce well before traditional retirement age.

In a recent interview with Business Insider, financial influencer Haley Sacks — known online as "Mrs. Dow Jones" — called FIRE a "sham" and compared the movement to "financial anorexia."

Some FIRE practitioners agree the movement can be taken too far. Andy Hill, who once pursued a more traditional version of FIRE, said he tried to keep his family's savings rate around 50%, but it led to money fights and marriage counseling. Eventually, Hill and his wife shifted to Coast FIRE, a more flexible offshoot of the movement that allowed them to ease up on savings and eventually scale back at work.

FIRE can be extreme, but advocates say that's not how most people experience it

Sacks' take touched on long-standing criticisms of FIRE, including that the movement can be too extreme and entail a life of deprivation.

"I think Haley's criticism is fair if we're talking about the most extreme version of FIRE, but I don't think that's what the movement looks like for most people today," said Cody Berman, author of "Retire by 30," who achieved financial independence in his mid-20s.

In his experience, FIRE was less about depriving oneself and more about spending less than you earn and investing the difference, all in the name of creating more options: "The goal isn't to put your nose to the grindstone, hate your life for 10 years, hit some magic number, and then never work again."

Judging FIRE by its most extreme examples, he added, is like judging fitness by professional bodybuilders or entrepreneurship by Silicon Valley billionaires. While those people get the attention, "they aren't representative of what most people are actually doing."

Kristy Shen, who said she initially thought FIRE sounded like a scam before she and her husband achieved financial independence themselves, also pushed back on the idea that the movement is rooted in deprivation.

"I don't live in a van, eat rice and beans, and I've never given up traveling to save money. I've met very few people in this FIRE community who do this," she said, adding that deprivation isn't sustainable. "That's not what the movement is about. That's a caricature of FIRE."

FIRE is a "choose your own adventure" strategy

The FIRE movement's origins can be traced to the 1992 book "Your Money or Your Life," coauthored by a duo who had themselves achieved financial independence before their 40s. It was then popularized on blogs like "Mr. Money Mustache" and "Early Retirement Extreme," the idea to work hard, ideally with multiple income streams, live a life of austerity, invest prudently, and build a big enough nest egg to walk away from work well before the average retirement age.

Over the last three decades, it has evolved beyond a single rigid path and now includes a variety of offshoots: Barista FIRE, Cash Flow FIRE, Fat FIRE, Lean FIRE, and Coast FIRE, which is the version that Hill and his wife eventually adopted.

Hill said more people are gravitating toward less extreme versions of the movement. He pointed to the growth of Coast FIRE, including its subreddit, which has 139,000 followers.

Grant Sabatier, author of the bestselling book "Financial Freedom," described modern FIRE as a "choose your own adventure" strategy.

Sabatier, who has spoken about getting laid off and growing his net worth from $2.26 to more than $1 million in just five years, said he believes FIRE is "attainable for everyone" — but not on the same timeline or with the same tradeoffs. He also acknowledged that pursuing financial independence is more difficult today than it was when he started investing in 2010, a period when he benefited from a strong bull market and a lower cost of living.

Hill spoke more cautiously about traditional FIRE, conceding that the "traditional FIRE dream" is more difficult for parents, single-income households, lower-income individuals, and people living in high-cost areas. Because financial independence ultimately depends on the gap between income and expenses, he said, the path is often easier for multi-six-figure earners, DINKs, and people with lower living costs.

Still, Berman is adamant that anyone can benefit from FIRE principles even if they never retire early.

"You don't have to 'win' FIRE for the ideas to be useful," he said. "If someone discovers FIRE and starts saving more, investing earlier, negotiating raises, starting a side hustle, or avoiding lifestyle inflation, that's progress. Even if they never retire early, they're probably going to be in a much better financial spot because of it."

The word "retire" can be misleading

"Retire early" implies a clean exit from work, whereas many FIRE followers actually want something closer to work optionality. Hill said he thinks the word "retire" is loaded and should be removed from the conversation entirely.

"I think society at large believes that it is disingenuous to say 'I'm retired' when a person spends the majority of their retirement as a small business owner," Hill said. "Becoming a small business owner or solopreneur should be something to be proud of — not hidden."

For Hill, the goal should not be to stop working altogether. It should be about finding work you enjoy doing, and doing it for part of the week, not most of it. After years of grinding away in a corporate job, he said Coast FIRE allowed him to quit and focus on his own financial education company. Today, he works 20 to 25 hours a week, allowing him to spend more time with his family.

Shen said the criticism that FIRE influencers are not really retired because they write books, create content, or run businesses misses the point.

"If someone reaches financial independence and then chooses to spend their time teaching, writing, building, creating, or helping others, that is evidence it worked," she said.

Sabatier said he still earns money through projects, including his bookstore, rare-book business, and investments, but he said those ventures are more about creating and staying engaged than needing a paycheck. The money is simply a byproduct.

For Sabatier, the fact that FIRE has endured is proof that its core ideas still resonate.

"Ideas do not spread unless there's truth to them," he said. "It's a global movement of people who are choosing to take control of their time and take control of their lives."

For FIRE advocates, that is the part they say critics often miss. The movement is not necessarily about living as cheaply as possible, quitting work forever, or following one rigid blueprint. At its core, they said, FIRE is about using money to buy time, flexibility, and more control over how to live.

• Eliana Jordan, a scuba instructor, created a diving app after learning to code at age 30.
• She left a software development job because she wanted to build something of her own.
• Jordan loves the flexibility of being able to go diving or kite surfing on a Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Eliana Jordan, 35, is a scuba instructor, software developer, and entrepreneur who lives mostly in Southeast Asia. About five years ago, while stuck in a pandemic lockdown and out of work, she learned to code. Jordan has used that skill to develop a scuba-diving app. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

After getting my business degree in Spain, I did a bit of marketing work and decided that office life was not for me. I moved to London to learn English and travel the world. After two years in London, I went to Thailand. That's where I tried scuba diving. It was like meditation. I did my open-water course, and that changed everything because I loved it so much.

Eventually, I taught scuba diving in the Philippines, Indonesia, and other places. I moved to Australia with a work-authorization visa and decided to become a scuba instructor. I was there for about two years.

When the pandemic hit, I got stuck in Bali because I was on holiday. My job back in Australia told me they were closing, and I couldn't find another scuba instructor job. Everything was closed.

I had been thinking for a while that I wanted to learn to code because I had an idea for a booking app, like Airbnb for scuba diving. Because I was in Bali, and had savings and couldn't work, I said, "OK, this is the time."

Something in my brain clicked

I learned from YouTube tutorials because there was no AI back then. I remember calling a developer friend and saying, "I don't understand anything." He said that was normal. It was pretty intense at the beginning, but I loved the challenge.

Eventually, I enrolled in a boot camp because I wanted a proper foundation. When I was learning by myself, I didn't feel like I was going anywhere. Then, in the first week of boot camp, something in my brain clicked, and I understood everything.

I started sharing my projects on LinkedIn. A company contacted me because they had hired people from the same boot camp. I started there as an intern, then found my first full-time developer job after failing two technical interviews at different companies.

The company where I worked used a coding language I had never used before. They promised training, but eventually, I had a meeting with human resources, and they fired me because they said I would never make it. That only made me more determined.

I got another developer job. After about two years working in corporate life as a developer, I realized I had learned a bit, but not everything I wanted. It was a remote job, but I quit to focus on building my app because at least I had some experience.

I worked part-time as a scuba instructor to pay the bills

My main reason for getting a developer job was to learn more coding and more about the whole tech infrastructure to build my own product.

I moved back to Thailand and worked part-time as a scuba instructor to pay the bills while I built my app. Scuba gave my brain a break from coding. There is more money freelancing as a developer, but sometimes it's not just about money.

That was almost exactly three years ago. Since then, I've collaborated with brands on social media about coding, so I've earned some income from that.

Many nights, after working as a scuba instructor — full of nitrogen on my brain — I worked on the app. It was pretty intense, but the mind is quite powerful if you want to do something. It is still at an early stage, but suddenly, after years of hard work, everything seems to be coming together.

I work a lot of hours some days, but I have more freedom than when I worked an office job. If I want to go scuba diving on a Tuesday morning at 11 or kite surfing because the wind is good, I don't have to ask permission. I can work early in the morning or later in the evening.

I wake up very early every day without an alarm because I love what I do. I have my iced Americano coffee and start working on my app. When I was working for someone else, I was checking emails, writing code, fixing bugs, or doing these things that I didn't want to do. This is my own thing, and that's really made me proud.

I love coding and scuba diving, so this is the perfect combination. I turned 30 when I was in Bali and learned to code. Don't be afraid to start over. It's never too late.

Do you have a story to share about your career? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.

• Eating right can be the first thing to slip down a busy schedule.
• Two researchers who are trained chefs wrote a cookbook to help execs nourish their body and mind.
• The recipes they shared include savory oats and a high-protein grilled sandwich.

Eating nutritious food can get relegated to the bottom of your to-do list when you're busy, but this can be counterproductive.

What you eat during the working day can make a big difference to how you feel and perform, according to the authors of "Executive Eats: The Cookbook for a Better Working Life."

Grabbing something like a slice of pizza that's high in refined carbs but low in protein, fiber, or healthy fats, can raise our blood sugar, leaving us feeling hungry and tired soon after. A more balanced meal that includes protein and complex carbs like beans or oats, which the body digests more slowly, can keep you feeling full for longer and lead to more consistent energy levels, write Adam Kingl and Jakub Radzikowski.

Kingl and Radzikowski are both Cordon Bleu-trained chefs, whose research projects at respected institutions including Imperial College London respectively span excelling at work, and the connection between professional cooking and practical science.

Here are four recipes from "Executive Eats" designed to help sustain busy professionals.

Oat and banana pancakes

Serves: 1 to 2

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 30 grams (about 5 tablespoons) oats
• One pinch of salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• Butter for frying and serving
• Maple syrup for serving

Instructions

• Blend the banana and eggs in a blender.
• Add the oats, salt, and baking powder, and blend until well mixed.
• In a pan, melt some butter. Cook the pancakes on one side until bubbles appear on the uncooked surface. Flip and cook on the other side for one to two minutes, until nicely browned. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Coffee smoothie

Serves: 1

Cooking time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, peeled
• 120 ml cold coffee
• 60 ml milk (substitute 30 ml Greek yogurt for half the milk for extra protein)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or almond butter)
• 2 teaspoons honey (or agave syrup)
• A few ice cubes

Instructions:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

You can easily just double, treble, etc., the volume of ingredients in order to make smoothies for more people.

Savoury porridge

Serves: 1

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 50 g rye flakes (or oat flakes or other grain flakes)
• 100 ml water
• 1 teaspoon butter (or coconut oil / another fat)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper and flaky salt

Instructions

1. In a small pot, add the water and rye flakes. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
2. Once cooked, add the butter and mustard and mix them in.
3. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
4. Serve warm with a poached or soft-boiled egg and a few more flakes of salt on top.

Tuna melt

Serves: 2

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of white bread (use whole wheat, rye, or sourdough for more fiber)
• 1 can of tuna in olive oil
• 4 tablespoons sweetcorn kernels
• 1 rib celery, diced

• 1 tablespoon capers in brine, drained
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• ½ cup grated Gruyère cheese (100—150 g)
• A little butter or oil for toasting
• Ketchup (optional)

Method:

1. Dice the celery and the red bell pepper finely.
2. Chop the capers.
3. In a bowl, mix the drained tuna, sweetcorn, celery, capers, red bell pepper, mayo, mustard, and cheese.
4. Spread the mixture evenly over two slices of the white bread. Close both tuna melts with another slice of bread.
5. Toast by frying in a pan on both sides with a little butter or oil, until the outside is golden, and the inside is melted. You can also use a panini press.
6. Serve with ketchup if you wish.

• When Nitya Kumar saw her industry pivoting towards AI, she wanted to change with it.
• Kumar shared how she taught herself to upskill and landed an AI job at Adobe.
• Experimenting like a scientist helped Kumar overcome her fears around learning a new technology.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nitya Kumar, 25, an Adobe employee who lives in India. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I landed a product design role at Meta straight out of college in 2022. By 2024, I saw the industry pivoting toward AI and wanted to learn new AI design skills.

During this process, I stopped seeing my career as a ladder with a focus on moving upward. In my view, all work and no play keeps the Big Tech offers away, so I started treating my career like a science lab, giving myself the freedom to experiment. This helped me overcome my fear of learning a new technology and land a role working with AI at Adobe.

Embracing my inner 'mad scientist' helped me get an AI job at Adobe

I went to art school in the US and didn't have a formal machine learning background. I took my AI education into my own hands, learning as I went through YouTube videos and friends.

Instead of trying to learn everything about AI at once, I focused on experimenting with Cursor with my friends, who could hold me accountable. I treated this process like a formula: one hour of Cursor a day + seven days = a functional AI prototype.

I love dance, and by the end of the seven days, I had created a fun game that could detect and track the gestures of a user dancing in their room. It helped me develop a vibe coding workflow, which involved using different AI tools for different processes. Though I started out with Gemini and Cursor, I gradually gained more confidence with other tools, too, like Figma MCP.

Instead of just building safe case studies with AI, I unleashed my inner "mad scientist." For example, I created a tool that generated Matcha recipes. I used Gemini to develop and refine prompts I'd feed into Claude to vibe-code the product.

These quirky experiments helped me gain a grasp of the AI landscape and the tools that exist, and, I think, helped me stand out in interviews. They made interviewers laugh, and we'd start debating about matcha flavors and play around with the tools I'd built.

After roughly four months of intentional AI experimentation, I landed a UX design job at Adobe, which I started in November 2025. I like how the role involves developing agentic AI experiences, including conversational AI assistants.

My 'science lab' strategy has helped me to support others

When I got to Adobe, there were still a lot of skills I wanted to learn, but my experimentation with AI up to that point helped me build confidence. After around three months, I realized I wanted to share my skills with my design team.

Every other Friday, I lead an AI playground workshop for other designers at Adobe in India. We come together online, experiment with new tools, and share how we're using AI-assisted workflows in our day-to-day jobs. We collaborate on how to stay ahead of this technical curve that we're all facing.

Designers come to me for support with debugging problems or building prototypes with AI, and my toolkit and confidence grow as I help them. It has been a nice way to grow my leadership skills.

Treating my career like a science lab has not only helped me transition into an AI role without a machine learning background, but it's also helped me succeed at it. I feel like I've mastered vibe coding, fuelled my creativity, and become a better designer.

• Bank of America sees signs that a three-part stock correction is brewing.
• The bank pointed to various technical warnings, like a recent "exhaustion signal" in the S&P 500.
• The index could see a decline in the third quarter before rebounding by year-end, it said.

Pressures from the Iran war are fading, but stocks are headed for a tough time this summer, Bank of America is warning.

Technical strategists at the bank said they see a cluster of signals that suggest the S&P 500 is heading into a corrective phase through the third quarter. In the end, the index could see what Bank of America calls an "abc correction" — a decline that comes in three distinct waves, strategists wrote in a client note on Friday.

"Summer roadmap is a three-wave correction. Potential for double correction," a team led by Paul Ciana, the global head of technical strategy at BofA, said. "Be cautious if a marginal new high toward ~7,741 occurs as it may be a 'bull trap' consistent with an expanding flat."

Ciana's team said they saw the S&P 500 tipping into a correction sometime in the third quarter, which will likely manifest as a "sideways-to-lower" pattern. In the worst-case scenario, the bank sees the S&P 500 dropping as low as 6,850 during the corrective phase, implying a 6% drop from the index's current levels.

These are the three warning signs for stocks that Ciana's team is eyeing:

1. The S&P 500 is seeing diverging momentum

When momentum diverges from an asset, the price of the asset rises, but not as quickly as momentum gauges like the Relative Strength Index suggest. That can be interpreted as a sign that buying power for that asset is fading, and the ongoing price trend is at risk of reversing.

The S&P 500's 14-day Relative Strength Index is cooling from its earlier high, clocking in at around 49 on Friday.

2. The index flashed a "red 13" exhaustion signal

The bank pointed to the TD Sequential, a technical indicator that can signal when an ongoing stock trend has been exhausted. When the indicator flashes a red 13, that's a sign a rally has lasted for so long that it risks running out of steam.

The S&P 500 flashed a red 13 on June 1, Ciana noted.

3. The index entered the fourth wave

This refers to the Elliott Wave Theory, a framework for technical analysis that says that markets follow a cycle made up of five waves. The fourth wave is a small pullback before the final phase of the market cycle.

The S&P 500 traded around 7,334 on June 10, a low that likely represents wave four, the strategists said. If the index were to drop below that level, that "reinforces that a corrective phase is underway," the bank added.

Despite expected volatility heading into the fall, strategists said they remained bullish on stocks overall. In the fourth quarter, the bank sees markets rebounding from the potential correction, possibly in a "Santa rally" at the end of the year.

Doubts have started to swirl around the strength of the bull market, particularly as the stunning rally chips and memory stocks this year takes a breather. The Nasdaq 100 ended the week around 4% lower, with much of the pain being concentrated in names like Broadcom (down 10% for the week), Nvidia (down 8%), and Intel (down 7%).

• "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary is becoming the face of AI data centers.
• O'Leary Ventures is developing a hyperscale campus in Utah, despite local resistance.
• He's also making the case for AI data centers to the larger — and very skeptical — American public.

You will see him on Fox News or CNN, wearing flip-flops, pajama pants, and a blazer. On his lips: data centers.

Kevin O'Leary has taken to preaching the gospel of data centers with the conviction of a cable-televangelist.

"We're in a global competition, an economic competition, a military competition, and certainly a technological competition," O'Leary told Business Insider earlier this month. "We've got to keep our chops because we have led the world in this economy for 250 years."

O'Leary, the Canadian software entrepreneur turned TV personality, began investing in data centers two years ago. Since then, the facilities that hold AI infrastructure have become increasingly divisive due to their environmental impact and high energy use. Some Americans have accused developers and local governments of racing to build the facilities without being transparent about the scope and costs.

Mr. Wonderful, as he refers to himself, doesn't seem to care. He's doubled down on his investments and his outspoken support for them, making it his mission to change public perception.

In the span of six months, the "Shark Tank" investor has gone from a celebrated star turn in "Marty Supreme" to the face of one of the most polarizing technological developments in the country.

Mr. Wonder Valley

O'Leary has been a mainstay on TV screens for years, and he's famous for playing the jerk.

After making his money building an educational software behemoth, O'Leary began appearing as a business commentator on Canadian TV more than two decades ago. In 2006, he became an investor on "Dragon's Den," before bringing the format to America as one of the Sharks on ABC's "Shark Tank" in 2009.

He quickly became known for his blunt, at times brutal demeanor.

"I'm looking for a real asshole, and you're it," he told Business Insider, recalling "Shark Tank" producer Mark Burnett's pitch to him.

As he cut checks for businesses like a cat DNA testing company and a greeting card manufacturer on the show, his bigger deals took place behind the scenes through his mutual fund and venture capital firm, O'Leary Ventures. He's invested millions of dollars into agricultural tech companies, infrastructure firms, and data-collection startups.

Then, in 2024, O'Leary Ventures released a splashy, AI-generated video to announce it was developing Wonder Valley. The $70 billion AI data center in Alberta, Canada, touted itself as the largest in the world at the time. In February 2026, he disclosed a second Wonder Valley data center campus in Utah. The initial plan said the development could span 40,000 acres in the state's northwest corner.

As data center construction has skyrocketed — by the end of last year, more than 1,400 had been built or approved for construction in the US — they have become unpopular, especially with people who live near them.

Some complain about the noise, others about water usage, and others about the strain on the electrical grid, which can lead to higher prices. More broadly, they have become a symbol of negative sentiment against AI, ranging from concerns about job loss to brain rot.

More than 70% of Americans don't want a data center built near where they live, a March Gallup poll found. That's more than the 53% who don't want a nuclear power plant built near their homes. The disdain has motivated politicians, and data centers have now become a factor in elections across the country.

O'Leary is far from the most prolific developer.

Digital Realty and Equinix both operate over 70 data centers in the US, and tech giants Amazon and Meta operate massive networks across the country.

Still, as a famous face and vocal supporter, O'Leary has become their de facto spokesperson.

"I don't think many data center developers have 12 million followers," he told Business Insider. "You can see how quickly I became the face of data centers."

In Utah, it didn't take long for O'Leary to feel the backlash. Objectors signed petitions, crowded town halls, created advocacy groups, and then sued the state.

One sign at a May protest at the state capitol pointed to O'Leary's loose ties to the state (he lives in Miami), and another had a drawing of his face under the header "bad Canadian."

"Pro whale, anti shark," read a third.

By the time Utah's primaries rolled around on June 23, O'Leary had agreed to slash the size of his campus by more than 20,000 acres. Utah's senate president and a Republican commissioner, both of whom initially supported the data center, were voted out.

O'Leary's Canadian project is also under fire, with residents expressing concern at town halls and an indigenous group requesting a federal review in June.

'I don't tap out'

O'Leary says he isn't backing down, despite the pushback.

His pitch is that the Utah campus, dubbed the Stratos Project, would create new jobs, spur economic growth in the area, and help the US get ahead in the global AI race.

The blowback, he says, is the result of misinformation, which he largely pins on China. He says protesters are paid or bused in, a claim they deny.

"What adversary, if any, would not want us to continue to build our compute power, our compute capacity, our defense systems. I wonder who wouldn't want us to advance on that," O'Leary told Business Insider. "For me, all roads lead back to China." He's since clarified on X that he had "no evidence" that groups opposing his data center are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party.

China has become a popular answer for AI optimists searching for a reason Americans don't like data centers, and AI more broadly. On June 4, members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce urged the Trump administration to investigate the "foreign influence campaigns" targeting America's AI development.

And it's a message O'Leary has echoed on national TV and popular podcasts, only further cementing his image as the data center cheerleader-in-chief.

"I don't tap out. I don't even know what that means. That's never going to happen with me," O'Leary told Business Insider. "Everything I do has challenges. Every deal, every project — it's never easy."

• The AI talent wars are mostly fought with dollars, millions and sometimes billions of them.
• Jason Lemkin, the "Godfather of Saas," says top AI researchers, however, want more than just money.
• He says they want freedom, too.

What do you give the AI engineer who has everything? Maybe the freedom to do whatever they want.

While the AI talent wars have been defined by multimillion-dollar pay packages and multibillion-dollar acquihires, Jason Lemkin, a venture capitalist sometimes known as the "Godfather of Saas," says money isn't everything.

Lemkin said on a recent episode of the "20VC" podcast that the companies trying to win over top researchers should offer something just as valuable: The ability to work on the problems they care about with fewer constraints.

"When I talk to folks at the bleeding edge of AI, that's just so appealing," Lemkin said.

Google, for example, nurtured a research lab that turned it into a gravitational center for elite AI talent, well before the generative AI boom. It acquired DeepMind in 2014, allowing the people running it to stay in London and continue building their own thing. It went on to become one of the most important AI labs in the world.

"Google, back in the day, created an environment where the best researchers in the world wanted to be there," Lemkin said.

This month, however, two high-profile AI researchers left the company.

Noam Shazeer, a co-lead of Gemini, Google's flagship family of AI models, announced earlier this month that he was leaving Google to join OpenAI. Shazeer is a co-inventor of the Transformer architecture that underlies most of the major large language models.

Days later, Google DeepMind's John Jumper, who won the Nobel Prize alongside CEO Demis Hassabis for his work on AlphaFold, announced he, too, was leaving for Anthropic.

Lemkin said the departures may reflect "the realities of having to try to be No. 1 in AI." As new competitors enter the race, the freewheeling research environment that once made Google DeepMind so attractive could be under threat as it faces pressure to ship new products and integrate into Google's larger product ecosystem. Anthropic and OpenAI, meanwhile, may be better able these days to offer the freedom to focus on the biggest AI questions of the day, Lemkin said.

"When you talk to some of the smartest engineers and developers in AI, they are really looking for a very specific kind of environment where they get to do what they want to do," he said.

• Mamdani's plan for New York centers on affordability — and making some big-ticket items free.
• Over 100 readers, commenters, and New Yorkers had strong opinions about the cost of city services.
• The jury's out on whether free and high-quality services can coexist.

Zohran Mamdani is feeling generous.

The mayor took office with sweeping promises to New Yorkers: Fast and free buses, universal 2-K childcare, investment in public libraries, bathrooms, and schools. The plans center on cutting the price of city services and making it easier to afford living in some of America's most expensive zip codes.

In my reporting for Business Insider's "Cost of the City" series, I've heard from single parents, halal cart operators, small business owners, economists, and riders on one of the many buses Mamdani plans to make free. After the transit story was published, I heard from over 100 readers in a flood of social media comments. We also ran an informal survey asking readers their opinions on the cost of city services. People had very heated feelings about what city services should — and shouldn't — cost.

Turns out, the mayor's most controversial pitch might be free stuff.

The affordability promise

In promising affordability, Mamdani reignited an age-old urbanist debate about what services a city is responsible for providing, and what they're worth. Dozens across Instagram, LinkedIn, and Business Insider's website weighed in — and there was a clear split.

Some thought most everything should be free. Nothing should cost money, "even parking in city center," one said. Several added that the city should provide some big-ticket free services, like childcare, because they benefit the community as a whole.

Others worried that eliminating costs compromises quality and creates unsustainable demand. "There is an obvious issue with making things free: Demand skyrockets," one commenter said.

Another felt that a few dollars is "not worth the trade-off" of potentially worse transit or public spaces. Others said some city services should be free, while others, like public pools, deserve a "nominal fee."

A lot of things are already free in New York. Libraries offer free access to books, computers, the internet, toddler storytime, craft classes, and a quiet place to sit. Parks promise green space, and garbage collection keeps streets clean. The city has free public bathrooms, although they're very limited. Public schools provide free lunches, and kids can learn to swim at one of NYC's 91 public pools.

Mamdani has also made a point to invest in those services, with multimillion-dollar pledges to the public library system and bus lane infrastructure. Universal childcare pilots are already available to families in several neighborhoods. Other things, like his plan to build more public bathrooms or eliminate bus fares, are facing significant funding and regulatory hurdles.

As the mayor sees it, the more affordable city services are, the more accessible they become to all residents, regardless of income. It's the crux of the democratic socialist platform Mamdani ran on — and it's been immensely popular, even among voters who wouldn't typically opt for a left-leaning candidate. The same affordability mantra helped three of Mamdani's allies win their June congressional primaries.

"What many people are talking about and struggling with, and what has been the focus of Mayor Mamdani's campaign and his current efforts, is that costs are very high in New York City," Greg Acs, vice president of the tax and income supports division of The Urban Institute, said. "That's not a shocking new revelation."

Still, it consistently strikes a nerve.

Are good things worth paying for?

All the aforementioned city services — libraries, buses, childcare — do cost money. Residents pay for them through their annual taxes, and governments allocate the funds. Many commenters were quick to remind me that "Nothing in this world is free."

What was most striking, however, was the number of New Yorkers and internet commenters who would rather pay a small fee for higher-quality service. As one commenter put it: "People just want things that work. It isn't as if a public good can't work if it's free, but it does change the ROI calculus needed." Another said, "Reliability trumps 'free' every time."

The jury's out on whether the free and reliable priorities can meaningfully coexist. A free bus pilot in NYC slowed buses, and Kansas City recently rolled back its fareless transit plan because the cost was too high to justify meager improvements. Universal childcare policies, on the other hand, reliably improve labor force participation for working parents, which is great for the economy.

"Some families can make that trade-off, some families can't," Acs said. "But allowing folks to stay in the labor market generates earnings, generates tax revenue, generates economic activity, and keeps them stably employed."

There's one sentiment I heard from almost all New Yorkers and commenters: Reliable, accessible city services make it easier to shoulder the overall cost of living. Sometimes, that's a savings measured in time or quality of life; Or it's a win calculated in dollars. In one of America's priciest cities — where the average family spends $159,000 annually to afford the basics — free childcare and cheaper groceries might help families see a future where they stay.

Acs said that the question of whether city services should be completely free is more philosophical than economic, but progress toward affordability is a win.

As one New Yorker told me, public goods "elevate the entire community, not just a few."

• I took the Ethan Allen Express to Vermont, riding in business class there and coach back.
• This was my first time upgrading to Amtrak business, and I found it underwhelming.
• The few perks, a non-alcoholic drink and slightly better seats, weren't worth the extra $80.

I've taken Amtrak up and down the Northeast Corridor for years, exclusively in coach. Business class never seemed worth the upgrade for a few-hour ride.

But on a recent 6-hour train trip from New York to Vermont on Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express, I paid about $80 extra for a premium seat; my round-trip ticket was about $180.

I chose the train over a slightly shorter five-hour drive from my home in Connecticut so I could work both ways. The business class splurge came with a few upgrades: a free non-alcoholic drink, a seat next to the café car, and half a dozen single "throne" seats without a neighbor.

After the full journey, I found the only notable perk of business class was the seating layout. Coach class was just as comfortable and quiet for less.

Here's what the experience felt like.

Business class has its own private car.

The Ethan Allen Express runs once a day to Burlington, Vermont, and business class is separated from coach via the connected café and lounge. The lounge is open to all passengers.

Business has large red recliners similar to the gray ones in coach, but in a 2x1 layout instead of 2x2 — giving some passengers extra space and the option of a solo seat.

There is no assigned seating, and the throne seats were all taken by the time I boarded a few stops down the line in Poughkeepsie.

I took the last available seat, an aisle seat in the middle. As we got closer to Burlington and people got off, I moved to a solo window seat.

I didn't find business noticeably more comfortable than coach.

In my years of riding many Amtrak routes, I've found that coach seats are surprisingly comfortable, with a deep recline, good cushioning, and working power ports — even on the Vermont route, where older-generation cars are still in service.

Business class mirrors much of that but adds a leg rest, cupholder, and curtains, which I appreciated. Though I doubt I'd use the curtains, especially on a scenic route to Vermont.

The bulkhead seating doesn't have tray tables, which could be a drawback for those hoping to work. Amtrak has begun rolling out new trainsets across parts of its network, though this route still uses equipment from the company's legacy fleet.

These cars will eventually be replaced by brand-new "Airo" trainsets from the California-based manufacturer Siemens Mobility as part of Amtrak's broader modernization effort across the Northeast.

No meal was included, but the food was good.

The business-class freebie was a soda, water, coffee, or other non-alcoholic beverage from the café car, which felt underwhelming for the upgrade price. Passengers can otherwise buy food.

Amtrak's lunch and dinner meals start at about $6; the cheapest was a hot dog. There were also burgers, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and salads.

I brought dinner with me, but got $8.50 mac and cheese on the coach ride home. It was surprisingly tasty.

Business class doesn't get lounge access.

Business-class passengers departing from New York Penn Station don't automatically get access to the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge there, which has free food and non-alcoholic drinks and is largely reserved for first-class passengers, private-car travelers, and elite status holders. A day pass costs $50.

There are no other lounges on this route, so it wasn't a factor for me. It's worth noting, though, for passengers departing from New York City who expect business class to include a pre-departure lounge experience.

I'm sticking to coach.

My Amtrak rides are usually comfortable and on time, including this one — though I know that's probably just me getting lucky, aside from one six-hour Acela delay earlier this year.

I'll keep booking Amtrak when it's more convenient than driving or flying, and I'll stick to the cheaper seats. Business class doesn't add many meaningful perks beyond a slightly different car layout and a small freebie.

Most Amtrak coach seats are more comfortable than many airline economy cabins, and there's no risk of getting stuck in the middle seat.

• Slate's pitch: US drivers haven't had affordable, analog EV options. Its no-frills truck is $24,950.
• The average new car in the US costs more than $50,000. But sales are still increasing.
• Giant car companies once teased their cheaper EV options — but few have made it to market.

Tiny, old trucks are having a moment online.

Scroll for long enough, and you'll find drivers fantasizing about a simpler time: when truck interiors had fewer screens and didn't attempt to cosplay as a luxury condo.

That nostalgia has created some surprising internet stars. Kei trucks — the tiny, slow pickups from Japan that shoppers can import into the US if they're more than 25 years old — have amassed cult followings through social media fan pages. The same goes for decades-old American subcompact trucks like the '90s-era Ford Rangers, Chevy S-10s, and Toyota Tacomas.

But while the small pickups generate a ton of online hype, there are only two cute-utes that still have that fresh car smell: the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz (and the Hyundai is reportedly not long for this world).

That's where Slate sees an opening.

The Jeff Bezos-backed startup told Business Insider this week that its tiny electric pickup will start at $24,950. The company's bet: they can turn a profit by building for the forgotten customers who don't want a giant truck with a giant screen and a giant monthly payment.

Low price, few amenities

Slate has the proportions of the small trucks that car internet keeps romanticizing.

It stretches just 14.6 feet from bumper to bumper. That's a foot shorter than the '90s-era Ford Ranger — and three feet shorter than the 2026 Ford Ranger.

Its spec sheet has throwback energy, too.

To lower the base price, Slate stripped out features that have become standard in modern American cars. The base truck has manual crank windows, two doors, two seats, no infotainment screen, and no speakers for music.

Executives even debated whether to include air conditioning before ultimately deciding to add it to the production vehicle.

For some old-school car lovers, that could be part of the appeal. Slate is not making a consumer-AI pitch, wading into the endless fights over Apple CarPlay's inclusion, or turning climate controls into a digital touchscreen maze. Drivers control the fan speed with analog buttons and dials.

Instead, shoppers can add more to their trucks after it's delivered through Slate's accessories catalog. That includes everything from SUV and second-row seat kits to $50 door-mounted armrests.

Do Americans even want cheaper cars?

Despite the internet's obsession with little trucks and Slate's low pricing bet, data suggests Americans are not exactly punishing automakers for the lack of affordable new-car options.

The average transaction price for a new vehicle was $50,900 this spring, up 3.3% since December, according to CarGurus data shared with Business Insider. The firm said there are now more vehicles on dealer lots priced above $50,000 than below $35,000.

And Americans keep scooping up big, expensive cars quickly. The $122,000 Cadillac Escalade and the $84,000 Toyota Sequoia spend an average of 30 days on dealership lots before finding a buyer, CarGurus said. The industry average is normally about 60 days.

So far, high prices have not slowed industry-wide demand.

On Friday, JD Power and GlobalData released their monthly US sales forecast. They expect Americans to buy more than 1.3 million new vehicles in June, a 3.6% increase from the same month last year.

We nearly had other cheap EVs…

Slate is walking into a market that giant automakers have repeatedly tried to crack.

For years, car companies have teased lower-cost EVs that could bring electric driving to more American buyers. Tesla's long-promised $25,000 car never became the clean-sheet vehicle Elon Musk once described. Nissan planned a less expensive version of its new Leaf, then dropped that trim after launch. Chevrolet brought back the sub-$30,000 Bolt, but it's a limited-time return. Volvo targeted a $35,000 base price for the EX30, then raised prices after tariff pressure. It discontinued the model in March.

And while few car companies have made a cheap new EV, even fewer have turned a profit on their electric cars. Legacy automakers have made billion-dollar write-downs after demand fell short of expectations.

Slate says it can avoid that trap. The company told CNBC that every truck it sells will be profitable from the start. It also told Business Insider that more than 10,000 people placed nonrefundable $300 preorders in the first four hours after its website opened, before any of them had the chance to test-drive the truck.

There are still potential competitors coming for Slate. Ford is working on a lower-cost EV platform that could eventually produce a truck (with automatic windows, no less) in Slate's pricing neighborhood. Rivian's smaller R3 could also move the company closer to the mid-$30,000 range, though that vehicle is still years away.

That leaves Slate in a lonely position. It is not the only company chasing a cheaper EV, but it's the only one that's confident it'll make money immediately.

• General Motors has been ramping up its autonomy team to develop self-driving tech for personal cars.
• GM's autonomy boss, Rashed Haq, said that his team has hired from top AV competitors.
• The automaker set a goal to roll out eyes-off driving on the highway by 2028.

General Motors is on a mission to put self-driving tech in the hands of all its customers, starting with the Cadillac, and the automaker's autonomy boss says it has the talent to get there.

In an interview with Business Insider, GM's VP of autonomous vehicles, Rashed Haq, said the automaker is attracting engineers from top AV companies to develop self-driving technology for "millions" of GM customers.

It's a tall order, one Haq said no company has yet to meet. Tesla's Full Self-Driving requires constant human supervision, and Waymo's robotaxis operate within limited geographies using a costly suite of sensors.

"Nobody has solved millions of cars all across the US roads at, let's say, $10,000 worth of hardware," Haq said. "That is still a very much unsolved problem and a very interesting problem."

GM's near-term goal is eyes-off driving for the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028, starting with highway driving. Haq said the company will "expand from there."

The push is GM's latest attempt to regain momentum in the autonomous driving race. In 2024, GM shut down Cruise's robotaxi venture and folded the talent and resources back into its parent company to focus on self-driving in personal cars.

That shift has shaped GM's hiring strategy ever since.

GM made several key hires in 2025, including Haq, Ronalee Mann, a Cruise alum and ex-Aptiv executive, and Sterling Anderson, a former Tesla Autopilot leader who joined GM as chief product officer. Earlier this year, the automaker also brought on Sean Harris, who spent two years at Wayve as director of autonomy; Jean-Yves Bouguet, a principal software engineer at Zoox; and ZJ Jia, who spent a year at Uber before joining GM as a senior engineer. The latter three hires were also Cruise alums.

A GM spokesperson said that the company has been hiring from Cruise and its competitors as it continues to build out its "autonomous-driving bench."

"We've already nearly doubled last year's external hires, we're filling roles faster than we were in 2025, and applications from external AV talent have doubled too," the GM spokesperson said, though they declined to provide specific figures.

Haq declined to share the size of GM's autonomy organization, saying only that it's "appropriately sized" for what GM is trying to build. He confirmed that GM is hiring talent from competing AV companies, including Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox.

Part of GM's pitch to engineers is scale, Haq said. The automaker has a large customer base, its own manufacturing footprint, a growing autonomy team, and data from Super Cruise, its hands-free driver-assistance system. GM has said Super Cruise has logged more than 1 billion miles of hands-free driving.

Haq also pointed to GM's sensor strategy as a differentiator. Unlike Tesla, GM plans to use lidar for eyes-off driving, a sensor Haq said provides "material advantage."

The combination of scale and strategy gives GM an edge over robotaxi companies and smaller startups, the autonomy boss said. Engineers can work on a self-driving system meant for customer-owned cars that will surpass the scale of a commercial robotaxi fleet.

"We're talking about tens of millions of cars," Haq said.

The 2028 test

GM's hiring push comes as the automaker races against competitors to deliver eyes-off driving tech by 2028.

Ford is also targeting a 2028 launch date for a similar technology, while Rivian moved up the date, targeting 2027 for eyes-off driving.

Since announcing GM's new autonomy stack last year, Haq said the team has made rapid progress. The company ran the stack in simulation in January, then on a closed course in February, and on public roads in March.

Challenges remain. Haq said GM has to finish building and fully testing the driving system, including ensuring safety, handling edge cases, and providing a smooth customer experience.

The company is trying to draw lessons from both Super Cruise and Cruise, the failed robotaxi project. Anderson, GM's chief product officer, previously told Business Insider that GM's personal autonomy work could eventually lead to a robotaxi service, though the company's top priority is privately-owned vehicles.

For now, Haq said GM's bet is on the right mix of talent, data, sensors, and manufacturing scale to help solve autonomy on a scale that has eluded the AV industry.

"Data, talent, the right architecture, manufacturing scale," he said. "Hard to argue with that."

• In a slow market, luxury home sellers have started saying they'll accept tech stocks as payment.
• Advertising stock options in listings allows real estate marketers to subtly target wealthy buyers.
• Although the strategy is making headlines, it's not clear if it has translated into completed sales.

Luxury-home sellers are finding a new way to stand out in a sluggish market: telling buyers they'll accept startup stock.

Listings from Brooklyn to the Bay Area have begun advertising that sellers are willing to consider accepting shares in companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI, and SpaceX in exchange for multimillion-dollar properties.

While few expect many homes to ultimately trade hands this way, some real estate marketers say the strategy can be an effective way to capture the attention of newly wealthy tech workers and investors sitting on hard-to-access private-company equity.

Andrew Rohm, founder of the luxury real estate marketing firm DMR Media, said the tactic works "100%" as a marketing strategy, adding that, while stock-for-home transactions aren't unheard of, they're uncommon.

Most buyers with significant stock holdings simply use those assets as collateral for loans rather than trading the shares outright, he said. However, as a marketing tool, IPO stock may be a different story.

Rohm said real estate marketers have long tried to position homes in front of buyers as they approach major liquidity events. In the AI boom, that means employees at companies like Anthropic and OpenAI who could eventually see windfalls from public offerings.

Housing advertisers face restrictions on targeting buyers by profession or demographics, Rohm said. By explicitly mentioning pre-IPO stock in listing descriptions and advertisements, sellers can create marketing that resonates with a specific audience without running afoul of the rules.

"You just have to call someone out through the advertising," Rohm said, adding that modern algorithms tend to identify and amplify those messages to prospective buyers.

The trend is emerging as luxury homes are taking longer to sell. High home prices and elevated mortgage rates have sidelined many buyers, while homeowners with low-rate mortgages have been reluctant to sell. For luxury properties, which already appeal to a limited audience because the pool of potential buyers is relatively small, standing out has become increasingly important.

"Houses are sitting on the market extremely long right now," Rohm said.

The investment appeal of a tech stock deal

One example is a Tribeca apartment owned by Sebastian Sagar, a finance professional and investor. The property has been on the market for about a year and has taken a $1.5 million price cut after being originally listed at $7.8 million.

Sagar said the idea came to him after he learned Anthropic had leased office space a few blocks from his apartment.

He said he had been reviewing his portfolio and realized he wanted less exposure to real estate and more to AI. At the same time, he imagined Anthropic employees sitting on valuable private-company equity that they couldn't easily sell or borrow against.

Sagar described the arrangement as a potential "win-win" that would allow him to gain early access to a company he believes has significant long-term upside while helping a buyer acquire a home near work.

In Miami, Luis Noguera said his family is open to accepting shares in Anthropic, OpenAI, or SpaceX for a $2.6 million home owned by his father.

Noguera, who previously worked in tech, said his family recently established a family office and views AI companies as potentially attractive long-term investments.

The house, which was previously a rental, doesn't really play a strategic long-term role for the family, Noguera said. Owning stock in one of the companies instead, he said, feels like a better investment.

In Brooklyn, the owner of a townhouse at 3 Wythe Lane told Business Insider that mentioning Anthropic shares in the listing was less about a specific company than a broader acknowledgment of where wealth is being created.

"Every generation has its wealth-creation vehicle," the anonymous seller said in an emailed statement, sent through their listing agent. "For many people today, that's private technology companies and digital assets."

The seller said the reference to Anthropic was intended to signal openness to "creative transaction structures" and to appeal to buyers who may be approaching a major liquidity event.

Some of the sellers experimenting with the idea acknowledge that any eventual deal would likely involve a mix of cash and stock rather than an all-equity transaction.

Whether any homes ultimately trade hands for startup shares remains to be seen, but for sellers struggling to attract attention in a difficult luxury market, that may not be the point: The listings generate headlines, spark conversations, and put properties in front of a highly specific group of potential buyers.

In a market where multimillion-dollar homes can sit for months, simply getting noticed may be more valuable.

I've been sleeping on the Eight Sleep Pod for a long time, and honestly, it's still the only thing that's ever convinced me that "smart beds" aren't just a gimmick. There's a high upfront cost, but for someone who runs hot, it's been a game changer.

The company's influence isn't confined to the bedroom. The CEO of a company called Factory created some boardroom buzz when he bought each of his 30 employees a $3,000 Eight Sleep Pod mattress cover so they'd be 'sharper' at work.

The Eight Sleep Pod doesn't just track data, it actively adjusts your bed temp in real time. If you've been wondering why people are obsessing over these covers and whether sleep tech actually works, here is my honest take on the Pod 4 experience and why, even with a new model on the market, it's still the standard to beat. 

Breaking down the design

Some of the terminology around the Pod 4 can be confusing, but at its foundational level, there are two parts — the cover and the hub. The cover slips over any mattress like a fitted sheet and connects to the hub via fabric-covered tubes. The hub is the brains of the operation and houses things like the water tank and is the point of connection for WiFi.

The hub is the size of an old-school desktop computer and, minus a CD tray slot, kind of looks like one. The hub is covered in a dark texture fabric which helps it blend in, but its presence is notable. It needs to sit upright so it can't lay on its side underneath a bed frame. It also needs a spot to live within 7.75 - 8.25 feet of the mattress cover (depending on the size) that it's physically connected to. Unlike some other competing products, however, you only need one hub to heat and cool two sides of a bed.

I carved out a spot for the hub in my room between an accent chair and nightstand to hide it away. Although I would have preferred not to see the hub at all, it did disappear from my vision after a few days. Beyond its aesthetic, the hub needs proximity to a wireless internet connection so it won't necessarily sit in the most ideal location.

The Pod 4 cover should only be a very minor addition under your sheets. I never had problems with it shifting around or becoming loose. I felt its padding slightly, but it didn't change the feel of my existing mattress. More importantly, I didn't feel the internal tubes that heat and cool the cover. You will feel the water moving through from time to time but mostly when it's cooling off. The water movement also isn't as sharp or stark on this new model as it was on former ones.

Comparing the Pod 3 and Pod 4 options

The Pod 4 is the focus here, but there is a cheaper Eight Sleep Pod for sale. The Pod 3 starts at $2,295 for the queen size. A savings of about $350 is nothing to dismiss, but in this case, the feature differences between the two models are significant for that relatively small price divide.

Up until recently, I had been using the older Eight Sleep Pod 2 (Pod Pro), an experience not too unlike the Pod 3. Comparing the two helped me instantly notice the small, but meaningful improvements that have come to the Pod 4.

For example, Pod 4 has a much quieter operation, both with the hub and while flooding water into the mattress cover. Previously, I could hear the hub rev up and blow air around with its internal fans as it got ready for bedtime. There were times that the older Pod would create loud, vibrating sounds during the night when it was moving water around. It was noticeable enough to wake me up a few times. The Pod 4 had none of that. When I tested the depths of its cooling by turning it to -10 the hub made a soft hum, but it was steady and ambient, almost pleasant. In general, the Pod 4 hardware stays out of the way and nearly invisible.

How it works

Like most tech-based products, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 setup process runs through the company's mobile app. The app is a key part of the product's use so it's best to get acquainted with it right from the start. Animated screens guide you through everything from applying the mattress cover and filling the tank with water to setting a sleep schedule.

Even though I set up a Pod in the past, I still appreciated the guided tutorial. It took all the guesswork out. One item to note: you'll want to start the setup process a few hours before you plan on going to sleep. The first priming of the cover can take up to two hours and won't be heating or cooling during that time.

No matter how prepared you might be for an active-temperature-controlled bed, the first couple of nights are a little surreal. One of the first things the app wants you to do is set a target bedtime so the bed is ready when you are. It's hard not to crack a smile when climbing into bed on a chilly night and having the bed warm and cozy without needing to think about it beforehand. Similarly, cool sheets on a hot summer night are incredibly relaxing.

After the baseline temperature is ready for bed, with the time you've set, adjusting it hotter or cooler only takes a couple of minutes to fully feel it. For reference, turning the bed on during the middle of the day and going from 0 to -10 took just under 15 minutes in my tests. However, that temperature was way too cold for me to ever use. Except in the most extreme cases, you should be able to acheive a very comfortable feeling in well under 10 minutes, no matter the season or time of year.

Automatically adjusts throughout the night to maximize comfort

The actual temperatures are hidden in the app but the Pod 4 is capable of swinging between 55 and 110 degrees. Instead of displaying the actual degrees, the app starts with a 0 baseline each night and allows you to move that number up and down in increments of 1 — going into the negatives for cool and positives for warm. The hub will adjust the baseline temperature, whatever it may be, if it detects changes in your room's ambient temperature. As long as you have a bedtime set in the app, all changes will be ready to go each night.

Although you can adjust the temperature and settings manually, the secret sauce that Eight Sleep is hoping you pay for is its Autopilot subscription feature. The Pod 4 uses biometric sensors to react to your body's movements as well as external sensors to monitor the room's temperature and humidity level. The goal of the extensive monitoring is for the product to automatically create a more restful sleep experience in real time, without any intervention needed.

Years ago, during the product's initial rollout, I found it to provide mixed results. Its job is to be invisible, adjusting the temperature for you throughout the night. But early on, I woke up cold and wanted to turn it warmer. I found its results to be hit or miss for the first year. Eventually, I turned the Autopilot feature off on the old Pod Pro. With this new model, however, I've found the feature to be more accurate and better about guessing how to keep my body from waking up as much. There is more processing power in the Pod 4 which can explain some of the dramatic improvements.

As a comparison, I tried manually controlling the new Pod 4 for a night and instantly missed Autopilot. I woke up too hot twice. Turning the feature back on the next night, I was much more comfortable. There's a nuance that's easy to overlook with Autopilot, but in my experience, it does pull its weight. There's a Autopilot section in the app that will show how many adjustments it made for you during the night to help prove it's working while you're sleeping.

My wife, however, has loved the Autopilot feature from its inception and insists it helped reduce her night sweats and better regulate her body's temperature. The new Pod 4 has continued to live in her good graces.

Phone-free controls for manual changes

No matter how well Autopilot adapts to your body temperature, there will probably be times you want something different. The Pod 4 addresses this with side controls that react to taps. This feature is a breath of fresh air, because let me tell you, it's really disruptive to need to reach for your phone, while half asleep to find the app and change the settings.

With the new tap area, you can roll over and pat the side of the bed — twice for cooling and three times for warming. I used the feature several times and was generally pleased with how well it worked. I never even needed to open my eyes.

Performing two taps is really easy. It worked every time I tried it. The bed gives two quick vibrations to confirm it recognized the interaction. I was skeptical about performing three taps but it worked. However, I did have some false positives with that gesture. Most of the time I was trying to juggle getting the bed to recognize three taps, while also not waking up my wife from smacking the bed too hard. The feature could probably use some refinement over time, but it's a good start and nice to have.

Comprehensive and accurate sleep data

The other half of the Autopilot subscription, along with real-time temperature adjustments, is its dual-zone sleep tracking. It will keep track of vitals like heart rate, respiratory rate, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability. It also documents the time you get into and out of bed, how long it takes to fall asleep, and the amount of deep and light sleep. This is a way to capture sleep data without needing to wear a watch or ring.

The extensive results are displayed in the app and can be simultaneously funneled into Apple Health. How accurate is the data? I have several years of this data in the Eight Sleep app and it all lines up with what I've seen and felt. For example, I've verified that it does a phenomenal job of knowing when I get in bed at night to watch a show and when I actually fall asleep.

With the Pod 4, I directly compared its sleep tracking with my Oura ring sleep data. The metrics vary because the devices are measuring from different points of contact, but the data from both was consistent. The results mirrored each other pretty well and matched how I felt after each sleep.

The subscription also includes the vibration and thermal alarm to wake you up within a time frame that makes sense for your sleep cycle. I haven't tried the adjustable base portion of the Pod 4 Ultra, but if you go that route, Autopilot can detect snoring and move the base on its own to mitigate that.

Autopilot is required for at least one year so you're looking at a minimum of $200 for the service (or $250 for the one with the five-year warranty). That's a sneaky way of getting people to try and potentially fall in love with an expensive service. For instance, I wouldn't pull the trigger on Autopilot blindly at checkout, if it weren't required, but after having tried it, I would also be hard-pressed to cancel it.

Price is a big consideration, but not as much as you might think

The Pod 4 is a great product, but it isn't a magic machine. It's probably not going to help you reclaim hours of sleep if you're not also getting to bed at a reasonable time, eating in moderation, and including some activity in your daily schedule. It's a piece of the puzzle.

To go along with that, the unit's high initial price and ongoing Autopilot fee are the top drawbacks. It's easy to have sticker shock, but it's worth putting the cost in context. Sleep Number's Climate360 mattress, which advertises active heating and cooling, starts at $10,000 for a queen size. A split king that can accommodate two individual preferences comes in at an eye-popping $13,700. The comparable price for a queen-sized Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra (with adjustable base) and Eight Sleep mattress comes in around $7,000. The reality is that high-end sleep tech is expensive.

If the cost doesn't bother you or you're able to look past it, the considerations of design and placement are real. The hub isn't amazing looking and it will need to live close to your bed. There's also some maintenance required but only a minimal amount every several months. This typically entails refilling a few cups worth of water whenever indicated by the app or swapping out the Maintenance Insert, a tiny cartridge in line with the tubes that keep the water fresh. A new Insert is sent when needed and for free as part of the Autopilot subscription.

What are your alternatives?

There aren't many products that can single-handedly do what the Pod 4 does. It's unique in offering all of its features with only one central hub.

The Bedjet 3 Dual Zone mimics a lot of the features but is more utilitarian in its design. It doesn't have the same bells and whistles while still starting at $1,000 or more depending on whether it's on sale. It functions with a remote and requires a special bed sheet. The Chilipad Dock Pro is similar, with a more refined look. Its dual-zone option retails around $1,900 and requires two separate docks for dual temperature control.

If you would rather piece-meal the experience there are a few products to take a look at.

For a passive cooling option, you can try a cooling mattress topper like the the GhostBed 3-inch cooling mattress topper. It is made with gel-infused memory foam with peaks and valleys that promote airflow to keep you cool.

For heating, your best bet might be a heated mattress cover. The Serta queen-size heated mattress pad has dual-zone control and auto-shutoff and costs about $100.

For in-bed sleep tracking the options are, again, slim pickings. You can use a fitness tracker like the Apple Watch or Oura smart ring on your body. The $130 Withings Sleep is an option that goes under the mattress and reports its findings through its app. The Sleep Tracker by Sleepme is similar and retails for $200.

What has changed?

Since our initial testing of the Pod 4, Eight Sleep has released its direct successor, the Eight Sleep Pod 5. The Pod 5 promises to build on the smart bed's foundational cooling and heating technology with refined hardware and new features like enhanced physical controls and built-in audio.

We are currently in the midst of updating our comprehensive sleep tech testing suite to include the latest developments from the Pod 5, and we will update our findings here once that process is complete.

The bottom line

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 provides real, noticeable benefits to sleep that are hard to replicate with any other single product. Its use of real-time temperature adjustments and non-wearable sleep tracking can help you hone in on the best way to get a restful night's sleep.

However, because of the Pod 4's high starting price and ongoing subscription, it's hard to recommend that everyone jumps in, right away. It's unquestionably expensive but in the upper echelons of premium sleep products, it's priced competitively. Ultimately, the Pod 4 is a good product with a value that will heavily depend on what you're looking to get out of having a smart bed. If you feel like you've tried everything to sleep cooler or you're looking for temperature control and sleep tracking this could become your holy grail sleep solution.

• Everyone in my family of six is responsible for their own laundry.
• When it's time for me to do mine, there are never any dryer balls for me to use.
• One day, I got super frustrated by this and realized I had to take things into my own hands.

My four kids have had chores since they were young. I believe that many hands make light work and that teamwork in a family home is important. I also know that chores teach kids life skills they can carry into adulthood.

Because there are six of us, we each have a designated laundry day for our clothes, sheets, and towels. Each of my four kids, the youngest being 9-years-old, does their own laundry on their day.

Sounds good, right? It was, until it wasn't. Of all things, a dryer ball did me in. Looking back, I'm glad it did, because it sparked an important change in our family dynamic.

It was my day to do laundry

In our house, we use wool dryer balls, dabbed with a skin-safe essential oil with every load of laundry. Every time it was my laundry day, I would find only one or two (of my supply of 10) dryer balls waiting for me. This happened for weeks on end. I would repeatedly ask my family to return the dryer balls they accidentally scooped out of the dryer with their laundry and took to their bedrooms. Yet, week after week, I would, on a good day, have only two dryer balls at my disposal.

Recently, it was my laundry day, and there it was: one graying, dingy ball, all by itself in the dryer, lonely and rather useless. Rage filled my soul. I'm convinced part of my anger could be blamed on perimenopause (estrogen, where art thou?), while the rest of my rage felt like hurt. My needs weren't considered — as they often aren't when you're a partner and mom.

Was it my job to once again beckon and plead for missing dryer balls? Deal with the sighs and "not now; I'm busy" replies? Should I create a wanted poster and offer a reward?

I did something for myself

I decided that I was tired of reminding, begging, and chasing. I grabbed my water bottle and purse, announced I'd be back later (not sure anyone was even listening to me), and headed to my favorite store, T.J. Maxx. If I were going to shop for something as boring and infuriating as dryer balls, I wanted to at least be somewhere that generates dopamine.

I managed to secure an eight-pack of bright-white, perfectly rounded dryer balls, along with a few other items to reward myself for surviving a stressful morning

Now, every week, when I take my basket of dirty laundry into the laundry room, I shove as much as I can into the washing machine. There, at the bottom of my basket, are all eight dryer balls, waiting to do their job — just for me. Once all my laundry is dry, I scoop the dryer balls out of the dryer, drop them into the bottom of my empty basket, pile the warm, clean laundry on top, and saunter away to my room, satisfied that I've won some sort of battle.

I'm looking out for myself more

The reality is, moms and partners give so much every day to ensure that their families, of any size or form, have what they need. Females have been conditioned to be nurturing, selfless, exhausted caregivers. This comes at a tremendous cost to many of us. Our batteries are never fully charged. In fact, I'm convinced we all run on "low battery" mode almost all of the time.

For some, you might wonder why dryer balls were mere objects that sent me over the edge. For others, you completely understand. At some point, we want someone to care for us in the many ways we relentlessly care for others. Now, I'm caring for myself.

After the dryer ball incident, I realized the many ways I wasn't setting boundaries with my family. The majority of these situations were what most would consider small things, but any parent will tell you that the little things quickly add up to a crumbling mountain. I am continuing to learn how to set, adapt, and hold to boundaries to lessen my load, and I don't just mean my laundry load.

• Our family's friendship with an Argentine au pair deepened during the 2022 World Cup.
• Argentina's championship run became a shared tradition and lasting connection.
• Years later, that friendship inspired a trip to Argentina and continues across continents.

When an au pair from Argentina joined my family in 2022, I expected convenient childcare and a cordial friendship.

I did not expect to wake up at 4 in the morning to watch her country play in the World Cup. After all, my family had never even watched an entire soccer game together.

But by the end of the tournament, we were painting our faces blue and white, putting photos of Kylian Mbappe in the freezer, and watching the games on cellphones in the grocery store.

Without warning, we had become Argentina fanatics.

We watched Argentina win the 2022 World Cup

The night before the semifinals, my husband, daughters, and I decided to display our team spirit. We cut triangles from printer paper at the kitchen table. Then we filled each pennant with drawings of sky-blue stripes, golden suns, and attempts at soccer balls and threaded the whole thing onto a length of light blue yarn.

The next morning, we hung the bunting above the television, ensuring it would be one of the first things our au pair, Yulca, would see when she woke up.

A few days later, with Argentina heading for the final, Yulca carefully packed the bunting as we traveled for early family Christmas celebrations. We draped it along my parents' fireplace mantle, hoping Santa might grant an early wish.

We watched on the edges of our seats through every minute of regular play, every minute of extra time, and every kick of the penalty shootout. When Gonzalo Montiel scored the final penalty, Argentina had won one of the most dramatic matches of all time.

Yulca collapsed into tears. Video calls poured in from relatives celebrating in the streets back home. My dad, who had patiently sat through every minute of the match, was finally free to change the channel.

Amid the chaos, I opened my phone and ordered a last-minute Christmas gift: an official Argentina championship jersey. The $120 price tag was far beyond anything I'd buy for myself, but I knew we'd just experienced a moment worth commemorating with stripes, embroidery, and the all-important third star.

Our au pair taught us about her culture

Over the next nine months, Yulca showed me how to fold empanadas and taught us the many rules of drinking mate. She wore the jersey all the time, a symbol of both her Argentine pride and the close relationship she'd developed with our family.

When Yulca returned to Argentina in 2023, something strange happened: the girl who sobbed when her brother called from the streets of their hometown was homesick for the United States. We exchanged messages and voice notes almost daily, bridging the distance even when we couldn't visit each other. Unfortunately, air travel to Argentina is wildly expensive.

But in 2025, a flash sale on tickets to Buenos Aires showed up on Instagram one day when I was feeling financially reckless. A dream trip that had always felt too expensive was suddenly within reach. The tickets even included extra luggage, which was perfect for hauling a large suitcase of Yulca's items across the equator.

Before I knew it, my daughters and I were boarding a plane.

We flew to Argentina to visit our au pair

When we arrived in Yulca's small hometown in northern Argentina, the first order of business was to unpack the oversize suitcase. Before the trip, I'd searched the nooks and crannies of my house to find everything she wasn't able to fit in her suitcase when she'd returned home.

I'd packed a special item right on top: the homemade World Cup bunting. The memories of watching the World Cup together flooded back as we hung it over her bedroom window, 5,000 miles away from where we last cheered for Argentina together.

But my daughters and I needed our own reminders of that World Cup. So, we made our way to downtown Posadas to purchase Messi jerseys.

Now, Yulca wears her American-purchased jersey in a small town in Argentina, and I'm wearing my knockoff in North Carolina. After washing mine just a couple of times, the decals are visibly cracked, and the backing of the embroidered logo doesn't lie flat.

But every time I wear this $12 jersey that cost nearly $7,000 in travel to get, I smile as I say to myself: there's nothing more Argentine than a fake jersey from Paraguay.

As we get ready to cheer for la Albiceleste from two different hemispheres, the third stars on our jerseys represent a long-awaited victory for Argentina.

For us, the stars are a physical reminder of the monthlong soccer tournament that cemented a friendship strong enough to span 5,000 miles.

• Country music star Brad Paisley is protesting a proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo.
• Paisley called it a "monstrosity" and urged local leaders to block its construction.
• The Nashville Zoo's petition to stop the data center development has almost 530,000 signatures.

A proposed data center next to the Nashville Zoo is drawing pushback from local community members, including 14-time Country Music Award winner Brad Paisley.

Paisley called the proposed data center — backed by DC Blox, a digital infrastructure company — a "monstrosity" in an Instagram video on Friday. He compared the development, which he said was unfolding without the permission of residents, to AI stealing intellectual property from musicians.

"It's without the blessing of those who are going to be affected by it," Paisley said. "Look, Nashville, we have to fight this. We have to set a precedent, because if we can win this and we can stop that from happening where we don't want it, it's a precedent that will help other communities."

He added, "I'm calling on our elected leaders to find a solution to this that's going to benefit everybody." Paisley criticized the data center in a separate video earlier this month, calling it an "absolute nightmare scenario."

In a statement, DC Blox said it was aware of Paisley's "social media commentary." It said the data center, which would have an eventual capacity of about 50 megawatts, is not intended to power AI. Data centers have been around for decades, hosting data for things like websites and social media. Large AI data centers, meanwhile, typically have capacities in the hundreds of megawatts or more.

"We want to clarify that the data center is designed to function as a digital connectivity hub and not as a large AI factory," the company said in its statement. "Designed to meet Middle Tennessee's surging digital demands, the data center is part of the essential infrastructure that supports and enables the entire community, from residents to local businesses."

DC Blox said such data centers actually help artists like Paisley.

"In fact, it is this digital infrastructure that enables artists like Mr. Paisley to distribute and stream their music globally, engage with fans on social media, and utilize video platforms to share their voices," the company said. "All these daily digital services rely on data centers and internet connectivity, as is being proposed for Nashville, and without them, the music industry would not be what it is today."

A growing number of Americans are resisting large-scale data centers, which are essential to powering AI. Tech companies want to build more facilities to support rapidly advancing AI systems, but are struggling to convince Americans to support construction in their communities. Many critics are concerned that the sprawling developments could worsen water resources, air quality, noise levels, and local wildlife.

While the Nashville data center is smaller than many of the country's larger AI-focused facilities, its proximity to the Nashville Zoo has raised concerns about its potential impact on the animals and the surrounding environment.

A permit filed with Nashville's Department of Codes and Building Safety in May said the development would include a nearly 70,000-square-foot single-story building. Local council member Courtney Johnston said the data center would sit about 300 feet from one of the zoo's facilities.

In response, the zoo urged community members to sign a petition to stop the data center earlier this month. As of Saturday, the petition has gained almost 530,000 signatures.

"How are we to know this new data center will not lead to irreversible damage to the animals we exist to protect?" the zoo wrote in its petition. "We cannot afford to find out years from now how this facility has negatively impacted our 1.4 million visitors, our local community, or the 3,000 animals entrusting us with their care."

A spokesperson for the zoo told Business Insider that it's exploring whether to take legal action.

"As we move forward, we have taken the next step in our fight against the proposed data center. Our Land Use Attorney has filed a zoning appeal with the city," the spokesperson said. "The goal of this appeal is to overturn the permits that DC BLOX has filed and that have been approved. Additionally, we are working with an environmental rights lawyer to assess any legal actions we can take in regards to the protected species on our property and the proposed data center's property."

Some local politicians are also fighting back. Council Member Rollin Horton has proposed legislation that would cap the size of data center construction and where they are built. Johnston, meanwhile, has proposed a temporary data center moratorium in Nashville and Davidson County.

"Like so many municipalities, Nashville was caught flat-footed, not having 'data center' defined in our code for purposes of regulating that land use and protecting our sensitive areas like the zoo, schools, parks, and neighborhoods," Johnston told Business Insider. "We are working hard to rectify that with a current text amendment going through the legislative process."

In addition to the moratorium, Johnston said she is challenging the zoning administrators' land use determination alongside the Nashville Zoo's counsel.

"The Southern Environmental Law Group is also closely watching this development as it relates to the Endangered Species Act," Johnston said. "As a community and a government and as the elected representative of the zoo and this area of Nashville, I am, and we are, doing everything we can to stop this project from being built out next to our zoo."

The FIFA World Cup has officially kicked off, four years since Argentina's victory, and Lionel Messi and his crew are attempting to defend their title against a stacked field. We've scoured the viewing options and rounded up everything you need to know about where to watch the World Cup, including free and global streaming options for every match.

If you don't want to scroll any further, we've got you covered. You can live stream every game on FOX and FS1 via FOX One or a live TV service in the US, for free on SBS On Demand in Australia, and for free across BBC iPlayer and ITVX in the UK, among many other viewing options around the world (which we'll break down below). You can access your streaming options from anywhere with the help of a VPN. Keep reading to learn more about the tournament, whether you're hoping to watch from home or attend in person.

Where to watch the World Cup for free

Several countries around the world will offer free access to World Cup coverage. In Australia, all matches will be available for free on SBS On Demand. In the UK, all matches will be split across BBC iPlayer and ITVX.

Other regions offer select games for free, often focusing on their national team and major late-tournament matches, while the rest are available via a paid service. In Spain, select matches will be available for free on RTVE Play. In Italy, RaiPlay will offer free coverage of select matches. M6 offers some free matches in France. Tabii in Turkey has plenty of free live streams in Arabic, too.

Want to access some of these free World Cup viewing options from outside the above countries? We'll show you how to get around those geo-restrictions next.

How to watch the World Cup from anywhere

Football fans who are away from the location where their streaming service works during any notable matches can still access their free viewing options with the help of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy tech tools that let people temporarily change the virtual location on their electronic devices. They're popular among people looking to upgrade their cybersecurity and keep up with their usual websites and apps while traveling abroad.

NordVPN is our top recommendation and one of the best VPNs on the market. It's fast, offers a massive selection of global servers, and comes with a helpful 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not helping you out.

Where to watch the World Cup in the US

All 104 World Cup games will air on either FOX or Fox Sports 1 (FS1) in the US. FOX offers a direct streaming counterpart, FOX One, for $20 a month with a three-day free trial. You can also sign up for the service as a Prime Video add-on. If you're looking for a service with additional channels or a longer free trial, one of the best live TV streaming services we've tested might be of interest.

Fubo offers FOX and FS1 coverage in its Sports + News plan, along with 25+ other key channels. The streaming package also unlocks ESPN Unlimited access. Sports + News costs $56 a month, but new users can get $10 off their first month after a five-day free trial. FOX and FS1 are also available in the Pro and Elite plan.

YouTube TV is another live TV service with ample FOX and FS1 coverage. Until June 30, a special deal can help new users get $75 off YouTube TV for five months (that's $15 a month off each month over a five-month period). The sale brings the price of YouTube TV's main plan down from $83 a month to just $68 a month. There's also a sports plan with FOX and FS1, which costs $65 a month, but new users can get $10 a month off their first 12 months. The live TV service typically offers a free trial for new customers.

If you're looking for Spanish-language coverage, Telemundo has the broadcast rights in the US, and all 104 matches are available to stream on Peacock with Spanish commentary. Peacock's sports-friendly tiers start at $11 a month for Peacock Premium, but you'll be able to watch the first couple of days of the tournament with a pared-down Select plan as well.

Where to watch the World Cup in the UK

Every match at the World Cup will be available for free in the UK. Coverage is split across the BBC and ITV, meaning fans can live stream all matches via a combination of BBC iPlayer and ITVX. These are free streaming options that only require account creation to watch.

Where to watch the World Cup in Australia

It's good news in Australia. All 104 World Cup matches will be available in one place, through SBS, SBS Viceland, and SBS On Demand. That means that you can live stream all of the games via SBS On Demand, which just requires account creation if you haven't already made a login.

Where to watch the World Cup in Spain

RTVE will carry several World Cup matches in Spain. This means that fans will be able to live stream coverage for free on RTVE Play. You'll just need to create an account, and then you're all set to start watching. Coverage will favor games with Spain's national team, along with other marquee match-ups. Football fans in Spain hoping to watch every single World Cup match will need a paid subscription through DAZN.

Where to watch the World Cup in Italy

Select matches will be shown through RAI in Italy, which means that coverage will be available to stream for free via Rai Play. Italian FIFA fans hoping to watch every single match of the World Cup will need a paid DAZN subscription, which will grant access to all 104 matches.

Where to watch the World Cup in Germany

In Germany, select World Cup coverage will be available for free through ARD and ZDF. For full German coverage of the entire tournament, including all early group stage matches, fans will need a paid subscription to MagentaTV.

Where does the 2026 FIFA World Cup take place?

Typically, the FIFA World Cup is hosted by a single country (except for Japan and South Korea in 2002), but the 2026 tournament will be held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver serve as host cities. In Mexico, host cities include Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey. US host cities include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Is this a larger World Cup tournament than in past years?

If you've been looking at your TV guide and thinking that there are a lot of matches and teams, you're not alone. 2026 marks FIFA's largest World Cup tournament to date. The tournament was expanded from 32 to 48 teams, nearly doubling the number of matches scheduled to take place. This change increased the number of teams and groups in the group stages and means that knockouts begin with a new Round of 32 before the Round of 16.

Who is favored to win the FIFA World Cup?

Heading into the tournament, Spain is the favorite to win the FIFA World Cup. On DraftKings (prior to the start of the World Cup), Spain led at +450, followed by France (+475), England (+700), Portugal (+800), Brazil (+950), and Argentina (+950).

Previous FIFA World Cup winners

Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, won the 2022 World Cup. Previous winners include France (2018), Germany (2014), Spain (2010), Italy (2006), Brazil (2002), France (1998), Brazil (1994), West Germany (1990), Argentina (1986), Italy (1982), Argentina (1978), West Germany (1974), Brazil (1970), England (1966), Brazil (1962), Brazil (1958), West Germany (1954), Uruguay (1950), Italy (1938), Italy (1934), and Uruguay (1930).

When and where is the next men's World Cup?

The next FIFA Men's World Cup tournament will take place in 2030. Most of the games will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with one match each taking place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. These South American games are in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first FIFA World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930.

When and where is the women's World Cup?

The next FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled for 2027. Brazil will host the tournament for the first time. Spain is the most recent women's World Cup winner, beating out England 1-0 in the 2023 final. Prior to that, the USA won back-to-back in 2019 and 2015.

How do you get World Cup tickets?

Getting your hands on World Cup tickets has proven to be no easy task. The tournament is incredibly popular, and the initial FIFA ticket release was a bit confusing. Our team has found that some of the best prices and seating variety come from the resale market right now. You can learn more in our World Cup tickets guide.

2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule

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.

• The last time I applied for a job was more than 20 years ago.
• My résumé needed a major update, which led me to go through old paper files.
• After a lot of work, I applied and landed a job.

Recently, I paid off my student loans ahead of schedule. Along with the joy of saying goodbye to 10 more years of payments, I unexpectedly felt open to doing something completely different.

I stepped away from my marketing career in 2023 to focus on something I was more passionate about, writing. I will continue to write, but I've realized that I crave more regular interaction with people in my day-to-day life.

I spotted a listing at a local high school for advanced placement (AP) test proctors — a job I hadn't known existed. That's how I found myself applying for a job for the first time in 20 years.

I had forgotten a lot

The last job I completed a traditional application for was in corporate America in 2004. Since then, my jobs have come through networking and recruiters, some of which didn't even require a formal application.

Applying for a job in 2026 was a new experience. It started similarly with an online application requesting work experience, education, and references. The difference this time around was me, my priorities, and 20 years of work experience.

My résumé needed a major update

I was surprised to realize that I hadn't updated my résumé since 2014. One of the biggest challenges was finding the dates I needed to include. When did I start grad school? Did I start that job in April? How old are those references? It was hard to know these things for sure.

Thank goodness for LinkedIn. I had kept that updated with my writing work, the marketing role I left in 2023, and many of the dates I hadn't thought about in years.

As for the earlier part of my career, well, that took some digging. I found a few hard copies of outdated résumés from the early 2000s; one even had my maiden name on it. They were a good starting point, though, and a trip down memory lane.

These were crafted before AI, electronic résumé readers, and writing résumés tailored to job descriptions. They aren't riddled with corporate speak and data. There are no budgets or sales figures to prove what I had achieved. They are, of course, one page.

The process was involved

Once dates and work experience were located and entered, I could move on. Now it was time for step two, verifying what I said in my application.

For starters, every job working with kids seems to be done through a system that requests the employer's name, phone number, email, and a contact name. That's a lot of information that I can admit I didn't readily have at hand.

This even included my stint as a preschool teacher in high school, a children's hospital in college, and volunteering at my kids' schools this year.

Just thinking about the preschool I worked at in 1996 was an experience, let alone finding a phone number and remembering my manager's name.

Next was fingerprinting. A process that the employer made super easy. It's all electronic, no black ink involved.

I landed a job

My application was submitted successfully. Soon after,k I was hired, trained, and proctored multiple tests.

Being a proctor, I was in a high school, engaging with staff in a new way, not as a parent or volunteer, but as an employee. I was with students in a role of authority instead of feeding them dinner, and that felt like a good fit.

By day two of proctoring, I realized how much I loved being in the school and helping the students and staff.

Since then, I've obtained my substitute teaching license and completed another application with a local school district. It went much faster this time!

• I struggle to function when I stay out late, disrupting my sleep schedule.
• I believe more entertainment and social events should happen earlier in the day.
• Sleep has become more valuable to me than nightlife as I've gotten older.

The last time I left my house for a nighttime event that had me awake past midnight was Elton John's concert in Detroit during his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour. By the time my spouse and I were seated at 8 p.m., during the opening bars of "Bennie and the Jets," I was already wondering how I was going to survive not just the night but the next two days as well.

Before this concert, the last time I was sentient past midnight was during my engagement in Rome — I learned the hard way that Romans eat late dinners and stay up even later.

Am I being hyperbolic? Sure. I clearly survived the experience. But that doesn't mean I wasn't kicking and screaming the entire time.

I wake up early

I routinely wake up around 5:30 a.m. (without an alarm), and I am rarely outside my home beyond 8 o'clock at night, let alone partying in a distant city.

I don't even eat after 6 p.m., unless something actually prevents me from stuffing my face, like an appointment I can't reschedule or a family gathering that involves a late dinner. I am typically in bed with a cat or two, a night mask plastered to my forehead, a bite splint firmly affixed to my lower jaw, and a book in hand by 7:30 p.m. With summer around the corner, the sun stays up later than I do.

Sometimes, if I'm feeling spicy, I text my friends with young kids to "brag" about my recumbent position (while they're wrangling bathtime, teeth-brushing, and bedtime resistance). Thankfully, they are all still friends with me.

I can barely function if I'm not in bed early

When I was growing up, my parents used to say, "Nothing good happens after midnight." I'll do one better: Nothing good happens after 8 p.m.

I am 46 years old and absolutely done pretending that nightlife is desirable. If I don't abide by my early schedule, I can barely function the next day. And this doesn't mean a little bit of brain fog that can be knocked out with a morning cup of coffee.

I'm talking, the sort of knock-down, drag-out sleep-deprived incoherence that has me wondering whether I remembered to put on pants, a question that doesn't occur to me until I'm shopping for produce at the grocery store. And all because I deviated from my rigid sleep/wake schedule.

The truth is, there are very few scenarios, events, and people for whom I will stay awake past 9 or 10 o'clock at night. I believe I'd only need one hand to count the invitations that would seduce me into that choice. My husband accepts this about me, and while he can do what he wants, he mostly follows suit.

Don't get me wrong. I love my family, friends, and a plethora of musicians and comedians. I grew up wanting to be a professional singer. I am now an author for children, and — perhaps ironically — many of them are young enough to have curfews that prevent them from staying up past a certain time to read. That delights me. Children need their sleep. We all need our sleep.

But unless you're Elton John or Afroman — yes, I have tickets to the rapper's Freedom Of Speech tour this summer — I'm sorry, do I look like a bat or a tree frog to you? I'm afraid we'll have to meet during the day.

In 2022, the founder of software company Domo stepped down as CEO after he was accused of sexually assaulting an employee on a work trip, an allegation he denied. A year later, he came back to lead the company.

Since then, the troubles of the once-hot startup have worsened, rocked by executive departures, new competition from AI agents, and the drunken-driving arrest of its founder and CEO, Josh James.

James was arrested last year on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol after crashing his BMW into a mailbox, according to bodycam footage and a police report reviewed by Business Insider. He pleaded not guilty and has an upcoming hearing scheduled for July. The incident hasn't previously been reported.

In December, James said on an earnings call that he had checked himself into a residential substance abuse treatment center and was reducing his duties to "focus on recovery." Then in January, the company said its chief operating officer, Mark Maughan, had resigned with a multimillion-dollar separation agreement to settle allegations of physical contact. The company didn't provide any further details on the incident.

The company's share price has fallen about 80% over the past year, knocked in part by a downturn in software stocks driven by advances in artificial intelligence.

Domo said in June that its annualized recurring revenue no longer met the minimum required for its loan covenants and that it didn't have enough cash on hand to repay its outstanding balance of $137 million in principal and related fees. Domo entered into a forbearance agreement giving the company until July 31 to enter into an agreement to sell the company. Domo, which formally began exploring strategic alternatives in February, said in June that it was in advanced talks on a potential transaction.

Domo was once valued at $2.8 billion. Its market capitalization on Friday stood at $133 million.

Analysts say the leadership changes, along with threats to the business posed by artificial intelligence, have contributed to Domo's share price decline.

James controlled 76% of the voting power at Domo as of April 30, thanks to supervoting Class A shares that give him 40 votes per share, compared to one vote per Class B share sold to the public, according to a company filing.

This story about James' second go-round at helming the company he founded, and the decline of one of the most influential software companies in Utah's fast-growing tech hub, is based on interviews with more than a dozen former employees, as well as internal documents, company filings, and police records.

Through the company, James declined an interview. Domo didn't comment on the arrest, Maughan's departure, or the company's decline in revenue. Domo's board members didn't respond to requests for an interview. Maughan, through his lawyer, declined to comment.

Early Domo investor John Richards, managing partner at Startup Ignition, said James and his founding team in the early days were "excellent entrepreneurs in terms of looking out for their investor interests." Richards, who has since sold all his shares, noted that other companies have improved their fortunes by bringing back a founder into the CEO role, as Apple did with Steve Jobs.

"Companies have to move faster," Richards said. "They need kind of a benevolent dictator. Is Josh the right one? I don't know… If his personal issues prevent him from being that Steve Jobs-like character, they should see if they can find another strong leader."

A car crash

Shortly after 4 a.m. one morning last August, Sandy City police arrived at a quiet residential neighborhood south of Salt Lake City where a gray BMW iX had crashed into a mailbox, scattering mail and stone debris. The driver — a man with disheveled hair, wearing an olive green polo shirt and cargo shorts — was James.

He stumbled as he walked around, arms crossed, and spoke with the police, the video shows. Red and blue emergency-vehicle lights flashed over the scene. James told the police that he had been drinking alcohol, the police report says.

Later, during his blood test at the police station, James told officers he had sponsored police softball teams.

"I clearly fucked up, or I wouldn't be here," he added.

James was a prominent entrepreneur in Utah's Silicon Slopes tech hub. He made his name by founding the software firm Omniture and selling it to Adobe. James founded Domo, a data-analytics company, in 2010. Its aim was to deliver live business data to customers through dashboards and apps.

The company was backed by VCs like Benchmark, BlackRock, GGV Capital, and Glynn Capital. It went public in 2018, and by 2021, its valuation had reached $2.8 billion.

Many analysts expected Domo to be the next big cloud acquisition after Salesforce bought Tableau, a major rival to Domo, and Google snatched up the similar Looker. James held onto his company.

A former employee accused James of sexually assaulting her during a business trip in November 2021. James was never charged with a crime related to the allegations, and investigating officers concluded that there was insufficient evidence.

James stepped down as CEO in March 2022. An interim CEO, John Mellor, took over.

A year later, James was back at the helm. Around the time of his return, a slew of company leaders left, including Mellor; the chief operating officer, Catherine Wong; the chief legal officer; the chief financial officer; and three board members.

James had a single-minded focus on sales. In a booklet distributed to employees upon his return in 2023, titled "Josh James Startup Rules," the founder told staffers: "I only care about sales. Don't talk to me about marketing, booth, HR, comp, legal, etc. Can be fixed later with $$$$$$$."

In a 2024 memo to staff, James said he had returned to the CEO role because Domo was facing challenging business headwinds, "and as the person who is most intimately familiar with the company's operations, the Board and I felt I was best equipped to help us overcome them," according to a copy of the memo reviewed by Business Insider.

In the same memo, which James sent to staff after Business Insider reported on the 2021 sexual assault allegations, James denied the allegations, saying there were no interactions between him and the woman involved "that could even be mistaken as inappropriate contact or non-consensual contact."

James's return to the helm didn't bring the stock turnaround that investors had hoped for. Domo's revenue growth was slowing. And things were about to get worse.

On September 29, OpenAI published blog posts sharing how it was using AI-powered sales, support, and contract tools. Investors saw them as a threat to software-as-a-service companies, causing a stock sell-off among software companies, including Domo.

'Alleged physical contact'

In December, James spoke to analysts on a conference call about the company's quarterly earnings results. The company's bottom line wasn't the only topic on the call.

"Over the past several months, I've taken a hard and honest look at my relationship with alcohol," James said on the December earnings call. "I periodically used it as a crutch during moments of stress. And once I started drinking, I sometimes struggled to know when to stop."

Referring to his Mormon faith, he said: "This pattern doesn't align with the person I want to be for myself, for my family, my faith, or the people I lead."

Domo appointed Chief Technology Officer Daren Thayne as interim principal executive officer, following James's reduction in duties. Thayne didn't respond to requests for comment.

In January, the company said it had agreed to part ways with its COO, Maughan. The separation agreement included a cash payment of $1.5 million, accelerated vesting of Maughan's restricted stock units, and another $1.9 million in stock over the next three years, according to a company filing.

The payout was "made in part to settle accusations of physical sickness arising from alleged physical contact" to Maughan's person, the company said. Domo and Maughan's attorney declined to provide additional details on the incident that precipitated the settlement.

The SaaSpocalypse

In February, the SaaSpocalypse hit. Software stocks slid because of investor fears about the impact of competition from AI tools.

It started when Anthropic introduced a new plugin for its Claude Cowork AI agent that could perform clerical tasks such as tracking compliance and reviewing legal documents. That sparked a sell-off in software stocks that snowballed into an event that tanked the whole market.

The S&P Software & Services Select Industry Index, from which Domo was recently removed because of the drop in its market cap, declined 10% over the past year. Domo's stock fell about 80% in the same period.

Patrick Walravens, a Citizens JMP analyst, said fewer customers are renewing their Domo subscriptions, and "there's almost no growth" in Domo's business.

Although the company has incorporated AI into its products, Walravens said, it faces competition from larger companies with competing AI solutions, such as Microsoft, Salesforce, and Snowflake.

"The world is moving on from traditional business intelligence," Walravens said. "It's still nice to have some dashboards and some graphs, but for so many things, you just want to ask someone. You want to ask your application."

James returned to his full-time CEO duties in April. In June, Domo reported a 1% decline in quarterly revenue to $79.4 million. The company has reported losses every quarter since it went public in 2018.

James and his wife — whom he met when she was a junior salesperson at Domo — have spent most of their time in Japan in recent months, former employees said. The couple listed their house in Utah for sale in September, according to real estate listings.