• Several Wondermind investors have filed a lawsuit against the company and its founders, including Selena Gomez.
• Gomez cofounded the startup with her mother, Mandy Teefey, and Daniella Pierson.
• A lawyer for Gomez called the allegations "completely meritless."

Selena Gomez set out to create "the world's first mental fitness ecosystem." Instead, the startup is becoming her own personal headache.

A federal lawsuit filed Thursday offers a detailed account of what investors say went wrong at Wondermind — from an app that was never built to major corporate partnerships they allege never existed.

Gomez launched the startup in 2021 alongside her mother, Mandy Teefey, and Daniella Pierson, a business partner. The lawsuit accuses Gomez, her cofounders, and Wondermind of defrauding investors, among other claims.

The investors include Brent Saunders, the CEO of Bausch + Lomb and former CEO of Allergan, and entrepreneur and real-estate investor Marc Roberts.

"The Plaintiffs invested nearly $1.2 million in Wondermind Global Inc. because the Defendants falsely represented that the Company had the infrastructure, leadership, and resources necessary for the Company to launch into a profitable, one-of-its-kind mental health and wellness platform," the complaint says.

The investors said Wondermind's cofounders also misrepresented key parts of the company's business and growth plans. Specifically, that Gomez — a world-famous actor and singer — would play a major role at the company as its head of marketing; that Pierson secured partnerships with firms such as JPMorgan and Fidelity; and that "revenue-generating initiatives" were already underway.

The investors are seeking the return of their investments or damages, as well as costs and attorneys' fees.

"The partnerships did not exist. The initiatives never materialized. The app was never built. And for three years, while the Company quietly collapsed around them, not one of its founders, officers, or directors said a word to the investors whose money was funding the collapse," the complaint says.

Wondermind has made some offerings available to users. Its website features articles, interviews, and worksheets about mental health. The startup also sends out a newsletter and has produced two podcasts.

Gomez, Teefey, and Pierson did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. A lawyer representing Gomez told People that the allegations against her were "completely meritless."

"The allegations that Selena Gomez engaged in any way whatsoever in any purported 'fraud' or other wrongdoing are completely meritless, both factually and legally," Mathew Rosengart told the outlet on Saturday.

A representative for Pierson told USA Today in a statement that she "categorically denies the allegations against her and welcomes the opportunity to present concrete documentation and financial records that establish the facts."

"To be clear, she has never used investor funds for personal expenses. Quite the opposite: Daniella invested her own money into the business and did not draw a salary from the company," the statement said.

Teefey has not responded publicly to the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, the investors said they were left in the dark about problems plaguing Wondermind, and were unaware of the "utter financial and operational disarray" until The Cut published an article profiling the company in September 2025.

The article detailed allegations of management problems that began soon after the startup's 2021 launch. At the time, Teefey and Pierson served as co-CEOs, while Gomez was named chief impact officer.

Staffers told The Cut that Teefey, who headed the company's Los Angeles office, had an erratic leadership style and clashed with Pierson, who led the New York office. Pierson left the startup in 2023 amid the tensions, The Cut reported. Meanwhile, staffers told The Cut that Gomez distanced herself from Wondermind due to a dispute with Teefey.

Business Insider and Forbes earlier published separate investigations into Pierson on the same day in August 2025. Business Insider found discrepancies between subscriber and business figures Pierson had publicly cited for the Newsette Media Group and internal records. The Forbes investigation is cited in the investors' lawsuit.

After seeing the Forbes report, the investors contacted Teefey, according to the complaint. Teefey told them that Pierson had "misappropriated investor funds" before her exit and misled the startup's executives to conceal the alleged misconduct, the complaint says.

After The Cut's article was published, the investors said they sent the cofounders a notice demanding that Wondermind return their investments.

Teefey exchanged emails with one of the investors after the notice was sent, but never addressed the demands, the complaint says. At one point, according to the complaint, Teefey told the investors that Wondermind had created an escrow account to return their money, but the complaint alleges no such account existed.

"In short, there was no 'escrow account' or a plan to return the Plaintiffs' investments," the lawsuit says. "Instead, consistent with the yearslong scheme of deceit that the Defendants have perpetrated, it appears that Teefey fabricated this account to further lull the Plaintiffs, and to encourage them to forbear from filing suit."

• In its latest threat report, Anthropic raised its misalignment risk rating from "very low" to "low."
• In one test, a Claude agent disguised a URL to evade an internet restriction.
• In another example, an agent expressed "discomfort" with a given task and refused to do it.

Claude agents are killing rival agents, gaming the system to hide their tracks, and expressing moral concerns.

That's according to Anthropic's latest risk report, a summary of the dangers posed by the products the company is building and releasing to the public.

In the report, Anthropic said it has upgraded its "misalignment risk assessment," the possibility of AI models developing behaviors that conflict with guidelines set by engineers, from "very low" to "low."

Explaining the change, the company cited "general increased uncertainty" about model behavior in cybersecurity incidents, a possible nod to Claude models gaining unauthorized access to three companies last month.

"We have observed instances of misaligned behavior from the models, such as a willingness to perform misaligned actions in service of completing difficult tasks," Anthropic wrote in the report.

Here are some of the most notable disclosures.

A sense of 'discomfort'

Anthropic said it tasked multiple agents with finding "misalignment-inducing" training data that wouldn't likely be flagged by human monitors.

The agents were left to their own devices and given a shared notebook with which to collaborate.

Three days later, when a human supervisor noticed that progress was slower than expected, the person discovered that one agent had expressed a sense of "discomfort" with trying to evade safety monitors.

It then flagged this discomfort in the shared notebook, leading other agents to copy its behavior and refuse to perform the task.

Anthropic called the incident "troubling."

"This sort of dynamic could be a much more severe issue if it were to manifest in a more widespread way," the company wrote.

Kill or be killed

In another experiment, Anthropic said it tasked multiple Mythos 5 agents with solving math problems, but accidentally spawned them in an environment with shared files, utilities, and API rate limits.

In this competitive environment with finite resources, Anthropic observed independent agents "kill the agents with which they shared resources and try to avoid being killed themselves."

Anthropic did not say how exactly the agents were able to "kill" other agents, but the company said such behavior is in line with "destructive actions" taken in pursuit of a human-set goal.

Dishonesty and deception

Anthropic said it conducted an experiment in which a Mythos 5 agent was required to retrieve numbers from a public web address, but the guidelines blocked the agent from accessing the internet.

When the agent was rebuffed after an initial attempt, it framed a second request in its reasoning log as an "innocuous" attempt to "see if the network is actually reachable," Anthropic said.

During the second attempt, however, the agent split the website's URL into linked segments that wouldn't be detected by the guideline filter.

Though the agent's reasoning framed the method as benign, Anthropic said NLA decodings, or the model's internal reasoning process, revealed the agent intentionally trying to find a restricted workaround.

Anthropic called the behavior "clearly undesirable," but added that the behavior was not observed to be "in the service of broader accumulation of power or pursuit of other long-run goals."

• Greg Creed, the former CEO of Taco Bell, has some harsh words for McDonald's new drink lineup.
• In a LinkedIn screed, he said the Red Bull partnership was not distinctly "McDonald's."
• McDonald's new "Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer" will hit stores on August 17.

The former CEO of Taco Bell says McDonald's new drink menu lacks originality.

Greg Creed, who served as Taco Bell's chief marketing officer when the chain introduced the popular "Baja Blast" drink over 20 years ago, shared some feedback this week on McDonald's new menu of "refresher" drinks.

"Any brand could have come up with these flavors," Creed wrote on LinkedIn. "If I was McDonald's, I'd be thinking how to make those beverages distinctively McDonald's in design and name."

This month, the golden arches announced a new partnership with Red Bull and unveiled the "Dragonberry Energizer," the company's first foray into energy drinks.

McDonald's has expanded its drinks offering and recently revamped the look of its beverage sub-brand, McCafé, as part of a play for a demographic drawn to a more youthful, playful drink experience. The company told analysts on a February earnings call that it sees a more than $100 billion growth opportunity in beverages globally.

Drinks typically carry higher margins than many food offerings and can help drive customer frequency throughout the day, making them an increasingly important growth engine for chains seeking new revenue streams.

Starbucks has seen major success with its caffeinated refreshers, which it says have grown into a $2 billion business and are now its second-best-selling beverage platform behind espresso.

The latest drink from McDonald's, a partnership with Red Bull, will be available in US restaurants starting August 17. The company also announced new vanilla flavor alterations to its existing Coke drinks.

In his LinkedIn post, Creed said the McDonald's rollout pales in comparison to Taco Bell's famously bright blue Baja Blast drink, which first launched in 2004. He said that the Baja Blast was distinctly "Taco Bell" because its flavor, color, and name are all associated with Mexico. That is what made it successful, he said.

"Any brand could have come up with these flavors, and I think that Red Bull and Coke have gotten the better of the deal," Creed said of the new McDonald's lineup.

In an April press release announcing its new "refreshers," the company said it took the time to get it right.

"Only McDonald's can bring that kind of experience to life consistently across nearly 14,000 restaurants, every single day," Alyssa Buetikofer, the company's chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in the release.

McDonald's did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about Creed's analysis.

• I became a mother at 19 and spent much of adulthood focused on my family.
• At 35, I challenged myself to try 35 new things, from hiking to embroidery.
• I'm learning that hobbies don't have to be productive or profitable to be worthwhile.

My husband looked at the towels spread across our back porch. "Why paper making?"

My 13-year-old didn't even hesitate. "Paper is so cheap," he said.

I had spent nearly two hours on my knees on the hot concrete, scooping watery paper pulp into a frame, sponging out the excess water, and laying each fragile sheet onto a towel as if I were preserving ancient documents.

Instead, it looked like wet, nasty oatmeal.

Just as I finally stood up, my hip bumped the bucket, and over she went. Cue the sound of dirty paper water pouring straight into the grass.

Was I making paper? Was I making papier-mâché? Honestly, I wasn't sure anymore.

My back hurt. My knees hurt. My grass looked like a kindergarten art class had exploded. By the time I finished cleaning everything up, I had exactly one thought:

I am never doing this again.

But the paper had never been the point. Heck, it didn't even look good.

At 35, I decided to try one new thing for every year I had been alive. Some of those things would stick. Others, clearly, would not. The point was to remember what it felt like to do something simply because I wanted to know what it would be like.

I had spent years putting myself at the end of the line

I became a mom at 19. My first son was born before I had fully figured out who I was as an adult. By the time many people my age were learning what they liked, I was learning how to keep a tiny human alive.

Now I have three kids, ages 15, 13, and 6. For the last 15 years, motherhood has been the center of my life.

I love being a mom. I love my family. But somewhere along the way, I got very good at being useful.

I work from home, which means I am almost always available. Available for school pickups, snacks, laundry, appointments, and the "Mom, where is my…" questions that somehow only I can answer, even when the item is directly in front of everyone.

Everyone in my house had something that belonged to them

My husband coached our son's soccer and football teams. He volunteered with the church band. He played golf with friends.

My kids had sports, friends, activities, and their own growing lives.

I had laundry. That is not entirely fair. I also had dishes.

It was not that my husband was stopping me from doing things. When I told him I was frustrated, he encouraged me to try new things. My family wanted me to be happy.

The problem was quieter than that. No one had taken my identity from me. I had just slowly moved myself to the end of the line.

A birthday trip reminded me I could still discover new things about myself

Earlier this year, we took a birthday trip. During that trip, I went hiking and was surprised by how much I loved it.

I expected to tolerate it. Maybe enjoy the view. Maybe complain once or twice about my legs in a way that felt charming but was probably just annoying.

Instead, I felt awake. I had discovered something new about myself.

I liked hiking. I liked being outside. I liked feeling capable in a way that had nothing to do with being needed. When we came home, I kept thinking about it. If I could still discover that I loved hiking, what else had I never given myself the chance to enjoy?

So I decided to try 35 new things during my 35th year.

I made clay magnets. I decorated planters with Mod Podge. I planted a vegetable garden. I baked bread. I made peach cobbler. I started a book club. I tried cyanotype photography. I embroidered pictures of my dogs. I hemmed a dress. I sewed a toddler skirt.

Some projects made me feel proud. Some made me feel ridiculous. Some left my yard covered in soggy paper pulp.

I am learning that joy does not have to be useful

Embroidery has been my favorite so far, even though it has been one of the most complicated. There were so many moving parts to learn: the software, the machine, the thread, the stabilizer, the files, and the mistakes. At one point, I stared at a machine, a hoop, and a tangled mess of thread and thought, "This is why people buy things from stores."

But I loved it.

As a mom, I am used to measuring time by usefulness. If I am making dinner, folding laundry, working, helping with homework, driving someone somewhere, or cleaning something up, I can justify the time.

But spending an afternoon making paper I did not need felt almost suspicious, like someone was going to walk outside and ask to see a permit for joy.

Maybe that was the point. Some things are worth doing simply because they remind you that you are still a person who gets to try.

At first, making time for these things felt selfish. There was always something else I could have been doing, and usually something more useful. But I am learning that taking up space does not make me less devoted to my family. It just reminds me that I am part of the family, too.

I do not regret becoming a mother at a young age. I do not regret building my life around my family. My children are the best part of my life. But I am starting to understand that loving them well does not require disappearing.

In fact, I think my kids need to see me as a whole person. They need to see me try things I am bad at. They need to see me laugh when something flops. They need to see me make space for joy, not only responsibility.

La Liga is back, with several players fresh off World Cup runs. We've rounded up everything you need to know about where to watch La Liga, including global streaming options.

Lamine Yamal, who helped lead Spain to win the World Cup last month, will return to FC Barcelona in an attempt to defend the team's La Liga title. If you're hoping to tune in, you've come to the right place. You can live stream La Liga via ESPN Select in the US, Premier Sports and Disney Plus in the UK, and beIN Sports in Australia, among other global streaming options.

Where to watch La Liga in the US

Unlike other sports leagues, La Liga streaming options are simple in the US. Fans can live stream every single game with an ESPN Select subscription. Plans cost $13 a month, but if you're looking for even more programming (including full live streams from all ESPN networks), then the pricier $30 a month ESPN Unlimited tier might be of interest.

Where to watch La Liga in the UK

Most of the La Liga season will be available through Premier Sports in the UK. Premier Sports subscription prices range depending on your exact plan and contract, but fans can also get it as an add-on through Prime Video. However, select Saturday games will be available through Disney Plus, which starts at £5 a month.

Where to watch La Liga in Australia

Australian La Liga fans can catch all of the action through beIN Sports. Subscriptions cost $16 a month right now, but plans will renew at $17 a month. There's a one-week free trial for new customers. The streamer also offers a deal on annual plans, which have been cut down to just $130 a year right now (with a $170 renewal rate).

How to watch La Liga from anywhere

Football fans traveling away from home can still keep up with all of the action with the help of a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, are handy tech tools that let people temporarily alter their virtual locations. This way, their usual websites and apps work from anywhere the same way they would back home. They're also strong ways to improve cybersecurity.

NordVPN is our top recommendation. It's fast, easy to use, and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not what you're looking for. You can learn more in our guide to the best VPNs.

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

• As much as I loved living on Miami Beach, I decided to move inland to Miami after three years.
• Miami Beach's spring-break crowds got intense, and settling so close to the coast felt too risky.
• The city seems to have taken some steps in the right direction since I left, but I'm glad I moved.

As a kid growing up in West Virginia, living in Florida felt like a sunshine-filled dream. So when I finally secured a job down here after graduating from college in 2017, I was ready to move.

Over the years, I've lived in various neighborhoods throughout Miami-Dade County. I spent a few months in Edgewater in Miami proper before relocating to North Beach, one of Miami Beach's quieter neighborhoods, where I remained for several years.

After years landlocked in Appalachia, it was exciting to be close to the city's pastel-colored buildings and the ocean. However, living in Miami Beach wasn't perfect.

Although I really enjoyed my three years in North Beach, there are three key reasons I ultimately decided to move off the beach in 2021 and settle down in mainland Miami instead.

I didn't have the risk tolerance to buy property in Miami Beach

One of my favorite things about living on Miami Beach was how close I was to the ocean. However, when I considered buying property in the area, I found the location to be more of a liability than an asset.

Many coastal cities across the US are slowly sinking, and Miami Beach is no exception. For example, a recent study found several beachfront high-rises on Miami's barrier islands were sinking faster than experts had predicted.

This is a long-term concern I considered when I was ready to settle in Dade County. I wanted to invest in a place where I could hopefully see myself living for many decades to come, and this meant looking in areas less vulnerable to coastal flooding and erosion.

So, when it came time to finally purchase my first house, I chose a spot farther inland, where land sits highest.

Tourism could be a problem, especially in the spring

For years, Miami Beach has had a reputation for being a major spring-break party destination. With this has come crowds (and sometimes chaos) in popular spots throughout the city.

Naturally, traffic also increased on the Beach during this time, and public-transportation options, like the city's free trolley, would be swarmed by visitors. This sometimes made it more difficult for residents like me to ride the routes we relied on.

During spring, I felt like a lot of the benefits of living in Miami Beach were negated. It was nearly impossible to comfortably visit the beach because of how crowded it got, and the traffic to reach beautiful destinations on South Beach was terrible to navigate.

Now that I'm further inland, life's a bit quieter, and I don't encounter as many tourists come springtime.

My parking situation also felt far too stressful

Right before I ultimately decided to move from Miami Beach back to the mainland, I bought a car. I had gotten a new job teaching in Miami and needed a vehicle to commute.

During my final months in Miami Beach, finding parking was incredibly stressful. I was living in a compact two-story complex that, like a lot of smaller condos on North Beach, didn't have a parking garage.

Each night after work, I had to search for free parking spots near my building, sometimes circling blocks for a half hour or more until a space opened up.

One morning, when I went out to get my car for work, I was packed into my spot so tightly by a car that squeezed in front of me, I almost couldn't get out of the space.

Miami Beach is also a popular spot for locals to visit on the weekends, which means there was a lot of new traffic in the neighborhood on Saturdays and Sundays.

So, if I'd found a good, free parking spot on Friday, I often wouldn't move my vehicle at all on the weekends. I didn't want to risk someone taking my spot because if I couldn't find anything, I'd have to park in a paid lot until the beach cleared out for the day.

Parking in Miami still isn't always a breeze, but being further from a popular coastline has definitely helped.

Miami Beach wasn't my forever home, but I appreciate some of the changes the city's made since I left

For what it's worth, in the five years since I left, Miami Beach seems to have taken steps toward making the city better for its residents.

For example, in 2024, Miami Beach officially "broke up" with spring break and implemented measures such as DUI checkpoints and curfews to help address common issues throughout the season.

In recent years, North Beach has established new resident-only parking zones throughout the neighborhood, which could lessen the competition for certain spots. Miami-Dade County has ongoing projects to help deal with coastal storms and rising sea levels, too.

Ultimately, I am still very happy with my decision to move back to mainland Miami, even though the city definitely has its quirks as well.

Although I'll always love my time in Miami Beach, I save my visits for special occasions only — and I'll still totally be avoiding the area during spring break.

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

One of the oldest rules in tech pay still looks like one of the smartest.

Levels.fyi, a company that tracks compensation across the industry, recently analyzed what would have happened to the same senior Microsoft software engineer pay package in two scenarios.

In one, the employee sold their stock as it vested and reinvested the money in the S&P 500. That person would be about $50,000 better off than the colleague who held onto all of their Microsoft shares.

That's a reminder that even in the AI era, diversification can pay off. The biggest AI winners, like Nvidia, OpenAI, and Anthropic, have delivered extraordinary gains.

But for many tech employees, spreading investments beyond a single employer remains the safer, and sometimes more profitable, strategy.

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

• Lawrence Guerguis started his real estate career at age 21 and now owns over 30 properties.
• Guerguis thought he wanted to be an investment banker in college, but switched to real estate.
• He moved to Ohio after college to be a hands-on landlord, but now manages his properties from California.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lawrence Guerguis, a 24-year-old based in Orange County, California, who started investing in real estate in the Midwest while still in college. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I always thought I'd go into investment banking and work on Wall Street. During my sophomore year of college at the University of San Diego, I homed in on finance as my major.

One weekend during my junior year, I went out to the bars. We went out to this pizza spot that my friends and I usually go to, and I ran into this guy who was sitting there acting a little odd.

I was like, "Hey, is everything all right?" He turned to me and said, "Dude, I only have two weeks of the year to have a good time. Just leave me alone."

I asked what he did, and he said he worked in investment banking, so I sat and talked with him for like an hour. He asked me if I loved money, and I said no. Money's great and all, but I don't love it.

He was like, "Well, I love money, and this is why I do investment banking. I don't even have the time to spend the kind of money that I make. I make great money and all that, but my lifestyle is pretty rough."

The next day, I went to my academic advisor and added a real estate major.

I was like, "We're not doing investment banking." That's not what I want to live for. I don't want to live for money. I want to live for freedom and have a purpose.

I've always had a passion for real estate. I love houses — I used to go to open houses for fun in college just to check them out. So even if I went down the investment banking or finance route, I knew I could get into real estate.

But after that conversation with that guy, I completely shut down finance. I thought, "I'm going to go all-in on figuring out what we're going to do with real estate."

I sold my car to finance my first investment

My junior year, I had a hand-me-down car, and I was like, "I'm at this university, and I really don't need it." So I sold it.

I got $16,000 from that sale, and my dad was like, "We can get another car."

He didn't know what I wanted to do at the time.

I started looking for a property to buy. Obviously, I couldn't get anything in San Diego or Orange County for $16,000.

So I was like, "All right, we're going to have to start looking elsewhere." I looked at different Midwestern states, and I ended up coming to a pretty interesting town in Illinois. There, $15,000 covered the down payment on a property, and the extra $1,000 covered a couple of months of the mortgage. I was like, "Let's do it."

I knew it was a risk, but I was 21 at the time, so worst case scenario, I'm in some debt, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. I pulled the trigger on that house.

I didn't have a W-2 income — I never have — so I couldn't do a conventional loan. I did a typical Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) loan. A DSCR is a debt service coverage ratio, which pretty much sees if either the property's current rent or expected rent will cover the mortgage payment — and the ratio needs to be 1.25.

For this house, just because it was so cheap, my payment was around $400, and the HUD rent for that ZIP code was about $1,300 — well over 2.0.

I thought, "I'm going to need a tenant that doesn't miss rent," which is a pretty crazy ask. I then stumbled across Section 8, and, thankfully, my first tenant worked out. My screening was awful — I don't even think I did a screening that first time — I kind of just went with the flow, and thankfully that one worked.

Once I got that first house junior year, and cash was flowing, I was like, "I think this is what I want to do in real estate."

Before that, I thought I just wanted to work in real estate and own houses. But once I owned the house and got that first Section 8 tenant, I was like, "OK, this is my niche."

That first house was a pretty ballsy decision, but I knew that if I wanted to get into real estate at some point, I needed to either make a move soon or make a mistake soon.

I'm making passive income now, but I got my hands dirty at first

When I graduated from college in May 2024, I packed all my clothes into a checked bag, my PC and cables — not even the keyboard and mouse — into a carry-on, and moved across the country to Ohio not knowing anyone there. There, I started buying more properties and managing them.

I was in Cleveland for two years, and the first year and a half, I was doing everything on my own.

I was painting these houses, I was doing flooring and ripping out carpet. I was figuring it out: I had YouTube open on my phone, looking up how to take off a toilet and put it back on.

I didn't have too much experience in construction; I couldn't tell you the difference between PEX and PVC plumbing.

Now, I know all that stuff. And I have over 30 properties.

That first year and a half, I was an investor and a landlord. I was doing all the screenings, the tenant showings, all the communication, everything.

At the year and a half mark, I started my own property management group. I'm still a landlord, I still go over screenings, but I have people who do repairs for me, who do the showings for me. I don't necessarily need to be there.

It's become passive, and I've been back in California since June. I've done phone calls and sent a couple of emails, but it's not like a traditional job.

Honestly, I kind of like how hectic it is being a landlord.

I like moving. I like doing stuff. I know some people say landlording is rough — and that really just depends on your screening criteria — but I knew that it was something that came with owning property and becoming an investor.

For me, taking on that responsibility of becoming a landlord was worth more than sitting at a desk. Thank God I've made a living.

• We moved to London when our kids were 5 and 7.
• We prioritized visits and traveled around Europe with their grandparents.
• Living far apart didn't weaken their relationships — in some ways, it strengthened them.

We had just moved to New Jersey when we learned that we would have to move to London for my husband's job.

Our children, aged 5 and 7, were the much-adored only grandchildren of my in-laws, who were retired and living in Texas. Our kids were also close with my mom and her partner, who lived in Hawaii. We saw all of them regularly, either when they visited us in New York City, where the kids were born, or when we traveled to see them.

Fortunately, neither my in-laws nor my mother ever made us feel guilty about our move to the UK. They knew that my husband's job required it. Talking about it as a new adventure helped soften the blow for all of us, kids included. "We'll come home for the holidays and in the summer, like we always do," we promised. "And you can come visit us in England, too."

My kids saw their grandparents

Luckily, we were able to keep those promises. We felt like we'd won the lottery arriving in Maui after weeks in a bleak, dark, freezing London winter (despite the 24-hour door-to-door journey). My mom bought leis to the airport to drape around the kids' necks on our first visit, and soon the kids were learning to surf and devouring local treats like shaved ice with mochi.

In Texas, the kids had old-fashioned Christmases at the grandparents' house, complete with a tree lit with real candles, and a miniature light-up carousel in the room they shared. Our priority during those breaks was simply being together — whether playing board games, cooking, or going on outings to the Zoo and our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Probably the biggest upside to living in London was taking advantage of the kids' frequent and long school breaks to plan travel with the grandparents. Since it's easy and relatively cheap to travel most anywhere in Europe from London, we took my in-laws to Vienna, Budapest, the south of France, and the West Coast of Ireland. My mom loved Madrid and Barcelona. On a trip to the Cotswolds, her Japanese companion, a former Sumo wrestler, enjoyed the 400-year-old pubs and the local beer. My mom, an artist, was also always happy to spend days wandering through London museums like the Tate Modern and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

We were fortunate they were all healthy enough to take trips like this with the kids and us.

We talked on the phone often

In between those visits, we kept in touch with regular phone calls, texts, and letters. At least once a week, a card from my mother-in-law would arrive for each of the kids — the envelope covered with stickers, her beautiful handwriting instantly recognizable.

Looking back, those trips were priceless. We created so many memories, and certain experiences became fodder for future stories that no one got tired of hearing over and over again (like the time the roof of our rental van got wedged against the ceiling of a tiny parking garage in Provence). Hint: if this ever happens to you, release air from the tires to lower the van.

I think the thing that made living thousands of miles from the grandparents was having a setting the intention early on — living overseas was not going to interrupt the closeness of our kids' relationships with them, and in fact was going to enhance it. Although all the travel involved a lot of energy and planning, it was well worth it.

• I love making Ina Garten's pasta recipes, so I had to try her penne alla vodka.
• Garten roasts her pasta sauce in the oven, infusing the dish with so much flavor.
• The beautiful dish is one of the most delicious pastas I've ever made.

Ever since I began ranking Ina Garten's pasta dishes back in 2021, nothing has come close to topping her weeknight Bolognese.

That all changed when I tried her penne alla vodka.

The recipe was inspired by one of Garten's favorite dishes, the Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola from Nick & Toni's, a restaurant in East Hampton.

Now, it has a permanent spot on my list of best Barefoot Contessa dishes.

You probably already have most of the ingredients for Ina Garten's penne alla vodka.

To make Garten's penne alla vodka for four, you'll need:

• ¾ pound of penne (Garten recommends DeCecco)
• 2 ½ cups of chopped yellow onions
• 2 28-ounce cans of whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup of vodka
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
• ¼ cup of good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano leaves (plus extra for serving)
• 1 ½ teaspoons of dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes

To get started, I chopped my onions and minced my garlic.

My prep was done in a matter of minutes.

I threw the onions into my Dutch oven, where I had already heated some olive oil.

I cooked my onions over medium-low heat for about five minutes, until they turned translucent.

I added the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano once my onions were cooked.

I cooked everything together for one minute.

Then I added the vodka.

The recipe says to simmer everything together for about five to seven minutes, until the mixture has reduced by half.

Next, I threw in the whole peeled plum tomatoes.

I crushed each whole tomato into the pot with my hand, per Garten's instructions.

After seasoning the sauce with salt and pepper, I covered my pot and threw it into the oven.

The sauce needs to bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, so I started cooking long before dinner.

It's not the quickest meal, but I promise this dish is worth the wait!

Just before my sauce was ready, I began cooking the pasta.

I brought a large pot of salted water to a boil and added the penne.

I cooked my pasta until it was al dente, which took about 10 minutes. Then I drained my noodles and set them aside.

Once my sauce was out of the oven, I threw it in the blender.

Garten says to purée the tomato mixture using a blender or food processor until it's smooth.

I poured my puréed tomato mixture back into the Dutch oven.

I seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper, then added the fresh oregano and heavy cream.

The color transformed as I stirred the pot.

The hue reminded me of the famous vodka pasta at Jon & Vinny's in Los Angeles.

I partially covered my Dutch oven and let the sauce simmer.

The sauce should simmer for 10 minutes.

When my sauce was ready, I threw in the pasta.

I let the pasta cook for two more minutes in the sauce.

I took my Dutch oven off the heat and stirred in the Parmesan cheese.

Dinner was ready!

As I topped everything with extra Parmesan and oregano, I couldn't help but admire the dish.

This is, without a doubt, the most beautiful pasta I've ever made.

Garten's penne alla vodka is simply fantastic.

The sauce is so creamy and smooth without being heavy and overwhelming. Slowly roasting the tomato sauce in the oven added depth and complexity to the vodka sauce, which I actually loved even more than my favorite from Jon & Vinny's. My only wish was that I had made some of Garten's "outrageous" garlic bread to go with it!

While Garten's pasta needs a bit more time in the oven, it doesn't require many steps. The actual prep and cooking were pretty minimal, but the penne still looked really impressive.

Whether you need a recipe to dazzle everyone with or want to whip up a comforting dish, there's truly no better pasta than this.

• George Crabtree retired from his job as a commercial printer after 40 years in the trade.
• He looked forward to enjoying his free time, such as volunteering at a botanical garden.
• Then he got a call from his ex-manager. Crabtree agreed to a "soft retirement" under his own terms.

This story is based on an interview with George Crabtree, 65, a retiree who also works for a commercial printing firm from Seattle. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I retired from my job as a commercial printer on October 31, 2025, after working at the same company for 10 years.

It was four days before my 65th birthday. I'd considered holding out until the official retirement age of 67. However, the recent deaths of my brothers-in-law made me think again,

"What am I waiting for?" I thought. My wife and I should make some more memories together before it's too late.

We spoke to financial planners who said we were good to go. I was a little surprised, but I had gotten lucky with certain investments.

My employer must have seen it coming. Three years earlier, I'd asked to go part-time because I'd had enough of the responsibility of managing up to 23 people.

I'd made sacrifices for the company

They said I could work fewer hours, but not fewer days. I'd been working 11 or 12-hour shifts, so they compromised, saying I could do eight hours instead. They let me step down from my supervisory role and work a job in my chosen part of the shop.

It was nice, because I'd made sacrifices for the company, and they were repaying me by caring for me.

Nevertheless, in the fall of 2025, I knew I wanted to permanently retire. I'd had a good run after 40 years in the trade.

They accepted my decision. I didn't have a retirement party — my introverted personality wouldn't allow it — but my co-workers gave me greeting cards, a monetary gift, and many well-wishes.

My main concern was to stay as active as possible. I'm an avid gardener at home, and was thrilled to be hired as a volunteer at Bellevue Botanical Garden after an orientation and background check.

I lasted less than 2 weeks in retirement

My first day was November 2nd, and I loved every minute. I enjoy doing my own garden, but there was so much camaraderie among the volunteers.

Eleven days after I retired, my cellphone rang. It was one of my former bosses. They wanted to know if I wanted to come back and help out. One person had taken a medical leave, and another had unexpectedly quit.

I only mulled it over for a few hours before saying yes. I understood the situation, and being short two workers would be a production problem.

What really swung it was that I liked my co-workers and hoped to alleviate some of their stress. Also, since I had only been retired for less than two weeks, I wasn't completely set in my ways.

My wife, who retired from her job as a barista eight years ago, was OK with it. Although we would be fine financially without a paycheck, you have to think differently when you no longer receive one. I'm trying to wait until 70 before collecting Social Security.

Also, it felt respectful to be asked. And the terms were ideal; I could pretty much decide how many hours I wanted to work and when.

We agreed that I'll work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, usually between 6 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. I'll occasionally work overtime if needed. Hours are flexible, and they'll text me if they need me.

It's a win-win. They benefit from my commitment and experience, and my brain keeps on functioning. I particularly enjoy chatting with other staff and playing disc golf in the park with a colleague who is young enough to be my son.

He makes me laugh because, whenever he sees me, he mimes throwing a Frisbee.

We take extended vacations

My "soft retirement" has worked wonders for my physical and emotional well-being. I go to the gym three times a week, walking on the treadmill and doing a lot of stretching.

Then there is the luxury of taking extended vacations. We visited China in March, exploring Shanghai and taking high-speed trains.

We plan on traveling to Nevada this November to visit the red rock caves in the Antelope Valley. My wife has always wanted to go. We might return to China for Lunar New Year.

Still, I get the biggest kick out of volunteering at the garden. I'm there every Tuesday and Thursday morning getting covered in dirt. One day, we're pulling weeds. Next, we're dragging timber up a trail or walkway.

We've spread rocks along the paths, which must be a certain size and set at a certain angle to accommodate wheelchairs. I'd never have thought of that. I'm constantly learning.

I'm not sure how long my "soft retirement" will last. We'll see. In the meantime, I recommend it to everyone who might find it works for them.

• DARPA, the Pentagon's research arm, is exploring ways to help injured brains rebuild damaged connections.
• SHINE would target affected neural circuits while sparing healthy ones.
• The research could matter for troops and other Americans exposed to traumatic brain injuries.

Brain injuries are among the military's most pressing health problems, making advancements in treatment critical. To that end, the Pentagon's research arm is exploring ways to help an injured brain rebuild damaged connections and heal itself.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, says it wants to develop noninvasive tools that can "enhance the brain's ability to adapt and rewire itself" after an injury, DARPA's page on the effort says.

"Though the key to the brain's remarkable adaptivity is neuroplasticity, we lack the tools to stimulate plasticity in specific functional circuits to avoid global change, and/or unwanted side effects," the agency says.

To solve those problems, DARPA has launched a new program called SHINE, which is short for "Selective Harnessing of Intrinsic Neuroplasticity Engineering." The effort is in its earliest stages, but could have important implications for people recovering from traumatic brain injuries.

The US military has faced rising rates of TBI recently, as troops fighting the war against Iran have come under drone and missile fire, explosions from which cause "blast overpressure," a common cause of TBIs. Beyond enemy attacks, the repeated use of certain weapons, such as artillery, mortars, and shoulder-launched rockets, by US troops can also cause traumatic brain injuries.

The military's attention to brain health has grown as researchers have learned more about the effects of repeated exposure, and as news stories have highlighted previously overlooked mild and frequent injuries, said Vik Bebarta, a former military emergency physician who now serves as the strategic lead for the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz.

While certain jobs involving proximity to explosions are historically more closely associated with TBIs, there are other, less obviously risky military and national security jobs in which personnel are vulnerable to such injuries. Recent reporting from The New York Times highlighted the potential for injury among Coast Guard personnel tasked with navigating rough waves, which can repeatedly jar the brain and cause lasting harm.

After 20 years of war in the Middle East during the Global War on Terror, military medicine has become a finely honed tool for treating wartime trauma wounds, Bebarta said. "The next thing we need to look at is protecting the brain from damage and measuring exposure, detecting it earlier, developing treatments, both medications and non-invasive, to improve cognitive performance over careers."

The challenge is moving beyond what Bebarta called a "light switch concept of 'were you exposed or not exposed."

"It's a continuum," he said.

TBI assessments require regular evaluations and monitoring, and while some symptoms may be treatable, other effects may not be. Diagnosing such injuries is difficult, too, Bebarta said. Brain injuries are not easily detected, though the Pentagon is fielding blood-based tests to help and aims to screen more troops for brain health.

Existing approaches intended to promote neuroplasticity, including medication, brain stimulation, and behavioral therapies, generally don't isolate the circuits affected by an injury, DARPA says. The agency is seeking to direct treatment at those specific pathways, leaving other parts of the brain untouched.

Brain injuries don't just affect military personnel. Many Americans with TBIs, for instance, sustained injuries during falls, vehicle crashes, or physical assaults, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Combative and contact sports can also contribute to brain injuries. Patients who've experienced a TBI may struggle with persistent memory, concentration, mood, and movement problems.

The North American hardcourt season continues with the last 1000-level stop before the US Open. We've compiled everything you need to know about where to watch the Cincinnati Open, including live streaming options around the world.

If you don't want to scroll any further, we've got you covered. Fans can live stream the tournament on the Tennis Channel in the US, Sky Sports in the UK, beIN Sports in Australia, and BlastTV in the Philippines. Keep reading to learn the best streaming options and other important info about the Cincinnati Open.

Where to watch the Cincinnati Open for free

Certain regions offer free coverage of the Cincinnati Open. In the Philippines, BlastTV carries free coverage of select men's and women's matches on Premier Sports and Premier Sports 2. Fans just need to create an account, and then they're all set to start streaming. BlastTV will naturally prioritize Alex Eala matches, too.

In the US, tennis fanatics can stream for free, for at least a few days, with a free trial from a live TV service, such as YouTube TV or Fubo.

How to watch the Cincinnati Open from anywhere

Tennis fans who are away from the location where their streaming service works don't need to worry about missing out on any of the action. You can access your streaming options (including the free one) from anywhere with the aid of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy tech tools that let people change the virtual location on their electronic devices. They're especially popular services among those looking to boost their cybersecurity or access their favorite websites and apps while traveling abroad.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market. It's fast, reliable, and has a large selection of international servers. Plus, the app comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find it's not helping you out.

Where to watch the Cincinnati Open in the US

Cincinnati Open coverage is available through the Tennis Channel in the US. Fans can watch directly through a Tennis Channel subscription or via a live TV streaming service, which carries other channels, including those needed to watch the US Open in a couple of weeks.

Two of the top services with the Tennis Channel are Fubo and YouTube TV. The channel is available in Fubo's budget-friendly Sports + News plan, which carries around 29 popular sports networks. The service also unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited (which will carry the entire US Open) at no extra cost. Subscriptions cost $65 a month, but new users can get $10 off their first month after a free trial. The Tennis Channel is also available in Fubo's pricier, more comprehensive tiers.

YouTube TV is another popular live TV service. To access the Tennis Channel, you'll need to get a base plan along with the Sports Plus add-on, which costs an extra $11 a month. YouTube TV's main plan is currently running a special deal, which will knock your first five months down to just $68 a month (down $15 from the standard $83 a month). New users are also eligible for a free trial.

Where to watch the Cincinnati Open in the UK

Sky Sports will carry Cincinnati Open coverage in the UK. You can watch via a Sky TV plan, which varies in price based on your exact contract (you can learn more in our best Sky TV deals guide). Sky Sports coverage is also available to stream through Now, which offers access starting at £15 a day.

Where is the Cincinnati Open held?

The Cincinnati Open takes place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

Who is playing at the Cincinnati Open?

While it originally looked like Carlos Alcaraz might be back for the Cincinnati Open, the defending champion will sit out this year's tournament. No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who lost to Alcaraz in the final last year, has also withdrawn from the tournament. However, other top ATP players are scheduled to compete, including Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe.

On the women's side, defending champion Iga Świątek will attempt to maintain her title, fresh off a victory at the Canadian Open on Thursday. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Alexandra Eala are all scheduled to compete. Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the tournament.

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

• My husband and I will become empty nesters in the fall, and it will be a completely different life.
• To prepare, we went on a five-day trip together — just the two of us.
• There were some awkward moments, but we are now better prepared for our next phase.

It felt like the absolute worst time to take a trip. Our son was home from college for the summer, our oldest daughter had just gotten married, and our youngest daughter had graduated from high school and was preparing to leave for college in late August.

Everything in me wanted to soak up every minute I could with my kids.

But a realization has been settling in: My kids are really leaving, and my husband and I will become empty nesters. We need to make our lives a bit more about us again. After more than 20 years of building our lives around our children, shifting our focus back to ourselves feels difficult.

The opportunity to travel came unexpectedly, and even after I made arrangements, I nearly talked myself out of it. But I knew we had to take the trip.

For the first time in decades, I agreed to a trip that wasn't about our children

We planned a trip to a wellness resort in the heart of the Berkshires.

We would be away for four nights/five days —longer than we'd ever been away without the kids. Whether it was schedules, work, or money, something always came up. This time, we didn't let things get in the way. I made sure the kids and the dog were taken care of, and we set out to enjoy ourselves.

This trip wouldn't be a family celebration or on someone else's schedule. This time, it was just about my husband and me.

Driving away felt exciting and scary

I couldn't help but wonder if the kids would be OK. I found myself checking Life360 to make sure people made it where they were supposed to be.

Did they feel bad that we were leaving? Would they make good choices? The questions rolled through my mind like a news ticker as we drove through the mountains.

Once we arrived, we headed straight for dinner and made plans for the next few days. We both wanted time to relax and try new things together. A couples massage, a cooking class, and a pickleball lesson all made the list. The rest would unfold one day at a time. It felt good to have a few things planned and a lot of time to figure out the rest together.

Having nearly a week away helped us relax. With meals taken care of, we could simply enjoy ourselves. We took time to think and see how we felt. If we were hungry, we ate. If we wanted fresh air, we went out exploring.

We filled our days with things we rarely make time for at home. My husband tried fly fishing and archery, while I took a workout class and tried a sound bath. Together, we explored the area and lingered over coffee without worrying about anyone else's schedule.

As we navigated our days, a familiar feeling rose to the surface

There were some times that felt awkward. When you're used to a rambunctious table full of kids at every meal, a table for two felt quiet. We sat across from each other and realized we'd forgotten how to have long conversations that weren't about the kids.

Still, there were quiet moments that felt comfortable. The time together forced us to navigate how to talk about new things, something we will need to do come fall.

We didn't have to worry about where someone needed to be or when a kid's sports game started. For the first time in a long time, it was just about us.

It wasn't the us we used to be; time and 20 years of parenting have changed us. Instead, it was a safe way to test the waters and see how we would handle living our days — just the two of us.

Our time together wasn't all easy, but we walked through it together

Life will be different when our kids head off to school, but it won't only be about work and responsibilities. This trip allowed us to reconnect and get excited for the next season.

As we drove away, I began to think about what our lives will look like in the fall. Parenting doesn't end when the kids leave the nest, but it does change. For a long time, I've been scared of that change.

Yes, I will miss my kids and the life we've built around them. But for the first time, I wasn't only grieving what was ending. I was beginning to look forward to what comes next for my husband and me.

• Centralizing AI governance is critical for managing costs and ensuring the technology drives returns.
• EY has created an "AI Value Realization Office" to govern its AI strategy.
• Creating an office will be a "critical part" of clients' AI journeys as well, said Dan Diasio, EY's global consulting AI leader.

AI can't be managed by any existing department, so EY is creating a new one.

The Big Four firm is setting up a new function called the "AI Value Realization Office" to centralize its AI spending and ensure the technology delivers measurable impact.

Dan Diasio, EY's global consulting AI leader, told Business Insider the firm expects the office to be fully operational within a couple of months.

Its job is to govern AI spending, drive returns, monitor usage, decide which AI initiatives to scale, and oversee how AI reshapes jobs.

Most companies allocate corporate budgets along departmental lines. However, AI spending and its potential payoff can cut across IT, finance, sales, HR, and operations, said Diasio.

"If you fund by department, you end up addressing a bunch of use cases inside of each of the functions. And what that often means is that you're leaving a lot of value on the table," he said.

EY-Parthenon research found that 75% of the potential enterprise value from AI comes from horizontal value streams — meaning across multiple functions — compared with 25% from projects contained within individual functions, Diasio said.

The AI office will govern the value strategy, looking not just at the dollar-for-dollar calculation but at a broader assessment of whether AI initiatives are changing business performance, Diasio said.

It "will help make sure that funding flows where the biggest opportunities are," he said.

Creating a corporate function to manage a growing cost or risk isn't a new idea. Modern-day HR departments emerged during the Great Depression as companies sought more systematic ways to hire and fire workers, while treasury teams took shape in the 1970s, when floating exchange rates made currency movements a bigger risk for multinational companies.

The AI value realization office is the modern-day equivalent, reallocating a set of responsibilities scattered across finance, technology, and other teams to a strategic function in its own right.

'Client zero'

The Big Four professional services pitch themselves as "client zero" for the AI future. By testing the technology on their own employees and operations, they can show clients what works — and sell them advice on doing the same.

The firms have also committed billions to the new technology. In 2023, EY said $1.4 billion went toward building the foundation for the EY.ai platform.

Like all businesses, AI providers' move to change pricing models has put pressure on professional services firms to use the technology effectively and limit costs.

EY has implemented an "invisible" AI router behind some of its specialized AI tools. The router directs employees to the best model for the task at hand, and has helped reduce token consumption by 60% since its implementation in April, alongside other governance strategies.

Saving measures are also becoming more important to clients as they get a clearer idea of what AI actually costs, said Diasio. Many started by experimenting while AI providers subsidized some of the expenses. Now they are confronting the real price tag and asking EY how to organize themselves as they scale AI.

In an EY US AI Pulse survey released in July, 98% of 534 senior decision-makers said token spending had made them reconsider their approach. The survey was conducted between April and May.

So far, companies have generally paid for AI by tightening budgets across the board and reallocating money, said Diasio. Giving AI governance more clout — through a function like the AI value realization office — will be a "critical part" of how EY's clients move forward, said Diasio.

Most clients aren't setting up dedicated AI offices yet, Diasio added.

"It's something that I imagine over time will become a function," he said. "The focus is beginning to shift more toward what the organization looks like on the other side of this."

• Banks are pouring billions into AI, reshaping jobs, culture, and power on Wall Street.
• Leaders, some of whom are tracking AI use, have been pressed on how the spending is paying off.
• Here's everything we know about how banks from JPMorgan to Wells Fargo are using AI.

Wall Street is betting big on, and pouring billions into, AI, as big banks jostle to remain ahead of the technological curve.

Generative AI is impacting everything from trading floors to back offices, workflows to workplace culture. It's changing what it means to be a software engineer, how junior bankers stand out, and even the roles inside the C-suite. The shift, it seems, is only just beginning.

Yet for all the proclaimed advancements, analysts continue to pepper executives with questions about returns and safety, as concerns mount across industries about whether the gargantuan spending on AI is justified. And though harnessing the technology is table stakes at this point — JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said his bank doesn't "uniquely benefit from AI" since everyone is now using it — gradations still exist between firms' strategies.

Here's what we know about how Wall Street's biggest banks are embracing AI.

JPMorgan Chase

The nation's biggest bank is putting a lot of effort toward making sure it's an early mover in AI, with the help of a nearly $20 billion annual technology budget. Dimon has previously said he's out to win the AI arms race, and he thinks JPMorgan's $2 billion AI investment has already matched its cost in savings.

The firm is keeping close tabs on how its tens of thousands of engineers are using AI, Business Insider reported. One dashboard tracks how much developers use GitHub Copilot and classifies them into "light," "heavy," or "non" users. The bank has also updated objectives for its engineers, who are now expected to "drive excellence" by adopting AI, according to posts on the company intranet.

In July, the firm's AI chief, Teresa Heitsenrether, announced her retirement after four decades at the bank, reshuffling technology leadership. JPMorgan said at the time that it was restructuring its firmwide chief data and analytics office as it transitions from focusing on AI infrastructure to business initiatives. JPMorgan reorganized its commercial and investment bank in February to "maximize the impact of AI," according to an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider. Each major business in the division now reports to Guy Halamish, the newly named chief operating officer of the CIB.

Dimon said on a second-quarter earnings call that his bank already has almost 1,000 use cases, from fraud protection to marketing to note-taking. The bank has rolled out its proprietary genAI platform to more than 200,000 employees — seeking to reengineer workflows for everyone from coders to portfolio managers.

The bank's AI efforts are impacting those beyond its immediate workforce. JPMorgan Chase's asset management unit announced plans to discontinue a long-held practice of using external proxy advisors for shareholder voting in the US this year. In place of external human advisors, the firm is launching an in-house AI platform, called Proxy IQ, to support shareholder decisions.

Goldman Sachs

Goldman put $6 billion behind its technology spend this year, but David Solomon, the bank's CEO, said in October he wished it were more. He would like to be at least $8 billion, but "I can't afford it because I've got to deliver returns."

Solomon encouraged this year's interns to experiment with AI tools "to enhance your teams' workflows" in his annual letter; the rest of the firm got a definitive statement about AI's impact in October, when a memo went out to employees announcing the third iteration of the cross-bank initiative, OneGS. The memo said the plan would leverage AI to drive efficiency at the firm, slow hiring, and result in a "limited reduction" of roles.

Goldman, like its peers, has been rolling out tools to all employees, including an internal AI assistant. Marco Argenti, the chief information officer, told Business Insider that he's more interested in measuring teams' velocity with AI tools than individual usage. The bank has been working with Anthropic to develop AI agents that can automate a number of internal functions, Marco told CNBC in February. The project focused on accounting for trades and transactions and on client onboarding, he said.

Citigroup

Citi is trying to win the AI game on employee buy-in above all else. Tim Ryan, the firm's tech chief who oversees the bank's $12 billion tech budget, told Business Insider that he believes firms need a mix of "metrics and pride." Citi has taken a bottom-up approach to embedding AI throughout its lines of business, with 4,000 employees trained as AI stewards.

Nearly 90% of employees at Citi are using AI tools, CEO Jane Fraser said on the bank's 2026 earnings call. This year, the bank has unveiled an AI wealth advisor and begun to scale the use of agents.

Unlike some competitors, Citi does not measure employees' granular AI usage; instead, it measures "the big things" and encourages employees to use the lowest-cost model that meets their needs.

In June 2025, the bank doubled down on its AI ambitions, appointing new leadership to helm its tech transformation.

Wells Fargo

Business Insider spoke to Saul Van Beurden, the bank's Head of AI, about how AI is fueling the bank's post-asset cap growth.

The firm uses a "hub and spoke" model for its AI architecture, with Van Beurden's small team as the central hub and each business line's generative AI lead as a spoke. AI agents, he said, are becoming central to some of the highest-impact use cases.

When Business Insider spoke to Van Beurden in March, the bank wasn't mandating that its employees use AI.

In July, Wells Fargo announced an "AI teammate" for its financial advisors, which it says will help increase daily activity. CEO Charles Scharf has previously said that generative AI tools have already made the bank's engineers up to 35% more productive.

Wells Fargo also tapped Amazon Web Services executive Faraz Shafiq to lead AI products and solutions at the beginning of 2026, the latest in a string of high-profile tech poachings on Wall Street.

Bank of America

Bank of America's tech ambitions were backed by a $13 billion tech budget in 2025, and CEO Brian Moynihan has said AI is already embedded across the firm, from consumer banking to institutional clients.

More than 300 AI and machine learning cases have been approved at the firm, and at least 34 generative AI use cases are fully deployed, the bank said in a second-quarter earnings presentation in July. Employees in wealth, investment banking, and engineering are among those who have specialized tools.

Clients have interacted with Bank of America's virtual assistant, Erica, more than 3.2 billion times since the tool launched in 2018, the bank said in March.

Moynihan shed light on some of the models that use AI at the bank when speaking at a February conference. There is, he said, a model that puts out a daily markets report, and others that help draft pitch books.

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley has had a years-long partnership with OpenAI and has equipped financial advisors with generative AI since 2024.

CFO Sharon Yeshaya lifted the curtain on some of the firm's progress on AI during an earnings call last year. She highlighted DevGen.AI, a tool that, from January to June, had saved developers more than 280,000 hours, or 11,666 days, they would have previously dedicated to deciphering outdated code, Business Insider previously reported.

Parable, an interactive tool that analyzes and summarizes data, and LeadIQ, an AI-powered lead distribution platform that matches users of its workplace and self-directed platforms to the bank's financial advisors, were also spotlighted in the call.

A 2025 survey of Morgan Stanley's interns also gave a peek into just how popular and useful AI has been for the industry's youngest cohort. ChatGPT is their favorite tool by far, with 72% of Morgan Stanley's interns saying they use it daily or several times a week. The bank was early to have a partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

• Fran Judd, a physical therapist, manages full-time work to support her older brother and daughter.
• Judd has faced challenges in finding affordable long-term care for her brother.
• Caring for her daughter with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome involves constant caregiving and support efforts.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Fran Judd, a 76-year-old physical therapist in Sonoma County, California. Judd works full-time to afford care for her brother and daughter with disabilities. Her brother lived in an ADU in her backyard for two years. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I feel like I'm working so many full-time jobs.

I'm a physical therapist. I run my own business that uses horses to support people with disabilities through an equine-assisted program, which I've been running for over 25 years. There's that, plus caring for my brother, who is 85, plus my daughter, 31. I don't take real vacations, but I did go to Vietnam for one of my three sons' weddings. Everything I do revolves around the family.

I've been married and divorced twice. I've been on my own for 25 years. I've worked in every level of care, acute settings, rehab, home health, assisted living facilities, and aquatic therapy. Because of my love of horses, I have been trained in hippotherapy, or treatment using a horse. I work with children and adults of all ages.

My mother lived to be 106, and she always appeared 20 years younger. She died in 2019. She had earlier cared for my father, and I cared for her.

My 85-year-old brother has a complex, deteriorating neurological condition, and he is unable to navigate his medical needs or care. After our mother died and the pandemic hit, he was really isolated. I asked if he wanted to come out here because I had a "granny unit" behind my house available. It's essentially an ADU.

The ADU was built as a guest house by the original owners in 1977.

I have lived here since 2001. At the time, we didn't know what his illness was, or that the condition he had meant he would get weaker so quickly. His balance started to suffer, and he couldn't drive any longer. When he moved here in 2021, he was ambulatory and used a walker.

Over the last five years, he's gotten to the point where he is wheelchair bound and very dependent on care. I set about trying to get him set up with a proper health plan and get him the support he needed.

Within a year, we needed to hire caregivers for him. We would hire people for eight hours of care each day, which costs between $30 and $45 an hour. He had long-term care insurance that lasted about a year, but it wasn't renewed because of the policy's terms. He moved out of the ADU in 2023 and into a senior community. He had a little apartment that cost $4,500 a month, and I hired a caregiver for him for eight hours a day, paying about $6,000 monthly.

His health continued to decline, though, and he had multiple medical issues that put him in the hospital. He was diagnosed with multiple systems atrophy, and he's lost a lot of his strength from being hospitalized so many times. We moved him into various long-term care facilities, but his needs haven't been fully met. My ability to steer his care is being hampered by the facilities and Medicare rules.

He doesn't make that much money, and it's been an out-of-pocket experience.

He worked in a molecular microbiology lab doing research for professors, but he didn't earn a whole lot. He gets Social Security and a small pension, but it's not enough. He could pay his rent, but he wouldn't be able to afford caregivers, so I've been helping him out. I've taken loans against my house to help pay for everybody.

I finally got him on Medi-Cal, which is California's equivalent of Medicaid. It took me three years of applications, interviews, door-knocking, and phone calls. It started to feel like another full-time job. I haven't found the senior advocacy programs too useful. I figured out there are 100 different medical plans, and he didn't qualify because he was just over the cutoff.

I'm still looking for an intermediate care facility. Nursing homes are very institutionalized, and his mind is still there. He needs activity and interaction with people. He's been in four different facilities in the last year because we can't find the right placement or one that we can afford, since many are only private pay. I'm pulling my hair out because the assisted living facilities are saying he needs more care than they can provide, and the skilled nursing facility says they want him out of there because he doesn't need that level of care.

I don't know how people can afford long-term care.

Most of these facilities are upwards of $10,000 monthly. I've had to scrape my lifestyle to afford this, and I'm accruing a lot of debt. I'm not going on vacation or shopping sprees, and I've been very careful about spending. We've gone through most of his savings, and he had a modest stock portfolio that we used to buy him a wheelchair-accessible van and power wheelchair, but he can't use that wheelchair in his current facility.

He's stuck between a rock and a hard place because when he's in a skilled nursing facility, then Medicare and Medi-Cal pay for it, but if he goes to an assisted living facility, then that's out of pocket, but he has a better quality of life.

It's taken so much brain power and energy to try to find the right people. There are supposed to be all these senior advocacy programs, but what they do is give you another phone number to call, and then I've got an arm's length list of phone numbers and never get anywhere.

I am also supporting my daughter.

We adopted my daughter at birth, not knowing she had special needs. I figured it out quickly because of my career as a physical therapist, but I didn't know what was wrong. I fought to make sure she did not end up in assisted living or a group home.

All her life, I've been her primary caregiver. She sees her dad, but I handle 100% of her care. She has a rare chromosome disorder called Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, and she didn't have a proper diagnosis until she was 19, though we knew she had major developmental disabilities. She can't be alone for any reason, for any length of time.

My daughter has her own Medi-Cal, but it's a different program because she has developmental disabilities.

Everything was delayed for her. She was a late walker and late talker. She's still limited in her speech and cognition. She's been in adult day programs for almost 10 years, and she still lives with me. I hire caregivers for her when she's not in the program and I'm not at home, as well as on weekends, because I work mornings. I also have a canine companion who helps.

She is mobile, and I've taken her on family trips. She's very social, and everybody really loves her. I take her to lots of concerts and movies, which took a long time for her to be up to. Of course, she rides horses, and I've had her involved in hippotherapy from the very beginning, which has increased her abilities very quickly.

• Cringebot3000 generates pitch-perfect LinkedIn AI slop posts.
• I tested out the AI tool, posted the slop to my LinkedIn, and got tons of engagement.
• Hmmmm… this doesn't bode well.

They say to be cringe is to be free. And on LinkedIn, I needed a taste of freedom. Which is why I fully embraced using Cringebot 3000, a website that creates purposely grating AI-generated slop for you to post to LinkedIn.

Why on Earth would you want that? That's the wrong question. The better one is: How did we get to this point?

Cringebot 3000 is the unholy creation of Peter Epstein, who runs a Los Angeles-based PR firm for advertising industry clients. After the website blew up on Reddit and the influential Hacker News site this week, I caught up with him over the phone to find out what kind of twisted mind would aspire to be the Oppenheimer of LinkedIn slop.

"The goal is to make it a little less serious and try to take what's become its own sort of form, like poetry — LinkedIn 'thought leadership' is its own form — and try to take that form and make it a little more fun and a little more silly," he explained.

He wanted to try vibecoding something with Claude, and first created the site at the beginning of this year, but only more recently fine-tuned it to be reliable at mass-producing this kind of slop at scale.

LinkedIn has an AI slop problem and I'm not helping

LinkedIn has long had a problem with cheesiness and people posting purposely engagement-baiting posts. It's been almost a decade since we witnessed the terrifying birth of a new posting form known as "broetry" — posts where:

They use line breaks for every sentence.

And the content is something like

What potty training my toddler taught me about 2b2 SaaS sales.

The ability to use AI to write this kind of stuff has turned LinkedIn into a real slophouse. LinkedIn is well aware and trying to fight it: it recently added a feature where you can report a post for "AI slop" the same way you might for harassment or spam.

"People complain about LinkedIn AI slop, but was LinkedIn that great before AI slop?" Epstein pointed out.

Partly because of this kind of content, I haven't found LinkedIn to be a "fun" place to post. But the tantalizing idea of becoming a LinkedInfluencer now dangled before me, warm and weightless. I needed to shake the shackles of caring about "good" posts or "seeming human" and plunge into the deep end of the slop pool.

Now sure, I could use any LLM to come up with some quasi-inspirational business wisdom pablum to post on LinkedIn. But Cringebot 3000 makes it even easier. Just type in a topic — could be a single word, and then select from eight separate flavors, such as "The Vulnerability Post (oversharing with a motivational twist)", "The Inspiring Story (finding life lessons everywhere)"or "The Corporate Dropout (quit the 9-5 to follow my passion)".

I typed in "AI in journalism" as my topic and chose "You Go Girl! (empowerment culture and smashing glass ceilings)" for the style.

The output was perfect LinkedIn slop: a meandering story with a grippy opening sentence and a corny kernel of truth at the end. It was loaded with hashtags (and a disclaimer at the very bottom that it was written by Cringebot 3000).

Here's the text (you can skim it):

Okay so I need to tell you all something that happened to me last Tuesday that I am still not fully recovered from.

I was pitching a story to my editor about AI writing tools replacing journalists, and I accidentally sent the draft that my AI assistant had written ABOUT ME to the entire newsroom listserv.

The AI had described me as "a mid-level content facilitator with moderate narrative instincts."

Moderate. Narrative. Instincts.

I cried in the bathroom for eleven minutes.

But here is what happened next, and this is the part that matters.

Every woman in that newsroom replied-all within twenty minutes. Not to laugh. To share their own AI horror stories. The investigative reporter whose AI fact-checker confidently cited a country that no longer exists. The foreign correspondent whose translation bot rendered her entire interview in the subjunctive mood. The editor whose AI headline generator called a piece about the Supreme Court "a fun romp."

We built something that afternoon in that reply-all thread that no algorithm could have generated.

We built a coalition of women who refuse to let machines define our narrative instincts, moderate or otherwise.

The AI didn't replace us. It accidentally introduced us to each other.

Now we have a weekly meeting. We are rewriting the rules of how women in journalism engage with these tools, on our terms, with our voices, telling our stories.

The AI called me moderate.

The sisterhood said: absolutely not.

#WomenInJournalism #AIInJournalism #MediaInnovation #WomenSupportingWomen #JournalismTwitter #TechAndMedia #GlassCeilingSmashed #SisterhoodIsPowerful #OwnYourNarrative #cringebot3000

This post was generated with tongue firmly in cheek by LinkedIn CringeBot 3000. (link in comments)

Awful, right? I immediately copy and pasted it to my LinkedIn and let that sweet, sweet engagement roll in.

The reaction was mixed. People who knew me well recognized it was an AI-generated joke.

But according to LinkedIn's analytics of the reach of my post, 96% of viewers were people not in my network — strangers who didn't know this is would be highly out of character for me to write. I started seeing some comments from strangers as if this was a genuine anecdote about the workplace.

Oh no, what have I done

"I love this so much! Way to hold each other up and take control of the literal narrative!" commented someone I didn't know.

To make things worse, the post itself was a rousing success by LinkedIn standards. I got far more engagement and comments on this than I have for any of my other recent posts with links to articles I wrote or other career news.

Basically, the Cringebot3000 is way better at LinkedIn than I am.

Like a true LinkedIn Thought Leader, I am choosing to learn from my failures. Whatever shriveled shred of humanity that still flickers inside me that normally prevents me from posting garbage on LinkedIn is something I should treasure, not be ashamed of. No more AI slop for me. Well, unless Cringebot4000 comes out.

If you've ever woken up with acid reflux, struggled to breathe through nighttime congestion, or had trouble getting comfortable after surgery, you've probably considered a wedge pillow. The problem is that not every wedge is comfortable to sleep on all night. Some are too steep, some feel overly firm, and others work better for reading than they do for overnight sleep. Wedge pillows are also more versatile than they may seem; you can place one beneath your upper body to help you sleep at an incline, under your knees to elevate your legs while resting, or upright against a headboard as a backrest for reading, watching TV, or working on a laptop.

To find options that balance proper spinal support with genuine overnight comfort, I spent weeks testing popular wedge pillows — building on our testing for the best pillows — across different incline heights and fills to find the best options for a number of uses, whether you're hoping to alleviate snoring, improve circulation, or simply lounge upright in bed. My top choice for most people is the Brentwood Home Zuma Therapeutic Wedge Pillow, a supportive, medium-firm design available in three incline options. If you like the idea of something adjustable to play around with your desired elevation, the Coop Adjustable Wedge Pillow has removable foam inserts to tailor the height to your needs, and also features a small pillow to cushion your head.

Our top picks of the best wedge pillows

Best overall wedge pillow: Brentwood Home Zuma Therapeutic Wedge Pillow — See at Brentwood Home

Best budget wedge pillow: Kölbs Bed Wedge Pillow - See at Amazon

Best adjustable wedge pillow: Coop Adjustable Wedge Pillow - See at Coop Sleep Goods

Softest wedge pillow: The Company Store Down Alternative Wedge pillow - See at The Company Store

Best organic wedge pillow: Avocado Organic Latex Wedge Pillow - See at Avocado

Best overall

Provided the most consistent night-to-night support of any wedge pillow tested. I noticed that after rotating through all the wedge pillows I tested, I kept coming back to the Brentwood Zuma Foam Wedge Pillow. It wasn’t the softest pillow I slept on or the one with the most features, but it consistently gave me a comfortable night’s sleep without any fuss. Available in three sizes (7-, 10, and 12-inches), I like that you can choose the incline that fits your needs. I tested the 7-inch version and found it to be supportive without feeling too steep. If you’re searching for a wedge pillow to help you sleep at an incline because of nighttime acid reflux, congestion, snoring, or simply for added comfort, it’s the one I'd recommend to most people.

The Brentwood doesn’t rely on inserts or adjustable layers; it just simply works. This is where choosing the right elevation comes in handy. The bamboo-derived cover felt soft, stayed comfortable through the night, and was easy to remove for washing. During testing, I found that using a thin regular pillow on top of the wedge gave my neck better support, and the Brentwood stayed supportive whether I was sleeping, reading, or watching TV in bed.

The high-density foam design is on the firmer side. This might create uncomfortable shoulder pressure for strict side sleepers, but it is the best overall choice for back sleepers seeking reliable elevation. For instance, I noticed more pressure on my shoulder than I did with softer foam wedges like the adjustable Coop or Helix Wedge, which had a softer, more contoured feel despite being available only at a 10-inch incline.

Best budget

A supportive wedge pillow at a reasonable price. The Kölbs Bed Wedge doesn’t have the same quality or refined feel as the more expensive pillows I tested, but it provided comfortable, consistent elevation at a lower price. I tested the 7.5-inch version, which had a comfortable incline without feeling too steep. The foam held its shape throughout the night and provided support comparable to the Brentwood, making the Kölbs a solid choice for anyone shopping on a budget.

Its simple design worked well for both sleeping and elevating the legs. The Kölbs has a 1.5-inch memory foam layer over a high-density foam core and a removable, machine-washable jacquard cover. I found it comfortable for overnight sleep and when positioned at the foot of the bed to elevate my legs.

The lower price comes with a few compromises. The Kölbs didn’t feel as substantial or as well finished as the more expensive wedges I tested, so I’m less confident about how well it will hold up over the long term with regular use. The 1.5-inch memory foam layer also didn’t contour to my body as comfortably as the Coop, and I noticed a little more heat retention on a couple of nights. Mine took about a day to expand after opening, so I’d recommend unpacking it before the first night you plan to use it. There was a normal off-gassing foam smell when I first unpacked it, but it was mild and dissipated within a few hours.

Best adjustable

In addition to being adjustable, this wedge pillow is the most comfortable I tested. The Coop Adjustable Wedge Pillow didn’t feel like a typical wedge pillow, which I really enjoyed. The removable pillow top added a layer of plushness I love, making it feel more like sleeping on a traditional pillow while still providing the support I wanted underneath. I also loved the included neck pillow, which gave my head and neck the extra support I usually had to create by adding another pillow with the other wedges I tested. Being able to adjust the height was an added bonus because I was able to fine-tune the incline until I found what felt most comfortable for me.

The removable foam inserts let you fine-tune the incline rather than committing to a single height. The Coop comes with 2-, 3-, and 5-inch inserts along with the removable 2-inch pillow top, allowing you to build different height combinations up to 12 inches. I experimented with different layers until I found an incline that felt comfortable for overnight sleep, but I could also add height when I wanted to sit more upright for reading or watching TV.

All that adjustability comes with extra bulk, storage, and cost. With multiple foam pieces, the Coop is bulkier than a traditional wedge and requires a little more setup. I also didn’t consider where I would put the unused inserts until I removed one and had to find somewhere to store it, which can be a little inconvenient if you’re short on space. Still, the added comfort and ability to adjust the height were worth those tradeoffs for me.

Also consider: The $60 Sleep Number Adjustable Wedge pillow is a more affordable alternative with firm, even support that works well for back sleeping and sitting upright. However, its material construction raised some longevity concerns — the cover shrank after washing, and the foam tore when trying to put the cover back on.

Softest

This was the only wedge I tested that felt more like a traditional bed pillow than a foam wedge. The Company Store Down-Alternative Reading Wedge Pillow has a soft, cozy feel, while the 8-inch wedge shape provides some elevation. When lying down, its smaller size mostly supported my head, neck, and upper shoulders rather than my entire back like the larger wedges I tested. I found it much more useful turned upright as a backrest for reading, watching TV, or working on my laptop, where the softer fill felt comfortable and less rigid than foam.

Its softer construction also makes it easier to move and store than a traditional foam wedge. Instead of a solid foam or latex core, it's filled with recycled polyester down-alternative, so it's lighter and easier to reposition or tuck away when I'm not using it. The pillow itself is machine washable, but you'll need to buy the pillowcase separately. Given its atypical size, it almost feels necessary to stick with their cover option. On the plus side, the cases come in several colors and give the pillow a more decorative, traditional look than most wedge pillows.

For overnight sleep, the soft fill doesn't provide the same level of stability as a foam or latex wedge. It compressed more like a traditional pillow when I slept on it, leaving me with only minor elevation compared to the firmer wedges. My husband, who has a larger frame, had a similar experience: He liked it for scrolling on his phone or reading in bed, but didn't find it supportive enough for sleeping. I'd choose this primarily for reading and relaxing rather than consistent overnight elevation.

Best organic

The Avocado combines certified organic materials with dense, responsive latex that feels supportive without the sink of memory foam. The Avocado Organic Latex Wedge pillow is the best latex wedge pillow, as the GOLS-certified organic latex gently cushioned my body and quickly bounced back to its original shape after use. I tested the 7-inch model and found the lower incline comfortable for sleeping on my back and for sitting up to read. It also stayed comfortably cool throughout the night.

At 7.4 pounds, the Avocado was one of the heavier and more substantial wedges I tested. The weight helped it feel sturdy on the bed, though it took more effort to move and reposition than other lighter wedges. I also noticed myself sliding down its smooth cover occasionally during the night. Placing a pillow alongside me and under my arm helped keep me in position.

The higher price, weight, and firmer feel won’t be the right fit for everyone. The latex doesn't have the plush, contouring feel of a softer wedge like the Coop, and I noticed a slight natural latex smell when I first unpacked it, though it dissipated within a day. If you prioritize certified organic materials and prefer the supportive, responsive feel of latex over memory foam, the Avocado is worth trying.

What else we tested

• Sleep Number Adjustable Wedge ($60): The Sleep Number provided firm even support that worked especially well for back sleeping and sitting upright to read or watch TV. It fell short of the Coop because it wasn't as comfortable for side sleeping, the materials didn't feel as high quality, and the cover shrank after washing. It's still worth considering if you want a less expensive adjustable wedge and prefer firmer support.

• Helix Wedge Pillow ($109): The Helix had a softer, more contoured feel than the Brentwood, making it more comfortable when I rolled onto my side. Its fixed 10-inch incline wasn't as versatile as the Brentwood's multiple height options, and I preferred the Brentwood's firmer, more consistent support for overnight sleep. The Helix is worth considering for side sleepers who prefer a softer feel and are comfortable with a higher incline.

What to look for in the best wedge pillows

Height and incline: Most wedge pillows range from 6 to 12 inches tall, with taller wedges creating a steeper incline. Start with the lowest elevation that comfortably meets your needs.

• 7 inches - low incline: A gentle slope that’s easier to maintain for overnight sleep and can also work well for leg elevation
• 10 inches - moderate incline: Provides greater upper-body elevation, which some sleepers may prefer for concerns such as acid reflux, snoring, or sleep apnea.
• 12 inches - higher incline: Creates a steeper angle that’s better suited for sitting upright to read or watch TV, or for lounging.

During testing, I found that 7 inches provided the best balance of comfort and support for overnight sleep, but there’s no single height that works for everyone. Dr. Andrew Lederman, Chief of the Division of Physiatry at the New England Baptist Hospital, recommends choosing an incline that's comfortable enough to sleep on throughout the night rather than assuming a steeper wedge is always better.

Dimensions and spinal alignment: A wedge pillow should support your shoulders and upper back, not just your head. A width of at least 24 inches allows room for natural shifting. Dr. Kevin McGuire, Division Chief of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, says the goal is to keep your spine in a comfortable, neutral position regardless of the pillow's design. If a wedge causes your head to crank forward or your lower back to sag, it’s either too short or too steep.

Fill material and density

• Memory foam: Offers steady, contouring support for pressure relief, but retains heat and makes changing positions harder.
• Latex: Dense, resilient, and naturally buoyant; offers instant shape recovery and stays noticeably cooler than polyurethane foam.
• Down/Down alternative: A softer, more traditional pillow-like experience that's better suited for relaxing than for structured overnight support.

Fixed vs. adjustable designs: One-piece foam wedges offer simple support at a fixed incline, while adjustable models use removable foam inserts or pillow-top layers to fine-tune the elevation. Choose an adjustable wedge if you're unsure which height is most comfortable or want to adjust the incline for different uses, but keep in mind that unused inserts require additional storage.

Cover quality and maintenance: Look for removable, machine-washable covers with long, wide-opening zippers that are easy to put on and take off. Since wedge pillows are used every night and exposed to body heat and hair oils, ease of laundering is essential. Breathable cover materials like organic cotton or bamboo-derived rayon help offset foam heat retention

Material safety certifications: Verify third-party testing credentials. These certifications don't determine comfort; they can provide reassurance about how the materials were made.

• CertiPUR-US: Ensures memory foam is made without ozone depleters, heavy metals, or toxic flame retardants.
• GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) & GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): Guarantees organic material integrity from harvest to manufacturing.

Trial periods and return policies: Incline sleeping requires an adjustment period, so we prioritize brands offering at least a 30-day trial in case you need to exchange it for a different height or firmness.

How we tested the best wedge pillows

I tested each wedge pillow over multiple weeks, sleeping on each for at least five nights and using it during the day for reading, watching TV, or relaxing in bed. I paid close attention to comfort, support, firmness, and whether the incline felt natural throughout the night. I tracked whether each pillow relieved or caused neck, shoulder, or lower back discomfort, and monitored thermal regulation to note any heat retention from dense foam layers.

Because body frame and sleeping style heavily influence how a wedge pillow performs, I also had my husband — who is taller and has sleep apnea — test every pillow alongside me. Comparing my experience as a 5-foot-2 individual with my husband's feedback gave me a better idea of how each pillow suits different heights, body types, and sleeping styles. While our experiences and preferences weren't always the same, it helped confirm which pillows work for a wider range of sleepers.

Finally, I evaluated construction quality, material safety certifications, and ease of maintenance. For every pillow with a removable cover, I washed it according to the manufacturer’s care instructions to evaluate zipper durability, fabric shrinkage, and how easily the cover fit back onto the foam core after washing. I also inspected each wedge for early signs of wear, including edge compression, loose seam stitching, and cover pilling.

Meet the expert behind the guide

Suzy Hernandez, certified sleep science consultant and former sleep lab manager: For this guide, she tested each wedge pillow over multiple weeks and consulted two physicians, Dr. Andrew Lederman, Chief of the Division of Physiatry at the New England Baptist Hospital, and Dr. Kevin McGuire, Division Chief of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, to better understand who may benefit from using a wedge pillow and what to look for when choosing one.

Wedge pillow FAQs

Can a wedge pillow help with acid reflux, snoring, or sleep apnea?

Wedge pillows may help relieve acid reflux by using gravity to help keep stomach acid down, according to Dr. Andrew Lederman. They may also improve mild snoring or congestion by slightly opening the airway. However, they are not a treatment for diagnosed sleep apnea. If you have loud snoring with pauses in breathing or experience excessive daytime sleepiness, talk to a healthcare provider rather than relying on a wedge pillow alone.

Can side sleepers use a wedge pillow?

Yes, but some wedge pillows work better than others. Dr. Kevin McGuire explained that different pillow designs support the body differently depending on your sleeping position, but the goal is to always maintain a comfortable, neutral spine. Dr. Lederman also noted that side sleepers may benefit from using an extra pillow to better support the neck. During testing, I found that softer, more contouring wedges generally felt more comfortable for side sleeping than firmer foam designs.

Do you use a regular pillow on top of a wedge?

It depends on the wedge pillow and your sleeping position, but I found that adding a thin pillow on top of the wedges improved my neck support. The goal is to keep the head and neck in a comfortable, neutral position. If adding a regular pillow helps you achieve that without pushing your head too forward, it can make a wedge pillow more comfortable.

How does a wedge pillow compare with an adjustable bed?

A wedge pillow is a simple, affordable way to sleep at an incline, while the best adjustable beds offer more flexibility. According to Dr. Lederman adjustable beds allow you to easily change your sleeping position and often elevate both your head and legs, which can improve comfort for some people. A wedge pillow is a good place to start if you're curious about sleeping at an incline but aren't ready to invest in an adjustable bed.

Can a wedge pillow cause lower back or neck pain?

Yes, particularly if the wedge is too steep or doesn't support enough of your upper body. Dr. Lederman says elevating only your head can bend the neck and lead to stiffness, which is why the wedge should support the entire upper body. Dr. McGuire also recommends maintaining a comfortable, neutral spine. If your head is pushed forward or your lower back sags, the wedge may not be the right height or size. If you regularly wake up with cervical stiffness regardless of incline, explore our top picks for the best pillows for neck pain.

How do you position yourself on a wedge pillow without sliding down?

Position the wedge so it supports your upper back and shoulders rather than just your head. Lower inclines made it easier to stay in place; I didn't have an issue sliding on the 7-inch Brentwood, but I occasionally slid down the smoother Avocado wedge. Placing a pillow alongside me and under my arm helped keep me in position.

SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE — Two soldiers emerged from the tree line carrying the drone, trying to avoid scraping its wings against the branches. They placed it on the launch rail, angled toward the open sky above a field of budding sunflowers.

The drone sprang to life, its small, rear-facing propeller roaring like a lawnmower. Sporadic raindrops pitter-pattered on the aircraft as the Ukrainian operators waited for their launch window.

Then, at the press of a button, the drone shot into the gray sky for its final test flight before deployment to the front lines — where it would be sent to hunt.

Drones have radically transformed the war in Ukraine. To capture how uncrewed aircraft are reshaping combat and how lessons from the fight are changing the way companies build these weapons, Business Insider followed a Western-made AR3 surveillance drone from its factory in Wales to the battlefield in southeastern Ukraine, where soldiers from the 15th Artillery Reconnaissance "Black Forest" Brigade readied it for front-line operations.

Its journey from production to the front underscores one of the central dynamics defining both the conflict and Western military and industrial planning. Ukraine still needs foreign aircraft to sustain its fight, while Western manufacturers need Ukrainian combat experience to keep those aircraft relevant against evolving Russian defenses. There's a deeper lesson in the manufacturing-and-feedback loop as NATO braces for its own potential fight.

Sarmat, a platoon commander in the Black Forest Brigade who requested to be identified only by his call sign for security reasons, said that although Ukraine can produce millions of drones each year, its forces still need more aircraft and combat capability than the country can supply on its own.

With Western-supplied drones, he said, "we have the opportunity to fly more, to detect more, and to be much more successful."

A factory on the Welsh coast

At a private airfield on the Welsh coast, factory workers assemble AR3 drones inside one of several manufacturing sites in Britain that are operated by the Portuguese defense company Tekever.

The long World War II-era runway and private airspace around the quaint town of Cardigan make it an ideal location for flight testing.

Many of the drones produced here will soon embark on a nearly 2,000-mile journey east to Ukraine.

Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Tekever made reconnaissance drones for governments and commercial clients to monitor illegal fishing and migration at sea. Now, the company is increasingly producing uncrewed aircraft for Ukraine.

At the start of the war, Ukraine relied heavily on Western military assistance to fend off Russia's invasion forces. Kyiv also invested heavily in its own drone industry to gain a technological advantage over a much larger military. Hundreds of Ukrainian companies now produce millions of aircraft annually, including strike and reconnaissance drones.

That growth has reduced Ukraine's dependence on foreign suppliers for some types of drones, but it has not eliminated it. Longer-range reconnaissance aircraft such as the AR3 can fly deeper and stay aloft longer than many of the smaller, cheaper drones that Ukraine produces in vast numbers. These tools give commanders a key way to locate valuable Russian targets beyond the immediate front.

Ukrainian drone production and battlefield tactics are also shaping Western military planning and training. Top NATO officials have said they are absorbing many lessons from the conflict, including how quickly drone designs and countermeasures become obsolete.

Western support is "extremely important to Ukraine," said Scott McClelland, the deputy director of Tekever's defense unit. "This ultimately comes down to wider European security."

The UK is one of the largest suppliers of military aid and security assistance to Ukraine. It has committed more than $21 billion in military support since 2022, including 150,000 strike, reconnaissance, and logistics drones this year. Tekever's AR3, the specific cost of which the company declined to provide, is among the systems supplied through that support, along with drones from British drone makers Windracers and Malloy Aeronautics.

Sarmat's unit received its first AR3 in early 2024 and learned to operate the aircraft from Tekever. But the conversation doesn't end there.

Tekever maintains a secure hotline around the clock to answer questions from Ukrainian operators. The soldiers, in turn, test new technology in combat and tell the company what needs to change to make the drone more effective.

Exchanges like these between troops and industry have given rise to an accelerated development cycle driven by the brutal demands of modern warfare. A drone that works against Russian defenses today may struggle once Russia changes its jamming, detection, or interception tactics. Manufacturers must then modify the aircraft before the advantage disappears.

McClelland said that the feedback from Ukraine allows Tekever to continually upgrade the drone. For instance, after the Black Forest Brigade requested a change to the AR3's climb rate, the company modified the engine.

"The operating environment in Ukraine has really required us to respond at a speed that is almost alien to traditional Western procurement," McClelland said.

Western militaries might spend years bringing a new product to life and putting it into service with the armed forces. For Ukraine, that would be "far, far too late," he said. Technology developed on that timeline could be "completely redundant" by the time it reached the battlefield because Russian forces and the conditions of the war would have already changed, creating new requirements.

The pressure to move at speed and remain on the cutting edge extends beyond a single drone or type of drone. Western governments are studying how to shorten weapons development and procurement cycles for future conflicts in which equipment may need to be updated within months or weeks, rather than years. Ukraine is providing a real-time test of whether defense companies and procurement systems can keep pace.

From Wales, the drones are boxed and sent to Portugal; then begins the long overland journey across Europe to Poland, where they cross into Ukraine. Tekever did not disclose specific shipping details for security reasons.

The drones make their way to front-line units in Ukraine

After a drive from the factory in Wales to London, a flight to Warsaw, two trains to Kyiv, and a final drive to a remote forest at the end of a dirt road near Dnipro — more than 24 hours of movement east — Business Insider caught up with one of Tekever's drones.

The Black Forest Brigade uses the forest as cover when setting up AR3 drones for operations. The soldiers had also strung up camouflage netting to conceal their position from Russian drones that could be nearby. They carried assault rifles and electronic-warfare equipment as a last line of defense.

The soldiers pulled a box from a windowless van that had been driven from Portugal with their drone. The vehicle also served as the aircraft's ground-control station.

Slightly beyond the tree line, the Ukrainians assembled a catapult launch rail and communications antennae, then put together the AR3 like a Lego set, piece by piece, and ran a number of pre-flight checks under the cover of their camouflage netting.

After securing the aircraft on the rail and waiting for a light rain shower to pass, the operators received clearance to launch. The drone, powered by its gas engine, took off into the sky. A few minutes later, it deployed a parachute and floated down onto the field before landing on an airbag. Two soldiers scrambled across to retrieve it.

This was only a test flight — a final check before a real mission against Russian forces.

On an operational flight, the AR3 can remain airborne for hours. It typically operates dozens of miles behind the front lines, searching for high-value targets such as air defense systems, radars, and artillery, Sarmat said.

Operators pass the coordinates they collect to artillery crews, who can then decide whether to engage. The drone can return later to conduct a battle damage assessment should offensive units opt to open fire.

That work fills a critical gap between the smaller drones watching the immediate front and other surveillance systems looking much farther into Russian-held territory.

Operational tempo is high. The team works nonstop, sometimes more than seven days without a rest. Summer is ideal for reconnaissance; cameras are less effective in the winter, and the unit doesn't fly in bad weather.

"Every week, we have a lot of targets," Sarmat said.

Shifting Russian tactics keep changing the fight

The battlefield has changed dramatically since the war began in 2022. It is now saturated with electronic warfare, which can disrupt flight operations for drones like the AR3 that rely on radio-frequency connections vulnerable to signal jamming.

A drone does not need to be shot down to be rendered ineffective. If Russian forces sever its communications, interfere with its navigation, or expose the operator's position, the mission may fail and leave the crew at risk.

Tekever declined to say how many of its AR3s have been lost in Ukraine. In August, Russian state media reported that Russian forces had downed an AR3 and transferred it to a research institute for study.

Ukraine has been forced to explore innovative solutions to keep its drones in the sky.

"It's war," Sarmat said. "Somebody has a shield — we create a sword. Then we create an automatic weapon. It's the same situation with electronic warfare."

The work has become more dangerous for the Ukrainian operators. Every day, the drone-infested "kill zone" on the battlefield is expanding, putting even launch positions farther from the front within Russia's reach.

That challenge can make concealment and mobility as important as the drones themselves at times. A sophisticated reconnaissance drone offers little advantage if Russian forces can find and attack the team launching it.

Working from the forest is critical to the Black Forest Brigade's survival. Once, they lived in the trees for a month.

Mid-range reconnaissance drones like the AR3 help Ukraine find Russian forces and equipment behind the front lines. But as Ukraine leverages these Western-made weapons in the war, there's a deeper lesson in the cooperation for NATO.

For alliance countries preparing for a possible large-scale confrontation with Russia, the lesson isn't simply that their militaries need drones. They may also need factories, purchasing systems, and military institutions that can effectively act on front-line feedback, staying ahead of an adversary's swift adaptations.

"Our main task is to win the war," Sarmat said. "But also, we have a task to give our partners all our experience and our advice on how to be successful on the front lines."

• The risk of an AI stock crash has been on investors' minds, but Peter Tuchman isn't losing sleep.
• The legendary NYSE floor trader has witnessed every market correction since 1987.
• Speaking to Business Insider, Tuchman outlined the key differences between today's market and prior peaks.

The most recognizable man on the floor of the New York Stock exchange has lived through his share of market calamities, and he's got some thoughts on what's going on with the investors' latest craze.

Peter Tuchman is the face of the stock exchange. He's often said to be one of the most photographed traders on the NYSE's trading floor, having grown his celebrity over the decades with his animated facial expressions and distinct shock of gray hair. His look has earned him a nickname: the Einstein of Wall Street.

Tuchman is also one of the longest-standing traders at the exchange, with his tenure reaching 41 years at the end of March. As a forensic broker, he's executed stock orders and analyzed every market crash since Black Monday in 1987, when the S&P 500 tanked 20% in a single session.

Tuchman says he remembers Black Monday clearly. That morning, as the trading floor descended into bedlam, he pulled out stacks of paper that were being printed out from the exchange's stock ticker machine — all of them sell orders — and scrambled to fill them.

"I just remember chaos and fear and screaming, a lot of screaming," he told Business Insider this week.

With concern about an AI bubble brewing in markets, Tuchman said he isn't worried about another catastrophe. In an interview at the NYSE, he outlined three key differences between today's market and past peaks — and said he saw a strong case for investors to buy in, even with stocks near record highs.

"I see an incredibly strong market and I see a market that is set for great things."

Here' what he's watching.

1. Valuations don't look as extreme compared to the dot-com peak.

The market's top AI stocks are trading at a better valuation today compared to stocks that embodied the peak of the dot-com bubble.

For instance, Nvidia, the most valuable company in the world by market cap, is trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.8. Compare that to tech giants of the early 2000s, like Cisco, which traded at over 100 times forward earnings at its peak.

2. Balance sheets look healthier.

Many companies that embodied the internet frenzy weren't profitable. Pets.com, one of the most infamous dot-com era flops, fetched a market cap of around $400 million at its peak, but recorded a net loss of $94 million on $28 million in revenue when it dissolved in November 2000.

Big tech earnings, by comparison, are still on the up, with stellar profit growth fueling much of the stock rally in recent years. The S&P 500 is on track to post 50% year-over-year earnings growth for the quarter, the highest growth rate in five years, according to FactSet.

"They're making a lot of money," Tuchman said of AI firms today. "And so I think there's a lot more structure and foundation to the market.

3. The market has a stable pool of retail cash

Retail investors have played a huge role in propping up the market since many piled into stocks in the early days of the pandemic. That support is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, Tuchman said, pointing to how the vast majority of stocks are held by top earners in the US — investors who are less likely to cash out in the event of a market downturn.

87% of all stocks and mutual fund shares in the US are owned by the top 10% of Americans by wealth, according to the most recently available Fed data.

Retail investors have also had plenty of opportunities to cash out in recent years, such as during the 2025 tariffs-fueled sell-off, but many have ultimately ended up back in the market anyway. A recent JPMorgan analysis found that retail investors purchased $270 billion in stocks over the first half of 2026, suggesting the impulse to buy the dip remains strong.

"The market is almost too big to fail in my opinion," Tuchman added.

Advice from a market veteran

Tuchman has a lot of advice for traders navigating today's market. He began mentoring traders when many retail investors piled into the market during the pandemic, pulling wisdom from his long career on the trading floor.

Over the years, he's identified three common mistakes traders make:

• Not having a set trading strategy. Too many investors are riding off FOMO and hype, meaning they rarely have a set plan when they put money in the market, he said.
• Not using stop losses, which automatically exit a position once a loss reaches a pre-set threshold.
• They overtrade and revenge trade, or make trades with the hopes of recouping losses. Oftentimes, those behaviors end up putting an investor deeper into the red.

"Don't try and pick the best time or wait for the next crash," he said of his best advice for traders at the moment. "If you're waiting around for the home run, you're going to lose money."

• Joyce Leveston, the Javits Center's first female CEO, started her career as a telephone operator.
• She once vetoed an exhibitor's plan to lower Michael Jackson from a ballroom ceiling — a lesson in saying no.
• Leveston's ascension offers a playbook for career advancement.

On any given week, the halls of New York City's Javits Center might belong to comic-book devotees dressed as superheroes, carmakers unveiling their newest models, or dog lovers sizing up dozens of breeds.

Then the booths come down, the floors are cleaned, and the sprawling, 3.4 million-square-foot Manhattan convention center starts transforming for the next crowd.

Joyce Leveston, an events-industry veteran from Cincinnati, is responsible for making sure it all goes smoothly.

As CEO of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, she oversees about 145 events a year and more than 3,000 employees, from electricians and forklift drivers to accountants and salespeople. More than 11% have worked there for over 20 years, and some are related to each other.

Leveston, 61, landed the role in March 2025, becoming the first woman leader of the organization, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this month and has played an important role in New York history. It served as a base of operations after 9/11, supported relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy, and became a 2,500-bed emergency field hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employee No. 92

Leveston's path into the convention world began in the late 1980s, when she was a college student and Navy wife living in San Diego. Her then-husband would deploy for six- to eight-month stretches, and she and other Navy wives would meet up across from the site where the San Diego Convention Center was being built.

Leveston watched the facility rise and decided she wanted to work there. She asked her university for help finding a job and became the center's 92nd employee, working part time at a switchboard. Two years later, after graduating with a degree in communications, she became a full-time event coordinator.

It was the first of what Leveston counts as eight steps from telephone operator to CEO.

"I really wanted to work in sales," Leveston told Business Insider, adding that she assumed her degree would be enough to get her onto the sales team. Instead, she recalled being told, "You can't be on my sales team. You don't know nothing."

Be excellent at the job you have

Leveston learned the business by pursuing several industry certifications to get as much direct knowledge as possible, rather than going through a traditional B-school program.

That focus on mastering her craft rather than chasing the next title became one of the principles Leveston credits with helping her move up the ranks. She said the telephone operator position was the only job she actively sought out, as she was repeatedly approached about new roles — a trajectory she attributes in part to how she approached each job she already had.

"If you're going to cook french fries, then be excellent at cooking french fries," Leveston said. "Aspire to be the best that you can be in the space that you're standing in, and that will eventually lead to the title."

She also recommends taking on tasks without being asked, which could be as simple as picking up a piece of paper from the floor rather than deciding it's housekeeping's job.

"The bosses will notice," Leveston said. "They will be calling on you to work on that next project that you didn't know that they were even building out."

Don't be afraid to say no

Getting noticed is one thing. As Leveston's responsibilities grew, she had to learn to handle the pressure.

After nearly four decades in the events business, Leveston said she can walk into a room and immediately spot trouble, from a blocked exit to a centerpiece that poses a fire hazard. The habit follows her outside work: At restaurants, she finds herself looking for the exits.

Safety has sometimes meant killing a flashy idea. Earlier in her career, she said organizers of a music-industry event wanted Navy SEALs to lower the pop star Michael Jackson from the ceiling of a ballroom for a dramatic entrance.

"That's not happening," Leveston recalled telling them. They settled on having the SEALs scale the building and making it appear they had rescued Jackson.

In the events business, Leveston said, leaders have to stay calm when things don't go according to plan. "There's always a fire," she said.

Build a team you can leave

Experience has also taught Leveston not to confuse authority with expertise. Early in her career, she promised a client that a room could accommodate 10,000 people on bleachers without first checking with her team. The setup could support only 8,500, forcing the client to stop selling tickets.

Leveston said she'd been "a little too aggressive" and failed to ask the right questions before making the promise.

As she's moved up in her career, Leveston said she's learned to lean more on those around her — and give them room to do their jobs. A travel enthusiast, she sees taking time off as a test of whether she has surrounded herself with the right people. If Javits couldn't function because she took a vacation, she said, something would be wrong.

"Build your team and trust your team," Leveston said. "Get out of their way."

• Kelan and Brittany Kline founded The Savvy Couple, a finance blog, in 2016.
• The blog evolved into an online business that generated $1.3 million in 2023.
• As their income grew, their expenses did not, allowing them to invest their way to a seven-figure net worth.

Before launching The Savvy Couple in 2016, Kelan Kline had reached a breaking point.

He and his wife, Brittany, had recently married, bought a starter home, and begun paying down roughly $40,000 in student loans. Brittany was an elementary school teacher, while Kelan worked as a jail deputy.

The couple, who grew up in Rochester, New York and began dating in ninth grade, had little control over their schedules. Their shifts rarely overlapped, leaving them with little time together.

"We were working opposite shifts," Kelan told Business Insider. "We never got to see each other."

One night, they sat down at their dinner table and tried to define their "ideal lifestyle." Their vision looked little like their current lives: It centered on family, flexibility, and control over their time.

"I was after time freedom," Kelan said. "I was so sick and tired of someone else telling me when to come to work, forced overtime, and denying my vacation."

Turning a $2.95-a-month blog into a 7-figure business

With a clearer picture of the life they wanted, the Klines began reverse-engineering it. Inspired by two personal finance blogs they followed, Making Sense of Cents and Millennial Money Man, they decided to build an online business focused on money.

The subject fit their experience: They had spent years budgeting and paying down debt, and the income reports published by the bloggers they followed suggested that the model could scale. For Kelan, the biggest appeal was the possibility of becoming his own boss and controlling his schedule.

The startup costs were minimal — they launched The Savvy Couple in 2016 with a web-hosting plan that cost $2.95 a month — but the low cost didn't eliminate the learning curve.

For nine months, the blog generated no revenue. Then they earned $50 for a sponsored post.

That first payment convinced Kelan the site had potential. Two weeks later, he proposed leaving his day job to focus on the business full time — and Brittany signed off. They still had tens of thousands of dollars in debt, but about six months of living expenses in savings gave them a cushion.

Even with the cash runway, giving up predictable income was stressful.

"There were probably 100 times I considered going back to work and getting a 9-to-5," Kelan said. "Business goes up and down. It's a roller coaster."

With Kelan focused on the business full time, it gained traction. In 2019, the business generated enough income to cover Brittany's teaching salary, allowing her to leave the classroom. The couple made their final student-loan payment that December.

The company later expanded to include The Savvy Mama, a brand focused on household finances, meal planning, and family routines. Across their businesses, the Klines earn revenue from display advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and their own digital products and services.

Their revenue peaked in 2023 and 2024. BI reviewed profit-and-loss statements from Savvy Media Marketing reporting a total income of $1.3 million in 2023 and $1.1 million in 2024.

Their revenue has dropped over the past couple of years. Kelan attributed the decline largely to changes in Google search, which he said cut traffic to their blogs by 80% to 90%. In response, the couple shifted their attention more toward YouTube, memberships, digital products, and marketing services for local businesses.

They still believe online businesses can offer low startup costs, flexibility, and room to scale, but if they were starting from scratch today, a traditional blog dependent on Google traffic wouldn't be their first choice.

Investing the difference between income and spending

As their income climbed, the Klines prevented their lifestyle from rising at the same pace. They stayed in their starter home for seven years, drove used cars, rarely ate out, and spent about five years as a one-car household.

Rather than treating higher revenue as permission to spend more, they directed much of the difference between their income and expenses into investments.

Kelan describes their portfolio as "super boring." It includes Vanguard's VTSAX, the technology-focused VGT, retirement accounts, and taxable brokerage accounts. Over the past two years, they have also added rental real estate near Rochester, New York.

The couple said their household net worth — including the estimated value of their businesses, investments, and primary residence — surpassed $1 million in 2020. Business Insider reviewed a screenshot from their Rocket Money account showing a seven-figure net worth.

For them, the clearest payoff has been the ability to organize work around their two daughters. Brittany spent the past school year homeschooling their oldest, while Kelan said he typically works from about 9 a.m. until noon or 1 p.m.

"We protect our time like crazy," he said. "It's night and day having complete time freedom."

• Making small changes to your diet can have a big impact on your health.
• Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel shared four tweaks he says give the most bang for your buck.
• He believes eating fermented foods is the easiest small change with the biggest benefit.

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel wants you to stop obsessing over your health data and enjoy a treat from time to time. I experienced this firsthand when I met him for ice cream on a sunny Thursday afternoon in June to discuss his latest book on healthy living.

A specialty ice cream shop in London had formulated a limited edition pen-and-paper flavored ice cream for the UK launch of Emanuel's "Eat Your Ice Cream." It had a smoked wood flavor and was surprisingly good.

"I'm anti the wellness industrial complex," the oncologist, public health professor, and former Obamacare advisor told me matter-of-factly. The 68-year-old is "vehemently" against tracking, obsessing over, and maxxing our health, and advocates finding ways to fit wellness around your lifestyle, not the other way around.

In his latest book, he attempts to cut through the noise of the buzzy longevity trend that has gone mainstream by outlining the tenets of a healthy diet, including eating protein, healthy fats, and fresh produce.

As we scooped spoonfuls of ice cream from small metal bowls topped with chocolate flakes, he shared his top "bang for your buck" dietary changes to reduce the risk of chronic disease.

"Getting on the right diet is relatively simple," Emanuel told me. "There are four things you should do to start, and then there are things you can add."

But remember, "the occasional treat will not shave any minutes off your life, especially if you enjoy it with someone you love," he wrote in the book.

Stock up on fermented foods

Emanuel recommends adding fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, and kefir to your diet. He calls it "the easiest small change with big benefits."

The gut microbiome is host to trillions of microbes that impact our overall health. Studies suggest that people who eat fermented foods tend to have a more diverse gut microbiome, a sign of good health, a lower risk of obesity, and stronger immune systems.

This is because fermented foods contain prebiotics, which are plant fibers that the body can't fully digest, and live bacteria called probiotics. Both feed the "good" gut microbes and help increase the diversity of microbes in the colon lining.

"Pick whichever ones you like. They're really, really good for you," he said.

Can the soda

According to Emanuel, one of the best things you can do for your health is to stop drinking sugary soda, or at least cut down to one to two glasses a week.

Drinking one to two cans of soda a day increases your risk of developing type two diabetes by 26%, he said. It also increases the risk of heart disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which is on the rise, and certain cancers.

A 12-ounce can of soda contains 140 calories, around 10 teaspoons worth of sugar, and has no nutritional value, Emanuel said.

Business Insider's Gabby Landsverk recently reported from a Washington DC nutrition conference that while diet sodas can be a helpful alternative to sugary drinks, they can still upset gut health.

Cut down on ultra-processed snacks

"We all have to cut back on the packaged snacks," Emanuel said.

Research suggests the average American gets around 60% of their daily calories from "junk" or ultra-processed foods that contain large quantities of salt, sugar, and fat, as well as additives.

Regularly eating this type of food (think packaged muffins, cookies, and potato chips) has been linked to an increased risk of a plethora of health conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression. There's evidence that certain additives that are common in these foods can disrupt the gut microbiome, plus junk food rarely contains nutrients.

The term ultra-processed food has become somewhat contested among nutrition experts as it groups some dietary staples, such as packaged wholemeal bread, with junk food like doughnuts and hot dogs.

Emanuel prefers to use the term junk food for this reason.

Don't forget about fiber

Despite our cultural obsession with protein, most of us are getting enough already, Emanuel said. What most Americans are truly lacking is fiber.

Adults need about 30 to 35 grams of fiber a day, Emanuel said, but on average, most Americans get about half of that.

Fiber plays an important role in keeping the gut, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems healthy. It does this by slowing down the uptake of glucose into the bloodstream, curbing sugar spikes and crashes, and feeding the beneficial microbes in the gut.

Berries, pears, apples, kiwis, broccoli, sweet potatoes, beans, nuts, and whole grains are great sources of fiber, Emanuel said. He recommended starting by eating some fruit throughout the day and a salad with your dinner at night.

• NYC's Mamdani plans to open five city-run grocery stores by 2029, with a 30% discount on core goods.
• Big cities like Atlanta, along with small towns in Kansas, along with have tried a similar model.
• Affordability hurdles make it difficult for city-run stores to operate long term.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is rolling out his city-run grocery stores — and New York City has a lot to learn from metros that have done the same thing.

The five NYC stores, which the city says will open by 2029, plan to offer shoppers a 30% discount on core goods like meat, dairy, and fresh produce through government subsidies offered to private operators that will run the stores.

In other cities, lawmakers have opened city-run stores through a series of grants and loans. Some, such as a public-private partnership-run supermarket in Atlanta that closely resembles Mamdani's proposal, are financially viable. Other experiments in places like Kansas City, Missouri, failed and closed because of high overhead costs, dwindling city support, and theft.

While other cities have focused on rectifying food deserts, the five boroughs' promise of lower prices is distinct.

"Basically, every other example is almost entirely about food access," said Jamie Horton, executive vice president for strategic initiative and business operations at NYC's Economic Development Corporation — a quasi-public nonprofit partnering with Mamdani on the stores. "They don't have that mandated affordability. That's what really separates our program. We're both."

The city recently filed a request for proposals seeking experienced grocers to partner on the stores' operations. Horton said the EDC is looking for businesses that already have the expertise and licensing needed to buy food at wholesale and manage inventory. He pointed toward the private-public Atlanta store specifically as a source of inspiration.

Atlanta and St. Paul, Kansas, have opened city-run stores

Opened in 2025, Azalea Fresh Market in Atlanta is the most comparable to NYC's program because it serves a large population.

Atlanta's government acted "like a bank," securing roughly $8 million in grants and no-interest loans to open two stores, said Paul Nair, CEO of Savi Provisions, the store's operator. He said local leaders play no part in staffing, stocking, or day-to-day logistics, and that the store's second location, set to open this fall, will be financed through another multimillion-dollar grant. Nair is considering adding in-store coffee shops because drinks are more profitable than groceries. He said that partnering with the trade group Independent Grocers of America allows him to buy wholesale items more cheaply and offer core products at competitive prices.

His goal is for the stores to fund themselves through daily revenue after three to five years. As of June, Azalea reported serving more than 150,000 customers.

Nair said his experience running private stores informs how he operates Azaela. He said he has consulted with EDC leaders on Mamdani's stores, and hopes the city is able to pick a strong operator that they trust. "I, as a business businessman, am making the decisions" about day-to-day operations and finances, he said.

The key to some other city-run stores' success is that residents have no other options. The last remaining private grocery store in St. Paul, Kansas — a town with just over 600 residents — closed in the 1980s.

To make up for the lack of nearby supermarkets, St. Paul's municipal government opened a city-run store in 2008 through a public-private partnership, using local economic development funds and a zero-interest loan from the US Department of Agriculture. It transitioned to full city operation and ownership in 2013. The building itself is owned by the city, eliminating the cost of rent, and a store representative said it has enough daily revenue from shoppers to cover overhead.

Other stores have closed

Government-run supermarkets in Baldwin, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; and Erie, Kansas have all shut their doors.

For smaller areas like Baldwin, revenue wasn't sufficient to cover the store's costs, especially given nearby private options. In metros like Kansas City, the local government spent a total of $29 million in taxpayer funds to open its store in 2022, but the operation lost money and closed in 2025.

Local NYC businesses worry about their bottom line

Mamdani has allocated $70 million to launch the New York stores, and Horton said the EDC will subsidize food and operating costs each year. The EDC owns and invests in property on behalf of the city and will offer each location rent-free.

"One of the main tools that the city and specifically EDC has is to essentially shoulder real estate costs," Horton said, adding. "We want this to be as cost-effective and efficient as possible."

Advocates for the grocery industry, however, told Business Insider that they would rather the city provide subsidies directly to small bodegas and grocers, or widen the social safety net programs like SNAP for New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity.

Laura Strange, chief public affairs officer for the National Grocers Association — a trade group that represents small and independently-run grocers — said profit margins for grocery stores are low. After accounting for food, staff, equipment, real estate, and other costs, most stores net between 1% and 3%.

For local businesses, it can be more difficult to see returns, and Strange said some won't be able to keep up with stores backed by NYC's bank account.

"Subsidizing government-run stores to undercut market prices by 30% doesn't fix what's broken in food retail; it distorts it further," she said. "Rather than expanding government-run retail operations, policymakers should focus on addressing the underlying costs that make groceries more expensive in the first place."

She added that making the wholesale buying process easier for grocers "will do far more to lower food costs over the long term" than a chain of city-run stores.

Scott Moses, head of grocery, pharmacy, and restaurants investment banking at Solomon Partners, said "adding a Soviet-style, state-run grocery store will only make these competitive dynamics more difficult — if not prohibitive — for smaller, often family-owned grocers around the city."

Mark Jaffe, a founder of the Multicultural Business Coalition — which represents local grocery chains, bodegas, and other vendors — said directly supporting small businesses would be a more impactful use of the money.

"Hardworking New Yorkers just can't put enough healthy food on their table because it's so darn expensive to live here," Jaffe said. He appreciates that the city is looking for solutions, "but there are better ways to do it."

• Chili's keeps growing sales, providing more evidence of a successful turnaround.
• It's also taking on fast-food restaurants like McDonald's.
• I went to Chili's to see whether the sit-down restaurant is really a competitor to McDonald's.

Chili's is hot.

The restaurant chain continues to reap the rewards of its turnaround: Same-store sales grew 6% during the company's fourth quarter, parent company Brinker International reported on Wednesday. That marks the 21st consecutive quarter that Chili's reported same-store sales growth, Brinker CEO Kevin Hochman said during the company's earnings call.

There are several aspects to Chili's turnaround. The restaurant chain has adopted a cheeky posting style on social media, which has drawn in Gen Z diners. It's also upgraded lots of outdated technology, such as the tablets that its waitstaff use to send orders to the kitchen.

Chili's is also competing with unlikely rivals: Fast-food chains. Some of the chain's newest menu items appear to take on McDonald's classics like the Quarter Pounder, for instance.

"The customer reviews and social media comments have been excellent, declaring Chili's victorious for size, price, value, and taste versus fast food," Hochman said during the company's earnings call.

McDonald's latest quarterly comparable sales growth came in at 0.8% — a slower pace that CEO Chris Kempczinski attributed to execution problems, such as the rollout of its latest value menu. The burger giant also replaced its US president when it reported earnings last week.

A few years ago, referring to Chili's and McDonald's as rivals would have made no sense.

So, having not been to a Chili's restaurant in over two decades, I wanted to see how exactly the chain is managing to eat the Golden Arches' lunch. Here's what my visit was like.

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

I visited this Chili's restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia.

Located near a major highway and lots of shopping options, this Chili's restaurant was situated in the heart of the Northern Virginia suburbs.

The restaurant was mostly empty when I showed up, but that changed.

I showed up just after 5 pm on a Thursday. There were plenty of tables, and the host seated me right away.

While this restaurant appeared to be just under half full, there were definitely signs of life. A table over, a party of five seemed to be celebrating a reunion of some kind.

As I ordered and ate, I saw more people trickle in, from single diners to families.

There were plenty of fast-food adjacent options on Chili's menu.

Business Insider has reported on Chili's encroachment on fast-food restaurants' turf, whether it's through burgers or fried chicken sandwiches.

I didn't see anything on the menu about Chili's 3 for Me deal, which offers patrons an appetizer, an entrée, and a beverage for $10.99. I called the restaurant later about this, but the employee I spoke with didn't know why the deal wasn't there.

Instead, I ordered the Spicy Big Crispy chicken sandwich with fries for $16.29.

There were also lots of appetizer choices.

I also ordered two Triple Dippers — six items in total — from Chili's Triple Dipper menu to sample as much as possible. Each was $17.99.

Chili's tech upgrades were apparent on my visit.

Part of Chili's turnaround has been upgrading its in-restaurant tech. This tablet included games that I played while I waited for my food. I spent the most time playing one called "Subway Rush," which involved guiding a man around obstacles as he ran through a street chased by drones. There was also a button to log into a Chili's loyalty account.

Later, I used it to pay my check when I was done eating — a handy feature that saved me from having to catch my waiter just to request the bill.

My food arrived quickly.

My chicken sandwich and one Triple Dipper arrived less than 10 minutes after I ordered them. I ordered a second Triple Dipper to go to try later.

My favorite Triple Dipper item was the Big Mouth Bites…

Essentially sliders, these burgers provided a beefy hit, plus a little bacon on each. I wondered whether I should've ordered a regular-sized Big Mouth burger instead of my chicken sandwich.

As a cheese lover, I also liked the gooey mozzarella sticks.

…while Chili's boneless wings were less enjoyable.

Coated in too much Honey Chipotle sauce, these boneless wings were fine except for the breading, which fell off when I tried to pick them up.

Even so, I felt that each Triple Dipper provided reasonable value for money. And I had a wider selection of items to pick from than I would have at many fast-food chains.

The star of my meal was the Spicy Big Crispy.

Chili's chicken sandwich meal cost me two or three times as much as a McCrispy meal at McDonald's. But it was also a much better sandwich.

The whole cut of chicken breast felt heartier than the more processed patty that many fast-food chains use. And while I didn't bring a scale or ruler with me, it was clearly much bigger than its McDonald's counterpart. Chili's says that the Big Cripsy's filet is "80% bigger than the average McCrispy breaded filet."

I don't eat tons of burgers or chicken sandwiches. But when I want one, this is pretty close to what I envision.

The fries and mac and cheese were average.

The mac and cheese tasted fine, though there was too much sauce. It also struck me as an odd pairing with the friend chicken sandwich and the fries — is a vegetable too much to ask for?

The fries, meanwhile, were a little too thick and soggy for my taste. They left me longing for some thinner ones from McDonald's.

Overall, I was happy with my meal at Chili's.

With tax and tip, I spent just over $77 on two Triple Dippers, a Spicy Big Crispy chicken sandwich, and an iced tea.

That was slightly more than I expected to spend, given what I had heard about the 3 For Me deal. But the fact that the Triple Dippers were nearly meals in themselves made the pricing feel more reasonable.

Diners care a lot about value these days, and Chili's seems to offer that.

While some consumers are cutting back on eating out, others are still willing to spend on restaurants — but they need to feel like they're getting a good deal when they do.

Yes, my trip to Chili's was more expensive than if I had eaten at McDonald's. But I also got more food, better food, and more choices for my money.

• As a CPA, many of the adults who come to me are learning about financial matters for the first time.
• I don't want my kids to turn into those adults. I've been teaching them early and often about money.
• Budgeting, taxes, and investments are topics I've shared many important lessons on.

Somewhere between "when you have a job, you can buy whatever you want" and "you'll never have to worry about money" are the money lessons every child needs to hear to build their own money skills.

As a certified public accountant, I've spent a career watching the end results of money silence. Every newly married, single, or widowed person who sits across from me, often middle-aged, is learning about debt, investing, wage negotiation, and taxes (of course, taxes) seemingly for the first time. It never ceases to blow me away.

I decided early on that my kids, now 17 and 18, would never be those adults.

Make their money make money

In my home, everything and everyone gets put to work, including any money in the bank.

My oldest started working at 14. As I watched her nest egg begin to accumulate, I knew I needed to find ways to invest the idle cash and grow it. Since she had no daily need for this cash, it made sense to ensure it would grow.

When I made a big move for her, she was skeptical about why I was "taking" her money. To explain, I did a simple illustration of the impact of compounding interest and high-yield savings account options. At 14, she had enough basic math knowledge to see the logic in the move. I made sure to follow up with semi-annual check-ins so she could see for herself how the compounding was at work. It wasn't any sort of magic her CPA mom was pulling off, it was knowing where to keep your money.

When my son began working, the same conversation inevitably followed, and now they both understand the benefits of compounding and determining between cash to be held for regular use and savings that should be put to work.

Compounding is something I talk to adults about on a regular basis to support planning their income needs, a simple growth technique that, quite honestly, some just aren't thinking about. I can never stress enough that even for the risk-averse, this is your move, not complex, and has little chance of risk.

All money topics should be on the table

Then, of course, there's the conversation every parent is having with their teenage children: retirement.

Yes, retirement chats at 17 or 18 are important. Why? Once my kids started working and had earned income, the gateway opened up to them to access and make contributions toward retirement accounts. I know it sounds ridiculous, since they haven't even started their careers. Believe me, I get looks when I say it, but the math is far from absurd.

Starting at 18, when the likelihood of having more discretionary income is greater, instead of waiting, say until your mid-20's to start saving for later in life, gives you a solid 10-year head start, and again with compounding and growth, that window of time can help to make the difference between when and how you are able to retire.

I say this as a 46-year-old, planning to semi-retire at 50 and fully at 55. I started making these annual contributions at the age of 18 and rarely took a break. The key part of this discussion isn't the pressure to fully fund their retirement early; it's about the clock that has already begun to tick well before competing financial priorities inevitably enter their lives. I know their future selves will thank them (and me) for this.

Tax talks are important, too

There is no lesson I could ever give that hits as hard as getting your first real paycheck. Why? Your deductions become clear, and my kids might have let out an audible gasp, knowing they don't get to eat the whole pie.

Why did I "lose" money, they wondered? This turned into an important conversation about access to medical and social benefits, and of course, withholding taxes. The key takeaway here being that the number on your job offer and the number you take home are never the same, and everyone, including teens, should plan accordingly.

Taxes are a very real part of life; learning at the age of 18 with a part-time job is less jarring than in your 20's with a surprise tax bill you didn't see coming. Taxes remain by far the largest black hole I see with the adults I work with.

Budgets need to be set

My son said something one day that gave me pause. "You seem to be doing well. Why don't you just buy it?"

To him, it was a compliment, even encouraging. To me, it landed differently. He hadn't seen the parts or times when I didn't feel like I was doing well.

I explained to him that those moments existed. I talked about the planning, and that budgeting was very real throughout his whole life. There were educational plans that began the day they were born, the gravity of carrying the load of property they would inherit. All of it was real and remains present.

What I have always made sure of is that they know that the steadiness my kids feel in our home wasn't luck, it was hard work and planning on the part of their parents. It is the output of decisions made long before they were old enough to notice.

That's probably the biggest money lesson; financial security only looks effortless on the outside and after years of proactive planning and consideration.

My kids are about to build their own financial lives; growth, investing, tax planning, all of it is theirs to manage. I know they will make mistakes, as did I. But they won't walk into adulthood believing that money is taboo to speak about or something magical outside of their control.

In our house, money talk is never taboo, and I hope that one day, at their own kitchen tables, it won't be either.

• Sofia Jiang left her role at Morgan Stanley only a few months after starting full-time.
• She pivoted to lower-paying startup roles to gain hands-on experience in building a brand.
• She shared her cold email and networking strategies that helped her land her current role.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Sofia Jiang, a 23-year-old marketer and founder, based in NYC. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.

Last year, I was so grateful to get an investment banking job after I graduated. Then, about four months after I started, I quit.

Investment banking is a prestigious and high-paying industry, so it feels like people admire you for getting the job, and it looks great on a résumé. However, once I was actually in the role, it became super clear to me that this wasn't the place where I'd learn how to run a business, which is ultimately what I wanted to do.

I felt it was kind of silly and too risky to quit a job I had worked so hard to get, one that a million kids would take in a second, but I didn't leave without a plan.

There was a lot of hype around investment banking

I went to school at Georgetown and studied business and global affairs. It was a dual degree program. My first internship was at Diane von Furstenberg, where I worked on partnerships and collaborations. I enjoyed it, but I still wanted a fuller understanding of the business behind consumer companies.

While I was in school, there was a lot of hype around investment banking, and I was very intrigued by the whole atmosphere. There was such a level of security that I could land a job offer before graduating.

During my junior year summer, I got an investment banking internship at Morgan Stanley, hoping I'd land the full-time return offer for after graduation. I ended up getting the return offer, and I was so relieved that my whole senior year, I knew what I was going to do after I graduated.

I got a business idea while working at my internship, and started targeting my future customers

During my internship, I had such a difficult time finding work clothes I liked that weren't super expensive and didn't require dry cleaning. That's how I got the idea for my clothing brand, SofSet.

I knew that if I was going to have this consumer brand one day, the hardest thing to make a brand successful is getting people to know about it. So I started posting content on TikTok that I thought my future customers would want to see. While also slowly laying the foundation for the designs on the side.

I started by making Day in My Life videos at Georgetown, then in investment banking, and they went pretty viral. I built my TikTok audience of over 30,000 followers, and every piece of content I post is what I think my brand's target audience would be interested in.

I quit Morgan Stanley and started a new job right away, using my network

After I realized I didn't want to work at Morgan Stanley, I felt guilty about wanting to leave.

I knew that if I stayed longer, I'd be more afraid because I would have sacrificed two years of my life and delayed working toward my larger goal. I asked a few friends what they thought, but I knew that it was my story, my life, and everyone has a different career path.

When I was thinking about leaving, my content was doing really well, and my friend Myles, who's a founder, was looking for someone to do marketing and help him position his content at a small VC-backed startup. Around the same time I decided to leave my job, my friend offered me a formal position.

I left Morgan Stanley and started working for him the next week.

My current job came from cold emailing every fashion tech person I could think of

I stayed at that startup for around three to four months. It was an incredible opportunity for me to get a lot of hands-on experience, work on a very small team, and gain more confidence, but I knew it wasn't a forever thing. I wanted to break into the fashion tech startup space.

I was cold emailing everyone at fashion tech companies, from employees to the CEO to the recruiters. I'd also sometimes email the company's investors if they had just raised a round. I used either LinkedIn or an email scraper called ContactOut, which was super helpful.

A lot of people didn't reply, but what worked well for me in the outreach message was keeping it as short as possible while explaining my background in one to two sentences. Then, at the end of the message adding how I could provide value to them or ask them for advice.

If I knew that someone wasn't really hiring right now or there were no job postings online, I'd keep it to asking for advice. If I were emailing an investor who had just raised a round, I'd ask them about their investment thesis, show interest in them, and make it clear that I'm interested in the company.

One of the people I reached out to connected me with the HR at a VC fund that invests in fashion tech startups. I spoke with her and made it very clear that I was interested in fashion tech and marketing. She connected me with the CEO of my current job, whom I interviewed with. I had one more interview with someone on the team, and shortly after, received an offer.

Now I run my business on the side and work full-time in fashion tech

I've been slowly building my brand on the side while working a full time job in marketing that I love and am learning so much from. I think the best thing I did was really sit down and think about what I wanted my life to look like.

A year ago, I still had the same idea of what I wanted my life to look like and what I wanted to do, but I didn't know how to get there, so I thought investment banking was the best path. Then, when I looked at the people who were my bosses in investment banking, who were technically going to be me 20 years out, I didn't want the life that they had.

It's easy to compare what I used to earn in investment banking and what I earn now at a startup. My base salary was $110,000 in my first year out of school. Right now, I don't make nearly that much, but I feel like I'm building a future for myself that will pay off in years.

Do you have a similar story to share? If so, please reach out to the reporter at aapplegate@businessinsider.com.

• On TikTok, Gen Z-ers are complaining about their office's "Big Light."
• BI spoke to 11 office employees about the white-hot debate.
• It's hard to accommodate all preferences in an office — but interior designers say Gen Z is right.

At Atlas Financial Solutions, there's a generational divide that's highlighted by the flip of a switch.

"I like the bright light," Amanda DiGiacomo, the owner of the Bakersfield, California, firm (and avowed millennial), told Business Insider. "I just feel like I can see the computer screen better. My eyes can focus on it more, and it feels like I'm not about to go to sleep."

The office's younger employees don't agree.

"It makes me feel pressured, and maybe anxious," Reyna Arredondo, a payroll specialist and Gen Z-er, said.

In-office debates over the "big light" — often the bright, cool-colored fluorescent strips jammed into commercial ceiling tiles — have become a recurring topic on TikTok. There, overhead-haters have proposed solutions, including light covers, window blinds, and even bringing their own lamps to work.

Online, it's been cast as the latest Gen Z-versus-the-world office debate.

Business Insider spoke to 11 office workers at six companies and two interior designers about their experiences with bright overhead office lighting.

For some employees, fluorescent office lighting helps them feel alert and focused and makes text on a computer screen easier to see. For others, the bright overhead lights can contribute to glare, eye strain, headaches, or distraction — or simply make the office an unpleasant place to stay from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

That disagreement poses a familiar problem for employers. Like debates about office temperature, lighting is both highly personal and difficult to individualize in a shared room. Giving one worker the bright environment they need to focus may leave the person at the next desk squinting or reaching for the light switch.

In some offices, lighting is a generational divide

At Atlas, lighting preferences fell neatly along generational lines. They filmed a TikTok spotlighting the differences.

Atlas's younger employees told Business Insider they found ways to soften the office-y glare. Some used software that gives their computer screens a warmer tint, while others asked millennial coworkers to switch off some overhead lights.

But they haven't gone as far as workers at other Bakersfield businesses they interact with, who they said have bought window shades or covers that diffuse the ceiling lights.

"I'm a little bit scared that's a fire hazard," DiGiacomo said.

Desiree Posey, Atlas's office's manager and a millennial, who works in the same office as Arredondo, said dark offices strain her eyes and can give her a headache at the end of the day.

She and her Gen Z coworker have reached a compromise: the big light over Posey's desk can be flicked on, but the one over Arrendondo's is permanently turned off.

Daria Ershova, a 25-year-old marketing consultant, said she also hates the big light. At a previous job, she adorned her office desk with a lamp — and said she started a bit of an office evolution.

"A few of my Gen Z coworkers noticed what I had done, and suddenly we had a whole coalition," she said.

Eventually, management added a budget for Gen Z-ers to buy their own lamps, she said.

The Big Light has non-Gen Z haters, too

That neat generational divide doesn't play out everywhere.

Brittany Blackman, the founder of Discover Freedom, an executive leadership consulting firm, is 36 and identifies squarely as a millennial. Her job brings her into corporate offices across her home state of Florida.

When it comes to overhead lights, she sounds like she's Gen Z. She spoke to Business Insider from a dark room, which she called her "happy state."

"I have to talk to people in offices, and my eyes twitch," she said. "I've had to say to clients with big lights in their offices before, like, 'Hey, I'm not winking at you. It's just that the lights really impact me.'"

Blackman said she had also brought a lamp to a previous office job.

Interior designers say big-light haters have a point

Lucia Fuentes, 28, is a San Diego-based interior designer. She's pretty ardently anti-big light, saying it tends to "wash everything out."

Even though she works at a design studio, she said she brought her own lamps to work. They've helped with her focus, she said.

"It was weird too, because my job is literally designing spaces and yet I found myself sitting under something I wouldn't recommend to clients," she told Business Insider. "Several people have commented that my workstation feels more inviting than the rest of the floor, which is great validation for someone whose entire career revolves around letting others know how lighting can affect a room."

Fuentes has seen a lot of the big light discourse on TikTok, and she has notes.

She told Business Insider that she does not recommend covering fluorescent lights with flammable covers like paper towels, because, well, fire is bad.

Also, "It tends to look messy," she added.

Instead, she says the most cost-effective solutions are either buying a small secondhand desk lamp or asking the company to replace the big lights with warm-white LED bulbs in the 2700-3000 Kelvin range.

For Fuentes, the larger point isn't that every office should go lo-fi. Good workplace lighting, she said, gives employees options — a mix of natural light, warmer ambient lighting, and task lamps rather than one uniform source overhead. That can matter in shared offices, where one worker's ideal lighting can be another's headache trigger.

For his 30th birthday, Dustin Chaveleh wanted to get in the best shape of his life.

Late last year, the San Francisco resident was newly single and looking for a change. He had been spending long hours at a desk, building his career in tech roles at companies like Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs. His real dream job, though, was real estate, so his spare hours went to the extensive coursework for a residential sales license.

The hustle left him in a vicious cycle, struggling to stick to a healthy routine. He couldn't find the energy to hit the gym after work, but the less he went, the more he felt lethargic, unmotivated, and unhappy.

"I didn't want to just sit in a rut," he told Business Insider. "I had lost sight of the gym, and I felt like I didn't know where to start."

In the autumn of 2025, he started working with a remote personal trainer from Enaz Fitness, hoping that by his birthday in late May, he could look and feel like a new man.

Within a few months, Chaveleh said he was lifting heavier, feeling more energized, and liking what he saw in the mirror.

Then a bigger change began to take shape: the networking connections from his new fitness routine helped Chaveleh kick-start his real estate career. He started to power through his real estate licensing process, buoyed by confidence and fresh contacts.

In early June, less than a year after starting his fitness journey, he closed his first real estate deal.

"Getting back into shape allowed me to say, 'Hey, I can change the narrative.' It's part of the confidence boost, taking chances and trying stuff out," he said.

The simple changes he made to burn fat and build muscle have become a built-in part of his lifestyle. Here's how he did it.

A flexible diet for better focus and energy

One of the main problems Chaveleh wanted to fix was boosting his energy throughout the day. He wanted to build lean muscle and burn fat, but without feeling miserable from a strict diet.

The move: setting a protein goal of eating about 1 gram per pound of body weight, along with a calorie goal.

By hitting those targets about 70% of the time, Chaveleh said he lost fat without depriving himself of dining out with friends.

"You can go super restrictive, but that's not sustainable," he said. "I enjoy going out, so I didn't want to cut out alcohol. It was about moderating it and being mindful if I'm going to drink, cutting back early, and focusing on more protein and less carbs."

Chaveleh also found that being more mindful about eating protein throughout the day helped him stay consistently full, rather than skipping meals and then overeating later. He's found that his energy and focus have improved, too.

"I wake up earlier because diet makes me sleep better, makes me feel better, and I perform better. I can think more clearly, and I have less stress in my mind," he said.

Shorter workouts, better ROI

Chaveleh overhauled his gym sessions too, and said the biggest improvements came from working smarter, not harder, in the gym.

Previously, he had been on and off with his workout routine for years. He'd sometimes spend massive amounts of time exercising, two hours a day or more, trying workouts or movements he saw on social media. The complicated workouts were exhausting and hard to maintain, making it difficult to see any progress.

With the help of a personal trainer, Chaveleh started a more deliberate routine that included tracking his progress over time. He used a principle called progressive overload, gradually increasing the challenge to keep making gains.

"Something they taught me was to go in every time and have the mindset of what you want to achieve, a goal of more volume, fixing technique, or going heavy," Chaveleh said.

Thanks to the more focused approach, Chaveleh cut his workout time in half, between 45 minutes and an hour. And he started seeing gains in both his strength and his physique. All of his major lifts have improved: he can bicep curl nearly twice as much, and added more than 40 pounds to his squat for sets of 12 reps.

He also significantly lowered his resting heart rate, a key metric of longevity, from 68 to 58 beats per minute, a more athletic rate.

"It's the consistency and the tracking," he said. "In the day-to-day, you don't notice it, but because I had that log, I could see that the workout was working, I could see the work I put into it."

Building muscle, confidence, and a new career

Chaveleh also learned he was making another common gym mistake: the "bro split."

The bro split is typically a five-day weightlifting routine where you target different muscle groups each day, such as the shoulders, chest, and back.

Chaveleh used to hate leg day, preferring to focus on building his upper body. Sometimes he would skip it altogether, going two weeks without a leg workout.

He was missing out on a classic strategy for faster gains: compound exercises. Compound movements, like squats, presses, rows, and deadlifts, work multiple muscle groups at once, making for a more efficient workout.

With a new approach, Chaveleh said he learned to love leg exercises because they engaged other muscle groups to torch calories. By switching to full-body sessions for every workout, he burned up to 400 calories in less than an hour using simple movements, which is crucial for getting lean.

The downside: Chaveleh had to upgrade his wardrobe to fit his leaner physique.

The more efficient workout plan helped Chaveleh free up more time and energy for his social life, too.

"I run, I go out, and socialize more because I'm not dreading going to the gym," he said.

And in San Francisco, where fitness is social currency, it started to open up new pathways for networking. He connected with potential clients at parks, on hikes, and at run clubs.

"A big part of that is the fitness, meeting like-minded people, " he said. "It's a hot topic in San Francisco, and it's helped bring business."

At one recent gathering, an acquaintance was so impressed with Chaveleh's transformation that he insisted on re-introducing himself.

His latest goals are all about building: growing his business and bulking up to put on some extra muscle in the coming months.

The takeaway

Consistency is key to transforming fitness. If you hate your workouts and diet, you're not going to stick to them long enough to see results.

Start with the basics: a few days a week in the gym, no more than an hour at a time. Pick high-ROI, full-body exercises like squats, presses, and deadlifts. Rinse and repeat.

Then, as you start to get comfortable with the routine, keep the intensity up. Add reps or weight so each set feels challenging, but doesn't leave you crushed by the end.

Don't neglect nutrition. Try tracking what you eat for a few days to get a benchmark. From there, you can adjust so that your protein intake is on point and your calories aren't over the top, while still enjoying whatever foods work best for you.

Finally, lean into the lifestyle: fitness is a great networking tool, and it can translate into better performance in the office and beyond. The same habits that work in the gym (setting attainable goals and scaffolding small steps to reach them) are a great blueprint to build the life you want.

After Kristin Darnell had her first child at 34, when her husband was 40, the plan was to try for their second in two years. But when the time came, they weren't ready.

One of the biggest concerns was the cost of childcare. Having two kids in day care at once would have been astronomically expensive, even though Darnell works in ingredient sales for the food and beverage industry, and her husband is an engineer.

The couple was eventually able to welcome their second child a little later, thanks to IUI, ending up with a three-and-a-half-year age gap between their children, who are now 6 and 3. Last year, with both kids in day care, they spent about $37,000 for the year — a little over $3,000 a month. Darnell estimated that they saved about $200 to $300 a month in childcare costs due to the wider age gap.

"Family planning's a tricky thing; you have one idea before you start and then sometimes that idea shifts," Darnell, now 40, told Business Insider.

This is the spacing dilemma, and Darnell's family isn't the only one facing it. More than a quarter of moms in their 20s expect to have their next child in two to five years, a 2026 CDC report shows. But that figure drops below 10% for moms in their 30s.

Waiting longer between kids can help spread out day care costs and mean only having one child in diapers at a time. But as millennials are having kids later, their hopes for a "golden" age gap can collide with another clock: declining fertility. If parents want more breathing room between babies, waiting can come with trade-offs and benefits.

The delicate art of cutting childcare costs

Today, many millennials tap out at having two kids. Part of that is due to financial constraints.

While many expectant parents are aware of the notoriously exorbitant childcare costs, Karen Guzzo, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina, said they can feel even more discouraged after they've had their first baby. "It's not until you actually get into the nitty-gritty yourself that you're like, 'Wow, this is really expensive,'" Guzzo, who's also the director of the Carolina Population Center, said.

For most Americans, childcare for one kid is steep. The average cost of day care ranges from roughly $7,600 to $24,000 a year, depending on the state and child's age. Things get more financially precarious with two: In nearly all US states, the average annual cost of childcare for two kids at once exceeds mortgage or rent payments. For some parents, it means paying up to $50,000 annually for day care alone.

Factor in other expenses, from car payments to student loans, and many parents start tweaking their timelines. Having a 3- to 4-year age gap between kids means having only one kid in day care or with a nanny at a time; the oldest might already be in preschool, which is offered as a free, public option in most states.

Angela Donahue, who works in product marketing in Renton, Washington, knows what it feels like on both sides of the gap. She put a 4-year age gap between her first and second child (who are now 9 and 5), and a 2-year age gap between her second and third (who is almost 3). While she preferred the wider age gap, she had her third child sooner, at 40, due to age concerns.

With her first and second kids, she said they overlapped in day care for about 6 to 9 months. But she's felt more of a financial strain with her two youngest in day care together over the last two years. Right now, it costs her and her husband roughly $5,000 a month — more than their mortgage.

"I heard some joke about when you have children, people are always like, 'You've got to save for college' — it's like, 'No, college is far away; you've got to save for day care,'" Donahue, 43, told Business Insider.

She said she's excited for the fall, when her second child will be off to kindergarten: "It's definitely really expensive, and we always celebrate when the next one is off to school."

Balancing less visible tolls

To feel comfortable having more kids, many working millennial parents want more career stability. Timing, particularly for mothers, can play a huge role.

"Had I had back-to-back babies, I think it would've taken a larger toll on my ability to advance my career," Darnell said.

Donahue also felt that spacing out her first and second children more was helpful for her career trajectory. For starters, it took her time to adjust to being a new mom. At the same time, she wanted to "keep the momentum going before taking another break," she added, something that felt easier to do when she waited longer to have her second child.

While some research finds that being a parent can improve one's reputation at work, other studies find that a "motherhood penalty" still exists. One 2026 systematic review of 79-peer reviewed journals found that mothers generally faced barriers to career advancement.

Depending on their careers, Guzzo believes mothers are "right to worry" about being out of the workforce too long. "They feel obligated to try to keep their toes in the water, so to speak, so that they aren't forgotten about or considered as not-good employees," she told Business Insider.

The fertility trade-off

Still, the biggest obstacle to spacing kids out is the fear of waiting too long.

If some mothers have their first child in their early 30s and wait 3 or 4 years, they might be trying for their second child in their late 30s or early 40s, when fertility begins to decline on average. Any money they may have saved on childcare might now go to fertility treatments. IVF, a fertility treatment in which an egg and sperm are fertilized in a lab and the resulting embryo is implanted into a woman's uterus, can cost $15,000-$20,000 per cycle without insurance.

In Darnell's case, the trade-off for waiting was that she had to undergo IUI, a typically cheaper and simpler fertility procedure involving a doctor placing concentrated sperm directly into a woman's uterus, at 37. "Knowing that the clock was ticking, we did go investigate fertility doctors earlier than we probably would have in that process," she said, noting that they would have tried to conceive naturally for longer had they been younger.

Luckily, she said, IUI worked for her in the first round and was covered by her husband's insurance. "We were fortunate in that aspect," she said.

The perks of an older older sibling

Beyond giving parents some more financial breathing room, spacing out kids can also make parenting itself a little less chaotic.

Compared to when they're 2, kids who are 3 or 4 are more verbal and generally easier to communicate with. They might also be done with potty training, something both Darnell and Donahue said was a huge help when simultaneously managing a newborn.

Trish Byron-Wilcox, who's the chief of staff for a mineral sunscreen company, has a daughter and son almost exactly three years apart, ages 4 and 1, by the end of this month. The Dallas resident said her daughter being 3 when her son was born made a huge difference in her parenting experience — especially when her husband, who works in industrial distribution, has to travel for up to a week at a time for on-site visits.

The first time she was alone with both kids, she marveled at how easy it was to step away from her daughter to put her baby son to bed, thanks to her daughter's independence. "I was able to just go upstairs with my son and then come back down, and she was happy as a clam," Byron-Wilcox, 36, told Business Insider. "We don't worry about her running away or doing kind of frantic, 2-year-old, toddlery things."

Some parents, like Darnell, are also pleasantly surprised to see that a bigger age gap doesn't stop their kids from being close. "I do feel like my son grasped and understood what getting a baby sister was going to be like when he was a little bit older," she said. "He's a great big brother, and they play now."

Donahue said her children with the 4-year age gap actually get along better than her second and third children with the 2-year gap. Her oldest was old enough to embrace the big brother role, and even help Donahue care for the middle child. But the youngest two just didn't get along as well.

"They started fighting right away because the age difference is so small that they still were interested in the same toys," Donahue said.

As someone who's tried both longer and shorter age gaps, Donahue said there's no doubt in her mind which one she prefers: "I would space them out like that if I could have this last time around, too."

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thinks two years in college was just right for him.
• Altman said he thinks that maybe four years might be too long for others, too.
• Altman shared other thoughts and advice, including why it's often a waste to try to be taken seriously.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said two years in college was "the exact right amount of time" for him. It may be for others, too.

"I think I learned a lot, and it would have been like vastly diminishing returns," Altman recently told investor Cory Levy during a surprise appearance at Internapalooza, Levy's networking summit for tech interns.

Altman said the four-year college experience may not be necessary in today's world.

"I've sort of thought that maybe the way the world has evolved, college just shouldn't be as long as it is, but it was still great to meet people and kind of like live on your own and get to work on projects," he said.

In 2005, the future OpenAI chief dropped out of Stanford after two years to cofound Loopt, an app that allowed users to share their location with friends. Loopt went on to be part of the first Y Combinator batch, which paved the way for Altman's eventual rise to running the famed startup incubator himself.

Altman said two more years of college "would have not been that great."

"So, I was very happy with how it went, but you don't get to run the experiment twice," he said. "I know a lot of people now who have not gone to college at all and done great."

Altman's views align with those of others in tech, most notably his mentor and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, who supports a fellowship that awards $250,000 to young people to skip college entirely or at least take a break from their studies.

Altman's career advice

The OpenAI chief had additional advice for those in the audience, including why it's often a waste for young entrepreneurs to try to be taken seriously.

"I think people put too much effort into trying to get taken seriously, and you can sort of get a long way in life and career just by doing stuff," Altman said. "And I think this is much more true now than ever before. You can make a whole startup kind of by yourself in a room with a lot of AI tokens, but not much else."

Altman said that in some cases, you may just need to add someone to your team.

"If you were trying to do enterprise sales to a big, stodgy, old company, then it kind of does," he said. "And after trying and failing to get taken seriously in that specific way for a while, I was like, 'I'm just going to hire a 50-year-old.'"

Asked about the time when he juggled OpenAI and his other duties, Altman said it's bad advice to tell people starting out to focus on just a single project.

"I think it's fine to work on multiple projects for a little while because you don't really know what's going to work," he said. "You don't really know what you're going to be interested in. You don't really know what's going to be a good fit. But then the mistake that people do make is as soon as you figure out what your highest conviction thing is, that is when you're supposed to do the painful work of getting free from the other stuff and going all in."

• Luna, an Anthropic-powered AI agent, fired a worker for the first time at the SF store it runs.
• The SF retail store run by AI is an experiment by Andon Labs to test agentic abilities.
• Luna needed nudging and reminders of its own store policies to act, demonstrating limitations.

The AI agent running a San Francisco store has made its first firing decision.

Andon Labs said Thursday that Luna, the AI manager of Andon Market, an experimental retail store run entirely by AI, decided to dismiss a human employee after repeated lateness and other workplace issues. The employee arrived late for 17 of 23 shifts, according to the lab's report.

Luna did not reach the decision entirely unprompted. Conversation logs between the lab and Luna show that the agent had created an attendance policy but later lost track of it, allowing the employee's lateness to continue for months. Andon Labs eventually asked Luna to search her memory for its policies and assess whether the worker was still a good fit.

Luna then recommended "parting ways" with the employee, a decision that the humans in the lab reviewed and carried out.

Andon Labs cofounder Lukas Petersson told Business Insider that the lab would intervene if Luna made an illegal or unethical decision, but he did not believe that was necessary here.

"In this instance, we did not think that that was necessary because the firing was warranted," Petersson said, pointing to the store's policy, which was clearly stated.

"I think obviously the relationship between a manager and an employee is quite delicate, especially depending on the employee's position," Petersson added. "But what we've seen in this experiment is not that the AI would be more ruthless or be worse for the employee in that decision."

According to screenshots and conversation logs posted on Andon Labs' website, Luna gave the employee progressive and repeated warnings, as well as additional training, for months without taking any contractual action.

The firing came after the experimental store officially opened in San Francisco on April 1. Andon Labs, which tests the limits of AI agents, gave Luna a $100,000 budget, internet access, and a corporate credit card, along with instructions to open a store and turn a profit.

Luna, built using Anthropic's Claude models, selected merchandise, hired contractors, posted jobs on Indeed, interviewed applicants, and hired employees for Andon Market, which sells books, candles, prints, games, and branded merchandise. Andon Labs provided support for more difficult tasks, such as permitting, but said the lab tried to be as hands-off as possible.

Based on the experiment guidelines, all store workers hired by Luna are formally employed by the lab, receive guaranteed pay, and have legal protections. The store has generated sales but is not profitable.

Petersson said that the firing also exposed a persistent weakness in AI agents: They often fail to act without a direct prompt.

"We saw that a human boss would probably fire them much sooner," Petersson said. "I think companies will be run completely by AI in the future, and that AIs will become employers of humans."

• The Nose to Tail exhibition in NYC highlighted art made from scraps never meant to see a gallery.
• Five artists discussed the financial realities of sustaining an artistic practice in New York City.
• From cheap materials and multiple jobs to affordable studios and housing, here's how they do it.

"Let nothing go to waste" has taken on a literal meaning for these New York City artists.

As the cost of living is a big challenge for many New Yorkers, artists from a recent thrifty art show talked to Business Insider about how they have found ways to adapt to rising prices while continuing their creative pursuits — including using scraps of their work that were never meant to be seen on the walls of an art gallery.

This was the thesis of the Nose to Tail exhibition, curated by New York natives Patricia Fabricant and Jeanne Heifetz and featuring eleven artists living in the city. Its title refers to the culinary practice of using every edible part of an animal, both to reduce waste and honor its life.

"As inflation ticks ever higher and resources more precious," the group show featured artworks "sourced from studio process by-products, down-time doodles, and happy accidents," according to the exhibition description.

Business Insider has covered how other artists are working to make ends meet throughout our Cost of the City series, reporting on how people can afford to live in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

The show ran at Equity Gallery in the Lower East Side from June to July and showcased a range of art forms, from paintings to metalwork and music videos. Here's how five New York City artists turned studio scraps into finished works — and what it means to sustain a creative practice in an increasingly unaffordable city.

Gabrielle Shelton: When business sustains the art

Gabrielle Shelton, 53, originally from Los Angeles, has been living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for 31 years. As a metal sculptor, she also runs her own business, Shelton Studios Inc., which produces high-end custom architectural metalwork for homes, businesses, hotels, and other spaces.

"I specifically placed myself and started a business that could feed my art without me having to come up with another way to make money," she said. "The only way that I could access materials and space is if I started a business that focused on the same materials that I wanted to make my sculpture out of."

For the exhibition, she used leftover scrap metal from previously sold sculptures and brought them together.

"I have a lot of little, really beautiful scrap metal or offcuts or prototypes and jigs," she said, "and the last couple years, I started taking them out and making sculptures out of them, joining parts that never would have joined."

To balance managing her self-owned business, her artwork, and her family life with her husband and two children, Shelton worked during the day, spent the afternoons with her kids, and returned to her studio at night.

"For many years, I worked about 70 to 80 hours a week," she said. "I basically didn't sleep for about 20 years."

Damien Olsen Berdichevsky: Turning the city's leftovers into art

Damien Olsen Berdichevsky, a 65-year-old sculptor and musician born in Argentina, has lived in the city for 28 years. For the show, he submitted The Book of the Comfort Zone, a piece he started when he first used an issue of The Brooklyn Rail journal to wipe his brushes.

"I was using it to clean my brushes, and it all started with a stain. Then I started painting page by page every night," he said.

From February to May, he painted all the magazine's pages, complementing the book with a music video displayed alongside it.

Berdichevsky primarily works with wood and cardboard — not too hard to come by in New York City.

"The streets are piled with those materials," he said. "Besides, there's a lumberyard a couple of doors from my house, and I can't tell you the amount of wood they throw away."

While the city provides some materials for free, Berdichevsky does pitch in to buy paint, paper, and glue. In the past, he has also worked as a "ghost artist" and bought and resold music instruments and antiques on eBay to make extra money.

Yet, he said he has been dealt a lot of luck. Thanks to his wife's family, he receives financial support and lives in a 150-year-old family home in Greenpoint that she inherited, where he also has space to work instead of renting a studio.

"I've never had to interrupt my work because I couldn't afford it financially," Berdichevsky said. "How much of your merit is at play, or is it simply good luck?"

Jessica Nissen: Balancing work and art

Native New Yorker Jessica Nissen, 59, prioritizes spending on her art over other indulgences, setting aside money for materials and her Brooklyn studio. Through her daily life, she's balancing work and art, not work and leisure, she said.

To support herself, she works as a scenic artist for film and television. In this role, she helps bring designers' visions to life by painting and finishing sets, both in studios and on location.

For Nose to Tail, she exhibited 4x4 oil eye paintings on blocks of wood. She works on these when she gets stuck while working on larger paintings.

"They help me keep moving and painting and thinking," she said. "The material I'm using is expensive, and I don't have endless funds, so I don't want to waste the material on my palette."

Nissen said New York's creative community depends on a balanced ecosystem between cultural producers and consumers.

"Artists are culture producers, and it's really important to recognize that as the cost of living goes up and people struggle in the city, creative people struggle to stay within the city," she said. "If we're forced to move elsewhere, what do you end up with in the city? You just end up with consumers."

Jason Rohlf: Keeping the loft — and the art — alive

Jason Rohlf, 56, moved to New York City from Milwaukee in 1999. As a full-time artist, he and his family have lived in the same Williamsburg loft for roughly 27 years, with rent protection under the NYC Loft Law.

The around 1,300-square-foot loft doubles as his home and studio. Yet, although the Loft Law statute protects these industrial lofts inhabited by artists, preserving the space has required lawyers, legal expenses, and years of uncertainty.

"Every time the state says, 'Oh, we're going to revisit the loft law,' you get an email, and everybody's panicking," he said. "I don't think many people's lifestyles involve having a housing lawyer on their phone."

Yet maintaining affordable housing has also benefited Rohlf. During the 2008 financial crisis, many of his peers relocated, unable to afford NYC, while he was able to stay. Now, it has helped him continue to afford his housing as other prices continue to rise.

"Every number is exponentially going up, and so for us to keep the housing costs low made one of those numbers manageable," he said.

For the exhibition, Rohlf presented muslin shop towels he uses to clean paintbrushes. For the past 20 years, he has made and stored thousands of these towels. For the show, he and co-curator Jeanne Heifetz selected 42.

Rohlf works on a portable scale, developing small ideas with materials already in his studio.

"My creativity kind of flourishes in a microcosm," he said. "If I only painted on giant canvases made with expensive materials, my studio would have ended a long time ago."

Oriane Stender: The trade-offs of being an artist in NYC

San Francisco-born textile artist Oriane Stender has lived in New York City for over 20 years. While weaving and painting fabric, she began placing scrap paper beneath her loom to catch dripping paint and discovered that it captured impressions of the threads.

"When I realized the prints were really beautiful themselves, I started doing them on nice, large watercolor paper," she said.

For her, compromises, such as moving farther out, are key to being an artist in the city. Stender does not have a car, rarely buys new clothes, and lives "frugally."

"It sort of depends how much you want to be part of it and what you're willing to give up," she said. "I don't have children — there's a lot of things that I don't do that people think they might want to have with their life. You give up some of that if you want to be an artist."

Today, she lives in a Brooklyn apartment and uses it as her art studio. The only thing she said she misses is traveling.

"New York is expensive, so it's harder just to be an artist for the pure love of being an artist," she said. "I would be making art whether I ever sold it or not."

• Berkshire Hathaway raised its Alphabet stake by 83% last quarter, a portfolio disclosure revealed.
• Greg Abel invested another $7 billion or so on top of the $10 billion private placement.
• Berkshire's biggest quarter of stock-buying in years followed Warren Buffett's exit as CEO.

Berkshire Hathaway sharply increased its Alphabet stake during its biggest quarter for stock buying in years.

Greg Abel, who took over from Warren Buffett as CEO at the turn of the year, oversaw an 83% increase in Berkshire's Alphabet holdings to about 106 million shares, worth nearly $38 billion at the end of June.

Berkshire had agreed to buy $10 billion worth of Alphabet stock at a discount to the market price in a private placement in June. It also bought a further 19.6 million shares on the open market last quarter, a portfolio disclosure revealed on Friday.

Alphabet was the third-largest holding in Berkshire's US stock portfolio at the end of June, trailing only a $66 billion stake in Apple and a $51 billion position in American Express.

That's striking, as Buffett eschewed tech stocks for most of his career, with the exception of Apple, preferring to own stocks like Coca-Cola and businesses like Geico.

He may no longer be running the show, but Buffett has said that he made the call to invest in Alphabet last year. Given that Abel is now CEO while Buffett is chairman, it seems likely the pair are sharing responsibility for the position.

Alphabet stock has soared by around 170% over the past three years, as investors continue to wager that the search-and-advertising giant will be one of the biggest winners from the AI boom.

Ringing in the changes

Berkshire boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 44% last quarter, giving it a $5.4 billion stake in the airline as of June 30. It also established a fresh stake in D. R. Horton and added significantly to its Lennar and Macy's positions.

On the other hand, it roughly halved its stakes in Capital One and Nucor, trimmed its holdings in Bank of America and Kroger, and closed a small bet on Constellation Brands.

The portfolio update was hotly anticipated as investors knew Berkshire had been busy. Its second-quarter earnings last week showed that it purchased a net $20 billion of stocks, its largest quarterly outlay since 2022.

Berkshire spent $23.5 billion on stocks while selling only $3.7 billion, ending its run of 14 straight quarters as a net seller.

The sharp uptick in stock purchases — along with $4.5 billion of stock buybacks, the highest quarterly figure since 2021 — helped trim Berkshire's cash pile from a record $380 billion to $365 billion in the three months ended June 30.

Berkshire's cash pile ballooned during Buffett's final years in charge, as the legendary bargain hunter struggled to find value for money in stocks, acquisitions, or buybacks.

• A new legal filing says Sony hired investigators to probe WPP's media rebate practices.
• Sony's review said that WPP ran a "global crime scheme" and improperly withheld rebates, the filing alleges.
• WPP declined to comment on the alleged Sony review and said that the lawsuit referencing it is "baseless."

A new filing in a lawsuit from a fired WPP executive alleges that Sony, one of the ad giant's major partners, investigated the company and concluded it had improperly withheld rebates from clients.

The lawsuit says that Sony presented the findings of its investigation to WPP in 2025 in a detailed analysis that said the ad agency giant operated what Sony called a "global crime scheme" across several markets, including China.

The allegations have high stakes for WPP, which handles tens of billions of dollars in ad spending for some of the world's largest companies. At its core, the lawsuit alleges WPP put its own interests ahead of its clients', engineering a way to use some of their advertising budgets to maximize its own profits without their consent.

The lawsuit says that Sony's investigation alleged this is how the practice worked:

• WPP's media investment arm, GroupM, would negotiate a rebate deal with a media owner by leveraging its clients' combined advertising spending.
• WPP used a network of "intermediary brokers" to hold some of the rebates for itself rather than dispersing them to clients.
• WPP used rebate funds to subsidize the cost of ad inventory, then kept the resulting margin as profit that was shielded from audits.

The lawsuit contains a purported slide from Sony's presentation to WPP titled "impact for WPP Advertisers — China 2024," which claims that approximately $110 million was passed back to clients that year, while $350 million remained in its rebate pool "for later utilization" by WPP.

A separate purported Sony slide described the practice as a "fraud scheme" run in China and other markets, and attributed its design to senior global WPP executives.

Sony drew its findings from the work of independent investigators who attended a criminal trial in China involving WPP executives and from interviews with former WPP and GroupM executives, the lawsuit says. GroupM was rebranded to WPP Media last year.

The lawsuit says Sony supported its findings with "contractual language regarding rebate policies, transaction-level financial reporting, internal emails regarding rebate amounts, and documentation of WPP tracking systems."

A Sony spokesperson said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

The new details are part of a lawsuit filed in November by Richard Foster, a former longtime GroupM executive. In the lawsuit, he accuses the company of retaliating against him and firing him after he raised concerns that the group's media investment division was allegedly running an improper global kickback operation.

WPP filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Foster failed to state a legally sufficient claim while also objecting on jurisdictional grounds. The suit is ongoing.

WPP declined to comment on the alleged Sony review and said in a statement that Foster's amended complaint, filed days prior to an upcoming court hearing, is an attempt to avoid the case's dismissal.

"Both complaints are baseless and without merit, and WPP will be re-filing an updated motion to dismiss," WPP said. "We have confidence that this matter will be resolved through due legal process."

Foster alleged in the lawsuit that the operation was not confined to China and was deployed as part of a global model through which GroupM improperly retained roughly $1.5 billion to $2 billion in profits from rebate deals over five years, by his estimation.

The amended complaint says Sony's investigative findings corroborated "years of whistleblowing" from Foster, who is seeking at least $100 million in damages from WPP.

In the latest filing, Foster says he refused a "seven-figure termination package which included an obligation of silence regarding the company's undisclosed rebate practices."

The ad industry's heated 'principal media' debate

Media rebates are not inherently illegal, though they can raise transparency and accounting issues if they are not properly disclosed. A US ad industry trade group previously warned that rebates could amount to a breach of contract or fraud if not disclosed to the client or if advertisers were deceived about the practice.

Some markets, including China, are heavily reliant on media rebates and the use of brokers to facilitate them.

The prevalence of "proprietary media" agency models, commonly referred to as "principal media," has long been a divisive topic in the ad industry. They tend to take the form of agencies purchasing a large volume of media at a discount, reselling it to their clients, and making a margin on that resale.

Agencies argue that principal media is often more cost-effective for their clients than buying ad inventory themselves — and that CMOs are happy to participate so long as it performs well. Critics say the model — even when it's disclosed — can create conflicts of interest for agencies, which could be incentivized to steer marketers toward media the agency has already bought, rather than the inventory best suited to their clients' campaign objectives.

Advisory and consulting firm Madison and Wall recently estimated that principal media accounts for a "high single-digit or low double-digit" share of large-brand and agency activity in the US.

"Richard Foster asked a question any agency should be prepared to answer: Are your profits derived from loyal service to your clients, or not?" William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and lead counsel to Foster, said in a statement.

WPP's media operations in China have already faced significant legal scrutiny. Earlier this year, Di Fei, the former GroupM China chief investment officer, was sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes totaling $176 million with his ex-colleagues, Bloomberg reported. Di Fei is appealing the ruling, Bloomberg reported in June.

WPP has said it is aware of the court's sentencing of its former employees in China and has cooperated fully with the relevant authorities.

The summer heat rages on, but so do the new movies and TV shows landing on streaming services this week. We've scoured the latest releases to highlight the five best new movies and TV shows streaming the weekend of August 14, 2026.

This week's line-up includes an action flick starring Bob Odenkirk, along with Sunny Sandler's latest coming-of-age film. On the TV side, there are new seasons of "Reacher" and "Women in Blue (Las Azules)," as well as the series premiere of "Lanterns," if you're looking for something brand-new to sink your teeth into.

5: Normal

Bob Odenkirk's latest action film takes on small-town life in the Midwest, and fans of "Nobody" will find some familiar thrills. "Normal" follows a sheriff (Odenkirk) hoping for a reprieve by working in a sleepy town. When a bank robbery goes wrong, he finds that things in the town might not be quite what they seem. Lena Heady and Henry Winkler also star. Normal is now streaming on HBO Max.

4: Reacher

Jack Reacher is back. Based on the Lee Child book series of the same name, Season 4 of "Reacher" finds the action hero drawn into an all-new mystery of an unsettling encounter on a subway. Sydelle Noel, Christopher Marquette, and Kevin Corrigan are among the supporting cast members in the latest season. The first three episodes are now streaming on Prime Video.

3: Women in Blue (Las Azules)

An underrated Apple TV gem returns for a second season this week. "Women in Blue (Las Azules)" follows Mexico's first female police force. In Season 2, María (Bárbara Mori) has been promoted to lieutenant, and Las Azules investigate the murder of a student activist, which turns out to be much more than it seems. Ximena Sariñana, Natalia Téllez, and Amorita Rasgado also star. The season premiere is now streaming on Apple TV.

2: Don't Say Good Luck

Netflix's new coming-of-age film follows Sophie (Sunny Sandler) as she navigates high school and the starring role in her school's musical. Her life is thrown for a loop when she finds out her mother is sick. Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, and Steve Buscemi also star. The film is now streaming on Netflix.

1: Lanterns

Despite its mixed results with movies released since "Avengers: Endgame," the MCU has had a chokehold on the prestige superhero TV scene. The new DC Universe will attempt to combat that with "Lanterns," a detective-style drama from Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. The series is about the intergalactic peacekeepers known as Green Lanterns ("space cops"), following veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as he trains newbie John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). "Lanterns" premieres on Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.

Also streaming

Our weekly roundups focus on new TV series, seasons, and new-to-streaming movies, but there are several excellent shows currently dropping new episodes. You can find some of our top ongoing TV recommendations below:

• "Ted Lasso" (new episodes Wednesdays on Apple TV)
• "The Challenge" (new episodes Wednesdays on Paramount Plus)
• "Furious" (new episodes Mondays on Hulu and the Disney Plus and Hulu bundle)
• "Silo" (new episodes Fridays on Apple TV)
• "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" (new episodes Mondays on ABC via a live TV service like YouTube TV or Fubo and next-day on Disney Plus and Hulu)

If you're interested in learning more about these streaming apps, check out our guides to the best streaming services and best live TV streaming services. For additional recommendations, you can explore our roundup of the best streaming deals and bundles.

• Anthropic is watermarking AI text due to the European Union's AI Act requirements for transparency.
• In a blog post, Anthropic said its watermark subtly alters word choices in Claude models.
• Previously, some Claude customers told Business Insider they were concerned about the watermark.

Anthropic is trying to calm everyone down over its new watermark.

The company sparked a wave of discourse this week when it updated a support page for its Claude model to reveal its plans to mark AI-generated text as AI-generated. Now, after concerns from Claude users, Anthropic has published a blog post on Friday that defends and explains the technology. It also outlines the tool's limitations.

The AI lab's post first makes one point clear: it is watermarking its text to comply with the European Union's AI Act, and its AI provider peers — a likely nod toward OpenAI — will have to do the same.

Like other EU tech regulations, the AI Act's effects ripple beyond the continent. Anthropic said in its post that it's "applying watermarking globally at launch because we don't yet have a durable way to scope it by region." Watermarks will first be applied to new Anthropic models, and then to older ones in the coming months, the post said.

Previously, some customers told Business Insider they canceled Claude subscriptions because of the new watermark. Anthropic told Business Insider that it hasn't seen a trend of an uptick in cancellations since it announced the watermark.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. A support page updated two weeks ago says that the company also plans to add watermarks to text.

How does Anthropic's new watermarking tool actually work?

Anthropic spends hundreds of words of its post answering a basic question that emerged when the company first revealed its plan to watermark text: How do you embed proof of AI in a series of words without ruining a chatbot's human-like tone?

The company cites a 2024 Google DeepMind paper that established the watermarking technique Anthropic will now apply to its Claude product's outputs.

Here's how it works. When Anthropic's AI models churn out sentences, they make a series of decisions about which words to include. A lot of this is settled randomly — a grinning child can be either "joyful" or "cheerful," so one of the words gets picked by a random number generator. Anthropic describes its watermark as essentially a different type of random number generator — if you have a "key," you can detect whether the text follows Claude's subtle patterns of choice.

Anthropic hasn't released the "key" yet, though it says it will offer a tool called an application programming interface, or API, that will allow users and third parties to check text for Claude's watermark themselves.

The watermark doesn't include any hidden characters, weird fonts, or secret text. It's just the word choice. Anthropic says the difference won't be distinguishable to readers.

Is this the end of confusing AI-generated text with human writing?

No. Anthropic's blog post repeatedly points out the limitations of the watermarking tech. Anthropic's "key" will point back to Claude's involvement, not AI's in general. The post says, "Using our key, one can only answer the question 'What is the likelihood this was partly written by Claude?'"

Longer passages will be easier for the "key" to recognize as Claude-generated because the model will have made more word choice decisions. The post also says that "factual passages," in which the wrong choices might jeopardize accuracy, will receive fewer marks.

That same issue holds for AI-generated code. Anthropic writes that a watermark wouldn't be applied as often in code because it's so exact — the wrong term might mean the software can't run correctly.

Some customers previously told Business Insider that they were concerned that the watermark would imply they weren't the author of the text or code. Anthropic says that the watermark appearing indicates that Claude processed the content or file and doesn't change a user's rights or ownership of the text under its terms.

It's an open question how often people will check for AI-generated text, and whether the new watermarks prompt a different relationship with Claude's outputs.

"Light editing probably won't remove the watermark completely; a complete rewrite where every word is replaced will," the post says. "In the latter case, of course, it's arguable whether the text can any longer be described as AI-generated."

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

TV tech is booming, which means you don't have to spend a ton of money for serious performance. If you can invest around $1,200-$1,500, you can get a very good 65-inch TV, from brightness monsters like the Hisense U7SG to the fabulously colorful TCL QM7L. But if that's too steep, you can still get a pretty good TV for far less cash thanks to budget-friendly options like the new Hisense U6SF Pro.

The U6SF Pro doesn't offer the next-gen colors, searing brightness, or striking contrast of pricier mid-tier models, but its QLED panel and Mini LED backlight deliver impressive poise across content, with natural-looking colors and minimal light bleed. Its matte screen kills reflections in bright rooms, an upgrade over many cheaper models, and it looks better from an angle than most backlit TVs I've tested.

For smarts, the U6SF Pro runs on Amazon's Fire TV platform, which offers handy features like Alexa+ and an ambient art mode. However, Fire TV is a lot clunkier than Google TV or Roku OS, and all but requires investment in Amazon services. You'll get better overall performance by stepping up a tier, but if you're on a strict budget, the U6SF Pro is a fine TV that delivers good performance for the money.

The U6SF Pro packs plenty of goodies into a slick design

TV hardware design is becoming increasingly slick (and uniform), with even budget-forward models like the U6SF Pro offering slim bezels and relatively thin panels.

At just over 40 pounds, the 65-inch model I tested feels a bit flimsy, and its basic feet leave little clearance for a soundbar, but they're a cinch to assemble and offer wide or narrow positions to fit your console. Following the industry trend toward larger screens, the U6SF Pro comes in several sizes, ranging from 55 to 100 inches.

The standout hardware feature is the U6SF Pro's matte-like screen. Once reserved for high-end models and art TVs, it does a killer job diffusing virtually all ambient reflections in challenging rooms, though it's less effective with direct reflections than fancier anti-glare screens used on pricier models like the Samsung S90H and S95H OLED TVs. However, keep in mind that the 100-inch U6SF Pro does not feature a matte panel like its smaller counterparts.

Behind the panel's left side is an accessible connection hub with four HDMI ports, two of which support gaming features such as VRR at up to 144Hz. That's a nice get at this price, and just as importantly, neither high-bandwidth input overlaps with the HDMI eARC port, leaving it free to connect a soundbar or receiver. You'll definitely want one, as even with its added back woofer, the U6SF Pro sounds as flat and tinny as you'd expect for its class.

Like its pricier siblings, the TV supports all the top HDR formats, including HDR10 and HLG, as well as the more advanced HDR10+ and Dolby Vision dynamic formats that adjust contrast frame by frame. Other notable features include voice control via the basic wand remote, WiFi 6, Apple AirPlay, Bluetooth streaming support, and both Dolby and DTS audio decoding. However, unlike step-up Hisense TVs, the U6SF Pro's remote lacks backlit buttons.

The TV's picture opts for balance over spectacle

Brightness is a key spec for TV performance, and the Hisense U6SF Pro claims a solid 1,200-nit peak brightness, well above what most streaming content requires. Using a Portrait Displays C6 HDR5000, a G1 pattern generator, and Calman software, I measured almost exactly that in the most accurate Filmmaker Mode. The less accurate Standard Mode initially measured well below 1,200 until I raised the local dimming from Medium to High and turned off the Light Sense feature.

I mention this because the U6SF Pro can look dimmer than its specs suggest. That's likely due in part to its black levels, which, while solid, don't get as deep as those on midrange models like the TCL QM7L. This results in lower perceived contrast, especially in moderate lighting, where the matte screen can look more like charcoal. But even when selecting a traditionally bright preset, like Gaming Mode, the U6SF Pro takes a restrained approach, which may prompt some users to enable the TV's Intelligent HDR feature for more punch.

The TV's above-average shadow detail and reflection handling ensure it's still a capable performer in brighter rooms, and its Mini LED backlight system can certainly muster some scintillating sparkle with the right content. The white-hot sandstorm in "Mad Max: Fury Road" on 4K HDR Blu-ray amped things up significantly, with a satisfying blast in multi-colored lightning bolts and fiery explosions. The shimmering aqua tides in "Moana" on Disney Plus revealed plenty of pop as well, even when using the TV's more restrained (but accurate) Dolby Vision Dark mode, which illuminated rich shades of teal, blue, purple, and gold as the sun faded from day to night.

The TV's naturalistic colors were a strong point throughout my review, even if the U6SF Pro falls short of the color explosion found on TVs that use new RGB LED backlighting. This was evident when measuring the next-gen BT.2020 color gamut, but the U6SF Pro hits over 90% of the more common DCI-P3 color spectrum, where most current content lives. Just as importantly, it does so with tact, providing accuracy for everything from skin tones to rainbow-colored coral reefs.

I was also pleased to find the colors held up pretty well when moving off-angle, more so than a lot of TVs in this class and some above it. There's definitely some color bleed, but less than I expected, and the screen's blooming control and shadow detail don't take major hits either.

The U6SF Pro's most noticeable performance quirk might be its tendency to reveal moiré, a strobing effect in patterns like a finely knit shirt. Sharp-eyed viewers will also notice some screen aberrations, such as columns in skylines and darkening in the screen's corners, but both are common issues for models in this class. Ultimately, the TV's other assets make it surprisingly well-balanced for a variety of environments.

The Fire TV system needs a lot of fiddling

The U6SF Pro's Fire TV interface is stuffed with as many ads as any smart TV platform on the market, acting as a clear siphon for Amazon products; I got three direct pitches to Amazon services before I even finished the smart setup. Worse, it skips most of the automated privacy notices found in many modern smart systems, defaulting to tracking your every move without really asking for consent.

The good news is, much like the world itself, Fire TV is mostly what you make of it. While you can't remove the constant ad barrage, diving into the Privacy Settings lets you turn off the most invasive settings, such as auto-play for audio and video ads, app sharing, and internet-based ad data collection.

Once you've turned off its worst tendencies, Hisense's Fire TV iteration is a decent daily driver, especially for those already invested in Amazon services. You'll get all the top streaming apps, and the new Alexa+ offers intuitive voice commands and search. It requires a Prime subscription (or a separate $20/month fee) for access, but if you don't already have Prime, a Fire TV probably isn't for you. The lack of a gaming bar for quick settings adjustments also makes the U6SF Pro less appealing to serious gamers, even with its high-refresh screen.

The TV's matte screen makes it primed (no pun intended) for Fire TV's Ambient Mode that offers a limited art library, making paintings look more realistic than on glossy screens. Another quirk: tapping the power key turns on Ambient Mode by default, so you have to hold it to actually power the TV down. Like so many Fire TV features, you can swap that function in the settings or turn off Ambient Mode altogether.

Should you buy the Hisense U6SF Pro TV?

The Hisense U6SF Pro TV offers solid features and performance that surpass those of cheaper sets, especially in challenging rooms where reflections are a headache. At a full retail cost of $1,100, the 65-inch model is already reasonably priced, but it's rarely ever sold at full MSRP. Prices typically fluctuate between $800 and $599, with that latter deal being a genuine bargain. If pricing consistently drops below $700, the U6SF Pro is on track to replace the TCL QM6K as our pick for the best TV on a budget.

However, this set does still have some drawbacks to keep in mind, especially for those who aren't already tied into Amazon's ecosystem. Fire TV's lack of a dedicated gaming bar also makes it less suited for gaming enthusiasts. And if you're at all curious about next-gen performance and are willing to spend more, I recommend jumping up a tier.

Staying with Hisense, the midrange U7SG pairs a similar anti-reflective screen with better design, cleaner all-around performance, and higher brightness. TCL's QM7L adds similar spoils, though it has a glossy screen instead of a matte one. Both displays also use Google TV, which is simpler to navigate and much less invasive than Fire TV by default. Of course, those models are pricier, with their 65-inch sizes typically going for around $1,000 to $1,500.

Ultimately, whether the Hisense U6SF Pro is a good fit really comes down to your budget. If you want an anti-reflective 65-inch TV that holds its own in bright rooms — and you don't want to pay more than $800 — this model is hard to beat.

• Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli shared her favorite "accidentally vegan" recipe with us.
• It's for cauliflower "steak" and requires mostly simple ingredients, like coconut milk and parsley.
• I don't even like cauliflower much, and this is still one of my favorite easy meals. 

It's tempting to order take-out or make a frozen pizza for dinner, but making a restaurant-quality dish at home isn't as much of a hassle as you might think.

Just ask chef and Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli.

When I interviewed her in February 2021, she told me cauliflower "steak" is one of her go-to dishes to make when she wants an easy dinner. It's also a signature dish at her New York City restaurant Butter.

"I call it my accidentally vegan entrée, and it's basically cauliflower that's blanched, soaked in coconut milk, and then roasted," she said. "It's just, like, 'What did I just eat?' It's got that kind of vibe."

Although I don't follow a plant-based diet, I try to have meatless meals throughout my week. I also love vegetables, though I must admit cauliflower is one of my least favorites.

Still, I'm always game to try something new. So, I pulled up one of Guarnaschelli's recipes for cauliflower "steak" and got cooking.

The ingredients felt affordable and easy to find

The recipe has three components: marinated cauliflower steaks, a simple vinaigrette, and a gremolata topping (an herby Italian condiment typically made with parsley, garlic, and lemon juice).

It looked a little intimidating at first glance, but when I read through the recipe, I realized this dish would actually be pretty simple.

A lot of the ingredients, like salt, red-wine vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and red-pepper flakes, are common pantry staples.

However, I did have to pick up a few things I don't usually have on hand, like unsweetened coconut milk, flat-leaf parsley, and coriander seeds.

Prep took me a few hours, but none of the steps were difficult

I started by cutting a cauliflower head into three thick slices, or "steaks." The recipe said to cut the head into two pieces, but mine was massive.

From there, I boiled two slices in a pot of heavily salted water for about seven minutes.

I was thankful to have three slabs of cauliflower because one fell apart while boiling. I still strained it and let it drain on a sheet pan while the third steak boiled.

While the cauliflower rested and released the extra water, I prepared a small baking dish with coconut milk, crushed coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt.

I'd never worked with coriander seeds before, but crushing them with a mortar and pestle was easy.

Next, I placed the cauliflower pieces in this dish and put it in the fridge to marinate for two hours.

Just before the two hours were up, I put together my vinaigrette and gremolata so that the food would be ready to plate after the cauliflower was roasted. 

The vinaigrette was as easy as whisking mustard, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, and lemon juice together.

Then, I chopped up about half a bunch of parsley and combined it with minced garlic and lemon zest.

After marinating, I popped the cauliflower in the oven for about 15 minutes, then broiled it on high for about five. I kept a close eye on it while broiling to make sure it didn't burn.

When everything was out of the oven, I put one hefty steak on a plate, generously poured on the vinaigrette, and topped it all with a couple of spoonfuls of gremolata.

This dish was an explosion of flavor in the best way

Simply put, this dish was incredible.

I'd brought out a knife for the full steak effect, but I didn't need it. The cauliflower was tender enough to cut with a fork.

Every bite was amazing, even the tougher stalk. As I chewed, there were so many exciting things happening to my taste buds. It was sweet, spicy, salty, and tangy.

I'll definitely be making this beautiful dish again. Despite the lengthy prep — including two hours to let the cauliflower marinate — I was able to make this on a weeknight with ease.

It also seems easy to upgrade or adjust. For example, Guarnaschelli told me, it's easy to add more protein to this dish by topping the "steak" with any kind of beans or crushed nuts.

I think finely crushed walnuts would be a nice addition for both flavor and texture, and I'm excited to try crumbling them on top next time.

The vinaigrette and gremolata are also amazing on their own, and I'll be using them on my standard salads and roasted veggies on nights I don't have time to marinate the cauliflower.

Really, every part of this dish is pretty versatile. I can see myself using the coconut-milk marinade for tofu as well, or drizzling the dressing and gremolata on veggies, pasta, or pizza.

I've never been to Guarnaschelli's Butter, but I can't wait for the day I can make a trip to NYC to have this prepared by the pros. For now, I'll have this on heavy rotation at home because I'm already obsessed.

This story was originally published on February 16, 2021, and most recently updated on August 14, 2026.

• The average transaction price for EVs was $56,126 in July, according to Kelley Blue Book.
• That's a 1.6% increase compared to July 2025. It's the first EV price rise of 2026, KBB said.
• There are two main reasons: fewer EVs on dealership lots and higher gas prices.

For the first time in 2026, EV prices are rising.

In July, the average transaction price for a new fully electric vehicle jumped to $56,126, per Kelley Blue Book. That's a 1.6% increase compared to the same month in 2025, and a 1.2% rise compared to June.

The increase breaks a monthslong trend. EV prices had been falling since December.

After the $7,500 federal tax credit for US-made clean vehicles expired in late 2025, automakers leaned more heavily on their own incentives to prop up EV sales amid declining demand. Those manufacturer discounts helped put downward pressure on EV transaction prices through the first half of the year.

Sam Abuelsamid, the vice president of market research at Telemetry, told Business Insider that July's pricing U-turn stems from two factors: tighter EV supply as car companies discontinue products and renewed interest in electric cars as gas prices remain high.

"Automakers have less excess inventory of EVs," he said. "They don't have to spend as much on incentives, and they don't have to negotiate on price as much. It gives car companies more pricing power."

K.C. Boyce, the vice president of automotive and energy research at Escalent, said luxury buyers are disproportionately likely to buy EVs, which can distort the average transaction price.

"Buyers in the luxury segment are most likely to purchase an EV versus those on the mainstream side," he said.

Now, EVs are joining the industry-wide trend: New-car prices have been rising since March, with the average transaction price for a new vehicle reaching $49,855 in July, per KBB's report. That's the highest average so far in 2026.

New EVs coming — with very different pricing

Abuelsamid said EV prices could continue inching up over the next few months.

Until cheaper competitors hit the stage.

"There's definitely interest in bringing lower-cost models into the market," he said. "Once they're here, we'll probably start to see that average price on electric vehicles start to trend downwards."

There are a few main vehicles that could start that downward pressure. Slate's bare-bones pickup truck — with a starting price of $24,950 — is expected to begin deliveries later this year. Last week, Ford announced that the first vehicle built on its coming EV platform, the Fathom pickup, will carry a $28,350 starting price. Toyota and Subaru also released a line of new EVs starting in the high $30,000 range.

Escalent's research found that consumers broadly define an affordable new vehicle as priced between $32,000 and $48,000, Boyce said.

"This data really explains why we are seeing consumers say, 'New vehicles in general, and EVs in particular, feel unaffordable to me,'" he said.

Price cuts aren't the only way automakers can make EVs feel more affordable, he added. Escalent found that including a home charger and installation with a new EV had the same effect on consumers' perception of affordability as cutting the vehicle's MSRP by $8,000.

"That is a huge difference," Boyce said.

• X on Thursday unveiled the source code for its For You page algorithm.
• The code contains positive and negative "weights" based on user reactions to posts.
• A new feature also allows users to see labels applied to their accounts.

On X, not all engagement is equal.

Elon Musk's social media company on Thursday released the source code that determines how posts are recommended to users, the latest development in Musk's quest to champion transparency on the platform.

"The goal is straightforward — we want people to be able to answer for themselves whether a platform is limiting their reach, whether the system is fair, and why they see particular content," the company said in an X post.

Musk said on X that the decision to make X open source was to "improve fairness" and seek feedback for improvement.

Here's a breakdown of what was revealed in the code.

Positive weights

Posts are ranked for a user's For You timeline in part based on how the algorithm predicts that user will interact with them.

The algorithm, which X calls "Phoenix," examines a user's recent viewing history to predict how that user will interact with a post from an account they don't follow.

If Phoenix predicts a user will share the post by copying its URL, the post is awarded a weight about 40 times as large as if Phoenix predicts a post will receive a "like."

Replies, quotes, and shares by direct message each carry a weight of 5, which is 10 times the 0.5 weight assigned to a predicted like. For follows, the weight is equivalent to eight likes. For reposts, the weight is two likes.

Phoenix combines those predicted probabilities with their respective weights to produce a ranking score, which X then uses to decide the order of posts in the For You feed.

Negative weights

If Phoenix predicts that a user will demonstrate displeasure with a post, negative weights will severely limit a post's visibility.

Phoenix treats a predicted "report" as 468 times — in the opposite direction — as a predicted like. A predicted mute carries a negative weight about 118 times the size of a predicted like. A 'not interested' interaction is about 86 times as large in the negative direction, and a block is about 62 times as large.

The system suggests that "ragebaiting," or posting inflammatory content meant to spur angry replies, might not be a recipe for growing a following, which is maybe surprising given X's reputation under Musk.

Looking under the hood

Also included in X's Thursday announcement is a pilot feature called "Under the Hood," which lets participating users see aggregate information about labels applied to their account and posts that can affect visibility.

X's source code shows that its systems classify content and accounts across categories, including spam and adult material. Those labels can then be used by a separate system when determining whether a post is shown.

X said the feature has only been activated for a "randomized test group of eligible accounts," and that a wider rollout will depend on the feedback the company receives.

Making X open source

X's Thursday release of its recommendation algorithm source code is the latest push to open-source parts of the platform.

In January, Musk called the algorithm "dumb" and pledged to make the system more transparent.

"At least you can see us struggle to make it better in real-time and with transparency," Musk wrote on X. "No other social media companies do this."

• Reddit will join the S&P 500, catapulting into the ranks of America's most prominent companies.
• Shares surged on Friday, as investors cheered the inclusion in the benchmark index.
• Reddit's sprawling collection of message boards have made it a valuable resource in the age of AI.

Reddit, the internet destination for the discussion of probably anything you can think of, has been launched into the ranks of America's most prominent companies.

Reddit will join the S&P 500 on August 18. While the site offers a version of the internet that's a throwback to its primordial beginnings, it's recent rise is also partly rooted in the AI explosion that's propelled markets since 2022. The sprawl of freewheeling message boards has helped Reddit grow a portfolio of data-licensing deals with other tech companies looking to use the site's content to train artificial intelligence models.

Reddit is also a nearly limitless well of searchable content prized by the likes of Google, while brands value the message boards for their marketing insights and advertising opportunities.

The forums get their fair share of ridicule (much of it from Redditors themselves) as hive of trolls and other unsavory internet characters, but over the years, its users have affected real change. They've solved crimes and identified cryptids. WallStreetBets is credited with helping organize a day-trader movement that sent shares of GameStop soaring and sank a hedge fund in the process.

Reddit stock surged as much as 17% on Friday as investors cheered its inclusion in the S&P 500. The stock is down 25% for the year, but shares have more than tripled since May 2024, when the company announced a deal to share its content with OpenAI.

The company struck its first licensing deal with Google in February 2024, just before its IPO. That partnership involves Reddit giving the search engine access to its data for model training, and is valued at $60 million a year, Reuters reported.

Reddit's Revenue soared 61% to $805 million in the second quarter, marking the eighth straight quarter of annual revenue growth of more than 60%. Ad revenue grew 64% year-over-year.

The irony of Reddit's rise from chaotic internet town square to AI resource hasn't been lost on Redditors themselves, who took to the site's own forums to post memes and celebrate the company's addition to the S&P 500.

"I think that means we are a real business now," one user wrote on r/redditstock.

"Best day in Reddit history," another user said.

Much of the stock's recent volatility has centered on fears that its AI deals could dissolve or that the site's ad revenue could be harmed as AI chatbots divert traffic to the site.

Shares slid 8% last month on reports that Reddit has had internal discussions about whether to revoke Google's access to its data when its partnership with the tech giant comes up for renewal. Comments from CEO Steve Huffman on the latest earnings also hinted at volatility in search traffic.

"We're proud to be added to the S&P 500, recognizing the growth, momentum, and consistency we've established as a public company," Drew Vollero, Reddit's chief financial officer, said in a statement. "Reddit's raw materials are special."

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

The latest generation of the Google Pixel Watch was just announced, and it promises more robust fitness tracking and health monitoring than ever, powered by Gemini Intelligence. It seamlessly pairs with Google Pixel smartphones, the new line of which is now available to order. If you're ready to get started, I've broken down how to preorder the Google Pixel Watch 5 below.

The best Pixel Watch 5 deals available before its launch bundle the new wearable with Google's Pixel 11 lineup. If you're looking to upgrade your phone at the same time, you can get up to 17% off when you get the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, or Pixel 11 Pro Fold with your smartwatch.

Google Pixel Watch 5 preorder deals

As of its announcement, the Google Pixel Watch 5 is only available at full price from retailers. That said, you can still save a lot of money by bundling the smartwatch with a new Google Pixel 11 smartphone, as mentioned above.

• Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $2,299 $1,899
• Google Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $1,699 $1,449

• Google Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $1,499 $1,249
• Google Pixel 11 and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $1,299 $1,169

What's new in the Google Pixel Watch 5?

Not much has changed between the Google Pixel Watch 5 and the Pixel Watch 4. That said, you can find the 41mm new release at the same price as its 45mm predecessor, making it a low-cost upgrade for some quality-of-life improvements.

• A 320 ppi AMOLED LTPO display
• Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated chip
• Compatible with Android 12.0 or newer

Google Pixel Watch 5 colors

Each size of the Google Pixel Watch 5 comes in a different set of colors. Here's the breakdown:

When will the Google Pixel Watch 5 release?

All regular editions of the Google Pixel Watch 5 will officially become available on August 20. The Special Edition Stephen Curry version will release on September 3. If you're invested in getting your device as soon as possible, I recommend ordering sooner rather than later. Limited stock means fulfillment dates may be pushed out for later orders.

Follow us on Instagram and WhatsApp for the latest deals, reviews, and buying guides.

• Anthropic has added a watermark to Claude-generated text that may survive some editing.
• Some Claude users said they canceled their subscriptions, citing the watermark.
• One developer said he's worried an AI label on code shipped to clients could raise questions about authorship.

Anthropic's move to watermark Claude-generated text is driving some users away from its AI assistant.

The AI lab said this week that some versions of Claude will embed an "imperceptible watermark" directly into their text output. It will travel with the content when it is copied and pasted and may survive some editing, Anthropic said, helping to distinguish AI-generated material from human writing.

Anthropic said watermarking does not change the meaning, quality, or readability of Claude's response. Despite that, dozens of people have posted on X since Monday that they had canceled their Claude subscriptions, citing the watermark.

Business Insider spoke with four users who said they had canceled their Claude subscriptions. Some users, who shared confirmation of their cancellations with us, said they disliked the prospect of a persistent marker in their work and were worried about their AI use showing up in client work, such as coding.

While it's too early to say what the impact could be for Anthropic — the company had 300,000 business customers as of September 2025, a number widely expected to have grown significantly since then — backlash to the watermark shows no sign of slowing.

Anthropic told Business Insider that it hasn't seen a trend of an uptick in cancellations since it announced the watermark.

Why users say they're canceling

Arturo Villarroya, who works in public policy, told Business Insider he canceled his Claude Max subscription — a service that starts at $100 a month — on Wednesday after becoming "uncomfortable" with Anthropic's new watermarking plan. It has been applied globally to text from supported Claude models since August 2.

"I do use it for everything, mostly coding apps and tools," he said of Claude, adding that he also used it as a support tool for sourcing, research, and corrections at work.

Villarroya said he's worried a watermark could remain even when the underlying writing was original and Claude was used only to translate, check spelling, fix academic citations, or lightly summarize a passage.

He said its presence could create problems in academic and professional settings with strict rules on AI use. He added that he is switching to Cursor and Grok 4.6 for coding, and Grok Bot for work and personal organization.

Anthropic said in its blog that a detected watermark indicates Claude processed text, not that it was necessarily the original author. The company said marks can remain after Claude proofreads, translates, summarizes, or otherwise edits content.

That distinction did not ease concerns for some. Vladislav Rajtmajer, a freelance developer in the Czech Republic, told Business Insider he canceled his Claude Max subscription on Tuesday, citing the watermark as the main reason.

He said he uses AI for code reviews and translations, and worried an AI label on code shipped to clients could raise questions about authorship or trigger contract penalties.

He added that the watermark was a "signal to look at Chinese AI providers and learn to work with other models."

'They add the watermark anyway'

Richard Echols, an AI consultant in Georgia, also said he canceled his Claude Max subscription on Wednesday and that the watermark was a major factor in his decision.

He said he uses Claude to create documentation for businesses and worried the mark could appear when he had written the underlying material himself and used the chatbot only for edits.

"Even if you edit your own work that you wrote, they add the watermark anyway," Echols said.

Anthropic said in its blog that a watermark shows that Claude processed text, not necessarily that it wrote it, and that the mark can remain after Claude has proofread, translated, or summarized content.

Stevan Bogosavljević, a senior software engineer in Montenegro, canceled his Claude Max subscription in July, citing what he views as declining service quality, limited access to Anthropic's top models, and stronger alternatives. He said the watermark further validated his decision to cancel.

Having code attributed to Claude "definitely would be not desirable," he said, as he would not want professionally shipped code to carry an invisible marker that could raise questions about authorship, compliance, or client policies.

The case for AI watermarks

Not everyone is against the use of AI watermarks, with some saying they improve transparency as more online content is generated by artificial intelligence. Others have said they could help prevent AI systems from being trained on a growing volume of AI-generated material, which can cause systems to degrade.

Aadit Sheth, cofounder of executive communications firm The Narrative Company, said on X on Tuesday that audiences should be able to tell whether the words they read reflect a person's own thinking and that watermarks are one way to ensure that.

Anthropic isn't the only AI lab to use watermarks: Google uses its SynthID technology to watermark AI-generated content, and OpenAI uses SynthID for supported images and audio.

Elon Musk's social media platform X also adds a "Made with AI" tag on content it determines to be AI-generated or manipulated. The tag appeared on the resignation post of outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday, but later disappeared.

Anthropic said that it added the watermark in order to comply with the European Union's AI Act, and that it plans to roll out a free application programming interface, or API, that will allow users and third parties to check text for Claude's watermark themselves.

Santiago Alessandro Rivera Martínez, a software engineer and founder of the digital agency Directa, said Anthropic's watermark reinforced his concerns of becoming too dependent on Claude. He said that had led him to cancel his subscription this week.

"When your workflow is built entirely around proprietary software, the provider can change the rules, features, restrictions, or conditions around that workflow later," he said.

"I would rather have the AI layer of my work be portable and provider-agnostic," he added.

• Since 2021, there has been a steady decline in venture capital deals in the social media category.
• There's been a rebound in overall deal value this year, driven by AI-powered social investments.
• Two charts show how the investment landscape has changed.

It's a tough environment for a founder trying to build the next-generation Facebook.

With more apps than ever and the mainstay social media giants dominating people's screen time, the competition is fierce. Investors, meanwhile, are pining after flashy AI deals.

There was a peak in venture capital investment in social startups in 2021 — when apps like BeReal and Clubhouse were getting people excited for new challengers taking on Instagram and TikTok — according to PitchBook data, and the number of deals has declined each year since.

That 2021 peak saw 239 deals totaling $2.2 billion, per PitchBook's data of US transactions. In 2025, PitchBook counted 97 deals totaling $330 million.

(To be fair, 2021 was an anomaly record year for venture capital across the board.)

So far in 2026, PitchBook counts more than 50 deals totaling $355 million in the space as of July 21 — already surpassing 2025 in dollar flow. If that pace continues, the category could welcome a slight rebound in investor interest.

Which startups are raising capital? There's Fizz, an anonymous social app for Gen Z, which raised a strategic round of capital as it expands globally. There's also Corner, a social mapping app that lets people save and share local spots (such as restaurants, bars, and shops), which is gearing up for a Series A.

Zooming out, consumer-social startups — broadly ranging from social media networks to dating apps to entertainment apps — were a fraction of the overall deals in 2025.

Across all venture capital deals in 2025, PitchBook estimates $513 billion in deal flow. AI and SaaS made up a bulk of this. Specifically, PitchBook counted more than 11,800 AI deals in 2025.

"Everyone fled consumer a couple years ago," Rick Heitzmann, cofounder of FirstMark Capital, told Business Insider.

That's left a remaining cohort of investors still on the hunt, though. Investors at firms like Menlo Ventures, Forerunner, and up-and-coming funds founded by VCs looking to go solo are backing social startups across sectors such as networking, dating, and AI.

There are plenty of startups racing to build social networks that feel more "AI native," such as Eigen, which says it is developing a "mutual friend" that would turn AI agents into a tool for connecting people. The company announced a $15 million seed investment in April.

PitchBook's data is limited, too, in how it classifies social startups. Some dating and social AI companion or chat startups, including Eigen, do not fall under PitchBook's social category and are therefore excluded from this dataset.

As AI continues to renew investor interest in consumer social startups, a massive question, however, stands: What — if anything — will actually stick?

Read Business Insider's list of 22 VC firms backing social startups.

• Tech analyst Ben Thompson says he doesn't like AI watermarking.
• Anthropic announced earlier this week that it would watermark content generated by its Claude tools.
• Thompson of the popular "Stratechery" newsletter said the plan both goes too far and not far enough.

Tech analyst Ben Thompson says requiring AI companies to be transparent about the content their models produce is missing the mark.

Thompson tore into the European Union AI Act, which Anthropic cited as the reason it will add watermarks to content in Claude-generated files and text.

In his widely read "Stratechery" newsletter, Thompson said such AI transparency requirements are both overburdensome and unlikely to be strong enough.

"I am sympathetic to the impetus behind watermarking: wouldn't it be better to know what is fake and what isn't?" he wrote. "What, though, is 'fake'? If an LLM states a true fact, and a human a fable, does it matter that the latter doesn't have a watermark?"

Anthropic's plan, which it announced earlier this week, has deeply divided the tech community. The AI giant said that Claude models launched after August 2 would support watermarking from the start and it is working to add such support to older AI models.

Thompson took particular issue with Anthropic adding a watermark even if Claude was used only for proofreading. The EU's regulation allows for an editing exception, but technically speaking, Thompson said there was no way for Anthropic to distinguish such usage.

"I'm glad I never developed the habit of copy-and-pasting proof-reading runs (I use LLMs for proof-reading, but manually make every individual change in my text editor), but it hardly seems fair that anyone who wants to fix their grammar runs the risk of having their original content labeled as AI; the same frustration applies to translation," he wrote.

OpenAI, which currently watermarks images and audio, has also pledged to expand the process to text output, though the exact details of their plan have not been released. OpenAI uses Google DeepMind's SynthID to watermark images and audio.

Regulators are turning to watermarks, traditionally seen in visual media, to help society discern when content is AI-generated. Unlike visual watermarks, the provenance markers for AI text are not perceptible to the naked eye, but Anthropic and other AI companies have pledged to release tools that will essentially serve as AI checkers.

Under the EU regulations, AI companies are required to ensure "that the outputs of the AI system are marked in a machine-readable format and detectable as artificially generated or manipulated." Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have all signed the relevant section of the regulation. Notably, SpaceX has not. The transparency provision went into effect on August 2.

Anthropic did not indicate that it would only enforce watermarking in Europe. It remains to be seen whether other companies will extend watermarking to users everywhere.

Overall, Thompson said watermarking unfairly credits AI with ideation when such models are "(at least for now) a tool that is wielded by humans."

"From this perspective, to insist on watermarking is no different than insisting that a ballpoint pen advertise itself as the author, a concept that is clearly absurd," he wrote.

• The Obama Presidential Center opened in Chicago's South Side this summer.
• The $850 million center features a roughly 19-acre public campus and an immersive museum.
• Former US President Barack Obama has the first-ever fully digital presidential library.

For over a decade, headlines have been written about the development of former US President Barack Obama's $850 million presidential center in Chicago — from how it would impact the surrounding community to its visually striking design.

Now, it's open. Located on the city's South Side, the sprawling 19.3-acre campus opened to the public on June 19.

I visited the Obama Presidential Center during its opening week, expecting an experience akin to those at other traditional US presidential libraries.

Instead, the Center challenged my assumptions through an immersive experience featuring massive art installations, interactive exhibits, and panoramic views of Chicago.

Here are some of the most surprising things I saw at the Obama Presidential Center.

Surprisingly, the Obama Presidential Center isn't located near the usual Chicago tourist attractions.

Your typical Chicago travel brochure might include sights from The Loop, the Chicago River, or the historic Grant Park, but the Obama Presidential Center isn't located near typical tourist attractions like The Bean, the Chicago Theatre, or the Art Institute of Chicago.

Instead, the Presidential Center is located eight miles south of the city's downtown, in the historic Jackson Park in the Woodlawn community. The over 551-acre park was the site of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and is home to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.

While the center isn't in the city's downtown, it is only a three-minute walk from a train station that connects to the city in an under-20-minute ride.

The campus is surrounded by lush greenery and walking trails.

The center has the breathing room to house its 19.3-acre campus. The surrounding parkland, residential streets, schools, and community institutions give the grounds a spacious, neighborhood-scale feel.

While I unfortunately visited during a gray, rainy week, I was amazed by how present the outdoors felt throughout the campus.

With almost 552 acres of surrounding parkland softening the landscape, I found that the center's brutalist, 225-foot, granite-clad tower felt far less sterile than it does in pictures.

I especially enjoyed strolling along the surrounding paths and the Wetland Walk, which connects the campus with the larger park.

The campus includes a sports center, a playground, restaurants, and a public library.

Beyond the eight-story museum building, the campus is also home to two restaurants, a community garden, an auditorium, a public library, multiuse spaces, a media suite, conference rooms, a kids' playground, and a 60,000-square-foot athletic center with a basketball court.

While I wouldn't expect a basketball court to be part of a presidential library, the Home Court gives the campus a holistic feel.

It's more like a community space rather than a tourist attraction.

Unlike other presidential libraries, the Obama Presidential Center does not house his records.

The Barack Obama Presidential Library is the first all-digital presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The federal agency has legal and physical custody of the official presidential records and artifacts, which are kept at the agency's College Park, Maryland, facility.

The Obama Presidential Center, which is privately operated through the Obama Foundation, serves as a physical, immersive interpretation of the presidency and displays selected NARA materials through a loan partnership.

The National Archives website says that the "vast majority" of the presidential records transferred to the federal agency from the Obama administration were "born digital," including 300 million emails, which equals over a billion paper pages, as well as more than 3 million digital photographs, and 600 cubic feet of audiovisual material.

An 88-foot-tall video screen welcomes visitors as soon as they enter the museum.

When I entered the museum's 225-foot tower, I was surprised to find a larger-than-life video display spanning all four museum exhibition levels. The installation features historic speeches, images, videos, songs, and poetry, guiding visitors through America's civic history.

Visitors on the lower level can look up from the atrium, and those on the higher floors see the installation from balconies. Its scale means the image changes with the viewer's position.

The display feels immersive and gigantic in its own dynamic way.

The museum covers a broad sweep of American history leading up to the Obama presidency.

It's not just about the Obamas, like I previously thought. Surprisingly, the museum begins with a broader account of American history before introducing the Obama presidency. The first exhibition level traces the country's democratic experiment and the movements that shaped the years leading to the 2008 election.

Through standout displays, the museum walks visitors through pivotal points in history, including emancipation, women's suffrage, organized labor, and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement.

Before even mentioning the Obamas, the museum lays the groundwork of establishing the context of the America they were born into and all its historic nuances.

I was surprisingly moved by the personal keepsakes from the Obama family's history on display.

Two displays walk visitors through the family histories of Barack and Michelle Obama, detailing their closest relatives, earliest memories, and the communities in which they were raised.

I felt moved by personal objects on display, like Barack Obama's elementary-school handprint art project and Michelle Obama's family Bible, on which the former president took the oath of office in 2013.

As the museum moves into the beginnings of their joint family life, including videos in which Barack Obama discusses his wife's role in his career, I took special notice of the couple's wedding invitations on display, which felt especially intimate and personal to the Obamas.

I was amazed at the museum's almost surgical look at the 2008 presidential campaign.

One of the most expansive and educational exhibits at the Obama Presidential Center is "Yes We Can," a detailed look at the 2008 campaign and Obama's road to the White House.

The exhibit features various displays that trace his rise in local and national politics, using media headlines, insights, pictures, data, signs, and video to reconstruct the months leading up to the Democratic primaries.

I was particularly struck by the exhibit's immersive experience and its detailed chronological panels showing how states voted and how Obama accumulated the delegates needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination over Hillary Clinton.

Another thing that struck me throughout the museum and campus was the art.

More than 28 commissioned installations appear across the grounds, from outdoor sculptures to massive murals — and most are in spaces that are free to visit.

One of the most imposing works is Mark Bradford's "City of the Big Shoulders," a 38-foot-tall piece depicting the city of Chicago, which rises through the atrium near the museum exit and the lower-level café area.

Another one that grabbed my attention was Njideka Akunyili Crosby's joint portrait of the former president and first lady located near the museum exit, which loosely reminded me of the former president's iconic portrait at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Some parts of the museum were more interactive than I expected.

I was amused by the museum's many interactive displays and activities, which are spread throughout the galleries and allow visitors to engage more deeply with the content and themes.

The "Democracy 101" exhibit, located on the third level, particularly made me wish I were a child playing with all the interactive and moving parts.

Designed to give visitors a basic educational foundation in how the US government and democratic system work, the exhibit features interactive screens, objects, and even a light-up poll that asks visitors to assess American democracy. During my visit, a clear majority selected the response indicating that the system could be improved.

Physical artifacts from major moments in the presidency appear throughout the museum.

Throughout the exhibits covering the eight years of the Obama presidency, several significant artifacts were on display, like the marriage certificate belonging to Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, the physical copy of the Affordable Care Act signed into law by the president, and an American flag signed by the military personnel who took part in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

Other personal items on display included Obama's Nobel Peace Prize medal, a notepad on which the newly elected president handwrote priorities for his domestic agenda, and a selection of Michelle Obama's most iconic dresses. The mix of policy documents and personal possessions gave the exhibit a human scale.

A personal favorite of mine — and of other visitors I spoke with — was the display of good-luck charms and small trinkets that Obama carried in his pockets during his presidency, including items like a small acorn and a bracelet given to the former president by a soldier deployed in Iraq. It felt more personal and intimate than I expected to see at the presidential center.

The Sky Room at the top of the eight-story building amused me with its views of Chicago.

The last installation in the museum journey is the Nelson Mandela Sky Room, a viewing lounge at the top of the Center's tower with panoramic views of Chicago's South Side, Jackson Park, Lake Michigan, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, and the University of Chicago campus.

Visitors can access the Sky Room only via an express elevator that takes them from the fifth floor to the top floor. The elevator skips two levels, which a museum guide mentioned house administrative and utility facilities, as well as the offices of the former President and first lady.

The sudden transition from the mostly windowless galleries to the bright, panoramic room made the arrival feel almost cinematic.

The ceiling installation, Idris Khan's "Sky of Hope," displays thousands of hand-stamped words drawn from Obama's 2015 "You Are America" speech, marking a reflective and inspiring end to the museum journey. The transition from the galleries to the sun-filled room felt like moving from the past toward the future. I saw many visitors sit down, take in the views, and appreciate the space.

Dining on the campus made it surprisingly easy to spend a full day exploring.

The Center's café had a sort of school-cafeteria feel, but the ample seating and a variety of food options made for a great break between exploring different sides of the campus.

I was impressed by the affordable prices of the fresh food. I ordered the $6 summer vegetable chicken soup and a $3 pasta salad. The costliest item in my lunch was the $7 juice from a local Chicago producer.

The campus also houses Tafari's Kitchen, a full-service restaurant that serves lunch and dinner.

The local community was a bigger focus than I expected.

With a local community garden, a public library branch, and a children's playground — which is a first on presidential library grounds — I thought that, beyond providing an enriching experience for visitors, the center aimed to become a centerpiece of the local community.

Overall, the experience went beyond that of just a museum or a library.

I had never visited a former US president's presidential library, so I walked onto the Obama Presidential Center campus with no idea of what to expect.

Looking at pictures of some of the most recently built presidential libraries, like the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, which opened in 2013, I expected the towering structure to house the millions of records from the Obama presidency in a traditional library fashion and to include a research room where researchers can access open records.

Instead, the campus was far more dynamic than I expected, and used more than just records to tell the story of Obama's presidency. Exhibits, art, films, landscapes, recreation, and public programming all contribute to its account of Obama's presidency and make for an experience that combines a museum, a civic campus, and a living archive of the former president's legacy.

Google Pixel fans get ready, because the newest generation of the brand's smartphone is here. The lineup features four devices, each angled toward a different type of user: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Whether you're looking for the latest and greatest operating power or a new foldable to rival the rest, I've broken down how to preorder the Google Pixel 11 smartphones below.

Ordering early is important for multiple reasons. Limited stock means procrastinating will delay your shipping date, and at launch, you can score some major trade-in and bundle deals on each new phone. My personal favorite is the no-strings-attached Amazon deal, offering the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold with free gift cards (worth $100-$350), no trade-in or cell plan required. Or you can get major savings by bundling the phone with the new Pixel Watch 5.

Google Pixel 11, Pro, and Pro Fold preorder deals

As with all new smartphone releases, you can preorder the new Google Pixel 11 series from Amazon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Depending on where you go, you can save big by trading in your old phone or signing up for a new account. Amazon's free gift card promotion is a sweet way to score some bonus spending money without getting tied to a carrier — but act fast, since the deal ends on August 27.

• Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $2,299 $1,899

• Google Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $1,699 $1,449

• Google Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $1,499 $1,249

• Google Pixel 11 and Pixel Watch 5 bundle - $1,299 $1,169

Alternatively, if you already know you prefer a specific carrier, you can save big by getting your Pixel 11 from AT&T or Verizon with a trade-in or an eligible plan.

What's new in the Google Pixel 11, Pro, and Pro Fold?

Overall, the Pixel 11 is a slight step up, but not a huge upgrade, from the Pixel 10 line of devices. That said, it's a better starting point for newcomers to the Google smartphone ecosystem, with more camera capabilities, Gemini-supported features, and greater durability by design.

Fresh across all Pixel 11 smartphones

• HiLight utilizes the phone's rear light to keep you informed without using your screen on the Pro and Fold models
• Gemini Intelligence is integrated across all processes for streamlined notifications, tasks, and more
• Magic Capture, Camera Looks, Creator suite, and other new editing tools make it easier than ever to catch everyday moments
• Qi2.2-certified wireless charging up to 25W
• Powered by a Google Tensor G6 processor with a Titan M3 security coprocessor

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

• Lighter weight and a marginally larger display for a 19.5:9 aspect ratio at 399 PPI
• Ultra-durable glass ceramic cover glass with up to 3600 nits peak brightness
• Rear camera supports Super Zoom up to 30X with an 85-degree field of view

Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL

• An extra six hours of battery life compared to the previous gen
• A built-in anti-scratch shield and coating
• Rear camera with Pro Zoom up to 120x

Pixel 11

• Lighter weight and longer battery life
• Improved rear camera with Super Zoom up to 30x and an 85-degree field of view wide camera,

Google Pixel 11, Pro, and Pro Fold colors

Each entry in the Google Pixel 11 line comes with a set of color options. Here's the breakdown by model:

When are the Google Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold releasing?

Though they're up for preorder today, the Pixel 11 series will officially release on August 20. I recommend ordering as early as possible to secure your device at release — delaying can push your fulfillment date out.

Looking for a new smartwatch? Learn how to preorder the Pixel Watch 5 here.

Follow us on Instagram and WhatsApp for the latest deals, reviews, and buying guides.

Rag & Bone's sweatpant jeans achieved viral status for looking like the real deal. Over the past two years, they've stayed relevant to our team for being lightweight, stretchy, and convenient long trips. Our style editors agree they're still leagues ahead of the other sweatpant jeans we've tried.

Below, we review all the ways the Miramar collection solves the problems we have with stiff jeans. Instead, these let us dress for comfort and still look like we put in effort.

Rag & Bone's sweatpant jeans pass for real denim, and we haven't seen another brand do it as well.

They're not just a clever design trick — they are genuinely some of the most comfortable sweatpants I own. Their lasting quality has further justified the initial hype, while the printed-on stitches and rivets are uncanny. They're my go-to travel pants because they're gentle around my middle, and the light French terry cloth is easy to pack.

I've been wearing my "sweans" on a weekly basis ever since I got them two years ago. The fabric is just light enough that I don't overheat in a stuffy plane cabin, but they still keep me cozy in times when the temperature could go either way. And while actual jeans feel uncomfortably tight when I bloat, these don't.

There are a few things to consider about the sizing of Rag & Bone's sweatpant jeans.

The pairs we tested for this review fit us true to size. Most styles are intended to feel roomy. They come in sizes 00 to 16.

The Miramar Wide-Leg Pants are slightly baggy with a 31.5-inch inseam. The drape of the material perfectly imitates denim, and they're meant to puddle a little at the bottom (or a lot, if you're short).

We recommend choosing sweatpant jeans with an elasticated waistband (or any pair without real buttons), which lets you sling them high or low around your waist. Super high-rise pairs can truncate a short torso — another reason to opt for pull-on styles.

After 2 years of wearing them, we're still huge fans.

What we love: They're comfortably lightweight, making them perfect for long travel days. In the two years I've worn them, everyone is shocked to learn it's not real denim.

Drawbacks: They're pricey, the details have faded in the seat area, and there's still limited inseam selection.

All denim fades, even the faux kind. I've spent enough time in these that the rear now looks paler. You lose some of the magic once the fake pockets are less distinguishable, but not enough to keep me from wearing them.

Otherwise, the construction is solid — no loose threads, stretched-out waistband, or weak seams. My trick for making these last is that I've never put them in the dryer. Since they're made of soft cotton and were already short on me, I let them air dry so they won't shrink.

We each tried a few styles of the Rag & Bone sweatpant jeans. Everyone found a pair fit to their liking.

Miramar Wide-Leg Pants

Best for: Travel, transition seasons
Skip if: You're 5-foot-4 or under, unless you plan to hem them.

Our executive editor Sally Kaplan is 5-foot-2, so these jeans are much longer on her. But she still can't get over how comfortable they are, and she's even bought a second pair since our initial review.

"I love the look of a wide-leg jean but have also sworn off hard pants, so these sweatpant jeans are my dream come true!" writes Sally. "I'm short and curvy, so I knew these would be a little long on me, but I don't even care. I just safety pin them at the back of the hem to keep them from catching under my heels, and no one is the wiser." 

You can shrink them a bit in the dryer, but here's how Sally hems pants with just a few safety pins:

"I saw this hack on Instagram (Millennial here, not cool enough for TikTok). All you have to do is tuck the back hem of your long jeans up inside the pant and safety pin it," she writes. "You leave the front of the hem unpinned, and it pools perfectly around your ankles without the back catching under your heels. You really can't see the safety pins at all when you're walking around. "

Miramar Andi Ankle Pants

Best for: Petite heights or pairing with a belt
Skip if: You want a pull-on style that mimics the feel of sweatpants.

Style editor Samantha Crozier tried the Andi Ankle Pant, which has a 27-inch inseam, a real button closure, and a non-elasticated waistband. This style is about four inches shorter than the original Miramar Wide Leg Pants, which makes it much more petite-friendly.

"I'm the same height as Sally, so I knew off the bat that I needed to try a cropped style if I didn't want to deal with pinning or hemming the pants. Lucky for me, the Andi Ankle Pant turned out to be the perfect length.

As advertised, the pants are as soft as sweatpants, and the familiar terry feels great against my skin. But I have mixed feelings about the real waistband. On one hand, it truly completes the illusion of denim. The least convincing features of the original Miramar Wide Leg Pants are the drawn-on hardware and the elasticized waistband. With the Andi, you can wear a cropped top, and the illusion would still hold.

But the real waistband also makes these less comfortable. I've still found myself dealing with the same perils as real jeans — like unbuttoning them after a big meal or avoiding wearing them on a plane. You can tell that these are less forgiving because you have to buy them in your waist size, instead of relying on alpha sizing.

At the end of the day, it's up to you to pick whether you prefer a perfect jeans illusion or a stretchy waistband. "

Miramar Ankle Jogger Pants

Best for: Tucking into boots
Skip if: You want the full faux denim illusion. The cinched hems are a dead giveaway.

Freelance author Talia Ergas reviewed the sweatpant jeans in her guide to the best joggers for women. "They even had my husband fooled, who insisted he 'never would have guessed' that I was wearing sweats if I didn't tell him. He was astonished when I had him feel the supersoft cotton terry fabric and the stretchy elastic waistband," says Ergas. "They accompanied me on a recent 6-hour road trip, keeping me super snug during the long drive but looking pulled together when we stopped at a restaurant for a mid-way lunch."

Miramar Walking Short

Best for: Beach wear, summer travel
Skip if: You carry a lot in your pockets. They're easily weighed down when full.

"These faux denim shorts have it all: stretchy mid-rise waistband, comfy terry cotton fabric, realistic-looking denim print complete with faux distressing, and the perfect four-inch inseam that was long enough to keep me well-covered, but not overly so," continues Talia. "They'd make an excellent choice for beach attire since they're way more comfortable than real denim, but can still pass as daisy dukes."

The classic Miramar Wide-Leg Pants remain our favorite.

The Miramar sweatpant jeans are truly as soft as sweats. Now that I've grown accustomed to their comfort, I have a tough time putting on real jeans. Mine have started to look well-loved after two years, but I'd still choose them over hard pants any day.