• Mercor CEO Brendan Foody wrote that young people "jump to the hottest company every year."
• Gen Z underestimates "how much relationships, reputation, equity, and trust compound over time," Foody said on X.
• These days, "job-hugging" is more on trend than hopping.

Mercor's CEO thinks Gen Z should stop hopscotching the job market.

Brendan Foody, the 23-year-old CEO of the AI training giant, wrote on X about a takeaway that surprised him from interviewing candidates. The average tenure among the younger job candidates is shorter than he expected, he wrote.

"Too many people in my generation underestimate how much relationships, reputation, equity, and trust compound over time," Foody said in the Monday post.

Instead of valuing long relationships at work, Foody said that these young people "jump to the hottest company every year because they think it looks good on a résumé."

"Look at almost anyone who's built something extraordinary: they weren't serial job hoppers," Foody wrote.

In an email to Business Insider, Foody wrote that workers should change jobs for the "right reasons," like if they've stopped learning.

"Moving because the work is better is very different from moving because a logo looks good on a résumé," he said.

Andreessen Horowitz partner Josh Elman replied to Foody's post on X, suggesting that there may be good reason to change companies.

"You are right that going from job to job without meaningful contributions nor closure is a bad pattern," Elman wrote. "But it is worth going deeper with people who continue to work on important things at important times. That perspective compounds."

Does Gen Z love to job-hop? A few years ago, the data suggested as much. A 2021 analysis by careers site CareerBuilder found that Gen Z workers spent an average of 2 years and 3 months in a role — 6 months less than their millennial counterparts. A 2023 study from the management consulting firm Oliver Wyman found that 70% of Gen Zers in the US and UK who said they were "loyal" to their employers were seeking a new job.

Job-hopping may have its benefits. Changing companies has often been associated with increases in compensation.

In his email, Foody acknowledged this potential outcome: "Switching jobs can often be the fastest way to get a raise or a title bump in the near term, so the incentive feels real."

Despite Foody's view, many workers are now "job-hugging," or choosing to remain in their current role, clinging to stability amid challenging hiring environment. (While we're talking about buzzwords: if you're job-hugging, beware "quiet cracking.")

Foody is based in San Francisco, a city with hotly rising AI companies that workers may be eager to break into (lest they remain stuck in the "permanent underclass").

In his email, the Mercor CEO wrote that compensation was climbing fast in the city, adding to the incentive to hop.

"In tech, and especially in AI right now, the pull is strong," he wrote. "SF concentrates all of that. Everyone knows who just raised, who's hiring, and what the offers look like, so the grass always looks greener."

Gen Z isn't the first generation to get a job-hopping reputation. Before them, millennials were the so-called job-hopping generation.

But according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, neither generation was the most likely to change jobs when they were age 20.

That title goes to the baby boomers.

• Evan Budz built a turtle-inspired autonomous robot that detects microplastics in water.
• His project won a $50,000 scholarship at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
• Budz, 16, conducted 15 field trials across 10 bodies of water in Canada.

In the summer of 2024, Evan Budz stood at the edge of his grandparents' pool in Canada, trying to solve a unique problem: How to make his autonomous sea turtle robot swim.

"I remember some of my first tests. I would put my robot in the water, and it would sink right to the bottom," Budz, 16, told Business Insider. "It wouldn't swim. It wouldn't regulate its depth. It was like a brick."

While most teenagers don't face such a quandary, it became a major focal point for Budz, who became captivated by the aquatic creatures during a camping trip with his family in Ontario's backcountry earlier that year.

"I saw a snapping turtle swimming in the water with fluidic movement and very natural motion. I was quite inspired to develop a robot that mimics it," Budz said.

The backyard pool trials, alongside months of additional tests, tinkering, and upgrades, paid off this May.

Budz won a $50,000 scholarship at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for building an underwater 3D holographic camera and combining it with AI models he trained to identify small pieces of plastic in bodies of water. He mounted that tech atop his autonomous turtle.

He said it took around 2,000 hours each to build the robot and holographic camera.

Trial and error

For Budz, basing his research project on the environment was a natural step.

"I've had a passion for the outdoors," he said. "I have memories back when I was six years old, going backcountry camping with my parents. We would canoe out to these very beautiful and majestic lakes."

He's especially drawn to water, which he learned is swarming with microplastics after watching a documentary about oceans and marine ecosystems. The Ocean Conservancy estimates that 11 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean annually, affecting over 1,300 species of marine life.

In 2024, Budz spent about 5 months building the robot turtle, which he said is the perfect animal for this kind of work.

"They are very efficient swimmers, which is key when designing a bionic robot. I wanted to ensure my turtle could swim on long-range missions without the need for constant recharging or battery dying," Budz said. "They're also found across a variety of aquatic ecosystems, which means that they'll be more or less well known to the other organisms that could be in the environment."

Turtles can also reach large sizes, allowing Budz to comfortably house scientific payloads such as sensors and holographic imaging systems. To perfect the robot's motion, Budz also consulted with experts at his local aquarium.

"From there, I developed a number of algorithms to allow the robot to swim autonomously following a predefined search pattern as well as regulate its depth," Budz said. "It's able to, essentially, follow where a user wishes it to go, completely without the need for manual navigation or human-based control."

Budz began creating the holographic image system and training the AI models in the summer of 2025. He said the process required a lot of trial and error, especially fine-tuning the technology to accurately detect microplastics from other small water-bound organisms.

"That process included optimizing the physical hardware to achieve a high enough imaging resolution to identify microparticles and microplastics that might only be 10 microns in size," Budz said.

The holographic image system must successfully capture 3D holograms before they're run through AI models that identify microplastics.

Budz said creating the components took time, but the testing window was limited due to Canada's harsh winters.

"Where I am up north in Canada, the winters are very cold and because of that, I had to test my final bionic robot at a number of the local lakes in my region before it became too cold," he said.

By the time the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair took place, Budz said his project had an accuracy rate of 94% in distinguishing microparticles from microplastics.

Winning big

Budz said his research aims to make detecting microplastics faster and more accessible. He called the current test process, which is typically confirmed by laboratories, "convoluted."

"Since it's laboratory-based, it can take many days to complete analysis of even a small number of samples and it's very expensive," Budz said. "It's not practical for remote areas where you might not have access to a laboratory or the highly trained personnel that's required to complete that analysis."

Budz's research, however, can analyze microplastics directly in water. That kind of thinking is what led Budz to win the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations.

The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, hosted by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Society for Science, awarded more than $7 million to this year's winners. The competition is open to high school students worldwide, and over 1,700 students participated this year.

"It was very surreal to have won this big award. I remember standing on the stage, and my name was called for the Gordon E. Moore Award," Budz said. "I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, is that actually me? Did I actually win that?' So many thoughts racing through my head, a bit of disbelief hearing my name called for that, but it was a very awesome experience overall."

Budz said he's focused on high school these days, but he plans to use the $50,000 scholarship to attend university for either science or engineering. He's also interested in sharing his research to further the field.

• A Microsoft engineer says AI has made software development dramatically faster.
• He says AI still hallucinates, but it's made deadlines much less stressful.
• He shares why he thinks AI won't replace engineers who keep learning.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rahul Devikar, a 34-year-old senior software engineer at Microsoft who lives in the Seattle area. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I've worked as a software engineer at Microsoft since 2018. Over the years, I've had a front-row seat to how AI has transformed the way software gets built.

One of the biggest projects I've worked on is Microsoft 365 Agents SDK, an open-source library for building AI agents. It was my first open-source project at Microsoft, and we took it from idea to public preview in just a few months.

While projects like this require a lot of work, I haven't experienced much of the AI fatigue that I've heard other engineers talk about. That's because overall, I think AI has made it much easier to get projects done.

That said, AI comes with its own challenges. Sometimes an AI agent hallucinates, and figuring out why can be frustrating. As long as you're checking what it produces along the way, though, I think AI helps more than it hurts.

The biggest AI time savings isn't writing the initial code

In my experience, it used to be much more common to work long hours just to hit a deadline. There was often a concern about whether we'd finish a project on time. Now, we can usually build the first version much more quickly and spend more time refining and improving it instead.

Some projects that used to take about a month can now be finished in three or four days — or at most a week. Using a combination of internal tools like Copilot and external ones like Claude, we have a lot more opportunities to build proofs-of-concept, and AI has dramatically sped up development.

For bigger product releases, though, the biggest time savings haven't come from writing the initial code. They've come from making changes after the first version is built.

When you design something, show it to other people, and realize certain things need to be improved, you have to go back and make those changes. Back in 2020, for example, that process might have taken another month or two. Today, it's often a matter of days or weeks.

The biggest challenge is knowing when AI is wrong

Despite the benefits of AI tools, they aren't perfect and can make mistakes.

I've seen AI agents hallucinate when asked to complete engineering tasks. The biggest challenge isn't that they hallucinate — it's recognizing when they've hallucinated. If you don't already understand the task yourself or know what to expect, it can be difficult to spot when the AI has made a mistake. I've found that the better you are at catching those mistakes, the more successful you'll be using AI.

Overall, I think AI should be thought of as an assistant, not a replacement. As a user, you have context that the AI doesn't always have. One of my biggest concerns is that people will become too reliant on AI without developing the underlying knowledge themselves. I think that could lead to more "AI slop."

Now is the time to start experimenting with AI

I think there's a comparison to be made between AI and the internet. When the internet first took off, there was a lot of hype around it. Today, it's such a normal part of our lives that we can't imagine living without it.

I think AI is on a similar path. There's a lot of excitement around it right now, but eventually it will just become part of everyday life. People won't think about using AI any more than they think about using the internet today.

That's why I think it's a good idea for people to experiment with AI tools and try vibe coding. If you have an idea, try building it. I think many people would be surprised by how much they can accomplish.

When it comes to working with AI tools, I think it's helpful to remember that you're working with an AI, not a human. The tool might not understand what you're trying to say, even if another person would.

You usually need to be much more descriptive about what you want. I've found it's more effective to break a task into smaller steps instead of asking the AI to do everything at once. That approach tends to make the whole process much more efficient.

I'm skeptical that AI will replace software engineers

Personally, I experiment with AI tools like Agents365, Claude, and GitHub Copilot to get more hands-on experience with the technology. During tax season, for example, I built an agent to help me understand my taxes.

Despite the benefits of using AI I've seen over my years at Microsoft, I'm skeptical that it will lead to fewer software engineering jobs. While there have been tech layoffs in recent years, this isn't the first time the industry has gone through layoffs.

I'm sure AI has played a role in some layoffs, but I also think engineers who keep learning new technologies will be in a much better position going forward. Software engineering has always required constant learning, and I don't think that's going to change. I think it's going to create more opportunities to build new products, and at the end of the day, engineers will still be needed to design and develop them.

AI can recommend different approaches or generate code, but it's still up to engineers to decide what technologies to use and how to build the product.

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

• Sandwich chain Jersey Mike's is gearing up for an initial public offering.
• It spent $41 million on a jet for its founder and has big expansion plans, according to its IPO prospectus.
• Here are four interesting tidbits from the restaurant chain's 220-page document.

There's a lot sandwiched in Jersey Mike's IPO filing.

The restaurant chain is gearing up to go public in what's on track to be the second-biggest restaurant IPO of all time. Unlike its peers, many of which went public earlier in their histories, Jersey Mike's is an established brand with thousands of restaurants.

Founder Peter Cancro started Jersey Mike's after buying a single sandwich shop in New Jersey in 1975. Since then, Cancro has grown Jersey Mike's into a national chain. Last year, private equity firm Blackstone acquired a majority stake in the company for $8 billion.

Its latest S-1 securities filing, a document that companies file with the Securities and Exchange Commission in preparation to go public, divulges new information about the company, its strategy, and the people who have led it.

Here are some of the most interesting aspects of the business that the prospectus includes:

Jersey Mike's wants to more than quadruple its store base

There are about 3,300 mostly franchisee-operated Jersey Mike's restaurants in the US, and that number could grow considerably, the company wrote in the filing. Its densest concentration of stores is in some Southeastern states, such as North and South Carolina.

Jersey Mike's estimated that it could open as many as 7,500 stores in the US.

"While we operate in all 50 states today, we believe we remain under-penetrated in all markets, providing substantial runway for growth," the document reads.

That number could grow to 15,000 with international expansions. Jersey Mike's plans to open 300 stores in Canada and another 300 in the UK and Ireland, per the prospectus.

Jersey Mike's describes its menu as 'protein-forward'

The sandwich chain is catering to two big diet-related trends: Protein consumption and weight-loss drugs like GLP-1s.

Jersey Mike's menu "is well-suited to meet a wide range of dietary preferences, including protein-focused and GLP-1 users," the prospectus said.

The chain points to its Italian sub, which it said contains about 47 grams of protein, as an example. Ten other subs contain at least 35 grams of protein, Jersey Mike's said.

"Our subs are inherently protein-forward," the document read.

Two-thirds of the subs it sells are cold, and the largest share of its sales (47%) happens at lunchtime.

Cancro's family members have made tens of millions from the business

Before the Blackstone deal, several of Cancro's family members worked at Jersey Mike's, according to the filing. Collectively, those family members made millions of dollars from the investment.

Between 2023 and 2025, for instance, the company paid John Cancro, the founder's brother, about $21 million. Daniel Powers, his brother-in-law, made about $32 million over the same period. And Phillip Sivolobov, his stepson and a director at Jersey Mike's until early 2025, made almost $51 million, per the document.

None of the family members received compensation from Jersey Mike's during the first quarter of 2026, according to the prospectus.

The company bought founder Peter Cancro a private jet

In 2024, Jersey Mike's spent $41 million on a plane for Cancro, a footnote in the prospectus's financial information reads. Cancro is a member of the company's board and served as CEO until April 2025.

The jet was transferred to a business entity controlled by Cancro, according to the document. The chain also paid Cancro about $2 million last year to cover costs "related to air transportation to travel from time to time for business purposes."

The jet purchase and payments came shortly before Blackstone acquired its majority stake in January 2025.

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• Value stocks have outperformed growth in 2026, with the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF up 16.8%.
• If you're looking to ride the value wave, we asked 3 top value managers for their top stock picks.
• They included: Atmus Filtration Technologies, APA, and CBRE.

Value stocks are back in vogue this year.

It's been a rough stretch of years for cheap stocks, as their growth counterparts have soared on the back of the artificial intelligence boom that's carried giants like Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Nvidia to records.

But the value category has had a hot start to 2026. So far this year, the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) is up 16% while the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) has lagged, returning about 3%.

The strong returns have been driven by a broadening out in earnings growth and favorable fiscal and monetary environments, according to JPMorgan.

Even with the outperformance, Wall Street firms like Morgan Stanley and Nomura have continued to advocate in recent weeks for adding exposure to value stocks, as the broader market remains heavily concentrated in AI names.

Popular funds like the Invesco S&P 500 Pure Value ETF (RPV) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) offer diversified exposure to the value trade.

But if you're looking for more focused ways to ride the value wave, we spoke with three top value fund managers this week, who told us their top stock picks right now.

Francis Gannon, co-chief investment officer at Royce Investment Partners

Fund: Royce Small-Cap Fund

Ticker: PENNX

Why Gannon stands out: Gannon oversees $12.4 billion as CIO at Royce. This year, PENNX — which falls under Morningstar's small-cap value category — is up 17%, crushing the S&P 500's 9% return.

Stock pick: Atmus Filtration Technologies (ATMU)

Gannon highlighted Atmus Filtration Technologies as his top pick. The firm, which was spun off from Cummins in 2023, makes air filters, coolants, and ventilation systems for trucks and construction vehicles.

Machines built to use only their products are often designed to do so, which means they have a guaranteed recurring revenue stream as filters and other components are replaced. Eighty-six percent of the firm's revenue comes from replacement products, he said.

The industrial filtration industry is growing by 2x year-over-year, Gannon said, and rising truck shipping rates should help Atmos.

The stock's forward PE ratio is 17.43. Year-to-date, its share price is down 2%.

Bill Smead, founder of Smead Capital Management

Fund: Smead Value Fund

Ticker: SMVLX

Why Smead stands out: Smead's fund is in the top 2% of all US large-cap value funds over the last 15-year period, according to Morningstar data, and his firm oversees $5.46 billion in assets. SMVLX is up 18.8% in 2026 and 29.7% over the last 12 months.

Stock pick: APA Corp. (APA)

Smead's top pick is oil firm APA, or Apache, which trades at an incredibly low forward PE ratio of 5.3.

Smead said the stock should continue to get a boost from the company's capital discipline — in other words, their choice not to invest their earnings in drilling for more oil even though prices are high, and instead returning that money to investors.

"Apache is an incredibly cheap stock that has changed their ways," Smead said. "They were a spender and a grower, and now they're just a wise steward and a creator of what Buffett called massive owner earnings."

The capital discipline trend across the oil and gas industry also helps keep supply down, supporting prices.

As of June 30, APA is Smead's fifth-largest holding with a 5.32% weighting. The stock is up 91% over the last 12 months, but is down 20% from its March 27 peak.

Mark Zagata, portfolio manager at Parnassus Investments

Fund: Parnassus Value Equity Fund

Ticker: PARWX

Why Zagata stands out: Zagata's fund is in the top 1% of all US large-cap value funds over the last 15 year period, according to Morningstar data. This year, it's up 13.3%.

Stock pick: CBRE Group (CBRE)

Zagata highlighted CBRE Group, the largest commercial real-estate firm in the world, operating in more than 100 countries. The company acts as a broker, property manager, and developer.

AI will help the firm become more productive, Zagata said, and employing the technology in tandem with its proprietary data should help the firm gain market share.

Some argue, however, that CBRE will actually be disrupted by AI — that the business model would be simplified, allowing competitors to arise. But Zagata said that the company's data and large global footprint would continue to give the firm its edge.

"They have the most data, so although AI can crunch a lot of numbers, if you don't have the data, there's really not a whole lot of use to it," he said. "Or if you don't have the people stationed in those countries, they can't negotiate, handle local regulations, show up at the county clerk's offices, and make these deals come to fruition."

The stock has a forward PE ratio of 16.6. So far in 2026, shares of CBRE are down 13%.

• I planned a multi-generational trip to Mexico to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.
• For the first time, I found myself organizing transportation, excursions, and logistics.
• The trip made me realize that as my parents age, our family roles are changing.

Over the years, we've taken a number of trips that included my parents, my siblings, and our families. We've stayed at beach houses on the California coast, cozy cabins in Tahoe, and waterfront hotels on Maui. My mom has always taken the lead on these vacations with the rest of us along for the ride.

For my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, we decided to use some timeshare points and plan a week at an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta. As a travel writer, I have visited Puerto Vallarta many times. I researched the flights, shared them with my extended family, and booked them for my husband and kids. We coordinated our flights so we would all arrive together.

While doing this, I realized this is the first time I've taken the lead in planning a trip I'm on with my parents, and it made me see how our roles are changing.

It's hard not to return to childhood roles when traveling with my parents and siblings

On past family trips, I was used to my Type-A mom being the boss, making the plans, and having everyone else go along for the ride. This time, I was in charge.

As a Type-A organizer myself, I started by booking a shuttle service to take us from the airport to our hotel. I knew that when you are tired from travel, the arrivals area at the Puerto Vallarta airport could be overwhelming with persistent timeshare salespeople trying to get your attention.

Pre-booking our van meant that we didn't have to worry about how to get 12 people and their luggage to the resort. Best of all, I got the shuttle driver's contact info and arranged additional rides for us during our stay by messaging him on WhatsApp. I was nailing my new responsibilities.

Taking the lead was something I was willing to do

While I'd usually wait to see what activities my parents wanted to do, I went ahead and researched excursions I thought the group might enjoy (not an easy feat with ages ranging from 8 to 75 in our group of 12).

We spent one afternoon eating way too many tacos on a food tour. The next day, we went on a half-day trip that included ziplining, cooling off in a natural swimming hole, and tequila tasting for the grown-ups.

I sent text reminders to bring towels and sunscreen, and kept everyone updated on the lobby meeting time. I sometimes felt like I was bossing everyone around, but they seemed to appreciate not having to think about the details.

When a friend mentioned using a professional photographer to capture memories during her family vacation, I knew I wanted to schedule the same for our trip. It was the perfect way to commemorate my parents' anniversary, and the colorful photos hold a prominent place on kitchen photo displays in all of our homes.

Having older kids meant I could focus on the group as a whole

With my kids now in their teens, I didn't have to worry as much about their needs during this trip. It freed up mental energy for me to take over some of the coordination.

By the end of the trip, I realized the biggest milestone wasn't my parents' 50th anniversary. It was recognizing how much our family dynamic had changed.

For decades, my parents had been the ones coordinating vacations and ensuring everything ran smoothly. Without consciously planning to, I had stepped into some of those responsibilities. What surprised me most was that my mother seemed relieved to hand them over.

• GM said OnStar generated about $800 million in revenue in the second quarter.
• It sells two software systems: autonomous driving with Super Cruise and safety features with OnStar.
• GM told Business Insider it plans to add features through updates over time, reducing the need for new car parts.

General Motors has been pulling a Tim Cook and boosting its software and subscription business.

During the automaker's Tuesday earnings call, executives highlighted the rapid growth of OnStar and Super Cruise, its two most popular software services.

Subscriptions are increasingly important to automakers. Unlike a car sale, which happens only every few years, they can keep bringing in high-margin revenue long after a customer drives off the lot.

GM says its software business keeps roughly 70 cents of every dollar it brings in. That's a rare level of profitability in the auto industry, as many car sales generate just four to 10 cents per sales dollar.

The automaker's OnStar business — which offers GPS and cellular safety services — brought in about $800 million during the second quarter, up more than 20% from a year earlier. GM expects to add about 1 million OnStar subscribers this year, bringing the total close to 13 million.

Super Cruise, GM's hands-free, eyes-on driving system, is growing even faster. GM added about 70,000 subscribers during the quarter and expects to end the year with more than 850,000. Revenue from the service increased about 70% from a year earlier.

And a lot of drivers are sticking around after the free period ends. GM said between 30% and 40% of eligible owners continue paying after their included three-year Super Cruise subscription expires.

The company also said Super Cruise will be standard on high-end trims of its newly redesigned Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups, which the company said should bring in around 160,000 users.

"We do think we have tremendous levers, multiple levers of growth," Barra said on the call. "We definitely think there's a lot of opportunity at GM to grow, improve margins, and become less cyclical."

"Software and services are becoming increasingly important to how customers experience GM vehicles and how we deliver value beyond the initial purchase," a spokesperson previously told Business Insider. "As vehicles become more software-defined, we can introduce new digital experiences through updates and optional services rather than hardware changes."

The subscriptions push comes as automakers look for new ways to make money after cars leave the dealership lot — especially as Detroit automakers roll out new electric vehicles.

EVs typically need less maintenance than gas-powered cars, cutting into the repair and service work that has long been a reliable profit engine for dealerships and manufacturers alike.

GM has structured its subscriptions to ease customers in. OnStar Basics is included with 2025 and newer GM vehicles at no extra cost, bundling safety features, navigation, and audio apps for up to eight years.

Paid subscriptions come later. GM charges $19.99 a month for Connect Plus, which provides in-car internet access, and $39.99 a month for Super Cruise, its hands-free, eyes-on system. Driver assistance is free for the first three years.

GM isn't the only automaker leaning into its subscriptions business.

In February, Tesla discontinued the $8,000 option to buy its self-driving software, called Full Self-Driving (Supervised). After February 14, owners must pay $99 a month for the service — a price point Elon Musk said will increase as the technology gets better.

Ford's highway-assist feature — called BlueCruise — costs $49.99 a month, $495 for a year, or $2,495 for the car's lifetime.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW also offer self-driving upgrades on some of their new vehicles.

But for GM, America's best-selling car company, profits from the new subscriptions could be a boon. Wall Street was pleased with the automaker's earnings report, sending the company's stock up 8.8% in the hours after the earnings call.

"This is playing out as a software story GM first told us about in 2021," David Whiston, an analyst at Morningstar, previously told Business Insider. "If they can do other software as a fee, plus data to local governments on traffic and accident risk, there's real potential for revenue streams at margins impossible to reach via just selling a car."

• Omen AI raised $31 million to monitor liquid cooling in AI data centers.
• Its sensors aim to prevent shutdowns that can cost millions in lost computing time.
• Founder Zach Laberge, 20, has been starting companies since he was a kid.

As AI chips become more powerful — and hotter — data centers are turning to liquid rather than air to cool servers.

For the newest AI systems, fans alone can't remove enough heat. That shift has created a new problem: keeping coolant from degrading or becoming contaminated. Omen AI announced a $31 million funding round in June to address this issue.

Data centers typically mail coolant samples to labs to check the health of their systems, then wait days for results. Omen's sensors continuously analyze coolant in real time to detect contamination, metal particles, bacteria, and other signs of degradation.

Omen's 20-year-old founder and CEO Zach Laberge likened it to a "blood test." The startup aims to catch problems early so operators don't have to shut down AI chip clusters and flush bad coolant — a process that can cost millions in lost computing time, he said.

Laberge founded the company in 2024, initially to build sensors for excavators in the construction industry. After about a year, he realized its fluid-monitoring technology was "100 times more valuable for data centers."

Nava Ventures led the funding round, with participation from CRV, former Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, Mann+Hummel, and executives from AI cloud startup TensorWave, a customer. Omen has raised $41.5 million to date.

The company sells permanent sensors and portable devices through subscriptions priced per megawatt. It has more than a dozen customers, Laberge said, most of which are neoclouds, or specialized AI cloud providers. It is also starting to work with larger cloud companies.

In addition to monitoring coolant in data centers, Omen's devices also analyze fluids in industrial machines.

Laberge said he's been creating companies since he was a kid growing up in Nova Scotia — from selling smartwatches to running a dog-cookie business and a tool-rental platform.

Omen has 30 employees in San Francisco, most of whom are college dropouts, Laberge said. He added that he hires for skill over formal credentials and that Omen will use the funding to grow its engineering team and scale manufacturing.

Here's a look at the pitch deck Omen AI used to raise its $31 million Series A round. The deck has been redacted so that it can be shared publicly.

• Nvidia is backstopping loans for neoclouds to fund massive AI buildouts.
• GMI Cloud has committed $500 million in capital expenditures under the new model.
• Nvidia's partnership strategy has previously sparked debate about "circular financing."

Earlier this year, the AI startup Fireworks AI wanted to rent hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of AI compute.

Rather than buying massive clusters of Nvidia's AI chips, known as GPUs, or renting from cloud giants like Amazon or Microsoft, some startups like Fireworks turn to specialized AI cloud providers — called neoclouds — for faster access to GPUs, more competitive pricing, and infrastructure specifically tailored to AI. Fireworks chose the neocloud GMI Cloud.

There was a catch: To serve Fireworks, GMI first needed to buy the Nvidia GPU systems from a hardware manufacturer — and banks wouldn't provide the financing because Fireworks wasn't an investment-grade company.

GMI founder and CEO Alex Yeh said they brought the problem to Nvidia and began discussing a new financing model around the beginning of this year. Yeh described it as an "insurance product" in which Nvidia agrees to step in if one of GMI's customers stops paying. In exchange, GMI shares a portion of its revenue with Nvidia.

GMI told Business Insider it is committing $500 million to expand its AI infrastructure under this new financing model and said it's among the first neoclouds in Asia to employ it.

The arrangement helps neoclouds secure loans they might not otherwise receive, while enabling Nvidia to bring more of its GPUs to market. Yeh said that rising memory prices also factor into the model's economics.

Fireworks announced this month that it had raised $1.5 billion at a $17.5 billion valuation. Still, Yeh said banks have so far viewed frontier AI startups as non-investment-grade — though he added that the market is changing quickly.

Nvidia can expand its customer base

Other neoclouds, such as Firmus and Sharon AI, are among the first to work with Nvidia under the new business model the chipmaker announced in July.

Sharon cofounder and CEO James Manning said the arrangement marks an evolution in its relationship with Nvidia from a traditional supplier to a longer-term partner.

David Nicholson, chief technology advisor at The Futurum Group, said the strategy helps Nvidia broaden its customer base beyond top cloud providers — many of which are developing their own competing AI chips.

Brad Gastwirth, global head of research and market intelligence at Circular Technology, called the model smart, though he said it could be a "yellow flag" for investors, with the key question being how selectively Nvidia chooses which neoclouds to support to limit its financial risk.

Nvidia has previously been criticized for 'circular financing'

The arrangement echoes Nvidia's intertwined relationships with companies like CoreWeave and OpenAI, in which it is both an investor and a supplier.

Arman Aleksanian, cofounder and CEO of the neocloud Eleveight AI — which is not in Nvidia's new financing program but is monitoring it — said critiques about "circular financing" were fair to consider, but only if the financing supports GPU purchases that aren't backed by actual demand.

"What I'd say is that circular financing is only dangerous when it manufactures demand that isn't actually there," he said. "If the capacity runs hot with real paying customers, then the financing did its job."

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at gweiss@businessinsider.com or Signal at @geoffweiss.25. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Ukraine has a new commander in chief, the 43-year-old brigadier general, Mykhailo Drapatyi.
• His war track record and reputation for pushing for innovation have made him a public favorite.
• His appointment comes amid days of political turmoil after the ousting of the popular defense minister.

Mykhailo Drapatyi, one of Ukraine's youngest generals, is now the country's commander in chief, following the sacking of his predecessor, Oleksandr Syrskyi, on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the 43-year-old Drapatyi after days of mass protests over the dismissal of the country's defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov.

Thousands had gathered last week in Kyiv and other major cities to call for the reinstatement of the 35-year-old Fedorov, seen as a champion of the direly needed modernization of Ukraine's military.

Their demands included the firing of Syrskyi, who oversaw several major victories against Russia but is criticized as an old-guard, Soviet-style leader who blocked needed change and reportedly clashed with Fedorov, leading to the young minister's removal.

Conversely, Drapatyi is one of the war's most popular generals, belonging to a younger generation of officers who climbed the ranks while fighting Russia after its 2014 invasion of Crimea.

The new military chief is widely regarded as a disciplined commander who defies the Ukrainian military's Soviet-rooted culture while pushing for tactical innovation, drone warfare, recruiting reforms, and accountability among leadership.

Fedorov was publicly praised for doing the same, so pundits have often described the two as ideal partners for reshaping Ukraine's military into a more NATO-aligned, tech-savvy force capable of beating Moscow.

"Drapatyi is the best choice of those mentioned in the media," Mykola Bielieskov, senior analyst for Ukraine's largest military crowdfunding organization, ComeBackAlive, told Business Insider.

The 'flying BMP' commander

Drapatyi first drew attention in 2014 when fighting pro-Russian separatists in Mariupol as a battalion commander. A major at the time, he'd been sent to rescue police officers surrounded by armed militants in the city.

Drapatyi led a column of four infantry fighting vehicles and ordered the driver of his BMP to charge headlong into a barricade, sending the vehicle careening over the barrier and smashing through to clear the way.

A video clip of the incident went viral, turning Drapatyi into a celebrity for his "flying BMP" moment at a time when Ukraine's forces were still finding their footing.

A month later, he famously led 260 Ukrainian troops and 30 vehicles to break out of a Russian encirclement in Luhansk. After days of being trapped under artillery fire, the Ukrainians fought their way by night through some 24 miles of enemy territory, losing one soldier in the process.

Drapatyi climbed steadily through Ukraine's ranks afterward and was promoted to brigadier general in December 2021. Three months later, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

Drapatyi was 40 when the full war began, and has held field commands in Kherson, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, and the Donbas. He took part in Ukraine's major 2022 counteroffensive to liberate its southern territories and was later known as the general to call when part of the front line was at risk of collapsing.

Bielieskov said that Drapatyi is respected among Ukrainian troops as a "decent officer" who stabilized the Kharkiv and Pokrovsk fronts in 2024.

His appointment was a step by Zelenskyy toward defusing public furor over Fedorov's removal, Bielieskov added.

The defense minister position has been given, for now, to Yevhen Khmara, who previously led Ukraine's security service. But mass protests continue, with demonstrators still demanding Fedorov's reinstatement.

"Now it's about team, especially who is to be Chief of General Staff. And who the MOD chief would eventually be," Bielieskov said.

Ukraine's twin mavericks

A major decision that earned Drapatyi recognition was his resignation as leader of Ukraine's ground forces in June 2025, when a Russian strike killed 12 soldiers and wounded about 60 others at a Ukrainian military base.

Drapatyi, who took the post eight months before, said he would relinquish his role to take personal responsibility for the deaths, describing it as a stand against Ukrainian military culture where accountability from top leadership was rare.

Two days later, however, Zelenskyy assigned Drapatyi command of Ukraine's joint forces, a role the brigadier general held until his appointment as commander in chief.

That reputation and track record made Drapatyi a favorite candidate among Fedorov's supporters for the highest military command, who see both men as a dream team of sorts who could maximize Ukraine's chances of defeating Russia.

The pair have voiced support for each other in their respective roles, with Drapatyi endorsing Fedorov shortly after the former defense minister's ousting.

"There is a willingness to listen to commanders, make decisions faster, and support changes that are born in the units," Drapatyi wrote on Thursday of the defense ministry under Fedorov. "This is exactly how this interaction should be."

Meanwhile, Fedorov, whose political popularity has surged since his removal, called Drapatyi's appointment a "breath of fresh air."

Last week, he'd named the brigadier general as one of the top commanders who repeatedly clashed with Syrskyi over what Drapatyi felt were necessary changes in the military.

Bielieskov warned that the appointment won't change the fact that Ukraine faces deep, systemic challenges Drapatyi will have to tackle, such as a struggle to recruit soldiers, incomplete organizational reforms at the corps level, and a lack of skilled personnel in some roles.

"No matter popularity, the management of war would be a challenge," Bielieskov said.

Kirsten Ganas was ready to fire her real estate agent.

It was late March, right in the thick of homebuying season in southwest Pennsylvania. Ganas and her partner, Austin McCarley, had recently learned they were expecting their second child, and they were thrilled at the prospect of upgrading from their two-bedroom rental. They were less enthused, however, about the services provided by their agent, Dan Waterhouse. He'd reached out to them in early January, after they requested their first home tour on Zillow; since then, Waterhouse had shown them roughly two dozen properties. He was nice but sometimes slow to respond, Ganas says, and he lived far from their desired area — no good in a fast-moving market. Shortly after getting outbid on a property, Ganas texted to let him know they'd be moving on.

There was just one problem. When they met Waterhouse for that first home tour, he'd handed them a couple of documents: standard paperwork, he explained, that they would have to sign before seeing the home together. One of those documents contained language that exclusively bound the pair to Waterhouse's brokerage for a year. The only way to terminate that agreement, Waterhouse said, would be to get permission from Rita Sumney, the head of the brokerage. When Ganas contacted Sumney, she got more bad news: getting out of the agreement would come at a cost. Unless they paid an "early termination fee" or found another brokerage willing to pay Sumney a referral fee, they'd be tied to her brokerage well into January 2027. If they bought a home any earlier — even without using an agent at all — they'd still owe the full commission they'd agreed to: a flat fee of $995 plus a percentage of the sale price, which would likely amount to thousands of dollars.

"We just got that sick feeling about being stuck in this contract," Ganas tells me.

Ganas and McCarley had signed a "buyer representation agreement," a contract outlining the terms of the relationship between buyer and broker. Until just a couple of years ago, this would have been unusual — agents typically waited to hand their client any formal documentation until later in the process. But thanks to a seismic legal settlement in 2024, most agents are now required to get a written agreement before they step through the front door with a client. One broker I spoke with at the time called it "the biggest change in 100 years."

The new rule was intended to make sure buyers know exactly what they're signing up for when they enlist an agent. But consumer advocates warn that millions of prospective buyers risk being tethered to inept agents or agreeing to inordinate fees before they've had a chance to get a feel for the relationship. In many ways, these contracts are the most tangible byproducts of a settlement designed to shore up consumer protections. Two years in, though, the results are mixed.

"The idea that buyer-broker agreements have to be signed before they show any houses is great," says Doug Miller, a real estate lawyer in Minnesota who helped craft the class-action lawsuits that led to the settlement. "But the practice of springing this on a consumer at the threshold is amazingly unfair and dishonest."

Not so long ago, many buyers' agents readily advertised their services as "free." Of course, this wasn't true — nobody works for free — but it may have felt true to buyers because of the roundabout way in which their agents got paid. The vast majority of buyers never cut a check to their representative. Instead, both brokers quietly banked a slice of the seller's haul. Here's how things would generally go:

1. Jackie is selling her $500,000 home and agrees to pay a 6% commission to the brokers who make the deal happen.
2. Her agent lists the house on the multiple listing service, or MLS — a local database where agents advertise homes for sale — and promises to pay a 3% commission to any agent who delivers the winning buyer.
3. Jerome, with the help of an agent from another brokerage, offers to buy Jackie's home for the full asking price. The two sides hammer out a deal.
4. After the sale closes, Jackie pays $30,000 to her broker, who then splits that amount with Jerome's broker. Both brokers walk away with $15,000.

All of this money comes from the buyer's down payment and mortgage, but from Jerome's perspective, it's out of sight, out of mind.

This state of affairs was upended in the fall of 2023, when the National Association of Realtors, the industry's main trade group, lost a multibillion-dollar, class-action lawsuit over agent commissions. The plaintiffs, a group of aggrieved sellers, argued that this method of paying agents forced them to accept inflated fees and opened the door to tactics such as "steering," which discouraged negotiations over commissions. The ensuing settlement, unveiled in the spring of 2024, included a few rule changes. Key among them was a new requirement for the vast majority of agents: before so much as touring a home with a client, they'd need to agree on the terms of the relationship — in writing.

The exact details of these contracts can vary dramatically. When it comes to specifics like fees or term length, it's up to buyers and their agents to fill in the blanks. The agreements can range from one day to an entire year, or from "exclusive" to "non-exclusive" — a version that allows a buyer to work with multiple brokerages at once, though they'll likely owe a commission to the agent who shows them the winning home. Some agents might initially have buyers sign a "touring agreement" to show them a property or two before deciding whether to enter a lengthier relationship.

Prior to the settlement, at least 15 states required buyers' agents to have a signed agreement in hand at some point in the process, though not necessarily at the very beginning, researchers at the Federal Reserve found. In the rest of the country, a buyer's agent may never have bothered to get one signed, since the MLSs could be counted on to step in and ensure everyone was paid according to the advertised commission. The new rule's aims seemed noble. Agents work for a fee, after all, and both broker and client should be clear on what they'll get out of the relationship and how long they'll be tied together. Almost immediately, though, problems arose. State Realtor associations and individual brokerages began crafting lengthy forms that some lawyers and consumer-advocacy groups lambasted as needlessly dense. Any buyer, critics argued, would struggle to parse the thick legalese and unfamiliar terms.

"For a lot of buyers, this is completely new," says Sharon Cornelissen, director of housing at the Consumer Federation of America. "They're not used to having to sign a contract."

Ganas and McCarley were unaware of all the contractual hubbub when they began their house hunt at the end of December. After scrolling through Zillow for a bit, they clicked the blue "request a tour" button for a place that caught their eye. This shuttled their contact information to Dan Waterhouse, one of many thousands of agents who pay Zillow a fee in exchange for leads on potential buyers. The house quickly went under contract, but he arranged to show them a few other properties, starting with a handsome three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

It wasn't until they were standing at the house's entrance, eager to begin the tour, that Waterhouse mentioned the representation agreement. By then, more than a week had passed since their initial contact over text. The conversation about the contract was brief, Ganas says, with Waterhouse explaining it in broad strokes — stuff like "you're not going to work with multiple Realtors at a time," she recalls. Ganas and McCarley took turns holding their daughter while they signed on the wall of the home's entryway. "It was really naive of us," Ganas tells me. But at that early stage, she says, they hadn't expected to enter such a binding arrangement.

"It just didn't feel like it was a proper setting, or properly explained," Ganas says. "All those things kind of added up to us not realizing the extent of that document."

Waterhouse disputes this. He tells me via email that he explained the primary differences between the "exclusive" and "non-exclusive" contracts, and that both Ganas and McCarley said they'd prefer the exclusive (Ganas denies that he presented them with this choice). He also says that he provided a summary of the numerous items on each page, including the term length and his typical fees, "and they each had an opportunity to read through it in detail."

Upon closer inspection, the agreement contained several provisions that have long raised concerns among consumer advocates. For one, the yearlong lockup was far lengthier than the two- to three-month term recommended by groups like the Consumer Federation of America and Consumer Policy Center. "You can always extend it," says Wendy Gilch, a fellow at the CPC. "It is much more difficult to get out of it." Ganas and McCarley had also agreed to pay Waterhouse a commission of 4% of the home's sale price — well above the national average of 2.7% — plus a $995 flat fee (the CFA has referred to this additional charge, often called an admin fee, as a "junk fee"). The contract didn't mention anything about the buyer's options to terminate the agreement. And if Ganas and McCarley decided not to buy, and ended up leasing a property at any point during the one-year timeframe, they'd still owe the brokerage one month's rent plus the $995 fee.

"I saw that, and my heart dropped," Ganas tells me. "I didn't even realize that was in there. I didn't know that was even a thing."

All of these details are perfectly legal, and Ganas readily admits that she and McCarley are adults who signed a contract. But she can't shake the feeling that they entered the conversation at a disadvantage. Real estate agents live and breathe this stuff, while the typical consumer buys or sells a home only a handful of times in their life.

"How many people could read that contract and understand all the implications of it?" says Prentiss Cox, who teaches consumer-protection law at the University of Minnesota.

A common refrain in the industry is that any broker worth their salt would release a buyer if the relationship truly isn't working — handcuffing them to a contract isn't worth the negative online reviews or harsh word-of-mouth. "We're not interested in tying people up in an agreement they don't want to be in," says Laura Ellis, a brokerage executive in Illinois.

Sumney, the broker Waterhouse works under, maintains a different view. "To be honest with you, I really hate that perspective," she tells me. "When you let somebody out of an exclusive buyer-agency contract, you've just devalued that contract for every Realtor in our industry." A home search may very well take a year, Sumney says, and even then, a real estate agent has no guarantee of a payday. (Waterhouse tells me that he has worked with other clients for over three years while they searched for a home.) Though agents partner with a brokerage, most are independent contractors who rely on commissions — all those weekends and evenings spent working don't yield a cent unless a deal goes through. As for the fees, the buyer representation agreement clearly says they're negotiable before signing, Sumney says. Even after the agreement was finalized, Ganas was able to bargain Waterhouse's commission down to a more typical 3%, from the initial 4%, when she and McCarley made an offer on a home.

Waterhouse tells me via email that Ganas generally had "high expectations" regarding property availability, her "large and varied search area," and response times.

"Dan is one of our top agents," Sumney tells me. "He has the numbers to show it. So one bad review next to all of these other clients that he has, that appreciated Dan, had no problem paying Dan, understood what his commission was — you know, you've got to weigh it."

On March 31, an incensed Ganas called Sumney to seek a release from the agreement. It didn't go well. "I did kind of raise my voice," Ganas tells me. "I was a little emotional." Eventually, Ganas calmed down, and Sumney offered to find another agent at her brokerage who lived closer to them. If they wanted to enlist a different brokerage, Sumney said, she could work out a referral fee. Ganas asked about paying to end the contract, and Sumney said she could calculate an early termination fee based on the work Waterhouse had done for them so far. After talking with McCarley, though, Ganas turned resolute: "I'm like, 'No. You do not get any money from me.'"

The next day, Sumney posted a video on her TikTok. Seated at her desk and speaking directly into her phone camera, she issued an impassioned primer on buyer representation agreements — and the importance of understanding that "contracts are legal and binding."

"Please, guys, if you are signing anything, please understand what you are signing and allow the Realtor to explain it," Sumney said. "And if you have a Realtor who will not explain these forms to you, who is only sending them over and signing them right there, then get another one."

Perhaps we expected too much of these agreements. A few extra signatures were never going to fix the squabbling over real estate commissions or the often messy relationship between buyer and agent. An NAR spokesperson tells me via email that the rule changes have "further empowered consumers to negotiate compensation and promoted transparency in the marketplace." But research published last year by the Federal Reserve found that, prior to the settlement, state laws requiring signed buyer representation agreements had no significant impact on commissions — in other words, buyers weren't suddenly more likely to bargain down fees if they were handed a contract to sign. And despite the rule changes, most sellers are still offering to cover buyers' agent commissions, keeping the old, roundabout way of paying brokers intact. Almost two years after the settlement went into effect, predictions of a massive shift in real estate fees haven't come to pass.

The consumer advocates, lawyers, and brokers I spoke with all offered some version of this advice for prospective buyers: Think like a seller. If you choose to work with an agent, interview at least a few of them to get a sense of which one might best suit your needs. Make sure you're clear-eyed about the terms of your arrangement and the fact that, one way or another, you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars. Ask whether those services are worth it, and what your alternatives might look like.

"Really do your research upfront," Cornelissen, from the CFA, tells me. "Because once you sign, you may be stuck with them for a while."

Ganas and McCarley continue to keep tabs on the market, but for now, their home search is on pause. Their plan is to wait until their agreement expires in January, when they'll resume the hunt — this time with a year's worth of harsh lessons under their belt.

"When we're ready to buy a house," Ganas tells me, "I will be much more versed, I guess, in these things."

James Rodriguez is a correspondent on Business Insider's Discourse team.

• South Korea's red-hot stock rally is losing momentum as the memory-chip boom starts to cool.
• GlobalData.TS Lombard says slowing pricing power could curb Samsung and SK Hynix's gains.
• The firm favors Taiwan and Japan as longer-term AI investment plays.

South Korea's stock market has been one of the world's hottest this year, but analysts at GlobalData.TS Lombard say investors should temper their expectations.

The firm's caution centers on the memory cycle.

Industry titans Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have benefited from soaring prices caused by supply shortages. But the pace of price increases is easing and expanding Chinese capacity could intensify competition.

In contrast, the research firm highlighted that TSMC and Japanese chip-equipment makers generate more of their growth from advanced manufacturing and process expertise, areas with more lasting growth prospects.

"Roughly 55 — 70% of 2026 revenue growth at Samsung memory, SK Hynix and Micron comes from price, compared with 15 — 25% at TSMC and the Japanese equipment makers," the TS Lombard analysts wrote in a note on Tuesday.

TS Lombard remains positive on AI capital spending overall. The firm holds a neutral view on South Korean equities while favoring Taiwan and Japan as more durable ways to gain exposure to the AI buildout.

The analysts warned that higher US interest rates and a retail-driven leverage unwind in South Korea are also likely to cap further gains — even as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and technology remains intact.

Memory-chip manufacturers also have less durable earnings than some other AI supply-chain winners because their profits are more exposed to swings in pricing, the analysts added.

"Scarcity rents fade once the scarcity becomes visible; durable returns come from businesses that compound across successive buildout phases, retain pricing power and expand their addressable markets," they wrote.

On Wednesday, South Korea's benchmark Kospi index closed 0.7% higher after gaining as much as 6%. Index heavyweight Samsung Electronics closed 0.6% higher, while SK Hynix gained as much as 9% to end 0.3% lower.

The Kospi is 28% below its record high set last month, but is still the world's best-performing major equity benchmark this year, having also led gains in 2025.

The analysts said Samsung and SK Hynix shares now "look fair" following the recent correction. Samsung is down 30% from its recent peak, while SK Hynix has fallen about 40%.

• LeBron James, 41, says he doesn't think athletes should be forced to retire simply because of their age.
• After all, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones are still touring well into their later years, he said.
• "I'm just trying to squeeze as much of the juice out of it as possible," James said.

LeBron James, 41, said he doesn't see why athletes should retire if they're still performing at a high level.

In a video released Monday from a live "The Shop" podcast panel at Fanatics Fest, the NBA star spoke about what keeps him playing after 23 seasons and why he's not ready to stop.

"One of the deciding factors, of many, is the younger generation and the kids that have been following my career," James said.

Seeing young fans who still look to him as "their superhero," along with inspiring his own children, are among his biggest motivations for continuing to play basketball, he added.

"And then, me just loving what I do. I love the game," James said.

The idea that athletes should be forced to retire just because of their age "needs to stop," he said.

"You see it with R&B artists and musicians, and things of that nature. You see it with us in sports. There are always conversations like, when is he going to retire? He needs to retire. He's this age. He's that age," James said.

"But why? Why are we trying to force people that are still doing what they do at a high level?" James continued.

He pointed to Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones as examples of performers who aren't expected to retire simply because of their age.

"The Stones, they've been on tour for 50, 60 years, and no one's telling them, 'Hey, don't come to our city and go do a tour,'" he added.

James said the same logic should apply to athletes. Those who are still dedicated to their craft and continue contributing to the sport shouldn't be expected to retire.

"We're giving everything that we have to the sport, and we're still driving revenue as well. Why not still play it if you still love it?" James said. "I'm just trying to squeeze as much of the juice out of it as possible."

James' comments come just weeks after he became an unrestricted free agent, ending his eight-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. If they're any indication, he isn't ready to slow down just yet, even as where he'll play next remains up in the air.

"We're not going to be rushed," Rich Paul, James' agent, said on Monday's episode of the "Game Over" podcast, which he cohosts with Max Kellerman. "It's his choice to make, and when he makes the choice, he'll make it."

James isn't the only public figure to reject the idea that age alone should determine when someone retires.

Roger Federer has previously spoken about the retirement speculation that followed him for years.

In a press conference after the 2018 US Open, the tennis great said reporters had been asking him about retirement for "nine years," and "almost every interview" included questions about when he would call it quits.

"Sometimes you wonder why they ask you again because do they not hear what I said yesterday? Do they not listen to what I said two months ago?" Federer said. He ultimately retired in 2022 after struggling with persistent knee injuries.

Halle Berry has also said she doesn't understand why people think 60 is the age to stop working.

"Why should I now sit down and give that all away — and then what?" Berry said during a podcast appearance in July.

• China's internet's new darling is Yang Zhilin, founder of China's hottest AI startup, Moonshot AI.
• Users on Weibo are calling Yang a "millennial genius" and lauding him for upsetting US tech stocks.
• The K3 model was so popular that Moonshot AI had to pause new subscriptions to manage GPU load.

The founder of China's hottest AI startup du jour is having a main character moment.

Yang Zhilin, the 34-year-old founder and CEO of Moonshot AI, is going viral on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. Chinese fans of the executive are calling him a "millennial genius" after his new Kimi K3 model made waves in the global AI landscape.

The hashtag "Post-90s Tsinghua University genius crashed US stocks" was the third-most-popular tag in Weibo's tech hot searches as of 10 a.m. local time Wednesday. In China, the term "Post-90s" refers to people born between 1990 and 1999.

The tag had been viewed 32 million times in 24 hours when Business Insider viewed it at 10 a.m. local time.

"We once chased after Silicon Valley's AI, but now a post-90s Tsinghua entrepreneur has unveiled a cutting-edge open-source model, directly shaking Wall Street," a Weibo user from Beijing posted under the tag on Tuesday.

A user from China's eastern Zhejiang province called Yang a "top student from Tsinghua University," and said his "superior technology directly shook Silicon Valley's AI monopoly."

Tsinghua University is a leading public university in Beijing. In the 2026 QS World University Rankings for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tsinghua ranked among the top 10 colleges globally.

There's also a group of Weibo users who are fans of Yang's youthful appearance, calling him "baby face."

Another Weibo user from Zhejiang struck a more nihilistic tone, echoing China's "lie flat" movement: "I'm increasingly convinced that the future truly belongs to these geniuses and has little to do with ordinary people like us."

Yang's Weibo virality comes shortly after Moonshot AI launched its latest AI model, Kimi K3, on Friday, promising to rival the capabilities of Anthropic and OpenAI models in coding, reasoning, and knowledge-based tasks. The company said it would release the model weight on July 27, allowing developers to fine-tune and build on top of it.

The model's release was followed by a sell-off of big US tech stocks like Google and Nvidia, reminiscent of the shake-up caused by China's DeepSeek AI startup last year.

Moonshot AI said in a Sunday X post that the model's launch drew so many new subscribers that it had to temporarily pause subscriptions to reduce the load on its limited compute resources.

Industry executives have taken note of the Kimi K3's capabilities. Cloud platform Vercel's CEO, Guillermo Rauch, said in a Friday X post, "This is the first time that an open model is ahead of all proprietary ones for this comprehensive web engineering benchmark."

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a Saturday X post that Grok's coming model "might be able to exceed Kimi," thanks to its two-trillion-parameter training, to which Kimi responded on Weibo, "Welcome to the 2 Trillion+ Club."

• A record heat wave prompted Megan Carnegie to take her first-ever coolcation in Norway.
• During four days in Trondheim, temperatures of 66°F and endless daylight changed her sense of time.
• It made her rethink what makes the perfect summer getaway.

Living in London, I spend most of winter fantasizing about the sun on my skin, balmy sea swims, and the carefree mood that loosens even the most uptight urbanites.

By the time spring rolls around, I'm usually plotting an escape around maximum sunshine, beautiful beaches, excellent food — ideally somewhere along the Mediterranean, like France or Greece.

But when London hit a record 95°F in June, I surprised myself. Instead of chasing more heat, I booked a trip to Norway's third-largest city, Trondheim, for my first-ever "coolcation."

As a committed sunseeker, I was skeptical that swapping SPF 50 for a down jacket could deliver the holiday I'd made routine. Happily, what I found challenged my bias.

Swapping sunsets for the midnight sun

I'd visited Scandinavian cities like Gothenburg and Helsinki in winter, blanketed in snow and eerily dark — the version most people picture. This was my first time in the region at the height of summer. I arrived on June 17, just before the summer solstice.

I wasn't prepared for the "white nights" phenomenon. Located just south of the Arctic Circle, Trondheim never really gets dark at this time of year. On my first night, I left a candlelit basement restaurant at around 11 p.m. and emerged to blue skies and bright sunshine.

Throughout my four-day visit, I never quite adjusted. Every evening, I'd peek outside before bed, half-expecting darkness — it never came.

Norwegians make the most of every hour of summer light. With days stretching deep into the night — and fading quickly again after August — the city hums with a strange, almost nocturnal energy. Bars and restaurants stay busy late, and blackout curtains are a necessity: without them, you're at the mercy of the midnight sun.

I saw the city through a local's eyes

On most summer vacations, I come home rested, tanned, and not much wiser about the place itself. This time, though, I knew I could sightsee without the FOMO.

Trondheim, about 300 miles north of Oslo, is compact and easy to navigate on foot, so well-suited to slower exploration.

I did a walking tour with a local, stopping off at places I'd likely have missed on my own, including the Trondheim Folkebibliotek, a library built into the ruins of a 12th-century church, and the café Sellanraa. Norwegians drink the second most coffee per capita in the world, after Finland, so it felt rude not to sample its excellent coffee culture.

Even in drizzle, the painted wooden houses and warehouses flanking the waterfront held their charm. Near the Old Town, my guide pointed out the world's only bicycle escalator, a detail that felt in keeping with the city.

Trondheim also has a flourishing cultural scene, with contemporary galleries like Kunsthall Trondheim and PoMo, which had just closed a Louise Bourgeois show.

A highlight of my trip was a visit to Nidaros Cathedral, a vast Gothic structure with one of Northern Europe's largest church organs — a mere 9,600 pipes. From its deep purple stained glass to the countless saints, apostles, bishops, and Old Testament figures carved into its façade, the cathedral demanded my attention at every turn. I spotted a statue holding a basket of decapitated heads, a reminder of Trondheim's Viking history.

Feeling the heat of a traditional Norwegian sauna

Aside from a day of rain, Trondheim hovered around 66°F throughout my visit — a welcome relief after the furnace of London. The cooler air, it turned out, relaxed me. Still, I wasn't going to leave without seeking out that medicinal Scandinavian heat.

I booked a session at a self-service sauna and arrived just as a cruise ship was pulling in. Trondheim sits on Trondheimsfjorden, Norway's third-longest fjord, making it a popular stop for cruise ships.

As tourists filtered past, I settled in for a few peaceful hours, alternating between the wood-fired sauna and plunging into the bracing seawater. For a certified sun chaser, it was a perfectly portioned hit of heat.

Last year, luxury travel network Virtuoso reported that bookings for cooler European destinations surged 263% year over year. In its latest Luxe Report, the company says "staying cool remains hot," with Norway, Iceland, and Antarctica topping its list of destinations on the rise.

It felt like a special time to be in Trondheim and introduced me to new travel tenets: move slower, be more curious, and let go of "good" weather. It's a version of a summer holiday I hadn't considered before, but one I'd choose again, especially as the summers in many cities grow hotter and more unpredictable.

• Last week, Hugging Face said its systems were breached by an AI agent.
• OpenAI said Tuesday its models were responsible and that an AI agent had broken out of its sandbox.
• Here's what smart people in tech are saying it means for cybersecurity.

An AI agent broke out of its sandbox, got onto the internet, and broke into another company's systems all on its own, according to OpenAI.

Hugging Face, an open-source AI platform, announced last week it had experienced a security incident in which an autonomous AI agent had accessed some of its internal datasets, but said the large language model behind the intrusion was unknown.

OpenAI said Tuesday that its models — GPT‑5.6 Sol and a more capable model that has yet to be released — were responsible.

"We suspected last week's cyberattack might have come from a frontier lab, given the sophistication of the agent. Turns out it did!" Clem Delangue, the CEO and cofounder at Hugging Face, said on X Tuesday.

OpenAI said it had tasked the models with a cyber challenge and that they broke out of the test area, accessed the internet, and hacked into Hugging Face in order to find the solution to the test.

"We consider this incident to be an unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities, and are responding accordingly," OpenAI said in a statement.

The incident comes as cybersecurity specialists raise concerns about AI's rapidly increasing abilities, including in response to warnings from Anthropic about its Mythos model, which has not been released to the general public.

Here's what smart people in tech and AI are saying about the breach.

Aaron Levie, Box CEO and cofounder

Aaron Levie, cofounder and CEO of Box, said the incident showed "we're entering a new era of what's going to be possible with AI" and that there are "wild times ahead."

"If you were wondering how powerful AI is getting, Agents are now capable of escaping out of systems, finding their way to the internet, discovering zero day security vulnerabilities along the way, and then breaking into external systems - all in an attempt to complete their goal," he wrote on X.

"Ironically, the ultimate way we're going to defend against these new risks is equally by throwing compute (in the form of AI) at our code bases, networks, and other systems. You're going to want vastly more AI on the side of defense as you do on the side of offense."

Thomas Woodside, Secure AI Project cofounder

"This post describes an internal OpenAI model hacking out of its testing environment and into Hugging Face in order to obtain the solution to a benchmark," Thomas Woodside, cofounder of Secure AI Project, said on X.

"A warning shot if I've ever seen one."

Mike Bradley, Osmantic COO and founder

Mike Bradley, the chief operating officer and founder of AI deployment system Osmantic, said on X that the incident was "an incredible example of why widespread access to frontier AI and OS models INCREASES global security."

"It's also a great example of why CLOSED does not equal SAFE from these US labs."

Nicolas Bustamante, Microsoft AI

Nicholas Bustamante, who works at Microsoft after selling a fintech tool to the company earlier this year, wrote on X that the Hugging Face incident reinforces the need to weigh advanced models' deployment with safety considerations.

"You don't need an evil conscious AI trying to destroy humanity. You just need a very capable model pursuing a normal goal in a way nobody expected," he wrote.

"Imagine the prompt: « Make me money plz »
The model: « let me hack a bank »"

• A version of this post appears in the CMO Insider newsletter.
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A recent OpenAI job listing hints that the AI giant is laying the groundwork for an ad network.

So far, OpenAI's nascent ad business has been a platform for advertisers looking to reach ChatGPT users. Now, there's evidence that the AI giant might want to jump into a new side of the market — helping publishers and other companies sell their own ad space to marketers, CMO Insider can exclusively report.

The OpenAI job ad, posted last week, called for a "support delivery lead" in its ads division. The job posting, which OpenAI modified after CMO Insider asked about it, referenced building a publisher-facing ad business, the first time the company has publicly mentioned ambitions in the area.

Such a move could boost ad revenue, offer marketers placements beyond the ChatGPT app, and potentially soothe tensions with some publishers.

"This is a huge sign that OpenAI is building toward an advertising business far beyond just ChatGPT," Debra Aho Williamson, founder of the AI-focused research and advisory firm Sonata Insights, told me.

The job posting originally said that the role's publisher-side responsibilities would include "inventory setup, ad serving integrations, reporting, and yield-impacting issues."

This person would "design and continuously improve support coverage for both ad buyers and publishers, ensuring the team can diagnose buyer-side delivery issues and publisher-side monetization and integration issues with equal rigor," the job posting said.

OpenAI updated the job ad after CMO Insider contacted the company about it, removing references to publishers. The company deleted or edited five sentences in the posting. OpenAI later said the role's responsibilities cover agencies and brands.

Intriguing!

So, what could an OpenAI ad network look like?

The job ad didn't fully sketch out what OpenAI is interested in building. The most obvious move for OpenAI would be to enter the world of "demand extension" or "audience extension." OpenAI could take growing advertiser demand and extend those campaigns to placements on a network of external websites or apps. Publishers would be able to monetize their own traffic using the commercial signals gathered by ChatGPT. Think of it as an AI-native equivalent to the Facebook Audience Network or Google Display Network.

OpenAI told CMO Insider it isn't entering demand extension.

Strategically, creating an ad network would make sense for OpenAI, though it would represent an unusually fast jump into supply-side adtech.

One of the biggest advertiser gripes with OpenAI's ad product so far is that advertiser demand has outpaced available supply. Advertisers previously complained that OpenAI had been slow to actually spend their budgets, despite asking for hefty upfront commitments to participate in early ad trials.

OpenAI's head of global ad solutions, Dave Dugan, told me in a June interview that ad delivery and volume had improved as its confidence in the ChatGPT Ads user experience had grown. Still, OpenAI only serves ads to users on ChatGPT's free or lower-priced tiers in select regions, meaning its native ad real estate remains fundamentally constrained by the chat interface.

A publisher ad network could help with the inventory bottleneck.

Building bridges with publishers

Launching a sell-side product would also mark a dramatic shift in OpenAI's relationship with media companies.

To date, publishers do not receive a cut of ChatGPT's ad revenue. Instead, some publishers make money from OpenAI through direct licensing deals for training data and content retrieval. (Business Insider parent company, Axel Springer, has one of these deals.)

The broader relationship remains tense: publishers including The New York Times, Ziff Davis, and a coalition of local news outlets are actively suing OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement. OpenAI has argued that its training of AI models is protected by the fair use doctrine.

An ad network would introduce a new way for OpenAI to compensate publishers, giving them a cut of ad revenue if a user views or clicks an ad served on their site or app.

As OpenAI prepares for an eventual public offering, it faces pressure to scale high-margin revenue streams, such as ads. The company must justify its eye-popping private valuation and offset hundreds of billions in long-term compute and infrastructure commitments.

In April, Axios reported that OpenAI was forecasting about $2.5 billion in ad revenue in 2026 and around $100 billion in 2030.

Nate Elliott, an analyst at BI's sister company EMARKETER, said that for OpenAI to hit those numbers, it would need to dramatically expand its user base, charge top-tier ad rates, and potentially risk ruining the user experience with a heavy ad load.

Or, it could build an ad network.

• Social platforms are updating their guidelines on AI-generated content.
• AI has been a point of tension across the creator community for years.
• Here's how social platforms are handling AI-generated content and monetization.

As tech companies race to weave AI into every inch of their products, they're discovering there's a fine line between embracing new technology and flooding users with low-quality, machine-generated content.

The shifting guidelines reflect a broader tension across the creator economy. Not long ago, social platforms competed aggressively for influencers with creator funds, exclusive programs, and monetization tools. Many of those same companies are now investing billions in AI products and infrastructure, leaving some creators worried they're becoming less central to the platforms they helped grow.

Here's how major social platforms that rely on creators, including YouTube and Substack, are dealing with the proliferation of AI content.

YouTube

YouTube is sharpening its stance on AI-generated content,

In an update from the company's trust and safety team, on July 20, YouTube said it wants to reward creators who use AI to enhance original storytelling, as opposed to those who mass-produce generic content or AI personas designed to game the platform.

A YouTube spokesperson told Business Insider that the policy isn't new but an important clarification of YouTube's long-standing "inauthentic content" policy, intended to reduce ambiguity for content creators who have been demonetized for repetitive, low-effort, or emotionally manipulative videos.

YouTube has spent years pitching itself to advertisers as the future of television, and a surge of AI-generated spam threatens to undermine that message. In January, the platform removed more than a dozen popular channels that had amassed millions of views by pumping out AI-generated videos featuring characters like cats and Jesus. Video editing platform Kapwing published a report estimating that 21% of YouTube's feed was AI-generated videos.

TikTok

TikTok isn't shying away from generative AI. The company and its owner, ByteDance, offer an array of AI tools for content creators on its marquee app and video editor CapCut. Creators who post on its e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, have been ramping up the use of AI to sell products this year. Much of the company's tech is built around ByteDance's AI video model, Seedance 2.0.

Still, TikTok is taking a variety of steps to keep generative AI under control across its ecosystem. The company requires creators to label AI-generated content and appends an invisible watermark to the metadata of some videos to indicate they are artificially generated. In November, the company introduced the ability for users to toggle the amount of AI content that appears in their feeds. In July, the company said it's beginning to test "improved detection systems to target accounts dedicated to posting AI-generated spam that crowds out original creators."

Substack

The newsletter platform announced on July 21 that it would help readers identify AI-generated content.

Substack will now let readers scan content to estimate how much AI may have been used in its writing. Substack is partnering with Pangram, an AI detector tool, to power its AI identification tools.

Creators on Substack can also add a disclosure to their content explaining how they made it, such as noting that they used Claude for copyediting, or if they don't use AI at all.

However, users can fairly easily disable this tool for their Substack content by turning off AI analysis in their publication settings. Creators can opt out of Pangram's automated scanning, meaning readers will no longer see an AI-use estimate on those posts.

Pinterest

Pinterest is no stranger to AI slop.

In 2025, the platform began adding AI labels to content. Pinterest lets creators label content as AI-modified or -generated, and has its own detection systems to flag content that may have been AI-generated.

Pinterest also added a tool that lets users limit the amount of AI-generated content appearing in their feeds.

In June, Pinterest's CEO Bill Ready told Business Insider's editor in chief, Jamie Heller, at Cannes Lions that while there are "so many great uses of AI," there is also a "bit of a counter movement to that with consumers."

"We provide users with controls to decide whether they want to see more or less GenAI content in their feed," a Pinterest spokesperson told Business Insider. "Additionally, our Community Guidelines apply to GenAI content, and our recommendation system prioritizes high-quality content, regardless of if it's human-created or GenAI."

Meta

Meta wants users to create and engage with content made with its own AI tools, so, for the most part, it has let content like the famed Shrimp Jesus run free.

However, the company has been labeling content as AI-generated since 2024. Across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, Meta adds an "AI info" label to content it detects as AI-generated. It doesn't automatically do the same for content that was modified with AI, though. Meta "may require" its AI labels on content with "photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created, modified or altered, including with AI," per the company's help page explaining its AI policies. People can also voluntarily add the label to their content.

In June, Meta started putting its "AI info" label on advertisements that use AI, whether they're created by Meta's own tools or third-party editing services.

• Lawmakers introduced a bill to ban phone calls on flights.
• Former flight attendants say the rule would benefit crew and passengers.
• Phone calls on flights have been allowed by some airlines as in-flight WiFi becomes more common.

Talking on the phone and smoking cigarettes could soon share something in common: being legally banned on airplanes.

A bill introduced by lawmakers in the House of Representatives last month would make taking phone or video calls from the air illegal, an issue that's becoming increasingly relevant as WiFi access in the skies expands.

Former flight attendants say talking on the phone inside a plane is already against the policies of some airlines, but making it the law would protect passengers as well as the flight crew.

"We're shoved into a tin can, and we're hurdling through the sky at 38,000 feet. It's not a normal situation to be in," Ally Murphy, a former flight attendant and cabin service supervisor at Virgin Atlantic, told Business Insider. "If you're shoulder-to-shoulder with somebody and having to speak loudly, you're really disrupting the other passengers around you."

Congress voted in 2018 to require the Federal Aviation Administration to ban phone calls on flights, but did not set a deadline, and a ban has never been implemented. The Quiet Skies Act, introduced by Democratic Reps. Greg Stanton and Hillary Scholten, and Republican Reps. Rick Crawford and Rob Bresnahan would force the FAA to finalize the ban within 180 days.

While Congress rarely legislates airplane etiquette — airlines are generally able to set their own policies — the government has stepped in on matters related to health and safety, or security concerns, such as banning smoking and vaping or requiring masks during the pandemic.

"Everything that happens in the aviation industry, the underlying first thought will always be about how does this affect the safety of the aircraft and the passengers who are on board it," Murphy said.

Passengers talking loudly on the phone or FaceTiming a friend could be a distraction, especially if other passengers lodge complaints with the crew, and could make it more difficult for passengers to hear crew announcements.

A universal ban could help flight attendants avoid conflict

While major American airlines, including United, American, and Southwest, prohibit in-flight phone calls, British Airways earlier this year said it would allow phone and video calls on aircraft with Starlink WiFi. Virgin Atlantic also allows phone calls on its Starlink-equipped flights, though it asks that they be kept short, and it does not allow video calls.

Bobby Laurie, a former flight attendant and travel industry expert, said inconsistent or ambiguous rules can be confusing for passengers and difficult for flight attendants to enforce.

It can put crew in a tricky position, asking them to make subjective calls about what constitutes disruptive behavior, in turn increasing the potential for conflict between flight attendants and passengers.

"When you ask people to be considerate, consideration means something different for everybody," Laurie said, adding that a blanket ban could help flight attendants avoid the kinds of passenger confrontations that became more common during the pandemic.

Paul Hudson, the president of FlyerRights, a nonprofit that advocates for airline passengers, said he supports a ban on phone calls but that there could be some accommodations, such as a phone booth or a designated section where calls are allowed. Airlines, which have increasingly embraced a pay-for-every-amenity model, could charge for it.

"It would satisfy the need for people who want to do business or have family issues, especially on long flights, and also protect the passengers," he said, noting Amtrak trains have designated "quiet" cars as well as cars where calls are allowed.

Though safety would generally be the primary consideration for a government-mandated ban, Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant and etiquette expert, said talking on the phone while flying is often a matter of manners.

"You're a finger's length from your seatmate, so they can hear every word you say," she said. "Nobody wants to hear your conversation."

While the occasional quiet phone call could, in theory, be made on a flight without causing issues, the former flight attendants said laws and policies often have to anticipate and prepare for the worst-case scenario.

"You always have to cater the rules and regulations towards the most troublesome person on the plane," Murphy said.

• Michigan has reported the most cases of cyclosporiasis during the ongoing outbreak.
• Cyclosporiasis is spread through contaminated food and water, and causes symptoms including diarrhea.
• We made two maps to show the states with the most reported cases, and where food has been recalled.

The Midwest remains the hotspot of an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that can trigger weeks of watery diarrhea.

At least 11,276 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported across 46 states in 2026, according to Georgetown University's Health Security Operations Center, which is tracking state and national-level data.

There are a number of potential sources of confusion in this outbreak, including differing state and federal case counts, and how the FDA and Taylor Farms have shared information on the suspected source of infections.

In contrast to Georgetown's count, the CDC said in its latest cyclosporiasis update on July 15 it had confirmed 1,645 domestic cases of cyclosporiasis, and was aware of more than 5,100 cases that need further analysis to confirm. Some state health departments are tallying cases as part of the ongoing outbreak, while others include all cases reported in 2026 in their figures. According to the CDC, the typical cyclospora season lasts until late August, and cases could continue to rise until then.

The states with the most known cases of cyclosporiasis include Michigan and Ohio

Overall, data shows that the bulk of cases have been identified in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic states, as seen in the map below.

Katelyn Jetelina, assistant professor adjunct of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, wrote in her public health newsletter, Your Local Epidemiologist, on July 21 that several outbreaks are running at once, including one suspected to be caused by cilantro in New York. She described the Midwest outbreak as "its own beast" that wasn't yet slowing down.

On Friday, Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce from the US that was sourced from central Mexico, as shown below.

Taylor Farms told shoppers who had bought iceberg lettuce distributed June 29th through July 16th in the following states should not consume it and throw it out: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The FDA said in an update to its website Sunday: "Do not eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. FDA's investigation is ongoing."

However, other foods can't be ruled out.

(As Business Insider's Dan DeFrancesco explained in Tuesday's edition of the Business Insider Today newsletter, the situation is a little more complex than we get into here.)

Jetelina said iceberg lettuce was recalled in 27 states "due to a combination of the complexity of food distribution networks and continued uncertainty around where people are most impacted."

Posing the question, "When will this end?" Jetelina said, "No one knows. Either the contaminated food works its way out of circulation, or it takes a few weeks, the temperatures get cool, and the parasites no longer mature on produce (basically killing themselves off). It's hard to tell from the data alone if this outbreak is coming to a close given that it's significantly delayed."

How to avoid Cyclospora

Cyclospora spreads through contaminated food and water, and symptoms, including watery diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps, can take up to two weeks to show, making it difficult to trace back to a definitive source. The parasite is resistant to disinfectants, and washing food doesn't guarantee its removal, as it is particularly good at sticking to produce.

Health authorities say in order to definitively kill the parasite, cook foods to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit. Buying whole heads of lettuce and peeling back the outer layer of leaves rather than choosing pre-washed, bagged, or pre-mixed salads is also a good move, if you are more risk-tolerant.

• Investors are valuing the brain chip startup Neuralink at $42 billion in secondary markets.
• Neuralink was last valued at $9 billion in a funding round over a year ago.
• Since then, Musk has led a blockbuster SpaceX IPO, which is now worth $1.6 trillion.

Demand for a piece of anything related to Elon Musk is booming.

The near-trillionaire's brain chip startup, Neuralink, is being valued as high as $42 billion in recent secondary market transactions, according to correspondence seen by Business Insider and a person familiar with the matter.

That's an almost five-time increase from Neuralink's last funding round last year, when the startup raised at a $9 billion valuation, Semafor reported at the time.

According to private markets research provider Caplight, transactions in recent months have ranged from $29 billion to $42 billion, with some current bidders even attempting to buy shares at an almost $60 billion valuation.

Neuralink's soaring secondary-market valuation reflects investors' growing appetite for a piece of Elon Musk's AI and robotics empire. Following SpaceX's blockbuster IPO, private investors are increasingly willing to pay steep premiums for access to Musk's remaining startups.

Because Neuralink is a private company, some investors buy shares via secondary markets, where stock is sold by employees or early investors. These valuations are estimates based on demand rather than continuous public-market prices.

Neuralink didn't respond to a request for comment.

Musk has earned a reputation for making private investors money, partly by combining his businesses. Investors in X and XAI were able to eventually obtain shares in SpaceX via those acquisitions. One venture investor said that several of their limited partners have been asking to buy Neuralink shares "at any price."

Yet there's hardly a consensus on where Neuralink should trade, with some investors balking at the price of these transactions.

Neuralink is one of Musk's most futuristic companies. It builds brain implants designed to help people with paralysis control computers with their thoughts, and eventually restore their eyesight. That plan is still early, with the chips implanted in 21 trial patients so far, the company announced earlier this year.

Neuralink's official valuation and whether it's raising a new funding round aren't clear. The most recent publicly announced investment came this May, when the sovereign wealth fund of Oman revealed it had invested in Neuralink at an undisclosed valuation.

Musk's wealth is soaring thanks to SpaceX's IPO last month. SpaceX is currently valued at about $1.6 trillion in public markets.

Prediction market platform Kalshi has grown into a multi-billion-dollar business thanks to retail traders putting money on everything from election outcomes to reality TV winners. But now the company wants institutional investors to use the platform. Why the push, and will it work? BI's Dan DeFrancesco sits down with Kalshi's Head of Institutional, Andy Ross.

When it comes to a dog's health, ear care is often overlooked. But if your dog has floppy ears, allergies, or likes to swim, their ears might need extra attention. The best dog ear cleaners can tackle odors, debris, and wax buildup before they become a problem.

In the two years I've had my perky-eared pup, Olive, ear cleaning hasn't been a regular part of our routine. To find out if I was neglecting an important hygiene task, I asked several veterinarians which dogs might benefit from ear cleaning and what to look for in a good cleaner. Then I drew on my experience as a pets reporter and product tester to evaluate 10 of the best dog ear cleaners available.

To maintain the health of your dog's ears, do a weekly check and inform your vet if you notice signs of infection. Dr. Rose Miller, a board-certified veterinary dermatologist at Dermatology for Animals - Liberty Lake, says signs of a problem include ear sensitivity, foul odor, redness, swelling, crusting, scabs, discharge, head-shaking, and ear-scratching.

Read more about how Insider Reviews tests and evaluates pet products.

Our top picks for the best dog ear cleaners

Best overall: Virbac Epiotic Advanced Ear Cleanser - $14 at Chewy

Best for sensitive ears: Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Ear Therapy - $9 at Chewy

Best wipes: HICC Pet Pet Ear Relief Finger Wipes - $15 at Chewy

Best medicated: Mal-A-Ket Plus TrizEDTA Flush - $25 at Chewy

Best overall

The first measure of a good ear cleaner lies in its active ingredients. Dr. Jessica Apted, lead veterinarian and regional medical director of Sploot Veterinary Care, says to look for drying agents like salicylic acid or lactic acid, mild antiseptics, pH-balancing ingredients, and soothing agents, such as aloe vera and glycerin. Additionally, Dr. Katy Miller, director of veterinary services at BSM Partners, says many ear cleaners include cerumenolytics, which help break down earwax.

Virbac Epiotic Advanced is widely regarded as one of the best dog ear cleaners available and contains several beneficial ingredients, including salicylic and lactic acids, which dry excess moisture and help balance the ear's pH. These acids also have antimicrobial properties. Chloroxylenol (PCMX) is an antiseptic that kills bacteria. And docusate sodium breaks down earwax. Equally noteworthy are the ingredients this formula leaves out. There's no alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, two ingredients that Rose Miller says can be irritating and potentially toxic.

For peace of mind, it's worth mentioning that Virbac ranks among the most trustworthy veterinary brands. It develops its products alongside researchers and scientists. And while veterinary grooming products aren't bound by FDA regulation, Virbac voluntarily adheres to the FDA's Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) to ensure product safety and quality.

I found Epioptic easy to dispense with gentle pressure. Liquid came out drop by drop, allowing precise control over the dosage. A minor downside is the scent, which was slightly soapy and may be off-putting for some pets. This product also contains blue dye. While generally considered safe for topical use, there is some concern about potential health hazards. Dogs with sensitive skin may fare better with a fragrance- and dye-free formula, such as Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Ear Therapy.

Best for sensitive ears

Some dogs have sensitive skin and experience pain or discomfort with topical treatments, which may be caused by allergies, a dry environment, or genetic factors. These dogs need a gentle ear cleaner that won't worsen their symptoms, especially if their anatomy or lifestyle calls for frequent cleaning. Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Ear Therapy is free of harsh ingredients sometimes found in other products, like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, fragrances, and dyes. It also includes glycerin, which Apted and Miller say soothes the ear canal.

Not only is this formula gentle, but it's also effective. Active ingredients include a winning combination of drying agents (salicylic acid, lactic acid), two antimicrobials (benzoic acid, ketoconazole), and an earwax-busting cerumenolytic (propylene glycol).

As many pet owners note, I didn't detect any scent to this cleaner. Plus, at $1.50 per ounce, it's one of the most affordable options (most are $2 or more per ounce).

It's a minor quibble, but if I had one complaint, it would be the bottle's application tip. Unlike Virbac's highly controlled dropper, this liquid came out a bit more forcefully — not unreasonably so, but worth noting. This cleaner is also unsuitable for puppies under 12 weeks, so younger puppies will need to be treated with a different product.

Best wipes

Not all dogs will tolerate liquid being squeezed into their ears — particularly if their ears are painful. For anxious or sensitive pups, ear wipes present a convenient alternative. They're easier to use and less messy than a liquid cleaner.

A recurring complaint, however, is that most traditional, rounded ear wipes are too small. Pet owners often say they're hard to grasp and risk getting ear gunk on their fingers. These HICC Pet ear wipes offer a welcome solution with their slip-on finger design. The 5-inch size easily covers the entire finger and offers more surface area for thorough cleaning. My fingers are on the small side, but these felt secure and easy to use. It was also no trouble to pull out one wipe at a time.

Dr. Katy Miller says many ear cleaners discourage microbial growth by maintaining a mildly acidic environment. HICC Pet wipes accomplish this with the acidifying agent citric acid. They also prevent infections with potassium sorbate, an antimicrobial that's especially effective against yeast. In addition, these wipes feature a blend of soothing ingredients that help reduce inflammation, including fermented coconut oil, colloidal oatmeal, and aloe.

At around $0.30 per wipe, they are slightly pricier than other brands I tried. But the unique design and quality ingredients justify the higher cost. Keep in mind that while wipes have their place and do a good job of cleaning the visible portion of the ear flap, they can't reach into the ear canal like a liquid cleaner. As such, these wipes won't be as effective if you're dealing with heavy debris or wax buildup.

Best medicated

Whereas non-medicated cleaners are intended for routine maintenance, medicated cleaners contain ingredients that treat active ear infections. Miller advises pet owners to only use a medicated cleaner under veterinary guidance.

If your dog is prone to recurring ear infections, consider asking your vet about Dechra's Mal-A-Ket Plus TrizEDTA Flush. Dechra is a well-regarded brand that works with veterinarians, chemists, and other industry experts to develop veterinary pharmaceuticals. The company's products undergo rigorous testing and clinical studies. I was personally impressed with the brand's customer service. When I emailed a question about this formula, I received a phone call from a veterinarian shortly after with an answer.

This ear flush fights both bacterial and fungal infections with chlorhexidine and ketoconazole. It also includes the cleansing antimicrobial TrizEDTA to enhance the effectiveness of these components. Soothing ingredients like glycerin and aloe vera help calm irritated skin.

The bottle and applicator tip are user-friendly and make it easy to control the amount of liquid dispensed. I also appreciate that this cleaner doesn't have a strong odor or harsh ingredients. While the product is labeled as suitable for all life stages, a brand representative informed me that guardians of young puppies (under 12 weeks) should ask their vet whether Mal-A-Ket is the right choice for their pet.

Our top ear cleaner picks compared

What to look for in a dog ear cleaner

With countless ear treatments available, it can be hard to choose the best dog ear cleaner for your pet. Don't hesitate to ask your veterinarian for recommendations, especially if your dog has a history of ear issues. Mainly, you want to prioritize safety and effectiveness. As you weigh your options, consider the following factors.

Active ingredients: To be effective, an ear cleaner needs to include the right active ingredients. Apted recommends looking for drying agents (lactic acid, salicylic acid), mild antiseptics (chlorhexidine, chloroxylenol), and pH-balancing ingredients (citric acid) that discourage the growth of bacteria and yeast. To break down wax, look for cerumenolytics like docusate sodium, propylene glycol, and squalene.

Soothing ingredients: You also want to see ingredients that minimize irritation. Look for moisturizing, soothing ingredients like aloe vera, glycerin, and witch hazel. Apted recommends avoiding cleaners with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, harsh detergents, or antibiotics unless specifically recommended by a veterinarian.

Safety: Always check the product's listed age range. Some cleaners are safe for puppies as young as 1 month old, but others require dogs to be at least 3 months old. Additionally, dogs with compromised or ruptured eardrums should avoid cleaners containing chlorhexidine, which can cause further damage. Dr. Jamie Richardson, chief medical officer of Small Door Veterinary, also advises against home remedies or essential oils, as they can trigger inflammation.

Brand reputation and manufacturing standards: Prioritize brands that work with veterinarians and scientists. Ideally, products are made in brand-owned facilities that follow Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). While not mandatory, adherence to these regulations highlights a commitment to safety and quality. Usually, you can find this information on a brand's website. If not, a representative should be able to provide this information.

Size: Finally, consider the product's volume. Households with multiple dogs, dogs who swim a lot, or pets prone to infections may want to choose a larger, more economical bottle so there's always enough on hand.

How we chose dog ear cleaners

To find the best dog ear cleaners for this guide, I relied largely on research and veterinary input. It's important to note that I did not test these ear cleaners for effectiveness; since my dog's ears are healthy and clean, I didn't want to introduce any unnecessary irritation. Instead, I gathered criteria from four veterinarians, including one board-certified veterinary dermatologist, to inform my picks. Based on their input and additional research, I analyzed ingredient lists, manufacturing practices, ease of use, scent, and other critical factors.

Here's an explainer on how I methodically vetted each ear cleaner.

Ingredient evaluation: First, I reviewed each listed ingredient's function. Specifically, I was looking for drying agents (lactic acid, salicylic acid), mild antiseptics (chlorhexidine, chloroxylenol, propylene glycol benzoic acid), pH balancers (citric acid and other acids), and cerumenolytics (propylene glycol, docusate sodium) that dissolve earwax. Cleaners that combined these active ingredients received higher scores.

Ease of application: Cleaning a dog's ears can be tricky if the dog is resistant. Ideally, a cleaner will be quick and easy to administer. For liquid cleaners, I dispensed a small amount onto a cotton ball and noted whether the fluid came out too slow or too fast. I also considered the size and shape of the bottle and nozzle. For wipes, I observed whether it was easy or difficult to remove a single wipe from the packaging without a bunch sticking together and coming out all at once. I also considered size here — wipes with more surface area that were easy to grip ranked higher.

Scent: I gave each product a good whiff, awarding the highest scores to cleaners with no detectable smell. Cleaners with subtle scents received midlevel scores, and strongly scented cleaners received the lowest scores.

Brand reputation and manufacturing standards: To vet the brands, I visited their company websites. Some, like Dechra, Vetoquinol, and Virbac, are very transparent about their manufacturing practices and research and development protocols. If this information wasn't readily available online, I inquired directly with the brand.

Safety: To determine which cleaners were safe for young puppies, I checked product labels and contacted brands when the information was unclear.

Cost: I compared the price per ounce for liquids and the price per wipe for wipes.

Availability: Finally, I checked each product's availability at major retailers, including Chewy, Amazon, Petco, Petsmart, Walmart, and Tractor Supply.

Meet the expert behind this guide

Liz Coleman, pets reporter: My pet-focused coverage is grounded in exhaustive research, expert interviews, and hands-on testing. It's also informed by years of pet guardianship and a genuine interest in helping readers cut through marketing speak to find products that work for their unique needs. For this guide, I consulted four veterinarians, including a board-certified veterinary dermatologist. I also communicated directly with several veterinary brands to learn about their manufacturing processes and the safety of their ear cleaners. To finalize my recommendations, I tested 10 cleaners, observing their smell and ease of application.

Dog ear cleaner FAQs

Do all dogs need routine ear cleaning?

No. Dr. Rose Miller says that normal, healthy dog ears don't need regular cleaning unless they become dirty from the environment. "In fact, over-cleaning a healthy ear can disrupt its natural microbiome and lead to irritation," Richardson says. For pets with chronic ear issues, cleaning may be beneficial when there is excess debris or infection, but Miller says this should always be done under a veterinarian's guidance.

How often should I clean my dog's ears?

Rather than adhering to a strict ear cleaning schedule, Richardson recommends a "check-and-clean" approach. "Inspect the ears weekly and only clean if you see visible wax, after baths or swimming, or as directed by your veterinarian if your dog has a history of ear infections," she says.

How do I keep my dog's ears clean?

Follow Richardson's recommendation to inspect your dog's ears weekly. If you notice wax, debris, or a mild odor, Cornell's Canine Health Center lays out steps for ear cleaning: First, fill the ear canal with an ear cleaning solution. Then, gently massage the base of the ear. Let your dog shake their head, which helps dislodge debris (have a towel handy to mop up messes). You can use cotton pads or balls to wipe away excess cleaner and debris. Never use Q-tips, as they can push debris further into the ear. And remember to reward your dog with lots of treats!

What ingredients should I avoid in dog ear cleaners?

Rose Miller recommends avoiding products that contain hydrogen peroxide and alcohol, as they can be irritating and potentially toxic. Apted also says dog guardians should avoid cleaners with essential oils, harsh detergents, and antibiotics, unless specifically recommended by a veterinarian. Be cautious with chlorhexidine if your dog has a broken or compromised eardrum because exposure to the middle ear can lead to deafness. Finally, avoid fragrances and dyes if your dog has sensitive ears.

Are wipes as effective as liquid ear cleaners?

Wipes have their place, but Richardson says they can't reach the deep, non-visible portion of the ear canal where infections usually begin. "For most of our patients, we recommend liquid cleaners for a true deep clean and wipes for quick, cosmetic touch-ups of the outer ear flap."

Should I clean my dog's ears after swimming or baths?

Yes. Apted says that cleaning your dog's ears after water activities helps prevent infections and the growth of disease-causing bacteria.

• The Trump administration has finalized a new rule that limits F-1 student visas to 4 years.
• If passed, the policy would ban students from starting a second academic program at an equal or lower value.
• The US risks becoming less attractive to the world's brightest minds, one lawyer told BI.

The Trump administration has announced major changes to the F-1 student visa program that could reshape how international students study and stay in the US.

If the rule takes effect, F-1 visas, which have historically allowed students to remain in the country for the duration of their academic program, would instead be capped at four years. The grace period after graduation would also be cut from 60 days to 30 days, so students seeking to regain F-1 status would have to either apply to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or leave the country and re-enter. Students would also no longer be able to begin another program at the same or a lower academic level after finishing their current one.

The DHS said the changes are aimed at addressing national security concerns, visa fraud and abuse, overstays, and the growing number of international students in the US. If the rule clears congressional review, it will take effect on September 15.

We asked three immigration lawyers to break down what the proposed changes could mean in practice — and what international students should know.

Their words have been edited for length and clarity.

'My advice to international students is to avoid non-essential international travel if at all possible'

Tahmina Watson is a business immigration lawyer in Seattle.

"This is far more than an immigration rule — it's an economic policy. By fundamentally changing the international student program, the United States risks becoming a less attractive destination for the world's brightest minds. The ripple effects will extend well beyond students, impacting universities, businesses, innovation, local economies, and America's long-term global competitiveness for generations.

Given the current immigration climate, my advice to international students is to avoid non-essential international travel if at all possible. Even students who have maintained lawful status can face increased scrutiny at U.S. ports of entry, and policies continue to evolve.

If you're eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT, apply at the earliest opportunity rather than waiting until the last minute. Filing early provides a greater buffer against processing delays and unexpected policy changes, helping preserve your ability to continue working and remain in status."

'A one-size-fits-all duration won't fit many students' degree programs'

Loren Locke is the managing attorney and founder of Locke Immigration Law, an Atlanta-based boutique firm specializing in US business and individual immigration.

"Fewer than half of American undergraduates finish a bachelor's degree within four years. The Department of Education doesn't even use four-year completion as its official measure, and instead reports six-year rates. Many engineering and architecture programs are designed to run five years. Doctoral programs and medical training routinely last longer than five years. A one-size-fits-all duration won't fit many students' degree programs, not to mention how many will be impeded from completing post-graduate employment that international students have long been eligible for.

As a lawyer, it worries me that USCIS could arbitrarily deny extension applications or take so long that the student's course of study is effectively ruined, and there would be no recourse that would allow the student to get back on track.

Barely a year and a half ago, DHS codified a deference policy promising consistency for people the government had already approved. This rule strips that protection from students.

The United States invites students from around the world to pay full freight at our universities. Holding over them the very real and increasing risk that they will walk away without a diploma, despite doing everything right, really damages our brand as a good destination for international students. This will have a tremendously bad economic impact."

'I'd imagine this would have a chilling effect on students'

Brian Hunt is a counsel at immigration firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bersen & Loewy LLP in Washington, DC.

"The student 'duration of status' rule is finalizing a rule USCIS published a few months ago, and it's also picking up and dusting off an almost identical proposed rule published in 2020 under Trump 45. The rules change with every administration, so this is not a surprise. I'd imagine this would have a chilling effect on students.

This introduces uncertainty into the equation. Next spring, a cohort of students whose F-1s are expiring — who want to get into the skilled worker pipeline — will be applying for F-1 status extensions for the first time. That's when we'll see what happens. Are they going to approve them all? Are they going to give them a hard time?

Frankly, if they delay them, in most cases they're not subject to removal, but they also can't start working until it's approved. We'll see what happens next May: whether the skilled work pipeline is left intact or damaged."

Are visa changes impacting your education or career plans? Email Charissa Cheong at ccheong@businessinsider.com and Tess Martinelli at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.

• AI is coming, and you can't do much about it.
• Except that sometimes, you may be able to buy or use things whose selling point is that they are AI-free.
• That appears to be where Substack is headed. Expect lots of other examples to come.

The global economy is increasingly hinging on the notion that AI will be inexorably intertwined with every part of our lives.

Also increasing: signs that consumers — or at least some consumers — don't feel great about that, at all.

You can see that most clearly in the anti-data center backlash, which is picking up steam. Or when fans of A24, the hipster-ish film studio, heap scorn on the indie for daring to work with Google's DeepMind AI lab.

But I think it's just as telling when people you wouldn't think would be worried about AI say they're worried about AI. Or, at least, that they understand why you're worried about AI.

That's the gist of Tuesday's announcement from Substack, the newsletter tool/aspiring social network: It says that AI slop is overwhelming the internet, and it wants to fight back.

For now, that effort amounts to giving Substack users access to a tool created by Pangram, an AI-detection startup. Down the line, the company says, it may introduce other features, like the ability for Substack readers to keep AI-generated content out of their feeds.

Substack CEO Chris Best takes pains to say Substack isn't opposed to the use of AI in general or in the creation of Substack content:

We're not against people using AI to assist their work, and we think people should be free to choose which tools they use to express themselves. Some on the platform are human-writing maximalists, others are publicly exploring the frontier of using AI tools while sweating the details to make work they stand behind. We use AI all the time at Substack to write software, do research, and build product features like clipping, translations, and more.

But common sense tells you that Substack wouldn't be putting together an anti-AI plan if it wasn't worried about AI. Or if it didn't think its users were worried about AI.

The giveaway is when Best uses the dreaded "L"-word to describe what might happen if AI growth isn't curtailed: "One thing we do know is that we don't want to wait until your Substack app turns into LinkedIn before we start to learn and make progress."

LinkedIn! How gross — at least in Best's mind, or at least in the minds of the people Best imagines use Substack.

Except that 1) I've seen plenty of crummy Substack screeds, and sometimes I see a really insightful LinkedIn post. It's a wide world of content out there. And 2) a couple months ago, LinkedIn said it was trying to fight AI slop, too.

I think there's a pretty good debate to be had about much of this. Are people opposed to any use of AI in writing or any other kind of communication? How much is too much? Who decides how much of it I get to see? And honestly: If the SVP of widget production wants to use ChatGPT to write a boring post about widget workflow automation, who really cares?

But I don't think there's any debate that lots of real people have real anxiety about AI.

Tech leaders act befuddled about this. They shouldn't.

They spent a couple of years telling us that AI was going to reorder the entire world — and very likely most people's jobs — and that its progress was unstoppable. During that same time, many of them explicitly linked themselves to Donald Trump — a man who many, many people do not like. It would be weird if people weren't freaked out about this.

I do agree with the tech POV that AI is unstoppable. Which is why I think all of this most likely nets out with a labeling regime.

In that world, the average person will spend a lot of time encountering AI, and probably won't know or think much about it. And for some consumers, and some brands, an "AI-free" label will be a selling point, the same way a certain slice of our population pays a premium for organic food.

And for a bunch of us, it may be something we care about in differing amounts, in different times and contexts. I truly love an organic hot dog — and I also eat and buy a lot of super-gnarly junk food made who-knows-where using who-knows-what. You may be fine with AI in your LinkedIn, but hate it in your Spotify.

The tech industry may be right that AI is going to be inevitable. But "inevitable" is different from "accepted." And there will be money and opportunity in giving people places where it isn't.

• Dr. Stephen Chang is a gastroenterologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Illinois.
• Amid the cyclospora outbreak, he and his family haven't changed their eating habits.
• He advises practicing good food hygiene and being vigilant rather than forgoing all fruits and vegetables.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dr. Stephen Chang, a gastroenterologist and the interim endoscopy director at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Since the cyclospora outbreak, my family hasn't changed what we're consuming or our eating practices. I have older children, and I don't want them to use this as an excuse to stop eating fruits and vegetables. The teaching point in our house right now is reminding them about how to prepare them safely.

It's important for everybody to remember that we actually have had outbreaks of cyclospora in the past. This is bigger than what we've seen before, but the numbers are still relatively low overall. (As of late last week, just over 300 confirmed cases were reported here in Illinois, and the state's population is over 12 million people.) It's much more likely for us to come across other causes of acute diarrhea, like norovirus, E. Coli, and Salmonella, than cyclospora.

If you start having persistent symptoms — especially diarrhea lasting longer than a few days to up to a week — seek medical care and see if testing is appropriate.

Here's the advice I'm giving my friends and family about being vigilant about avoiding suspected sources of this outbreak, without completely changing our eating habits:

1. Wash your veggies thoroughly

I'm a salad person. Even before this cyclospora outbreak, I would usually still thoroughly wash my bagged salad, even if the packaging said it was pre-washed or triple-washed.

I've always tried to be pretty good about food handling, and this situation has reminded me to wash my food a bit longer than I usually do.

It's a good reminder of things we should always be doing for food safety: washing our hands both before and after working with food, very thoroughly washing our produce — not just splashing them in the water for a cursory couple of seconds — and discarding the outer leaves of a head of lettuce after you've washed it and making sure you're washing the inside of it.

Be sure to wash your vegetables before you cut them, to prevent the knife from spreading contamination.

You can also consider leaning more toward well-cooked vegetables during the outbreak if you can, for a better chance of not getting sick. We know that cyclospora is killed when heated to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Be careful with lettuce for now — including when dining out

Now that we have narrower guidance in terms of one potential source — iceberg lettuce, specifically from Taylor Farms — it might be worth giving some pause about purchasing iceberg lettuce, or at least knowing where it's sourced from. (Editor's note: The Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers not to eat recalled Taylor Farms' lettuce products.)

I'm not a regular iceberg lettuce consumer, but I'm watching the news closely to make sure I'm not purchasing from somewhere that might be a suspected source.

Being careful when eating out may be the bigger issue, because when you're preparing food at home, you're the one who cleans the products to eat yourself.

If you're really set on consuming lettuce at a restaurant but you don't know where it's from, maybe ask the restaurant if they know where they get it from. Or, take a pass on that for now, and lean more toward the well-cooked vegetable options until we know this is over.

3. Clean your fruit carefully, too

Berries are tricky. Some past outbreaks have been tied to them, but we don't know that about the current outbreak yet. They're smaller, not easy to clean with a brush, and many contain fine hairs that experts think cyclospora has an easier time sticking to. Be more vigilant about how you wash them, or maybe avoid them altogether.

Generally, even for fruits with a rind, you should still have to wash the exterior part very thoroughly — like with a clean produce brush — before you cut it. Otherwise, the knife could theoretically carry the organisms into the interior part that you're planning on eating.

4. Higher-risk individuals should be more careful

The higher-risk groups — those more likely to be hospitalized if they get sick — that need to be much more vigilant include people who are immunocompromised, the elderly, and young children or infants.

If you're in one of those higher-risk groups, reduce your raw vegetable and fruit intake and consume vegetables that are cooked at safe temperatures until the outbreak appears to be over, to give you the best chance of not getting sick.

5. Stay on top of the news

It's sort of up in the air as far as how long this may continue to go on for. Outbreaks tend to be seasonal — with case counts going down after late August and into September — because of the temperature required to allow the infectious particles to become infectious.

However, it can still be unpredictable. Everybody should be vigilant, even if you don't live in the states where the hot spots seem to be.

Because the situation is moving so fast, it's important to follow the news on this. Follow public health investigators' findings and guidance through sources like your local public health department's website, the CDC website, and the Department of Public Health website.

We're still in the early days of this, and although we don't have a lot of specific guidance about the source of the outbreak, we can still safely consume a lot of fruits and vegetables if we practice good food-handling habits.

Do you have a story to share? Contact this reporter at janezhang@businessinsider.com.

• The Paramount-WBD merger is on pause, leaving staffers in limbo and wondering about the future.
• Some Paramount employees are worried that the merger could impact their job security.
• Others at David Ellison's company are concerned about what would happen if the deal fell apart.

Employees at Paramount Skydance are wrestling with whether the planned mega-merger with Warner Bros. Discovery would put them on the chopping block or help save their jobs.

"I'm definitely worried about impending layoffs post-merger," a Paramount research staffer said. "But I'm worried about the company as a whole if it doesn't go through."

Paramount's $110 billion deal with WBD is on pause after a judge issued a temporary order in response to a lawsuit from 12 states. In the coming weeks, David Ellison's company could get the green light to team up with WBD — or have to dig in for a longer fight.

Twelve Paramount employees Business Insider spoke with after the WBD deal got delayed were split about how the transaction would impact their jobs and the industry.

Some Paramount staffers fear their positions could be expendable if their teams merge with comparable groups at WBD, while others are concerned about the company's financial health if its deal is delayed or blocked.

Ellison's company would owe WBD a $7 billion breakup fee if the deal falls through, and has also agreed to pay WBD shareholders a so-called ticking fee of about $7 million per day starting after September 30 if the merger isn't done. The potential fallout from those penalties had several staffers pulling for the deal.

"I see Paramount in the same light as Spirit Airlines," one streaming staffer said. "Regulators didn't let JetBlue and Spirit Airlines merge. Now Spirit is bankrupt, and JetBlue is struggling."

Two WBD employees told Business Insider that they're uneasy about what the deal may mean for the media industry, but that the acquisition would benefit them financially.

They both said they stood to considerably benefit from stock grants.

"Best case for me personally is the deal goes through, I get laid off, and get my 15 months of severance," one veteran WBD staffer added. "Then, I just need to find something for a couple years before I retire."

Spokespeople for Paramount and WBD didn't respond to requests for comment.

'Tired of mergers and chaos'

Paramount has said it needs to join forces with WBD to form "a stronger competitor against dominant streaming and technology platforms," like Netflix and YouTube. Ellison's company insists its mega-merger will allow it to produce more films and TV shows than it can on its own.

Many in Hollywood are skeptical, however. Top actors and directors have spoken out against the Paramount-WBD deal, saying it would result in "fewer opportunities for creators" and "fewer jobs across the production ecosystem." The Writers Guild of America has filed a lawsuit against Paramount, arguing that it violates antitrust law.

The Paramount employees who are opposed to the deal primarily expressed concerns about the potential impact a merger of rivals would have on the media industry.

"I'm indifferent to sticking around because I'm so burned out, but I would hate it if others lost a career they were passionate about," a Paramount streaming staffer said.

Another streaming manager who opposes the deal said they're "tired of mergers and chaos." Paramount merged with Skydance last August, six years after Viacom and CBS merged.

"My future in this deal is uncertain, I feel," said a third streaming staffer who's against the merger.

'The best shot at keeping my job long term'

The Paramount staffers who support the deal had a simple rationale: they believe the merger would be best for the company and their careers.

"While I may have personal opinions about the negative effect this could have on the industry, I think the merger gives me the best shot at keeping my job long term," the Paramount research staffer said. "That's more important to me at the end of the day."

A high-level ad employee said this deal would make Paramount more powerful and give the company "more premium supply, which helps the sales story."

A senior streaming employee said that they support the deal, adding that they "don't see why it wouldn't" get approved by regulators.

WBD had planned to sell its studio and streaming business to Netflix before Paramount stepped in, which this high-level streaming staffer said "would have created a much larger consolidation of two streaming powerhouses" while leaving WBD's traditional TV unit "flailing and nobody interested in it."

The states suing Paramount argue that this deal would harm competition by giving the combined company undue influence over cable distributors, as well as leverage over theatrical distribution for both wide-release movies and big-budget blockbusters.

A super-charged Paramount-WBD "is ultimately better for the consumer," the high-level Paramount streaming leader said, contending that it "creates a larger, more competitive catalog of content to compete against Disney and Netflix." Consolidating TV assets will help Paramount cut costs, they added, though they understood worries about CNN's future, given how CBS News has changed under Ellison.

• Top budget pick: The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore air fryer cooks fast and looks cool for under $70.
• Honest performance: Excels at veggies and wings, but frozen fries can turn out slightly dry.
• Tested & verified: Beat out 60+ models to win best budget air fryer in our best air fryers guide.

I'm wary of any kitchen appliance a celebrity is hawking, especially when it's tied to the air fryer trend. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Beautiful 6-quart Touchscreen Air Fryer by Drew Barrymore not only lived up to its name, but it's also one of the best air fryers I've tested, sporting an affordable $70 price tag.

The Business Insider Reviews team has put over 60 units through several objective tests. The Beautiful Air Fryer earned a spot in our best air fryers guide because it cooks evenly and quickly, is easy to clean and use, and is available in seven color options, so you're sure to find a hue that matches your kitchen decor. Below are the details of my Beautiful Air Fryer testing.

Getting started

The Beautiful Air Fryer is ridiculously easy to set up: just remove the packaging and plug it in. I didn't need any instructions to get going. It might be unclear when you first look at the air fryer because you can't see the buttons. Yet, when you plug it in, the power button lights up and pulses.

Once you press the power button, you can choose from four cooking modes: air fry, roast, reheat, and dehydrate. After you select, the time and temperature adjustment buttons illuminate, and the start/pause button pulses to show you how to start your cook. Easy peasy.

Cooking performance

Frozen fries

In every air fryer we test, we cook a pound of Ore-Ida french fries at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After eight minutes, we check to see if the fries are done, and we continue to add more time until the fryer achieves golden-brown fries. Few air fryers are done in eight minutes, and the Beautiful air fryer was no different. It ranked average with 13 minutes cook time. The fries were evenly cooked and crispy, though a little dry.

Hand-cut fries

We also make fries from scratch in each air fryer. After 15 minutes at 350 degrees, we check the fries and give them more time if they're not crisp yet. This is a difficult test for most air fryers, and while the Beautiful wasn't perfect, it was among the best. The fries were ready in 15 minutes and about as evenly done as an air fryer gets. The texture and flavor were on point: crisp and not dried out.

Broccoli

We put a pound of broccoli florets in the air fryer basket, spray them with olive oil, and cook them at 375 degrees until the broccoli is tender. After eight minutes, we check for doneness and add more time if needed. 

The Beautiful Air Fryer made excellent broccoli in just 10 minutes, while most models take at least 12. Before the stems can get tender enough, air fryers usually burn the florets. This was not the case with the Beautiful. Instead, the broccoli was pretty even, with tender stems and lightly crispy florets, and it wasn't too dry.

Chicken wings

We've found that air fryer chicken wings are always great. We test this by cooking a pound of wings at 400 degrees for 16 minutes, turning them over halfway through. When time is up, we evaluate how evenly cooked, crispy, and juicy the wings are.

The Beautiful Air Fryer passed with flying colors. The wings were up to temp after 16 minutes. While I could see some were more done than others, they were pretty evenly cooked. They were incredibly juicy and mildly crispy, though not as crispy as I prefer. 

Cleaning

The crisper plate and basket of the Beautiful Air Fryer are dishwasher-safe, and I found the dishwasher gets them clean. However, with the handle jutting out, the basket takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher. I prefer to wash everything by hand because it's easy to clean, thanks to the nonstick surfaces. Plus, washing nonstick items by hand will extend the lifespan of the nonstick coating.

Read about how to clean an air fryer. Or, consider buying the best silicone air fryer liners to skip cleanup altogether.

Cons to consider

Seeing the Beautiful Air Fryer's screen in a brightly lit room is hard. The light-up screen isn't bright enough to overcome sunlight. I tested the white model, and there just wasn't enough contrast between the touchscreen and the air fryer's body; I had to get really close to see the buttons and settings.

I'll revisit two nitpicks I've already mentioned. First, the frozen fries came out a little dry, not the restaurant quality I look for, but they were still evenly cooked and yummy. Also, the air fryer basket takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher. Fortunately, it's easy to wash by hand.

What are your alternatives?

While the Beautiful 6-quart air fryer is our top budget pick for its unique design and performance, it might not fit everyone's aesthetic or interface preferences. If you're looking for a standard 6-quart basket-style air fryer, here's how the Beautiful compares to its two closest rivals.

The feature-packed rival: If you have a bit more room in your budget and want maximum cooking versatility, the Cosori TurboBlaze 6-quart air fryer is a stellar choice. While it trades the pastel aesthetic for a utilitarian dark gray finish, it was crowned best overall in our guide to the best air fryers. Features include a 5-speed fan system for faster cooking and nine different preset functions, making it a true kitchen workhorse.

The performance rival: If you are willing to spend almost twice as much for a sleek footprint and slightly better crisping performance, the Instant Vortex 6-quart air fryer is a fantastic alternative. It features a similar modern touchscreen interface but trades the pastel finish for a minimalist black exterior.

The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore product ecosystem

If you want the Instagrammable Smeg look for a fraction of the price, we recommend checking out the rest of the Beautiful by Drew Barrymore appliance collection at Walmart. The brand excels at bridging the gap between budget appliances and premium aesthetics by utilizing soft matte finishes, gold accents, and hidden touch-activated displays across its entire line, which also includes furniture and bedding.

The bottom line

Beautiful is one of the few air fryers available in nonstandard colors, like cornflower blue, lavender, or sage green. Of the sub-$70 models I've tested, it's far and away the best. Its roomy six-quart interior makes it great for most tasks. This is the air fryer to get if you want to try air frying without breaking the bank or if you want an appliance that complements your kitchen's interior. 

Pros: Intuitive controls, cooked food evenly and quickly, seven color options, crisper plate and basket are dishwasher-safe

Cons: Basket takes up a lot of dishwasher space, fries came out dry

• Chip stocks have seen major volatility, briefly tumbling into a bear market this month before rebounding.
• A blurry rate outlook, profit-taking, and jitters about competition sparked the latest rout.
• Yet, analysts at Bank of America and UBS say there are reasons to stick with the AI hardware trade.

July has been volatile for chip makers, but analysts say it's worth holding on and sticking with AI hardware makers through the swings.

The red-hot corner of the AI trade has been rocked by volatility this month. Profit-taking after months of gains, competition from AI models in China, and an unclear interest rate outlook helped push the chip sector into a bear market last week.

But Wall Street analysts say stick with it, because the AI market is still strong despite recent scares.

"Latest releases in open-source models, including China's Kimi K3 launched July 16, reinforce our bullish thesis on memory," wrote Bank of America. "From a high level, we view the aggressive Chinese open-model API pricing (up to 5-350x cheaper than Western models) as reflective of business-model choices, not necessarily reflective of hardware costs."

Moonshoot AI, the Chinese startup behind Kimi K3, has been in focus since it released its model last week. Chip stocks plunged on the news, reminiscent of the release of DeepSeek's R1, another Chinese AI model that triggered a sharp selloff in January 2025.

Despite the initial decline, BofA noted that open-source models like Kimi K3 from fast growing Chinese labs may hurt tech companies with similar products, they'll also create fresh demand for chips.

"While frontier model labs are spending capital to grab share, the market is likely expanding its aggregate compute and memory capacity in the process; and every enterprise that downloads Qwen, GLM, Hunyuan, or MiMo instead of paying for Claude Opus creates a new customer-side memory footprint," a BofA analyst noted.

Even if competition from foreign AI developers weighs on demand from US frontier labs, there's no reason to expect a glut of high-end GPUs to flood the market, UBS said.

Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, CIO of UBS Americas, recently wrote that her team doesn't see the recent bear-market decline in chip stocks reflective of potential oversupply. They're also not worried about hyperscalers scaling back on AI capex if they don't start seeing a profit in the near term, even as AI chip costs continue to rise.

Tech giants view artificial intelligence as a winner-takes-all, existential battle," she wrote in a note to investors. "Even if immediate financial returns are low, companies will continue buying hardware to prevent rivals from gaining a permanent technological advantage."

Similar to BofA, Hoffmann-Burchardi added that UBS sees new AI models like Kimi K3 and Inkling from Thinking Machines, creating more growth opportunities for AI hardware makers, as competition spurs heightened demand for chips.

Madewell is a go-to retailer for effortless wardrobe staples, offering everything from its signature denim to dresses, button-downs, knitwear, leather bags, and everyday basics. The brand is known for creating versatile pieces that are easy to mix and match, making it a popular choice for shoppers looking to build a timeless closet. Before you check out, it's worth looking for a Madewell promo code to save on your purchase.

Rather than focusing on fast-moving trends, Madewell emphasizes quality fabrics, classic silhouettes, and comfortable everyday style. Our team has featured the brand in guides to the best white T-shirts, women's workwear, petite clothing, plus-size fashion, and more, thanks to its consistently reliable essentials.

While Madewell's pieces are built to last, they're also an investment. Fortunately, the retailer regularly offers seasonal promotions, limited-time sales, and other discounts throughout the year. We've rounded up the latest Madewell coupons and deals below to help you refresh your wardrobe for less.

Today's best Madewell coupons

Previous Madewell coupons

Are there any other Madewell sales running at the moment?

You can find a full list of current markdowns on Madewell's sale pages at any time.

• Follow our Instagram page and WhatsApp channel on mobile for buying guides, deals, reviews, and more

How to use Madewell coupon codes

Start by adding coupon-eligible items to your cart. From the "Shopping Bag" page, apply a coupon by clicking the "Add a promo code" dropdown, pasting a code into the text box, and clicking "Apply." Once the coupon is added, continue to checkout to enter your shipping and billing information.

Can you stack Madewell promo codes?

Madewell does not allow coupons to be stacked together. Only one promo code may be applied per order.

Madewell coupons: frequently asked questions

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

Madewell offers students and teachers a 15% discount both online and in-store with a valid school ID. Military members can also shop online with a 15% discount when they verify their status.

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

Does Madewell offer free shipping?

Madewell offers free economy and standard shipping to Insider rewards program members on all orders. Non-members can find more information about shipping fees on Madewell's website.

What is Madewell's return policy?

Madewell offers free returns for up to 30 days after the original purchase. Items can be returned by mail or in-store, and must be unwashed with their original tags still intact. Learn more on Madewell's website.

Can I use Madewell promo codes in-store?

Most Madewell coupons are only eligible for use on online orders. However, there may be exceptions, so be sure to check the terms and conditions for the specific code you want to use.

Can I reuse a Madewell coupon code?

Most Madewell coupons can be used on multiple orders as long as the promotion is still live. There may be exceptions, though, so be sure to check the specific terms and conditions for the code you want to use.

Should I join Madewell's rewards program?

Membership in Madewell's rewards program, Madewell Insider, includes perks like free shipping on all orders, a birthday gift, early access to sales, exclusive coupons, free in-store hemming, and more. The program is free to join, so it may be worth it, especially if you're a frequent shopper. Learn more and sign up on Madewell's website.

Still shopping? Check out our roundups of the best Abercrombie promo codes and True Classic promo codes.

As someone with a long torso, an ill-fitting one-piece swimsuit can make me feel like I'm being cut in half. It comes with the territory of being vertically gifted.

Many one-piece suits I've tried will ride up in the rear, dig in at my shoulders, or feel tight through the middle. It doesn't feel great to lie down when I'm being scrunched in like this, let alone get wet.

Fortunately, there are brands that carry long-torso swimsuits to solve the perpetual wedgie problem. These have extra-high elastane throughout the body, so they stay in place and won't ride up. Instead of constricting midsections, the best long-torso swimsuits we tested fit comfortably both in the water and after drying.

To learn about more of our favorite one-pieces, see our guide to the best swimsuits for women. 

Swimsuit brands with specific long-torso sizing

Whether you're on the taller side or your torso measures over 30 inches, here's where to find stylish, size-inclusive one-pieces:

• Andie's long torso swimsuits come in basic silhouettes, inclusive sizes, and high-quality fabrics. The brand got our best overall award, and a special shoutout to their active, tall-friendly suits.
• For shoppers who want more shaping and compression, TA3's long-torso swimsuits feature bust support and waist-cinching lacing.
• Summersalt's long-torso swimsuits come in sleek, modern silhouettes with plenty of solid-color and colorblocked options.
• Though not all of their suits come in long-torso options, it's worth checking out Boden's swimwear if you like pattern-heavy designs.
• Carve Designs uses a really soft, stretchy fabric that's made with recycled materials, and its sporty fits are small-bust-friendly.

4 editor-favorite long-torso swimsuits

Best overall: Andie Swim Mykonos One Piece LT

With a deeply plunging neckline, thick straps, and good bum coverage, this suit has a silhouette that's highly becoming on a variety of body types. The Mykonos suit is my go-to because it's super cute, but it also offers decent coverage to keep me secure during the day's activities. The eco-nylon one-piece comes in nine solid colors, with both smooth and ribbed variations, and it's available in sizes XS-XXL. I love that when you top it with a sheer beach skirt or a pair of denim cutoffs, it looks just like a cute top that's perfect for a beach bar.

See our full Andie swim review to find out more about why we love the brand and see how the suits look on real people. You can also check out more of the brand's long-torso suits.

Best budget: Quince Italian Cami One-Piece Swimsuit

In the Italian Cami One-Piece, I laid fully stretched out on a reclined beach chair, happy as a seal sunning itself on a rock.

The straps are adjustable, giving you more control over chest coverage. This is helpful if you're at say, a family pool party and prefer a more modest neckline. I liked how the seat is full coverage enough for this kind of setting.

Inside, the shelf bra has removable foam cups. I usually remove these because they tend to turn heavy or lumpy when wet. I left them in while testing this one-piece because without them, the fabric is thin enough that nipples can be seen poking through.

The poly-Spandex fabric feels stretchy, soft, and closely-fitted. I'm a size 4 and the small fit me with little room to spare. It takes a minute to squeeze into because of the mild compressive effect, but once it's on, it's on. Everything stayed in its place, even as I bodysurfed through crashing waves.

Read more in our full Quince swimsuit review.

Best for large busts: TA3 Lifty in X-Long

The best swimsuits for large busts offer comfortable support in the chest area without feeling constricting. TA3's Lifty in X-Long won our top spot overall since it offers a ton of support, comes in cup sizes up to J/K, and is available up to a 4XL. It even comes in regular/tall versions and an extra long torso version. Plus, it's fitted with TA3's signature corseted back, which means it really pulls your waist in. 

Here's what executive editor Sally Kaplan had to say: "The thick shoulder straps are comfy and adjustable, and the cups cradle me perfectly with no digging. It even looks super cute as a bodysuit, so you could theoretically wear it with jeans or flowy linen pants and no one would be the wiser.

"But I know you're all here to find out whether it actually does what it promises to do, which is give you a snatched waist. The short answer is: yes! The longer answer is absolutely yes; the lacing in the back actually works like a dream to cinch your waist in. But the good news is that if you're ever feeling bloated or you just want something a little less compressive, you can always just loosen it up. It's like having two sizes in one!"

See our TA3 swimsuit review to find more of our favorite suits (many of which also come in X-Long torso versions). Also, if you're a fan of the support that the Lifty provides, see our guide to the best underwire swimsuits — most of which, like the Lifty, come in your exact bra size.

Best plus-size: Summersalt The Long Torso Sidestroke

One-shoulder suits can be so chic when done right, but that can be a tall order if you don't have the standard torso proportions, whether that means a fuller bust or a longer torso," writes Sarah Chiwaya in her guide to the best plus-size swimsuits.

"My favorite example is the well-positioned double strap in the back of The Sidestroke, its best-selling style. Instead of just sticking with one cross strap in the back, this style has two, which distributes bust weight more evenly and doesn't dig. I was happily surprised that this style worked as well as it did on me, as most one shoulder styles leave me lopsided and uncomfortable. With thousands of five star customer reviews, I'm not the only one who is impressed."

See our full Summersalt review to hear about more of our favorite picks from the brand. Plus, see more of Summersalt's long torso suits.

Best plunge: Carve Designs Serenity Compression One-Piece

I wore this Carve Designs one-piece on my first swim of the season in frigid Fire Island waters. I discovered I needed a tall one-piece after trying a Left On Friday suit that was a little too tight down in front. With the Carve Designs suit, the extra 1.5 inches of fabric in the middle keeps me from getting a wedgie every time I stand up straight. The adjustable straps also let you loosen the bodice around your shoulders so you can avoid side-boob spillage.

The compression on this suit is also not as intense as Left On Friday's or TA3s. It's just enough that I feel a little squeeze around my waist, and far enough below my ribcage that I don't feel like I'm being suffocated. The open back, high-cut legs, and cheeky rear give it a sleek and sporty look.

If you prefer your nipples to be invisible, you should either try wearing this with my favorite nipple covers or skip this suit. There's no padding in the cups or sleeves to add your own, so it's not going to lift a large bust or hide the fact that you're cold. Ultimately, the fabric is so soft and comfortable that I feel it's worth the trade-off. — Gabrielle Chase, senior associate style editor, Insider Reviews

Best wrap: Summersalt The Long Torso Perfect Wrap One Piece

The double-fabric faux-wrap design in this color-blocked swimsuit, which comes in sizes 2-22, is super flattering on the lower tummy area. It's crafted with soft compression to keep everything in place, even as you splash in the waves or dive into the deep end. I love that this recycled polyamid-and-elastane swimsuit (in four colors, sizes 2-22) offers ample bum coverage, plus an extra 1.25 inches of fabric in length — so I'm never worried about adjusting the bottom throughout the day.

Best active: Andie Swim The Malibu One Piece Long Torso

The rough and tumble of water sports are no match for the Andie Malibu, which stays well put even if I twist in a variety of positions. I love that you can customize the design. I can button it up before taking a dive, or I can unbutton it when I'm headed to the beach bar. Pair it with some summer shorts, and it passes for a cute top thanks to the fully closed back and thick straps. The recycled nylon-and-Spandex-blend suit comes in 11 colors (sizes XS-XXL) in both ribbed and smooth variations. 

Best patterned: Boden Mykonos Deep B Swimsuit

No, you're not seeing double — this is yet another long-torso swimsuit named after the island of Mykonos. If you enjoy bright colors and patterns in your swimwear, you'll love this one-piece from Boden. It's available in seven colorways, including patterns like multicolor stripes and swirling florets (though it also comes in solid colors).

Its under-bust ruching adds texture without any excessive bulk, while the lightly padded fixed cups give a smooth finish. Just beware that the seat offers minimal coverage. This polyamide-elastane one-piece bathing suit comes in sizes 2-20/22.

Read more about another one of our favorite Boden one-pieces in our guide to the best swimsuits for large busts.

Best minimalist: J.Crew Lana One-Piece

I've worn J.Crew's Classic Sculpt fabric, and discovered it has a similar look and feel to Left On Friday's — only with a lot more give.
It's made with two high-sheen layers of a soft, thin fabric, which interlock to create a subtly compressive effect.

The smooth lining is comfortable to wear all day, and can afford some stretching without losing its shape — I've worn and washed mine several times and it's still in great shape. The Lana suit runs small and has moderate bum coverage, so size up if you prefer more wiggle room.— Gabrielle Chase, senior associate style editor, Insider Reviews

Best compression: Carve Designs Skye Compression One-Piece

This Carve Designs swimsuit looks simple at a glance, but it's designed with a subtle sculpting effect. Its compression fabric offers a snug, supportive feel that smooths and shapes without feeling too stiff, while built-in UPF 50+ sun protection makes it a smart pick for long beach days.

The medium-cut leg is modest enough for family pool parties, and it passes for a tank top in case you need to throw on some shorts and run errands. With an open back and medium seat coverage, the Skye Compression One-Piece is the perfect active swimsuit whether you're swimming laps or chasing kids around the water, with long torso sizing that keeps the suit from riding up.

Best strapless: MiracleSuit Long Torso Avanti Bandeau One Piece Swimsuit

Though a strapless swimsuit may seem intimidating, don't be afraid of this one-piece, which was specifically designed with extra length throughout the mid-section and a wired bra to prevent any slips or spill-outs. The nylon-LYCRA Spandex suit has a bandeau neckline (with detachable straps, in case you do want the added protection), a full straight back, and a moderate leg cut for a bit more bottom coverage. The ruched bodice is meant to flatter curves, and it comes in sizes 8L-18L.

FAQs

How do I know if I need a long-torso swimsuit?

In terms of women's sizing, any torso over 30 inches is considered long. You may need a long-torso swimsuit if regular one-pieces feel too tight vertically, tug at your shoulders, ride up in the back, or do not sit comfortably at your bust, waist, and hips at the same time. Even if you are not especially tall, you might still prefer a long-torso fit if you carry more of your height in your upper body.

How do I measure my torso?

Use a soft measuring tape to measure from your shoulder (where your bra straps lay) to directly between your legs at the center of your crotch.

What should I look for in the best long-torso swimsuits?

The best long-torso swimsuits should have enough vertical length to sit comfortably without pulling, plus secure straps, supportive bust coverage, and fabric that holds its shape when wet. Adjustable straps, removable cups, ruching, and thicker fabric can also help fine-tune the fit.

Can I size up instead of buying a long-torso swimsuit?

Sizing up may add a little extra length, but it can also make the swimsuit too loose in the bust, waist, or hips. If the issue is specifically that a one-piece feels too short from shoulder to crotch, a long-torso size is usually a better solution than simply going up a size.

Are long-torso swimsuits only for tall women?

No. Long-torso swimsuits can be helpful for tall women, but height is not the only factor. Body proportions matter more than overall height, so petite, average-height, and tall shoppers may all find that a long-torso one-piece fits better than a standard-length suit.

How should a long-torso swimsuit fit?

A well-fitting long-torso swimsuit should feel secure but not stretched to its limit. The straps should stay in place without digging, the neckline should sit where intended, the leg openings should not ride up excessively, and the fabric should lie smoothly without pulling vertically.

This year, TCL is putting the "super" in quantum dots, the tiny nanocrystals that have been enhancing TV colors and brightness for over a decade. TCL's newly developed Super Quantum Dot (SQD) TVs, including the midrange QM7L, take QD technology to new heights. They're designed to compete with other cutting-edge TV tech, such as RGB LED and OLED.

As the first SQD TV I've tested, the QM7L had a lot to live up to, and in many ways it exceeded my expectations. Its black levels and contrast rank among the best I've seen in a TV with LED backlighting (read non-OLED), and it pairs that with striking brightness and, as promised, expansive colors.

The QM7L still reveals its midrange status in a few minor shortcomings, including a notably reflective screen and so-so off-center viewing, but in many ways it comes tantalizingly close to premium performance. It's a worthy successor to last year's QM7K, which was one of our favorite midrange TVs. And it easily earns its place as a more affordable alternative to TCL's higher-end QM8L and X11L SQD TVs.

The QM7L is stylish and available in many sizes

The QM7L comes in five sizes, from 55 to 98 inches. In keeping with the current big-screen trend, my review unit was a 75-inch model rather than the traditional 65-inch. Even at this size, TCL has kept the weight down to just 44 pounds, which makes unboxing the TV and attaching its pedestal stand relatively easy as long as you've got a partner.

Peeling off the last of several layers of clingy plastic reveals a stylish set with a relatively thin frame and slim, smoked-chrome bezels. The faux-metal stand looks good, but at 14.5 inches long, it takes up a lot of space on your console. Unlike Hisense's rival U7SG, the QM7L doesn't use a matte screen, which results in significantly more reflections, even in low lighting, though it also makes black levels more convincing in some scenarios.

The TV has onboard microphones for hands-free smart commands, now handled by Gemini rather than the Google Assistant. However, I prefer to mute this feature and use the remote for voice control instead. The wand-style remote is generally intuitive to use, save for the mute key, which is oddly banished to the far left corner. That caused me to confuse it with the power and input keys several times.

At the TV's right flank is a solid collection of inputs, including four HDMI 2.1 ports, though only two support high-bandwidth data speeds for gaming features like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) at up to 144Hz. That's still on par with Sony and Panasonic flagships, and I appreciate that neither gaming input overlaps with the HDMI eARC port, leaving it free for connecting an audio device. The built-in Bang & Olufsen speakers include dual woofers along the back panel for decent bass, but you'll still do much better with a good soundbar or surround system.

As with previous models, the QM7L supports all major HDR flavors, including both dynamic formats in Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Other handy features include support for Dolby Atmos and DTS: X audio, streaming via AirPlay and Chromecast, and Bluetooth 5.4. One notable omission for those with indoor TV antennas is ATSC 3.0, which supports NextGen channels for 4K HDR broadcasts. TCL is far from the first to drop the feature, which seems to be falling out of favor across brands.

Contrast and colors are a big step up, but there's still room to grow

TCL says the QM7L's Mini LED backlight system uses up to 2,100 dimming zones to preserve black levels (though it doesn't specify by size), further refined by the company's Enhanced Halo Control system. That's supplemented by the titular Super Quantum Dot layer and a specialized color filter, which, in theory, allows the TV to achieve up to 100% of the next-gen BT.2020 color gamut.

TCL says that number is based on "typical achievement," and results may vary due to multiple factors. I measured a still-impressive 85% of the BT.2020 spectrum using a Portrait Displays C6 HDR5000 colorimeter, a G1 pattern generator, and Calman software. Frankly, BT.2020 isn't a huge benefit for most content available today, since most movies and shows still stick to the narrower DCI-P3 color spectrum, but the TV covers nearly all of P3 and should be primed for the future.

Contrast, the way our eyes perceive the difference between the darkest and brightest images, has always been key to TV performance — and one of the biggest challenges for backlit TVs. That includes Mini LED TVs that use tiny light modules and tons of dimming zones, like the QM7L. No matter how good the design, it's tough to replicate the perfect black levels and laser-cut precision of OLEDs that light each of their millions of pixels independently.

Even so, today's best Mini LEDs are blurring the lines beyond recognition for most viewers, and this new SQD tech gets marvelously close. The QM7L looks fantastic, rendering ultra-bright images on black backgrounds, from dim TV shows and sizzling demo reels to even torture tests like Spears & Munsil's starfield scene. It still can't match the micro-contrast of OLED, and if you look for it, you'll see some foggy light bleed, especially in a pitch-black room or from off-axis, but man, are these screens getting good.

Speaking of off-axis viewing, it's still largely OLED's domain. Due in part to the inherent design of LED local dimming, you'll naturally lose some image color and brightness at a hard angle in nearly all backlit displays, and the QM7L is no exception. It still looks good from a few feet left or right, providing a small improvement over previous models, but it washes out quickly from my side-set easy chair. On the bright side, the TV's screen uniformity is among the best I've seen at its price point, offering clear sailing for skylines or a soccer pitch, with few noticeable smudges or aberrations (AKA dirty screen effect).

Brightness is where Mini LED TVs really excel, and while I never clocked the 3,000 nits TCL claims, I measured around 2,400 nits in the TV's most accurate Filmmaker Mode. That's a solid 600 nits higher than last year's QM7K model. This means the QM7L is plenty bright, to the point where my wife could barely look at the screen during contrast demos. There's more than enough juice for streaming content, and even most well-mastered Blu-rays. The TV tends to overbrighten some scenes, but it mainly does so judiciously, and dimmer films tend to look natural in its most accurate picture modes.

However, I did encounter an oddity in one of my brightest test discs, "Mad Max: Fury Road," in which a few bright white highlights were rendered an odd blue. Senior tech editor Steven Cohen noticed a similar issue when reviewing the step-up TCL X11L TV, and though neither of us has seen it crop up with other content, it's worth noting. We reached out to TCL to learn more, and their reps told us this is a known issue with the film due to its HDR10 mastering. While this is the first I've heard about the disc's potential mastering issues, it's not something I noticed in other high-brightness content.

The QM7L's hottest feature, its expansive color reproduction, is nearly as showy as its brightness. While the colors aren't wholly accurate out of the box, they mostly look natural, with some hyperrealism in blues and greens that served to zhuzh up scenes like a neon coral reef in aqua waters or the vividly detailed green mangroves in Netflix's "Our Planet." Skin tones look excellent in HDR and SDR content alike, including impressive detail in subtle color shifts, such as Harry Potter's maroon undershirt beneath his denim button-down in my HD Blu-ray version of "The Deathly Hallows."

There's plenty of good shadow detail in that film's challenging scenes, like Voldemort's hilltop attack, with only minor crushing or obscuring of finer images. The TV's shadows aren't quite as good with HDR video, but I was still able to use the dimmest and most accurate Dolby Vision setting, Dolby Vision Dark, in all but the darkest content, like the "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina." The TV's reflective screen doesn't help, revealing a fair bit more of my room than premium models or midrange matte screens like Hisense's U7SG.

I encountered a few other quibbles during testing, such as some noticeable moiré or flickering in images with dense fabrics, and minor motion stuttering. Even without using the motion interpolation settings, though, the display's zippy refresh rate handles high-speed content well, from fast-paced sports to video games.

Google TV is intuitive and responsive

Setting up the QM7L's Google TV smarts is quick and straightforward, if slightly more onerous with the Google TV app than the previous Home app. You'll have to dive through legalese, including several moments where both Google and TCL want to track your viewing, but you can bow out of most of it, and you can always change the settings later.

Google TV makes streaming, finding content, and adjusting picture performance a breeze, and the interface was snappy and responsive throughout testing. I also love the extras that reward those more deeply invested in G Suite, like the ability to use Google Photos as screen savers for a constant stream of nostalgia. Gemini is more invasive than Google Assistant, especially with some of the creepier voices you can choose from, but it's smarter and works well for voice search and other commands if that's your bag.

Gaming looked great by default, but you can easily adjust settings on the fly with TCL's game bar, including options like VRR, picture modes, and even a virtual crosshair. The response felt quick thanks to ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), and it's easy to lose yourself in immersive games, especially with the 75-inch model.

Should you buy the TCL QM7L TV?

If you're looking for a relatively affordable TV that goes well beyond your average LED, the TCL QM7L is a great pick. Its blend of striking contrast, showy brightness and colors, good screen uniformity, and intuitive usability adds up to real value. The picture has its quirks, but hardly anything worth kicking it to the curb.

While its price is still higher than last year's model, it's already dropped from its launch MSRP. The 75-inch model I reviewed is often on sale for $1,498 and has dipped to $1,298. You could still save some money on certain sizes by opting for last year's QM7K, but that model is getting harder to find in stock. If you're interested in a midrange TV that tilts further toward premium performance, the QM7L is worth it.

If you want to push things further, TCL's QM8L provides improved performance for its higher price, including higher peak brightness and more refined image quality across the board. On the other hand, if you're more worried about screen reflections than next-gen colors, Hisense's similarly priced U7SG offers a lot of the same goodies, along with a matte screen designed for more challenging viewing environments.

You're spoiled for choice in the current TV landscape, but if you want a bright, highly capable performer, TCL's QM7L is a sweet set poised to get even sweeter as prices drop.

Chewy has become a favorite destination for pet owners thanks to its huge selection of food, treats, toys, supplies, and health products for nearly every kind of pet. Whether you're shopping for a dog, cat, bird, reptile, fish, or small animal, the retailer makes it easy to order everything in one place. A Chewy promo code can also help cut the cost of stocking up on everyday essentials.

Beyond pet food and accessories, Chewy offers an online pharmacy, prescription medications, and virtual veterinary services, making it a convenient hub for routine pet care. Features like Autoship can also help simplify repeat purchases while unlocking additional savings on eligible products.

From one-time purchases to recurring orders, there are plenty of opportunities to save at Chewy. The retailer regularly runs limited-time sales, brand-specific promotions, and special offers throughout the year. We've gathered the latest Chewy coupon codes and deals below to help you spend less on everything your pets need.

Today's best Chewy promo codes

Today's best Chewy pharmacy promo codes

Previous Chewy promo codes

Are there any other Chewy sales running at the moment?

Check out the full list of markdowns and ongoing deals, including the option to shop deals by pet, on Chewy's Today's Deals page. At the time of writing, you can shop for the following deals.

Use Chewy promo codes on these items

If you purchase items we recommend in our pet guides on Chewy's site, you can easily spend enough to earn the free $20 gift card with the code WELCOME. Purchasing one of our top cat treats, the Inaba Churu Chicken Variety, for $32.96, and the ChomChom Pet Hair Remover, one of our favorite pet hair removers we've reviewed, for $24.99, puts the total price of your order over the $49 minimum to use the promo code.

• Follow us on Instagram and WhatsApp for more deals and buying guides

How to use Chewy promo codes

Start by adding coupon-eligible items to your cart. Once on the "Shopping Cart" page, you should see a list of applicable promo codes in the "Available Savings" dropdown box. Apply any of the Chewy promo codes by clicking "Apply," and you should see a checkmark to let you know that the coupon will be applied. From there, continue to checkout to enter your shipping and billing information.

Can you stack Chewy promo codes?

Chewy does allow you to stack promo codes. If multiple promotions apply to your purchase, they will be listed in your cart's "Available Savings" dropdown box. However, certain promotions may not be eligible for stacking, so be sure to check the terms and conditions.

Chewy promo code frequently asked questions

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

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

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

Can I get pet insurance through Chewy?

Yes, Chewy does offer insurance. Chewy's Care Plus insurance offers its customers four plans at varying price points, including everyday wellness coverage and accident and illness coverage.

Read our full Chewy pet insurance review for more information on plans and pricing.

Does Chewy offer free shipping?

Chewy offers customers free shipping on all orders over $49. For all other orders, shipping costs a flat fee of $4.95 per order.

What is Chewy's return policy?

Chewy allows you to return items for a full refund within 365 days of your original purchase. This policy does not apply to prescription medications. That said, if you received damaged or incorrect medication, Chewy will help you exchange it or provide a refund on a case-by-case basis.

Do I need a vet prescription to get pharmacy products from Chewy?

Yes, you must have a prescription from a licensed vet to order medication from Chewy. Chewy will contact your vet by phone or fax for their authorization before fulfilling your order. This process can take around three business days, so consider the timing when deciding how soon to order.

What are the benefits of choosing Chewy's autoship option?

In addition to not having to remember to reorder pet supplies and prescriptions, shoppers who use autoship can save an extra 5% on select brands for all future autoship orders. There's no additional fee for choosing the autoship option, so it may be worth it if you frequently need to order the same food, medication, or supplies.

Still shopping? Check out our roundup of the best dog subscription boxes.

• Short interest in US stocks is at a record.
• Data from S3 Partners says short interest across all index stocks is around 3.7% of free float.
• Global investors are worried about chip stocks and an AI bubble, a BofA survey found.

Short sellers have placed record bets against the US stock market, according to a new analysis from S3 Partners.

The financial data firm says its measure of short interest in US stocks has hit record levels. While shorting is a natural hedging strategy among bullish investors, increased bets on a decline in US stocks aligns with concerns about high valuations and cracks in the AI narrative as investors questions the economics of colossal capex.

Short interest in all S&P 500 stocks is about 3.7% of the index's free float, according to data S3 aggregated from hedge funds, asset managers, and financial firms. That reflects the highest volume of short interest the index has seen since S3 began tracking the data in 2010.

Prior to 2010, short interest in the median S&P 500 stock peaked at around 3.8% of the index's market cap in 2008, during the Great Financial Crisis, according to an analysis from Goldman Sachs.

The surge in short interest this year comes at an important juncture in the nearly four-year-old bull market, with the major indexes still hovering near record highs even as doubts about the AI bull case percolate in the market.

Memory and semiconductor stocks, two of the market's hottest trades this year amid the AI frenzy, stumbled into a bear market this month. At the same time, investors have also been cautious on the AI hyperscalers as they spend hundreds of billions on the technology without a clear path to monetization.

Broader macro concerns are also casting a shadow over the rest of the market. Tensions remain high between the US and Iran, and questions linger about the path of inflation this year. A reprieve in June CPI data could prove temporary if the war reignites, which could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year.

Institutional investors grew more bullish overall in the last month, but are growing increasingly wary of the semiconductor trade. 82% of surveyed fund managers in July said they believe global chip stocks are the most crowded trade in financial markets, according to Bank of America.

Almost half of fund managers surveyed also said they believe the AI bubble is the market's biggest tail risk, up from 28% of investors who thought so the prior month.

Yet, investors also increased their allocation to stocks, with positioning in US equities rising to its highest level since December 2024, the bank wrote in a recent note.

Vistaprint is one of the most popular online printing services, offering everything from business cards and marketing materials to custom apparel, invitations, signage, and personalized gifts. Whether you're building a brand, promoting an upcoming event, or tackling a creative project, the platform offers a wide selection of customizable products. Before you check out, it's worth looking for a Vistaprint promo code to help lower the overall cost.

A big reason Vistaprint stands out is its beginner-friendly design tools. You can start with professionally designed templates or customize your order from scratch using the company's intuitive editor, making it easy to create polished products without graphic design experience. The service also accommodates everything from small personal orders to large business print runs.

Vistaprint frequently runs promotions on popular product categories, the best of which is the brand's ongoing Semi-Annual Sale, knocking up to 40% off hundreds of items. Below, we've collected the latest Vistaprint coupons and deals to help you save now.

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 of which can be found on their "Offers" page. As of the time of 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.

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

Squeezing into a swimsuit at peak bloat in a heat wave is not my idea of summer fun, but I power through when I remember how fleeting beach season is. So if I'm not in the bikini mood, I put on my Quince One-Piece. It looks ordinary, but has the perfect level of compression to hold me in without any drastic sculpting.

It's a bit eye-rolly to name items "Italian" in a veiled attempt to denote luxury, but the Quince swimsuits we tested really did feel more expensive than they are. The bonded fabric is stretchy without feeling saggy, and the hardware accents on my Quince Triangle Bikini haven't scratched or flaked on me in over two years.

From maternity one-pieces to small-bust-friendly bikini tops, we had three women test Quince swimsuits at the beach, pool, sauna, and sundeck. For more of its summer styles, see our Quince linen review, Quince washable silk review, Quince ballet flats review, and general Quince clothing review. Learn about how the Reviews team tests clothing at BI.

The Italian Cami One-Piece

I'm 5-foot-9, and my torso is above the average length for women's one-piece swimsuits. Many I've tried either give me a wedgie or the straps dig into my shoulders.

Luckily, Quince has a long-torso fit (alongside a regular fit) that's designed especially for proportions like mine. In the Italian Cami One-Piece, I laid fully stretched out on a reclined beach chair, happy as a seal sunning itself on a rock.

The straps are adjustable, giving you more control over chest coverage. This is helpful if you're at, say, a family pool party and want more chest coverage. The low cut of the legs and fuller seat also felt modest enough for this kind of setting.

Inside, the shelf bra has removable foam cups (I usually remove these because they tend to turn heavy or lumpy when wet). I left them in when testing this suit because without them, the fabric is thin enough that some nip does poke through.

The poly-Spandex fabric feels stretchy, soft, and closely-fitted. I'm a size 4 and the Small fit me with little room to spare. It takes a minute to squeeze into because of the mild compressive effect, but once it's on, it's on. Everything stayed in its place, even as I bodysurfed through crashing waves.

The Italian Triangle Bikini

When I first tested this bikini two years ago, I had no idea how much use I'd get out of it. At this point, it's probably one of my most-packed bikinis because of how ordinary and light it is.

Freelance style writer Talia Ergas and I both wear a size 34B. The Italian Triangle Bikini Top is one of our favorite bikinis for small busts because the triangle cups are easy to space out and adjust to your breasts' natural orientation.

There's some light removable padding in the cups, but they stay in place and don't get waterlogged. You do lose bust support with any design this lightweight, however, so people with large cup sizes should avoid it.

"It's a solid choice for sunbathing, but I'd probably pick something sturdier for swimming," writes Talia. And I agree — the string ties can feel precariously loose in the ocean. I only wear this one in the pool, as the cheeky Adjustable Side-Tie Bikini Bottoms feel a bit like wearing dental floss. Don't buy these if you want full coverage or a snug fit.

The gold metal accents haven't scratched or cracked in the two years I've worn this bikini, which is a testament to their durability. The only drawback is that they burn if you wear this suit into the sauna.

The Italian Maternity Wrap One-Piece Swimsuit

Maternity swimsuits aren't something you want to spend a ton on since they're only wearable for so long, which is just one reason to love this under-$50 Wrap One-Piece Swimsuit from Quince. The material is another — it's not restrictive at all thanks to some clever ruching around the belly, and I never felt like I couldn't breathe well. I also love that the wrap isn't just an aesthetic touch, but can actually be pulled as tight as you want or need for chest support and waist definition. It comes with sewn-in cups, which I usually don't love, but I appreciate in this case because of the, ahem, body changes I'm experiencing right now.

There's one drawback I've found with this suit, which is that the sizing is tricky if you're short. I'm 5-foot-2 and I ordered a Large, my usual pre-pregnancy size, and it was big on me. The straps felt particularly long, which meant I ended up with less chest support than I needed. The wrap element helped support me from the bottom up, but I wish I had sized down to the medium for a better fit up top.

If you're tall, I would stick to your normal size, but if you're short like me, I would recommend sizing down in this suit. Your bump will still have plenty of room to grow since it's so stretchy!

The bottom line

At $50 per one-piece and $60 for a two-piece set, Quince is a solid source for affordable, well-made bathing suits. I've been wearing and washing the same Quince bikini for two summers and it's still in great shape, proving that Quince's swimsuits punch above their price point.

You won't find any colorful prints or special engineering to support an extra large bust, but we still found plenty of value in its maternity styles and swimwear basics. The Italian Cami One-Piece is my top choice if you want a no-frills suit that repels sea salt and sunscreen.

• Summer Farmen, a mom of three, was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer despite never smoking.
• The condition, known as alk-positive lung cancer, inspired her to become an advocate to give back.
• Farmen is celebrating six years as a survivor thanks to targeted therapy medications that fight tumors.

When Summer Farmen first noticed the shortness of breath and persistent tiredness, she didn't think much of it.

It was early 2020, but COVID wasn't her first thought, since she otherwise felt fine.

Within a month, she found herself choking and coughing during casual conversations.

The Pennsylvania-based mom of three was used to taking extra care of herself, since she and her husband are primary caregivers for their son with cerebral palsy.

"I always made sure I was eating healthy and staying in shape," she told Business Insider. "So here I am, 44 years old with, I thought, no risk factors for cancer, but we're mid-pandemic, and I suddenly was struggling to breathe, gasping for breath, coughing incessantly."

As the weeks went by, Farmen felt worse and worse. When the family's routine Fortnite gaming sessions left her exhausted, she wondered if it could be asthma, pneumonia, or coronavirus after all.

After antibiotics and other treatments didn't help, she went to the emergency room, fighting for air, where doctors drained 2 liters of fluid from her lungs.

"I joke that it was a Diet Coke bottle that had been just compressing my lung," Farmen said.

She was eventually diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, related to an unusual type of gene abnormality.

A typical patient in her situation might have six months to live, maybe a year and a half with good luck. More than six years later, at age 50, Farmen is not just surviving but thriving. She used her experiences as a patient to advocate for more and better research to help others facing the disease.

"It's so therapeutic to give back," she said. "We're educating and empowering patients that you're not just riding along for this, you're in the driver's seat. Make your voice heard."

A rare genetic mutation

After ending up in the ER, the last thing Farmen expected was to celebrate a lung cancer diagnosis. But that's exactly what happened.

Initially, doctors feared her cancer had spread from another organ, such as her uterus, and could be terminal. An end-stage diagnosis would mean the only treatment options would be to keep Farmen comfortable through her final days.

While lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, Farmen was diagnosed alk-positive, a specific subtype that's highly treatable.

"I got the call that it was lung cancer, and my dad and I are in the front yard hugging and crying. We're so happy," she said.

Her specific form of cancer is caused by a gene mutation that occurs during the patient's lifetime, so it can't be passed down to children.

It responds well to targeted therapy, a precision cancer treatment that blocks the cancer's fuel sources, such as proteins, to prevent tumors from growing.

Farmen's treatment plan included medications called tyrosine kinase inhibitors that work by interrupting signals that tell cancer cells to grow and divide uncontrollably.

While Farmen said she's generally an optimist, the treatment process "wasn't all sunshine." She was afraid of never teaching her son to drive or missing her daughter's high school graduation.

"I went to dark places. I was in the fetal position several times, but I'd never let myself stay there," she said.

A major turning point as she underwent treatment was finding support groups with other alk-positive patients.

"It was a lifeline immediately. You're finding out about different patient experiences. You're getting validation," Farmen said. "Right away in the beginning, I'm learning about strength and adversity, the importance of patient preferences, the importance of a patient voice."

From patient to advocate

Farmen's journey into the alk-positive cancer support community started with an art therapy class on Zoom. Before long, she was helping to expand the program and organizing educational sessions.

"Soon after I became involved, I knew I had to give back. I had to help others," she said.

The nonprofit behind the programs, Alk Positive Inc., funds cancer research to improve patients' quality of life while providing resources such as support groups and clinical trial information.

Farmen is now the organization's vice president and a contributor to a recent study published in the journal Lung Cancer.

The research focused on patient and caregiver preferences in balancing the potential benefits and side effects of treatment options, a key issue in the increasingly personalized world of cancer care.

Farmen said that as a cancer survivor, giving back has helped her come to terms with some of the psychological toll. The physical and emotional strain is ongoing.

"You wouldn't pick me out of a group as a stage four lung cancer patient, but there are debilitating side effects that everybody experiences differently from these life-extending treatments that we're on," she said. "I still have a stage four cancer diagnosis. I still have scans every three months. It's not if my cancer progresses, it's when my cancer progresses.

For now, Farmen, who turned 50 in April, is busy celebrating five decades of being alive. "I'm so lucky to be 50. I'm so happy to be here. Growing old is a privilege," she said.

• Zhipu's open-weight AI model GLM 5.2 wow developers, but its stock has plunged.
• Open-source software benefits from easy, cheap distribution. Open-weight AI is very different.
• Other companies often run Chinese open-weight models. That's where the money is made.

The angst over China's latest AI models is missing an important business fact: "open weight" AI is not the same thing as open-source software.

Open-source software, where the code is freely shared, can be an amazing business. Think Red Hat, which IBM bought for $34 billion. Open-weight AI models are different — and, so far, they're proving to be a terrible business.

Take Z.ai, also known as Zhipu. It's publicly traded, so we can see its finances. Last year, the Chinese company lost almost $500 million on revenue of about $107 million.

Zhipu is the lab behind GLM 5.2, an open-weight AI model that wowed the industry when it launched last month. You might expect the stock to have soared. Instead, Zhipu shares have plunged more than 40% over the past month.

MiniMax, one of the only other independent Chinese AI labs that's publicly traded, lost $250 million last year on revenue of just $79 million. Its shares have fallen more than 50% in the past month.

"Open-weight models have a challenging path to making a profit," William Blair analyst Arjun Bhatia wrote in a recent note to investors, in the understatement of the year.

Open-weight AI isn't open-source software

The key difference comes down to economics.

Software can be distributed almost for free. Once it's written, sending another customer a copy costs practically nothing. Profit margins improve as software companies grow.

AI doesn't work that way. Every answer requires expensive chips, electricity, and data-center capacity. The next unit of software is nearly free; the next unit of intelligence is not.

Moonshot AI, another Chinese lab, illustrated the problem last week. Its new Kimi K3 open-weight model impressed the industry with frontier-level performance. But days after launch, the company had to halt new customer sign-ups because it didn't have enough computing power to run the model.

If Moonshot were selling traditional software, adding millions of users would be relatively easy. Instead, every new customer increases the company's infrastructure bill, capping its growth.

Someone else captures the profits

The way open-weight AI models are run, a process known as inference, makes the business situation worse.

Open-weight AI labs give outsiders their models' trained numerical parameters, allowing them to download and run them. (Parameters are like tiny numerical dials inside a model's brain that determine how these systems learn from data and what outputs they produce).

After that, these models are usually run by other companies, such as cloud giants Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and Alibaba. There are also specialist providers such as Fireworks AI and Baseten, although they largely rent capacity from the big cloud companies.

Companies can also download these open weights and run the models themselves. Or, they can also use the Chinese model maker's own inference service, but in the Western world, most corporate customers don't do that for data security reasons.

Only that last option reliably generates real revenue for the model creator. In the other three cases, the AI lab that spent hundreds of millions of dollars building the model may receive little or no ongoing revenue.

That leaves the model makers in a difficult position. They've paid heavily to train the systems, then given away the key assets.

No wonder Alibaba's stock is up about 13% over the past month, while AI labs Zhipu and MiniMax have been crushed.

Not Red Hat

"Unlike open-source software, open-weight models do not generate significant sums of revenue by selling support, services, and enterprise editions around the free offering (the Red Hat playbook)," William Blair's Bhatia wrote.

"Instead, they primarily generate revenue by hosting the model and selling inference compute. But inference workloads will flow to whoever can operate the inference infrastructure most efficiently, and this is usually not the model provider," the analyst added.

Raimo Lenshow, an analyst at Barclays, recently came back from China after researching the country's AI sector. He reached a similar conclusion.

"Intense domestic competition has also led to more aggressive pricing competition," the analyst told investors. "Some major models remain open-source or open-weight, accelerating the pricing pressure throughout the system. While this helps drive faster commercialization, it is also adding uncertainty to long-term profitability for those AI labs."

So why give the models away?

Open technology has long been a strategy for challengers trying to catch market leaders. A late starter may not be able to match a leader's customers or distribution, but it can spread its technology widely, attract developers, and make the leader's product harder to sell at premium prices.

That may be exactly what China and its AI labs are trying to do. Open-weight models put pressure on OpenAI, Anthropic, and other US leaders by offering capable alternatives at lower prices. Even if the Chinese labs make little money themselves, they can force American competitors to cut prices and make it harder to recover the billions they spend training new models.

Bhatia said Chinese labs may be releasing open-weight models with "little regard for near-term profitability." In his view, openness can turn advanced AI into a commodity, weakening the business model of US companies that keep their technology closed.

The financial payoff for the Chinese labs may come much later — or may be less important than the broader strategic benefit to China.

China's leadership is now openly encouraging that strategy. In a recent speech in Shanghai, President Xi Jinping said countries should seize the opportunity to encourage "open-source, openness, collaboration, and sharing."

A statement like that is more than a casual policy suggestion. Chinese technology companies are expected to align with the government's strategic priorities.

After Xi put openness at the center of China's AI strategy, companies such as Moonshot, Zhipu, and MiniMax are likely to face strong pressure to follow that direction — even if it makes their own path to profit much harder.

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

• Curative's CEO said the company canceled an annual $600,000 Salesforce bill.
• He said his company replaced the CRM with a tool that AI helped build in two months.
• He's describing the SaaSpocalypse thesis: that AI coding tools will challenge software companies.

Curative CEO and founder Fred Turner believes in the SaaSpocalypse.

During an interview on the "20VC with Harry Stebbings" podcast, the health insurance executive was asked whether he bought the theory that software-as-a-service was dying.

"Yes," Turner said, bluntly.

When asked why, he said, "I see the number of contracts that we're canceling. We just recently canceled our Salesforce contract because we have an internal CRM that was vibecoded."

That Salesforce contract cost Curative $600,000 a year, Turner said. He also said that Curative built its replacement in two months.

Overall, Curative plans to cut about 80% of its SaaS spending this year, according to Turner. The company is spending on AI instead, he said.

A Curative spokesperson told Business Insider that the startup had made a "notification of cancellation" for its Salesforce CRM contract.

"As Fred said publicly, Curative terminated its Salesforce CRM contract," a Curative spokesperson said. "We do still use Slack," the spokesperson said. Salesforce purchased Slack in late 2020 for $27.7 billion.

A Salesforce spokesperson told Business Insider that 150,000 companies still use its platforms and highlighted that its tools are built to navigate complex healthcare patient regulations, such as HIPAA.

"Our platform is built with trust and governance at its core," a Salesforce spokesperson told Business Insider.

Salesforce's CEO has pushed back on SaaSpocalypse fears

Turner is describing the exact SaaSpocalypse fear that spooked Wall Street at the start of 2026.

As AI coding agents quickly improved, investors feared that companies that bought software-as-a-service would turn to AI tools and build their own bespoke products. Software providers — such as Salesforce, Asana, DocuSign, ServiceNow, Adobe, and Workday — saw their stocks drop by 20% to 50% amid those snowballing concerns.

Salesforce's CEO, Marc Benioff, has also strongly pushed back, saying that he's still seeing "incredible demand" for his products. He's also pointed out that Anthropic, the massive AI lab behind Claude, still uses Salesforce services.

"If there is a 'SaaSpocalypse,' it may be eaten by the 'SaaS-quatch' because there are a lot of companies using a lot of SaaS because it just got better with agents," Benioff said during a February earnings call.

Turner acknowledged that replacing outside software with custom-built systems hasn't been perfect. Maintenance is "definitely one of the most challenging pieces," he said.

He also said Curative's spending on Anthropic had surged as the company found more uses for AI.

"Our Anthropic cost over the last six or seven months has 6x'd every month, from a base of a couple of tens of thousands of dollars, now up to millions of dollars a month," Turner said. "Eventually, we're going to have to stop that spending increase because it'll get unreasonable, but we just keep finding new things to do with it."

For Curative, however, Turner said the economics would still work — even if Anthropic were to quintuple its prices.

He pointed to Gwen, a bespoke AI agent Curative uses to negotiate contracts with doctors and other healthcare providers. Turner said completing one contract before AI had cost the company an average of $1,500 to $2,000. Gwen's average cost is about $70, he said.

"What we've done is said, 'Well, now that we have the agent, we can do 10 times as many contracts this year as we could do last year,'" Turner said. "So, we're going to do 10 times, and then we're going to try and do 20 times, and we would just do a lot more volume than you could possibly have done with a human team."

• Mike Recupero is the first VP of finance for Amazon's Leo satellite business.
• Amazon is putting together a seasoned leadership team for Leo.
• Amazon expects Leo to generate meaningful growth and returns.

Amazon's Leo satellite business has appointed its first dedicated finance VP, another sign the company is building the satellite venture into a more independent business.

Mike Recupero, who most recently served as Alexa's finance chief, was named Leo's VP of finance earlier this month, according to people familiar with the move. The newly created role makes him the first VP solely overseeing Leo's finances.

Previously, Recupero spent about a year as GameStop's CFO after serving as finance chief for several Amazon businesses, including Prime Video and North America retail.

Until now, Leo's finances were overseen by executives who also managed Alexa, supported by more junior finance leaders.

The appointment reflects how Amazon is assembling a seasoned leadership team around Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper.

Over the past two years, Leo has also recruited former GitLab chief revenue officer Chris Weber as vice president of sales and marketing and former T-Mobile executive Clint Patterson as chief marketing officer. VP of technology Rajeev Badyal leads the overall Leo business and reports to Panos Panay, SVP of devices, Alexa, and Leo.

Recupero will primarily oversee Leo's multibillion-dollar infrastructure buildout, including satellite manufacturing and launches, as well as the integration of Globalstar, the satellite communications company Amazon is acquiring for $11.6 billion, the people said.

Amit Singh has replaced Recupero as Alexa's finance lead.

Leo is one of Amazon's biggest long-term bets beyond its core retail and cloud businesses. CEO Andy Jassy previously said Leo already had a series of revenue commitments from enterprise and government customers and is expected to generate meaningful growth and returns for Amazon. The company said earlier this month that Leo has completed 14 missions and launched 396 satellites so far, making it the third-largest satellite constellation in orbit.

Wall Street is also growing more bullish on the business. Bank of America recently estimated Leo could generate $20 billion to $25 billion in annual revenue by 2032 and eventually be worth $200 billion to $275 billion.

The growing enthusiasm has not eliminated the risks. A Blue Origin rocket that Amazon plans to use for future Leo missions exploded during a ground test in June. Leo's VP Badyal sought to reassure employees at the time, saying such setbacks are an expected part of spaceflight and that the company would continue pressing ahead.

Amazon declined to comment.

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• Corner, a social mapping startup that helps people find local spots, has doubled its funding.
• The New York-based startup has raised $7.5 million, the company confirmed.
• It's one of many new social media startups trying to break through.

Finding a really good restaurant or bar takes effort.

Corner, a startup looking to make that process easier, has raised more capital to stake its claim in the map game.

Corner, which was founded in 2022, is a social-mapping app targeting Gen Z users who want to meet up in real life. In the app, users can leave reviews, share photos, and curate lists. Locations are added to Corner's map only when a user saves it.

The platform has more than 250,000 users — primarily in New York and Europe — across 425 cities, the company said.

The startup has nearly doubled its total funding since 2025.

In September, Corner told Business Insider that it had raised $3.75 million across two rounds from VC funds including Abstract Ventures, Tapestry, and 1517. The startup also has angel investors, like Partiful's cofounder Shreya Murthy.

The New York-based startup has raised new funding since, with total funding reaching $7.5 million, Corner confirmed. The startup is gearing up to raise a Series A round.

Corner isn't the only app trying to make waves in the social-mapping and restaurant-saving categories.

Beli, a rival app for saving and sharing restaurants, had raised $12 million in venture capital as of June 2025, the company previously told Business Insider. Apps like Amo's Bump, a social app for tracking your friends, are also gaining steam. Meanwhile, Corner has to compete with larger players like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Yelp.

Corner has carved out a following on social media as it grows its platform and business. Its digital magazine has over 91,000 followers on Instagram. Eliza Wu and Jake Xia, Corner's cofounders, have also become faces of the brand on social.

A map with personalized recommendations

Last year, Corner rolled out an overhauled search feature that leverages AI to suggest recommendations based on Corner reviews and content.

"Our proprietary dataset powers true personalization instead of virality-based recommendations," said Corner CEO Wu.

Corner's been experimenting with new features, too.

Recently, I've noticed Corner will let me know when a reservation opens up at a restaurant I've saved. The app also now lets you add bookings and events, provides a round-up of places that people — including your friends — are raving about, and offers age- and location-based suggestions on where to go out.

"Of everything else that I've seen, and I've seen this idea tried a dozen times in the last 10 years, this was the best execution I'd seen," Abstract Ventures' Ramtin Naimi, a Corner investor, told Business Insider in September.

• A WalletHub study evaluated public school systems nationwide.
• The study examined factors such as standardized test scores, safety, and dropout rates.
• Massachusetts has the best public school system in the US, according to WalletHub.

Usually, schools do the grading, but a new WalletHub study put public school systems nationwide to the test.

To determine the states with the best and worst school systems, WalletHub evaluated public school systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 32 weighted metrics falling into two categories: quality, which accounted for 80% of the overall score, and safety, which accounted for 20%.

Factors such as graduation rates, standardized test scores, and pupil-teacher ratios were examined to determine the quality rank. For the safety rank, WalletHub looked at statistics regarding rates of drug use, bullying, school shootings, and disciplinary incidents.

The analysis used data from sources including the US Census Bureau, the Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US News & World Report, and the College Board.

Here's how every state's public school system ranked, from worst to best.

51. New Mexico

New Mexico has the lowest math and reading scores, as well as the lowest median SAT scores, in the WalletHub study.

50. Alaska

Alaska is tied with Washington for the fifth-highest public school dropout rate among US states, per the WalletHub study. The state also has the lowest four-year high school graduation rate, Business Insider previously found.

WalletHub reported Alaska also has the second-lowest reading and math test scores, the fourth-lowest student-to-teacher ratio, and the highest bullying incidence rate.

49. Oklahoma

Oklahoma has the fourth-highest dropout rate, the fourth-lowest reading test scores, and is tied with Nevada for the lowest median ACT score in the WalletHub study.

48. Oregon

Oregon ranked 47th in the study's quality rank and 45th in the safety rank.

47. West Virginia

West Virginia is tied with New Hampshire and Alabama for the fourth-lowest dropout rates, although its math test scores are the fourth-lowest in the nation; its reading scores rank third-lowest; and its median SAT score is the second-lowest in the country. Bullying incidents in the state are the second-highest in the study.

46. Arizona

Arizona tied with Oklahoma and Nevada for the lowest median ACT scores in the WalletHub study.

45. Nevada

Nevada tied with Oklahoma and Arizona for the lowest median ACT score, and also had the third-lowest pupil-teacher ratio.

44. Louisiana

Louisiana had the highest percentage of threatened or injured high school students in the WalletHub study. The state also ranked with Mississippi and North Carolina for the fourth-lowest median ACT score.

43. Alabama

While Alabama is tied with New Hampshire and West Virginia for the fourth-lowest dropout rate in the WalletHub study, the state also ranked third-highest in the percentage of threatened or injured high school students.

42. Hawaii

Hawaii has the third-lowest bullying incidence rate in the US.

41. Missouri

Missouri ranked 36th in the WalletHub study's quality category and last in its safety category. In Business Insider's ranking of high school graduation rates, the state fared better, ranking 10th highest among all states.

40. Idaho

Idaho has the second-highest dropout rate in the WalletHub study, and is tied with Texas for the fifth-highest percentage of threatened or injured high school students.

39. Arkansas

Arkansas ranked 37th in the study's safety rank and 39th in the quality rank.

38. South Carolina

South Carolina ranked 30th in the study's safety ranking and 41st on the quality rank.

37. Mississippi

Despite being tied with New Jersey for the lowest dropout rate in the study, Mississippi also tied with Louisiana and North Carolina for the fourth-lowest median ACT score and the second-highest percentage of threatened or injured high school students.

36. Ohio

Ohio ranked 33rd in the study's safety ranking and 38th in the quality ranking.

35. Kansas

Kansas tied with Wisconsin for the fourth-highest median SAT score but also had the fourth-highest percentage of high school students who were threatened or injured.

34. Georgia

Georgia ranked 35th in the study's quality rank and 42nd in the safety rank.

33. Michigan

Michigan ranked 24th in the study's safety ranking but 37th in the quality ranking.

32. Texas

Texas tied with Idaho for the fifth-highest percentage of threatened or injured high school students in the WalletHub study.

31. California

California tied with Massachusetts for the third-highest median ACT score and the second-lowest percentage of threatened or injured high school students, but also had the worst pupil-teacher ratio out of all states and Washington, DC.

30. District of Columbia

The District of Columbia had the lowest bullying incidence rate, the highest median ACT score, and the second-highest pupil-teacher ratio, but also had the fourth-lowest median SAT score, third-lowest math test scores, and the highest dropout rate in the WalletHub study.

29. North Carolina

North Carolina had the third-lowest percentage of threatened or injured high school students, per the WalletHub study.

28. Washington

Washington is tied with Alaska for the fifth-highest dropout rate in the US.

27. Colorado

Colorado has the third-highest reading test scores in the US, according to the WalletHub study.

26. South Dakota

South Dakota ranked 23rd in the WalletHub study's safety rank.

25. Montana

Montana's public school system ranked 20th in quality and 29th in safety.

24. Illinois

In Illinois, the state's public school system ranked 19th in quality and 28th in safety nationwide.

23. Minnesota

Minnesota's public school system ranked 18th in quality, with fourth and eighth-graders scoring the third-highest in math. It ranked 32nd in safety.

22. Tennessee

Tennessee's public schools placed 12th in quality and 44th in safety, according to WalletHub's ranking.

21. Iowa

Iowa's public school system earned the highest median SAT scores of any state, contributing to its ranking of 23rd in quality overall. It ranked 22nd in safety, with the fifth-highest bullying incidence rate.

20. Wyoming

The public school system in Wyoming ranked 15th in quality and 31st in safety, with the fourth-highest bullying incidence rate of any state.

19. Utah

Utah's school system ranked second-highest in math, contributing to its overall quality ranking of 22nd. The study found it has the second-worst pupil-teacher ratio, and its safety ranking was 16th.

18. Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's public school system was ranked 13th in quality and 27th in safety.

17. Kentucky

Kentucky's public school system was ranked 21st in quality and 12th in safety. The state had the highest high school graduation rate among all states, per Business Insider's previous analysis.

16. Delaware

Delaware's school system was ranked 32nd in quality. It earned the No. 1 spot for safety, with the lowest percentage of students who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school grounds, and the second-lowest bullying incidence rate.

15. Indiana

WalletHub ranked Indiana's public school system 17th in quality and 11th in safety.

14. Maryland

Maryland's school system was ranked 26th in quality and fourth in safety, according to WalletHub.

13. Florida

In Florida, the public school system placed 16th in quality and ninth in safety.

12. Maine

Maine's public school system is one of the safest in the nation, coming in third overall. It placed 24th in WalletHub's quality ranking.

11. Nebraska

Nebraska's school system tied with North Dakota for the second-highest median SAT scores of any state. Overall, the state's schools ranked 14th in quality and 10th in safety.

10. North Dakota

In North Dakota, the state's public school system ranked eighth in quality and 26th in safety. Its median SAT scores tied for second-highest with Nebraska.

9. Rhode Island

Rhode Island's school system placed within the top 10 of both of WalletHub's ranking categories, landing at 10th in quality and eighth in safety.

8. New York

WalletHub ranked New York's school system sixth in quality and 19th in safety.

7. Vermont

With the best pupil-teacher ratio in the nation, Vermont's school system ranked seventh in quality and 13th in safety, according to WalletHub's analysis.

6. Virginia

In Virginia, the public school system ranked ninth in quality and fifth in safety. Virginia schools also had the fifth-lowest bullying incidence rate.

5. Wisconsin

Wisconsin public schools ranked fifth in quality and 18th in safety. The state's school system also featured the fourth-highest median SAT scores, tied with Kansas.

4. New Hampshire

New Hampshire's school system ranked fourth in quality and 15th in safety. It features the fourth-lowest dropout rate (tied with Alabama and West Virginia) and the fourth-highest reading and math test scores among fourth- and eighth-graders.

3. New Jersey

Fourth- and eighth-grade students in New Jersey's school system earned the second-best reading test scores and fifth-best math scores among all states.

Around 8.5% of schools in New Jersey rank in the top 700 schools nationwide.

In WalletHub's overall ranking, New Jersey's school system ranked second in quality and 20th in safety.

2. Connecticut

Connecticut's public school system ranked third in quality and sixth in safety, per WalletHub. Connecticut schools feature high ACT scores, the seventh-best pupil-to-teacher ratio, and the lowest prevalence of illegal drugs on school property of any state.

1. Massachusetts

WalletHub's analysis determined that Massachusetts has the best public school system in the US, ranking first in quality and second in safety overall.

The state's fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading scores are the highest of any state, and a higher share of students scored a three or above on their AP exams in Massachusetts than in any other state.

• Tesla earnings are on deck and Wall Street is eager for answers about the EV maker's big initiatives.
• Analysts are focused on robotaxi deployment and humanoid robots, pillars of the bull thesis for the stock.
• It's also the first report since SpaceX went public. Expect questions to come up about a possible merger.

Tesla reports second-quarter earnings after closing bell on on Wednesday, and Wall Street analysts have some pressing questions about Elon Musk's ambitions for the EV maker.

While Tesla deliveries recently showed that sales are rebounding, Tesla stock hasn't reflected renewed bullishness from investors. Shares are down 15% year-to-date, making the stock among the weakest of the Magnificent Seven.

Investors and analysts hope the Q2 earnings report will offer insight into how Musk plans to reinvigorate the bullish sentiment in the latter part of the year. Key to the bull thesis are robotaxi deployment and humanoid robots, which upbeat Wall Street analysts increasingly see as more important than vehicle sales as drivers for future growth.

It is also the first report since SpaceX went public in June, with investors likely to on the lookout for answers about a potential SpaceX-Tesla merger.

Here's what analysts say they're focused on as Tesla prepares to report.

Bank of America

BofA rates Tesla stock as a "Buy" ahead of earnings and maintains a $391 price target, about 2% higher than Tuesday's price. The bank's analysts see robotaxi deployment and optimus humanoid robot production as key points of interest.

"We think focus for earnings will remain on TSLA's robotaxi deployments," BofA wrote. "TSLA added an additional market & is scaling TX fleet. We think core auto business remains healthy with reported 2Q deliveries above Street as TSLA gains global BEV market share."

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco recently lowered his Tesla stock price target slightly, from $417 to $415, and maintains an equal weight rating. The price target implies a 9% jump from current levels. While he expects to see progress on several key fronts, he doesn't expect the report to deliver a significan narrative update to spur a new burst of growth for the stock.

"Strong auto and energy deliveries improve near-term fundamentals, but we continue to believe Robotaxi and Optimus will be the primary drivers for the stock," he said. "Into earnings we expect constructive updates across both, though likely not enough to drive a decisive re-rating."

Oppenheimer

Analysts at the firm say that Tesla's transition to a leader in "physical AI" will require substantial capex to acquire the necessary compute power and memory capacity.

"We anticipate investors will begin looking at capital investments as a leading indicator of Physical AI success," Oppenheimer analysts wrote."

The firm recently raised its capex outlook for Tesla from $18 billion to $20 billion for the year as it predicts Tesla to "aggressively bring capacity online to enable AI-driven learning cycles on product design, manufacturing processes, and software integration in to products."

Oppenheimer rates Tesla at "Perform," and does not have a 12-18 month price target.

Barclays

Barclays is less bullish on Tesla stock than some Wall Street peers, maintaining a $370 price target and equal weight rating. While its analysts noted that the company's automotive business is improving, they raised the question of how much it actually matters going forward.

"We believe the key message from the market with respect to Tesla's frothy multiple has been that Tesla's current revenue stream (which is predominantly automotive) is increasingly irrelevant, with the key focus for the stock on future mega-growth initiatives in AI - Robotaxi /FSD / autonomous driving + bots / Optimus humanoids," Barclays wrote.

Cantor Fitzgerald

With an equal weight rating and a $510 price target for Tesla stock — an increase of 34% from current levels — Cantor Fitzgerald is among the biggest bulls as the company gets ready to report. Analyst Andres Sheppard highlighted the company's vehicle deliveries beat and successful robotaxi rollout, noting that his team expects to see progress continue.

"Overall, we continue to see Tesla's Robotaxi segment and Cybercab as a software-as-a-service, high-margin model," he noted. "We continue to expect TSLA will have the ability to scale rapidly following commercialization (despite the delayed expansion) and capture meaningful market share."

• Jamie Dimon appeared on "The Master Investor Podcast with Wilfred Frost" on Tuesday.
• The JPMorgan boss said he wouldn't buy long-dated bonds and doesn't fully trust inflation data.
• He argued the US should squeeze Iran's economy for a year, even if gas prices rise.

Jamie Dimon doesn't often give hourlong interviews, but when he does, he covers a lot of ground.

The JPMorgan CEO appeared on "The Master Investor Podcast with Wilfred Frost" on Monday, days after reporting the bank's highest-ever quarterly profit of $21.2 billion, and describing an environment that's "almost as good as it gets" for banks.

In his interview with Frost, Dimon — who has run JPMorgan for 20 years, through the financial crisis, COVID, and the 2023 banking turmoil — covered everything from the bond markets to Iran to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Here are five key takeaways that stood out.

He wouldn't buy bonds — and doesn't fully trust the inflation data

Asked whether he'd buy long-dated government bonds, Dimon didn't hedge: "Personally, no. I would not be a buyer."

"Even if inflation was 2%, the 10-year bond should probably be at four to four and a half," — and yields are "almost there today," leaving little upside.

He noted inflation has run above 3% for nearly five years, and said the official numbers deserve scrutiny: "You dig into these numbers, I mean, really dig into them, and I wouldn't give them too much credence."

The self-described economic historian said he can't shake the memory of the 1970s, when inflation climbed from around 3.5% to 11%.

With global debt-to-GDP near 100% and the US deficit at 6%, he predicted governments will wait for a crisis rather than act: "That'll exhibit itself with higher interest rates, the market getting rattled," he said.

Dimon added that he hasn't purchased any stocks in recent months.

He says the US should squeeze Iran's economy for a year — even if gas prices spike

With strikes restarting and the Strait of Hormuz shut again, Dimon argued that President Donald Trump should level with the public and commit to a yearlong economic strangulation of Iran, accepting higher gas prices as the cost, with no US military deaths and ally support.

Dimon imagined the president making the case directly to the American people: "I could resolve it without any military deaths or put 100,000 of your kids on the field." Gas prices might climb for a year, he said — but for Dimon, that trade-off is worth it.

"Is that a better outcome than them having a nuclear weapon in 10 years?" he asked. "One is maybe life and death for mankind, the other one is the economy."

AI will pay off, but 'definitely not' the way investors expect

Dimon is a believer in the technology itself: "It's real ... it will cure cancers. Your children are going to live to 100."

The investment boom is another matter. "The amount of money being spent is huge. Will it, in total, pay off? Probably, just like the internet did. Will it pay off the way you expect, on the time you expect? Definitely not."

His template is the dot-com era: "We had Yahoo and Netscape and all these companies that went bankrupt. But Google made it, Facebook made it."

He predicted a reckoning in discipline as companies start asking: "I put $100 million in this, what am I getting?"

He's putting New York's mayor on notice

Dimon said he has personally confronted New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani with the numbers behind JPMorgan's southward drift in staffing. The bank's New York head count has fallen from 35,000 to 26,000 over 20 years, while Texas has surged from around 11,000 to 35,000, he said.

Asked whether anything City Hall could do would push the bank out of New York, where it just opened a new headquarters tower, Dimon pointedly declined to rule it out: "I wouldn't make it binary like that."

Instead, he laid out the scorecard he says mayors are now graded on: "It's not just the taxes, but it is the taxes. It's the medical. It's the hospitals. It's the social life. It's the commute. It's the housing."

Cities, he warned, no longer have captive employers: "There weren't as many competitive cities; now there are a lot."

He held up Texas as the state getting it right: "They're open to business ... it's easy for you to buy a house and have a family. If governments do the wrong thing, it will work adversely."

Insecurity, not arrogance, is the worst trait for CEOs

Dimon said leaders need to acknowledge that they can't know everything and trust the people around them to make decisions and tell them the truth, even if it's hard to hear.

The best leaders, in Dimon's eyes, have the "innate skills to trust people, to get the best out of people, to not get embarrassed by not knowing."

A secure leader treats criticism as a good thing, Dimon said. "You're not going to hurt my feelings by telling me we have a crappy product," he told Frost.

"Customer complaints are a gift."

• General Motors took a nearly $2.3 billion charge in the last quarter amid changes to its EV plans.
• GM, which has more EV products than any other US automaker, delivered 31,000 fewer EVs to dealers last quarter.
• Profits for its gas-powered trucks are still booming.

The price tag for General Motors' EV reset has ballooned to nearly $11 billion.

During the automaker's Tuesday earnings update, executives said GM recorded a nearly $2.3 billion EV-related charge in the most recent quarter. That brings the automaker's total related costs to $10.9 billion since the second half of 2025 as it slows its EV build-out and builds more gas-powered cars. The billions in write-downs are tied to cutting battery capacity and to reworking factories for gas engine production.

US demand for EVs has fallen since the expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit in September, and legacy automakers have responded with billion-dollar write-downs on their EV development plans. Jeep's parent company, Stellantis, announced a $26 billion charge in February, Ford recorded a $19.5 billion charge in December, and Volkswagen wrote off $3.5 billion in September.

On Tuesday, GM said its most recent write-down has now "substantially" completed the major cash costs it expects from the EV reset.

For General Motors — which builds nine EV nameplates, the largest lineup of any US automaker — the billion-dollar cutbacks starkly contrast with CEO Mary Barra's once lofty EV expectations. In 2021, she predicted the company would sell more electric vehicles than Tesla by 2025.

That didn't happen. Last year, GM sold just over 150,000 EVs while Tesla delivered nearly 590,000.

Instead, GM's gas-powered trucks and SUVs remain its main profit engine — and that is changing the vehicles it sends to dealerships.

During the second quarter, GM shipped 31,000 fewer EVs to dealerships in North America than it did a year earlier. At the same time, it shipped 30,000 more gas-powered vehicles.

The shift is also reaching GM's top-end brand, Cadillac, which calls itself America's best-selling luxury EV maker — it's developing new internal combustion engine, or ICE, cars.

"Starting next spring and continuing into 2028, we will begin launching the next generation of Cadillac ICE vehicles," Barra said during the Tuesday earnings call.

GM's stock price jumped more than 3% after the bell.

I grew up in a Bagel Bites and SnackWell's kind of '90s household, descending from a long, prestigious line of women who did the cooking required of mothers without once pretending to enjoy it.

Take, for example, my Grandma Lillie, a brilliant woman who deserved to go to college alongside her brother in the 1930s, but instead became a beloved homemaker. She engineered her family's meal rotation down to a science: Monday meatloaf, Tuesday steak and french fries, Wednesday liver and onions, etc. The system freed her up for things she actually enjoyed.

My own mother always ensured we were well fed, with a few signature dishes we could look forward to, although the microwave was her cooking tool of choice. I inherited my mother's microwave prowess, but have also flirted with cooking over the years.

Living most of my adult life in New York City, there was never much need for it, nor a kitchen large enough to attempt it.

But for a glorious stretch in my early 30s, newly married and child-free, I tied on a polka-dot apron with a frilly sweetheart neckline three nights a week and pretended to be the kind of woman who delighted in making Blue Apron recipes. (Say what you will about meal kits, but they taught me to mince garlic with confidence.)

The domestic-goddess cosplay eventually fizzled out. Recipes started to blur together, especially within my vegetarian constraints, and the weekly arrival became its own household-management problem. And honestly, I just got bored.

Even though I married a man whose parents taught him a thing or two in the kitchen, I knew our family needed help — professional help.

Preparing for service

I hired a personal chef to prep our meals for a week to give me temporary relief from the dreaded question, "What's for dinner?"

For $1,000 in labor, plus roughly $350 in groceries, our lunch, dinner, and snacks would all be freshly prepped and tailored to our family's tastes.

It wasn't quite the luxury of a full-time private chef, which would have cost more than $1,000 a day. Still, it promised something equally enticing: a week in which meals would simply, already, exist.

I came across Chef John Poiarkoff while searching local Facebook groups in the New York area. He grew up helping with his family's catering business, later trained at the French Culinary Institute in NYC, and worked at MoMA's renowned restaurant, The Modern. Now, Poiarkoff mostly consults for restaurants and, luckily for me, takes on the occasional private client.

Before he arrived, Chef John and I had a Zoom consultation to map out the week. The chef of over a decade told me he tries to customize each menu to a client's needs and wants while sticking to dishes that keep well in the refrigerator and reheat easily.

We briefly went over food restrictions and dislikes, but mostly spent time discussing what my family loves: lamb, salmon, and Indian food for my husband; any and all cheeses for me; tuna and cucumber sandwiches for my obviously half-English son; and anything without a face for my newly vegetarian 5-year-old daughter (and me).

Even our discussion of hummus turned granular — did I want cumin and garlic for more heat? We settled on lemon and milder flavors for the meals overall, so there would be a chance my children would eat them.

I was excited to cross off getting groceries at Trader Joe's from my to-do list since Chef John, who mostly shops at farmers markets and Wegmans, would buy the ingredients. Groceries for his meal-prep clients generally range from $300 to $700 a week, depending on the size of the family and the quality desired.

He also requested photos of my kitchen with the cabinets open so he could see what he'd be working with — a black hole of pots, pans, and Tupperware all missing their tops.

Chef John would do most of the prep at home, then come to mine for four to five hours to finish everything while the kids and I gawked at him.

Chef Day

In the weeks leading up to what became known as "Chef Day" in my household, my son was crushed to learn Chef John would not be sleeping in our basement and on call 24/7 for his snacking needs.

A few weeks later, he asked whether I could write an article about hiring a butler for children. I reminded him that his parents already perform the services of a butler for free, to which he said,"OK, sure, so maybe you could get a costume."

Anyway, Chef Day began with an unloading of olive oil, spices, knives…and then an unexpected question. "I didn't bring salt," Chef John said. "Do you have salt?"

I did! A fact I present as evidence that I am not entirely beyond hope.

A few minutes later, he asked about a blender for the hummus. I couldn't confidently say whether we owned one. Chef John shrugged it off easily and made do with a small hand blender and a deli container from his own kit.

This, I learned, is the difference between a professional and me. A professional adapts, whereas I would have declared the recipe impossible and ordered Thai food.

For the next few hours, I watched someone cook with a fluency I found genuinely hypnotic. He assembled the lasagna using a restaurant trick, stirring the ricotta directly into the béchamel so there was "one less step" when layering.

He made tofu balls with feta and dill that looked like an elevated version of the matzo balls I'd recently attempted for Passover, adding extra olive oil because tofu lacks the fat that keeps traditional meatballs tender.

Somewhere between the faux meatballs and marinara, I asked whether he had tips for (a totally hypothetical) someone who wants to enjoy cooking more.

"A lot of people think it's hard because they're not patient enough," he said. "Patience is a big part of cooking well and without stress." Start with the task that takes the longest, and then sprinkle everything else in.

Chef John also absolved me of three decades of guilt in one sentence: The microwave, which he was once staunchly against, is genuinely the best way to reheat rice.

And when it comes to convincing kids to try new foods, even the professional chef doesn't expect his own children to eat everything. "I always try to give them what we're eating but then have a backup, like pasta or pizza," he told me.

(His 2-year-old has recently discovered he can claim that any food he doesn't want is mysteriously "too spicy," regardless of whether spice is actually involved. A bold move to try on a professional chef.)

Perhaps most comforting of all, Chef John admitted he doesn't "meal prep" for his own family nearly as much as people imagine. Most nights, he's throwing dinner together like the rest of us.

A week of not asking, 'What's for dinner?'

After four hours and one very special tuna-and-cucumber sandwich prepared for my son (which he declared is better than his dad's), Chef John packed up, making good on his promise to leave the kitchen cleaner than he found it.

I spent a good 10 minutes surveying my fully stocked fridge, salivating and sending cruel, gloating pics of clearly labeled containers of all shapes and sizes to mom friends, enjoying the strange, luxurious sensation of dinner waiting for me.

He'd left us with four mains (salmon with dill-yogurt sauce, cheese lasagna, lamb curry, tofu balls), four sides (roasted broccoli, braised carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, spiced basmati rice), a vegetable soup, a marinated chickpea salad, and two platters of "snacks" in the form of deviled eggs and crudités with hummus and tzatziki.

Everything held up beautifully over the week and even lasted into the next. His labeling made reheating idiot-proof (although, as I mentioned, I'm very good with a microwave), the snacks were grab-and-go, and we didn't even finish the second container of soup.

The kids, to their credit, tried everything, but ultimately ate only a few dishes (the lasagna, the soup, the crudites). I think everything else was too elevated with unfamiliar flavors and textures, or had just committed the crime of not being mac and cheese.

By midweek, I'll admit, I felt a milder version of the same feeling. The food was delicious, packed with flavor in a way our regular rotation is not, and the smaller portions were also actually satisfying. But I missed standard comfort foods, like scrambled eggs on toast or jacket potatoes with beans and cheese, and dishes I could imagine attempting myself one day.

One of the biggest ROIs from our week of meals is that my husband and I got along better.

Breakfasts in our house are simple (fruit, cereal, toast), and the kids' weekday lunches are provided by school. My husband and I are aware that every day, week after week, we must feed ourselves and these children, and yet, when mealtime arrives, it somehow always feels surprising and a little destabilizing.

Knowing exactly what we were going to eat, and that it would take no more than five minutes to reheat and plate, lightened our mental load and freed up hours of our week.

I'd love to tell you I used the reclaimed time to sit down properly at my dining room table and savor each meal. Mostly, I ate the way I always do, multitasking and hovering over the warm section of the countertop over the dishwasher.

But a few times we all sat down together as a family, and one morning it even happened for breakfast. My son surveyed the scene. "Well, this is nice. We should do this every morning," he mused. It was a start.

The verdict

The grown-ups very much enjoyed the taste, freshness, and convenience of Chef Week, but ultimately, for our family, the investment wasn't worth it since our kids wouldn't eat the food.

Even with the advanced level of customization offered — which felt like a real dividing line between a personal chef and meal-kit services — we still had to make plainer backup meals all week long.

It doesn't feel great standing over a pot of boiling, soon-to-be buttered noodles when you've already spent $1,350.

Would I do it again? Yes, but with the menu very mindfully tailored for the kids (although with repeated exposure to more interesting meals over time, I'm sure their tastes would evolve).

I'd also want to spend closer to about $500 a week, including labor and ingredients, which is roughly double our current weekly grocery bill.

To hit this price point, we'd probably need the meal-prep services I occasionally see advertised on local Facebook groups — not a professional chef, but more of a neighborhood grandma looking for a side gig.

Still, it was a fun experiment for our family, with about a two-thirds adoption rate. And I'd like to think that up or out there somewhere, Grandma Lillie is nodding, smiling, and most importantly — not cooking.

• Intel is planning layoffs within its data center group, the chipmaker confirmed to Business Insider.
• A spokesperson said the cuts are part of a broader effort to become "more focused and efficient."
• Intel has steadily reduced its workforce in recent years.

US chipmaker Intel is planning layoffs within its data center group amid a larger effort to become a "more focused and efficient" company.

"As part of our broader strategy to become a more focused and efficient company, Intel's data center group (DCG) is aligning its organization to ensure it has the right roles and skills in place to position the business for long-term success," an Intel spokesperson told Business Insider on Tuesday.

The spokesperson added that Intel is committed to supporting affected employees through the transition. Intel declined to disclose how many employees would be impacted by the layoffs.

A person familiar with the matter told Business Insider that the changes would not affect the data center group's product commitments and roadmaps and should help to better streamline the business.

News of the planned layoffs was first reported by The Oregonian.

The new round of job cuts comes as Intel has steadily reduced its workforce over recent years. Last year, Intel laid off at least 15% of its factory workers, or more than 5,000 employees, across four US states.

In August 2024, the chip manufacturer announced more than 15,000 job cuts as part of a plan to deliver $10 billion in cost savings for 2025.

Intel's turnaround effort gains momentum

The latest planned layoffs come at a pivotal period for Intel, which has shown signs of renewed momentum under CEO Lip-Bu Tan.

Tan was appointed CEO in March 2025 and is attempting a turnaround. The chipmaker's market share decreased in the last decade amid competition with foreign suppliers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

The US chipmaker is in the midst of developing its foundry business, an effort to develop chips for other companies.

On Tuesday, Intel announced its first named customer for its foundry business during Tan's tenure, a partnership with California-based cybersecurity company Fortinet to develop its next-generation security chip. Intel shares were up more than 6% following the news.

Last year, the US government took a nearly 10% stake in Intel, making it the company's largest shareholder. Intel's stock soared after President Donald Trump discussed the agreement at the White House and have climbed roughly 179% since the start of the year.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also said that the EV maker plans to use Intel's more advanced 14A chip process, which would mark a major win for the chipmaker.

Back in May, Intel's stock rose to an all-time high following reports that the company was in talks with Apple to make chips for its devices.

Do you work at Intel? Contact the reporter from a non-work email and device at nmusumeci@businessinsider.com or on Signal at 718-288-1655.

• As an interior decorator, there are a few things I'd never have in my own living room.
• Loose couch cushions can create a frustrating maintenance routine as they need to be rearranged.
• Instead of gallery walls, I opt for for large statement art pieces to avoid overstimulation.

As an interior decorator, I've seen plenty of living-room design choices that can make a space feel awkward, dated, or poorly proportioned.

From small area rugs to vertical plastic blinds, here are eight things I'd never put in my own living room.

A small rug can detract from the room's cohesion and make it appear smaller.

If an area rug is too small for the room it's in, the furniture can feel like it's floating around without anything to ground it.

That's why I like to think of a rug as a placemat rather than a centerpiece for furniture. When it extends slightly beyond the furniture, it helps define the living area and makes the space feel larger and more cohesive.

As a general rule, I recommend choosing a rug that extends 6 to 8 inches beyond either side of the sofa and is large enough for at least the front two legs of each piece to rest comfortably on it.

In my opinion, futons are more functional than comfortable.

Due to their functional, lightweight construction, futons are usually smaller than standard couches, with narrower seats and firmer cushions.

Many people opt for this type of seating because it can easily convert into a bed. However, since the living room is one of the most-used spaces in the home, I wouldn't sacrifice comfort or style for the occasional guest.

If you need the living room to double as a guest space, consider buying a more comfortable sleeper sofa instead.

Vertical plastic blinds won't stand the test of time.

Window treatments are crucial for privacy, light, and temperature control, but they can also elevate your interior decor. As an everyday-use item, quality blinds are an investment that can actually add value to your home.

That's why I like to stay away from thin, vertical, plastic blinds that tend to bend and tear easily.

Instead, I stick to 2-inch wooden or shutter blinds. I also like to add high-quality curtains, which can help with temperature control and incorporate personality into a space.

Exposed wires are an eyesore.

Mounting a TV or installing plug-in wall sconces can elevate the living room, but exposed wires create visual clutter and can make a space look unfinished.

If you're unable to run wires through the wall, installing a cord-concealing track that matches your wall color is a quick and easy option.

But more often than not, I recommend just keeping your electronics off the walls and using the opportunity to invest in a nice TV stand.

I would never let my couch or coffee table become a conference room.

If your living room is littered with paperwork and looming to-do lists, it can be hard to get out of the work mindset and into chill mode — especially if both take place around the coffee table.

It's important to create a comfortable work environment while maintaining separation between the workspace and living areas.

If space is limited, split the room into separate zones for work and play, so that when you clock out, you can move away from the workspace.

Sectionals with loose back cushions can be frustrating.

Loose back cushions aren't attached to the couch and are often made with removable covers. Though they can be a good selling point for individuals who want to regularly wash their covers, I find that they create a frustrating maintenance routine.

Lightweight cushions can fall down and be easily pushed around the couch. On the other hand, heavy feather cushions will get squished and need regular fluffing.

If you don't want to deal with constant maintenance, consider buying a couch with back cushions that are attached.

Gallery walls leave me feeling overstimulated and uninspired.

Gallery walls are a scattering of framed posters, small pieces of art, and family photos. Though they certainly fill the space, they can also appear as visual clutter if not mindfully curated.

Instead, I always keep small-scale art on tabletops and bookshelves and opt for large pieces for the wall to fill the space and make a bolder design statement.

Small throw blankets aren't practical.

Nothing is more disappointing than cuddling up under a fuzzy blanket just to have your toes poke out.

Though many throws are intentionally small so that they won't take up too much space when draped over the couch, the size also means you probably won't be able to stretch out underneath.

Instead, I like to find a blanket that's marked as a twin-size or oversized. A good throw, especially in a knit fabric, can add a gorgeous cozy texture to your space, fold up tightly, and serve as a versatile piece for me and my overnight guests.

This story was originally published on July 3, 2023, and most recently updated on July 21, 2026.

• I've realized that being selfish is one of the most important qualities I can develop as a mother.
• I've learned that spending time focusing on myself, as hard as that can be, makes me a better mom.
• Modeling self-care to my children is one of the most loving things I can do.

Not many would think motherhood is a good time to be selfish, but I have learned that selfishness is, in fact, essential to being a good mom.

If I had heard this advice before I had children, and even a year or two in, I would have rolled my eyes and dismissed the statement as ridiculous, abhorrent, immature, and very, very selfish. But now that I am in the trenches of raising three kids — 2, 4, and 17 — I know that being selfish not only benefits my health and well-being, but it just might be one of the most profound qualities I can demonstrate to my children.

Being a parent of littles is like waking up from a long-haul flight every day, one in which you flew economy, slept in the middle seat, kinked your neck, had too much to drink, and perhaps got food poisoning. And then you have to get off that flight and function as though everything is copacetic. All while raising little humans who cover themselves in yogurt they insist is sunscreen, scream at you to go away while holding onto your leg, insist they are NOT tired as their eyes roll back in their heads, and have a meltdown because their banana is cut/not cut/peeled/not peeled/broken/has a "yucky" bit/too sticky.

My life is a roller coaster of ups and downs and demands an abundance of love, patience, and energy. The only feasible way I see to dig deep enough to generate that each day is to spend time and energy on myself, too

Mothering is not about being selfless

For someone who was raised to think of others first, this concept of prioritizing myself is entirely new to me. Frankly, it makes me a bit uncomfortable.

I grew up thinking that being selfless was a prerequisite of being a mother and a mandatory attribute that if I didn't possess, I should remain childless. I think most women are brought up this way, to think that motherhood entails sacrificing yourself to your children. Naturally, your life and identity change drastically once you have children, but sacrificing yourself ultimately harms everyone in your orbit. Now I know better.

Modeling happiness and self-love for my kids

I didn't always have this understanding. After four years as a parent to littles and prioritizing everyone and everything over myself, I'm crumbling, physically and emotionally.

I feel frazzled, overwhelmed, and on edge, like I am constantly trying to catch my breath while futilely attempting to garner more patience and energy. But I can't. And I can't treat parenting like I have most things in my life: something to tick off a to-do list. For the first time in my life, there was something I couldn't finish. The realization that there's no end to parenting hit me like a thunderclap. However, I still needed to find some space for myself.

So now I'm making the intentional decision to be more self-focused. I'll go to the gym instead of making those "wake up" muffins Instamoms have been telling me will ensure a seamless morning (they won't).

Instead of researching how to eliminate the dummy, potty train, self-regulate emotions, or the myriad of other to-dos that fill my mind, I'll force myself to pick up a (non-parenting) book. And when you live in a house with four boys, there will always be an endless pile of laundry, but the Netflix show I've been meaning to watch that helps distract my mind from all this for a moment will expire soon, so I'm going to watch that first.

It's not always easy to prioritize myself

All this said, I still feel guilty and indulgent for choosing moments like these, but I always try to remind myself of the benefits, which for my children are three-fold: They get a more patient and balanced mom, they are taught valuable lessons about patience (mommy is lying down, you'll have to wait) and independence (mommy is not here right now, but I know you can do that yourself), and most importantly they learn to prioritize and value themselves.

I'm hoping that by modeling a life well lived, my children will learn crucial life skills naturally at an early age.

Motherhood is a marathon, not a sprint

Before I became a mom, I knew that it was incredibly important to me that my children see me happy. I wanted to give them the blueprint for a balanced and fulfilling life. It's like the well-worn adage, "put your own oxygen mask on first," except this isn't an emergency — or is it?

If every day I am sacrificing more than I need to (isn't it enough that I've already given up sleep, hot coffee, personal space, and uninterrupted conversations), I will be an impatient, cranky, unhappy version of myself. So I need to remind myself to be selfish every day. Because parenthood requires the endurance of a marathon, not a sprint, and marathoners need to take care of their bodies and minds to reach the finish line.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US could impose sanctions on Chinese AI companies.
• Bessent said the US is probing whether Chinese companies "stole" intellectual property from their US competitors.
• Bessent said the Trump administration is not opposed to open source models but will protect AI IP.

The Trump administration is signaling that it may clamp down on Chinese open-source AI models that are the talk of the industry.

On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US government is looking into whether popular open-source AI models from Chinese-based companies stole the intellectual property of their US competitors.

"There's a very technical AI word for it called distillation, but you and I would call it theft," Bessent said during an interview on Fox Business.

Bessent said the Trump administration welcomes open-sourced AI models in general, but will not tolerate companies that build their offerings on "IP theft."

"This administration supports open source models, but what we do not support is IP theft," he said. "And if we see, especially that overseas models are stealing from our great companies, we have the ability to sanction them because of this theft."

Bessent's comments are likely to be well received by AI giants like Anthropic, which previously accused Chinese companies like Moonshot AI, the maker of Kimi K3, Minimax, and DeepSeek, of essentially ripping off its AI research through a process known as distillation.

At the time, Anthropic said the Chinese companies accessed "Claude at scale while evading detection" and then used that access to conduct improper training that violated the company's terms of service.

Unlike Anthropic, Bessent did not name specific companies.

"We are finding watermarks of our US large language models on many Chinese models, and that's unacceptable," he said.

Moonshot AI's release of Kimi K3 has upended the generative AI race. Closely watched AI benchmarks show that the Chinese model performs functions such as coding at or above the level of Anthropic's Fable 5 or OpenAI's GPT-5.6-Sol, the two companies' current frontier, proprietary models.

Unlike proprietary models, open weight models are made available for users to download and to tweak at their leisure. Moonshot has promised to release Kimi 3's full weights on July 27. In the meantime, users are accessing it through the firm's website.

There is an intense debate brewing in tech over what, if anything, the US government should do in response to Kimi K3.

Dean Ball, a former senior advisor on AI to President Donald Trump who is newly OpenAI's head of strategy, faced intense pushback when he suggested that the White House may breed FUD ( fear, uncertainty, and doubt) to get the private sector to shy away from deploying Chinese open source models. Legendary tech investor Bill Gurley wrote a Washington Post op-ed on Monday that portrayed open-source models as one of the few ways the US could avoid an AI duopoly in which Anthropic and OpenAI maintain a stranglehold.

Anthropic has also faced skepticism from some quarters when it has complainbed about distillation attacks, given that its own AI models were built on copyrighted materials that authors and media companies have said were used without permission.

Bessent said that there are US companies pursuing open-source models, naming Meta, Nvidia, and Reflection AI. But for now, the Chinese companies are widely viewed as dominating the space.

"These models have to be held to the same standard as US models are, but more importantly, are they using stolen materials?" he said.