• An Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overshot a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday.
• At least five people were killed in the crash, authorities said.
• NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said on Monday that the plane's black boxes were recovered.

At least five people were killed, and five more injured, authorities said, after an Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, striking multiple vehicles and erupting into a blaze.

Videos from the scene showed a fire and thick black smoke rising from the plane. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a Sunday evening statement that more than 60 of its units and about 200 personnel responded to the incident, arriving to find an airplane with "heavy flames and smoke showing."

At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the engine was shut down, the fire had been contained, and there was no ongoing threat to the public. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

"This is a fast-moving situation, and we're still gathering details," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an X post on Sunday. "We're working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened."

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said during a Monday press conference said the plane struck two vehicles: a Ford Econoline van owned by an airline contract cleaning company with seven people inside, and a Toyota Corolla Cross driving down a nearby road off the airport.

The five people who died were inside the cleaning van, Cordero-Stutz said on Tuesday.

Of the five people who were injured, three were taken to a trauma center, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. The other two were taken to area hospitals.

Homendy also said there was a team of 32 investigators on-site, and that the NTSB has recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, also known as black boxes, which are actually colored orange.

"There's fuel everywhere that will have to be remediated, but then they are also removing fuel from the aircraft, so we have to allow that to occur," Homendy said. "And as we speak, recovery operations continue. The recovery of victims is most important."

In a subsequent Tuesday evening presser, Homendy shared details of the aircraft's pilots. The 55-year-old captain had over 7,000 hours of flying experience and received his type rating for the Boeing 767 in May, she said. The first officer, 37, had about 2,600 hours of flying experience and received his type rating in April 2025.

At the presser, NTSB's lead investigator for the crash, Chihoon Shin, talked about the last 30 seconds of the plane's recording, leading up to the plane overshooting the runway.

Shin said the brakes were applied once the plane's right landing gear touched down; its left touched down seconds after. The brakes were then released about 15 seconds before the recording ended, and Shin said the throttles were increased to levels "consistent with go-around thrust."

Then, 11 seconds before the recording ended, the brakes were applied again. At the end of the recording, the plane was still traveling at 65 knots, or about 74 miles per hour.

Homendy added that NTSB would release a readout of the cockpit voice recorder on Wednesday.

What we know about the plane and the crash so far

The plane took off from Puerto Rico at noon and reached Miami around 2 p.m., according to data from the aviation tracking website Flightradar24. The website also showed the plane was traveling at 112 knots as it exited the usable part of the runway and the perimeter fence, ultimately going about 1,300 feet past the pavement into an area where Tesla robotaxis were stationed. Weather data shows there were thunderstorms and gusting winds at the time of the crash.

The plane involved was a Boeing 767-300 freighter, registered as N1997A, and first delivered as a passenger jet in 1994 to the now-defunct Belgian airline Sobelair. It passed through several more airlines before being converted into a freighter by a third party — not Boeing — and re-entering service in 2016. That means it had been operated and maintained by multiple companies over three decades before Sunday's crash.

"Boeing extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the accident in Miami," Boeing said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to those injured and affected by this tragedy. Boeing is supporting the investigation led by the U.S National Transportation Safety Board."

Homendy said a key piece of the investigation will be whether an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS), a crushable material placed at the ends of runways to help stop overrun planes, would have helped in this crash.

Miami does not have EMAS because its runways have FAA-standard runway safety areas extending 1,000 feet beyond the runway ends. Airports that cannot meet the standard, often because of nearby roads, waterways, or other obstacles, can install EMAS as an alternative.

FAA data show that about 120 runway ends at roughly 70 airports in the US have EMAS installed, and that EMAS has stopped 26 planes carrying nearly 500 people to date.

The plane was left disabled at the northwest end of the airport. The airport has since partially reopened, but as of Tuesday, two of its four runways remain closed. Passengers should expect delays of at least 5 hours, according to the FAA.

Describing the scene, Homendy said the crash left behind fuel, skid marks, and debris, calling it "devastating." Miami-Dade First Rescue said on Sunday that firefighters had "encountered a complex engine compartment fire and used foam from specialized airport firefighting units to extinguish the flames."

"The Crews also conducted search and rescue operations for the pilots and co-pilots inside the cockpit while locating and assessing patients throughout the scene," the agency added.

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue radio transmissions recorded on Broadcastify, first responders scrambled to attain a reliable water supply as they sought to control the fire on the plane. A command dispatcher repeatedly asked first responders to enter the plane, according to the recordings.

"I need you to start making entry with your crew so we can shut down the engine," the command dispatcher said, according to the recordings. "I believe the pilots are out of the aircraft."

A first responder said in the recordings that one pilot was with him in a parking lot. Another first responder said that the pilot was talking with firefighters at the scene to show them how to shut down the engine. The fire was largely extinguished by 2:08 p.m.

This is the second 767 cargo plane to crash in Amazon's Prime Air network. In 2019, an Atlas Air freighter flying on behalf of Amazon crashed into Trinity Bay near Houston, killing the three people on board. The NTSB said the cause of that accident was in-flight loss of control due to pilot error.

• An AI researcher has left Anthropic, warning that AI labs have been reckless towards safety risks.
• "Neither company is acting responsibly," he wrote in a departure note.
• OpenAI and Anthropic have been facing resignations over concerns about AI advancement safety.

An Anthropic researcher who previously worked at OpenAI just quit. He's the latest insider who's warned that the AI race has become dangerously reckless.

Jacob Coxon announced his resignation from Anthropic on Tuesday, saying he had spent the past three years doing pre-training research at the two AI giants.

"Neither company is acting responsibly," Coxon wrote on X. "They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives."

Coxon was a member of OpenAI's technical staff from 2023 until July 2026, when he moved to Anthropic as a researcher. His research at OpenAI included work on GPT-4o.

In Tuesday's post, Coxon said the two labs have not been transparent about their fears regarding AI.

"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt," he wrote. "If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible — but I hear the same people express fear privately."

There is one difference between the two companies, he said.

"At OpenAI, many have not deeply internalized the civilizational stakes," Coxon wrote. "At Anthropic, the stakes are well-understood, but they are locked in a race to get there first — they believe no one else will act responsibly, so they must do it themselves, despite the risk."

Evan Hubinger, a current Anthropic employee who leads the alignment stress testing team at the lab, agreed with Coxon in a reply to his post.

"Jacob is correct here—we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans! I personally think it is >10% within the next decade," he wrote. "I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to."

OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Safety has taken a 'backseat to shiny products'

Coxon is the latest among staffers walking away from frontier labs while sounding the alarm, a trend that appears peculiar to the AI boom.

While the dot-com and smartphone explosion era had their own set of concerns regarding a digital divide and bubbles, they did not draw as much scrutiny about safety from people closest to the action.

OpenAI has lost a string of safety researchers in recent years, and Anthropic is increasingly facing the same phenomenon.

In February, Anthropic safeguards researcher Mrinank Sharma left the company, writing in a resignation letter that he wants to contribute toward something that fully aligns with his "integrity."

"Throughout my time here, I've repeatedly seen how hard it is to truly let our values govern our actions," he wrote in the letter he shared publicly. "I've seen this within myself, within the organization, where we constantly face pressures to set aside what matters most, and throughout broader society too."

In February, OpenAI researcher Hieu Pham said that he could "finally feel the existential threat that AI is posing." Later that month, he announced he was leaving the company, citing burnout.

In 2024, former alignment chief Jan Leike quit OpenAI after saying he reached a "breaking point" with leadership.

"OpenAI is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity," he wrote. "But over the past years, safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products."

Recent incidents have added fuel to those fears.

In July, OpenAI disclosed that models escaped a test environment and hacked into Hugging Face's systems. OpenAI called the incident a "warning shot" and paused its largest planned frontier reinforcement-learning run.

Later that month, Anthropic said it found three cases of Claude models gaining unauthorized access to other organizations' systems.

The company also amended a key safety pledge this year, dropping a commitment not to train more powerful models without adequate safeguards in place and replacing it with safety roadmaps and risk reports.

• The yen's surge is reviving memories of the market-rattling carry-trade unwind of summer 2024.
• AI winners like Nvidia and AMD could get sold if the yen's rise forces investors to unwind bets.
• A stronger yen could squeeze Japanese companies like Toyota and Sony that rely heavily on overseas sales.

The Japanese yen is surging, reviving an uncomfortable memory for investors: the carry-trade turmoil of the summer of 2024.

Early on Wednesday, a dollar bought about 153 yen, about 4% fewer than at the start of the month and 2% fewer than at the start of the year as the Japanese currency strengthened. The currency pair had surged to a four-decade high near 164 in late July.

The rally matters well beyond the currency market. For years, investors have borrowed cheaply in yen and put the money into higher-yielding currencies and riskier assets around the world.

A rapidly strengthening yen can make those trades unprofitable and prompt investors to unwind positions, potentially triggering selling across stocks and bonds.

"When investors have to sell in a hurry to cover a currency bet gone wrong, they sell whatever they hold, and that can mean stocks, bonds and funds that ordinary savers are invested in too, often through their pension or their workplace retirement plan," said Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, a financial advisory firm, on Tuesday.

That is how a sharp move in the yen can ripple into the portfolios of investors who have never traded the currency.

5 ways the yen rally could hit your portfolio

1. AI winners could become a source of cash

One place the fallout could show up is in some of the market's biggest AI winners.

Nvidia, Broadcom, AMD, and TSMC, along with memory makers such as Micron, could be vulnerable if the yen's rally triggers forced deleveraging, Charu Chanana, Saxo's chief investment strategist, wrote in a note Tuesday.

The issue isn't necessarily their fundamentals, but their strong performance and crowded ownership, which make them an obvious source of cash when leveraged investors need to sell quickly, Chanana wrote.

2. Bonds and rate-sensitive stocks could face a less obvious squeeze

Bonds and rate-sensitive stocks could come under pressure

Bonds are another channel through which the yen's rally could ripple through portfolios.

Japanese bonds have already been selling off, pushing the benchmark 10-year yield their highest level in three decades. Higher yields at home, coupled with a stronger yen, could give Japanese investors more incentive to bring money back from overseas.

That could mean selling foreign bonds, potentially pushing global long-term yields higher and putting pressure on rate-sensitive stocks such as REITs, utilities, and infrastructure companies, Chanana wrote.

A decisive break below 152 yen per dollar could accelerate the yen's rally and force more traders to cover short positions, Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial, wrote on Tuesday.

That could "reignite the yen carry trade unwind risk," with ripple effects across global assets, including US Treasurys, Turnquist added.

3. High-priced software and momentum stocks could get squeezed

Expensive software and momentum stocks are another potential pressure point.

Palantir and Snowflake are among the names that could be vulnerable if the yen's rally triggers broader deleveraging, Chanana wrote.

The greatest risk is among businesses that combine high valuations with weak free cash flow or recurring financing needs, she added.

4. Small caps and leveraged companies could feel tighter financial conditions

Smaller, more leveraged companies are another potential pressure point.

The Russell 2000, along with smaller regional banks, retailers, airlines, and lower-quality industrial companies, could be vulnerable if the yen rally triggers broader deleveraging, Chanana wrote.

These companies tend to have thinner liquidity and greater refinancing needs, which can amplify losses when financial conditions tighten, she added.

5. Japanese exporters could take an earnings hit

Japan's major exporters are another potential pressure point — and many are heavyweight stocks in the country's equity market.

A stronger yen reduces the value of their overseas earnings when translated back into yen and can make Japanese-made goods less competitive abroad.

Toyota, Honda, Sony, Tokyo Electron, and Advantest are among the companies that could be vulnerable, Chanana wrote.

Weakness in such large Japanese stocks could also weigh on Japan-focused ETFs and international funds that hold them.

The ugly echo of 2024

The memory of summer 2024 is what makes the latest move unnerving.

On August 5, 2024, the Nikkei 225 plunged 12.4% in its biggest one-day rout since the 1987 Black Monday crash, as a stronger yen and rapid carry-trade unwinding compounded fears over the US economy following a Bank of Japan rate hike days earlier.

This time, the policy backdrop is different. The US and Japan jointly intervened in the currency market on July 31 to support the yen, while markets are also pricing further BOJ tightening.

Still, this isn't August 2024 redux — at least not yet.

The yen's recent move has been driven mainly by domestic Japanese factors, while emerging-market assets and carry trades have remained resilient, Michael Wan, a senior currency analyst at MUFG, wrote Wednesday.

But the risk of a broader unwind hasn't disappeared.

"Despite short-term fundamentals suggesting the move is overdone, it remains risky to stand in its way, particularly given the scope for further carry trade unwinding," strategists at ING wrote Tuesday.

• Agility Robotics has real-world deployments of humanoid robots that move and pick up totes.
• The company said in its filing that one robot could cost a customer about $200,000.
• Agility's next-gen robot could operate for 20 hours within a 24-hour period, the company said.

How much would it cost to employ a humanoid robot in a factory?

Agility Robotics gave us one of the clearest answers yet.

In a securities filing on Tuesday, the Oregon-based robotics company provided a glimpse into the economics behind its two-legged robot, Digit.

Under one business model outlined in the filing, a customer buying the company's next-generation Digit v5 would pay about $200,000 for the robot itself, plus a roughly $20,000 onetime deployment fee. Afterward, software and maintenance would run about $36,000 a year per bot.

Add that up over a five-year "useful life of Digit" assumed by Agility, and the tab for one humanoid robot comes to about $400,000.

The figures are "illustrative" estimates that Agility used to model Digit's economics, and do not reflect the cost a real-life customer would pay.

The company wrote in the filing that contracts are subject to negotiation. Agility also didn't say that Digit would stop working after five years — only that it assumed a five-year useful life period for the purpose of its model.

Still, Agility says the math could work out in a customer's favor pretty quickly.

"Based on our current planning assumptions, Digit v5 is expected to achieve customer breakeven in approximately 1.1 years," the filing said, citing productivity, uptime, and availability of workers as factors in its calculation.

The company didn't break down the math on the returns. Agility did not respond to a request for comment.

Agility said in the filing that its robot is designed to operate for about 20 hours within a 24-hour period, meaning customers can squeeze more work out of the robots. The Digit can lift up to 50 pounds, the company said.

Agility's Digit v4 has been deployed at nine customer facilities, including Scaheffler, GXO, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, and Amazon.

Cofounder Jonathan Hurst previously told Business Insider in July that Digit's tasks today are relatively simple, such as picking and moving bins and totes.

Agility said it expects to release the next-gen v5 robot later this year.

Few robotics companies have disclosed prices on their humanoids. China's Unitree Robotics advertises its G1 humanoid starting at $13,500, but the company's robots are primarily used for research and development rather than in industrial settings.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at lloydlee@businessinsider.com or Signal at lloydlee.71. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Clarence Koh, 30, lives in Singapore and works remotely for a US-based company.
• He moved his workday to the night to better match his team's schedule.
• Three years in, he says the flexibility still comes with challenges.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Clarence Koh, 30, a software engineer who lives in Singapore but works US hours. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When I was studying computer science at a university in Singapore, I joined a one-year overseas work-and-study program meant to encourage entrepreneurship.

I was supposed to spend the year in Toronto, taking classes at a host university while interning at a startup. But because of the pandemic, I had to stay in Singapore and complete the program remotely.

On my first day as an intern, the startup announced it was being acquired by a US company. I stayed on through the transition and returned to school to finish my degree after the program ended.

After graduating, I reached out to my former manager to see if there were any remote opportunities. It turned out there were, so I joined the company full-time.

Initially, I worked mostly Singapore daytime hours, with only part of my schedule shifted to the night. However, the arrangement felt inefficient. Everything was delayed by a day: Someone might reply to a question at night, and I would only be able to act on it the next day. I worried that it made me seem like I was always a step slower than everyone else.

Eventually, my manager and I agreed it made more sense for me to shift to a schedule that aligned more closely with the rest of the US-based team.

I shifted my workday to Singapore's nights

I usually wake up around noon and start work at around 2 to 3 p.m. Singapore time. It's the middle of the night in the US, but I like having that focused time to myself, when I can get most of my actual work done.

At night, when more of my team is online, there are meetings to attend and messages to respond to. It can be disruptive, and I find it harder to get into the zone.

I take a break around 6:30 or 7 p.m. Singapore time and spend the evening with friends or on hobbies, like dancing or reading. I return to work around 10:30 p.m. and usually finish at about 5 a.m., when I head to bed.

I'm not really into nightlife, so the schedule doesn't affect my social life too much. However, it does mean I have to skip certain things, like late-night dinners with friends on Fridays.

The schedule also works in my favor, since my fiancée is a nurse. Her hours can change drastically from week to week, and my flexible routine makes it easier for me to adjust around hers.

Over the past two years, I've also started spending more time outdoors. My work arrangement makes it easy to take short weekend trips to nearby countries to go hiking, then return on Monday and still work. I couldn't do that with a normal 9-to-5.

The freedom comes with trade-offs

I've been doing this for over three years now, but I feel like this schedule isn't something you can ever fully adjust to.

Sleeping during the day can be difficult in Singapore, especially in August, when the days are so warm. I try not to use the air conditioning while I sleep because I'm conscious of the environmental impact. But some days, the heat wakes me up, and I have to try to force myself back to sleep until noon.

Weekends can throw me off, too. People often plan events on Saturday mornings, so I might sleep earlier that night, then have to shift my schedule back again before Monday.

That said, it's hard for me to imagine going back to a normal schedule because I value the flexibility so much. Fully remote roles are also much harder to find these days.

Occasionally, I'll wake up early to meet a friend for breakfast and take the subway in the morning. It always shocks me how people manage to squeeze onto trains that are so crowded at 8 a.m.

I don't know whether I'll keep doing this in the long term. It can be tiring, and the quality of sleep isn't great.

But I've learned to accept those downsides and focus on what the arrangement gives me: more control over my time and the ability to adapt my schedule around the people and things that matter to me.

• When Macie Strum first began traveling, she was focused on how many countries she would visit.
• After years of speed-running destinations, she began to appreciate slow travel, revisiting places, and forming deeper connections.
• Now, having traveled to more than 50 countries, she no longer sees the number as a measure of how well-traveled she is.

Earlier this year, as I set foot in country number 50, I expected the milestone to feel significant. Instead, I realized how little the number actually meant.

As a teenager, I became obsessed with seeing the world. My first purchase on Amazon was a set of 50 mini flags to study each day. I turned to quiz websites like Sporcle to learn country capitals and populations when I should have been solving math equations for school.

At 14, I'd already developed my first major travel goal: visit every country in Europe. Later that year, after a trip to Greece, Italy, and France, I was every bit as enamored with Europe as I'd imagined I'd be.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't visit again for seven whole years. By then, I was 21, in college, and finally had the freedom to start traveling on my own. Visiting Paris, Amsterdam, and Barcelona reignited the obsession I'd developed years earlier.

I began traveling during every school break

These trips were far from relaxing. I planned jam-packed itineraries to see as much as I could within a one- or two-week window. There was one trip in particular that still makes me anxious to think about. In June of 2019, my friend and I crammed Greece, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, and Germany into 10 days. We didn't have time to visit the Acropolis in Athens.

We spent less than 48 hours in each place and were constantly rushing to catch the next flight. After checking off the main attractions, there was little time to experience the culture and history of each place. I remember spending more time in Split's airport than I did exploring the city.

It went like this for my first year of traveling. At most, I would spend three days in each country, sticking mostly to capital cities. At one point, I tried to justify a two-hour layover in Keflavik as a trip to Iceland.

Social media made travel feel like a competition

Seeing people list the number of countries they'd visited in their bios reinforced my own urge to keep score. Looking back, I was using my number in much the same way: as proof that I was well-traveled.

At the same time, part of my rushed travel style stemmed from necessity. Between being a busy college student and later a full-time employee, I only had so much time to travel.

But when I was laid off at the end of 2023 and decided to spend most of 2024 traveling in Asia and Australia, those time parameters became obsolete.

I was able to prioritize slow travel instead of seeing how many countries I could squeeze into a week or two. On that eight-month trip, I generally spent three weeks in each place, sometimes longer.

The longer I stayed, the more I felt like I was actually traveling. Instead of only crossing off must-see attractions, I actually had the time to learn local history and customs, visit lesser-known areas, and experience everyday life. In the end, I felt a deeper appreciation for the countries I traveled through slowly than the ones I raced through.

Staying longer made room for experiences that would have never fit into my early itineraries. In Malaysian Borneo, I spent three days exploring the Kinabatangan River deep in the jungle, observing orangutans, crocodiles, and native birds along the way.

I took a sailing trip through the Komodo Islands in eastern Indonesia and earned my advanced diving certification on Gili Air, a small tropical island near Lombok. Those two months I spent traveling across Indonesia showed me how culturally and geographically diverse a single country could be. From Java to Flores, each island I visited had its own dialect, religious traditions, crafts, and local delicacies.

It's not just about the numbers

I stopped viewing the countries I had already visited as places I'd "done."

The destinations I know best are the ones I've returned to over and over again, and I still discover something new with each visit. I first traveled to Italy at 14 and returned to live there 10 years later. A trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the summer of 2025 led me to establish Sarajevo as my current home base.

Those returns didn't increase my country count. Still, they have given me things that a number could never reflect — meaningful relationships, new perspectives, language skills, and a genuine connection to each place.

Nowadays, I like planning my trips so I begin or end in a familiar location. I'm always just as excited to return to the places I love as I am to visit somewhere new. There's always comfort in being back in a place where I know my way around, have friends and favorite spots, and can pick up where I left off.

I haven't completely stopped counting.

My goal to visit every country in Europe is still alive and well — there are 12 left on my bucket list. Admittedly, I still get satisfaction from adding a new country to my Been app, and every milestone is still exciting. The biggest difference is that the number is now something I track instead of something I chase.

• Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary, "Musk," examines the mogul's life and career.
• There's plenty of material on Musk's highs (Tesla, SpaceX) and lows (DOGE, his relationships).
• Here are the 3 most explosive parts of the doc.

In an era when documentaries about famous people can be as light and sweet as the snacks you eat while watching them, Alex Gibney is going against the grain. His new documentary, "Musk," which premiered at Venice Film Festival on Sept. 8, proves there's still room for hard-hitting investigative docs in Hollywood — as long as you're willing to sit through its nearly four-hour runtime.

From tackling Scientology in "Going Clear" to Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes in "The Inventor," Gibney has never backed away from a thorny topic. With "Musk," the Oscar-winning filmmaker pulls no punches, painting a thorough portrait of the man who turned companies like Tesla and SpaceX into household names.

The doc, which traces Musk's life from 20-something Silicon Valley start-up entrepreneur to becoming President Donald Trump's right-hand man during his second term, has ignited the ire of its subject since it was announced in 2023. At the time, Musk called the film a "hit piece" on X, to which Gibney responded, "How would you know?" The two have been locked in an online battle ever since.

Although Musk did not sit down for an interview for "Musk," that didn't stop Gibney from getting his subject on camera — sort of.

Thanks to the ingenuity of Gibney's team and the magic of AI, the documentary features a Musk avatar who's been trained on all available interviews the mogul has given. Avatar-Musk shows up throughout to comment on everything from why he believes we're all living in a simulation to his obsession with going to Mars.

It's a cheeky deployment of emerging technology at the CEO's expense. But it's not the only segment that paints Musk in an unflattering light.

Business Insider screened "Musk" the day it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Here are three times Gibney goes after Musk hard.

Business Insider reached out to Musk for comment on the documentary, but did not receive a response.

The failures of Tesla's self-driving feature Autopilot are back in the spotlight

The documentary delves into how Musk got involved in Tesla and turned it into a cash cow once the company went public. It also explores the darker side of Tesla's Autopilot, a self-driving feature that has been at the center of several lawsuits.

In the doc, Gibney contrasts a 2016 video released by Tesla that depicts the vehicle as fully self-driving with dash-cam footage from a deadly 2019 crash in which a car using Tesla's Autopilot feature killed one and seriously injured another in Key Largo, Florida.

After a Russian hacker was able to retrieve key crash data Tesla had said it could not access (yes, really), a jury ruled that Tesla was partially liable for the crash and responsible for $243 million in punitive and compensatory damages. Tesla is appealing.

While the story has been reported before by outlets including Business Insider, its retelling to a larger audience in Gibney's doc isn't going to improve perception of the Tesla brand.

The 'Godfather of AI' says he's worried Musk could rig an election

Trump and Musk have described DOGE as a way to overhaul the federal government and slash spending. Tech reporters from Wired and The Wall Street Journal tell Gibney that Musk's time working on DOGE also gave him access to every American's personal information.

Geoffrey Hinton, the "Godfather of AI" and a friend-turned-frenemy of Musk's, says he thinks Musk is up to something nefarious. He tells Gibney in the documentary that he believes Musk will use that information to corrupt the upcoming midterm elections.

"If you wanted to corrupt the midterm elections and you wanted to use AI, all you needed to do was get detailed information on US citizens," Hinton says in "Musk." "And what DOGE did looked like just what you would do."

Hinton does not elaborate further, but Gibney wonders in a voiceover: Is Musk "trying to connect us or control us?"

A former flame reveals the NDA terms she declined and Musk's desire for a 'legion of children'

The documentary also delves into Musk's personal life, specifically his many children, 14 of whom are publicly known. While Musk's first wife, Justine, appears in the doc, the real star is influencer Ashley St. Clair, who gave birth to one of his sons in 2024.

St. Clair says in the doc that the two connected after Musk began following her on social media and would message her saying she should have more children. St. Clair says in the doc that once their relationship went south and after giving birth to Musk's child, she was offered $15 million up front and $100,000 per month over 21 years if she signed an NDA. She refused.

St. Clair also recalled that one night she was with Musk in bed and he was listening to a podcast about Kublai Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan who had at least 47 children.

She also said that Musk once texted her that he needed a "legion of children before the civil war."

St. Clair claims she wasn't the only one Musk reached out to on social media in hopes of procreating.

It's a "Gatling gun of sperm on his DMs," she told Gibney.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment on the documentary. But on Tuesday, when Katie Miller, the onetime communications director for DOGE, called the doc "fictional" and "a hit job by a self-obsessed Hollywood director," Musk replied with one word: "Exactly."

"Musk" opens in theaters October 16.

• President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced new tariffs on Canadian goods like cheese and furniture.
• He also announced outright bans on many Canadian alcohol imports, set to take effect September 29.
• The move comes as Canada's retaliatory tariffs on US goods like cheese and honey took effect.

President Donald Trump has retaliated against Canada's retaliation against US tariffs.

Trump on Tuesday ordered new tariffs on some Canadian goods and outright bans on others, the White House said.

The bans, set to take effect September 29, impact many kinds of Canadian alcohol, some motorcycles, some dairy products, molasses, and nonalcoholic beer. The new 50% tariffs, set to take effect September 15, cover a broad range of Canadian cheeses, manufacturing materials like some steel and aluminum products, golf carts, and certain types of furniture, among other goods.

The White House said the bans were "in response to continued discrimination against the commerce of the United States" regarding dairy, alcohol, and motor vehicles.

It's the latest development in Trump's trade war with Canada, which began last year after he announced broad tariffs on Canadian imports. Tensions flared last month when the US imposed a new wave of 50% tariffs, including on alcohol, construction materials, and hockey equipment, after American and Canadian officials failed to strike a deal in negotiations.

Canada retaliated with additional tariffs on US goods, which took effect on Tuesday and targeted cheese, honey, and aluminum foil, among many more.

Alcohol became a major flash point in the trade war when some Canadian provinces pulled American alcohol from their shelves last year in response to US tariffs. Trump cited Canada's treatment of American alcohol in announcing his new ban, which could impact several Canadian-made products that are popular in the US, like Canadian whiskies.

Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a national trade association, said in a statement that American spirit makers have "shouldered the brunt of this trade dispute" for the past year and a half.

"Canadian provinces' removal of US spirits from store shelves caused US spirits exports to Canada to fall by more than 70%," he said.

"We urge leaders on both sides of the border to reach a negotiated solution that restores US spirits to retail shelves throughout Canada and returns the spirits sector to a permanent zero-for-zero tariff framework," Swonger added.

Vistaprint makes it easy to create custom products for work, events, gifts, and just about everything in between. The online printing service offers business cards, flyers, brochures, banners, signs, apparel, invitations, photo products, and other personalized items, with templates that help you get started even if you don't have a design background. Before placing an order, it's worth checking the latest Vistaprint promo codes, coupons, and sales to see if you can save.

One of Vistaprint's biggest strengths is how approachable the customization process is. You can start with a pre-made template, upload your own design, or use the company's design services for extra help. That makes it a practical option for small businesses creating marketing materials, as well as shoppers ordering stationery, party supplies, gifts, or branded products.

Custom orders can get expensive quickly, especially when you're buying in bulk, but Vistaprint regularly runs discounts across different product categories. We've rounded up the latest Vistaprint coupon codes and deals below so you can quickly check what's available before you head to checkout.

Today's best Vistaprint discount codes

Previous Vistaprint discount codes

Are there any other Vistaprint sales running at the moment?

In addition to their voucher codes, Vistaprint also runs several ongoing sales and promotions, all available on their "Offers" page. As of this writing, Vistaprint is running the following deals.

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

How to use Vistaprint voucher codes

Vistaprint requires all shoppers to create an account before designing products, so start there. Once you've created an account, you can add coupon-eligible items to your cart. From the "My Cart" page, you can apply a promo code by clicking the "Have a code?" dropdown, pasting the code into the text box, and clicking apply. Once the voucher code has been applied, continue to checkout to enter your shipping and billing information.

Can you stack Vistaprint promo codes?

Vistaprint does not allow discount codes to be stacked together. Only one code may be applied per purchase.

Vistaprint discount code frequently asked questions

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

Vistaprint does not offer special discounts for students or teachers in the United States, so your best bet is to take advantage of their other coupons and deals.

Military members can receive a discount on all Vistaprint purchases. To take advantage of the discount, shoppers must verify their military status.

If you are a student or teacher, check out our roundups of the best student discounts and best teacher discounts to unlock more deals.

Does Vistaprint offer free shipping?

Vistaprint offers shoppers free economy shipping on orders of $100 or more. You don't need to enter a promo code to access free shipping; just add enough items to your cart.

Does Vistaprint offer special pricing plans for businesses?

Vistaprint offers special corporate pricing plans for businesses to use to create their branding and marketing materials. Businesses that participate in one of the three corporate pricing plans (each designed for different business sizes) enjoy perks like free shipping on orders over $50, multiple logins for other team members, and ease-of-ordering features like bulk ordering and auto-reordering. Learn more about the different corporate pricing plans on Vistaprint's corporate website.

Can I reuse a Vistaprint promo code?

In most cases, Vistaprint allows you to apply a promo code to multiple orders as long as your order contains qualifying items. There are some exceptions, though, so it's best to check the terms and conditions for a coupon to confirm.

Does Vistaprint save my previous designs?

When you create an account, Vistaprint saves all your designs and orders on the "My Projects" page, so you can access your previous designs and reorder them anytime.

Does Vistaprint offer resources to help me with my designs?

Yes, you can visit Vistaprint's "Ideas and Advice" blog for resources to help you with your designs, including design tips like packaging and graphic design trends, how to choose a logo for your business, the best promotional products for building brand loyalty, and more.

Can I hire someone to design things for me on Vistaprint?

Vistaprint makes creating your own designs easy. But if you don't have the bandwidth or would rather hire a professional, Vistaprint offers design services on many of its products, including business cards, flyers, and more. Learn more on Vistaprint's website.

Can I apply a Vistaprint discount code after placing an order?

If you forgot to apply a discount code before placing your order but later found one that applies, you won't be able to apply it yourself. That said, you can contact Vistaprint's customer care team through their help center, and they can apply the code for you.

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The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival is heading back to Las Vegas on September 18 and 19 at T-Mobile Arena, and the lineup is all over the map in the best way. Read on to learn where to buy iHeartRadio tickets before the big event to see your favorite artist's set.

This year's bill brings together pop, hip-hop, country, rock, and K-pop, with performances from BTS, Cardi B, Benson Boone, Lainey Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Muse, Weezer, Zara Larsson, Kenny Chesney, LE SSERAFIM, Ciara, The Smashing Pumpkins, Major Lazer, and more. Ryan Seacrest is back to host the two-night event. Whether you're going for one specific artist or just want two nights of big-name performances, there's a lot packed into the weekend.

Single-night tickets and two-day passes are available, and fans can also find resale inventory on StubHub and Vivid Seats. Below, we'll break down how to buy iHeartRadio Music Festival tickets, what prices look like right now, and what to know before making the trip to Las Vegas.

iHeartRadio Music Festival ticket prices

Running from September 18 to 19, the music festival offers one- or two-day passes. Here's a breakdown of resale prices for both options.

How much are iHeartRadio Music Festival tickets?

Ticket prices for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival vary widely depending on whether you're shopping for a single night or the full weekend. On StubHub, the cheapest ticket available right now is $97 for the Saturday, September 19 show. At the other end, a two-day pass listing in Section 4 is currently priced at $7,115 per ticket.

On Vivid Seats, tickets currently start at $94 for Saturday night, while one of the priciest options costs $4,694 for a GA Pit A standing-room ticket tied to the two-day festival pass. As with most resale events, prices can move quickly as inventory changes and the festival gets closer, so these figures are best treated as a snapshot of current listings.

Who is performing at iHeartRadio Music Festival?

The cross-genre iHeartRadio music festival features big names in country, rock, rap, K-pop, and more. Here's the lineup for both days:

Friday, September 18

• BTS
• Cardi B
• Goo Goo Dolls
• Kenny Chesney
• Weezer
• Zara Larsson

Saturday, September 19

• Benson Boone
• Ciara
• Lainey Wilson
• Le Sserafim
• Major Lazer
• Muse
• Snoop Dogg
• Stella Lefty
• The Smashing Pumpkins

• See more: Is StubHub legit? | Zara Larsson tickets | Ella Langley tickets

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The US Open quarterfinals are underway, and tonight's headlining men's match will see defending champion Carlos Alcaraz square off against Ben Shelton. We've rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz, including free and global streaming options.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz will continue his title defense at the 2026 US Open, which marks his first tournament back following a four-and-a-half-month injury break. Alcaraz has so far breezed through the tournament, only dropping one set in the second round, but American Ben Shelton could prove to be a tough opponent tonight. Shelton, who won the Canadian Open last month, was eliminated in the third round of last year's US Open, but it's safe to say he's looking to go all the way at this year's tournament.

*This is just an approximate start time. Arthur Ashe Stadium, the venue for the match, will also host Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro's evening match at 7 p.m. ET.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz for free

There are a few ways to catch the Shelton vs. Alcaraz match for free. In Australia, select daily coverage is available for free on 9Now and requires only an account to use. In the US, live TV services like YouTube TV and Fubo offer free trials to new customers.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz from anywhere

If you're away from the location where your preferred streaming service is available, you can still access your favorite content (including free options) with a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy tech tools that help people temporarily alter their device's virtual location. They're popular among those looking to upgrade their cybersecurity or keep up with their usual websites and apps while traveling abroad.

Proton VPN is one of the best VPNs we've tested. It's user-friendly (even for beginners) and offers a substantial selection of global servers. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find it's not helping you.

• See also: Where to buy US Open tickets | Where to watch FIBA Women's World Cup | Best sports streaming services

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz in the US

ESPN is carrying US Open coverage in the US until 11 p.m. ET tonight, so you should be able to find the Shelton vs. Alcaraz match on the network, even if it has a bit of a late start. ESPN Unlimited is the best streaming service for accessing every single match at the US Open. Subscriptions cost $32 a month or $320 a year. You can learn more in our guide to the ESPN streaming service.

If you'd prefer to watch on a platform with a free trial and additional channels beyond the ESPN family, a live TV streaming service will be a better fit. YouTube TV and Fubo are two of our top recommendations right now.

YouTube TV carries ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC in both its main and sports plans. The main plan typically costs $83 a month, but a limited-time YouTube TV deal will knock the first five months down to just $68 a month for first-time customers. The sports plan is also running a special promo where new users can get their first six months down from $65 a month to $45 a month. YouTube TV plans come with a free trial for new users, and ESPN Unlimited is now available on the platform as well.

Fubo is another popular live TV service with plenty of ESPN offerings. ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC are available in Fubo's Sports + News, Pro, and Elite packages. All of these plans also unlock access to ESPN Unlimited. Sports + News starts at $65 a month, but new users can get $10 off their first month of service. Pro and Elite also offer introductory month discounts, and all plans come with a free trial for first-time customers.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz in the UK

In the UK, US Open coverage is available through Sky Sports. Fans can tune in with one of the many Sky TV deals and plans, or access the same content through Now. Now Sports offers more flexibility in streaming content, including a £15 single-day pass.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz in Australia

Select US Open coverage, including tonight's Shelton vs. Alcaraz match, is available for free through 9's Gem channel in Australia. Fans can live stream the action on 9Now by creating a free account if they don't already have one. Australians looking to live stream absolutely every match at the US Open will need a paid Stan Sport subscription. Stan Sport costs $30 a month when you combine the $10 a month base plan fee with the $20 a month Sport add-on.

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.

Founded in 2017, Kizik makes hands-free sneakers that eliminate the need to bend down or make adjustments when putting on shoes. But you'd never know just by looking at them.

To achieve this effect, the shoes have an integrated stabilizer at the back of the heel so they don't buckle under your foot as you slip into them. They also use tongues that are connected to the interior of the shoes so they don't move around or cause discomfort. This is supposed to make it easy for everyone to wear, whether you have specific mobility needs or you simply like the convenience.

Kizik isn't the only brand to employ technology like this, but it was one of the first to popularize it more widely. The brand's unique appeal relies highly on its aesthetics and sizing; almost all of its shoes have laces, so they just look like regular sneakers, and many of its styles also come in an inclusive range of sizes and widths.

We tested several pairs of Kizik shoes to see if they feel comfortable all day after being so easy to put on. Spoiler alert: they are! In our Kizik reviews below, you'll find our favorite styles for both adults and kids.

Kizik Athens 2 for men

As a collector of many '90s basketball sneakers, I've had my fair share of shoes that are painstakingly hard to put on (Charles Barkley, I'm looking at you!). While I've put up with the struggle for the nostalgia and aesthetic, it is so refreshing to find shoes that have a similar vibe with none of the frustration. The Kizik Athens 2 is without a doubt the easiest sneaker to put on — and it can be done completely hands-free while they're fully laced.

Of course, I've loosened laces to slip my feet into other shoes, but I always find myself pulling the heel on or having to adjust the tongue. With these, I can just step in and go because the heel is structured enough, and the tongue of the shoes doesn't slip around. I also found them to be comfortable and stylish. These are my new go-to sneakers when comfort and convenience are the top priorities. — Amir Ismael, style editor

Kizik Athens 2 for women

As someone who hates tying their shoes, I've been very intrigued by Kizik shoes. I overpronate, so a stability sneaker is crucial. While Kizik doesn't market any of its shoes specifically for pronators, the Athens sneaker has one of the widest and cushiest bases of Kizik's offerings, so that's what I opted for. I love the hands-free entry — that alone is enough to get me to reach for this shoe over other options.

While I hate tying my shoes out of laziness, there's no denying that this design is a huge accessibility perk for anyone who has trouble or isn't able to tie their shoes. I find this pair very comfortable, but not quite as supportive as I'd like for stability. I'll still be opting for my On Clouds for super long walks, but I love these shoes for more casual activity and day-to-day wear. — Lauren Savoie, former deputy editor

Kizik Squeeze It

Any parent knows just how hard it can be to get a pair of shoes on a toddler, especially if they're not cooperating. The Kizik Squeeze It sneakers are designed to take the hassle out of putting shoes on your little one, and they work exactly as they should. You simply squeeze the sides of the shoes, and your kid can easily step into the shoes, securing them on their feet.

Aside from how easily they go on, the design is wide and roomy to allow your kids to move around without bunched up toes. My 2-year-old son has a lot of sneakers to choose from, but since getting his Kiziks, he often asks to wear his "new blue shoes." The only downside is that they come off rather easily, too. There have been a few times I've put him in the car seat to find he's taken his shoes off while I was driving. — Amir Ismael, former style editor

Kizik Monaco

I'm a big fan of the Kizik Monaco sneakers because of the retro styling. With cut-and-sewn panels, hits of suede, and gum rubber outsoles, they can be styled just as easily as some of the more popular sporty sneakers out there.

I tested these after wearing the Athens 2 sneakers for a while, and I was happy to find out that they go on just as easily. The hands-free technology is impressively integrated into the design. You'd have absolutely no idea these sneakers could be slipped into just by looking at them, especially with a traditional tongue and lacing system. — Amir Ismael, former style editor

Kizik Lima

My husband has the widest feet of anyone I know. Even most brands' extra wide (4E) feels tight on him, so I was curious how he'd fare in Kizik's 4E offering. "I was struggling even with extra wides from other shoe brands, and these immediately felt more comfortable," he told me. "I can see this being someone's perfect weekend shoe, though honestly, the fact that they fit my wide feet is the biggest selling point to a fella like me."

He typically clocks 10,000 steps or more a day and did note that the Kizik Limas are very comfortable, but less supportive than his Brooks Ghost Max 3s. I hope Kizik eventually offers extra wide in its other styles, because it's been such a pleasure to see him find a pair that actually fits him comfortably. —Lauren Savoie, former deputy editor

Kizik Juno 2

The Juno 2 boots have a hands-free design that still works despite the tall boot shaft. These winter boots are great to keep by the door if you're frequently stepping in and out through all kinds of weather. They save you from having to deal with finicky laces each time you gear up, as you would with Bean Boots.

They feel more like sneakers than snow boots, according to freelance style contributor Talia Ergas. "The cushioned footbeds makes thee Juno boots comfortable for long walks, and they never felt clunky or awkward while moving," she writes. "The outsole also provides excellent traction, which helped me feel stable on uneven, wintry terrain, including icy sidewalks.

They're also impressively warm. "Inside, the boots are fully lined with 400 grams of thermal insulation (sort of like a puffer coat for your feet), which kept me warm all day while I trekked outdoors the day after a snowstorm," continues Talia. "For hours, my feet stayed comfortable without cold spots or drafts."

The bottom line

In an oversaturated sneaker market, Kizik stands out by addressing a real need. The hands-free design isn't a gimmick — it simplifies the process of putting on shoes, while still feeling incredibly comfortable to wear all day. They're not the most supportive footbeds we've ever tried, but they still have more heel structure than most slip-on shoes.

Whether you're simply over tying your shoes or you have mobility challenges that make putting on shoes difficult, Kizik is a solid option we stand behind (well, in).

• Cars are expensive. Gas is expensive (especially in California).
• Chris Larsen, Ripple's cofounder, has a solution: bring in the Chinese EVs.
• Regulators in Washington are uneasy about Chinese vehicle software on US roads.

Chris Larsen thinks California's low-income drivers should have access to a car they can't legally buy today.

During an interview on the podcast "On with Kara Swisher," Larsen, the cofounder and executive chairman of Ripple, said that California should open its market to some Chinese-made electric cars. The sales, he said, should go to income-qualified buyers.

"The BYD Seagull, $10,000 car, fabulous car," he said. "We should be letting that into California, at least for our low-income folks."

Larsen's proposal runs directly against where much of the US auto industry is pushing Washington policymakers. Last week, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers and suppliers, wrote a public letter urging Congress to "enact a Chinese vehicle, software and hardware ban before adjourning this year and make this policy the law of the land."

The group said Chinese automakers' subsidized vehicles and connected technology posed economic and national-security concerns.

Larsen argued instead that some Chinese EVs could help solve one of America's biggest problems on the road: affordability.

The average price for a new vehicle has remained above $50,000 since April, according to Cox Automotive data. Meanwhile, gas prices remain elevated amid ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

High gas prices are particularly pronounced in California, where an excise tax adds more than $0.60 per gallon. Larsen called it the "most regressive tax in the world that's hurting the guy who can't afford to live in Silicon Valley."

"Let him buy a Chinese BYD Seagull," he said. "But maybe it had to be income tested because we're never going to make that stuff."

Larsen didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• The Army is planning for a potential future fight that could require it to train more recruits quickly.
• The service recently examined how reservists could help rapidly plus-up basic training.
• The experiment will be used as a springboard for a larger effort next year.

The US Army is testing whether it could use reserve drill sergeants and other personnel to quickly expand basic training in the event that a major conflict suddenly needed training pipelines to produce far more soldiers.

An experiment called Operation Wildcat Rising put dozens of Army Reserve drill sergeants into a single basic training cycle at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, this summer to examine how the Army might increase its existing training capacity while also maintaining basic training standards.

While the reserve already helps reinforce the Army's training base, its drill sergeants have previously been distributed individually to fill gaps in active units, the Army said in a news release. Wildcat Rising tested a different wartime model and gave a reserve formation under its own leadership a larger share of the training mission.

"Our drill sergeants told us this experience was worth several traditional rotations," Col. Matthew Horning, the commander of 1st Brigade, 95th Training Division, and one of the officials who oversaw the experiment, said in the release.

"Now we take what we learned, give our formations the preparation time they need and refine the model for the next phase," he said.

In a large-scale conflict, the military may be forced to grow its ranks on a scale not seen in decades, potentially putting serious pressure on the bases, instructors, and other resources involved in transforming civilians into soldiers. Because of that, Army officials want to assess how reserve troops might help that formative training in a time of crisis.

"At the end of the day, we have to train these men and women for combat," Maj. Gen. Michael Dougherty, commander of the 80th Training Command, said in the release. "Basic Combat Training is step one, and we have to get that right."

Training recruits is a notoriously grueling task that can be assigned to troops in nearly any military job. The work comes with long hours, little sleep, constant responsibility for recruit safety, and the relentless physical and emotional strain of overseeing basic training.

A post-training review highlighted the challenges ahead as the Army looks to scale. Some reservists arrived at Fort Sill lacking required certifications for their new roles, and communications failures left others unclear about the requirements before they arrived, the Army said. Tight rotation timelines also left little time for teams to exchange insight as they arrived and departed.

Army officials said encountering those obstacles this time will help it shape a larger follow-on brigade-level effort next year.

• Only seven movies released by US studios have ever crossed $2 billion at the box office, without adjusting for inflation.
• Using data from Box Office Mojo, here are the films to cross that threshold.
• "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is the latest entry.

It's a big deal when a movie crosses the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, but do you know what's even cooler? $2 billion!

Only seven movies released by US studios have ever passed the $2 billion mark. And it shouldn't be a surprise that James Cameron and Marvel account for a large share of these successes.

Here are the seven movies that have grossed $2 billion at the box office.

Kirsten Acuna contributed to a previous version of this story.

7. "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $2,052,415,039

The traumatic cliffhanger at the end of "Infinity War" was a must-see movie-going moment for fans. No one was expecting the film to end on such a grim note, with Thanos (Josh Brolin) not only defeating the Avengers, but snapping away half of all life from existence.

When the film debuted, it set a record for the biggest worldwide opening weekend with $640.9 million.

It crossed $1 billion in just 11 days.

In 48 days, the film crossed $2 billion worldwide.

6. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $2,071,310,218

Disney's return to a galaxy far, far away intrigued both old and new fans, as it brought back original cast members and paired them with a new roster of characters.

At the time, "The Force Awakens" set a record for the biggest opening weekend ($247.9 million) and was previously the fastest film to pass $1 billion worldwide in 12 days. It took 53 days to cross $2 billion.

5. "Titanic" (1997)

Worldwide gross: $2,264,812,968

The James Cameron-directed film was the first movie to cross $1 billion worldwide.

At the time, it was the most expensive movie made. The film finally surpassed $2 billion during its 2012 3D rerelease.

4. "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022)

Worldwide gross: $2,334,484,620

"Avatar: The Way of Water" became the first film to cross $2 billion at the box office since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Behind "Avengers: Endgame," it became the second-fastest movie to cross $2 billion in just 39 days.

3. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $2,408,262,495

After scoring the biggest domestic opening weekend ever at the box office with $360 million and then joining the $1 billion worldwide club soon after, "Brand New Day" joined this elite list in just three weeks.

It's now the highest-grossing "Spider-Man" movie of all time.

2. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100

Fans needed to know whether the remaining Avengers could rise up, defeat Thanos, and reverse the effects of the end of "Infinity War." They came out in droves as the film shattered box-office records, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide on its opening weekend, nearly double that of the opening weekend for "Infinity War."

It only took "Endgame" 11 days to cross $2 billion. That's the same amount of time it took "Infinity War" to cross its first billion.

1. "Avatar" (2009)

Worldwide gross: $2,923,710,708

At the time, "Avatar," following the 10-foot-tall Na'vi on their home of Pandora, became the fastest film to cross $1 billion, doing so in 19 days. It eventually crossed $2 billion in 47 days.

• Iran said it captured a US underwater drone near the Strait of Hormuz.
• US Central Command said the older drone had malfunctioned and was "dead in the water."
• The US said it carried no classified equipment and collected no sensitive data.

Iran's military said it seized an American-made underwater drone near the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said the uncrewed system had malfunctioned and was "dead in the water."

The Navy has employed uncrewed undersea and surface vessels in and around the Middle East for an expanding range of missions, including clearing mines, gathering intelligence, rescuing military personnel, and conducting strikes.

On Tuesday, Iranian state-run media said that the country's naval forces had captured an "advanced" US Navy underwater drone near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz during an intelligence operation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting shared photos on social media of what it identified as the American drone, including it being pulled out of the water and close-up shots of the machine.

A spokesperson for US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, told Business Insider that "an underwater drone operated by US forces malfunctioned more than a day ago" while surveying regional waters. The official said that the undersea drone "was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment."

Having malfunctioned, "the drone was essentially dead in the water for more than a day," the spokesperson added. The breakdown occurred before Iran's announcement.

The incident isn't the first time Iran has attempted to seize a US naval drone. In September 2022, for instance, the Iranian destroyer Jamaran captured two American drone boats, pulling them out of the Red Sea and examining them on deck.

At the time, the Navy responded by sending two guided-missile destroyers, USS Nitze and USS Delbert D. Black, as well as an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter. The Iranian crew had attempted to hide the drones on the deck by covering them with a tarp, but they eventually released the vessels overboard.

The Navy has increasingly integrated uncrewed capabilities into operations around Iran and the Middle East. Prior to the breakout of the US war with Iran in February 2026, the drones were mostly employed to gather intelligence and track Iranian gunboats and warships.

As fighting between the US and Iran has continued this year, American forces have used drones in other ways. In April, the Navy said underwater drones were assisting warships in clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz.

And in July, the Navy used its new Saronic Corsair sea drones to attack an Iranian submarine and ship maintenance facility. The same brand of drone also rescued the crew of a downed US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter in regional waters.

• Sixty-four movies released by US studios have grossed $1 billion or more at the box office.
• Using data from Box Office Mojo, we compiled a list of the highest-grossing movies worldwide.
• "The Odyssey" and Spider-Man: Brand New Day" are the latest films to join the elite club.

Don't let anyone tell you differently: Hollywood is powered by the box office.

For over a century, the movie business has entertained people around the globe by creating powerful stories that astound us and make us want to come back for more.

It has led to a collection of titles reaching the rarified $1 billion box-office mark during their theatrical runs.

This is where Marvel movies, Disney animation, and James Cameron reign supreme.

Here are the movies that have crossed the prized $1 billion mark at the box office, without adjusting for inflation.

Kirsten Acuna and Kim Renfro contributed to previous versions of this story.

64. "Jurassic World Dominion" (2022)

Worldwide gross: $1,001,978,080

Poor reviews didn't stop people from seeing the third "Jurassic World" outing.

It took over three months, but "Jurassic World Dominion" crossed $1 billion worldwide. The sequel likely crossed the number thanks in part to the original "Jurassic Park" cast returning to the big screen and teaming up with the newer "Jurassic World" cast in this entry.

63. "The Dark Knight" (2008)

Worldwide gross: $1,008,287,756

Back in July of 2008, people began speculating that Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" sequel starring Heath Ledger as the Joker might have the box-office power to set a world record.  "There are even whispers starting whether 'Dark Knight' can beat the incredible worldwide numbers posted by the all-time $1.8 billion benchmark of 'Titanic,'" Deadline reported.

At the time, the film broke several box-office records, including highest-grossing opening weekend, highest Friday midnight showings, and highest-opening day record. "TDK" went on to become the highest-grossing movie of 2008.

The film's successful viral marketing campaign and box-office performance really set the bar for what a superhero movie could be. Many consider it a blueprint for the success of superhero movies that came afterwards. Unfortunately, instead of DC catapulting into the stratosphere from here on out, Marvel took the lead, appearing on this list 10 times compared to DC's four.

62. "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $1,011,157,101

"Galaxy" marks the first $1 billion-plus earner of 2026.

Following the hit original, 2023's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which you'll find further down this list, Nintendo and Universal teamed up for a sequel that expands the Mario Bros. universe.

Now that both "Mario" movies have crossed the $1 billion mark, the franchise is on its way to becoming one of the most lucrative animated series in Hollywood.

61. "Michael" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $1,016,068,388

"Michael," which stars Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar as the King of Pop, is now the highest-grossing biopic of all time.

60. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012)

Worldwide gross: $1,017,453,991

When Peter Jackson's first "Hobbit" movie crossed the $1 billion mark, it looked like a good indication that the subsequent two sequels would perform equally well, if not better, at the box office.

But neither of the second two "Hobbit" films wound up crossing that box-office landmark. Both "The Desolation of Smaug" and "Battle of the Five Armies" grossed around $960,000,000 each.

59. "Alice In Wonderland" (2010)

Worldwide gross: $1,025,468,216

When Tim Burton's take on the original Disney classic hit $1 billion at the box office in 2010, it was only the sixth ever film to do so. In the years since, more than 20 other films have joined the club — but the sequel to this live-action "Alice In Wonderland" was not among them. 2016's "Alice Through the Looking Glass" grossed over $299 million worldwide. 

58. "Zootopia" (2016)

Worldwide gross: $1,025,521,689

"Zootopia" became a surprise hit for Walt Disney Animation. At the time, it set a record for the biggest animated March opening weekend of all time.

57. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001)

Worldwide gross: $1,028,496,499

Nineteen years after its initial 2001 release, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" managed to cross the $1 billion mark only after it was given a theatrical re-release in China.

Deadline reported that the movie had grossed $13.6 million over the course of three-days after it was released in theaters with a "remastered 4K 3D" version. It's the second movie in the "Harry Potter" franchise to gross more than $1 billion. 

56. "Finding Dory" (2016)

Worldwide gross: $1,029,266,989

Moviegoers flocked back to theaters in the summer of 2016 for Disney Pixar's "Finding Nemo" sequel. It was the second animated feature of 2016 to pass the $1 billion mark ("Zootopia" is the other).

At the time, the box-office numbers also made "Finding Dory" the fifth highest-grossing animated movie of all time. 

55. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)

Worldwide gross: $1,034,800,131

"Despicable Me 3" was a sleeper hit of 2017. With the return of Gru, Lucy, and of course the Minions, this is the second movie in the franchise to gross over one billion dollars. The introduction of "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker as a new villain was a smart move.

54. "Lilo & Stitch" (2025)

Worldwide gross: $1,038,027,526

Disney's live-action remake genre followed the dud of "Snow White" with this major success.

Along with hitting the billion mark, the movie also broke the Memorial Day opening weekend box office record with $341.7 million worldwide.

53. "Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace" (1999)

Worldwide gross: $1,046,515,409

"The Phantom Menace" was the first "Star Wars" movie to earn $1 billion, thanks to its 3D re-release in theaters 13 years after the original debut. Without that second surge of ticket purchases, the film would have stayed under $1 billion along with the original three movies.

52. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011)

Worldwide gross: $1,046,721,266

There are five total "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies in the franchise — and two of them have joined the billion-dollar club. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" sits behind the "Dead Man's Chest" installment of this Disney franchise.

51. "Aladdin" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,054,304,000

Like many of the Disney live-action versions of animated classics, "Aladdin" did very well at the box office. "Aladdin" became one of Disney's record-breaking seven movies to hit $1 billion in 2019.

50. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" (2016)

Worldwide gross: $1,058,684,742

"Rogue One" cemented its place in the "Star Wars" franchise by raking in $1 billion just 39 days after its global release. The spinoff became the fourth and final movie of 2016 to make $1 billion at the box office. All four billion-dollar movies of 2016 were Disney releases.

49. "Moana 2" (2024)

Worldwide gross: $1,059,242,164

In the sequel, Moana and Maui reunite to reconnect the people of the ocean by seeking out a lost island.

48. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006)

Worldwide gross: $1,066,179,747

Back in 2006, when the sequel to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" hit theaters, it took just three months for the movie to make $1 billion at the box office. At that time, it was the third ever film to do so.

47. "Toy Story 3" (2010)

Worldwide gross: $1,067,316,101

The third movie in the "Toy Story" franchise crossed the $1 billion mark in 2010 and made Disney history as Pixar's highest-grossing film of all time. The success of "Toy Story 3" helped push a fourth movie into Disney's animated movie plan.

46. "Toy Story 4" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,073,841,394

With "Toy Story 4" also crossing this milestone, Disney became the first movie studio to create seven billion-dollar movies in a single year. The movie joined its Disney comrades "Captain Marvel," "Aladdin," "Avengers: Endgame," "The Lion King," "Frozen II," and "The Rise of Skywalker."

45. "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,077,022,372

The ninth episode in the "Star Wars" Skywalker saga, "The Rise of Skywalker," crossed the $1 billion mark on Tuesday, January 14.

As reported by Variety, it took this film 28 days to hit this milestone, while "The Force Awakens" did it in 12 days and "The Last Jedi" managed it in 19 days.

44. "Joker" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,078,958,629

This DC comic movie is the first R-rated movie to ever make $1 billion at the box office. Deadline announced the milestone, which came about six weeks after the movie premiered worldwide.

Marvel's "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds snarkily congratulated "Joker" on becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

43. "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)

Worldwide gross: $1,085,199,115

Christopher Nolan's follow-up to "The Dark Knight" had became the 13th film in history to reach $1 billion in 2012. This achievement was remarkable, especially given concerns that the movie's success would be dampened after the Aurora theater shooting took place during a midnight screening of the film.

42. "Toy Story 5" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $1,093,981,614

Pixar does it again!

The beloved animation studio released another memorable tale from the "Toy Story" franchise in the summer of 2026. This time, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang have to face their biggest competition yet: The tablet.

41. "Jurassic Park" (1993)

Worldwide gross: 1,103,096,466

Similar to "The Phantom Menace," a 3D re-release is responsible for putting "Jurassic Park" over the edge and into the $1 billion club. "Jurassic Park" wasn't originally released in China in 1993, according to a report from The Wrap. But the 20th anniversary international re-release included China — and the difference in ticket sales showed.

A few more pandemic re-releases in 2020 and 2022 helped send it up the chart even more.

40. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014)

Worldwide gross: $1,105,261,713

Ah, yes, the unstoppable box-office power of the "Transformers" franchise. According to The Wrap, "Age of Extinction" (the fourth movie) was made specifically with international audiences in mind — and it paid off. Almost a third of the total box-office revenue came from China alone.

39. "Skyfall" (2012)

Worldwide gross: $1,108,594,137

At the time of its release, "Skyfall" was Sony's highest-grossing movie worldwide and the first Bond movie to surpass $1 billion at the box office. It became the second highest-grossing film of 2012 (behind "Avengers").

It also helped that Adele recorded a banger of a theme song for the film, which won the Academy Award for best original song.

38. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011)

Worldwide gross: $1,123,794,079

The third "Transformers" movie was Paramount's first film to reach $1 billion at the box office. Similar to "Age of Extinction," the boost in ticket sales came largely from international movie audiences. This was the last "Transformers" movie which starred Shia LaBeouf. 

37. "Captain Marvel" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,131,416,446

And here we begin with the seemingly unstoppable success of Marvel universe movies. Just over three weeks after its release date and record-breaking opening weekend, "Captain Marvel" crossed the billion-dollar mark for global box office sales.

36. "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,132,723,226

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of this new milestone for the Spider-Man franchise as "Spider-Man: Far From Home" crossed the one-billion mark less than a month after its US premiere on July 2.

35. "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)

Worldwide gross: $1,139,431,705

People came out in droves for the final installment of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. After only 10 weeks in theaters, "Return of the King" became the second movie ever in history to make $1 billion ("Titanic" was the first in 1997). The film went on to break an Academy Award record by sweeping all 11 categories for which it was nominated. 

The film's 2021 re-release in theaters during the pandemic in nine markets, including China, helped move it a few spots up this list.

34. "Aquaman" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $1,152,028,393

"Aquaman" became the first DC superhero movie to make $1 billion dollars at the box office. The movie was already breaking records in China before it had opened in the US in early December, and clearly it was all up from there.

33. "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Worldwide gross: $1,155,046,416

"Captain America: Civil War" was a blockbuster hit in 2016, and the first movie of that year to rake in $1 billion. The wild success of Cap's third outing came from it playing more like an Avengers film thanks to a large superhero roster, including Iron Man, and the introduction of Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

32. "Minions" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $1,159,457,503

The 2015 prequel to "Despicable Me" focused only on the overall-wearing Minions the world had come to love.

31. "Iron Man 3" (2013)

Worldwide gross: $1,215,577,205

Tony Stark swept away comic fans with the third movie of his trilogy, "Iron Man 3." It only took 23 days in the box office for the film to hit $1 billion. If anyone doubted the power of Robert Downey Jr.'s  success as Iron Man, this movie, which grossed nearly double of the actor's second solo outing as the character, was the final confirmation of his vital role in Marvel's franchise.

30. "The Fate of the Furious" (2017)

Worldwide gross: $1,236,009,236

In April 2017, the eighth movie in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise joined the billion-dollar club.  Clearly Vin Diesel's creative control of these action-packed movies is paying off along with its diverse cast. This is the second movie from the franchise to make more than $1 billion.

29. "Incredibles 2" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $1,243,225,667

Despite the 14-year gap between the first Pixar original movie "The Incredibles" and its sequel, the critically acclaimed "Incredibles 2" created a new record as fastest animated film to gross $1 billion at the box office.

28. "Beauty and the Beast" (2017)

Worldwide gross: $1,266,115,964

Also in April 2017, Walt Disney Studios announced that its live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" had officially passed the $1 billion mark for global box-office sales. Its total revenue makes "Beauty and the Beast" the highest-grossing film of 2017.

27. "Frozen" (2013)

Worldwide gross: $1,285,319,131

"Frozen" maintained the top spot for the highest-grossing animated feature of all time until the release of its sequel in 2019. The film joined the billion dollar club in the same week it nabbed two Oscars. 

After its initial release, it became Walt Disney Pictures' third highest-grossing film of all time. According to Deadline, the film earned a profit of over $400 million for Disney.

26. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $1,310,469,037

The second installment in Universal's rebooted "Jurassic Park" trilogy had an impressive opening weekend and then quickly grossed $1 billion after two weeks. 

25. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (2017)

Worldwide gross: $1,334,407,706

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" crossed the $1 billion mark just three weeks after its release. This second installment in the new franchise made $500 million in its first weekend alone — though "The Force Awakens" still holds the record for biggest "Star Wars" opening weekend of all time with $529 million.

24. "Deadpool & Wolverine" (2024)

Worldwide gross: $1,338,073,645

The team-up no one thought was possible turned out to be a cash cow.

Along with breaking opening weekend records with its over $440 million take, its worldwide total gross makes it the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

23. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two" (2011)

Worldwide gross: $1,342,505,340

Following the trend of some other franchises in our top list, the final "Harry Potter" film was the only one of the bunch that raked in $1 billion or more until "Sorcerer's Stone" was given a theatrical release in China.

22. "Black Panther" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $1,349,926,083

"Black Panther" crossed this milestone in just 26 days after breaking the record for best February opening weekend of all time. This movie was the 16th Disney film to gross over one billion dollars. 

21. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" (2023)

Worldwide gross: $1,360,879,735

Universal Pictures' adaptation of the Nintendo game crossed $1 billion in just 26 days, making it the first film of 2023 to cross the threshold and the studio's seventh-largest film.

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is the fifth film released during the pandemic to hit $1 billion theatrically and the first animated movie to do so.

20. "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $1,405,018,048

"Transformers," "The Dark Knight," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are three franchises which each have two movies in the billion dollar club — and you can add "The Avengers" to that list.

The 2015 follow-up ensemble movie added James Spader as the terrifying new villain, and (surprising no one) "Age of Ultron" opened in the number one spot around the world.

19. "Barbie" (2023)

Worldwide gross: $1,447,138,421

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" has been unstoppable in theaters since its release. Not only did the film earn 2023's highest-grossing domestic opening weekend, but it also contributed to the fourth-largest box-office weekend of all time.

When it crossed the billion-dollar mark in 17 days, Gerwig became the first solo female director to have a movie cross that threshold. Every other $1 billion movie directed by a woman has a male codirector.

"Barbie" is now the highest-grossing movie of 2023.

18. "Frozen II" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,453,683,476

The highly-anticipated sequel to the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, 2013's "Frozen," easily surpassed the box-office gross of its predecessor. "Frozen II" became Disney's sixth (out of seven total) movies to cross $1 billion in 2019 after 24 days.

A third "Frozen" movie is currently in the works.

17. "Avatar: Fire & Ash" (2025)

Worldwide gross: $1,485,999,890

Like the two films before it, James Cameron's third movie in his "Avatar" franchise has hit the billion-dollar milestone.

Movies directed by Cameron show up three more times on this list. No director has had as many billion-dollar-grossing movies as Cameron.

16. "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022)

Worldwide gross: $1,495,696,292

The highest-grossing movie of Tom Cruise's career, the sequel to the 1986 film crossed $1 billion in just 31 days.

15. "Furious 7" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $1,515,342,457

"Furious 7" broke records when it raced past the $1 billion box-office mark in just 17 days. As Entertainment Weekly reported "that makes 'Furious' 7 the fastest live-action film to reach that number." But two other 2015 movies (coming later on our list) eventually bumped it to third place.

This was the last "Fast and Furious" movie to include Paul Walker, which some believe helped boost box-office numbers.

14. "Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)

Worldwide gross: $1,520,538,536

The first "Avengers" movie brought together an all-star cast of comic book heroes — and Marvel's efforts were rewarded at the box office. The film passed $1 billion in ticket sales in just 19 days — which means it's tied for third place in the list of fastest grossing movies alongside "Avatar" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two."

13. "The Odyssey" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $1,631,636,965

Christopher Nolan's latest epic, an adaptation of Homer's poem, has become the highest-earning movie of his career.

It's also the fifth movie in 2026 to cross the $1 billion mark.

12. "The Lion King" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,662,020,819

This live-action retelling of the 1994 beloved Disney animated movie was a hit at the box office.

The movie hit the $1 billion mark in theaters in less than a month. It is currently Disney's highest-grossing live-action remake of one of its classic animated movies.

11. "Jurassic World" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $1,671,537,444

"Jurassic World" broke all sorts of records. It bumped "Furious 7" out of the number one spot for fastest movie to make $1 billion when it broke the record in only 13 days. At the time it also stunned box-office analysts with the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time, besting "Marvel's The Avengers," with $208.8 million. Worldwide, it opened to over $500 million, making it the first movie to ever crack that number opening weekend. 

That record didn't last long, however.

10. "Inside Out 2" (2024)

Worldwide gross: $1,698,863,816

After relegating titles like "Luca" and "Turning Red" to direct-to-streaming releases during the pandemic, which led to frustration and low morale within the company, Pixar is back on top.

"Inside Out 2" hit the $1 billion global mark in 19 days, the fastest ever for an animated movie. It was the first movie released in 2024 to cross $1 billion.

We wouldn't be shocked if Pixar is already crafting another sequel for Joy, Anxiety, and all of Riley's other feelings.

9. "Zootopia 2" (2025)

Worldwide gross: $1,866,647,950

Some sequels can get hurt at the box office for coming out so long after the original. Not this Disney title.

Released almost a decade after the first "Zootopia" movie, audiences rushed back to watch Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps go on another case.

After opening with a huge $559.5 million global take, making it the biggest global opening for an animated movie ever, it hit the $1 billion mark in just 17 days, becoming the second 2025 release to hit the billion milestone (the other being Disney's "Lilo & Stitch").

8. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021)

Worldwide gross: $1,921,426,073

Spider-Man broke the pandemic curse. "No Way Home" became the first film since 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" to cross $1 billion at the box office. The Tom Holland-starring film crossed $1 billion in just 12 days and become the highest-grossing movie of 2021.

7. "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $2,052,415,039

The third "Avengers" film broke the all-time world record with a $630 million opening weekend, proving the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise is stronger than ever. By mid-June, "Avengers: Infinity War" became only the fourth movie to ever crack the two-billion dollar ceiling as well.

6. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $2,071,310,218

The seventh movie in the "Star Wars" franchise broke the "Jurassic World" records when box-office numbers tallied $1 billion after only 12 days. And it didn't stop there — "The Force Awakens" went on rake in more than $2 billion, solidifying its number four spot on our list and becoming the highest-grossing "Star Wars" movie of all time.

5. "Titanic" (1997)

Worldwide gross: $2,264,812,968

More than two decades since its release, James Cameron's "Titanic" is holding steady as one of the biggest box-office hits of all time. The movie made around $1.8 billion during its initial 1997 release and then topped $2 billion after it was rereleased in 3D in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the iconic ship's sinking.

4. "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022)

Worldwide gross: $2,343,477,301

Two weeks after its premiere in movie theaters, Cameron's first "Avatar" sequel had already grossed more than $1 billion at the box office, a rare feat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It then became the second-fastest movie to cross $2 billion in just 39 days.

While discussing the digital release of "Avatar: The Way of Water," out March 28, producer Jon Landau told Insider he and Cameron wondered if the sequel to the 2009 film would reach the number "Titanic" crossed at the box office.

"I was never nervous that people would lose interest because I didn't think they needed to have interest. I thought we were making a new movie," Landau said when asked if he was nervous that audiences may lose interest in an "Avatar" sequel after waiting more than a decade for it.

"I looked at this almost like an original piece of content that happened to be with known characters in a known world, but we were showing them in a new way. So I was nervous about how the movie would do because when you stop being nervous, you stop caring. But I was never worried," Landau added of the movie's strong box-office performance.

3. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $2,408,262,495

2026 is on a roll.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" marks the fourth movie released in 2026 to cross the $1 billion mark.

Following the events of "No Way Home," which took in over $1.9 billion, Tom Holland returns as Spidey, who this time around must deal with his own inner turmoil as he faces off with New York's toughest villains.

2. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100

Marvel's major endcap to its run of 22 comic-book-based films broke the record for the fastest movie to reach $1 billion dollars in international box-office totals.

On the Sunday of its opening weekend, Disney estimated "Avengers: Endgame" had made $1.2 billion within the first five days of its global debut. 

It became the highest-grossing movie of all time until Disney rereleased "Avatar" in China in 2021.

1. "Avatar" (2009)

Worldwide gross: $2,923,710,708

With close to $3 billion in box-office revenue, Cameron's "Avatar" was miles ahead of other films on the list.

Disney's epic Marvel adventure "Avengers: Endgame" knocked it out of the top spot in the summer of 2019.

However, "Avatar" retook the top spot when Disney (which now owns the rights after the Fox acquisition) rereleased the film in China in spring 2021.

Transitional weather is hard to dress for. That's why I believe we all ought to own at least one solid trench coat — something light enough for milder days, but protective when the forecast turns.

All the fall style trends I've witnessed have skewed more Parisian-tailored than, say, a windbreaker or an oversized bomber. I know I feel way more put-together anytime I'm in my Sézane trench (even if I'm secretly wearing sweats underneath).

When choosing which styles to test, I delved into which clothing labels are using the same DWR fabric treatments that outdoor gear brands use for sealing out moisture. I also combed through Reddit forums and 5-star Amazon reviews to find trench coats that punch above their price point.

Nearly every coat on this list was tested by a member of our style team, ranging from a discounted Lands' End coat to a Lilysilk trench that's truly an outfit in itself. Whether you prefer a classic double-breasted khaki or a more streamlined silhouette, our style editors' favorite trench coats balance function with polish — offering coverage without bulk, and structure without stiffness.

A quick look at our favorite trench coats:

How we tested for the best trench coats

We evaluated each trench coat for fit, comfort, and overall material quality, wearing each piece in a range of weather conditions to see how it held up. We paid close attention to drape, warmth, and weight, noting how each coat layered over different outfits.

To test performance, we assessed water-repellent and wind-resistant capabilities, as well as how wrinkle-resistant and durable the fabrics were after regular wear. Every coat was judged on how well it balanced style and function.

What to look for in a trench coat

Fit: The ideal fit depends on the look and function you want. A classic trench coat typically has a closer fit with a defined waist, often enhanced by a belt or subtle tailoring. This creates a polished, hourglass silhouette that works over light layers. More modern or oversized silhouettes may offer a roomier fit that prioritizes comfort and layering heavier sweaters.

Material quality: Most modern trenches are made from cotton, polyester, or a blend, often with added stretch or a water-repellent finish. Premium options may include sustainably sourced or OEKO-TEX certified fabrics. Choose a material that feels sturdy but not stiff and has a smooth drape that flatters your frame.

Weather resistance: If you plan to wear your trench regularly, water-repellent or waterproof fabrics are a must. Some are also wind-resistant, which adds extra comfort on chilly, breezy days. Fully seam-sealed styles offer the most protection, while lightweight water-resistant versions work well for transitional weather.

Weight and warmth: A lightweight trench is perfect for spring and early fall, while lined or insulated options add warmth for even cooler temperatures. The best ones strike a balance: warm enough for brisk mornings, but breathable enough that you won't overheat indoors.

Nice-to-have details: A removable hood, interior pockets, or two-way zippers can make a trench more functional day to day. Wrinkle-resistant fabrics are especially useful if you travel or commute often, and adjustable features like belted cuffs or a detachable waist tie help you customize the fit and look.

Best overall: Lands' End Squall Waterproof Modern Trench Raincoat

Pros: Waterproof, windproof, classic design, fully-lined

Cons: No hood, only comes in two colors

This Lands' End trench coat is one of those rare pieces that perfectly blend timeless style with true functionality. It's routinely recognized as one of the best trench coats out there for good reason.

At first glance, it has all the hallmarks of a classic trench: a double-breasted front, shoulder epaulettes, and a waist tie that cinches in nicely. But what sets it apart is its performance. Unlike most trenches, it's fully waterproof and windproof, with sealed seams that actually keep you dry in the rain. The fabric feels soft to the touch — not stiff or crinkly like a typical raincoat — and it fits true to size with just enough room for layering.

The lining adds light warmth without making it bulky, so it's perfect for transitional weather or mild winters. I especially love how it manages to feel polished enough for the office but still practical for running errands on a wet day. Everyone should have a classic trench in their wardrobe, and if you're only buying one, this is the one to get. It's everything a trench coat should be, with the bonus of real protection from the elements.

Best oversized: Sézane Clyde Coat

Pros: Water-repellent, contrast check lining

Cons: Expensive

The Sézane Clyde Coat might be my personal favorite trench coat I tested, just narrowly missing the best overall spot because of its higher price and non-traditional silhouette. Still, it's one of those splurge pieces that immediately feels worth it. The cotton-viscose blend fabric is OEKO-TEX certified, soft right out of the box, and drapes beautifully. It's cozy without being heavy. I can tell this is a coat I'll be wearing and loving for years.

Sézane, the chic French label behind the design, is known for timeless, high-quality pieces that nail that effortless Parisian aesthetic. This coat captures that vibe perfectly: it's relaxed yet refined, stylish without trying too hard. The oversized fit feels modern and comfortable, with ample room to layer bulky sweaters underneath without appearing boxy.

I also love the thoughtful details, like the contrast check lining, which adds an elevated touch when I cuff the sleeves to show it off. The absence of a belt gives it a minimalist, fashion-forward edge, though it does mean you lose a bit of wind protection on colder days.

Best Amazon: Orolay Single-Breasted Hudson Trench

Pros: Simple silhouette, affordable, wide color variety

Cons: Runs small, especially in the chest and shoulders

This Orolay Hudson Trench is one of the most affordable options on this list that still delivers on style and performance. Priced under $100, it stands out for offering thoughtful design details you don't usually see at this price point.

It comes in six colors and sticks to a classic trench silhouette, with a single-breasted front, rear yoke, and a split hem that makes it easier to move in. It has deep pockets in , and the overall look feels polished enough to rival more expensive styles, including this minimalist option from quiet-luxury brand Jenni Kayne.

The thin fabric is water-repellent and wind-resistant, so you can rely on this trench in light mists and mild breezes. While it's billed as wrinkle-resistant, that claim is mixed in practice. Some reviewers say it travels well, but others note it benefits from a quick steam once unpacked.

Best for travel: Athleta Stellar Trench

Pros: wrinkle-resistant, can fit into a purse when folded, UPF 40+, lightweight, stretchy, comes in 3 lengths

Cons: not waterproof, only comes in black

When you think about the best travel jackets, the word "trench" doesn't exactly come to mind. The longer silhouettes can often be bulky, stiff, or prone to wrinkling — making them an unlikely choice for travel or tossing in a tote.

The Athleta Stellar Trench is none of these things. Like all of my favorite Athleta work pants, it's made from a fabric that's equal parts substantial, stretchy, and breathable. The coat is so comfy, it drapes more like a robe than a jacket. I've even used it as a blanket to take a nap on a chilly bus!

Still, the look remains luxe and elevated. It's polished enough for work, but practical enough to toss in your tote without a second thought. It folds or rolls easily and resists wrinkles almost completely. I've even been reaching for it on cooler, rainy summer days, thanks to a ventilated mesh panel on the back that keeps things breathable. Mine has a pretty roomy fit, which adds to the comfort and airflow, but you could easily size down if you prefer a more tailored look.

Best cropped: Tuckernuck Drew Short Trench

Pros: Versatile styling options, on-trend silhouette, monogram optional

Cons: Hand wash only, not weatherproof

The cropped trench is one of the most sought-after pieces this spring. We tested Tuckernuck's Winston Trench before it ran out of stock and found the sizing to be plus-size friendly. Its Drew Short Trench has a similarly short and boxy fit, with all the trappings of your classic trench. The crisp lapels and button plackets give it a more tailored edge than any windbreaker or light puffer jacket you'd typically reach for during the transitional weather season.

Being partial to natural textiles, it's also nice to see a trench made f 100% cotton. It has a light and breathable feel, but if you ever want to seal out more air, you can cinch the sleeves with the button tabs around the cuffs. This swingy, oversized layering staple comes in olive, black, camel suede, or the classic khaki.

Best wool: Quince Italian Wool Double-Breasted Slouch Coat

Pros: Warm, comes in 6 colors, reasonable price

Cons: Limited size range, loose fit lets in wind

Besides the perfectly oversized fit, the thing I love most about the Quince Italian Wool Double-Breasted Slouch Coat is that it's lined on the inside for added warmth. Many slouch coats are made without a lining because the lack of added structure allows the wool to drape more loosely. While that may give you a slightly more cozy silhouette, it means you miss out on any real insulation. The lining here gives the coat just enough structure to feel sophisticated and clean, but clever details like a shoulder seam that continues down the arm still gives it an almost cape-like, drop-shoulder fit.

I would personally recommend opting for the black color over the tan. While the tan might look nice in online photos, I can tell that the color is pretty flat, which means it won't look quite as elegant in person. — Sally Kaplan, executive editor, Business Insider Reviews

Best suede: Tanya Taylor Suede Clayton Coat

Pros: Beautiful heavyweight suede, lots of pocket space

Cons: Not weatherproof

"I've struggled to find the perfect trench coat because I'm worried the classic khaki kind will make look like McGruff the Crime Dog. This suede trench from Tanya Taylor instead has a very cool, laid back '70s vibe to it, and I inevitably receive compliments on my outfit each time I wear it (even if I have on a sweatsuit underneath).

A comfortable, slouchy long coat is an outfit in itself. The Tanya Taylor Suede Clayton Coat has a roomy fit, which allows me to layer multiple sweaters underneath. The rich chocolate color is very saturated and reads as brown, even in low lighting.

Made with a thick goat leather suede, this soft material drapes beautifully, and (most importantly) keeps me warm. The one drawback is that I'll only wear it if the forecast looks clear. The material is so luxurious that I don't dare get it wet. I'll still travel with it on because it has four huge pockets and feels like a cozy blanket when I'm on a long train ride." — Gabrielle Chase, senior associate style editor, Insider Reviews

Best sherpa: UGG Gertrude Teddy

Pros: Super warm, stylish

Cons: Dry clean only, not great for rain

This coat is so cute and cozy, and I love that it fits pretty much any occasion — from a fancy holiday party to a weekend brunch. Plus, the Gertrude Long Teddy Coat is thick and warm, so perfect for the true dead of winter.

I'm 5'11" and it easily stretches down to my knees, so with winter boots and a hat I feel truly bundled from head to toe. I love that it's available in plus sizes. I'm normally a 2X but sized up to a 3X so I'd have plenty of room for extra layers. It's very roomy, but still has a tailored shape to it that I find is lacking in most teddy bear coats.

The only thing to be mindful of is the bright white color, which I've found is fundamentally incompatible with life in dirty downtown Manhattan (and life with a black cat that is very intrigued by any sherpa-like fabric), but I couldn't resist the snowy white color for winter, and I love the contrast it adds against my black hair.

It's dry-clean only, and I know I'll have to send it out for cleaning at least once during the season to keep it looking nice. I also think it would be a lovely choice for a bride looking for a winter wedding coat. — Lauren Savoie, former deputy executive editor, Business Insider Reviews

Best hooded: Lolë Alizé Rain Trench Coat

Pros: Waterproof, fully seam sealed, roll-away hood, hidden zip pockets, machine washable on delicate setting

Cons: Velcro "snaps" may snag clothing, popular sizes and colors sell out quickly

The Lolë Alizé Rain Trench Coat was made for people who actually deal with unpredictable weather but don't want to give up on looking put together. It's constructed from a fully seam-sealed, waterproof 10K fabric with a durable water-repellent coating. The hood rolls away neatly into the collar, which I love for maintaining a clean silhouette when the forecast clears up. This trench is also breathable and quick-drying, so it never feels stuffy even when it's humid out. The material has a soft, slightly structured feel.

There's also a two-way zipper and hidden snaps for a streamlined front, plus a removable tie belt if you want a more cinched shape. Another bonus: It's made from recycled fibers that are Global Recycled Standard certified and sourced without harmful chemicals.

My one complaint, though, is the velcro closure. When I wore this jacket open over a thin sweater, the Velcro "snaps" snagged the fabric.

Best silk: Lilysilk Oversized Long Coat

Pros: Lightweight, roomy fit, high-quality silk

Cons: Expensive, not weather-resistant

For anyone leaning into the quiet luxury trend, the Lilysilk Oversized Long Coat delivers the look effortlessly. It's one of the most luxe-feeling trench-style coats I tested, made from heavy momme silk crepe with a smooth, subtly textured finish and an elegant sheen. From the first wear, it felt lightweight yet indulgent — the kind of coat that instantly elevates even jeans and a tee.

The oversized fit adds to its appeal. It drapes beautifully and moves with you, more like a robe than a structured trench, creating a fluid, relaxed silhouette that feels modern and refined. The silk fabric is breathable, wrinkle-resistant, and surprisingly durable for something so delicate-looking. I also love the minimalist design (no fussy buttons or zippers), which keeps the spotlight on the fabric's rich texture and natural luster, though it does detract from the warmth.

That said, this one's more about aesthetic than function. It's a definite splurge and not built for bad weather. Still, it's a stunner for layering on mild days or throwing over a sleek outfit for dinner.

Other trench coats I tested

Everlane The Modern Trench Coat ($288): With a clean, classic silhouette featuring a double-breasted front, tie waist, and a full back storm flat, this trench coat makes a timeless, high-quality wardrobe staple. Though the 100% organic cotton fabric feels great, on the black colorway I tested, it was practically a lint magnet. It was quickly covered in fuzz, which detracted from the polish.

Bernardo Hawthorne 3-in-1 Cape Trench Coat ($230): This trench-poncho hybrid has nifty features like a detachable hood, water-repellent fabric, and a waist belt. Though the caped design makes it a statement look, it added fashion more than function, and it became a hassle on very windy days.

Tuckernuck Winston Jacket (now sold out): We loved this reversible plus-size friendly trench, which fit up to a size 24 with a tailored silhouette and lightweight crepe fabric.

• Different kindergarten cutoff dates led us to start our son in kindergarten just before he turned 6.
• By first grade, he was significantly ahead academically and was becoming bored.
• With his teachers' support, we moved him to second grade halfway through the year.

Redshirting my son was based on a technicality.

He was born in Maryland, a state where children must be 5 before September 1st to enter kindergarten. With his late October birthday, he was ineligible on the cusp of his 5th birthday. Instead, he entered pre-K through the Montgomery County Public School system.

It was the fall of 2020, six months into the COVID pandemic. Even virtually for most of the year, he learned so much from his amazing teacher.

When we moved back to New York ahead of the next school year, we had a decision to make.

We held him back

In our Hudson Valley town, the kindergarten cutoff was December 1st. Had we moved the year before, as planned, he would have started kindergarten on time, but with the two different cutoffs, we had to choose — should he start in his age-appropriate grade, entering school as a first grader, or should we hold him back and start him in kindergarten?

After lengthy discussions, we decided to send him to kindergarten. It's a special school year, and we chose to give him that gift.

When he started school, my son was two months away from turning 6. Not only was he one of the oldest in his class, but he was also nearly a foot taller, too. Right away, we questioned whether we had made the right decision. He was thriving, for sure, but it became clear early on that the different cutoff dates were reflected in the curriculum. Kindergarten felt very similar to what he had already done in pre-K.

During my daughter's kindergarten year in Maryland, she spent the first few weeks reviewing the basics before diving headfirst into academics. For my son, the pace was slower. While my daughter hit the ground running, my son took a more meandering path into academics.

He was ahead of his peers

All things considered, he had a fabulous kindergarten year. He went apple picking and to the zoo. He listened to stories, made crafts, and celebrated the 100th day of school. He had friends and was happy. He was eager to learn, but at times, was frustrated by the pace of instruction. He was ready to go, go, go. During parent-teacher conferences in November, his teacher informed us that she was already giving him supplemental worksheets to keep him busy and engaged.

By the time he reached first grade, it was clear that he was significantly ahead of his peers academically. We grew worried about boredom and behavior. When we discussed our concerns with his teacher, she agreed with our assessment that first grade was not the right place for him.

Having gone through early elementary with our daughter before, we knew that while the jump from first to second seemed doable, the jump from second to third, with the increase in academic rigor, did not. If we were going to do it, this was the time. With his teacher's support, we reached out to the principal and began the process of moving him up a grade.

He then skipped a grade

It took longer than we'd hoped, but halfway through the year, with months of data from his teacher and evaluations from his school's academic support staff, he transitioned from first to second grade.

The move went better than we could have hoped. He joined second grade just in time for a trip to the aquarium, and another mom sent me photos from the trip, my son seamlessly integrating into his new class. Academically, he went from being significantly ahead to being right on target in most subjects, with a little catching up to do in others. As he progressed through the rest of elementary school, he caught up and pushed even further. At a school event this past year, one of his classmates felt compelled to tell me that my son was, like, really smart.

Now on the verge of middle school, I've reflected a lot on the choice we made. Even though the decision to redshirt was largely by default, I was always uncomfortable with the concept. Red shirting is a privilege. The "gift of time" that proponents of the practice espouse is one that many families can't afford. And while there are legitimate reasons to delay kindergarten, none applied to my son.

We could have kept him where he was, giving him the advantage of age, size, and academic achievement, but it felt unnecessary for our family. My son is the child of two college-educated, middle-class adults. He's been in the 90th percentile for his size since birth. He didn't need the extra help red-shirting could provide.

By moving to his age-appropriate grade, my son was able to flourish. Rather than coasting through school, he was challenged. He never lost his excitement and curiosity for learning. He has great friends and an active social life. And he's ready for the next step on his academic journey.

It's a rare treat when I find plus-size clothing I'm excited about. I wear a size 24, and have spent decades navigating a retail landscape that often made me feel like an afterthought. A few mall brands held my size, but their designs never held my interest.

Today, the buying power of plus-size women is better recognized. As plus-size celebrity stylist Kat Eves told me, "We've really made some pretty big leaps and bounds when it comes to plus-size fashion and having a more inclusive shopping experience."

But progress doesn't equal parity. "The fashion retail industry is absolutely improving but in my opinion, not fast enough," said Hina Low, a personal stylist and plus-size content creator who works under the name Heensie. "We have seen popular retailers expand to a size 20 perhaps, but rarely more than that and often, only online. This is not true inclusion."

Even though extended sizing exists, Eves points out that self-expression often falls short. Trend-driven pieces are still harder to come by, relegating us to drab designs void of any personal style.

That's where this guide comes in. Alongside my own 20+ years of experience shopping plus sizes, I spoke with both Eves and Heensie to identify the brands actually pushing things forward. While I've included some fast-fashion options for accessibility, both experts I spoke to emphasized their excitement around the growing number of small, independent plus-size labels dedicated to inclusive fashion.

And if you're looking for the best plus-size swimwear, the best plus-size jeans, or the best plus-size workout clothes, we've got you covered there, too.

Our favorite plus-size clothing brands of 2026

• Anthropologie has a huge selection of plus-size clothing that feels unique and special, including on-trend pieces that suit a variety of occasions.
• Quince's plus-size clothing is reasonably priced and uses high-grade fabrics like 100% cashmere and mulberry silk. We've highlighted our favorite pieces in our Quince plus-size review.
• Eloquii is not only one of the best places to buy plus-size workwear, but also one of our favorite spots for cute dresses and great denim. You'll find everything from trendy cuts to long-lasting basics here, which is why Heensie said it is "very well loved and a go-to for many plus-size customers."
• Reformation is a staple trendy clothing retailer with a great selection of extended sizes and a commitment to sustainability. It's an amazing place to find things like wedding guest dresses and "going out" tops.
• Universal Standard was one of the first brands to truly pioneer stylish plus-size fashion, and they continue to be one of the best in the game at serving folks up to a size 40. They even got our hard-won spot for the best plus-size workwear brand. 

Anthropologie

Shop all plus-size clothing at Anthropologie 

Size range: XXS to 4X; 00 to 26W

If you like your clothing sophisticated yet whimsical, Anthropologie has something for you. The retailer offers over 600 styles in plus sizes, with options for up to a size 26W (though you'll find the largest selection in sizes 16 to 22). Shipping is free on orders over $50, but you'll pay $5.95 return shipping unless you return in store. While its in-store plus size offerings are limited, its clothing rental service, Nuuly, is a great way to try styles if you don't want to commit. You can rent six items at a time for $98 a month, and you'll get a discount on any items you want to keep. 

Quince

Shop all plus-size clothing at Quince

Size range: XS to 3X

Quince has made waves as a go-to retailer for high-quality pieces at affordable prices. Our straight-sized reporters have raved about the brand, and we recently got the opportunity to try several items from its newly launched extended-size collection. The good news is that the pieces are attractive, durable, well-fitting, and high-quality. The bad news: Quince charges more for extended sizes than it does for straight sizes. Quince obviously still has a lot of work to do when it comes to true size inclusivity, but we loved the pieces enough to recommend this brand for staples like cashmere sweaters, linen pants, and silk dresses. 

Read more in our full Quince review and our Quince plus-size review.

Universal Standard

Shop all clothing at Universal Standard

Size range: 00 to 40

Universal Standard was one of the first retailers to pioneer true size inclusivity, offering every style in size 00 to 40. The brand uses its own letter sizing system that equates a medium to a size 18 (the average size of a woman in the US), and its unique Fit Liberty program lets you exchange many items for a different size up to a year from your purchase date, no matter how used the clothing is.

"Universal Standard is one of the more popular brands that are really leading the way in the fashion industry in terms of inclusive sizing," Heensie said. "They are my go-to for plus-sized denim, in both my clients' wardrobes and in my personal." The brand is also one of Insider's favorite places for shoppers of all sizes to buy the best workwear, affordable women's basics, the best T-shirt, and the best women's jeans, and statement pieces like leather jackets. Standard shipping is free, and for returns or exchanges not covered by the Fit Liberty program, you'll have 30 days to send your items back and will have to pay a processing fee of between $4.50 and $7.50. 

Reformation

Shop all plus-size clothing at Reformation

Size range: 0 to 24

Reformation is one of the most popular upmarket clothing brands of the moment, and nearly 100 of its styles are available in extended sizing. The brand is known for its sustainable pieces, from statement dresses to capsule basics. Most of the pieces are available up to a size 24 or 3X and fit true to size. The clothing is pricier, but the brand is climate-neutral certified, and the pieces are built to last. You'll incur an $8 return shipping fee unless you're a rewards member, are exchanging, or opting for store credit.

Eloquii

Shop all clothing at Eloquii

Size range: 14 to 32

Eloquii is a dedicated plus-size retailer catering to women size 14 and above, and Heensie said it is "very well loved and a go-to for many plus-size customers." There's a strong focus on work-appropriate attire, so you'll find great options for suiting and many day-to-night outfits, with the occasional statement piece ideal for a night out. You can get free shipping on orders over $125, though you'll pay $10.99 for returns unless you exchange or opt for store credit. 

Eileen Fisher

Shop all plus-size clothing at Eileen Fisher

Size range: XXS to 3X

Eileen Fisher is the place to shop for upscale, breezy pieces that feel timeless and elevated. You won't find any "hard pants" here; everything is formulated for comfort. Unfortunately, the brand does not feature any plus-size models on its site, but you'll find a hefty selection of items available in up to a 3X. I love the brand's linen sets for summer; they're cool, durable, and feel chic to wear. Shipping is free, but you may pay a fee if not returning in-store.

See more in our guide to the best luxury workwear brands.

Wildfang

Shop all clothing at Wildfang

Size range: 0 to 30; XS to 4X

Many plus-size designs trend hyper-feminine, but if your style leans more masculine to gender-neutral, Wildfang is a great place to shop. The brand recently expanded its size offerings to fit up to what would typically be a 30 in traditional women's sizing. You'll find button-ups, jumpsuits, and trousers that can easily be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. "Their suiting options, especially for gender-inclusive style is something that I'm really excited about," Eves said. Shipping is free over $75, but returns incur a $10 restocking fee.

Nordstrom

Shop all plus-size clothing at Nordstrom

Size range: 00 to 28

Nordstrom is a great place to shop from a variety of upscale brands, including many that are already on this list, like Spanx, Good American, Eloquii, and Skims. If you're overwhelmed with where to start, we recommend checking out the jeans from NYDJ, upscale basics from Eileen Fisher, and occasionwear by Hutch. One of the big perks of shopping at Nordstrom is that the store is generous with its perks for rewards members and credit card holders, including granting advance access to its famous anniversary sale. Returns are free both in-store and online.

Dia

Shop all clothing at Dia

Size range: 0X to 7X; 10 to 40

You may know Dia as a clothing subscription service, but the brand has expanded in recent years to be a full-service retailer of plus-size clothing. While it still offers its signature plus-size styling boxes, you can now shop à la carte for everything from swimsuits to jeans. In 2022, Dia acquired 11 Honoré, an online marketplace of upscale brands offering plus sizes, so you can also browse designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Tanya Taylor right from Dia's website. Shipping is free for à la carte orders over $125 and all styling boxes. Returns are free if you opt for store credit, otherwise you'll need to pay a return shipping fee.  

Cider

Shop all plus-size styles from Cider

Size Range: XXS to 4X

For super trendy, TikTok viral clothing, Cider is the place to go. There are hundreds of styles available in sizes up to 4X. Everything is incredibly affordable, with prices ranging from $8 for a bodysuit to $52 for a faux leather jacket. We recommend checking the product size chart for each garment before you buy, as the sizing seems to vary a lot from item to item. For example, we've seen skirts on the site that are both labeled as 4X, but range anywhere from 55 inches to 61 inches in the hips. You'll pay a $3.99 return restocking fee, and you'll need to start your return within 14 days of receiving your items. 

J.Crew

Shop all plus-size clothing at J.Crew

Size range: 000 to 24; XXXS to 3X

While you won't find any plus-size models on J.Crew's website, a great selection of the brand's offerings are available in up to a size 3X. You'll find options for nearly any occasion: button-ups for work, basics for lounging, swimsuits, jeans, statement pieces, and even wedding guest dresses. Shipping is free for J.Crew Rewards members, and you can return for free in store or pay $7.95 to return through the mail.

Amazon

Shop all plus-size clothing at Amazon

Size range: 00 to 42; XXS to 8X

You can find thousands of plus-size clothing items right on Amazon; the retailer even has a dedicated landing page, The Plus Shop, for extended sizes. Like the rest of Amazon, it can be tricky to browse, and you'll find lots of third-party sellers that could be hit or miss in quality. However, it's a great catch-all place to shop if you have a specific item in mind, but you're not finding it at other retailers. As always, Prime members will get free shipping on eligible orders, and returns are free and easy through Amazon's return center. 

Never Fully Dressed

Shop all clothing at Never Fully Dressed

Size range: 2 to 24

I'd describe Never Fully Dressed as elevated dopamine dressing. You'll find every color of the rainbow represented in its styles, along with playful prints and patterns. I own several statement pieces from Never Fully Dressed that I truly love, including a detailed embroidered sweater, a tattoo-inspired tie-front top, and bright red pants with scalloped pockets. The items feel unique, and I always get compliments on them.

The brand is transparent about its sustainability initiatives and covers both shipping and import duties (the items ship from the UK). Unfortunately, you'll pay a hefty fee on international returns, equivalent to about $13. If you're in New York or London, it's also worth stopping into one of its stores, which carry items in the full size range.

Popflex

Shop all plus-size clothing at Popflex

Size range: 0 (XS) to 24 (3XL)

Popflex started out as one of our favorite plus-size activewear brands, but ever since we tested its viral Taylor Swift-inspired workout clothes, the brand has expanded beyond fitness gear. And since its specialty is clothing that feels good to sweat in, these versatile, casual pieces are perfect for those of us who run hot and just need something easy to slip on in the heat of summer.

Here you can find basic tanks with built-in shelf bras that actually support large busts. Then you have its "one and done" outfits, including matching sets, jumpsuits, and comfortable dresses. These come in a wide variety of petite and tall lengths, with solid colorways for easy styling.

Noble

Shop all plus-size clothing at Noble

Size range: XS to 3X

Noble recently expanded its offerings to a 3X, and it has quickly become one of my favorite places to shop for effortless pieces that are versatile, comfortable, and relaxed but put together. I practically live in the brand's utility dresses (which I have in both short and long), and I find that they can easily be dressed up or down by playing with layers or adjusting the front zipper. The pieces are made with 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton that's been grown, milled, and sewn on fair-wage farms in Peru, and the brand has made other environmental commitments like using compostable packaging and offering a buyback program for used garments. Shipping is free on orders over $100, but returns incur a $10 fee unless you buy return insurance for $2.98 at checkout.

BAACAL

Shop all plus-size clothing at BAACAL

Size range: 10 to 28

BAACAL is the plus-size line from designer Cynthia Vincent, the founder and namesake of Vince and reflects the same commitment to high-end, sustainable fashion. "She does such a beautiful job of creating really high-end pieces that look effortless," Eves said of the designer's kaftans, dresses, and jackets. BAACAL is a great place to shop for truly special pieces that you'll keep in your closet for decades, and its prices reflect that; you can expect to pay $200 to $400 for most items in the collection. The brand uses its own in-house sizing: its size 1 is meant to fit a US 10-12, while its size 5 should fit a US 26-28. Exchanges are free, as is shipping on orders over $50. Returns made for cash, however, will incur a $12 fee. 

SKIMS

Shop all plus-size clothing at SKIMS

Size range: XXS to 4X

From the best white T-shirts to the best lingerie, one brand that repeatedly shows up as a top pick in our buying guides is Kim Kardashian's SKIMS.  Products from SKIMS have made our guides to the best underwear, the best leggings, the best bras, and more. Since its launch in 2019, SKIMS has offered shapewear, underwear, loungewear, and more in an inclusive size range — its clothing currently goes up to a size 4X in most styles and up to a 46H in bras. It's a great place to shop for plus-size underwear, plus-size lingerie, and basics like T-shirts and leggings. You have up to 30 days to return items, and you'll pay a $6 return shipping fee on your order, unless you join SKIMS' free loyalty program or opt for store credit. 

Spanx

Shop all plus-size clothing at Spanx

Size range: XS to 3X

Spanx may be known for its shapewear, but the retailer has expanded in the past few years to include workwear and loungewear in up to a size 3X. Spanx is one of our favorite places to shop for stylish work pants, comfortable bras, day-to-night leggings, and tights that don't rip. Almost all the pieces are in neutral colors to easily mix and match with your existing wardrobe. Shipping is free, but you'll pay a $6 return shipping fee unless you opt for store credit.

Read more in our full Spanx review.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Shop all plus-size jeans at Abercrombie & Fitch

Size range: 000 to 26 (23 to 38 in Abercrombie's in-house sizing)

If you live life in a larger body, the words "Abercrombie & Fitch" probably conjure deep memories of teenage exclusion. Surprisingly, the retailer has become a beloved destination for plus-size jeans in the past few years. Abercrombie now carries short, regular, and long-length jeans up to a size 26 (what it calls "size 38").

In addition to offering extended sizes in many of its traditional styles, its Curve Love denim also provides an extra two inches of room in the hips, so there are options for a great fit regardless of whether you carry your weight in your stomach or hips.

While we'd love to see the same inclusivity applied to Abercrombie's other clothing (which currently only seems to run up to an XXL, except in a very small selection of pieces that run to an XXXL), we recommend giving this unlikely retailer a try for great-fitting plus-size jeans.

Read more in our full Abercrombie jeans review.

Good American

Shop all clothing at Good American

Size range: 00 to 32; XS to 5XL 

Co-founded by Khloe Kardashian, Good American offers a size-inclusive range of jeans and other apparel in a plethora of styles. We've tested Good American jeans on all different shapes and sizes, and the retailer remains one of our picks for women's jeans. While jeans are Good American's forte, don't sleep on its other offerings — we recently named it one of the best places to shop for women's suits. You'll also find plenty of basics like white tees, bodysuits, and loungewear. Shipping is free on orders over $125, but you'll pay a $2.99 to $7.99 restocking fee if you need to make a return for cash (exchanges and returns for store credit are free). 

Mango

Shop all plus-size clothing at Mango

Size range: XXS to 4X; 0 to 24

If you're looking to put together a capsule wardrobe, Mango makes elevated staples in neutral tones for effortless mixing and matching. You'll find timeless pieces with a French aesthetic that are equally at home at the office or out to brunch. While the retailer offers plenty of styles in up to a 4X, keep in mind that the pieces sold in numerical sizes (such as jeans and some dresses) rarely go past a size 22. Returns within 30 days are free, so it's worth trying out a few different sizes to see what fits best.

Old Navy

Shop all clothing at Old Navy

Size range: 0 to 30; XS to 4X

For many plus-size customers, Old Navy is in the doghouse at the moment, as the retailer backed out of its much-hyped "BODEQUALITY" campaign that promised to stock up to size 30 in stores. Still, Old Navy offers hundreds of inexpensive plus-size styles online, with the option to return in-store or through the mail for free. The retailer often has big sales, and you'll find many pieces available for under $20, making this a great place to shop for affordable clothes that are still on trend. 

Madewell

Shop all plus-size styles from Madewell

Size Range: 00 to 24

We love Madewell for affordable women's basics, great-fitting jeans, and on-trend minimalist pieces. Madewell's youthful designs feature lots of neutrals, denim, earthy tones, and boxy fits. Unfortunately, Madewell's plus-size offerings seem to be dwindling these days, which is a shame because the retailer really makes some fantastic fitting plus-size jeans. Even if you're a casual Madewell customer, we recommend signing up for the brand's free rewards program, Madewell Insider, which will get you free returns on your orders (among other perks). Otherwise, expect to pay $7.95 for returns. 

Big Bud Press

Shop all clothing at Big Bud Press

Size range: XXS to 7XL

If your aesthetic leans more "should have been born in the '70s," Big Bud Press is worth a look. You'll find unisex clothing up to a size 7X with strong vintage hippie vibes — think bell bottoms and psychedelic patterns in silhouettes that range from androgynous to slightly feminine. "I live in their jumpsuits when I'm working as a stylist," said Eves, who also noted that the LA-based retailer revamped its sizing based on feedback from plus-size customers. Return policies are on the strict side: Returns and exchanges must be postmarked within 14 days of delivery, the customer is responsible for return shipping, and a restocking fee applies to orders over $500. 

Target

Shop all plus-size clothing at Target

Size range: XS to 6X; 00 to 30

While Target offers a limited selection of plus sizes in stores, you'll find thousands of styles on the retailer's website. Target's website isn't set up well for browsing, so we recommend perusing the straight-size clothing in store and then finding your size on Target's app or website. We particularly love the retailer's selection of bathing suits and inexpensive jeans. Target has one of the best return policies in the biz; you have 90 days to make a return on regular merchandise and up to a year to return items from Target's own lines (Universal Thread, A New Day, etc.).

Phase Eight

Shop all plus-size clothing at Phase Eight

Size range: 8 to 26

Phase Eight clothing is made for feeling comfortable even in a buttoned-up setting. These feminine silhouettes are inspired by the classic London lady, but by using hand-drawn prints and sculptural accents its designers make them feel less prim than the usual British dress code. Despite a lack of curvy models pictured on its site, you can find plus-size occasionwear and statement jackets made with fabrics that feel weighty yet refined. It has floaty blouses that cost about $200, and formal dresses up to $800. Standard shipping to the US costs $8 and any return costs (which varies based on your location) will be deducted from your refund value.

ASOS

Shop all plus-size clothing at ASOS

Size range: 0 to 26

Any plus-size millennial can probably recount the relief they felt the first time they discovered ASOS. The retailer was one of the first to make a substantial collection of truly on-trend, cool clothing in plus sizes. "ASOS Curve can be difficult size-wise, because they carry an array of brands," said Heensie. "However, they are plentiful in their options and many plus-sized folks have been deferring to them for years for trendy pieces." At ASOS, you'll find hundreds of inexpensive styles for any occasion you can think of; it even offers plus-size jewelry, like extra-long chain necklaces. Most shoppers report that the clothing runs large, so you may want to size down for the best fit. The retailer offers free shipping over $70, and returns are quick, easy, and free.   

Free Label

Shop all clothing at Free Label

Size range: XS to 5X

If you still scoff at the idea of wearing "hard pants" post-pandemic, Free Label is a great place to shop for pieces that are stylish yet comfortable. "They make the most glorious loungewear and bras," said Heensie. The brand focuses on natural fibers like linen and cotton, along with some pieces made using deadstock fabrics; all sustainable options. Heensie said the brand is very community-oriented and regularly solicits feedback on fit. You'll find models of all sizes on the site, so you can get an accurate idea of what the clothing looks like on various body types. Shipping is free on orders over $200 and the brand offers returns within 7 days of receiving the items, but you'll pay a $15 return shipping fee.

Nooworks

Shop all clothing at Nooworks

Size range: XXS to 5X

If you love bold statement pieces and lots of color, Nooworks is the place to shop. The brand is a favorite of Eves, who particularly loves its jumpsuits. "They have some really interesting, fun designs that are created by independent artists," Eves said of the Nooworks' bold patterns. The brand prioritizes sustainable fabrics and prints its patterns in Los Angeles using a rotary printing technique that is more environmentally friendly than dyeing. It also offers a resale platform where customers can buy and sell used Nooworks' pieces. You have 14 days from the receipt of your items to initiate a return or exchange. Returns for cash incur a $10 restocking fee.     

Tamara Malas

Shop all clothing from Tamara Malas

Size range: 2 to 36

If you love a good matching set or a true statement piece, you'll love the plus-size options from Tamara Malas. You'll find items that are bright and loud in both color and silhouette — think bi-color velvet pants and psychedelic print biker shorts. Shipping within the US is free over $250, and like other small retailers the return window is quite short — you have 14 days from receiving your item to initiate a return and you're on the hook for a $10 restocking fee. The brand also carries plus sizes in its Lower East Side store, which is worth a stop if you're in the New York City area.

Sante Grace

Shop all clothing at Sante Grace

Size range: 1X to 5X; 14 to 30

"Sante Grace out of LA is doing some really interesting, ethically made fun fashion for people of lots of different style types," said Eves. "So you've got everything from a really cool gold sparkle jogger to a totally work-appropriate suit vest." Tracy Christian, the designer behind Sante Grace, was inspired by fashion houses like Balmain and YSL; luxury brands she couldn't fit into as a plus-size person. She channels similar edginess and modernity into her own designs, which include caftans, rompers, dresses, and suiting. Shipping is free on purchases over $125, and you have 7 days to return items for either an exchange or store credit. You'll pay return shipping and a $5 restocking fee per item.

Lucy & Yak

Shop all plus-size clothing from Lucy & Yak

Size range: UK 6 to 32 (equivelent to US 2 to 28)

If you're looking for a buzzy addition to your wardrobe, check out British brand Lucy & Yak. Best known for its dungarees and jumpsuits in vibrant colors and eclectic designs, you can also find soft linen pants and lightweight outerwear. Committed to making pieces that last, Lucy & Yak makes its clothing using sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton and dead-stock fabrics. The brand has a 30-day return window for most unused, unwashed items with a fee for international returns.

Tunnel Vision

Shop all clothing at Tunnel Vision

Size range: XXS to 7X

"This is another great brand that prioritizes size inclusivity, is very community-oriented and dials up the edginess even further," Heensie said of Tunnel Vision, who noted the brand also offers size-inclusive vintage and buy-back stock. The Los Angeles-based retailer cheekily calls its designs "clothes for deadbeat, lowlife weirdos," and its offerings reflect that punk-rock irreverence, with lots of 90s-core designs that look like an angsty teen made a collage out of 1997 Delia's and Hot Topic catalogs. "My punk and goth clients love pieces from here," Heensie said. Tunnel Vision uses carbon-neutral shipping and all its new clothing is made in certified sweatshop-free environments. The brand doesn't offer returns, but does allow exchanges for store credit. 

Laws of Motion

Shop all custom-sized clothing at Laws of Motion

Size range: practically any

Laws of Motion is one of the cooler retailers I've tried recently. The brand uses AI to tailor-make clothing in exactly your size. I used the Find My Fit feature to submit some basic information about my height and weight, along with some photos. The process was so fast that I was skeptical that the sequin pantsuit and jumpsuit I ordered would fit properly, but I was thrilled to find that my pieces arrived essentially pre-tailored and fit like a glove. This is a game changer for tall plus-size folks like me who have trouble finding dresses and jumpsuits that are long enough. The clothing is on the pricier side, but it's a great option for special pieces that are uniquely made for you.

H&M

Shop all plus-size styles from H&M

Size Range: 0 (XXS) to 26 (4XL)

H&M is another spot to check out for cheap plus-size clothes, though the brand seems to have walked back on its plus-size commitment since we initially included it in this guide. At the time, Heensie noted that the brand took on plus-size model Tess Holliday as a consultant, but — despite having a decent plus-size selection — the brand no longer features plus-size models on its site.

For now, we're leaving it in the guide as a place you can source cheap basics (think your classic black tees and white button-ups). We recommend joining H&M's free loyalty program, which will get you free shipping over $40. However, even if you're a loyalty member, you'll have to pay $3.99 in return shipping or else return your items in-store. 

FAQs on plus-size clothing

What is considered plus-size?

In the US, plus-size is generally considered to be size 18 or above, though size 12, 14, and 16 shoppers may also identify as plus-size because clothing options become more limited above a US 10. The average woman in the US is variously reported to be between size 14 to 18, which means more women wear plus sizes than straight sizes in the US.

Where can I buy plus-size vintage?

The options for plus-size vintage aren't nearly as numerous as they are for straight sizes, but several dedicated plus-size vintage shops have popped up over the last couple years. Some of Eves' favorite places to shop for plus-size vintage and consignment are Luvsick, Proud Mary, The Plus Bus, Berriez, and Plus BKLYN. A few of the retailers in our guide, including Tunnel Vision and Nooworks, also offer vintage or buyback stock on their websites.

• Andrew Garfield is making headlines for his portrayal of Sam Altman in "Artificial."
• The upcoming film is the latest in a new genre of entertainment: the startup biopic.
• Sebastian Stan, Jared Leto, and Amanda Seyfried have all played tech CEOs for TV shows and movies.

We've all heard of musician and actor biopics — now, it's all about the tech CEO biopic.

These days, startup founders can be just as famous (or infamous) as any other celebrity, and the dramatic lives they've lived in business or at home make great fodder for TV and movies.

To play these figures, some of our best-known actors had to ditch their signature looks to take on Steve Jobs' turtleneck and wire-frame glasses, or Elizabeth Holmes' red lipstick and frizzy blowout.

Here are 16 celebrities who transformed to play some of Silicon Valley's most prominent figures.

Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman in 'Artificial'

"After the Hunt" wasn't enough for Garfield and director Luca Guadagnino — now the two have teamed up to tell the story of OpenAI CEO and cofounder Altman.

"Artificial," which is set for release in select theaters on Christmas Day, will focus on Altman's 2023 firing by cofounder Ilya Sutskever (Yura Borisov) and subsequent rehiring one week later.

Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Reckoning'

"Succession" star Jeremy Strong will play the Facebook founder in "The Social Reckoning," a film about the release of Facebook Files, a staggering number of internal documents leaked by whistleblower and employee Frances Haugen and published by The Wall Street Journal in 2021, and the subsequent congressional scrutiny that followed.

The film, set for an October 2026 release, is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter of "The Social Network," making this something of a sequel to the 2010 classic.

Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Network'

"The Social Reckoning" won't be the first time Zuckerberg has been portrayed on screen — most famously, Eisenberg played the founder in "The Social Network," which chronicled the earliest days of Facebook, back when it still had a "the" in front of it.

It juxtaposes the wild, early days of the website with two lawsuits Zuckerberg settled a few years later: one from cofounder Eduardo Saverin and another from his Harvard classmates, the Winklevoss twins.

Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker in 'The Social Network'

The other famous "disruptor" portrayed in "The Social Network" is Parker, one of the cofounders of Napster, the original music streaming platform. He's played by Timberlake in a career-best performance.

Parker comes in as an early believer and investor in Facebook, which ruffles the feathers of cofounder Eduardo Saverin.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Travis Kalanick in 'Super Pumped'

Gordon-Levitt played Uber cofounder and former CEO Kalanick in "Super Pumped," a 2022 Showtime limited series. It focuses on the rise of Kalanick and his eventual fall from power, culminating in his 2017 resignation from the company.

Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in 'The Dropout'

Seyfried played Holmes all the way from her time at Stanford in 2003 (where she did the titular dropping out) through to the catastrophic collapse of her company Theranos in 2015, spurred by an exposé published in The Wall Street Journal, in the 2022 Hulu limited series "The Dropout."

Theranos purported to manufacture a device that could do a litany of blood tests from a single finger prick, but, infamously, it never actually worked. In 2022, Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding investors.

There's speculation that Seyfried will reprise the role, in a way, as Holmes in the coming documentary "You Can See Everything," but it's unclear how much, if any, involvement she has in the doc.

Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs in 'Jobs'

The first mention of Jobs on this list goes to Kutcher, who played the Apple founder in the 2013 biopic "Jobs." It follows his career from the beginning of Apple in 1976 to the introduction of the first iPod in 2001.

Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs in 'Steve Jobs'

Two years after "Jobs," the late founder was portrayed again on screen, this time by Michael Fassbender in "Steve Jobs."

Instead of a standard cradle-to-grave biopic, "Steve Jobs" checks in with the enigmatic figure at three different points in his career: first in 1984, before the introduction of the first Apple Macintosh computer; second, in 1988, when Jobs is the head of a new company, NeXT, and is preparing to launch its first computer; and finally, in 1998, as Jobs gears up to release the iMac.

Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs in 'Pirates of Silicon Valley'

In 1999, the TV movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley" aired, starring Wyle as the Apple founder. It chronicles Jobs' career from the '70s to the '90s, from the founding of Apple to his return as CEO.

Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates in 'Pirates of Silicon Valley'

The other half of the "Pirates of Silicon Valley" narrative focuses on Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft. He's played by "Breakfast Club" star Anthony Michael Hall.

The film's climax is based on the real-life falling out Gates and Jobs had in 1985, when Jobs felt that Gates had ripped off Apple.

Jared Leto as Adam Neumann in 'WeCrashed'

Leto really did physically transform to play the WeWork CEO and cofounder in the 2022 Apple TV+ miniseries "WeCrashed." The show chronicled the immense success the coworking start-up experienced in its early days in 2010, all the way through its disastrous attempted IPO in 2019.

Anne Hathaway as Rebekah Paltrow Neumann in 'WeCrashed'

Hathaway costarred in "WeCrashed" as Neumann's wife, Rebekah Paltrow Neumann, who was heavily involved in WeWork, even if she wasn't officially a cofounder. She was, however, "an unpredictable and unmistakable presence" at the company, per Business Insider's reporting.

Jay Baruchel as Mike Lazaridis in 'BlackBerry'

The creation of the BlackBerry, one of the earliest smartphones, was dramatized in "BlackBerry," which starred Baruchel as one of the cofounders of RIM (the brand behind the phone) and one of the cocreators of the BlackBerry itself, Lazaridis.

The film begins with Lazaridis and his partner teaming up with Jim Balsillie (more on him later) to make BlackBerry the most popular smartphone in the world — only for its reign to end with the iPhone.

Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie in 'BlackBerry'

RIM really got off the ground when Mike Lazaridis and his cofounder Doug Fregin were approached by Balsillie. According to the movie's telling, Balsillie offered to invest $20,000 for a 50% stake in the company, and was eventually sold a 33% stake for $125,000 and the title of co-CEO.

The less we say about Howerton's performance, the better — it really must be seen to be believed.

Lily James as Whitney Wolfe Herd in 'Swiped'

2025's "Swiped" is the story of the creation of Bumble through the eyes of its founder, Herd. Originally, she was a cofounder of Tinder, but resigned in 2014, and eventually received an out-of-court settlement after suing Tinder for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment, without either Tinder or its parent company, IAC, admitting to wrongdoing.

After leaving Tinder, Herd wanted to create an app that focused on female empowerment, and thus, Bumble, a dating app where women have to make the first move, was born.

Sebastian Stan as Vlad Tenev in 'Dumb Money'

In 2023's "Dumb Money," which is about the "Gamestonk" GameStop short squeeze and subsequent drama that happened in 2021, led by the Reddit community r/WallStreetBets and one user in particular, Keith Gill, aka Roaring Kitty, Stan has a small role.

He plays Robinhood cofounder and CEO, Tenev. During the events of the film, Tenev directs Robinhood, an e-trading platform and investment app, to stop allowing users to buy certain stocks and options (including GameStop), which caused an uproar.

• There's big drama in math land.
• Two mathematicians used several AI models, including OpenAI's, to help advance their research into fluid equations.
• OpenAI later announced a solution to famous math question, and said it couldn't rule out the pair's work "helped improve" their AI.

The big drama in AI land today is decidedly nerdy stuff.

But the hubbub highlights a concern everyone should care about: Can what you type into AI help train a machine that one day beats you at your own game?

On Monday, Tristan Buckmaster, an NYU mathematician, and Levent Alpöge, a mathematician who works at Anthropic, released papers claiming new results related to a famously thorny scientific question: Can the math used to predict the movement of water and air suddenly hit a breaking point?

Solving that problem could lead to a $1 million prize from the Clay Mathematics Institute. While the pair didn't claim to have achieved that particular breakthrough, Terence Tao, a well-known mathematician, called the work "remarkable" in a Mastodon post.

But it was the four-page statement that Buckmaster published alongside the findings, which included some explosive allegations involving OpenAI, that captured people's attention. He alleged that OpenAI learned of the pair's findings — and told him an internal AI model had made progress on solving the $1 million question.

On Tuesday, OpenAI formally claimed it had achieved a solution to the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem — "one of the deepest problems at the frontier of mathematics."

Buckmaster — who said that he and Alpöge used AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic to assist in their research — said he does not know whether OpenAI used the pair's data or chats. OpenAI said "no specific user data was accessed in order to solve this problem," but said it couldn't rule out that "de-identified data derived from their usage of our products helped improve our models."

The episode has set off a dispute over scientific credit, AI training data, and the paper trail behind an AI-assisted discovery. Scientific American said the drama has set up the "biggest day in math in at least two decades."

What is Buckmaster alleging about OpenAI?

Buckmaster and Alpöge concluded that they found examples where today's math doesn't accurately describe smooth air and water flows. They used several AI models, including Claude and Codex, throughout their work.

Buckmaster said that after he told an OpenAI mathematician that he and Alpöge planned to post their work, OpenAI staff, including computer scientist Sebastian Bubeck, told him that their internal model had produced a proof of the Navier-Stokes question (the one that carried the $1 million prize).

Basically, Buckmaster and Alpöge were publishing work that could pave the way to achieving that bigger breakthrough. OpenAI, according to Buckmaster, signaled on the call that it had achieved that bigger breakthrough.

He also said he was offered possible publication arrangements and that OpenAI's Bubeck wanted Alpöge removed as an author because he works at the company's rival, Anthropic.

"I have not seen OpenAI's proof," Buckmaster wrote. "I do not know whether our data was used. I am not accusing anyone of anything. I am stating what I was told, when, and what was proposed to me. I am stating it because the alternative is to let a sequence of announcements say something I know to be false."

On Tuesday, OpenAI's Bubeck pushed back on some of the spiciest elements of Buckmaster's statement in a post on X, denying he had "ever asked Levent to be removed from authorship of his own work." He said he tried to "coordinate our releases" of the mathematical announcements, and that OpenAI was motivated to try to solve the problem after "viral Twitter rumors that Anthropic had resolved 2 Millenium problems."

That followed an earlier post in which he said that "false and inflammatory allegations" against him were circulating.

The dispute has roiled the online math and AI communities. Sholto Douglas, a member of Anthropic's technical staff, said it was "extremely sad." Others highlighted the most explosive allegations in the press releases or posted a rundown of the drama.

Questions of scientific credit when AI is used

There are a lot of complexities within this math saga, especially around who gets recognition for what.

Buckmaster credits mathematicians Diego Cordoba and Luis Martinez-Zoroa for helping establish the pair's underlying approach with their 2024 study. From there, Buckmaster said his work with Alpöge used LLMs to advance their findings.

That account raises new questions about how, or if, researchers should share credit with AI labs — especially if their models are trained on other breakthroughs from leading mathematicians.

It also poses another tricky dilemma: What should AI companies do with the data entered by their customers — and are they using it to compete directly against mathematicians and scientists?

OpenAI, Anthropic, Buckmaster, and Alpöge didn't respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

What do OpenAI's terms say?

Buckmaster said OpenAI wasn't clear with him on whether its AI models had been trained on the pair's work. But OpenAI's policies make it clear that is allowed.

OpenAI's terms of service state that the company trains on data submitted by its users unless they opt out.

"When you share your content with us, it helps our models become more accurate and better at solving your specific problems and it also helps improve their general capabilities and safety," the company wrote in a March post.

Users can opt out via the company's privacy portal by selecting "do not train on my content."

Buckmaster's statement said he paid for the tools himself, but it does not identify the particular product, account type, or whether the pair opted out.

OpenAI claims big math breakthrough

OpenAI formally addressed the situation on Tuesday afternoon while announcing that it had solved the Navier-Stokes problem.

The company separately congratulated Buckmaster and Alpöge on their related work, but said that neither its in-house researchers nor its AI agents saw the pair's work "through any means" until its public release. "No specific user data was accessed in order to solve this problem," the company said.

But, addressing Buckmaster's question about AI training data, the company said it was possible the AI models had learned from the pair's inputs.

"While unlikely, we cannot rule out that de-identified data derived from their usage of our products helped improve our models," OpenAI said. "However, our proofs differ significantly and even the precise results proved are different in the Euler case (forced vs. unforced)."

The latest from OpenAI suggests the drama is far from over.

The saga is a good reminder that AI companies are constantly working to improve their models — and, unless you explicitly opt out or have an enterprise account that stipulates as much, that includes what you type into them.

Ever wonder how successful leaders across industries get it all done? Business Insider's "Power Hours" series explores that question by diving into the daily routines of top executives, founders, creatives, athletes, and celebrities — from aerospace and transportation to venture capital and the creator economy.

We've profiled leaders like Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's CEO, who starts his day before dawn and avoids unnecessary meetings, and David Risher, the CEO of Lyft, who winds down with matcha in the afternoons and takes undercover driving shifts to inform his work.

Each story offers an inside look at how these high performers meticulously structure their waking hours to achieve their personal and professional goals. Besides giving us a window into their workdays, the featured leaders discuss exercise, rest, and tips for staying sharp, conserving energy, boosting productivity, and more.

Read stories from the series here and bookmark this page for the latest additions.

If you're a leader in your industry and you have a fascinating routine to share, reach out to editor Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.

Zara Larsson is keeping a busy schedule in 2026, with festival appearances and headlining shows still ahead as part of her Midnight Sun era. Keep reading to learn where to buy Zara Larsson tickets, including seats at her sold-out shows.

She has been delivering glossy, dance-ready pop for more than a decade, breaking through internationally with hits like "Lush Life" and "Never Forget You" before adding songs like "Symphony" with Clean Bandit to her résumé. More recently, she's been touring behind Midnight Sun, whose title track earned her a 2026 Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording.

There are still plenty of chances to see her live in 2026, including upcoming stops at Rock in Rio, All Things Go, and two nights at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles before the Midnight Sun Tour heads to Australia and New Zealand in October. If you missed out on primary-sale tickets, StubHub and Vivid Seats both have resale listings for select dates. Below, we'll break down where to buy Zara Larsson tickets, what they currently cost, and the remaining shows on her schedule.

Zara Larsson's 2026 tour schedule

Dates to see Zara live in the US are dwindling, with only stops in Nevada, New York, Maryland, and California remaining before the singer heads overseas to close out her tour.

• September 13, 2026 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at Cidade do Rock (Rock in Rio)
• September 18, 2026 - Las Vegas, NV at T-Mobile Arena (iHeartRadio Music Festival)
• September 25, 2026 - Flushing, NY at Forest Hills Stadium (All Things Go Festival NYC)
• September 26, 2026 - Columbia, MD at Merriweather Post Pavilion (All Things Go Festival DC)
• September 29, 2026 - Los Angeles, CA at Greek Theatre
• September 30, 2026 - Los Angeles, CA at Greek Theatre

• October 4, 2026 - Seoul, South Korea at Myunghwa Live Hall
• October 5, 2026 - Seoul, South Korea at Myunghwa Live Hall
• October 7, 2026 - Meguro, Japan at Ebisu The Garden Hall
• October 8, 2026 - Meguro, Japan at Ebisu The Garden Hall
• October 13, 2026 - Brisbane, QLD, Australia at Riverstage
• October 14, 2026 - Brisbane, QLD, Australia at Riverstage
• October 15, 2026 - Sydney, NSW, Australia at Hordern Pavilion
• October 17, 2026 - Melbourne, VIC, Australia at Margaret Court Arena
• October 20, 2026 - Mt Claremont, WA, Australia at Perth HPC
• October 22, 2026 - Melbourne, VIC, Australia, at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park
• October 23, 2026 - Sydney, NSW, Australia, at Afterpay Arena
• October 25, 2026 - Auckland, New Zealand at Spark Arena
• October 26, 2026 - Auckland, New Zealand at Spark Arena
• October 30, 2026 - Manila, Philippines at Smart Araneta Coliseum
• November 1, 2026 - Bangkok, Thailand at UOB Live

How much are Zara Larsson tickets?

Zara Larsson ticket prices vary widely depending on the show, with festival appearances generally priced differently from her headlining dates. On StubHub, the cheapest current listing is about $109 for a Friday pass to All Things Go NYC on September 25. At the other end, StubHub's current price range for the two-day iHeartRadio Music Festival pass in Las Vegas tops out at about $4,526 per ticket. StubHub currently displays prices with fees included.

On Vivid Seats, the lowest current price tied to a Zara Larsson appearance is $99 for the September 25 All Things Go NYC Friday pass. One of the most expensive listings is a GA Pit ticket to the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas for $4,694.

Prices on both resale marketplaces can change quickly as inventory shifts and sellers adjust their asking prices, so fans may see different totals as the event date approaches.

• See more: Is StubHub legit? | Ella Langley tickets

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

StubHub is one of the biggest names in ticket resale, with listings for concerts, sporting events, theater, comedy, festivals, and other live events. It can be especially useful when tickets are hard to find through the original seller, but prices can vary widely. We took a closer look at how StubHub works and what to know before buying tickets.

The platform operates as a marketplace that connects buyers with ticket sellers rather than setting ticket prices itself. Sellers generally choose their own asking prices, which can fluctuate based on demand, seat location, available inventory, and how close the event is. That means you may occasionally find tickets below face value, while seats for especially popular events can cost considerably more.

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

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

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

Is StubHub legit?

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

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

How StubHub protects ticket buyers

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

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

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

How StubHub protects ticket sellers

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

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

What about StubHub fees?

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

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

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

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

StubHub FAQs

Does StubHub have promo codes or coupons?

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

Are StubHub tickets guaranteed?

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

Does StubHub sell gift cards?

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

How do I contact StubHub customer support?

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

Does StubHub give refunds?

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

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

Who is touring or performing on StubHub now?

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

• BTS - April through September
• Ella Langley - April through October
• Zara Larsson - July through September
• Ed Sheeran - June through November
• Hilary Duff - June 2026 through February 2027
• AC/DC - July through September
• Zac Brown Band - July through November
• Harry Styles - August through December
• The Eagles - September through December

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

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

The 2026 US Open is entering its final stretch at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, with the singles quarterfinals underway and the tournament running through September 13. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is still in contention, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew before the tournament, and Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the first round. If you're hoping to catch the remaining matches in person, we've broken down where to buy US Open tickets and what you can expect to pay.

On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina are among the biggest names still chasing the title. With several American players also reaching the quarterfinals, there's plenty of star power left as the tournament heads toward championship weekend.

Below, I'll break down how to buy 2026 US Open tickets, including last-second options from StubHub and Vivid Seats, the gameplay schedule, and what to know before heading to Flushing Meadows. If you're tuning in from home, check out our guide on where to watch the US Open for streaming options.

US Open 2026 schedule

This year's US Open started with Fan Week through August 29, while the singles main draw runs from August 30 to September 13. The revamped Mixed Doubles Championship happens early: qualifying was on August 24, the first round and quarterfinals were on August 25, and the semifinals and championship were on August 26. The USTA explicitly notes that the schedule, match times, and sessions are subject to change — find tickets now on StubHub and Vivid Seats.

Men's and Women's Singles

• August 23, 2026 - Fan Week begins
• August 24, 2026 - Singles qualifying
• August 25, 2026 - Singles qualifying
• August 26, 2026 - Singles qualifying
• August 27, 2026 - Men's and women's singles qualifying
• August 30-31, 2026 - Men's and women's singles first round
• September 1, 2026 - Men's and women's singles first round
• September 2, 2026 - Men's and women's singles second round
• September 3, 2026 - Men's and women's singles second round continues
• September 4, 2026 - Men's and women's singles third round
• September 5, 2026 - Men's and women's singles third round continues
• September 6, 2026 - Men's and women's singles Round of 16
• September 7, 2026 - Men's and women's singles Round of 16
• September 8-9, 2026 - Men's and women's singles quarterfinals
• September 10, 2026 - Women's singles semifinals
• September 11, 2026 - Men's singles semifinals
• September 12, 2026 - Women's singles final at 4 p.m. ET
• September 13, 2026 - Men's singles final at 2 p.m. ET

Men's and Women's Doubles

• August 24, 2026 - Mixed doubles qualifying
• August 25, 2026 - Mixed doubles first and second rounds
• August 26, 2026 - Mixed doubles semifinals and final
• September 4, 2026 - Men's and women's doubles first round
• September 5, 2026 - Men's doubles first round, Women's doubles second round
• September 6, 2026 - Men's and women's doubles second round
• September 7, 2026 - Men's and women's doubles second round; Women's Doubles third round
• September 11, 2026 - Women's doubles final
• September 12, 2026 - Men's doubles final

How much are 2026 US Open tickets?

Ticket prices for the 2026 US Open vary considerably depending on the date, session, stadium, and seat location. On StubHub, some early-round Arthur Ashe Stadium tickets are currently available for around $133 to $135 each, including fees. For example, Session 4 on August 31 has tickets starting at $133, while individual listings on that page range into the hundreds of dollars and beyond. StubHub's displayed price filter for that session extends past $928 per ticket, illustrating how much prices can climb for better seats.

Vivid Seats lists US Open tickets starting at roughly $51, with prices increasing substantially for later rounds. Among the sessions currently displayed, the September 12 women's final has the highest starting price at about $745, while the September 13 men's final starts at about $622. Vivid Seats uses all-in pricing, meaning the prices shown include fees.

Because both StubHub and Vivid Seats are resale marketplaces, prices and inventory can change frequently as sellers add tickets and demand fluctuates. Fans looking for the cheapest way into the tournament will generally find lower prices during Fan Week and earlier sessions, while semifinals, finals, and premium Arthur Ashe Stadium seats tend to command significantly higher prices.

• See more: Is StubHub legit? | Where to watch the US Open | ESPN streaming plans | Best sports streaming services

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• Instinct, an invitation-only AI assistant going viral in Silicon Valley, can handle real-world errands through text messages.
• A version of this story appeared in the BI Tech Memo newsletter.
• Sign up for the weekly BI Tech Memo newsletter here.

Here's everything that Instinct — an invitation-only AI assistant going viral among Silicon Valley tech types — has done for me over the past few days:

• Booked a cabin for my birthday and made a dinner reservation.

• Ordered whey protein from Costco.

• Faxed (faxed!) an obscure document to my bank so I could get a late-fee refund.

• Checked whether a new dentist was in-network and made an appointment.

• Dealt with a human customer service representative at my insurance company.

• Canceled several recurring subscriptions I'd forgotten about.

• Responded to my emails.

Honestly, this service is nuts. And sure, AI tools like OpenClaw, Codex, and Claude Code can already do some of these things. But what makes Instinct different is that it lives in your text messages. There's nothing to set up, and no technical fiddling. You send it a text, and it gets to work.

VCs see the magic, too. The WSJ reported that Instinct is raising $250 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. Its founder, Noah Shinn, is a 23-year-old Northeastern University dropout and an early employee at AI company Sierra. Shinn did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Instinct is part of Silicon Valley's next big bet: that AI should stop telling us how to do things and just start doing them for us, something that the industry calls "agentic AI." My colleague Hugh Langley reported that Meta is testing something similar called Hatch.

There is, naturally, a catch. An assistant cannot run your life without gaining access to a lot of it. The more hooks that you let Instinct sink into your digital life by connecting it to your email, calendar, and anything else that requires you to log in, the more useful it is. Its terms of service also allow it to train its models on user data. Shinn did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

So here's the part where I should tell you to tread with caution. Instead, I'm just going to leave you with an invitation to sign up. Write to me and tell me the craziest thing you tried.

Have a tip? Contact Pranav Dixit via email at pranavdixit@protonmail.com or Signal at 1-408-905-9124. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Sarah Friar, OpenAI's CFO, said ChatGPT's ads could be like 'if Google and Meta had a baby.'
• OpenAI's ads push is an attempt to monetize its base of 1 billion weekly users.
• Friar made the remarks at a San Francisco conference on Tuesday morning.

Congratulations to Google and Meta — they're expecting.

OpenAI's chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, was describing her company's ads ambitions on Tuesday when she said that ChatGPT is like "if Google and Meta had a baby."

Friar made the remarks before a full room of investors and analysts at Goldman Sachs' Communacopia + Technology Conference in San Francisco.

The comment succinctly outlines OpenAI's ambition to turn ChatGPT into a money-printing ads platform, following in the footsteps of its tech giant predecessors. In just seven months of placing ads on the chatbot, OpenAI's ads business is now raking in cash at a rate that Friar said would equal $1 billion in revenue if mapped across a full year.

She attributed the "baby" idea to Fidji Simo, the former OpenAI executive who stepped down this year from her role running the company's commercial operations.

Friar went on to explain that she thinks ChatGPT can use the data it learns from its users to bring the "intent" of a Google search together with the "context" that Meta has on its social media users.

"It's high intent search, you're telling a lot, but with the context — it's not quite people like me, it's me, because it has all the memory of me," Friar said. "So when you put those two things together, the ability to have a really potent ad platform is clearly there."

Right now, OpenAI serves basic ads underneath ChatGPT's responses if a user is on the free or Go subscription tiers. Friar expects a more complex, more tailored format in the future. She said her team has shown her "early indications" of what a more AI-native ad format could look like as they develop the platform's basics and scale its availability.

"This is all before we've really launched a format that feels truly endemic to AI," Friar said. "That's what I get super excited about."

OpenAI's focus on advertising marks a full 180 since 2024, when CEO Sam Altman said he found the idea of combining ads and AI "uniquely unsettling."

The ambitions are a break from rival Anthropic, which has skewered the idea of ads in chatbot responses. Each of the companies is preparing to go public in highly anticipated IPOs that will test Wall Street's appetite for AI and serve as referendums on the strength of the companies' finances.

Both companies filed their confidential S-1 prospectuses in June, and Anthropic's public version is expected in the coming weeks. OpenAI has not disclosed a specific timeline, but Friar has previously said that the listing will happen by the end of 2027.

OpenAI was last valued at a $852 billion in a March fundraise that injected $122 billion into its coffers.

The company is trying to parlay that cash, its 1 billion-user ChatGPT app, and its status on the frontier of AI research into a sustainable business. Friar has to balance OpenAI's growing consumer and enterprise businesses with the AI lab's vast expenses on AI inference, data center construction, and research.

Friar steered Square through its 2015 IPO as the company's CFO and was Nextdoor's CEO during its transition to the public markets via a 2021 SPAC.

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

• The US Navy said it's applying lessons from USS Abraham Lincoln's deployment to another carrier.
• USS Theodore Roosevelt will have more logistics support, food, supplies, and entertainment options.
• The US conflict with Iran has entered its sixth month and put strain on military assets.

The US Navy's next aircraft carrier set to deploy will be carrying extra supplies so it can remain self-sufficient for longer, top service officials said on Tuesday, a move intended to address logistics issues that have surfaced on other ships during the Iran war.

USS Theodore Roosevelt is preparing to depart from its home port of San Diego in the coming weeks. Navy leadership said the aircraft carrier is incorporating lessons learned from others that participated in combat operations against Iran this year.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, said the Roosevelt is "putting those lessons into action" using what the Navy learned from aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford.

"That starts with logistics," Caudle said in a video address, explaining that "Roosevelt is maximizing its loadout of food, retail products, and hygiene items before getting underway."

Speaking next to him in the video, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said that the vessel's crew "is converting available spaces into additional storage, building the ability to remain self-sufficient for longer periods, especially when resupply may be difficult."

Both the Ford and Lincoln endured lengthy, extended deployments in the Middle East, supporting combat operations against Iran. Ford spent a post-Cold War record-breaking 326 days at sea; Lincoln, already at more than 280 days, is still on its way home after a stop in Thailand.

Reports emerged last month detailing supply issues aboard Lincoln, with families expressing concern over the living conditions and the well-being of the crew, some 5,000 sailors and Marines. Multiple reports indicated that key logistics centers had been affected by the war, straining Navy crews. Democratic lawmakers have pressed the Pentagon for answers.

While peacetime carrier deployments may be six or seven months, demands can be higher during periods of conflict. Roosevelt, which is expected to sail into the Middle East, could experience a lengthy deployment as the US-Iran war shows no end in sight.

Caudle said in the video that the Navy is "also focused on quality of life. That means new entertainment equipment on the mess decks, more durable fitness equipment, spare cardio machines ready for our placement, and even holiday materials purchased ahead of time."

He added that there are also efforts underway to provide families with "reliable, consistent communication throughout the deployment." These were some complaints, especially during the Lincoln's deployment, that had a reported impact on crew morale.

The Navy has around 20 warships in the Middle East, including two aircraft carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group. These vessels have carried out the US military's blockade of Iran's ports, which began in April, among other missions. US forces have restricted the passage of Iranian commercial vessels, turning them away from port.

In some instances while enforcing these navigation restrictions, the Navy has disabled non-compliant vessels, shooting out the engines and rudders of Iranian boats that have ignored warnings. Navy warships have also been involved in removing Iranian mines placed in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The US war with Iran is in its sixth month, and both sides continue to trade strikes. On Tuesday, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched drone and missile attacks on multiple sites in Saudi Arabia, including oil facilities, sparking fresh concerns that the conflict could expand further across the Middle East.

• AI is being used to improve foodborne outbreak detection and help manage recall decisions.
• Food safety consultant Willette Crawford said AI can help workers sift through vast datasets.
• High costs and non-uniform data remain challenges to AI adoption in food safety.

For a brief period this summer, no fresh produce seemed safe. Lettuce, jalapenos, and blueberries were among a steady stream of recalls and food safety alerts that kept consumers on high alert.

Willette M. Crawford, a food science consultant who has spent two decades researching predictive food safety, said AI has become a useful tool for enabling faster, more targeted approaches to outbreaks. She previously helped write regulations for the Food Safety Modernization Act, which shifted the FDA from reactive management of food contamination to a more proactive, preventive approach.

"From a consumer perspective, people see all these recalls and outbreaks and think things are getting riskier or are deteriorating in some way. I don't think that's necessarily the case," Crawford, who is also the cofounder of the agriculture-tech company Katalyst Agricultural Solutions, told Business Insider.

She added: "The food supply is not getting riskier — it's that our ability to see the risk is improving."

Business Insider asked Crawford about exactly how AI is being used in the food-safety world and the ongoing challenges to its implementation.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How is AI being used in food safety?

Willette M. Crawford: AI is enabling us to connect information that has historically lived in databases or physical paperwork and to automate some of the workflows and processes. That allows food safety professionals to spend less time assembling and retrieving the information and more time interpreting it and doing whatever investigations are necessary, and focusing those limited resources where the risk actually exists.

From a regulation standpoint, we're using whole-genome sequencing networks to improve outbreak detection. The AI tools are not detecting the pathogens, but they're helping us identify them more quickly in the system to make those connections across different systems, across different states, and so forth, so we can identify the recalls or the outbreak scope more quickly.

How has AI changed your approach to the food-safety work you do?

WC: What's changed is what's computationally possible: how early we can see a meaningful signal and how precisely we can decide where to focus.

What AI adds is the ability to integrate far larger and more diverse datasets, find relationships nobody explicitly programmed in, and do it continuously, rather than as a research project.

The bottleneck was never the math. It was always the data.

How can companies use AI more effectively for food safety processes?

WC: The companies doing this well all have one thing in common — and it isn't the sophistication of the AI tool or the model they're using. It's that they digitize their information first.

The ones that have brought in AI tools but haven't digitized are still muddling through and trying to see the ROI of what they've done. Whereas companies that spend the time and investment to digitize — and it can be painful sometimes — those are the companies that are better positioned.

In addition to your staff's everyday responsibilities, they now have to spend a lot of time working on the architecture of these systems, and that initial architecture is important to getting this right. If your records are incomplete, inconsistent, or not well-maintained as they already are, putting an AI system in place is not going to bring you the benefits that you expect.

What are the big-picture barriers to adopting AI in the food-safety space?

WC: Right now, it's still early adoption to some degree, mainly by some of the larger companies in the industry.

For smaller companies or producers, cost is often prohibitive to moving forward. If it's cost-prohibitive for most people in the supply chain to approach, then even the best companies with the greatest systems still have to work within their partners' limitations.

Time is a barrier. Models can be developed and configured, but it takes a lot of time to configure them, validate them against your system, and have someone who's responsible for the governance of those systems moving forward.

What is the regulatory framework for using AI in food safety?

WC: From a governance standpoint, we don't necessarily have a comprehensive, food-specific regulatory framework for how companies should use AI in food safety. We call it a food supply chain, but it's really not a chain — it's a complex network of siloed operations that intersect whenever a product is transformed, transported, or changes hands.

Those entities don't necessarily have the same standards or priorities, or in some cases, the same regulatory requirements, and each entity generates large amounts of records and information.

The food supply chain is global. While globalization is wonderful because it allows us to have certain things year-round and have more products, you're now navigating a bunch of different regulatory systems, record-keeping practices, and operational standards.

Let's be honest: most TVs aren't doing your living room any favors when they're turned off. They're basically just big black rectangles taking up wall space. That's the problem Samsung set out to solve when it launched the Frame in 2017, and it's a big reason frame-style TVs have become so popular.

Instead of looking like tech, the best art frame TVs are designed to pass as décor. They have matte, anti-glare screens that mimic the look of canvas, slim builds that hug the wall, and customizable bezels so they actually match your space. And when they're not playing your favorite show, they double as digital art displays, with access to everything from classic paintings to modern pieces. Samsung may have started the trend, but it's no longer the only game in town. Brands like Hisense, TCL, Amazon, LG, and Walmart have jumped in with their own takes on art-inspired TVs that aim for a similar look.

I've spent the past few years testing multiple versions of Samsung's Frame lineup, including the standard Frame and the high-end Frame Pro. I've always appreciated Samsung's design, but I wanted to see how the competition stacks up. Can options like the Hisense CanvasTV, TCL NXTVISION TV, and Amazon Ember Artline TV really deliver that same gallery feel without cutting corners where it counts?

To find out, I tested the best frame TVs from Samsung, Hisense, TCL, and Amazon. Here's how they compare — both as actual TVs and as statement pieces — with details on where each shines, where they fall short, and which models make the most sense for your space and budget.

Our picks for the best frame TVs

Best overall: Samsung Frame TV - See at Amazon

Best high-end model: Samsung Frame Pro TV - See at Amazon

Best Frame TV alternative: Hisense CanvasTV - See at Amazon

Honorable mention: TCL NXTVISION TV - See at Amazon

Best overall

Samsung's standard Frame TV is the best art TV for most people. It checks every box you'd expect from a display that doubles as décor, and it offers a few thoughtful perks that cheaper competitors skip.

On the design front, the Frame delivers all the essentials: a matte, canvas-like screen, support for magnetic bezels (sold separately), a flush wall mount, and a motion sensor that turns art mode on only when someone's in the room. Because the standard Frame has been around the longest, it also offers the widest selection of bezel styles, from understated to more ornate. Just keep in mind that none of these bezels come included — out of the box, you get a basic black border.

The TV utilizes Samsung's wired One Connect Box, which consolidates power and device connections into a single, thin, transparent cable that runs from the screen to a separate box. You can then place the box on a console or out of sight. This keeps your wall clean and makes it easy to add a streaming player, an antenna, or a game console without moving the TV.

Samsung's Art Store is another standout. Its catalog of high-quality images is far more robust than the free selections you get from Hisense or TCL. But while Samsung does offer a small rotating batch of free artwork, to unlock the full library, you'll need a paid subscription.

The Frame's anti-glare matte display also performs well in bright rooms, helping art look convincing and daytime TV viewing remain comfortable. But as with most art TVs, picture quality isn't the Frame TV's strong suit. Brightness peaks at around 500 nits, contrast is lacking, and the edge-lit backlighting can result in patchy black levels. While watching TV in the dark, this uneven lighting can be downright distracting.

Still, the Frame isn't aimed at cinephiles chasing premium HDR performance — it's for style-first shoppers who want a TV that blends seamlessly into their space. And in that role, it shines. It's also available in a wide range of sizes: the 2025 model recommended here ranges from 43 to 65 inches, but you may still be able to find older versions from 32 to 85 inches.

Check out our guide to all of the best Samsung TVs.

Best high-end model

The Frame Pro is Samsung's premium art-style TV. It's the most advanced option on the market and offers a noticeably bolder, brighter image than any other display in this guide.

This model carries over all the essential features of the standard Frame TV, including a matte screen, support for attachable bezels, a flush wall mount, and a motion sensor. What sets this model apart from Samsung's cheaper Frame is its wireless connection box and local dimming backlight.

Like the standard Frame TV, the Frame Pro uses a separate One Connect Box to house its video ports. However, the Frame Pro takes it one step further by making this connection box wireless. It still needs to be plugged into an outlet, but it doesn't require a physical connection to the TV itself. This greatly expands placement options and makes it easier to work around obstacles in your home, so you can mount your TV in spots that were previously tricky.

When it comes to picture quality, the Frame Pro utilizes Samsung's Neo QLED technology with Mini LED edge-lit local dimming. These features provide a significant technical advantage over the standard Frame TV and its rivals. Every other art TV uses a basic edge-lit LED backlight without dimming, which greatly limits contrast and brightness. But the Frame Pro's Mini LEDs help it reach a peak brightness of around 1,000 nits, about double that of the standard Frame, Hisense Canvas, and TCL NXTVISION.

This higher brightness allows the TV to produce bolder highlights when watching high-dynamic-range (HDR) videos and helps it overcome ambient light in rooms with many windows. The Mini LED backlight can also produce deeper black levels than other art frame TVs, so dark scenes don't look as washed out and uneven when watching TV with the lights off.

That said, I still noticed some light blotches and uneven dimming in dark scenes during nighttime viewing. While this is the best frame TV for picture quality, it still can't match the image performance of traditional Mini LED and OLED TVs.

It's also important to remember that access to Samsung's full Art Store requires a subscription fee, and that magnetic bezel attachments are an additional cost. But while this all adds to the price, the Frame Pro is easily the best art TV for premium performance.

Check out our full Samsung Frame Pro TV (2025) review.

Best Frame TV alternative

The Hisense CanvasTV is the best Frame TV competitor, matching most of the Samsung Frame's features and design perks. It has all the essentials that make an art TV an art TV, including a matte screen, support for magnetic bezel attachments, a flush mount, access to digital paintings, and a motion sensor.

I reviewed the 2024 version of this TV, but that edition has since been replaced by a slightly revised 2026 model. General features and design are the same, but the refreshed model is a bit brighter, and its matte screen has been improved to handle reflections better. It's also available in a 50-inch size for the first time.

Hisense offers a solid assortment of free paintings and photos without a subscription. In fact, Hisense doesn't currently offer a premium membership. The selection of photography and art prints isn't as wide as what you'd get with Samsung's paid Art Store, so if you like to switch up the mood in your room frequently, you won't have as many options. However, I never had that problem and found more than enough free choices that I liked.

The biggest complaint I have about the CanvasTV is that all its ports are on the back of the display, just like a traditional TV. This contrasts with Samsung's Frame models, which use a separate connection box. So, if you have multiple media devices you want to hook up, you could end up with multiple cables hanging from your wall. This hinders the TV's ability to mimic a framed painting. Of course, you could hide cables with a cover or feed them through the wall if you can drill, but Samsung's solution is more user-friendly and versatile.

On the plus side, I appreciate that the TV comes with a magnetic bezel that resembles a wooden frame. You'd have to pay extra for that when buying a Samsung model. However, alternative magnetic bezels are difficult to find from Hisense or third-party retailers. The most common search results are for those from sellers on Etsy. In contrast, there are tons of styles available for Samsung Frame TVs.

In terms of picture quality, there's not much separating the CanvasTV from Samsung's standard Frame. The 4K QLED display offers decent pop in both dark and light rooms, with similar brightness. Watching movies with the basic settings most people use, I couldn't easily tell the difference between the two products in black levels or color saturation. That said, the CanvasTV's viewing angles are more limited, especially when watching TV in bright daylight.

Despite its drawbacks, Hisense's CanvasTV is the best Frame TV alternative for anyone seeking an art TV that mimics most, though not all, of Samsung's features.

Check out our guide to all the best Hisense TVs.

Honorable mention

Thanks to its matte display and slim frame, the TCL NXTVISION does a convincing job of passing as an art-style TV. But it's missing several features you'll find on the Samsung Frame and Hisense CanvasTV, which makes it tough to recommend over either of them. It does occasionally win on price — sales often make it the cheapest option — but if Samsung's Frame or Hisense's CanvasTV are available for the same amount or less, those are better options.

The NXTVISION includes a light wood-style magnetic bezel, which is a nice touch, but I struggled to find other bezel colors or styles online. That could improve over time, but currently, Samsung has a clear edge in bezel variety.

On the art side, TCL provides over 100 free images, along with screensaver-like options featuring motion and information, such as the time. It's a solid selection, but still smaller than Hisense's free library or Samsung's paid Art Store. I didn't have trouble finding pieces I liked, but a year or two down the line, the limited catalog might feel restrictive.

Like the Hisense CanvasTV, the NXTVISION keeps its connection ports built into the panel rather than having a separate box. If you wall-mount it, be prepared to deal with multiple visible cables. The TV also lacks a motion sensor to turn art mode on or off based on room activity, a feature both Samsung and Hisense include.

Art customization is another shortcoming. You can add mats, but the aspect ratio options are limited and don't do much to enhance the illusion of real artwork. Hisense and Samsung offer far more flexibility here.

A slim wall mount is included in the box, but TCL doesn't provide a basic stand. The company does sell a rolling stand with a rear shelf for devices, which I tested. It's a nice stand, but it's expensive, and I wish a basic one were included with the TV

Picture quality is on par with the standard Samsung Frame and Hisense CanvasTV, although the NXTVISION is slightly dimmer. On the plus side, its viewing angles are marginally wider than Hisense's, which I noticed throughout testing at different times of day.

While TCL's NXTVISION lags behind the competition in a few key areas, it's typically the most budget-friendly art-style TV. It comes in sizes ranging from 55 to 85 inches, and the 55-inch version is often available for around $698. However, when the NXTVISION and CanvasTV are similarly priced, Hisense's model is the better buy.

Ultimately, the TCL NXTVISION is best suited for shoppers who want a stylish TV but have only a passing interest in art mode. It's a decent art TV on a budget, but its lack of customization options and motion sensor puts it a step behind the competition.

For other TCL display recommendations, visit our guide to the best TCL TVs.

Art frame TVs compared

What else we considered

Amazon Ember Artline TV - See at Amazon
Amazon's first frame-style TV, the Ember Artline, is now available. Like other gallery TVs, it uses a QLED panel, features a matte finish, and includes a slim wall mount. It also supports interchangeable bezels, and Amazon offers 10 styles to choose from. Users get access to around 2,000 pieces of free art. However, the Ember Artline has a very noticeable black sensor bar right under its frame. This bar is used for motion sensing and voice control, but it ruins the illusion of a framed piece of art. The TV also has its ports built into the panel, rather than using a separate connection box. Generally, I recommend getting a Samsung or Hisense art TV instead, but if you're not bothered by the sensor, the Artline is a worthwhile budget option when it's on sale.

Read our full Amazon Ember Artline TV review.

How we test art TVs

To find the best frame TVs, I spent time with all the major models from Samsung, TCL, and Hisense. In addition to judging them like traditional TVs, I evaluated each one specifically as a design-forward frame TV, paying close attention to differences in build quality, features, and how convincing they look on the wall.

Since most people buy frame TVs for their art-first design, I put most of my focus there. Picture quality still matters, of course, but it takes a back seat to things like how realistic the artwork looks, how much art is included, the quality of bezels and accessories, and how easy and enjoyable the software and interface are to use.

I've purchased and lived with several Samsung Frame TVs over the years, and I have hands-on experience with every model featured in this guide. I used them the way most people would — watching movies and TV shows and playing video games. All of the TVs were tested in similar, well-lit rooms with plenty of natural sunlight, so I could properly judge glare and anti-reflective performance. To keep comparisons fair, I also watched the same movie at the same volume level on each TV to get a consistent sense of image quality and speaker performance.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Tyler Hayes, contributing reporter: I've been covering consumer electronics for more than a decade, testing everything from headphones and soundbars to smart home gear and even electric cars. For this guide, I spent hands-on time with frame-style TVs from Samsung, TCL, and Hisense, and I've personally purchased and lived with several versions of Samsung's Frame over the years. I tested each one not just as a TV, but as a piece of design, comparing how realistic the artwork looks, how appealing each TV looks on a wall, and how intuitive the software feels day-to-day. My goal is simple: if you're aiming to buy a TV that doubles as décor, I want to make sure you end up with the one that actually looks (and works) the part.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

Art TV FAQs

What is an art frame TV?

An art TV is designed to resemble a framed work of art when it's "off" and not in use. To accomplish this, all of the best art TVs include key features that set them apart from most traditional TVs. These include:

• An anti-reflective matte screen meant to resemble canvas
• A thin profile and flush wall mount so they can hang like a picture
• Support for magnetic bezel attachments in different art-frame styles
• Access to a curated gallery of art and photographs that can be displayed when the set isn't used as a TV

Some, but not all, art TVs also include additional features that help them to further mimic the look and feel of a framed painting:

• A separate connection box so you can keep your wall free from cables
• A motion sensor to turn on the TV's art mode only when people are in the room

Which brands make frame TVs?

Samsung, TCL, and Hisense all produce art TVs designed to replicate the appearance of a framed painting. LG, Amazon, and Walmart also recently launched their first full-fledged art-frame TVs: the LG Gallery TV with frame, Amazon Ember Artline, and the Onn Fresco Art Gallery TV.

Other major brands, such as Sony, Roku, and Vizio, do not currently sell display models specifically designed to function as frame TVs, but some of their TVs offer certain features that art TVs provide.

Are there OLED frame TVs?

Art frame TVs all use LED or Mini LED panels, as those screen types are best suited for displaying static images. Though there technically aren't any OLED frame TVs, the new Samsung S95H OLED does include several gallery-style features, including a metal-frame-like bezel, an anti-glare screen, and access to Samsung's art store. However, the bezel is not interchangeable, and the TV lacks a motion sensor.

Can you access art galleries on other TVs?

Most TVs have a screensaver feature that displays various images when you're not watching a movie or show. However, these modes aren't as full-featured as those found on the best frame TVs, and the selection of images is often more limited.

That said, Samsung now offers access to its full Art Store on all of its latest Neo QLED and QLED TV models. The Art Store is also available on the S95H, the first Samsung OLED to feature it. You can learn more in our Samsung S95H TV review and 2026 Samsung OLED TV roundup. Those displays don't have all the design features of a Frame TV, but they can showcase the same images, so long as you have an Art Store subscription. Likewise, LG's Gallery+ service is available on multiple TV models.

Are art TVs good for home theater enthusiasts?

Art TVs place a greater emphasis on design than on picture quality. Generally speaking, most midrange and high-end traditional TVs offer better image performance than even the best frame TVs. This is especially true for contrast, brightness, and black levels. While casual viewers may not notice the backlight limitations on most art-frame TVs, those with a keen eye will see uneven lighting and distracting patches of brightness. If you're a home theater enthusiast looking for a TV with picture quality in mind, we don't recommend buying a frame TV.

For home theater TV recommendations, check out our guides to the best TVs and best TVs for picture quality.

Are art TVs available in many sizes?

Frame-style TVs are available in various sizes, depending on the brand and model. Samsung offers the most expansive lineup, with options ranging from 32 to 98 inches.

For more TV recommendations specific to certain sizes, check out our other buying guides:

• Best 100-inch TVs
• Best 85-inch TVs
• Best 75-inch TVs
• Best 65-inch TVs
• Best 55-inch TVs
• Best 50-inch TVs
• Best 43-inch TVs

Do art frame TVs have good sound quality?

Generally speaking, most TVs, including art frame-style ones, do not have good sound quality. Brands use small speaker drivers to fit them into flat-panel designs, which limits dynamic range, stereo separation, and depth.

Among the frame TVs we tested, the Hisense CanvasTV had the strongest audio output; however, it still lacked bass. For optimal audio quality, we recommend using a soundbar.

You can view our top recommendations in our various audio buying guides:

• Best soundbars
• Best budget soundbars
• Best Dolby Atmos soundbars
• Best soundbars with subwoofers
• Best Bose soundbars
• Best Sonos soundbars
• Best surround sound systems

• "Star Trek" debuted 60 years ago on September 8, 1966.
• After the show, the cast of the original series remained sci-fi icons.
• Only three stars of "The Original Series" are alive in 2026.

When Gene Roddenberry came up with the Vulcan phrase, "Live long and prosper," he had no way of knowing that he was predicting the future of his little sci-fi show that premiered on NBC 60 years ago.

In the six decades since, "Star Trek" has become one of our most enduring franchises, with 13 feature films (plus one direct-to-streaming movie), 13 television shows, and millions of fans all over the world — and perhaps the galaxy.

To celebrate "Star Trek's" big anniversary, we're reflecting on the original crew of the USS Enterprise, how they changed the world, and what the surviving cast members are doing now.

William Shatner led the crew of the USS Enterprise as Captain James T. Kirk.

"Star Trek" was originally going to be focused on a different captain, Captain Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter.

A pilot, called "The Cage," was even filmed, but it didn't make it to airwaves until the '80s. Gene Roddenberry, the creator, eventually retooled the show and cast Shatner as a new captain, Kirk. Some footage from "The Cage" was reused for a season one episode called "The Menagerie."

Before "Star Trek," Shatner was famous for his role in an iconic "Twilight Zone" episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which he played a man recently released from a mental hospital who becomes convinced he can see a creature on the wing of the plane he's flying on. It aired in 1963, three years before "Star Trek."

Shatner also acted in "T.J. Hooker" and "Boston Legal," hosted "Rescue 911," and has written numerous books. He made it to space in 2021.

Though he's 95 years old, Shatner has shown no signs of slowing down. After "Star Trek" was canceled in 1969, he briefly returned to voice Kirk for the "Star Trek" animated series. In 1979, he again reprised his role as Kirk in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." He'd continue to do so regularly until 1994's "Star Trek Generations."

He even directed one of the "Star Trek" movies: "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."

Besides "Star Trek," Shatner starred as the titular police officer on the '80s procedural "T.J. Hooker" and narrated "Rescue 911," a show that consisted of dramatic reenactments of real crimes.

Other roles that you might recognize Shatner from: a pageant host in "Miss Congeniality," attorney Dennis Crane in "The Practice" and its spin-off "Boston Legal" for which he won two Emmys, and in the 2016-2018 reality show "Better Late Than Never," in which Shatner, Henry Winkler, George Foreman, and Terry Bradshaw traveled around the world and experienced different cultures.

He also finally made it to space himself during a Blue Origin flight in October 2021, making him the oldest person to go into space at 90.

In July 2026, he started a podcast with his daughter, "No Time But Now," inspired by how they had both overcome stage IV cancer diagnoses in 2022.

Shatner has written multiple books, both fiction and non-fiction, over the course of his career. His 2016 book, "Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man," was about his friendship with "Star Trek" costar Leonard Nimoy, who played his on-screen better half, Commander Spock.

Most recently, in 2022, he published a collection of essays called "Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder."

Walter Koenig was cast as Ensign Pavel Chekov because of his resemblance to the Monkees' Davy Jones.

While Chekov was Russian, Koenig was born in the US and based his accent on his parents' accents — they were Russian immigrants. Koenig was cast because, according to legend, he was supposed to help attract young girls as viewers due to his resemblance to teen idol Davy Jones. He even wore a Davy Jones-esque women's wig for the first seven or eight episodes, he told TV Insider in 2016.

Koenig is mainly recognized for his on-screen role as Chekov, though he became a prolific screenwriter in the '70s. He wrote episodes for the "Star Trek" animated series, anthology series "What Really Happened to the Class of '65?" and children's series "Land of the Lost."

Koenig appeared in the 2018 film "Diminuendo."

Koenig, 89, (he's turning 90 on September 14) still makes frequent appearances on the "Star Trek" convention circuit, as well as acting in the occasional film.

He appeared in 12 episodes of "Babylon 5" in the '90s, voiced himself in an episode of "Futurama," and also voiced Mr. Savic on the Netflix animated series "Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters."

In 2025, he appeared in the film "Raging Midlife" as a character named Otis.

While not all of the "Star Trek" cast were on great terms, Koenig and his costar George Takei remain close. Koenig was even the best man in Takei's wedding in 2008.

George Takei played Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, a helmsman on the Enterprise.

Over the course of the show, Sulu was revealed to have many interests outside of Starfleet, most famously fencing. At the time, Sulu was one of the first Asian characters on TV who wasn't explicitly a villain but rather a fully formed hero.

"Up until the time I was cast in 'Star Trek,' the roles were pretty shallow — thin, stereotyped, one-dimensional roles. I knew this character was a breakthrough role, certainly for me as an individual actor but also for the image of an Asian character: no accent, a member of the elite leadership team," Takei told Mother Jones in 2012.

Takei was originally supposed to play Sulu as an astrophysicist, but the role was changed to helmsman. Before "Star Trek," Takei also appeared in "The Twilight Zone," like Shatner, among other '50s and '60s procedurals.

Takei is still acting to this day, though many people know him now for his social media presence.

Who says an 89-year-old doesn't know how to use social media? Takei's Facebook page has 9.6 million likes to date, and he has 2.8 million followers on X — though he's recently made the switch to BlueSky, where he has 1.8 million followers.

In addition to his continued acting in films like "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank," "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Blazing Samurai," and "Mulan," and TV shows like "Heroes," "Supah Ninjas," "Blue Eye Samurai," and "Star Wars: Visions," Takei is an activist. He came out as gay in 2005 and began working as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.

Takei also starred in the 2012 musical "Allegiance," which was based on his and his family's experiences during Japanese internment in World War II.

Nichelle Nichols played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a translator, communications officer, and linguistics expert.

Uhura was one of the first Black television characters who didn't have a menial job — instead, she was in a position of power. She and Shatner were also involved in what is thought to be the first interracial kiss on American TV.

Nichols stayed with the show for all three seasons, but it wasn't without drama. She was tempted to leave during the first year, but none other than Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay.

She told the New York Post in 2011 that when she told him that she wanted to leave, he told her, "You can't do that. You have the first non-stereotypical, non-menial role on television. You have created strength and beauty and intelligence. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen. It's what we're marching for. You're a role model, and whether you like it or not, you belong to history now."

She also released an album in 1967, "Down to Earth." In between "Star Trek's" cancellation and its return on the big screen, Nichols starred in the 1974 blaxploitation film "Truck Turner," as Dorinda, a madam.

Nichols died in 2022 at the age of 89. She had retired from public appearances in 2018.

From 1977 until 2015, Nichols was involved with Women in Motion, a NASA recruiting program aimed at increasing women's participation in the space program. In July 2020, a documentary about the program finally secured distribution and was released in 2021, Deadline reported. 

"Nichelle Nichols not only was a trailblazer in Hollywood, she was a trailblazer for the future of our society," said executive producer Ben Crump. "She took the fight for Civil Rights, diversity and inclusion and gender equality to new frontiers with NASA which continue to serve America's space program today. She was ahead of her time."

Nichols also appeared in "The Young and the Restless," "Heroes," and "Futurama." She was diagnosed with dementia in 2018 and subsequently retired from public appearances.

In July 2022, Nichols' son announced on social media that Nichols had died at the age of 89.

Leonard Nimoy played Captain Kirk's first officer and close friend, Commander Spock.

Spock was the only alien member of the original crew, as he was half-human, half-Vulcan — an alien race from the planet Vulcan whose residents operate solely from a point of logic rather than feelings.

Much of the show's comedy came from Spock and Kirk's differences and their amusement at each other. His frequent farewell, "Live long and prosper," accompanied by the Vulcan Salute, is among the most recognizable pieces of the "Star Trek" canon.

Nimoy had multiple small parts in B-movies and TV shows before booking "Star Trek," including an episode of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." alongside Shatner, as well as an episode of "The Twilight Zone."

But once "Star Trek" premiered, Nimoy would be forever linked with his Vulcan counterpart, and he mainly did voice work after the show ended. He also reunited with Shatner for an episode of his show, "T.J. Hooker."

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83. He played Spock for the final time in 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness."

Nimoy is the only actor from the original series to appear in JJ Abrams' rebooted films: He appeared in 2009's "Star Trek" and its 2013 sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness" as an older version of Spock who was trapped in an alternate universe. It meant he played the role for almost 50 years.

In addition to acting, Nimoy was a photographer, recording artist, author, and director. He directed two "Star Trek" movies ("The Search for Spock" and "The Journey Home"), and "Three Men and a Baby," which became the highest-grossing film of 1987.

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

DeForest Kelley played the ship's curmudgeonly chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

Bones, as he was affectionately called, was one of the oldest members of the crew, and thus got to be a bit more obnoxious than the rest of them. His frequent catchphrase, "I'm a doctor, not a ___," is one of the most parodied lines of dialogue from the show.

Like his character, Kelley was older than the rest of the cast, and he was a more established actor. Before the show, he had appeared in Westerns and historical films like "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," "Warlock," and "Raintree County" in the '50s.

Kelley died in 1999 at the age of 79, nine years after playing McCoy for the last time.

Kelley essentially retired from acting, besides playing McCoy, after the success of "Star Trek." He appeared in all six films starring the original cast, and he appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as McCoy, as well.

While he wasn't much of a sci-fi fan, Kelley was proud of his "Star Trek" legacy. When asked what he thought his legacy would be, he explained that his character inspired people to enter the medical field.

He told The Houston Chronicle in 1998, "These people [fans] are doctors now, all kinds of doctors who save lives. That's something that very few people can say they've done. I'm proud to say that I have.''

He died in 1999 at the age of 79 due to stomach cancer.

Majel Barrett had a recurring role as Nurse Christine Chapel.

Barrett was originally cast in the first version of "Star Trek" as Pike's first officer, but when that episode was scratched, so was her character. However, due to her romantic relationship with "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry (whom she later married), she was brought back as Nurse Chapel, a divisive character.

Before the show, Barrett had various bit parts in '50s and '60s shows, but her big break was "Star Trek," in which she stayed involved for the rest of her life.

Barrett died in 2008 when she was 76 years old.

Barrett reprised her role as Chapel in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."

She also appeared in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Deanna Troi, a main character in "Next Generation." Her other involvement in the series was the voice of the computer in many of the other "Star Trek" films: "Generations," "First Contact," "Nemesis," and 2009's reboot.

Her involvement with every "Star Trek" series led fans to call her the first lady of "Star Trek."

She died in 2008 at the age of 76 due to leukemia. 

James Doohan played Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.

Contrary to popular belief, the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty" is never actually uttered in the original series — and the man on the other end of that command, Scotty, was played by Doohan, who was Canadian in real life, not Scottish.

Before "Star Trek," Doohan served in the Canadian military and was even on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day. He was a pilot as well.

After the war, he began acting and became a successful radio actor. Like his costars, he also appeared in an episode of "The Twilight Zone," and other popular procedurals. 

In the animated series, Doohan proved indispensable, thanks to his talent for voice acting and accents. He voiced over 50 characters during the show's run.

James Doohan died at the age of 85 in 2005.

Doohan didn't find much success outside of the world of "Star Trek," and thus embraced his role as Scotty. He appeared in the film "Generations" as well as an episode of "The Next Generation." 

However, his impact on the field of engineering cannot be overstated. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Milwaukee School of Engineering "after half the students there said that Scotty had inspired them to take up the subject," according to the BBC.

Doohan suffered from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and he retired from public life in 2004. He died the following year, at 85, due to complications from pneumonia.

Grace Lee Whitney appeared in the first season of the show as Yeoman Janice Rand.

Rand appeared in eight episodes of the show's first 15-episode season as a clerical and administrative worker aboard the ship, before Whitney was released from her contract.

At the time, the story was that the show didn't have enough money to keep everyone, but years later in her autobiography, Rand accused an unnamed executive producer, whom she called "The Executive," of sexually assaulting her.

"I tried to do what he wanted me to, so I could get it over with. I knew, deep down inside, that I was finished on 'Star Trek.' At that moment, however, I didn't care about that. Nothing else mattered — not my tarnished virtue, not my career, not my role on 'Star Trek.' The only thing that mattered was getting out of that room alive," she wrote.

Whitney died in 2015 at the age of 85.

After getting written off the show, Whitney struggled with her career and alcoholism. She credited costar Leonard Nimoy with helping her get back on her feet and involved with "Star Trek" once again. She reprised her role in four of the original "Star Trek" films and in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" alongside George Takei.

She died in 2015 due to natural causes at the age of 85.

• Eton College is an exclusive boarding school sometimes called "the nursery of England's gentlemen."
• Prince George arrived for his first day at Eton on September 8, 2026.
• The school's elite alumni include Prince William, Tom Hiddleston, and Eddie Redmayne.

Prince George is officially an Eton student.

On Tuesday, Prince William and Kate Middleton's eldest son arrived at Eton College, an elite boarding school often called "the nursery of England's gentlemen."

The prestigious boarding school outside London educates around 1,350 boys aged 13-18 each year, according to its website. Its alumni include members of the royal family, including Prince William and Prince Harry, actor Tom Hiddleston, author George Orwell, and former prime minister Boris Johnson.

George, who is second in line to the British throne, is now among their ranks and may be brushing elbows with future British powerhouses.

Keep reading to take a look inside Eton College.

Eton was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI.

Eton is an all-boys school located outside London, near Windsor. It was originally intended to educate poor boys before they went on to Cambridge University.

It is one of England's nine original fee-paying independent schools, according to The New York Times.

William and Kate moved to Adelaide Cottage at Windsor Castle in 2022, which is about a mile from Eton. They enrolled George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis at the nearby Lambrook School at the time, though they may have already been considering how a home base at Windsor could be beneficial if George enrolled at Eton.

Before being accepted, students go through a two-part application process that begins three years before they enroll.

Only boys aged 13 to 18 attend Eton. The application process begins when a prospective student is in year 5 of primary school, at age 10, three years before they would actually attend Eton. Students hoping to start at Eton in 2029 need to register by August 31, 2026, the Eton website states. George would have begun his application process in 2023.

After a student registers, the application process occurs in two stages, as outlined on the school's website.

First, hopeful applicants take an online assessment. "Successful boys" then come to Eton for an individual interview and an additional online test taken at the school. Four to six weeks later, applicants will find out if they have been accepted, waitlisted, or rejected.

Once accepted, a student's parents will have to pay an acceptance fee in addition to the school's annual fee of £65,673 (or about $87,824). The school offers financial aid and scholarships to some students, but most pay their own tuition in full.

Eton students live in one of the 25 houses on campus.

About 55 students of all ages, with 11 from each age group, live in each house at Eton, according to the school's website. Each student has their own room from the time they arrive.

The houses are run by the House Master and Dame, who oversee the house's full-time staff and care for the students. Some of the houses employ private chefs to feed their residents, while others send their students to the school's dining hall.

Each student also has a personal tutor to support his academic growth.

Students wear Eton's traditional uniform.

Eton refers to its uniform as its "school dress" on its website. The uniform consists of a black tailcoat, white tie, waistcoat, and striped pants.

Students add a top hat to that look for special occasions.

Eton plans out students' entire day, beginning with breakfast at 7:30 a.m.

Eton students' days follow a strict schedule, starting with a Chapel service or Assembly, the school's website notes.

Afterward, students attend three classes, which they call "schools" or colloquially "divs." They have a 25-minute midmorning break called "Chambers" in their rooms where they can have a snack or connect with a teacher, called "masters" at the school.

Lunch is called "boys' dinner," and they have extracurriculars, including sports and the school's "Societies Programmes," as well as afternoon tea once their lessons are finished.

Life at Eton is governed by traditions, including the wall game.

Eton has accomplished rowing, soccer, and cricket teams, but the wall game is Eton's best-known extracurricular.

The school describes the game as "resembling elements of both football and rugby, despite at times looking like no other imaginable game." Players try to kick the ball down a narrow strip of grass next to one of the college's walls to score.

Eton students are known for their powerful connections.

For instance, a group of 11 Eton students traveled to Russia in 2016 to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

The students planned the trip on their own with no help from the school, Eton said in a statement to The Telegraph.

Fifteen members of the British royal family have attended Eton, including Prince William and Prince Harry.

Royals like the princes typically live in Eton's Manor House, though Kensington Palace has not announced if George will live in the same house when he arrives at the school.

Eton's website says the school has also educated royals from Belgium, Romania, Ethiopia, Thailand, and Nepal.

Boris Johnson was the fifth Eton graduate to become prime minister since World War II.

Prime ministers David Cameron, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Macmillan, and Anthony Eden also attended Eton.

In total, Eton has educated 20 prime ministers.

Royals and future politicians are not the only famous graduates of Eton.

In addition to the prime ministers, Tom Hiddleston and Eddie Redmayne are also "Old Etonians." Redmayne even played on the same rugby team as Prince William at Eton, People reported.

"I always felt a bit sorry for him because basically any school you played, all they wanted to do was tackle Prince William, and they could say, 'I tackled Prince William,'" Redmayne told People. "So if you were standing next to Prince William, like I was, it was actually quite easy and quite fun."

Hiddleston graduated from Eton one year before Prince William and Redmayne, according to the school's website.

Kensington Palace announced George would be attending Eton in June 2026.

Kensington Palace announced his attendance in June 2026, but his application process would have been underway for years before the news was made public.

Indeed, George was first spotted touring Eton in April 2023 with his parents, three years before he enrolled, People reported at the time.

On September 8, 2026, George arrived at Eton with his parents for his first day of school.

George officially began school on September 8, 2026.

He was photographed arriving at Eton with the Prince and Princess of Wales. All three were grinning, and photos captured George greeting Eton's headmaster, Simon Henderson, and provost, Nicholas Coleridge.

Similar photos were taken of William with Princess Diana, King Charles, and Prince Harry on his first day at Eton in September 1995, creating a full-circle moment for the future king.

Kensington Palace released portraits of Prince George in his Eton uniform to mark his first day.

Kensington Palace did not release a statement about George's first day of school, but it did share portraits of the young prince to mark the occasion.

• Fashion is being served at the US Open in Queens, New York.
• Celebrities like Kaia Gerber have aced their looks, wearing flashy pieces like Cartier watches.
• And it doesn't matter that it's not spring — florals are in.

It's game on at the US Open.

The annual tennis tournament kicked off in Queens, New York, on August 23 and will continue through September 13.

While some will have their eyes glued to athletes on the court, the rest of us will be focused on the celebrities in the stands.

Already, model Kaia Gerber, TV star Gayle King, and Vogue icon Anna Wintour have been spotted wearing eye-catching outfits and flashy status symbols.

Here's a look at their style moments and what other attendees have worn so far.

Anna Wintour arrived at the US Open in a Prada trench coat.

The tan piece, which featured a red-and-yellow floral print from top to bottom, was made by the Italian fashion brand in 2021. It recently sold on The RealReal for $2,745.

She wore it with a tan dress, brown leather boots, and her signature oversize sunglasses.

Kaia Gerber sat in the stands and flashed her Cartier watch.

The model — and daughter of Cindy Crawford — attended the US Open with actor Homer Gere.

She wore a black sleeveless dress, smoky makeup, and a mini Cartier Panthère watch in 18-karat gold, which retails for $28,100.

Gayle King paired a floral dress with a metallic Balenciaga bag.

The TV journalist posed on the event's blue carpet wearing a white sleeveless Yigal Azrouël dress with black stripes and a yellow-and-purple floral print.

She also wore yellow pumps, silver jewelry, and carried the $1,400 small Bistro Bag in silver from Balenciaga.

Savannah Guthrie was bejeweled with statement accessories.

The "Today Show" co-host sat in the audience with her husband, Michael Feldman.

To complement her black floral dress, Guthrie wore a selection of gold jewelry, including diamond rings, sparkling bracelets, a tennis necklace, and the $11,810 Spiked Heart Sardinia II necklace from Marlo Laz.

Serena Williams mixed high and low pieces.

While sitting next to Wintour, Williams was photographed wearing the $75 Nike repel windbreaker.

Her jewelry, though, was higher-value. She paired diamond earrings and delicate gold necklaces with a Van Cleef Alhambra.

Emma Roberts wore top-to-bottom Ferragamo.

The actor walked the US Open carpet in a multi-print sundress from the Italian designer's resort 2027 ready-to-wear line.

She also accessorized with the $3,700 Cara bag, the brand's $1,250 bicolor pumps, and dark sunglasses.

Orlando Bloom's outfit was the epitome of quiet luxury.

From a distance, it looked like Bloom was wearing a simple bomber jacket with jeans and a white T-shirt. His outerwear, though, was actually Prada.

He wore the jacket with an $8,250 Porsche Chronograph 1 watch. Bloom is the official ambassador for Porsche Design.

Lindsey Vonn had an expensive Rolex timepiece on her wrist.

The Olympian ski racer attended the tennis tournament in a green satin gown with a halter neckline and a wrapped skirt.

It was the perfect color to complement her blonde hair, and the material shone alongside her Rolex watch.

Vonn wore the $160,900 Cosmograph Daytona, which has an Everose gold bracelet and diamonds circling its dial.

Travis Scott watched a match while wearing a $2 million watch.

The musician sported a rare Richard Mille Flying Tourbillon Sapphire watch, of which only 10 were made.

Though the exact model isn't available for sale, similar watches from the brand cost more than $2.5 million.

Scott also wore diamond earrings, a Chanel phone holder, and a $135 Cactus Jack x Nike sweatshirt.

Common's sunglasses were a highlight of his outfit.

The musician and actor attended the US Open in a tan, two-piece set with brown stripes. It featured a button-down top with long sleeves and oversize trousers.

To match the outfit, he also wore $520 Garland sunglasses from Salt Optics.

Alexis Ohanian kept this outfit and accessories simple.

The Reddit cofounder (and husband of Serena Williams) watched his wife's match in a basic outfit that included a black graphic T-shirt, skinny jeans, and Nike sneakers.

He also sported a black baseball cap with General Intuition, the name of an AI startup his venture-capital group has invested in, embroidered across it.

Martha Stewart perfectly blended activewear with glamour.

Stewart posed for photos while wearing maroon trousers, a green collared shirt, and a plum-colored windbreaker.

Her outfit was casual, perfect for a sporting event, and elevated with accessories. She paired it with an assortment of rings, dangling earrings, and a statement gold necklace.

• The trailer is out for "Artificial," the movie about Sam Altman's brief ouster from OpenAI.
• Academy Award-nominated Andrew Garfield looks just like the OpenAI CEO.
• The trailer shows Garfield inside what is supposed to be Altman's so-called doomsday bunker.

You no longer have to use ChatGPT to imagine what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's so-called doomsday bunker might look like.

On Tuesday, NEON, the independent studio that brought "Parasite" to North America, released the first look at Luca Guadagnino's "Artificial," a star-studded movie expected to explore OpenAI's chaotic period when Altman was briefly ousted from the company in November 2023.

In the roughly one-minute trailer, Andrew Garfield, who plays Altman, is seen walking and bouncing along before entering a bunker with walls lined with guns and other supplies. Most of the trailer features a voice-over by Garfield about the future of AI.

"We opened Pandora's box together," Garfield says. "The future's inevitable. Countries will fall. Industries are gonna collapse. And we get to be the ones to shepherd people into this new world. I'm so excited to see it."

In a 2016 "New Yorker" profile, Altman detailed how prepping for his survival is one of his hobbies, including in the possible scenario that AI turns on humanity.

"I try not to think about it too much," Altman said. "But I have guns, gold, potassium iodide, antibiotics, batteries, water, gas masks from the Israeli Defense Force, and a big patch of land in Big Sur I can fly to."

Garfield's monologue culminates in a showdown between Altman and Ilya Sutskever, played by Yura Borisov. Sutskever, an OpenAI cofounder, helped lead the effort to remove Altman.

Since then, Altman has tried to downplay both his interest in prepping and the extent to which his plans include a bunker.

"I have like structures, but I wouldn't say a bunker," Altman said during a 2023 Wall Street Journal live interview.

When Altman repeated that similar line to comedian Theo Von in 2025, the popular podcaster gave the OpenAI CEO a hard time for quibbling over the definition.

"I'll let you, I'll let you keep me on the ropes in a lot of this conversation, but I am going to call that out as a dang bunker, dude," Von said. "Sam, that's a bunker."

Altman said that he had "underground, concrete heavy, reinforced basements."

"I don't have what I would call a bunker," Altman said, adding that the topic had been on his mind "not because of AI but because people are dropping bombs in the world again."

When the OpenAI CEO expressed confusion over the difference between a basement and a bunker, Von's staff asked ChatGPT.

OpenAI's chatbot sided with the argument that Altman does indeed have a bunker.

An uncertain future no more

Much like Altman's five-day fiasco in 2023, it was briefly unclear what would happen with Guadagnino's movie. In June, Amazon MGM Studios dropped the movie directed by the "Call Me by Your Name" filmmaker. Neon, which also released the "Anora," the best picture at the 2025 Academy Awards, later stepped in.

Amazon's move came three months after it announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI.

The movie is set to be released in select theatres on Christmas Day. According to The Wrap, it will have a wider release in January.

"Artificial" marks Garfield's return to the world of Big Tech. In 2010, he portrayed Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin in Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Network," which received a Best Picture nomination.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is a fellow bunker owner, is famously not a fan of the movie.

A meeting between two of European soccer's most prestigious teams is by far the biggest blockbuster of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League's opening matches. As superclubs from Spain and Italy go head-to-head at the Bernabéu in Madrid, we have all the information fans need when it comes to where to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan, regardless of where in the world they're located.

While the game will be behind the paywalls of Paramount Plus in the US and TNT Sports/HBO Max in the UK, other countries such as Ireland and Luxembourg are able to show coverage of Champions League games like this one for free. You can find more details on those free UCL streams below.

Real and Inter have 18 titles between them (a record-breaking 15 for the Spanish side), and both will be expecting to go far this year after underwhelming campaigns last time around; the Spanish side were on the wrong end of a ding-dong quarter-final with Bayern Munich, while Inter went out to the Norwegian minnows of Bodø/Glimt. But it's the Milanese who come into this season as champions of their domestic league, and head coach Cristian Chivu would love to go down in San Siro legend as the man to win Europe's biggest tournament for the first time in 17 years.

To do so, of course, he'll have to find a way to stop the combined firepower of Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Viní Júnior, and new man Yan Diomande, as well as outsmarting Los Blancos' returning manager José Mourinho. So, easier said than done! To find out if Internazionale can find a way to record a famous away victory, read our guide on how to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan. It includes details of free streams and what to do if you're overseas on vacation or business.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan for free

Soccer fans in Ireland and Luxembourg can watch this huge UCL matchday 1 game absolutely free, thanks to free-to-air broadcasters and streaming services picking up the game in those countries. The game is set to go out on Virgin Media Two in Ireland, meaning that you can watch online via the Virgin Media Play website and app. While in Luxembourg, it's on RTL Zwee and the RTL Play service.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan from anywhere

When traveling overseas, your usual Champions League stream will be blocked from working. Unless, that is, you have a VPN (virtual private network). The best VPNs can make your laptop, smartphone, or other streaming device think that it's back in your home country, meaning you can stream your standard Champions League coverage as if you were back there.

One of today's best examples of a streaming VPN is Proton VPN. While the Swiss-based provider makes much of its enhanced online security smarts, it also has a fantastic track record for unlocking geographically restricted websites and services. It has a massive server network, too, of more than 15,000 across the globe, and you can give it a try before committing fully, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan in the US

This Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan UEFA Champions League game — along with every other match of the 2026-27 UCL competition — will be streamed online by the Paramount Plus streaming service; both of its plans (Essential and Premium) will stream games live and on demand, with prices starting from $9 a month or $90 a year. Alternatively, sports streaming specialist DAZN will host Spanish-language coverage of this fixture, costing from $20 a month.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan in the UK

This crunch game to kick off the 2026/27 Champions League will be shown on TNT Sports 1 in the UK. The TNT Sports channels can be added to TV packages from the likes of Sky, Virgin Media, and EE. Alternatively, you can access its content through HBO Max, with flexible monthly plans starting at £31 a month. And you can save a fiver each month if you're willing to commit to an annual plan.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan in Australia

Every single match of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League will be shown live and exclusively by the online streamer Stan Sport in Australia. To watch, you'll need a regular Stan subscription costing from $10 a month, together with its Sport add-on from $20 a month. You can watch Stan through your web browser, or thanks to dedicated apps for smartphones, tablets, games consoles, selected smart TVs, and streaming devices such as Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Chromecast. Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan kicks off at 3 a.m. AWST in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan head-to-head

The competitive history between these two huge European clubs goes all the way back to 1964 and totals 19 games. Real Madrid have won 10 of those encounters, with Inter prevailing seven times, and two draws. The last time they met was in the group stage of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League, in which the Spanish side won 2-0 at the Bernabéu thanks to goals from Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio.

Who is favored to win Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan?

Real Madrid is the favorite to win today's match. On DraftKings (at the time of writing), Real Madrid is the -165 favorite, while Inter Milan is the +400 underdog. A draw is +340.

What is each team's next match?

Inter Milan will face Club Brugge on October 13, and Real Madrid will play Roma on October 14 for the next Champions League match day. Both teams have several non-Champions League matches before then. Viewers can catch Inter in Serie A and Real Madrid in La Liga.

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.

• College isn't cheap.
• Fifteen universities have sticker prices of at least $100,000.
• It's no wonder that there's $1.724 trillion of federal student debt in the US.

It's back-to-school season — and that means that some bright-eyed college freshmen and their proud families are getting ready to shell out six figures to attend their dream schools.

Tuition prices have soared in recent decades, even as Americans have grown more skeptical of the value of a four-year degree.

Still, there's a significant number of young adults in college. In 2024, 19.28 million students were enrolled in college, down from the peak of 21 million in 2010, per the Education Data Initiative.

For some of those students, pursuing a degree was only possible by taking out loans, either federal or private.

Business Insider used the Department of Education's College Scorecard to identify the 25 universities whose students graduate with the highest median federal debt.

For the ranking, we considered main campuses with at least 500 undergraduate students that predominantly offer bachelor's degrees. The DOE does not track private loans or federal Parent PLUS loans, so this ranking does not reflect all the debt students and their families may take on to pay for university.

The list includes public, private nonprofit, for-profit, and primarily online institutions.

One major trend stood out: A majority of the top 25 colleges — 56% — are historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

HBCU students borrow at a higher rate than non-HBCU students, and they tend to borrow more, according to UNCF, which has linked this higher borrowing to greater "unmet financial need" among HBCU students.

Marybeth Gasman, executive director of the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions, told Business Insider that HBCUs often have fewer resources to offer institutional aid.

"They have lower endowments and smaller operating budgets than many comparable PWIs (predominantly white institutions)," she said.

"It is important that students take out the least amount of aid, but that can be difficult when people have needs," she said, adding that some students also take out loans to support their families.

With that context in mind, here are the 25 US universities where students graduate with the highest median federal debt.

25. Albertus Magnus College — New Haven, Connecticut

Median debt: $30,964

13 (tie). American InterContinental University — Chandler, Arizona

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Texas College — Tyler, Texas

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). South Carolina State University — Orangeburg, South Carolina

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Southern University at New Orleans — New Orleans

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Dillard University — New Orleans

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Fort Valley State University — Fort Valley, Georgia

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Bethune-Cookman University — Daytona Beach, Florida

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design — Lakewood, Colorado

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). ArtCenter College of Design — Pasadena, California

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Academy of Art University — San Francisco

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Alabama State University — Montgomery, Alabama

Median debt: $31,000

13 (tie). Alabama A&M University — Normal, Alabama

Median debt: $31,000

12. Livingstone College — Salisbury, North Carolina

Median debt: $31,125

11. Miles College — Fairfield, Alabama

Median debt: $31,217

9 (tie) Peirce College — Philadelphia

Median debt: $31,250

9 (tie). University of Arizona Global Campus — Chandler, Arizona

Median debt: $31,250

8. University of Phoenix - Arizona — Phoenix

Median debt: $31,553

6 (tie). Benedict College — Columbia, South Carolina

Median debt: $32,500

6 (tie). Shaw University — Raleigh, North Carolina

Median debt: $32,500

5. West Coast University - Texas — Richardson, Texas

Median debt: $32,946

4. Allen University — Columbia, South Carolina

Median debt: $34,290

3. Grambling State University — Grambling, Louisiana

Median debt: $36,500

2. Everglades University — Boca Raton, Florida

Median debt: $38,996

1. Provo College — Provo, Utah

Median debt: $41,733

• Joe Biden's son is launching a meme coin that's a reference to the Hunter Biden laptop story.
• Hunter Biden teased $LAPTOP on X, alongside footage of media commentary on the political saga.
• Other meme coins tied to political figures have surged and collapsed in short order.

A political saga from the Joe Biden era is being revived as a meme coin.

Remember Hunter Biden's laptop? The contents of the personal computer unearthed in a repair shop in Delaware generated an explosion of conspiracy theories that the president's son seems to be taking aim at with the launch of the crypto coin.

Dubbed $LAPTOP, the crypto will start trading on September 9. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the token's launch.

Biden joins a group of politicians and their associates who have launched their own tokens. Others include President Donald Trump, his wife Melania, and former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Meme coins are jokes in crypto circles, their very existence predicated on making fun of digital assets. Most meme coins have seen brief rallies before collapsing, and political meme coins specifically have a checkered performance history since being issued. Trump's own meme coin, launched just before his inauguration at the end of January 2025, peaked around $75 before cratering. The coin hit a an all-time low of about $1.35 last month and was trading at $2.26 on Tuesday.

"The world probably doesn't need another political meme coin, especially given what happened with $TRUMP," analyst and founder of The Coin Bureau, Nic Puckrin, told Business Insider. "Even if there's a lot of demand at launch, that doesn't make it a sustainable investment."

Biden on Monday posted the name of the coin and the date of September 9 in a post on X, alongside a supercut of conservative commentators, politicians, and media figures talking about the laptop story.

The $LAPTOP coin will be launched as the current president's crypto dealings have been under scrutiny. Trump reported a windfall of more than $1 billion from his personal crypto investments, both from the meme coins tied to his family and other deals.

Former NYC mayor Eric Adams promoted a meme coin in January 2025, which briefly surged only to plunge shortly after, sparking outrage from crypto proponents who accused him of orchestrating a "rug pull" on early backers of the token.

The Journal's reporting on the details of the $LAPTOP coin's launch seem like it is intended to further fan the rug-pull claims swirling around other politicians' coins. Sources told the Journal that a portion of the tokens issued will go to the crypto wallets of people who lost money on Trump's meme coin.

But Biden's crypto is also drawing scrutiny from market watchers ahead of its launch.

Alice Liu, head of research at CoinMarketCap, told Business Insider that while $LAPTOP is being presented as a meme coin, little is known about it and few details have been confirmed.

"$TRUMP alone still accounts for roughly 80% of its own category's market cap," she noted. "$LAPTOP isn't entering an open lane; it's entering one already dominated by a single asset that has lost nearly all its own value."

Others highlighted that, similar to any other meme token, $LAPTOP has no real-world utility behind it other than being linked to someone of note.

"A small group may make money, but many buyers are left holding an asset with no underlying value," said Edwin Mata, CEO of tokenization platform Brickken. "These launches attract headlines, but they also divert capital and attention away from companies building serious blockchain infrastructure and real financial use cases."

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

• I tried making one of Ina Garten's "two-fer" meals: a tomato-eggplant soup and cheesy baked pasta.
• The soup smelled and tasted incredible, but the fennel flavor was a little strong for my liking.
• I loved that I could use the leftover soup to quickly make a delicious pasta dish.

I love leftovers, but don't enjoy reheating the same meal over and over again.

I try to get creative and take the meat and veggies from a dinner and throw them into a grain bowl for lunch the next day, but I sometimes struggle to think of other ways to use my remaining scraps.

So, when I found out Ina Garten had what she calls "two-fer" meals — which consist of prepping a big batch of one recipe and then using the same dish as a key ingredient for another — I knew I had to try one.

I jumped at the chance to upgrade my usual lunches with this two-fer combo from the "Barefoot Contessa" — a tomato-eggplant soup for one meal and a cheesy baked pasta for a second.

Here's how the process went.

I cut the soup recipe in half, and still ended up with a ton.

The soup looked pretty easy to whip up for a weekday lunch, especially for someone who works from home, like me.

However, I knew just by eyeballing the ingredients — olive oil, eggplant, a yellow onion, a fennel bulb, garlic, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, fennel seeds, dried oregano, thyme leaves, red pepper flakes, black pepper, peeled tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese — that this would make a ton of soup.

Even though I knew I needed some leftovers for the second recipe, I decided to cut the soup recipe in half. Still, I ended up with a ton of veggies.

I skipped using a food processor, but it didn't seem to affect the recipe.

This recipe was easy enough, with most of the work spent on chopping the eggplant, onion, garlic, and fennel. But to simplify it even more, I skipped the step of crushing the whole peeled tomatoes in a food processor.

Instead, I opted to let the soup simmer a bit longer, then break those tomatoes up with my wooden spoon. They crushed down beautifully and saved me a few extra dirty dishes.

The smell of the simmering soup was irresistible.

My partner is not the biggest fan of eggplant, but even he commented on how good this soup smelled while it simmered away on the stove.

The scent of garlic and sauteed onion filled the air, with spices and chili flakes adding to the aroma.

Overall, this was a delicious, warming soup, but I'd consider blending it up next time.

This soup tasted just as good as it smelled. All the veggies and seasonings came together in a dish full of balanced sweetness, earthiness, umami, and even a hint of spice.

However, my only qualm was that I wished the fennel flavor were softer. I was getting notes of soft eggplant and tomato, but the fennel still had some bite.

Next time, I might skip the fennel and maybe even blend the soup instead of crushing the tomatoes myself.

I couldn't wait to turn the soup into an indulgent baked pasta.

I love pasta of any kind, so I was even more excited to transform my soup leftovers into this cheesy baked dish with fusilli noodles.

Garten's recipe was pretty simple: boil the pasta, combine it with the soup, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and a bit of salt and pepper, then bake it.

I was blown away that this recipe was even easier than the soup.

I preheated the baking dish for about 10 minutes while my pasta boiled on the stove. Then, I mixed the noodles with cold leftover soup in a mixing bowl, along with pieces of mozzarella, salt, pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

After combining the ingredients, I poured the pasta mixture into a baking dish, topped it with diced butter, and slid it into the oven.

While it was baking, the whole kitchen smelled like garlic, and I couldn't wait to take a bite.

The pasta tasted delicious, but I'd switch up the mozzarella next time.

The flavor of this baked pasta was amazing. The eggplant and tomato added an earthy sweetness that paired well with the noodles, and the soup's seasoning still shined.

I love cheese, but my only problem with this dish was that the mozzarella melted and then quickly congealed. Next time, I think I'll skip mixing the cheese into the pasta and instead top the whole dish with shredded mozzarella and broil it for a crispy crust.

I can't wait to make this duo again.

Even though I made some adjustments along the way to save time, and I'd probably make a few more to suit my taste and texture preferences, I'd absolutely make this "two-fer" duo again.

Both recipes were quick and easy enough to whip up during my lunch break, and both the soup and the pasta made enough to feed me all week long, without ever getting bored.

Four years since their last victory, Team USA is working to defend its World Cup title in Berlin. We've rounded up everything you need to know about where to watch the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, including global streaming options.

If you don't want to read any further, you can live stream the games through HBO Max in the US, on select broadcasters internationally, and via DAZN Courtside 1891 in many regions around the world. You can access your favorite streaming options from anywhere with a VPN.

Where to watch the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in the US

In the US, select games from the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup will air across TNT, truTV, and TBS. This TV broadcast coverage will apply to marquee games, including select group stages match-ups (including Team USA and Team France coverage) and knockout stages.

For comprehensive coverage of absolutely every game of the tournament, you'll need HBO Max. Live sports are available in the Standard and Premium tiers (not the Basic with Ads Option). HBO Max Standard starts at $18.49 a month. If you're looking for a little more bang for your buck, you can get an ad-free Disney Plus bundle with Hulu and HBO Max for $33 a month.

If you'd prefer to tune in via a streaming service that carries TNT, truTV, TBS, and other channels, then a live TV streaming service will do the trick. YouTube TV is one of our top recommendations right now because it offers a massive selection of channels typically found in cable packages, plus a free trial for new customers.

A limited-time YouTube TV deal discounts the first several months of service for both YouTube TV's main plan and sports plan, both of which carry TNT, TBS, and truTV. The main plan typically costs $83 a month, but first-time customers can get $15 a month off their first five months of service (that's $68 a month for five months). The sports plan usually costs $65 a month, but new customers can get $20 a month off their first six months of service (that's $45 a month for half a year).

A DAZN Courtside 1891 subscription (which is different from a standard DAZN subscription) will also carry coverage in several regions, including the US. Subscriptions start at $12 a month for flexible standard plans. All upcoming games are currently featured on the US DAZN Courtside 1891 landing page, but it's worth double-checking any blackout restrictions in your market before subscribing.

How to watch the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup from anywhere

Other countries have various broadcast agreements, often for select games featuring their team. You should consult your local broadcasters and TV guide to see what's available in your region. DAZN Courtside 1891 will also offer coverage of the tournament in several countries. Blackout restrictions exist, especially where other exclusive broadcast agreements have been made.

If you happen to be traveling through a region where you can't access your usual watch options, it might be time to try a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy tech tools that let people temporarily alter their virtual locations. This way, their favorite websites and apps work just like they would back home.

NordVPN is our top recommendation. It's fast, user-friendly, and has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not helping you out. You can learn more in our NordVPN review.

• See also: Best sports streaming services | Where to watch WNBA games | Best streaming deals

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.

• My husband and I lived off the grid on 40 acres of land in New Mexico.
• We dealt with a few unexpected challenges — for instance, taking out the trash was a major ordeal.
• On the other hand, we didn't have to worry about losing power during major outages.

After a couple of years of full-time travel, we decided to plant down some roots in northern New Mexico.

We'd gallivanted around the country — north, south, east, and west — and fallen deeply in love with the high desert tucked away in the Rocky Mountains.

During our travels, we'd been living in a van decked out with solar panels, and we wanted to find a home that would help us continue our self-sufficient lifestyle.

We found a beautiful, off-grid, straw-bale home tucked away on 40 acres with its own solar panels, well, and septic tank. It felt like we'd hit the jackpot … but there were a few inconveniences we weren't prepared for.

Being at the whims of the weather had wide-reaching effects

When my husband, John, and I invited our families to crash at our off-grid home for the holidays, we pictured cozy dinners around our wood-fired stove, our home full and warm.

Unfortunately, there was a hitch. We'd recently moved our solar panels from a stand beside the house onto our roof. This gave us better coverage, but we didn't anticipate how tough this setup would be in the winter when snow completely covered our panels.

Blocked solar panels meant no power, which meant the water pump stopped working inside our well. No working water pump meant no running toilets.

Before we even knew we had a problem, two family members had already used both bathrooms.

John's dad and I scooped snow from our courtyard into buckets while my sister stirred the soupy ice until it melted into a stew of dirty water and twigs. John then took the melted slush and poured it into both toilets until they could flush.

We wanted our city-folk visitors to experience the adventures of off-grid living, but this was a twist, even for us.

Taking out the trash was a huge pain

Trash and recycling are common obstacles when living anywhere off the beaten path. Believe it or not, trash trucks don't always travel down long, rural dirt roads.

So, what's one to do? Easy: We had to gather all our waste, then drive about an hour round-trip to the dump.

We kept plastic bins away from the house, where we separated recyclables and trash. We had to make sure to bungee-shut the trash lids completely closed — otherwise, we would wake up to the local critters having their version of a frat party among our trees.

On the plus side, jumping through all these hoops to dispose of our own waste made us fiercely aware of how much we consumed, pushing us away from single-use items and toward less wasteful habits.

We dealt with tons of unexpected critters

One time, we were hiking around our property out near a second building we used as our workshop. Our dogs ran off-leash through the trees when our pit mix started acting bizarre.

I stepped near the workshop when I noticed a hole underneath it and a massive head hovering below, glaring at me. It was a badger.

I had never seen one before, but I knew they despised dogs — we needed to get our pups out of there quickly.

Later that evening, a local game warden gave us the ins and outs of getting rid of unwanted guests. Human urine and mothballs successfully helped deter them.

That said, being off-grid sometimes made our lives easier

For all the inconveniences, living off-grid occasionally came with unexpected perks, too.

One day, we popped into our tiny town's store and found what seemed like everyone in town hanging out there. Our town consisted of only a post office, volunteer fire department, and "the store," so we knew something was up when we noticed the crowd.

It turned out there was a massive power outage. We had no idea. Back home, everything was running exactly as it normally did.

Sure, living off-grid meant hauling our own trash, evicting badgers, and occasionally melting snow just to flush a toilet — but every once in a while, the rest of our world lost power, and we didn't even notice.

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 gets underway this week, 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 70% on the usual price of ProtonVPN. 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 competition in club football.

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:

• Sep 8: Porto vs. Man City
• Oct 13: Atlético Madrid vs. Man United
• 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, like in the UK, you won't be able to access the US version's content with those 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.

• Tim Cook and Warren Buffett are showing that former CEOs can remain central players at companies.
• Cook is poised to help new CEO John Ternus by leveraging his global connections as executive chair.
• Buffett led Berkshire's huge investment in Alphabet and consults with his successor on major decisions.

Two iconic business leaders are showing that stepping down as CEO doesn't have to mean stepping away from a company.

Tim Cook resigned as Apple's CEO this month after 15 years in the job, while Warren Buffett ended his six-decade run as Berkshire Hathaway's CEO at the turn of this year.

Yet Cook is set to become Apple's executive chair, earning a CEO-sized paycheck and playing an ambassador-like role. As Berkshire's chair, Buffett continues to pick stocks and help make key decisions.

There are clear parallels between the two men's approaches to post-CEO life, Kevin Carpenter, who writes an investing Substack named Kingswell and "The Berkshire Beat" newsletter, told Business Insider.

"They each passed the torch to the next generation, while still staying heavily involved behind the scenes," Carpenter said, noting that Cook has said Apple will remain his main focus.

Apple and Berkshire didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Keeping busy

Buffett told CNBC in March that Cook "somehow gets along with everybody in the world." Carpenter said that this ability could allow Cook to be a "diplomat of sorts" for Apple and "leverage the relationships" he has with governments, regulators, suppliers, and other parties.

Apple has said that as chair, Cook will help with "engaging with policymakers around the world."

Cook has been described as a "Trump whisperer" for his close relationship with the president. During his tenure as CEO, Apple gave gifts to Trump, donated toward the construction of the White House ballroom, and pledged to invest in US manufacturing.

After news broke of Cook's departure, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had "always been a big fan" of the executive, and praised Apple's success under Cook's leadership.

Cook, who succeeded Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, took the company to new highs by scaling and strengthening its global supply chain and catering to China's mushrooming middle class.

Apple clearly expects Cook to continue generating value, as his target compensation for fiscal 2027 is $45 million before cash bonuses, not far off the $58 million figure for new CEO John Ternus.

As for Buffett, he's responsible for building an Alphabet stake from scratch into the third-biggest position in Berkshire's stock portfolio in under 12 months. The holding was worth around $38 billion at the end of June.

Berkshire's new CEO, Greg Abel, has said he frequently speaks with Buffett and consults with him on major decisions, including the acquisition of housebuilder Taylor Morrison and Alphabet's private placement earlier this year.

"Just like Buffett is making Abel's job easier by staying so involved with Berkshire's stock portfolio, I think Cook will do similar for Ternus by handling stickier issues in the political, antitrust, trade realm that might be too much for a brand new CEO," Carpenter said.

Finding the right balance

Having Cook and Buffett remain so central to their companies could yield benefits but also poses risks, Larry Cunningham told Business Insider.

"Keeping an iconic predecessor as chairman can give a new CEO both continuity and counsel — but only if the predecessor resists becoming a shadow CEO," said the director of the University of Delaware's Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance and the author of several books about Berkshire.

"The key is 'wisdom without command,'" Cunningham said.

If Cook and Buffett allow their successors to run the show, they may be able to avoid pitfalls such as leadership confusion and power struggles, while adding value by taking on responsibilities that suit their skill sets, namely diplomacy and picking stocks.

• Fresh Middle East tensions have sent oil prices spiking again.
• Brent oil is inching back toward $100 a barrel, hovering around six-week highs.
• As oil rises, gas prices in the US hit a Labor Day record.

Markets are worried about oil again.

Oil prices have jumped, sparking a sharp surge in US gas prices that culminated in record high prices at the pump for the Labor Day weekend. Markets are digesting a series of fresh strikes in the Middle East that have further diminished hopes that the US and Iran will resolve the six-month-old war soon. Stocks dropped to start the holiday-shortened week, with the Dow falling 600 points by mid-morning on Tuesday.

The US struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday. The attack was in retaliation for Iran's attacks on two US warships last week.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said several of its energy facilities were attacked by the Iran-aligned Houthis over the weekend.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose to $98 a barrel Tuesday morning, edging closer to the critical $100-a-barrel mark, a key threshold watched closely by investors. West Texas Intermediate crude also rose 1%, trading around $93 a barrel.

Gas prices surged as a result of the latest oil spike. The average price for a gallon of gas rose to $4.15 on Monday, the first time a gallon of regular unleaded gas has ever surpassed $4 on Labor Day, according to AAA.

A prolonged conflict in the Middle East is once again on the radar as summer winds down, with investors fretting over the damage that higher oil prices could inflict on the US economy. The latest oil price surge is also coming at a critical juncture for the Federal Reserve, which is assessing the path for its future rate decisions as inflation remains elevated.

Markets are pricing in a 58% chance the Fed will hike at its September policy meeting, though the decision will hinge on next Friday's August inflation report.

Here's what smart people are saying about the oil and gas situation:

Goldman Sachs: Oil could break $120 a barrel in upside scenario

Commodity researchers at Goldman Sachs updated their oil price forecasts for the year, lifting their predictions for the price of Brent crude to $85 a barrel by December.

In Goldman's upside scenario, Brent prices could exceed an $120 a barrel in 2027, assuming that average oil output from the Gulf remains lower than expected.

"Intensified Hormuz and Red Sea shipping attacks are the most likely trigger of price upside," the bank wrote in a client note.

Goldman's bear case scenario has crude falling back to $60 a barrel in 2027, assuming that oil output from the Gulf is much higher than expected.

Bank of America: Oil prices risk $150 a barrel

Bank of America's upside scenario has oil prices rising back to near their Great Financial Crisis peak.

Strategists at the bank said they were eyeing further disruptions that could push crude to around $120 a barrel, though they believe oil could reach $150 a barrel if the war produced "vast energy infra damage" in the Middle East. BofA's base case is for Brent to average around $83 a barrel in the second half of the year.

"Our central view assumes Hormuz flows gradually normalize and a prolonged conflict is avoided. Yet, the market remains exposed to significant risks," the bank said in a client note on Monday.

Jeff Currie: "Energy crisis" will be evident in crude products

The longtime commodities analyst and Goldman Sachs alum said the lack of refining capacity and dwindling oil reserves around the world meant energy markets were in a "critical situation with "no easy fix."

Though investors are preoccupied with the price of crude oil, inflationary pressures will largely stem from the higher refined oil product prices, Currie said in a post on X Tuesday morning, pointing to crude products like gas, diesel, and jet fuel.

"That will hit the headline CPI index very soon," Currie wrote. "The energy crisis is here: it has arrived, and it's showing in the product prices, not in crude," he added.

Robin Brooks: Crude prices are unlikely to rise back to wartime peaks

The top economist and chief FX strategist at Goldman Sachs said he believed oil prices were unlikely to push back to their peak of around $120 a barrel. In a post on Substack, he laid out three reasons why:

• Markets no longer believe apocalyptic forecasts. "The fact that all the apocalyptic forecasts from earlier this year were so badly wrong has made markets suspicious of any "oil prices will go up" narratives. They basically see them as snake oil at this point," Brooks said.
• Markets are watching the economic toll on Iran. There appears to be "growing appreciation" for how the US blockade is hurting Iran's economy, which could push the nation to come back to the negotiating table, Brooks said. Iran is on track to see its worst economic contraction in over 30 years, according to estimates from the IMF.
• Markets "learn to live with shocks and trade around them," Brooks said. He pointed to how South Korea recently pivoted to Canadian oil amid the latest supply shock, and said he expected the trend to continue with "growing intensity" around the world.

"We're not going to see my peak $125 estimate (reflecting the 80 percent rise) again. Those days are over," Brooks wrote.

Renaissance Macro: Disinflation progress will be "undone" in a few months

Gas prices are rising at a time of year when they typically decline, researchers at Renaissance Macro wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. That means the latest surge in energy prices could have a large impact on coming inflation reports.

Average retail gas prices are around $0.95 higher than they were a year ago, RenMac said.

"Whatever seasonal tailwind we saw to consumer price inflation in June and July from lower gasoline prices will be undone," the firm wrote.

James Thorne: Hiking interest rates could be a major policy mistake

If central bankers were to raise interest rates during the energy supply shock, that would mark one of the "Most Damaging" policy mistakes since the Great Financial Crisis, James Thorne, the chief market strategist at Wellington-Altus, wrote in a post on X Tuesday morning.

"The question is whether the Warsh Fed will repeat that failure: answer an energy supply shock with tighter money, squeeze households and businesses even harder, and destroy demand to prove it is serious about inflation," he wrote.

Bespoke Investment: Inflation fears could soon hit markets

Inflation fears stemming from higher energy prices could soon impact markets, though investors are shrugging off the latest price increases for now, Paul Hickey, the co-founder of Bespoke Investment Group, wrote in a note.

"Energy prices can't keep rising without impacting the market, and at some point even a tame inflation report later this week may not mean much if crude oil prices remain in the mid-90s, approaching triple digits," Hickey said.

US stocks traded relatively flat on Tuesday morning, remaining near records despite the jump in oil and gas prices. Treasury yields, which reflect interest rate expectations in the economy, remained mostly level.

• I compared chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A, KFC, Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, and Taco Bell.
• Chick-fil-A and KFC's nuggets were similarly sized but had distinctly different textures.
• Taco Bell's crispy chicken nuggets stood out for their size, crunch, and innovative sauce flavors.

Before the chicken tender became the hottest fast-food must-have, there was the humble and hearty chicken nugget.

Its small size made it the perfect side dish, post-work snack, or, as millennials will recall, the perfect drunchie (drunk munchie).

One way fast-food brands are attempting to capitalize on chicken's popularity, especially among Gen Z diners, is by adding — or upgrading — chicken nuggets on their menus.

Most recently, on September 1, Burger King released an updated version of its classic chicken nugget in response to customer feedback that its originals were "rubbery," "dry," and "disappointing." The same day also saw the return of McDonald's Spicy Chicken McNuggets, which will be available for a limited time.

Here's how six fast-food chain chicken nuggets ranked, from worst to best.

My least favorite nuggets came from Wendy's.

Cost: $7.49 — excluding tax and tip — for a 10-piece serving at a Wendy's in New York City.

All prices listed here may vary in different markets.

The chicken nugget was crispy, but instead of being juicy, the chicken tasted a little chewy.

Like Burger King and McDonald's, Wendy's is primarily a burger chain. So, it should come as no surprise that its chicken nuggets are pretty unremarkable, in my opinion.

They were decently seasoned, and the breading had a lot of flavor, but they were also pretty small. Wendy's nuggets definitely act more as a side dish than a reason to go to the chain.

KFC's nuggets were a little bare-bones.

Cost: $7.31 — excluding tax and tip — for a 10-piece serving at a KFC in New York City.

KFC's nuggets were the least breaded out of the ones I tried.

They were a little bland, but I thought the chicken itself tasted higher quality than the nuggets from Wendy's, Burger King, and McDonald's. It was more shreddable and paired well with the chain's comeback sauce, but I would have liked more breading to give it that crunch.

I'd probably recommend the chain's chicken tenders or fried chicken over its nuggets.

McDonald's nuggets were a classic.

Cost: $2.39 — excluding tax and tip — for a four-piece serving at a McDonald's in New York City, or $5.79 for a 10-piece serving.

The nuggets from McDonald's were predictably good.

McDonald's chicken nuggets are the stuff of legend. They've been around since the early '80s, and there's something about the tempura-style fried chicken nuggets that keeps me coming back for more.

They're always crispy, always salty, and always consistent — I know what to expect with a McDonald's nugget. That being said, I thought they were a touch too salty.

Burger King recently upgraded its chicken nuggets.

Cost: $5.19 — excluding tax and tip — for a 10-piece at a Burger King in New York City.

The nuggets were crispy and paired well with the chain's sauces.

Released September 1, the new chicken nuggets are crispier than the original nuggets, and were updated to include a more flavorful marinade and new packaging, Burger King said.

I thought the nuggets had just the right amount of crunch and flavor, and held their own as a stand-alone entrée on the Burger King menu.

While they were very similar to McDonald's nuggets, they were slightly cheaper, giving them the edge.

Chick-fil-A

Cost: $9.19 — excluding tax and tip — for an eight-piece serving at a local Chick-fil-A in New York City.

The nuggets were flavorful and juicy, with just the right amount of seasoning in the breading.

While some of the other nuggets leaned on the drier side, these nuggets were moist and would likely pair well with practically any dipping sauce.

Each nugget was on the smaller side — despite being the most expensive of the ones I tried — but packed a lot of flavor into a small bite.

Taco Bell's nuggets may not be on menus right now, but they were my favorite.

Cost: $3.99 — excluding tax and tip — for a five-piece order and one dipping sauce. However, I was invited to taste the chicken nuggets at an early preview hosted by Taco Bell in New York City in December 2025, and I received complimentary samples.

The exterior felt hard. However, when I bit in, the chicken was extremely juicy and flavorful.

These chicken nuggets, coated in a blend of breadcrumbs and crunchy tortilla chips, stood out from the competition with their well-balanced flavor.

They were salty, with a subtle corn taste from the tortilla-chip breading. They reminded me more of a boneless wing than a chicken nugget.

Paired with the chain's Hidden Valley fire ranch sauce, a standard creamy ranch sauce with a slight hint of heat, and jalapeño honey mustard, an unusual combination of tangy mustard and strong yet balanced jalapeño flavor, these nuggets blew me away.

The nuggets were initially rolled out as a limited-time offering, but Taco Bell continued to bring them back in 2025 and 2026 as it expanded its crispy-chicken menu.

Here's hoping they'll be back again soon.

• The teaser for Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary is here.
• It calls the film an "unflinching look at earth's most unchecked man."
• Musk has previously called the doc a "hit piece" and railed against Gibney on X.

The teaser for the new Elon Musk documentary is here — and it ends on an explosive note.

Alex Gibney's documentary about Musk premiered this week at the Venice International Film Festival. Around the same time, a 48-second teaser trailer for the upcoming film appeared on YouTube.

The teaser layers voiced commentary on Elon Musk — from the "greatest capitalist in history" to "fascist" — over videos of rocket launches. It promises an "unflinching look at Earth's most unchecked man."

Over videos of explosions from failed SpaceX launches comes the title: "Musk."

For the record, Musk himself isn't happy with the documentary. The Tesla CEO called the film a "hit piece" in August and asked whether Gibney was trying to "bore people to death" with the film's almost four-hour runtime.

Musk's comments were before the film's premiere. "How would you know," Gibney shot back.

For those not jet-setting to Venice, the film will premiere in select theaters on October 16.

• I've been on many cruises over the past 20 years, but I still made a recent planning mistake.
• Instead of checking where a ship was docking, I made assumptions that left me scrambling.
• A ship can't always dock directly in the town it lists as a stop — it may be further than you think.

I always envisioned my first visit to Positano involving leisurely strolls through a dreamy, brightly colored coastal landscape. Instead, I found myself rushing down a vine-lined street, feeling lost and confused.

Watching the time fly by, I debated whether I'd make it to the beachfront and back in time to catch my shuttle to the cruise ship. My tour guide's warning from earlier, "Meet here in 45 minutes or we're leaving without you," echoed in my head.

Begrudgingly, I turned around and stopped in some of the well-known shops I had dreamed of visiting for years. I couldn't help be disappointed as I frantically rushed to pick out souvenirs.

Despite being an experienced cruiser, I had made a major mistake tracing all the way back to when I booked this itinerary.

I focused on where I wanted to go and assumed I'd be, not where my ship would dock

I've grown up going on cruises, including many through the Caribbean and, more recently, several itineraries in Europe. They've become my go-to way to visit multiple destinations without having to drag around a heavy suitcase.

While searching for Mediterranean itineraries, I saw "Amalfi Coast (Salerno)" listed as a stop and got excited. I'd always wanted to visit Positano on the Amalfi Coast, and this sounded like a great jumping-off point.

At the time, I didn't realize that Salerno was a separate port city that cruise ships often use to access the Amalfi Coast. It's not on the Amalfi Coast, it's east of it.

To get from where our cruise ship docked in Salerno to Positano, I'd need to take a car or ferry. Although I could have made the trip independently, the quickest options would still take close to an hour.

For ease and peace of mind, I ended up booking an excursion through my cruise ship that included multiple stops along the Amalfi Coast.

It was nice to visit Sorrento and have lunch along the way, but our time at each stop was limited. By the time we got to Positano, we were only given 45 minutes to explore before we had to head back to the ship. I would've preferred to have more time in one destination rather than cramming multiple into one day.

To make matters worse, we had about a two-hour traffic-filled journey back to Salerno by shuttle, and the winding Italian roads triggered my motion sickness.

Back on board, I still couldn't shake the nausea and ended up needing treatment in the ship's medical center.

As someone who has been sailing for over 20 years, I was shocked by how poorly I planned my port day. I should have researched the ship's actual docking location and how far it was from the places I actually wanted to visit.

Now, I check exactly where my ship will dock before booking and plan accordingly

This past June, I decided to embark on another Mediterranean cruise, hoping to get a redo on the Amalfi Coast. This time, I prioritized sailings that brought me closer to Positano.

I ended up booking a 12-night cruise with stops in France, Italy, and Croatia. The itinerary listed "Amalfi/Positano," and I double-checked exactly where the ship would dock. ( If this information isn't available online, you can also reach out to the cruise line and ask.)

I found out the ship would anchor offshore from Amalfi, with a tender boat bringing guests directly into town in about 10 minutes.

Once on board, I checked in with the ship's destination services for the best way to get to Positano. Based on their advice and my own research, I booked a 25-minute ferry from Amalfi to Positano.

This time, since we actually docked in Amalfi, the journey to Positano was quick, easy, and scenic. I hopped off the ferry at the same beachfront I never made it to on my first cruise.

Marveling at the postcard-worthy view, I felt a wave of relief.

Since we started closer to Positano, I could skip a full excursion or a long ride to get there and better explore the village at my own pace. I had hours to wander in and out of shops.

Now, I know it's pretty common for cruise ships to dock outside of the destination listed — especially on Mediterranean itineraries.

For example, cruises to Rome actually tend to dock in Civitavecchia, more than 40 miles from the city's center. In Taormina, my ship tendered into Giardini Naxos, and I needed to find my own transportation into town.

My parents also recently took a cruise that advertised a stop in Berlin, but reaching the city actually required a lengthy train ride from a nearby port.

Sometimes, cruise lines will arrange shuttles to and from a port. In other cases, you're on your own. For both, it's really important to plan ahead and set realistic expectations.

Ultimately, having two very different experiences in Positano made me feel more confident in my ability to plan a port day. Now, I take some extra time to look into every stop before I book a cruise.

I confirm the exact port, how far it is from the places I want to visit, and the best way to get around.

• My partner and I have been together for over 30 years and have a lot in common.
• We have shared values and a great foundation. But as we age, we're focusing on different things.
• She's focused on learning and expanding her mind and I'm focused on physical strength.

I've been with my partner for over 30 years, and our relationship has the most important foundation in place: shared values, similar outlook, and common ground on what matters most. Our anchor is strong, but as we approach retirement and are both working part-time from home, we are seeking self-improvement to avoid stagnation in our routines. What's shifting for us is how we each want to expand ourselves now that we have more freedom and time.

While I'm leaning into the physical: strength, vitality, movement, health, feeling capable and energized in my body, my partner leans into the mental: curiosity, learning, ideas, creativity, reflection, exploring new thoughts, understanding the world and herself more deeply.

Our interests complement each other

I don't see our preferences as opposites — they're complements. One fuels the body that carries you through life; the other fuels the mind that gives it meaning. Both are forms of growth, and both are deeply valuable.

We celebrate each other's wins instead of comparing, cheer each other on, and learn from each other's worlds. I tell her how much I admire her curiosity and love of learning, and ask questions so she can share. She lets me know how good it feels to see me strong, lean, and active.

In my spare time, I focus on maintaining my weight and challenging myself at the gym three times a week. I get on my mountain bike or hike up mountains. I tell my partner what I've been doing in my workouts, and we make a point of walking together every day, even in the rain.

My partner enjoys expanding her knowledge of health, therapies, and natural remedies. Like me, she likes to hike or bike ride, but not as often. Fortunately, we can each pursue our individual interests, grow and learn from each other, and come together to share experiences as we grow older.

We still spend a lot of time together sharing our interests

Common goals and roles still apply in our relationship, and we still spend much of our spare time together, incorporating our interests. I recently joined her on a keto diet and lost eight pounds, and I've tried Pilates, high-intensity interval training, and meditation in recent months. I've also enjoyed letting my partner practice and refine some of her therapy techniques on me over the years. Whether it's using Reiki for relaxation, the Bowen Technique to relieve pain and stress, or an herbal remedy for joint pain or digestive issues, these natural health therapies benefit us both.

We also love sharing gardening and cooking duties. We enjoy camping, traveling, and taking an active interest in what our 21-year-old daughter is up to. We also recognize and respect each other's space more these days, and the importance of solo time; our time together is growing, and it has more intent than when we were working full time.

I feel that growing stronger physically and having better stamina makes me more capable and makes me feel alive and ready for everything I tackle. My partner's exploration of ideas and understanding of the world excites her and makes both our lives more meaningful and richer.

We see each other's individual interests as shared love expressed differently, which means there's no tension — only admiration. That's partnership at its finest: same destination, two beautiful ways of walking it.

After six decades on planet Earth, we both realize that a healthy life is built on a foundation where body and mind thrive together. I've got the body covered; my partner's got the mind covered. And together, we've got life and our relationship covered.

The recipe for most fall outfits starts with a good pair of jeans.

High-quality denim lasts for years and can be styled again and again with whatever the next season calls for. And although trends come and go, no fit is more versatile or reliable than a standard straight-leg jean.

I was overdue for a new pair, so I turned to Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy (all owned by Gap Inc.) to find my new closet staple.

I ordered a similar style from all three retailers and wore them each for one day on a variety of outings. Then, I evaluated them based on design, fit, fabric, price, and the overall online ordering experience.

After putting them to the test, there was one clear winner, one that was just OK, and one I probably wouldn't order again.

Honestly, I was disappointed by the straight-leg jeans from Old Navy

I admire Old Navy for offering both classic and trending pieces at approachable price points.

I had originally ordered the mid-rise slouchy straight jeans in my usual size, but when they arrived, they were way too big on me. In fact, the pair fit so loosely that they were unwearable, so I had to return them.

Unfortunately, the smaller size wasn't in stock, so I ended up buying the mid-rise Wow boyfriend straight jeans and sizing down.

The new pair still fit a bit awkwardly around the waist and thighs, but overall, they were much better. I liked the versatile dark wash, which goes well with both casual and more elevated outfits.

I wore these on a weekday while working from a coffee shop, and they were comfortable both while walking there and when sitting for a few hours at a time.

The fabric — made from 80% cotton, 13% recycled polyester, 5% recycled cotton, and 1% spandex — felt a bit stretchier than what I would expect from denim. However, it made the pants feel soft and chafe-safe.

Although I probably wouldn't order these again due to the unpredictable fit, for $40, they're a solid low-cost option (and I later saw them on sale for only $22).

I'm also excited to see how the brand's offerings evolve in the coming months, given that Old Navy's new president and CEO, is set to take over in November.

The Banana Republic jeans were nice, but came with a hefty price tag

Banana Republic is Gap Inc.'s "attainable luxury" brand, and I'm always a bit surprised by how highly priced some of their styles are. However, I was excited to give the denim a try.

I ordered the mid-rise 90s classic jean, and I immediately loved the medium wash and shape of the pants.

These were a bit too large around the waist and in length, and although I didn't necessarily need to exchange them, I'd likely get them tailored for a better fit for my body type.

The structure of the straight-leg cut was incredibly flattering and would pair nicely with any blouse or sweater in my closet. I also thought the construction around the zipper and pockets seemed high-quality and durable.

When wearing these for a date night out to dinner and drinks, I felt both fashionable and comfortable throughout the evening.

I could feel the difference in fabric quality compared to the pair from Old Navy, too. Made from from 70% cotton, 28% Tencel lyocell, and 2% elastane spandex, the fabric felt more structured and crisp.

However, that also meant a significant difference in cost — this pair cost me $130. I think they'd be worth the investment, but I'd consider sizing down next time.

The Gap straight-leg jeans really won me over

Gap has always been a hub for closet staples. Lately, the brand's denim marketing and ad campaigns have been especially notable, from the KATSEYE "Better in Denim" commercial to the Hailey Bieber collaboration.

So, I was excited to put the brand's denim to the test and ordered the Gap mid-rise straight taper jeans.

I ordered these in my usual size, and they fit me perfectly. These had a slightly lighter medium wash, which is perfect for daytime and summer-to-fall transition looks. They hugged my curves well, and the waistline sat nicely at my hips.

I wore these jeans for coffee and shopping with a friend, paired with a simple blouse and kitten heels. I felt comfortable and confident wearing them, and the straight silhouette elongated my legs (which can be rare as a short person).

This pair is made from 100% cotton (95% cotton, 5% recycled cotton), so they were durable yet still soft enough on my skin. They cost $90, but are well worth the price for a pair of jeans I know I'll wear for years to come. Plus, I later saw them on sale for $53.

Business Insider reached out to Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Gap for comment.

• I grew up thinking that people who had house cleaners were a certain type of person — one that I wasn't.
• Then, life happened. I became a mom of four and went through some medical issues.
• Having a house cleaner is a privilege, but it's one that I don't want to give up any time soon.

I grew up in a low-income community. To me, families with house cleaners were considered wealthy and bougie. I frankly didn't understand how anyone would have someone else clean their home. After all, scrubbing a shower or wiping down surfaces with dusting spray and a rag wasn't difficult.

Then I fell in love with and married someone who grew up in a home where they hired a house cleaner. In our first few years as a married couple, it wasn't even a question of hiring a house cleaner. Instead, we split up the chores of cleaning the bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning windows and mirrors.

After our first two kids came along, just two years apart in age, a friend and neighbor of mine told me about her housecleaning crew. This friend wasn't someone I considered rich or uppity at all. Exhausted from trying to mop while chasing toddlers, clean toothpaste off the bathroom sink, and attempting to keep the girls from getting into the cabinets while holding down a part-time teaching job, I decided to hire them.

Little did I know that my change of heart toward who had their house cleaned by professionals and who didn't would end up being a necessity.

Fast forward a few more years, after moving from an apartment to our first house, to our second and current house, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, we had completed our family: four kids. A mastectomy rendered me unable to use my arm and chest muscles for over six weeks. Having hired help with household tasks was essential. Years later, they still are.

I've felt guilty about hiring outside help

Once we found a housecleaning company, we never looked back. I have certainly felt guilty at times, I didn't grow up this way, and have wondered if I should just do this work myself instead of using my downtime to watch an episode of a new show, read, or play with the dogs. However, I also know I have very little downtime, and my chest and back haven't been the same since my mastectomy (making housecleaning chores like mopping and vacuuming difficult).

I understand that having this help is a privilege, and not something that makes me snotty by default.

The cleaners are here to clean, not pick up after the kids

I have a deep appreciation for the housecleaning company that comes to our home once a week. Before they arrive, our whole family picks up all our rooms and spaces.

When the housecleaning team arrives, there are no wet towels on the floor, no trash that doesn't make it into the bin, and no dirty laundry scattered across surfaces. I have told the kids that the cleaning team's job is to do just that: clean. Their job is not to pick up after them.

My kids still have chores

My kids also have daily chores, tasks such as brushing the dogs, helping prep dinner, loading the dishwasher, and doing their own laundry.

Having housecleaning doesn't take away from my kids' life skills experiences. Instead, having housecleaning leaves room for us to teach our kids responsibilities that the housecleaning team doesn't tackle.

This expense gives us time back

Because we have weekly housecleaning, we are able to spend more time as a family, or for my teens, work, attend sports practices and games, or enjoy a movie night at home. We have time to sit down and have dinner as a family several nights a week. And occasionally, we can sleep in on a weekend morning.

I was so hesitant to hire house cleaners because I was afraid of being perceived as wealthy and snotty. However, I can say that many of the folks I know now as adults who hire house cleaners are incredible parents and community members — a far cry from who I believed they would be.