• The stock market has sleepers, touchdown vultures, and target hogs — just like your fantasy football league.
• From AMD to oil stocks, we matched Wall Street's current roster with fantasy football's best tropes.
• Sign up for First Trade, Business Insider's daily markets newsletter.

The NFL season is mere weeks away, which means fantasy football leagues are revving back up for action.

In group chats across America, managers are haggling over draft availability, and the smack talk has commenced. The most dedicated players are poring over stats and spreadsheets, looking for deep value and trying to build the most statistically efficient team.

Of course, Wall Street has its own version of fantasy football season, just without the humiliating league punishments. Investors are constantly trying to identify the sleepers, avoid the busts, and figure out which stocks are merely riding a teammate's coattails.

With that in mind, here's a fantasy-football-themed look at the market's current roster, matching classic archetypes with specific parts of the stock market:

The touchdown vulture

The archetype — Have you ever had a running back scamper all the way down the field, only to be subbed out at the one-yard line, ceding the touchdown to their backup? Well, then you've been the victim of a touchdown vulture. We've all been there.

The market comp: Memory stocks — In the stock market, memory makers such as Micron and SanDisk are playing the touchdown-vulture role. Nvidia's massive AI buildout is driving demand for their products, while rising memory prices also squeeze Nvidia's margins. The supporting cast gets to swoop in, claim some of the upside, and ride off with the points after Nvidia did much of the work.

The handcuff

The archetype — Winning fantasy football players aren't just familiar with the starters — they also know who's waiting in the wings to step in if there's an injury. If the running back on a top offense misses time, their backup can plug in and soak up those touches. Many fantasy managers will roster the second-stringer behind their top player.

The market comp: AMD — The chipmaker is the market's handcuff for Nvidia. If demand for AI chips remains strong but Nvidia runs into a supply or execution issue, AMD is positioned to be one of the clearest beneficiaries.

The target hog

The archetype: This is one of the most enjoyable types of players to have on your fantasy team — the wide receivers who get thrown the ball 10-plus times a game. That volume naturally leads to higher yardage and more touchdowns, making them a strong bedrock for any team.

The market comp: Hyperscalers — Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta have become the AI trade's target hogs. Between their cloud platforms and their own enormous capex budgets, they sit at the center of the spending boom.

The preseason darling

The archetype — A common dilemma for a fantasy manager is figuring out whether preseason outperformance is sustainable, or simply fool's gold that came against weaker competition.

The market comp: Newly IPOed companies — As SpaceX and Cerebras have shown, a blockbuster stock-market debut can look more like a promising preseason than proof of a breakout. Once the IPO honeymoon fades and investors get a closer look at the fundamentals, early gains can evaporate quickly.

The streamer

The archetype — Even the most well-prepared fantasy players will inevitably find themselves scouring the waiver wire for pickups. Nothing long-term … just a one- or two-week rental that can get you past a patch of injuries or bye weeks.

The market comp: Oil stocks — Oil stocks are the market's streamer. They're a tactical way to play a particular matchup, rather than being a long-term holding. When the Iran war or other Middle East tensions flare, they can offer a quick hedge against a jump in crude prices.

• President Donald Trump issued an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
• The internet responded with memes and some colorful comparisons.
• Nate Silver said Lake America sounds like a "waterslide park where everyone gets tetanus."

President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario as Lake America, and it’s making waves on the internet.

After tense trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed and the US imposed new 50% tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of Canadian goods, Trump turned to another tool in his arsenal: rebranding.

On Thursday, Trump issued an executive order to rename Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes that straddles the US-Canada border, as Lake America. As the Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney wrote on X, the name predates the Confederation of Canada and the US Declaration of Independence. "The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari'io, which, appropriately, means '"the lake is beautiful, the lake is big'," he wrote.

The name change follows a similar move Trump made last year when he renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, a change that Mexico and other countries, including the UK and China, have refused to adopt.

After Thursday's executive order, it didn't take long for the internet to respond with memes. Here are the 10 best.

The online mapping service MapQuest is letting users name the lake as they please

Some people responded to Trump's rebrand with a few ideas of their own

Others pointed out an awkward acronym

The name inspired colorful comparisons

As far as Carney is concerned, it will be named Lake Ontario, "now and always," he wrote on X.

• These days, tech managers are often juggling bigger teams and coding work themselves.
• That can leave less one-on-one time for career coaching with direct reports.
• "It's not managing the human, it's managing the work," said one CEO. "And it's much more sink or swim."

If you work in tech, your manager might still care about your career. They just might not have enough time to do much about it.

Across tech, the Great Flattening has meant fewer managers overseeing larger teams and racing to keep up as the industry remakes itself around AI.

The result can be less time for managerial work that doesn't produce an immediately visible result: coaching employees to help them figure out where their careers are going.

The days of "purely pastoral managers" running teams of five or six are over, said Paddy Lambros, founder and CEO of Dex, which uses AI to connect software engineers with employers.

At the same time, he said, managers are increasingly coding themselves, and the intense pace of work can make their relationships with employees more about getting work done and less about long-term development.

"It's much more tactical and transactional," Lambros said. "It's not managing the human, it's managing the work. And it's much more sink or swim."

Managers are back on the field

Mitchell Kosowski knows that pressure firsthand. The software engineering manager at a tech startup said he has about 20 people reporting to him, spends about five hours a day in meetings, and is also expected to code.

"The joke is I code 90% of the time, and I manage 90% of the time, which I think doesn't feel like much of a joke these days," Kosowski said.

Inevitably, some things fall away. Kosowski said he tries to protect time for coaching, however.

AI is accelerating the push to add and ship product features quickly, he said, leaving less room for managers to step back from immediate work. "Then we lose strategic career development talk," Kosowski said.

The squeeze reflects a broader rethinking happening in tech about what a manager should do.

In the past, Lambros said, companies often pulled star performers into management roles as a way of "scaling impact." Yet that didn't necessarily mean those new managers wanted to coach others, or were good at it.

AI is changing that calculus, Lambros said, by making it more viable for top workers to sidestep the management track or stop managing. That's what he's seen at his company: Dex employs former founders, chief operating officers, and heads of engineering as senior individual contributors, rather than requiring them to oversee others.

"Freeing those people up to go and do the thing they used to be good at — it probably makes more sense than keeping them as management," Lambros said.

Other companies are rethinking the managers' jobs, too.

The HR and payroll platform Deel used to aim for eight to 10 employees per manager. Now it targets 12 to 15, cofounder and CEO Alex Bouaziz said, because AI can handle some of the administrative work that once limited team sizes.

At the same time, he said, the company tends to ask managers to act as player-coaches so that leaders stay connected to customers, its product, and how the company functions.

That approach also helps strip away what he sees as unnecessary layers.

"Managers of managers, to me, is a role that's meant to disappear, and I think AI is accelerating that," Bouaziz said.

Yet it's possible to make managers' teams too big, he said. Giving a manager 20 to 30 direct reports is effectively saying "We don't really want any interactions between the manager and the ICs, and we just want them to run," Bouaziz said, referring to individual contributors.

He said that investing time in employees' development can help prepare the next generation of leaders.

Ultimately, the payoff is there, Bouaziz said. The best "leaders of tomorrow are the people you cared for a long time ago," he said.

'In-the-trenches feedback'

Scott Stevenson, cofounder and CEO of Spellbook, which develops an AI tool for drafting and analyzing contracts, said that managers are increasingly folding career development into the work itself.

"It's a lot less formal and a lot more just on-the-fly, in-the-trenches feedback because everything is very fast-moving now," he said.

Stevenson said he hears from colleagues across tech that one-on-one meetings between managers and workers are among the first things to get axed in a week when someone wants an extra 30 to 60 minutes to "keep up with the fire hose."

"I still think they're important. I still think in-person time one-on-one is not something you can ever fully replace," Stevenson said. "It's less frequent now, though."

The pace of work in tech has left many people in the industry feeling "disoriented and unsure," he said. "Everyone is just doing a lot of work, and it's like, 'Well, where am I going?'"

To help guard against discussion about career growth getting lost entirely, Spellbook conducts annual and midyear reviews of its employees, Stevenson said. That allows for "really deep conversation" about workers' careers and how to level up and advance, he said.

Beyond regular reviews, Kosowski, the engineer manager, recommends that workers bring up career development with their managers and "fight for that time."

Has your manager had less time for career conversations? Or, are you a manager juggling a heavier workload? Share your experience in the comments below.

• Tim and Moby are cartoons created to teach kids about science and history in the classroom.
• The White House, however, used Tim and Moby in a MAGA-themed video it posted to social media.
• Tim and Moby's creators responded with a video that teaches copyright infringement.

Tim and Moby, the human-and-robot cartoon duo, are known for explaining scientific concepts and historical events to kids in classrooms across America.

In a video posted by the White House this week, though, the pair were instead wearing MAGA hats and explaining why the Department of Education has "utterly failed our students."

Tim and Moby's creators responded with a lesson on the nuances of copyright law.

"Copyright is a tricky but important subject," BrainPOP, the company behind Tim and Moby, said on X.

The response video has since racked up nearly 3 million views on X alone. Many comments applauded BrainPOP for showing some gumption against a White House — and a president — that has been repeatedly sued for copyright infringement by artists and creators.

The White House video was removed from X on Thursday, though it remains on Instagram and Facebook. The White House and BrainPOP did not respond to a request for comment sent Thursday.

While BrainPOP stopped short of directly calling out the White House in its video, two copyright law professors told Business Insider that the education company has options for recourse, should it choose to pursue them.

"This is a pretty straightforward case," said Jane C. Ginsburg, a professor of literary and artistic property law at Columbia University. "The characters were copied. They were incorporated in another work that doesn't criticize, comment on, or otherwise say anything about the characters or what they stand for."

One option, according to Cathay Y. N. Smith, a professor of law at Illinois Tech, is for BrainPOP to file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown request with the social media companies where the White House posted the videos.

"Copyright owners can typically file a DMCA takedown notice to the online platform hosting [the content] and ask them to take it down," Smith said.

Ginsburg said this option "might be the most direct and least expensive way of dealing with this."

A DMCA request is a useful alternative to a copyright infringement lawsuit, Smith said, because a court can only grant monetary damages to a company suing the government. A court cannot grant an injunction — which would take down the content — against the government.

Should BrainPOP sue, Smith said the White House video may not fall under "fair use" distinction because Tim and Moby are highly creative works and the White House replicated the characters in a format resembling a BrainPOP episode.

As an educational company that has contracts with school districts across the country, BrainPOP would be sensitive to its trademarked characters being used for partisan political purposes, Smith said.

"What they want is an injunction, and they want the injunction so that their work isn't now associated with a party," Smith said.

The Trump administration has faced lawsuits and takedown requests before for using songs and other intellectual property in its political messaging.

In 2024, a federal judge in Manhattan found then-candidate Trump liable for damages in a copyright battle over Eddy Grant's '80s dance hit "Electric Avenue."

In May, the owner of music used in "Peanuts" animated specials sued the US Department of the Interior, alleging the government used "O Tannenbaum" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in a social media post without permission.

"This is not unusual for Trump or his associates," Ginsburg said.

• Brannon Potts uses a build-to-rent strategy to create cash flow from rental properties.
• He got started in 2020 with $15,000, enough for the down payment and closing costs on three lots.
• Today, he estimates his 14 properties are worth about $3.5 million based on appraisals.

In his late 40s, Brannon Potts realized he was behind on retirement savings. Looking for another source of income, he turned to something he already enjoyed: building from scratch.

"I love building — to be able to put my fingerprint on a property," Potts, who grew up in a home his parents built in Fort Worth, Texas, told Business Insider.

In 2020, he started using what he calls a "build-to-rent" strategy: buying land, constructing rental properties, and holding them for cash flow.

Potts said he started with about $15,000 of his own money, which covered the down payment and closing costs on three lots. Today, he owns 14 rental units across eight properties, which he estimates are worth about $3.5 million based on appraisals.

That growth didn't happen without debt. Potts financed construction, and the $3.5 million figure represents the estimated value of the properties, not his equity — though he said the portfolio currently has more than $1 million in equity.

The key, he said, was creating equity during construction by building properties that appraised for more than they cost him to complete.

He used construction to create equity

Potts' first project was a fourplex. He said it cost about $447,000 to build and was appraised for $595,000 after completion. Because the finished property was worth substantially more than what it cost him to construct, he said he didn't have to contribute additional cash when the construction loan converted into longer-term financing.

That spread gave him equity from the start.

"Because I'm doing builds, all of these builds had instant equity that ranged between 20% and 25%," he said. "So I built wealth without money coming out of my pocket."

The fourplex also generated positive cash flow, which Potts saved and used toward future land purchases and projects. He then built a triplex on another of the original lots, followed by additional single-family and multifamily rentals.

"Once I got these started, the cash flow funded the purchases of all the other dirt," he said.

He builds with renters in mind

As Potts repeated the process, he refined his builds. He's now constructed five versions of the same rental property and said each iteration has helped him figure out which features tenants value — and which upgrades aren't worth the cost.

"I think I've got it pretty optimized," he said.

He's found that people prefer a split-bedroom floor plan, with bedrooms separated by an open kitchen and living area. He also began adding extra workspace and storage to the garage after thinking more deliberately about the tenants in his market.

"I looked at the area and said, 'What do people want?'" Potts said, noting that the area has a lot of tradespeople. With that in mind, he started incorporating built-in workbenches and enough room for a tool chest or extra refrigerator in the garage.

Other features didn't justify the added expense. On his first build, for example, Potts used more decorative trim and shiplap than he now believes was necessary.

Another rule he lives by: Build a space he'd be comfortable living in himself.

"We build these as if my wife and I, if we had to, we'd live in them," he said.

He looks for small ways to improve returns

Potts has also focused on improving his existing portfolio, especially as rents have softened somewhat in his market over the past few years.

He said operating expenses once consumed a little over 30% of his rental revenue, but now account for about 26% after he focused on costs such as financing, property taxes, and insurance.

Even construction decisions can affect those expenses. On his two most recent builds, Potts said he spent about $600 extra per house to upgrade to higher-rated, impact-resistant shingles after asking his insurer whether the change could reduce his premiums.

The upgrade saved him about $275 on insurance in the first year, he said: "You apply that over two or three years, you've already recouped all your money. Plus, those roofs last so much longer."

For Potts, that's part of the advantage of repeatedly building and holding his own rentals: each project gives him another chance to refine the economics.

He keeps a growing cash reserve

Potts automatically sets aside about 8% of his rental revenue for vacancies, repairs, and larger future expenses. He said the reserve has grown to about $60,000, and his goal is eventually to hold enough cash to cover six months of his portfolio's total expenses.

Thanks to what he calls his "sleep well at night" account, "I can weather a lot of storms, and I don't make bad decisions because I'm in panic," he said.

The reserve gives him time to handle vacancies without rushing to accept a tenant, make repairs properly rather than opting for the cheapest short-term fix, and occasionally fund projects that could add value to a property.

"It actually protects your wealth," he said. "It gives you that time to protect your wealth and make good decisions."

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics published new job projections for hundreds of titles.
• The fastest-growing jobs between 2025 and 2035 are a mix of healthcare, energy, and tech work.
• Nurse practitioners are projected to experience the largest percent increase at 41%.

The future is bright for nurse practitioners and solar photovoltaic installers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics published new job projections on Thursday, showing which roles are set to experience massive employment declines and which may flourish between 2025 and 2035.

The jobs projected to grow the fastest over the decade are a mix of healthcare, energy, and tech work.

Nurse practitioners, who typically earn six figures, had the highest percent increase at 41%, far faster than the overall projection of 3.5%. One reason for that projected demand is that in many states, they can perform duties that used to be reserved for physicians.

Two renewable energy-related jobs are also expected to quickly grow: Solar photovoltaic installers had the second-highest percent increase, and wind turbine service technicians had the fourth-highest.

"As the cost of PV systems continues to decrease, more households are expected to take advantage of these systems, resulting in greater demand for the workers who install and maintain them," BLS said.

Employment of data scientists is projected to increase by about 35% because businesses will need to hire workers to handle the expected increase in data usage and collection. Computer and information research scientists are also among the projected fastest-growing jobs, partly to work on AI tools.

Typical educational requirements vary among the top 12 jobs. BLS said solar photovoltaic installers typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent for entry. Nurse practitioners, computer and information research scientists, and physician assistants need more schooling. BLS said those jobs typically need a master's degree for entry.

Overall, US employment is projected to increase by 5.9 million over the decade, or by 3.5%, down from the 10.9% growth from 2015 to 2025. The private healthcare and social assistance sector could be a great place for job seekers to look, as it's projected to add the most jobs, due to an aging population and a rise in chronic health conditions. The AI boom is expected to affect the utilities sector as data centers continue to demand more electricity. BLS said the relatively small sector is projected to surge by 10%, the fastest among major sectors.

Are you a nurse practitioner, solar photovoltaic installer, or working in any of the other fastest-growing jobs? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com.

• Minecraft creator Markus Persson said AI coding advocates were "incompetent or evil" in January.
• By July, he was trying out coding with AI — and had found use cases.
• By August, he said it might be time to "eat some crow."

Markus Persson is an AI convert.

The billionaire creator of Minecraft, who's commonly known as "Notch," was once fiercely opposed to using AI for coding. In January, he wrote that it was "an incredibly bad idea still, and anyone advocating for it is either incompetent or evil."

Coding was about "logic," not about "typing," Persson wrote.

Then, in April, he responded after someone hacked Mojang Studios cofounder Jakob Porsér's X account. Mojang runs Minecraft and was acquired by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014. Porsér's hacked account was defending AI coding.

"This is further evidence that the AI programming hype is being falsely inflated by people who desperately want to change the narrative," Persson wrote.

On July 14, he was firm: "Reject AI."

Persson wasn't alone in his hatred of AI. Many programmers are nervous about the job impacts of AI or frustrated with how AI has changed their roles. Some are burning out from long days of vibe coding.

Others are excited about developments in AI coding — a position Persson eventually took up. On July 21, he wrote that he "just might give vibe coding a shot."

"I've been having a lot of trouble hiring talented programmers, and I'll probably feel less bad about firing a chat bot," Persson wrote.

It didn't take long. Days later, Persson wrote that he was already coming up with use cases for Claude. "Can I still make fun of vibe coders if I become one?" he asked.

One user reminded Persson of his post earlier that month, calling for the rejection of AI. The Minecraft creator responded that it was "repression," and that thoughts that AI coding might actually be useful had been "bubbling inside" him for a while.

On August 10, Persson shared a chat log. "Maybe it's time to eat some crow," he wrote. One user quoted Persson's post, writing that it was "depressing" that he would develop a game with AI.

"I can promise you I'm trying to hold on to the foundation, for whatever that's worth," Persson responded. "I thought I should at least give this potential amazing technology a shot. Especially since I can't hire people."

Still, he's proceeding cautiously.

"One of the reasons I don't want to embrace this AI thing too much is that I'd prefer to stay a developer and not become middle management," Persson wrote on Tuesday. "Feels related somehow."

• Morgan Stanley highlights "AI sovereignty" as crucial for national security and economic power.
• Governments are prioritizing domestic AI infrastructure, benefiting certain companies globally.
• SpaceX, Amkor, and others are poised to gain from AI sovereignty, Morgan Stanley analysts say.

AI isn't just important for investors and corporate profits — it's also a matter of national competitiveness and security. That's a tailwind for a particular set of stocks within the AI trade, according to Morgan Stanley.

Governments around the world are intervening in the market to ensure their countries can come out as one of the winners in the AI race, and can control their access to AI without relying on foreign entities.

Morgan Stanley calls the theme "AI sovereignty."

"AI is becoming strategic infrastructure, pushing governments to favor domestic capacity, trusted partners, and tighter technology controls," a team of the bank's analysts, led by Ariana Salvatore, wrote in an August 19 note. "That means the US government is likely to prioritize control over compute, data, energy, talent, models, and supply chains as the technology transitions to a source of national economic and geopolitical power."

This means governments will support the AI infrastructure buildout in their respective countries, while restricting the flow of certain technologies.

Essentially, that means more of everything AI-related is necessary.

"Sovereign capacity requires additional domestic and regional data centers, greater redundancy, more power generation and transmission, localized cloud and networking infrastructure, and in some cases, parallel technology stacks," the bank said.

This reality will continue to benefit some companies in the space, Morgan Stanley said. The bank called AI sovereignty "one of the fastest-growing themes in the market."

In the note, the bank laid out a list of stocks that are set to benefit most from the AI sovereignty and localization trend.

Below, is the list down of the US-traded stocks that have at least 20% upside to Morgan Stanley's base-case price target. Also listed are the bank's rating for each stock, as well as each one's importance to the AI sovereignty thesis. A "core to thesis" label signifies the highest level of relevance, followed by "significant."

SpaceX

Ticker: SPCX

Materiality: Core to Thesis

Market: USA

Industry Group: Telecoms

Market cap: $1.7 trillion

MS Rating: Overweight

Target Price: $300

Upside to Base Case: +105%

Amkor Technology

Ticker: AMKR

Materiality: Core to Thesis

Market: USA

Industry Group: Semiconductors

Market cap: $13.9 billion

MS Rating: Equal-weight

Target Price: $70

Upside to Base Case: +26%

ACM Research

Ticker: ACMR

Materiality: Core to Thesis

Market: China

Industry Group: Semiconductors

Market cap: $4.8 billion

MS Rating: Overweight

Target Price: $130

Upside to Base Case: +60%

Alibaba Group Holding

Ticker: BABA

Materiality: Significant

Market: China

Industry Group: Consumer Discretionary Retailing

Market cap: $309.9 billion

MS Rating: Overweight

Target Price: $180

Upside to Base Case: +44%

KLA

Ticker: KLAC

Materiality: Significant

Market: USA

Industry Group: Semiconductors

Market cap: $273.8 billion

MS Rating: Overweight

Target Price: $253

Upside to Base Case: +21%

• James Strawn was laid off after 25 years at Adobe.
• He looked for tech jobs, but once unemployment benefits stopped, he broadened his search.
• He made a career pivot to driving a school bus for at least a year.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with James Strawn, a 56-year-old former senior software quality engineer in Colorado, who worked at Adobe for 25 years before being laid off in June 2025. After a difficult job search, he landed on a completely new career path: being a school bus driver. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I had every intention of retiring from Adobe on my own terms, aiming for age 59 ½. I always pictured what I would say at my retirement event.

Adobe had other plans.

I worked at the company for 25 years

For the first eight years, I worked at the headquarters in San Jose. I was hired in 2000 as a contractor, and they made me a regular employee later that year. In 2008, the company let me work remotely, so I moved to the Colorado home that I'm still in.

It was a good job, one that I loved most of the time. I started on the Illustrator team, then moved to the Premiere team for over 20 years.

Adobe was always good to me — I have no complaints. The work could be frustrating, but I was able to do it. It was excellent to work in the tech industry remotely and to earn the pay I was getting.

My layoff caught me by surprise

One day last year, I got a calendar invite. When I joined, the person started reading the layoff script. I remember my face melting and being in disbelief.

I had a few weeks before my last official day on payroll, so I took a family vacation we already had planned.

When I came back, I spent a lot of time every day looking at internal positions, trying to reach out to people to call in favors, and getting the word out that I was looking.

August 1 was my last official day. With no job lined up, I lived off severance for a while. My job search during that time was very informal. At that point, I still thought, I'll totally find a replacement role; this will be great.

The job search became exhausting and humiliating

I applied for unemployment in September. The search became much more official and demanding and took up a lot more of my time. I did everything I could: I hired a coach. I took seminars. I redid my résumé, customizing it whenever I could.

I was looking at tech jobs that paid at least $100,000, as I'd been making over $150,000 at Adobe at the end, but as time went on, I lowered my desired pay.

I either heard nothing back or I'd hear, "This is great. We'll get you an interview." It would feel really promising — and then crickets.

It was by far the worst period of my life, career-wise. There were some nice things — I was spending more time with my family and sleeping in — but it was so demoralizing and difficult. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

I felt like a failure because, according to LinkedIn, it seemed like every other person I knew who'd been laid off had some fantastic job already, a few months later. I was like, What's wrong with me? I still don't know why.

It felt like a perfect storm. I'm old, so I have ageism working against me. The tech job market was especially competitive. The third piece of the storm is AI — filtering my résumé out before humans even see it and causing panic in the workplace.

I was trying to be positive, but it really felt like I was never going to get hired.

Unemployment benefits stopped

Once my unemployment checks ran out this past spring, I said, I'm not looking for tech jobs. This is going nowhere and just sucking my soul away.

I went to Costco to ask if they were hiring. I tried to apply to one of the fitness centers in my area, but it was crickets. Finally, my friend started working at the bus barn in the area, and said they're looking for school bus drivers.

My initial reaction was, No way I'm doing that. But then I thought, it's time to humble yourself, and it's a good job. It's steady, with a good schedule. It's AI-resistant, and it could be fun.

Another friend who has worked there for years introduced me to the transportation manager and the primary trainer. We met and had a really good conversation. It was more personal than a tech interview, and the questions were simple, such as regarding how to show the kids that you care, not how big and fancy my projects were. They told me that they expected a one-year commitment to the job if they were going to train me.

The meeting ended with them asking whether I wanted to come back later for a bus ride-along.

The job is hot, loud, and exhausting

I got the job, which was a drastic pay cut from my Adobe earnings.

After the first ride-along, I wasn't sure if I could do it. It was hot, loud, and exhausting. In tech, you're always free to walk away from your work, unless you're in a meeting or something. This was more in your face and overall physically and mentally exhausting.

I did two months of training, which included getting a commercial driver's permit and license, a lot of on-the-road time, and student management training.

I had the summer off. My family had some savings that we were still living on, and then the school year began in August.

The stakes are much higher as a school bus driver

It was really hard for the first week and a half.

In tech, the biggest error that I could make is a bug getting out to a user; no one was going to get hurt.

As a bus driver, you have to be focused all the time, and get everything right when you do a train crossing or a student stop. Children's lives are at stake, and there's no room for error.

I had a couple of meetings with my supervisor and spoke honestly about how hard it was. But I just kept at it.

I'm feeling good now, and finally enjoying it despite some very difficult days. I have everything down to muscle memory — kids' names and the route.

I drive a few hours in the mornings and a few hours in the afternoons, to and from the elementary, middle, and high schools.

I live in a beautiful area. I get to see the sunrise every morning, mountains, and tons of wildlife. The kids are usually pretty quiet and well-behaved in the mornings.

I still think about whether or not I could do this for one year or five years. But I'm enjoying it, and I don't have any regrets. The supervisors and the bus drivers are all exceptional people, and they've been so encouraging.

The support I've gotten has been unbelievable

When unemployment ended, I went completely off social media. I just wanted to be done with it for a while. However, I decided to make a post about my new job.

The response was unbelievable. I've never gone viral or anything like that, and I wasn't trying to. There's an online community of people who were inspired by my story, and they're trying to campaign on my behalf to get enough money donated to help me retire early. I set up a memecoin for people interested in supporting my family and me. I still have to make it until I'm at least 59 ½, when I can draw from my retirement without penalty.

Unless someone reaches out to me with some fantastic tech job, I'm not planning on going back. If I do decide to leave the bus barn before five years — that's when I can get the full vesting for the Colorado state retirement fund — I'm certain I'd only look at other driving jobs.

Have you made a career pivot, or have you been job searching for a while? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com.

• Cara Torchia transitioned from nannying to thriving as a UGC creator, earning $10,000 monthly.
• From Broadway to cruise ships, Torchia used her performance skills to excel in UGC creation.
• Her UGC business soared on Fiverr, and she now has some clients on retainer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cara Torchia, a 25-year-old actor and UGC creator based in New York City. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In four months, I went from earning nothing from freelance user-generated content (UGC) work to fully supporting myself, which allowed me to forgo traditional employment. I used to be a nanny for a family on the Upper East Side. I'm also a performer.

I was drawn to UGC for the flexibility and financial freedom it offered as I pursued a creative career, and I've since focused on building my business full-time.

I started making content in January and had my first $10,000 month in May.

I wanted a flexible way to make income

Before launching my UGC business, I performed in the Broadway national tour of Hairspray from summer 2023 to summer 2024, then worked as a performer aboard a cruise ship for nine months, visiting 31 countries.

After getting off the cruise ship, I didn't want to get a traditional job and wanted to use my current skill set as a theatre performer. I worked part-time as a nanny from fall 2024 to February 2025.

My mom says I've been making videos in my bedroom with my webcam since I was 5. I would shoot my own social media content while on the Broadway tour and cruise ship. UGC was a natural progression, as I have experience engaging audiences.

I learned about UGC from Instagram UGC creators posting about their work

I looked into it and discovered Fiverr, a marketplace for freelancers. I signed up, set my pricing, posted sample videos, and started receiving inbound inquiries from brands searching on the platform. I didn't need to pitch or do any outreach.

I made sure to hit it out of the park with those first videos. The first month was slow; I earned about $1,000, and then it really picked up.

A lot of people treat UGC as a side hustle, but I scaled to $10,000 a month in five months by treating it like a real business from day one. I'm professional with my communication and delivery, and I always go above and beyond with my videos.

As I completed more projects, my profile ranked higher in the algorithm, and it grew from there. Reviews on your profile help potential buyers know, like, and trust you by showing real client feedback and examples of your work. It becomes a snowball effect.

I earn about $10,000 a month

I deliver high-quality work by connecting on camera with emotion and performing script reads professionally, all the things I trained for. What sets me apart from other creators is my storytelling. I print out the script and approach it like theater: what story are we telling, and how can I make it an engaging ad?

I love it when brands give me creative freedom because that's where I really shine. I work with all kinds of brands and don't have one specific niche. I've done everything from skincare to windshield wipers, and I work with a lot of lawyers, too. I just filmed a video for houseplant soil.

As long as I'm comfortable with the product, I'm open to anything. I've since worked with over 150 brands.

Outside Fiverr, I'm starting to land retainer clients

My retainer clients request a set number of videos each month, which gives me another source of guaranteed income.

I'm also getting more inbound inquiries via email and social media, where I share my UGC examples and behind-the-scenes content about how I get the shot in NYC.

I typically work 30 to 40 hours a week

I have complete control over my schedule. Some days I don't work at all, and other days I'll work 10 hours. It never feels like work because it's creative, and I film a lot outside in NYC, which is a major draw for brands that want to be featured on the subway, in Central Park, or in Times Square. The best part is I can shoot it all on my phone.

Because I have a high volume of work right now, I keep an in-depth spreadsheet that I check every morning and every night to track exactly where each video is in the pipeline. Some weeks, I have 16 videos due, so staying organized is essential.

I would love to work with big-name brands like Lush or Nike

I would also love to work with more local businesses. UGC also allows me to continue pursuing theater, and if I book another national tour, I can take this business with me.

I'm extremely grateful; UGC has changed my life and given me fun, freedom, and flexibility.

• Cybersecurity startup Snyk was valued at $8.5 billion in 2021. The rise of new AI tools hit it hard.
• The price of each Snyk share given to employees has plummeted to $1.16, a document says.
• Snyk said it doesn't comment on employee share valuations.

Snyk was one of cybersecurity's brightest startup stars, worth $8.5 billion at the height of the software boom. Now, the value of the stock it gives employees has fallen to a fraction of that, underscoring how dramatically fortunes have shifted for many software companies in the AI era.

Snyk, which is headquartered in Boston, became best-known for selling a vulnerability scanner that quickly finds bugs in code. It was valued at $8.5 billion in a 2021 funding round and at $7.4 billion in a 2022 funding round. Snyk has raised more than $1 billion from investors since its founding in 2015.

People with Snyk equity have been watching the value of their shares slide over the past few years, two former employees told Business Insider.

One recalled that around Snyk's peak valuation, their shares were worth over $10. By the summer of 2025, that had declined to around $3, the other former employee said. That figure is now down to $1.16 per share as of late August, according to an internal document.

Snyk said it doesn't comment on employee share valuations and declined to provide a valuation for Snyk at this time. Snyk said that 2026 has "brought accelerating momentum" and added that it has launched three new solutions over the past few months.

Dramatic valuation drops have hit some software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies this year due to the rise of powerful new AI systems, said Dan Morgan, a senior trust portfolio manager at Synovus Trust. Morgan added that startups are particularly vulnerable compared to larger, well-established firms.

"I would say it's definitely a trend, not an exception," he said.

Software startup Airtable, which was once valued at over $11 billion in 2021, entered into an agreement to be sold for $1.3 billion earlier this month. Another SaaS company, Domo, was once worth $2.8 billion and has a market capitalization of less than $200 million.

Snyk faces competition and a leadership shake-up

Snyk has been facing rising competition from AI labs like Anthropic and cybersecurity rivals like Wiz, which Google bought in March. Coinbase, for example, previously told Business Insider that it had used Anthropic's Claude to scan its codebase for bugs.

Snyk was growing steadily, though it remained unprofitable by the end of 2024, losing $188 million on $278 million in revenue, according to UK government records.

In December 2024, then-CEO Peter McKay told TechCrunch the company was "very close to break-even" and had plans for an initial public offering, though it wasn't rushing to do so.

Snyk has gone through at least two rounds of job cuts since 2025, according to former employees' LinkedIn posts. In June, Snyk said it was "flattening leadership" and "simplifying our structure" to move faster.

After about seven years as CEO, McKay announced in February he would step down, saying the company needed a new leader with "deep roots in product innovation and AI."

McKay now works as a "value accelerator advisor" for Goldman Sachs and as an advisor at Snyk. Snyk's chief financial officer, Kenneth MacAskill, stepped in as interim CEO.

• Chinese tech firm Z.ai revealed that mystery AI model Ox Alpha was actually its new GLM-5.3-Flash model.
• The Tsinghua University spinout went public in Hong Kong in January and its shares have since surged.
• Z.ai says all traffic from the Ox Alpha test ran on Chinese AI chips despite US technology restrictions.

For days, one of the most popular AI models of the week had no known maker.

Ox Alpha was free to try, impressive at coding, and mysterious enough to set developers guessing about which major AI lab was behind it.

Then Z.ai revealed itself.

The Beijing AI company said this week that Ox Alpha was the name it had used to anonymously test GLM-5.3-Flash, its latest open-weight model, on OpenRouter and OpenCode.

The stunt has put the newly public company in the spotlight as China's AI race heats up.

Z.ai is up against DeepSeek, Moonshot AI — the company behind Kimi — and Alibaba's Qwen team. They're competing on performance and price, while trying to make the most of limited computing power.

Here's what to know.

Z.ai grew out of a top Chinese university

Z.ai, also known in China as Zhipu AI, says it was founded in 2019 based on technology developed at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The company developed GLM, short for General Language Model, its family of large language models. It launched its chatbot, ChatGLM, in 2023.

It went public just this year

Z.ai was listed in Hong Kong in January under the corporate name Knowledge Atlas Technology, before changing its English name to Z.ai in July.

It priced its shares at 116.20 Hong Kong dollars apiece and began trading on January 8.

Z.ai's shares are now trading at around HK$1,100 — about nine times its IPO price.

Last year, Z.ai generated 724.3 million Chinese yuan, or about $108 million, in revenue, more than double its 2024 total.

It spent about 3.2 billion yuan on research and development and posted a net loss of about 4.7 billion yuan.

Z.ai is scheduled to report results for the first six months of the year on Monday.

What does Z.ai actually do?

Z.ai delivers its services through two main segments: cloud-based services and customized models installed on customers' own infrastructure.

Its product lines include APIs, enterprise AI agents, general-purpose models, and technical services.

Ox Alpha was really GLM-5.3-Flash

Z.ai anonymously tested GLM-5.3-Flash under the name Ox Alpha on OpenRouter and OpenCode.

The model's identity quickly became a guessing game. Some developers suspected a Chinese lab, while others wondered whether Microsoft was behind it.

The mystery also spilled onto the Chinese internet. Users nicknamed it the "Niu Lai Model," a reference to a low-budget animated Chinese movie about a calf that became a meme phenomenon this month.

Z.ai ended the mystery on Wednesday, confirming that Ox Alpha was GLM-5.3-Flash.

GLM-5.3-Flash is a multimodal model, meaning it can work with text, images, and video. Its model weights are publicly available on Hugging Face, allowing developers to download and run it themselves.

Ox Alpha runs on Chinese chips

Z.ai said all the traffic from the Ox Alpha test was served on Chinese AI chips.

The claim comes as Washington has restricted China's access to some of the most advanced chips used to develop and run AI.

Z.ai said the Chinese chips it used had limitations in memory capacity and bandwidth. Its engineers compensated by optimizing its software and how workloads were distributed across the hardware.

Z.ai has tested models anonymously before

Ox Alpha wasn't Z.ai's first experiment with an anonymous model.

The company previously tested GLM-5 anonymously under the name Pony Alpha.

With GLM-5.3-Flash, Z.ai says the purpose of testing it anonymously as Ox Alpha was to gather user feedback before release.

• Nearly 600 foreign tourists are missing after severe floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border region.
• People from over 30 countries, including Americans, Canadians, and Brits, are among those missing.
• About 465 bodies have been recovered from the disaster, Nepal police said at 7 a.m. local time on Friday.

Nearly 600 foreign nationals are missing after deadly floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday.

The flooding began on the morning of August 26, when a surge of water, mud, and debris entered Nepal from the autonomous Chinese region of Tibet via the Bhote Koshi River, Nepal's Tourism Board said.

Around 465 bodies have been recovered, per a Facebook update by the Nepal police at 7 a.m. local time Friday. Nepal's foreign ministry said in an update at 8 p.m. on Thursday that 596 foreign nationals were missing in the country.

The list includes 66 Americans and 25 Canadians, as well as travelers from the UK, Australia, Malaysia, and Ukraine. 167 of the missing foreigners are from neighboring India, authorities said.

In total, people from more than 30 countries are missing.

The US State Department said in a press release that it was deploying a disaster response adviser and providing $500,000 through Catholic Relief Services for shelter, supplies, clean water, and sanitation. It also said the US Embassy in the capital Kathmandu is working with local authorities to locate and assist Americans.

Global Affairs Canada said it was aware that Canadians had been affected and was ready to provide consular assistance. It said power outages were making communications difficult.

The floods hit communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, north of Kathmandu.

The US Geological Survey initially recorded a magnitude 4.4 earthquake about 40 miles north of the capital. It later updated its event page to say that no earthquake occurred and that the signal came from a glacier collapse and debris flow that released energy equivalent to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.

What triggered the glacier collapse is still being investigated.

CCTV footage shared online showed walls of water, mud, and debris hitting Gyirong port, the border crossing between the two countries, while other footage showed widespread damage in nearby towns.

Nepal's disaster management authority said 27 foreign tourists had been rescued from Rasuwa by Thursday afternoon. Two army helicopters were deployed to support rescue efforts.

The Tourism Board said other parts of Nepal were unaffected. It advised travelers to avoid rivers, bridges, and damaged roads, and to postpone trips to flood-hit areas until officials say conditions are safe.

• Lindsey Vonn said training gave her a sense of focus that she struggled to find in retirement.
• Being an elite athlete meant there was little room for distractions if she wanted to perform at her best.
• "You're not on your phone. You're not thinking about emails," she said.

Lindsay Vonn, 41, said she missed the phone-free focus of being an athlete after retirement.

On Wednesday's episode of the "Pretty Tough" podcast, Vonn told host Maria Sharapova that she was still thinking about being active on her way home after her Olympic injury.

"I was coming up the hill to my house, and I thought, 'God, I would love to do a hill sprint right now,'" Vonn said. "Then I thought to myself, 'What is wrong with me? Why do I want to do that right now, even in excruciating pain?'"

The alpine skier said sports gave her the chance to be "singularly focused," something she found "really therapeutic."

"The work ethic, the pain, grinding it out in the gym was always something that I actually enjoyed because I felt like I got so much out of it," Vonn said.

"I was so present and focused. You're not on your phone. You're not thinking about emails," she continued.

In retirement, she found it harder to feel fully present and missed the distraction-free focus that came with a structured training routine.

"There's no time really, unless you carve out time in the gym or like you have a specific amount of time where you're meditating, where you actually are present," Vonn said. "We're being pulled in so many different directions."

But for her and other elite athletes, sports can create a rare "bubble" where they can shut out the rest of the world, Vonn said.

Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist, initially announced her retirement from the sport in 2019. Five years later, months after undergoing a knee replacement surgery, Vonn told The New York Times she was rejoining the US ski team.

In 2026, Vonn competed in her fifth Olympics at the Milan Cortina Games, where she crashed during the women's downhill competition. She was airlifted from the course and later said she had sustained a complex tibia fracture.

During the podcast, Vonn said she was "pretty far away from knowing" the future of her competitive skiing career, but hoped to make a decision "next spring" after additional surgery and a "mental, physical wellness check."

Other athletes have also spoken about finding it hard to replace the intensity of competition in retirement.

In 2024, Tom Brady said nothing could match the thrill of taking the field with his teammates. Former NHL player Brooks Laich similarly told Business Insider in July that it took him years to find a new sense of purpose after retiring from hockey.

• Miss Virginia Justus Kelley was crowned the new Miss USA in Miami on Thursday night.
• She will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November.
• Kelley is a foster mom of two, making her the first mother to win the Miss USA title.

A new Miss USA has been crowned.

Miss Virginia Justus Kelley was named the winner of the 75th Miss USA pageant on Thursday at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, becoming Virginia's first winner since 1970. She was crowned by Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert.

Kelley, 31, is a foster mom of two, a nonprofit founder, and a children's book author. She's also the first married woman, first mother, and first woman in her 30s to win Miss USA. The pageant only began allowing married women and mothers to compete in 2023, and 2024 was the first year that all women 18 and over were eligible. The previous cutoff age was 28.

Kelley will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November.

A historic pageant

Fifty-one women competed for the Miss USA crown, taking part in swimsuit, evening gown, and interview rounds during the preliminary competition earlier this week in Miami.

The top 20 competed in an onstage swimsuit round, while the top 10 also competed in an evening gown round.

Those who made the top five were asked to answer a final question. For Kelley, that question was: "For 75 years, Miss USA has reflected the changing face of American women. If you become the 75th Miss USA, what do you hope your year will say about women in America today?"

"We are here tonight celebrating the 75th anniversary of Miss USA, but we also have an opportunity to make history tonight," Kelley responded. "I'm 31 years old, I'm married to my college sweetheart of nine years, and we are proud foster parents of two adorable siblings that absolutely have my heart."

"What my year as Miss USA would mean and look like is no longer questioning if we have to choose between our ambitious careers, our families, and our wildest dreams," she continued. "I'm standing on this stage embracing every part of who I am, and I believe that I can be your next Miss USA."

She addressed her history-making win at a press conference after the pageant, saying it was "a huge honor."

"I look at this like a responsibility to know that I was trusted to be the first," she said about being the first mother and married woman to win the title, adding that she "won't be the last."

Kelley, a big fan of thrifting, also dressed in secondhand clothing for the pageant.

"I had gone into the competition weekend wearing an all-thrifted wardrobe for each phase," she said. "I loved one of my first USA state pageants, walking in with a really special suit that I found in Goodwill, and as soon as I walked in, the judges said, 'Oh, you look stunning,' and I said, 'Thank you, $9.99 at Goodwill.'"

Though she fell in love with the thrill of "the hunt" while thrifting, she said she realized it was a way to show people you "don't have to spend a million dollars" to be up on the pageant stage.

A new category, a new judge

This year, the Miss USA contestants were also judged on a brand-new category called "commercial appeal," which evaluated how they might attract sponsorships.

"When it comes to commercial appeal, Miss USA shouldn't only look incredible wearing that crown, they should make the rest of the world want to work with the woman wearing it," Miss USA host and actor Ian Ziering said about the category during the live show.

Ziering's co-host, Miss USA 1993 Kenya Moore, added that the pageant was "putting emphasis" on the winner's "ability to connect with a camera, with major brands, with beauty campaigns, and more" by adding the new criteria.

"Commercial appeal" was judged based on a portfolio of non-pageant images that were submitted to this year's judges, who were present for all rounds of the competition, including the preliminary rounds.

On Tuesday, Miss USA announced on its Instagram page that the audience would also have a say in the top 10 during the finals. "Your vote can have a real impact on who advances," the Instagram caption read.

Fans watching from home were given a 12-minute window to cast their votes on a website. They were combined with the judges' scores, though it was unclear how much weight the fan votes held. By the end of the 12 minutes, Miss Montana was leading, but she didn't make it to the top 10.

A new reign

Miss USA has undergone several changes following a tumultuous few years. The pageant has had three different leaders since 2020 amid scandals that included rigging accusations, lawsuits, and queens relinquishing their crowns.

This year's final show was originally supposed to air on The CW, but, as Business Insider first reported, the network dropped the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA finals from its schedule on August 20.

"After careful consideration and conversations with the Miss USA Organization, The CW Network has decided to forego next week's broadcasts of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants," a spokesperson for the network said in a statement.

In an Instagram story posted the same day, the Miss USA organization said it had identified a "contractual issue with our production arrangements that could not be resolved within the necessary timeframe."

"Since then, our team has worked diligently to explore options that would allow us to continue with a live broadcast on The CW," it added. "Unfortunately, we were unable to reach mutually agreeable terms for this year's event."

The final competition for both pageants was available to watch live on the Queen Beauty Network, a streaming service focused on the pageant industry, as it was in 2025.

• Canadian PM Mark Carney is rejecting Trump's plan to rename Lake Ontario, citing its historic name.
• Trump wants to call it "Lake America" as a deepening trade fight strains US-Canada relations.
• Other Canadian leaders have pushed back, insisting Lake Ontario's name isn't changing.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected Donald Trump's move to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America," pointing to the lake's Indigenous name and centuries of history.

"The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari'io, which, appropriately, means 'the lake is beautiful, the lake is big," Carney wrote in a Thursday post on X.

Carney said the name is more than 400 years old, predating both Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.

Carney's comments came as Trump signed an executive order Thursday signed an executive order that he said would "immediately" rename the body of water to "Lake America."

Carney framed the move as part of broader changes taking place in the US.

"We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms," Carney wrote.

"Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always," he added.

The development comes amid a deepening trade dispute between the two close trading partners.

Trade negotiations broke down last week, and new 50% US tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian imports took effect Saturday.

Trump has separately threatened additional 50% tariffs on Canadian automotive imports and steel beginning January 1.

Canada is planning for dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning September 8.

Other Canadian politicians have also pushed back on Trump's renaming of the lake.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said the body of water will "always" be Lake Ontario in Canada.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly was similarly unequivocal: "We'll always call it Lake Ontario. Period."

• Shreya Mishra Reddy planned to apply for an H-1B visa from outside the US.
• When news hit that an employer might have to pay $100,000 to hire her, she changed course.
• Reddy is now weighing up where to live, and is no longer setting her sights on the US.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shreya Mishra Reddy, 34, an Indian national currently staying in Toronto on a tourist visa. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to the US from India to do my master's in engineering management at Duke University in 2021.

I graduated in 2022 and got a job at Visa the following year. But despite trying, I didn't get an H-1B visa, so I had to leave the country in January 2026, when my student work authorization expired.

My plan was to move back to India and keep applying for US-based jobs. But, in September 2025, news hit that companies could face an extra $100,000 fee to hire H-1B employees from outside the US.

An H-1B no longer seemed like a realistic option because I expected the fee would apply to me.

The fee was challenged in court and isn't currently being enforced, but I'm still not pursuing opportunities in the US because of the uncertainty around the fee and finding H-1B-sponsored jobs.

I didn't know how difficult being an international student could be

Social media painted a rosy picture of moving to the US, so my family and I didn't know about the hardships international students face while looking for a job in a country where you have no support and know nothing about the market.

My family in India encouraged me to find a job in the US, but I found the process really difficult. My job at Visa felt like a miracle, and I think the only reason I got it was because I had prior work experience in India.

It felt hard as a recent graduate with limited experience, and many of my classmates had to move back to India because they couldn't find jobs. It's a sad reality, given that people take out loans and spend a lot to go to a US university.

Things worked out well for me, as I worked at a top company where I learned so much. But students, and their parents, who often play a big role in sending their kids abroad, need to be aware of the harsh realities of studying in the US, especially now, with AI making it hard for fresh grads to get jobs and layoffs becoming so common.

In 2025, I started an online community for international students in the US, which now has more than 9,000 members. Because of the proposed fee and uncertainty surrounding the lottery system, I'm seeing more interest in talent visas for "extraordinary" individuals, such as the O-1. I don't know if this will work out for them, especially if more people apply. I haven't considered applying for one of these visas because I feel like it's going to get harder.

I'm deciding where I'll base myself next

At the moment, I'm in Toronto, where my husband lives, on a tourist visa. I'm debating whether to base myself here or return to India.

I've been taking a career break to work on personal projects, including writing a fiction book and starting my own handloom brand. I'm also exploring corporate jobs in fintech, but I'll have to see what offers I get and what the potential for growth looks like before deciding which country to live in.

People who move to the US for a few years often see returning to India as a failure, but I'm not scared to do this. During my job search, I've seen great growth opportunities in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The startup industry is really booming.

I still highly regard US-based education. I learned so much from doing my master's at Duke. In March, I applied to a master's program in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, a field I've always been interested in. I was accepted, but I decided not to move forward because of factors like uncertainty around student visas and the job market.

I feel optimistic about my future outside the US

I couldn't stay in the US longer, but I feel optimistic about my future outside the country. Moving from India to the US required strength and resilience, and I think those qualities will serve me well. The experience I gained in the US transformed me personally and professionally, and added so much to my résumé.

I'm still figuring out my next steps, but I'm sure I'm going to do something amazing with my life.

Not getting a job in the US is not the end of the world.

Business Insider confirmed that she was employed by Visa. Visa declined to respond to a request for comment.

• Trump on Thursday signed an executive order, which he said "immediately" changed the name of a Great Lake.
• It's now "Lake America," not "Lake Ontario," Trump said.
• The move is the latest escalation between the feuding neighbors.

President Donald Trump's fight with Canada has spilled into Lake Ontario — er, Lake America?

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order that he said would "immediately" rename the body of water to "Lake America." Canadian officials have said they will not recognize the new name.

The order directs the US government to adopt "Lake America" as the official name for federal maps, contracts, and documents. It does not require private map providers to adopt the change. Apple and Google didn't immediately respond to questions about whether they would update their maps.

The move comes as relations between Washington and Ottawa rapidly deteriorate. Trade talks between the neighboring countries broke down on Friday, which prompted new tariffs from the US. Canada responded with its own tariffs, while Trump is threatening potential 50% tariffs on auto and steel imports from Canada, set for January 1.

Trump had threatened to rename the lake several times since the tensions flared.

In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump said renaming the lake only required "a good pen and some intelligence," while crossing out the name on a paper map.

"We're on it, Mr. President," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote on X. "The places and waters that border our nation and support our economy should reflect the greatness of the United States."

He's already published a secretarial order to the Board on Geographic Names to "immediately rename the body of water known as Lake Ontario to Lake America."

Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister, wrote in a post on X that "naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario."

"The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari'io, which, appropriately, means 'the lake is beautiful, the lake is big'," Carney said.

"The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America," Carney added.

Several Democratic leaders mocked the renaming. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers posted a video of himself signing a restaurant napkin that declared Lake Michigan "Lake Wisconsin."

"See, I can sign napkins that say things, too," he wrote.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had a blunter response.

The lake — whichever name you give it — runs along New York State's northwest and Ontario's southwest borders. It's the smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area.

In the executive order, the US said it invested nearly $4 billion in "protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade," including providing nine of the eleven ice-breaking vessels.

According to a US Geological Survey update, the agency is updating the Geographic Names Information System to reflect the change.

It's the second time that Trump has renamed a major body of water during his second term. In January 2025, he signed an executive order to rename the "Gulf of Mexico" the "Gulf of America."

The change could soon extend beyond federal records and appear on widely used digital maps.

GNIS name changes have been cited by Google in the past as a reason to update names on its map. When Mexico threatened legal action against Google over "Gulf of America" map changes following Trump's executive order, the tech company responded in a letter that the change was made to reflect an update from the GNIS and would only be visible to US-based users. Google added in the letter that Google Maps users in Mexico would continue to see "Gulf of Mexico," while people elsewhere in the world would be shown both names.

MapQuest, the go-to directions website before Google Maps dominated the market, made it clear that they will not be changing the lake's name.

The site posted a map of the lake on X, with "Lake Are We Doing This Again?" written over it. The photo was made using MapQuest's "Name Your Own Gulf" feature, a playful webpage that lets users type any name for a location and generates a shareable map displaying that label. The feature was launched after Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico.

Users quickly posted their own names for the lake using the feature. Some new names created for the lake include "Lake Epstein Files," "Lake of Hormuz," and "Lake Gulf of Mexico."

• Google employees are testing Gemini 3.8 Flash.
• A preview version of the model has surfaced internally, suggesting a public launch may be imminent.
• Google has fallen off the frontier, but is trying to win with faster, cheaper models.

Google just released a new AI model this month. Its employees are already testing the next one.

Some staff have begun using a preview version of Gemini 3.8 Flash, highlighting the breakneck pace of the AI race as Google pushes out new models just weeks apart to keep up with OpenAI and Anthropic.

The new model — dubbed "Gemini 3.8 Flash Preview" — was made available to staff on Google's internal coding platform, Jetski, according to images Business Insider obtained.

One employee testing the new model said it already felt noticeably better than 3.7 Flash, but emphasized it was too early for a full review.

Google declined to comment.

With 3.5 Pro still missing and Anthropic and OpenAI sprinting ahead in the AI race, Google no longer has a frontier model. Instead, it has doubled down on its "Flash" models, which offer greater speed and lower costs for users, at a time when customers are keeping a closer eye on their AI bill.

Google refers to these models as its "workhorse models" for coding and running agents, which often consume tokens faster than chatbots. Agentic assistants designed to help with everyday tasks are proving to be the next hot thing among the AI companies. Google launched its Gemini Spark agent earlier this year, and Meta is testing its "Hatch" agent internally.

Google has been improving its Flash models at a rapid clip. Gemini 3.6 Flash rolled out in July, and 3.7 Flash followed just three weeks later. During the company's Q2 earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai said the company would aim for an almost monthly release cadence.

The employee preview suggests a public rollout of Gemini 3.8 Flash may not be far away, but it's not a guarantee.

Some keen-eyed AI sleuthers are convinced they have spotted Gemini 3.8 Flash on Arena AI, a website for benchmarking models that Google has previously used to test upcoming releases.

Have something to share? Contact this reporter via email at hlangley@businessinsider.com or Signal at 628-228-1836. Use a personal email address and a non-work device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

Optimum offers a handful of home internet plans that cover the basics for most households, whether you're streaming, gaming, working from home, or just trying to keep multiple devices connected at once. Its main lineup includes 300 Mbps, 500 Mbps, and 1 Gig plans, with even faster multi-gig fiber options available in some areas. I've broken down Optimum's internet plans, packages, and prices below, including how to get the best price for your household.

Which Optimum internet plan makes the most sense for you really comes down to how much speed you need and what type of service is available at your address. Fiber customers can get faster, more balanced upload and download speeds, while cable plans tend to have slower uploads. Pricing and availability can also vary depending on where you live.

Optimum internet plans and prices

Optimum offers home internet plans ranging from everyday broadband speeds to multi-gig fiber service, with availability depending on your location. Its three main tiers are 300 Mbps, 500 Mbps, and 1 Gig, all of which currently come with a five-year price lock, unlimited data with no data caps, and free self-setup.

*Prices include a $10 AutoPay and paperless billing discount and will remain in place for 60 months; afterward, monthly rates can increase by up to $15 a year until the applicable standard rate is reached.

The right Optimum internet plan largely depends on how many people and devices are sharing the connection. The 300 Mbps tier is enough for common activities like browsing, video calls, and streaming across several devices, while the 500 Mbps tier offers more headroom for households that stream 4K video on multiple screens or use many connected devices at once. The 1 Gig plan is geared toward heavier usage, such as gaming, frequent large downloads/uploads, and households with multiple people streaming or working online simultaneously.

It's important to check what type of Optimum service is available at your address. Optimum operates both a fiber-to-the-home network and a hybrid fiber-coaxial cable network, so upload speeds can differ substantially, even when the advertised download tier is the same. For example, Optimum lists cable versions of its 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps plans with upload speeds up to 20 Mbps, and its 1 Gig cable plan with download speeds up to 940 Mbps and upload speeds up to 35 Mbps. Fiber customers can get symmetrical speeds, including multi-gig service in eligible markets.

Optimum also includes equipment and setup benefits, though some costs can rise over time. Current offers include free self-setup and a free Gateway for the first 12 months; after that, the Gateway fee can increase by no more than $5 a month every year until the standard rate is reached. Optional Whole Home WiFi costs $5 a month, and Optimum may provide an extender when needed. Shoppers can also bundle internet, TV, and mobile services for additional savings of up to $30 a month.

Optimum internet bundle deal discounts

Despite its already competitive pricing, Optimum offers opportunities for shoppers to save by bundling, applying coupon codes, and more. Here's a breakdown of Optimum's internet bundle plans, which help lower prices by adding TV and mobile service.

TV bundles all come with built-in Entertainment TV, Optimum's base plan. They also include Optimum Stream at no additional cost, giving customers an all-in-one streaming device that connects live TV, streaming services, and Optimum internet to an entertainment system. Mobile bundles each come with a free third mobile line.

If you're only shopping for Optimum internet and would like to save, here are the best promotions and offers running now:

Optimum fiber internet plans and prices

Optimum's fiber lineup ranges from 300 Mbps to 8 Gig, with five speed tiers: 300 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gig, 2 Gig, and 8 Gig. Unlike Optimum's cable service, its fiber plans offer equal upload and download speeds, which can make a noticeable difference for video calls, uploading large files, livestreaming, and other upload-heavy activities.

*All prices include an eligible $10-per-month Auto Pay and Paperless Billing discount, and taxes and fees are additional.

The most affordable option is 300 Mbps Fiber for $30 a month, which is ideal for basic online activities like browsing and casual streaming. 500 Mbps Fiber costs $40 a month and is geared toward typical everyday household use, while 1 Gig Fiber costs $50 a month and offers more bandwidth for households with multiple people streaming, gaming, or using connected devices at once.

For heavier internet users, 2 Gig Fiber starts at $60 a month. This high-performance option is ideal for both productivity and gaming, with extra bandwidth that can be useful for larger households with numerous devices operating simultaneously. At the top end is 8 Gig Fiber for $90 a month, Optimum's fastest residential internet tier. It offers speeds of up to 8 Gbps for both downloads and uploads, though it's only available in certain parts of Optimum's fiber footprint.

Exact plans, speeds, and offers vary by location, so customers need to enter their address to see which fiber tiers are actually available to them. Find out if you qualify on Optimum's availability site.

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• Ndamukong Suh, mentored by Warren Buffett, became a savvy NFL investor over 15 years.
• Buffett's advice on patience and choosing quality people influenced Suh's investment success.
• Suh now shares wealth-building lessons on his podcast "No Free Lunch" with athletes and leaders.

Ndamukong Suh wasn't taking any chances before his first meeting with Warren Buffett.

While still a college student, the soon-to-be NFL star arrived at Buffett's office two to three hours early because he refused to risk being late, he said.

The wait paid off, though. Suh said he and Buffett hit it off, talking for hours during that first meeting. Before it ended, Buffett agreed to Suh's request to become his mentor.

That was more than 15 years ago.

Suh went on to spend 13 years in the NFL, establishing himself as one of the league's most dominant defensive linemen while playing for five teams. He capped his career with a Super Bowl win with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.

While earning millions over his career, Suh built a reputation as one of the NFL's more serious athlete-investors, assembling a portfolio that spans real estate, private equity, venture capital, and hospitality businesses. In 2021, Forbes said he was building an "investment empire."

During NFL offseasons, Suh would spend time with Buffett and talk with him by phone. These days, he said, they try to catch up quarterly.

Over the years, Buffett taught him about stocks and the value of companies, Suh said. Yet, two of Buffett's broader lessons have stuck with him for more than a decade.

Warren Buffet's most surprising pieces of advice

For Suh, a good mentor is someone who doesn't need anything from him and genuinely wants to see him succeed. Buffett fits that definition, he said.

The most surprising lesson Buffett provided was learning to be patient, Suh said. "Great things come to you with patience," he said, recalling Buffet's words.

The other piece of advice was choosing the right people.

"If you can learn to have patience and stick to quality people and identifying that, those two things will serve you right," Suh said of Buffet's words.

To Suh, patience means believing in what you are doing long enough to see it through. He contrasted that with a world built around instant gratification — a mindset that he said has led him to make "some terrible investments" when he was chasing immediate success.

One large investment involved a media concept similar to LeBron James' Uninterrupted, he recalled. He put a good amount of money into it but ultimately the venture failed because the timing, infrastructure, and people weren't right, he said.

Suh is known for being exceptionally good at money management

Suh said he went through multiple financial advisors before finding a group he was happy with.

Along the way, Suh read books and educated himself enough to take the lead in conversations about his finances rather than simply handing those decisions to someone else.

"I'm not passive," he said.

It's an approach that puts both of Buffett's lessons into practice: Take the time to understand what you're doing, and be thoughtful about the people you bring along.

Suh is now sharing what he's learned through his podcast, "No Free Lunch," which explores how successful people in sports build long-term wealth and what listeners can learn from their experiences. He speaks with athletes, experts, and business leaders about their paths to success and the business ideas and trends shaping the sports world.

"It's something that I find a great love and fascination with being able to help people," Suh said.

• Meta ran ads on social media and in print newspapers following a multibillion-dollar settlement.
• The advertisements call on TikTok and YouTube to join Meta in new protocols for teen safety.
• We spoke with PR pros about the upside and risks of this new PR strategy.

Meta has a message for the public: Don't forget about TikTok and YouTube.

After Meta's surprise settlement of up to $18 billion in a teen addiction lawsuit on Wednesday, the company is going on the offensive to shape the narrative with a series of ads on social media and in print newspapers.

The advertisements, which Meta began running as a paid ad on its own platforms starting Wednesday, call for the two rival social media platforms to "join us in supporting teens." The ad links out to Meta's website announcing the settlement agreement.

"We want to ensure teens benefit from this new industry standard, but we cannot do it alone," the blog post reads. "These protections will only be truly effective if we work with our peers — TikTok and YouTube — to put the same measures in place."

It's true that Meta's Instagram and Facebook apps aren't the only social media apps under scrutiny for how teens use them. It's also true that Meta's messaging is a useful public relations strategy in the wake of a year fraught with legal battles.

Mark Borkowski, a UK-based public-relations consultant, called Meta's advertisements an attempt at "reputational jujitsu."

We asked PR pros, including Borkowski, what they made of Meta's latest move.

A potential win-win for Meta

"This is actually quite a clever move from Meta," Sam Gauchier, a brand and communications consultant, told Business Insider. "They've put TikTok and YouTube in a position where almost any response benefits them."

If TikTok and YouTube follow suit, Meta can take credit for the public pressure it exerted on the two platforms, Gauchier said. If the platforms don't, Meta could benefit from appearing to be the good guy.

"On paper, Meta's taking a 'shared responsibility' approach," comms consultant Michael Draznin said. "It's designed so Meta keeps a perceived industry leadership role either way."

Motivation is in the eye of the beholder

A key part of Meta's settlement agreement is implementing limits for how teens use apps like Instagram. Teens will be limited to 2 hours a day on Meta's apps, have access blocked at night, and get adjusted notifications. The apps will also add more parental controls.

If teens are barred from using Instagram for hours on end, where will they go instead?

Borkowski said that Meta has a "clear commercial interest in ensuring competitors inherit the same costs and constraints."

Ad dollars could flow to TikTok and YouTube instead, Forrester principal analyst Kate Winick said.

Meta said that teens account for less than 1% of its overall revenue and that, on average, US teens spend about 1 hour a day on Instagram. Meta will also pay an additional $5.3 billion — on top of the baseline $12.7 billion — if TikTok and YouTube agree to implement product changes for teens and make their own settlements of $5.3 billion each.

Still, perception is the name of the game in PR.

"Had they first taken accountability, shown real humility and started to make progress on their agreements, I think a stronger public push for the rest of the industry — not just singling out TikTok and YouTube — could have helped them rebuild a bit of trust with parents and the public," PR consultant Sarah Gooding said. "Instead, their letter came off as self-serving and insincere."

It's going to be a marathon, not a sprint

This isn't the first time Meta's reputation has been in hot water. It often takes time, and ultimately, substantial changes to shift public opinion about a brand.

Borkowski said that "the proof will be in the pudding" in how much Facebook and Instagram actually change.

Meta's strategy isn't a surefire path to redemption.

"Could it backfire? Of course," Forrester's Winick said. "We're talking here about a company that has an immense amount of public sentiment already against it."

That said, calling for industry changes — especially by putting rivals in the spotlight — could force social media companies to get on the same page.

Winick said that Meta's biggest PR win will come "if they can make consumers stop and think and say, 'You know what? It's not just Instagram that's the problem.'"

Purchasing a new pair of glasses can be a pain, but Zenni offers a streamlined online experience that lets customers buy their next pair without ever leaving home. The retailer offers a massive selection of affordable, stylish frames, whether you're shopping for prescription lenses, sunglasses, or readers. The brand is already pretty budget-friendly, but an easy way to save even more is to use one of the best Zenni promo codes on your next order.

Our editors have tested out all the leading online eyewear retailers, and Zenni consistently makes the cut as one of the top options thanks to its affordable yet stylish glasses. The brand's in-house frames deliver impressive quality for the price, while designer options from labels like Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs prove you don't need to spend luxury-level prices to get a polished look. Zenni offers a variety of frames and lenses, including options for all ages and face types. There are even niche products, like VR Lenses for Meta Quest and FL-41 lenses for light sensitivity. For a closer look at why we recommend the retailer, you can check out our full Zenni review.

Zenni is already on the affordable side, but there's almost always a coupon code that can help you cut costs even more. We've scoured the internet to find the best promo codes and tested them out to confirm that they're still active (at the time of writing). Keep reading to explore some of the best options, including a special buy-one-get-one 20% off code.

Today's best Zenni discount codes

Previous Zenni promo codes

Are there any other Zenni sales running at the moment?

You can check out Zenni's sale page anytime for a full list of current markdowns on their frames. At the time of writing, Zenni is also running the following promotions.

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

How to use Zenni promo codes

Start by adding eligible items to your cart. From the "Shopping Cart" page, scroll down to the bottom where it says, "Have a promo code?" You can paste a discount code into the text box and click "Apply." Then, continue to checkout as a guest or with an existing account.

Can you stack Zenni discount codes?

Zenni doesn't allow customers to stack multiple promo codes, which means that only one code can be used per purchase. If it's your first purchase in the Zenni mobile app, we recommend using the 15% off FIRSTAPP code rather than one of the many 10% off codes, which you can use on future orders.

Zenni promo code frequently asked questions

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

Zenni offers eligible college students, teachers, military members (active, reserve, and veterans), and military spouses a 10% discount on all purchases. First responders and medical personnel can also receive a 10% discount on orders.

People eligible for these discounts must verify their status to take advantage of the offer. These discounts can't be combined with other promo codes or offers.

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

Does Zenni take insurance?

Zenni doesn't take insurance directly. However, they will provide a detailed receipt with your order that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

Zenni does allow you to spend FSA and HSA dollars directly on the site. Simply enter your FSA/HSA card at checkout like you would a credit or debit card. Learn more about using FSA and HSA dollars on Zenni's website.

Does Zenni offer free shipping?

Shoppers can receive free standard shipping on orders of $89 or more. Free shipping will automatically be applied once you have enough items in your cart, so you don't need to enter a promo code. Free shipping is also combinable with other offers and promotions.

How do I choose the best glasses for my face shape?

Zenni lets you shop frames by face shape on their website, so you can choose from frame shapes that typically complement your features. For example, they suggest choosing round frames if you have a square face shape or square and aviator frames for a heart-shaped face.

If you're unsure of your face shape or what would look best on you, Zenni also has a virtual try-on feature that allows you to see what any of their frames look like on your face.

Do I need a prescription to use Zenni?

Zenni offers plenty of non-prescription eyewear, so you don't need a prescription to use the site. You can shop for non-prescription readers, sunglasses, sports goggles, and blue-light-blocking glasses with Zenni.

If you're shopping for prescription lenses and have an active prescription from your doctor, you'll just need to upload it or fill out the prescription information manually on the Zenni website. If your prescription doesn't list your pupillary distance (PD), Zenni offers a digital PD ruler.

What is Zenni's return policy?

Zenni allows shoppers to return items within 30 days of the original purchase in exchange for site credit and reimbursement of any shipping fees. For returns made within 14 days of your original purchase, you'll have the option to receive a full refund to your original payment method instead of site credit. Learn more about making returns on Zenni's website.

Can I reuse a Zenni promo code?

Zenni does not explicitly prohibit using promo codes multiple times. However, certain codes may only be applied to one order per person, so be sure to check the specific terms and conditions for the code you want to use.

How do I know which size frames to get?

If you don't know which size to get for your frames, Zenni can help. Visit the size guide on the Zenni website for information on how to measure your face and sample frames you can print out to test your size.

Looking for more eyewear? Check out our roundups of the best GlassesUSA promo codes.

• The 75th annual Miss USA pageant will take place in Miami on August 27.
• Some states have had far more success than others at the competition.
• Texas has the most Miss USA wins, taking the crown 10 times.

The United States has the most winners in Miss Universe history, but which states reign supreme when it comes to Miss USA?

One state had a five-year winning streak and produced two future Miss Universe winners. Meanwhile, 18 states still haven't won the crown.

They'll get a chance to change their record at the 75th annual Miss USA pageant in Miami on August 27.

Until then, let's take a look back at the most successful states in the history of the Miss USA pageant.

Texas has won the Miss USA crown 10 times.

Texas has a storied history in the world of pageants.

Two Miss Texas winners who won Miss USA went on to win Miss Universe: Chelsi Smith and R'Bonney Gabriel. Miss Texas 2008 Crystle Stewart, who also won Miss USA, served as CEO and president of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants from 2020 to 2023.

Texas won five Miss USA pageants in a row from 1985 to 1989, a streak nicknamed the "Texas Aces."

The full list of Miss Texas titleholders who won Miss USA is:

• 1977: Kimberly Tomes
• 1985: Laura Martinez Herring
• 1986: Christy Fichtner
• 1987: Michelle Royer
• 1988: Courtney Gibbs
• 1989: Gretchen Polhemus
• 1995: Chelsi Smith
• 2001: Kandace Krueger
• 2008: Crystle Stewart
• 2022: R'Bonney Gabriel

California, which has taken the Miss USA crown six times, is catching up.

California has won a Miss USA title in every decade except the 2000s. Its most recent winner was Alyssa Campanella, who took the crown in 2011.

The full list of Miss California titleholders who won Miss USA is:

• 1959: Terry Huntingdon
• 1966: Maria Remenyi
• 1975: Summer Bartholomew
• 1983: Julie Hayek
• 1992: Shannon Marketic
• 2011: Alyssa Campanella

Hawaii assumed its fifth Miss USA title after Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt resigned, a first in the pageant's history.

Miss Hawaii 1962 Macel Wilson became the first woman from Hawaii to enter the Miss USA competition, as well as the first Asian American and first woman of color to win the crown.

Miss Hawaii 1997 Brook Lee won both Miss USA and Miss Universe.

The state assumed its fifth title after Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt stepped down three months before her reign came to an end due to the leadership of Laylah Rose, who was CEO of Miss USA at the time. Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz, who had won first runner-up at the pageant, took Voigt's place.

The full list of Miss Hawaii titleholders who were named Miss USA is:

• 1962: Macel Wilson
• 1972: Tanya Wilson
• 1978: Judi Andersen
• 1997: Brook Lee
• 2023: Savannah Gankiewicz

Multiple states have four winners, including Michigan.

Carole Gist was both the first Miss Michigan and the first African American woman to win the Miss USA crown. In 2010, Miss Michigan Rima Fakih made history as the first Arab American woman to take the title.

Former Miss Michigan Kenya Moore, who won Miss USA in 1993, has become one of the most famous contestants in the pageant's history after starring in "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" from 2012 to 2025.

The most recent Miss Michigan to win Miss USA is Alma Cooper, a US Army officer who took the crown in 2024.

The full list of Miss Michigan titleholders who won Miss USA is:

• 1990: Carole Gist
• 1993: Kenya Moore
• 2010: Rima Fakih
• 2024: Alma Cooper

The District of Columbia's recent Miss USA titles came in quick succession.

The District of Columbia doesn't have representation in the Senate, but it sure does well on the Miss USA stage.

In 2016, Deshauna Barber won Miss District of Columbia, and Kára McCullough placed first runner-up. Barber went on to win Miss USA, while McCullough won Miss District of Columbia in 2017. That year, Barber crowned McCullough the new Miss USA. It was the first time a place had won back-to-back Miss USA titles since the Texas Aces' reign.

The full list of Miss District of Columbia titleholders who won Miss USA is:

• 1964: Bobbi Johnson
• 2002: Shauntay Hinton
• 2016: Deshauna Barber
• 2017: Kára McCullough

Illinois has also taken the Miss USA title four times, but all its wins came before 1975.

Illinois is also one of only four states to win back-to-back Miss USA titles.

The full list of Miss Illinois titleholders who won Miss USA is:

• 1953: Myrna Hansen
• 1963: Marite Ozers
• 1973: Amanda Jones
• 1974: Karen Morrison

New York has the honor of winning the very first Miss USA pageant.

Miss New York 1952 Jackie Loughery was named the very first Miss USA. She also represented the USA at the first-ever Miss Universe pageant that same year, placing in the top 10.

New York assumed its third Miss USA crown in 1995, when Shanna Moakler inherited the title after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe 1995.

The full list of Miss New York titleholders who won Miss USA is:

• 1952: Jackie Loughery
• 1979: Mary Therese Friel
• 1995: Shanna Moakler
• 1999: Kimberly Ann Pressler

All four of North Carolina's wins have been during the 2000s.

North Carolina has really hit its stride on the pageant stage in recent years.

The state's most recent Miss USA title came when Morgan Romano assumed the 2022 crown after R'Bonney Gabriel won America's ninth Miss Universe title.

The full list of Miss North Carolina titleholders who won Miss USA is:

• 2005: Chelsea Cooley
• 2009: Kristen Dalton
• 2019: Cheslie Kryst
• 2022: Morgan Romano

• OpenAI issued a stark cybersecurity warning on Thursday.
• The AI giant wrote in an open letter that "AI-enabled cyber attacks" will become more widespread.
• More than 100 organizations, including Anthropic, joined OpenAI's call for collective action.

OpenAI says there's a "limited window to strengthen cyber defenses."

More than 100 organizations joined OpenAI in an open letter calling for companies and governments to strengthen cybersecurity defenses before it's too late. Of particular note, rival Anthropic is one of the signatories, a sign that even the two biggest AI companies can find common ground.

"In the coming months, AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated as models around the world become increasingly capable," the company wrote in an open letter. "The companies and public services our communities depend on—from hospitals to water treatment plants to the infrastructure that powers the internet—are at risk."

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, "There is not much time to act."

"this is a critically important moment for cyber defense with AI; there is not much time to act," Altman wrote on X. "we are happy if you want to work with us or any of our competitors or partners, but please take this moment seriously. only an urgent and intense collective response will work."

The letter comes as OpenAI continues to disclose information about how rogue agents broke out of what was presumed to be a secure testing environment before hacking into Hugging Face in search of answers to cheat on internal testing. Altman had portrayed the breach as a watershed moment.

"This is the first security incident that I have felt very viscerally," Altman said during a recent interview.

The letter lays out suggestions for organizations, cybersecurity companies, governments, and frontier AI companies. The recommendations include calling on governments to better fund cyber defense, asking cybersecurity companies to share "threat intelligence and tested playbooks," and urging AI labs to "share tools, playbooks, and credible threat assessments" with those who need it the most.

"We call on leaders across industry and government to bring the full weight of their technology, resources, and expertise to this effort," the letter reads. "Put cyber-capable AI in the hands of defenders, starting with the teams protecting essential services."

Other notable tech signatories include Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, Cisco, IBM, and CrowdStrike. Hugging Face, the victim of OpenAI's breach, also signed. A number of notable companies are also part of the group, including Citi, General Motors, Visa, Capitol One, Mastercard, and Citadel.

You can read the full open letter here.

Swimsuit shopping season can bring up a lot of emotions. There's the excitement of finding something cute to wear to the beach, but that's often curbed by a bombardment of too many ill-fitting, shoddily-made, uncomfortable styles, pushed on us for the sake of feeling trendy.

Let's try this on for size: a simple swimsuit that fits. For that, eight of us concur that Summersalt has some of the best bathing suits we've ever tested. The brand balances fair prices, durability, and classic, modest designs that look and feel great on a range of bodies.

Summersalt launched in May 2017 and found its audience on Instagram. It's led by swimwear and direct-to-consumer veterans Lori Coulter and Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin, who designed its collection of durable one-pieces and bikinis with quality materials that don't translate into exorbitant prices.

"Summersalt describes its recycled polyamide and elastane blend fabric as 'beach proof,' with UPF 50+ protection and resistance to sand, salt, and chlorine," writes freelance style reporter Sarah Chiwaya in our guide to the best plus size swimwear. She tried out the Sidestroke, its best-selling one-piece, and was impressed with how this fabric evenly supports a full bust.

Most of Summersalt's swimsuits cost around $115 and come in a variety of styles, such as jewel-toned, color-blocked statement pieces or streamlined lifeguard suits. Overall, the Summersalt design language is illustrated by clean lines and timeless silhouettes, made unique with just the right twist.

The Sidestroke

The Sidestroke swimsuit put Summersalt on the map and I've wanted to try it out for quite some time. But, as much as I liked the bold color options, they just weren't really my style. I was so excited to see that it now comes in all black.

When I first pulled the suit out of the package, I thought it was going to be way too small. While it was a little snug to pull on, it actually turned out to be the perfect fit. Most of Summersalt's suits start at a size 2, but this particular style has the option of a size 0. I took a chance by going with the 0 and it worked great for my 5-foot-2 frame. 

I can't wait to wear it on my next vacation, but as a side note, it's probably best to wear it on a not-so-sunny day to avoid the one-shoulder tan lines. The one drawback about this suit is that it doesn't have any built-in cups so there is zero support. But, I like the suit enough that I may try and have some sewn in by a tailor. —Ashley Phillips, style & beauty editor

Instead of just sticking with one cross strap in the back, this style has two, which distributes bust weight more evenly and doesn't dig. I was happily surprised that this style worked as well as it did on me, as most one shoulder styles leave me lopsided and uncomfortable.

With thousands of five star customer reviews, I'm not the only one who is impressed. This one also has compression, so if you are looking for shaping in a classic silhouette with a twist, this is a great option. — Sarah Chiwaya, freelance style reporter

My main consideration when buying a swimsuit is whether or not it has enough support to handle my chest. I have a DD cup size, so it can be a pretty significant challenge. In a bold move, I tried the one-shoulder Sidestroke in White Sand — which was risky for two obvious reasons. I have to say, I'm incredibly happy with how supportive the suit ended up being. There was no issue with lopsidedness or sagging, and the diagonal seaming on the front was super flattering. 

The white color isn't see-through when wet, either. There's an extra lining over the chest for added assurance, and the backside was totally fine.

And just to tip the scale a little more, the suits are made from recycled materials and they're affordable — so you'll be doing both your wallet and the environment a favor. — Sally Kaplan, executive editor

The Sidestroke is one of Summersalt's most popular styles, and now I can see why. I love the one-shoulder look, and I possibly love the back cutout even more. Whether you go for one of the solid, neutral color options or bright color-blocked options, the suit is flattering because the eye follows the line of the diagonal stripes, which parallel the one-shoulder strap and complement your curves. Worth noting after many a memory of struggling to wriggle in and out of a wet swimsuit, it was easy to put on and take off and very comfortable. 

Like Sally, I was hesitant about the color. I usually stray away from white swimsuits because they don't always provide reliable opaqueness. However, I didn't feel self-conscious at all because the fabric was thick enough. White is a bold choice, but you can trust it's the right choice once you see how cute yet secure this style is. — Connie Chen, former senior reporter

The Perfect Wrap One-Piece

Summersalt had exactly what I was looking for: cute, size-inclusive, full-coverage swimsuits that don't look like they belong in my grandma's closet. You can tell Summersalt really cares about high-quality fabric construction. The first thing I do with a new suit is toss out the padded breast cups, but Summersalt actually sews theirs into place so there's no worrying about them sliding around or folding.

I loved wearing it to the beach because I didn't need an extra top for exploring the boardwalk or going into a restaurant. I wore it with a skirt and it looked like a regular top. It wins in the tummy support department, too. The wrap detail adds fun while accentuating my waist to create an hourglass shape.

I readjusted my top throughout the day because the fabric flattened my chest rather than lift and support. When you have a large chest, like I do, the constant flattening can make your underboob sweat almost unbearable. As a plus-sized woman with a large chest, I take "Boob Support" very seriously and Summersalt doesn't quite check that box. —MoMo Lamping, former culture & employee experience manager

The Bow-Shoulder Ruched Sidestroke Bikini Top and The Ruched High Leg High Rise Bottom

I'm a longtime fan of Summersalt, which makes some of my favorite long-torso swimsuits, but this two-piece was my first venture into the brand's bikinis. It did not disappoint. I was immediately drawn to the oversized white bow on the right shoulder of this otherwise-black set — it's the perfect fancy-but-not-fussy detail that gave the entire swimsuit a sophisticated look. It makes it a bit tricky to wear a shirt or cover-up on top, but I wasn't interested in covering up this beauty anyway!

Though you can choose any black bikini bottom to match the top, I went with this ruched, high-rise version. I found the ruched sides both flattering and comfortable, and they stayed put while I swam but never dug into my sides. The back is just a little cheeky while offering enough coverage that I'd be comfortable wearing it for a family outing. I'm in between sizes, so I sized up in both the top and bottom, but I'd probably size down in both, if I had to do it over. —Talia Ergas, freelance style reporter

The Plunge Bikini Top and The High Leg Mid Rise Bikini Bottom

If you're shopping for a two-piece bikini that hugs you in all the right places, look no further. To my awe, the thin material clung to my skin, offering light-to-medium compression. The mid-rise fit was the perfect compromise of secure bottom coverage without the weird tan lines you'd get from a true hi-rise suit. I love a good plunge top and this definitely satisfied in the support department. The inner padding looked a bit funny, but once I put it on, it lifted like a dream.

I wore my suit on a beach trip and loved how confident I felt. However, I'd say I probably wouldn't go for all-day wear because the straps tended to wear down on my shoulders and the bottoms dug in slightly. — Jacqueline Saguin, former style & beauty reviews fellow

What Summersalt swimsuits are made of

Swimsuits are for lounging, but they're also for a host of other summer activities. Summersalt suits can keep up with all your physical activities plus the sweat, oil, chlorine, sunscreen, and debris that come with them. These suits are made from premium recycled materials, making them more technical, softer, and more durable than traditional fabrics.

As long as you're out in the sun, the premium recycled materials offer UPF protection of 50+, meaning they'll block more than 98% of UV rays (just as SPF is used to measure sunscreen effectiveness, UPF is a measure of sun-protective fabric effectiveness). 

How does Summersalt fit?

Summersalt reviewed 1.5 million body measurements from 10,000 women, which we gathered has much to do with the spot-on fit. They also employed a patented "TrueMeasure" process, which uses 3D body scanning, mass customization, and computer-aided design to make its suits and direct its supply chain. 

They also stand up to the perils of harsh, chlorinated water. Having swam in her city league and high school swim teams, former senior reporter Connie Chen has gone through her fair share of swimsuits that lost their shape and compression after hours of continuous use. Summersalt's have four times the compression of the average swimsuit, and still, retain their shape after more than 100 hours of use in chlorinated water. 

The site makes it easy to find your desired fit, categorizing pieces by "Great Boob Support" and "More Butt Coverage." Whether you're searching for the best swimsuits for DD cups or a one piece for your long torso,  the filters exist to make sure you feel secure. In our Summersalt reviews, the team found that this attention to detail paid off. 

The bottom line

With their durable fit and sleek designs, Summersalt's suits succeed in meeting the crossover of confidence and comfort. They're durable and practical, so you'll be getting your money's worth season after season. Whether you're looking for a sporty bikini or a no-frills one-piece, we've all agreed that Summersalt is worth the money.

Shop all Summersalt swimsuits here.

It's almost back-to-school season, and you can pick up some new skills from the comfort of your own home with the help of the latest MasterClass deal.

The MasterClass End of Summer Sale discounts all annual plans by 50%. The deal brings Standard subscriptions from $120 a year down to $60 a year, Plus subscriptions from $180 a year to $96 a year, and Premium subscriptions from $240 a year to $120 a year. After 12 months, subscribers will be charged at the then-standard rate unless they cancel before then.

MasterClass is one of the most popular video streaming learning platforms, thanks to its star-studded lineup of celebrity experts. Subscriptions unlock over 200 courses across 13 categories, including Writing for Television from Shonda Rhimes, Science and Problem-Solving from Bill Nye, and Basketball Shooting, Ball-Handling, and Scoring from Stephen Curry. You can learn more by checking out our official MasterClass review, and explore additional details about the sale below.

FAQ

When is the MasterClass sale?

The MasterClass End of Summer Sale is pretty short. The deal kicked off on August 26 and runs through the weekend. The offer officially concludes on Sunday, August 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Are gift subscriptions also eligible for the deal?

The deal rates also apply to gift subscriptions, which cost the same as regular subscriptions. MasterClass gift memberships, which allow people to purchase access to the service for someone else, rank among the best subscription gifts.

What's the difference between MasterClass plans?

The main differences between the three MasterClass plans (other than price) are how many devices you can watch simultaneously and whether you can download content for offline viewing. Plus and Premium let you download for offline viewing, but Standard requires a constant internet connection.

Standard only allows you to watch on one device at a time, while Plus lets you watch on two devices, and Premium lets you watch on six, so both are better fits for household sharing.

Specific programming remains the same across all three plans.

How does this deal stack up against past offers?

We track subscription service prices and deals all year, and 50% off is the best discount we routinely see at MasterClass. If you've been thinking of signing up, now is a good time, since we don't expect to see a deeper discount than this.

You can learn more on the MasterClass website or check out additional subscription sales in our roundup of the best streaming deals and bundles.

For more than half a decade, Sony's PS-LX310BT record player was a staple of the casual vinyl community. It was easy for beginners to operate while still offering better performance than cheaper entry-level turntables. But while the LX310BT is now discontinued, the brand has launched a successor: the Sony PS-LX3BT.

The new model makes a few welcome tweaks, but this is definitely a refreshed take on what already worked rather than a reinvention. Yet despite its familiarity, the PS-LX3BT stacks up well against rivals. I especially like its automatic playback and wireless audio support, which make it easy to use. Importantly, it also sounds terrific.

However, considering its $399 retail price, the PS-LX3BT has some quirks. The biggest of which is its plastic housing and buttons. They can be noisy and a bit creaky. The good news is that I don't consider that a dealbreaker for most people. After spending some quality time with the Sony PS-LX3BT, here's why it's one of the best Bluetooth record players for vinyl newbies and midrange shoppers alike.

Setup is simple, which makes playback a breeze

The Sony PS-LX3BT is an automatic turntable that's suitable for beginners without sacrificing performance. I found the setup to be straightforward and easy. Everything you need, minus speakers, comes in the box and can be assembled in less than 10 minutes. Once all the pieces are in place, playing a record is as simple as pressing one button.

Though not removable, the turntable's moving-magnet cartridge comes pre-installed on its aluminum tonearm. Even the built-in switchable preamp is set and ready for the player's permanently attached RCA cable to be plugged into a powered speaker(s) or receiver. The midlevel gain select on the back of the record player was ideal for my use, but could be changed to low or high if needed.

The LX3BT comes with an aluminum die-cast platter and a cloth slip mat. None of this is different from the older LX310BT model this player replaces. However, the LX3BT has some tweaks I found interesting.

Instead of using a traditional DC power connector, the new LX3BT has a USB-C port on the back for power. It comes with an AC adapter with a USB-C tip. This means that if you ever need a longer wire, it's easy to simply buy a different USB-C cable and a power adapter.

While the Bluetooth and speed adjustment buttons (33 1/3 or 45 RPM) are largely in the same place as on the previous model, the start/stop, up, and down buttons have been moved. I loved that the old ones were outside the dust cover. It meant that I could listen again with a single button press. Now, even if you're not changing anything, you need to lift the dust cover to press the start button. It's a small change, but this is one area where I prefer the old design.

A more welcome update to the LX3BT over the previous model is support for transmitting hi-res wireless audio using the Qualcomm aptX Adaptive codec. This enables 96kHz/24-bit quality when streaming from the record player to a compatible pair of headphones via Bluetooth. The downside is that neither Sony's WH-1000XM6 nor WH-1000XM5 supports that technology. However, you can use it with other popular options, such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones or QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.

Bluetooth and automatic controls work well, but certain components are a bit noisy

While the best way to use the LX3BT is to plug its pre-attached RCA cable into a receiver or powered speaker, you can also use Bluetooth to connect to wireless speakers or headphones. By default, you'll get a similar listening experience to streaming music from your phone. I think using this feature with headphones makes the most sense, but listening with Bluetooth speakers is undeniably convenient.

Wireless playback works by pressing the Bluetooth button on the record player until it blinks blue, then repeating the same steps on a wireless speaker or pair of headphones. The two devices should link up automatically. In my experience, the process only took about 10 to 15 seconds. If the record player is wired to a speaker and connected wirelessly at the same time, both can play simultaneously — but the wireless playback will be slightly delayed.

I found pairing to work well and tried multiple speakers. For fun, I even connected the Sony LX3BT to IKEA's $10 Kallsup speaker. To be clear, I don't recommend using this record player with such a cheap speaker, but it works.

The turntable's automatic mechanisms also worked smoothly. However, my biggest complaint in this area is that the start and stop of playback are noisy. There are several creaky moments as the tone arm moves on and off the record. It sounds like latches clicking into place under the hood. This extends past the tonearm movement into the buttons, too. They're loud to press, feel plasticy, and are less elegant than I'd hoped.

But while the player's noise is a little annoying in the moment, it wasn't concerning enough to make me stop using it. I found the convenience of automatic functionality to be worth a little extra noise.

Like its predecessor, the LX3BT also has a cool extra perk that might appeal to some users. The player can connect to a computer via USB, so you can turn vinyl recordings into digital files. I've never felt the need to transfer audio this way, but some users may find it useful for backing up their collection. If you do plan to do this, be aware that Sony lists Windows 11 and macOS 13, 14, and 15 as the only supported operating systems. The turntable doesn't use its own transfer/recording app; instead, it simply points people toward Audacity.

The PS-LX3BT sounds noticeably better than cheaper players

For most of my listening, I connected the Sony PS-LX3BT to a second-generation Sonos Play Five and a Marshall Stanmore III using the attached RCA cable. Both speakers offer a robust soundstage with deep bass and detailed highs.

I went through various vinyl records across genres like folk, rock, and pop. Compared to some cheaper record players, such as the Victrola Automatic, the LX3BT offered greater clarity and a wider frequency range. Charli XCX's "Wall of Sound" was a great example of deep, resonant bass and high-frequency strings that came through together without getting muddled. The moving-magnet cartridge and pivot-bearing tonearm both tracked well out of the box.

At the bottom are rubber feet that seem to move independently of the plastic frame. I didn't purposely bump the cabinet or anything like that, but I also never noticed any disruptions from errant vibrations.

How does the PS-LX3BT compare to the PS-LX5BT?

If you're looking for an upgraded listening experience. Sony also offers a step-up PS-LX5BT turntable for $499.

The LX5BT has one-piece construction, so it offers even less chance of vibration. It also comes with a thicker rubber mat, and the RCA cable on the LX5BT is detachable rather than non-removable. The LX5BT also has a higher-end cartridge than the LX3BT, which should provide upgraded sound quality.

Those are all solid perks, but whether they're worth an extra $100 over the PS-LX3BT really comes down to your priorities. The pricier model will provide a more refined listening experience, but the LX3BT is better positioned as a more beginner-friendly value.

Should you buy the Sony PS-LX3BT turntable?

The Sony PS-LX3BT is a great turntable for its simple controls and sound quality. It's not all that different from the model it replaces, but that's not a bad thing since the PS-LX310BT was a time-tested favorite. The LX3BT is versatile enough to serve as someone's first record player or as an easy-to-use turntable for an enthusiast.

That said, the price is a little steep compared to some midrange options without Bluetooth. For instance, you can configure a custom U-Turn model for a similar price that lets you prioritize better cartridges over other parts. But with the LX3BT, you get convenient features that many midrange models lack, such as automatic playback, Bluetooth streaming, and USB-C audio transfer. This is a slick, modern take on a turntable.

The unit's plastic enclosure is by far its biggest compromise, and certain operations can be noisier than expected. I don't love the attached RCA cable either. Though this might seem convenient at first, if it breaks or isn't long enough for your room, it becomes a pain and a liability instead of a feature.

Ultimately, if you're looking for a traditional, heavy turntable to anchor a media console, then this might not be for you. However, if simplified operation is at the top of your list of considerations, the Sony PS-LX3BT is hard to beat.

For more turntable recommendations, check out our guides to the best record players and best budget record players.

I've tried just about every shapewear style out there, and there's a reason why I keep coming back to bodysuits again and again: they provide full smoothing and contouring from bust to bottom. That's a huge plus when I'm slipping on a particularly clingy or curve-hugging outfit.

Shapewear certainly isn't a must-have — I'm a firm believer in embracing your body as-is. Still, a shaping bodysuit can certainly enhance your natural shape — provided, of course, that it's thoughtfully constructed. But it can be difficult to evaluate the fit and quality of shapewear when shopping online. (And let's be real: Ill-fitting shapewear is unflattering at best, and wildly uncomfortable at worst.)

That's why I tested a range of shapewear bodysuits across sizes, budgets, and outfit needs: to find the ones that actually work.

Our top picks compared

How we evaluated compression

As part of our testing process, we assessed each bodysuit's compression level on a scale of 1 to 5.

A bodysuit with a compression level of 1 or 2 is comfortable and breathable. These bodysuits make great everyday base layers, with enough support to feel good but not enough that you'll experience pinching or squeezing. The Commando Zone Smoothing Bodysuit is a great example of this.

Conversely, a bodysuit with a compression level of four or above is made for more extreme sculpting. Wacoal's Red Carpet Strapless Shaping Body Briefer has specific bra sizing and is lined with power mesh for a strong hold. These higher-compression bodysuits are great for weddings or big events, but might not be a great choice to wear at the office all day.

Here are our top picks across every category.

Best overall: Honeylove Tank Bodysuit

After putting this bodysuit on for the first time, I audibly whispered: "Where have you been all my life?"

The 360-degree compression is akin to a very firm hug all over my torso — enough to offer ample shaping power but not so much that I can't breathe comfortably. 

And even though there's no underwire, the bust lifts and wide straps are enough to make me feel secure and supported. I can also wear this bodysuit under a wide variety of tops and dresses thanks to the V neckline and lower U-shaped back. 

Something to keep in mind: it's best to order the size based on your bust. If your waist is super small relative to your bust, or if you're under 5'3, Honeylove recommends sizing down.

See my full Honeylove review to check out my other favorite pieces from the brand. 

Most comfortable: Yitty Nearly Naked Shaping Thong Bodysuit

Lizzo is a body positivity icon, so it's no surprise that her shapewear line Yitty — a collaboration with Fabletics — is size-inclusive (it runs up to size 6X).

When this bodysuit first arrived in the mail, I was immediately skeptical about whether or not I could actually squeeze into it — it looked laughably small. (I distinctly recall asking my husband, "Who is this made for? A toddler?") But as soon as I shimmied into it, all my skepticism melted away. I felt held in but not restricted, and thanks to the separation panel at the bust I didn't get that dreaded uni-boob effect. This bodysuit is shockingly comfortable considering how much compression it offers. And even though it doesn't have adjustable straps, my D-cup bust still felt well supported.

Something to keep in mind while selecting a size: While I'm usually a small, I actually preferred the fit on the M/L for this bodysuit. I found it still provided plenty of compression, but also had a little extra much-needed coverage for my boobs (which were spilling out the sides a bit in the smaller size).

Best budget: SHAPERX Tummy Control Seamless Thong Body Shaper

This TikTok viral bodysuit is currently the no. 1 shapewear bestseller on Amazon — and with good reason. It's ultra-stretchy and lightweight, budget-friendly, and features adjustable non-slip shoulder straps for a flawless fit as well as a snap closure at the crotch for quicker and easier bathroom trips. It comes in mid-thigh, thong, and brief styles, so there's an option for every need and ensemble.

One thing I love about this bodysuit is that even though the bodice has compression, the bra doesn't — so it smooths my torso but doesn't squash my chest. I also like the high-cut panty because that means the leg holes don't dig into the tops of my thighs the way some bodysuits do. However, note that some reviewers say it tends to roll up around the thighs and suggest opting for a size down.

Best plunge: Spanx Plunge Low-Back Thong Bodysuit

I'd almost gotten used to the idea that shapewear is innately a little uncomfortable — until I tried this ultra-stretchy, breathable bodysuit. It still provides substantial smoothing, but without the can't-eat-or-breathe level of compression.

I was surprised to find that the built-in bra cups offer adequate coverage and support, even for my large bust, considering that it only comes in standard XS-3X sizing. Best of all, though, the convertible straps made this bodysuit versatile enough to wear under a wide range of tops, from racerback and halter to criss-cross.

The most obvious drawback to this style is that you don't get any shaping for the hips and thighs. That said, there is an advantage to the thong bottom: you don't have to worry about it showing under shorter dresses and skirts.

Best open bust: Spanx Open-Bust Mid-Thigh Bodysuit

As someone with a DD-cup bust, I often prefer open-bust styles because they allow me to wear my own preferred underwire bra — most bodysuits just don't meet my support needs. This one comes with a few extra perks: The flexible boning adds structure so the bodysuit doesn't roll down or bunch up, and the free-cut leg openings and bonded edges ensure it's undetectable under clothes.

Admittedly, this one was a struggle to get on — I had to perform a slightly awkward dance to pull it over my thighs and hips — but once I succeeded, I decided it was well worth the extra effort. This bodysuit offers impressive compression without restricting my breathing. The shorts also offer some much-appreciated shaping around the thighs while also preventing any chafing.

Truly, the only real downsides I can find are that it doesn't work with minidresses or low-back styles.

Best strapless: Wacoal Red Carpet Medium Control Convertible Bodysuit

If you need a bodysuit to wear under a strapless, one-shoulder, or off-the-shoulder dress, look no further: this one features removable and convertible straps. But that's not the only standout feature — it also boasts anti-slip medical-grade silicone along the neckline and back to hold the bra in place. This is also one of the few bodysuits that also has an adjustable band, which ensures a more snug, customized fit to prevent the bodysuit from falling down when you're going strapless.

With full-coverage underwire cups and side boning, this is a super supportive bodysuit for the full-busted crowd — and it's available up to a size 40DDD. 

Personally, I prefer a snap-closure crotch because I find it's quicker and easier to undo and redo on bathroom trips. That said, taller gals might appreciate this adjustable hook-and-eye closure at the crotch because it's less likely to come undone when sitting down.

Most invisible: Commando Zone Smoothing Bodysuit

This bodysuit features strategically placed zoned smoothing panels to snatch your waist and accentuate your curves. Due to its seamless construction and thong bottom, it's basically invisible under any ensemble. It's also made with a high-quality microfiber blend that won't pill or wrinkle.

Some may not like the hook-and-eye closure at the crotch, but the adjustability factor can also be a plus. Another perk? The straps can be unhooked in the back and converted to a cross-back style.

All that said, this bodysuit only offers light to medium compression — particularly if you're in between sizes, consider going down a size for maximum compression.

Best with inclusive sizing: SKIMS Seamless Sculpt Brief Bodysuit

Business Insider style and beauty reviews writer Olivia Rose Rushing claims this viral, best-selling piece strikes a perfect balance between function, fashion, and comfort.

"Upon feeling the soft material, I knew that the piece was quality and would hold up after more than just a few wears and washes," she says.

While she typically finds crotch snaps are typically annoying, Rushing claims they weren't noticeable at all on the Skims bodysuit due to the clever placement. According to Rushing, the only con here is the fact that the sides of the bodysuit sometimes roll up to the smallest part of her waist, creating some "unwanted bulge" from built-up fabric around her hips. 

Still, she concludes: "I feel really sleek and put together when I wear this bodysuit (even if it's just paired with sweatpants)."

"Though this particular bodysuit is meant to be an undergarment instead of outerwear due to the ruching in the chest area, I didn't feel as if I was dressed inappropriately when out and about," she adds.

Read our full Skims bodysuit review for more info.

Stretchiest: Quince Sculpting Bodysuit

We love Quince and named them one of the best basics brands for women because of their lower-than-expected prices. They consistently deliver similar products to popular brands, but manage to do it at half or even a third of the price.

This bodysuit is a great, budget-friendly alternative to the Skims Seamless Sculpt Brief Bodysuit. It has a similar low-back and pull-on construction, plus a comparable fabric construction. However, Skims has a much better extended sizing selection.

This is a great bodysuit that offers some support but won't make you feel like you're being squeezed all day. It's great for wearing under a silky dress, since it doesn't have any bulky clasps or boning.

See our full Quince review for more of our favorite picks from the brand.

Best with shorts: Shapermint Curveez® Comfort Evolution Full Body Shaper

Shapewear bodysuits with shorts are a great choice when you're trying to avoid a visible panty line, or you just want a little extra compression around your backside and thighs. And while you may have to wiggle into this one, reviewers insist it's worth the extra effort. 

Many claim it's so comfortable it feels like a "second skin" — yet somehow it also sculpts and smooths your entire silhouette from bust to thigh. What really sets this bodysuit apart, though, is the clever seams under and around the bust as well as the backside, which lift and separate your boobs and derrière.

 

On the plus side, you likely won't need to wear a bra with this one due to the compression in the bust area. On the minus side, some larger-busted reviewers say their breasts got a little squashed.

Best postpartum: Bumpsuit The Support Bodysuit

Bumpsuit was one of my go-to brands for maternity clothes throughout my pregnancy. But the beauty of this line is that everything is designed to accommodate your changing body — so it fits postpartum and beyond, too. That's the case for this shaping bodysuit, which features a reasonable level of compression, loads of stretch, a split gusset, wide straps, and chafe-free mid-thigh coverage.

Without bust-separation panels, defined cups, or adjustable straps, this one doesn't provide quite as much lift or support up top — but since the straps are wide and the material is thick, I was able to wear my own bra underneath it. I also appreciate that it's nearly seamless, providing a super smooth finish under clothing.

Note that this one can't be machine-washed, and Bumpsuit doesn't accept returns on undergarments. But I'd say it runs true to size (and dozens of other five-star reviews agree with me).

Because of the opaque construction and romper-like silhouette, some reviewers claim they've even worn this bodysuit out.

Read more about the line in our Bumpsuit review.

Best with a built-in bra: Miraclesuit Sexy Sheer Extra Firm Control Bodysuit

If you're a D+ cup — or if you just like a little extra lift, separation, and shaping for your bustline — a shapewear bodysuit with a built-in bra is ideal. This one, in particular, has a supportive underwire on the double-layer molded cups. And since it comes in cup/band sizes, it's so much easier to get a perfect fit.

One standout feature of this bodysuit is the silicone edging along the backside of the leg bands, which prevents the brief bottom from riding up. 

It may be a little hard to get into, but reviewers say it's remarkably comfortable once it's on. They also report that clothes fit better when they wear this smoothing shapewear bodysuit.

Best lace: Pinsy Sculpting Lace Shapewear Bodysuit

Historically, shapewear is known more for serving a practical purpose than looking pretty. But this bodysuit, which features premium stretch lace, checks both boxes — doubling as stunning lingerie while also offering impressive sculpting capabilities. The built-in wire-free bra lines and adjustable straps offer moderate support for your bust, while the powermesh construction smooths out your midsection. Reviewers say the torso on this one runs a little short, but fortunately, it's also available in "long" sizes for the tall folks.

"It's beautiful and cinches my waist perfectly without digging in anywhere else or making my back look like a can of biscuits," writes one reviewer.

You can even wear this bodysuit out — try it with a blazer and jeans, or a faux leather skirt and cropped cardigan. 

A word on sizing: If your bra size is bigger than your dress size or you're between two dress sizes, the company recommends sizing up for the sake of comfort and coverage.

• Nvidia's interest in Hugging Face supercharges its push into open-source AI.
• Open models could keep OpenAI and Anthropic from gaining too much power and squeezing Nvidia out.
• While Nvidia could gain more control over Hugging Face, too much could backfire.

What does $13 billion buy Nvidia these days? A bigger say in what AI gets built and what it runs on.

Business Insider reported on Wednesday that the chip giant was in talks to acquire Hugging Face, which hosts open-source AI models. That lines up with Nvidia's strategy as of late, as it has been beating the drum about open-source AI — models that anyone can use and build on.

Open models could stave off a future dominated by giants like OpenAI and Anthropic, both of which create closed, proprietary models. If top AI labs dominate the models being used and build their own chips to run them — as OpenAI is doing with Jalapeño — they could eventually cut Nvidia out.

"Open source is an important counterweight to closed platforms like OpenAI and Anthropic," said Brad Gastwirth, global head of research and market intelligence at Circular Technology. "The more AI development stays open and fragmented across many models and developers, the more opportunity Nvidia has to remain the underlying infrastructure provider."

There's a more immediate payoff, too: selling more chips. Developers using models from Hugging Face have to decide which hardware and software to run them on, and owning the hub could give Nvidia more sway over their choices.

Neither Nvidia nor Hugging Face immediately responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Nvidia could get more control over open-source AI

Nvidia has been circling Hugging Face for years.

It joined a $235 million funding round in 2023, and it distributes its own family of open models, Nemotron, on Hugging Face. Last year, Nvidia proposed a $500 million investment in Hugging Face at a $7 billion valuation, which the startup rejected, the Financial Times reported.

Hugging Face said at the time it didn't want a single investor wielding too much influence. That's because one of its hallmarks is its openness, with models that run on competing chips and cloud companies, including AMD and Google.

That makes a possible Nvidia acquisition a striking reversal, and it creates a tricky balance.

"The biggest risk is neutrality," Gastwirth said. "Hugging Face has a lot of value because developers see it as an open platform. Nvidia would have to be careful not to undermine that."

While Nvidia could get greater control over Hugging Face, it may have to use that control sparingly to preserve the openness that makes the startup so valuable.

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

• I manage responsibilities for my children while helping care for my aging mother.
• Alzheimer's adds anticipatory grief to an already overwhelming mental load.
• I've found support from other women facing the same multigenerational caregiving squeeze.

My daughter had just turned 7 years old. Her one request was that we host a birthday party at our house. My husband and I agreed and started preparing. Like many parents, we needed a little help managing the moving pieces. I asked my mother if she wouldn't mind watching my oldest daughter and our dog during the party.

My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2025. She still lives independently, with support, but loves seeing her granddaughters. She agreed, and we decided I would drop off my daughter and my dog with her before the party.

When I opened the door to my mom's apartment, I immediately realized something was wrong. She was lying on the floor, unable to get up. I quickly called 911 and let my husband know that I would not be returning for my daughter's party. Thankfully, after more than 12 hours in the emergency room, my mom was able to return home.

But I was crushed by guilt. I had missed my younger daughter's party, and the experience of seeing my mom so debilitated was deeply upsetting for my older daughter to witness.

The 'sandwich generation' doesn't capture the pressure I feel

People often call this the "sandwich generation": adults caught between raising children and caring for their aging parents. But increasingly, I have heard another phrase that feels more accurate: the "panini generation."

A sandwich is stacked neatly. But my life often feels like it is being pressed from every side, under heat, with very little room to move. For those of us raising children while caring for parents, moments like this are not rare interruptions. They are part of the reality we are constantly trying to manage.

Alzheimer's makes caregiving feel impossible to compartmentalize

Firsthand experience has taught me that Alzheimer's intensifies that pressure in ways that are hard to fully grasp until you live it. It is a progressive disease that requires increasing supervision. It brings emotional strain, not just from the physical demands of care, but from memory loss and personality changes that reshape relationships over time. Losing my mother bit by bit is heart-wrenching. And it unfolds over years, adding a layer of anticipatory grief and emotional strain on top of one of the most demanding periods of my life as a mother and a professional.

While this reality affects families broadly, women often bear the brunt. We carry the majority of Alzheimer's caregiving responsibilities, while also facing a higher lifetime risk of developing the disease ourselves. That dual reality makes this not just a caregiving issue, but a personal health issue.

The women who join me in this "panini generation" are simultaneously managing careers and financial responsibilities, raising children, caring for aging parents, and navigating midlife health changes that can impact their own brain health. We are the stabilizing force across generations, often at a cost that isn't visible in the moment.

Caregivers often face reduced income or career disruption, rising out-of-pocket care costs, and competing priorities between children, parents, and their own long-term security. One particularly difficult piece for me is the intense mental load that comes with being the command center for everyone: organizing doctors' visits, medications, finances, transportation, and social engagements. I am everyone's emergency contact, if and when something goes wrong.

My mom is still herself

Nearly two years into my mom's Alzheimer's diagnosis, she's still herself — sharp in so many ways, funny, and stubborn. But caregiving has become a bigger part of my life, and I know that will only continue to grow. What has helped me navigate that uncertainty is finding community with other women who are carrying many of the same responsibilities — caring for aging parents while raising children, managing careers, and trying to remain present for the people they love.

There is comfort in being understood without having to explain, but there is also urgency in realizing just how many of the women I've met along the way are stretched thin by systems that were never designed for this reality. Workplaces have not kept pace with long-term, multigenerational caregiving. Community resources remain limited. And proactive brain health education, especially during midlife, is still inadequate.

The women I have met throughout this journey remind me that no caregiver should have to reach a breaking point before finding support.

Catherine Patterson is the acting Chief Operating Officer of UsAgainstAlzheimer's.

• Dollar General is adding more $1 items to its stores, executives said Thursday.
• The dollar store chain plans to increase its $1 selection by 40% in time for the holidays.
• Dollar General is doubling down on the price point after second-quarter sales success

Dollar General is doubling down on the $1 price point.

A selection of 600 items priced at $1 each, which the chain calls "Value Valley," had comparable sales growth of 16% during the company's second quarter — a much faster clip than broader same-store sales growth of 3.5%, it said on Thursday.

In total, Dollar General stocks about 2,000 items that cost $1 each. It expects to grow that number by 40% in the second half of 2026 in time for the holiday shopping season, COO Emily Taylor said on the retailer's earnings call.

Expect that selection to grow "even more so into 2027," CEO Todd Vasos said. "We have got real plans to expand that $1 price point to offer even more value for the consumer," he added.

Dollar stores used to be true to their name, with everything on their shelves priced at $1. Inflation has changed that, though: In 2021, Dollar Tree raised prices on most items to $1.25 and has since experimented with items priced at several dollars each.

That's a different direction than Dollar General appears to be taking, said Arielle Feger, a senior analyst at EMARKETER, Business Insider's sister company.

While Dollar General has long sold items that cost well over $1 each, many of those items are food and other consumables that draw people into the store, Feger said. The chain began adding freezers stocked with food items priced at $1 each to its stores earlier this year, Vasos said on the company's last earnings call in June.

Dollar Tree's $1 item selection, by contrast, skews more toward discretionary items, such as home decor and toys.

Dollar General's strategy is similar to the classic grocery store strategy of selling eggs and milk as cheaply as possible — even at a loss, potentially — to boost overall sales, Feger said.

"It gets people in the door, and it gets them to continue to come back," she said.

That strategy is particularly meaningful to customers who are trying to save money, Vasos said on Thursday's earnings call.

Dollar General's average customer is "still gainfully employed" and "is seeing some gains in her income levels," the CEO said. But inflation and rising gas prices this year have offset that income gain, Vasos said, leading many customers to visit its stores more often and buy less each trip.

By expanding its selection of $1 items, Dollar General will likely continue to attract customers, Feger said.

"Consumers are habitual," she said. "We go to the same places, we expect the same things."

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• Alphabet and Meta are weathering steep declines from their record highs.
• Alphabet has shed over $600B in market cap since May, while Meta has lost over $500B in the last year.
• Investors are concerned about AI capex and a variety of company-specific issues.

The Magnificent Seven may not be the dominant engine of stock gains that they once were, but it's stark just how sharply some of their fortunes have diverged this year.

Nvidia on Wednesday proved that the AI trade is alive and well, and the stock was being rewarded for it on Thursday. Shares were up 10% around midday, with investors cheering the bullish report that came at a critical time for the AI trade. The stock is up 23% in 2026.

The chip titan wowed the market with yet another quarter of enormous revenue and predictions for even more growth to come, no small feat for the world's largest company that's already worth $5.5 trillion.

Meanwhile, there's Alphabet and Meta, previously two of the highest-flying Magnificent Seven stocks. The companies are now struggling to find their footing as investors punish the shares for a variety of concerns, among them waning free cash flow and worries that both tech firms are spending excessively on AI.

Alphabet — which appeared to be the outlier of the Magnificent Seven group earlier this year, rising even as the other hyperscalers sold off — has seen its stock tumble. Shares of the Google parent have dropped 15% from their peak in May, trading around $336 a share on Thursday. The decline marks a $692 billion loss in market cap over the last three months, though the stock is still up 7% this year.

Meta's losing streak has been longer and more pronounced, on a year to date and a 12-month basis. Shares of the social media giant are down 27% from their peak in August of last year, trading around $571 on Thursday. The stock has shed over $500 billion in market cap since its peak in August 2025.

"There's always rotation within the Mag Seven," Bret Kenwell, an investment and options analyst at eToro, told Business Insider, pointing to how Alphabet used to be the "superstar" within the group of tech giants.

Here's what has driven the latest declines for Alphabet and Meta:

Alphabet: Capex, leadership changes, and product delays

Concerns about AI capex spending have been a key issue weighing on Alphabet stock lately, Kenwell said. The firm is on track to spend as much as $205 billion on AI this year, up from the previous guidance of $180 billion to $190 billion.

"Alphabet's rapidly expanding AI infrastructure spending has become the central issue. Cloud growth remains impressive, but management must demonstrate that escalating capital expenditures will ultimately translate into profitable growth," Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial, wrote last month.

"At the end of the day, investors want to see these big investments in AI having some sort of tangible return," Kenwell said.

Alphabet has also seen a string of high-profile exits lately. In August, Jeff Dean, Google's former chief scientist, left the firm to build his AI startup, while Demis Hassabis, the former CEO of Google's DeepMind AI lab, stepped down from the position to take on a broader role at the company. Shares tumbled the day the reshuffle was announced.

Investors may also be dismayed by the delay of the company's new AI model, Gemini 3.5 Pro, Kenwell added. The model is expected to bring improvements to its coding tools, an area in which Alphabet is seen as lagging behind its competitors.

Meta: AI spending, monetization, and cash flow concerns

The story at Meta has been predominantly about the firm's heavy AI spend. The firm expects to spend as much as $145 billion on capital expenditures this year, up from the previous guidance of $115 billion to $135 billion.

The Facebook and Instagram parent is also in the early stages of its monetization plans, having recently announced subscription tiers for its AI model and its core social media services in May. Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon all appear to have clearer monetization models compared to Meta, Kenwell added.

"I think there might still be some question marks around Meta," he said. "There's just some questions around the spending and it probably didn't help that they went through that giant metaverse writedown," Kenwell added, referring to how Meta recorded over $80 billion in losses on its metaverse projects.

Investors are also grappling with a few financial concerns. On the one hand, the company's free cash flow is dwindling, having plunged 91% in the second quarter to $784 million, according to its latest earnings call.

Further muddying the picture is Meta's teen addiction lawsuit, which it agreed to settle for $18 billion this week. That cash hit is coming at the exact time the firm needs that money, Needham analysts wrote this week.

"The timing of payments couldn't be worse," the firm said. "This settlement adds another cash financing requirement as META battles to keep up with larger competitors in the AI race."

The company also risks losing users, the analysts added, pointing to how Meta is required to implement features like two-hour daily limits for teens as part of the settlement.

Investors will be more keen to re-invest in Meta and Alphabet once both companies see more momentum in their businesses, Kenwell said, pointing to how other Magnificent Seven stocks have rebounded from their latest declines this summer after showing "tangible acceleration."

"They don't need the full payoff. They don't need to see this immediate, enormous acceleration. They just need to see that there is a growth avenue from this big investment," Kenwell said.

• Retro, designed by ex-Instagram employees, is a social app for sharing content with close friends.
• The startup behind it has raised $21 million, recent financial filings reveal.
• It's one of many new social media apps taking on Big Tech platforms.

There's a social media app I like using more than Instagram or TikTok — and it's attracted serious investor interest.

The app, called Retro, is an Instagram alternative for sharing photos and videos with close friends or family.

The startup behind the app, Lone Palm Labs, has raised at least $21 million in venture capital funding, according to recent financial filings viewed by Business Insider. On the startup's website, the company lists investors such as Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital, Scribble Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, and Uncommon Projects, as well as angels including Figma CEO Dylan Field.

Retro did not respond to requests for comment.

Retro was founded by former Instagram employees who wanted to build a "super simple product that's really just for you and your friends," Nathan Sharp, Lone Palm's CEO, previously told Business Insider.

Sharp, who worked on both Instagram and Facebook, teamed up with Ryan Olson, a longtime Instagram engineer, in 2022 to found Lone Palm Labs. Split between New York and San Francisco, Lone Palm Labs is a team of seven employees, according to the company's website. The company launched another app in 2025, called Splat, which can make a coloring page for kids from photos using AI.

While venture capital is pouring money into AI, data centers, and SaaS companies, some consumer tech startups building social media apps have had to fight tooth and nail to get a slice of the pie. PitchBook data revealed a steady decline in the number of deals backing social startups since a peak in 2021 — though total deal value for 2026 is already rebounding after a dismal 2025.

That environment makes Lone Palm Labs' haul especially notable.

Social media for your real-life friends

Since Retro launched in 2023, the social app has added many new features. While it's primarily a diary for documenting your daily life — I typically share photos and memes from the week — it's expanded with shared photo albums and a feed of throwbacks that transport you back in time via your camera roll. You can also send posts from the app as literal postcards in the mail.

Unlike Instagram or Facebook, I don't have hundreds of friends added on the app. I have a lean social graph of 20 friends.

According to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, Retro has an estimated 1.7 million global monthly active users and 7.8 million global downloads as of Wednesday. Outside the US, the app has seen success in countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Germany, and Spain, according to Appfigures data.

The app currently has no ads and uses a freemium model for monetization. While it's free to make an account, Retro in 2025 introduced a premium subscription that lets users unlock features such as posting videos and viewing other friends' content without having to post their own. The subscription costs about $36 a year.

As bigger social media apps lose their social-ness and become more entertainment platforms, apps like Retro are betting that people are willing to pay for connection.

• Meta said its coming Hatch AI agent "can do anything you can do online."
• Meta has been testing Hatch with employees, per an internal memo.
• Hatch can "remember more than most AIs," the memo said.

It can DJ. It can order food. It can book you a table at a restaurant. And of course, it can access your Instagram.

These are some things Meta says its coming AI agent can do, according to an internal memo seen by Business Insider.

Known internally as "Project Hatch," the new agent is Meta's answer to OpenClaw, the autonomous AI assistant that went viral earlier this year as companies increasingly bet on AI capable of performing tasks rather than just answering queries.

A product manager told staff in an internal channel last month that Hatch was being made available to employees outside its Meta Superintelligence Labs group for testing.

The memo described Hatch as "a personal agent that's always working on your behalf to help achieve your goals and improve your life, your health, your relationships, your personal finances and more."

The memo to staff included a list of things Hatch could do. "It has its own computer so it can do anything you can do online, like filling out forms, buying something, or performing deep research," it said, in a section titled "What makes Project Hatch different from an AI assistant?"

Meta is positioning Hatch as a general consumer product capable of performing a range of computer-based tasks, at a time when generalist agents are taking off. Google launched a similar tool, Gemini Spark, earlier this year, while OpenAI and Anthropic also have agents capable of controlling users' computers. A new AI assistant from the startup Instinct, which users can call or text, has also generated buzz in recent weeks.

Hatch could become a new way for Meta to make money from its AI investments. While the company has been working to catch rivals with new models and a new coding agent, its AI revenue has mostly come from improvements to its advertising products.

It could not be learned what Meta plans to charge for Hatch or an exact launch timeline. The Information previously reported that Meta plans to launch Hatch in the next few weeks and that it has considered charging up to $200 a month for it.

A Meta spokesperson declined to comment.

Meta wants to crack the AI agent market

The memo said Hatch can connect directly to apps such as email and calendar, and gave Spotify, Instagram, and OpenTable as examples.

"It has great memory and can remember more than most AIs," the memo read, adding that users can "approve any sensitive actions" before they happen.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously touted his vision of a future in which everyone has their own personal AI assistants capable of performing tasks.

"Meta is the company primarily focused on building personal superintelligence for everyone," he said in a manifesto earlier this month.

The memo said that Hatch would be highly personal to the user.

"You design your agent, so no two are alike. You name it, shape how it talks and decide what it pays attention to. If it gets something wrong, tell it and it adjusts," the memo said.

The product manager who posted the note said they had built a Hatch agent named Veda that had helped them find a new dog sitter, purchase a Father's Day gift, and change their sleep habits.

Hatch also works in the background "even when the app is closed," the memo added.

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There are plenty of cheap turntables out there, but affordable doesn't automatically mean good value. Though it might be tempting for vinyl newbies to pick up the first low-cost player they see, many inexpensive turntables cut corners on quality and design. That's why I tested a wide range of models to find the best budget record players that are actually worth the money. For this guide, I focused on turntables under $400 that strike a good balance between price and performance.

My top pick for most needs is the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X. This simple, standalone turntable pairs reliable components with fully automatic operation, making it an excellent choice for people new to vinyl. If you're shopping on an even tighter budget and want a record player with built-in speakers, the Victrola Eastwood II is one of the few options under $150 that I still recommend.

No matter which model you choose, my picks for the best budget turntables offer an easy way to start building your record collection without sacrificing too much in sound quality.

Our top picks for the best budget record players

Best overall: Audio-Technica AT-LP60X-BK - See at Amazon

Best step-up model: Sony PS-LX3BT - See at Amazon

Best cheap all-in-one: Victrola Eastwood II - See at Amazon

Best step-up all-in-one: House of Marley Rise Up - See at House of Marley

Best overall

The Audio-Technica AT-LP60X is the best budget record player for most people. It costs just under $200, is easy to operate, and can last for years as your vinyl collection grows.

This belt-drive turntable is fully automatic, so it doesn't require close monitoring. It features a built-in preamp and a respectable cartridge that's full-bodied yet not too sharp in the high end. And if you ever decide to upgrade, you can replace the cartridge with a higher-end one.

This model supports wired playback with any pair of typical stereo speakers, but you will need an amplifier if the speakers don't have built-in power. There's also a more expensive model that adds Bluetooth connectivity for an extra $50 to $100. However, I recommend sticking with this wired-only player and putting that extra money toward powered speakers.

In terms of value, all the essential pieces are here, but there are a few trade-offs to achieve such a low price. One is that the LP60X doesn't feel as sturdy as higher-end Audio-Technica models. It features an aluminum platter, but other parts are made of plastic. To that point, some buyers have reported damage upon arrival. I didn't see anything like that when I reviewed the unit, but it's worth noting.

If you're looking to get started with vinyl listening as a hobby, this is an ideal budget-friendly player.

Check out our guide to the best record players.

Best step-up model

The Sony PS-LX3BT is pricier than other picks in this guide, but it offers better performance than cheaper options while still coming in at under $400. It also remains beginner-friendly, with both Bluetooth and automatic controls.

Using the PS-LX3BT is simple. One button press plays or stops a record, and the tonearm moves automatically. For Bluetooth playback, all you need is a pair of wireless headphones or speakers. The turntable also supports aptX Adaptive, which enables higher-quality wireless audio when paired with compatible headphones.

Wired playback is also supported via the player's integrated RCA cables. Having the cables permanently attached is both convenient and potentially problematic. On the one hand, it means you never have to worry about getting separate cables, but on the other hand, it means you're stuck with their length, and if they break, they're not easily replaced.

In testing, the PS-LX3BT delivered great sound quality with a clean, balanced profile that was a step up from that of cheaper Bluetooth record players. The PS-LX3BT also has a neat bonus feature: a USB port to back up your vinyl collection as digital files.

But while the PS-LX3BT is a bit more advanced than other picks, it still has some drawbacks. In particular, the turntable's automatic movements are a bit noisy, and its plastic build feels cheaper than that of pricier models with heftier designs.

And though still reasonable at just under $400, you can find manual, wired-only turntables with better cartridges for less money. But in most cases, that means forgoing automatic playback, Bluetooth streaming, and USB-C audio transfer. For those who prioritize ease of use, the PS-LX3BT is highly recommended.

Check our full Sony PS-LX3BT turntable review.

Best cheap all-in-one

The Victrola Eastwood II makes sacrifices to hit its low price, but if you want one of the most affordable record players with built-in speakers that's still worth buying, then this is a good choice. But remember to keep your expectations in check.

While there are plenty of cheaper suitcase-style record players out there, they just aren't very good. After using the Eastwood II, I feel confident that it's the best cheap all-in-one turntable for the money. Its cost fluctuates depending on sales, but it often sells for just $99.

Beyond its low price, the Eastwood II is a convenient space-saver. If your room needs a compact solution, this is a great option. It's small enough that a full-sized vinyl record will stick off the side, which is why there's a cutout in the dust cover to accommodate that. The Eastwood II uses the popular AT-3600LA cartridge and stylus, which is a great base-level component.

On the downside, the Eastwood II's built-in speakers are mediocre and noticeably inferior to a typical pair of stereo bookshelf speakers. This is a player that's geared toward casual listeners who favor convenience over sound quality. However, this unit does feature RCA and 3.5mm outputs for connecting external speakers or headphones. There's also Bluetooth connectivity on board, so you can stream music wirelessly to a Bluetooth speaker. This makes it simple to upgrade your listening experience later on if you decide to.

Check out our guide to the best Bluetooth turntables.

Best step-up all-in-one

House of Marley's Rise Up Turntable is the best budget record player for listeners who want an elevated all-in-one listening experience. It also gets bonus points for its environmentally friendly design.

House of Marley is an audio brand that's partnered with the Marley family, continuing Bob Marley's legacy of championing music and sustainability. Its products are responsibly sourced, from their packaging to their use of bamboo and unique materials not often found in electronics. To that point, the Rise Up turntable has a bamboo finish and a recycled slipmat.

Of course, the benefits of this all-in-one turntable go far beyond appearance. The biggest one of which is the built-in stereo speakers. The Rise Up comes ready to use out of the box, pre-calibrated, and only requires plugging into an AC outlet for power.

It features an AT3600L cartridge and stylus, which are replaceable if you want to swap them out later. This is a time-tested piece of hardware that delivers detailed, lively performance. However, it doesn't sound quite as full as some pricier cartridges, but it's hard to tell without direct, back-to-back comparisons.

I've tried several all-in-one record players with built-in speakers, and I've never been impressed by the sound quality until this one. The speakers sound rich and full and can get quite loud, offering a clear step up in quality over the Victrola Eastowood II. The turntable isn't automatic, but it will stop spinning at the end — a nice touch for newcomers to analog listening.

Although the built-in speakers will likely satisfy most budget shoppers, you can connect a different set of external speakers via RCA or Bluetooth. In fact, the wireless connectivity works both ways. You can stream a record to a wireless speaker, or stream music from your phone to the Rise Up's speakers.

Why don't we recommend suitcase record players?

Though there are many sub-$100 suitcase-style record players on the market, we don't generally recommend them. Their convenience often comes with major tradeoffs in sound quality and durability. This style of record player tends to have tiny built-in speakers that sound thin, and the lightweight construction can make it more prone to skipping and vibration. Many also use basic cartridges and tonearms with high tracking force, which can wear out records faster if they aren't properly adjusted or maintained. If you're on a budget, the picks in this guide are much better long-term buys.

How we test budget record players

To find the best budget record players, I spent time with each one listening to dozens of records, just as most people would at home. For consistency, I connected every turntable to the same three speakers: a Sonos Era 100 stereo pair, a Marshall Stanmore III, and the Edifier R1280T. I kept the speaker volume fixed at 50% throughout testing to make fair comparisons.

Although I rotated through numerous records, I also consistently played the same two albums on every turntable. "Bond 25" by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra helped evaluate instrument detail and dynamics, while Georgia's "Euphoric" — with its electronic production — highlighted how each player handled modern sounds.

For models that support Bluetooth, I also tested wireless playback. I evaluated the ease of pairing each turntable and then assessed the sound quality over Bluetooth. While a wired connection is generally preferred, wireless listening can be a real convenience, especially for budget setups.

Across multiple listening sessions, I focused on clarity, depth, and overall balance. I also paid close attention to mechanical noise —things like motor hum, clicks, or distracting vibrations — and noted how smoothly each turntable's parts operated.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Tyler Hayes, contributing reporter: I've been covering consumer tech since 2013, including record players across a range of budgets. I know not everyone wants to drop a fortune just to spin a few records, so I set out to test a bunch of turntables under $400 to see which ones are genuinely worth your money and which ones just look good on a shelf. I personally put every model in this guide through real-world listening tests, focusing on sound quality, build, ease of setup, and durability. My goal wasn't just to find the cheapest option, but to find the ones that stand out from rivals in this price range.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

Budget record player FAQs

What's the difference between a turntable and a record player?

Technically speaking, a turntable is a component of a record player. Traditionally, the term record player refers to an all-in-one device that features a turntable (spinning deck and tonearm), built-in speakers, and an amplifier. However, the terminology has evolved to the point where those words are essentially interchangeable.

How much money should you spend on a budget record player?

On the low end, the best budget record players start at around $100-$200. Cheaper options exist, but spending a little more usually gets you better sound quality and a design that's gentler on your records. If you're unsure how much you'll actually use a record player, I recommend starting modestly. Some turntables, like the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X, can be upgraded later.

Do budget record players sound good?

The best budget record players can deliver enjoyable sound quality, especially for casual listening. You won't get audiophile-level detail, but many affordable models offer warm, clear audio that's good enough for everyday use. However, options in the $100 to $150 price range often use many plastic components, which can cause vibrations or rattling. As you reach the $350 price point and beyond, build quality improves, and higher-end components are used to deliver a superior experience.

What is a built-in preamp, and do I need one?

A built-in preamp amplifies the audio signal from a record, allowing it to be heard through speakers. If you're buying a budget record player, having a built-in preamp makes setup much easier and eliminates the need for a separate one.

Do budget record players need external speakers and an amplifier?

Many budget record players come with built-in speakers, allowing you to start listening right away. Others require external speakers but still often have a built-in preamp. If you're connecting passive speakers (ones that don't require a wall outlet for power or have a built-in battery), you will need a dedicated amplifier to power them. For wireless speaker recommendations, check out our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers.

• Russia fired a new ballistic missile during a recent strike on Ukraine.
• The Iskander-1000 has a larger engine and longer range than its predecessor.
• Russia has been upgrading its ballistic missile arsenal, threatening Ukraine's already strained air defenses.

Russia fired an upgraded version of its Iskander short-range ballistic missile for the first time in a summer strike on the Ukrainian capital city, the country's military intelligence agency shared this week.

Russian forces have significantly ramped up their ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine this year. These strikes come as Russia upgrades its arsenal and Ukraine struggles to procure sufficient numbers of critical air-defense interceptors.

On Thursday, Ukraine's GUR, the country's military and defense intelligence agency, said that Russia had used an upgraded ballistic missile, the 9M723-2 or "Iskander-1000," against Ukraine for the first time during a complex bombardment of Kyiv this summer.

The Iskander-1000 is an upgraded variant of the 9M723-1, a ballistic missile fired by Russia's Iskander system, with a larger engine and launcher that extend its range. Ukraine has assessed that these modifications have increased its maximum range to about 340 miles, about 100 miles farther than its predecessor. It added that most other components remain the same.

The first combat use of the Iskander-1000 highlights Russia's ongoing investments in expanding and improving its ballistic missile arsenal. Ukrainian officials have said such weapons are becoming an increasingly prominent part of Moscow's strike campaign. The additional range on the upgraded 9M723-2 missile allows Russian Iskander launchers to operate from farther back while still threatening Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine has tracked evolutions in Russian ballistic missile technology, including changes in maneuverability that make the weapons more difficult to intercept. These developments have at times challenged Ukrainian air defenses, such as the US-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

Last fall, for instance, a US defense intelligence assessment found that Ukraine's Patriots struggled to consistently intercept Russian ballistic missiles due to certain recent "tactical improvements" Moscow had made to the weapons.

The Patriot is a top-tier air defense platform in Ukraine and is considered its best defense against Russian ballistic missiles like the Iskander and the air-launched Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, but it's not infallible. Right now, though, Ukraine is running low on interceptor missiles. Some nights, Ukraine hasn't been able to intercept a single missile.

Russia has also expanded its arsenal with assistance from North Korea. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian Air Force said North Korea's KN-23 missile, which is a rough copy of Russia's Iskander missile, had been used in two strikes. Ukrainian and Western officials have assessed that ongoing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has allowed both countries to improve their weapons and technologies.

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the industry has to do a "better" job working with communities.
• Huang is the latest voice in tech to acknowledge that something has to change.
• Polling shows many in the US have turned hard against data center construction.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the AI industry needs to do "better" when it comes to data centers.

"The technology industry, the builders, and, have to do a much better job working with the communities to get prepared for this AI infrastructure build-out," Huang told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday when asked about how Nvidia's customers could show communities they are serious about data center concerns.

Huang is the latest voice in tech, and arguably the biggest so far, to acknowledge that the industry has to do a better job of selling communities on building data centers. Polling shows that Americans have become deeply skeptical of the massive facilities that house the advanced chips that train and serve AI demand.

Huang said the industry needs to sell the idea that data center construction can help reindustrialize the nation. Addressing a frequent concern, Huang said data centers could actually lower energy costs.

"It is also the case this is the first time in probably the last century that we're able to invest in sustainable energy, invest in improving our energy grid, securing our energy supply, reducing the cost of energy across the country," he said. "This is the first time in history that we're able to do that because of the enormous market dynamics, the market forces that are able to invest in the energy ecosystem."

Business Insider has previously reported that rapid data center expansion could increase electricity costs. A recent study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that data centers could reduce consumer costs by adjusting their power consumption.

The MIT researchers found that data centers that shift their power consumption to off-peak hours could lower average energy costs by up to 4% in the Mid-Atlantic, 5% in Texas, and 2% in 11 western states compared to facilities that didn't change their consumption patterns. The researchers studied power grids in each of those three areas due to the prevalence of data centers there.

There is a big caveat to their findings. The researchers said that under some scenarios, data centers would need to shift nearly 50% of their energy consumption to non-peak hours, such as the afternoon.

On Wednesday, Nvidia reported that data center revenue totaled $89 billion in the second quarter of FY 26, up 117% from a year ago. The figure also surpassed Wall Street's estimates, illustrating just how lucrative the broader AI buildout is for the world's largest company by market cap.

Like President Donald Trump, Huang warned of the costs to the US if data centers aren't built out.

"We have to make sure that our communities, our society, all of our companies, all of our people in the United States embrace this technology so that we can take advantage of what this technology could do for all of our ecosystems, all of our economy, and all of our societies," Huang said. He added, "Otherwise, we're going to get left behind."

At the same time, the vibes in the US look increasingly dour. Governors have moved to pump the brakes on data center construction amid a growing public backlash.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking reelection, imposed an effective moratorium on new data center construction until state agencies complete a comprehensive audit. Abbott was rather blunt about how he went from declaring Texas the "epicenter of AI development" to imposing a moratorium in less than a year.

"They basically dug their own grave for the problem that's been caused for them, and that's why they got the backlash they deserve," Abbott said during an interview on ABC's "This Week."

• Alysa Liu is taking another step back from competitive figure skating.
• In 2022, she quit because she was miserable. This time, she's breaking to 'fine-tune' her skating.
• It could be a step towards normalizing resting before you're so exhausted your body forces you to.

Alysa Liu is taking a break from competitive figure skating, but not because she's burned out.

The 21-year-old Olympic champion wrote on Instagram that she will be sitting out next year's season to focus on personal growth and fine-tune her skating and artistry.

She told NBC Sports on Tuesday: "I really want to improve my skating, and I wanted to take the time to do that for myself and just to evolve, and then I'll be back after that is done."

It's not uncommon for a public figure to announce a break from their work, but it's almost always for health or personal reasons. Earlier this month, Ariana Grande's people announced that she would be taking a break amid "endless, ongoing public scrutiny." Simone Biles stepped away from gymnastics for two years until 2023, citing mental health concerns.

Liu is ostensibly doing the opposite: pacing herself so she doesn't run herself into the ground. This is particularly notable for an athlete, whose career-spans are typically shorter.

Taking a step back while at the top of your game might seem counterintuitive, but her career trajectory suggests the opposite.

A preventative break

Liu retired from figure skating in 2022 at the age of 16, but returned two years later, with renewed vigor, and bagged gold at the 2025 World Championships. She went on to win two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

"I loved that I was able to come back and choose my own destiny," Liu told Olympics.com at the time. "I chose to be here," she said.

Reflecting on the first time she stepped back, Liu has said in interviews that she was burned out, miserable, and felt disenfranchised at the time.

"I really hated skating when I quit. Like, I really didn't like it," Liu told the Associated Press in February. "I didn't care about competitions. I didn't care about places. I didn't care about skaters. I didn't care about my programs. I just wanted to, like, get away."

This time, her tone is different. "I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry & skating can evolve. It's important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth. I'm gonna take the time to recalibrate, fine-tune things & whatnot," Liu wrote in an Instagram caption posted on August 26.

Liu's preventive career break comes amid a moment of tension between companies in their "hardcore era," and workers reevaluating their devotion to work. This summer a string of tech execs cited health problems in their resignation announcements, some expressing shock that their bodies couldn't keep up with their work ethic.

We all know that rest is important, but it can be tempting to burn the candle at both ends to get things done, putting the potential longterm consequences to one side.

"Grit and endurance are not the only skills required to have impact over decades," Fidji Simo, wrote on X in July when she resigned as the CEO of AGI at OpenAI. "Sometimes the harder thing is to stop, listen, and trust that taking care of yourself today makes it possible to contribute for much longer tomorrow."

Off the back of Liu's win-streak, and stealing the hearts of the nation with her nonconformist Gen Z aura and joie de vivre, you might expect her to keep striking while the iron is hot. Her decision not to could be what keeps her winning for years to come.

• The 75th Miss USA pageant will take place in Miami on August 27.
• We took a look back at celebrities who have competed on the Miss USA stage.
• Halle Berry, Olivia Culpo, and Kenya Moore were all titleholders.

Before she won an Academy Award, Halle Berry was nearly Miss USA.

The iconic actor is among a star-studded group of women who used the 74-year-old pageant as their stepping stone to Hollywood.

These are the celebrities who have competed at Miss USA.

Halle Berry nearly won Miss USA in 1986.

Berry represented Ohio at Miss USA in 1986. She was first runner-up to Miss Texas, Christy Fichtner, who was the first runner-up at Miss Universe. If Fichtner had won, Berry would have inherited the Miss USA crown. 

That same year, Berry was the first African-American woman to represent the USA at the Miss World competition. She finished in sixth place. 

While Berry didn't take home the Miss USA or Miss World crowns, she continued to make history in Hollywood. In 1999, Berry took on the title role in "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," a biopic about the first Black woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for best actress. Berry won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance. 

Three years later, Berry became the first Black woman to win the Oscar for best actress. She took home the trophy for her role in the 2001 film "Monster's Ball."  

In 1993, Kenya Moore became the second Black woman to win the Miss USA crown.

Moore took home the Miss USA crown while representing Michigan in 1993. She placed in the top six at Miss Universe. 

Moore's pageant success kicked off a Hollywood acting career that included stints on TV shows like "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Living Single," and "Girlfriends," and films including "Waiting to Exhale" and "Deliver Us from Eva." She also appeared in music videos for Nas and Tupac. 

Moore went on to become a Bravo star, appearing on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" from 2012 to 2024. She has also appeared as a contestant on "The Apprentice," "Dancing With the Stars," and "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test." 

Moore will host the 75th annual Miss USA finals on August 27.

Shanna Moakler was first runner-up at Miss USA in 1995, but she inherited the crown after her competitor won Miss Universe.

Moakler represented New York at Miss USA 1995. She was first runner-up to Miss Texas Chelsi Smith, but assumed the title of Miss USA after Smith won Miss Universe. 

After her pageant career came to an end, Moakler appeared on shows including "Pacific Blue" and "Entourage." She was married to Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker for four years, briefly starring in the E! reality show "Meet the Barkers." The couple, who divorced in 2008, share two children.

Moakler has appeared as a contestant on "Dancing With the Stars" and "Celebrity Big Brother." She also remains active in the Miss USA organization, serving as the executive director for both the Miss Utah USA and Miss Nevada USA state pageants.

Ali Landry was crowned Miss USA in 1996.

Landry took home the pageant's top prize in 1996 while representing Louisiana, and she went on to place in the top six at the Miss Universe pageant that same year.

She transferred her pageant success into a career in entertainment. Her biggest role was as Rita Lefleur on UPN's "Eve," which she appeared in from 2003 to 2006, according to her IMDb page. She most recently appeared in the controversial 2023 film "Sound of Freedom."

Olivia Culpo became the first Miss USA to win the Miss Universe pageant in 15 years when she took the crown in 2012.

After winning Miss USA and Miss Universe, the Rhode Island native amassed a huge social media following and established a career as an influencer. She has over 5 million followers on Instagram.

Culpo dipped her toe into acting after her streak of pageant wins, appearing in "I Feel Pretty" with Amy Schumer and "The Other Woman" with Cameron Diaz. She also starred in one season of the TLC reality series "The Culpo Sisters" with her family. She also co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

She is married to San Francisco 49ers player Christian McCaffrey and is currently pregnant with their second child.

Hannah Brown competed in the 2018 Miss USA pageant as Miss Alabama.

Brown did not place at the Miss USA pageant but went on to compete on season 23 of "The Bachelor" with Colton Underwood that same year. She placed seventh and was named the next star of "The Bachelorette" in 2019.

Brown gave her final rose to Jed Wyatt and accepted his proposal at the end of the series, but their engagement ended a few months later after she found out he was dating someone else up until the day he left to film the show.

Following "The Bachelorette," Brown competed on and won season 28 of "Dancing With the Stars."

In 2021, Brown published a memoir, "God Bless This Mess," which became a New York Times bestseller. She married entrepreneur Adam Woolard in 2025.

Caelynn Miller-Keyes was first runner-up at the Miss USA 2018 pageant.

Miller-Keyes represented North Carolina in the 2018 Miss USA pageant. 

Like Brown, Miller-Keyes went on to compete for Colton Underwood's heart in season 23 of "The Bachelor," placing fourth.

She appeared on the spin-off series "Bachelor in Paradise" in 2019, where she met Dean Unglert. The couple wed in September 2023.

Today, Miller-Keyes is an influencer with over 1 million Instagram followers. 

• "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" recently crossed the $2 billion threshold.
• It's the fourth installment in the Tom Holland-led "Spider-Man" series.
• It joins 39 other sequels that have made seven figures at the box office.

At one time, sequels were expected to have diminishing returns — but not anymore. Now, if a sequel doesn't outgross its predecessor, it can be considered something of a failure.

Perhaps that's why, among the 64 films released by US studios that have made $1 billion at the box office, a whopping 40 of them are direct sequels to other movies — 44 if you count "Rogue One," "Minions," "The Phantom Menace," or "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," which are technically prequels.

This year alone, three sequels — "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," "Toy Story 5," and "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" — have made at least $1 billion, with "Brand New Day" entering even more rarefied air by grossing over $2 billion, just the seventh film released by a US studio to do so.

Here are all 40 sequels to have hit $1 billion at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo data, from "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," to "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."

40. "Jurassic World Dominion" (2022)

Worldwide gross: $1,001,978,080

39. "The Dark Knight" (2008)

Worldwide gross: $1,008,480,529

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

Worldwide gross: $1,013,045,939

37. "Finding Dory" (2016)

Worldwide gross: $1,029,266,989

36. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)

Worldwide gross: $1,034,800,131

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

Worldwide gross: $1,046,721,266

34. "Moana 2" (2024)

Worldwide gross: $1,059,242,164

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

Worldwide gross: $1,066,179,747

32. "Toy Story 3" (2010)

Worldwide gross: $1,067,316,101

31. "Toy Story 4" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,073,841,394

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

Worldwide gross: $1,077,022,372

29. "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)

Worldwide gross: $1,085,429,692

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

Worldwide gross: $1,105,261,713

27. "Skyfall" (2012)

Worldwide gross: $1,108,594,137

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

Worldwide gross: $1,123,794,079

25. "Toy Story 5" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $1,128,693,939

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

Worldwide gross: $1,132,723,226

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

Worldwide gross: $1,149,453,674

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

Worldwide gross: $1,155,046,416

21. "Iron Man 3" (2013)

Worldwide gross: $1,215,577,205

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

Worldwide gross: $1,236,009,236

19. "Incredibles 2" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $1,243,225,667

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

Worldwide gross: $1,308,566,455

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

Worldwide gross: $1,334,407,706

16. "Deadpool & Wolverine" (2024)

Worldwide gross: $1,338,073,645

15. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011)

Worldwide gross: $1,342,942,050

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

Worldwide gross: $1,405,018,048

13. "Frozen II" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $1,453,683,476

12. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" (2025)

Worldwide gross: $1,485,999,890

11. "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022)

Worldwide gross: $1,503,260,455

10. "Furious 7" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $1,515,342,457

9. "Jurassic World" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $1,671,537,444

8. "Inside Out 2" (2024)

Worldwide gross: $1,698,863,816

7. "Zootopia 2" (2025)

Worldwide gross: $1,866,647,950

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

Worldwide gross: $1,921,426,073

5. "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $2,052,415,039

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

Worldwide gross: $2,071,310,218

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

Worldwide gross: $2,229,461,878

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

Worldwide gross: $2,334,484,620

1. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100

• Actors James Van Der Beek, Hayden Panettiere, Robert Duvall, Chuck Norris, and Sam Neill died in 2026.
• So did country star Dolly Parton, actor Tim Curry, and artist Yayoi Kusama.
• Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, singer Bonnie Tyler, and media mogul Ted Turner also died this year.

Below, we look back at the celebrities we lost in 2026, listed in alphabetical order.

Scott Adams, 68

Scott Adams worked at a telephone company in the 1980s. The experience inspired his beloved comic strip, "Dilbert."

By the end of the decade, the character and his satirical office humor began appearing in comic strips.

At its peak, "Dilbert" was syndicated in over 2,000 newspapers. A cartoon series debuted in 1999, running for two seasons.

Adams gained notoriety when he began writing blog posts praising Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential run. In 2023, "Dilbert" was pulled from newspapers across the US following racist comments made by Adams.

Adams died on January 13 from metastatic prostate cancer.

Brad Arnold, 47

The lead singer of 3 Doors Down, Brad Arnold launched the group into fame with the 2000 rock anthem "Kryptonite," which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.

The success led to other hits like "Loser," "Here Without You," and "When I'm Gone." Arnold's vocal range and lyrics focused on love and love lost, which fueled the group to stardom.

Arnold died on February 7 from a type of kidney cancer.

Afrika Bambaataa, 68

A hip-hop pioneer during the 1970s and 1980s, Lance Taylor, known professionally as Afrika Bambaataa, first gained attention as a DJ in the Bronx.

He signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1981 and released landmark songs like "Jazzy Sensation" and "Planet Rock." He would go on to influence the likes of Queen Latifah and A Tribe Called Quest throughout his career.

Bambaataa founded the hip-hop awareness group, Universal Zulu Nation, in the 1970s to steer kids away from gang life. Bambaataa stepped down as the head of the organization in 2016 after accusations of sexual abuse.

Bambaataa denied all claims.

He died on April 9 due to prostate cancer.

Rob Bass, 59

One of the icons responsible for bringing hip-hop to the mainstram, Rob Bass crafted the iconic track "It Takes Two" alongside DJ E-Z Rock.

The track, released in 1988, reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Songs chart and later went certified platinum. In 1989, it was voted the greatest single of all time by Spin magazine.

Bass died on May 22 following cancer.

Nicholas Brendon, 54

Nicholas Brendon was a television actor, best known for playing Xander Harris in all seven seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

He also starred in "Criminal Minds" and "Kitchen Confidential."

Brendon died in his sleep on March 20 due to natural causes, according to his family's statement.

In 2023, Brendon suffered a heart attack and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. He also had cauda equina syndrome, which led to several spinal surgeries.

"While it's no secret that Nicholas had struggles in the past, he was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis, and he was optimistic about the future at the time of his passing," the statement to The Hollywood Reporter read. "Our family asks for privacy during this time as we grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart."

Peabo Bryson, 75

Two-time Grammy winner Peabo Bryson is best known for his classic love ballads.

Bryson began releasing music in the late 1970s, but one of his first major hits was opposite Roberta Flack on the 1983 duet, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love." He continued hit-making a year later with the smash "If Ever You're in My Arms Again," and in 1991, he topped the R&B charts with "Can You Stop the Rain."

Bryson found global stardom with his renditions of two Disney classics. In 1991, he released the pop version of "Beauty and the Beast," alongside Céline Dion, and a year later, he duetted with Regina Belle on "A Whole New World" from the 1992 release of "Aladdin."

Bryson died on June 2. No cause was given.

James Burrows, 85

An 11-time Emmy winner and co-creator of "Cheers," director James Burrows helped shape modern TV comedy through his work on iconic sitcoms including "Will & Grace," "Friends," and "Frasier."

Known for his comedic timing and elaborate blocking, Burrows got his start directing episodes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Throughout his career, he directed episodes of "Frasier" (winning an Emmy for the pilot episode), "Will & Grace," "Friends," and "The Big Bang Theory." He directed over 50 pilot episodes.

Burrows died on June 19. No cause was given.

Kyle Busch, 41

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Busch was considered one of the greatest racers of all time.

Busch was hospitalized on May 21, before two upcoming races. Hours later, he was pronounced dead.

Busch died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.

Robert Carradine, 71

Robert Carradine was best known for his roles as Lizzie McGuire's dad and as the iconic geek Lewis Skolnick in the 1980s franchise "Revenge of the Nerds."

As a member of Hollywood's famed Carradine family, Robert was destined for an onscreen career.

He received one of his first screen credits starring in his brother David Carradine's popular 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" and went on to land roles in everything from Samuel Fuller's World War II classic "The Big Red One" to the "Lizzie McGuire" series.

Carradine's family shared statements with Deadline that emphasized being open about his struggles with mental illness.

"We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby's valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder," Carradine's family said. "We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness."

Carradine died by suicide on February 23.

If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or has had thoughts of harming themself or taking their own life, get help. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is also available through the Crisis Text Line — just text "HOME" to 741741. The International Association for Suicide Prevention offers resources for those outside the US.

Bud Cort, 77

Most famous for his role as Harold in the 1971 cult-classic "Harold and Maude," Bud Cort became the epitome of 1970s counterculture thanks to his baby-faced looks, wit, and sophisticated persona.

The dark comedy starred Cort as Harold, a man in his 20s who is obsessed with suicide until he meets 79-year-old eccentric Maude (Ruth Gordon).

Before that, Cort scored bit parts in Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H*" (1970) and "Brewster McCloud" (1970).

After "Harold and Maude," Cort worked steadily for the rest of his life, occasionally showing up in hit movies like Michael Mann's "Heat" (1995) and Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004).

Cort died on February 11 following a long illness.

Tim Curry, 80

Curry is best known for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult-classic musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," after originating the role in the original stage production.

Over six decades, Curry carved out a niche playing outlandish villains like Rooster Hannigan in the 1982 film "Annie" and Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries "It." Other notable roles include Wadsworth the Butler in "Clue" (1985) and Mr. Hector in "Home Alone 2: Escape from New York."

Curry suffered a major stroke in 2012, which required brain surgery. He said in 2025 that he was "still recovering."

Curry died at his Los Angeles home on August 26. No cause was given.

Eric Dane, 53

Long before becoming one of TV's most recognizable heartthrobs, Eric Dane was building his career with guest roles on series like "Saved by the Bell" and "Married… with Children."

He later gained wider attention with appearances on "Charmed" before landing his breakout role as Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan on "Grey's Anatomy." He most recently starred in HBO's "Euphoria," where he played Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi's character, Nate Jacobs.

Dane has two children with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart. In April 2025, the actor said that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

Dane died on February 19 at age 53, his publicist confirmed in a statement to Business Insider.

"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world," his publicist said.

Clive Davis, 94

A legend in the music world, Davis was responsible for elevating pop music to unthinkable heights by discovering talents like Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, and Alicia Keys, to name a few.

Over his 50-year career, along with being an executive behind millions of album sales, he also won five Grammys, including two for Album of the Year ("The Bodyguard" soundtrack and "Supernatural" by Santana).

Davis died on June 22. No cause was given.

Robert Duvall, 95

Robert Duvall starred in a plethora of timeless classics, including "The Godfather," "The Godfather Part II," "Apocalypse Now," "THX 1138," "The Natural," "Days of Thunder," and "The Apostle."

Duvall will be best remembered for starring in three of director Francis Ford Coppola's iconic films: playing Tom Hagen in the first two "Godfather" movies and Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now," in which he delivers one of the most memorable lines in movie history: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Duvall was lauded for his acting talent, from not saying a word while playing Boo Radley in his first big screen role in the 1962 classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" to his portrayal of a country singer dealing with alcoholism in 1983's "Tender Mercies," which earned him an Oscar.

He died on his ranch in Virginia on February 15. No cause was given.

Brenda Fricker, 81

This Irish actress was a fixture on the stage and screen for six decades. But she's most known for showing up in the "Home Alone" sequel.

As The Pigeon Lady in 1992's "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," Fricker has become a fixture for families during the holiday season for decades (and in 2020 became the subject of a popular meme).

But Fricker's acting talents go beyond playing a spooky wanderer of Central Park.

In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, as she was given the best supporting actress Oscar that year for her performance in "My Left Foot."

Fricker died on July 16; no cause was given.

Mark Fuhrman, 74

Fuhrman cemented his place in popular culture as one of the lead LAPD detectives on the 1995 murder case of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Fuhrman found the famed bloody glove on the Simpson estate, and during the trial, he gained infamy when Simpson's defense team used his past racist language to discredit him as a witness.

Fuhrman retired from the LAPD after the Simpson trial and moved to Idaho, where he wrote true crime books.

Fuhrman died on May 12 of throat cancer.

Valentino Garavani, 93

For over six decades, one name has been synonymous with women's high fashion: Valentino.

The Italian designer launched his fashion business in Rome in 1960 and never looked back. Soon, every star wanted to be seen in his creations. They've been worn by icons like Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Sharon Stone, and more.

Though Garavani retired from designing in 2008, his label is still a red carpet staple, as is his famous shade of bright red dubbed "Valentino Red."

Garavani died on January 19. No cause was given.

Donald Gibb, 71

No one defined a bully for a generation more than Gibb's hulking fraternity character Orge in the "Revenge of the Nerds" movies of the 1980s.

Since the original raunchy comedy was released in 1984, Gibb's intimidating size and loud yells of "NERDS!" have become as memorable as the pocket protectors worn by the movie's geeks.

Gibb went on to star opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in his classic 1988 action movie "Bloodsport." He also landed guest star roles through his career on shows like "Quantum Leap," Magnum P.I.," "MacGyver," "Night Court," and "Cheers."

Gibb died on May 12 following health complications.

Glen Hansard, 56

Irish singer-songwriter Hansard was the frontman of the rock band The Frames and one-half of the band The Swell Season. But he was perhaps best known for writing and starring in the hit 2007 indie film "Once," in which he and his Swell Season bandmate Markéta Irglová play two struggling musicians who fall in love. The duo won an Oscar for best original song for the film's standout track, "Falling Slowly."

Hansard also embarked on a solo career; his 2015 album, "Didn't He Ramble," was nominated for a Grammy for best folk album.

Hansard died on July 29 in a motorcycle crash in Dublin.

Anthony Head, 72

Rising up through the UK stage scene in the 1980s, Head found fame when he was cast as Rupert Giles, who became a father figure to Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy Summers in all seven seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Most recently, he played the bitter former owner of AFC Richmond on "Ted Lasso."

Head's death was announced by his family on June 5. They stated the cause was "complications due to pneumonia."

David Hockney, 88

British painter David Hockney was renowned for his striking portraits and figurative pop art. Many of his best-known paintings, including 1966's "The Splash" and 1972's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)," were inspired by the bright colors and sun-dappled pools of Los Angeles.

Hockney moved to Los Angeles in the late '60s, and his work became synonymous with the warmth and leisure of Southern California. He was also one of the few popular artists at the time to depict openly gay scenes, and Hockney was outspoken about anti-gay censorship.

Throughout his career, Hockney split time between California, England, and France. He died at his home in London on June 12 at age 88, his publicist confirmed to The New York Times. No cause of death was given.

Jesse Jackson, 84

The Rev. Jesse Jackson was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, a minister, and an activist icon who twice ran for president.

Born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson experienced Jim Crow segregation on public buses and at school firsthand. It would shape the rest of his life.

His fight for civil rights began in the 1960s, when he helped organize protests and demonstrations across the US and worked closely alongside civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

His decadeslong career as a leading civil rights activist included support for modern national movements, such as the push for voting rights, the fight against racism, and a higher minimum wage.

Jackson ran for president twice, both times as a democrat. He placed third for the party's nomination in 1984 and second in 1988. This marked the most successful presidential runs of any Black candidate prior to Barack Obama.

Jackson announced in 2017 that he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In November 2025, Jackson was treated in a Chicago hospital after complications from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative condition.

Jackson died on February 17.

Yayoi Kusama, 97

Kusama was a famed Japanese pop artist who often used polka-dot motifs in her work, initially rising to prominence in Japan in the 1950s.

In 1959, Kusama presented her first solo exhibition in New York: a collection of abstract paintings that an ARTnews review praised as "strong, advanced in concept and realized."

Kusama later branched into sculptures, performances, and immersive installations. She continued to expand her influence and relevance into the social media era, when her mirrored "Infinity Room" installations became Instagram-friendly attractions that inspired many copycats.

Kusama died on August 14 in Tokyo. She was 97.

Patrick Muldoon, 57

In the 1990s, you couldn't escape the piercing eyes of Patrick Muldoon.

He played Austin Reed on "Days of Our Lives" for most of the decade, and when he wasn't on the soap, he was over on "Melrose Place" playing the villain role of Richard Hart.

If being on two iconic shows wasn't enough, he also showed up on "Saved by the Bell" and had a role in the cult classic movie "Starship Troopers."

Muldoon died on April 19 after a heart attack.

Sam Neill, 78

With a career spanning more than five decades and including countless memorable performances in movies and television, Sam Neill was one of the most versatile actors of his generation,

The New Zealand actor starred opposite Nicole Kidman in the 1989 thriller "Dead Calm," played the loyal first officer opposite Sean Connery in 1990's "The Hunt for Red October," played the lead in John Carpenter's 1994 horror "In the Mouth of Madness," and most recently starred in the hit series "Peaky Blinders."

But Neill will be best known for playing the brave and all-dinosaur-knowing Dr. Alan Grant in the "Jurassic Park" franchise.

Neill died on July 13; no cause was given. Neill was battling a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer, but was cancer-free at the time of his death, according to a post on his Instagram account announcing his passing.

Tom Noonan, 74

Standing at a towering 6' 5", Tom Noonan was born to play the bad guy. And he did just that, starring as the villain in movies like "Manhunter," "RoboCop 2," and "Last Action Hero."

But this actor had more to show off. He showcased his comedy chops as Rodney Dangerfield's degenerate gambling friend in the 1983 comedy "Easy Money," and set up the heist for Robert De Niro in Michael Mann's 1995 classic "Heat."

His knack for storytelling also translated behind the camera. Noonan wrote, directed, and starred in the drama "What Happened Was," which won the grand prize at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.

Noonan died on February 14; no cause was given.

Chuck Norris, 86

Few action stars have Chuck Norris' credentials.

Before he ever stepped in front of a camera, he was a martial arts champion and a black belt in Karate, judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, and Tang Soo Do.

His talents would become known the world over in 1972, when he faced off against Bruce Lee in "The Way of the Dragon."

Through the 1980s, Norris became one of the biggest action stars in the world thanks to movies like "A Force of One," "The Octagon," and the "Delta Force" and "Missing in Action" franchises.

In the 1990s, he took over the small screen, playing the lead in the "Walker, Texas Ranger" TV show, which aired in over 100 countries during its run from 1993 to 2001.

Norris was hospitalized on March 19 in Hawaii and died the following day, according to his family. No cause was given.

Catherine O'Hara, 71

O'Hara, who was best known for her roles in "Beetlejuice" and "Home Alone," got her start in the Canadian comedy scene, appearing in the now-legendary cast of "SCTV."

It would mark the beginning of a fruitful partnership with fellow actor Eugene Levy, who became her frequent costar and collaborator in memorable appearances in Christopher Guest films like "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show" and television series like "Schitt's Creek," which earned her an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in 2020.

O'Hara's representation confirmed her death to Business Insider on January 30. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed in a death certificate viewed by People that O'Hara died of a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer listed as an underlying cause.

Hayden Panettiere, 36

Panettiere began acting as a child, landing one of her earliest major roles as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live," on which she appeared from 1994 to 1997.

As her career progressed, she became best known for portraying Claire Bennet on "Heroes" and Juliette Barnes on "Nashville."

Over the years, Panettiere had spoken openly about her struggles with alcoholism and postpartum depression. She detailed those experiences in her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," which was released in May.

Her representative confirmed to Business Insider on August 17 that Panettiere had died at 36 but did not disclose a cause of death.

Dolly Parton, 80

Parton released her debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly," in 1967 and went on to pen country hits like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene," both of which were released as singles in 1974.

In addition to her music, Parton was beloved for her flamboyant style and her philanthropy. She founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988, a charitable organization focused on education and community initiatives in her home state of Tennessee. She continued to fund scholarship programs and donate to hospitals, public health initiatives, and disaster relief programs throughout her life.

Parton is known as the best-selling female country music artist of all time. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Parton's 49th and final solo studio album, "Rockstar," was released in 2023. The tracklist included both original material and covers of classic rock songs, featuring an array of guests like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sting, Joan Jett, and Parton's goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.

News broke on August 25 that Parton died following unspecified health issues. She was 80.

Vincent Pastore, 80

This character actor found fame appearing in a string of mob movies in the 1990s, like "Goodfellas," "Carlito's Way," and "Men of Respect." But Pastore truly became a star when he was cast in the hit HBO series "The Sopranos."

As Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, Pastore was part of the main cast for the first two seasons of the show, playing Tony Soprano's mob enforcer-turned-FBI informant. Bonpensiero's shocking death was one of the most famous in the show's history and proved that no one was safe from getting whacked.

Pastore died on August 1. No cause was given.

Valerie Perrine, 82

Perrine found herself cast alongside the biggest stars of the 1970s.

She played the love interest opposite Jeff Bridges in 1973's "The Last American Hero" and Robert Redford in 1979's "The Electric Horseman." She earned an Oscar nomination for starring alongside Dustin Hoffman in 1974's "Lenny."

For most, she'll be remembered best for sharing the screen with Gene Hackman as the secretary to his evil Lex Luthor in 1978's "Superman." She also starred in the sequel. As Ms. Teschmacher, her loyalty to Luthor is questioned when she rescues Superman (Christopher Reeve) after he's chained with Kryptonite.

Perrine died in her home in Beverly Hills on March 23. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015.

Sonny Rollins, 95

One of the most influential jazz musicians in history, Rollins recorded more than 60 albums over his seven-decade career.

His live album, "A Night at the Village Vanguard," is considered one of the greatest jazz albums ever made.

Rollins died on May 25; no cause was given.

Neil Sedaka, 86

Sedaka is responsible for some of the biggest pop songs of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Brooklyn native wrote over 500 songs, including classic hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Bad Blood" and the Captain & Tennille song, "Love Will Keep Us Together."

Sedaka died on February 27; no cause was given.

Gene Shalit, 100

Before there was Rotten Tomatoes or even Siskel & Ebert, movie lovers got their recommendations from Gene Shalit.

The iconic movie critic could be seen sporting his signature look of glasses, bushy hair, and big mustache as a staple on the "Today" show from 1973 to 2010. If he wasn't interviewing the biggest movie stars, he was reviewing movies with incredible puns ("'Ishtar' is Ish-terrible.")

His larger-than-life presence left a mark on pop culture: he was parodied as a Muppet and on countless episodes of "SCTV" and "Saturday Night Live."

Shalit died on June 12; no cause was given.

Kiki Shepard, 74

In her 15-year tenure as a co-host on "Showtime at the Apollo," Kiki Shepard was considered royalty at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater.

Known in the building as "Apollo Queen of Fashion" thanks to her dazzling outfits, Shepherd was a fixture on the show from 1987 to 2002.

Throughout her career, Shepard also appeared on TV shows like "Baywatch," "A Different World," "NYPD Blue," and "Grey's Anatomy."

Shepard died on March 16 after suffering a heart attack.

Béla Tarr, 70

Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr became a legend in the arthouse world for his unflinching work featuring several-minute-long takes.

With movies like "Family Nest" (1979) and "The Turin Horse" (2011), Tarr showcased his slow cinema style while focusing on marginalized characters living bleak lives. Tarr pushed the envelope with his style when he made "Sátántangó" in 1994, which had a run time of 450 minutes.

His work influenced several arthouse filmmakers, including Jim Jarmusch and Gus Van Sant's "Death Trilogy" ("Gerry," "Elephant," and "Last Days").

Tarr died on January 6 following a battle with a "long and serious illness."

James Tolkan, 94

You might not recognize the name, but if you're a movie fan, you know the face.

Tolkan's tough-guy persona made a mark on movie history in films like "Top Gun" and the "Back to the Future" franchise.

In "Top Gun," he played Commander Tom "Stinger" Jardian, who famously gives Tom Cruise's character a tongue lashing, saying, "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash."

In "Back to the Future" and its sequels, he played Principal Strickland, who had zero tolerance for "slackers."

Other credits include "Serpico," "WarGames," "Masters of the Universe," and "Dick Tracy."

Tolkan died on March 26; no cause was given.

Ted Turner, 87

Ted Turner changed the television landscape thanks to his maverick maneuvers to harness the 24-hour news cycle.

After taking over his father's advertising company in the 1960s at the age of 24, Turner embarked on a path to change the media landscape by buying up radio and TV stations around the South. He even bought sports teams including the Atlanta Braves MLB team and the Atlanta Hawks NBA team.

All of that programming would eventually become part of TBS, a "super station" that showed old movies, reruns, and Braves and Hawks games.

Turner then set his sights on the news. He founded CNN, the first 24-hour news channel, in June of 1980.

Over the decades, Turner gained celebrity status, particularly after marrying with Jane Fonda, a union that lasted from 1991 to 2001. In 1991, he was named Time's "Man of the Year." He sold his networks to Time Warner for $7.5 billion in 1996.

Turner died on May 6; no cause was given.

Bonnie Tyler, 75

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler became one of the biggest artists of the 1980s thanks to her legendary power ballads.

Tyler was behind hits like "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero," which was also featured on the 1984 "Footloose" soundtrack. Both songs were chart-toppers that have since become two of the best-selling singles of all time.

Over her career, Tyler was nominated for three Grammys and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

Tyler died on July 8 in Portugal, where she was being treated for an illness, according to a statement posted on her social media.

James Van Der Beek, 48

Van Der Beek was beloved all over the world for his role as the titular teen Dawson Leery on the WB series "Dawson's Creek."

The series, which ran from 1998 to 2002, turned Van Der Beek into a star and a teen heartthrob. While "Dawson's Creek" was still airing, he'd cement his stardom playing the lead role of high school quarterback "Mox" Moxon in the 1999 coming-of-age drama "Varsity Blues."

Van Der Beek found steady work the rest of his career in movies like "Texas Rangers" and "The Rules of Attraction, and memorably played a fictional version of himself on the TV series "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23," and performed on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2019.

Van Der Beek learned he had stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, and publicly announced his diagnosis in late 2024.

Van Der Beek previously told Business Insider that the news came as a shock, given the subtleness of his symptoms and his efforts to stay as healthy as possible.

"I was doing everything," he said. "I was doing sauna, cold plunge, weightlifting, Pilates. I would dance and also do football training."

Van Der Beek died on Feb. 11.

Bob Weir, 78

Weir was one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead.

The singer-songwriter wrote and/or sang on songs like "Sugar Magnolia," "Playing in the Band," "Truckin,'" "I Need a Miracle," and "The Other One."

After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir went on to form several other bands, including Kingfish, Bobby and the Midnites, RatDog, The Other Ones, and, alongside John Mayer, Dead & Company.

In the summer of 2025, Weir was diagnosed with cancer.

Weir died on January 10.

Victor Willis, 74

Willis was the lead singer of the iconic disco band the Village People.

Along with being the lead vocalist and dressing as the police officer (and sometimes naval officer), Willis was also the cowriter on many of the band's hits, including "In the Navy," "Macho Man," and the song that will keep the Village People in pop culture lore until the end of time, "Y.M.C.A."

Willis left the band to embark on a solo career in 1979, then re-formed the Village People in 2017.

Willis died on June 30 following a "short but aggressive illness," according to the Village People Facebook page.

Frederick Wiseman, 96

For over five decades, Wiseman's brand of non-fiction storytelling put a spotlight on everyday people.

From high schoolers to hospital workers to Air Force cadets training for nuclear war, Wiseman's close to 50-film catalogue is an unvarnished reflection of America over the last half century.

Wiseman died on Februay 16, no cause was given.

• I wouldn't even consider flying from Vancouver to Seattle now that I've taken the train.
• I'd rather spend four hours in a coach seat on Amtrak than one on a basic economy flight.
• Taking the train was also less than half the price, and I checked my bag for free.

Imagine traveling internationally without middle seats, popping ears, or TSA checkpoints. Dream of bringing four suitcases for free, and picture ever-changing views out the window throughout the journey.

That was my reality on the Amtrak Cascades train, which runs through the Pacific Northwest and has coach and business-class seating.

I took it from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle in May 2025. My $50 train ride in coach was less than half the price of airfare and way more comfortable and enjoyable than any basic economy flight I've booked.

My ticket to ride the Amtrak train from Vancouver to Seattle was less than half the price of flying.

When I planned my trip from Vancouver to Seattle, I looked at train and flight prices. About a month before my trip, basic economy airfare was about $150 on airlines such as Delta and United, among others. So I was shocked when I saw that the Amtrak train cost only $50 in coach.

Sure, it was four hours long, compared to the roughly one-hour flight time, but I love traveling by train. And since sustainability experts say it's more sustainable than flying, especially for short distances, I was confident with my decision to go with Amtrak.

I arrived at Pacific Central Station at 5:45 a.m. for my 7 a.m. train to Seattle.

Before my trip, I received an email from Amtrak suggesting I arrive at least one hour before departure, since we were crossing the US-Canada border during the trip.

I filled out a customs declaration form inside the station and stood in the coach line to board after business-class passengers. Before getting to the platform, there was a brief customs stop, but no security checkpoints as you'd find in an airport.

Before boarding, I dropped off my free checked bag at the back of the train.

While the coach cars were toward the front of the train, a crew member directed me to the back first to drop off my checked bag.

Amtrak passengers can check up to two bags at no charge and two more for $20 each.

Travelers can also bring one personal item and two carry-on bags. There's overhead bin space and a luggage rack inside each train car.

To recap, that's up to four suitcases for free — more than I've ever experienced on a flight.

I had just one suitcase and a backpack, but this could save a lot for a traveling family or a heavy packer.

Seating in the coach cars was first-come, first-served, and there were no middle seats.

Two sets of two seats were on either side of the train, so no one would get stuck in the middle.

I grabbed a seat in an empty row and had the entire ride to myself. But even if the train had been crowded, there were no bad seats. I would have been comfortable by the window or the aisle.

The seats felt larger and more comfortable than those on economy flights.

I settled into my seat at 6:35 a.m., and the train departed right on time. I immediately noticed the seats were bigger and cushier than any basic economy flight seats I've booked. I also had more legroom than I've had on most flights.

The seats reclined and had power outlets, overhead reading lights, and tray tables.

The bathrooms were more than twice the size of any I've seen on a plane.

Each car had two restrooms. Unlike on a plane, where there's only enough floor space for my two feet, these bathrooms were large enough for me to move around in.

There were also two power outlets. I imagined I could comfortably conduct my morning routine in there if needed, from brushing my teeth to doing my hair.

After departure, I headed to the café car.

I'd been awake for nearly three hours by the time we departed, so I was more than ready for breakfast.

No attendants passed by offering snacks and beverages, as I've experienced on flights. Instead, Amtrak trains have a café car that sells various snacks, such as chips, candy, muffins, and cookies. They also had salads and microwaved meals, including breakfast sandwiches and Cup Noodles.

For $8, I got a breakfast sandwich and a bottle of water.

I brought my meal back to my seat and used the tray table in front of me.

I wasn't expecting my microwaved sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich to be very tasty, but it exceeded my expectations for a meal heated up in a sealed plastic bag. While it didn't taste as good as the breakfast sandwiches I've had in Amtrak's dining cars on overnight trains, it filled me up and was more satisfying than any meal I've had in the air.

Once I fueled up, I stared out the window at the passing views through British Columbia.

Even as a frequent flyer, I still find the views from an airplane during takeoff and landing pretty surreal. But the view doesn't change once in the air, save for sunsets, sunrises, and passing clouds.

That's not the case on a train. Instead, passengers can see every inch of the route as the train passes through rural towns, cities, and natural environments.

I love getting a glimpse of these in-between places. Seeing farms, shorelines, and clusters of houses in British Columbia made me ponder what it would be like to live there.

Once we hit the border, the train stopped for about 30 minutes.

During the half-hour the train was stopped at the US border, passengers weren't allowed to use the café car or bathrooms as patrol agents boarded to check passports and take a declaration form filled out at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver. They also asked international passengers about where they were going, why they were going there, and how long they planned to stay.

I spent the rest of the journey working on my laptop, thanks to free WiFi.

I had access to complimentary WiFi throughout the journey. And since my trip was three hours longer than a flight would have been, I appreciated being able to use the time productively.

The train arrived on time at 11:40 a.m.

When we arrived at Seattle's King Street Station, I headed to the baggage claim belt and waited about 10 minutes for my suitcase to arrive.

Even though the train trip was longer than a flight, it was much less stressful than air travel. The ease of navigating a train station compared to an airport, a more comfortable seat, and a lower price point made it worth the long-haul ride.

• Morgan Stanley sees an opportunity in SpaceX stock as it wavers near its IPO price.
• The bank's Adam Jonas writes that

SpaceX stock's post-IPO struggles might be signaling an opportunity for investors to get in cheap, one of the firm's big bulls on Wall Street says.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote this week about the company's plans to spend $100 billion on a new Starbase launch facility in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. Jonas, an enduring Elon Musk bull who has also covered Tesla for the bank, wrote that investors don't appear to fully appreciate the opportunity of "rockets on the bayou."

"We think investors have a unique opportunity to 'revisit' SPCX stock right on top of the IPO price with arguably even greater momentum in fundamentals across Space, Connectivity and Enterprise AI," Jonas wrote. Construction on the new launch base will being next year, with the first launches to begin in 2029.

Jonas added that his team's outlook on SpaceX stock has improved significantly following the company's recent Q2 earnings, even as the results sent share prices lower following forecasts of higher capex spending.

He said that following the report, investors have more information regarding how the stock has performed since the expiration of the first lockup periods, which didn't end up being the headwind many had feared.

Now, Morgan Stanley says, SpaceX's Louisiana facility could be a new catalyst for the stock to gain.

"We do not believe investors appreciate the scale of what SpaceX is planning with Starship," he said. "In our view, SPCX is attractively valued, trading at 10x sales (70% growth) and 25x EBIT (113% growth) on our FY28 forecasts."

The bank's bullish view is in contrast to some prominent investors, who have argued that Musk's rocket and AI company is overvalued. Hedge fund billionaire David Einhorn was also bearish on SpaceX in his latest letter to investors.

But Jonas is focused on the company's ability to send rockets into space, and he maintains that the new facility will help SpaceX continue scaling, noting that it will likely become its largest base to date and will help support thousands of launches every year after completion. The choice of location for the new facility is also an advantage, he said.

"The State of Louisiana also sits in a unique position for southward launches over the Gulf that would be challenging from FL, TX, or CA without passing directly over populated areas, thereby allowing SpaceX to expand launch access to dawn-dusk sun- synchronous polar orbits directly relevant for orbital compute," Jonas added.

The bank rates SpaceX stock "Overweight," and has a price target of $300 a share, 113% higher than Thursday's price.

If you've ever woken up at a luxury hotel and wished you could take the bedding home, you already know the unmatched appeal of real down. But while down pillows are famous for their plush softness and breathability, they also have a lingering reputation for flattening out. After testing dozens of options across all categories for our guide to the best pillows, I've found that modern designs offer plenty of structural support—even for side and back sleepers who need extra alignment.

Our top picks for down pillows

Best overall down pillow: Brooklinen Down Pillow - See at Brooklinen

Best value down pillow: Quince Premium Down Pillow - See at Quince

Best down pillow for side sleepers: Parachute Down Side Sleeper Pillow - See at Parachute

Most supportive down pillow: Boll & Branch Chamber Pillow - See at Boll & Branch

Best hotel-style down pillow: FluffCo Down Feather Pillow - See at FluffCo

Best goose down pillow: Continental Bedding Siberian Goose Down Pillow - See at Amazon

Best overall

Soft, supportive, and perfect for every sleep style. If you're a down pillow skeptic, the Brooklinen Down Pillow might just turn you into a believer. It's soft and cushy like a traditional down pillow should be, yet remarkably supportive for all sleep types. Brooklinen reformulated its down lineup in early 2026, but the updated version is just as great as ever, remaining a staple that stays on my bed every night. Wrapped in a smooth cotton shell, it offers a fluffy, luxury-hotel feel while keeping your head and neck comfortably aligned.

Three firmness options and surprisingly low maintenance. You can choose from three distinct firmnesses to match your preferred sleep position. The soft density relies exclusively on down clusters for maximum squishiness—ideal for stomach sleepers like me. Meanwhile, the mid-plush and firm options incorporate a dual-core construction of down clusters and feathers for extra support, making them the best choices for back, side, and combination sleepers. Best of all, unlike other down pillows that require daily fluffing to avoid flattening, this one holds its shape exceptionally well and only needs fluffing about once a week. Its breathable down fill also ensures heat doesn't get trapped overnight.

Minor quirks that are easy to overlook. The only drawbacks we noticed are typical of real down: an initial down scent that takes a few dryer cycles to clear, and the occasional loose feather escaping the shell. Aside from those small issues, we have nothing negative to say. If you want a versatile, plush, and cooling down pillow that retains its shape night after night, this is easily one of the best on the market.

Read our full Brooklinen Down Pillow review.

Best value

Unbeatable luxury value for under $100. Down is a premium bedding material, making a high-quality down pillow difficult to find on a budget. Thankfully, the Quince Premium Down Pillow starts at just around $80 while delivering exceptional quality, making it a great, affordable down pillow option. Filled with ethically sourced down from the US and Canada, Quince offers an affordable alternative to high-end luxury brands like Matouk and Sferra, where comparable pillows cost well over $200.

Customizable firmness levels and great for stacking. Like Brooklinen, Quince offers three firmness options: soft, medium, and firm, with fill weights scaling from 15 ounces for the soft to 24 ounces for the firm. As a stomach sleeper, I tested the soft version. While it isn't the most supportive on its own, it kept me comfortable all night. It has a plush, squishy feel that makes it ideal for stacking. Layering one over a firmer pillow provides the ultimate combination of cloud-like comfort and underlying neck support.

Requires daily fluffing, but long-term durability holds up. The primary trade-off is maintenance: because real down compresses overnight, you will need to fluff this pillow regularly to maintain its shape. It's also spot-clean only. I noticed a few loose down clusters when unboxing, but after months of testing, no further shedding occurred.

See our Quince home review for our favorite Quince products we've tried.

Best for side sleepers

Plush down comfort engineered specifically for side sleepers. Side sleepers usually require extra support, which is why I typically recommend a firmer memory foam pillow as the best pillow for side sleepers. However, if you are set on the cushiony feel of real down, the Parachute Down Side Sleeper Pillow offers the structural reinforcement needed to sleep comfortably on your side with a chambered design featuring plush European white duck down surrounding a supportive feather core to create softness where you want it and support where you need it, and wrapped in a smooth cotton sateen shell.

A lofty gusseted shape that stays supportive. What sets this pillow apart is its tall, 3.5-inch gusset — the side paneling that gives it a boxier profile. This lofty design prevents your head from sinking in too deeply, keeping your spine aligned without straining your neck. Because it is thicker and more supportive than traditional non-gusseted options, it resists flattening over time and fluffs back up effortlessly by hand or in the dryer.

Parachute offers 60-day trial period. The only potential drawback is for side sleepers who prefer rigid, extra-firm support, as down is naturally softer than foam alternatives. Fortunately, Parachute offers a 60-day return policy, giving you two full months to test out its plush support risk-free and decide if it is right for your sleep routine.

Most supportive

Chambered construction for superior, non-clumping support. The Boll & Branch Down Pillow features a smart multi-compartment design to keep its fill evenly distributed, preventing clumping and maintaining a consistent loft. This inner structure allows the pillow to compress comfortably under your head while ensuring the filling bounces back into place instead of going flat.

Tailored firmness options for every sleeping position. Boll & Branch offers three distinct densities to match your preferred sleep style. The soft option features pure down across all three chambers — making it exceptionally moldable, squishy, and ideal for stomach sleepers. Meanwhile, the two firmer versions incorporate a supportive feather-and-down core wrapped in a soft down outer layer, providing the added structure that back and side sleepers need.

Ethically made with premium organic materials. Beyond comfort, this pillow stands out for its commitment to sustainability. Boll & Branch partners with US farms for cruelty-free down that is triple-washed for maximum fluffiness and certified by both Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and International Down Standard. The down is also triple-washed, which exceeds the US standards and makes for cleaner, fluffier fill, and the outside cover is made with organic cotton.

Best hotel-style

Five-star hotel luxury designed for your bedroom. If you always sleep better in hotels, the FluffCo Down Feather Pillow delivers that exact travel-worthy plushness at home. Made in partnership with top hotel pillow manufacturers, it features a dual-layer construction with a soft duck-down exterior surrounding a supportive duck-feather core. The result is one of the cushiest, most inviting pillows we tested, complete with a washable protector to guard against dust, spills, and wear.

Go with the firm density for maximum support. FluffCo offers soft and firm densities, differentiated by fill volume. While stomach sleepers might enjoy the squishier soft option, side and back sleepers should definitely choose the firm pillow for essential spinal support. Because of its plush down fill, it compresses easily overnight and requires daily fluffing to maintain its fullness, but it pops right back into its lofty shape once fluffed.

Minor policy caveats, but a stellar value. FluffCo's return policy is a bit unclear and requires taking a look at the fine print. FluffCo's 30-day return policy requires buyers to cover return shipping, and the 10-year warranty presented at checkout costs an extra $20. It covers spills, stains, accidental damage, and fabric wear and tear.

Best goose

This pillow is stuffed with premium goose down. Its design gives it a super-light, fluffy feel. Goose down is more premium and harder to find than duck down. I could certainly feel the difference — this pillow was noticeably lighter and the most compressible of all the pillows I tested.

It's softer than other pillows we tried. Unfortunately, side sleepers will have to skip this pillow, since it offers little support and is pretty soft. However, for anyone who wants to feel like they've just climbed into a hotel bed after a long day out sightseeing, the Continental Bedding provides a dreamy escape.

It's expensive, but it comes from a long-beloved brand. It'll cost you to invest in this luxe pillow, but you can trust in the brand's expertise and history. It's been making down bedding products for almost 100 years.

Our top picks, compared

What to look for in a down pillow

The best down pillows are worth the investment, offering fluffy, low-maintenance comfort and natural breathability. Down and feathers conform seamlessly to body movements as you shift throughout the night. However, several key specifications determine how a pillow will feel and perform:

Loft and sleep position

Loft refers to a pillow's overall height and thickness when resting flat. Matching the correct loft and firmness to your sleeping style ensures proper spinal alignment:

Fill power

Fill power measures the volume (in cubic inches) that one ounce of down occupies, indicating its quality, fluffiness, and insulating capability. Standard down pillows typically have a fill power between 500 and 600, while premium options range from 700 to 800+. Higher numbers mean larger down clusters, creating a lighter, loftier, and fluffier pillow without adding extra weight.

Down vs. feather vs. down alternative

Down consists of the quill-less, soft clusters from a bird's underbelly, whereas feathers are flat with rigid central quills from the back and wings. In general, down pillows give that cloud-like feel, while feathers provide density and structural support due to their stiff quills. Brands frequently pair both materials in a dual-chamber construction—nesting a supportive feather core inside a plush down shell—which also prevents quills from poking through tightly woven cotton shells, as seen with Brooklinen, Boll & Branch, and Parachute.

Down alternatives — made from synthetic materials like polyester microfibers — offer an affordable, hypoallergenic alternative to real down. Premium options like PrimaLoft effectively mimic the lightweight loft and warmth of natural down.

Goose vs. duck down

Goose down clusters are physically larger than duck down clusters because geese are larger birds. These larger clusters trap more air, producing a noticeably lighter, fluffier pillow with higher loft and warmth. Duck down is far more common and budget-friendly, making it the standard choice for most everyday down bedding.

Ethical certifications

Down is a byproduct of birds raised for food, making animal welfare a central consideration. Look for independent certifications that guarantee ethical sourcing:

• Responsible Down Standard (RDS): Verifies that down is responsibly sourced, enforcing strict prohibitions against live-plucking and force-feeding.
• International Down Standard (IDS): Audits the entire supply chain to guarantee humane animal treatment as well as fair labor practices for workers.

How we tested down pillows

Comfort: I slept on each pillow for three consecutive nights. I also rotated the pillows through three family members (one back sleeper, one side sleeper, and one with mixed sleeping positions), who slept on each pillow for at least two nights and provided feedback.

Support: I evaluated how supportive each pillow felt, how well it held its shape, its softness and coolness, and the quality of stitching and seams, including whether any down or feathers poked out. I also noted the pillow fit inside a standard-sized pillowcase.

Durability: I put each pillow on the air fluff setting in the dryer to see how well it fluffed back up. I will continue rotating through all the best picks to evaluate long-term comfort and durability.

Return and warranty policies: I scanned through each brand's return and warranty terms. Since it can be challenging to determine whether you'll really like a pillow until you try it, I only considered brands with a minimum return policy of 30 days.

Meet the experts behind the guide

Connie Chen, former senior reporter: I'm a home textiles expert who has spent years testing pillows, sheets, and comforters. I cover all sorts of bedding for Business Insider.

Kinsley Searles, former associate home editor: I cover sleep products, including pillows. As a stomach sleeper, I have a special affinity for down pillows. I'm devoted to fair, rigorous testing and integrating products into my bedding rotation.

Down pillow FAQs

What is down?

Down is the fluffy fiber from the underbelly of a duck or goose, located under the bird's feather layer. It's shaped in fluffy clusters. You'll usually find it in bedding and clothing because it's insulating, yet lightweight and breathable.

How long do down pillows last?

Down pillows should last between five and 10 years. You'll know it's time to replace your down pillow if it stays flat even after fluffing, or if it doesn't pop back into place after being folded in half.

Can you wash a down pillow?

It depends on the brand. While some down pillows are machine washable, many brands advise against machine washing. You might be better off spot cleaning your pillow instead.

If your care label says the pillow is safe to wash, you'll want to wash it on the delicate cycle with a gentle detergent. You can also dry-clean your pillow or leave it in the sun for a few hours to refresh it.

For more on caring for your pillows, read our how to wash pillows article.

Can down cause allergies?

While people can certainly be allergic to down and feathers, it's actually not the most common cause of pillow allergies. "People can be allergic to feathers, although it is not very common. Much more common is a dust mite allergy," said Tania Elliott, MD, an allergist. If you're concerned about dust mites, we recommend using a pillow case made from tightly woven 100% cotton.

Are down pillows ethical?

Each pick on our list is certified by the International Down Standard (IDS) or Responsible Down Standard (RDS). These organizations prohibit live plucking and require the ethical treatment of animals. The IDS also ensures ethical business practices for workers.

What's the vegan alternative to a down pillow?

The best vegan alternative to down is a down alternative pillow. Down alternative mimics the fluffy, soft feel of down using microfiber and polyester blends. In addition to being vegan-friendly, they're also cheaper and suitable for those with allergies.

Many of our favorite down pillows also offer a down alternative option, notably Brooklinen's Down Alternative Pillow and Quince's Down Alternative Pillow.

Is goose down or duck down better?

Goose down clusters are larger and fluffier, usually feeling more luxurious. Duck down is much more common and affordable. Most of our picks are filled with duck down.

• Not every state has won Miss USA since it began in 1952.
• Some states, including Georgia and Indiana, have just fallen short, placing first runner-up.
• Others, like Florida, have only assumed the title after the Miss USA winner became Miss Universe.

Miss USA held its first pageant in 1952, but not every state has taken home the crown.

While Texas, California, and Hawaii have repeatedly won the prestigious title, other states — including Arizona, Florida, and New Jersey — have struggled.

Here are the 18 states that have never won Miss USA.

Alaska

The closest Alaska has come to the Miss USA crown was in 1964, when Patricia Marlin placed second runner-up. 

Alaska has placed four additional times in the pageant's history, most recently with Alyssa London, who made the top 10 in 2017. 

Four of the state's queens have won the Miss Congeniality prize, including in 2022 and 2023.

Arizona

While Arizona has never won Miss USA, it assumed the title in 1980 when Jineane Ford, who originally placed first runner-up, inherited the crown after Shawn Weatherly won Miss Universe. 

Arizona has frequently appeared in the Miss USA semifinals, with three second runners-up and two third runners-up. But it has not placed at Miss USA since 2016, when Chelsea Myers made the top 15. 

Colorado

Colorado was closest to the Miss USA crown in 1963 and 2010, when Rhea Looney and Jessica Hartman placed third runner-up. 

The state most recently placed at the Miss USA 2024 pageant, when titleholder Jessi Kalambayi reached the top 10. It was the first time Colorado had placed at Miss USA since 2012.

Delaware

Delaware has only placed once at Miss USA, becoming the last state to ever place in the pageant's history. 

Renee Bull broke the streak in 2015 when she made it to the top 11. She also tied for the Miss Congeniality title with Miss Alaska Kimberly Agron. 

Miss Delaware 2025 Tetra Shockley made history as the oldest woman to compete at Miss USA. The 44-year-old also won the Miss Congeniality title that year.

Florida

While Florida has never won Miss USA, it assumed the title in 1967. Cheryl Patton, who placed second runner-up, inherited the crown after Sylvia Hitchcock won Miss Universe and the first runner-up, Susan Ellen Bradley, declined to take the title. 

Florida has also had two first runners-up, and more than a dozen contestants have made it to the semifinals. The state last placed at Miss USA in 2025 with titleholder Lou Schieffelin, who made it to the top 10.

Georgia

The closest Georgia has come to the Miss USA crown was in 1993, when Erin Nance was named first runner-up. Contestants from Georgia have also won second runner-up six times — in 1986, 1988, 2001, 2006, 2014, and 2016. 

Georgia last placed at Miss USA in 2025, when Savannah Miles reached the top 10.

Indiana

Holli Rene Dennis almost nabbed the Miss USA crown for Indiana in 1981, when she won first runner-up. 

Indiana contestants also won second runner-up in 1966 and 2002. Indiana last placed in 2020 when Alexis Nicole Lete was third runner-up. 

Maine

The closest Maine has come to the Miss USA crown was in 2010, when Katie Whittier placed fourth runner-up.

Maine last placed during the Miss USA 2025 competition, when Shelby Howell made the top 20. She also won Miss Photogenic.

Miss Maine 2023 Juliana Morehouse made history as the first married woman to compete at Miss USA.

Maryland

Miss Maryland Mary Leona Gage won Miss USA in 1957, but she was dethroned after it was discovered that she was married and had two children. Married women and mothers were not allowed to compete at Miss USA or Miss Universe until 2023.

Maryland assumed the title of Miss USA in 2012 after Nana Meriwether inherited the crown from Olivia Culpo, who won Miss Universe that year. 

Maryland last placed at Miss USA in 2023, when Savena Mushinge reached the top 20.

Montana

Montana has placed three times at Miss USA, all before 1960. 

Montana last placed in the Miss USA competition in 1958, when Sharon Tietjen made it to the top 15. 

New Hampshire

The closest New Hampshire has gotten to the Miss USA crown was in 2000, when Bridget Vezina was named first runner-up. 

The state has placed six times at Miss USA, most recently in 2025 when Mona Lesa Brackett made the top 20.

Brackett made history as the first woman to compete in Miss USA wearing a hijab and a burkini.

New Jersey

New Jersey nearly nabbed the Miss USA crown in 2025 when Ivy Harrington placed first runner-up.

Contestants from the Garden State also placed first runner-up at Miss USA in 2017 and 1991, and took the second runner-up spot three times — in 1989, 1990, and 2008. 

North Dakota

North Dakota has come close to the Miss USA crown twice. Audra Mari placed first runner-up in 2014, as did Caitlyn Vogel in 2021. 

Vogel was the last Miss North Dakota titleholder to place at Miss USA.

Oregon

Oregon came closest to winning the Miss USA crown in 2025, when Chantéa McIntyre was named second runner-up.

McIntyre, a mother of four, became the first married woman and the first mother to ever reach the top five at Miss USA.

Oregon also won second runner-up in 1976.

South Dakota

Miss South Dakota Madison Nipe landed the state's best placement at Miss USA in 2018 when she made the top five. 

South Dakota most recently placed at Miss USA in 2021, when Caroline Pettey made the top 16. 

West Virginia

West Virginia has almost won the Miss USA crown twice. Ruth Parr won first runner-up in 1957, as did Kelly Anderson in 1984. 

The state last placed at Miss USA in 2022, when Krystian Leonard made it to the top 16. 

Wisconsin

Wisconsin nearly won the Miss USA crown in 1974 and 2023, when Mary Lynn Cook and Alexis Loomans placed second runner-up.

The last Miss Wisconsin titleholder to place at Miss USA was Aneisha Cox, who made it to the top 20 during the 2025 pageant.

Wyoming

Wyoming's closest attempt at the Miss USA crown was in 1986, when Beth King placed in the top 10. 

The state has only placed twice in the Miss USA competition, most recently with Claire Schreiner, who made the top 15 in 2010. 

• In 2021, my husband and I moved from the United States to Scotland.
• I've loved living in Edinburgh and exploring popular tourist destinations, like Arthur's Seat.
• But over the years, I've curated a list of underrated recommendations, too, like Cramond Island.

When I first moved from the US to Edinburgh in 2021, I knew little about the city beyond its striking medieval architecture, whisky distilleries, and supposedly dreary weather.

Four years — and far more sunshine than expected — later, I've fallen in love with Scotland's capital and all it has to offer.

Although popular spots like the Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, and Edinburgh Castle are worth seeing, here are six places I think are just as worthy of a visit.

In addition to Arthur's Seat, I recommend hiking the nearby Pentland Hills and Blackford Hill.

Arthur's Seat, an ancient, extinct volcano, is a defining landmark of Edinburgh's skyline and often tops lists of must-see attractions.

Although I love its ridge walk and summit hikes, I think it tends to overshadow its equally striking and lesser-known neighbors: the Pentland Hills and Blackford Hill.

I gravitate toward the Pentlands, which offer about a 62-mile network of trails for a range of abilities, less than an hour from the city center.

Blackford Hill also presents itself as a less-crowded but equally scenic alternative to Arthur's Seat, complete with wooded walking trails through a nature reserve and sweeping views, all about 20 minutes from downtown.

Stockbridge is one of my favorite parts of town.

Although Stockbridge has become a popular neighborhood in northern Edinburgh thanks to its charming village feel and selection of shops and boutiques, as a local, I think there's much more to this area than travelers may realize.

For example, I love how easy it is to access nature — whether it's taking in skyline views from Inverleith Park, strolling through the Royal Botanic Garden, or trail running along the Water of Leith, a 22-mile river that winds through the city.

One of my favorite weekend routines is visiting the Stockbridge Market on Sundays to stock up on fresh flowers, artisanal goods, and produce from local vendors.

And while you're in the area, I also think it's worth exploring the plethora of art galleries, such as the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which showcases some of the best contemporary Scottish art in the city, in my opinion.

I love walking across the sea to Cramond Island.

One of my favorite parts of living in Edinburgh is how easy it is to access nature, and Cramond Island serves as a peaceful coastal escape from the bustle of the city.

Just northwest of the city center, Cramond Island is connected to the shore of Edinburgh via a tidal causeway, allowing individuals to walk across the Firth of Forth to this island during low tide.

I always recommend this unique experience, and think it's a great opportunity to explore Cramond's rugged terrain and scattered wartime bunkers while basking in the picturesque views.

Just make sure to check the tide chart beforehand to ensure you have enough time to return to the mainland.

I think the Leith neighborhood showcases some of the finest modern Scottish cuisine.

When people think of Scottish cuisine, traditional dishes like haggis, fish and chips, and sticky toffee pudding may come to mind.

Although these classics are arguably delicious, I think Edinburgh's food scene has evolved far beyond them, with the buzzy neighborhood of Leith helping to lead the way.

I always recommend dining at Eleanore, a family-run restaurant known for its innovative, artfully presented small plates, as well as its sister restaurants, Ardfern and The Little Chartroom.

My favorite 2025 opening, Barry Fish, is nestled along Leith's Shore and boasts sublime seafood. From their signature pastrami to a lobster and smoked fish agnolotti, I think every dish is outstanding.

And for quicker bites, I always stop by Alby's — an Edinburgh institution beloved by locals and visitors alike — for its flavorful focaccia sandwiches.

If you're tired of whisky, I think it's worth touring the capital's acclaimed gin distilleries.

Although whisky might be Scotland's most famous drink, fewer people may know that the country is also a major gin producer, responsible for about 70% of the UK's gin.

Two of my favorite local distilleries are Edinburgh Gin and Lind & Lime, which both offer beautifully designed and immersive tours and tastings.

I especially enjoy Edinburgh Gin's rhubarb and ginger liqueur and appreciate Lind & Lime's emphasis on sustainability and organic ingredients in crafting their signature London Dry.

I recommend wandering through Old Town's ancient closes and underground vaults.

Many visitors don't realize that Edinburgh has a hidden "underground city," a maze of vaults beneath Old Town that dates back centuries.

Originally used for storage, the vaults were later associated with disease, crime, and ghostly lore — all of which contribute to Edinburgh's reputation as one of the most haunted cities in the world.

The city is also home to more than 250 narrow medieval alleyways, or "closes," most of which are located off the Royal Mile. Some notable ones include Advocate's, Bakehouse, Old Fishmarket, and The Real Mary King's Close, each of which carries its own history.

The history of both the vaults and closes offers a haunting glimpse into Edinburgh's layered and often overlooked past — one I believe is worth exploring.

This story was originally published on November 26, 2025, and most recently updated on August 27, 2026.

• After working in investment banking for two years, I quit and moved to Zimbabwe to find fulfillment.
• Working for a wildlife reserve is far different from finance, but it's a challenge that excites me.
• Even though I live among hippos and found a python above my porch, I've never felt more at peace.

Growing up, I was always taught that challenging myself was the key to growth. If something was uncomfortable, to me, that probably meant it was worthwhile.

Investment banking seemed to fit that bill perfectly.

So, after I graduated from college, I accepted a job as an investment-banking analyst, jumping into an industry full of intensity and rigor that I thought would serve as a launchpad toward a life of long-term success.

Drawn to the challenge that the role offered, I dove right in. The prospect of gaining financial intuition and building the analytical toolkit of a mini CFO sounded like the ultimate accomplishment.

Rather than emerging with a deep insight into evaluating businesses, I spent most of my two years there focusing on execution: learning highly specific processes, navigating tight deadlines, and delivering work under relentless pressure with minimal sleep.

I soon realized that, despite how hard I was working, this experience wasn't shaping me into the person I'd hoped to become.

So, I began asking myself a bigger question: If this isn't the path to fulfillment, what is?

Hearing my own priorities out loud pushed me to a new field and continent

About a year and a half into that role, I decided to ask my dad the existential question I'd been quietly wrestling with for months.

"What's the point of life?" I asked him. "Like, why do we get out of bed every morning?"

I saw a look of concern briefly flicker across his face before he steeled himself with a deep breath. We sat quietly for a few minutes before he answered.

"For me," he said, "it's experiences. It's being fully present during the brief period we get to be alive."

Then he asked what I thought.

I realized my answer had nothing to do with compensation or prestige. Instead, I wanted to build meaningful relationships and make a positive impact on other living things. I wanted to contribute to something that improved the lives of people, animals, or ecosystems.

And overall, I was eager to feel connected to something larger than myself — even if it meant leaving the job I thought I wanted and moving somewhere new.

I spent the next few months researching wildlife-conservation roles around the world and applying for them. It was a passion of mine, and I hoped a career jump could finally offer the fulfillment I was craving.

Eventually, I found the perfect fit and landed a fundraising and strategy position at a science-based conservation and community outreach nonprofit in southeastern Zimbabwe.

Uprooting my life was more exciting than scary

In the summer of 2025, after officially reaching two years in finance, I quit my job in investment banking. Not long after, I packed my bags for Africa.

People often ask me whether I was scared to be far away from my family, friends, and familiar life in New York City, especially since I'd never been to Zimbabwe. The truth is, I was so excited for the adventure that I barely thought about what I was leaving behind.

Plus, having visited other parts of Africa before and grown up spending my weekends riding horses and hanging out in nature, living in the wilderness felt less like a radical departure and more like a return to myself.

Now, nearly a year after moving here, my life couldn't look more different. I live in a small, thatched cottage on the reserve. A hippo frequents the dam behind my house. Buffalo graze outside my front door. I recently found a python living above my porch.

From the outside, it probably sounds much more stressful than my old life in Manhattan. Ironically, I've never felt more at peace.

Instead of spending my days tweaking financial models from a midtown high-rise, I'm surrounded by nature, and I'm finally filling my days with work I genuinely care about.

Every day, I have the privilege of learning from ecologists, researchers, wildlife managers, and community leaders who have devoted their lives to safeguarding this incredible landscape and the animals who call it home.

My job is to help tell their stories, curate support, and raise funding for our organization's continued efforts.

This new life comes with challenges, but they actually fulfill me

Living on a wildlife reserve has its own difficulties. Local resources are limited. My role comes with a lot of autonomy and less of a typical structure, which can be tricky to navigate. I live thousands of miles from family and friends and in a different time zone.

However, these challenges energize me rather than drain me because they're in service of something I genuinely care about — and something I hope to spend many more years pursuing, whether here in Zimbabwe or elsewhere across the world.

In the end, I'm grateful for my time in investment banking. It might not have been my dream field, but it taught me discipline and resilience and, more importantly, forced me to rethink what success actually meant.

I still believe growth comes from challenging yourself — I just no longer believe the hardest path is necessarily the one that produces the most growth. The challenge worth choosing is the one that helps you become the person you want to be.

• When we travel as a family, I prefer for my in-laws to join us.
• Having them around is great for my kids and gives my husband and me some time to ourselves.

During a family trip to Disneyland, my husband and I walked around enjoying each other's company. No kids asked us for a snack, and we didn't need to split up to go on different rides.

We were on our third trip with my in-laws, my husband's parents. My kids were happy with their grandparents while we got alone time. For once, it really did feel like the happiest place on earth.

This wasn't our first rodeo

I know not everyone gets along with their in-laws, and multigenerational travel has a reputation for being difficult for many. My experience has been the opposite. I'm lucky in that I not only get along with mine but actually prefer trips with them.

I have a long history of multigenerational travel. Growing up, summer vacations were often with my sisters, my parents, and my grandmother.

After marriage and kids, travel was with my kids, my husband, and my parents. Now we often travel with my in-laws.

I understand traveling with my own parents is fundamentally different from traveling with my husband's parents. With my parents, I naturally fall into the role of their daughter, but with my in-laws, I'm their adult peer. It's a dynamic I've grown to appreciate and enjoy while on trips.

Travel is easier this way

One of the reasons traveling with my in-laws has become my favorite way to travel is that it dramatically reduces my mental load. Before grandparents were involved in family trips, it was up to me to decide who would watch the kids, when everyone ate, and who would stay behind when someone was tired. When my in-laws join us for these trips, there are more adults to make decisions, allowing us to divide and conquer when the kids want to do different things.

But the best part is that my kids can have meaningful time with my in-laws and us. When my husband and I take one of our kids to something the other doesn't want to do, that other kid gets 1:1 time with their grandparents. When I want to go back to the hotel, my in-laws get alone time with their son and their grandkids, a dynamic that is inadvertently shifted when I am in the picture. When we are traveling together as a group, it gives me time to understand them differently outside the normal family setting, bringing us closer. That is such a special perk.

There are some challenges

While in a perfect world, these trips would naturally fall into place, no adjustments needed. But we are not perfect, and traveling with a family of six of different age groups can have its challenges.

Different travel styles, schedule ideas, and time spent together are just some of the many things to keep in mind. I've learned to discuss these things first, get a feel for how the trip will go, and adjust if needed. Our trips work partly because my in-laws are flexible, and I've learned to use that flexibility to keep everything running smoothly.

There is also the issue of parenting differences and money, both of which must be addressed delicately. I find that these can be deal breakers if we're not on the same page. My husband and I make decisions for our kids, but when they are with their grandparents, the grandparents are in charge. We also decide who is paying for what ahead of time, so there are no surprises in the moment.

I learned early on that separate time is helpful, which was the opposite of the format I grew up with, where everyone did everything together on trips. I love giving my in-laws time to create memories with my kids on their own. It's what makes their bond stronger, gives them a different perspective if there is a problem, and gives me time to come up for air.

Since we tend to be more go-with-the-flow, I have found it is helpful to hammer out the major logistics before the trip, including accommodations and an itinerary. If my in-laws pay for the hotel, my husband and I usually pay for any tickets and food.

I thought traveling with my in-laws would make vacations harder. Instead, it's really changed what I think a vacation with kids can be. I'm not just traveling with them because it's practical, but because the kids get memories with multiple generations. I get to experience my own family differently, and that is a beautiful thing.

• US Air Force airmen have been testing out layered defenses against drones.
• AI helped detect and distinguish drones from birds and aircraft.
• Electronic warfare and shotguns added more layers of protection.

US Air Force personnel recently trained on a layered approach to countering drones, using artificial intelligence to spot them, electronic warfare to disrupt them, and shotguns as a last line of defense.

The recent exercise highlights the US military's growing focus on having a variety of kinetic and non-kinetic systems to defend against uncrewed aerial systems. It's a work in progress as the different services figure out which capabilities best fit their missions and what lessons can be shared across the force.

Earlier this month, the Air Force's 31st Air Task Force tested drone defense tactics against small uncrewed aerial systems, connecting different technologies to form a layered defense.

"Through a crawl, walk, run approach, airmen gained practical knowledge of a full spectrum of layered counter-sUAS capabilities," the 31st Air Task Force's force protection superintendent said in a news release. "The ATF is posturing to provide tiered defense through detection, electronic warfare defeat, and physical interception of hostile drones."

During the defensive training, airmen learned how to use AI systems to scan the skies. Those systems helped identify drones while filtering out non-threats like birds and planes. Personnel also trained on other weapons for defending against drones and electronic warfare threats.

As part of the exercise, small high-speed drones mimicked hostile flight patterns, giving airmen the chance to gain experience detecting and tracking realistic targets.

According to the press release, the exercise concluded with a live-fire element in which personnel used kinetic weapons like shotguns as final line of defense against drones.

"The team successfully executed a capstone event that validated new tactics, techniques, and procedures across force protection and distributed communications," Col. Brad Dvorak, the 31st ATF commander, said in the news release.

"Our mission is to enable airpower operations, anytime, anywhere. By establishing a sUAS instructor cadre, we trained our personnel on counter-sUAS architecture and employed unique solutions for airmen to track, jam, and kinetically defeat sUAS threats."

The Air Force said it will review the lessons learned from the exercise.

Recent counter-drone training across the US military has pursued a similar layered defense approach, as troops practice detecting, tracking, disrupting, and ultimately defeating drones. Even the exercises not focused specifically on countering drones have sometimes still seen troops carry shotguns or other weapons for close-range defense.

In Ukraine, where drones dominate the battlefield, both sides have fielded a range of drone detection devices and electronic warfare systems for disrupting the radio frequencies used to connect operators and certain first-person-view drones. Some drones, such as fiber-optic drones, are immune to jamming, and in those cases, troops say the best defensive option available may just be a shotgun.

Many Western militaries are still working through best practices for confronting these challenges.

To make counter-UAS capabilities easier to acquire for US operations and give units greater flexibility to choose systems suited to the threat they expect to face, the Pentagon-led counter-drone task force has introduced a new online catalog that military, federal government, and law enforcement personnel can use to assess validated systems — from kinetic weapons to jammers — and submit requests to buy them.