• My daughter Cameran and I had been close all throughout her childhood.
• When she entered high school and became a teenager, it was a new phase, and we drifted apart.
• We've finally reconnected, and now, we're friends as well as mother and daughter.

My daughter Cameran was an easy baby and an even easier child. She slept through the night and often carried a book at daycare, even while she was playing. Books held special meaning for both of us. As a toddler, she'd back into my lap and say, "Read a book," before she could form full sentences.

Our shared love of reading brought us together, making us both bibliophiles. People would comment, "She really is your daughter," as she went off to read. Our connection felt easy, an extension of interests and lineage. Our love of books grew into a shared interest in true crime shows.

This perhaps somewhat macabre obsession strengthened our relationship when middle school rolled around. With middle school came chaos: for her, friendship trouble, and for me, career changes. But each night we'd connect doing homework or watching "Criminal Minds." Our dark, biting humor made true crime a natural fit and another shared connection.

Each night she'd ask, "You ready to watch?" We'd grab snacks, sit together, and watch an episode. At the end, she'd say, "Let's just watch the beginning to see what happened." We made it through 13 seasons.

Our relationship changed over time, and growing apart hurt

High school brought a new phase. Cami started her freshman year during the pandemic. The transition was tough. She disliked online learning. When her school went hybrid, she struggled again to find her footing, jostling between home and in-person learning.

Those years were tough. We tried to stay close, but distance grew. Nights of "Criminal Minds" and daily check-ins turned into arguments and miscommunication. I worried about surviving the next few years.

Parents of adult children told me that the teen years were tough. Teens test boundaries. Parents push back — out of fear and love. Teens want freedom. We want them safe. Sometimes, those needs clash. They certainly did for us.

"They'll come back to you," a friend said. She had survived the teen years. "They mature." Her bond with her own daughter had deepened over time. It had become a friendship.

I held out hope, but each day, we navigated one issue after another. I was afraid things wouldn't work out for us as they had for others.

The other parents were right — they do come back

In her late teens, as my daughter moved from high school into early adulthood, our relationship evolved once again. Change came slowly, but we started talking more and spent several summer evenings gardening together.

It felt like she finally understood — I only wanted to help her. I realized something, too. Sometimes, she just couldn't let me. She had to experience things herself. Even if that meant making mistakes.

This year has been a turning point. As Cami gets ready to graduate with her two-year college degree, Friday movie nights are our new tradition. She brings her dog, and we cook, work out, and laugh together. Our bond goes beyond mother-daughter. We are friends.

When Cameran recently moved in with her boyfriend, we found even more to share — talking about jobs, bills, and life over the phone and at lunch.

Now that my daughter is preparing to leave for Arizona to finish her forensic psychology degree, I know things will change again. I'll miss our Friday movie nights, but I'm grateful we reconnected and became friends. I can't wait to visit for an Arizona movie night.

• SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell didn't rule out a mega-merger with Tesla.
• "That might make Elon's life a little easier, actually," Shotwell told CNBC.
• Analysts have speculated that Elon Musk could combine his two public companies after SpaceX's IPO.

The noise around a Tesla-SpaceX mega-merger is growing louder.

In an interview with CNBC aired Friday, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said the two Elon Musk-led companies are working toward the same goals — and didn't rule out a merger in the future.

"That might make Elon's life a little easier, actually," said Shotwell, who has been SpaceX president since 2008.

"There's no question that there's synergies between Tesla and SpaceX in our futures, definitely, there's a convergence of a kind of what we're all trying to accomplish in the future," she said.

However, Shotwell added that she was focused on "keeping the lights on" at SpaceX and the company's ambitious expansion plans, rather than any tie-up with Musk's other major public company.

"I'm not focused on that part of the future, at least," she said.

Musk has hinted at streamlining his sprawling business empire for years, and the possibility of Tesla and SpaceX merging has been increasingly floated by analysts and investors in recent weeks.

The two companies have shared employees and board members in the past and are already collaborating on a $55 billion "Terafab" chip-making moonshot that will build semiconductors for SpaceX's AI satellites, as well as Tesla's robotaxis and humanoid robots.

Tesla has also integrated xAI's Grok AI model into its vehicles and made a $2 billion investment in Musk's AI startup last year, which was converted into a stake in SpaceX when the company merged with xAI in February.

Wedbush Securities analyst and longtime Tesla bull Dan Ives wrote in a note on Thursday that he expected Tesla and SpaceX to merge into one company next year. He argued that combining the two trillion-dollar companies would be the "holy grail" that would allow Musk to capture a significant stake of the AI economy.

Shotwell's comments came as SpaceX prepared to begin trading on Friday after raising $75 billion in the largest IPO in history. The rocket company was priced with a $1.75 trillion valuation, compared to Tesla's market cap of $1.25 trillion.

SpaceX's IPO means Musk is in the rare position of running two publicly listed companies.

The world's richest man, who is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the founder of brain implant startup Neuralink and tunneling firm The Boring Company, has faced criticism from Tesla investors in the past for spending too little time at the EV giant.

Musk was awarded a gigantic pay package by Tesla shareholders last year that could be worth as much as $1 trillion if he meets a series of ambitious targets. The near-trillionaire also has a similar pay package at SpaceX, which hinges on the company establishing a human colony on Mars.

• Ukraine says drones have made parts of the front nearly impossible to survive.
• One official said the drone kill zone now reaches up to 50 kilometers in some areas.
• Zelenskyy has described it as a "death zone" where vehicles quickly burn.

The "kill zone" along Ukraine's front has grown substantially with the drone threat in some areas, a defense official said.

Davyd Aloian, the deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said that "we have a kill zone in some of the areas, which is 50 kilometers."

He called it "a kill zone of drones, it's a dead zone."

Speaking at a drone summit in Latvia, Aloian said the "kill zone" is not that deep everywhere; it is often described as roughly 20 kilometers deep and growing. But where drone coverage is dense, he said, "any vehicles there, they will be demolished and destroyed in several minutes."

The kill zone is the area near the front where surveillance and attack drones are so prolific that soldiers, vehicles, and equipment are at much higher risk of being spotted and struck.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a "death zone" where any tank, armored vehicle, or motorcycle that enters it "burns." He said that "everything is destroyed by drones."

The concept of a kill zone has long existed in warfare. These are areas where an army may find itself trapped or exposed, making it vulnerable to attack.

In Ukraine, the zone is different from past wars because drones have made it much larger, more persistent, and harder to avoid. It also spans a large area along a deep front that is under constant surveillance. It's not a space that forces can simply go around. It's at the very center of the fight.

Oleksandr Mischenko, Ukraine's deputy minister of foreign affairs, offered a slightly more conservative estimate. He said in Latvia that "drones have created a kill zone" that extends 20 to 40 kilometers. "Drones have fundamentally changed warfare," he said.

A drone battalion commander said in February that his unit had created a kill zone several dozen kilometers deep where almost any Russian movement was impossible.

The new descriptions show how much the zone has expanded. Zelenskyy said in August 2025 that the zone spanned 10 to 20 kilometers from the front lines.

Dmytro "Liber" Zhluktenko, a former drone pilot who is now a lessons-learned analyst with Ukraine's 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment "RAID," spoke to Business Insider about the kill zone on Wednesday, saying that "obviously it's getting wider."

Ukrainian soldiers told Business Insider in November that the front-line kill zone was expanding and that both militaries had moved high-value targets like artillery, logistics centers, and command-and-control nodes further back.

Analysts have also said the kill zone is expanding. Conflict analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, wrote last month that it was an "expanding area" and described it as an area where "the saturation of tactical strike and reconnaissance drones poses an elevated risk to any personnel or equipment operating within."

The zone isn't an empty no man's land. Both militaries have positions within it, and small groups on both sides have also infiltrated the zone. It's just a particularly difficult place to hide in and rotate out of.

Zhluktenko said that he "wouldn't go as far as saying" that if you enter the kill zone, "you will get killed, 100%."

"Obviously, there are risks, and they are getting higher," he said. How close drone operators can go depends on the area and the mission they're conducting.

"There are people holding the line in there for a very long period of time. Sometimes they're even able to rotate," he said. "Let's just say that the risks get higher the closer you get to the direct front line." But ultimately, "it's still very dangerous. The possibility to lose human life is high."

The zone has come about as both sides saturate front-line areas with drones to stop the other from progressing. Zelenskyy described it as a tactic both sides are pursuing, saying of Russia that "they're doing the same thing we are."

Ukraine's defense ministry has called it a deliberate tactic, announcing last year that it was launching a large-scale project called "Drone Line" to create a "kill zone" where Russia could not advance without heavy losses. The project involved some of Ukraine's best drone units.

ISW analysts said that the kill zone has stopped both Russia and Ukraine from making major breakthroughs, with neither side able to mass infantry or heavy equipment within 30 kilometers of the front line to achieve an operational breakthrough.

Mischenko also said that the kill zone was "making large-scale offensives more difficult."

Large buildups of troops or armor are quickly spotted and attacked by surveillance and strike drones, making it difficult for either side to mass forces for a major assault.

Ukraine is making some progress here, though. It has managed to bring some mechanized equipment within the kill zone, ISW analysts said, calling it "a significant feat given that deploying mechanized equipment this close to the Russian drone kill zone was categorically impossible in 2025."

The overwhelming proliferation of drones has fundamentally reshaped the war in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy saying in March that his country's drones cause 90% of Russian losses at the front. The West is paying attention, wanting to learn as much as it can from the fight and investing in its own drone and counter-drone arsenals.

After seven years of tracking Prime Day pricing, testing products, and analyzing shopping behavior — and buying more than my share of actual deals — I've learned that behind the deal banners and countdown timers lies a game of digital chess, and, with the right strategy, you can score some memorable deals.

The real secret to navigating early Prime Day deals isn't waiting around for the official launch, it's out-shopping the competition by knowing which items have already hit their lowest prices, and which ones you should avoid until the sale starts. This way, you can unlock the exact moment the math swings in your favor.

After a deep dive on the pricing history of some of the most popular Prime Day deals and BI product recommendations, I've found three great early deals to shop now and 6 to wait for until Prime Day starts on June 23.

Buy now: 3 early Prime Day deals that are worth it today

Anker Nano Power Bank

Why it's in my cart: After seeing tech writer Tyler Hayes' review go viral, I finally understand why a solid power bank is a must-have for travel. The absolute game-changer is the built-in USB-C cable that completely eliminates the need to dig through your bag for a separate cord, and between the 45W fast-charging power source (enough to keep a phone, tablet, or compact laptop running) and the display that shows charging status. It's more than a battery pack; it's one of those rare gadgets that simplifies a routine instead of complicating it.

Why buy it right now: Anker pricing on Amazon is relatively stable, with this 10,000mAh model reliably sitting at a standard $59.99 retail price. I have seen it go on sale several times since Tyler's article took off, and it's currently $49.99.

The smart alternative: If you want a portable charger but prefer a design that snaps directly onto your phone for wireless charging, buy the Anker Nano Magnetic power bank instead. It features a magnetic design that's perfect for iPhone users who want to avoid cables completely and is frequently discounted.

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Why it's in my cart: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are sitting firmly at the top of Business Insider's buying guides as the best wireless earbuds on the market. (Tech reviewer Tyler Hayes calls them "Apple's best AirPods.") While they run on the same H2 chip architecture as the previous gen, Apple has completely overhauled the internal airflow and acoustics. The real-world upgrades are clear: double the active noise cancellation, an on-device heart rate sensor for workout tracking, an improved IP57 dust and waterproof rating, and support for Apple Intelligence Live Translation. That said, some users complain that the updated fit isn't as comfortable as the previous model. Because it's an everyday-carry item, shoppers buy them in huge numbers once a discount hits.

Why buy it right now: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 retail for $249, but a pre-sale window brings them down to $179 (28% off). That's a solid deal worth buying right now.

The alternative: If you are buying replacement AirPods for a tween, teen, or anyone who has a habit of losing them, don't drop $200 on these. Put the standard AirPods 4 in your cart instead. They regularly fall to $99 on Prime Day and offer the same seamless iOS pairing.

FlexiSpot E7 Pro standing desk

Why it's in my cart: If you work from home like I do, a great standing desk isn't a luxury, it's preventative healthcare. I finally added the FlexiSpot E7 Pro to my watch list because the BI Reviews team flags it as the gold standard for WFH setups. Unlike many budget models that wobble at full extension, the E7 Pro's dual-motor frame is a total tank. It also adjusts smoothly and hides all your cords. I'm ready to see if moving more throughout my day finally fixes my afternoon slump and saves my aching lower back from my kitchen chair.

Why buy it right now: The WFH-friendly FlexiSpot setup is currently marked down 21% to $270. Since this price is already competitive for a dual-motor desk of this quality, there's not much benefit to playing the waiting game for Prime Day. Pull the trigger now rather than risking inventory sell-outs or delivery delays when the sale rush launches on June 23.

The smart alternative: If you already have a standing desk you love but want to be more active during the workday, skip the furniture swap and put your money towards a compact under-desk treadmill or a walking pad instead. Designed to absorb shock, the Goyouth 2-in-1 Treadmill is safe to use for both walking and running, with speeds ranging from 0.5 to 6 miles per hour.

Related: Is Prime Day the best time to buy a TV?

Hold off: 6 items to wait for until June 23

Yeti Rambler 20 oz. travel mug

Why it's in my cart: I am fiercely loyal to my Peace Corps-era Nalgene bottle, but trying to drink hot coffee out of a wide-mouth plastic bottle is a recipe for disaster. I'm not looking to start a collection of trendy tumblers, but I do need one rugged upgrade for my morning caffeine. If it goes on sale, I'll give the Yeti Rambler 20 oz. travel mug a shot because it's dishwasher safe, insulated enough to keep my coffee hot until lunch, and has a heavy-duty lid that seals shut.

The target price: Don't wait around expecting a 50% off Prime Day miracle. Instead, look for Yeti to temporarily slash prices on discontinued seasonal colors (like cosmic lilac or camp green) by up to 25%. If you see a color you like, hit that buy button, but do it before the inventory clears out.

The smart alternative: If you're not a member of team Yeti, try the Owala SmoothSip tumbler. It has an ultra-comfortable sipping spout, triple-layer insulation, and is currently sitting at a great baseline discount of $24, which is 20% off the usual retail price.

Tineco Floor One S7 Pro wet-dry vacuum

Why it's in my cart: I love my Miele canister vacuum, but hauling a heavy, corded machine — or a mop and a broom — out of the closet just to clean up daily messes is too much for a Type B like me. That's why I've got my eye on the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro wet-dry vac this year. Tester Alex Temblador rates it as her top-tier pick for hard floors because it clears dry debris and mops up spills at the same time. When you dock it, the unit flushes out its own roller brush, so you'll never have to touch dirty mop water again.

The target price: If you look at the verified product listing, the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro is currently sitting at a peak price of $599, the highest it's been in 30 days. This is the kind of pre-holiday pricing spike I mentioned earlier: anchoring a high baseline so the upcoming discount looks massive. Put it in your cart and wait for the algorithm to drop it closer to the all-time low of $399.

The alternative: If your home is mostly carpeted or your hard floor space is small, skip the Tineco and track the Bissell Crosswave Omniforce wet-dry vacuum instead. It has advanced features like hot-water washing and ultra-fast drying, and is versatile enough for routine kitchen, bathroom, and entryway messes. Plus, it's under $300 and already on sale for 17% off right now.

Medicube Booster Pro

Why it's in my cart: I've tested many of the viral skincare masks and wands that have dominated Prime Day over the last few years, and frankly, most of them delivered zero visible results. (The only skincare tech I've actually stuck with is my TheraFace mask.) Last week, I met Sir John — Beyoncé's former longtime makeup artist — at an industry event in LA. He's the creative director for Korean skincare brand Medicube, and when the guy responsible for the most iconic skin in music tells you a device is worth it, you listen. So I've added the Medicube AGE-R Booster Pro to my Amazon cart. Now that I'm in my 50s, I'm incredibly strategic about my routine, so I'm genuinely interested to see if the tool's deep serum absorption setting lives up to Sir John's hype and thousands of positive shopper reviews. Plus, it comes with high praise from our beauty reviewers.

The target price: If you check the Amazon listing for the Medicube AGE-R Booster Pro, you'll see it listed at $199, a modest 7% drop from its typical $215 list price. Don't fall for this early deal. If the price falls to the $130 to $150 range, buy it. Getting a clinical-grade K-beauty device at this price would be a steal.

The smart alternative: If you already know you lack the patience to spend time gliding a device over your face every night, stick with a hands-free option like the TheraFace Mask by TheraBody. It tackles antiaging goals entirely on autopilot.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 16GB

Why it's in my cart: I bought two of these last year during Prime Day to give as birthday gifts, and they were an absolute hit. As the most popular Kindle model on Amazon, it's my go-to recommendation because it's so lightweight, making it the perfect solution for reading in bed without the arm fatigue that comes from holding a hardback or even a tablet. It's truly a game changer for anyone who's a member of a summer book club.

The target price: Amazon consistently reserves its deepest price cuts for its first-party devices. During major shopping events, the algorithm routinely slashes the price of Amazon gadgets like the Kindle Paperwhite by 30% to 40% to drive ecosystem adoption. Buying a Kindle in the weeks leading up to Prime Day means paying more than you should.

The alternative: If you're not set on having the latest model, an older version of the Kindle Paperwhite is a solid alternative and will likely also be on sale.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

Why it's in my cart: I need an air fryer, but my culinary skills are lacking, and my countertop space is at a premium. So I turned to culinary tester Jennifer Zyman, who just completed a massive round of air fryer testing, for her expert recommendation. Jennifer explained that this multi-tasking workhorse goes beyond the typical air fryer setting to toast, reheat, bake, roast, and even dehydrate a multitude of foods. If it goes on sale for Prime Day, it's coming home with me.

The target price: You'll rarely see steep discounts on this premium appliance, but it is possible we'll see it drop 15% to as much as 25% during Prime Day. That's exactly what happened during last year's Black Friday sales.

The alternative: Jennifer's top choice for best air fryer is the Cosori TurboBlaze, which is frequently discounted. The six-quart capacity is a good size for most households and a practical choice for everyday use.

Ninja Woodfire Grill

Why it's in my cart: When my host's fancy built-in propane grill broke over Memorial Day weekend, she pulled out a Ninja Woodfire grill to cook up our holiday hot dogs and burgers. I was surprised by how well it handled the task. It's much smaller than a traditional grill, heats up in a fraction of the time, and is significantly easier to clean. It's also the perfect size for a small backyard gathering or a quick weeknight barbecue.

The target price: Ninja is a staple brand for Amazon's big sales events, so expect to see this model dip into the $375 to $400 range over Prime Day.

The alternative: If you want the convenience of an electric grill but don't need the built-in smoker or smart app features, or you want to grill year-round, the brand also offers a 5-in-1 indoor grill for under $250.

Save it for later: 2 things I'm waiting to buy on Black Friday

Smartwatches and fitness trackers

Why I'm not buying it on Prime Day: I've learned the hard way that buying a smartwatch in the spring or summer often means paying full price for a device that will be considered "last year's model" by October. Because major manufacturers like Garmin and Apple typically roll out new lineups in the fall, there is a major incentive to clear out stock during the Black Friday season. I'm happy to wait a few months to snag a better deal on the latest model.

If you need it now: If your current tracker dies and you need a new one right now, consider the Fitbit Charge 6, which is currently 38% off at $99. The Charge 6 is impressively accurate in measuring heart rate, sleep stages, and step counts, rivaling more expensive wearables from Apple and Garmin.

Winter apparel

Why I'm not buying it on Prime Day: Right now, every online retailer is fighting for space to hawk cooling fans, hiking boots, and patio furniture. Investing in a heavy parka or specialized snow gear in June is a losing game. The selection is often picked over, and the prices are set for off-season clearance rather than holiday competition. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are when major brands like North Face, Patagonia, and Columbia launch site-wide sales that include their core, high-demand items, not just last season's leftovers. By waiting, I can ensure I get the specific sizes and colors I actually want rather than settling for what's on the rack.

If you need it now: If you've got a trip to a colder climate coming up, look at Amazon's Orolay sale section for reasonably priced outerwear.

How Business Insider covers Prime Day differently

Prime Day doesn't need more deals; it needs more context.

Every year, the internet is flooded with thousands of articles claiming to feature the "best" Prime Day deals. Many are built around what's trending in the moment, but our approach is different.

The BI Reviews team has spent years testing products, updating recommendations, monitoring pricing, and analyzing shopping behavior. We look at what readers click on — and what they ultimately buy. That's important because the products generating the most buzz aren't always the same products that deliver the most value. The Prime Day deals on our lists do both.

Everything on this list has earned its place for a reason. These are the products that have either been thoroughly tested by the BI Reviews team and featured in our buying guides, or products I have personally used and keep buying. They're also backed by real Prime Day shopping behavior, not just clicks.

I'll be updating this article regularly as Prime Day approaches and replacing predictions with real deals as they go live.

FAQs

What are the best products to buy on Prime Day?

Historically, some of the strongest Prime Day deals appear in categories like headphones, vacuums, kitchen appliances, bedding, and Amazon devices. These products often see larger discounts than they do during routine sales throughout the year.

Is Prime Day a good time to buy Apple products?

Yes. Prime Day frequently delivers some of Amazon's best prices on AirPods, iPads, and other Apple devices. Popular models often sell out quickly, but watch out for pre-sale pricing anchors. Check out our Prime Day hub to ensure you're getting the absolute best price.

Is Prime Day a good time to buy a TV?

It can be. According to BI Reviews tech editor Steven Cohen, Amazon Prime Day consistently offers excellent TV deals, but certain models get better discounts than others. Generally speaking, Prime Day is the best time to buy last year's TV models at all-time low prices before stock gets harder to find.

How can I tell if a Prime Day deal is actually good?

Start by identifying the products you actually want before the sale begins, then monitor pricing as Prime Day approaches. Amazon's Alexa shopping features can track products and alert you to price drops, but the most important step is having a plan before the discounts start rolling out.

Keep tabs on our Prime Day coverage to prepare for the huge deal event.

Follow our Instagram and WhatsApp channels for more deals and buying guides

• Dave Lewis spent more than a decade working across Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.
• After his second layoff in three years, he reflected on where the tech industry was headed next.
• Lewis shared his career journey and advice for navigating a challenging job market.

Dave Lewis had what it took to land jobs at some of the most sought-after Big Tech companies. But after getting laid off twice in three years, he found himself grappling with where he fit into the future of tech.

Lewis spent a decade at Google, was laid off by Amazon, rehired by Amazon, and eventually left for Microsoft — where he was laid off again.

After the second layoff, the Montana resident thought hard about what came next. He'd spent much of his career in roles that required regular travel, most recently as a sales executive at Microsoft, and wanted to spend more time at home with his family.

Lewis, who is in his 30s, also wanted long-term career growth. But with AI rapidly reshaping the tech industry, he knew finding the right path wouldn't be easy.

He kept coming back to one question: "How do I make sure that I'm optimizing my career search for the next five years of what the industry's going to be, not the five years that have brought me here?"

Over the past year, I've spoken with dozens of tech professionals like Lewis who have been laid off and forced to navigate a challenging job market. Many were affected by cuts intended to address overhiring during the pandemic and streamline operations.

While the broader labor market has seen slow hiring and low levels of firing, tech has been different. Workers are competing not only with a growing pool of laid-off professionals but also with recent graduates and currently employed tech workers looking for new opportunities.

Looming over everything is AI. While economists have debated what impact the technology has had on tech company layoffs and hiring, it's undeniably reshaping the industry — and influencing how workers like Lewis think about the future of their careers.

Why he left Google after a decade

Lewis said he was excited to join Google as a digital media manager in 2012 because it was one of the leading companies in his industry.

Years later, during the pandemic, Lewis and his wife moved from New York City to Montana — not ideal, as some of his largest clients had been just down the street from the company's New York City office.

At the same time, he was looking for a new challenge.

"I was working on individual, complex problems instead of large industry ones, which is where I do my best work," he said.

He decided the best move for his family was to stay in Montana and find a role that would support remote work. Amazon seemed like a good fit, and the role would help him grow, moving from an individual contributor role in sales into a broader product strategy role.

In July 2022, Lewis joined Amazon as a product lead. Less than a year later, he was laid off as part of Amazon's workforce reductions.

Amazon laid him off — and hired him back

Lewis stayed in touch with his former managers and colleagues who had also been laid off, and learned about a new team that was being formed. In October 2023, Lewis rejoined Amazon as a technical product manager.

"It was different getting hired back versus being hired new because I had some built-up goodwill, and people were familiar with my work," he said.

Earlier that year, Amazon had announced that corporate employees would be required to work from the office three days a week. When Lewis rejoined, he said he was expected to make roughly monthly trips to Seattle, with the understanding that the arrangement would be revisited after his first year.

Why he left Amazon for Microsoft

Shortly before his one-year mark back at Amazon, policy shifted to five days a week in office.

This time, it was clear to Lewis that his exception was going away. He and his wife discussed spending at least a year in Seattle while keeping their home in Montana, but ultimately decided it wasn't the best fit for their family.

At the same time, Lewis was looking for a new professional challenge. His team had reached many of the goals it set out to accomplish.

In January 2025, the same month Amazon's five-day office mandate took effect, Lewis left the company to start a remote partner sales executive role at Microsoft. While the role required some travel, it also offered a new professional challenge.

Ten months later, Lewis' role at Microsoft was eliminated. For the second time in less than three years, he found himself looking for work.

How he found his next role

Fortunately, Lewis had enough savings to be selective about his next opportunity. He spoke with a former Google colleague who had founded the AI startup Emberos, which helps businesses optimize their digital footprint for AI-powered consumer search.

Lewis was already interested in how AI was changing the way people find information online, and soon accepted a full-time position as head of partnerships. He said there is no office requirement for his role, though he expects to make regular trips to the company's office in Los Angeles.

After taking April off to welcome his son, Lewis started working full time in May.

For anyone navigating a layoff, Lewis said it's important to think carefully about what you're looking for before starting a job search.

"The market is drastically changing every day," he said. "Think about roles that leverage your experience, challenge you to learn more about emerging technology, and offer long-term growth potential."

Do you have a story to share about how you're navigating a career crossroads? If so, please reach out to the reporter via email at jzinkula@businessinsider.com, or via Signal at jzinkula.29.

• Ukraine initially developed heavier bomber drones to drop explosives on Russian positions.
• But as logistics missions near the front line have grown deadlier, bombers have begun taking on new roles.
• Ukrainian bombers are increasingly flying logistics missions, replacing human crews.

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Ukraine — The heavy bomber drone rose from the ground in a blast of dust and debris, its propellers whirring over the empty training range.

The drone, called "Max," was initially designed for a brutal battlefield task: hovering over Russian positions and dropping explosives. It can carry more than 90 pounds, enough to deliver a devastating blow.

But now its job is changing.

Like other drones made by Ukrainian manufacturer Perun, Max is increasingly being used for logistics missions, carrying supplies instead of bombs across a fiercely contested battlefield where vehicles, troops, and supply routes are under constant threat.

"Bombers are now being used more and more for logistics," a Perun engineer, who requested to be identified as Petro for security reasons, told Business Insider at the range at a secret location in Ukraine last month.

In Ukraine, drones are constantly watching from above, and soldiers have described the front lines as a widening "kill zone" that extends for miles on both sides. Here, any movement can trigger a fatal strike.

Ukrainian officials, recognizing the growing threat to humans, have set out to replace soldiers wherever possible with drones and robotic systems for dangerous logistics missions. The goal is for machines to eventually handle 100% of front-line supply deliveries for Kyiv.

Logistics missions without robots are becoming "simply impossible," Oleksiy Vyskub, Ukraine's first deputy defense minister, told Business Insider during a recent interview.

"There is a hell on the ground where everything is happening," he said, and Ukraine must get as many people out of there as possible.

New roles for bombers

Perun's "Max" drone is not the only heavy bomber being pushed into logistics work.

The "Vampire," another heavy bomber drone developed by Ukraine's Skyfall and introduced in late 2022, has also evolved into a multipurpose aircraft as Russian FPV drones increasingly threaten front-line supply routes, forcing Ukraine to turn to uncrewed systems to avoid putting troops at risk.

"That's where Vampire comes into play," a Skyfall representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive developments, told Business Insider, adding that the drone is responsible for "a lot of logistics on the front lines."

Soldiers and vehicles are still a part of these missions. "But when it's possible, the heavy bombers are being used to perform logistics," the representative said.

Petro, the Perun engineer, said roughly 70% of the firm's drone missions are still bombing runs, but the logistics share is growing. For the "Max," the company's largest propeller-driven drone, 50% of its missions are logistics.

"It's very effective for that role," Petro said.

He said the drone is faster and harder to destroy than the uncrewed ground vehicles, or UGVs, that Ukrainian soldiers are also increasingly turning to for logistics missions.

Ukrainian operators and manufacturers have said that UGVs have relatively short lifespans; some can survive only a handful of missions, depending on where on the battlefield they're used.

Some Ukrainian brigades still use the "Max" strictly as a bomber. It can carry defective 155 mm shells that are unsafe to fire from artillery barrels but can be especially destructive when dropped on Russian positions.

Still, the drone's share of logistics missions has increased thanks to its ability to deliver large payloads, such as ammunition and medicine, to troops, Petro said.

Heavy bombers like the "Max" or "Vampire" are a priority for Ukraine's military. Mykhailo Fedorov, the country's defense minister, told reporters last month that deliveries of these aircraft, along with a wide range of other drones, have increased significantly.

"If we compare what we delivered during the first four months of 2026 to the entire previous year," he said, "it is already a completely different scale."

Ukraine's growing reliance on drones and robots is one of several ways it is trying to protect logistics from Russian attacks. In some areas near the front lines, Kyiv has covered key roads with anti-drone netting, though Russian forces have still found ways to break through and strike vehicles.

• AI and tech CEOs are getting an earful from CIOs.
• Uber COO Andrew Macdonald raised concerns that big AI bills aren't delivering enough ROI.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that when he talks to companies, he's asked, "Where is the revenue?"

CIOs are worried their AI budgets are starting to max out with nothing to show for the costs incurred.

Uber COO Andrew Macdonald gave voice to the growing concerns when he said in May that he's yet to see direct improvements in line with AI spending.

The rise of budget consciousness stands in stark contrast to the freewheeling "tokenmaxxing" culture some companies adopted as AI agents began to spread. Many companies didn't adopt the leaderboards that made the initial wave of tokenmaxxing go viral, but AI costs are rising across the board.

Here is what tech executives, engineers, and analysts are saying about the brewing backlash:

Andrew Macdonald, Uber COO

Uber COO Andrew Macdonald set off a discussion about a potential reckoning over AI costs when he said the tech giant wasn't seeing productivity gains relative to its overall bill.

"That link is not there yet, right?" he told Rapid Response. "I think maybe implicitly there is more that is getting shipped, but it's very hard to draw a line between one of those stats and, 'Okay, now we're actually producing 25% more useful consumer features.'"

Macdonald's comments came after Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga went viral for saying the company had already blown through its Claude Code budget for the year by April.

Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said it's a fair criticism for companies to ask where their money is going.

"I think this is the most fair contribution — criticism right now of AI, which is, you hear companies saying, I am spending a ton of money on AI," Altman told CNBC during an interview on June 1. 'And I know some great stuff is happening, but I know there's a ton of waste, and you know, when — how long do I have to wait for it to really show up in revenue, and how long do I have to wait to really get the costs under control?"

Altman said that he assumes the AI industry will "figure that out pretty quickly."

Previously, the OpenAI CEO said one of the negative things he hears from companies is that "people feel like they're being very productive," but they aren't seeing actual gains.

"'Where is the revenue, where are the actual productivity gains?'" Altman said during a recent virtual appearance at an AI event in Australia, according to Forbes Australia.

Jeetu Patel, chief product officer, Cisco

Cisco Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said the cost of tokens is not sustainable.

"Right now, what's happening, is the cost of tokens are far higher than the actual value these tokens are generating at scale," Patel said recently at a Semafor event.

Patel said the "risk" is what happens if the ROI doesn't increase.

"The big risk in the market is if you don't create an equilibrium there, then people just pull back on using tokens and that's actually not good for anyone."

Marty Kausas, CEO of Pylon

Pylon CEO Marty Kausas said his startup's AI bill is set to rise significantly because the number of seats it needs has crossed into Anthropic's next tier.

"Our Anthropic bill is about to jump from $400K → $1.4M/yr," Kausas wrote on X. "Not because usage exploded, but because we're about to cross 150 seats."

Kausas also shared other thoughts about token spending in general, including that for engineering roles, the extra cost is worth using the latest model.

"For a lot of other roles it's questionable," he wrote. "Apps nobody uses, skills someone already built. No ROI."

Kausas said people need to be vigilant about how they're spending tokens, saying he "accidentally spent $4,000 in 3 days in Claude Code." Companies are also likely to impose spending limits.

"We already require approval for more tokens on our support team," he wrote. "The era of token-maxxing is coming to an end."

Scott Galloway, New York University Stern School of Business professor

Scott Galloway said the current moment "feels like '99," as in right before the dot-com bubble burst.

"I'm waiting for the first CEO to come out and say, 'We have to get procurement involved, and we have to dramatically scale back our expenses here," Galloway said in late May during a live episode of the " Prof G Markets" podcast, which he cohosts.

Galloway said that it's likely "a traditional Fortune 500 company" starts the narrative shift.

"'Okay, this has been fun, but we have to dramatically decrease our AI investment, because we're not seeing the type of ROI we anticipated,'" Galloway said the company would say.

Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban said the issue isn't token spending.

"Companies have long failed at integrating new tech," Cuban wrote on X in response to a story about a CEO slashing token spending.

Instead, companies need to think about, "what can a competitor to start up do, as an ai native company to disintermediate them."

"It's the Innovator's AI Dilemma," he wrote.

Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaStr

Jason Lemkin, sometimes called the "Godfather of SaaS," said not all companies will be equal in a potential cash crunch.

" I do think we're going to enter a world where things are more and more bifurcated, and we will see folks who get more and more gains from AI spend," Lemkin said during an episode of the "20VC" podcast published on May 28.

Lemkin said companies "with well north of a million in revenue per employee" will continue to "tokenmaxx until there is no tomorrow."

"If you're already hyper-efficient, you will find more ways to use AI," he said. "The folks that are less efficient, that are larger organizations and more traditional, I think, as the year goes on, will become more skeptical, especially if prices go up."

Lemkin is the founder of SaaStr, the world's largest community of business-to-business founders.

Shruti Gandhi, General Partner at Array Ventures

Shruti Gandhi, a general partner at Array Ventures, said, "tokenmaxxing" firms sound like companies that would measure productivity by turning on all the lights.

"Spending more doesn't mean producing more," she wrote on X. "Most companies handing out AI access to employees have no real idea what it's being used for, whether it changed any outcomes, or whether those outcomes would have been the same anyway."

She said some companies "will get serious about understanding the ROI," but others will only realize too late that they should have paid closer attention.

"The bigger question is what tools we actually need to start figuring this out, because right now nobody really has a good answer," she wrote.

Richard Socher, CEO of Recursive Superintelligence and You.com

Veteran AI researcher Richard Socher said his company, Recursive Superintelligence, is punching above its weight thanks to its massive token spend.

"It feels like our small team is executing at a level that's like 10, 20x the size," Socher said during a May episode of the "This Week in AI" podcast. "Like we're having research results that I would have expected maybe teams of like hundreds of people to do, but we're teams of several dozens only."

Socher, who was previously the head of AI research at Salesforce, said he expected more startups to have a budget like his, where spending on AI compute exceeds what is spent on actual employees

Recursive Superintelligence is named after the idea that AI may eventually be able to improve itself. Socher said the startup's expenses are the reality if the company hopes to push the future of AI.

Gary Marcus, an AI researcher and professor emeritus at New York University

AI commentator Gary Marcus said that "agent hysteria" drove a lot of initial AI demand.

"Now the critical variable is whether these agents, which are expensive, pay off," Marcus wrote on X in May. "The cases of Uber and Microsoft, the frustrations of GeoHotz (who was all in), etc are possibly signs that the reliability and payoff may not be there for a lot of customers."

The AI industry is in trouble if other companies have the same experience as Uber, Marcus said.

"If enough other companies report the same, the bubble pops. 🫧," he wrote on X.

Michael Burry, investor of "The Big Short" fame

Investor Michael Burry, a frequent skeptic of Nvidia's valuation, has said the "tokenmaxxing" trend won't last.

"Tokenmaxxing is not merely heavy AI use, and it is certainly not sustainable AI use," he wrote in a May post on his Substack. "It is quota-driven, leaderboard-driven, management-mandated overconsumption."

Burry called the unrestrained AI spending a "crazy, rushed, temporary phase." He said it's simply unsustainable for the AI industry.

"Everyone is already using it, and many are using it as frantically and expensively as possible during this mass training phase."

Known for his massive bet against the mid-2000s housing bubble that later led to his Hollywood moment, Burry has become a frequent Substack commentator, where he expresses his views about an AI bubble. In the past, Nvidia has felt the need to push back on his commentary.

Akshat Bubna, cofounder and CTO of Modal

Modal CTO Akshat Bubna said it's hard for companies to know which tokens are simply a waste.

"Pretty sure 50% of internal token spend is completely useless, but right now it's hard to know which 50%," Bubna wrote on X.

Bubna said he would love to have a much better way to track usage.

"As an admin I'd love a dashboard that breaks down each person's spend into summarized clusters," he wrote. "Much easier to spend more when you can draw a clear line to value."

Sundar Pichai, Google CEO

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said he's hearing the concerns directly.

"I've heard anecdotally from a lot of CIOs who are so concerned about how much their companies are blowing through budgets," Pichai recently said at Google's flagship developer conference, I/O. "You can feel it talking to them. And, I think the problem is going to get worse as we go through the year."

Pichai's response isn't to dismiss the bean counters but to pitch them a more efficient AI model. He touted Google's Gemini 3.5 Flash, a model that the company said was "optimized for real-world tasks at a higher speed and lower cost."

"Even accounting for token use," he said, "Flash is remarkably cost-efficient."

• SpaceX priced at $135 per share as expected yesterday afternoon.
• Today is the main event: when shares actually start trading.
• Here's your guide to the key stats and storylines defining SpaceX's record offering.

I have to say … SpaceX's unorthodox decision to fix its IPO pricing ahead of time really sapped a lot of the usual fun out of the proceedings. But the offering is unlikely to stay predictable for long.

SpaceX offered an unprecedented chunk of shares to retail investors — the merits of which I debated earlier this week — and now we're likely in for the usual chaos and volatility that accompanies their presence in a stock.

In the meantime, as we (im)patiently await SpaceX's first trades, we can create our own fun by looking at the offering's most eye-popping numbers and compelling storylines.

Key figures

$1.8 trillion

The post-IPO valuation SpaceX will command once it starts trading publicly at a price of $135 per share. The previous most valuable post-IPO company in history was Saudi Aramco, at $1.7 trillion.

$100 billion

The total amount of SpaceX share orders submitted by retail investors, according to Bloomberg. Elon Musk and SpaceX went out of their way to make this IPO more retail-friendly, and day traders seem to have happily obliged.

$75 billion

The proceeds SpaceX will make from the IPO. Let's not sugarcoat it: this is the most lucrative offering in history by a long shot. For context, the next-closest is Saudi Aramco, which raised about $29.4 billion.

$5 billion

The size of the SpaceX IPO order from BlackRock, according to the WSJ. It nearly eclipses the $5.55 billion of proceeds that Cerebras — the previously biggest IPO of 2026 — raised across its entire offering.

Top storylines

Retail is going big. SpaceX allocated a larger-than-usual 30% of its IPO shares to retail. Fidelity lowered the minimum account-size threshold for SpaceX-hungry investors. Are we entering a period of day-trader euphoria, or will the "dumb money" be left holding the bag for institutions?

Cathie Wood's redemption tour. The Ark Invest founder and CEO rose to prominence through her successful bets on innovation companies, then went through a rough patch. Now she's roaring back, and her stake in SpaceX is her latest Elon Musk investment gone right.

The first too-big-to-fail IPO. To some investors, the pitch for SpaceX is simple: It's too big not to buy. After all, everyone will probably own a bit of SpaceX — at least indirectly — as it enters major indexes. It's coming to the Nasdaq in just 15 days.

Universities are raking it in. Elon Musk may think that college is "overrated," but that hasn't stopped endowment funds from making a boatload investing in SpaceX before its IPO.

Facebook as a cautionary tale. The tech titan's turbulent debut back in 2012 is an example of what can go wrong with a major tech IPO.

• Firms should focus on AI's business impact, not maximizing tokens workers use, an HR leader said.
• Rewarding AI use alone might not boost productivity or innovation, said Synthesia's Laura Gonzalez.
• More companies are taking a closer look at how workers use the tech — and discouraging tokenmaxxing.

Move over, tokenmaxxing.

Focusing on AI usage rather than what it delivers risks incentivizing the wrong efforts, said Laura Gonzalez, head of people at the AI video company Synthesia‍.

The better goal, she said, is impact. Her view aligns with a sentiment from a growing number of leaders that heavy AI use isn't necessarily a win for business.

Measuring software developers chiefly on token usage would be like evaluating a salesperson based on how many calls they made rather than how many deals they closed, she said.

"It's not the metric for success," Gonzalez said of token use. Instead, she said, companies should focus on the business impact AI delivers.

Rather than looking at how many tokens someone burns, a common metric for measuring AI usage, better questions include whether the tech is helping teams ship faster, prepare better for customer calls, or shorten the time it takes new hires to start making an impact, Gonzalez said.

Synthesia, based in London, develops software that lets businesses create AI-generated videos for training, marketing, and other purposes, so its workers use AI broadly across all roles, she said.

While the company doesn't reward workers for going wild with token use, it still wants to see them use the tech.

"We expect absolutely everyone to leverage and use AI when necessary internally," Gonzalez said.

A shifting tide

Not focusing on tokens marks a departure from the messaging at some companies, where leaders treated burn rates as an indicator of AI adoption. In some cases, leaderboards highlight employees generating the most AI activity.

Now, surging AI costs for some heavy users are prompting some bosses to rethink what they tell workers.

At Coinbase, AI usage spiked in February after Claude rolled out a new coding model. Now, the crypto exchange uses price caps from $500 to $5,000 a week, depending on a worker's level and job, Business Insider previously reported.

Marty Kausas, CEO of the customer-operations platform Pylon, said Wednesday that his company's annual Anthropic bill is set to jump from $400,000 to $1.4 million as it moves to an enterprise pricing tier. Kausas, who said he inadvertently spent $4,000 on Claude Code in three days, predicted that the era of tokenmaxxing is "coming to an end."

Gonzalez said cost concerns don't drive the company's approach to deemphasizing tokens. In January, Synthesia announced it had raised a $200 million series E round, valuing the firm at $4 billion.

Not encouraging going big on token use also doesn't mean forgoing innovation, she said.

"You can still have a culture of experimentation and providing people with the tools to go run with things without rewarding token maximization," Gonzalez said.

When tokens matter

There are still times, like during a hackathon, when the company has used a leaderboard to show token use. Yet those are the exceptions, she said.

The corporate push-pull over token use comes as many employers seek ways to incentivize AI use among their workers to boost productivity. In some cases, managers are using dashboards to track how much staff in roles like software development are using AI. In some cases, employers are considering AI use in how they evaluate workers.

Token allocations can still matter, particularly for new hires who might arrive with different expectations about access to AI tools.

Prospective employees might still want to understand which AI resources they'll have access to, said Jeff Hyman, a recruiter with about 30 years of experience.

He compared asking about token allocations to a question workers routinely asked in an earlier era: "Does the job include a laptop?"

Do you have a story to share about your token use? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.

• Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities says the AI market is on the verge of a shift.
• He see it moving in a direction that will place higher value on enterprise data.
• The analyst named Palantir, Snowflake, and Salesforce as top picks poised to benefit.

One of Wall Street's biggest tech bulls sees a shift coming for AI.

Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities says enterprise data is the next frontier of the AI boom, and will create a new class of major stock winners.

"The data layer represents both the decisive constraint and the monetization unlock within the enterprise AI buildout while LLMs will become more commoditized over the coming years with the primary value driver of enterprise AI deployments across enterprises reliant on internal company data," he wrote on Thursday.

Here are Ives' top picks for the next chapter of the market's AI story.

Palantir Technologies

Palantir stock has struggled in 2026, falling 22% year-to-date, but Ives says he sees it as one of the best examples of the shift he's predicting: as a platform, it helps turn extensive enterprise data into actionable insights for other businesses.

"The company continues to see unprecedented demand for AIP especially across the commercial & federal landscapes, by taking AI solutions that solve mission-critical use cases at enterprise scale with shorter sales cycles, expanding deal sizes, and faster deployment/ ROI timelines," Ives noted.

Snowflake

Cloud-based data platform Snowflake is often overshadowed by higher-profile AI stocks, but Ives said that he sees it as uniquely positioned to thrive.

Put simply, Ives sees the advantage in Snowflake's platform, which enables users to switch between different AI models, rotating from OpenAI's ChatGPT to Anthropic's Claude or an open-source model without having to rebuild previous data pipelines.

Salesforce

During a December 2025 interview, CEO Marc Benioff floated the possibility of renaming Salesforce Agentforce after the company's wide-ranging AI agent platform, a part of the business that Ives touted as giving it a strong edge. He also highlighted the company's ability to capitalize on its installed base of 150,000 customers.

"Customers can then leverage Agentforce to create and maintain agents across the enterprise, which transforms AI from a threat into the company's most significant monetization catalyst and speaks to the massive TAM," he said.

MongoDB

MongoDB, a database provider, is another AI stock that has struggled in 2026 after a strong showing the previous year. But Ives still sees it as a likely winner of the next chapter of AI, highlighting its appeal to customers whose databases and older tech systems still can't effectively support modern AI tools.

Wedbush isn't the only bank to flag Mongo as a top AI stock pick. Bank of America recently added it to a list of top software stocks to buy before a later 2026 rally, making a similar case to Ives' thesis.

Innodata

The data engineering company has outperformed all other stocks on Ives' list in 2026, rising 98% year-to-date. It refines and processes data, enabling companies to learn from it, which has helped it carve out a niche in a lucrative area of the market.

"With AI moving rapidly from text to multi-modal to autonomous systems and physical AI applications, INOD is prepared to deal with the specialized data engineering and expert judgment required in each phase of the roadmap," Ives noted.

• A tech worker said a joke about stressful meetings turned into a data-backed workplace experiment.
• Pankaj Tanwar used his Whoop data and work calendar to rank which meetings raised his heart rate.
• The project is the latest example of a coding boom, where people build software for personal ideas.

What if you could see a leaderboard of the coworkers who stress you out the most? A tech worker has cobbled together a project that examines just that, leaning on heart-rate data from his Whoop health-tracking wearable.

Pankaj Tanwar, a Bengaluru, India-based tech worker, wrote in posts on LinkedIn and X that he connected his Whoop wristband to his work calendar, pulled per-minute heart-rate data, and matched spikes to meetings and attendees. In the posts, he said he now has "a leaderboard, and I think about it daily."

"We were all joking in a meeting about how draining some of them are," Tanwar told Business Insider in an email. "And it hit me, what if I could actually build something that tells me who's stressing me out?"

The posts include screenshots with some details masked, including a ranking of people or meetings tied to stress spikes. The screenshot suggested a senior developer had a calming effect on Tanwar, while a growth manager was a "prime suspect" for higher heart rates.

When asked if the results surprised him, Tanwar said: "To be honest, not really."

Tanwar's experiment lands amid a broader wave of people building quirky, highly specific software tools. Many new entrants have been using AI coding models to quickly produce new apps.

Tanwar — who has worked as a software developer, according to his LinkedIn — told Business Insider he used Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 and Claude Opus 4.8 to build his coworker stress app.

And he has a taste for other quirky side projects, too.

His personal website lists an assortment of other personal software projects, including a tool that tells airplane passengers which side to sit on to avoid getting baked by the sun, a Chrome extension that makes users scream "I'm a loser" before opening social media apps, and an AI bot that likes his mom's Instagram posts.

"I've got a ton of dumb fun ideas, some of them actually useful," Tanwar told Business Insider. "I mostly build because my brain finds it funny, and sometimes it ends up solving my own problems."

Right now, he says he's building a wearable that will send a small zap if he sits for too long.

• Stock volatility has surged as investors assess the ongoing Iran war and potential rate hikes.
• Equities have been resilient in 2026, but investing pros flag signs of volatility ahead.
• Technical signals in the VIX, tech-dominated gains, and more point to stock volatility ahead.

It's been a wild week of a trading for US stocks, but market pros say investors should get used to it.

Wall Street is seeing volatility resurface, with stocks rocked by a re-escalation in the Iran war and squashed hopes of any interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve in 2026.

The equity market has been surprisingly resilient in the first half of the year, but it's been far from a straight line up.

The S&P 500 has recovered from its Iran-war lows at the end of March and then some, climbing to fresh record highs nearly 100 days into the war.

The mega-IPOs from SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are expected to add to mounting volatility risks as liquidity shifts and investors flock to the colossal offerings, but beyond the historic IPOs, here are four reasons stock market volatility could continue.

VIX technicals show signs more swings are coming

The Cboe Volatility Index, otherwise known as the VIX, is often considered the stock market's fear gauge.

In recent trading sessions the VIX has surged, seeing its largest year-to-date single day jump of nearly 40%, topping the volatility spikes during the onset of the war in Iran.

Piper Sandler's chief market technician Craig Johnson flagged that the VIX is above key levels, signaling investors are risk-off.

"The VIX rose by 11.8% after recapturing the 50-/200-day MAs, remaining above a critical resistance level of 20. Historically, a sustained level above 20 indicates an increase in equity volatility," he wrote.

Tech-led gains bump up against higher rates

Tech has been one of the top-performing sectors in 2026, second only to energy, which has been driven higher by the historic Iran-war oil disruption.

The outsize influence of tech makes the market all the more sensitive to higher rates.

The market has repriced its expectations for the Federal Reserve to lower rates, pricing in a hold or even a rate hike through the rest of this year, compared to two to three cuts expected at the start of the year.

The 10-year Treasury yield is around 4.52%, above the level often flagged as a negative indicator for the equity outlook, after surging on the onset of the war in Iran. The 2-year yield was at 4.14%, above the current Fed rate, supporting a potential hike.

"Technology stocks are sensitive to interest rates: Higher rates can have a greater impact on growth-oriented sectors such as technology, contributing to larger market swings," Cross Border Wealth explained.

AI spending sets up the potential for more swings

Within tech, AI spending has dominated the market narrative with Big Tech investing billions into AI.

The massive capex has fueled the AI trade on Wall Street and could contribute to heightened volatility.

Goldman Sachs analysts noted that AI spending is likely to exceed tech companies' guides, which implies additional upside for the earnings and stock price of AI infrastructure beneficiaries.

Earnings have dominated tech-driven market moves higher, with some flagging it's creating an AI earnings bubble, but recently valuations have expanded.

"Recent valuation expansion and positioning dynamics suggest additional volatility ahead," Goldman said, adding that the P/E of the median AI infrastructure stock has hit its highest multiple since the launch of ChatGPT.

They outlined, "Rapid price appreciation, elevated valuations, and crowded positioning in some slices of the infrastructure complex increase the risk of volatility."

Midterm election cycle signals a volatile road ahead

Historically midterm election years tend to be volatile for equities.

Since 1970, midterm years have a median return standard deviation of almost 16%, compared with 13% in other years, according to research from Capital Group.

The stock market does tend to follow what Piper Sandler called a "jump, slump, and pump" progression.

This cycle is consistent with a trading pattern that has emerged through Trump's presidencies, outlined by Jeffery Hirsch, a longtime market strategist and the editor of the Stock Trader's Almanac.

Similarly, Oppenheimer analysts highlighted a "sell in July for a big October buy" strategy that also signals stock volatility ahead.

• Kristi Edleson, a startup chief of staff, uses an AI version of herself to help with her workload.
• She said the hardest part is knowing when to do the work herself or outsource it to her AI agent.
• Despite relying on her AI chief of staff for numerous tasks, she refuses to let it handle finances.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kristi Edleson, a 34-year-old chief of staff at Yutori, based in San Francisco. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I work at a startup as the chief of staff, and my company's goal has always been to build an AI chief of staff. It's funny that when I took this role, I was signing up for that. I wasn't nervous about it, though; I actually loved the irony.

A chief of staff's role involves a lot of context switching, and I believe the AI product my company built focuses more on augmenting my skills than fully allowing me to hand things off. The product launched recently, but I don't see the agent as a replacement for my full role.

I think finding the balance of what lives in your head versus what you're willing to outsource is the hardest part of working with AI agents all day.

I'm the only non-tech person at the AI company I work for

I'd been working in recruiting for the past 10 years, and I wanted to make a pivot into something more operational. This role happened by chance spring 2025.

I knew the founders from when I was a recruiter at Meta, and they had a catch-all kind of position they wanted to fill at their startup. I don't think we had even named the job chief of staff yet. As conversations evolved, that's the title we landed on.

I never saw chief of staff as my forever role, but this job felt like one of the most high-impact operational roles I could get. Who better to give product feedback than someone who is living those tasks daily?

I'm the only non-technical person on the staff, and every day can be different. My job is basically anything the founders don't have time for. That can be daily operations, finance, HR, compliance, conversations with different vendors, negotiating contracts, and reading contracts.

I give the AI chief of staff agent my manual work

I have our AI chief of staff connected to all my work tools, like email, Slack, Linear, Granola, etc. So it can pull in all of that context and pick up the things that I forgot about.

The chief of staff agent also pulls from my calendar to alert me of what else is on our plate. From there, I decide which tasks I want to hand off.

Before AI agents, I'd see my task list and know I had to do everything on it. Now I ask myself: what items can I hand off to AI so I can find even more meaningful problems to solve? That means I also need to go find those problems.

One of the things that I like to do in the mornings is switch into voice mode, do a brain dump, and unload everything I'm thinking about in any order of chaos. I'm not someone who's super into having set prompts. That's why I love where agents are at, at this point. I don't have to be perfect with my prompts and can ask whatever is on my mind in a very imperfect way, and it will still work.

I like to challenge myself anytime there's something that feels a little bit manual. How can I have an agent do that on my behalf? That could be anything from drafting emails or Slack messages to having ChatGPT help design our office swag.

I like having reach over what the agent is doing, so it will draft items, like an email, but I approve most of them before it hits send. There haven't been any major mistakes from my agent, but I have this step in there to safeguard against mistakes the agent could make.

AI helps me negotiate vendor contracts and not ask dumb questions

One of the core parts of my job is negotiating with vendors for different kinds of technical infrastructure tools we need to run our models, like compute or inference. I'm non-technical, so I use AI to help me not ask silly questions in these meetings or slow down our timeline.

About 30 minutes before a call, I ask my agent, "What's the latest? What's the sentiment from the team on this tool?" It has my context for how we use certain tools, as well as conversations other teams are having about those tools in a public channel.

I go back and forth with it and sometimes ask questions that I would be embarrassed to ask the team. Then I'm able to show up in vendor conversations, have authority, and get the things we need.

I don't think AI can replace me for financial tasks and strategy mapping

I don't use the chief of staff AI agent for financial tasks right now, probably because I'm risk-averse, and maybe I'm overcautious. I think finances are probably where I, and a lot of people, draw the line. A bad email is annoying but easy to apologize for. You can't un-spend $500.

From a personal perspective of keeping myself sharp, I still like to write and handle a lot of tasks myself, then have agents gut-check them, especially anything strategic.

I like to have a mental map of everything I'm working on, and AI sometimes works faster than my brain can keep up. I'm working on how to keep all that information somewhere in my mind, even if it's getting less attention overall.

There's a lot of buzz about full automation or the end of certain roles, but I've been happily surprised by how much more empowered I feel as a worker now because I have access to basically the world's most patient tutor.

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

• Kevin O'Leary is backing a massive data center campus in Box Elder County, Utah.
• The project has faced resistance from residents and local officials.
• O'Leary, however, says he doesn't "tap out" when projects become contentious.

Kevin O'Leary is not one to give up.

The "Shark Tank" investor, who also this year took a spin as the villainous businessman in "Marty Supreme," says that despite all the local resistance to his massive Utah data center, he's holding firm.

"I don't tap out. I don't even know what that means. That's never going to happen with me," O'Leary told Business Insider. "Everything I do has challenges. Every deal, every project — it's never easy."

Building a hyperscale data center, the kind that powers the products made by AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or Meta, is not easy these days. Numerous proposed data centers across the country have faced opposition, and dozens of towns and cities have either passed moratoriums, outright banned them, or are considering it.

O'Leary's proposed data center in Box Elder County, a rural area of about 60,000 people near the rapidly diminishing Great Salt Lake, is perhaps the most well known, thanks in part to O'Leary's celebrity status.

As soon as details began to emerge publicly about his data center campus, called the Stratos Project, Utah residents began organizing against it. The opposition crowded local planning meetings, circulated petitions, and recently filed a lawsuit to stop it.

The backlash got the attention of the state's governor and senate president, who both initially supported the idea. The two have, in recent weeks, issued new parameters around the development, making it harder for O'Leary to realize his lofty plans.

None of this has deterred O'Leary.

"There are bumps in the road. There's litigation. There's misinformation. There's propaganda. You name it. But if you know what you're doing is right, you make it, you get there," O'Leary said. "Persevere."

Sometimes called Wonder Valley, a reference to O'Leary's chosen nickname, Mr. Wonderful, the data center proposal initially spanned 40,000 acres. When fully online, that plan estimated the campus would have up to 9 gigawatts of power generation capacity.

That's gigantic. Most large-scale AI data center proposals are at their largest 1 gigawatt. Many of them are closer to 300,000-500,000 megawatts. O'Leary Digital and West GenCo LLC are developing the project.

In May, Box Elder County commissioners authorized a project area for the campus, eliciting furor among residents who oppose it.

In addition to its vast size, critics are worried the data center will have an adverse impact on local wildlife, water resources, and air quality. They've also castigated local officials and developers over what they consider a lack of transparency.

O'Leary says all those concerns are not based in reality. He, without providing evidence, blamed a Chinese disinformation campaign for stoking anxiety. The United States and China are in a race to lead the world in artificial intelligence. Data centers are a key leg of that race.

"For me, all roads lead back to China," O'Leary said.

O'Leary says the data center will create jobs and economic growth, and that the technology underpinning data centers — like cooling techniques — has advanced to the point that their environmental impact is negligible.

Despite O'Leary's efforts to change public perception of data centers, Utah's government has responded to local concerns. Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed an executive order at the end of May that established a "higher bar for data center development in Utah."

Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adam, meanwhile, called for a 75% reduction in the project area and other commitments in a letter sent to Digital O'Leary this month. O'Leary agreed to scale back the campus and adhere to other requests.

"We're only going to build 1.4 gigawatts to start, which is sort of like a test kitchen," O'Leary told Business Insider. The project was always planned to expand in phases.

"What's good about doing something small to start is you prove out your model, and you show the new technology at work, which is remarkably better than technology was in data centers 20 years ago," he said.

Although new parameters have slowed down O'Leary's plans, Americans will likely appreciate the more measured pace. A June Reuters and Ipsos poll said only 1 in 3 Americans approve of the "fast pace" of AI data center construction. O'Leary, however, says that a fast pace is necessary as America strives to lead the AI race.

"Ask yourself, can we build anything in America anymore, or is it always going to be someone telling us we can't?" O'Leary said. "I think those times are over — well, they have to be — because we're in a global competition, in an economic competition, in a military competition, and certainly a technological competition."

• There's been a lot of hand-wringing lately about AI token costs.
• There could be relief coming later this year.
• A wave of new technology may cause token prices to plummet. It may already be starting to happen.

I had lunch with the CEO of an AI infrastructure company recently. I can't tell you their name, but they said something that really caught my attention: There will be a crop of new AI models later this year that will be a lot better and more efficient.

This will likely make AI tokens more abundant and radically cheaper. (Tokens are the basic units models use to process information, and the standard way AI use is measured and priced).

Hand-wringing about tokenmaxxing could die down. Or, users could go on another bender and burn even more tokens with abandon.

Either way, the price of tokens is probably about to plummet. This is why we already see some AI model providers slashing prices, and other players talking about doing so.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said AI costs had become a huge issue, adding that the startup will have "a lot of ways we can help people get more value for less spend."

This trend may already be showing up in the data. A closely watched token spending index run by Silicon Data peaked at around 2.06 in late May and fell to 1.75 as of June 10.

Carmen Li, the CEO of Silicon Data, told me this could mean token prices are dropping across many AI models.

Blackwell finally emerges

The main force driving token prices lower is a new wave of technology that's sweeping through AI data centers.

Nvidia's Blackwell GPUs are being installed in huge volumes right now. By the second half of this year, these systems, which are really supercomputers rather than chips, will be operating at scale, helping AI labs train new models and run them more efficiently.

These systems took a while to install properly, partly because they needed to be water-cooled and required other gnarly new data center setups. But the payoff could be huge.

50 x more, 35 x cheaper

SemiAnalysis, a respected AI research firm, compared Nvidia's top Blackwell system, the GB 300 NVL72, to Nvidia's previous system, called the Hopper HGX 200.

With the older system, each GPU generated 90 tokens per second, while the new Blackwell system generated 6,000. That's 65 times more.

These systems consume massive amounts of electricity, and the newer Blackwell offerings use even more. So SemiAnalysis also looked at how many tokens each system generated per megawatt. On this measure, Hopper churned out 54,000 tokens per second, while Blackwell generated 2.8 million. 50 times more.

Electricity prices are rising, due to all these energy-sipping AI data centers. So these days, GPU systems are assessed based on how much it costs to generate one million tokens.

SemiAnalysis tested this, too, and found that the older Hopper system cost $4.20 for every million tokens. The Blackwell system cost 12 cents. That's 35 times cheaper.

Again, new AI models will be increasingly trained and run on these new Blackwell systems as 2026 progresses. This is very likely to produce a massive increase in the number of cheaply-generated tokens.

This is why AI model providers will probably slash token prices: Because they can.

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

• Mark Zuckerberg says a handful of researchers can drive major AI breakthroughs.
• The Meta CEO made the comments while speaking on a recent episode of the "No Priors" podcast.
• He discussed the "hot market" for AI researchers and his and his wife Priscilla Chan's Biohub nonprofit.

The race for AI talent may be fierce, but Mark Zuckerberg says breakthroughs in the artificial intelligence world don't require armies of researchers.

Speaking on an episode of the "No Priors" podcast released Wednesday, the Meta boss argued that a small team of elite researchers can drive meaningful advances in AI, even as Silicon Valley firms shell out hefty sums to hire specialists.

"In order to make progress in AI, you don't need like many, many hundreds of AI researchers or thousands or anything like that," Zuckerberg said. "I think you can really make progress with a very strong group of a dozen or a couple dozen people."

Zuckerberg made the comments alongside his wife, Priscilla Chan, as the pair discussed Biohub, their nonprofit medical research organization, and its mission to use AI and biology to help scientists cure, prevent, or manage all disease by the end of the century.

The Meta CEO said that while AI researchers have plenty of career options, Biohub's work sets it apart from other organizations.

"It's a very hot market for AI researchers," the billionaire said. "They're very in demand, and can work on the things that they want to work on."

The AI researchers who work at Biohub, Zuckerberg said, "could go work on language models or things at any of the main labs, but those labs don't have the frontier biology part attached to it, so I think that there's like also just a very large mission component of this, which is like there's an ability to do this unique work here that you just can't really do at the other places."

"If that's what your focus is, then I don't actually think that there's any other organization in the world that's doing both the frontier biology and the frontier AI," said Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg said that thanks to advances in AI, he's "optimistic" that Biohub's quest could be achieved even sooner.

"It's a dynamic system. So, if you fix something, there will obviously be future things that you need to work on. So, I don't think that the current set of things that we're aware of are going to be the only things that need to get worked out," said Zuckerberg.

He added, "I think that the progress with AI is really, obviously, very exciting."

Still, Zuckerberg acknowledged during the interview that access to computing power remains limited.

"In terms of what you decide to do next, I think this is like a pretty normal process of constraint management," Zuckerberg said. "I think every lab in every field across the world probably feels compute-constrained. I think that's probably true here, too."

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg said the current AI moment has left him feeling a "combination of invigorated and exhausted."

• Rivian started deliveries of its R2 SUV on Tuesday.
• Its CEO, RJ Scaringe, said there are reasons why he didn't want the R2 to resemble Tesla's Model Y.
• He said he wanted to give American EV consumers more choice and set Rivian's products apart from Tesla's.

Rivian's CEO said he didn't want his latest R2 to look like the Tesla Model Y — for numerous reasons.

In a "Masters of Scale" interview released on Thursday, CEO RJ Scaringe spoke about Rivian's latest R2 SUV, which is its cheapest electric car yet. Rivian started deliveries of the car on Tuesday.

Scaringe mentioned two main reasons the R2 looks and feels nothing like the other affordable EV option in the US, Tesla's Model Y.

The first was what he called an "extreme lack of choice" for EVs under $50,000 in the US. He said Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 make up the bulk of the EV market in the country, which he said was a "reflection of a market that's wildly underserved."

Scaringe said that while Tesla's models are "great vehicles," customers need choices.

"Not everyone is going to want that exact shape, that exact form factor, that exact look. And so Rivian can do a part in that," he said.

The second reason he brought up was that he wanted R2 to be its own product. He said he's seen other players fail while competing with Tesla, by making "Model Y copies" instead of "having deep conviction around building a product that's linked to your brand."

"And the unfortunate thing about that is, if you want to buy a Tesla Model Y, you don't want XYZ company's version of a Model Y. You'll just get the Model Y," he added.

Scaringe previously told Business Insider that the R2 EV would be Rivian's "inflection point," shaping the brand's future. There are three versions of the car: "Standard," "Premium," and "Performance."

According to the automaker's website, only the "Performance" version, starting at $57,990, is now being delivered. The $44,990 "Standard" version will start delivery in 2027, while the $53,990 "Premium" will arrive later this year.

• South Korea's benchmark Kospi index rebounded dramatically to cap a roller-coaster week.
• Chip giants Samsung and SK Hynix powered a Friday rally in AI-linked chip stocks.
• The recent selloff may have helped cool excesses in the semiconductor space, KB Securities said.

South Korean stocks ended a turbulent week on firmer footing after a volatile stretch that underscored investors' sensitivity to swings in AI-related shares.

The country's benchmark Kospi index surged over 8% on Friday before paring gains to close the session up 4.6%, after President Donald Trump said the US was nearing a peace deal with Iran.

The rebound capped a rollercoaster week for one of the world's hottest stock markets. The benchmark index plunged over 8% on Monday as a selloff in US tech stocks rippled through Asia, before staging a sharp rebound and swinging for the rest of the week.

The Kospi finished the week down 0.5%, following a 3.7% decline the previous week.

The selloff hit the South Korean market particularly hard because of its heavy exposure to the global AI trade. The Kospi has more than tripled since the start of 2025, making it one of the world's best-performing — and most volatile — major stock markets.

As sentiment stabilized at the end of the week, investors returned to the semiconductor stocks that had borne the brunt of the downturn.

Seoul-based KB Securities said much of the valuation adjustment in semiconductor stocks has already taken place following the recent volatility.

"At present, however, much of that disparity adjustment has already taken place. This can be read as a sign that overheating in semiconductors has also largely eased," KB Securities analysts Euntaek Lee and Daeun Lee wrote in a Friday note.

On Friday, index heavyweight Samsung Electronics surged over 13% before closing 7.9% higher. Rival chipmaker SK Hynix, meanwhile, gained as much as 9.6% before ending 2.3% up.

• Mid-range drones, Ukraine's newest weapon against the Russian rear, are attacking bridges.
• One regiment said it attacked four critical bridges that Russia uses for its logistics in the south.
• Drone footage appears to show several bridges burning and damaged from repeated strikes.

Ukraine has been using new mid-range drones to attack key bridges supplying Russia's rear forces from the south, and battlefield footage appears to show the tactic inflicting significant damage.

The country's 1st Separate Assault Regiment said it carried out the strikes over the last week on the Armyansk, Henichesk, and Chonhar areas, the three chokepoints between Crimea and the southern front.

Bridges in those areas, situated between 50 and 75 miles from the front lines, have been critical to the Kremlin's logistics routes to the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

In several social media posts over the last five days, the 1st Separate Assault Regiment posted first-person-view drone footage showing uncrewed systems repeatedly flown into the bridge's surface from above. Some of the attacks were coordinated with the 475th Assault Regiment and the Security Service of Ukraine's elite Alpha unit, it said.

"The only way of delivery of Russian soldiers, ammunition, and fuel from the temporarily occupied Crimea was attacked," the brigade wrote.

The regiment said it used two types of mid-range drones: the FirePoint FP-2, with a wingspan of 18 feet and a 220-pound explosive payload, and the Hippo, which has a wingspan of 7.5 feet and carries a 77-pound thermobaric payload alongside 88 pounds of explosives.

Several of the clips showed at least two bridges burning, with their structures severely damaged in some areas. Business Insider could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.

Pro-Russian authorities in the region, however, have confirmed the strikes. Vladimir Saldo, the Kremlin-appointed governor of Kherson, said on Thursday that the region's bridges in Armyansk had come under attack from at least 45 drone attacks.

"According to preliminary reports, some damage has occurred. Experts are conducting an inspection and assessing the condition of the structures," Saldo wrote in an update.

On Tuesday, Saldo also warned of roughly 20 drone attacks on the bridge servicing Chonhar, saying traffic there was closed.

His office later began suggesting alternative traffic routes to avoid areas affected by the strikes and said civilian passenger buses in the region would be halted due to a fuel shortage.

Mid-range drones are a rising new star in Ukraine's attack options, allowing it to strike Russia's rear areas and harass the Kremlin's critical supply lines. In past years, Ukraine instead damaged Russia's supply bridges by relying largely on sabotage or artillery systems such as the US-made HIMARS.

These drones fly further and hit harder than typical grenade-carrying quadcopters, but are cheaper to produce than the long-distance drones Ukraine uses to attack Russia's military-industrial base.

• Spike Lee says he'd give up one of his two Oscars "in a second" for a Knicks championship.
• A lifelong Knicks fan, Lee attended each of the first four games of the team's current Finals run.
• He attended the Knicks' first championship game in 1970 and has held season tickets since 1985.

Filmmaker Spike Lee says he'd trade one of his Oscars to see the Knicks win it all in the NBA Finals.

"I got two. I would trade the honorary one and keep the one for screenwriting for 'BlacKkKlansman,'" Lee said in an interview with CNN published on Thursday. "Trade that in a second."

The filmmaker also hinted he'd be willing to pass on one more movie with longtime collaborator Denzel Washington if it meant a Knicks championship. They have worked together on five films over more than two decades.

"Well, Denzel said publicly like he only has two more films and he's done," Lee said.

He added that the actor probably wouldn't take issue with his choice: "But Denzel understands why, he said already he's retiring."

Lee also recalled bringing Knicks jerseys to the Vatican after learning Pope Leo XIV attended Villanova University, the alma mater of three current Knicks players, including captain Jalen Brunson.

"I had two going to Vatican City. I gave him one, signed by me, and I gave him another for him to sign. It came back two months later, but it was signed," Lee said.

A lifelong Knicks fan, Lee has been a staple at Madison Square Garden for decades.

During the Knicks' current Finals run, Lee attended each of the first four games, making the trip to San Antonio for Games 1 and 2 before returning to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4.

In a May interview with NPR, Lee said his father began taking him to Knicks games as a child. His father's lawyer, who held season tickets in the Garden's yellow seats, gave him the opportunity to attend the 1970 NBA Finals.

"He said, 'You go to the game.' I was at the Willis Reed game slash Walt Frazier game, where the Knicks won their first NBA championship," Lee said.

The game left such a lasting impression on Lee that he made a promise to himself. "So I said, Lord, if I ever make any money, I just want to get season tickets," he said.

Lee went on to do exactly that. He has held New York Knicks season tickets since 1985, per ESPN. In 2024, he was recognized as a SuperFan by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

The average ticket for a New York Knicks game can cost anywhere between $250 and $350, per Ticketmaster. As of Friday, StubHub listings for Saturday's Game 5 ranged from about $1,400 to more than $35,000.

• Modern cars now have software and sensors that are driving up repair costs.
• Independent repair shops say automakers have created roadblocks that bar them from fixing the cars.
• The REPAIR Act would require car companies to share necessary data with independent shops.

Popping the hood is no longer enough to understand what's wrong with your car.

As modern vehicles become computers on wheels, packed with software, sensors, and advanced driver-assistance systems, fixing them increasingly requires access to digital diagnostics, software tools, and manufacturer-specific repair procedures.

The REPAIR Act, or the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act, aims to create a nationwide auto right-to-repair standard that would require automakers to give car owners and independent repair shops access to the data, repair information, and tools needed to diagnose and fix cars.

Backers of the bipartisan bill, including the Auto Care Association (ACA), say the measure is necessary because newer cars have repair-critical data controlled by automakers. That means independent shops may be able to replace a part, but they still need original equipment manufacturer-specific software and data to finish the job.

Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the ACA, told Business Insider that automakers are installing "gateways" in technologically advanced cars that make it difficult or impossible for independent mechanics to access the data they need to fix them.

The result, he said, is that consumers are forced back to car dealerships for some repairs, where the average cost could be 36% higher than at an independent car shop.

"These independent shops are up to speed, technologically, in terms of what needs to be done," he said. "It's just a matter of being able to access that data through the gateways that are installed by the automakers."

The CEO pointed to some newer vehicles in which replacing a battery is no longer a matter of buying and installing the part. The car's computer also needs to be updated or programmed to recognize the new battery, which would require sending the vehicle to a dealership.

These roadblocks come after independent shop owners have already spent "tens of thousands of dollars" on tools specific to each car company, Hanvey said.

More tech means higher repair bills

New vehicle technology, such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), has added to the cost and complexity of car repairs.

A 2026 report from CCC Intelligent Solutions, a software and data provider for auto insurance firms, said the average total cost of repair for vehicles six years old or newer was more than 50% higher than for older cars. Part of the costs includes work such as ADAS calibrations, with average fees estimated to be around $486, the report found.

The complexity of cars is already changing how repairs are done. Nikhil Naikal, CEO of Kinetic, a California-based repair shop specializing in sensor calibration, told Business Insider earlier this year that modern cars require a new kind of repair system.

"It's going to be more than just Jiffy Lubes and Valvolines," he said. "You're going to need a new kind of repair infrastructure that can actually diagnose and understand what's wrong with it."

Hanvey, the ACA CEO, said that the roadblocks OEMs put in place could also lengthen the repair process. In an ACA survey of about 700 independent repair shops, Hanvey said about half reported sending three to five vehicles back to dealerships each month after spending an average of four labor hours trying to diagnose them.

Supporters of the REPAIR Act say the matter comes down to protecting consumer choice, allowing car owners to decide whether to take their car to an independent repair shop or a dealership.

The right-to-repair issue has also recently received the attention of President Donald Trump. After a meeting with auto industry executives on June 4, Trump said it was "strange" for the leaders to propose barring people from fixing their own cars.

A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Automakers and dealers who have opposed broad right-to-repair proposals said that greater access to vehicle data and software could raise safety, privacy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property concerns.

Hanvey said the REPAIR Act addresses some of those concerns through a "parity model," meaning that whatever manufacturers provide their dealers should also be available to independent repairers.

The REPAIR Act is still far from becoming law. The legislation was voted on by voice in February to be sent to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee. It would need approval from the committee, the House, the Senate, and Trump before it's enacted.

• SpaceX's blockbuster initial public offering brings Elon Musk closer to a new milestone.
• At an IPO price of $135 per share, Musk's SpaceX stake is worth $688 billion.
• We did some napkin math to see what it would take for Musk to become the world's first trillionaire.

The world's richest man is rocketing toward a new milestone.

Elon Musk is getting closer to becoming the world's first trillionaire as his aerospace company, SpaceX, goes public at an astronomical price. At the initial public offering price of $135 per share, his SpaceX stock is worth $688 billion, bringing his total net worth to $971 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Before SpaceX's IPO was priced on Thursday, Bloomberg pegged Musk's net worth at $696 billion. His private stake in SpaceX accounted for the majority of that; Bloomberg calculated it was worth $426 billion based on a $1.03 trillion valuation. Shares in Musk's other companies — electric carmaker Tesla, brain-chip company Neuralink, and tunneling business The Boring Company — made up the bulk of the rest.

We did some back-of-the-napkin math to find out what it would take for Musk to reach the four-comma club.

All things equal, Musk's SpaceX stake would have to be worth $717 billion for him to become the first-ever trillionaire. To get to that point, SpaceX would need to hit a share price of $140.71 after it starts trading on Friday.

At the time of SpaceX's market debut, Musk will own about 39% of SpaceX's outstanding shares. He has the potential to unlock another 10% that vests if certain performance conditions are met.

Even without hitting the trillion-dollar mark, Musk is by far the world's wealthiest person. Google cofounder Larry Page is a distant second, with a net worth of $310 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Musk's net worth shot up 163% over the past year.

The jump largely reflects SpaceX's growing valuation. The company's value doubled from July 2025 to December 2025 after it was valued at $800 million in a secondary sale. That's before it merged with xAI, Musk's AI company, in February 2026.

Tesla's stock also grew, though not at such a dramatic rate. The electric carmaker's share price is up 22% over the past year, and Musk's stake is now worth $165 billion.

It's left him $29 billion shy of trillionaire status.

That's only a 3% increase to Musk's net worth — but about the size of Malta's entire gross domestic product.

• Justin Heiter was unhappy in his sales job, even after being named salesperson of the year.
• After he discovered FIRE, he focused on saving, and quit four years later to move to Buenos Aires.
• Now he writes novels, gives tours, and embraces a simpler life in Argentina.

My corporate sales job was sucking my soul out one call at a time. I'd drag my feet from one mind-numbing meeting to the next, asking myself: Why am I choosing this life?

After I graduated from college in 2016, I was unsure what I wanted to do. I bought a one-way ticket to Puerto Rico and traveled the world. I visited 12 countries that year and discovered how free I felt while abroad.

When I got back to the States, my brother got me an interview at the investment firm he worked at in Camas, a small city in southwest Washington. He was one of their top salespeople, and because we shared the same blood, I guess management assumed I might be cut from the same cloth.

I got the job

Every day was a never-ending grind spinning in an endless hamster wheel — my job consumed me.

I took my lunch breaks at my desk, and if a client called, I'd shift focus away from my sandwich to jump into my sales pitch. The work I put in eventually paid off, and I won the salesperson of the year award on my sales team.

Winning the award felt great, but I kept asking myself: Isn't there more to life than this? I remembered how free I'd felt when I traveled. I wanted to live abroad, but didn't know how.

I came across the finance blog Mr. Money Mustache, and learned about the concept of FIRE, and I got obsessed with it. I created a plan to escape my corporate job.

For the next four years, I made over six figures a year but lived on a quarter of that. My rent was cheap, I drove a 2002 Ford Taurus, and I stayed frugal by maintaining inexpensive hobbies like skateboarding and country line dancing.

My job offered a 50% 401(k) match. The catch? A 3-year vesting period, which stopped me from leaving. I stayed diligent in my savings and invested in the stock market. I grew my portfolio.

I quit my job and moved

I've been living in Buenos Aires for about four months, and the adventure so far has come with challenges. Making new friends and learning the language is difficult, but it makes me feel alive. I didn't change my life for things to be easier — I came to leave my comfort zone and reclaim that feeling of freedom I'd known many years ago.

The new friends I've made have kept me from giving up on my dream and returning home. I still get lonely, cry when I'm sad, and have awful days. But that's life; no matter what country you live in.

I'm constantly struck with a puzzled look on my face when someone speaks lightning fast Spanish to me. But I try to turn it into a game and stay excited about the struggle. I'm always reminding myself that the challenges I'm facing here are good for my growth.

There's more good than bad in Argentina

The people I've met have been warm and loving, and they've genuinely accepted me. Things happen spontaneously here. Like random dinners with strangers or singing karaoke with friends until 4 a.m. on a random Tuesday.

Now I spend my time writing fiction novels, guiding local tours in English, and cruising around on my skateboard.

The prices in Argentina are incredible. They fit well with my frugal mindset. I rent a one-bedroom apartment for about $750 a month. I avoid the touristy neighborhoods and can often snag a darn good espresso from a café for $1.43 or pick up an alcoholic drink for $2 from a shop.

I'm thankful I took the leap and left my old life behind. While I don't know what tomorrow will bring, I do know I won't have to make another sales call.

Mexico kicked off the 2026 World Cup in style earlier today with a 2-0 win over South Africa, and Group A's other fixture is up next. You'll find everything you need to know about where to watch South Korea vs. Czechia right here, including options to livestream it from anywhere in the world.

The South Korea vs. Czechia live stream will be shown on FS1 in the US, ITVX in the UK, and SBS in Australia, among others. All the links you need to access these channels are included below, and we can show you how to tune in to the free broadcasts from the UK and Australia by bypassing international geo-restrictions with a VPN.

For more streaming details and match info for the whole tournament, make sure to check out our official where to watch the World Cup guide.

*Availability for local channels, like FOX, varies by market on Sling TV

• See also: Where to buy World Cup tickets

Where to watch South Korea vs. Czechia for free

There are some great options for a free livestream of South Korea vs. Czechia. Our top picks include SBS On Demand in Australia and ITVX in the UK. You'll need to create a free account and sign in, but that's it; there's no need to upgrade to any paid tiers with either service.

If you're outside either of these countries and want to tune in for free as well, we can help you get around geo-restrictions below.

How to watch South Korea vs. Czechia from anywhere

As you'll find throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup, every game will be streaming for free somewhere in the world, as is the case today with the examples mentioned above. You can enjoy these options, even if you're not in one of the free broadcast countries, via the use of a VPN (virtual private network) to bypass geo-restrictions. This will also let you continue using your home streaming services while traveling overseas.

These easy-to-use VPN apps let you temporarily digitally alter the location of your device, like your laptop, phone, or streaming stick, to appear as if they were physically in another country, in addition to helping bolster your online security.

NordVPN is our top recommendation for unlocking international streaming services and for digital privacy, and it ranks as the best VPN I've personally tested - and plenty of other tech writers have ranked it #1, too. Nord's global servers are perfect for streaming the World Cup online from anywhere, and the 30-day money-back guarantee makes it a risk-free, affordable spend that you'll have plenty of use for beyond the World Cup.

Where to watch South Korea vs. Czechia in the US

The next 2026 World Cup game hops over to FS1 in the US today (games are shared between FOX and FS1 for the whole tournament). So if you have these channels in your package already, or can access them via an antenna, you're all set.

If this is the jolt you need to finally join the world of cord-cutters to pick up a deal with a wider selection of channels, you'll find that the best live TV streaming services we've tested are a great place to start. Let's break down your specific options, all of which can be canceled at any time, with no contracts required.

DirecTV has the required FOX channels in their leading signature bundles and cheaper tiers like MyNews and MySports. Have a browse and see which channel selection speaks to your wider needs beyond soccer this summer. If you only want a sports-focused offering, MySports is the best, with a range of other sports channels, and the full ESPN Unlimited service for $50 a month for your first two months after a 5-day free trial.

Fubo Sports + News is another great choice, with 25 other channels and ESPN Unlimited bundled in for $46 for your first month ($56 after), and you can cancel at any time. It also includes a 5-day free trial.

Sling TV is another option, but it's not a fit for all World Cup fans in the US, as the FOX channels aren't available everywhere. Be sure to check coverage options in your zipcode before joining up. If you get the green light, look for the Sling Select or Sling Blue plans, as they both include FOX and FS1. Sling Select is the cheapest at $25 a month, and Sling Blue is $51, but offers more channels.

If you'd prefer Spanish coverage, there's a great-value deal: you can find it on Peacock Premium for just $11 a month. This covers every match of the tournament. Subtitles are also in Spanish.

Where to watch South Korea vs. Czechia in the UK

As with any World Cup or Euro tournament, the BBC and ITV continue to share free coverage for football fans in the UK, meaning the BBC iPlayer and ITVX websites/apps are great places to enjoy all the action online.

ITVX has full coverage and a free South Korea vs. Czechia live stream tonight. You'll need to create a free login to watch online. There's no need to sign up for the paid ad-free tier for the World Cup.

Where to watch South Korea vs. Czechia in Australia

We love it when viewing options are super simple, and Australia has the most straightforward setup for the entire World Cup, as SBS On Demand will be showing every game. Yes, all 104 of them, including South Korea vs. Czechia.

You'll need to create a free account and sign in before hitting that play button, though.

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

• Deezer launched a tool to detect AI-generated music in playlists from major streaming services.
• The AI music detector identifies audio signals unique to AI-generated tracks.
• Deezer said that 44% of all new tracks uploaded are AI-generated, with few streams.

That K-pop earworm you've had on repeat might not have come from Seoul. It might not even be human.

Deezer, the French music-streaming company, launched a free tool on Thursday that lets users scan playlists on its own platform and from competing services — Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud — to find AI-generated tracks.

You don't need a Deezer account to use it, but you will need to give the site permission to access your streaming service of choice. After a playlist is imported, the tool scans it for AI-generated music, highlights any tracks it flags as synthetic, and gives the option to share the findings. There's only one catch: you have to manually delete the suspect content yourself.

A spokesperson for Deezer told Business Insider that the tool detects frequency artifacts — small yet distinctive spectral peaks in the audio signal that are exclusive to generative models used to create AI music. Deezer said it developed the tool by studying songs created with popular AI music generators, including Suno and Udio.

Alexis Lanternier, CEO of Deezer, said in a statement that he hopes for the AI music detector to be an "eye-opening experience" for listeners.

"AI-generated music is now far from a marginal phenomenon and as daily deliveries keep increasing, we hope the whole music ecosystem will join us in taking action to help safeguard artist's rights and promote transparency for fans," Lanternier said.

The launch arrives as AI-generated music floods streaming services. Earlier in June, Deezer said that 44% of all new tracks uploaded to its platform are AI-generated, amounting to roughly 75,000 songs per day.

Yet listeners don't appear to be embracing the content at the same pace it's being created. Deezer says AI-generated music accounts for 1% to 3% of streams on its platform, and about 85% of those listens are tied to suspected fraudulent activity, such as bot-driven streaming.

Consumer sentiment may also be turning against AI music: An early 2026 report from music analytics firm Luminate found that between May and November of 2025, interest in AI-generated music declined from -13% to -20%, with Gen Z and Gen Alpha listeners showing some of the strongest signs of skepticism.

Most other streaming platforms either lack AI labeling or have largely relied on voluntary disclosure for AI labels.

For now, if you're wondering whether your next indie pop obsession was created by a person or a prompt, Deezer is here to do the detective work.

• Fake AI startup ads, created by two comedians, appeared briefly in NYC subway stations this week.
• A video they posted of the parody campaign generated millions of views across social media.
• The duo learned that one made-up startup's name belongs to a real AI company.

"What if forks were spoons? Cutlery.ai"

Those words appeared on an otherwise blank poster that was briefly pinned to the wall of a New York subway station this week. While its simple style resembled many other nearby ads for AI startups, there was one key difference: Cutlery.ai isn't real — and that's the point.

"It's so obviously nonsense, but it also does sort of feel like what a lot of these companies are saying to you," Dave Ross, one of two New York comedians behind the phony ads, told Business Insider. The other is Harris Alterman, and together they made and hung nine other posters like it throughout Manhattan's underground.

"1 +1 = ____. Dennis can tell you," reads another.

A video showcasing their shenanigans has since gone viral, racking up more than 3 million views across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

"I take the subway all the time, and I'm constantly inundated with AI ads and tech company ads that make no sense to me," said Alterman.

Since Alterman makes parody content for a living, he said spoofing them felt like a natural move. He recruited Ross, a friend with a knack for turning comedy ideas into real-world objects, to help create the posters.

The duo has since learned that at least one of the fictional startups in their ads — Wireflow — is the name of a real AI company, which appears below a made-up slogan that reads: "You pay us, we pay you."

In response to an email requesting comment, Wireflow AI founder Andrew Adams said his company's software "can create these AI images at scale."

"We were so on the money that it happened to be a real thing," said Alterman.

The effort cost about $200, he and Ross said, and, due to the popularity of the ads, the comics have tried to monetize their creativity with T-shirts. They said they took the posters down immediately after filming the viral video showcasing them because they expected MTA officials to remove them. Eventually, they got caught red-handed.

"At one point during filming, they were like, 'hey, what the hell are you guys doing?' " said Alterman.

Both men said they have experience working in tech. Alterman, 34, was once a social-media director, while Ross, 43, spent several years as a web developer.

The success of the stunt has convinced the pair that more material may be lurking in New York's subway stations.

"This is a pretty deep well of comedy," Alterman said. "We could probably make a lot more of these."

• Jordyn Woods' orange bag has become a lucky charm for the New York Knicks.
• The bag is from her brand, Woods by Jordyn.
• Woods tied her product to a monocultural moment in a savvy business move.

When the Knicks won Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, I immediately turned to my husband and screamed, "IT WORKED!"

I didn't mean OG Anunoby's miraculous tip-in that clinched the Knicks' third win of the series. I was, of course, referring to Jordyn Woods' purse.

Woods, who's engaged to Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns, rarely misses a game. Lately, the $125 tux clutch mini from her Woods by Jordyn brand has also become a staple in the stands.

The bag made its first post-season appearance on April 18, when the Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks in their first playoff game of 2026. Like any dedicated sports fan, Woods knew she couldn't mess with a winning formula. The bag has been a near constant in her game-day attire ever since, bouncing at her side through a 13-game winning streak.

Then, fashion tragedy struck. A no-bag policy at Madison Square Garden due to Donald Trump's attendance kept Woods from bringing the bag to Game 3 on Monday. The Spurs won, the Knicks' streak ended, and questions about whether the bag had something to do with it naturally followed.

People flooded Woods' social media pages with comments begging her to bring it to Game 4. She obliged, and the Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history to beat the Spurs 107-106 on Wednesday. The bag's power is undeniable to me now and, judging by Woods' comment section, to thousands of other Knicks fans.

Whether you believe in superstition or not, though, it's easy to see that Woods' decision to tie her clutch to the Knicks' success was a savvy business move.

A marketing play

Woods launched her brand in January 2023, selling shoes, jackets, jewelry, and, of course, handbags. It's not unusual for her to wear items from the line courtside, but her tux clutch mini is unique in that it seems designed specifically to appeal to Knicks fans.

Since she first toted the bag in April, Woods has been balancing natural excitement for the team with the messaging of her own branding when it comes to her clutch.

Woods initially voiced her superstition about the bag in a get-ready-with-me video on May 7. By the time Woods by Jordyn released the bag in the colors "Summer Citrus" and "212 Blue" on May 19, fans were already aware of its Knicks-related lore. The brand leaned into the superstition, using phrases like "Are you ready to get lucky?" in ads for the clutch.

Woods also didn't let Madison Square Garden's bag ban stop her from promoting her products, announcing on Monday that Woods by Jordyn created a shoe made from the same material, which she wore in the bag's place (to less effective results). The brand promoted the shoes as a way to "double the luck," further incentivizing Knicks fans to invest in Woods' line.

Now that the bag is allowed back into MSG, the brand is keeping the momentum going with a "lucky giveaway" of one of the "Summer Citrus" models.

The strategy appears to be working. Data from Similarweb, a digital market intelligence company, shows visits to the Woods by Jordyn website increased steadily from April to May during the playoffs. Average daily traffic in June is up 75% so far compared to May, though it's too early to tell if that will last for the rest of the month.

On Thursday, Woods by Jordyn also posted on its Instagram story that it was "overwhelmed with gratitude for all the love and support" it received for "Jordyn's lucky bag." It expressed appreciation for buyers' patience as preorders for the bag are scheduled, indicating sales are going strong. However, the brand declined to share any data when contacted by Business Insider.

Beth Goldstein, a Circana fashion analyst specializing in accessories, told Business Insider that Woods' handbag connects with buyers because of its "emotional storytelling."

"Handbags are deeply tied to identity and personal narrative, so positioning the bag as part of a winning ritual can really resonate with fans, especially since her line is fairly accessible price-point-wise," she said. "From a marketing perspective, aligning the brand with the Knicks taps into a passionate, highly engaged audience and gives the product cultural relevance in real time."

Still, Goldstein advised Woods to be cautious about making her brand feel too connected to the Knicks.

"If the product becomes too narrowly tied to a single team or moment, it can risk limiting broader appeal, particularly among consumers outside that fan base," she said. "But the link between sports and fashion is stronger than ever, so I think there will be runway for the brand to evolve."

As dogs age, they tend to sleep more and lose muscle mass, leaving less natural cushioning around their pressure points. As a result, they're more likely to experience joint pain. Many senior dogs also develop arthritis or sustain injuries that cause discomfort.

The best orthopedic dog beds help relieve the pain associated with these issues. These beds are made of resilient memory foam that offers even, medium-firm support to reduce stress on pressure points and joints. But it's not just senior dogs that can benefit from a supportive bed. Veterinarians say orthopedic beds are a smart choice for dogs of all ages.

To select the best orthopedic beds, we tested 22 popular options with a group of mostly senior pups who napped and lounged on each one for several weeks. We also asked veterinarians what features to look for in an orthopedic dog bed.

Read more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Our top picks for the best orthopedic dog beds

Best overall: Petfusion Ultimate Dog Lounge - $248 at Chewy

Best budget with bolsters: Bedsure Pet Orthopedic Dog Sofa - $45-$80 at Chewy

Best budget mat: Bedsure Pet Orthopedic Mat - $38-$50 at Chewy

Best stylish: Lay Lo Dog Bed - $140-$229 at Etsy

Best for small dogs: Big Barker Barker Junior - $160-$240 at Chewy

Best for crates: Big Barker Ortho Lift Crate Bed - $110-$230 at Big Barker

Best overall

Why this is our top pick: The Petfusion Ultimate Dog Lounge offered the best orthopedic support of all the beds we tested. Plus, it has an ideal bolster-style design and a super durable twill cover.

What our testers said: We tested the large size with a 45-pound Labradoodle and a 45-pound beagle. Both dogs rested comfortably on this bed and were evenly supported by the dense memory foam. Our experts say many dogs, like our Labradoodle and hound testers, prefer to have something solid to rest their backs against while they sleep. This bed's soft yet sturdy bolsters wrap around the sides and back of the bed and extend partially across the front, giving dogs plenty of spots to snuggle up or prop their heads.

The memory foam thickness varies by bed size. The jumbo bed features 6 inches of foam for added support, while the extra-large and large beds are 4 inches thick, and the small bed is 2 inches. The brand does not offer a bed in a size medium.

Aside from a small amount of pilling after washing and drying, the cover is extremely durable. It's also easy to spot-clean, and the waterproof liner does a good job of protecting the mattress from liquids and moisture.

Drawbacks to consider: Be warned that if your dog is a heavy shedder, loose fur can be stubborn to remove from the cover. A sticky roller left behind lots of fur, but the best pet hair remover, the Chom Chom Roller, got the job done. You can easily run the cover and liner through the washer and dryer, but it's somewhat difficult to weave the bolsters back into the cover.

Best budget with bolsters

Why this is our top pick: For an affordable bed with plenty of sizes and colors to choose from, it's hard to beat the Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed. It's rare for an egg crate mattress to offer sufficient support, but we found the 4-inch egg-crate foam mattress provided medium-firm support. In fact, it impressed us so much that we named it the top budget pick in our guides to the best dog beds and best large dog beds.

What our testers said: Even the extra-large size held up without sinking or sagging under the weight of a 70-pound English cream retriever. Her guardian moved it wherever she went, even outdoors, and she comfortably slept on it for hours at a time. While the bed is somewhat heavy, it's still fairly easy to carry because its dimensions aren't overly wide or awkward.

The cover held up well, and the waterproof liner protected the foam during our soaking test. Spot-cleaning the cover after we smeared it with dirt and peanut butter had mixed results.

Drawbacks to consider: We tested the bed in two different colors, and the cream top on the caramel version held onto some dirt. While the stain came out in the washer, machine washing wasn't as convenient as washing other beds. Because the bolsters can't be removed, you're left with a wet, bulky bed that takes longer to dry.

The liner's zipper also proved unreliable. On one cover, it got stuck after repeated use, and on the other, it fell off after two rounds in the washing machine. Still, given the bed's overall durability and affordability, we recommend it with the caveat to handwash the liner and handle the zipper gently.

Best budget mat

Why this is our top pick: If your dog tends to sprawl out rather than cuddle up against bolsters, the affordable Bedsure Orthopedic Mat will keep them comfortable. This bed offers more density and support than other mattress-style beds under $100. It's also available in several colors, textures, and sizes.

What our tester said: The eggcrate foam is only 3 inches high, except for the largest size bed, which is 4 inches high. While the thinner foam is less supportive than the other beds recommended in this guide, our dogs still took long snoozes on the mat, including two Leonbergers and a beagle. Typically, the Leonbergers took turns, but even when both lay on the bed together, they were quite cozy and evenly supported.

This mat outperforms the competition with a wide range of sizes and durable cover options. The top of the cover also has a waterproof backing to protect the foam from accidents. You can choose from a sherpa-like material or a quilted cooling cover. The cooling cover features polyfill between the top material and the waterproof backing, adding a bit more loft and comfort. Some options also come with a nonslip bottom, but not all, so read the description carefully before purchasing.

Drawbacks to consider: The sherpa material is difficult to spot-clean since debris can become embedded in the fibers. However, both the sherpa and cooling covers came completely clean in the washing machine. The zipper runs along two sides of the bed, so it's easy to remove the cover for washing.

Best stylish

Why it's our top pick: While the Lay Lo Dog Bed is one of the priciest orthopedic options, it's worth it if both quality and aesthetics are important to you. It features a two-layer foam mattress: an inch of cushiony memory foam and a denser bottom layer. You can choose from more than 20 attractive cover colors and prints, which are also sold separately.

What our tester said: It was easy for a short-legged 45-pound hound mix to step onto the 4-inch-thick size medium bed and circle around before settling in. While he gravitates toward bolster beds, we were surprised to see him choose this bed over other options on several occasions. It also has a nonslip bottom for stability on hardwood and tile floors.

The cover comes in neutral gray and ecru colors, bolder greens and reds, and prints like classic checker and houndstooth. The green grid cover we tested is made of a thick but flexible woven polyester that fits the mattress like a glove. Some of the other covers are made of recycled polyester and are textured rather than smooth. All covers have a fabric handle with a removable vegan leather wrap for easy carrying.

Drawbacks to consider: The cover readily absorbed the warm water we poured over it, and some moisture made it through the removable water-resistant liner. If additional protection is a high priority, you can purchase a waterproof liner from Lay Lo.

The bed passed our other tests with flying colors, from durability to ease of cleaning. However, when we reassembled it after washing, we had to take extra care not to catch the mattress liner in the cover's zipper. Be sure to compress the surrounding foam as you close the zipper.

Best for small dogs

Why it's our top pick: Among the best orthopedic dog beds, the Big Barker Junior has the most versatile design. The bed resembles a chaise lounge, with a curved bolster at one end that's just the right height for a smaller dog to rest their head.

What our testers said: We tested the size medium bed with a 10-pound chihuahua mix and a 12-pound terrier mix, and its firm core uniformly supported their bodies. The foam was resilient, too, bouncing back immediately after our tester removed heavy weights to test for flattening. So long as your small dog can climb onto a surface 4 inches off the floor, it's a great choice.

The microsuede cover was unscathed in our scratching, digging, and seam-strength tests. "This thing is durable with a capital D,'' freelance reporter Alex Rennie says. Big Barker even offers a 10-year guarantee because it's confident that the foam will retain 90% of its original shape and thickness for that long.

Peanut butter, dirt, and black tea were easy to remove with spot-cleaning with dish soap and water. However, with only machine washing, peanut butter left oil stains on the cover.

Drawbacks to consider: This bed is expensive (the waterproof liner itself starts at $50 for the size small).

Best for crates

Why it's our top pick: The Big Barker Ortho Lift Crate Bed is far more durable and supportive than a typical crate pad, making it a great choice for any dog who rests a long while in their crate.

What our testers said: A 45-pound beagle was well supported, and their guardian also lay on the pad and couldn't feel the floor underneath. The bed has a tough microsuede cover with well-constructed seams and zippers that aced all durability tests.

In testing, the two-layer foam core never flattened and filled back out less than a minute after we removed dumbbell weights that had been laid on it for four hours. Like the brand's Barker Junior bed, which we recommend for small dogs, this crate pad carries an unbeatable 10-year guarantee.

Drawbacks to consider: The cover acquired a "dusty" look after washing, drying, and regular use, which is common with microfiber. We discovered the cover had shrunk slightly after washing and drying, but we were able to reassemble it with a little extra effort.

The bed's price and height may be deal-breakers for some. You'll also need to purchase the waterproof liner separately. The 4-inch-thick foam could take away too much headroom from taller dogs unless their crate is very tall, while shorter dogs with limited mobility may find it difficult to step in and out of their crate.

The best orthopedic dog beds compared

What to look for in an orthopedic dog bed

The veterinarians we spoke with say there are several key features to consider. Here's what to look for when choosing a supportive orthopedic dog bed.

Materials and support: The reality is that brands can market their beds any way they want, and not all orthopedic foam is equal. However, what works for humans has been shown anecdotally to work for dogs, too. "The memory foam approach, which is used in a lot of human beds, has made it to the dog arena, whereby they show that the pressure is more evenly distributed over a larger area, so there's less risk of sores and it's more comfortable for the dog in general," says Dr. Joseph J. Wakshlag, a veterinarian and professor of clinical nutrition and sports medicine and rehabilitation at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The best orthopedic dog beds we recommend contain either polyurethane memory foam or what a brand may describe as orthopedic foam. If a bed contains lower-quality foam, it will break down faster and may feel flimsy or springy. You'll also want to look for a bed made with foam that's at least 2 inches thick. We've found that anything thinner lacks orthopedic support, no matter how small a dog may be.

Comfort: Both bolstered or flat beds are suitable options, but it's important to choose the design that complements your dog's sleeping style. Meredith O'Connor, a dog behaviorist and trainer, says dogs sort out to be side sleepers or flat-out stretchers on a dog-by-dog basis. If your dog is a side sleeper who likes to lean against something while they sleep or prop their head up while lying down, a bolster bed is your best bet. Flat beds are excellent options for dogs who sleep sprawled out with their head even with the rest of their body.

Ease of entry: Conditions such as arthritis and mobility challenges can make it difficult for dogs to get in and out of bed, but certain features can help ease your dog down to rest safely. Look for nonskid bottoms, reasonably thick pads that aren't too high to step onto, and wide spaces between bolsters so your dog won't encounter any obstacles climbing in and out of bed.

Durability: The best orthopedic dog beds can set you back some change, so a bed that flattens, gets worn looking from rounds in the washing machine, or is easily ripped or scratched open will not pass muster. Consider beds with a dense memory foam core protected by either a waterproof cover or liner. Covers made of polyester and cotton both held up well in our testing.

Water resistance and ease of cleaning: Since some senior dogs and those recovering from surgery are more likely to have accidents and other hygiene issues, we recommend purchasing a waterproof bed with a cover that is easy to spot clean and comes completely clean after a stint in the washer and dryer.

Sizing: To ensure your dog has room to stretch out, choose a sleeping surface slightly larger than their length measured from the nose to the base of the tail. Dogs with longer legs will also need a deep enough bed to accommodate them.

Return policies and warranties: We recommend beds with at least a 30-day return policy, but keep in mind that some refunds only apply to unused beds. The pricier the bed, the more likely you'll see a manufacturer warranty for defects. Before you buy, make sure to read the company's return, exchange, and warranty policies closely.

Certifications: Materials safety certifications ensure that some or all of the materials in a product are free of materials known to be harmful to people. Products with the CertiPUR-US certification contain polyurethane foam that is made without formaldehyde, ozone depleters, prohibited phthalates, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals. In addition, the foam has low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions and is not treated with flame retardants, which contain carcinogens and other toxins. A polyurethane foam producer needs to meet the criteria set by the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam to receive certification. The certification process includes submitting test results and samples along with a fee of several thousand dollars. The OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certification is given after a manufacturer submits to an application process that includes a fee. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 signifies that every part of a product is free of various substances that may harm human health. To receive a Greenguard Gold certification, a manufacturer submits samples for laboratory testing to verify that they meet low chemical emissions standards set by UL Solutions, an international materials safety organization.

How we tested orthopedic dog beds

We've tested 22 different orthopedic beds with dogs of various breeds and weights, ranging from 6 to 15 years old and 12 to 180 pounds. Our tests cover comfort, support, durability, and ease of care.

Comfort and support: Looking for the best options in each design, we looked for signs that our tester dogs were resting comfortably over the course of several weeks. We observed how much time they spent on the beds and whether they appeared fully relaxed while resting or sleeping. We got on the beds ourselves to assess how much support and stability the foam gave us, especially for our lower backs. Lastly, we used barbells and loaded duffel bags to see if any beds failed to support or spring back into their original shape after taking on the load.

Regardless of the foam type, we evaluated each bed to ensure it conformed to our tester dogs' bodies to distribute pressure evenly.

Ease of entry: We assessed how easily dogs could enter and settle into the beds. While extra-high beds can work for taller dogs and may provide better support, the best orthopedic dog beds tended to be somewhat lower-profile beds that were still firm and supportive. If a bed had a bolster, we made sure the entry points were wide enough for dogs to get in and out with ease. We also gave higher ratings to beds with nonskid bottoms and cover materials that weren't slippery to help pets avoid any sliding or scooting.

Durability and ease of cleaning: By yanking on zippers, digging on covers with metal dinner forks, puncturing seams with scissors, and scraping bottoms with sandpaper, we looked for hard-nosed durability in these beds. We smeared the covers with dirt and peanut butter and poured black tea on them, to see which beds were easy to spot clean. Then, after machine-washing and drying the covers and liners, we reassembled everything and looked for any lingering spots, stains, or fabric changes. We gave the highest marks to beds that stayed both firm and plush over the course of many weeks.

Waterproofing: The beds we selected claimed to have waterproof or water-resistant liners, and we made sure to test this ourselves. After pouring a cup of warm water onto the sleep surface of each bed, we waited 30 minutes before checking to see if any moisture made it through the liners to the foam mattress.

Meet the expert behind this guide

Lisa Sabatini, pets editor: I kicked off Reviews' dog beds coverage in 2022, beginning with our guide to the best dog beds. Along with my senior hound, Homer, I tested three of the picks in this guide, including the Petfusion and Lay Lo beds and the Big Barker Ortho Lift Crate Bed. Cumulatively, Reviews reporters and I have tested 22 orthopedic dog beds. Over the past four years, I've also pored over the specs of dozens more options in search of memory foam beds worth considering.

Orthopedic dog beds FAQs

Are orthopedic beds worth it for dogs?

Yes. Orthopedic dog beds can benefit pups at any age — not just older dogs or those with joint problems. These beds are made with memory foam, which helps distribute a dog's weight more evenly when they're lying down, minimizing pressure on joints and sensitive areas. "It is a rather simple concept regarding pressure points,'' Wakshlag says. "Depending on how the dog is lying, it creates pressure over areas like hips and elbows."

In addition to providing comfort, a supportive bed can also promote mobility, which is likely to extend longevity and can also help with behavior issues, says Dr. Katherine Houpt, a veterinary behaviorist and professor at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine who specializes in domestic animal welfare and has studied the sleeping patterns of shelter dogs. "Resilience is very important,'' she says. "Dogs do not need or want to sleep on the linoleum. They need a cushioned but supportive surface."

What is the best type of bed for a dog to sleep on?

The ideal dog bed is made with memory foam or orthopedic foam that provides uniform, even support. Wakshlag says stuffed beds made with polyfill lack uniform support, which can lead to soreness at pressure points.

Houpt also recommends beds with bolsters. "If you look carefully, you will see they prefer to sleep with their backs against their owner, or against the back of the sofa, or even against the wall,'' she says. "Thermoregulation is another big factor, and the dog does want to be in a warm place. That may be another reason they sleep with the back against something, to protect against drafts."

What's the best type of bed for a dog with arthritis?

Orthopedic veterinarians at Colorado State University say that managing canine osteoarthritis involves a combination of strategies, including therapeutic exercises, pain medications, and weight management. Wakshlag says a supportive orthopedic bed made with memory foam can enhance recovery from therapeutic exercises.

What is the best bed for a dog recovering from ACL surgery?

A well-designed bed can support ACL surgery recovery, says Dr. Brian Collins, a senior lecturer in community practice service at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. He recommends beds made with memory foam or similar materials to provide stability, comfort, and support. These materials help a dog rest comfortably and provide stability when they climb in and out or turn around. Beds with bolsters can provide extra physical support, a feeling of security, and a comfortable spot for a dog to rest their head.

For added stability, choose a bed with a nonslip bottom, or at least place it on a nonslip surface. "It should be easy to get in and out of with a low border or an open side that the dog won't struggle to step over," Collins says. "The bed should be big enough for the dog to comfortably turn around, change position, and stretch out on." In addition, he says an easy-to-clean, water-resistant bed is especially important for providing a clean environment while the incision heals.

Whether you're lounging inside on a cold, blustery day or stepping out of the shower in the middle of summer, owning a good bathrobe is the most basic form of self-care. The perfect robe contains a few key details: It should be soft, no matter what the material, stay on securely, and be a length that isn't too short or too long (you don't want to trip over the hem). Finally, a robe should reflect your personal taste, whether you're into a basic white terrycloth or indulgent silk.

We've gathered the best men's robes and rigorously tested them through our own at-home routines to help you find the one (or more) that suits your style, needs, and budget. And if you're here shopping for Father's Day gifts, consider pairing a new robe with some at-home slides for a complete ensemble.

Another outstanding choice is Casamera's The Bathrobe, a hooded waffle-knit robe that combines comfort with breathability for a stellar wearing experience. Slip one of these robes on with your favorite pajamas and you'll find that even the worst days aren't so bad when you're wrapped up in comfort.

We conducted real-world testing by wearing the bathrobes in our everyday lives in various scenarios (after a shower, lounging, making breakfast, with and without pajamas), and putting them through the washer and dryer.

Read more about our testing methodology and learn how the Reviews team evaluates style products at BI.

Our top 5 picks of the best bathrobes for men

Best overall: Brooklinen Super Plush Robe

The Brooklinen Super Plush Robe is wonderfully soft and cozy without being unduly heavy. It's made from Aegean Turkish cotton, which is prized for its long staples and gives the robe added softness and resilience. The robe is Oeko-Tex 100 certified, meaning it's been third-party verified as being free from harmful chemicals, which is important on an item that gets daily wear and often sits against your skin. And you're going to want this robe as close to your skin as possible.

The Super Plush Robe is unisex and comes in a good range of sizes from XS to XXL. I'm 6-feet tall and weigh 175, and the medium fits me well. The robe ends at mid calf, the sleeves end at my wrists, and the front has plenty of room to stay securely closed. Still, if you're looking for a more oversized fit, I'd recommend going up a size. One somewhat unusual detail is that the two front pockets are on-seam AKA slash pockets, rather than the more typical patch pockets. I found these pockets a bit easier to access than those found on standard robes. The tie does a good job keeping the robe closed and isn't unduly long.

With more than a dozen colorways to choose from (various stripes and solids), you're bound to find one that speaks to you. With all these positives, the Brooklinen Super Plush Robe comes in at an appropriate price for what this robe delivers.

Best terry cloth: Lands' End Full-Length Turkish Robe

The Lands' End Turkish Terry Robe is super plush and absorbent, offering a true premium feel at a good price. After three years of use, this robe has continued to deliver. It remains soft and absorbent with no color fading and minimal wear (mainly just a few stray threads). This is a truly full-length robe, meaning it falls to the ankles on my 6-foot frame. Its fluffy shawl collar makes for a really warm experience after bathing.

The robe comes in three colors (charcoal gray, dark blue, and white) and sizes up to XXL. The medium fits well with a generous amount of overlap at the front without feeling too large, so you don't need to size up. Lands' End crafts this robe from substantial 14-ounce 100% Turkish cotton and keeps it reasonably priced. Maintaining this robe hasn't been too daunting; it's washed separately in cold water and hung to dry.

After all this time, I still couldn't find any downsides to this robe.

Best waffle knit: Casamera The Bathrobe

The first thing I noticed when slipping into the Casamera Bathrobe was how substantial it felt, yet at the same time how light and airy. That's mainly due to the honeycomb weave that makes this robe incredibly breathable. In my post-shower testing of the robe, it performed very well. It was both super absorbent and fast drying, with the oversized hood helping in the process.

This is a unisex robe, so keep that in mind when ordering. Casamera offers a good range of sizes, from small to XXL. I found the large had a slightly oversized fit with plenty of room for overlap at the front to keep it snugly in place. Its length — the large reaches mid-calf on me — and hood makes it a great three-season robe, but it might not provide the same level of coziness in the dead of winter as some of the other robes I tested for this article, such as the Brooklinen Super Plush robe.

Then there are the nice touches that make this robe even better, like the two oversized front pockets that let you store a book, tablet, or whatever else you need for lounging, whether at home, poolside, or at the beach. There's also a loop to hang your readers or sunglasses from.

One potential downside for some consumers is that the robe currently comes in only one color, a striking charcoal gray. That said, the robe's attributes outweigh a lack of color choices. Besides those already listed, Casamera uses a natural dye to achieve its color, uses sustainably sourced cotton and production methods, and is Oeko-Tex certified.

Best for showers: Italic Ultraplush Australian Cotton Bathrobe

At the heart of Italic's spa-quality Ultaplush Robe is the Australian cotton used to make it. Australian cotton, like both Turkish and Egyptian cotton, is a long staple variety and is renowned for being very soft and super absorbent. It's also known for the high sustainability standards used in its production. The proof is in this robe that lives up to its "Ultraplush" moniker.

Besides being well constructed (I found no errant threads or snags), the cotton fabric is a generous 420 GSM, meaning the material is nicely thick, but isn't overly heavy. I was able to make coffee and putter around the kitchen in the robe without feeling weighed down. This is a unisex robe, so take that into consideration when choosing a size. On me, size medium ends at mid-calf and has plenty of overlap at the front to stay secure and feel snuggly — there simply isn't another word to suffice. The hood is generous without being so large as to slip down over your face. Like many of the other robes I tested, the Italic is also Oeko-Tex certified.

The Italic robe is exceptionally good at drying the body. I've been using it as a daily post-shower robe without even toweling off (except my head and feet), and within a few minutes, I'm completely dry.

The only negative I found was that there isn't a lot of choice in colorways (currently one core and two seasonal colorways are available), but it's a quibble for what this robe offers by way of comfort and performance.

Best linen: Rough Linen St. Barts Linen Robe

Rough Linen's St. Barts robe is hand-cut and sewn in California from linen made from 100% European flax, and has a minimalist aesthetic. The robe is well-designed and executed with no flaws or loose threads. Don't be fooled by the name, the soft linen fabric is anything but rough (the name is related to the material's raw authenticity, not the handfeel). It feels cool and smooth against the skin with great breathability.

It's already soft, but one of linen's qualities is that it actually gets softer over time and with its

190 GSM fabric, it's heavy enough to be strong and durable, but still light and airy enough for summer wear. Post shower, I found the robe to be surprisingly absorbent and quick drying. The size medium has an oversized fit with plenty of room at the front to keep the robe closed. I recommend sizing down if you're looking for a more fitted feel.

Linen is considered one of the most sustainable fabrics because the flax plant is far less thirsty than cotton, typically doesn't require pesticides to grow, and is all-natural. Relatedly, the company makes each piece to order, which is a much more sustainable model, but it means you won't get the robe for two to three weeks. In my opinion, it's worth the wait.

Best silk: Lilysilk Kimono Silk Robe

Lilysilk's Kimono Silk Robe is incredibly smooth, with a brilliant sheen from the brand's signature silk Charmeuse fabric, made from super high-quality grade 6A mulberry silk. The fabric is 22 momme, a standard Japanese measure for silk, with a higher number indicating it's dense and durable without being overly heavy. Lilysilk's silk comes from Bombyx mori silkworms that are bred in captivity and eat only mulberry leaves. Additionally, the fabric is Oeko-Tex 100 certified.

On close inspection, I found no flaws, loose threads, or other imperfections. Besides the quality of the silk, the company uses French seams, another testament to its quality, which helps prevent fraying. The robe has a nice weight, not too heavy, but still drapes nicely, and is very breathable.

The robe's length is mid-calf and features Kimono-style sleeves that are wider at the cuff than typical robes and end at the mid-forearm on me. Kimono-style robes can offer greater ease of movement and ventilation. There's also an interior tie that helps keep the robe securely closed.

It's also machine washable. The dye bled a bit in the first wash, so be sure to wash it separately in cold water and then line-dry. There was no discernible shrinkage. The robe comes in four colors, with the claret colorway being a real standout, especially contrasted with the white piping. The robe feels very indulgent but still comes in at well under $300.

Best for warmth: Luxome Ultra Plush Robe

Everything about the Luxome Ulta Plush Robe is built for warmth and comfort, from the super fluffy polyester-bamboo viscose fabric to its ankle length, to its generous cut. Then there are the additional details that make it an even better garment: extra deep pockets, an interior tie to keep the robe even more snug, and a long tie that also helps keep the robe secure.

The Luxome robe really excels at keeping you warm without being heavy on your body. It's much lighter than many of the other robes I've tested, but it is equally, if not more, cozy. I've stepped my dog out to do his business wearing this robe on mornings when it was 20 to 30 degrees F, without feeling noticeably chilly.

The only downside I can find is that it's not as absorbent as some of the cotton robes I've tested. I could also see it being a bit much for warmer climates or for the middle of summer. Still, if you're looking for a robe that is extra warm without being overly heavy, the Luxome Ulta Plush robe should be a go-to.

Best lightweight: Petite Plume Pima Robe

The Petite Plume robe's smooth texture, light weight, and breathability make for a handsome robe that's perfect for warmer weather or hotter climates. Petite Plume crafts this robe from hand-harvested 100% Peruvian pima cotton, which is considered the best of the best for its extra-long staples, which translates to impeccable softness and durability that feels cool against the skin.

As mentioned, I'm 6-feet and weigh 175 pounds, and the small/medium size fits me well, with enough room at the front to securely fasten it. The robe falls to just below the knee, which in a summer-weight robe is a big plus that helps keep you cool. The robe comes in navy, white with navy ticking, and navy French ticking, which is a standout colorway with its classic dark blue stripes on a white background.

The only downside of this robe is its lack of inclusive sizing. Petite Plume offers two sizes: a small/medium and a large/extra-large. Barring this, the Pima Robe is a true standout that offers elegance and softness in one lightweight package.

Best luxury: Bown of London the Arbroath

Bown of London offers a wide selection of luxurious men's robes, dressing gowns, and smoking jackets, including the Arbroath, which is the one I tested. This stunning dark blue and wine colored robe with an intricate pattern is impeccably put together using 12-ounce cotton fabric with a dense weave. You may find yourself lounging in this robe all the time and putting on British aristocratic airs.

Bown of London crafts this robe in Europe, Bulgaria to be precise, from 100% Egyptian cotton with a wonderfully soft handfeel. The robe features a plush shawl collar and fold-back cuffs. It has a somewhat tailored fit, but still has plenty of room at the front to keep it securely fastened. It reaches just below the knees. For those who want a bit more oversized fit, you should size up. The brand has inclusive sizing up to 4 XL.

The only negative, if you can even call it that, is that while the robe is very absorbent, it can't quite match up to the Italic Ultraplush Robe in that department. Still, it excels in so many other areas that make the Arbroath worth the price.

How we tested the best bathrobes for men

What to look for in the best bathrobes for men

Design Details: Most robes are designed in a kimono style, said Rosy Nuboer, the romance-planning manager at the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino. Nuboer argues that kimonos are the best robe design because they allow for the greatest range of motion thanks to "a classic tailored fit with wrist-length sleeves."

They also have a "streamlined flat collar" and an adjustable waist tie. Patch pockets are a plus as well, since they open at the top and won't spill out the side, as a wide inseam pocket is likely to do.

Fit: Many of our picks are advertised as unisex. While all bathrobes can be worn regardless of gender, it's a good idea to consult each brand's sizing charts to select the right size for you, especially if you're looking for more or less lower body coverage. You'll also often find that robes with traditional women's sizing fall higher on the leg and have shorter sleeves. We liked cuffable sleeves especially for mornings spent in the kitchen preparing coffee and breakfast.

For sizing and fit reference, I'm 6 feet tall, weigh 175 pounds, and wear a size 32 in pants. I chose robes in size medium.

FAQs on the best bathrobes for men

How should I wash my bathrobe?

Unless your robe is made of something exceptional, you can machine-wash your robes in cold water and tumble dry them on low. Wash your robe separately on the cold cycle and hang to dry. Additionally, many of the manufacturers recommend avoiding fabric softener and related products. For more specific care instructions refer to the company's websites and/or the robe's label. Otherwise, consider washing by hand and air drying it flat.

Which cotton is better: Turkish, Egyptian, or Pima?

Both Turkish and Egyptian cotton are considered the gold standard for bathrobes since they're both long staple varieties, but each offers something a little different from the other. Turkish cotton fabric is lighter weight while still feeling plush, is quick drying, and extremely durable. Egyptian cotton has a slightly longer staple and tends to produce fabric that's super plush, extremely absorbent, and is also very durable. Then there's Pima cotton — it's also a long-staple variety, but tends to have a smooth handfeel. It's notably breathable, durable, and is perfect for summer-weight robes.

What is GSM and why is it important?

GSM stands for grams per square meter and is a measure of the weight and density of a fabric. Higher numbers, like in many of the plusher robes in this story that are 350 or 400+ GSM, will be thicker and warmer than fabrics with lower numbers. That said, if you're looking for a summer-weight robe, you may not want a robe with a higher GSM.

How should my bathrobe fit?

This is a matter of personal taste, but many people prefer a slightly oversized fit for ease of movement and to allow for pajamas underneath. At the least, a robe should have enough overlap at the front to stay securely closed, but you also don't want a robe that is so large it slips off your shoulders. If you're buying a robe online, be sure to read the site's size guide before ordering.

Glossary

Made Safe: Made Safe is a certified nontoxic seal of approval, assuring cotton is free from harmful chemicals.

OEKO-TEX: The OEKO-TEX label has several different tiers but indicates various degrees of sustainability in the textile and leather industries. You can read more about the certifications here.

Piqué: A weave made from cotton yarn, piqué is distinguished by ribbed or raised parallel lines, offering a subtle pattern.

Plush: Cotton, silk, wool, or a combination of them, plush fabric is best known for its long, soft nap and can be likened to a bath towel.

The Golden Knights and Hurricanes head to Game 5 with the series tied 2-2, following Carolina's recent win over Vegas. If you're hoping to tune in, we've got you covered. Below, we've rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch the Stanley Cup Finals, so you can live stream every game around the world.

It's ABC's turn to host the best-of-seven series in the US, meaning a subscription to ESPN Unlimited or a month-to-month cable alternative will help you stream all the action online. CBC and Sportsnet are sharing the coverage in Canada, while NHL.TV on DAZN has the rights to show the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals in more than 200 other regions around the world.

• See also: Where to watch the World Cup

This is all familiar territory for the likes of Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore, and Adin Hill, with the core of the Golden Knights' title-winning side from 2023 still producing the goods this postseason. Add the creativity of playoff MVP candidate Mitch Marner and the nous of John Tortorella, who stewarded the Tampa Bay Lightning to glory in 2004, and you can see why the Las Vegas franchise has made it this far. But the Hurricanes have their own fairytale to contend with — the 20th anniversary of their first (and only) Stanley Cup win and Rod Brind'Amour's narrative arc taking him from captain to coach.

With the form of Frederik Andersen and Taylor Hall, is destiny on Carolina's side? Or will the Golden Knights set another stone on their path to franchise dynasty less than a decade since it was formed? You can find out by watching Stanley Cup Finals action — no matter where you are in the world, thanks to a VPN — with the help of our dedicated guide.

How to watch Stanley Cup Finals in the US

This year, ABC will exclusively carry the main TV feed of the Stanley Cup Finals on TV, while hockey fans will also be able to watch online via the ESPN app. You'll need its comprehensive ESPN Unlimited plan, which includes everything that ABC and the various ESPN channels have to offer (e.g. NFL, NBA, college sports, WWE, La Liga soccer) and costs $30 a month.

Anybody without an antenna or who has cut the cord can get access to ABC through a month-to-month streaming service like DirecTV. Its MySports plan offers local ABC channels, access to ESPN Unlimited, and an array of premium sports channels including FS1/FS2, NBA TV, NFL Network, Golf Channel, USA, and TNT. It costs $65 a month, with a $15 discount off each of your first two months, all after a five-day free trial for first-time customers.

Fubo is another comprehensive cord-cutting service. Its Sports + News package is the most reasonable way to get access to Stanley Cup Finals streams, costing $56 a month (with a $10 discount for your first month). Its 25+ channel line-up includes ESPN, CBS, and FOX's sports channels. There's the option to try before you buy with its five-day free trial.

How to watch Stanley Cup Finals in Canada

Sportsnet and CBC will simulcast every game of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals series on TV in Canada. Although the Stanley Cup Finals will be shown on CBC, the network has confirmed that it will not be broadcasting it for free online through the CBC Gem platform. So to watch on your laptop, smartphone, tablet, or streaming device, you'll need a Sportsnet+ subscription, costing from $30 a month or $250 a year. Right now, there's a discount on its four-month plan, currently down to $90.

How to watch Stanley Cup Finals in the UK

NHL fans in the UK have two choices for where to watch Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes. The first is NHL.TV on DAZN, which is available to stream on a wide variety of streaming devices and currently costs a one-off fee from £15 for the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals. The second option is the more wide-ranging Premier Sports, which includes live NHL streams among its offerings and costs from £13 a month.

How to watch Stanley Cup Finals in other countries

NHL.TV on DAZN will show 2026 Stanley Cup Finals live streams in more than 200 countries around the world, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. It includes the likes of the UK, Ireland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, India, and Japan — but not, notably, the USA or Canada. You can see the complete list of countries covered here, with prices varying from region to region.

How to watch Stanley Cup Finals from anywhere

If you're overseas when the Stanley Cup Finals are on and try to watch the games through your usual NHL streaming service, you'll find that your stream is blocked. Rights restrictions mean that you can't generally watch the platforms you're used to when out of the country — or, at least, not without a VPN. This clever software fools your streaming devices (e.g. laptops, phones, Fire Stick, etc) into thinking it's back at home, allowing you to stream like normal.

NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN you can download right now. It's brilliant at unlocking streaming services that would otherwise be geo-blocked, combining that with rapid speeds, enhanced cybersecurity, and user-friendly apps. Plus, you can give it a try without risk thanks to its no-quibble 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stanley Cup Finals schedule

• Game 1: at Carolina on Tuesday, June 2 — 8 p.m. ET
• Game 2: at Carolina on Thursday, June 4 — 8 p.m. ET
• Game 3: at Vegas on Saturday, June 6 — 8 p.m. ET
• Game 4: at Vegas on Tuesday, June 9 — 8 p.m. ET
• *Game 5: at Carolina on Thursday, June 11 — 8 p.m. ET
• *Game 6: at Vegas on Sunday, June 14 — 8 p.m. ET
• *Game 7: at Carolina on Wednesday, June 17 — 8 p.m. ET

*Denotes 'if required'

Who is favored to win the Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes?

At the time of writing, DraftKings lists Carolina as the favorite to win Game 5. The sportsbook has the Hurricanes listed as 1.5-point favorites and -155 on the moneyline, while Vegas is at +130. The Hurricanes are now the overall favorites to win the Stanley Cup (-145), while the Golden Knights are underdogs at +120.

Who won the first four games of the Stanley Cup Finals?

The Golden Knights won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals 5-4, but the Hurricanes were able to fight back in Game 2, winning 4-3 in overtime. Game 3 went into double-overtime, but the Golden Knights ultimately pulled off a 5-4 win. In Game 4, the Hurricanes beat Vegas 5-3. Overall, the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals have been a pretty close series.

Where is the Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 being held?

Game 5 of the Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes Stanley Cup Finals will take place at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The series will return to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in Game 6. Should the series extend to Game 7, it will once again be played in Raleigh.

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.

• An inflatable Elon Musk appeared in Times Square, tattooed with accusations against SpaceX's Grok.
• A smiling, shirtless effigy of Musk was put up in protest a day before SpaceX's IPO.
• The group behind the inflatable said it was intended as a warning to potential SpaceX investors.

New Yorkers woke up Thursday morning to a giant blow-up figure of the world's richest person, one day before his already immense fortune is set to inflate thanks to the biggest IPO in history.

The big bust of a shirtless and smiling Elon Musk appeared in Times Square overnight, adorned with harsh accusations about the SpaceX founder.

"SpaceX's Grok makes AI child porn," reads a giant tattoo plastered across the bust's upper abs and back.

The message appeared to be a reference to accusations that Grok, Musk's xAI chatbot that was acquired by SpaceX earlier this year, produced sexual images of children.

In response to complaints, Musk said in January that "anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." The official X page also said its policy has "zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation."

Grok's not-safe-for-work capabilities came up in SpaceX's S-1 filing last month, ahead of the rocket company's highly anticipated IPO, set for June 12. SpaceX warned potential investors that Grok's NSFW mode could pose "heightened risks" and "reputational harm," in part because it could generate "nonconsensual or exploitative imagery."

The group behind the inflatable Musk is Safe AI Now (SAIN), which describes itself as a coalition of faith leaders, child-safety organizations, and other groups and individuals. SAIN told Business Insider the inflatable would be up until 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.

"The goal of this effigy of Musk is to deliver a simple warning to investors: Musk built a dangerous and exploitative AI, covered up the damage, merged it with SpaceX, and is now selling the liability to the public at $135 a share," SAIN said in a statement, adding, "SpaceX shareholders are on the hook for every Grok lawsuit, criminal investigation, and regulatory fine that is coming."

"While this inflatable is a fitting metaphor — much like Musk and his companies, it is inflated, full of hot air, and could pop at any minute — it serves as a warning to investors eager to buy into Musk's SpaceX IPO on Friday morning," the statement continued.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Musk responded to an X thread about the inflatable and said, "This is so dumb, because what they're claiming is totally false."

The inflatable Musk also has a tattoo on its bicep featuring a heart and the word "ketamine." Musk said in 2024 he takes a small amount of ketamine "every other week" to help with mental states "like depression."

The inflatable wasn't the first time a massive Musk protest-bust appeared. Following cuts to the National Park Service led by DOGE, the White House office spearheaded by Musk, a large sculpture of the Tesla CEO was spotted on a trailer towed by a pickup truck in several national parks in the summer of 2025 as part of an anonymous protest.

SpaceX's IPO this week is expected to be the largest ever. The company is expected to raise $75 billion, bringing its valuation to $1.75 trillion.

• The Trump administration renovated the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC.
• The $14.2 million project included sealing and painting the bottom "American flag blue."
• Trump's changes to the reflecting pool are visible from space.

President Donald Trump has made many changes to Washington, DC, since returning for a second, non-consecutive term. One such change is visible from space.

In April, Trump announced that he had chosen Atlantic Industrial Coatings — a contractor he initially said worked on his Virginia golf club before later walking back that claim — to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ahead of America's 250th anniversary, telling reporters its "filthy" water was "not representative of the country."

The $14.2 million project, which Trump initially estimated would cost between $1.5 and $2 million, included sealing and painting the bottom of the 2,030-foot-long pool an "American flag blue" to better reflect the Washington Monument.

In a satellite image of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool taken on March 10, 2026, before the renovation began, the water appeared green due to widespread algae growth.

A satellite photo taken on June 7, a day after Trump said the project was completed, showed the pool's darker surface.

Indeed, the reflection of the Washington Monument could once again be seen on the water in a photo taken at the site on June 9.

In a Truth Social post on June 6, Trump celebrated the refreshed reflecting pool and touted his other planned White House renovations and additions to DC's landscape.

"It was originally opened in 1922, but never functioned properly — now it does!" he wrote. "Thank you President Trump, thank you Department of the Interior — AND THE BEST IS YET TO COME with The Trump Promenade at The Lincoln Memorial, and The Triumphal Arch, which will be, along with the White House Ballroom, when completed, the Greatest Structure in Washington."

I review TVs for a living, and year after year, Sony's top models stand out for their excellent image quality. The best Sony TVs aren't cheap, but in return, you get some of the most accurate picture performance available. If you care about how movies and shows are supposed to look, Sony's high-end sets are worth the extra spend.

Right now, my top recommendation is the Bravia 8 II OLED. It's the best Sony TV for people who want the most refined picture possible, and it goes toe-to-toe with top OLEDs from LG and Samsung. In some areas — like picture accuracy — it even pulls ahead. If you want something less expensive, the Bravia 7 QLED is a great alternative. It can't match OLED-level contrast or viewing angles, but it's more affordable and still delivers a vibrant image.

Sony also makes cheaper TVs, but I haven't included them as picks. While the brand absolutely nails premium performance, its entry-level models just don't offer the same value as other brands. With that in mind, this guide focuses on the Sony TVs that truly showcase what the company does best.

Our top picks for the best Sony TVs

Best overall: Sony Bravia 8 II OLED 4K TV - See at Amazon

Best high-end QLED: Sony Bravia 9 QLED 4K TV - See at Amazon

Best midrange QLED: Sony Bravia 7 QLED 4K TV - See at Amazon

Best overall: Sony Bravia 8 II

What we love: It delivers one of the most accurate images on the market with high contrast, bold colors, and wide viewing angles.

Drawbacks: It's only available in two sizes, and it's not as bright as competing flagship OLEDs.

Sony excels at premium performance, and the Bravia 8 II is the brand at its very best. This is the company's top-tier OLED, and it's one of the most impressive high-end TVs I've tested.

Part of what makes the Bravia 8 II so noteworthy is its QD-OLED panel. Like all OLED displays, it produces pixel-level contrast with perfect black levels in a dark room. This means that bright elements of an image pop from the screen with pinpoint precision, while dark elements remain deep and inky without any halos or backlight inconsistencies.

But the Bravia 8 II's OLED screen goes one step further by incorporating a color technology called quantum dots (where the "QD" in "QD-OLED" comes from). When used in an OLED, quantum dots enable a TV to produce a brighter image and help the display maintain high saturation when displaying bright colors. The results are gorgeous.

HDR (High Dynamic Range) movies and TV shows look exceptional, with rich colors, sharp detail, and bold specular highlights. Using an industry-standard test pattern with the TV set in its most accurate mode, I measured peak brightness of about 1,560 nits on a 10% window and 1,900 nits on a 5% window. That's fantastic brightness for an OLED.

That said, it isn't the brightest OLED on the market. I've measured higher levels on premium Samsung and LG models, like the Samsung S95H and LG G5. But high brightness is only one part of premium image quality, and the Bravia 8 II has a leg up over those rivals in its image processing. Sony's processing delivers an exceptionally accurate picture and helps improve the appearance of lower-quality sources through upscaling.

Like all Sony TVs, the Bravia 8 II runs Google TV OS, which provides smooth navigation and access to the best streaming services. The TV also comes with a Google Assistant voice remote and supports hands-free voice control. However, I'm disappointed that this model dropped the backlit keys that Sony offers on some of its other flagship models. It also no longer comes with Sony's Bravia Cam, which was included with the older A95L TV this model replaces.

The Bravia 8 II is available in 55- and 65-inch models, but Sony doesn't offer a 77-inch model. If you're looking for a larger, high-end Sony OLED, you can still purchase the older 77-inch A95L instead. The A95L is a similar TV, but its HDR performance isn't as bright.

Check out our guide to all the best TVs for picture quality.

Best high-end QLED: Sony Bravia 9

What we love: It's one of the brightest TVs on the market, and its contrast control is excellent for a Mini LED TV.

Drawbacks: I noticed brightness pops during some transitions, and the TV's viewing angles aren't as wide as an OLED's.

The Bravia 9 QLED is a beast of a TV, and it's one of the most impressive displays of its type. Though Sony's Bravia 8 II OLED has an edge in overall image quality, the Bravia 9 surpasses it in certain areas. Most notably, it can get much brighter, which makes this set a better fit for certain viewers.

During my review, I measured a peak of over 2,600 nits using the TV's most accurate picture mode. That's a significant increase in luminance over the Bravia 8 II OLED, and it gives high-brightness HDR videos a bit more pop while also offering more headroom for you to adjust the TV's brightness to overcome glare. This makes the Bravia 9 a great high-end TV for viewers who struggle with reflections in rooms with lots of light.

The Bravia 9 also has some of the best contrast control I've seen on a QLED display. The TV features a Mini LED backlight with local dimming, which adjusts the brightness of separate zones across its screen. However, due to limitations in how these zones operate, many local-dimming TVs are prone to distracting blooming or vignetting around bright objects, which can make dark scenes look patchy with uneven halos of light.

But Sony has done phenomenal work to optimize its backlight system, so the Bravia 9 is nearly free of those flaws. Even in a completely dark room, black levels were deep and uniform, while highlights remained bright without halos. The Bravia 9 still can't quite match the pixel-level precision of an OLED, but it comes as close as any QLED I've seen.

That said, I noticed one quirk with the TV's dimming system. When I streamed bright HDR content like "The Rings of Power" on Prime Video, brightness changes between dark and bright scenes sometimes lagged by a second instead of adjusting instantly. I've seen similar behavior on other QLEDs and even some OLEDs, but it's a bit more noticeable on the Bravia 9. It's not a major flaw, though viewers sensitive to brightness fluctuations might find it distracting with certain HDR content.

Though viewing angles and contrast can't match what you'd get on the Bravia 8 II, the Bravia 9 gets remarkably close to matching the overall quality of a premium OLED while offering higher luminance. This is the best Sony TV for viewers who want an extra-bright high-end display.

Best midrange QLED: Sony Bravia 7

What we love: It brings Sony's excellent picture processing and Mini LED backlighting to a more affordable tier.

Drawbacks: There are cheaper QLED TVs from other brands with higher brightness and contrast.

The Bravia 7 is Sony's upper-midrange QLED TV, and recent discounts have made it one of the better values in the company's lineup. The 65-inch version is often on sale for under $1,500, which is considerably less than the premium Bravia 8 II and Bravia 9. This set can't match the performance of those pricier models, but it's a good choice for people who want a more affordable Sony TV.

Like the Bravia 9, the Bravia 7 uses a QLED panel with a Mini LED backlight and local dimming. This enables the TV to produce a wide range of colors and control its contrast across separate zones. However, the Bravia 7's backlight system isn't as advanced as the Bravia 9's, and it has fewer zones. As a result, its black level performance isn't quite as good, and it has lower brightness.

That said, this is still a bright TV, especially compared to typical midrange OLED displays. It peaks at just under 2,000 nits, which is still more than enough to enjoy an excellent HDR image. This level of performance compares favorably to Samsung's QN90F QLED TV.

However, some QLED sets from value-forward brands, such as TCL and Hisense, can outperform the Bravia 7 in brightness and contrast while costing less. For example, the TCL QM8K and Hisense U8QG can both reach peak brightness levels of over 3,000 nits, feature more advanced dimming systems, and often sell for under $1,000. On the other hand, the Bravia 7 benefits from Sony's superior processing, which gives it better upscaling and out-of-the-box accuracy. So, while I generally give the edge to the QM8K and U8QG for overall value in this price range, the Bravia 7 is still a good buy if you favor the Sony brand and want a faithful image without having to fiddle with calibration.

On the downside, the Bravia 7's viewing angles are narrower than those of the Bravia 8 II and Bravia 9, so this isn't the best Sony TV if you plan to sit off to the side of the screen. When it comes to smart features, the Bravia 7 uses the same Google TV OS as other Sony models and also features hands-free voice control.

What we're testing now

Sony recently launched two new TV models for 2026: the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II. Both feature the company's new True RGB backlight technology, which uses individual red, green, and blue LEDs to deliver a brighter, wider color range than other display types.

I got an early look at both models during a trip to Sony's Tokyo headquarters, and I'm now reviewing them in depth for consideration in this guide. These new models cost more than their predecessors, but based on my initial testing, they offer notable improvements in color, contrast, and viewing angles. The Bravia 9 II's anti-glare screen is also particularly effective, which could make it the bright-room TV to beat.

I'll be updating this guide with full impressions over the coming weeks. You can learn more in my first-look breakdown of the Sony Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II.

Why don't we recommend budget Sony TVs?

Although Sony does make some entry-level TVs, I don't recommend them as picks in this guide. Generally speaking, the best Sony TVs are the brand's upper-midrange and high-end models, as their performance is good enough to justify their high cost. However, the company's lower-end offerings, such as the Bravia 2 II, Bravia 3, and Bravia 3 II, are simply too expensive for what you get.

For instance, the 65-inch Bravia 2 II costs around $700 but fails to match the contrast and brightness performance of cheaper sets from budget-friendly rivals, like the TCL QM6K.

However, this might change in 2027, as Sony and TCL are teaming up to launch a new joint venture called Bravia Inc. By leveraging TCL's manufacturing and Sony's display technology, Bravia Inc. could offer more affordable Bravia TVs that better compete with budget models from other brands.

How we test Sony TVs

To find the best Sony TVs, we employed a combination of hands-on testing and research informed by over a decade of experience reviewing home entertainment products. Our testing process involves evaluating a TV's picture quality, smart features, and overall usability through objective measurements and general use.

To determine a TV's peak brightness and color capabilities, we use meters and test patterns. However, these measurements can only reveal so much; it's also important to watch real-world content to see how a TV handles different types of movies and shows. We use a curated selection of demo scenes from various films and series to showcase different elements of image quality, including black levels, HDR contrast, color gradients, upscaling, and motion. We use a mix of sources, including 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, streaming services, cable TV, and gaming consoles.

Generally, we live with each TV we review for several weeks and use it as we would any TV we'd buy ourselves. This allows us to see how a TV performs day to day over an extended period, so we can assess its ease of use and smart TV navigation, and look out for glitches or other anomalies.

For our guide to the best Sony TVs, we also focused on how each Sony model performed relative to other TVs in the company's lineup and to similar models from rival brands. With that in mind, we attend annual Sony product launches and showcases from other TV brands, which often include side-by-side comparisons with various models. This all helps us to address specific pros and cons across Sony's collection, enabling us to determine which models are best suited for different uses and budgets.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Steven Cohen, senior tech editor: I've spent more than a decade reviewing home entertainment products, and my team and I test the latest TVs from brands like Sony year-round. I also attend industry events and product briefings to get early insight into new display tech before it reaches stores. I studied film production, which basically means I'm picky about picture accuracy. I want movies and shows to look the way their creators intended, and Sony excels in this area. Beyond testing with calibration tools and benchmark content, I spend real time living with every Sony TV I review. My goal is to cut through the specs and marketing speak to help you find the best Sony TVs for your setup.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

Sony TV FAQs

Are TCL and Sony partnering to make Sony TVs?

Following a memorandum of understanding announced in January, TCL and Sony have entered a definitive agreement to form a strategic partnership to run Sony's home entertainment business, including its TVs. The partnership will take the form of a new joint venture called Bravia Inc. TCL will hold 51% of the new subsidiary's shares, while Sony will hold 49%. Bravia Inc. is set to start operations in April 2027, with its headquarters at Sony's Osaki office in Tokyo, Japan. New products released by Bravia Inc. are expected to be branded under the Sony and Bravia names. More details are available at the Sony website.

Though it remains to be seen what impact this new partnership will have on the quality of future Sony TVs, it's at least promising on paper. A Sony representative told us, "Bravia Inc. brings together Sony's high-quality picture and sound technology, premium brand value, and operational expertise, alongside TCL's advanced display technology, global scale, manufacturing footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency, and vertically integrated supply-chain capabilities."

Indeed, Sony is well-known for its high-end image processing, while TCL excels at delivering great value. And though Sony is an industry leader in premium performance, its mid- and entry-level TVs have struggled to compete with TCL's lower-priced alternatives. If Bravia Inc. can combine the two companies' strengths without losing Sony's unique identity and high standards, this could be a win for consumers.

Are Sony True RGB TVs available?

Yes, Sony's first lineup of True RGB TVs is now available to buy. True RGB tech uses a local-dimming backlight with red, green, and blue LEDs to deliver enhanced color and brightness. The debut collection includes the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II. You can learn more about the technology in our Sony True RGB first-look breakdown and our Mini LED vs. RGB LED comparison.

Are Sony OLED or QLED TVs better?

Sony offers a range of TVs utilizing various panel technologies, including multiple QLED and OLED models. Both types of Sony TVs have their pros and cons, so which one is best for you really depends on your priorities.

The Sony Bravia 7 and Bravia 9 both use QLED panels with Mini LED backlights. This combination enables these TVs to offer a wide range of colors and exceptionally bright images, especially the Bravia 9. These sets also have good contrast control thanks to built-in local dimming, but they still can't match the pixel-level precision of an OLED panel.

Sony's Bravia 8 uses a standard WOLED panel with an infinite contrast ratio and perfect black levels, which even the most advanced QLED TVs can't match. But as a tradeoff, the Bravia 8 is notably dimmer than the Bravia 7 and Bravia 9. The step-up Bravia 8 II uses a QD-OLED panel that incorporates quantum dots to deliver brighter colors while maintaining the infinite contrast ratio of the Bravia 8. The Bravia 8 II can match the Bravia 7's brightness in most respects, but it still cannot achieve the same luminance as the Bravia 9.

Ultimately, we recommend a Sony OLED TV for home theater enthusiasts who want the best image quality in a dark room. Meanwhile, Sony's QLED TVs are a better fit for rooms that require a brighter picture to overcome glare and reflections.

You can learn more about the differences between TV panel types in our QLED vs. OLED comparison.

What size TVs does Sony sell?

Sony's current 4K TV lineup ranges in size from 43 inches to 115 inches. The company also sells an older 32-inch HDTV model, called the W830K.

For TV recommendations across certain sizes, check out our size-specific buying guides:

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

What smart TV interface does Sony use?

All of Sony's current TVs use the Google TV interface. Google TV is one of our favorite smart TV platforms, thanks to its wide range of features, attractive layout, and seamless integration with an existing Google account. Certain newer models also feature Gemini, Google's AI-enhanced voice assistant.

For more details about different smart TV platforms, check out our guide to the best smart TVs.

Does Sony make 8K TVs?

Although Sony has released 8K TVs in the past, it does not have any in its current lineup. However, some stores still have stock of the brand's 75-inch Z9K 8K TV, which was first released in 2022. While the Z9K is still an impressive display, the benefits of 8K resolution are extremely subtle, and we recommend shoppers opt for one of Sony's newer high-end 4K TVs instead.

Are Sony TVs good for gaming?

The best Sony TVs are good gaming displays, especially if you plan to pair them with a PS5.

The brand's top models feature gaming-centric capabilities, including support for a 120Hz refresh rate, Auto-Low Latency Mode (ALLM), and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). Likewise, they have exclusive features designed to optimize performance on PS5 consoles, including auto-HDR tone mapping. This feature automatically sets the console's HDR settings to match your Sony TV's capabilities, eliminating the need for manual adjustments. All of our picks in this guide support the features listed above.

However, there's one area where even the best Sony TVs fall short of the top gaming TVs from rival brands: max refresh rate. Many competitors offer TV models that can support a 144Hz refresh rate, and some high-end models even support 165Hz. Meanwhile, Sony doesn't offer any TVs that go beyond 120Hz. Refresh rates above 120Hz are only beneficial for PC gamers with powerful graphics cards, but if you fall into that category, you should consider TVs from other brands.

Check out our other TV guides for options that support higher refresh rates:

• Best TVs
• Best OLED TVs
• Best Hisense TVs
• Best Samsung TVs
• Best TCL TVs
• Best LG TVs

Do Sony TVs have good sound quality?

Generally speaking, most TVs have mediocre sound quality compared to a solid soundbar or speaker system. Typical displays feature limited audio drivers to fit a flat-panel form factor, which limits overall depth and clarity. However, some of the best Sony TVs have more advanced audio systems than a lot of competing options.

Most notably, the Bravia 8 II OLED utilizes acoustic actuators within the panel itself, enabling sound to be emitted directly from the screen. Meanwhile, the Bravia 9 has a beam tweeter that can reflect sound off your ceiling. These speakers offer better quality than many TVs from other brands. That said, you'll still get a noticeably bigger, richer sound from a good dedicated soundbar or surround-sound setup.

Check out our audio buying guides for our top recommendations:

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

What other Sony products do we recommend?

In addition to TVs, Sony makes some of our favorite headphones, including over-ear and earbud-style models. In particular, the brand's WH-1000XM5, WH-1000XM6, and WF-1000XM6 are among the most impressive headphones we've tested. The brand also makes impressive speakers and soundbars, including multi-piece surround-sound systems.

For more details, check out our full guides to the best Sony headphones and the best surround sound systems.

The best makeup bags for travel have to do a little bit of everything: They should be slim enough not to hog precious suitcase space, but roomy enough to hold all your essentials, whether you pack full-size products, travel minis, or a mix of both. I'm especially partial to thoughtful details like detachable compartments and collapsible shapes that make a bag more versatile, plus materials that are easy to wipe clean after inevitable spills.

To find the best toiletry bags, I tested more than 20 options by packing each one with as many of my usual makeup and skincare products as I could fit. I looked at how much each bag could actually hold, whether it stayed organized with useful pockets and compartments, and how well it handled being stuffed without tearing, bulging, or refusing to zip shut. I also sealed and squeezed every bag to check for leaks, since a good toiletry bag should keep any spills contained instead of letting them seep into the rest of your luggage.

After all that testing, a few clear standouts emerged. Below are the best toiletry and makeup bags I'd recommend for different kinds of travelers, whether you want something compact and simple or a larger organizer that can hold your entire routine.

A quick look at our favorite travel makeup bags and what they're best for

• For most needs, the KUSSHI Washable Travel Makeup & Cosmetic Bag is a great choice with a wide opening, a brush insert, and a simple pouch silhouette.
• If you're looking for a small touch-up bag that fits in your purse, consider the Dagne Dover Mila Toiletry Organizer.
• For the most bang for your buck, the under-$20 Bagsmart Travel Makeup Bag fits everything you need and more and opens flat for easy access.
• If you travel a lot on different airlines, the Large Clear Cosmetics Case is a safe bet since certain airlines are stricter than others about the clear bag rule.
• For the most elegant choice, the Etoile Mini Vanity Case seamlessly blends vintage glamour with modern practicality.

Best overall: Kusshi Signature Makeup Bag

This pouch can hold over 20 full-size beauty products with room to spare, which is plenty for a week-long trip or more. But what truly sets this versatile bag apart is its ample organization and customization options.

Inside the Kusshi Signature Makeup Bag, there are:

• Two mesh slip pockets, for small or oddly shaped items like lipstick or a makeup sponge
• A zippered pocket, where I kept cotton swabs and eyeshadow tape
• A detachable brush holder with four extra-large slots that can each hold multiple brushes 
• A zip pocket with plenty of room for lay-flat items like blushes and compacts.

The exterior zipper also opens wide on three sides, allowing the bag to be laid flat while you apply makeup. I found this convenient for locating and removing each of the cosmetics. 

I also love that the bag can be used with or without the brush holder. The interior nylon lining can be unzipped and removed, leaving you with a large, single-compartment clamshell case.

As far as aesthetics, this bag comes in a machine-washable fabric (with 15 color options) or a leather version (available in eight hues), which has a removable, machine-washable nylon interior lining. 

Best budget: BAGSMART Open Flat Makeup Organizer

With a lay-flat design when open, this budget-friendly Bagsmart Travel Makeup Bag makes it easy to see everything you packed at a glance — no digging around for a tiny lipstick or eyeliner at the bottom of a pouch. The full-zip opening gives you clear access to each section, which is especially helpful when you're doing your makeup in a hotel bathroom or sharing counter space with someone else.

It also has several convenient organizational features that make it feel more thoughtful than its under-$20 price tag suggests. A clear compartment is ideal for makeup brushes, since you can quickly spot the one you need and keep bristles separate from the rest of your products. I was able to fit six large brushes without issue. Two elastic side pockets are great for fragile compacts, blushes, or palettes you want to keep snugly in place, while the center zip pocket works well for smaller items like lipsticks, liners, cotton swabs, or travel-size tools.

A top handle makes the bag easy to grab from a suitcase, carry to the bathroom, or hang from your wrist while moving between rooms. And when you're not using it, the bag folds flat, so it won't take up much storage space at home.

Best vanity case: Étoile Mini Vanity Case

While makeup pouches are convenient and portable, they don't always protect your delicate palettes. More than once, I've been on vacation and opened my makeup bag to find my eyeshadows cracked. They are delicate and can get smashed in soft-sided bags.

The Mini Vanity Case from Étoile addresses this issue with its structured sides and clever pockets, which keep your makeup in place. Made of leather and reinforced to keep its shape, this case is a great choice for those who have invested a lot in their makeup stash and want to keep it pristine.

In fact, I highly recommend the brand's larger Duo Vanity Case for brides who want to tote all their makeup from hotels to bridal suites. It's pretty big and has an extra pocket on the top, specially made for big palettes.

The organizational insert has lots of clever pockets that perfectly fit mini pallets, brushes, lipsticks, and blushes. I appreciate how organized it keeps everything and how many little nooks and crannies there are for me to fill with various tubes and pots.

However, a structured makeup bag does come with downsides. It takes up more room than other picks on this list, so be aware of that when you're packing. — Samantha Crozier, style editor.

Best waterproof: Portland Gear Cascade Kit

Portland Gear really thought of everything when constructing this lightweight, durable toiletry bag. The structured frame around the top allows the bag to stay open when I need it to, there are plenty of pockets to organize all my essentials, and there's even a wet pocket to store anything damp (like, say, a makeup brush I just cleaned).

Not only does the weatherproof material protect my other belongings from any potential spills, but it's also a cinch to wipe down when necessary.

My favorite feature, though, is the exterior zipper pocket. Inside is a sheer mesh zipper pouch that offers total visibility of any items stored inside, plus elastic loop holders to secure smaller items, such as a toothbrush, nail clipper, or comb.

Best clear: Calpak Large Clear Cosmetics Case

As a beauty editor, I've accumulated quite the makeup collection — and even I had trouble filling this clear cosmetics case from Calpak.

The Calpak Large Clear Cosmetics Case has a whopping 9.5-liter capacity, in which I toted three eyeshadow palettes, four foundations, 10 blush sticks, six makeup brushes, five blush compacts, four concealers, three highlighters, three contour sticks, and a full-size aerosol makeup spray. I could have easily fit more. 

This makes the wipe-down case perfect for long trips or traveling for weddings where you may want to load up your entire makeup stash. Another idea: use one side of the case for toiletries and the other for cosmetics.

Since the bag has two huge compartments with one flat zip pocket, I would probably put items like lipsticks or eyeliners in smaller cases first and stow those smaller cases inside this bag. If you like the design of this bag but find the size daunting, Calpak also makes a 6-liter medium version.

Best designer: Clare V. Vacances

I took this Clare V. cosmetics case on a bachelorette trip to Florida, and it was perfect for the occasion. On one side, I stored my makeup and skincare products, and on the other, I kept all my hair accessories. Since I had lots of cute outfits planned, I naturally had to bring the right accessories — and this case was a godsend for packing them.

The Vacances case is big enough to fit multiple claw clips at once, which I was incredibly grateful for. I love claw clips as a cute, hot-weather hair solution, but they're a pain to pack because they're so breakable and irregularly shaped. This case, however, kept them safe.

I also love how the case opens flat. When you're in front of a mirror doing your makeup, digging through a pouch to locate eyeliner can be incredibly annoying. But it's easy to see what you've packed in this case.

With lots of slip pockets, a center-zippered pouch, and a lay-flat design, this case is just as practical as it is stylish. — Samantha Crozier, style editor.

Best oversized: Caraa Large Vanity Kit

If you're packing for a long trip — or simply require a lot of products while traveling (no judgment here) — this oversized toiletry bag is a godsend. There are a whopping nine total pockets and compartments, and each is designed to accommodate different kinds of items.

For example, the dedicated side pocket is well-suited to jewelry, with posts for earrings and hooks for necklaces. The exterior zipper pocket is ideal for grooming accessories and makeup brushes. The main compartment can fit a remarkable number of travel-sized toiletry bottles. It's helpful that a lot of the interior pockets are made with transparent plastic, too, making it easy to find whatever I'm looking for.

I love that I have the option to carry this bag by the top handle, or sling it over my shoulder with the longer strap — and because there's a handy little metal hook on top, I can also hang it in the bathroom or closet.

Best leather: Quince Italian Leather Pouch Travel Set

Quince continues to impress with high-quality fabrics (like washable silk, plush cashmere, and even diamond jewelry) at prices about 50-80% off traditional retail costs. The brand's leather bags are no exception.

This 100% top-grain Italian leather makeup bag set is stunning. There are six colors to choose from (I picked olive), and each is outfitted with gold-tone zippers. At $79 for the set, it makes a timeless gift that can be used for years to come. 

The Quince makeup pouch set is pretty basic in terms of organizational features (the larger bag has one flush slip pocket), but being able to divide items between two cases is advantageous. If you're trying to maximize packing space, this is a solid bet.

I used the 6.5 x 11 x 3.5-inch bag to stow larger full-size makeup items, and I was able to fit two foundations, a tinted moisturizer, two blushes, five blush/contour/highlight sticks, three lipsticks, a makeup setting spray, and an eyeshadow palette — with room to spare.

In the 5 x 9 x 3-inch clamshell, I carried full-size makeup brushes and a concealer. On shorter trips, you could also use the larger bag for travel-size toiletries (the water-resistant microfiber interior can be wiped clean) and the smaller pouch for makeup. I love that the smaller bag can be nested inside the larger one to save space when it's not in use. 

Learn more about our favorite products in our Quince brand review.

Best hanging: Dagne Dover Seoul Dopp Kit

We are huge fans of Dagne Dover's internal organization systems (just see our full Dagne Dover review to see why), and the Seoul Dopp Kit is one of their best. It has pockets galore, gusset handles, and a structure that makes it easy to use. The bag even has a hidden waterproof pocket at the bottom and internal elastic loops that you can use for a toothbrush or makeup brushes.

This bag features a hook that lets it hang open while you use it. It also has a bunch of mesh pockets — seriously, these fit way more than you'd think. They're strategically placed at the ends and the flap, so the products bulge outward and don't take up internal room.

I also love the material that this kit is made out of. The thick, durable polyester is easy to clean, so you can just wipe off any makeup smears.

You can even get a smaller version for weekend trips or a tote companion.

Best mini: Kusshi Everyday Makeup Bag

I'm the type to carry a few emergency makeup items (think: lipstick or concealer) in my daily handbag. Kusshi's Everyday Makeup Bag, the same brand little sister of my favorite Signature Makeup Bag, is the perfect daily companion for on-the-go cosmetics.

At 5 x 7.5 x 3.25 inches, it's a smaller version of the Signature bag, except it doesn't include a detachable brush holder/zip compartment (although I was able to fit a medium-size brush in the main compartment).

I got eight full-size makeup items inside, although I had to maneuver a bit to zip it shut. I'd probably recommend using travel-size makeup items in this bag.

Best mini: Dagne Dover Mila Toiletry Organizer

If you'd rather not lay your toiletries down flat — say, for fear of spillage — consider this minimalistic toiletry bag. The shape allows you to store even taller bottles upright. Honestly, I plan to use this on my countertop even when I'm not traveling — to make some of my most frequently-used serums, brushes, and other products easy to grab while getting ready.

I like that I can either cram products in loose, or use the removable insert with six different compartments to keep things organized. The elastic loops don't hurt either — there are two shorter ones and two taller ones — for securing items like a toothbrush, travel-sized fragrance bottle, or nail file. There's only one interior zipper pocket, and it's somewhat small, but it is made of mesh for maximum visibility.

As an added bonus, the material couldn't possibly be easier to wipe down and clean.

Read more about our thoughts on the rest of this line in our full Dagne Dover review.

Best luxury: Leatherology Clamshell Makeup Bag Set

A set of leather clamshell pouches is a timeless staple that can last for decades — and an excellent gift idea. They can be used to store a variety of items from toiletries and cosmetics to pens and small tech accessories. 

Leatherology's Clamshell Bag Set in black croc leather is superiorly stunning thanks to gold-tone hardware and tassled zippers. But it's more than a pretty face.

Measuring 6 x 8.75 x 4.7 inches and 5.2 x 7.25 x 3.75 inches, the cases both have a wide and deep interior great for over-filling. The larger bag, with a convenient interior zip pocket, could easily accommodate 15+ full-size beauty products including brushes. The smaller bag is perfect for lipsticks, nail polishes and concealers. When not in use, the smaller bag nests inside the larger one for easy storage.

FAQs

First, always check the care tag on your specific bag to see if there are any specific instructions. After emptying the bag completely, wipe away any excess globs of spilled product with a paper towel, and shake off any debris (like lip pencil shavings) into the trash. Moisten a washcloth and add a drop or two of mild hand soap or fabric-safe stain remover, and then gently rub any discolored spots with the washcloth.

Follow up by dabbing at those same spots with a wet washcloth — no soap this time — to eliminate any residue. Depending on the material of the exterior, you can also wipe that down with a damp washcloth (if, for example, it's leather), or with a fabric-safe stain remover the same way you spot cleaned the interior.

Let your bag air dry with the top open, upside-down, on top of a towel. If you need to speed up the process — say, because you're packing for another trip — you can use a hairdryer on high speed and warm setting to help dry it out.

Can a toiletry bag go in a carry-on?

Your toiletry bag can be packed in your carry-on suitcase; however, keep in mind that it must be the TSA-approved size, and all the liquids, gels, creams, and pastes inside it must be 3.4 ounces or less. While it's not technically required for your toiletry bag to be transparent, it can be helpful to invest in one that's clear — otherwise, TSA may need to open up the bag to examine the contents.

What size toiletry bag is TSA-approved?

All toiletries in your carry-on must fit into a quart-sized ziploc bag. If they don't, you'll need to pack toiletries in your checked luggage instead.

What material should I choose?

Water-resistant nylon or coated fabrics are travel favorites because they're easy to wipe clean and handle spills well. Leather bags are stylish and more elevated, but they are often heavier and more difficult to clean.

Are cosmetic bags and dopp kits different?

Functionally, yes — though the gap has narrowed a lot.

• Cosmetic bags are traditionally designed for makeup and beauty products. They tend to be smaller, more structured, and more compartmentalized, with features like brush slots, clear panels, or rigid sides to protect powders and palettes.
• Dopp kits (short for Doppelkit, a term popularized in the US military) are designed for toiletries and grooming essentials. They're usually larger, more flexible in shape, and made from water-resistant materials to handle liquids and spills.

That said, many modern travel bags blur these lines — plenty of cosmetic bags now have waterproof linings, and many Dopp kits include internal organization. However, many Dopp kits are marketed more towards men.

Tips for packing a makeup bag efficiently

Decant full-size products when possible.

Many popular products are available in TSA-approved sizes of 3.4 ounces or less. If a smaller version of any product isn't available, though, you can buy reusable empty travel-sized bottles and dispense a small amount of product into those. This is especially helpful for products you only need a little bit of, like cleanser, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, body wash, or styling cream.

Decanting can also help you save space and avoid bringing bulky full-size bottles you won't come close to finishing on a short trip. Just make sure to label each container clearly — especially if you're packing multiple similar-looking liquids, creams, or gels. It's surprisingly easy to mix up face wash and lotion when they're in identical silicone tubes.

Opt for leak-proof containers

Who wants to deal with spilled body wash — or worse, a pigmented foundation — all over their vacation outfits? That's why it's important to make sure all toiletry containers are leak-proof. Test the closures and ensure they're secure by turning them upside down, shaking them, and checking to see if they might be snapped open during transit. Be careful not to overfill bottles, and if you want some added reassurance for preventing leakage, place your toiletries inside a Ziploc storage bag before storing them inside the toiletry bag.

Use compartments wisely

Be strategic about how you pack your toiletries. Save the more spacious compartments for larger products, and take advantage of smaller pockets for more compact items that might easily get lost (like tweezers or an eye pencil sharpener). Use zip pockets for anything more fragile or delicate, like a travel-sized perfume or cologne in a glass bottle.

How I tested the best toiletry bags

We tested over 20 different toiletry and makeup bags to make our selections, evaluating each one for capacity, organization, durability, portability, and leak resistance.

I first assessed the amount of space in each toiletry bag by packing it with some of my essential skincare, shower, hair care, and makeup products. This included items in a range of shapes and sizes, from slim makeup brushes and lip products to bulkier bottles, compacts, and hair tools. Not only did I want to see whether everything fit, but I also paid close attention to how the bag handled the weight once packed. A good toiletry bag should be able to hold a full routine without tearing, bulging awkwardly, straining at the seams, or becoming difficult to zip closed.

I also evaluated whether each bag had enough pockets and compartments to keep my must-have products organized. I looked for features like mesh pouches, clear compartments, elastic loops, removable inserts, brush holders, zip pockets, and separate sections for wet or spill-prone products. The best bags made it easy to see what I packed and quickly grab what I needed, rather than forcing me to dig through one large compartment.

Portability was another key factor. I considered how easy each bag was to carry, pack in luggage, and use once I arrived at my destination. Bags with sturdy top handles, hanging hooks, or lay-flat openings earned extra points for convenience. I also took note of whether each design was better suited to a weekend trip, a longer vacation, a carry-on suitcase, or a larger checked bag.

Since toiletry bags are bound to get messy, I also examined the materials and overall construction. I prioritized options that felt durable, wiped clean easily, and seemed capable of withstanding frequent travel. For structured bags, I checked whether they protected delicate products like palettes and glass bottles. For softer pouches, I looked at whether they could be compressed without crushing the contents inside.

The final step of my testing process entailed sealing each bag and squeezing it to see if there were any air leaks. This helped me determine whether spilled products would be contained in the toiletry bag — or end up leaking into my luggage. While no bag can guarantee total protection from every possible spill, the strongest performers offered an added layer of reassurance by helping keep potential messes contained.

• Stocks rallied Thursday after Trump backed down from threats to resume attacks against Iran.
• Trump said he spoke with Iranian leadership, leading him to call off Thursday night's planned action.
• The Dow gained nearly 1,000 points points and the Nasdaq 100 rose over 3%.

Investor were treated to TACO Thursday this week.

Donald Trump called off planned attacks against Iran on Thursday, backing down from earlier threats to resume military action.

His pivot sent stocks soaring and pushed oil prices lower.

Here's where major indexes stood at the 4 p.m. ET closing bell:

• S&P 500: 7,394.30, up 1.75%
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 50,848.75, up 1.86% (+929.97 points)
• Nasdaq 100: 29,446.18, up 3.3%

Trump said that following discussions with "the highest level of Iranian leadership," he had canceled bombings set for Thursday evening. Earlier in the day, Trump threatened to take Kharg Island, Iran's critical oil-export hub in the "not too distant future."

Oil prices dropped after Trump backed off from his threats.

Brent, the international benchmark, was down almost 3% to $90.64, and US oil prices fell 2% to $87.75.

It's been a week of withering volatility for the US stock market. A recalibration of economic views in light of a red-hot May jobs report, followed by the hottest consumer inflation in three years, has led to major swings in the major indexes. The Dow dropped more than 900 points on Wednesday's, while chip stocks have sold off indiscriminately since late last week.

Traders will turn their attention next to the upcoming Federal Reserve policy meeting on June 16 and 17. It'll be the first with Kevin Warsh as Fed chair, with markets broadly expecting no change to the benchmark rate.

• Paramount tech leaders credited AI for "productivity acceleration" in a recent meeting.
• AI completed a two- to four-hour task in under 10 minutes, the company said.
• High-level tech employees say AI tools have significantly improved their work output.

Executives at Paramount Skydance have fallen in love with AI — especially its knack for quickly knocking out tasks that would otherwise take workers hours to complete.

Paramount streaming leaders trumpeted "productivity acceleration" thanks to AI during a quarterly tech meeting on Wednesday, according to a screenshot of the presentation viewed by Business Insider.

During the meeting, higher-ups highlighted how an AI-powered triage tool for data processing finished a two- to four-hour task in less than 10 minutes, the screenshot showed.

The presentation also said that tech staffers have used the AI coding tool Claude Code to complete a task that used to take days in minutes.

Paramount's embrace of AI is part of CEO David Ellison's plan to make the 114-year-old media company into a "tech-forward" enterprise, ahead of its plan to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

Four high-level Paramount employees told Business Insider that their company is increasingly leaning into AI, and early results have been encouraging.

"Coding is not the bottleneck. It no longer takes days to write the code — it takes hours," a veteran streaming leader said.

Paramount has encouraged tech employees to freely use AI, two employees said.

However, the company told tech employees on Wednesday that it's starting to implement "per-user monthly spend limits" on AI tokens, though the quotas will be far above most employees' usage.

"This will be a high limit based on usage analytics," said Alan Ho, Paramount's senior director of identity architecture and AI enablement, in a Slack message that was viewed by Business Insider.

If Paramount employees don't use AI, 'something's missing in your drive'

Besides pushing into AI, Paramount is putting its streamers on a unified tech platform this summer, has expanded the role of data and insights, and made key hires — like former Google executives Barak Turovsky as consumer AI head and Hugh Williams as an EVP.

In recent months, Paramount has created an AI dashboard that shows Cursor token usage, similar to ones at Disney and the finance giant JPMorgan.

A top AI user on Paramount's dashboard said that the company's shift toward AI "almost felt like it happened overnight" and said staffers "feel more empowered every day" to use those tools.

"It's just part of how we work," this person said of AI. "It's taken a lot of the heavy lifting out of the technical side, which has freed up more time and headspace for the creative work."

A Paramount tech executive said they weren't diving deep into AI until the spring, but they're now aboard the hype train. AI tools can handle weeks' worth of work in minutes, they said.

"At some point, if you're not using it, something's wrong," this executive said. "Something's missing in your drive."

Another AI-focused employee said they'd been using teams of AI agents, deploying as many as 10 automated bots at once to accomplish tasks.

The veteran streaming leader said they'd found that AI usage correlated with productivity, and that the amount of code produced was soaring.

"I was giving praise to developers who appeared in the top 10," the veteran streaming leader said.

Paramount has been hustling to converge its streaming tech platforms by the middle of the year, which has been a top company priority. Without the rapid maturity and adoption of AI, the veteran leader said they didn't think their team would have accomplished its goals on time.

Chewy has become a go-to retailer for pet owners because it makes buying pet supplies surprisingly easy. Instead of running to multiple stores for food, treats, medications, and toys, shoppers can find just about everything in one place and have it delivered to their door. The retailer is especially popular for its AutoShip program, which can help you save on recurring purchases while ensuring you never run out of essentials.

While cats and dogs make up a big part of Chewy's business, the site also carries supplies for birds, fish, reptiles, rabbits, hamsters, and even livestock. Beyond products, Chewy offers services like prescription refills through its online pharmacy and virtual vet support, making it a useful resource for pet owners who want more than just a place to shop.

Between everyday essentials and specialty products, pet care costs can add up quickly. Fortunately, Chewy regularly runs sales, limited-time promotions, and category-specific discounts, and a Chewy coupon code can help lower prices even further. Below, we have rounded up the best Chewy promo codes and deals available right now so you can save on pet food, treats, toys, medications, and more.

Today's best Chewy promo codes

Today's best Chewy pharmacy promo codes

Previous Chewy promo codes

Are there any other Chewy sales running at the moment?

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

Use Chewy promo codes on these items

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

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

How to use Chewy promo codes

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

Can you stack Chewy promo codes?

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

Chewy promo code frequently asked questions

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

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

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

Can I get pet insurance through Chewy?

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

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

Does Chewy offer free shipping?

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

What is Chewy's return policy?

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

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

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

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

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

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

• AI infrastructure growth is exposing a major shortage of skilled blue-collar workers.
• Google, Meta, and other tech giants are investing in programs to prepare Americans for construction jobs.
• Tech firms need electricians, welders, and plumbers to build data centers, despite community backlash.

The AI race has a blue-collar problem. Big Tech wants to fix it.

Days after Meta said it was launching a $250 million program to train Americans for data center construction jobs, Google announced a similar initiative.

The search engine giant on Thursday said it is investing $50 million in skilled-trades training programs across the US in fields critical to building AI and energy infrastructure.

They are tailored for aspiring construction workers, electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, welders, and other laborers. Some training program partnerships are already underway, a Google spokesperson said.

The moves follow efforts unveiled earlier this year by Oracle and Microsoft to expand existing initiatives aimed at building a pipeline of workers to support the AI boom. Together, they underscore a shortage of tradespeople capable of building the data centers essential to powering AI ambitions — and Big Tech's increasing role in tackling it.

"The constraint on growth isn't hiring more engineers. It's building physical infrastructure," said Tulane University business professor Rob Lalka. "Silicon Valley's white-collar executives won't succeed without blue-collar workers across America."

The construction industry needs an estimated 349,000 new workers this year to meet demand elevated by AI, according to Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group.

Since tech companies are more accustomed to training workers to use keyboards than bulldozers, they are partnering with organizations such as the International Training Institute for the sheet metal and air conditioning industry to achieve their goals. That has made the likes of Meta and Google highly appealing to proponents of long-standing programs designed to expand the ranks of hard-hat talent.

"We welcome the support of industry leaders like Google to create good, family-sustaining jobs and meet the growing energy needs of our economy," said Kenneth Cooper, international president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, in a statement.

Big Tech's push to build more data centers, however, has also attracted foes.

Some critics point to the vast number of layoffs that tech companies have linked to AI, while residents across the US have been protesting such projects in their communities in recent months. A May Gallup poll found that seven out of 10 Americans oppose living near a data center.

In 2025, permits were issued for 176 new data centers across 34 states — the most new permits in one year since the first was issued in 1976, Business Insider previously reported.

• Five Southern states ranked among the US' leaders in both economic and population growth in 2025.
• A mix of low taxes, limited business regulation, and fast-tracked infrastructure projects is driving the boom.
• This story was originally published on WELT, and reporter Jan Klauth traveled from Germany to meet the business leaders moving south.

Ken Bianco lets out a brief laugh when he hears the question. Open a factory in California — where most of his customers are? "Absolutely not," says JCB's vice president of commercial operations, slicing the air with his hand as if swatting away a bothersome fly. "California has become too slow," he says. "Everything takes too long there — it's simply not business-friendly."

Bianco is standing in the lobby of construction and industrial equipment manufacturer JCB. To his left sits a model of the world's fastest diesel engine, to his right a backhoe loader painted with a flame motif. When the company, founded in Britain in 1945, planned its first US plant in 2001, one thing was clear: it would head south. "Georgia welcomed us with incredible incentives," Bianco recalls. Today, the firm's North American headquarters stands here, complete with 500,000 square feet of production space, and a second large plant is currently under construction in the "Lone Star State" of Texas.

That Republican-governed states in the American South are attracting so much investment is no coincidence. A look at the data reveals a pattern. Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Utah, and Texas ranked among the country's leaders in both economic and population growth in 2025.

While US GDP as a whole rose by 2.1% last year, Florida and South Carolina recorded gains of just over 3%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis — the highest rate of any state. Utah comes in just below that, with Texas also above the national average.

The trend of recent years is clear: While liberal metropolitan regions such as San Francisco, Boston, and New York remain the centers of finance, Big Tech, and research, industry is shifting ever more strongly into the Southern states. Manufacturing firms in particular are increasingly drawn to places where Republicans hold power. According to a report by CBRE, one of the nation's largest real estate brokerage firms, 725 companies relocated their headquarters between 2018 and 2025. Increasingly, they left high-tax states like California or New York for Republican states like Florida or Texas.

Economies of powerhouse states like New York and California are still growing too, driven above all by the tech boom. But the stronger momentum is currently elsewhere, as the population figures show. While New York's headcount is stagnating, California has been losing residents for several years — and the list of big-name companies turning their backs on the "Golden State" is growing steadily longer.

South Carolina, by contrast, is currently the nation's fastest-growing state in percentage terms. Texas, according to the US Census Bureau, is gaining the most residents in absolute numbers: In the past 15 years alone, nearly 7 million people have moved there. Often overlooked, Utah is also buoyed by a young, growing population, while Florida leads the field in immigration from abroad.

Behind these numbers lie millions of individual decisions. Taken together, however, they point to a clear conclusion: in the first year of "Trump 2.0", it is above all Republican-governed states that are attracting industrial investment and people. There is no shortage of examples.

Take billionaire investor Kenneth Griffin, who — spooked by New York's mayor Zohran Mamdani's tax plans — has declared he would rather invest in Miami than in New York. Or the software engineers from Tesla or Oracle who have left overheated Silicon Valley for Austin, drawn by a mix of tech jobs, leafy suburbs, and low income taxes. Or the fast-growing cohort of retirees selling their homes in the Midwest to enjoy the Florida sun. It is the industrial sector in particular that is fueling the upswing in the South, while the former "workbench of America" — the so-called Rust Belt — continues to bleed out.

One of the companies on a growth track is JCB, which operates its largest US plant just outside the port city of Savannah. "Twenty-five years ago, this was just an acre," Bianco recalls. Today, the factory alone turns out more than 20 excavators a day, and soon that number is expected to rise to 30 — the order books are full. The plant employs 560 workers in production and around 200 in administration.

Its success also has to do with America's military build-up under Donald Trump. In its commercials, JCB presents itself as a problem-solver that makes heavy equipment for construction sites. But the company has long since moved into the booming military business, which people here euphemistically refer to as "defense".

During the plant visit in Georgia, press officers monitor every step the visitors take and repeatedly urge them not to take photos — the highest level of security applies in the military area. In terms of the US Army, Georgia has another strategic advantage: the state is home to the country's largest infantry presence, meaning the armed forces, a major client, are effectively on the doorstep.

Republican-governed states tend to have one thing in common: in most cases, they have been traditionally "red" for decades. Especially in Texas and Florida, some politicians see themselves, with pride, as the antithesis to the "blue" coastal metropolises; talk of "blue state bullshit" that they want to keep at arm's length is commonplace. The relentless culture war that has been raging in the US for years has only intensified since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

In reality, though, the reasons why industrial companies prefer to invest in the Republican South are rather prosaic. Governors and local politicians promise to keep taxes low, limit the rules imposed on business, and fast-track infrastructure projects. In practice, that means fewer requirements, quicker permits, and more projects. Big-name developers who might wait years for a building permit in California or the Northeast encounter municipalities here that actively court investors.

Few examples show this as clearly as the corporate empire Elon Musk has moved from California to Texas. In the southwest of the Lone Star State, SpaceX rockets now shoot into the sky, and the company boasts the highest stock market valuation in history, while just outside the capital, Austin, the world's richest man has, within a few short years, built an entire "corporate town" around his companies, Tesla, The Boring Company, and X.

Texas is, overall, a special case. The oil and gas business is benefiting from Trump's policy of giving fossil fuels more room again; at the same time, tech clusters are springing up along the highways around Austin, Dallas, and Houston, where start-ups sit side by side with branch offices of corporations that have shifted activities from expensive coastal regions to the Sun Belt.

Cities like Austin are long past being the cheap alternative for hipsters from San Francisco; they have themselves become pricey metropolises plagued by traffic jams, housing shortages, and rising homelessness numbers. Yet compared with many coastal cities, a house with a garden remains within reach — and above all, the tax burden is lower.

Perhaps the most visible consequence of the investment boom is the construction spree. Around cities like Houston, Miami, or Atlanta, one new suburban development after another is going up. On the outskirts of hubs such as Savannah or Laredo, Texas — the largest freight gateway on the Mexican border — cranes are erecting new logistics centers almost weekly.

On top of this comes a second, hugely capital-intensive trend: the boom in data centers. With space at traditional locations such as the Bay Area or greater Seattle exhausted and expensive, investors have shifted their focus to places where land and energy are cheap, and politics are on their side. Alongside Democratic-run Virginia, that means above all rural regions in states like Texas and Georgia. One key reason: with power supplies tight, some operators are building their own gas plants right next to the data centers. Projects like these are approved far more quickly in Texas than in California.

And there is another reason companies are increasingly turning away from the "Golden State" when making new investment decisions — one that is often glossed over: risk management. What sounds like something out of a Western movie has, in fact, become a major factor in supply-chain planning. In recent years, train robberies on the West Coast have reached shocking levels. At the peak, around 90 containers a day were being looted in the Los Angeles area alone.

"Companies from South Korea, China, or Japan now prefer to send their containers to the Port of Savannah rather than Los Angeles," says Arthur Hutton, who oversees operations at a recently opened logistics center near the Savannah docks. As Hutton walks through the halls, a major shipment has just arrived: pianos from Japanese manufacturer Yamaha and paper rolls from China. And indeed, evaluations by the US Department of Transportation show that California has lost market share to Atlantic ports — even though the route from Asia is longer and therefore more expensive.

One other reason for the shift in investment that companies don't mention publicly: Workers are less often unionized in the Southern states. Take the logistics center, dominated by Amazon, in Savannah, for instance: None of the staff is part of any union, Hutton says.

California still boasts the largest economic output of any US state, thanks to Silicon Valley and Hollywood. But alongside Austin in Texas, other states are vying for tech supremacy. One is Utah, governed by Republicans continuously since 1985. The region around Salt Lake City has developed in recent years into a tech hub often referred to as the "Silicon Slopes". Software firms, start-ups, and service providers leaving the pricey West Coast find here a blend of good pay, relatively modest living costs, and spectacular scenery.

South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia, meanwhile, stand for the industrial South and have attracted major automotive plants and suppliers in recent years — from Europe, Asia, and other parts of the US. In addition to ports such as Savannah and Charleston, one reason is that unions are less powerful here than in the coastal metropolises — certainly a strong argument in the location decisions of German carmakers like Mercedes and BMW.

While these corporations in Germany are mainly making headlines for job cuts and the car industry at home is in crisis, the US is still seen as a growth market. Mercedes is investing $7 billion in the American market this year alone; BMW is putting in at least $1.7 billion. The "red South" continues to grow — helped along by money from Europe.

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

• I purchased Amtrak's USA Rail Pass, which allowed me to take 10 trips for $499.
• Although I thought the pass was a great value, there are a few things I wish I knew ahead of time.
• For example, long trips provide the best value, but sleeper-car upgrades aren't available.

I took my first long train ride when I was 18, heading upstate from New York City. I can still remember the view of the gold, rust, and deep-red leaves out the window.

I grew up in Hawaii, where there are no trains or fall foliage, so the experience felt completely new to me. That trip stayed with me, and now, I try to travel by train whenever possible.

Last year, I traveled through the East Coast and Midwest by rail, and by the time I reached Chicago, I finally decided to give Amtrak's $499 USA Rail Pass a try.

With 10 rides to use within 30 days, I traveled through 11 states in a single month. Here are eight things I wish I knew before buying the pass.

Long trips provide the best value

The pass allows riders to book 10 "segments" on almost any Amtrak route. A segment refers to one time that you board and disembark, regardless of the distance traveled.

In other words, a short regional train counts the same as a multi-day route that crosses several states. So, I learned I was better off booking long trips to really get my money's worth.

However, if a trip requires a transfer, that counts as two segments, so choosing the most direct route helps to stretch the pass further.

Plus, long rides in coach can often run passengers hundreds of dollars if booked individually, so even a few rides might cover the cost of the pass.

Sleeper-car upgrades aren't available when using the pass

I'll be honest — there have been times when I wished I had a private room so I could stretch out or have a little more privacy on the train.

But one of the tradeoffs with the USA Rail Pass is that I'm placed in a coach seat for every segment and don't have the option to upgrade to a sleeper car.

Luckily, the seats on Amtrak (which are typically about 23 inches wide) recline, have a decent amount of legroom, and are generally quite comfortable. However, the only downside is they don't lie flat.

So, when going on multiple long-distance trips with the pass, I recommend taking a break between rides to stay at a hotel.

I can save money by packing my own snacks

Dining-car meals are included for passengers traveling in roomettes and sleeper cars, but unfortunately, they are not included for coach passengers traveling with the USA Rail Pass.

Although I can sometimes request a dining-car reservation if there's space, it's first-come-first-served and can fill up quickly. Plus, the additional cost adds up quickly.

As a coach passenger, I do get access to the café car, which serves coffee, snacks, sodas, salads, and a few reheated items like breakfast sandwiches or mac and cheese.

However, I usually pack my own food to keep costs down. Although the staff cannot reheat or refrigerate anything for me, they sometimes give me hot water if I ask nicely.

So, I bring things like powdered soups, oatmeal packets, tea, and snacks that keep well at room temperature.

Even though the baggage policy is generous, it's important to pack light and keep essentials on hand

All passengers, regardless of ticket type or class, can bring two carry-ons and a personal item with them on the train. However, I recommend packing light to allow yourself enough time to get on and off the train quickly.

In order to keep myself organized, I also like to pack a smaller bag in my carry-on that includes anything I'll want easy access to during the trip.

For example, I carry extra layers of clothing in case I get cold, a neck pillow, a light blanket, earphones, an eye mask, earplugs, and hygiene products.

The WiFi isn't always reliable

While on long-distance routes, I've noticed that Amtrak's WiFi often becomes unavailable. I've sometimes been able to use my phone's hotspot, but even so, I've encountered long stretches without any cell service at all.

Now that I'm a seasoned traveler, I like to plan ahead by downloading movies, music, books, or maps before my trip.

However, I've also found that train travel is a good excuse to disconnect. I like to journal or sketch, write a postcard to a loved one, or simply daydream.

The Sightseer Lounge offers the best views

Certain trains come equipped with a Sightseer Lounge, which offers beautiful views of the country from large windows. The louge, which includes a mixture of booths, single, and double chairs, is my favorite spot on any train that has one.

As a frequent traveler, I've seen the glow of golden hour over a field of wheat, the soft rise of mountain ranges, and canyons filled with rivers and patches of fall color.

In my opinion, sights like these are what make rail travel truly special.

This story was originally published on February 4, 2026, and most recently updated on June 11, 2026.

• Jeff Bezos said "government regulation has a lot of reasonable purposes."
• When it comes to AI, Bezos said regulators have to be careful not to go too far.
• The Amazon founder used the analogy of outlawing knives just "because it can be used in a bad way."

The way Jeff Bezos sees it, AI and the data centers that support the novel technology are like knives.

"You don't want to accidentally outlaw the knife because it can be used in a bad way," the Amazon cofounder said on CNBC on Thursday.

"Knives are important tools and yes, every once in a while they get misused by someone, but you don't say the solution to that isn't to say, 'OK, no more data centers, right? No more knives.' That's not a smart approach to regulation."

Bezos said that government regulation has a lot of "reasonable" purposes, pointing to federal regulatory agencies like the FAA and the FDA ensuring public safety when people board planes or take prescription drugs.

"There's lots to be said for healthy government regulation to improve safety and products and so on," he said. "And I don't see why that won't be applied at some point to the kinds of new tools that are being built by AI."

The balance, Bezos said, is not going too far.

"You want to regulate the application level," he added.

Bezos, in addition to advising Amazon on AI as executive chairman, is taking on his first CEO role since stepping down from his post as Amazon's CEO in 2021. Bezos is serving as co-CEO of Prometheus, a physical AI startup that he launched with Vikram "Vik" Bajaj, who helped create Google's life sciences company, Verily. Prometheus raised $12 billion in a Series B round.

"That is a big chunk of the funding we've raised," he said. "And one of the reasons we've had to raise a significant amount of funding is because what we're doing is very compute intensive."

Addressing speculation about what Prometheus will do, Bezos said the startup is not building robots. Instead, the company wants to build AI models that change the future of engineering and manufacturing, ultimately achieving Bezos' goal of creating an "artificial general engineer."

"It's really a set of tools that will give those engineers the ability to turn their dreams into reality much, much more quickly than is possible," said Bajaj, who was interviewed alongside Bezos.

AI regulation is top of mind

The debate around AI regulation has heated up in the last year amid wider backlash against the technology. Meanwhile, AI companies are spending big on lobbying efforts as various states weigh potential regulations.

President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that allows frontier AI model makers to voluntarily submit models for federal review up to 30 days before their public release.

On Wednesday, Trump said he expects leading AI companies to agree to "giving back" to the public, a reference that came after news outlet NOTUS reported that the White House is considering whether the US government should hold equity in AI firms.

Bezos did not directly address Trump's order, nor did Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who on Wednesday suggested that "models above a threshold of compute" should undergo mandatory third-party testing by the government or private organizations. Amodei also wrote in an essay that the government should have the power to block the release of AI models if such testing showed they would "present unacceptable risks."

• Tanium, a $9 billion cybersecurity startup, lost five top executives.
• Tanium's legal, people, marketing, and information security chiefs departed.
• Tanium's IPO plans remain uncertain, and the company has stayed private since its founding in 2007.

The cybersecurity startup Tanium, which was last valued at $9 billion, recently underwent a leadership reshuffle after losing five top executives.

Tanium, based in the Seattle area, was founded in 2007 and has stayed private since then. It has raised nearly $1 billion, according to PitchBook, and is backed by investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, TPG, and Salesforce Ventures.

Tanium hired its chief financial officer, Marc Levine, in 2021 to conduct a "readiness assessment" for an initial public offering. Several employees and executives had left Tanium in the past few years over uncertainty about whether the company would ever go public, Business Insider previously reported.

The departures mark another period of uncertainty for one of tech's longest-running IPO candidates. Now, with several senior leaders gone and new executives cycling into key legal, people, and strategy roles, the company faces fresh questions about its next chapter and whether an IPO is still part of it.

Tanium's chief legal officer Brady Mickelsen, chief people officer Tobias Julén, and chief information security officer Chris Hallenbeck left the company in May, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Mickelsen now has the same role at DigitalOcean, and Julén now works at StillFront as chief human resources officer.

Julén said his departure was a "mutually agreed decision based on my desire to remain located in EMEA and have more sustainable working hours," and that he has "only positive things to say about the company and all the people I have worked with there."

Tanium's chief marketing officer, Tara Ryan, no longer appears on the company website. She and Mickelsen were listed on the website in early June, according to the Wayback Machine. Ryan did not respond to a request for comment.

Tanium also brought on a new chief people officer, Carol MacKinlay, who was hired in April and has since resigned.

MacKinlay says she resigned due to a sudden issue with her family.

"I feel sorry that I left them in a lurch, but family has to come first. Great company with a great trajectory, and I wish them the best," she said.

Since then, Russ Evans has been promoted to chief legal officer, and Shannon Rosales Mirani is the interim chief people officer. Paul Black also joined as the chief information security officer in May. The website does not list a chief marketing officer.

In May, Tanium also promoted Ben Stein, previously senior vice president of global operations, to chief strategy officer.

"Like all responsible companies, Tanium continues to adapt our approach, as well as our team, to best serve our customers and partners," a Tanium spokesperson said. "We will continue to evolve to meet the needs of our constituents — and best serve them at a time when they need us most. We are confident in our experienced team at the helm, our momentum, and our ability to continue driving innovation and value for our customers and partners."

Last year, Tanium cracked down on its return-to-office policy in an unusual way by withholding some equity grants from employees who don't comply, Business Insider previously reported.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at rmchan@businessinsider.com, or Signal at rosal.13. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Living with my adult children has changed my approach to parenting.
• Sharing a home with grown kids requires new boundaries and flexibility.
• Some of my favorite moments now are late-night conversations with my daughter.

There's a world of difference between raising a teenager and cohabiting with a verified adult. But sometimes they need to come back home, just like mine did.

My own kids were eager to get out of the house and set up their own homes. Right now I'm sharing space with a mid-20s kid who is desperately trying to accumulate enough money to move into her own apartment.

Despite her desire to be on her own, we get along beautifully and enjoy one another's company.

I went back and forth when it came to rent

I've been living with my adult children on and off for several years, and the situation remains fluid.

For example, I've been back and forth about asking them to pay rent. At one point the rule was that if you lived at home and were in school it was free to stay here and if you were out of school you paid (fairly minimal) rent. I wanted them to feel a little pressure to get it together, make some money, act like the responsible adults they wanted to be.

At this point I know my daughter is good with money, and I'd rather she saved it for her eventual move, so she doesn't have to pay to live here. Setting a standard is important, but then again so is flexibility.

The part of rooming with your grown-up kids that's challenging for a lot of us is recognizing that they are, in fact, adults. Which means that if they're over 21 they can drink if they want to, or ingest cannabis if that's legal where you live. They can come and go as they please. Of course we require basic respect, as we would of any roommate, but you don't really get to set the rules of behavior anymore, at least when they're outside of the house.

It's a different type of parenting

It's so tempting sometimes to just tell them what to do. Obviously I want my children's happiness above all else, but it's not my job to secure it for them. I've moved from a parenting role to more of a coaching model. We talk through their options and I keep my mouth shut once they've made their decisions. It's not my business, but it's really hard to keep my thoughts to myself when they aren't welcome.

I'd do anything for my kids, and sometimes I forget that doing for them isn't helping them develop their independence.

The big difference between living with my kids versus living with another adult is that I am prone to extreme empathy with the kids (call me an emotional pushover). I listen to way more complaining than I'd put up with from anyone else and I have a tendency to drop what I'm doing when they need me to listen to their difficulties or help them with tasks.

I know I'll miss her

Honestly one of the biggest challenges I have living with my kid right now is that she's a total night owl. She's at her entertaining prime right around the hour I'm trying to get to bed. I've relinquished many hours of sleep talking about movies, the state of the world, the ins and outs of the music industry, who's who in the world of track and field — you name it.

These hours are among the sweetest of my life. Someday she'll be gone, ensconced in her own little home, and as I brush my teeth I'll miss her following me around the house, dropping nuggets of comedy gold, letting me peek into her heart and her brain. I'm so grateful to have had this extra time with her.

I've made it clear to both of my kids that there is always a home for them with me. I think I've managed to raise really smart, kind, capable people. And I guess that's the secret to having a really great relationship with your live-in adult kids; raise them to be good roommates and you may reap the benefits yourself.

• US soldiers are using a new app to calculate mortar fire-control solutions.
• The app replaces older software that had become harder to update.
• It can run on phones and tablets, and soldiers are picking it up quickly.

Soldiers are using a new Mortars App that makes it easier to plan and control mortar fire from tablets or smartphones.

Mortars are man-portable indirect fire weapons that lob explosive shells at high angles onto targets that the crews often cannot see directly, making fire-control calculations — the math that soldiers use to aim and adjust each shot — important. Running the numbers quickly is also important.

The new app, which came after years of development and replaced outdated legacy programs, was designed to be intuitive, portable, and easy to update. Troops are already embracing the system, picking it up with little training and offering feedback for future upgrades, according to a press release from Picatinny Arsenal.

The Mortars App was originally introduced three years ago as a replacement for the Mortar Fire Control Software and the Lightweight Handheld Mortar Ballistics Computer, both legacy systems that were tied to older, bulkier platforms. The app lets soldiers calculate fire-control solutions from devices as small as Samsung phones, reducing the amount of equipment troops need to carry.

Picatinny Arsenal said the app's development came as the Pentagon recognized that its previous mortar fire-control systems were becoming outdated or difficult to transport and use. There were also technical issues with the systems because departing developers were taking their institutional knowledge with them.

Early on, developers tried to build an Android version using legacy systems, but it fell short. Active planning for the current Mortars App began in 2020, and a workable iteration was available to soldiers for download and use by 2023.

That version of the app was considered better than the previous attempt but still flawed. Further modifications led to another iteration of the app, which finished formal testing in 2024 and was cleared for full release in March of this year. It's currently the standardized software for M32A2 fire control across Army mortar units.

Per the release, feedback from troops has suggested the app is easy to use. The 82nd Airborne Division, for example, was able to pick up the Mortars App with little training. Soldiers have also said the app is both modern and intuitive while still rooted in the processes of legacy systems, meaning there's not much of a learning curve.

As the app continues to grow its user base, US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command is able to push out updates and improve user experience. The app can also be used across devices.

The Mortars App is one example of how the Army, as well as the broader US military, is embracing Silicon Valley-style development practices for new weapons and technologies, increasingly moving legacy systems to apps and programs. The Army's work on its new command and control system has similarly broken functions such as fires, ammunition, and supply tracking into software tools soldiers can use in the field.

• Inflation is outpacing overall wage growth.
• Three major sectors had higher wage growth than inflation in May.
• Even if wage growth is holding up in some places, that doesn't mean all of those workers are benefiting.

With inflation heating up, Americans' spending power is under stress. But in a few sectors, wages are still growing faster than inflation.

New data published on Wednesday showed inflation in May exceeding 4% for the first time since 2023 and outpacing private-sector wage growth for the second-straight month, at 4.2% and 3.4%, respectively.

The chart below shows the range in wage growth based on the 12-month change in average hourly earnings:

It's important to look at wage growth and employment changes in tandem. Wage growth in the information sector, which tends to be higher than in other sectors, was more than a percentage point above inflation. However, employment in the sector is down 11% from its most recent peak, in late 2022, and down 1% since January.

"One possibility here is that workforce reduction in the information sector is impacting lower wage workers more dramatically, pushing the average hourly earnings of the remaining workforce upwards," Elizabeth Renter, senior economist at NerdWallet, said in an email.

Private education and health services had the lowest wage growth among the major sectors, but had the highest 12-month net job growth last month. Healthcare made up most of the net 610,000 gain in private education and health services, at 458,100.

"Wage growth with a shrinking employment picture means a walled garden with little opportunity to enter, while jobs growth with sluggish wage growth means difficulty keeping up with inflation," Daniel Zhao, the chief economist at Glassdoor, said.

Utilities and construction were the other two major sectors outpacing inflation.

"Employers are hiring in these sectors and likely coming up against issues with labor supply," Renter said. "Increased labor demand (from employers) and a shortfall of supply (in the form of not enough workers) can push wages up as companies try to entice new candidates."

Zhao said data center construction and higher electricity demand could be contributing factors. "Utilities employment has grown steadily since 2021 after remaining largely unchanged from 2005—2020, coinciding with a period of growing electricity demand," he said. "Construction is a large industry and data center construction is just one slice of the pie."

Kory Kantenga, LinkedIn's head of economics for the Americas, said that even when wage growth was outpacing inflation, that didn't mean all workers were benefiting from those gains. Not everyone has been getting an annual raise, for instance. Others may have gotten raises that didn't keep up with inflation.

• I was able to purchase two World Cup tickets for $300 each after winning the FIFA lottery.
• A friend sold his tickets and made a hefty profit, but experienced a bit of seller's remorse.
• I could make some serious money, but I'm holding on to my tickets.

When the email arrived that I'd won the FIFA lottery, I felt like I'd beaten the system.

I had scored tickets to the 2026 World Cup, which were widely predicted to cost a fortune. My plan was simple: I'd pay a reasonable price for two tickets to the first group stage match in Miami, invite a lifelong friend, and scratch the ultimate milestone off my sports bucket list.

Then, the siren song of late capitalism got in the way. After explaining my plan to a buddy, he sounded skeptical. "You know, I heard Juanes sold his tickets," he said. "Made like three grand."

Really? I waited a week before checking StubHub. Sure enough, my $300 apiece tickets were selling for over $1,000. As a writer and adjunct professor, I'm not exactly swimming in liquid cash. Stadium parking starts at $175. God knows what a beer will cost once you're inside. It's probably smarter to flip them for a mortgage payment, groceries, and peace of mind. Right?

The temptation to cash out is real. But I'm holding firm.

Ticket prices are unhinged

FIFA entered the tournament armed with dynamic pricing, which allows prices to surge based on demand. (Because nothing says "the beautiful game" like yield management software.) The results were predictable — the secondary ticket market went completely unhinged.

Early group stage tickets have been averaging between $380 and $4,000. There's a $2,500 cover charge for Colombia vs. Portugal in Miami, and it's $2,700 to watch Messi's Argentina. If a fan from Argentina wants to see all three group stage games, the cost is around $10,000 for tickets and travel. And one ticket to the final will set you back between $11,000 and $33,000.

Cue the public outrage. Headlines were peppered with terms like "price gouging" and "sticker shock." The backlash grew so fierce that the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey launched an investigation, subpoenaing FIFA for transforming the ticket-buying process into a "gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices." Investigators said FIFA inflated ticket prices for over 90 of the tournament's 104 matches, spiking costs by an average of 34%.

Everything feels transactional now

Through all this tumult, my plan hasn't changed. They announced the match schedule; I drew Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia. No clash of the titans, but it's got sleeper-hit potential. Uruguay punches above its weight, and Saudi Arabia famously upset Argentina in the last World Cup. Ultimately, I just want to go to the World Cup without getting fleeced. Is that so much to ask?

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned. I played college soccer and have chased pickup games for decades in New York, Berlin, and Miami. I set alarms for 7 a.m. on Saturdays to watch the Premier League and have flown across the pond to watch my beloved Tottenham Hotspur. But these never felt like cold financial decisions.

Now, everything about the game feels transactional. Hundred-million-dollar transfers. Algorithmic pricing. Clubs defined by their oligarchs. I can remember going to Cincinnati Reds games with my dad, premium seats for $8. I'm not sure when just buying a ticket and going to a ball game became the contrarian position.

I'm standing firm

This all brings me to the man who started my whole dilemma.

My buddy Juanes — no, not the Colombian pop star — is an Ecuadorian-American who's deeply into football. He's the kind of guy who quantifies his relationships by ticket-price tolerance.

"My wife isn't that big of a fan. She's a $150 ticket type of fan, not a $450 ticket type of fan. That's me."

I was on Miami Beach with Juanes, juggling a football while talking football. Juanes had won a marquee draw: Brazil vs. Scotland in Miami. So he did what even die-hard fans do in 2026: he hedged. While mentally auditioning family members as his plus-one, he listed the tickets at a reserve price that would yield a healthy profit. They sat unsold for weeks.

Eventually, he zeroed in on the obvious choice: his father. One afternoon, after a long sauna session, Juanes broke the good news. His dad was touched. They hugged, and Juanes went to sleep envisioning classic father-son bonding over World Cup glory.

The next morning, an email arrived. His $900 pair of tickets had automatically sold to a high bidder for around $4,000. Even though he netted a cool $2,500 profit after FIFA's double-dipping 15% transaction fee, the financial win came with a heavy dose of seller's remorse. In retrospect, he confesses that his main regret is not investing more in lottery tickets to scale the profit.

But his experience was my ultimate cautionary tale, proof that some experiences are worth protecting from market distractions.

So, I'm keeping my tickets. I'll be there on June 15th at Miami Stadium, temporarily renamed to avoid conflicts with FIFA's corporate sponsors, because of course it is. I'll be wearing a borrowed jersey from my Uruguayan neighbor, seated up in the nosebleeds between fans of two countries that aren't my own, watching a match I paid too much not to flip.

I can't wait.

• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly planning to marry at Madison Square Garden in New York.
• Although it could be a red herring, the venue choice would be on-brand for Swift, PR pros say.
• The venue is recognizable and accessible, allowing fans to feel closer to Swift's love story.

No serious Taylor Swift fan would say "Welcome to New York" is her most romantic song, but in a fascinating twist of fate, that may be the song that best describes her long-awaited wedding day.

At the very least, the flashy pop hit — "The lights are so bright, but they never blind me!" — sums up the speculation and anticipation mounting in the weeks leading up to Swift and Travis Kelce's rumored nuptials, which reports indicate will take place over the July 4 weekend in New York City.

According to TMZ and Page Six, Swift and Kelce aren't just planning to get hitched in the city that never sleeps, but in one of its most iconic and central landmarks: Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks and host to some of the biggest headliners in the music industry, including Swift on several occasions (though not often since her crowds swelled to stadium-sized).

Intimate? Not exactly. The arena fits over 20,000 people, and TMZ reports that over 1,000 people have been invited to watch Swift and Kelce become husband and wife.

(Of course, this is all tabloid speculation as of now: Swift, Kelce, and Madison Square Garden reps didn't reply to our request for comment, and the couple so far has not publicly confirmed details of their wedding plans.)

But this venue choice, if real, would hardly be surprising. Swift has never been one to shy away from pomp and circumstance. Even if the MSG plan turns out to be a red herring, planted to prevent the public from flocking to the real venue, the breathless speculation — and free publicity, of course — is at least partially the point. As Swift herself said in 2023, when it comes to navigating her celebrity, only one question is truly relevant: "Are you not entertained?"

"It's on-brand, whether we like it or not, whether it's the actual story, or whether it's a ruse," Tara Goodwin, a PR expert and founder of Goodwin Consulting, told me.

"Taylor Swift is the queen of creating anticipation," Goodwin added. "She's making the suspense almost better than the actual event for her fans."

Corny, commercialized, or brilliant? Swift's moves are often all of the above.

Although Swift is one of the most celebrated and influential entertainers in the world, she's also one of the most polarizing. Skeptics deride Swift as corny, self-absorbed, and overly optimized for consumption, while die-hard fans insist that everything she does is brilliant and momentous.

Swift's wedding will be subjected to the same debate, wherever it takes place — but perhaps nowhere more so than in "The World's Most Famous Arena." It would be an obvious ploy for maximum attention to stage her big day on the busy streets of Manhattan, and on the 250th anniversary of Independence Day weekend, no less.

It would also transform an occasion for romance into a flashpoint for hyper-consumerism. It's all too easy to imagine, as the happy couple recites their vows, a swarm of vendors hawking bootleg "Tayvis 4ever" merch up and down Broadway. What's conjured is hardly a picture of prestige and beauty, but of mass appeal.

However, in the words of Ryan McCormick, cofounder and managing partner at Goldman McCormick PR, getting married at MSG would also be an "unprecedented" power move.

"Whatever Ms. Swift has done, she has been immensely successful, and whatever intuition she has followed, it seems to be working remarkably well," McCormick said.

"Would this be successful for another musician? No, I don't think so," he added. "She's in a league of her own, and she basically can write and script her own reality. No one else can do that."

Indeed, nothing is more on-brand for Swift than meticulous image management.

The high-security infrastructure of MSG would grant Swift and Kelce full control of the narrative — the arena's closed roof and windowless walls would prevent paparazzi from sneaking a shot, and the underground parking allows A-listers to come and go unseen — all while creating the illusion of closeness and accessibility.

After all, this isn't a far-flung villa in the European countryside, or an exclusive resort for Hollywood stars that most people will never see with their own eyes. MSG hosts hundreds of events and millions of people every year — even Swift herself sat courtside at Game 4 of the NBA finals on Wednesday. After July 4, if the wedding rumors are true, the next time a Swiftie finds themselves in the nosebleeds, they can wistfully think to themselves, "This is where Taylor and Travis got married."

"It's a way to let fans be part of her love story," Goodwin said. "She's always tried to do that with her concerts, with her outreach, with the Easter eggs that she drops. I think that's part of who she is."

Building suspense is one way for Swift to make fans feel involved in her life, Goodwin said, while another could be booking a venue smack-dab in the middle of the country's most populous city. Even if Swifties have no hope of getting inside the ceremony or catching any glimpse of Swift's wedding dress that she doesn't want us to see, they're free to gather at the perimeter — and judging by other weddings that Swift has merely attended, gather they will.

"I think that she is inherently, believe it or not, a private person, but she also wants to share enough of herself so that fans continue to identify and relate to her and gravitate toward her," Goodwin concluded. "Taylor doesn't avoid attention. She choreographs it."

The World Cup has arrived, and the long-awaited tournament kicks off with a can't-miss clash between Mexico and South Africa. Below, we've compiled everything you need to know about where to watch Mexico vs. South Africa, including free streaming options around the world.

Mexico, one of the host countries of this year's World Cup, enters today's match with the hope of making it out of the group stage, where they met their end in 2022. This was an early elimination for the team compared to previous tournaments, so they have something to prove in 2026. South Africa hasn't qualified for the World Cup since 2010, when they were the host nation, so a win today would be another step in the right direction for the team. Mexico has home-field advantage today, with the Group A match taking place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

If you don't want to scroll any further, the match will live stream for free on Tubi in the US, ITVX in the UK, and SBS On Demand in Australia. Keep reading to learn additional streaming options and how to tune in from anywhere. For more streaming details and match info for the whole tournament, make sure to check out our official where to watch the World Cup guide.

*Availability for local channels, like FOX, varies by market on Sling TV

• See also: Where to buy World Cup tickets

Where to watch Mexico vs. South Africa for free

Matches are available for free in several countries around the globe. In Australia, the match will be available to live stream for free on SBS On Demand. In the UK, fans can catch the game via ITVX. While most US World Cup coverage requires a paid subscription, the kick-off match will be available for free through Tubi.

How to watch Mexico vs. South Africa from anywhere

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

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

Where to watch Mexico vs. South Africa in the US

The official 2026 World Cup kick-off game will air on FOX in the United States (as a reminder, all World Cup games will air on either FOX or FS1 in the US). While you'll need cable, an antenna, or a paid streaming subscription to watch most games, Mexico vs. South Africa will be available to live stream for free on the Fox Corp.-owned Tubi. While most Tubi content doesn't require an account, you'll need to create a free login to watch World Cup coverage.

If you're a cord-cutter interested in getting a streaming service that will allow you to watch the rest of the World Cup, you have several options. FOX has a direct streaming counterpart, FOX One, which costs $20 a month. You can also sign up for the service as an add-on through Prime Video if you don't feel like downloading another app.

You can also get a live TV package (a month-to-month cable alternative) if you're seeking something with channels beyond just those owned by FOX. Three of the best live TV streaming services we've personally tested are DirecTV, Fubo, and Sling TV.

DirecTV carries FOX in all of its signature packages, along with select cheaper genre packs like MySports and MyNews. For the World Cup, we recommend DirecTV MySports, since it carries FOX, FS1, and around 20 other popular sports channels. MySports also unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost. Subscriptions cost $65 a month, but new users can get $15 a month off their first two months of service after a five-day free trial.

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

Sling TV is another live TV service with World Cup coverage, although you should double-check to see whether FOX is available in your ZIP code, since Sling's local channel coverage varies by market. If you can get FOX via Sling in your region, you'll want to opt for a Sling Select or Sling Blue plan, both of which also have FS1. When local channels are available, Sling Select costs at $25 a month and Sling Blue costs $51 a month.

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

Where to watch Mexico vs. South Africa in the UK

BBC and ITV split coverage rights in the UK, but today's kick-off game is available on ITV1. This means that fans will be able to live stream all of the action for free with an ITVX account. Users just need to create an account if they don't already have one, and then they're all set to start watching.

Where to watch Mexico vs. South Africa in Australia

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

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

• Julius Mondragon is "Computah." He goes around "programming" people on the streets of Chicago.
• His TikTok videos have gone viral. They've made him a local hero.
• It's one of the few good use cases I've seen for Meta's Ray-Bans.

On a chilly winter day, Julius Mondragon stepped into a half-empty car on the Metra train line in Chicago.

"Computah, activate hyperspeed typing," he commanded a random woman typing away on her laptop. "Computah, make these two guys friends forever," he said to two men sitting together, as they looked up, smiling.

"Computah, make sure this man feels confident and sexy at all times of the day," he instructed. "Computah, make sure this woman has a wonderful day."

Before opening the door between cars, heading off in his Meta Ray-Ban glasses to find the next group of unsuspecting commuters, he announces: "You've been programmed!"

Mondragon has been "programming" people all over Chicago — and beyond. The 26-year-old has gone viral on TikTok while summoning his weirdly accented "Computah" character, wearing Meta's Ray-Ban glasses and recording people's reactions to his bot-like commands.

I think it's the best use of Meta's Ray-Bans that I've seen, so I asked to meet up when he was in New York this week so I could see the "Computah guy" in action.

Meeting 'Computah' in real life

I met up with Mondragon in a Harlem café near the hotel where he was staying. Unlike the bizarre persona in his videos, he's genial and soft-spoken. (The voice he does in his videos is a fake accent based on an imitation of a character in "The Sopranos" dreamed up by him and his roommates.)

This is where the Meta Ray-Bans come in: Mondragon got a pair this past Christmas. He started posting videos recorded by the glasses to TikTok in January. The "Computah" idea initially came from an Eric André sketch where André, wearing a black leotard with electronic parts glued to it, pretends to be Google as he approaches strangers on the street.

"When I got the Metas, I was coming up with ideas," Mondragon told me. "What if I'm Meta and I'm pretending I'm just an AI and I can transform anything in my surroundings?"

That's where "Computah" came from.

Mondragon grew up in the Chicago suburbs and currently lives on the South Side of Chicago. For the last few years, he's been a music producer — something he still pursues — while working a day job in retail. He has recently been able to quit his day job at Foot Locker thanks to the money he's earned through social media. He told me that Cameo, where he charges $40 to send a personalized message to fans, has also been particularly helpful in getting him to a financial position where he can pursue "Computah" full-time.

Along the way, he's become something of a Chicago star. He was profiled in the Chicago Tribune and appeared on the local TV news. In his videos, it's clear people are recognizing him, leading to funny interactions where they mimic his catchphrases and tactics, like saying "Firewall up!" to block his "programming."

The Meta Ray-Bans are something of a reverse Clark Kent for Mondragon — people only recognize him when he puts on the glasses.

Meta Ray-Ban glasses make the surveillance state funny

These smart glasses are not without controversy. From their launch in 2021, there has always been some concern about people using them as "creep glasses" to record people surreptitiously.

Since then, Meta's glasses have sold decently. In 2025, Meta said it sold more than 7 million pairs — triple the amount it sold in 2024.

Presumably, people use them for private photos and videos, but some of the footage that gets posted onto social media tends to fall into two buckets: trolls who make videos harassing service workers, and men making videos of themselves trying to pick up women on the street. Neither is a particularly positive outcome for the technology.

"My feed is mostly Meta [videos]. It's just mainly pickup artists and people trying to ragebait people," Mondragon said. "I knew when I started, I didn't want to do that. Obviously, I'm looking to get a reaction, but I'm not looking to mess up this person's day. I didn't want it to be like, this person leaves this interaction feeling shitty about themselves or anything."

When asked about "Computah's" popularity, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told Business Insider: "Local hero wears Ray-Ban Metas is a great story!"

And "Computah" is funny.

It's hard to explain why something is funny other than just pointing out, "This is funny." I mean, you all get the joke. But I'll try to explain what I think makes it work so well: Doesn't it feel like we're all being "programmed" somehow by some unseen computer? That our worldview and the trajectory of our days, and even our bodies, are being shaped by some unfeeling algorithm? Sure it does!

Mordragon sees a deeper meaning to it beyond just being funny. "It's like a pattern interruption," he said. "That's really what I'm trying to go for."

'Computah' has one weird catch phrase that's caught on

A particular "Computah" phrase has become a meme in its own right.

One of Mondragon's catch phrases has been a lighthearted command: "Computah, make these guys super gay and horny!" (He made sure to tell me he means this in the spirit of fun, not as something antigay.)

Another TikToker made a catchy song using the lyric over and over.

Mondragon told me he wasn't really sure why that particular phrase has caught on so much, or why girls seem to have latched onto it. Personally, I think it hits something in the gender and sexuality zeitgeist that simply just works in 2026.

On the day we met this week, the comedian and YouTuber Druski announced a rally for the New York Knicks in Washington Square Park.

Mondragon and I took the subway downtown together from Harlem. Just before our final stop on the train, he donned his Meta Ray-Bans and started to program the people in the car. As you might expect from typical New Yorkers, they didn't react much to the man speaking loudly and saying strange things on the subway.

When we reached the rally, where a few hundred young men had gathered to chant various permutations of "Knicks in four," we hung on the outskirts of the crowd.

Suddenly, someone recognized him: "Hey, it's Computah!" and excitedly shook his hand.

A young couple visiting from Florida, Amanda Rivera and her boyfriend, Diego Casanova, approached "Computah" and asked him to program them. Casanova told me that he was inspired by Mondragon to buy his own pair of Meta glasses. (He was wearing the frames with clear lenses while I chatted to him. I didn't even realize he was wearing them until he mentioned it. His recording light was on, but he didn't seem to realize he'd been recording our interaction.)

Mondragon started programming the Florida visitors, and heads turned.

More cheers erupted as people recognized him, and a crowd formed. The people who showed up to a spontaneous gathering for a social media comedian were the perfect chronically online cohort who had also all seen Mondragon's antics on TikTok and Reels.

While he might slip by on city streets unnoticed, in this crowd, he was a star.

• The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals after being down 29 points.
• The improbable win was fueled by the celebrities that filled Madison Square Garden.
• Here are the most memorable pop culture moments of the historic night.

Madison Square Garden was the site of another iconic moment in its storied history on Wednesday night when the New York Knicks made the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, beating the San Antonio Spurs after being down 29 points. The Knicks are now up in the series 3-1.

It's a game that will be studied forever for not just what happened on the court, but all the action around it.

The Garden has always hosted celebrities during Knicks games, but with the team in the Finals for the first time since 1999, it has become the hottest ticket in New York City. To say the stars came out for this game would be an understatement.

Here are the celebrity highlights from the Knicks' historic Game 4.

Taylor Swift brought the good vibes

Swift has been responsible for helping boost the US economy, the struggling movie theater business, and now, getting the Knicks off the schneid.

The team was on a 13-game win streak going into Monday's Game 3 of the Finals, which marked the first time a Finals game was played at Madison Square Garden since 1999. The hype was enormous, with nosebleed tickets costing thousands of dollars. Even the president showed up, causing fans to wait hours to get into the game due to heightened security. That night — and some superstitious fans say as a result — the Spurs won their first game in the series.

But then T-Swift entered the Garden for Game 4 on Wednesday.

Walking in alongside friends Alana and Este Haim, their energy could not be ignored. One of the fun parts of watching a basketball game, whether in person or on TV, is that the fans are so close to the court they're hard to miss. Especially when they're famous.

So as the Knicks chipped away in the second half at the Spurs' lead, Swift and the Haims became internet fodder for frantically jumping up in down in their cheeky T-shirts with Knicks puns.

If the Knicks go on to win the championship, there will be many who will suggest Taylor Swift showing up at Game 4 brought the good vibes back to the Garden.

The Wu-Tang Clan's halftime performance kept hope alive

The NBA Finals have never been known for having marquee halftime shows, because they aren't televised like the Super Bowl. But Madison Square Garden has gone all out this Finals. For Game 3, Cardi B performed during halftime, and for Game 4, MSG did the impossible, getting the Wu-Tang Clan to perform.

Historically, getting the Wu to come together on anything is as hard as getting the Knicks' center Karl-Anthony Towns to not get into foul trouble during a game. But members like RZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon all showed up and performed their classic songs like "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit," "C.R.E.A.M.," and "Method Man."

At the half, the Spurs were in the lead 76-49 on the Knicks. Wu-Tang could have just come out and gone through the motions, and no one would have blamed them, but that didn't happen. Method Man even announced at the end of the performance, "Knicks in five."

At that point, he might have been the only one in the Garden thinking that.

We almost lost Larry David

The Garden was in such hysterics by the end of the game that even Larry David was on his feet, amazed by the Knicks' improbable comeback run.

But we almost lost the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star during a key moment.

With 1:47 left in the game, Knicks forward Josh Hart picked up a loose ball and had a breakaway for a dunk to give his team its first lead of the game. But instead of dunking it, he tried to float the ball in the hoop and missed the shot.

David, sitting next to tennis legend John McEnroe and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, watched the miss and grabbed onto both men like he was going to collapse right there on the floor.

Thankfully, for David — and Hart — Knicks forward OG Anunoby tipped in a miss from Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson with just over one second left in the game to seal their victory.