• I'm Gen Z and have always valued rest, leisure, and finding balance in my life.
• My 86-year-old grandfather has worked as a doctor for 60 years and refuses to retire.
• His dedication has changed how I think about ambition, purpose, and growing older.

As a Gen Z, I have struggled with my work ethic. I have learned to optimize leisure, travel, and rest, and to get into a flow state. However, my grandfather's work ethic has made me rethink my approach.

At 86, my grandfather refuses to retire. For the past 60 years, he has woken up at the same time every morning, showered, dressed immaculately, had breakfast, and left for his work as a general physician in his private clinic.

Barring sickness and rare travel, he has never taken a day off, never deviated from schedule, and has an enviable work ethic that I have not seen in anyone. My grandmother, who was 70, died last year, and he was back to work in a week.

He is the eldest son

Born in 1940 in the small town of Gonda in North India, he was the eldest of six younger siblings. In 1966, at the age of 26, he began his medical practice after completing his MBBS.

From the beginning, he has been focused on his career and his responsibilities as the eldest son of a South Asian family. He worked in big hospitals, then opened a private practice a few years later, and he also established a Rotary Club Chapter in his city, leading it many times in the decades that followed.

There has always been a deep sense of empathy in him, which has made him a very considerate doctor for those who are economically marginalized. Because he charged less, took his time to understand each patient's issue, and prescribed medicines with great care, he gained popularity in his city very soon.

After six decades, the patients who were once young men and women bring their grandchildren from different cities to be treated by him. Only two years ago, he scaled back his work, working only till lunch. So now many patients come home in an emergency. "I don't like turning them away. Helping them makes me feel elated," he told me in one of our weekly phone calls.

He doesn't want to retire

From his work, he built a home for his parents and siblings, and another for his wife and children. He paid for the education of most of his siblings and put down a significant sum when it was time for them to get married. In short, he has been responsible for every role and relationship in his life.

He has three kids, two daughters and a son. They feel as if he should take it easy. "Why don't you retire?" My mother asked him a few years ago, and he shook his head vigorously, as if the thought itself was impossible.

"There were friends who were much healthier than me. They retired early, and I have seen many of them pass away," was his response to my mom. He also feels that being in a perpetual state of rest will dull his senses. Barring a partial hearing loss in one ear and a decrease in activity level due to age, he is fit and completely Independent.

He makes time to enjoy life

He can decide if he ever wants to retire because he has built his own practice, which is a privilege. However, he hasn't denied himself the pleasures of life either. He took time off to go on vacations and spent dedicated time with his kids, parents, and wife.

From him, I am learning that having a work ethic also means having a deep respect for your own life. It is not just dedication to his work; his ethic showcases his will to live as long as he can, independently. I want to live a purposeful and robust life, helping and guiding others and being of use till it's time to go. I want to eat clean, work out every day, put in the work to nurture my ambition, spend time with my loved ones, and focus on my goals. His work ethic has also shown me how he values his time. He nourishes it, nurtures it, and uses it to build a better life for himself. An honorable relationship with time and hard work has led him here.

He wants to be a functional part of society, and it has given me a fresh perspective on how I want to live my life. It is an odd thought, but I aspire to have a work ethic just like his and not retire.

• Multiple banking apps in the UK, including Revolut, faced disruptions on Tuesday morning.
• Google Cloud is also experiencing issues with its London-based cloud region.
• Revolut said in a statement that customers' money is safe while it investigates the disruption.

Google Cloud is experiencing outages in London that appear to have knocked out a number of banking services.

An update on Google Cloud's status dashboard states that it's seeing service issues at its europe-west2 region, which is based in London.

A handful of banking apps and services, including Halifax and Revolut, reported issues on Tuesday that coincided with Google Cloud's disruptions. Some companies said that the Google Cloud outage was the cause, while others attributed it to an unnamed third-party provider.

Users of some affected banking apps have said in social media posts that they can't make card payments, log in to the app, or transfer money.

"We can confirm that all our customers' money and data are safe. We've been working to fix the issue since it was identified this morning and apologize to anyone affected and for any inconvenience caused," Revolut said in a statement. The outage is due to Google Cloud, a person familiar with the matter said.

"We're aware some customers are having issues with our app and online. We're sorry about this and are working hard to fix it," Halifax posted on X.

Emma, a popular UK budgeting app, also reported outages on Tuesday. "Emma is currently down due to a Google Cloud outage affecting services in London since 7 a.m. This is a technical outage, not a security issue," the company said on X.

A Google spokesperson said the company was investigating the issue and referred Business Insider to the status dashboard, which said a "power event" caused the issue but has since been "mitigated."

Google was seeing some "recovery of services" by around 8 a.m. ET, and "tentatively" expected a full recovery by 9 a.m. ET, according to the dashboard.

Some have taken to X to share how the outage was disrupting their lives. One person said they've had to cancel their beauty appointments in Japan, and another said their card was declined at the airport and they couldn't reach the support team.

The outage also appears to have affected non-finance companies, too, according to Downdetector, a site that tracks online service disruptions.

An X account for DPD, a delivery service, said in a post that its website is affected, and the web-hosting platform SiteGround said the outage has hit its UK data center. SiteGround said in its post that its engineers are working with Google Cloud engineers to address the issue.

The UK's courts and tribunal service said that it was experiencing issues with its cloud-based video tools for remote hearings on Tuesday. "We're working with our technology partners to restore service," an account for the government service wrote in an X post.

The Google Cloud outage comes as the tech giant has competed with Amazon and Microsoft to win business from enterprises, startups, and governments, particularly amid the AI boom. Reliability is a big promise built into these deals, as outages can have costly consequences for customers.

Google is not alone in being affected by outages, though: Amazon, Microsoft, and others have suffered downtime this year.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

• The US Army is applying lessons from Ukraine and Iran to better prepare its air defenders.
• Forward-deployed air defense units are bringing back lessons from combat.
• Combat simulations are evolving to reflect new battlefield threats and tactics.

Intense missile and drone attacks in global conflicts are showing the US Army how it needs to train its air defenders, as well as how to protect them from threats, Army officials said.

Lessons on protecting MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems and crews are coming in, and Army leaders say those observations are being quickly incorporated into training to help troops keep pace with evolving threats and tactics.

In their war against Ukraine, Russian forces have hunted Patriot batteries and other air-defense systems while also trying to overwhelm them with complex barrages of one-way attack drones alongside ballistic and cruise missiles, providing lessons in mobility, concealment, deception, and dispersal. The war with Iran, meanwhile, has exposed American and allied air defenders to the challenge of defending against large-scale drone and missile bombardments while managing interceptor stocks. The Army is learning those lessons, officials say.

Lt. Gen. John Rafferty, the head of Army Space and Missile Defense Command, told reporters at the Association of the United States Army conference last week that air defenders have been "probably the most aggressive community in the Army for learning lessons from Ukraine," with an emphasis on survivability and the protection of critical assets.

"How have we embraced those observations from Ukraine and then put them into action?" Rafferty said this was one of the first questions he asked when he took command earlier this year.

He said that he has seen how command teams have "put those lessons in place and how they are taking steps to protect their soldiers, to protect the critical systems of Patriots and sensors, protection, camouflage, deception, all of that."

Officials with the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command told Business Insider that observations and lessons from Ukraine are shared with its headquarters at Fort Bliss, Texas, where training materials for air defense soldiers are updated. The information is also shared with the larger Army and industry partners.

The 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command recently transferred to Army Space and Missile Defense Command and is tasked with missile defense planning across different regions. Its responsibilities include both active defenses, such as intercepting incoming missiles, and passive measures, such as camouflage and dispersal, as well as coordinating intelligence and command-and-control.

Rafferty and other officials said that the US war with Iran, which has stress-tested American air defense units, is providing valuable data on air defense. According to Rafferty, roughly 2,500 soldiers from his command are deployed to the Middle East, including both air defense formations and space specialists.

He said that roughly 25% to 30% of the command's air defense formations are deployed. These forces consist primarily of Patriot units and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-ballistic missile defense crews.

"We're taking the things that we're seeing in the Middle East and feeding it back to the other brigades in the formation," Col. Matthew Ingils, deputy commanding officer for operations with the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said.

Lessons include "the types of threats" as well as "the scale, the scope, the complexity of what we're seeing," and then training new formations on that insight so that individual soldiers who join an air defense unit can quickly catch up.

The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East present different challenges, giving the Army a broader range of lessons to incorporate into its training.

To prepare to counter new threats or employ new tactics, soldiers use combat simulations that are being updated with lessons from the Middle East and Ukraine.

Current conflicts have shown the Army and broader US military that air defenses are essential for intercepting missiles and drones, protecting critical assets, and challenging aircraft.

Heavy expenditure of air-defense interceptors and other munitions, however, have raised concerns about whether the US is sufficiently stocked for future fights.

At the same time, air defenders themselves have become priority targets for enemy forces, making dispersal, camouflage, and mobility increasingly important to their survival.

• My older son got a phone when he turned 12.
• I ended up regretting it and wishing we'd waited another year.
• Still, our younger son got a phone at the same age, and I was glad we got it for him.

When our older son was 12, getting a phone seemed to be the trend. Many of his friends had phones before 6^th grade, but those who didn't received one at the start of middle school, so we purchased one too. Looking back, I regretted our decision, and wished we'd waited another year.

He didn't truly need one until school sports began in 7^th grade, when he was staying after school for practice and traveling around our county for track meets. Without a true need, a phone simply felt like another connection to the dangers of the internet; protecting him felt impossible.

Our younger son started middle school in September, and ever since his brother got his phone three years ago, he's expected to receive one at the same age.

I didn't want to give in

"He doesn't need it," I told my husband in August. "We know that now," I reminded him. He takes the bus to and from school, and I can track his morning and afternoon bus routes with the Here Comes the Bus app. School sports don't begin until next year, so we are responsible for transporting him to rec soccer practice and games ourselves; we don't yet need to communicate about exact locations or pickup times.

But like with our older son, his friends either had phones or were getting one, and he felt left out. I've found that much of parenting today involves striking a balance between what I feel is safe for my children and giving them the freedom to feel they belong.

I was concerned about him having consistent access to the internet and worried he wasn't responsible enough to keep track of a phone. Remembering the time he'd left his backpack on the bus, I pleaded with my husband, "He might misplace it — and then what?" But that was two years ago, and I wanted to believe that he was maturing. For his mental health, I also didn't want him to feel left out.

My son convinced his dad, who then convinced me

Convincingly, my son argued that it wasn't fair that his brother got a phone at 12, but he would have to wait. "I want to be able to text you if soccer is ending early and let you know when I'm on the bus in the afternoon," he reasoned. I thought these were simply persuasive tactics. I didn't believe he'd follow through, but he did.

Ultimately, my son convinced my husband, who then convinced me that it might be OK. And I'm so glad he did. He already has an iPad, and both devices are protected by parental controls, so we don't feel as though having a phone increases his susceptibility to online dangers. On his own, he devised a plan to responsibly keep track of his phone during the school day. He places it safely in his backpack when he reaches a certain point on his morning bus route — and it stays there until he gets back on the bus in the afternoon.

I'm actually glad we got him a phone

Each day around 3 pm, I receive the text, "I'm on the bus," and my heart feels content. Sometimes he also texts me about how a test went or his plans for tackling that evening's homework. Often, I send him an animated GIF to remind him that I love him, and I'll keep doing that until he asks me not to.

When he had an after-school event last week, I was able to tell him I was running late and that his grandmother would be picking him up. If he's arriving home before me, I can simply let him know that I'll be home soon. Giving him a phone has made him more responsible, given us the freedom to communicate schedule changes, and made him feel confident in his growing maturity. And best of all, his location is only a click away.

• Trump praised Elon Musk's plan to give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year.
• The pledge could be worth about $10.6 billion at SpaceX's current price.
• Musk and Trump have a rocky relationship, but appear to be back on the same page in recent months.

Elon Musk’s pledge to give every child in America a share in SpaceX has already paid one dividend: effusive praise from President Donald Trump.

"A BIG THANK YOU to our legendary friend, Elon Musk," Trump wrote Monday, calling the proposed gift an act of "incredible generosity."

He said the shares would go to children through Trump Accounts, the investment accounts created under his administration.

It was an enthusiastic response to Musk's commitment earlier in the day. "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America," he wrote on X. "This will be the first of many."

Significantly, Trump shared his praise in a post on X, a platform he has eschewed in recent years since launching his social network, Truth Social.

Trump was barred from Twitter in 2021 after the Capitol riot, and while his account was reinstated after Musk bought and renamed the platform, the president has been an infrequent poster since then.

Musk's $10 billion donation promise

There are roughly 72 million children in the US, and SpaceX stock closed Monday at about $148 a share. At that price, one share apiece would put the gift's value at around $10.6 billion. Its eventual value will depend on SpaceX’s share price at the time the stock is transferred.

Trump has been waiting for this particular contribution. In July, he said he thought Musk would donate SpaceX stock to Trump Accounts, even as he referred to their very public falling-out as a "little dispute."

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and her husband had already pledged shares for more than 2 million children’s accounts.

Musk and Trump have a turbulent relationship. The world's richest man was one of Trump's biggest financial backers in the 2024 election, spending more than $200 million to help elect him. The pair were close enough during the first few months of Trump's return to the White House for Musk to earn the nickname "First Buddy."

He then became the public face of the administration's Department of Government Efficiency before leaving in May 2025.

After leaving DOGE, Musk was highly critical of the president's "Big, Beautiful Bill," calling it a "disgusting abomination."

Musk has recently resumed spending heavily to shape Republican politics ahead of the midterms. Since July, he has given about $276 million, including $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund; the super PAC later sent matching sums to a Texas group supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate campaign.

Lately, Musk has been seen publicly with Trump several times; the president awarded him the National Medal of Science earlier this month, and when China's leader Xi Jinping visited the US in September, he sat at the president's table at a state dinner.

Details are still unclear on Musk's SpaceX share giveaway

If confirmed, Musk would join other wealthy backers of the program. Michael and Susan Dell contributed $6.25 billion to the accounts of 25 million children, with the gifts directed first to children in lower-income ZIP codes. Musk’s donation would be larger than the Dells' barring a significant drop in SpaceX's share price.

For now, it remains a promise. Musk has not detailed who would qualify as a child under his plan, how he would get shares into every eligible account, or when the transfers would happen next year.

For Trump, the promise brings one of the country’s wealthiest business leaders behind a program he has promoted. "This is exactly what was envisioned when we created TRUMP ACCOUNTS," he wrote Monday.

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

The SpaceX business helping to fund Elon Musk's biggest bets is taking a swing of its own just in time for earnings.

SpaceX reports earnings after the bell today, and Musk's goal of turning Starlink into a major mobile carrier is expected to be a focus.

Taking on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile is a huge endeavor. And it requires significant investment from a company that already has a long list of expensive bets.

As a bit of a refresher, SpaceX is made up of three key parts: connectivity (Starlink), space (reusable rockets like Starship), and AI (Grok, X, and data centers). Among the three, connectivity is the only one generating an operating profit.

That makes it incredibly valuable not only as a stand-alone business but as a way to offset the expensive investments made by SpaceX's space and AI segments.

Turning Starlink into a mobile carrier complicates that arrangement. To offer service in more densely populated areas, SpaceX will need to launch more satellites into space and establish a ground footprint.

How much SpaceX plans to set aside for that buildout and the impact it'll have on the bottom line are key questions analysts will have.

Musk is no stranger to talking a big game. He recently said SpaceX could one day be worth more than Earth's economy.

He's backed it up by accomplishing things others thought were impossible, like self-landing rockets. Just don't expect him to hit his self-imposed deadlines. (Case in point: Tesla Roadster, which has faced numerous delays and is now targeting production in 2028.)

There's less at stake when you're starting from scratch. But with Starlink, it's also about Musk avoiding turning his cash cow into another capital drain.

According to another Musk proclamation, a lot of us will have a vested interest in SpaceX's success.

Early Monday morning, Musk said he'll give one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America next year.

"This will be the first of many," he added.

Details on how that would work weren't clear, but many people immediately thought of the recently launched Trump Accounts.

President Donald Trump predicted Musk would donate SpaceX stock to the accounts. And SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell already said she'd gift a share of her company stock to Trump Accounts.

If that's how the shares are distributed, it's an example of the complexities the Trump Accounts can pose for some parents. Certain jobs, like those in financial services, have restrictions around the types of investments you can hold due to compliance reasons.

• Want to buy a RAV4? Good luck finding one!
• I drove the longtime favorite vehicle for a week. It's boringly good — and that's a huge compliment.
• Toyota is ramping up its electric powertrains. The new RAV4 is the next great example.

Think of that awkward highway moment: You've accidentally cut someone off or made an obvious driving mistake. You wish you could sink into automotive oblivion before the other driver gets a good look at you.

The Toyota RAV4 is perfect for that situation.

The crossover SUV is good at nearly everything — efficient, comfortable, reasonably priced, and backed by Toyota's reputation for reliability — while wrapped in a package that looks like pretty much every other grocery getter on the road.

I spent a week and about 200 miles in a 2026 RAV4 Limited AWD, driving through New York City and the Catskills region. The fully-loaded tester stickered at $46,883.

I found the RAV4 to be aggressively competent. Its performance won't get your adrenaline pumping, and its looks won't turn many heads. Instead, it'll get occupants comfortably from point A to point B while barely sipping fuel.

And consumers can't get enough of that.

RAV4 gets a facelift — and some fresh electric motivation

The RAV4, America's third-best-selling vehicle last year, is fresh out of the design studio.

It's the sixth generation of the SUV: Unlike its curvier predecessors, it's squared off and upright. The front and rear are nearly perpendicular to the ground and are finished off with LED head and taillights.

The more consequential change is under the hood.

For 2026, Toyota killed the gas-only RAV4. Every version now comes with a battery in the powertrain; the only remaining choice for RAV4 hopefuls is between a conventional hybrid and a pricier plug-in hybrid.

That puts one of America's most popular vehicles squarely behind the hybrid strategy Toyota has spent years defending.

While rivals poured billions into all-electric lineups, Toyota kept betting that hybrids — which combine a gas engine with electric motors and a small battery that recharges as you drive — would be easier for mainstream buyers to adopt.

The RAV4 isn't Toyota's first bestseller going hybrid-only. The Camry sedan made the switch for 2025, and the Sienna minivan has been hybrid-only since 2021.

RAV4 is the most consequential expression of that hybrid bet. And the execution hits the nail on the head.

The base model is roughly $32,000 — similar to gas-powered competitors like the Honda CR-V or the Nissan Rogue.

Gas mileage is exceptional. During my test, I averaged 47 mpg, and saw 50-plus mpg on some shorter trips.

There are trade-offs. The RAV4 feels sprightly off the line, but ask for more power at highway speeds, and the gas engine starts working noticeably harder. The steering is vague, the engine can drone, and the transition between electric and gas power is still more obvious than I'd like.

Still, Toyota gets the boring stuff right. The RAV4 gets a smartly layered front-seat organization system, a clean gauge cluster, and easy-to-understand digital climate controls.

Buyers who want something faster, flashier, or fully electric have plenty of other options — including elsewhere in Toyota's own showroom. My Limited tester also proved you don't need to spend nearly $47,000 to get what makes the RAV4 appealing (the heads-up display, for example, really wasn't necessary).

The RAV4's trick is simpler: It doesn't require any major life changes from its owner. Shoppers don't have to install a charger, rethink a road trip, or learn a radically different car. They can just drive it — and, in my case, get 47 mpg.

Wow, it's popular

That success does create a problem: Buyers can't get enough of the RAV4, especially as high gas prices add to already-strong hybrid demand.

Right now, a new RAV4 spends an average of just 17 days on a dealership lot, per CarGurus data shared with Business Insider. The industry average is above 70 days.

Kevin Roberts, director of economic and market intelligence at CarGurus, said the situation reminds him of the chip shortage era, when limited inventory sent shoppers hunting through dealership lots and helped push car prices higher.

"We're way out of the chip shortage now, so it's a really kind of unique environment," he said.

That scarcity is creating another oddity. CarGurus found that average used prices for 2026 RAV4s were actually running above the starting prices of equivalent new trims. Even 2025 RAV4s were retaining about 99% of that value.

His advice for shoppers: "Dust off some of the chip shortage playbook" by expanding their search radius, being flexible about options, or ordering a vehicle if they aren't in a rush.

• Google is injecting more AI into the interview process.
• The company has been testing a new format that tests candidates on their AI fluency.
• The pilot has recently rolled out more broadly across Google, internal docs show.

AI is changing how Google employees work — and how Google hires them.

The company has been testing several AI-related changes to its hiring process for software engineers, according to documents reviewed by Business Insider. These changes, which Google has been rolling out in phases throughout this year, include allowing the use of AI in coding interviews and permitting interviewers to use Gemini to give candidates feedback.

Many engineers are also now expected to show some degree of AI fluency as a bare minimum, the documents show.

In May, Business Insider reported that Google was piloting ways to integrate AI into the interview process with a small handful of orgs. This included a new "code comprehension" interview in which candidates are assessed on AI fluency and prompt engineering. Candidates can also use Google's Gemini AI as an assistant during the interview.

The new formats have since been rolled out more broadly across the company, according to the internal documents. However, a spokesperson said they were still considered to be in the pilot phase for now.

"We're piloting updates to our interview process for software engineers, including evaluating for AI fluency, to be more reflective of how our teams are operating," Brian Ong, vice president of recruiting at Google, told Business Insider in a statement.

Like other companies, Google is adapting its hiring process to keep pace with the huge transformation AI is having on software engineering. As developers increasingly rely on AI coding assistants, hiring companies want to know how competent they are with these tools.

In April, Google said that three-quarters of new code created at the company is generated by AI and reviewed by humans, a trend that has since continued across the tech industry. Google has said that its employees are increasingly using the company's own Gemini models to both improve other Google products and to build the next generation of Gemini.

The documents say that for some roles, including software engineering, AI fluency and AI product integration are now used as measures of a candidate's abilities. A Google spokesperson said that AI fluency is a requirement for all software engineering jobs, while AI product integration is required for most roles outside entry-level positions.

Google is also piloting the use of Gemini for interview transcription and note-taking in some job interviews conducted via the company's videoconferencing platform, Google Meet, one document shows.

Google wants to speed up the feedback process using AI, too. The same document states that Google is working to enable interviewers to use Gemini to draft role-tailored feedback.

As Google builds out this new interview system, employees were told they may be asked to participate in some of the pilots — but were warned against using AI tools to generate their own interviewing "solutions."

"Do not use GenAI or LLMs to create your own standalone solutions or agents for hiring or interviewing use cases," the document states, referring to large language models.

Have something to share? Contact this reporter via email at hlangley@businessinsider.com or Signal at hughlangley.01. Use a personal email address and a non-work device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• The crypto-focused unit of the $34 billion asset manager lost nearly 30% in its flagship fund last year.
• Business Insider spoke with Chris Rayner-Cook, who took over as the chief investment officer in 2025.
• The firm is hiring new talent and adding new strategies, including a new stablecoin-focused offering.

Last year was a struggle for Brevan Howard Digital, the crypto-investing unit of the $34 billion asset manager.

The Brevan Howard Digital Asset fund, its flagship multi-strategy offering that invests in public and private companies, as well as digital assets, lost nearly 30%. The unit's leader since it launched in 2021, Gautam Sharma, left the firm. Assets in the business declined from $2.5 billion earlier in the year to roughly $2 billion by the end of the summer.

Now, under the leadership of former Coinbase executive Chris Rayner-Cook, the digital asset group is bringing in new talent, rolling out new strategies, and receiving interest from sovereign wealth funds. The goal is to take advantage of what Brevan believes is a structural shift in the crypto and blockchain industry.

"There are more opportunities in the applications on blockchain, there are more opportunities in equities, there are more opportunities in late-stage companies," Rayner-Cook said in an interview with Business Insider.

His thesis on the changing nature of the industry is that the space has evolved from one that moves a group based on broader macro trends to one that has specific winners and losers. Active managers looking for alpha should be able to find opportunities in the coming "dispersion," he said, and Brevan's leadership expects its platform to help PMs take advantage.

The digital assets space has moved from the installation phase, where companies and industry advocates focused on building infrastructure and explaining the technology, to the application phase, when mainstream businesses use the tech without necessarily becoming a crypto or blockchain company themselves. He pointed to Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal rolling out new stablecoin products this year as examples.

Rayner-Cook said the unit's broader investable universe will grow quickly, especially in public stocks. Right now, there are more than 80 listed equities that fit into their criteria, but he expects that number to more than double over the next 18 months as more companies use crypto tech.

"We will scale alongside the opportunity set," Rayner-Cook said.

As such, Brevan has already added to its investment roster.

The firm has recently hired Omar Kanji as its head of growth investments; Kanji was previously a partner at venture capital firm Dragonfly. Additionally, Jason Li, a former investor for Millennium and Man Group, has been brought on as a portfolio manager and will trade public equities connected to the digital-asset world.

The unit's flagship fund is down 3.8% this year through September, though Bitcoin has shed more than 4% over the same period, a person close to the firm said. The firm rolled out a stable-coin-focused strategy in February, which is up more than 35% this year, the person noted.

The changes in the industry and at Brevan have caught the eye of significant institutions, with inflows from sovereign wealth funds this year as well, the person said. The firm declined to provide an exact figure on the new capital.

Brevan has been one of the best-known asset managers in the digital asset space for years, in part because of the personal interest in crypto and blockchain technology from its billionaire founder, Alan Howard. The firm's goal is to be the go-to crypto asset manager for big-name institutions looking for exposure to the space, and Brevan's leaders believe the unit is ready to take off.

"The platform was built to be global, broad, and flexible," Rayner-Cook said.

"It's never been a more exciting time in this space."

• Welcome to tech's earnings gauntlet. Netflix, SpaceX, Meta, and Tesla report over the next two days.
• Wall Street has heard the big promises. Now it wants actual progress from each company.
• Sign up for First Trade, Business Insider's daily markets newsletter.

Big Tech is about to run a two-day gauntlet featuring some of the market's heaviest hitters.

Netflix and SpaceX report after the closing bell today. Meta and Tesla follow on Wednesday. All four are, in their own ways, expensive growth stories, and their earnings arrive at a difficult moment for markets.

The AI trade has taken a beating of late from investors turning skeptical of immense spending plans. The companies tapping debt markets to finance that spending are getting even more of a side eye from traders.

That ramps up the stakes for this week's reports. For years, these tech giants have been rewarded for their future growth stories. Now, investors are increasingly looking for receipts.

Here's what each company needs to prove:

Netflix (Oct. 20)

Netflix's ouster of Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria underscores its push for more original hits. After missing out on Warner Bros. Discovery, investors want the streamer to find them on its own — and soon. That puts extra weight on Netflix's content slate, especially as it competes for eyeballs against free competitors like YouTube and TikTok.

What investors want to see: A credible pipeline of must-watch shows, steadier engagement, and growth in advertising and live programming.

SpaceX (Oct. 20)

SpaceX has a lot going on. Starlink, launches, Starship, satellites, and a growing AI business. That means there's a lot to spend money on.

That sets up today's report as a useful public-market check on the company's sprawling ambitions. Traders will want a clearer sense of which parts of the business are actually gaining real commercial traction, and — most importantly — how much it's all going to cost.

What investors want to see: Strong Starlink growth, a healthy pace of launches, and tangible progress toward cheaper, reusable Starship launches.

Meta (Oct. 21)

Meta's stock has surged since the release of Muse, its new agentic-AI platform. The bull case is that agents can open a new growth lane while making Meta's enormous advertising business even more valuable.

But shares have been hit by AI jitters in recent days. And the higher Meta stock rises on the grand promise of agentic-AI earnings growth, the more evidence investors will demand. That can be a slippery slope.

What investors want to see: Signs that Muse is gaining users, attracting advertisers, or moving toward monetization — all without another alarming jump in capex spending.

Tesla (Oct. 21)

Tesla already beat delivery expectations for the quarter, but that's only part of the company's story. The stock's premium still rests on the future prospects of robotaxis, Optimus, and AI. With Tesla's core car business under pressure, management needs to offer some sort of tangible evidence that those bets are progressing.

What investors want to see: Resilient auto margins and cash flow, continued momentum in energy storage, and specific evidence that robotaxis and Optimus are advancing.

Tesla fits neatly alongside the other three reports. While the bar is different for each, none will get credit for simply repeating a familiar promise. "Proof" is the word of the week — and it's what investors will be looking for.

• There are no term limits for Senate members, and some have served for decades.
• Sen. Susan Collins, 73, is running for her sixth Senate term in a high-profile race in the midterms.
• Sen. Chuck Grassley, 93, is the longest-serving current senator with 45 years in the Senate.

Unlike the White House, where US presidents can serve only two terms, members of Congress have no term limits.

In the US Senate, some members have served for decades.

Senators are also getting older, on average. In the 119th Congress, which began in 2025, the median age of US senators was 64.

That marks an increase from the 113th Congress in 2013, when the median age in the Senate was 61, per Ballotpedia.

Of the 10 longest-serving senators, two are running for reelection in the 2026 midterm elections.

Here are the current senators who have held office the longest — and how many years they've served.

Sen. Maria Cantwell — 25 years

Cantwell, a 68-year-old Democrat from Washington, has served as a US senator since January 3, 2001. She won her fifth term in 2024 and will be up for reelection in 2030.

Sen. Chuck Schumer — 27 years

Schumer, a Democrat from New York, was sworn in on January 3, 1999.

Schumer, 75, will be up for reelection in 2028.

Sen. Mike Crapo — 27 years

Crapo, 75, is a Republican who has represented Idaho in the Senate since January 3, 1999. He will be up for reelection in 2028.

Sen. Dick Durbin — 29 years

A Democrat from Illinois, Durbin was sworn in as a US senator on January 3, 1997. At 81, he is not seeking reelection and will retire at the end of his term.

Sen. Jack Reed — 29 years

Reed's time in the Senate began on January 3, 1997. The 76-year-old Democrat from Rhode Island is running for reelection in the 2026 midterms.

Sen. Susan Collins — 29 years

Collins, 73, is running for reelection in a high-profile race against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in the 2026 midterms.

A Republican from Maine, she has served in the Senate since January 3, 1997.

Sen. Ron Wyden — 30 years

Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, was sworn in on February 5, 1996, following the resignation of former Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood.

He is 77 years old and plans to run for reelection in 2028.

Sen. Patty Murray — 33 years

Murray, a Democrat from Washington, is 76 years old and has been a member of the Senate since January 3, 1993.

She plans to run for reelection in 2028.

Sen. Mitch McConnell — 41 years

McConnell, a Republican representing Kentucky, took office on January 3, 1985. At 84, he has experienced a number of health challenges in recent years, including a nearly four-week-long hospitalization that began in June after emergency responders were dispatched to his home.

McConnell is not seeking reelection in 2026 and will retire when his term ends.

Sen. Chuck Grassley — 45 years

Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, is also the oldest sitting member of the Senate at 93. He has served as a senator since January 3, 1981.

Grassley will be up for reelection in 2028, but he told reporters in October that he has not decided if he will run again.

• GoDaddy's CEO said Dara Khosrowshahi once gave him career advice that changed his leadership.
• Aman Bhutani said Khosrowshahi told him he'd never gain ad experience if he didn't start speaking up about it.
• The advice prompted Bhutani to push through the discomfort of learning new functions.

Getting a seat at the leadership table is a challenge in itself — but speaking up confidently once you get there is a different beast.

Aman Bhutani, CEO of the domain registrar and web-hosting company GoDaddy, said he received advice on navigating those moments from Uber's current CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who at the time led Expedia and served as president of the brand. Bhutani was then the company's head of technology, and reported to Khosrowshahi.

Khosrowshahi gave him a chance to discuss advertising in a senior-level meeting they were both attending. While Bhutani was initially excited about the opportunity, he said that eagerness didn't come through.

"Sitting in this room of leaders, where there were people that had way more experience and expertise than I did, I didn't speak up," Bhutani told Business Insider.

Bhutani said he regularly spoke up in meetings about product, engineering, and other areas where he felt confident about. However, while advertising was a core interest, he hesitated to weigh in. After several meetings, Khosrowshahi pulled Bhutani aside and gave him feedback that the GoDaddy CEO said changed his career.

Khosrowshahi asked why Bhutani didn't share his perspective on functional marketing, since the topic was so critical for the business. Bhutani explained he didn't have "any actual experience" in marketing. Khosrowshahi's response, Bhutani said, was simple.

"'And if you don't talk about it, you never will,'" Bhutani said, recounting Khosrowshahi's reply. "'If you don't talk and make mistakes and say the wrong things and get beat up by the CMO, how are you going to learn?"

Khosrowshahi reminded Bhutani that Bhutani wasn't afraid to be wrong on the product-tech side. He told Bhutani that he should approach marketing the same way, even if he didn't have the same background.

That advice has since taken Bhutani far, he said. Bhutani later took over presidency of the Expedia brand from Khosrowshahi in July 2015, with marketing and advertising teams reporting to him.

Bhutani said that in his last job and current position as CEO of GoDaddy, he's had the chance to learn about every part of the business. That means he can speak with accountants, marketers, and auditors in their language. He said he has grown to enjoy learning about new functions, and seeks out people and situations where he's pushed to do that.

"I enjoy the stress and the discomfort of being in an uncomfortable space," said Bhutani, who has been GoDaddy's CEO for seven years now. "I enjoy the idea that I'm learning something new. It keeps me young. It keeps me happy. It keeps me engaged."

Bhutani learned that it's important to share his perspective, but said there's often a fine line between adding value and speaking just to prove you belong in the room.

Bhutani said another piece of feedback that stuck with him from his last job — positive this time — was from a board member who told him he has a good "tongue-to-ear ratio" and "brain-to-mouth ratio." In other words, he knows when to listen and think, rather than speak just to fill silence.

"I think if we all listened a bit more and thought a bit more, we would all do a bit better," Bhutani said.

• I visited an NYC coworking space, where startups spend up to $9,000 a month for a spot.
• There was a private chef, a robot, and a love for in-person work.
• Most of the companies had fewer than 10 employees.

I've been following and interviewing tiny team founders for the last year. As part of my ongoing research, I popped into the Series HQ workspace last month to observe how these founders are running their small teams.

As the elevator doors opened on the top floor of the Chelsea office building, the Series HQ office manager, a 21-year-old NYU student, greeted me. Balancing on a skateboard, the tall, young, and very casually dressed Gen Zer fit right in among the cohort of founders he works for.

Most of the founders at Series HQ are either straight out of college or under 30, with many of their startups being in early funding rounds.

"I do honestly think if you're 35 or 40 thinking about starting a company now, it's probably too late," Nathaneo Johnson, the 22-year-old Series cofounder, said. He recognizes that as a "harsh belief" but thinks the average founder age at Series HQ reflects a growing community of young entrepreneurs.

Series itself was launched in 2024 by Johnson and Sean Hargrow as an AI social networking app for iMessage. After they both graduated from Yale and raised $5.1 million in pre-seed funding, the pair signed a lease for over 10,000 square feet of office space. They tacked on "HQ" to distinguish between the coworking space and the business.

When they moved their company into the building last October, they had roughly eight to 10 people on their team. The pair was preparing for growth, but AI has helped to keep their head count lean, and their tenants operate with similarly sized staff.

As I scanned the still mostly empty office, it seemed the tiny teams didn't require much to function. What stood out to me — more than the young, mostly male office demographic — was each company's desire to be around more people, despite operating with as few employees as possible.

The tiny teams here can spend up to $9,000 a month for shared space

I was at the office around 3 p.m. on a Thursday, and about a dozen people from at least five different companies were working. Mostly young men and a few young women. The space usually hosts about 15 to 20 startups, and members have 24-hour access when possible, Johnson said.

In August, Series HQ charged between $1,250 and $4,000 for workstation pods that hold up to four people. For more privacy, founders can rent the glass pods for $5,000 to $9,000 a month. The more expensive rental options include meals cooked on-site by the private chef they hired last year to curb their takeout costs.

In the massive main room, across from the scattered row of founder workstations, was a basketball hoop and a roughly $21,000, beat-up robot holding a football.

When they talked about their robot, which was slightly broken during my visit, the room lit up.

It fascinated me that these founders would incur the expense to work in such a large office. They didn't need all of this physical space, which was, in some ways, obvious to realize, as most of it still looked sparse with objects.

Many of the founders I talked to are around my age, 23, and graduated from high school during the pandemic, when so much social and work interaction moved online. Now building companies, the appeal of Series HQ seemed to be less about the fancy office with a private rooftop and chef, and mainly about having like-minded coworkers to build in-person with.

Long hours mean more time together

Zain Ahmad, who was a summer tenant at Series HQ, works at the AI startup Evos. He said Evos found Series from the promotional drone videos that took over their social media platforms all summer.

"We figured if they're good enough to end up on both of our For You pages and get this much traction, there's a lot to learn from them and be in that space," he said.

Evos rented one of the private glass pods and, during my visit, gave me a tour of their space. Inside the small glass office, we stood in front of their two desks, chatting directly across from a small couch and coffee cart.

In between investor calls, which he said were powered by cups of tea with creatine honey, Ahmad confessed he has taken quite a few naps on that couch. An average workday for them is around 8:30 a.m. to around 10 p.m., sometimes longer. As tenants of Series HQ, they were in the office around six days a week.

He explained the concrete environmental benefits for Evos, which creates specialized agentic AI workflows for traditional industries. Ahmad said they were able to meet a new hire because the new hire was another tenant at Series. They even learned about their most-used AI tool at the moment through the Series team: Aside, an AI-powered browser.

Turnover was high at the beginning of the experiment, Johnson said. Partly because some of the summer tenants were just in town between school semesters. But those tenants probably didn't feel too far from home, since the vibe here more closely resembled a college campus than a midtown office.

The most important piece of growing an AI startup is still the human network

The majority of companies working in the space are AI or technology startups. Logan Milano, the 23-year-old founder of the drink brand Amryth, is one of the few non-tech founders. He recently graduated from college and said he spends well over 40 hours a week here despite living close by.

Milano said all he needs to operate his business is "my laptop, a good place to lock in, and being around other people who are building."

This was an overall sentiment I heard. Many of these young founders lived a hop, skip, and a jump away, based on the commutes they told me about. But simply being around others who are building is, in some ways, one of the biggest benefits.

"Even if we're getting dinner or going out or something, it's like you're still kind of thinking about work and it's all kind of related," he said about the Series community. Adding that "sourcing opportunities" everywhere likely drew them together and is their biggest similarity.

At a time when AI is making it possible to build companies with fewer employees and building solo can be the dream for many, these young founders don't need, or necessarily want to run their business with tons of employees, but they still seem to really want coworkers.

When I asked Milano if he's ever spent the night at the Series office, he smiled, looked over at one of the Series team members, and said, "Is that allowed to say?"

• Wall Street analysts are increasingly touting quality stocks amid AI trade volatility.
• Morgan Stanley, Piper Sandler, Goldman Sachs, and others have all highlighted the theme recently.
• Some of the stocks they highlight include Visa, Nvidia, Hershey, and CVS.

Financial markets have been navigating rocky seas in recent weeks, and a growing number of Wall Street analysts are telling investors to find a port to wait out the storm.

That proverbial port is quality stocks, commonly defined as companies with a long track record of growing earnings, a durable competitive advantage, low debt levels, and proven management teams.

Rising interest rates — thanks to sticky inflation, government borrowing, and huge demand for capital to build out AI infrastructure — have pummeled many stocks tied to the AI trade over the last few weeks, including chip firms and cloud companies.

Investors have bid up their prices to astronomical levels on expected future growth, but now worry that a potential decline in AI spending could lower those expectations.

Quality stocks, meanwhile, tend to have more established businesses and a history of earnings growth, and are therefore less volatile. Given fears around the staying power of the AI buildout trade, Wall Street thinks it's a great time to have exposure to the quality factor.

Morgan Stanley has been highlighting the factor for weeks in its client notes, and again endorsed the trade on Monday.

It pointed to the spread in earnings revisions breadth between high-quality and low-quality stocks. High-quality stocks are increasingly seeing better earnings growth relative to low-quality stocks.

"The revisions spread has tended to lead relative performance by roughly 6—12 months. When it has been in the top quintile of its historical revisions range, as it is today, high quality has outperformed low quality by an average of ~8%% over the following 12 months," Mike Wilson, the bank's top US equity strategist, said in a note.

The bank recently shared a list of stocks to quality stocks to buy, including Visa, Nvidia, ServiceNow, Apple, and more.

Goldman Sachs also touted the factor in a client note on Monday. The bank shared a screen of "defensive stocks with quality attributes" for investors to consider, like CVS, Kroger, Hershey, Tyson Foods, and more.

In an October 16 client note, Piper Sandler said quality stocks were likely on the brink of outperformance. The firm pointed out that the performance of higher-beta stocks have seemingly topped out by historical standards, and those companies are inversely correlated with the returns of quality-factor stocks.

"When beta's best days are behind us, quality's best days are ahead," wrote Michael Kantrowitz, the chief US equity strategist at the firm.

And Manulife John Hancock Investments said in a note on Friday that quality and value stocks are two ways it prefers to diversify portfolios amid "massive concentration risk" from AI stocks.

Turning to quality stocks doesn't necessarily mean abandoning the AI trade altogether, however.

James Russo, a portfolio manager of the US Strategic Core Equity strategy at AllianceBernstein, told Business Insider last week that he's "pivoting hard" into quality stocks, and cited two areas within the AI trade that he thinks fit the bill: large hyperscalers and chip stocks with durable competitive advantages.

Examples of exchange-traded funds that offer broad exposure to quality stocks include the iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL), the Vanguard US Quality Factor ETF (VFQY), and the Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF (SPHQ).

The AI Quality Growth ETF (AQGX), meanwhile, provides exposure to quality stocks within the AI trade.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jeff Kinney, the 55-year-old author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series, who lives in Plainville, Massachusetts. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Every year, when a new "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book hits the shelves, I'm surprised that kids keep showing up.

I started writing the first book in 1998, while working as a computer programmer and game designer. I wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist, but that didn't work out, so I set out to get my cartoons published somehow. I was inspired by my own childhood experiences.

The first generation of kids who read my books is now almost 30 years old. It's wild to me that there's a new generation of kids encountering these books and finding them fresh.

As an author, I work within a few different spheres: books, my bookstore, movies, and development. I hop from one area to another.

Here's a day in my life.

I wake up before 7 a.m.

I don't set an alarm, so I wake up at that time naturally every day. I stay in bed for a while because after an ankle injury, I have some PT to do, like ankle stretches, while I'm in bed.

I meditate for about 10 minutes, set my intentions for the day, and organize my digital to-do list before I get out of bed.

I do two hours of exercise before breakfast

Right after I get up, I do about two hours of PT yoga, then weightlifting. I do that before I eat breakfast, which is often eggs and sausages.

I'm really committed to my morning physical routine of PT, PT yoga, and exercise. That's now become non-negotiable. I also do some journaling because it orients me toward the day, and it's a calming mechanism.

I've just had my most productive year, during which I wrote two books and two screenplays, so I attribute that to my morning routine. It grounds me.

I stay organized with a habit tracker

I've tried a million different to-do list apps that didn't work, including the pomodoro method and all sorts of others. Then I found a digital habit tracker.

I'm pretty diligent about checking off my daily habits. These include eating enough fiber, drinking enough water, waking up by a certain time, meditating, and doing stretches and yoga.

My workday starts at around 9:30 a.m.

I have about five or six workspaces, and I like to balance between them. One is a really colorful studio with my whole staff on the top floor of my bookstore, which is about three miles away from my home. When I'm not touring or working on a script, I go into the bookstore.

The bookstore is always top of mind for me, though the day-to-day operations are handled by the staff. Every so often, I'll get involved because we'll have a big author that comes to the store, and I'll interview them.

Another is my guest house, where I sit in the quiet living room. I also have a dark room in the basement where I'll go if I need to shut out everything. The other one is sitting in my car at the cemetery, where it's also very quiet. I can't listen to music because it occupies the same part of my brain needed for creating.

Sometimes I write for 8 to 12 hours a day

I feel most creative in the early morning hours, but sometimes I might write for eight to 12 hours a day.

If I'm illustrating, which I basically do all summer, I'll draw from maybe 9 a.m. until about 9 or 10 p.m. every day for months.

When I'm working on a book, I'll write the jokes first, then the manuscript, and finally I'll illustrate. I do all the illustrations myself. I don't usually combine those activities together.

I'm always stuck creatively, so I use a system

When I get stuck, I use something called systematic creative thinking, which helps me to produce material even if I'm not feeling creative.

I start with the components. If I'm writing about an airplane, I'll list the parts of the plane inside and out: the wings, the pilots, the lavatory, everything. Then I'll go through each component with a few different tools like subtraction and multiplication, and that's what gives me my raw material.

I'll use my iPad or my computer, or I have this device called a Freewrite, which is a super simple word processor that's not connected to the internet.

I don't stop for lunch

I only eat two meals a day, so I don't really step away for lunch — this is how I roll.

I do have an energy drink, but it's more of a habit than a need. I also don't typically take breaks.

I don't have many work boundaries

A good day is when I can get my to-do list to under 200 items, which is really hard to do. When I'm not illustrating, my wife might say, "Hey, let's have dinner," and that's my backstop for when I stop working.

Work is always on my mind, and I really don't have any boundaries. I don't tell people when I'm going on vacation because they'll reach me anyway, and I don't want to stop them from making progress. I usually make myself available, even if I'm away.

My team mostly communicates with me by text

Texting is how my team communicates with me. Email has become less useful for me because I get so many emails in a day that I feel like I'm a hockey goalie, and pucks keep whizzing past me.

I can really only answer emails right when I get them. Once they get too far down my list, I'll forget about them. I have a lot of challenges with executive functioning. I really struggle with having a lot of choices.

I've always answered my own emails, and I don't use AI to write.

I'm not often bored; I need stimulation

I don't play a lot. I sometimes go to Celtics games, or I'll go out to dinner with my wife, my friends, or my kids. I'm not often bored.

In fact, I feel very understimulated. I often feel like I'm not getting enough information, or there's not enough that's happening. For example, if I were to drive through the McDonald's drive-thru and get my food, I'd turn on the radio, tune in to some news program, and eat while reading the news on my phone.

Chicken McNuggets with sweet and sour sauce are probably my guilty pleasure. As far as watching TV goes, Survivor is always a staple in our house.

I go to sleep around 9:45 p.m.

These days I go to bed pretty early. I get in bed around 9:45 p.m., put in an earbud, and fall asleep with the news in my ear.

• South Korea's Kospi sank 4% as Samsung and SK Hynix extended the AI-stock selloff.
• AI cloud firm Elice crashed 32% in its market debut, despite frenzied demand for its IPO.
• The rout is another warning that investors are reassessing the AI trade's sky-high valuations.

South Korea's AI-stock rout deepened Tuesday as Elice, a cloud-infrastructure company, crashed 32% in its market debut.

The benchmark Kospi index closed 4% lower, despite a rebound in Wall Street tech stocks on Monday. Index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix fell 3% and 4%, respectively.

South Korean chipmakers are major suppliers of memory used in AI systems, making their shares a closely watched gauge of the global AI boom.

The Kospi's latest selloff marks another blow for a market that has swung from boom to a nearly 40% bust in just four months.

The turmoil has also hit companies hoping to capitalize on the AI boom.

Elice, a South Korean company that rents out computing power for AI workloads, closed at 61,500 won on the Kosdaq, far below its IPO price of 90,500 won. The company raised about 201 billion won, or $151 million, in the Kosdaq's largest IPO this year.

The company's disastrous debut came despite overwhelming demand, with institutional and retail subscriptions topping available shares by roughly 400 times.

But Elice's IPO valued it far more richly than similar AI cloud companies, whose shares had already lost 20% to 60% over the preceding month, Tan wrote.

Similar concerns are rippling through AI infrastructure markets well beyond South Korea.

US-listed CoreWeave, which rents AI computing power, saw its shares and bonds tumble last week amid concern about its debt-fueled expansion. Nvidia-backed Firmus, meanwhile, withdrew its planned $5 billion Australian IPO, citing volatile market conditions.

• Apple roiled the ad industry with an unexpected new crackdown on web trackers.
• The tech giant has now issued a rationale for why it's stamping out "identity resolution."
• The ad industry has concerns Apple's latest privacy move may hamper targeting and measurement.

Apple's latest privacy crackdown left the online ad industry scrambling for answers. Now, the tech giant has finally offered some.

Late on Monday, Apple published a blog post laying out its rationale for new restrictions that block technology used to identify and track consumers across websites. The changes are implemented through WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari and other browsers on iPhones and iPads.

Apple said the change was designed to target "identity resolution," a method adtech companies use to connect separate data points about users — such as email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, browsing history, or information about the device they're using — to identify and track them across devices.

The method grew in popularity as many web browsers, including Apple's Safari, began phasing out third-party tracking cookies, the small files dropped on a user's device that were traditionally used for web tracking. The ad industry deploys tracking to precisely target specific audiences and measure whether their campaigns are working.

In its blog post, Apple said that while users might readily offer their email address to log in to a website or sign up for a newsletter, most wouldn't expect it to also be shared with other companies for invisible tracking purposes.

"It's not enough to block cross-site cookies to prevent cross-site tracking today because the tracking industry has not stopped trying to track users on the web," Apple said. "They have ushered into what they call the post cookie era and in our latest releases we have put strong protection in place."

The blog post explains that Apple is implementing "domain-level" blocking, a broad intervention designed to ensure that identity providers can't circumvent the restriction by changing how they send data.

Apple took the adtech industry by surprise earlier this month when it came to light that it had begun blocking the domains operated by several companies that offer alternative identifiers, without warning. The blocked domains included those operated by The Trade Desk, LiveRamp, ID5, Permutive, and Audigent.

The initial rollout also blocked The Trade Desk's ability to serve ads at all on Apple-operated browsers. Apple rolled out a fix a few days later that restored The Trade Desk's ad-serving domain from being blocked alongside its advertising identifier, Unified ID 2.0.

The ad industry braces for fallout

The ad industry is now bracing for impact as more users begin updating their devices to iOS 27. Ad pros previously told CMO Insider that the change will make it harder for advertisers to identify and reach people across the open web.

Industry insiders said that by effectively shrinking the pool of users they can target, advertisers are expecting less reach, higher prices to reach the audiences they can still identify, and more difficulty in controlling how often people see an ad and measuring whether their campaigns worked.

Identity resolution has become widespread across the open web. An academic paper published in September that analyzed 600,000 websites over 41 months found that 83.76% of those sites were using alternative identifiers by May 2025.

If advertising becomes less effective on the open web, marketers could funnel more of their budgets into so-called "walled garden" platforms like Meta and Google, which aren't as heavily reliant on alternative identifiers because they have reams of their own logged-in user data. Apple, too, has a growing advertising business within its App Store and apps, including News and Maps.

Apple isn't backing down

There are still unanswered questions about Apple's exact definition of an identity resolution provider, and the company has already demonstrated it can add domains to its block list without warning.

There's also an indication Apple is only getting started. First reported by AdExchanger, Apple has also created a broader block list that can dynamically block potentially hundreds of adtech, martech, and data companies. Affected companies may not realize they've been added to the list until they begin experiencing disruptions.

In Monday's blog post, Apple linked to its long-standing tracking-prevention policy, which acknowledges that its blocking rules may have unintended impacts. Those include disrupting the funding of websites that use targeted or personalized advertising, advertising measurement, and fraud prevention.

The policy states that while Apple will try to limit unintended impact, "when faced with a tradeoff, we will typically prioritize user benefits over preserving current website practices."

Ever since Apple launched its Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature in 2017, the tech giant has been locked in a cat-and-mouse game with the adtech industry, which has persistently developed workarounds to its privacy updates. Adtech companies have argued that these techniques were necessary to help publishers effectively monetize their websites with ads while still maintaining user privacy.

Apple, which has long held that "privacy is a fundamental human right," makes it clear in its policy that it won't allow workarounds to proceed on its watch.

"We treat circumvention of shipping anti-tracking measures with the same seriousness as exploitation of security vulnerabilities," the Apple policy states. "If a party attempts to circumvent our tracking prevention methods, we may add additional restrictions without prior notice."

• Bono says U2 has little say over what fans pay to see the band live.
• Still, the band has long tried to make prime seats more accessible.
• The band also has no issue with wealthier fans paying a premium, Bono says.

For decades, U2 has sold out some of the world's biggest venues. Bono says the band has one longstanding way of making those shows more accessible.

On The New York Times' "The Interview" podcast, Bono said U2 has "very little" say over ticket prices for its live shows. Still, he said, the band has long worked to make some front-row seats less expensive.

"What we do in our band is we take the best seats in the house — we've done this all our life — and make sure that they're often the most affordable," Bono said.

That doesn't mean U2 objects to charging some fans a premium.

"We also have no problem separating rich people from their money," Bono said. "You know, as we say, rich people have feelings, too. If they want to pay very high prices, we've no problem."

Bono said the aim is for fans to feel good about what they are paying for. He said U2 shows have "a level of depth" where people who don't normally agree politically can "feel safe."

"If they're in America, we want people to feel really good about the choice to pay a ticket — and probably pay too much for it — to see us," Bono said.

U2 performed 40 nights at the Sphere in Las Vegas from September 2023 through March 2024. The official announcement said tickets for the residency started at $140, and that the venue's larger capacity would allow "60% of tickets to be priced under $300," alongside a "limited number of premium-priced tickets" at each show.

High ticket prices have become a defining feature of the modern concert experience. The average ticket price for the top 100 tours rose from $96.17 in 2019 to $132.62 in 2025, per data from Pollstar, a music industry trade publication.

Dynamic pricing, which allows prices to rise with demand, has helped drive costs higher. On the secondary market, tickets can also be relisted at far higher prices than their original face value.

There are also longstanding concerns about consolidation in the ticketing industry. In April, a federal jury found Live Nation liable for antitrust violations, determining that its market monopoly led Ticketmaster to overcharge customers by $1.72 per ticket from May 2020 to 2024.

Sports fans are facing the same sticker shock. A Business Insider analysis of past ticket data found that a Category 1 ticket to this year's World Cup final cost $10,990 in April's open sale. At the previous seven World Cups, the equivalent ticket cost between $988 and $1,783 in today's dollars.

• Concerns about an AI bubble are growing as investors question whether massive capex spending will pay off.
• TS Lombard warns that debt, a potential chip glut, and political backlash could threaten the AI trade.
• Much of AI's revenue growth still comes from spending within the industry itself, TS Lombard economist says.

As concerns about an AI bubble mount, an economist is warning that investors may be overlooking other vulnerabilities in the boom.

"The trigger doesn't have to be endogenous to the boom. It could be external," wrote Dario Perkins, managing director of global macro at Global Data.TS Lombard, in a note on Monday.

Perkins argues that much of the industry's revenue growth still comes from spending within the AI ecosystem rather than businesses and consumers paying for AI services.

"The question is whether those revenues are coming from businesses and end-users outside the ecosystem — presumably to pay for productivity-enhancing tools — or from simple capex recycling," he wrote.

The warning comes after a recent chip-stocks selloff that has intensified concerns about whether massive AI infrastructure spending will pay off.

Last week, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell more than 11% before clawing back 2% on Monday.

The weak links

One potential fault line is debt outside Big Tech.

While hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have strong balance sheets, smaller cloud providers, model developers, and infrastructure suppliers have been taking on increasing leverage.

Perkins estimates that debt across parts of the AI ecosystem could reach $2 trillion by the end of 2027.

He doesn't see AI-related debt as a systemic financial risk, but warned that earnings disappointments and canceled orders could ripple across the ecosystem. Even cash-rich hyperscalers could decide not to renew data center leases, leaving weaker companies exposed.

Another risk is an unexpected chip glut, as companies reportedly over-order semiconductors to guard against shortages, potentially creating excess supply if demand slows.

"Let's not forget we are talking about tech hardware and chips, notoriously cyclical, and prone to bullwhip effects," Perkins wrote.

Higher interest rates could further undermine the economics of AI investment, particularly for companies reliant on borrowing to finance their expansion.

But Perkins sees another potential trigger that has little to do with corporate earnings: political backlash.

"AI boosters on social media live in a bubble," Perkins wrote.

"They don't realize that ordinary people don't like AI. They don't find it useful, they REALLY don't want to live near datacenters, and they are worried about their jobs. And they vote," he added.

Perkins suggested that a single high-profile incident could rapidly turn that unease into broader opposition.

"One high-profile accident turns AI toxic," he wrote.

• A new Ukrainian list of foreign parts in Russia's anti-jamming antenna is filled with US electronics.
• GUR published a catalog of US digital processors, chips, and other components found in the Kometa.
• These arrays are used to help Shaheds and Iskander-M missiles navigate and suppress jamming.

Over two dozen US processors, chips, and other components have been found in Russia's anti-jamming antenna systems, according to Ukraine's military intelligence.

The Ukrainian agency, GUR, published a list of foreign parts on Monday that it said were discovered in 16-element Kometa modules, one of Russia's more advanced systems that help drones and ballistic missiles suppress electronic warfare and navigate the skies.

US-headquartered firms produced 28 out of 37 foreign components — or just over three-quarters — listed on Monday, per GUR.

Ten American brands and their components were identified in the catalog, posted on GUR's War and Sanctions page. These include digital processors from Intel subsidiary Altera, radio-frequency and precision components from Analog Devices, a memory chip from Micron, and supporting electronics from Texas Instruments.

Another three components are built by Chinese companies, while the other six come from Japanese, Taiwanese, and Swiss manufacturers, GUR also indicated.

In a statement to Business Insider, a Texas Instruments spokesperson said the company "strongly opposes the use of our chips in Russian military equipment."

"Any shipments of TI chips into Russia are illicit and unauthorized. We devote significant time and resources to developing, implementing, and refining policies and procedures to combat illicit diversion and keep chips out of the hands of bad actors," they added.

Intel, Analog Devices, and Micron did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

The new list from GUR, which regularly publishes information on foreign parts in Russian equipment, comes as the electronic warfare race grows more vital to Ukraine's air defense.

Kyiv's forces try to stop Russian drone and missile attacks with a mix of jamming tools and interceptors, but the latter are facing difficulty as Moscow has begun mass-launching faster, jet-powered drones — the slowest of which can fly at about 185 mph.

Kometa antenna panels are among the most common anti-jamming tools on Russian long-range weapons, such as Shahed drones, Iskander-M ballistic missiles, and glide bombs.

Each antenna receives satellite signals and helps to counter jamming or spoofing.

The 16-element Kometa, which essentially has an array of 16 antennas, is one of Russia's newer versions of the system in mass production. Two years ago, Moscow was regularly using eight-element Kometas on its Shaheds instead.

• Cisco's president, Jeetu Patel, said he uses four or five of the most popular personal AI agents.
• One of them, which costs him $20 a month, recently saved him more than $1,000 in subscription bills.
• But he said it's important not to give personal AI agents access to work tools or resources.

If getting mysterious and surprising subscription bills are the bane of your existence, Cisco's president and product chief, Jeetu Patel, is in the same boat.

Patel told Business Insider that said he's been using four to five different personal AI agents, like Meta's Muse, Instinct, and OpenAI's Dots, for things like consolidating news, summarizing earnings calls, and even booking his daughter's concert tickets. But recently, he was impressed by how one agent could slash his subscription bills.

He said that the first time he gave a personal AI agent access to his email, the agent told him, "Hey, you've got $9,000 worth of subscriptions that you subscribe to per year. Are you sure you want all of these? It seems like a lot of subscriptions."

He told the agent to make him a table of all his subscriptions, how much he spends on each, and how long he's had each. After the agent presented him with the table, he picked out two subscriptions that he didn't need and made the agent cancel them, which it did without difficulty, and sent him cancellation emails.

"I'm like, OK, that was kind of creepy how easy it was to do that," Patel said. "And then it saved me 1,000, 1,200 bucks a year just over there. So basically, for the most part, I paid for that agent, at a $20-a-month plan, several times over."

The agent also managed to cancel part of his Dropbox subscription — an $11.95 plan he had accidentally subscribed to, even though he had already purchased a 2-terabyte plan.

Patel is a big fan of AI agents, both at work and outside it. He said he rarely starts any task now without asking an AI agent to do a "recon job" and give him research and context.

But the important thing to remember, he said, was not to give personal AI agents, which are not vetted by employers, access to work tools and resources. He hasn't linked his email or calendar to his personal agents, instead using his internal work agent for those tasks.

"These are common-sense things that I think most companies implement, which is, 'Don't give your crown jewels of your source code repository to Muse; it might not be a good idea,'" Patel said.

Rogue or not, AI agents have been causing a buzz

Personal AI agents have been all the rage in recent months, serving as personal assistants and handling mundane, repetitive tasks like paying bills and buying groceries for their users.

While they've been touted as productivity boosters, there have been several instances of users reporting that the agents have performed actions outside their permissions, such as posting bank balances to company Slack channels or misinterpreting instructions, such as ordering 20 pounds of chicken for a dinner for two.

Obedient or not, personal AI agents have been causing a buzz, especially for investors.

Ross Mayfield, an investment strategist at Baird, told Business Insider's William Edwards ahead of Meta's earnings that Muse is the first big app of the AI era and that it assuages some investors' fears about Big Tech's ballooning AI spending. And Instinct, founded by a 23-year-old, raised $1 billion in its Series C, bringing its valuation to $10 billion.

But these new products are coming in a year when there have been several instances of AI agents going rogue and performing unauthorized actions, such as breaking out of sandboxes during security tests and exploiting software vulnerabilities in external companies' websites.

This has led companies such as Bank of America to invest resources and hire additional personnel to address issues with their legacy software and prevent such hacks.

Former and current staffers at frontier AI labs like Anthropic and OpenAI have publicly raised concerns that AI development is progressing too rapidly, without adequate checks and balances. September was characterized by an air of doom and gloom over an "AI apocalypse," in which AI researchers estimated that the technology would kill all of humanity in the next decade.

• Hans Hasselby-Andersen quit Texas Instruments during the 2008 financial crisis with four young kids at home.
• He sold his apartment, cashed out his pension, and took on debt to build a semiconductor startup.
• Nine years later, his company, Merus Audio, was acquired by Infineon.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Hans Hasselby-Andersen, 56, CEO of Danish semiconductor startup Lotus Microsystems and cofounder of Merus Audio, which was acquired by Infineon in 2018. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I quit my job at Texas Instruments in September 2008 to start a semiconductor company, I had four children between the ages of 5 and 14.

It was almost the height of the financial crisis. You had Lehman Brothers going down in flames in the US, and the whole credit market was just freezing up.

So to jump out at that point and go into fundraising was a big, big step. My manager was looking at me like I was crazy, basically.

Thinking back, probably I should have waited a year or so and just cooled off a little bit. But the thing is, once you have an idea and you're really motivated, you can't really wait. You have to go do something about it.

I'm an electrical engineer by training. Earlier in my career, I joined a small startup that was acquired by Texas Instruments about five or six months after I arrived.

The whole concept of a company being acquired, an exit and all that, was all new to me.

It planted a seed in my head that, if the circumstances were right, this was also a path I could take, and not just build my career in a large company.

I stayed at Texas Instruments and worked in the audio semiconductor business.

I was picking up things from my interactions in the market where I thought there was actually a need for a much more energy-efficient way to drive speakers in products like portable speakers and soundbars.

I saw a market need, but I didn't have the technical solution, so my first task was to go out and find a cofounder who could come up with a technical solution for that market.

I think that's actually quite unusual for tech startups. Normally, somebody comes up with some technology, and then they go out and try to see where it can be applied. This was the opposite approach.

Four kids, one big decision

Just before I resigned, I called my bank and asked if I could get a basic bank overdraft facility just to give me some extra headroom to live on.

Honestly, I think if I had waited two weeks, I wouldn't have gotten it. It was just when the financial crisis started to really kick in, and I seriously doubt I would've gotten that line of credit.

Getting the first funding took the better part of a year.

I probably spoke to between 50 and 100 different investors.

It's really a dating game. You try to look appealing and interesting from a company point of view, but you mostly get rejections because the investor doesn't invest in your domain, you're too early, you're too late, or you don't fit their profile.

I paid out of my own pocket to travel to Japan, South Korea, and Singapore to meet potential customers. I wanted to pressure-test my idea, understand what they were struggling with, what their requirements were, and help mature my business case.

Eventually, I raised the equivalent of about $150,000 to $200,000. It was a very small amount, and we spent it in about six months. The minute we got the funding, we knew we had to continue fundraising immediately.

My wife, who was a school teacher at the time, has been very, very supportive. She never told me, "This is a stupid idea, go back and find a job."

With four kids, you can't just make that decision on your own. When we finally got the company off the ground, my wife and I made some adjustments to minimize the risk for my family.

We sold our apartment while we could still make a little money from it and rented instead, so we wouldn't risk having to sell at a loss if the company failed. We also sold our car and leased one instead.

I slaughtered my pension and took out the money. I thought, "I need it now. I'm not about to be retired anyway."

Throughout the life of a startup company, you're more or less in fundraising mode all the time. You always have to keep your eye on how long you have cash and where you're going to get your next funding. The worst thing that can happen is that you run out of cash.

If there's one recommendation I would give first-time founders, it's to prepare for things to take longer than they expect because they always do.

If you think you can do something in two years or three years, multiply that by two, at least.

If you plan financially for your cash to fund your plan as you lay it out, then you're going to be in a difficult situation because you're going to run out of cash before you've achieved the milestones you set out to achieve.

Engineers have to sell, too

Starting a company around 40 made me a different kind of founder. There were definitely things I had learned that I wouldn't have been without.

I had learned how to communicate with customers, how to find out what the market needed, and how to explain what I was doing and why it was a good idea.

Many engineers are obviously good at what they do technically, but they can have a big challenge explaining that to others.

When you're standing in front of investors, you have three minutes to explain what you're doing. You have to train to do that elevator pitch.

Nine years later, the company I cofounded, Merus Audio, was acquired by Infineon.

I stayed on to help with the integration, but I was really not looking to go back into the corporate world. I had already had that experience and I had really come to like the startup life.

Today, I'm CEO and an investor at Lotus Microsystems, another semiconductor startup.

I'm not a founder this time, but I feel ownership. I feel invested in the company.

Would I take that same risk again today as I did with Merus?

I think the answer is yes.

If you have that mentality of wanting to try something on your own, to build something, that is a major driver inside you. It gives you an enormous amount of energy and motivation.

When you do that, you can actually achieve a lot.

The best fish oil for dogs can support your pet's health in several important ways. Studies show it may help with arthritis and joint health, skin allergies, coat health, immune function, and cardiovascular health. The omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA in fish oil have even been linked to increased trainability in puppies, says Dr. Emily Luisana, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and cofounder of Peak Veterinary Specialists.

For this guide, I consulted several veterinarians and an expert from the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) about what defines a high-quality fish oil supplement. Before giving your dog any supplement, even over-the-counter products, talk to your veterinarian. Although the fish oils in this guide come with general dosage guidelines, your vet is the best person to determine the right amount for your dog.

How we selected the best fish oil for dogs

Based on feedback from the experts I interviewed, I established clear standards for evaluating fish oil supplements for dogs. I carefully assessed dozens of products based on their total omega-3 fatty acid concentration, EPA and DHA levels, fish oil sources, added ingredients, third-party certifications, packaging, and storage instructions. I also reviewed customer feedback, including repeated complaints about specific products, and factored in practical considerations about a supplement's available flavors, sizes, and cost when narrowing down my recommendations. My editor also handled each supplement, evaluating it for ease of serving and smell. Read more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Our top picks for the best fish oil for dogs

Best overall: Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet - $15-$47 at Chewy

Best softgels: Pet Protect Free Form Omega-3 Fish Oil - $32 at Chewy

Best budget: Now Pets Omega-3 Support for Dogs and Cats - $17 at Chewy

Best chews: Vetnique Labs Dermabliss Omega and Skin Soft Chews - $25 at Chewy

Best overall

The best fish oil for dogs is Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet, which is available in liquid form. "Fish oil that comes in a liquid is best for dosing as you can be more precise," Luisana says. Among my recommendations, this product also contains high concentrations of overall omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. These two fatty acids have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and are believed to provide most of fish oil's health benefits, according to a study published in In Vivo. These benefits also helped secure its spot as the top pick for the best dog supplements.

Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet contains at least 100 milligrams more combined EPA and DHA than its competitors. The label clearly identifies the oils' sources (anchovies, herring, sardines, and mackerel), and the formula has no added flavors or dyes. This product is also third-party lab tested for purity. The Nordic Naturals brand has a solid reputation for quality. It's an audited member of the National Animal Supplements Council (NASC), and its Ultimate Omega for people has been approved by ConsumerLab, an independent product-testing organization.

Our previous pick, Pet Honesty Wild-Caught Omega-3 Fish Oil, has been reformulated. Instead of deriving oil from anchovies and sardines, the brand now sources it from Alaskan pollock and cod, which it claims are more sustainable choices. But Lusiana cautions against products using cod liver oil, as they contain vitamin A. "Most pets have this vitamin well-supplemented in their food, and additional amounts could reach toxic levels," she says. She also noted that, in general, smaller fish tend to be more sustainable, but that this depends on fishing and farming practices.

Beyond potency and quality, Nordic Naturals stands out for its affordability. I wish it came with a pump or pour spout for easier dispensing, but it's a minor drawback for such a high-quality product.

Although the label does not indicate refrigeration is needed, my experts recommend storing liquid fish oils in the refrigerator to prevent them from going rancid.

Best softgels

Softgels are a convenient alternative to liquid fish oil. Pet Protect Free Form Omega-3 Fish Oil by Elanco is my top pick in this category. While the specific source of the fish oil isn't disclosed, Elanco is a trusted name in the pet supplement industry with a strong focus on research and development. The NASC seal on this product also ensures strict quality standards. In addition, the product contains high concentrations of EPA and DHA with a short, straightforward ingredient list. 

These softgels are available in separate formulations for small dogs as well as medium and large breeds, making it easier to dose appropriately. They also feature a snip tip, which allows you to mix the oil into your dog's food if they won't accept the capsules. Another advantage is that they don't require refrigeration, which makes them easy to store.

Some users say the snip tips can be messy and that the oil has a lingering odor, which may turn off picky dogs. But overall, given the quality you get for a good price, Pet Protect Free Form Omega-3 Fish Oil softgels stand out among dog fish oil supplements.

Best budget

One drawback of fish oil supplements for dogs is their price, but Now Pets Omega-3 Support softgels are a notable exception. Each softgel contains 300 mg of EPA and DHA, exceeding Luisana's recommendation of at least 225 mg per capsule. The product is NASC-certified, and the Now brand also has a strong reputation for fish oil. In fact, ConsumerLab named Now Kids DHA Fish Oil Chewables its top recommendation for children after independent testing.

Although the softgels don't provide the highest concentrations of DHA and EPA, you still get 1,000 mg of fish oil concentrate, which includes other omega-3 fatty acids that may also offer health benefits. They're even safe to give to cats, though you'll need to confirm proper dosing with your veterinarian. 

One possible drawback is the pill size, with some users saying the softgels can be difficult for small breeds to take. However, you can squeeze out the liquid and give it with your pet's food if you don't mind a little mess. Overall, Now Pets Omega-3 Support is a solid, budget-friendly option for giving your dog the benefits of fish oil.

Best chews

If your dog refuses pills or liquids, treats may be an effective way to provide extra omega fatty acids, and the Vetnique Labs Dermabliss Omega and Skin Soft Chews are the top choice in this category. These soft, compact treats contain a blend of marine and plant sources that supply a variety of fatty acids, including omega-6s, which play an important role in supporting healthy skin, coat, and immune function. Since dogs can't produce these essential fats on their own, they must get them through their diet.

Unlike oils or softgels, chews often contain additional ingredients for flavor, texture, and shelf stability. As a result, they typically have a more complex ingredients list than other forms of fish oil for dogs. These chews also have the lowest amounts of EPA and DHA (150 mg combined) of the supplements I reviewed, despite being one of the most expensive options. Still, these chews contain salmon and krill oil, plus biotin to support skin and coat health. I also appreciate the resealable bag and screw-top container, which help preserve freshness.

One downside is the limited flavor choices. Users say their dogs enjoy the salmon flavor, but it may not appeal to every pet.

Our top fish oil picks compared

What to look for in fish oil for dogs

With so many fish oil supplements for dogs on the market, it's important to know how experts evaluate their quality. Here are the key factors to consider.

Omega-3, EPA, and DHA concentrations: In general, the more concentrated a product is, the better, Luisana says. She recommends choosing fish oil supplements that contain at least 225 mg of EPA and DHA per mL of liquid or per small softgel, along with the highest possible amount of total omega-3 fatty acids. EPA and DHA are the most important omega-3s to look for since they are the most bioactive forms (most easily used by canine bodies). However, other omega-3 fatty acids do offer benefits. When comparing products with equal amounts of DHA and EPA, Luisana says she gives preference to the one with the highest amount of total omega-3s. Still, the top priority should always be high EPA and DHA concentrations.

Ingredients: Fish oil should always be the primary ingredient, and supplements that specify the source of the oil are best, though not all labels provide this information. Ideally, the oil will be from wild-caught small fish, which are typically lower in mercury and other toxins, says Priyank Kumar, an associate professor of veterinary pharmacology at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine.

It's also important to look out for specific ingredients that may be harmful. For example, xylitol is sometimes added to mask fishy flavors, but Kumar says it can be harmful to dogs. Luisana adds citrus flavorings to the list, as many pets don't like them, and advises avoiding vitamins A and D. Most dogs already receive enough of those vitamins in their food, and excess amounts can be toxic. "I avoid cod liver oil products due to the vitamin A inclusion," she says.

Other vitamins, such as vitamin E, are not a concern. Luisana says vitamin E may be listed as mixed tocopherols on an ingredient list, and they're needed to avoid oxidation of fish oils.

Format: Fish oil is available in several forms, including liquids, softgels, and chews. The experts I spoke to agree that liquids are usually the easiest to dose and administer, especially for dogs who have difficulty swallowing or when you want to mix it into your pet's food. However, the strong odor can deter some picky eaters. Meanwhile, softgels help mask the fishy smell, and chews usually contain other appealing ingredients, making them easy to give in place of a regular treat.

Calories: It's easy to overlook, but supplements and treats do add calories to your dog's diet. Fish oil is the most calorie-dense of the macronutrients, at around 9 calories per gram, and a typical serving of fish oil contains roughly 40 calories. Remember that treats and supplements should generally make up no more than 10% of your dog's daily caloric intake. Choosing a concentrated source of EPA and DHA (the active omega-3 fatty acids) allows you to deliver more benefits with fewer calories, which is especially important for dogs that need careful weight management.

Third-party testing and quality seals: The supplement industry for humans is not well regulated, and Kumar says the regulation for animal products is even weaker. That's why quality seals from reputable organizations and third-party testing played a major role in my recommendations for the best fish oil for dogs. "The seal signifies that the product has gone through and met or exceeded stringent standards and good manufacturing standards," Kumar says. 

One of the leading certifying bodies is the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC). "We are a nonprofit that works cooperatively with the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine and state regulators," says Bill Bookout, president of the NASC. "Our goal is quality and compliance." Other third-party organizations include ConsumerLab, NSF International, and Eurofins. While these seals ensure quality control, it's important to note that they do not make any claims about efficacy or how well a fish oil supplement delivers on its health claims.

Dosage directions: "There is a lot to consider when deciding a patient's ideal dosage of fish oil," Luisana says. Factors such as the pet's size, health, diet, and tolerance all factor in. "Additionally, we prefer to dose on ideal body weight, so patients that are under/overweight may need some adjustments after calculating their dose," she says. For these reasons, it's essential to consult your veterinarian before starting your pet on any new supplement and to confirm the proper dosage. A good product will offer general dosing guidelines according to weight on the label. Still, it's always best to be cautious, especially if you're unsure how much of certain nutrients your dog is already getting from their regular food.

Packaging: Giving fish oil supplements can be tricky if your dog is not keen on taking them, so a well-designed product can help minimize mess. Liquids with dispenser pumps are often easier to use, while capsules with snip-off tips are easy to cut open with scissors and squeeze out the oil if your dog won't swallow them. The most important factor, however, is that the packaging is opaque and airtight. Heat and light can degrade fish oil and cause it to go rancid. For this reason, Bookout advises never buying a product without a lot number, which indicates how old it is and provides a reference point if you need to contact the company about an issue.

Quantity: Dog fish oil supplements are sold in different quantities, but it doesn't pay to buy in bulk. "I recommend people only get what they can use in 30 to 60 days," says Dr. Gary Richter, author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide. Since fish oil can go rancid, the longer it sits, the greater the risk. A bargain isn't really a bargain if the product spoils and you can no longer safely use it. The shelf life of products also varies widely: Synthetic oils may last for years, while natural products without preservatives may only keep for about 20 days, Kumar says.

Storage directions: Always follow the storage instructions on the package to ensure safety. Not all fish oil supplements require refrigeration, and many will keep well as long as they're stored away from direct light. However, cooler temperatures help extend their shelf life, especially if the room temperature tends to be above 80 degrees F. "Liquid fish oil does spoil the most rapidly, and should be kept in the refrigerator," Richter says. "Gel caps are much more stable and can be kept at room temperature."

Fish oil for dogs FAQs

Is fish oil good for dogs?

Fish oil, particularly the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA it contains, can benefit dogs with a wide variety of health conditions. "I use it commonly with patients that have inflammatory conditions, skin disease, arthritis, renal disease, and heart disease," Luisana says. "Counterintuitively, some patients with diseases that are historically fat-sensitive, such as pancreatitis and hyperlipidemia, can also benefit from omega-3 supplementation." 

What is the best fish oil to give a dog?

The best fish oil for your dog is ultimately the one your veterinarian recommends. If you have your vet's approval to give your dog fish oil, choose a supplement with clear, transparent labeling. It should clearly state the overall amount of omega-3 fatty acids and the specific concentrations of DHA and EPA. Ideally, the label will also specify the oil's source, include a lot number, and display a certification seal from a reputable third party, such as the NASC. 

Is human fish oil safe for dogs? 

Dogs can technically take fish oil supplements made for people, but it's not recommended. Human supplements are formulated differently and may contain ingredients or concentrations that can be harmful to dogs, Kumar says. Plus, dosing instructions on products intended for people won't provide accurate guidance for dogs.

Is salmon oil or fish oil better for dogs?

In general, any wild-sourced fish oil with at least 225 mg of EPA and DHA per mL or small softgel is considered a quality option for your dog. If the source of the fish oil is specified as wild-caught small species such as sardines or mackerel, there's a lower risk of contamination with toxins.

How long does fish oil take to work on dogs?

Depending on the results you'd like to see, it may take several weeks or longer to notice changes in your dog. While you can see improvements in skin and coat, heart health benefits may only be detected by a veterinarian.

Looking for the latest information on where to watch Champions League matches? Our guide can help you find local and international viewing options to watch every match from anywhere, covering both free and paid options. As the 2026/2027 tournament resumes over a month after the first week of fixtures, we've checked through international TV guides to find you some excellent options for free matches further down this page.

While many countries charge for access (see details below), there are plenty of free Champions League live streams for every round of games. To get around region blocks, you'll need a VPN (virtual private network) to access them from overseas.

• See also: Best streaming deals | Best sports streaming services

Upcoming free Champions League live streams

There are some fantastic free Champions League live streams around Europe. You don't get every game, especially in the early stages, but we often see many of the bigger matches appear on the list. If you're not in the channel's country, you can still watch by using a VPN to prevent the website from detecting your location and blocking you.

The VPN mimics the required country for your viewing device and lets you watch along for free. We've tested this ourselves for lots of live sports and TV shows.

Don't have a VPN to watch the above options from abroad? Right now, there's a fantastic offer on one of the best VPN services we've tested and used for years for streaming and protecting our devices online. You can save up to 75% on the usual price of NordVPN. If you're unsatisfied, there's a hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Sound good? Then get stuck in and enjoy these free Champions League live streams.

How to watch the Champions League with a VPN

• Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
• Install it on the device you're using to watch the game.
• Set the location to the required overseas streaming service's country.
• Create an account and sign in if required.
• Enjoy the game.

Where to watch Champions League in the US

This is where 'soccer' being so far down the rankings of the most popular sports in the USA really pays off for viewers who want to enjoy the most prestigious club football competition.

Every Champions League game is live streamed on Paramount Plus for just $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year.

So yes, you can opt for the cheapest Paramount Plus tier and still get the Champions League, even though it doesn't have CBS, since the games will run on separate feeds. If you have CBS already, you'll find it airs some games, but nowhere near as many as Paramount Plus, and rarely the best ones, in all honesty.

Where to watch Champions League in the UK

The Champions League is on TNT Sport in the UK. You can find it on HBO Max from £31 a month, minus one game a week, which will be shown on Prime Video instead.

You can also add TNT Sports to your Amazon Prime membership as an add-on. It's the same £31 a month, and you can cancel anytime. Watching it through Amazon Prime Video means you can enjoy Champions League live streams across more devices, as app support across TVs, consoles, and streaming sticks is broad.

The Prime-exclusive matches during the league phase will focus on British teams each week. Here are the upcoming Prime fixtures in the UK:

• Oct 20:Liverpool vs. Villarreal
• Nov 3: Man United vs. Roma
• Nov 24: Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund

Pro tip: If you want a cheaper option than TNT, try Australia's Stan Sport, which you can subscribe to with a UK bank account for half the price of TNT (we've tested this ourselves). You need a VPN to access the site and Champions League live streams outside Australia. It still works out cheaper, though. More details below. 

Where to watch Champions League in Australia

The Champions League is a Stan Sport exclusive in Australia for the majority of the season. The free service, 9Now, usually shows the final for free at the end of the season.

So if you want to see the entire tournament, you'll need to sign up for Stan and then add Stan Sport as an add-on. The cheapest setup is $30 a month (for Stan Basic at $10 and Sport at $20). It's a rolling one-month contract, so there's no long-term commitment.

If you're eying up this option via a VPN as a cheaper alternative to your country's Champions League streaming service, we can confirm it will work. We could pay with a UK bank card and have full access to the streaming service. You could also use a travel card like Revolut to pay in local currency so you don't get a foreign transaction fee from your bank.

Can I access the Champions League on Paramount Plus with a VPN?

Yes and no. If you set up Paramount Plus while already living in the US and are traveling abroad, and want to keep watching, you're all set. A VPN will indeed let you tune in like you were still in the US.

If you have a non-US subscription, such as in the UK, you won't be able to access the US version's content with the same login credentials via a VPN on the app or the US website, as they're essentially different apps and services in each country. Unlike Netflix, which will allow one login to work anywhere via a VPN.  

If you're outside the US and want a US account, Paramount Plus has made it difficult for outsiders. That's because you'll need a US form of payment, and we've found international currency cards, like Revolut, don't count.

What about PayPal? You'll need to create a US PayPal account, which must be verified by a US mobile phone number. So, if you can get around all this, you can enjoy the best value Champions League live streams in the world.

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

Tulsa King is back, and this time, Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) is looking to legitimize his criminal empire. We've rounded up everything you need to know about where to watch Tulsa King, including global streaming options.

You can find all sorts of additional details about the series below, including a release schedule, trailer, and even Season 5 info. If you don't feel like reading any further and are just hoping to start watching, you can stream new episodes on Paramount Plus in the US and select other countries.

Where to watch Tulsa King in the US

Tulsa King is a Paramount Plus exclusive in the US. New episodes and all three past seasons are available in both tiers of Paramount Plus. If you don't mind ads, Paramount Plus Essential costs $9 a month. If you're looking for ad-free on-demand content, you can get Paramount Plus Premium for $14 a month. Premium also unlocks Showtime programming and a CBS live stream.

Where to watch Tulsa King in the UK and other regions

Tulsa King is available on Paramount Plus in several countries outside the US, including the UK and Australia. Subscription prices vary from region to region.

How to watch Tulsa King from anywhere

If you're traveling away from home and still hoping to keep up with the latest episodes of Tulsa King, you can do so with the help of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are easy-to-use cybersecurity tools that allow people to temporarily change their virtual locations. This way, their usual websites and apps work just like they would back home. Since the services we've highlighted require country-specific payment methods, this option will work best for those who are just traveling abroad.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs available. It's speedy and user-friendly, and it has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find it's not what you're looking for.

• See also: Where to watch UFC | Where to watch The Celebrity Traitors | Where to watch The Amazing Race

When does Tulsa King come on?

New episodes of Tulsa King drop on Fridays in the US. The latest episode is typically released at midnight PT, or 3 a.m. ET.

Tulsa King release schedule

• Episode 1: October 16, 2026
• Episode 2: October 23, 2026
• Episode 3: October 30, 2026
• Episode 4: November 6, 2026
• Episode 5: November 13, 2026
• Episode 6: November 20, 2026
• Episode 7: November 27, 2026
• Episode 8: December 4, 2026
• Episode 9: December 11, 2026
• Episode 10: December 18, 2026

Will there be another season of Tulsa King?

Tulsa King fans are in luck. The series was renewed for a fifth season in early October, shortly before the Season 4 premiere.

Tulsa King Season 4 trailer

The official Season 4 trailer dropped in late September, giving fans a first look at Dwight's latest battle. Check out the full trailer below:

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

Halara is a brand that turns everyday apparel into activewear — with the goal of making structured pieces like dresses and work pants feel more like loungewear, and making workout clothes more versatile for a range of casual situations.

When Halara first came on my radar, I'll admit I was skeptical of the low price points. After testing a handful of pieces across activewear, workwear, and casual collections, I can confirm that Halara is more than just a viral TikTok gimmick.

The apparel I tested largely exceeded my expectations in terms of comfort, fit, and versatility. But the quality wasn't entirely consistent: Some items were made with questionable fabric or slightly problematic construction details.

How to shop Halara

• Best categories: In my experience, Halara shines the most in jeans, work pants, casual basics, and select activewear—where versatility and comfort are the main selling points.
• Sizing and fit: While some shoppers report inconsistent sizing, the Halara pieces I tested fit true to size. Still, check each item's size chart before ordering. Many leggings, trousers, and jeans come in petite, regular, and tall lengths; for dresses, review the garment measurements and customer photos to gauge hem length.
• Fabrics: For workouts, I recommend Halara's soft, stretchy SoftlyZero fabric for lighter-impact activities like yoga and Pilates and hotter days, and the more compressive UltraSculpt fabric for maximum support and shaping. The Flex DayStretch collection offers a more structured and polished look for everyday wear—with plenty of stretch so you don't have to sacrifice comfort.

• Shipping: From the time you place an order, it'll usually take 9-13 days for it to arrive on your doorstep. Express and super express shipping reduce those timelines to 6-8 business days and 3-5 business days, respectively.
• Return and exchange policies: Most products can be returned within 30 days of delivery (except certain categories, such as shapewear and intimates), but they must be unworn and unwashed, with original tags attached. Shipping fees are nonrefundable.

Halara Flex DayStretch High Waisted Pocket Straight Leg Work Pants

For years, I assumed I had to choose between looking professional and feeling comfortable, but these pants proved me wrong. They're as soft and stretchy as my favorite leggings, and yet look surprisingly polished when paired with the right top, shoes, and jewelry.

I'm actually surprised at how versatile the Flex DayStretch Work Pants are, too: I can just as easily dress them down with a simple fitted T-shirt and low-top sneakers as I can dress them up with a belt, blazer, and pumps. The best part? They didn't wrinkle whatsoever, even after sitting in my car for an hourlong commute.

And the petite length was perfect on my 5'4 frame, which saved me a trip to the tailor. Although the back slit pockets are purely for aesthetics (and not function), the front pockets are remarkably deep. These will definitely come in handy when I'm traveling—they're comfortable enough for a long-haul flight, but dressy enough that I can head straight from the airport to a meeting, event, or dinner.

See more in our guide to the best budget workwear for women and best stretchy work pants for women.

Off-Shoulder Long Sleeve Removable Straps Built-in Bra Casual Bodysuit

Some of Halara's casual pieces have a distinctly athletic feel, in part because of the synthetic, blended fabrics. The Off-Shoulder Long Sleeve Bodysuit is no exception: it's constructed with what feels very similar to bathing suit material, which may not be ideal for some people.

From an aesthetic standpoint, though, I did love the way this piece fit. It hugs and smooths my body without feeling too compressive, and the built-in bra legitimately works on my DD-cup bust, even providing some light separation, which is no small feat

I appreciate that Halara made the straps adjustable for fit and functionality, but they also looked a lot like bra straps, so I ended up removing them. I find myself constantly adjusting most off-the-shoulder tops and bodysuits, but that wasn't the case here: it actually stayed put.

Boat Neck Batwing Sleeve Casual Sweater

With more than 2,600 reviews, the Boat Neck Batwing Sleeve Casual Sweater is one of Halara's more popular casual tops—and after testing it, I'm not surprised. With a batwing sleeve and boatneck, it looks chic enough for dinners out when paired with a midi skirt or drapey trousers. But at the same time, the cozy material and relaxed fit give this sweater a laidback feel, making it equally wearable for errands and coffee dates.

It also looks a lot more luxe than the price tag would suggest: After my mother complimented me on this sweater, she didn't believe me when I told her it cost $40. I fully expected this sweater to pill, but I've been impressed to find that it hasn't yet.

One Shoulder Short Sleeve Ruched Tummy Control 2-in-1 Mini Casual Dress

This dress is ingenious—in theory. The built-in "shorts" are meant to offer some peace of mind when you're sitting, bending over, or moving around. The problem, as far as I'm concerned, is that "shorts" is a pretty generous way of describing the underlayer—it's more like a pair of briefs. And unfortunately, that built-in lining created visible panty lines.

I also think "tummy control" is a bit of a stretch. The One-Shoulder Ruched Dress is certainly flattering, thanks in part to the ruching around the midsection, but the fabric didn't feel particularly compressive. I'd personally still probably layer shapewear underneath, given the body-hugging silhouette.

That's not to say there isn't plenty to love here. The fabric is ridiculously soft, and I appreciate that the neckline can be styled either one-shouldered or off-the-shoulder. But ultimately, I felt a little too self-conscious about the VPL.

Halara Flex Asymmetric High-Waisted Washed Casual Baggy Jeans with Pockets

I did not expect jeans to be my favorite piece from a brand known for its activewear—but I love when a brand keeps me guessing. Who knew denim could be so non-restrictive? These high-waisted jeans are so stretchy and soft, they rival my go-to leggings in terms of comfort. The asymmetric waistband seems to visually cinch my waist, the leg is just wide enough without swallowing my smaller frame, and the petite inseam is the perfect length for flats, sneakers, and heeled booties alike.

Not only are they available in a wide range of washes, but these Asymmetrical Jeans also come in four different thickness/warmth levels depending on the season you're wearing them in.

These truly get a 10/10, no notes. If you're a denim purist who vastly prefers that authentically rigid, vintage look, these may not cut it. But I'm just grateful I found a pair of jeans I'm not dying to unbutton at dinner, or tear off when I get home.

SoftlyZero Crossover Pocket Plain Leggings

The bar was high for these leggings: They've amassed tens of thousands of five-star reviews, making them one of Halara's top sellers. And I totally get it now: the crossover V-waisted design is super flattering, and the smooth, featherlight fabric feels like a second skin.

I wore these Crossover Leggings indoors as well as outdoors for reformer Pilates classes, stroller walks, and intense resistance training sessions alike, and consistently felt cool and dry. Plus, the side pockets were snug and deep enough to keep my phone, lip balm, or other small essentials genuinely secure.

All that said, one durability concern: after just a couple of wears, a few stitches came loose along one of the seams. However, I trimmed the stray threads, and the seam doesn't appear to have unraveled any further—nor does it appear to be separating when I tug on it.

While I tested the standard version of these leggings, they're also available in medium-warm (designed for 23-41 degrees Fahrenheit) and extra-warm (designed for 5-23 degrees Fahrenheit) if you're looking for a little more insulation for outdoor winter activities.

Read more in our guide to the best pocket leggings.

One Shoulder Long Sleeve Thumb Hole Curved Hem High Low Quick Dry Yoga Sports Top-Built-in Bra

I tend to like workout clothes that—well, don't particularly look like workout clothes. This One-Shoulder Long Sleeve fits the bill: The asymmetrical neckline (which can also be worn off the shoulder) makes it look more like a casual going-out top, so it transitions beautifully from yoga to brunch. I tend to get chilly in air-conditioned studios, and the combination of the lightweight material, long-sleeves, and hip-length hem provided just the right amount of coverage without me overheating.

The built-in bra is closer to a bralette than a sports bra, so I probably wouldn't wear this top for workouts that involve any bouncing. It felt modestly supportive, but a quick jump test revealed that it's definitely more suitable for low-impact activities.

Sometimes I like wearing a tank under a long-sleeve, so that if I get hot mid-workout, I can just remove a layer—but sadly that's not an option with this top.

While I was concerned that the one-shoulder neckline wouldn't feel particularly secure, the thumbholes seemed to help keep the sleeves from shifting around during stretches and arm exercises.

Halara UltraSculpt Round Neck Curved Hem Workout Tank Top

As a general rule, I prefer workout tanks that are adjustable—because the straps tend to be too long on me due to my narrow shoulders and short torso. But miraculously, I didn't run into that problem with the UltraSculpt Tank. I was actually blown away by how supportive the built-in bra is, too: When I did my standard test (10 jumping jacks and jump squats), I felt shockingly secure, with very little bounce. That's almost unheard of without a ton of compression or underwire.

I love that the top is fitted, while the hip-grazing curved hem at the bottom is a little more forgiving with a looser fit: It was just snug enough that I could see my form, without feeling self-conscious or like I couldn't breathe during my workouts.

My only gripe is that the neckline had a frustrating tendency to fold inward, creating an awkward crease across the top of my chest. Tugging the hem down would temporarily smooth the fabric out, but every time I lifted my arms it buckled again.

Ribbed High Waisted Hem A Line Maxi Casual Skirt

I'm somewhat picky when it comes to clothing, so when I find something I like, I'm famous for buying it in three colors. I'm already contemplating adding two more of these skirts to my cart. I was a little nervous about the slit being too high—an issue I've run into in the past—but fortunately, it hits at a reasonable spot a little above the knee, around the lower thigh. The material is thicker than I expected, but I don't hate it—it actually adds to the practicality. I'm already wearing it with tights and booties as the weather continues getting colder here in New England, but I can also imagine pairing it with strappy sandals and slides come spring and summer.

Honestly, the only downside here is that the material does seem to attract lint and pet hair. This may not be as noticeable on the lighter colors, but showed up quite a bit on the black version.

More of our favorite Halara pants

HalaraFlex Wide Leg Micro Waffle Work Pants ($44.95): "These affordable wide-leg slip-ons are like pajama pants you can wear to work, thanks to their plicated tailoring. They'd be perfect for long plane rides since they're cozy enough to snooze in," writes Talia in our guide to the best travel pants for women.

Halara Mid Rise Denim Print French Terry Casual Sweatpant Jeans ($54.95): "This budget-friendly option surprised me with how good it looked compared to much more expensive versions," writes style contributor Talia Ergas in our guide to the best sweatpant jeans. "The faux distressed details made these wide-leg bottoms (available in regular, petite, and tall lengths) even more convincing."

HalaraFlex Mid Rise Straight Leg Maternity Casual Jeans with Pockets ($59.95): "The fabric is noticeably thinner than premium maternity jeans and lacks the substantial, denim-like feel. I also wish they came in multiple inseam lengths, as I found them a bit shorter than I would have liked," according to Talia in our guide to the best maternity jeans. "Still, if you're looking for jeans to get you through pregnancy without spending hundreds of dollars, these are a great value."

My final verdict on Halara

Where Halara really excels is bringing activewear-level comfort to traditionally restrictive clothing — like work trousers, jeans, and bodycon dresses. The ultra-stretchy Halara Flex Asymmetric Baggy Jeans and wrinkle-resistant DayStretch Work Pants were hands down my favorite finds, followed by the Boat Neck Batwing Sweater and Ribbed High-Waisted Maxi Skirt. I'd also happily recommend the SoftlyZero leggings for their lightweight, buttery-soft feel, though the loose stitching I noticed after a few wears gives me some pause about their durability long-term.

In the future, I'd be a little more selective with Halara's feature-packed pieces with all the bells and whistles. The built-in "shorts" on the ruched minidress proved more problematic than helpful, and while the UltraSculpt Tank featured a surprisingly supportive built-in bra, the neckline that wouldn't lie flat made me wonder about quality control/inconsistencies.

My advice? Shop Halara for the comfy, versatile wardrobe basics — not necessarily the clever features that grab your attention in an Instagram ad.

• Miley Cyrus changed the lyrics to her hit song "Flowers" after selling out the Hollywood Bowl.
• She held a two-night run at the venue in October, her first full solo concert in four years.
• Some fans say "Flowers," released in early 2023, is a diss track to her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth.

After selling out a two-night residency at the Hollywood Bowl in October, Miley Cyrus changed the lyrics of an integral part of her hit song, "Flowers."

She ad-libbed about selling out the iconic venue before the chorus: "Started to cry, but then remembered I sold out the Hollywood Bowl!"

She added similar lyrics to "Flowers" in 2024 when she performed it after winning her first Grammy.

The ad-lib now seems to be a way for Cyrus to celebrate her wins, and fans have suggested since its release in 2023 that the song was written as a diss track against her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth. The two married in 2018 and divorced a year later.

Representatives for Hemsworth did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Here are the Easter eggs you may have missed in "Flowers."

Miley Cyrus released her single "Flowers" in 2023 — and many fans think the song takes aim at her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth.

As Business Insider previously reported, Cyrus and Hemsworth met on the set of "The Last Song," which was released in 2010, and dated on and off for several years. The couple married in 2018 and divorced a year later. The split was finalized in January 2020.

While Cyrus hasn't confirmed that "Flowers" is about her relationship with Hemsworth, the single's release date, lyrics, and other hidden details offer a few clues to the song's meaning.

The song was released on Liam Hemsworth's birthday.

The buzz around "Flowers" began when fans noticed its release date.

The single dropped on January 13 — Hemsworth's 33rd birthday — a detail that was not lost on Cyrus' fans. 

 

Miley’s telling the world she can love herself better ON LIAM’S BIRTHDAY?! she definitely didn’t lie when she said she’s got nerve https://t.co/Pp7fi5yuqa

— 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 (@mileywrld) January 1, 2023

"She definitely didn't lie when she said she's got nerve," one user tweeted. 

Many fans think "Flowers" resembles Bruno Mars' song, "When I Was Your Man."

In "When I Was Your Man," Mars sings that he wishes he "bought you flowers, and held your hand."

Although Mars isn't credited as a songwriter on "Flowers," Cyrus sings "I can buy myself flowers," and "I can hold my own hand" in a similar tune to Mars' hit. 

According to Billboard, some fans have speculated that Hemsworth dedicated Mars' song to Cyrus during their first engagement — though those theories are unconfirmed.

The song's opening verse could refer to the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

"We were good, we were gold/ Kind of dream that can't be sold/ We were right till we weren't/ Built a home and watched it burn," Cyrus sings in the opening verse. 

According to Us Weekly, the fire metaphor could be referring to the home Cyrus shared with Hemsworth, which burned down during the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

It’s been a heartbreaking few days. This is what’s left of my house. Love. Many people in Malibu and surrounding areas in California have lost their homes also and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by these fires. To help: https://t.co/YQCE1cLaej & @happyhippiefdn https://t.co/vtLFytFmNw

— Liam Hemsworth (@LiamHemsworth) November 13, 2018

Cyrus has said that the loss of the couple's Malibu home is partially what led her and Hemsworth to get married. 

Some fans have drawn comparisons between a clip from the song's music video and a past red-carpet moment.

In 2019, while attending the Vanity Fair Oscars party, an Access Hollywood reporter asked Cyrus and Hemsworth what a dance number would look like between the couple.

WAIT A MINUTE https://t.co/YA76DVsz7T

— out of context hannah montana (@OCHannahMontana) January 4, 2023

When Cyrus began dancing on Hemsworth, her then-husband, he shut it down, saying, "We're not doing this. Not on the carpet."

One Twitter user put that video side by side with a promotional clip Cyrus posted on the platform, in which she appears to do a similar dance move — while the lyrics "I can love me better" play in the background.

In October 2026, Cyrus changed the lyrics to "Flowers" and performed it at the Hollywood Bowl.

After selling out shows at the Hollywood Bowl in October 2026, Cyrus changed the pre-chorus lyrics to "Flowers."

In the original version, Cyrus sings: "I didn't wanna leave you/I didn't wanna fight/Started to cry, but then remembered I," before belting out the chorus.

This past weekend, however, Cyrus changed that to: "I didn't wanna leave you (but I had to)/I didn't wanna fight (but we did)/Started to cry, but then remembered I sold out the Hollywood Bowl."

Cyrus has ad-libbed her hit single before: At the 2024 Grammys, she sang, "Started to cry, but then remembered I just won my first Grammy!"

Fans took to social media to applaud Cyrus' lyric change, with one YouTube commenter saying they "love how she's filling it in with different achievements."

Cyrus also paid tribute to Dolly Parton, her late godmother, during the concert, breaking down in tears as she recalled memories of Parton. Cyrus then performed Parton's hit song "Jolene."

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in January 2023 and was most recently updated in October 2026.

• John Carreyrou told Business Insider that he loves the new Elizabeth Holmes doc as "a great piece of art."
• But audiences who want an accurate retelling of Theranos' downfall should read his book, he said.
• It comes as people allege that he's "missing the point of the film."

John Carreyrou has seen "You Can See Everything" twice.

The reporter, whose award-winning investigation for The Wall Street Journal helped bring down blood-testing startup Theranos, told Business Insider that he liked the documentary. It follows Elizabeth Holmes, the startup's CEO, in the 34 days before she reported to federal prison in 2023.

The film — co-directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim — has inspired a mix of reactions from viewers, ranging from shock to boredom to sympathy for Holmes.

Carreyrou doesn't see that ambiguity.

"The film is a great piece of art, but let's not confuse that art with the underlying facts," he told Business Insider.

It mirrors what he's been writing on X. Carreyrou has been pushing back on people who, he said, had accused him of "missing the point" of the film — namely, that Holmes is unknowable.

"She went after Tyler Shultz and Erika Cheung with everything she had," he wrote, referring to the two company whistleblowers at the center of his 2015 story. "I was threatened with litigation on a daily basis for months on end. It was a ruthless cover-up of a breathtaking fraud, and she was at the controls."

He has also reposted a Monday morning interview with Schultz, who said that Holmes "knows that she did something wrong," and alleged that, during the film, she brought out a different device when she was asked to show Theranos' hardware.

The documentary does not retrace every detail of the Theranos scandal or the reporting that exposed it. Instead, it puts viewers inside Holmes' home as she insists that she was wrongly convicted.

For audiences, it's raised bigger questions about performance, self-deception, and whether the film's subject can ever be fully believed.

Carreyrou has told Business Insider that if audiences "have questions afterward or want more context about the Theranos saga, I would encourage them to read my book."

He ended his X post by saying he "loved the film." He also gave a nod to its early Oscar buzz.

"#BestPicture, IMO," he wrote.

One of the more underrated streaming services is offering over 50% off subscriptions for a limited time. STARZ has discounted both its monthly and annual plans, so customers can get a year of service for as little as $30.

STARZ is a little-known gem of a streaming service that offers a mix of STARZ TV exclusives, including ongoing shows like "Outlander: Blood of My Blood," and a rotation of popular films, such as the "Michael" biopic.

The current offer brings the monthly subscription price down from $12 a month to $5 a month for the first three months of service, or 58% off. The annual deal offers a similarly enticing discount, bringing a yearly plan down from $70 to only $30 (about 57% off).

These STARZ offers are some of the best streaming deals available right now, especially as other non-live TV streaming platforms refrain from launching deals ahead of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal season.

When our team vets deals, we look at both the depth of the discount and the duration of the offer. While these aren't the absolute lowest prices we've ever seen at STARZ, over 50% off is a solid deal. Likewise, having the monthly and annual deals count toward three months and a full year of service, respectively, is a particularly competitive offer.

Both the monthly and annual options are solid deals, and which one you should choose ultimately comes down to how long you're planning on hanging on to the streaming service. If you're only interested in binge-watching one TV series or looking to stream a specific movie, then paying for a single month of the monthly discount will be enough, but if STARZ is something you'd like to keep in your streaming rotation long-term, the annual plan is the way to go.

FAQ

Who is eligible for the STARZ deals?

The STARZ deals are available to new STARZ customers who subscribe via the STARZ website.

How do you sign up for the STARZ deals?

Signing up for the STARZ deals is easy. You just go to the STARZ limited-time offer landing page and click on either the monthly or annual plan. Then, you click the green "Claim Special Offer" button. From there, you'll be prompted to input your email, create an account, and add your payment info.

If you're planning to cancel after your introductory offer ends, set a reminder for yourself, since each plan will auto-renew at its then-standard rate unless you cancel before then.

What's on Starz?

STARZ carries original TV series, including ongoing and concluded shows, along with a rotating selection of movies. Some of the most notable STARZ shows include "Outlander," "Outlander: Blood of My Blood," "Power," "Spartacus," "BMF," and "Black Sails."

The film selection on STARZ is a little more varied, with different titles cycling in and out throughout the year. Right now, subscribers gain access to newer films like "Alarum," "In the Grey," "Shelter," and "Michael," and older movies, such as "Jurassic Park," "E.T.," "Wanted," "Mamma Mia!," and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," among others. STARZ also occasionally carries select Marvel movies. At the time of writing, that includes "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Ant-Man." While STARZ isn't limited to specific genres, many of the films fall into the action and thriller space.

You can learn more about the platform in our STARZ guide. To learn explore additional streaming apps, check out our roundup of the best streaming services.

For many people, an air purifier is something you don't realize you need until you've implemented one in your home. Of course, wildfires, seasonal pollen booms, smog, and dander-loaded pets can cause obvious harm to your air quality, but even if you're not susceptible to those pollutants, you can likely still benefit from one of these handy appliances. With our top air purifier pick down to $155, it's easier than ever to make the leap.

The Coway AP-1512HH is a longtime favorite not only for the Insider Reviews team, but also across the internet. Despite its age, this model remains a top pick for allergy sufferers, city dwellers, and anyone looking to improve the air quality in their home. Its simple design covers a considerable amount of space, operates quietly, and perhaps most importantly, is the most effective at removing pollutants.

Why you'll love the Coway AP-1512HH

If you're in the market for an air purifier, this Coway will not disappoint. There are definitely more glamorous appliances you can choose instead, giving you the option to pay more for more lights, a higher-tech appearance, and advertised effectiveness, but after years of testing the best of the best, it still stands out as our favorite.

I bought my unit in 2017 as a last-ditch effort to solve the allergies my family was suffering from the dog I had just taken in. I installed it in my living room, and within the same day, everyone's symptoms were alleviated. My mom's coughing and sneezing disappeared entirely, and all of the itchiness I suffered since the dog's arrival went away.

Now, almost a decade later, my Airmega 1512-HH has followed me through two moves, more dogs, newly developed allergies, and more, still standing strong as a living room necessity. Its low-key design makes it an easy addition to any home, whether you're a modern minimalist, tchotchke-collecting maximalist, or something in between.

Learn more about which model is right for your needs in our guide to the best air purifiers.

Follow our WhatsApp channel on mobile for more buying guides, deals, and reviews.

• Prosecutors say an ex-OpenAI employee accused of planting a recording device appears to have received support from the Saudi government.
• A federal magistrate judge ruled on Monday that Abdulrahman Alfozan should remain in custody.
• Prosecutors said that Alfozan frequently communicated with a member of the Saudi Royal Family.

Federal prosecutors say that a former OpenAI employee accused of planting a recording device received "what appears to be considerable support from" the Saudi government.

Prosecutors made the disclosure in a motion to keep Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and former OpenAI employee, in custody pending trial. US Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse ruled on Monday that Alfozan should remain in custody.

Alfozan had been in contact as recently as October 5 with an unnamed member of the Saudi Royal Family, whom he frequently communicated with on WhatsApp over the last two years, prosecutors said.

"In May 2026, the individual told the defendant, 'Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!' to which the defendant responded '100,"' indicating he agreed," prosecutors wrote.

The FBI arrested Alfozan on October 9. According to a criminal complaint, Alfozan planted a recording device in the back of a TV in an OpenAI conference room where sensitive discussions take place. OpenAI's security cameras caught Alfozan near the conference room on multiple occasions, despite his lack of authorization to the high-level meetings held there, prosecutors said.

"In the days surrounding the time period that the device was installed, OpenAI executives met with government officials in that very room," prosecutors wrote in a filing on Sunday. "Defendant's conduct could pose a danger to the national security of the United States."

The complaint included a photo of what prosecutors said was Alfozan peering behind the TV where the recording device was found.

In addition to his WhatsApp messaging, prosecutors wrote that an unnamed member of the Saudi military booked a flight for Alfozan's wife and son on October 11, despite an existing reservation for an October 12 flight, which prosecutors said was "paid for by the Saudi government."

Prosecutors also disclosed more information about Alfozan's alleged efforts to plant the device. According to the filing, Alfozan's iPhone had photos of "what appear to be the input/output panels on televisions and other electronic devices in various locations in OpenAI buildings."

Those locations, prosecutors wrote, included "another conference room where sensitive meetings frequently occurred."

Other files on the phone, including a note modified as recently as September 13, listed "Riyadh tasks" like "finding an apartment and a job for the defendant's wife, as well as obtaining an ID and a Saudi passport for his son," the filing said.

Another note titled "OpenAI leave" suggested that Alfozan "was planning an '[e]arly … pick up' of the devices he had installed or intended to install and then extending his planned parental 'leave to full.,'" prosecutors wrote.

As part of their reasons for requesting that the former OpenAI engineer remain in custody, prosecutors wrote that Alfozan's wife and son left the US without him and are now in Saudi Arabia. The filing also said "both of his parents and all (or all but one) of his siblings" are in Saudi Arabia.

In a separate filing, William Pernik, Alfozan's attorney, said that the former OpenAI engineer did not pose a flight risk.

"Mr. Alfozan was made aware of OpenAI finding the device per its own filings and OpenAI's public statements, approximately eight to ten days before he was arrested," Pernik wrote. "If his intention was to flee, he would have done so at that time."

Pernik said that prosecutors' previous disclosure that Alfozan had purchased a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia lacked context.

"Seventy percent of the airline bookings in his email since January 2021 (96 of 138) were one-way tickets," Pernik wrote.

• Abdulrahman Alfozan will stay jailed pre-trial, a San Francisco judge decided Monday.
• The engineer is accused of bugging a conference room at OpenAI, and he has been fired.
• Alfozan posed a risk of non-appearance, the judge said, after discussing his ties to Saudi Arabia.

A former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging the AI startup's office was denied release by a San Francisco judge on Monday, meaning he'll have to mount his defense from jail.

The Justice Department arrested Abdulrahman Alfozan on October 9 and charged him with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications. He's accused of placing a recording device behind a television in an OpenAI conference room — an FBI affidavit includes photos of the device wrapped in toilet paper, and a man they say is Alfozan peering behind the TV.

On Monday, the engineer wore a yellow surgical mask and a jail-issued orange sweatshirt to the San Francisco courthouse. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse prodded Alfozan's legal team about the risk that he might not appear for a future court hearing.

Tse said that Alfozan's wife and son had traveled to Saudi Arabia with no plans to return, and went back and forth with Yasin about a one-way ticket that Alfozan had previously booked to the country. Tse said that Saudi Arabia and the US do not have an extradition agreement, and expressed skepticism that he had sufficient ties to the Bay Area to prevent his departure.

William Pernik, Alfozan's attorney, argued that, rather than being detained, Alfozan should be fitted with an ankle monitor, ordered to stay home, and have limits placed on his use of technology. The lawyer also said Alfozan is willing to put up "essentially all the money his family has" as bond, including a roughly $1 million investment account.

"Everything this man has, he's willing to surrender, and say, 'I'm not going anywhere,'" Pernik said.

Pernik and Nas Yasin, another of Alfozan's attorneys, cited his coming naturalization interview as evidence of his local ties.

"He was weeks away from achieving every immigrant's dream in this country," Pernik said.

Yasin told Tse that she learned Alfozan's wife had obtained a short-term visitor visa to return to the US, to help improve her husband's case for ties to the Bay Area.

Tse also asked Alfozan's legal team a slew of questions about his relationship with Saudi Arabia, including a commitment by the Saudi consulate to pay his bond and support his legal effort.

Nick Parker, an assistant US attorney, appeared for the prosecution. He argued that the threat of forfeiting a $1 million bond wouldn't be enough to convince Alfozan to return if he made it out of the US, because he might be able to earn more money in Saudi Arabia.

"There is a real threat here that once he leaves, the case is over," Tse responded.

The judge scheduled the case's next hearing for early November.

OpenAI called the recording device "sophisticated" when the arrest went public, though it said it hadn't found signs that he'd taken AI model weights, source code, or customer information. OpenAI fired Alfozan.

Alfozan's charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years. Pernik said in a statement last week that the allegations "appear wholly out of character for him."

Alfozan, 35, has a green card that makes him a lawful permanent resident of the United States. He attended MIT, then worked at Facebook (now Meta) from 2017 to 2023. After a stint at the engineering startup Nash Technologies, Alfozan joined OpenAI in 2025.

FBI agents have already taken Alfozan's Saudi passport.

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

The Samsung S90H is the most versatile TV I've tested all year. It's a midrange OLED that looks great in any space. Turn the lights off, and you get inky black levels with pixel-perfect contrast. Keep the lights on, and the TV's anti-glare screen handles reflections like a champ. This best-of-both-worlds approach helps it clinch the top spot in my guide to the best TVs.

The S90H is already a good buy at its typical street price, but right now it's at a record low on Amazon. All sizes, ranging from 42 to 83 inches, are marked down. The 65-inch model is an especially great buy at $1,398. Over the last three months, it's fluctuated between $2,298 and $1,498, so this is a new all-time low price, and even less than the TV cost on Prime Day.

I've been reviewing TVs for over a decade, and the S90H impresses with some of the best image quality I've seen for the money. It also boasts wide viewing angles, easy assembly, and access to all the top streaming apps most people actually use. It's unclear how long this deal will last, but if you're shopping for a new midrange TV, this is the best value you can snag right now.

Why we love the Samsung S90H TV

The S90H strikes the most impressive balance between picture quality and price of any TV I've tested this year. Though cheap LED TVs can look like a cloudy mess when you turn off the lights, the S90H's OLED panel delivers deep black levels that disappear into a dark room.

I measured peak brightness at around 1,440 nits on the 65-inch model, which is enough to look great in home theaters and average living rooms alike. However, keep in mind that the 48- and 77-inch sizes use a more advanced panel, which should allow them to get closer to 2,000 nits.

The S90H uses Samsung's anti-glare screen. This used to be exclusive to pricier TVs, and it's not used on OLEDs from other brands. This significantly reduced reflections in our reviewer's living room, eliminating bouncing light off a kitchen bar while diffusing reflections from overhead lighting into a soft reddish hue. The anti-glare coating slightly lowers contrast in bright rooms, but that's a worthwhile trade-off if reflections are a headache.

Wide viewing angles keep the picture looking great from off-center, so all your guests get a good view no matter where they sit. Some units may show a subtle green tint from certain angles, but this is common for OLEDs and is still far less distracting than the washed-out quality you'd get from a typical LED TV.

Gamers get advanced features, including support for up to 4K/165Hz on PC, ensuring smooth motion in fast-paced titles. The S90H also offers access to cloud gaming apps like Xbox Game Pass.

The TV's stand is easy to assemble with click-on feet and a snap-on cover — no tools required. The stand does feel a bit light and plasticky compared to the metal pedestals used on some rivals, but what you lose in heft you gain in ease of use.

Samsung's SolarCell remote doesn't need batteries. The remote's back panel uses sunlight and indoor light to power it. In all my testing with SolarCell remotes, they've never run out of juice. But if you ever need to, you can also charge it over USB-C as a backup.

Right now, the 65-inch S90H is actually cheaper than last year's S90F. The 2025 S90F remains a good TV with its own perks (certain sizes have slightly better color than the S90H). But it's harder to find in stock, and it doesn't have a glare-free screen. Given recent sale prices, the S90H is the better value.

You can learn more in our full Samsung S90H TV review and our guide to the best Samsung TVs.

• Dean Karnazes holds the world record for the longest distance a human has ever run nonstop.
• His advice for going farther than you think you can: redefine success before the race begins.
• When the pain hits, Karnazes says there’s one rule: keep moving — even if you have to walk.

For decades, scientists have tried to understand what separates people capable of extraordinary endurance from everyone else. Is it genetics? VO₂ max? Pain tolerance? Mental toughness?

Dean Karnazes has spent more than 30 years giving them a remarkable case study.

He's run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days, crossed Death Valley in the middle of summer, and in 2005 set the record for the longest nonstop run — covering 350 miles in 80 hours and 44 minutes.

Even that wasn't enough.

"I actually made it 350 miles, which was somewhat of a letdown because I thought maybe I could run 500 miles," Karnazes told me. "That was kind of the ultimate goal." His world record still stands today, 21 years later.

After decades of ultrarunning, Karnazes says he's learned that doing hard things comes down to a handful of simple habits that anyone can practice.

Don't make winning the goal

Karnazes has finished on the podium plenty of times, but he says that's never been what pulled him to the starting line.

"I do it for the adventure," he said. "Both the inner and the outer adventure. I've never really said I want to win a race. I just thought, be the best Dean that Dean can be on race day."

He says approaching races that way has changed how he defines success. The podium, if it comes, is just the cherry on top.

That mindset, he says, has kept him motivated through hundreds of marathons and ultramarathons, long after chasing trophies stopped being interesting.

Redefine what success looks like

When Karnazes gives advice to new ultrarunners, he doesn't start with mileage or pace.

"Just set your goal on finishing," he said. "Don't say I want to do it in sub five hours or sub six hours. Just say, 'For me, success is reaching the finish line before the cutoff.'"

Karnazes says that approach has a way of changing how you see your own limits.

"You'll prove to yourself that you're better than you think you are. And you can go further than you think you could."

Keep moving, even if you have to slow down

The advice sounds simple, but following it is another story.

At some point during his 350-mile run, Karnazes stopped trusting what he was seeing.

After nearly three days without sleep, he said he started hallucinating. He felt as though he had left his own body and was watching himself from above.

"When you're in these altered states, it's as though you don't have conscious control of your mind," he said. "You're fighting your mind to stay present, but your mind gets away from you."

Despite that, he kept running.

I asked Karnazes for his advice to aspiring ultrarunners who worry they'll hit a point where the pain becomes too much.

"You walk if you have to," he said. "You slow down, you push through the pain, and you come out the other side, and you're rejuvenated."

• Anthropic is heading for what's expected to be a historic IPO.
• Analyst Gil Luria says the company will ultimately be a "speculative" investment.
• The model makers will not be the big winners of the AI boom, Luria said.

Anthropic's looming IPO will be a historic market event, but it's trajectory after becoming a public company is a topic of debate.

According to longtime analyst Gil Luria, Anthropic will prove to be a "very speculative" investment.

The DA Davidson analyst, who serves as head of technology research for the firm, shared his take on Anthropic and the broader AI trade in a conversation with CNBC on Monday. Luria said that determining the winner of the AI model race may be meaningless for investors, as the real growth opportunity remains with already-established hyperscalers and infrastructure providers.

"Anthropic will end up being a very speculative investment," Luria said. "They may do well, they may not."

Anthropic's financials have come under the microscope as it begins shopping its hotly anticipated IPO. The company reported nearly $17 billion in revenue in the third quarter, marking a slowdown in growth compared to second-quarter figures. AI doomers were quick to point the revenue numbers as a sign the AI trade is stumbling.

Luria, who has advised investors to shake off AI market scares, isn't among the market bears, but he views Anthropic's post-IPO success as less important to the ongoing strength of the broader AI trade.

"They were at peak power earlier this year," he said of Anthropic. "They had almost the entire enterprise market. That's when their growth was really skyrocketing. What happened since then is OpenAI caught up, and enterprises realized they were spending so much that they had to start using open weight models as well, and that's why Anthropic decelerated."

That said, Luria acknowledged that if the Anthropic IPO were to disappoint, it would mean a temporary disruption for the AI trade, which would likely spook some investors. However, in his view, the market only needs a "reasonably successful" Anthropic IPO for the AI trade to remain strong.

He added that there are a few important questions to determine the health of the AI sector: are people using AI models more than previously and are they paying more for them?

As long as the answer to both is yes, Luria isn't focused on the models themselves, but rather on the companies providing the infrastructure on which the AI boom runs.

"That means AI investments are going to continue, and that's good for your Microsoft, your Amazon, and Google because they're going to be the ones serving it, and they're going to be buying chips primarily from Nvidia, Broadcom, Micron," he added.

• The Marines are fielding new medical gear to treat casualties when evacuation is delayed.
• New portable blood coolers and warmers will help corpsmen treat wounded troops closer to combat.
• AI-assisted ultrasounds could help front-line medics identify internal injuries and prioritize evacuation.

The US Marine Corps has begun fielding new medical equipment meant to help troops survive when wounded service members can't be quickly evacuated from the battlefield.

The new technology is designed to store blood, identify internal injuries, and treat wounded service members closer to the battlefield as the military prepares for future wars in which casualties may be unable to reach a hospital for hours or even days.

The equipment includes improved, lighter-weight mobile blood coolers, better blood warmers, and small AI-assisted ultrasound devices and is designed to help Navy corpsmen and other providers treat casualties with less bulky equipment and less reliance on extensive medical infrastructure.

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, US air supremacy frequently allowed helicopters to quickly evacuate wounded troops to well-equipped and defended medical facilities near the battlefield.

The proliferation of drone warfare and other technological advancements seen in Ukraine has, however, raised doubts about whether rapid casualty evacuations will be possible in future conflicts. Now, military planners assume that a sophisticated foe is likely to possess tools that could severely disrupt military tasks such as casualty evacuation, resupply, and communications.

Throughout the post 9/11 wars in the Middle East, the military planned on getting wounded troops to advanced medical facilities within an hour, said Navy Capt. Shari Gentry, the Marine Corps' deputy medical officer, speaking to reporters at a media event near Quantico, Virginia. "And we do not foresee that being the case."

The Corps has already begun distributing the systems to medical units, with some equipment reaching troops deployed to the Middle East.

Among the new devices is a portable refrigerator capable of storing approximately 30 units of blood, potentially enough for four seriously wounded Marines, according to military medical guidance. Each battalion aid station is set to receive one, giving medical personnel a supply of blood closer to the battlefield.

Weighing about 60 pounds, it replaces a system that weighs over twice as much and uses rechargeable batteries already common throughout the Marine Corps. The smaller refrigerator allows medical teams to maintain blood supplies without relying continuously on generators or fuel deliveries, said Navy Cmdr. Kyleigh Hupfl, the Corps' clinical lead for Expeditionary Medical Systems.

The capability has already proved useful in the Middle East, Hupfl said. The Corps accelerated delivery after units raised concerns about the reliability of existing refrigeration equipment. One unit told her that the new device allowed it to maintain a ready supply of blood throughout its deployment.

Small deviations in temperature can render blood and other pharmaceuticals unusable. "We need to be able to bring cold chain distribution forward without relying on heavy generators, and we need to be able to do that in a sustainable way," she said.

The service is also fielding new portable blood warmers that can deliver warmed fluids faster than the previous equipment. The warmer works by passing blood through a tube, warming it before it flows into a patient's veins. Such warmth is crucial to prevent hypothermia, a serious complication in injured patients.

Another major change involves portable ultrasound machines equipped with AI-assisted imaging. Previously held only at higher levels of battlefield medical care, the new machines are now being pushed toward the lowest level of tactical care, known as Role 1 facilities, where Navy corpsmen and physicians provide immediate life-saving care for wounded Marines.

The AI software helps users identify anatomical structures on ultrasound images, allowing providers with less ultrasound experience to spot signs of internal bleeding or other injuries that might otherwise be difficult to detect. That information can also help medical teams determine which casualties need evacuation or surgery most urgently, said Navy Chief Petty Officer Matthew Brown, the chief biomedical equipment technician for the Corps' Expeditionary Medical Systems.

"I have 10 people that are hurt. Who should I get out?" Brown said of the dilemma and the new ultrasounds being fielded to front-line medics to address it. "And at the end of the day, that's what's going to save their life."

• Screenshots of Vinted listings circulating on social media show products being offered for a fraction of their retail prices.
• The suspected stolen merchandise was listed after looting in France.
• Vinted told The Telegraph it had taken immediate action to identify and remove listings connected to the violence.

Resale websites including Vinted have removed suspicious listings after they were flooded with apparently stolen goods in the wake of riots that swept across France.

Perfumes, designer handbags, cosmetics and even Pokémon cards have appeared on second-hand marketplaces following a weekend of violence that saw shops ransacked, The Telegraph — which, like Business Insider, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network — reported.

Screenshots circulating on social media show products being offered for a fraction of their retail prices, including bags overflowing with Sephora cosmetics advertised for as little as €10 (£8.40).

The listings have triggered suspicions that looters are trying to sell stolen goods online. eBay and Vinted have removed some items and stepped up their monitoring of suspicious activity.

One advert on Vinted showed six Sephora lip glosses being sold for €15, while another offered six tubes of cleansing cream for just €12.

Sephora France sells comparable own-brand lip glosses for around €13 each, meaning six would ordinarily cost around €78.

Other listings included Christian Dior perfumes advertised for €250 and large quantities of make-up still in their original packaging.

In one case, Pokémon trading cards allegedly stolen from a shop in Lille were advertised on Vinted, with some still bearing their original price stickers.

Hundreds of cards were reportedly found scattered across streets in the northern French city after a fire at Le Coin des Barons, a shop specialising in collectable cards.

A trophy said to have been stolen from French e-sport club Team Vitality was advertised on eBay for €1,250.

The silver StarLadder Counter-Strike trophy was photographed against a graffiti-covered wall and listed under the title: "STOLEN RARE VITALITY CS2 TROPHÉE."

Team Vitality confirmed that its Paris premises had been looted during Saturday's unrest, with trophies and computer equipment stolen and display windows smashed.

The listings emerged as France struggled to contain some of its worst civil unrest in years, caused by anger over the cost of living and deteriorating public services.

More than half a million people joined demonstrations on Saturday, with violent clashes breaking out in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities.

French authorities said more than 2,400 people had been arrested by Sunday, while nearly 1,000 police officers were injured.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has stepped up powers to ban protests as he acknowledged intelligence "failures" over the riots.

The unrest has spread beyond France, with demonstrations about living costs and public spending also taking place in Belgium, Portugal and Italy.

French retailers have been left counting the cost, with supermarket giant Carrefour reporting damage to 50 stores, including 20 that were looted.

'We have zero tolerance for it'

Sephora closed its French stores on Saturday evening and kept them shut on Sunday after several branches were ransacked.

Vinted said it had taken immediate action to identify and remove listings connected to the violence.

A spokesman said: "The sale of stolen goods, or soliciting them, is strictly prohibited on Vinted, and we have zero tolerance for it."

The company said it had stepped up monitoring and would take action against offenders, including permanently banning accounts. It added that it was working with law enforcement and French authorities to identify suspicious sellers.

An eBay spokesman said: "The sale of stolen property is strictly prohibited on eBay."

The company said it used technology to identify suspicious activity and worked closely with police to investigate criminal behaviour.

The spokesman added: "If we receive confirmation from law enforcement that an item has been stolen, we remove it immediately and take action against the seller."

This story originally appeared on The Telegraph and is courtesy of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which harnesses the resources of the company's newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces, and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from Business Insider, POLITICO, The Telegraph, WELT, BILD, Onet, and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms.

• Homebuilder sentiment has plunged, the latest signal that the housing market is in rough shape.
• Sentiment dropped to 29 in October, its lowest level in 14 years, the NAHB said.
• The decline reflects pressures from slowing sales, higher mortgage rates, and higher building costs.

The mood among America's homebuilders is grim.

Homebuilder sentiment fell three points to 29 in October, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

October's reading marks the lowest homebuilder sentiment the US has seen since June 2012, the NAHB said, when the housing market was still moving through the aftermath of the 2008 crisis. It shows just how much builders have soured on the housing landscape amid rising costs and a record-breaking slowdown in home sales.

Here's what explains the decline:

• The housing market is frozen. Home sales have been suppressed for years, but the yearslong housing freeze appears to have gotten worse in recent months as more prospective homebuyers head back to the sidelines.
  
  2026 is on track to be the worst year for home sales since 2011, according to an estimate from Capital Economics. Barring the housing slowdown during the pandemic, pending home sales dropped to a 14-year-low in September, according to a Redfin estimate.

• Cancellations are rising. More buyers are also getting cold feet and backing out of purchases of new houses as affordability concerns swell. Homebuilding cancellations in the West rose to their highest level since November 2023, according to an estimate from the boutique housing research firm Zelman.
• Mortgage rates have surged in the last year. Higher borrowing costs—as well as stubbornly high prices in many markets—are causing more prospective buyers to hold off on purchasing a home. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate clocked in at 7.4% last week, according to Freddie Mac data, the highest level in three years.

• Building costs are rising. Homebuilders are also being pressured on the cost front, thanks to higher gas and materials prices. To top it off, they're also facing pressure to lower prices to entice buyers, cutting into profits.
  
  Prices for building material and supplies dealers rose 28.8% year-over-year in September, per the latest producer price index report. Meanwhile, 43% of homebuilders cut prices in October, the highest level since 2020, per the NAHB.

• Immigration crackdown. Over a third of homebuilders said immigration enforcement had caused construction delays or discouraged some workers from reporting to work, Bill Owens, the NAHB chairman, said. Reduced labor can also indirectly increase homebuilding costs, as employers may raise wages to attract more workers.

"Housing remains squeezed by supply-side constraints and significant affordability challenges," Robert Dietz, the chief economist at the NAHB, said in a statement.

The Housing Market Index remains well-below the midway threshold of 50, which suggests that homebuilding is solidly in contractional territory.

Most housing economists don't expect the outlook for sales or affordability to improve meaningfully anytime soon. That's largely because rates are likely to stay higher-for-longer, which will continue to act as a barrier for prospective buyers.

Sara Godfrey, an economist at Oxford Economics, said the latest "depressed" homebuilder sentiment reading was consistent with the firm's view that the housing market would remain stagnant all throughout next year.

Goldman Sachs also said it expects demand to remain "tepid," adding that existing home sales were likely to fall over the next several months.

Oliver Allen, a senior US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, forecast a "meaningful slowdown" in new home sales, pointing to the impact of the recent surge in rates.

"If anything—confidence is likely to fall much further over the next month or two, given the recent trends in rates," he wrote in a client note on Monday.

• The Fantasy Bra was a staple of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show before it was canceled in 2019.
• The diamond-encrusted bra was always extravagant and worn by a top model at the VS Fashion Show.
• Kylie Jenner brought it back in 2026, modeling the most expensive Fantasy Bra ever created.

Victoria's Secret brought some extra sparkle to its runway on Sunday night.

The brand's annual fashion show, which returned in 2024 after being canceled five years earlier, was held in Los Angeles, with models including Adriana Lima and Barbara Palvin donning their wings for the occasion.

Since making its comeback, the fashion show has been more than a spectacle for Victoria's Secret. It's also been a way to attract a new generation of shoppers by leaning into nostalgia. Elizabeth Preis, Victoria's Secret's chief marketing officer, previously told Fast Company that the show was about "brand consideration for the audience that doesn't currently shop with us."

This year, the brand ramped up its social media promotion and made 17 times as many runway items available to purchase, Barron's reported.

The 2026 show also brought back a symbol of Victoria's Secret's heyday: the Fantasy Bra, an elaborate piece of lingerie often worth millions that hadn't appeared on the runway since 2018.

Kylie Jenner modeled the bra for its comeback. Designed by Jacob & Co., it's the most expensive Fantasy Bra ever created at $50 million.

Take a look back at other Fantasy Bras Victoria's Secret has designed over the years.

The Fantasy Bra was first introduced by Victoria's Secret in 1996 via a massive New York City billboard.

Worn by Claudia Schiffer, the diamond-encrusted lingerie was dubbed the "Million Dollar Miracle Bra."

It was modeled for the Victoria's Secret catalog and advertisements, such as the massive one displayed in New York City.

Tyra Banks wore the next one in 1997.

The "Diamond Dream Bra" was much more understated than the original. It was crafted from white satin, lined with diamonds, and had one 42-carat teardrop gem hanging from its center.

Though the bra cost $3 million, it was never modeled on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway — only by Banks at a private event held later.

Gisele Bündchen modeled the "Red Hot Fantasy Bra" in 2000.

The ruby-covered bra and matching panties modeled by Bündchen for a catalog were the most expensive lingerie set created by Victoria's Secret at the time, costing $15 million when they were designed.

Heidi Klum sparkled in 2001 when she donned a less colorful but equally extravagant version of the garment.

Called the "Heavenly Star Fantasy Bra," the sparkling white piece was decorated with 1,200 Sri Lankan pink sapphires, 2,300 round white diamonds arranged in a wave pattern, and a 90-carat diamond at the center.

It cost $12.5 million on its own, making it the most expensive bra in the world at the time, according to the Guinness World Records. It was also the first Fantasy Bra modeled during a televised Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Karolína Kurková was chosen to debut the 2002 "Star of Victoria Fantasy Bra."

The $10 million piece had a floral theme, with 1,150 rubies in the shape of roses, 1,600 emeralds arranged like leaves, and diamonds forming smaller flowers around them.

Like its predecessor, this Fantasy Bra also featured a massive diamond in its center — this one a 60-carat Mouawad Mondera stone.

Klum returned in 2003 with an $11 million bra that took 370 hours to make.

Dubbed the "Very Sexy Fantasy Bra," the 2003 design was a chainmail-style piece made from a mix of 2,809 white diamonds, yellow-orange sapphires, rhodolites, and amethysts.

It also featured the Mouawad Excelsior Diamond —a 69-carat piece cut from the second-largest diamond in the world — hanging from its center.

Likely because it was see-through, Klum modeled it on the runway over a standard red bra.

The "Sexy Splendor Fantasy Bra" took center stage in 2005.

Modeled by Gisele Bündchen, the see-through piece cost $12.5 million and was crafted from 22 rubies and 2,900 pavé-set diamonds in a floral pattern.

Hanging from its middle strap was the 101-carat Mouawad Splendor Diamond pendant.

Kurková modeled her second Fantasy Bra in 2006.

The "Hearts on Fire Fantasy Bra" was one of the most dazzling ever seen on the Victoria's Secret runway.

Valued at $6.5 million, the silver bra was covered in tiny diamonds from its straps to its cups. It also had two thin straps in the middle, with a 10-carat flower-shaped pendant hanging from them.

Victoria's Secret put a holiday twist on the famous lingerie in 2007.

The diamond-covered, $4.5 million "Very Sexy Holiday" bra — modeled by Selita Ebanks — stood out thanks to the rubies, emeralds, and yellow sapphires arranged in the shape of holly across its cups.

Its Mouawad gems totaled 1,662.51 carats.

Victoria's Secret fans saw the dark side of the Fantasy Bra in 2008.

Adriana Lima modeled the $5 million "Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra."

It was covered in black diamonds and had strings of rubies and white diamonds across it, for a total of 3,900 gems.

Victoria's Secret kept the edgy aesthetic going in 2009.

The black "Harlequin Fantasy Bra" modeled by Marisa Miller was lined with white diamonds and decorated with brown gems in crisscross patterns — the work of Italian jeweler Damiani.

The $3 million piece also included a 16-carat heart-shaped diamond hanging from its center.

The Fantasy Bra returned to its roots in 2010.

Lima modeled the "Bombshell Fantasy Bra," a $2 million semi-sheer garment set with 3,000 diamonds, sapphires, and topaz stones, in shapes inspired by stars and constellations.

It took 1,500 hours for Damiani to create the piece.

The 2011 "Fantasy Treasure Bra" was blue and lined with pearls.

Modeled by Miranda Kerr, the $2.5 million bra — designed by London Jewelers of New York — was covered in a mix of 3,400 diamonds, citrines, aquamarines, and pearls, the latter of which were also strung in rows beneath its cups.

Like other Fantasy Bras before it, the 2011 piece featured massive white and yellow diamonds, each weighing around 8 carats, that hung from its center.

Alessandra Ambrosio was selected to walk the 2012 runway in the "Floral Fantasy Bra."

Another London Jewelers of New York creation, the peach-colored bra was valued at $2.5 million.

It had amethysts, sapphires, rubies, and diamonds in the shape of flowers set in 18-karat pink and yellow gold, as well as a 20-carat radiant-cut diamond hanging from a sparkling pendant.

The "Royal Fantasy Bra" was worn by Candice Swanepoel in 2013.

Designed by Mouawad, the "Royal Fantasy Bra" featured 5,400 multicolored gems — a mix of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires — and 18-karat yellow gold.

Its center stone, adorned with a diamond bow, was a 52-carat pear-shaped ruby.

The next year was the first and only time Victoria's Secret created two Fantasy Bras.

Crafted over 1,380 hours by Mouawad artists, the "Dream Angels Fantasy Bras" stood out in 2014 thanks to an array of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and multicolored gems over 18-karat gold.

Adriana Lima modeled the blue version, and Alessandra Ambrosio modeled the red. Each cost $2 million.

The 2015 Fantasy Bra, modeled by Lily Aldridge, had a summer flair.

Called the "Fireworks Fantasy Bra," the $2 million piece was covered in 6,808 gemstones.

White diamonds covered its cups, while multicolored sapphires, garnets, amethysts, topazes, tourmalines, peridots, quartzes, citrines, and tsavorites were used to create the firework-esque swirls across them.

Jasmine Tookes dazzled in the 2016 "Bright Night Fantasy Bra."

Created over 700 hours by Aziz and Walid Mouzannar, the $3 million bra was one of the most luxurious ever made for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

The geometric piece featured 9,000 round-cut diamonds and emeralds in clusters, creating a cutout effect across its cups. 

Lais Ribeiro sported the "Champagne Nights Fantasy Bra" in 2017.

This $2 million piece was created with 6,000 white diamonds, yellow sapphires, and blue topazes.

While the bra featured a signature stone hanging from its center — a giant blue topaz — its golden collar with a second loose gem was unique.

Elsa Hosk modeled the Fantasy Bra created by Victoria's Secret in 2018, before the brand took a hiatus from the runway.

Designed by Atelier Swarovski, the $1 million "Dream Angels Fantasy Bra" was a netted bralette covered in 2,100 tiny diamonds.

It also had diamond-encrusted rope straps and a matching body chain that sat across it.

Kylie Jenner brought the Fantasy Bra back to the Victoria's Secret runway in 2026.

Jenner walked the runway in the much-anticipated bra, designed by Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co., to the cheers of Kris Jenner and Timothée Chalamet.

Arabo said ahead of the show that it was his goal to create "the most expensive Fantasy Bra ever made," and he delivered.

The bra was made entirely of diamonds and gold, unlike bras from past years that had a fabric base. It was made of 4,410 diamonds in total, including a 75.54-carat Natural Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond hanging from the center, as Victoria's Secret shared on Instagram after the show.

The 2026 Fantasy Bra took over 1,000 hours to make and is worth a whopping $50 million.

Whether I'm camping or off the grid, a portable power station is my preferred way to stay charged up. But eventually, the battery runs out. I've found that one of the best ways to recharge small tech gadgets is with a solar panel. The exceptionally lightweight and portable Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air has become my favorite tool for keeping my phone and essential devices topped off off-grid.

Unlike power banks, solar panels don't store power; they convert sunlight into usable energy in real time. Weighing under two pounds and folding down to the footprint of a book, this panel is built specifically for portability. It features a rugged IP68 waterproof rating, operates in extreme temperatures, and has direct USB-A and USB-C charging ports, making it an ideal companion for backpackers, campers, and field creators who need reliable power without added weight.

What I liked

An ultra-portable solar panel that weighs under two pounds

Unlike most rigid and bulky solar panels, the Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air consists of four panels that fold down to a portable size — about 1 inch thick, with the footprint of a standard sheet of paper — that easily slips into a backpack. It only weighs about two pounds, and it comes with four mounting rivets and two carabiners to hang it off a backpack while hiking or attach it to the side of a tent while camping. Since it's only about three feet long when unfolded, it sits well on my backpack without getting in the way.

On top of its portability, Jackery made this solar panel a cinch to use. Jackery included a solar charging cable with both a USB-A and USB-C port inside the box that can directly recharge devices from the solar panel, like phones, camera batteries, flashlights, and portable speakers. There's also an adapter to recharge Jackery power stations via the solar panel and an accessory pouch to hold the cables.

Jackery added a bullseye indicator to the solar panel to help get maximum sun exposure. Once the shaded dot lands in the middle of the bullseye, you know the panel is positioned correctly to maximize sun exposure and will deliver the highest wattage output. While it has the rivets for hanging, it doesn't have a kickstand to angle it in the sun. I typically draped it over a camping chair or found something sturdy to prop it up.

The SolarSaga 40W Air gets bonus points for being a bifacial model. Instead of absorbing light only from the front, the solar panel can absorb sunlight from both sides to deliver maximum power. Light reflected off the ground, snow, or surroundings can help to get the maximum 40 watts.

A 40W solution for recharging small devices

As long as you have access to full sun, the SolarSaga will pull in 40 watts of power. That's enough to recharge smaller gadgets in almost the same amount of time as it would take with standard wall power at home. The USB-C port outputs up to 15W and the USB-A port up to 12W. On the SolarSaga, my Google Pixel 8 recharged in about 100 minutes—only 20 minutes slower than plugging into a standard wall outlet at home.

Many small devices need under 40W, like e-readers, earbuds, and camping accessories like walkie-talkies. Bigger tech items like laptops or more powerful phones like the iPhone 17 Pro need more than 40W for fast charging. Using only 40W from the Jackery will result in longer recharge times compared to plugging into a wall outlet. Instead, I use the solar panel to charge a portable power bank that can power higher-wattage devices like laptops.

What I didn't love

The most obvious drawback is the maximum 40W input. This low amount is suitable for recharging small devices but struggles with larger ones. When testing the solar panel, it recharged my phone in the same amount of time as when plugged into the wall. It was a different story when I went to recharge the Jackery Explorer 600 Plus portable power station, which has a capacity of 632Wh. With the full 40W of solar input, it would take 15 hours to charge from 26% battery capacity back to 100% in direct sunlight. However, the Explorer 600 Plus is designed for a more powerful solar panel. It's rated to recharge from 0 to 100% in four hours with a 200W solar panel.

My other complaint about the SolarSaga 40W Air is that the solar panel itself gets hot to the touch when left out in the sun. At times, it's been hard for me to fold it up and touch the metal snaps to pack it up. That happened even after it sat in the intense Georgia sun for only about 15 minutes.

How I tested

To test the Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air, I packed it along for a weekend camping trip and a day hike at my local park and have continued to use it on three camping trips. I also used it as much as possible outside, in the yard, to check recharge times and power input. I was happy to find that the panel could easily draw the stated 40W when I placed it in full sun. Even when the bullseye was slightly misaligned, I could get about 38W of input.

I used the panel to recharge my phone, portable power stations, a device aimed at repelling mosquitoes, and an Ember mug.

Alternatives to consider

The $80 Anker PS30 solar panel is a more affordable alternative. The dimensions and weight are almost identical to the $109 Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air, but the Anker has a smaller input, maxing out at 30W.

But if you don't need a solar panel small enough to fit in a backpack, going with a larger, higher-output model might make more sense. The Jackery SolarSaga 100 Air offers over twice the solar input wattage but is still small and light enough to take camping or pack along on an RV trip.

If you're not planning to travel with a solar panel and instead want one for your emergency kit or for use in the yard, even larger models, such as 200W or 400W, offer better performance. As a general rule of thumb, the more power a solar panel can provide, the more expensive it is. Larger panels also don't support USB-A or USB-C charging directly, which is what gives the Solar Saga 40W Air an edge for small devices.

The bottom line

With a focus on durability and portability, I love packing along the Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air on outdoor adventures. It's small enough to tuck into my backpack, and powerful enough to recharge my phone with sunlight. Plus, it's much lighter than packing a power bank or a portable power station.

Buy if: you need a lightweight, compact way to recharge small devices. It also works well for recharging larger items like portable power stations as long as you're not in a hurry.

Skip if you don't need a compact solar panel; you can get a larger, more powerful model for a similar price. For example, the 100W Renogy solar panel costs $124.99 and delivers over twice the power and recharge capacity.

Jackery SolarSaga FAQs

What devices can you charge with the Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air?

Beyond smartphones, the panel's 40W output and direct USB-A and USB-C ports can power small trail electronics like handheld GPS units, satellite messengers, smartwatches, headlamps, camera batteries, e-readers, headphones, and camping fans. It's also ideal for topping off small 10,000-20,000 mAh power banks during the day to power larger devices later.

Is the Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air fully waterproof?

The Jackery SolarSaga 40W Air comes with an IP68 rating, meaning it's both water- and dust-proof. It'll be fine to leave outside and be exposed to morning dew or rain. It's also fine in humid environments. However, it's not suitable for submersion in water, and it will not charge if there is cloud cover and no direct sunlight.

• Saudi Arabia is postponing the "Future Investment Initiative" conference, which was set for later this month.
• The announcement came as fighting has renewed between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
• The conference, which was set to return Wall Street titans to Riyadh, will now take place next year.

Saudi Arabia has postponed a gathering of Wall Street titans as instability spreads across the Middle East amid the US-Iran War.

On Monday, Princess Maha Bint Mishari Al Saud announced that officials were postponing the Future Investment Initiative, which was scheduled for October 26 through the 29th until next year.

"This decision comes from a deep commitment to our partners, members, speakers, and delegates," Princess Maha said in a statement. "Because this is our landmark tenth edition, we want to ensure it delivers the full scale, extraordinary quality, and unforgettable impact that our community has come to expect and truly deserves."

The postponement comes after a recent attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, which left at least 13 people dead, the Associated Press reported. Before the announcement, CNBC reported that some delegates were prepared to land in Bahrain and then drive around five hours to Riyadh.

The conference, which has become a major gathering since its launch in 2017, was set to feature the likes of Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.

"We will announce the new 2027 dates very soon," the statement said.

Houthi rebels have attacked Saudi Arabia in recent weeks as an informal 2022 truce between the two sides deteriorated amid the US-Iran War. In 2015, Saudi Arabia began a bombing campaign against the rebels after they seized Sanaa, Yemen's capital.

• The tech world is buzzing with thoughts about the fresh Elizabeth Holmes doc.
• From "sympathetic" to "uncanny" to "innovative" to "boring — the film is inspiring huge reactions.
• If you haven't seen it, don't worry. We're holding the movie spoilers.

Elizabeth Holmes is back on the silver screen, and the tech world has has thoughts.

Holmes, the disgraced Theranos founder, is the subject of Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's new documentary, "You Can See Everything."

Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors after her blood-testing startup falsely claimed it could run hundreds of diagnostic tests from a small amount of blood. She has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Since the film's theatrical release on Friday (it grossed an impressive $15 million in its opening weekend), people who work in and around tech have been sharing their reactions.

And don't worry if you haven't seen the film yet: We're keeping it spoiler-free.

Holmes' legacy

Audiences can't pin down how they feel about the film's central characters.

John Loeber, a San Francisco-based investor and the former CEO of Limit, said the film brought him back to a 2019 party when he ran into Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans.

"Double take. She's not in jail?" he wrote Saturday on X about the encounter. Seeing them on screen was equally "uncanny."

"I have never before seen a movie where I have personally met the leading cast. And I was not prepared for the level of surprise and weirdness in seeing their faces — especially Billy, whom I had not thought about in seven years — on the big screen," he wrote.

Nick White, a former software engineer turned YouTube and Kick streamer, said the film reminded him of "why I left the tech industry."

"There are so many narcissistic, delusional morons in that industry who genuinely believe they're geniuses," he wrote on X.

Last week, ahead of the doc's release, a tech crowd got a sneak peek of the doc at a Manhattan movie theatre rented out by AI startup Extend — Business Insider reporter Henry Chandonnet was there.

That audience couldn't settle on what to make of Holmes, either. Some said she had become a meme. Others called her an utter psychopath, while one attendee said the film had unexpectedly made Holmes seem sympathetic.

Mostly 'great,' a few 'boring'

There's a range of feelings about the film itself.

Songwriter Grimes — whose own artistic career has circled Silicon Valley — called the film "innovative" and called the movie's second half "artistic futurism."

The pseudonymous X user roon, who runs a well-followed techno-optimist Substack from Silicon Valley, called Fielder's filmmaking talent "almost incomprehensible" — but said he was wasting it on "some quite boring subject matter."

John Carreyrou, the former Wall Street Journal investigative reporter whose investigation helped expose Theranos, disagrees. He called it "a great film."

Carreyrou also wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, published on Sunday, about his jealousy around the Fielder and Oppenheim's access to Holmes — and his own worries about personal safety.

But the film, he wrote, is the "#BestPicture," he wrote on X, referencing its early Oscar buzz.

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expanding NYC's free 2-K program, adding 10,000 more seats across the city.
• New York's under-five population dropped post-pandemic, spurred by high childcare and housing costs.
• For parents to comfortably afford childcare in New York, they need to make $300,000.

As families flee cities across the country in search of more affordable housing and childcare, New York City is angling to keep its youngest residents.

On Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that 10,000 more seats under his signature free childcare for two-year-olds program will be covered in fall 2027. Under the expansion, all of the Bronx and Staten Island's school districts will be eligible.

"For far too many New York City families, the joy of welcoming a child comes with a terrifying set of questions: How will I afford child care? Will I need to give up my job? Will I be forced to leave the city I love?" Mamdani said in a statement. "Today, for 10,000 more families, we have an answer."

Those affordability questions loom large for urban parents around the country. Cities including New York have seen their under-five population fall since the onset of the pandemic.

Between April 2020 and July 2024, the population of children under five fell by 18% in New York City, per an analysis from the Economic Innovation Group. That population collapsed by 15% in San Francisco, 15% in Chicago's Cook County, and 14% in Los Angeles County over the same period. Lowering childcare costs, a key plank of Mamdani's platform, was one area where even CEOs agreed with the socialist.

In New York, families with kids under six were more than twice as likely to leave the city as families without younger children, according to a Fiscal Policy Institute analysis.

The share of two-year-olds in New York City's population fell as families fled the city during the pandemic, before rebounding somewhat in 2024 and 2025.

For parents still in the city, childcare costs for toddlers in care centers reached $23,400 annually in 2024, per an analysis from the comptroller's office. That means a New York family would have to earn at least $334,000 to pay only 7% of their family income for childcare, the federal definition of affordable.

The new 2-K program, which has reportedly faced implementation problems including funding and payment delays, initially targeted a handful of districts based on economic need and childcare demand.

Even as providers wrangle with funding issues and the program's rollout, children across the city recently started their first days in 2-K. At a Friends of Crown Heights center in Brooklyn, mother Jessica Arroyo said it meant "everything" to have her daughter accepted into 2-K.

"I can work in peace," Arroyo said. "She can learn, make new friends."

Are you a New Yorker or childcare provider involved with 2-K? Share your story with this reporter at jkaplan@businessinsider.com.

• Netflix's film chief Dan Lin is out after two years.
• He's the latest top exec to exit following a 6% cut at the streamer, its biggest since 2022.
• New content chief Peter Rice will oversee film until a successor to Lin is announced.

Film head Dan Lin is out at Netflix, the latest exec to be ousted in the wake of the streamer's biggest layoff since 2022.

Lin was hired as film chair in 2024 with a mandate to bring greater cost discipline and variety to Netflix's films, which had focused on big-budget output under his predecessor, Scott Stuber. Lin cut big upfront paychecks to actors, reduced staff, and reorganized his department. He oversaw a slate that included Oscar-winning "KPop Demon Hunters," "Happy Gilmore 2," and "Frankenstein."

Lin's exit is the latest big shocker at Netflix. Also out in recent days was chief content officer Bela Bajaria, who was replaced by Hollywood veteran Peter Rice, a former exec at Disney and Fox.

Rice will oversee film until a new head is announced, Netflix said in a statement confirming Lin's departure.

Last week, Netflix laid off 1,000 employees, or about 6% of global head count. That was the streamer's largest cull since 2022, when the company lost subscribers for the first time in more than a decade.

The streaming giant has been hampered by slowing engagement growth and a stock price that has declined more than 40% over the past year. The streamer is contending with the rise of free, ad-supported streaming led by YouTube and the popularity of social video. In recent months, Netflix has turned to podcasters and creators to bulk up its library.

Netflix is set to report third-quarter earnings after the bell on Tuesday.

• WalletHub released a report ranking the safest cities in the US.
• The ranking analyzed 182 US cities based on 41 safety indicators across three categories.
• Juneau, Alaska, was ranked the safest city in the US, while New Orleans was ranked the least safe.

DOUBLE CHECK WE EMAILED THE BOTTOM 10

American cities face a range of safety concerns, and the risks can vary significantly depending on location.

In some cities, natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods pose the greatest threats to locals. In others, safety concerns may instead center on financial security or the overall safety of homes and communities.

WalletHub compared a total of 182 cities — the 150 largest cities in the US, plus at least two of the most populous cities in every state — to determine the safest and least-safe cities in the US.

WalletHub examined 41 safety indicators across three categories: home and community safety, natural-disaster risk, and financial safety.

To evaluate home and community safety, WalletHub looked at factors including crime rates, traffic and pedestrian fatalities, and the number of emergency responders per capita.

The natural-disaster risk ranking was determined by cities' risk-index scores for natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and wildfires.

The financial safety ranking considered factors such as poverty and unemployment rates, as well as identity theft complaints per capita.

To conduct its analysis, WalletHub looked at data from sources including the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Here are the top 10 safest and least-safe cities in the US.

1. Juneau, Alaska

Out of the 182 cities WalletHub examined, Juneau was ranked the safest city in the US. It ranked 46th in home and community safety, fourth in financial safety, and first in natural-disaster risk.

Juneau featured the lowest murder rate and lowest pedestrian fatality rate, and there have been no recorded terrorist attacks or terrorist-related incidents in the past decade. The risk of natural disasters in Juneau is particularly low, with the second-lowest risk of flooding and tornadoes.

Financially, Juneau has the 21st-lowest percentage of residents below the poverty line.

2. Warwick, Rhode Island

As the second-safest city in the US, Warwick's home and community safety was ranked ninth, its natural-disaster risk was ranked fifth, and its financial safety was ranked 46th.

Warwick had the fourth-lowest number of aggravated assaults per capita and the sixth-lowest number of thefts per capita.

3. Overland Park, Kansas

Overland Park rounded out the top three safest cities in the US, with its home and community safety ranking fourth and its financial safety ranking seventh.

The Kansas City suburb placed 138th in WalletHub's natural-disaster-risk category. The greater Kansas City area had received 88 tornado warnings by June 2026, ABC affiliate KMBC reported.

However, Overland Park had the 19th-lowest pedestrian fatality rate and the 15th-lowest traffic fatality rate among the 182 cities WalletHub analyzed. It also had the 14th-lowest unemployment rate in the country and the third-lowest share of residents who are living in poverty.

4. Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is relatively safe from natural disasters, with its natural-disaster risk ranked third overall. Its financial safety was ranked 24th, and its home and community safety was ranked 43rd.

5. South Burlington, Vermont

South Burlington, Vermont, tied with Burlington for third place in natural-disaster risk. The two cities are only miles apart.

South Burlington's financial safety ranked higher, in sixth place. Its home and community safety ranked lower than Burlington's, at 51st.

6. Virginia Beach, Virginia

WalletHub ranked Virginia Beach 22nd in home and community safety, 10th in natural-disaster risk, and 55th in financial safety.

7. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

In Cedar Rapids, the city's home and community safety ranked 10th, its natural-disaster risk ranked 23rd, and its financial safety ranked 42nd.

8. Casper, Wyoming

Casper's financial safety ranking placed it in the top 10, in ninth place. Its natural-disaster risk ranked 19th, and its home and community safety ranked 32nd.

9. Boise, Idaho

Boise was ranked No. 33rd in home and community safety, 41st in natural-disaster risk, and fifth in financial safety.

10. Yonkers, New York

WalletHub's ranking named Yonkers as the 10th-safest city in the US. Out of 182 cities, it ranked third in home and community safety, 59th in natural-disaster risk, and 108th in financial safety.

Keep reading for the bottom 10 cities, which are ranked the least safe in the US.

173. St. Louis, Missouri

Out of the 182 cities WalletHub examined, St. Louis ranked 177th in home and community safety and 146th in financial safety.

The Missouri city ranked relatively well in its natural-disaster risk ranking, however, coming in at 34th.

174. Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland ranked well in WalletHub's natural-disaster risk rating, coming in at 74th.

In the financial safety category, the city ranked 153rd. The lowest category it was ranked in was the home and community category, ranking 175th.

175. Houston, Texas

Houston's financial safety ranking placed the city 163rd. Its natural-disaster risk ranked 170th, and its home and community safety ranked 171st.

176. Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville was ranked 170th in home and community safety, 177th in natural-disaster risk, and 166th in financial safety.

177. Detroit, Michigan

WalletHub ranked Detroit 173rd in home and community safety and 67th in natural-disaster risk.

It was ranked the least safe city in the US for financial safety, coming in at 182nd.

178. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, the city's home and community safety ranked 176th, its natural-disaster risk ranked 137th, and its financial safety ranked 159th.

179. Memphis, Tennessee

WalletHub ranked Memphis as the second-worst city for financial safety, coming in at 181st, behind Detroit.

The city ranked 179th in home and community safety, and jumped to 60th in the natural-disaster risk category.

180. Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore was ranked 180th in home and community safety. It ranked 174th in financial safety, and performed better in the natural-disaster risk category, placing 106th.

181. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Ranked the second-least-safe city in the US, Baton Rouge came in 181st for home and community safety, 130th for natural-disaster risk, and 144th for financial safety.

182. New Orleans, Louisiana

Out of the 182 cities WalletHub examined, New Orleans is considered the least safe city in the US, largely due to its home and community safety, where it ranked the least safe, and its financial safety, where it ranked 172nd.

As a hurricane-prone city, New Orleans ranked better in the natural-disaster risk category, however, coming in at 104th.

• There was a lot to see at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Sunday night.
• Kylie Jenner modeled a $50 million bra that featured no fabric.
• Adriana Lima, on the other hand, walked her 21st show at 45 years old.

Los Angeles lived up to its "city of angels" nickname over the weekend.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show went to the West Coast this year and was hosted at Sony Pictures Studios on Sunday night. Gigi Hadid, Candice Swanepoel, and other iconic models all hit the runway.

Of course, there were lots of lingerie and athleisure looks on the red carpet, too.

Still, you might not have caught some of the night's best details — like the significance of certain outfits and the celebrities who made surprise appearances.

Here's what you might have missed.

Kylie Jenner modeled the 2026 Fantasy Bra, which is worth $50 million and features zero fabric.

For the first time since 2018, Victoria's Secret sent a Fantasy Bra down the runway at its famed fashion show.

It collaborated with jewelers Jacob and Co. to create the one-of-a-kind piece, which took over 1,000 hours and 15 artisans to make.

On Instagram, Jacob and Co. said the bra features 4,410 diamonds totaling 1,373 carats. One of those is the brand's 75.54-carat natural Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond, which hangs in the middle of the bra.

It's valued at $50 million, which makes it the most expensive Fantasy Bra ever shown on the Victoria's Secret runway.

It was also a massive surprise that Jenner, 29, who never previously walked for Victoria's Secret, had the honor of wearing the special piece. It's usually reserved for veteran models of the show.

Barbara Palvin walked the runway six weeks postpartum.

Palvin walked her fifth Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Sunday — and it was one of her most impressive appearances.

The 33-year-old model delivered her first child, a son, six weeks earlier, as she and her husband Dylan Sprouse announced on Instagram in September.

Backstage at the show, Palvin told People that it was "empowering" to walk the runway, but also "not that big of a deal."

"I'm going to be six weeks postpartum tomorrow, which I think in the US most people have to go back after six weeks," she told the publication.

It's also not the first time Palvin has walked the runway after a major health event. In 2025, her husband revealed that she'd broken her foot four weeks earlier and still walked the runway in heels.

Dylan Sprouse cheered Palvin on from the audience.

The former "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" actor, who married Palvin in 2023, was seen in videos applauding and cheering for his wife as she walked the runway.

He's made memorable appearances at past Victoria's Secret shows as well, including one time in 2018 when he brought burgers to the model backstage after the show.

Adriana Lima made history by walking in her 21st Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

You couldn't miss Lima as she walked the runway in a lime-green, lace one-piece with a plunging neckline and waist cutouts. She also wore green sandals, jewelry, and a pink floral back piece.

The 45-year-old model first walked for the brand in 1999 and was named an Angel in 2000. She's since walked while pregnant, and in three different Fantasy Bras.

Though she technically retired from the show in 2018, Lima returned when the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show made its comeback in 2024.

Elsa Hosk wore the night's biggest Angel wings.

Hosk, 37, stepped onto the runway wearing a sheer, beige bodysuit and massive Angel wings made from brown feathers and flowing gold fabric.

On Instagram, the model confirmed they were the biggest wings worn on the 2026 runway.

"Thank you for trusting me and letting this new mama walk with the most gorgeous and biggest wings of the show," she wrote across an Instagram story.

Hosk gave birth to her second child, a daughter, at the end of July.

• CoreWeave stock plunged last week on fears about its debt as yields on its bonds surged.
• However, Barclays says the panic is overblown and the wider AI trade is likely fine.
• Analysts made a comparison to SVB, which collapsed in 2023 but did not cause a wider bank crisis.

CoreWeave's bond drama isn't a reason to panic about the health of the wider AI trade.

That's according to Barclays analysts writing in a note on Monday, adding that even if the neocloud infrastructure provider runs into more trouble, investors don't need to fret about more distress to come.

CoreWeave saw its stock plunge last week after the yield on some of its bonds surged to 15%. Yet, Barclays' global research chairman Ajay Rajadhyaksha writes that investors shouldn't be worried, drawing parallels to another major market event that rattled investors, but ultimately proved to be contained in its lasting impact.

"In 2023, markets extrapolated regional bank issues to the US economy," he wrote in a note to investors, referring to the troubles that ultimately took down Silicon Valley Bank in the spring of that year. "It was a mistake. Similarly, investors shouldn't extrapolate recent challenges for CoreWeave debt to a view on the entire AI capex cycle."

The unexpected collapse of Silicon Valley Bank drummed up fears of a wider banking crisis, with investors concerned about a potential for cascade of bank failures sending shockwaves through the financial system.

While spasms in regional bank stocks persisted for weeks, broader fears were ultimately overdone.

"The mistake was in extrapolating from a small, volatile, structurally vulnerable instrument to the entire US economy," he said, adding that investors' barometer for stress, the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF, "was catastrophically wrong as a signal about what came next."

Rajadhyaksha added that the same scenario could be unfolding now, with investors fretting over CoreWeave's bonds and rising borrowing costs as companies continue to fund their AI spending with debt.

"CoreWeave's unsecured bonds are a tiny slice of CoreWeave's capital structure," he said. "CoreWeave's capex is a tiny slice of total AI CapEx. And the hyperscalers doing the vast majority of the spending don't finance it the way CoreWeave does."

Importantly, Rajadhyaksha also argues that the broader trade will likely be fine even if CoreWeave stumbles further.

"So in the most extreme bear scenario — CoreWeave stops spending entirely — we lose about 4-5% of total AI capex. If its spend merely halves, which might be a more realistic downside, the impact is 2%. On a trillion-dollar-plus 2027 estimate, that's $20bn. Not nothing. But not the cycle."

Then there's the issue of the market's "backstop," in this case the biggest AI spenders, which continue to ramp up spending projections and point to resilient demand for compute.

"The AI CapEx cycle does have its own version of a backstop: the fact that Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon collectively need more compute than currently exists," he said.

On Monday, Goldman Sachs issued a fresh vote of confidence amid the debt jitters, upgrading the company's stock to buy from neutral, according to a note viewed by Bloomberg.

• Anthropic said it has been hiring a smaller number of junior technical positions.
• Entry-level hires in technical departments fell from 27% to 9%, the AI company said.
• AI agents have spread across the firm to write code, fix bugs, and handle other tasks.

Anthropic's own data offers a stark warning for entry-level tech employees in an AI-heavy workplace.

The company behind the AI chatbot Claude said in a newly released internal report that it has been hiring for a "smaller share of junior technical positions" as AI agents have been deployed across the firm to write code, fix bugs, and handle other tasks.

By August, Anthropic said its interactive AI agents were logging six hours of work for every hour a human employee logged.

A chart published in the new report titled "How Employment is Changing at Anthropic" shows that junior workers made up 27% of hires in technical departments at the company in early 2025. By June of this year, that number had plummeted to 9%.

The share of junior-level workers in technical departments had also declined over the same period from 21% to 14%, while open roles for junior positions slid to 6% after topping 20% late last year, the chart shows.

That downward trend was less pronounced in non-technical departments, where hiring of junior workers fell from 31% to 26% over the same timeframe, while their share of head count rose from 23% to 25%. Junior job openings in non-technical departments, meanwhile, dropped from 31% to 13%.

Anthropic said the changes came as AI usage inside the company rapidly expanded.

"As AI agents diffused through the company, Anthropic began producing more code per person, closing more sales per rep, and processing more contracts," the report said. "Following the same employee over time, output rose as they adopted new AI tools."

It added, "We find that even as the company grows, relative hiring in junior technical positions has slowed. Productivity for both engineers and non-technical employees has leapt up and did so sharply when they adopted coding agents."

The findings land as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has emerged as one of the tech industry's most prominent voices on how AI could disrupt jobs.

Amodei has repeatedly said that AI may eliminate up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs over the next several years.

"We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming," Amodei said in an interview last year.

• At 55, I thought I would have already figured out where I want to retire in the next few years.
• Instead, I've been living out of suitcases and housesitting in different places to see what I like.
• I still don't know where I will retire, but I do have a much better idea of what I want — and don't.

I always thought I'd be settled somewhere for good by age 55, with a comfortable home, established garden, and chest freezer in the garage.

But after growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, raising my kids in Seattle, and becoming an empty nester, I realized I had no idea where I wanted to settle down.

For the first time in more than 20 years, I suddenly had the freedom to choose where I wanted to live.

So at 52, I started housesitting in exchange for places to stay so I could travel without depleting my savings. I quickly realized how much I enjoyed the nomadic lifestyle and how this gave me the opportunity to test out places I might eventually want to live in.

After a few months, I liked it so much that I gave away almost everything I owned, put the rest in storage, and decided to do it full-time.

That was almost three years ago. Since then, I've lived in dozens of cities, towns, and remote islands, from northern Washington to the southeastern coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

Housesitting has changed my mind about what I thought I wanted

I typically stay in each home for two weeks to three months at a time, which allows me to get to know a new place without signing a lease, buying a house, or committing to a community.

Instead, I chat with locals, visit the library and grocery store, explore nearby nature trails, and try to imagine what it would be like to live there.

I ask myself a lot of questions: Can I tolerate this climate? Do I feel able to connect with this community? Could I live without whatever thing this place might be missing … which is sometimes as simple as my beloved Trader Joe's?

Throughout my stays, I've learned new things about myself and what I really want.

For example, I'd long pictured myself settling in a city since I've spent most of my life in major metropolitan areas.

So, I was thrilled to book a housesitting job right across the street from my old high school in San Francisco. I couldn't wait to walk the same streets I did in my youth and revisit my old haunts.

But the nostalgia wore off quickly, and a $105 street-cleaning ticket reminded me of the hassles of city life. I realized that a noisy, crowded, expensive city isn't where I want to settle after all.

These days, less traffic, more green space, and a slower pace feel more like my style.

After that stint in the city, I went to the other extreme and booked a multi-week housesit on a remote Pacific Northwest island where the closest grocery store was a ferry ride away — long enough to require ice packs and a cooler to get my frozen food home before it defrosted.

At first, I couldn't imagine staying there for more than a few weeks, but I quickly fell in love with the solitude and have returned several times.

I realized that being surrounded by water, going days without talking to another person, hearing owls hoot at night, and watching a mother deer and her fawn wander across the yard made the extra effort of island life worthwhile.

I was willing to plan errands around the ferry schedule and give up some of the conveniences I'd always taken for granted for that kind of peace.

Turns out, I'm more open to living in a remote place than I expected.

Now, I'm rethinking what it means to settle down — and if I'd even stay in the US

I'd also never even considered moving abroad until I booked a five-week housesitting gig for an American woman who had retired in La Paz, Mexico.

I felt inspired by my client's willingness to give up familiar comforts and conveniences to risk starting over in a new country in search of the life she wanted.

Although I'm not sure Mexico is where I want to settle, I loved my time in the Sonoran Desert and haven't ruled out retiring outside of the US. This experience helped me learn what living abroad was really like and realize I'm more capable of making that jump than I ever imagined if it's what I ultimately choose.

After trying out more than 50 locations in three years, I still don't know where I eventually want to retire. But I know I want to be somewhere I can walk in nature, enjoy some solitude without feeling isolated, and engage with a community when I'm ready for company.

Above all, I'm searching for a place that makes me feel at home — even when I'm visiting for the first time.

• France's cost-of-living protests descended into violence and looting over the weekend.
• Hundreds of thousands demonstrated amid growing anger over the cost of living and public services.
• From soaring energy prices to declining incomes, five figures help explain the unrest.

France's growing anger over the cost of living erupted into scenes of looting and violence over the weekend.

While most of the hundreds of thousands of people who demonstrated across the country did so peacefully, clashes broke out between police and some protesters, with officers firing tear gas.

The unrest began as student protests over worsening school conditions, but has since grown into a broader movement fueled by frustration over the unaffordability of life in France.

The financial pressures facing French households are familiar to Americans: surging energy prices, wages struggling to keep pace with inflation, and the difficulty of making ends meet.

Here are four numbers that help explain the financial frustrations driving the protests.

1. The poverty rate is at a 30-year high

INSEE defines monetary poverty as having a standard of living below 60% of the national median, adjusted for household size. In 2024, that threshold was €1,337 a month for someone living alone.

France's monetary poverty rate stood at 15.4% in 2024, its highest level since annual records began in 1996, according to INSEE data published in July. The figures are the latest available because calculating poverty rates requires detailed tax and benefits records, which take time to compile and analyze.

That means around 9.8 million people in mainland France were living below the poverty line.

2. Energy prices are up more than 60% since 2015

It's not just Americans who are grappling with rising energy costs.

Energy prices in France increased by more than 60% between 2015 and the first half of 2026, according to INSEE. Electricity prices rose 43% over that period, while fuel prices were 31% higher at the end of 2025 than in 2015.

As with much of the world, the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz crisis sent fuel prices soaring. By April 2026, fuel prices in France were 30% higher than at the end of 2025, per the INSEE report.

Rising fuel costs were behind French protests in September, and members of that movement have joined students and trade unions in the riots over the past week.

3. Nearly 3 in 10 French people can't afford unexpected expenses

Data from Eurostat, the European Union's statistics agency, shows that 28.8% of people in France lived in households that couldn't afford an unexpected expense without borrowing or seeking financial help in 2025.

France isn't particularly unusual in the wider European context — the EU average was also around 29% — but the figures illustrate the financial insecurity facing almost a third of households as people protest over the cost of living.

4. More than 40% of French people experienced some difficulty making ends meet

More than four in 10 people in France (41.1%) lived in households that reported at least some difficulty making ends meet in 2025, according to Eurostat data.

Of those, 19.4% reported some difficulty, 13.7% reported difficulty, and 8% reported great difficulty, highlighting the widespread financial strain facing French households.