It might be hard to remember, but there was once a time when must-have streaming services started and ended with Netflix and Hulu. Now, there's a seemingly endless array of apps to choose from, which can be both helpful and overwhelming. Our team is here to help you find the best streaming services for your household's needs.

Every streaming platform brings something different to the table. HBO Max and Apple TV top the charts when it comes to critically acclaimed original programming, while Peacock is by far the best platform for fans of reality TV. Disney Plus is an irreplaceable service for families and fans of Star Wars and Marvel, while ESPN has become necessary for sports lovers.

There are two core types of stand-alone streaming services: general interest (such as Netflix, Hulu, and increasingly Disney Plus) and programming-specific (think Apple TV, Peacock, and Paramount Plus). And then there are your live TV streaming channel packages, like Sling TV, which function as month-to-month cable alternatives. No one needs every streaming service, and the "right" ones ultimately come down to personal taste and interests.

To help you decide what to sign up for (and keep you from draining your bank account following a slew of recent price hikes), we've rounded up the best streaming services of 2026 and explained what makes each unique, keeping different budgets and viewing habits in mind. Our team has spent years evaluating streaming services and ensuring they're worth recommending, so you can rest assured that these editor-tested picks are worth the money.

Our top picks for the best streaming services

• Best for families: Disney Plus
• Best for cord-cutters: Sling TV
• Best for reality fans: Peacock
• Best for CBS fans: Paramount Plus
• Best for ABC and FOX fans: Hulu
• Best for originals: Apple TV
• Best for critically acclaimed content: HBO Max
• Best for sports: ESPN
• Best for online shoppers: Amazon Prime Video
• Best for back catalog: Netflix
• Best for anime: Crunchyroll
• Best free option: Tubi

Best for families

• Disney Plus with ads: $12.49/month
• Disney Plus without ads: $21.49/month or $215/year
• Disney Plus with Hulu and ESPN: starts at $22/month
• Disney Plus with Hulu and HBO Max: starts at $22/month

Disney Plus is the subscription streaming home of the studio's many classic animated films and blockbuster franchises. With that in mind, its main draw is its wide catalog of Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and 20th Century Studios content. This makes it one of the best streaming services for families since it's packed with entertainment geared toward younger audiences. 

There are some new original films, series, and concert specials as well, but the lineup isn't as large as what you'll find on Netflix or Amazon. Still, the service has a healthy pipeline of exclusives for members to enjoy, including a new Star Wars series called "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew." Disney Plus is also the exclusive US streaming destination for new episodes of "Doctor Who." 

And even though its catalog is geared toward families, there's still a healthy assortment of PG-13 movies and shows produced for young adults. Disney Plus' selection of R-rated movies and TV-MA shows is vastly limited compared to services like Netflix and HBO Max, although the number is slowly growing. Right now, the only notable programs for mature audiences are a handful of Marvel titles like "Deadpool" and "Agatha All Along."

As a result, adults may want to supplement Disney Plus with a second streaming service to fill their palette with more mature shows. If you fall into that boat, we recommend paying a bit more to get the Disney Plus Bundle with Hulu and ESPN or HBO Max. There's also an option to bundle Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited with NFL Plus Premium. Bundle members can now access Hulu and select ESPN content within the Disney Plus interface, so you can unlock all of Hulu's mature offerings without switching apps. 

Read our Disney Plus guide and Disney Plus review.

Best for cord-cutters

• Sling Select: $20/month
• Sling Essentials: $20/month
• Sling Select + Essentials: $35/month
• Sling Orange: $46/month
• Sling Blue: $46/month
• Sling Orange + Blue: $61/month

Several of the services in this article offer live streaming for select events or a single channel, especially in the premium subscriptions, but true cord-cutters might need a live TV streaming channel package. You can find a full breakdown of these apps in our heavily tested guide to the best live TV streaming services, but Sling TV is a great entry point.

Sling is one of the most affordable live TV streaming services on the market, and we dubbed the service the best for the essentials when it comes to live TV. The streamer offers two base plans, Sling Orange and Sling Blue, which start at $46 a month. The plans carry anywhere from 30-40+ live channels each, with some overlapping, but you can also combine the two plans for $61 in total.

We break down the differences in our Sling Orange vs. Blue plan, but Orange is best known for its broad ESPN offerings, in addition to Disney Channel and 30+ other live channels. Blue offers a greater variety of channel genres, from sports options like the NFL Network to news channels like MS NOW to lifestyle networks like Bravo. Notably, Blue offers select local channel coverage (FOX, ABC, and/or NBC) in certain regions. Both subscriptions carry TNT, CNN, and other channels, and you can add on genre extras as you please.

Sling also launched smaller packages, Sling Select and Sling Essentials, which carry about 10+ channels for $20 a month. The two pared-down plans can be bundled together for $35 a month. In areas where local channels are available, Sling Select, Sling Blue, and Sling Orange + Blue will cost anywhere from $5 (1-2 local channels) to $10 (3 local channels) more each month. Sling Freestream, the streamer's FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) option, also offers 600+ channels on its own, including a few unexpected gems.

While you'll probably still need a few other streaming services to round out your watch options, Sling TV is a great way to cover your bases if you've cut the cord. Its greatest merit comes with covering some of the best channels you just can't watch without a live TV streaming service.

Read our Sling TV review and Sling TV channels guide.

Best for reality fans

• Peacock Select: $9/month or $90/year for ad-supported streaming access to select programs for existing subscribers
• Peacock Premium: $13/month or $130/year for ad-supported streaming access to the full Peacock library
• Peacock Premium Plus: $20/month or $200/year for ad-free access to the full Peacock library, as well as live NBC streaming
• Peacock and Apple TV bundle: Starts at $18/month

Peacock is the streaming home of current and classic NBCUniversal shows like "The Voice," "SNL," "30 Rock," and "The Office," as well as original titles like "Poker Face" and "Twisted Metal." The service also offers a rotating slate of hit movies, including recent Universal titles straight from theaters.

Peacock used to offer a free plan with a limited content selection, but this is no longer available for new members. Following an August 2026 price hike, plans for new subscribers start at $13 a month or $130 a year for Peacock Premium, which offers ad-supported access to everything on the service. To unlock ad-free playback, you can pay $20 a month or $200 a year for Peacock Premium Plus. The top tier also adds livestreaming access to NBC so you can watch your local station 24/7 without an antenna or cable. Last year, Peacock started testing a new Peacock Select tier, which costs $9 a month or $90 a year. This option only grants on-demand ad-supported access to select programming, like shows from NBC and Bravo, in addition to Yellowstone.

The app is one of the best downloads a reality TV fan can make since it is the exclusive on-demand streaming home of Bravo content. Peacock has the full collection of "Real Housewives" programming, in addition to favorites like "Top Chef" and "Vanderpump Rules." The streamer also has some of its own original reality shows, like "Love Island USA" and "The Traitors."

Peacock is also an absolute hub for live sports, snapping up more and more broadcasts over the years. The service offers Sunday Night Football when the NFL season is active (as well as Super Bowl LX in 2026), loads of major cycling events (including the Tour de France), and NBA and WNBA on NBC coverage. Peacock also snagged the rights to some exclusive NBA games, which won't appear on NBC, meaning that even the most cable-savvy basketball fans will need to get the streaming service this year. Most notably, NBCUniversal has the rights to the Olympics through 2036, and Peacock provides a comprehensive streaming hub that includes and expands upon the linear broadcast coverage. The platform also had full US streaming and broadcast rights to Spanish-language coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While NBC live streaming is restricted to the Premium Plus tier, lots of Peacock's live sports coverage is available on the base Premium plan.

Subscribers can stream some titles in 4K with HDR, but the catalog is mostly limited to a few new movies. Compared to other services, Peacock has one of the smallest 4K collections, but it has been adding more 4K titles in recent months.

Read our Peacock TV guide.

Best for CBS fans

• Paramount Plus Essential: $9/month or $90/year for ad-supported streaming
• Paramount Plus Premium: $14/month or $140/year for commercial-free streaming, along with Showtime and live CBS

Paramount Plus is a subscription streaming service from ViacomCBS. The platform gives viewers access to a large collection of on-demand shows and movies. The premium plan also includes live CBS streaming, so you can watch your local CBS network without cable or a digital antenna. This is an especially crucial tier since CBS is often the local network missing from live TV streaming services.

In addition to CBS, Paramount Plus draws programming from Viacom cable channels like MTV, BET, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon. Paramount Plus is also home to exclusive series like "Star Trek: Discovery," "Halo," and "Yellowstone" spinoffs like "1883" and "1923." However, Paramount Plus doesn't carry the original "Yellowstone," which aired on the Paramount Network and streams on Peacock.

The streaming service adds new Paramount movies to its lineup after they play in theaters, including releases like "Gladiator II," "Novocaine," and the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise. It also carries many Paramount Pictures classics, such as "Titanic," "Top Gun," and "The Godfather" films.

Sports fans can also tune into local NFL games broadcast on CBS and UEFA soccer matches when each season is in session. Unlike live CBS access, NFL and soccer games are available to all members, even those subscribed to the cheaper ad-supported plan. Beginning in 2026, the streaming service now also has the rights to all UFC events. Unlike with ESPN, the previous rights holder, Paramount Plus subscribers won't need to pay an additional pay-per-view (PPV) fee to watch major numbered UFC events. UFC coverage is available in both tiers of service.

If the base Paramount Plus library isn't enough, you can get Paramount Plus Premium (formerly Paramount Plus with Showtime) to stream even more movies and shows. The two services merged in June 2023, and Showtime programming now comes with the ad-free Premium tier of Paramount Plus by default. Once subscribed, you unlock Showtime movies and shows directly in the Paramount Plus app, so this is a solid option if you're looking to stream "Dexter: Resurrection" or the latest season of "Yellowjackets." Some new episodes even drop on Paramount Plus Premium before their linear Showtime premiere.

Read our Paramount Plus streaming service guide and our Paramount Plus review.

Best for ABC and FOX fans

• Hulu with ads: $12.49/month or $125/year
• Hulu without ads: $21.49/month
• Hulu with Disney Plus and ESPN: starts at $22/month
• Hulu with Disney Plus and HBO Max: starts at $22/month

Hulu offers two on-demand streaming plans: a basic option with commercials and a premium tier without ads. Both plans feature access to the platform's full library of content, which boasts an impressive library of movies and TV series with a wide range of new and classic shows.

This includes next-day streaming access to ABC, FX, and FOX broadcast series, which makes Hulu an excellent pick for cord-cutters who want access to popular network shows. You can also find many licensed movies from various studios, including Oscar winners like "Poor Things" and "Anatomy of a Fall."

Hulu also offers a solid selection of original shows, like "The Bear," "Only Murders in the Building," "The Handmaid's Tale," and "The Kardashians," but its slate of exclusives isn't as notable as those of some competitors. Likewise, though Hulu does support 4K HDR on some devices, its selection is limited compared to Netflix, Amazon, and Disney Plus.

Hulu has a nice assortment of add-ons and bundle options, too. Subscribers can add other services to their memberships, like HBO Max and Starz, for an extra monthly fee, so they can consolidate bills. And you can get the Disney Plus Bundles, which package Hulu with Disney Plus and/or ESPN for a discounted price. There's also an HBO Max bundle option, which combines the HBO streaming service with Hulu and Disney Plus. Subscribers to the bundle can now access Hulu within the Disney Plus app, so you no longer need to switch between them.

And for the ultimate cord-cutting experience, Hulu even offers a full-fledged live TV tier starting at $90 a month. This option includes Hulu's full on-demand library, the Disney Bundle, and over 95 popular channels. Hulu is the only on-demand streaming platform with its own live TV plan, so this tier gives cord-cutters a convenient (albeit pricey) all-in-one solution packed with entertainment options.

Read our full breakdown of Hulu prices and plans.

Best for originals

• Apple TV: $15/month or $119/year for ad-free streaming
• Apple One: Starts at $22/month for Apple TV Plus, Apple Music, 50GB of iCloud, and Apple Arcade
• Apple TV and Peacock bundle: Starts at $18/month

Apple TV, formerly Apple TV Plus, is one of the most affordable ad-free streaming services you can subscribe to, even after its recent price hike. It costs $15 a month or $119 a year to access its entire lineup of on-demand movies and shows, following an August 2026 price hike. That's less than commercial-free plans cost from Disney Plus, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, or Peacock. 

While Apple TV lacks a significant catalog of licensed content from other networks and studios, the original programming that the streaming service has produced in the little over six years since its launch is remarkable. Apple TV's television projects have been particularly popular, featuring critically-acclaimed hits like "Ted Lasso," "Severance," "For All Mankind," "Pluribus," "Silo," and "The Studio." The service is particularly focused on science fiction programming, although it offers content across a variety of genres. The streamer also offers select movies, including award-winning films like "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "CODA."

Apple TV has also become a must-have service for sports fans in recent years. The streaming service previously offered full access to MLS via its MLS Season Pass, but now all Apple TV subscribers will have access to MLS matches beginning in the 2026 season, without the need to purchase anything extra. The service also includes exclusive live Friday Night Baseball games and, beginning this year, holds the US rights to Formula 1 races (taking over the reins from ESPN).

Like Prime Video, the Apple TV app also has a huge digital store with additional movies and shows that you can pay extra to rent or purchase. Though it would be great to have more programs included as part of your subscription, being able to order more titles within the same app is convenient. You can add channels to your subscription, like Starz, for an extra fee.

If you plan to use other Apple services, we recommend considering the Apple One bundle to save some money. The base package includes Apple TV Plus, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $22 monthly, a nice discount off the regular combined price of those services. There's also a budget-friendly option that lets you bundle Apple TV with Peacock.

Read our Apple TV guide.

Best for critically acclaimed content

• HBO Max with ads: $11/month or $110/year for ad-supported access to the HBO Max library in up to 1080p
• HBO Max ad-free: $18.49/month or $185/year for ad-free access to the HBO Max library in up to 1080p
• HBO Max Ultimate ad-free: $23/month or $230/year for ad-free access to the HBO Max library in up to 4K
• HBO Max with Disney Plus and Hulu: starts at $22/month for ad-supported streaming

The HBO Max streaming service, formerly known as Max (and recently re-rebranded), combines critically acclaimed shows and movies from HBO's cable network with new originals, programs from Discovery Plus, WarnerMedia films, classic shows like "Friends," and collections from other brands like CNN, Studio Ghibli, Adult Swim, TCM, and DC.

HBO shows like "House of the Dragon" and "The Last of Us" continue to define prestige television, and HBO Max has several critically acclaimed originals of its own, like "Hacks." The service also streams brand-new Warner Bros. movies after they play in theaters, including "Dune: Part 2" and "Sinners."

HBO Max also now offers select live sporting events, including most games that air on TNT and TBS. These are available through B/R Sports, which is only included with the ad-free tiers of HBO Max. HBO Max is also a great option for fans of unscripted television, as it includes a large selection of programs from the Discovery Plus streaming service, including popular shows from TLC, Food Network, and HGTV. Discovery Plus remains a cheaper option for people who only want unscripted titles, but HBO Max is a good value for viewers who also crave prestige TV. The streaming service also carries select on-demand CNN programming. Some of this could very well change in the future with the news that Warner Bros. Discovery intends to split into two separate companies.

With that said, HBO Max has become known for removing programs with little warning. Even big releases, like "Westworld," have been pulled from the service as part of the studio's cost-cutting measures. This uncertainty surrounding some titles isn't ideal for subscribers. The service is also pricey, especially if you want 4K streaming, which is something that many competitors don't charge extra for. 

Read our HBO Max streaming service guide.

Best for sports

• ESPN Select: $14/month or $140/year
• ESPN Unlimited: $32/month or $320/year
• ESPN Select with Disney Plus and Hulu: starts at $22/month
• ESPN Unlimited with Disney Plus and Hulu: starts at $36/month
• ESPN Unlimited with FOX One: $40/month
• ESPN Unlimited with NFL Plus Premium: $42/month

ESPN is one of the best sports streaming services, offering a dedicated platform to watch live games and analysis. The newly revamped app expands upon ESPN Plus by offering a higher tier of service (ESPN Unlimited) that carries all of ESPN's linear networks and content in one place, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, ESPN on ABC, the SEC Network, SEC Network Plus, the ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, and ESPN Plus.

This means that viewers can watch select NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, golf, tennis, and soccer matches, as well as many college games and other sporting events. The app also still carries ESPN Plus content — like US Open coverage and other select events — without any of the live networks through its new ESPN Select plan, which is cheaper than Unlimited and on par with what ESPN Plus used to cost.

Outside of live sports, ESPN features a selection of on-demand docuseries, like "30 for 30," and other original programs with popular sports personalities like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Derek Jeter. The app also comes with access to articles, live scores, and other perks.

While the $32 a month ESPN Unlimited plan might be a bit pricey for a standalone streaming service, especially after the August 2026 price hike, Disney is offering some solid evergreen discounts for those who bundle ESPN with Disney Plus and Hulu. There are also discount bundling opportunities for ESPN Unlimited and NFL Plus Premium and ESPN Unlimited and FOX One.

Read our ESPN streaming service guide.

Best for online shoppers

• Amazon Prime with ad-supported Prime Video: $15/month or $139/year as part of an Amazon Prime membership
• Prime Video with ads (stand-alone): $9/month for Prime Video on its own
• Ad-free Prime Video Ultra upgrade: $5/month extra on top of existing plan

More than 200 million Amazon Prime members help make Prime Video one of the largest on-demand services in terms of subscribers, even if they're not all streaming video regularly. Since Prime Video is included with a Prime membership, it is a particularly great option for frequent Amazon shoppers who want to enjoy all the perks of the retailer's service. That said, Prime Video is also available on its own at a cheaper monthly rate if you don't want to pay for a full Prime subscription. 

Though not quite as extensive as some competitors, Prime Video offers a solid mix of movies and shows, including a few notable originals that aren't available on other services. Exclusives include hits like "Fallout," "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," and "The Boys." You can also use Prime Video's digital store to pay extra to rent or buy just about any film available on home video and watch it through the Prime Video app whenever you like. This is a feature that most subscription streaming apps don't offer.

The streaming service also offers several live sporting events, with more added every year. Prime Video has the rights to select NFL, NBA, WNBA, and NWSL games. The streamer also offers NASCAR coverage, along with combat sports and other live sporting events. Due to the nature of live TV, no matter which tier you sign up for, you'll likely still have commercials on live events.

Prime Video is also unique in that it allows users to sign up for many popular external streaming services through its app, making it a great option for viewers looking to handle the bulk of their streaming billing in one place. HBO Max, STARZ, AMC Plus, Apple TV, BritBox, and Paramount Plus are just a few of the services that let you sign up through Prime. Bundling services through Prime Video also often offers savings opportunities.

Prime Video supports four streams simultaneously and comes with ads. Before January 2024, all Prime Video memberships were ad-free, but the default option is now ad-supported, and you can then upgrade to ad-free for an extra $5 a month with Prime Video Ultra. This rebranded tier will also allow viewing on up to 5 devices, up to 100 downloads, and 4K streaming (the latter was previously available on select titles across all tiers).

Read our Prime Video guide.

Best back catalog

• Netflix Standard with ads: $9/month for 1080p streaming with ads on up to two devices at the same time
• Netflix Standard: $20/month for ad-free 1080p streaming on up to two devices at the same time
• Netflix Premium: $27/month for ad-free 4K HDR streaming with Dolby Atmos on up to four devices at the same time

Netflix has spent the last few years producing a growing collection of original programs, including exclusive movies, ongoing TV series, documentaries, and comedy specials. Though the service isn't as dominant as it once was, its impressive library still cements it as the quintessential streaming service to beat.

The success of exclusives, like "Wednesday," "Bridgerton," "The Witcher," and "Stranger Things," has helped Netflix justify its higher prices and encouraged competitors to create their own originals. Netflix also has one of the most impressive selections of licensed content from other studios and networks, including titles that used to be exclusive to other services, like Hulu and HBO Max. The app has also begun to invest in live events, including select NFL games, boxing matches, and even the SAG Awards.

On the downside, Netflix's password-sharing policy could cost you extra if you have a bigger household or long-distance connection, although other streaming services have begun to follow suit. It also discontinued its cheapest ad-free plan in 2023 and had another round of price hikes in early 2026, which means the starting price for ad-free streaming is now $20. This makes Netflix one of the most expensive streaming options out there.

Still, the overall library is nicely varied, with plenty for adults and children. When it comes to app support, Netflix is available on all of the best streaming devices and best TVs, including computers, smartphones, Roku, gaming consoles, Apple TV, Fire TV, Google TV, and more. It also offers comprehensive support for all of the latest video and audio formats, including 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos — but unlike some of its competitors, it charges extra for those features.

Read our Netflix price guide. 

Best for anime

• Crunchyroll Fan: $10/month or $100/year for ad-free streaming on one device
• Crunchyroll Mega Fan: $14/month or $140/year for ad-free streaming on up to four devices
• Crunchyroll Ultimate Fan: $18/month or $180/year for ad-free streaming on up to six devices

Since launching in 2006, Crunchyroll has undeniably become the leading streaming service for anime. The app is solely focused on anime programming and boasts more than 1,000 titles, including "Demon Slayer, "One Piece," "Dragon Ball," and "Attack on Titan."

The app often gets new episodes shortly after they premiere in Japan, making it a must-have for international fans. In addition to its massive back-catalog of external programming, Crunchyroll also offers a slate of original series, including "Tower of God" and "Onyx Equinox."

All tiers offer ad-free streaming, and the Mega and Ultimate Fan plans also include offline viewing and access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault. Additionally, each tier of service comes with varying degrees of discounts on select products at the Crunchyroll Store. The base Fan plan starts at 5% off, while the more expensive tiers range from 10-15% off, plus member-only offers, early access to sales, and free shipping within the US.

While Netflix and a few other streamers have begun to build out their anime libraries over the years, Crunchyroll still has a stronghold on the genre. Casual fans might be able to get away with not subscribing, but anime devotees will be hard-pressed to find a better lineup of both deep catalogs and newer releases.

Read our Crunchyroll guide.

Best free option

Free streaming services can be pretty hit-or-miss, but Tubi consistently impresses. The US streaming app, owned by the Fox Corporation, offers ad-supported streaming for both live and on-demand content. For the most part, Tubi doesn't even require you to create a free account to watch, but it can be a good idea if you want to store your progress with a TV show or movie (and you'll occasionally need an account for select live events).

The streaming service offers an impressive selection of on-demand films and television shows, including many classics. The streamer carries older shows like "Columbo" and "The Twilight Zone," as well as more recent network and cable hits such as "How to Get Away with Murder" and "This Is Us" (both streaming at the time of writing). The platform even has episodes from some newer ongoing shows, like the first season of the sitcom "Adults" (which just dropped its second season on FX and Hulu). Occasionally, Tubi is the only place you can stream an old TV show, an increasingly valuable asset in an age where too many series become lost media.

Tubi also has an impressive selection of live channels. Many of these are traditional FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) options, including some truly random channels (one plays the sitcom "The Conners" on a 24/7 loop) and news networks' free counterparts (like ABC News Live and LiveNOW from FOX). However, there are also a few genuinely valuable channels, like ION. When FOX held the Super Bowl broadcast rights in 2025, Tubi even offered a 4K live stream of the game.

Notably, Tubi also has some originals, which help set it apart from many of its free streaming peers. These originals include TV series like "Boarders," several movies, and a handful of sports documentaries pegged to major figures, like basketball legend Dawn Staley and tennis star Naomi Osaka.

Read our Tubi review.

How we test streaming services

At least one member of our team has personally tested each streaming service in this guide, as well as some other apps that didn't make the cut. Over the years, we've developed rigorous testing methodologies and criteria for streaming services. Content, advertisements, price history, audio/video quality, offline viewing capabilities, device availability, simultaneous streaming, and overall user-friendliness are among some of the many features we consider when vetting platforms.

Choosing the best streaming service for your needs will largely depend on your personal tastes and budget. Each service has its own selection of exclusives, so certain programs may make one platform more worthwhile than another. For instance, if access to every episode of "The Office" is important to you, then Peacock is a must-have service. Conversely, if you're a big Marvel fan who wants to stream new shows set in the MCU, then Disney Plus is essential.

When comparing catalogs, we try to consider the range of entertainment offered by each of the best streaming services, how much the platform has invested in exclusive programming, and how much the app has to offer when it comes to a back-catalog after you burn through the originals. We also keep in mind which age ranges are best suited to watch. While most services have a rotating list of movies (for example, most Universal films will eventually find their way onto another streamer after Peacock), it's important to consider which series and franchises remain platform-exclusive, like "Star Wars" on Disney Plus and "Stranger Things" on Netflix.

Outside of programming, we evaluate streaming services based on several common factors, including price. This has become a particularly notable feature as popular paid services (such as Netflix) continue to hike their prices, while free services (like Tubi) become better and better. On the low end, mainstream services start at $9 a month for ad-supported plans and can cost as much as $27 a month for ad-free plans with the most features. These extra perks often include ad-free streaming, the ability to download content to watch offline, additional premium programming, and 4K streaming (more on that below). However, several services, like Disney Plus and Hulu, offer discounted bundles that can save you a ton of money if you package multiple subscriptions together. 

Many of the best streaming services with on-demand content offer up to 4K video quality with HDR contrast and Dolby Atmos immersive audio through compatible gear. That said, live TV channels rarely broadcast in 4K, so we have lower expectations for live TV streaming services and sporting events, which still use HD resolutions like 1080p or 720p (although many top services have started offering select programming in 4K over the past couple of years).

Quality can also vary depending on the movie or show being streamed, and you'll need a strong, stable internet connection to stream consistently at 4K. Even if you don't have one of the best 4K TVs, a good-quality 4K stream will still deliver the best possible image for your setup. Some services like Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video offer 4K streaming at no extra cost, while others like Netflix and HBO Max make you pay for their premium tiers to unlock 4K support. 

The best streaming services also allow subscribers to save select movies for offline viewing while they travel, though an online check-in is still required occasionally. Like 4K streaming, this feature is often restricted to premium plans.

You'll also want to ensure that the streaming services you sign up for are actually available on your devices. Most streaming services offer app support on iOS and Android, as well as streaming media players and smart TVs from every major brand. Some services even allow subscribers to stream via their gaming consoles, including newer versions of Xbox and PlayStation.

Many streaming services also cap the number of devices you can stream on at once, which is known as simultaneous streaming. Several of the top apps have begun rolling out password-sharing crackdowns that make it so that you can only watch content on a TV from within your home network. Some services, like Netflix and Disney Plus, have introduced options to add extra members outside your household for an additional fee that's cheaper than the cost of a new subscription.

We take all of these components into account when evaluating a streaming service to decide whether it's worth recommending to our readers. We continue to use many of these apps in our everyday lives, so recommendations often come with years of hands-on experience. This also means we're often revisiting services to decide whether they're still worth the money or if it might be time to skip out on a subscription after the latest price hike.

Check out our roundups of the best streaming deals and bundles for the latest discounts on streaming services. You can also explore our guide to the best ways to save on streaming services.

• Elon Musk has regained his trillionaire status thanks to a boost in SpaceX's stock price.
• Musk became the world's first trillionaire after the SpaceX IPO, but the stock price later fell.
• The stock price has rebounded, along with Musk's net worth.

Elon Musk has regained his title as the world's only trillionaire.

The Tesla CEO made history earlier this year by becoming the first person worth 13 figures after SpaceX's blockbuster initial public offering in June. Musk's wealth came back down a little closer to Earth after SpaceX's stock price fell following an initial surge.

The rocket and AI company's stock price has been creeping back up since early August, reaching $171.09 as of Monday's market close. The nearly 8% boost on Monday brought Musk's net worth back over the trillion-dollar threshold, according to Forbes, which estimated his wealth at $1.046 trillion.

Musk's wealth previously peaked on June 16 at $1.32 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

While Musk had long been counted among the richest people in the world, the SpaceX IPO put him in another stratosphere. The second- and third-wealthiest people in the world as of Monday were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Google cofounder Larry Page, worth $371 billion and $284 billion, respectively, according to Forbes.

Much of Musk's net worth comes from stakes in SpaceX and Tesla, so it is typically tied to the success of those companies. SpaceX's stock reached its highest level since June on Monday.

• Google just got a win in its bid to buy Spirit Airlines' old data for $10 million.
• A court-appointed consumer privacy ombudsman recommended the sale be approved.
• The official said the companies had addressed consumer privacy concerns.

Google just got a win in its effort to buy Spirit Airlines' old data.

A court-appointed consumer privacy official recommended the sale be approved in a filing on Monday, citing steps taken by Spirit and Google to address risks to passenger privacy.

"The parties have taken consequential steps to protect the privacy of the personal data of the Spirit consumers," Lucy Thomson, the consumer privacy ombudsman, said.

The filing said the companies revised the scope of personal consumer data included in the sale, excluded passenger databases, and hired a third party, Tonic.ai, to conduct de-identification of data that could contain consumers' personal information, such as company emails.

"These changes will significantly reduce the potential risk of harm to the 97 million consumers who provided their personal data to Spirit for the purpose of booking airline travel," the filing said, adding that any risk of privacy losses to consumers had been "eliminated or mitigated."

After Spirit Airlines shut down in May, Google won an auction for its data with a $10 million bid. The sale still requires court approval. Google has said the data would help improve its products and AI models.

Unions representing Spirit flight attendants and pilots have filed objections to the sale, saying it would undermine their privacy. The union that represents American Airlines pilots, including some 700 who formerly worked for Spirit, joined the objection in a filing last week, arguing the sale could hinder aviation safety.

A representative for Spirit did not provide additional comment when reached by Business Insider. Google did not respond to a request for comment. The company previously said that personally identifying information would not be included in the sale.

"Google is not buying any personal information from Spirit. The information will either be completely excluded or will be deidentified by an independent third party before Google receives the data," the company has said.

The ombudsman was appointed to evaluate risks specific to consumer privacy, as US bankruptcy law provides for consumer protections in data sales. The ombudsman said her review did not include whether the sale posed any privacy risks to employees.

Lawyers previously told Business Insider that the proposed sale served as a reminder that, as an employee, your work data is generally not private and belongs to the company.

While the ombudsman's recommendation helps the companies' case, approval of the data sale is ultimately up to the court. A hearing on the proposed sale is scheduled for October 14.

The filing on Monday also said that if other bids for the data are considered by the court — including those placed by AI training companies Mercor and Micro1 — additional review of consumer privacy concerns would be needed. The ombudsman specifically said she'd need more information about a "supply chain security incident" that happened at Mercor earlier this year.

Update: We're constantly on the hunt for Paramount Plus coupon and promo codes, but we haven't found any active, valid discounts at the time of writing. We'll keep searching for new codes and deals and update this page as we find them, so keep checking back for more. If you're still interested in signing up for Paramount Plus today, you can keep scrolling to learn about savings on annual plans, or head back to checkout.

Paramount Plus might have started out as a simple way to stream CBS shows on demand, but the platform has grown into one of the best streaming services available, thanks in large part to its massive selection of original TV shows, live sporting events, and (in the Premium tier) Showtime programming. The streaming service is already one of the more budget-friendly apps on the market (even the ad-free plan), but using one of the best Paramount Plus coupon and promo codes is an easy way to save even more on your subscription.

Paramount Plus carries the full slate of popular CBS shows, from franchise favorites like "NCIS" and "Criminal Minds" to newer series such as "Boston Blue" and "Ghosts." Most notably, the service gets the latest episodes of "Survivor" and "Marshals" the day after they air on linear TV (or live, depending on which tier you're subscribed to). But the service carries much more than CBS faves, including popular original series like "Dutton Ranch" and award-winning films such as "No Country for Old Men." The streamer also offers an ever-growing line-up of live sports, including UFC events and NFL on CBS games.

By upgrading to a Paramount Plus Premium plan, you gain access to a live stream of your local CBS station. This tier also unlocks Showtime titles, including popular ongoing series such as "Yellowjackets" and "Dexter: Resurrection," among others. For a deeper look into everything that Paramount Plus has to offer, you can check out our Paramount Plus guide and in-depth Paramount Plus review.

Even after a few rounds of price hikes, Paramount Plus remains one of the most affordable streaming platforms on the market. The ad-supported plan is one of the most competitively priced streaming subscriptions, given the sheer volume of quality content for just $9 a month compared to competitors. Even with its relative budget-friendliness, a promo code is a great way to cut costs even more. These offers are pretty rare, but we're always testing out discount codes we find to see if they're valid. To help make saving easy, we've rounded up the best current offers below.

Today's best Paramount Plus coupon codes

Previous Paramount Plus promo codes

Are there any other Paramount Plus sales running at the moment?

At this time, there are no active deals running at Paramount Plus. The most recent limited-time sale discounted the first two months of service on both Premium and Essential plans down to just $0.99 a month, before plans returned to their then-standard rates. The deal wrapped up on June 25, but we're always on the hunt for more discounts, which usually pop up every few months or so (especially around major shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday).

Opting for an annual plan remains a great, evergreen way to save on the streaming service, especially if it's something you're planning to hold onto for a while. You can save money each year compared to what you'd pay after 12 months of a month-to-month subscription. An annual subscription is also a great way to temporarily avoid any upcoming price hikes. Check out the savings breakdown below:

• For the latest buying advice updates, follow us on Instagram and WhatsApp

How to use Paramount Plus coupons and promo codes

Using a Paramount Plus coupon code is a simple process. Like other streaming services, Paramount Plus requires you to create an account to enroll in a plan. If you're on the sign-up page, choose a plan and create an account using your name, email, ZIP code, and a new password. From there, you'll be taken to a checkout page where you can apply a coupon code by clicking "Have a coupon code?" to paste in a promo code.

Can you stack Paramount Plus coupon codes?

Paramount Plus coupon codes cannot be stacked together. The system only allows for one promo to be applied at a time. However, we don't often see more than one active coupon code available at a time, so this shouldn't be a frequent problem

Paramount Plus coupons: frequently asked questions

Does Paramount Plus offer discounts for teachers, students, or the military?

Paramount Plus offers verified service members 50% off any plan for life. Students currently enrolled in an accredited institution can get 50% off any plan. Verified teachers, faculty, and staff members can get 50% off any plan.

If you fall into the education category, be sure to check our roundups for the best student discounts and the best teacher discounts you can score year-round.

Which Paramount Plus plans can I choose from?

Paramount Plus has two main tiers of service, which are available as either monthly or annual plans. The base tier, Paramount Plus Essential, costs $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year. Essential includes ad-supported access to most of the streamer's catalog (except for Showtime) and select live events.

Paramount Plus Premium, previously known as Paramount Plus with Showtime, offers a little extra. Premium costs $13.99 a month or $139.99 a year and includes ad-free access to the streamer's entire catalog (including Showtime programming). Users can also live stream their local CBS station, so you can watch CBS shows and sports live as they air.

Both plans are solid options, and deciding which one is right for you ultimately comes down to personal taste and budget. If you're only interested in UFC or catching a CBS show on demand with ads, Essential will do the trick. However, if you're tired of ads, want to watch CBS live, or are interested in a broader catalog of prestige programming, you'll probably want to upgrade to Premium.

Does Paramount Plus offer a free trial?

Paramount Plus doesn't have a free trial for new users. Previously, the streaming platform had a week-long trial period for first-time customers, but the offer was discontinued in early 2026.

Is Paramount Plus available outside the United States?

Yes, Paramount Plus is available in select countries outside the United States, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Austria, and more. You can explore a full list of countries with access to Paramount Plus on the streamer's global landing page. Libraries sometimes vary by location. For example, "Yellowstone" is available on several international versions of Paramount Plus, but it's not included in US subscriptions.

Where can I watch Paramount Plus?

The Paramount Plus app is available across a massive selection of devices, including iOS and Android mobile devices, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TVs and tablets, Samsung TV, Google TV, LG TV, and Chromecast, among others. Notably, it's also available on Apple Vision Pro, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox. You can find a full list of supported devices (along with supported models and operating systems) on the Paramount Plus website.

What's coming soon to Paramount Plus?

Like most streaming services, Paramount Plus constantly updates its library to bring you more content. This month, Paramount Plus users will get access to hit originals and specials, shows, popular movies, new live sporting events, and more. See their website for a full list of what's coming to Paramount Plus this month.

Some of the most-anticipated new programming to make its way onto Paramount Plus in October include the season premieres of "Marshals," "Tracker," "CIA," "FBI," "NCIS," "NCIS: Origins," "Elsbeth," "Georgie & Mandy's First Wedding," "Boston Blue," "Fire Country," and "Sheriff Country." "Eternally Yours," "Cupertino," and "NCIS: New York" are also scheduled to make their series premieres. All of these shows are CBS originals, but new episodes will be available the next day with Paramount Plus Essential or live with Paramount Plus Premium. In addition to these CBS favorites, Paramount Plus will launch some original, streaming exclusives, including "Avatar: Seven Havens" and "Tulsa King" Season 4.

What live sports events are available on Paramount Plus?

Since first launching, Paramount Plus has significantly grown its repertoire of live sports. Notably, Paramount Plus gained the UFC broadcast rights beginning in 2026, taking over from ESPN and its hefty pay-per-view fees. All UFC events are available on both tiers of Paramount Plus, so even Essential subscribers can get in on the action.

Paramount Plus Essential subscribers can also live stream NFL on CBS games and UEFA Champions League matches. Sports fans hoping to live stream other games that air on CBS will want to opt for a Premium subscription, which offers a full live stream of CBS. This Premium option unlocks CBS's WNBA, Masters Tournament, NWSL, college football, and March Madness coverage, among other sporting events.

Check out more great streaming sales in our guide to the best streaming deals and our roundup of the best Peacock promo codes.

• Leif Abraham, Public's co-CEO, wants vintage wines and fancy Levi's jeans.
• Meta's Muse AI agent buys them for him.
• Because Amazon blocks Muse from making purchases, Abraham said he's noticed more of his orders being processed by Shopify.

Meta's AI agent, Muse, has been going shopping for Leif Abraham. With Amazon blocking the AI agent from placing orders, Abraham says that means fewer purchases from Amazon.

Abraham, the cofounder and co-CEO of investing platform Public, told Business Insider he's turned to Muse to purchase mostly niche, hard-to-find products — skincare, vintage wines, a German creatine product, discontinued Levi's jeans.

"Since the thing came out, I've been buying so much stuff," he said. "I literally just have to approve the payment, and that's it."

Muse is Meta's bet that customers will entrust AI agents to handle internet errands, like booking a restaurant reservation for friends or finding their next outfit. It's an early hit, rocketing to the top of the App Store charts shortly after its launch last month.

On Sunday, Abraham posted about his Muse experience on X, calling Meta and Shopify's recent integration a "win for Shopify."

"The amount of purchases I've made with Muse that I used to have gone to Amazon for," he wrote. "Now buying from the brands directly…" he added, along with a screenshot of him directing the agent to buy products "from a reputable store."

Public, Abraham's company, offers a Muse connector that lets customers link their brokerage accounts to the agent. Abraham said he has connected his own account and also uses Muse for daily brokerage updates and calorie tracking.

Abraham's story is one person's experience and doesn't mean that Amazon has an impending sales problem. AI agent shopping has yet to catch on with the general public. But Amazon's decision to block Muse from making purchases on behalf of users — Amazon raised concerns about how Muse accessed or stored customer credentials and sensitive data, along with account data scraping — risks leaving money on the table, especially if Muse shopping takes off.

Shopify, meanwhile, has taken the opposite approach. The payment processing platform announced a partnership with Meta that lets Muse users check out at Shopify merchants through Shop Pay.

Abraham still labels himself an "Amazon mega user," but says some recent purchases weren't up to snuff. Now, instead of turning to Amazon for all his purchases, he uses the marketplace only for items that don't require as much research, like toilet paper.

After Abraham wrote on X about the shift in his shopping habits, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke reshared the post and added that he's "hearing so many of these stories."

Not everyone's experience with Muse has gone according to plan.

Abraham said several of his techie friends are also using Muse to find niche products, but results have varied. One friend, he said, is still searching for tickets to Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" in IMAX 70mm — a task he said that Muse hasn't accomplished. (Granted, whether that's a Muse problem or a supply problem is a whole other conversation.)

• US stocks jumped on Monday, sidestepping a fresh spike in global bond yields.
• A new burst of tech bullishness sent the Nasdaq Composite to a record high.
• The global sell-off in government bonds has fueled more fears of financial contagion.

The bond sell-off is still going strong, but investors just don't seem too concerned.

The sell-off in government bonds picked up steam on Monday, but investors shrugged off the latest spike in yields and piled into the tech sector. The move is the latest reflection of the animal spirits pushing the stock market higher in the final months of 2026, even as yields reach multi-decade peaks and threaten to dent equity valuations.

The yield on the 10-year US Treasury surged as much as 7 basis points to 5.35% before paring slightly. The yield is sitting at its highest level since 2002.

Yet, rather than panic, investors piled into stocks on Monday. The major indexes ticked higher, largely fueled by tech gains and optimism as oil prices drifted lower. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 1% to $100 a barrel as the G7 nations released oil stocks and exports from Middle East producers increased, easing concerns about supply tightness in the oil market.

The tech surge sent the Nasdaq Composite to a fresh all-time high.

Here's where US indexes stood at the 4:00 p.m. ET closing bell:

• S&P 500: 7,773.98, up 0.66%
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 51,267.90, up 0.18% (+90.94 points)
• Nasdaq 100: 31,076.44, up 0.87%

In tech, SpaceX jumped 6% after Morgan Stanley said the stock looked "cheap." Microsoft also rose more than 2% after Melius Research issued a "buy" rating on the stock, and other hyperscalers and chip giants rose amid the AI optimism to start the week.

Here were some of the notable moves in tech on Monday:

"With rates still elevated and fuel costs pressuring the broader economy, the parts of the market that can generate earnings growth fast enough to outrun higher discount rates are the ones attracting capital, and right now that's overwhelmingly the AI complex," Luke Lango, a tech analyst, wrote in a recent note to clients.

Performance in the stock market lately has been "heavily weighted" toward tech and energy, causing the equal-weighted stock indexes to lag the benchmarks, strategists at Raymond James wrote in a note on Sunday.

"The 'light at the end of the tunnel' for this concentrating market is that performance of 'YTD losers' tends to start improving in the next couple of weeks," the firm wrote, adding that it expected broader equities to see "some catch-up soon."

Global bond markets also sold off, with France at the edge of a debt crisis as unrest mounts and investors fret over the nation's fiscal health. The spread between France's 10-year government bond yield and Germany's 10-year government bond yield recently rose past 150 basis points, the widest spread in about 15 years.

Economists and market watchers have flagged the risk of financial contagion from Europe's bond sell-off, warning of the possibility that higher yields begin to spill over into the rest of the market.

Investors will turn their attention next to the Fed minutes for the September policy meeting, which will give investors a hint about how central bankers are thinking about inflation and the path for interest rates heading into the final two meetings of the year.

Following last week's tepid jobs report, investors now see a 76% chance the Fed will keep rates on hold at the October meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

• The US Army wants to expand a new robotics role pioneered by special operations.
• The specialty, alongside another effort, is focused on building, modifying, and integrating robotics and new technologies.
• The first soldiers graduated from the course last week.

The US Army wants to expand a new robotics specialty pioneered by special operations across the conventional force after graduating its first robotics technicians.

The new specialty and expected expansion reflect the Army's growing belief that future wars will demand specialists who can keep pace with rapidly evolving battlefield technology. The war in Ukraine has shown how quickly innovative solutions can become obsolete, forcing soldiers to adapt in the field.

US Army Special Operations Command is expected to provide Army officials with feedback for expanding the new specialty — officially robotics technician — beyond special operations in the coming weeks, Lt. Gen. Lawrence Ferguson, head of US Army Special Operations Command, said last month at an Army conference.

"These technical experts will help command teams understand integration across the force," said Gen. Christopher LaNeve, acting Army chief of staff, at the same event.

"We are scaling this across the Army," he said.

Rather than simply flying drones, the Army is training these new robotic specialists to integrate drones, ground robots, artificial intelligence, and other autonomous systems across military operations. They'll serve as technical advisors for commanders while rapidly designing, modifying, and troubleshooting custom robotic hardware and software.

That new specialty complements a second new role, the "Robotics Technology Integrators Course" graduate, whose job is to understand new technologies. The Army said the need for the specialized role became clear from lessons from recent global conflicts.

"To maintain battlefield overmatch, the Army requires a two-tiered structure: highly specialized technical architects (MOS 390A) who engineer and secure the systems, working in tandem with tactical employment specialists (RTIC) who operate them in the dirt," explained an Army document on the two separate but related career paths shared with Business Insider.

It compared the Army's approach to a racing team. "If the Army Special Operations wants to build a Formula 1 racing team, the RTIC Graduate is our high-performance racing driver," the document said. "They know how to push the car to its limits, read the track, and win the tactical race."

Meanwhile, the robotics technician is the racecar's crew chief. "They design the engine, write the telemetry software, rebuild the transmission when it breaks, and formulate the team's strategy," the document added.

Special operations isn't keeping that robotics expertise to itself, though. Army leaders want to spread this capability across the broader force.

The first 10 soldiers graduated as robotics technicians on October 2 at the Army's John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The program is considered a pilot for the Army at large, with the Special Operations Center of Excellence involved to avoid duplicative efforts. The course will be updated as technologies like drones and AI evolve, employing a flexible framework that allows instructors to update lesson plans.

The new specialties come as the Army examines which technological skill sets soldiers will need for future conflicts. The service has established various courses and schools on uncrewed systems, AI, and machine learning, with a focus on disseminating expertise across formations.

"We are experiencing a SOF Renaissance as technological advancements are swiftly transforming the character of war," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Ostrander, Command Chief Warrant for the Army's special warfare school, in an Army news release this summer.

"There will no longer be a time when a formation does not employ robotics technology on the battlefield to gain an advantage over an adversary," he said.

If you're shopping for resale tickets, StubHub is one of the biggest marketplaces for concerts, sports, theater, comedy, festivals, and other live events. It can be especially useful when tickets are sold out through the original seller or when you want more seat options to compare. Before buying, it helps to know how StubHub works, whether StubHub is legit, and what to expect from the resale process.

StubHub doesn't usually set ticket prices itself. Instead, the platform connects buyers with third-party sellers who set their own asking prices based on demand, seat location, available inventory, and the event's proximity. That means prices can change quickly, with some tickets dipping below face value while seats for high-demand events can cost much more than the original price.

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

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

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

Is StubHub legit?

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

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

How StubHub protects ticket buyers

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

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

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

How StubHub protects ticket sellers

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

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

What about StubHub fees?

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

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

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

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

StubHub FAQs

Does StubHub have promo codes or coupons?

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

Are StubHub tickets guaranteed?

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

Does StubHub sell gift cards?

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

How do I contact StubHub customer support?

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

Does StubHub give refunds?

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

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

Who is touring or performing on StubHub now?

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

• Ella Langley - April through October

• Ed Sheeran - June through November
• Hilary Duff - June 2026 through February 2027
• Louis Tomlinson - June 2026 through April 2027
• AC/DC - July through September
• Zac Brown Band - July through November
• Harry Styles - August through December
• The Eagles - September through December
• Olivia Rodrigo - October 2027 through January 2027

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

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

• There are only 13 artists in Billboard history who have topped the Hot 100 at least 10 times.
• Taylor Swift secured her 16th No. 1 hit in October 2026.
• The Beatles have the most No. 1 songs ever (20), followed closely by Mariah Carey (19).

Throughout music history, there have been plenty of record-breaking songs, albums, and acts.

These 13, however, have seen the most success on the Billboard Hot 100, which is widely considered to be the definitive ranking of best-selling songs in the US.

Keep scrolling to see the elite tier of singles artists, listed from least to most No. 1 hits.

11 (tie). Bruno Mars — 10

Mars earned his 10th No. 1 single — and his first song to debut at No. 1 — in January 2026 with "I Just Might."

This comes 16 years after his first chart-topper, "Nothin' on You," in May 2016. Then came: "Just the Way You Are" also in 2010, "Grenade" in 2011, "Locked Out of Heaven" in 2012, "When I Was Your Man" in 2013, "Uptown Funk!" in 2015, "That's What I Like" in 2017, "Leave the Door Open" in 2021, and "Die With a Smile" in 2025.

11 (tie). Stevie Wonder — 10

In 1963, at just 13 years old, Stevie Wonder earned his first No. 1 song with "Fingertips." He was the youngest artist ever to top the chart.

Throughout his illustrious career, Wonder has added nine more hits to the list: "Superstition" in 1972, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" in 1973, "You Haven't Done Nothin'" in 1974, "I Wish" in 1976, "Sir Duke" in 1977, "Ebony and Ivory" in 1982, "I Just Called to Say I Love You" in 1984, and both "Part-Time Lover" and "That's What Friends Are For" in 1985.

11 (tie). Janet Jackson — 10

Janet Jackson's reign on the Hot 100 began with 1986's "When I Think of You," which topped the chart when she was 20 years old.

Next came 1989's "Miss You Much," 1990's "Escapade," "Black Cat," and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," 1993's "That's the Way Love Goes" and "Again," 1997's "Together Again," 2000's "Doesn't Really Matter," and 2001's "All for You."

Jackson is the rare artist to claim the No. 1 spot in three different decades, like Stevie Wonder.

10. Whitney Houston — 11

Whitney Houston had no shortage of iconic songs, but she earned her first No. 1 with "Saving All My Love for You" in 1985. That same year, she also put "How Will I Know" in the top spot.

Over the next decade, Houston collected nine more chart-toppers: "The Greatest Love of All" in 1986; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," and "So Emotional" in 1987; "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in 1988; "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All the Man That I Need" in 1990; "I Will Always Love You" in 1992; and "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" in 1995.

8 (tie). Madonna — 12

Madonna has been topping the charts for decades, and it all began with "Like a Virgin" in 1984.

She followed up with "Crazy for You" in 1985 before she scored three No. 1 hits in 1986 alone: "Live to Tell," "Papa Don't Preach," and "Open Your Heart." 

The so-called "Queen of Pop" added to her collection with "Who's That Girl" in 1987, "Like a Prayer" in 1989, "Vogue" and "Justify My Love" in 1990, "This Used to Be My Playground" in 1992, "Take a Bow" in 1994, and "Music" in 2000.

8 (tie). The Supremes — 12

The Supremes are known as one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, earning 12 No. 1 hits in half as many years.

In the mid-'60s, the trio released a string of five singles that all went to No. 1 on the chart: "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," and "Come See About Me" in 1964, then "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Back in My Arms Again" in 1965.

They continued to dominate the decade with a flood of hits: "I Hear a Symphony," also in 1965; "You Can't Hurry Love" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in 1966; "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" and "The Happening" in 1967; "Love Child" in 1968; and "Someday We'll Be Together" in 1969.

7. Michael Jackson — 13

Michael Jackson began appearing on the charts as a child with The Jackson 5, but after he struck out on his own, the so-called "King of Pop" racked up more hits than any solo artist at the time.

Perhaps most impressively, five out of his 13 No. 1 songs came from the same album ("Bad"), setting a record that remains unbroken. (It was tied in 2011 by Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream.")

Jackson's first chart-topper was "Ben" in 1972 when he was 14 years old. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You" both took the top spot in 1979, followed by "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and "Say Say Say" in 1983; "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "Bad," and "The Way You Make Me Feel" in 1987; "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana" in 1988; and "Black or White" in 1993.

He capped his collection with "You Are Not Alone" in 1995, which also became the first song in history to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100.

5 (tie). Drake — 14

Drake is one of the most dominant artists of the streaming era, racking up 14 chart-topping singles to date — the vast majority of them at breakneck speed over a seven-year period.

The rapper notched his first No. 1 hit thanks to Rihanna when their collaboration, "What's My Name," reigned atop the chart in 2010.

In 2016, Drake topped the chart again as a featured artist on Rihanna's song "Work." Later that year, "One Dance" became his first solo hit to ascend to first place.

He notched three No. 1 hits in 2018 with "God's Plan," "Nice for What," and "In My Feelings," followed by "Toosie Slide" in 2020; "What's Next" and "Way 2 Sexy" in 2021; "Wait for U" and "Jimmy Cooks" in 2022; "Slime You Out" and "First Person Shooter" in 2023; and "Janice STFU" in 2026.

Ten of those songs arrived in the chart's top spot, making Drake the artist with the most No. 1 song debuts in history.

5 (tie). Rihanna — 14

In the span of just 14 years, Rihanna earned 14 No. 1 songs, starting with "SOS" in 2006 when she was still a teenager.

Next came "Umbrella" in 2007; "Take a Bow," "Live Your Life," and "Disturbia" in 2008; "Rude Boy," "Love the Way You Lie," "Only Girl (In the World)," and "What's My Name" in 2010; "S&M" and "We Found Love" in 2011; "Diamonds" in 2012; "The Monster" in 2013; and finally "Work" in 2016, the lead single from her most recent album, "Anti."

4. Taylor Swift — 16

Taylor Swift's first No. 1 hit was "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" in 2012. It was released as the lead single from Swift's fourth album, "Red."

Swift's fifth album, "1989," spawned three No. 1 singles: "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space" in 2014, followed by the "Bad Blood" remix featuring Kendrick Lamar in 2015.

"Look What You Made Me Do" became her fifth chart leader in 2017, followed by "Cardigan" and "Willow" in 2020.

In 2021, Swift launched her series of rerecorded albums, sending an extended version of an old deep cut, "All Too Well," to the top of the chart. At 10 minutes and 13 seconds, it's the longest No. 1 hit in Billboard history.

In her "Midnights" era, Swift's 2022 single "Anti-Hero" topped the chart for eight weeks.

In 2023, Swift notched her milestone 10th No. 1 with "Cruel Summer," fueled by the success of the Eras Tour. Shortly after, "Is It Over Now?" and "Fortnight" joined the ranks.

"The Fate of Ophelia," the lead single from "The Life of a Showgirl," became Swift's 13th leader and her biggest No. 1 hit to date, topping the chart for 10 weeks.

The album's second single, "Opalite," topped the chart dated February 28, thanks to a unique strategy that kept the music video exclusive to Spotify and Apple Music, and off YouTube (since YouTube views no longer count toward the charts).

In 2026, "I Knew It, I Knew You" and "Patient Zero" became her 15th and 16th No. 1s, putting her behind only Elvis Presley, Mariah Carey, and The Beatles.

Notably, Swift is credited as the lead cowriter on all of her No. 1 songs.

3. Elvis Presley — 18

Technically, some of Elvis Presley's career predated the Hot 100, which was launched in 1958. But he topped its predecessor, the pop chart, and the Hot 100 a combined total of 18 times.

In 1956, his No. 1 singles were: "Heartbreak Hotel," "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," "Don't Be Cruel," "Hound Dog," and "Love Me Tender."

The next year, 1957, he released the chart-toppers "Too Much," "All Shook Up," "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear," and "Jailhouse Rock."

In 1958, there was "Don't" and "Hard Headed Woman," while in 1959, there was "A Big Hunk o' Love."

The '60s were slower for the King of Rock 'n' Roll. He had the No. 1s "Stuck on You," "Now or Never,' and "Are You Lonesome Tonight," in 1960; "Surrender" in 1961; "Good Luck Charm" in 1962; and his final No. 1, "Suspicious Minds," in 1969.

2. Mariah Carey — 19

In terms of No. 1 songs, Mariah Carey is the second-best-selling artist of all time, the best-selling solo artist of all time, and the best-selling female artist of all time.

Her first No. 1 hit was also her debut single, 1990's "Vision of Love." Her next four singles would also top the chart: "Love Takes Time" in 1990, followed by "Someday," "I Don't Wanna Cry," and "Emotions" in 1991.

Then came a veritable feast of hit songs: "I'll Be There" in 1992; "Dreamlover" and "Hero" in 1993; "Fantasy" and "One Sweet Day" in 1995; "Always Be My Baby" in 1996; "Honey" in 1997; "My All" in 1998; "Heartbreaker" in 1999; "Thank God I Found You" in 2000; "We Belong Together" and "Don't Forget About Us" in 2005; and "Touch My Body" in 2008.

In 2020, she became the first and only artist in history to top the Billboard Hot 100 in four different decades, thanks to the longevity of her 1994 holiday single "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

1. The Beatles — 20

The Beatles still reign supreme with the most No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and the most No. 1 songs on the Hot 100, earning 20 in just eight years.

In chronological order, the British band topped the chart with "Love Me Do" in 1962; "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1963; "Can't Buy Me Love," "A Hard Day's Night," and "I Feel Fine" in 1964; "Eight Days a Week," "Ticket to Ride," "Help!," "Yesterday," and "We Can Work It Out" in 1965; "Paperback Writer" in 1966; "Penny Lane" "All You Need Is Love," and "Hello, Goodbye" in 1967; "Hey Jude" in 1968; "Get Back" and "Something" in 1969; and "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" in 1970.

The band's most recent song, "Now and Then," peaked at No. 7 on the chart and won best rock performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

• Only 94 songs have debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 since the chart was launched in 1958.
• "Patient Zero" by Taylor Swift is the most recent song to achieve this feat.
• Drake and Swift are tied for the most entries with 10 apiece, followed by Ariana Grande with eight.

The Billboard Hot 100 is widely considered the definitive all-genre singles chart in the US.

Although it was officially launched in 1958, Billboard began using modern airplay and sales data in 1991, allowing for more time-sensitive calculations and accurate rankings.

Well over 1,000 songs have reached the coveted No. 1 spot, but it's far more difficult for a song to debut in the top position; it typically means a much-promoted single has met high expectations, or at least that an artist is supported and beloved by a legion of fans.

Keep reading for a complete list of instant chart-toppers throughout history, listed below in chronological order.

1. "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was the first artist to achieve this feat with "You Are Not Alone," which debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 2, 1995.

It was the second single from Jackson's ninth album, "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I."

2. "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey

"Fantasy" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 30, 1995. It was the lead single from Mariah Carey's fifth album, "Daydream."

3. "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston

"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 25, 1995. It was the lead single from the soundtrack for the film "Waiting to Exhale."

4. "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men

"One Sweet Day" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 2, 1995. It was the second single from Carey's fifth album, "Daydream."

5. "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans, featuring 112

"I'll Be Missing You" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 14, 1997. It was the second single from Diddy's debut album, "No Way Out," when he was known as Puff Daddy.

6. "Honey" by Mariah Carey

"Honey" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 13, 1997. It was the lead single from Carey's sixth album, "Butterfly."

7. "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John

"Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 11, 1997. The double A-side single later became the first song ever to be certified diamond.

8. "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion

"My Heart Will Go On" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 28, 1998.

The famous ballad was written for the soundtrack of "Titanic" and served as the movie's main romantic theme. It was also released as a single from Dion's fifth English-language album, "Let's Talk About Love."

9. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 5, 1998. It was recorded for the film "Armageddon."

10. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 14, 1998. It was the lead single from Lauryn Hill's debut album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," which won the Grammy Award for album of the year.

11. "This Is the Night" by Clay Aiken

"This Is the Night" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 28, 2003. It was Clay Aiken's debut single after competing on season two of "American Idol."

12. "I Believe" by Fantasia

"I Believe" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 10, 2004. It was Fantasia's debut single after winning season three of "American Idol."

13. "Inside Your Heaven" by Carrie Underwood

"Inside Your Heaven" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 2, 2005. It was Carrie Underwood's debut single after winning season four of "American Idol."

Underwood made history as the first country artist to have a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100.

14. "Do I Make You Proud" by Taylor Hicks

"Do I Make You Proud" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 1, 2006. Taylor Hicks first performed the song on the fifth season finale of "American Idol," and it was released as a single shortly after his victory.

15. "3" by Britney Spears

"3" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 24, 2009. It was the lead (and only) single from Britney Spears' second greatest hits album, "The Singles Collection."

16. "Not Afraid" by Eminem

"Not Afraid" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 22, 2010. It was the lead single from Eminem's seventh album, "Recovery."

17. "We R Who We R" by Ke$ha

"We R Who We R" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 13, 2010. It was the lead single from Kesha's debut EP, "Cannibal."

18. "Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears

"Hold It Against Me" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 29, 2011. It was the lead single from Spears' seventh album, "Femme Fatale."

19. "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga

"Born This Way" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 26, 2011. It was the lead single from Lady Gaga's second studio album of the same name.

20. "Part Of Me" by Katy Perry

"Part of Me" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 3, 2012. It was the lead single from "Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection," a reissue of Katy Perry's third album.

21. "Harlem Shake" by Baauer

"Harlem Shake" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 2, 2013.

Baauer's viral hit benefited from a recent adjustment to the Hot 100's formula, which saw the chart begin incorporating YouTube data. The chart methodology is updated at least once a year to reflect rapidly evolving listening trends. (YouTube song user-generated content was later removed from chart calculations in 2020.)

22. "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift

"Shake It Off" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 6, 2014. It was released as the lead single from Taylor Swift's fifth album, "1989."

23. "What Do You Mean?" by Justin Bieber

"What Do You Mean?" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 19, 2015. It was the lead single from Justin Bieber's fourth album, "Purpose."

24. "Hello" by Adele

"Hello" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 14, 2015. It was the lead single from Adele's third studio album "25," which sold over 3 million copies in its first week.

25. "Pillowtalk" by Zayn

"Pillowtalk" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 20, 2016. It was the lead single from Zayn's debut solo album, "Mind of Mine."

26. "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 28, 2016. It was the lead single for the soundtrack of the film "Trolls."

27. "Shape Of You" by Ed Sheeran

"Shape of You" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 28, 2017. It was one of the lead singles, along with "Castle on the Hill," from Ed Sheeran's third album, "Divide."

28. "I'm The One" by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne

"I'm the One" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 20, 2017. It was the second single from DJ Khaled's 10th album, "Grateful."

29. "God's Plan" by Drake

"God's Plan" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 3, 2018. It was the lead single from Drake's fifth studio album, "Scorpion."

30. "Nice for What" by Drake

"Nice for What" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 21, 2018. It was released as the second single from "Scorpion."

31. "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

"This Is America" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 19, 2018. It was released as a standalone single and later became the first rap song to win record of the year at the 2019 Grammys.

32. "Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande

"Thank U, Next" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 17, 2018. It was the lead single from Ariana Grande's fifth studio album of the same name.

33. "7 Rings" by Ariana Grande

"7 Rings" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 2, 2019. It was the second single from "Thank U, Next."

34. "Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers

"Sucker" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 16, 2019. It was the lead single from the Jonas Brothers' fifth studio album, "Happiness Begins."

35. "Highest In The Room" by Travis Scott

"Highest in the Room" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 19, 2019. It was featured on "JackBoys," a compilation EP by Travis Scott and other members of his label.

36. "Toosie Slide" by Drake

"Toosie Slide" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 18, 2020. It was the lead single from Drake's compilation mixtape, "Dark Lane Demo Tapes."

37. "The Scotts" by The Scotts

"The Scotts" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 9, 2020. It was the debut single from newly formed hip-hop duo The Scotts, aka Travis Scott and Kid Cudi.

38. "Stuck With U" by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber

"Stuck With U" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 23, 2020. It was released as a charity single to raise money for the First Responders Children's Foundation.

39. "Rain On Me" by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande

"Rain On Me" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 6, 2020. It was the second single from Gaga's sixth album, "Chromatica."

40. "Trollz" by 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj

"Trollz" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 27, 2020. It became the fifth No. 1 debut in 2020 alone, marking a new single-year high.

41. "Cardigan" by Taylor Swift

"Cardigan" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 8, 2020 — the same week as its parent album, "Folklore," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Swift the first artist ever to debut at No. 1 on both charts in the same week.

"Folklore" received less than 24 hours' promotion before its release at midnight on July 24. The music video for "Cardigan" arrived at the same time.

42. "WAP" by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion

"WAP" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 22, 2020. It was Cardi B's first single since 2019's "Press" and became her fourth No. 1 hit.

The raunchy song also became the fourth all-female collaboration to hit No. 1 in 2020 — and just the ninth in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 — while setting a record for first-week streams with 93 million.

43. "Dynamite" by BTS

"Dynamite," the septet's first all-English-language single, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 5, 2020.

BTS is the first all-South Korean group to top the Hot 100.

44. "Franchise" by Travis Scott featuring Young Thug and M.I.A.

"Franchise" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 10, 2020.

It became Scott's third single to debut atop the chart in less than a year — following "Highest in the Room" and "The Scotts" — setting a record for the fastest accumulation of three No. 1 entries by any artist in the Hot 100's history.

It was Scott's fourth No. 1 song overall, Young Thug's second, and M.I.A.'s first.

45. "Positions" by Ariana Grande

"Positions" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 7, 2020. It was the lead single from Grande's sixth studio album of the same name.

Grande made history as the first artist with three No. 1 Hot 100 debuts in a single calendar year.

In the "Positions" music video, Grande assumed the role of US president, flanked by an all-female staff.

46. "Life Goes On" by BTS

"Life Goes On" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 5, 2020, the same week as its parent album, "Be," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — making BTS the second artist in history to debut at No. 1 on both charts simultaneously, mere months after Swift became the first.

47. "Willow" by Taylor Swift

"Willow" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 26, 2020 — the same week as Swift's ninth album, "Evermore," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Swift became the first artist in history to debut atop both charts simultaneously — twice.

She previously became the first artist to do so with "Folklore," less than five months previously.

"Willow" was also the 12th song in 2020 to arrive on the chart in its top position, handily setting a single-year record.

48. "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo

"Drivers License," Olivia Rodrigo's official debut single, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 23, 2021.

At just 17 years old, the Disney Channel star is the youngest solo artist in history to arrive atop the Hot 100. The record was previously held by Fantasia, who was 20 when "I Believe" debuted at No. 1. 

"Drivers License" was ranked at No. 2 on Business Insider's list of the best songs of 2021.

49. "What's Next" by Drake

"What's Next" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 20, 2021.

The rapper became the first artist in history to have three songs arrive in the Hot 100's top three simultaneously. "What's Next" was joined by "Wants and Needs," featuring Lil Baby, at No. 2, and "Lemon Pepper Freestyle," featuring Rick Ross, at No. 3.

50. "Peaches" by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon

"Peaches" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 3, 2021, becoming Bieber's fourth instant chart-topper.

It was released as the fifth single from Bieber's sixth album, "Justice," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the same week.

51. "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X

"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 10, 2021. It was the lead single from Lil Nas X's album, "Montero."

52. "Rapstar" by Polo G

"Rapstar" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 24, 2021. It was the third single from Polo G's third album, "Hall of Fame."

53. "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo

"Good 4 U" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 29, 2021. It was the third single from Rodrigo's debut album, "Sour."

54. "Butter" by BTS

"Butter," the second all-English single from BTS, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 5, 2021. It was ranked at No. 8 on Business Insider's list of the best K-pop songs of 2021.

55. "Permission to Dance" by BTS

"Permission to Dance" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 24, 2021, giving BTS their fourth instant chart-topper in less than one year.

56. "Way 2 Sexy" by Drake featuring Future and Young Thug

"Way 2 Sexy" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 18, 2021. It was the lead single from Drake's sixth studio album, "Certified Lover Boy," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the same week.

57. "My Universe" by Coldplay and BTS

"My Universe" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 9, 2021. It was the second single from Coldplay's ninth album, "Music of the Spheres."

Thanks to their feature, "My Universe" became the fifth No. 1 debut for BTS.

58. "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift

"All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 27, 2021.

It was released alongside Swift's rerecorded album "Red (Taylor's Version)," which simultaneously debuted atop the Billboard 200.

"All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" was included on the updated "Red" tracklist in two different iterations: its original five-minute length and the long-awaited 10-minute version, both of which are combined into one listing on Billboard's charts.

At 10 minutes and 13 seconds long, "All Too Well" is the longest No. 1 hit of all time.

The record was previously held by Don McLean's 1972 hit "American Pie (Parts I & II)," which ran for 8 minutes and 37 seconds.

59. "As It Was" by Harry Styles

"As It Was" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 16, 2022. It was released as the lead single from Harry Styles' third solo album, "Harry's House."

The song dropped out of first place in its second week of tracking, but later returned to the No. 1 spot for 15 nonconsecutive weeks, setting a record for a British performer.

60. "First Class" by Jack Harlow

"First Class" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 23, 2022. It was released as the second single from Jack Harlow's sophomore album, "Come Home the Kids Miss You."

61. "Wait For U" by Future featuring Drake and Tems

"Wait For U" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 14, 2022. It was released as the seventh track on Future's album, "I Never Liked You."

62. "Jimmy Cooks" by Drake featuring 21 Savage

"Jimmy Cooks" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 2, 2022. It was released alongside Drake's album, "Honestly, Nevermind," which also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

63. "Super Freaky Girl" by Nicki Minaj

"Super Freaky Girl" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 27, 2022.

64. "Anti-Hero" by Taylor Swift

"Anti-Hero" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 5, 2022.

It was released alongside Swift's 10th album, "Midnights," which also arrived atop the Billboard 200.

Among the album's other records, Swift became the first artist in history to debut 10 songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, as "Anti-Hero" was joined by nine fellow tracks from "Midnights."

65. "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus

"Flowers" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 28, 2023. It was released as the lead single from Miley Cyrus' eighth album, "Endless Summer Vacation."

66. "Like Crazy" by Jimin

"Like Crazy" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 8, 2023, making Jimin the first South Korean soloist to top the Hot 100. (He previously achieved the feat as a member of BTS.)

67. "Vampire" by Olivia Rodrigo

"Vampire" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 15, 2023. It was released as the lead single from Rodrigo's sophomore album, "Guts."

68. "Seven" by Jung Kook featuring Latto

"Seven" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 29, 2023, making Jung Kook the second member of BTS to have a chart-topping solo hit.

69. "Rich Men North of Richmond" by Oliver Anthony Music

"Rich Men North of Richmond," Oliver Anthony Music's breakout single, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 26, 2023.

The controversial country singer is the first and only artist to achieve the feat without any previous entries on a Billboard chart.

70. "I Remember Everything" by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves

"I Remember Everything" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 9, 2023. It was released on Zach Bryan's self-titled album, which simultaneously arrived atop the Billboard 200.

71. "Slime You Out" by Drake featuring SZA

"Slime You Out" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 30, 2023. It was released as the lead single for Drake's eighth studio album, "For All the Dogs."

72. "First Person Shooter" by Drake featuring J. Cole

"First Person Shooter" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 21, 2023. It was released alongside "For All the Dogs," which simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

73. "Is It Over Now?" by Taylor Swift

"Is It Over Now?" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 11, 2023.

The vault track from "1989 (Taylor's Version)" dethroned Swift's own "Cruel Summer," which had reigned for two weeks. (It later returned to the summit for two more weeks.)

Swift is the only woman to have replaced herself atop the Hot 100; she previously achieved the feat in 2014 with the original "1989," when "Blank Space" climbed the chart to replace "Shake It Off."

74. "Yes, And?" by Ariana Grande

"Yes, And?" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 27, 2024. It was released as the lead single for Grande's seventh album, "Eternal Sunshine."

75. "Hiss" by Megan Thee Stallion

"Hiss" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 10, 2024. In the fiery track, Megan Thee Stallion seemed to take subliminal shots at Drake.

76. "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" by Ariana Grande

"We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 23, 2024. It was released as the second single from "Eternal Sunshine," which simultaneously topped the Billboard 200.

77. "Like That" by Future and Metro Boomin featuring Kendrick Lamar

"Like That" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 6, 2024.

78. "Fortnight" by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone

"Fortnight," a duet between Swift and Post Malone, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 4, 2024. It was released alongside Swift's 11th album, "The Tortured Poets Department," which also arrived atop the Billboard 200.

For the second time in her career, Swift occupied the Hot 100's entire top 10 with brand-new songs.

79. "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar

The diss track "Not Like Us" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 18, 2024.

"Not Like Us" was released amid Lamar's heated feud with Drake, ignited by Lamar's verse on "Like That," and widely praised as Lamar's symbolic killshot.

Another of Lamar's diss tracks, "Euphoria," peaked on the same chart at No. 3, while Drake's response, "Family Matters," debuted at No. 7.

80. "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen

"I Had Some Help" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 25, 2024.

The country duet became Malone's second song to arrive in the top spot after "Fortnight" — both within the same month — and his sixth No. 1 song overall.

As for Wallen, "I Had Some Help" marks his second Hot 100 leader after "Last Night" charted at No. 1 for 16 weeks in 2023, setting a record for a solo song. (It has since been broken by Shaboozey's "A Bar Song.")

81. "Love Somebody" by Morgan Wallen

"Love Somebody" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 2, 2024.

82. "Squabble Up" by Kendrick Lamar

"Squabble Up" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 7, 2024, making Lamar the first solo male artist in history with three instant chart-toppers in a single year.

The song was released alongside Lamar's "GNX," which also arrived atop the Billboard 200.

"Squabble Up" was accompanied on the Hot 100 by other "GNX" tracks, including "TV Off" (No. 2), "Luther" (No. 3), "Wacced Out Murals" (No. 4), and "Hey Now" (No. 5). Lamar joins Swift, Drake, and The Beatles as the only artists to blanket the entire top five with songs debuting in those positions.

83. "4X4" by Travis Scott

"4X4" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 8, 2025, becoming Scott's fourth song to arrive in the top spot and fifth No. 1 hit overall.

84. "What I Want" by Morgan Wallen featuring Tate McRae

"What I Want" was released as the fourth track on Wallen's album, "I'm the Problem."

It debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 31, 2025, becoming Wallen's third song to arrive in the top spot and Tate McRae's first No. 1 hit overall.

85. "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter

"Manchild" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 21, 2025. It was released as the lead single for Carpenter's album, "Man's Best Friend."

86. "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift

"The Fate of Ophelia" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 18, 2025. It was released alongside Swift's 12th album, "The Life of a Showgirl," which also arrived atop the Billboard 200 — making Swift the first and only artist in history to debut at No. 1 on both charts simultaneously on seven separate occasions.

"Ophelia" became the most-streamed song in a single week in Spotify history, breaking the record previously held by Cyrus' "Flowers."

Swift is also the only artist to occupy the Hot 100's entire top 10, a feat she's now managed on three separate occasions. Every track on "Showgirl" debuted within the chart's top 12, with "Ophelia" flanked in the top five by "Opalite," "Elizabeth Taylor," "Father Figure," and "Wood."

87. "I Just Might" by Bruno Mars

"I Just Might" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 24, 2026. It was Mars' 10th chart-topper, but his first to debut in the top spot.

88. "Aperture" by Harry Styles

"Aperture" was released as the lead single from Styles' fourth album, "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally." It's also Styles' second song to debut at No. 1 after "As It Was" in 2022.

89. "Swim" by BTS

"Swim" was BTS' comeback single after a four-year break so the band's members could complete their mandatory military service in South Korea.

90. "Drop Dead" by Olivia Rodrigo

Rodrigo cemented her status as a princess of pop when she filmed the music video for "Drop Dead," the lead single from her third album, at the Palace of Versailles.

Rodrigo is the only artist in history to have all three lead singles ("Drivers License," "Vampire," and "Drop Dead") from her first three albums ("Sour," "Guts," and "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love," respectively) arrive in the chart's top position.

She's also the only artist born in the 21st century with multiple No. 1 hits.

91. "Janice STFU" by Drake

Drake earned his 14th career No. 1 with a track from his album, "Iceman."

With "Janice STFU," Drake extended his record for the most No. 1 song debuts in history.

92. "Hate That I Made You Love Me" by Ariana Grande

"Hate That I Made You Love Me," the lead single from Grande's eighth studio album, "Petal," became Grande's eighth instant chart-topper.

93. "I Knew It, I Knew You" by Taylor Swift

Swift wrote "I Knew It, I Knew You" for "Toy Story 5," inspired by the cowgirl doll Jessie and her former owner, Emily.

Swift's soundtrack single is the first song from a Disney animated film to debut at No. 1 — though not the first Disney song to ever reach the top ("We Don't Talk About Bruno," from "Encanto" and "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin" also did that).

94. "Patient Zero" by Taylor Swift

Swift's milestone 10th No. 1 debut (and 16th overall) is one of four deluxe tracks from "The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore."

The song was paired with a romantic-horror music video starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, which debuted at the 2026 VMAs.

Swift and Drake are now tied for the most No. 1 debuts in history, with 10 apiece.

• Taylor Swift's newest single, "Patient Zero," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Swift has the fourth-most No. 1 hits in history, trailing Elvis, Mariah Carey, and The Beatles.
• Swift's biggest hits also include "Blank Space," "Anti-Hero," and "The Fate of Ophelia."

Since releasing her first No. 1 album in 2008, Taylor Swift has enjoyed a historic run on the charts, topping the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 over a dozen times each.

Swift's collection of chart-toppers includes both radio-friendly pop singles and understated gems pushed to the top of the chart by passionate fans.

Most recently, "Patient Zero" joined the ranks of Swift's biggest songs. On the all-time ranking of most No. 1 hits, Swift only trails Elvis, Mariah Carey, and The Beatles.

All of Swift's No. 1 songs on the Hot 100 are listed below in chronological order of their peak dates.

1. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"

Weeks at No. 1: Three

Despite writing ubiquitous hits like "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story" earlier in her career (which peaked at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively), "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was Swift's first-ever song to top the Hot 100.

The country-pop crossover smash was released as the lead single from Swift's fourth album, "Red." It rose from No. 72 to No. 1 in its second week of tracking and remained atop the chart for two more weeks.

2. "Shake It Off"

Weeks at No. 1: Four

"Shake It Off" was released as the lead single from Swift's fifth album, "1989." It became her first No. 1 debut on the Hot 100.

3. "Blank Space"

Weeks at No. 1: Seven

"Blank Space," the second single from "1989," debuted at No. 18 on the Hot 100.

It rose to No. 13 before soaring to No. 1 in its third week — dethroning "Shake It Off" and making Swift the first woman in history to replace herself in the chart's top spot.

"Blank Space" went on to become one of Swift's biggest hits, reigning atop the chart for nearly two months.

4. "Bad Blood" featuring Kendrick Lamar

Weeks at No. 1: One

In May 2015, a remix of "Bad Blood" featuring Kendrick Lamar was released as the fourth single from "1989."

It rose from No. 53 to the chart's top spot after the music video premiered at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards and broke the Vevo record for most views in 24 hours.

5. "Look What You Made Me Do"

Weeks at No. 1: Three

Despite mixed reactions from critics, Swift's lead single from "Reputation" rose to No. 1 after its first full week of tracking, breaking the weekly streaming record for a song by a woman.

Once again, Swift's music video broke the record for most views within 24 hours, racking up 43.2 million views in its first day.

6. "Cardigan"

Weeks at No. 1: One

Swift announced the arrival of her eighth album, "Folklore," just one day in advance. The second track, "Cardigan," was released alongside the album and promoted with a whimsical music video.

"Folklore" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 while "Cardigan" simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making Swift the first artist in history to open atop both charts in the same week.

7. "Willow"

Weeks at No. 1: One

Just five months after "Folklore," Swift repeated her pandemic-era strategy and surprise-released her ninth album, "Evermore," alongside its lead single.

Again, "Willow" debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 while "Evermore" simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

8. "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)"

Weeks at No. 1: One

"Red (Taylor's Version)" was the second rerecorded album Swift released. It was accompanied by the long-awaited 10-minute version of "All Too Well," a fan-favorite track from the original album.

"All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)" was promoted with a self-directed short film starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, a convention-breaking performance on "Saturday Night Live," and plenty of theories about the song's muse.

It debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, becoming the longest song in history to top the chart. The record was previously held by Don McLean's "American Pie (Parts I & II)" at 8 minutes and 37 seconds.

9. "Anti-Hero"

Weeks at No. 1: Eight

"Anti-Hero" was released alongside Swift's 10th album, "Midnights," and promoted as the lead single.

It dominated the Hot 100 for eight weeks, surpassing the high-water mark set by "Blank Space."

The same week that "Anti-Hero" debuted at No. 1, Swift became the first and only artist in history to occupy the entire top 10 on the Hot 100. The hit single was flanked by "Lavender Haze" (No. 2), "Maroon" (No. 3), "Snow on the Beach" (No. 4), "Midnight Rain" (No. 5), "Bejeweled" (No. 6), "Question...?" (No. 7), "You're On Your Own, Kid" (No. 8), "Karma" (No. 9), and "Vigilante Shit" (No. 10).

10. "Cruel Summer"

Weeks at No. 1: Four

"Cruel Summer" was originally released as the second track on Swift's 2019 album "Lover."

Although it was identified early as a fan favorite, the song was never promoted as a single and debuted modestly at No. 29 on the Hot 100.

Four years later, Swift transformed "Cruel Summer" into a showstopping spectacle on the Eras Tour. Streams of the song began to surge, and it reigned atop Billboard's Pop Airplay chart for two months. Swift's label sent the song to pop radio in June 2023.

Finally, following the release of "The Cruelest Summer" EP — which includes a live version of the song and a remix by LP Giobbi — the song reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking Swift's milestone 10th chart-topper.

11. "Is It Over Now?"

Weeks at No. 1: One

"Is It Over Now?" was released as the final vault track on "1989 (Taylor's Version)," a rerecording of her beloved fifth album.

Although it wasn't initially slated as a single, its enthusiastic reception from fans pushed Swift's team to serve the song to pop radio.

"Is It Over Now?" debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dethroning "Cruel Summer." Swift remains the only woman in history to replace herself in the top spot, a feat she's now achieved twice.

12. "Fortnight" featuring Post Malone

Weeks at No. 1: Two

"Fortnight," a duet with Post Malone, was released alongside "The Tortured Poets Department" and promoted as the album's lead single.

The song debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 while "Poets" simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

For the second time in her career, Swift managed to occupy the entire top 10 of the Hot 100. In fact, the top 14 positions on the chart were occupied by "Poets" tracks, including "Down Bad" (No. 2) and "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" (No. 3), all the way through to "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" (No. 14).

"Fortnight" returned to No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a second consecutive week.

13. "The Fate of Ophelia"

Weeks at No. 1: 10

"The Fate of Ophelia" was released alongside Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," and promoted as the lead single.

The Shakespeare-inspired pop song debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, while "Showgirl" simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

All 12 tracks on the album debuted within the Hot 100's top 12 spots, making Swift the first and only artist to dominate the chart's entire top 10 on three separate occasions. "The Fate of Ophelia" was joined in the top five by "Opalite" (No. 2), "Elizabeth Taylor" (No. 3), "Father Figure" (No. 4), and "Wood" (No. 5).

"The Fate of Ophelia" remained atop the Hot 100 for eight straight weeks after its release. After falling to lower positions during the holiday season, it returned to No. 1 in early 2026, surpassing "Anti-Hero" as Swift's longest-leading hit to date and becoming her first to top the chart for double-digit weeks.

14. "Opalite"

Weeks at No. 1: One

"Opalite" was originally released as the third track on "The Life of a Showgirl" and debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100.

It was later promoted as the album's second single, rising to No. 1 after Swift sold vinyl copies of the song. She also released a music video co-starring Domhnall Gleeson, which premiered exclusively on Spotify and Apple Music in a savvy move to boost streaming numbers.

Swift celebrated her latest chart achievement on Instagram, thanking fans for their support of the song.

"This is actually the first time I've had two Hot 100 #1s off of one album since my album 1989 came out in 2014, nearly twelve years ago!" Swift wrote. "I know that's a lot of numbers but it all adds up to me being so thankful to the fans who helped make this happen by welcoming this song into your lives with open arms."

15. "I Knew It, I Knew You"

Weeks at No. 1: Two

"I Knew It, I Knew You" was released as a soundtrack single for Pixar's "Toy Story 5."

The twangy tune, cowritten by Swift and her longtime producer Jack Antonoff, was embraced by country radio and debuted simultaneously at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs charts.

16. "Patient Zero"

Weeks at No. 1: One

"Patient Zero" was released as a deluxe track from "The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore."

Swift said she was inspired to write more "Showgirl" songs during a trip to visit her Swedish collaborators, Max Martin and Shellback, to celebrate the album's historic first-week sales.

"I hope you love them, because they were born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made," Swift wrote on social media.

"Patient Zero" followed in the chart-topping footsteps of "The Fate of Ophelia" and "Opalite," making "Showgirl" the first female album to spawn three No. 1 hits since Swift's own "1989" over a decade earlier.

• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a reputation for producing famous tech dropouts.
• But in reality, 99% of first-year students return — the highest rate in Massachusetts.
• Here is the college with the highest first-year retention rate in every state.

Getting a student to choose a college is one thing. Getting them to come back for another year is just as important.

Ranging from Ivy League universities to military academies, Business Insider calculated the college with the highest retention rate in each state.

The first-year retention rate shows the proportion of students who return to their studies in the fall for their sophomore year. It's a metric colleges care about because it can indicate higher student satisfaction and strong academic support.

Business Insider compiled each state's winner using provisional fall 2024 data from the Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

The retention rate covers full-time, first-time bachelor-seeking students who entered in fall 2023 and measures whether they returned for fall 2024.

The cohort size is adjusted to account for any permitted exclusions, such as a student's death.

Business Insider also limited the data to degree-granting institutions only and set a minimum cohort size of 100 to avoid very small cohorts inflating retention rates.

Because the data is provisional, the figures could be revised and should not be considered final counts.

Here are the colleges with the highest retention rate in every state.

ALABAMA: Auburn University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,915

Retention rate: 95%

ALASKA: University of Alaska Fairbanks

Adjusted first-year cohort: 451

Retention rate: 74%

ARIZONA: Arizona State University (Campus Immersion)

Adjusted first-year cohort: 13,867

Retention rate: 87%

ARKANSAS: University of Arkansas

Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,289

Retention rate: 86%

CALIFORNIA: Claremont McKenna College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 321

Retention rate: 98%

COLORADO: United States Air Force Academy

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,101

Retention rate: 97%

CONNECTICUT: United States Coast Guard Academy

Adjusted first-year cohort: 287

Retention rate: 99%

DELAWARE: University of Delaware

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,190

Retention rate: 92%

FLORIDA: University of Florida

Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,726

Retention rate: 98%

GEORGIA: Georgia Institute of Technology (Main Campus)

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,751

Retention rate: 98%

HAWAII: University of Hawaii at Mānoa

Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,868

Retention rate: 81%

IDAHO: The College of Idaho

Adjusted first-year cohort: 292

Retention rate: 82%

ILLINOIS: University of Chicago

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,618

Retention rate: 99%

INDIANA: University of Notre Dame

Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,074

Retention rate: 99%

IOWA: Grinnell College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 457

Retention rate: 93%

KANSAS: University of Kansas

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,159

Retention rate: 86%

KENTUCKY: Centre College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 360

Retention rate: 88%

LOUISIANA: Tulane University of Louisiana

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,866

Retention rate: 93%

MAINE: Bowdoin College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 504

Retention rate: 97%

MARYLAND: Johns Hopkins University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,413

Retention rate: 98%

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,090

Retention rate: 99%

MICHIGAN: Hillsdale College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 349

Retention rate: 97%

MINNESOTA: Carleton College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 538

Retention rate: 96%

MISSISSIPPI: University of Mississippi

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,185

Retention rate: 87%

MISSOURI: Washington University in St. Louis

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,823

Retention rate: 95%

MONTANA: Carroll College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 273

Retention rate: 82%

NEBRASKA: Creighton University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,043

Retention rate: 94%

NEVADA: University of Nevada-Reno

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,388

Retention rate: 80%

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Dartmouth College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,206

Retention rate: 98%

NEW JERSEY: Princeton University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,332

Retention rate: 98%

NEW MEXICO: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Adjusted first-year cohort: 222

Retention rate: 77%

NEW YORK: Columbia University in the City of New York

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,498

Retention rate: 98%

NORTH CAROLINA: Duke University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,741

Retention rate: 98%

NORTH DAKOTA: University of Mary

Adjusted first-year cohort: 559

Retention rate: 84%

OHIO: Ohio State University (Main Campus)

Adjusted first-year cohort: 8,028

Retention rate: 94%

OKLAHOMA: University of Tulsa

Adjusted first-year cohort: 558

Retention rate: 92%

OREGON: Lewis & Clark College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 536

Retention rate: 89%

PENNSYLVANIA: University of Pennsylvania

Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,415

Retention rate: 99%

RHODE ISLAND: Brown University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,692

Retention rate: 99%

SOUTH CAROLINA: Clemson University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,488

Retention rate: 93%

SOUTH DAKOTA: Augustana University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 454

Retention rate: 86%

TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,612

Retention rate: 96%

TEXAS: Rice University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,118

Retention rate: 97%

UTAH: Brigham Young University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,367

Retention rate: 91%

VERMONT: Middlebury College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 615

Retention rate: 94%

VIRGINIA: University of Virginia (Main Campus)

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,965

Retention rate: 98%

WASHINGTON: University of Washington (Seattle campus)

Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,928

Retention rate: 95%

WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia University

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,370

Retention rate: 83%

WISCONSIN: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Adjusted first-year cohort: 7,937

Retention rate: 96%

WYOMING: University of Wyoming

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,422

Retention rate: 80%

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said a little drama may grease the gears for talks with Elon Musk.
• "I think once in a while you've got to punch a bully back in the nose," Altman told Vanity Fair.
• Altman said that Musk "only respects people" who take such an approach.

Sam Altman says you need to accept some level of drama if you want him and Elon Musk to work together.

"I think once in a while you've got to punch a bully back in the nose," Altman told Vanity Fair during a wide-ranging interview. "And I also think Elon, like many bullies, only respects people who do."

Altman and Musk had a famous falling-out that has since been recounted and is at the center of multiple legal battles. Their drama, which is far from the only simmering beef in the AI world, is now also the backdrop to efforts among the world's largest AI companies to reach a consensus on how to steer their technology.

The OpenAI CEO said he would work with Musk, who has taken to calling his one-time ally "Scam Altman," as the industry grapples with renewed concerns over AI safety.

"If you want me to be able to work with him, maybe you should be happy I hit back once in a while, but I will work with Elon, of course," he said.

For his part, Altman said that he "won't call myself a saint." At the same time, he doesn't view himself as the biggest problem.

"I'm not sure if I'm the one that you're supposed to come after between Elon and me," he said.

In July, Musk lashed out at Altman when another account said that he had "warned the world about Scam Altman."

Musk quoted that post and added, "He takes scamming to a whole new level."

In response, Altman took a shot at Musk's advocacy for orbital data centers, something the OpenAI CEO has repeatedly expressed skepticism about.

"Homeboy you're the one selling public market investors on short-term space datacenters," Altman wrote.

Despite the drama, AI companies have taken more steps toward cooperation. Leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceXAI, Google, and Nvidia signed a White House-driven agreement in which the companies agreed to some self-imposed safety measures.

Altman told Politico's Decoded Podcast that there's no single group chat, but officials at frontier labs have multiple avenues to continue talking.

"There's no like big WhatsApp that everybody's in," Altman said, "but there's like lots of, you know, people are running into each other at the same conference. There's calls, occasional meetings, stuff like that."

• Two famed financial-crisis veterans are at odds over views on the AI boom.
• Michael Burry has sounded the alarm about a worrying component of the chip trade.
• Eisman hit back recently. He said Burry's thesis is "too academic," citing different concerns.

Michael Burry and Steve Eisman both rose to fame betting against the US housing market, but they're at odds over what the future may hold for the AI trade.

Unbridled enthusiasm for AI has often been the target of Burry's bearish posts. Earlier this year, he announced bets against some of the sector's leading names and has predicted that the AI boom will end in disaster.

Burry has taken aim at a specific piece of the AI story, specifically booming demand for high-tech chips to run and train models. The data center explosion has been a boon for hardware makers like Nvidia, but Burry argues that depreciating chip values are a major problem for companies.

Earlier this year, he predicted the top hyperscalers would "understate depreciation" by more than $175 billion between 2026 and 2028. Famed short-seller Jim Chanos has voiced similar concerns about chip costs and returns on capex spending.

But speaking on an episode of the New Money podcast, fellow "Big Short" alum Steve Eisman hit back at Burry's views.

"With all due respect to Michael, I think his argument is too academic," Eisman stated. "If AI succeeds because Anthropic and OpenAI grow like crazy, and the hyperscalers do well, it won’t matter whether the depreciation schedule changed from three or four years to five or six years."

Burry has shared this take on AI and the broader market in the last year on his Substack, Cassandra Unchained, laying out what he sees as the risks for investors due to hyperscalers overstating profits and under-reporting depreciating hardware.

Eisman noted that he understands Burry's argument when it comes to AI chip depreciation schedules, an accounting tactic that made them appear significantly more profitable on paper. While Eisman implied that he agrees with Burry on the potential impact of chip depreciation, he said it's not a major problem right now.

"Where I think he is wrong, for the moment, is that there is such demand for chips right now that there is still huge demand for the older chips," Eisman said.

Recent news out of Silicon Valley has challenged Burry's thesis that AI chips will rapidly lose value. In August, CoreWeave announced a contract to rent A100 GPUs made by Nvidia, a type of chip that debuted in 2020, through 2029.

Eisman may have hit back at Burry's thesis, but he's not universally bullish on the AI trade. He's issued his own warnings recently, primarily focused on the market's reliance on OpenAI and Anthropic, which he described as the "Achilles' heel'" of the AI trade.

"If OpenAI fails and the whole chain goes in reverse, we’ll have a massive correction that has nothing to do with the depreciation schedule," Eisman said.

• When she was 25, Anastasia Sevriukova experienced a few colon cancer symptoms.
• Because she had no family history, she thought she had hemorrhoids and was just tired from her job.
• She was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

When Anastasia Sevriukova first noticed blood in her stool at age 25, she didn't tell anyone at first — not her then-boyfriend or her mom.

Her Google search narrowed the cause down to either colon cancer — which seemed extremely unlikely due to her lack of family history — or hemorrhoids.

"I Googled 'I had oysters. Did the shell cut my intestine?'" Sevriukova, now 27, told Business Insider. She tried hemorrhoid creams that didn't work.

When the bleeding persisted for months, she saw a primary care physician in September 2024, who put her on a four-month waitlist to see a GI.

In the meantime, Sevriukova kept living her life in St. Louis, Missouri. She worked as an engineer for Boeing's military branch. In her free time, she learned to watercolor and had one of her paintings displayed at a local exhibition.

Even at the end of 2024, when she was told that she'd be laid off from Boeing in mid-January 2025, things were looking up. Shortly after, Sevriukova, who is Ukrainian, was offered a position at a San Francisco startup developing drones to be used by Ukraine in the ongoing war — a dream job. Weeks later, she got engaged.

"The whole month was a rollercoaster," she said. Between plans to start the new job, move to a new city, and eventually build a family with her now-fiancé, Sevriukova was excited about the future.

Then, four days after the engagement, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

"Everything had to pretty much stop because I was very, very sick," she said. "It was really difficult to accept that I need to take a break for now."

She thought she was tired because of work

In the months leading up to her scheduled GI appointment in January 2025, Sevriukova frequently felt very fatigued. "I was like 'I'm just tired from work, I have to do a lot,'" she said.

Then there was the date night a week before the doctor's visit. She and her fiancé went to a wine-and-pizza bar. Suddenly, Sevriukova felt drunk from one glass.

After her diagnosis, she learned that she had anemia, a common symptom of colon cancer. She had a hemoglobin level of 8 g/dL (a normal range for women is 12 to 15.5 g/dL).

A CT scan revealed her stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis, and explained her feeling drunk off one drink: It was a sign of her liver not functioning properly, because the cancer had spread to it.

Given her diagnosis, Sevriukova declined her job offer. The couple moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where Sevriukova's mother lives. Upon seeing her new oncologist, she was put on an iron infusion before starting cancer treatment. She also underwent genetic testing and learned she had no predisposition for cancer, such as Lynch syndrome.

"It was a stroke of bad luck," she said.

A breakneck decision about her future fertility

Sevriukova's oncologist told her that she would most likely lose her ability to have kids after side effects from chemotherapy.

Because he wanted to start her treatment right away, he gave her two weeks to retrieve and freeze her eggs. Sevriukova was referred to the Mayo Clinic and decided to go through with the procedure.

"It was very physically and emotionally demanding," Sevriukova said. "I was also trying to process at the same time, the fact that whatever eggs they can get, that's all they got." She had her egg extraction in March 2025. Two days later, she started chemotherapy and antibody therapy, which her doctors selected after a liver biopsy identified features of her tumor relevant to treatment.

By that point, she was exhausted from two weeks of hormone therapy to produce as many eggs as possible, plus the frequent bloodwork and ultrasound appointments during the monitoring phase. The egg retrieval itself was also painful and led to spotting by the time she began cancer treatment.

"Yet, I do not regret it at all," Sevriukova said. "It was the best decision I've made."

She took a break from both treatments in June 2025, when she was prepped for surgery on her colon and the installation of a hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump, which channels chemotherapy medication directly into the liver.

There were complications with the surgery. She had a rare bowel leak because the incision in her colon was not sealed properly, leading to an infection in her abdomen. "That is probably the most pain I have experienced in my life," she said, spending 20 days in the hospital. The resulting surgery left Sevriukova with scars and a stoma bag, a waste collection pouch outside of her abdomen.

"I could not stop crying for days, and the nurses didn't even know what to do, how to console me," she said. "My body doesn't look like what it used to look like a year ago, and body image is a huge, huge aspect of a young woman's life."

She needed a liver transplant

From the beginning, Sevriukova had "too many tumors to count" on her liver. Even when her scans were clear, the tumors would quickly resurface the moment she stopped chemo. "I never know when the cancer decides to mutate and take over," she said.

Sevriukova was eventually able to get a liver transplant in June 2026, which left her cancer-free for three months. Then, in August 2026, a CT scan revealed a few small tumors on her lungs. She will soon resume chemotherapy and antibody therapy.

Sevriukova has gradually adjusted to her new normal. She said that when she's in treatment, her mom, sister, and fiancé take turns staying with her at the hospital and talking to doctors on her behalf.

The side effects of treatment have been so debilitating that Sevriukova can't work — something she found devastating at the start of treatment. Instead, she's taking a full semester of computer science courses from a local community college, with the aim of getting her master's and advancing her career.

Still, she can never get fully used to the nausea and appetite loss right after each chemo treatment. "You just have to always roll with the punches," she said. "Right now I'm a little more used to those punches than I was at the beginning, but it's still really, really difficult."

She said the experience changed her emotionally. It's also made her realize how taboo colon cancer is, from talking about symptoms like rectal bleeding to living with a stoma bag.

"Even right now, it's a little uncomfortable to say," she said. "It's so vulnerable and makes it so difficult to talk about it, to bring it up to friends, to family, but it has to be done."

• We wanted to use points to get business-class seats for our family of four, but felt overwhelmed.
• To help, we used a tool to find deals that work with our credit-card points and our family's needs.
• Ultimately, it helped us find four business-class and four economy-plus seats that worked for us.

Two years ago, when my family of four flew from Dallas to Scotland via London, our young children barely slept on the 10-hour economy flight, leading to meltdowns and frustration.

So, when we planned our trip to Europe earlier this year, my husband and I wanted to do anything we could to avoid this travel chaos. Ideally, that meant booking upgraded seats to make our long flights more comfortable.

Our main goal was business class, but we couldn't justify spending over $10,000 on upgrades, so we planned to use credit-card points. We had a lot to work with because we use primarily use just one Capital One card to earn points on everything we spend.

Unfortunately, finding flights that worked with our schedule, points, and family wasn't so easy. For one, credit-card travel portals usually don't show every flight available with points. Airlines also limit the number of tickets available for points, making it difficult to find deals that work for a group.

After spending hours opening dozens of tabs across different travel websites and scrolling through all sorts of deals, we decided to see if an online search tool might help.

We had luck using a search tool to set travel alerts and find the right deal

There are several different search engines and tools out there that help people find the best ways to optimize their credit-card points, whether they're booking hotels or flights.

My husband did some research online, and we ended up trying PointsYeah to find upgraded flights that worked for us.

On this searchable tool, we were able to enter details like how much we wanted to spend and with which carrier, the specific dates we wanted to travel, and our departure and arrival cities.

From there, when flights that met our criteria appeared, we could receive an alert via email.

PointsYeah's free version felt quite robust, especially for real-time searches, but we upgraded to a yearly plan for about $120 because it allowed us to set up to 32 point alerts, versus only four with the free version.

We used the extra alerts to search by country rather than just by a specific airport, which gave us more flexibility and proved extremely useful.

Departure city can be a major factor in international-flight prices, so we kept ours open to anywhere in the US. We were OK with booking separate tickets to travel from Denver to the official starting point of the international leg of our trip, provided the price was right.

We also kept our arrival airport flexible between Krakow and Warsaw, and looked for specific ticket types (preferably business, but we were open to premium economy) for four people.

After a few weeks and point transfers, our upgraded tickets were ready to go

Within a few days of setting up our alerts, we found our return flights. It was a bit strange booking the return first, but the deal was too good to pass up.

It took us several more weeks to find an outbound flight we liked, and that meant sorting through alerts daily. Eventually, we found a points deal that we were happy with, and the alerts helped us act quickly.

Once we decided to move forward with a flight, the process became a little more complex. After PointsYeah found me an option I liked, that process was in my hands.

For this step, I had to visit each airline's website — in this case, KLM for a flight operated by Air France, and Air Canada for a flight operated by SWISS — set up an account, transfer our points from Capital One, and then purchase through the airline.

I've found it can be tricky to convert credit-card points to miles on different airlines, so this part wasn't my favorite. Notably, some competitors, like Points.me, offer concierge services that will transfer points and book flights for you for an added fee (about $200 a person).

The best flight deal we found from the United States to Poland had us flying from Chicago to Warsaw through Paris. To reach our international starting point, we bought separate tickets from our home airport in Denver to Chicago for $217.40 per person.

From Chicago, we secured premium-economy seats on Air France for 75,500 points per adult and 56,625 points per child, plus $249.30 per person in fees.

Though premium economy wasn't what we were hoping for, the extra legroom was well worth it. We even had enough room to place inflatable footrests in front of the kids after takeoff, letting them stretch out and sleep.

On our return flight, we flew out of Zurich in business class on Swiss Air to Washington Dulles and connected to Denver, costing us 70,000 points per person and $165 in additional fees. We could lie completely flat, and we had plenty of legroom and access to a larger bathroom, which was very helpful with young kids.

Now that I've successfully used points for upgraded seats, I can't wait to do it again

For our family of four, the outbound leg of our trip cost $1,866.80 and 264,250 points, and the inbound leg cost $660 and 280,000 points, for a total of $2,526.80 and 544,250 points.

Had we purchased upgraded premium economy and business-class seats for cash on similar flights, it would have cost over $17,000 — an expense we definitely could not justify.

Ultimately, we loved getting to skip the overwhelming, time-consuming process of sifting through page after page of points deals across different airlines. Being able to explore all our options in one spot and set alerts to only be notified of what works for us was really helpful.

Although parts of the process were more complicated than we expected — we still had to transfer points and book our own tickets — PointsYeah helped us snag upgraded flights for our family that actually worked with our budget.

The best tool for you will depend on your needs and preferences, but it's nice to know services like this exist, and we'll absolutely be using them again.

• AWS hired Microsoft executive Pedram Rezaei as a distinguished engineer.
• He is joining AWS's Agentic AI and Emerging Technologies group.
• Rezaei's move is the latest in a series of leadership departures from Microsoft.

Amazon hired former Microsoft Copilot CTO Pedram Rezaei to help the e-commerce and cloud giant build out its agentic AI business.

Rezaei joined AWS as a distinguished engineer in its Agentic AI and Emerging Technologies group, according to an email announcement on Monday.

He spent two decades at Microsoft, most recently training foundation models on the company's Superintelligence team. Rezaei served as Copilot's CTO until June and previously held senior technical roles in key product areas including search engine Bing and business software suite Dynamics 365.

At Amazon, Rezaei will initially work on Quick and Kiro, two products Amazon sees as central to its AI agent strategy, according to the email by Swami Sivasubramanian, the company's VP of agentic AI. An Amazon spokesperson shared the memo with Business Insider.

Quick is AWS's AI assistant and productivity app, while Kiro is an AI-powered coding tool. Quick's monthly AI users grew fourfold from the first to second quarter, while Kiro's user base doubled over the same period, Sivasubramanian noted in the email.

"Pedram joins at an exciting time for our organization as we continue to build out our technical leadership team to help take on the ambitious work we have planned," he wrote in the memo.

The hire gives Amazon an experienced builder from one of its biggest rivals at a moment when the company is trying to turn its AI investments into widely used products. Microsoft has made Copilot a centerpiece of its AI strategy. Amazon, meanwhile, has been building its own portfolio of AI tools, from its Bedrock model platform to coding assistants and agentic software.

Rezaei's arrival also suggests Amazon is making a stronger push in the AI agent space. The market is growing quickly, with new agent offerings such as OpenAI's Dots, Meta's Muse and Instinct gaining traction.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been shaking up leadership to accelerate its AI strategy. Two more high-profile executives are on the way out.

Peter Lee, a Microsoft veteran influential in the company's AI research, on Wednesday announced plans to leave.

The next day, Microsoft Office boss Ryan Roslansky said he'll be gone at the end of the year. Roslansky's departure was especially surprising as he was seen as a successor to longtime veteran Rajesh Jha, who retired in July. Roslansky was also a key part of Nadella's new inner circle and was one of three executives who made up Microsoft's new Copilot leadership team.

Here's the full email from Amazon's Sivasubramanian:

Team,

I'm happy to share that Pedram Rezaei is joining Agentic AI and Emerging Technologies as a Distinguished Engineer, effective today.

Pedram joins us after more than 20 years at Microsoft, most recently working on training foundation models and, before that, in senior architecture and CTO roles across Copilot, Power BI, and other products. He is a hands-on engineer who is still in the code every day, and he plans to keep it that way here. He lives in Seattle with his wife and their two young sons. Please join me in welcoming him.

As many of you know, we have a major opportunity with Quick and Kiro to transform how work gets done. The number of users for Kiro doubled from Q1 to Q2, while monthly AI users for Quick grew 4x. Initially, Pedram will help work to bolster these product areas. His plan for the first few months is straightforward: meet people, learn how things work here, and ship something real.

Pedram joins at an exciting time for our organization as we continue to build out our technical leadership team to help take on the ambitious work we have planned.

In addition, I want to take this opportunity to share some news with the wider team. As many of you know, we see our investments in Neurosymbolic AI and automated reasoning as one of our biggest bets for the future, and to help execute that vision, we've brought back Marvin Theimer and Reto Kramer. They've already been back for a little while now, and it's great to have them in the fold again.

Thanks for the warm welcome I know you'll extend to all three.

Swami

Have a tip?

Contact this reporter via email at ekim@businessinsider.com or Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 650-942-3061. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

Contact this reporter via email at astewart@businessinsider.com or Signal at +1-425-344-8242. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Norway is issuing a temporary ban on camera glasses in certain public spaces.
• Meta glasses can still be sold, and they're not banned for private use.
• The government plans on making a decision about regulation after more investigation.

Bad news if you planned on capturing photos of the majestic fjords in your Meta Ray-Bans. Norway is issuing a temporary ban on camera glasses in public spaces like parks, schools, and beaches.

This ban doesn't prohibit the sale of Meta glasses, and it only applies to their use in certain areas, like changing rooms or beaches. It also points to the need for extra privacy around places for children, like schools and daycares.

Norway's Minister of Digitalization, Torgeir Micaelsen, expressed concern that new, powerful technology is being introduced where people risk being photographed, filmed or audio recorded without their knowledge, according to a translated press release.

Micaelsen just started as Minister of Digitalization in September, but his predecessor had started floating the idea of looking into regulation on Meta glasses in August.

Representatives for Minister Micaelsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, has said that only a few "bad actors" are responsible for disabling the glasses' LED indicator lights, which has given the glasses a bad reputation as "pervert glasses". Meta recently rolled out a software update in which the camera won't work if the light is covered or tampered with.

The government also said it will form an expert group to investigate the challenges posed by wearable technology and provide advice on permanent regulation.

Norway's temporary ban follows unease about camera glasses in other European countries. In the last few weeks, a debate about smart glasses has been brewing in the Netherlands, following media reports and advocacy group concerns. An official from the country's data privacy group told Parliament they want to wait for findings from a broader European Union report on the matter before taking any action. Meanwhile, Hans Anders, a large eyewear retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium, has paused selling Meta glasses in its stores.

"We're excited that our glasses continue to be very popular for listening to music, making calls, or getting live translations, so we're continuing to expand styles and features around the world," a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider in response to the Norway ban.

"Every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video," they said. "It can't be turned off, and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it -- something smartphones and other cameras don't have."

• Alena Beliauskaya turned her weekends into free community meetups for founders.
• The group goes hiking, dirtbiking, and does other fun group activities.
• She now offers paid membership and has earned $10,000 a month in revenue since the summer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alena Beliauskaya, a 37-year-old product director based in San Francisco. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Here in San Francisco, it seems like everyone is a startup founder.

I'm the director of product management at Wolf Games, an AI narrative games company, where I work part-time. On the side, I run 12 Scrappy Founders, a founders community in the Bay Area with paid memberships and sponsored events.

When I first moved here for my job in March 2025, I wanted to make friends, so I started going to founder events, but the interactions were so transactional. The first question everyone asks you is, 'What's your goal at this event?' So, I started hosting my own events.

I'm an outdoorsy person and love extreme sports, so I'd plan a weekend hike, a backpacking trip, or dirt biking in Tahoe and invite other founders to join me. Now, I make over $10,000 in revenue each month and take home $2,000 to $3,000 in profit.

I've worked in startups for about 15 years and am a founder

It was natural to build my network around other founders. These are the people whose lives and problems I understand best. Finding like-minded people who understand startups and also want to spend Saturday riding dirt bikes in Tahoe is worth more to me than another 100 LinkedIn connections.

At our events, there's no formal networking, and nobody pitches. People got to know each other by spending eight hours on a trail or learning to ride a motorcycle together.

I started my community group charging $0 and now earn $10,000 in monthly revenue

I didn't charge at first because we started with hiking, which doesn't cost anything. But when we started dirt biking, I usually paid out of my pocket and then asked people to reimburse me.

This hobby was starting to take up a lot of my free time, and I thought about monetizing it, but I debated at first because I thought that if I turned it into a business, I might stop enjoying myself.

I started thinking about monetization around spring this year, after so many members told me I needed to because they were getting so much value. I started rolling out memberships at the beginning of this summer.

We have over 600 founders in our community

To join, the person's startup needs to be at the seed, Series A, or Series B stage. Most members have AI startups, because that's what is happening right now. You also have to be based in the Bay Area, since events are in person.

We're all connected on Slack, and there are about 20 paid members. There are two tiers right now. General membership is $99 a month, which includes free members-only events, priority access, personalized introductions to founders and investors, and access to the private member platform and Slack community. Our core membership, which is full, costs $3,000 a year, and core members get to work with me on where the community goes next.

We also monetize working with brands that sponsor many of our events. Recently, we partnered with Red Bull. I run paid experiences like hard hikes, overnight camps, dirt-biking, go-karting, pickleball, poker nights, and roundtables.

I'm not planning to make my side hustle a full-time job

I just want to figure out how to grow and nurture this community well and have something joyful in my free time.

I invest much of my free time in this side hustle. Almost every Saturday, I spend the full day outdoors with the founders. Besides that, I spend about three to four hours a day organizing.

My advice to those wanting to start a side hustle is to find something you love. You already spend the whole day at your full-time job, and often don't have much energy left. Your side hustle should bring you joy, which will motivate you to keep going.

Do you have an interesting side hustle to share with Business Insider? Email editor Manseen Logan at mlogan@businessinsider.com.

• Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" has spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• It's her second-longest reign atop the chart, surpassing "Fearless" and "1989."
• "The Tortured Poets Department" holds the record in Swift's catalog with 17 weeks at No. 1.

Taylor Swift gave us fair warning in her newest album: "I'm married to the hustle."

Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," not only broke the record for the biggest debut sales week ever, but it also continued to amass sales and streams in the US for months after its release.

After seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, "Showgirl" returned for another five atop the all-genre album chart, surpassing "Fearless" and "1989" as Swift's second-longest reign.

The impressive tally came shortly after Swift set a personal-best chart record with "The Tortured Poets Department." Keep reading for a ranking of her 16 studio albums (including both originals and rerecords) based on their Billboard 200 performances.

10. "Taylor Swift"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 5

Swift's self-titled debut is the only studio album in her catalog that hasn't reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

"Taylor Swift" debuted at No. 19 and scaled the chart for more than a year, peaking at No. 5 in 2008.

9 (tie). "Lover"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for one week

Swift's seventh studio album was the first one that she owned outright, thanks to her new label contract with UMG.

"Lover" was promoted by several singles, including "You Need to Calm Down," "The Archer," and "The Man."

Four years later, after Swift kicked off the Eras Tour with "Cruel Summer" near the top of the set list, the fan-favorite song climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for four weeks, becoming the album's biggest hit.

9 (tie). "Red (Taylor's Version)"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for one week

The extended tracklist for "Red (Taylor's Version)" included the storied extended cut of "All Too Well," a longtime fan-favorite song in Swift's catalog.

"All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" was released alongside a short film directed by Swift and promoted by a convention-breaking performance on "Saturday Night Live." It became the longest song to reach No. 1 in the history of the Hot 100.

8 (tie). "Fearless (Taylor's Version)"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for two weeks

"Fearless" was the first rerecorded album that Swift ever released.

The "Taylor's Version" series was inspired by the sale of Swift's masters to Scooter Braun in 2019, which she described as her "worst case scenario" in a passionate open letter. Swift decided to remake and rerelease her first six albums in a bid to reclaim ownership of her life's work. (Braun later sold Swift's masters to a private-equity company.)

In addition to faithfully recreating each tracklist, Swift decided to add never-before-heard songs "from the vault" that were written during the album's original creative process but cut from the final product.

"I've spoken a lot about why I'm remaking my first six albums, but the way I've chosen to do this will hopefully help illuminate where I'm coming from," Swift explained. "Artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work."

"For example, only I know which songs I wrote that almost made the 'Fearless' album," she continued. "Songs I absolutely adored, but were held back for different reasons."

Many were skeptical that the "Taylor's Version" project would be embraced by fans, let alone achieve commercial success.

Those skeptics were forced to eat their words when "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" began to outpace the original on streaming platforms. According to Billboard, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" earned more equivalent album sales in its first week of release than "Fearless" earned over the entire next year.

Four years later, in May 2025, Swift announced that she bought back her masters from Shamrock Capital, giving her complete control over her musical catalog and rendering her "Taylor's Version" project moot.

8 (tie). "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for two weeks

The rerecorded version of Swift's third album featured six songs from the vault, including two duets with Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams.

7 (tie). "Reputation"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for four weeks

"Reputation" arrived after an extended period of silence. Swift's longtime feud with Ye (then known as Kanye West) and Kim Kardashian had reached a fever pitch; in response to a massive social media hate campaign, Swift decamped to London and withdrew from the public eye.

She returned with a new snake-infested aesthetic and "Look What You Made Me Do," a cheeky lead single that poked fun at her own persona — and quickly rose to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Swift also declined to participate in interviews or media appearances while promoting her sixth album. Instead, she relied on a simple tagline: "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation."

7 (tie). "Evermore"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for four weeks

"Evermore" was surprise-released just five months after Swift's previous album, "Folklore." The two were billed as "sister albums," created under near-identical conditions with the same team of collaborators.

"To put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs," Swift explained on social media.

"Evermore" was nominated for album of the year at the 2022 Grammys, but lost to Jon Batiste's "We Are."

6 (tie). "Speak Now"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for six weeks

Swift's third album had a lot to live up to, following the blockbuster success of "Fearless."

In response to skeptics — who questioned whether the teen phenom was relying too heavily on her collaborators — she decided to write "Speak Now" entirely by herself. Swift is the only songwriter credited on the standard tracklist.

6 (tie). "Midnights"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for six weeks

Swift's 10th studio album sold over 1 million copies in its debut week, the first to cross that seven-figure threshold since Swift's own "Reputation." (She has now achieved the feat on eight different occasions.)

"Midnights" also won album of the year at the Grammys, joining "Fearless," "1989," and "Folklore" in the prestigious group of victors. Swift is the only artist in history to win album of the year four times.

6 (tie). "1989 (Taylor's Version)"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for six weeks

The rerecorded version of "1989" was released nine years after the original album. Swift added five vault songs to the tracklist, including the fan-favorite closer "Is It Over Now?"

5. "Red"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for seven weeks

"Red" is Swift's fourth studio album. It featured a mishmash of Max Martin-produced pop bangers, including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble," as well as country-rock breakup anthems such as "State of Grace" and "Holy Ground."

4. "Folklore"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for eight weeks

"Folklore" marked a sonic departure for Swift, stripping down her favored synth-pop production to reveal introspective reflections and intricate narratives.

The pandemic-era album was co-produced by Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Aaron Dessner of The National. It received rave reviews from critics and is widely considered her best work to date.

3 (tie). "Fearless"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 11 weeks

Swift's sophomore effort had the longest run at No. 1 of any album in the 2000s. "Fearless" has since been certified diamond by the RIAA.

3 (tie). "1989"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 11 weeks

Swift's fifth album marked her official pivot from country to pop music, a move that Swift said she had to "really fight — and I mean aggressively fight — to have happen."

In addition to its double-digit streak atop the Billboard 200, "1989" yielded several hit singles on the Hot 100, including "Shake It Off," "Blank Space," and "Bad Blood" featuring Kendrick Lamar.

2. "The Life of a Showgirl"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 13 weeks

Cowritten and co-produced with Max Martin and Shellback, "The Life of a Showgirl" was described by Swift as a snapshot of "everything that was going on behind the curtain" during the Eras Tour.

After its initial three-month run atop the Billboard 200, "The Life of a Showgirl" returned to No. 1 in October 2026 when Swift released the deluxe edition, dubbed "The Encore."

The album's double-digit reign at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 brought Swift's total sum atop the chart to 99, extending her record among solo artists.

Since the Billboard 200 was launched in 1956, only The Beatles have logged more weeks at No. 1 than Swift.

1. "The Tortured Poets Department"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 17 weeks

Swift's 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," did not leave the No. 1 slot for 12 straight weeks after its debut in April 2024, fending off new releases from stars like Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and Zach Bryan.

The uninterrupted reign of "Poets" was rare for a streaming-era release. It became the first album ever by a female artist to spend its first 12 weeks atop the chart, surpassing a record previously held by Whitney Houston's 1987 blockbuster "Whitney." (The all-time record for a consecutive streak among women is held by Carole King's "Tapestry," which spent 15 weeks at No. 1 in 1971.)

Swift briefly yielded the top spot to Eminem and Stray Kids before "Poets" notched 13th, 14th, and 15th consecutive weeks atop the chart.

The album eventually fell to lower positions, but then in December of that same year, it returned for two more weeks at No. 1 after Swift released physical versions of the album's deluxe version, "The Anthology," for Black Friday.

As one of the world's largest retailers, Amazon is a well-oiled machine. But while most orders get fulfilled quickly and painlessly, issues can still occasionally arise, especially during the busy holiday season and other major shopping events. Contacting Amazon customer service can help you resolve any issues with your order, whether you need to initiate a return or exchange, make changes, or troubleshoot other problems you encounter.

Fortunately, Amazon makes getting in touch with customer service a breeze. There are a few avenues to get there, though, so we've broken it all down for you right here. Below, you can find the four best ways to contact Amazon customer service, including some options that will connect you with a human representative.

Use Amazon's Customer Service Help page

The quickest way to get help with an Amazon order or account is to visit the Customer Service page. We've found that this works best if you're logged in (more on that below).

If you're already logged in, the Customer Service page will look a little bit different when you click on it. You'll need to scroll down under the "What brings you here today?" section and the list of your recent purchases until you get to the "Can't find what you're looking for?" section.

This page alone can probably solve the majority of your questions and issues. There's helpful info regarding many straightforward, common queries. If you need help tracking down an order that hasn't arrived, starting a refund, reloading a gift card, managing details on your account, or troubleshooting devices, check out this page's help articles.

When logged in, you can also select items you need help with from a list of your recently ordered products at the top of the page. Scroll down to "All Help Topics" to search for helpful information for your Amazon wedding registry or Amazon baby registry.

Call Amazon customer service

Amazon's customer service phone number is 1-888-280-4331, which is live 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Like most major retailers, Amazon prefers that you use one of its automated customer support methods. Even if you call them directly, you'll speak with a bot before you hear from a real person. They'll offer to text you a link to online customer service, but if you stay on the line and keep digging, you'll eventually connect with a human.

This method also requires a cellphone connected to your Amazon account since you'll need to enter a verification code or click a link that gets texted to you, so it's helpful to make sure you're calling from the phone number associated with your customer profile.

If calling seems like a hassle, you can also use their online live chat.

Try Amazon's online live chat

Often, an online chat with an Amazon customer service rep is an easier way to contact Amazon and resolve an issue. Here's how to do it.

1. Head back to the Help page we talked about above, and select the Something else option. If you're not logged in, you'll be prompted to sign in using your mobile number or email.

2. When it asks what you need help with, select I need help with something else from the list of options.

3. A new window will open, and Amazon's automated messenger bot will ask you what your issue is. Say, "Talk to a representative" until it presents you with the following options (it might take multiple prompts):

• Chat with an associate now: Talk with a customer service representative over chat. 
• Request a phone call: Speak with someone on the phone.

Contact Amazon via social media

If your preferred method of communication is social media, you can comment, tweet, or hashtag one of their several accounts. This isn't the most efficient way to reach them, but it can work if you're patient. Just keep in mind that if you're posting on something like X, it's public, so you should use caution not to share any personal account details.

Amazon's customer service X account is @amazonhelp. Their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/Amazon. On Instagram, you can direct message @amazon. And on TikTok, they're — you guessed it — @amazon. The accounts will often reply with a link for you to follow and submit more information or connect with their team.

What is Amazon's return policy?

Typically, most Amazon items can be returned for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of the original purchase. Other item categories, like mattresses, have different return windows. Select products, including perishables, are not eligible for return. During the holiday season, the retailer often offers an extended return window in case any gifts need to be sent back.

Amazon offers a fast and simple return process, which you can start by going to your order history page and clicking "return or replace items" next to the order you want to start a return for. However, contacting Amazon customer service via any of the methods listed above can help guide you through the process if you run into any hiccups.

• Our friends and family live around the world, and we didn't want them to travel for our wedding.
• We didn't need or want a big, elaborate wedding, and our families were fine with our decision.
• Our wedding was a beautiful start to our life together, with just the two of us.

Growing up, my family has always been spread out. I grew up on the East Coast of the United States, but many of my relatives lived on the West Coast or in Europe. My high school friends and friends I made at work have also become scattered around the country. My friends and I were like a dandelion, we all started together, then we got dispersed by the wind.

When I first started dating my husband, he was in a similar situation, except the wind had brought him to me from Belgium.

When we got engaged, we faced the conundrum of choosing a location, not a venue, but a geographical region to tie the knot. There seemed to be no good answer, so we decided to forgo a wedding party altogether.

We wanted to be considerate of our friends and family

We live in Washington, DC, but most of my husband's family and friends live in Europe. My brother and his family live in the Middle East. My closest friends are spread out across New England, Florida, and the West Coast. There was no good option that wouldn't require at least half of our expected invitees to travel across the country, or across the Atlantic, or both.

Any scenario we came up with would burden our friends and family with significant expenses for airfare, accommodations, and time, only to spend less than an hour with us to celebrate our wedding.

I've also traveled for weddings before. I was happy to celebrate the people getting married, but the reality is that the time I actually spent with the couple was minimal. The couple always has a full agenda of things to do on top of spreading their time across all the guests attending. I knew I didn't want my guests to travel if I wasn't going to get to spend genuine time with them.

We decided eloping made sense for us

In addition to not wanting to burden our guests with travel for a wedding, we didn't want to spend a lot of money to throw a party. We had just purchased a house and were planning to start a family. We wanted to put our money towards those areas of our life.

Neither of our families come from a background where having an elaborate wedding holds major significance in the culture. We were fortunate that our family supported our choice to elope.

Our wedding day was simple but meaningful to us

The day we got married was simple and beautiful and represented our relationship. DC allows you to officiate your own wedding, which we did. My husband and I were the only two people at our ceremony, which made it completely intimate. The only thing we had scheduled to do that day was our dinner reservation.

In the morning, we went hiking near the weekend house we had purchased in the mountains. In the afternoon, we exchanged the vows we had each written at the park where we had our first date, and then had celebratory drinks. We ended the evening at a fine-dining restaurant.

I have one small regret

The only thing I have some regret about from our elopement was not hiring a photographer. The only pictures we have from that day are selfies we took and a picture the hostess took for us at the restaurant where we had dinner.

On the flip side, not having a scheduled photographer allowed us to have the flexibility to change the date. Our original plan was to get married on a Friday, but we changed it to the following Monday because of rain. We only had to reschedule our dinner reservation and our days off from work.

I've heard some people say getting married was the best day of their lives. To me, the day I got married was just the start to the beautiful life we continue to build together.

• Karoline Leavitt, 28, was the youngest-ever White House press secretary.
• She worked for Kayleigh McEnany and Rep. Elise Stefanik before joining Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.
• She is married to 60-year-old real-estate developer Nicholas Riccio, and they have two children.

Karoline Leavitt landed a White House internship as a college student during President Donald Trump's first term. In his second term, she served as the youngest-ever White House press secretary before announcing her departure in August.

A former college athlete who spent her summers scooping ice cream in New Hampshire, Leavitt, 28, quickly rose through the ranks of Republican politics through communications jobs with former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.

During her tenure as the 2024 Trump campaign's national press secretary, she traveled the country while pregnant and returned to work four days after giving birth to her son.

Leavitt has also acknowledged her "atypical love story" with husband Nicholas Riccio, a 60-year-old real-estate developer. The couple welcomed their second child, a daughter, in May.

In August, Leavitt announced that she would be leaving her role as Trump's White House press secretary, writing on X, "Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least."

Here's what to know about Leavitt's background, family, and career.

The White House Press Office did not respond to a request for comment.

Karoline Leavitt grew up in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and went to a Catholic high school.

Leavitt's parents owned an ice cream stand where she worked during the summers.

She attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

"Having a Catholic education really formed who I am," she said on an episode of The Catholic Current podcast in 2021.

She continued, "It taught me discipline, it brought me closer in my own relationship with God, and it also taught me the importance of public service and giving back to your community."

She graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2019 with a degree in politics and communication.

Leavitt was admitted to Saint Anselm College on a softball scholarship and played as an outfielder on the women's softball team, the Saint Anselm Hawks.

Leavitt's extra-curricular activities included founding the Saint Anselm Broadcasting Club, volunteering at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, and writing articles for the college newspaper, The Saint Anselm Crier, defending Trump's travel ban and criticizing the "liberal media." She also spent a semester studying abroad at John Cabot University in Rome.

In 2018, she interned at the White House during Trump's first presidency as a presidential writer in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence.

She was the first member of her family to earn an undergraduate degree.

After graduating, she worked with then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany in the White House Press Office.

From 2019 to 2021, Leavitt worked as an assistant press secretary, helping McEnany prepare for briefings.

When Trump left office in 2021, Leavitt took a job as Rep. Elise Stefanik's director of communications.

Stefanik served as the House Republican Conference Chair from 2021 to 2025.

Leavitt ran for Congress in New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in 2022.

"I could no longer sit back and watch as our conservative principles — that make America the greatest country in the world and New Hampshire the best state in the union — fall under attack," Leavitt wrote on her campaign website of her decision to run for office.

Leavitt won the Republican primary but lost the general election to the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Chris Pappas, who is the first openly gay man to represent New Hampshire in Congress.

In 2024, she joined Trump's presidential campaign as his national press secretary.

Leavitt held press conferences outside Manhattan Criminal Court during Trump's hush-money trial. Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts, but was not sentenced with any punishment due to the US Supreme Court ruling granting presidents criminal immunity protections.

Trump maintained his innocence throughout the trial and often referred to it as a "witch hunt."

Four days after giving birth, Leavitt returned to work when Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.

Leavitt had a TV studio built in her home so that she could appear on television shortly after giving birth.

"I felt compelled to be present in this historic moment," she told The Conservateur. "The president literally put his life on the line to win this election. The least I could do is get back to work quickly."

After Trump won the 2024 election, he appointed Leavitt as the youngest-ever White House press secretary.

As press secretary, Leavitt established a "new media seat" in the White House briefing room reserved for podcasters, social media influencers, and other independent content creators who, "despite being some of the most viewed news websites in the country, have not been given seats in this room," she said at a briefing.

Leavitt is married to 60-year-old Nicholas Riccio, who is more than twice her age.

Leavitt was introduced to Riccio, a real-estate developer, at a campaign event by a mutual friend during her 2022 run for Congress.

They announced their engagement on Christmas in 2023 and welcomed a son, Niko, on July 10, 2024.

Leavitt and Riccio wed on January 4, 2025, days before Trump's second inauguration.

The couple shares a 2-year-old son, Niko, and welcomed a daughter, Viviana, in May.

In December 2025, Leavitt announced that she and Riccio were expecting a baby girl, making her the first-ever pregnant White House press secretary.

"My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can't wait to watch our son become a big brother," she wrote in an Instagram post.

Leavitt gave birth to a daughter, Viviana, on May 1.

"She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister," Leavitt wrote on Instagram. "We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble."

She has described their age-gap marriage as "a very atypical love story."

Leavitt spoke about their 32-year age gap in a February 2025 interview on The Megyn Kelly Show.

"I mean, it's a very atypical love story, but he's incredible," she said of Riccio, adding, "He's the father of my child, and he's the best dad I could ever ask for. And he is so supportive, especially during a very chaotic period of life."

In a November 2025 interview with Miranda Devine on the podcast "Pod Force One," Leavitt spoke about her parents' reaction to her "unusual" relationship with Riccio, who is older than her mother.

"It's definitely a challenging conversation to have at first," she said. "But then, of course, once they got to know him and saw who he is as a man and his character and how much he adores me, I think it became quite easy for them."

In August, Leavitt announced her departure as White House press secretary, citing her desire to spend more time with her family.

"The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House press secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life," Leavitt wrote in a statement posted to X.

In a Truth Social post, Trump called Leavitt "one of my most trusted aides" and said her departure was "a decision I totally understand and respect!"

Leavitt, who left her role at the end of August, will continue to serve as a top outside advisor, the president wrote.

In a September podcast interview with Sean Hannity, Leavitt said that being a working mom was "the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life."

In her appearance on "Hang Out with Sean Hannity," Leavitt said that her 2-year-old son, Niko, struggled with her frequent absences while she was working in the White House.

"I would leave for the White House very early in the morning, and he would cling to my leg as I would walk out the door, and we would have to hide him sometimes so that I wouldn't have to break his heart again," she said. "And sometimes I would drive to the White House in silence, like, 'I don't know if I can do this anymore.'"

Leavitt told Hannity that having her second child made her realize that she wanted to spend more time with her family.

"The president deserves someone in that job who can give it their all 24/7," she said. "And after having two kids, I just realized I couldn't."

In October, Leavitt announced her next career move — working as an on-air contributor for Fox News.

In a press release announcing the new hire, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said that Leavitt's "firsthand experience in the White House and on the presidential campaign trail gives her a distinct understanding of today's political landscape."

Leavitt will begin providing "commentary and analysis" on Fox News programs starting on November 1, the release said.

"I look forward to bringing my unique perspective from my experience as White House press secretary, along with the same energy and candor that defined my tenure, to Fox's millions of viewers across their many platforms," Leavitt said in a statement.

Many previous White House press secretaries have moved into media roles, including fellow former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who co-hosts "Outnumbered" and hosts "Saturday in America" on Fox News.

• Health-focused chain True Food Kitchen has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
• The company, which cited $42 million in debt in court papers, closed 12 restaurant outposts. 34 remain open.
• Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has been an investor in the company since 2018.

Health-focused restaurant chain True Food Kitchen, which has counted Oprah Winfrey and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz among its backers, has filed for bankruptcy.

The Phoenix, Arizona-founded chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Texas court on Sunday and is pursuing a court-supervised sale of the business as part of its restructuring proceedings.

True Food Kitchen also closed 12 of its restaurants on the day it filed, cutting its footprint to 34 locations across 14 states. Those eateries remain open and are serving customers as usual, the company said.

The company's Chapter 11 court filings say it is about $42 million in debt and cites management turnover and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as reasons for its bankruptcy filing.

True Food Kitchen's "growth was accompanied by a number of operational challenges," a court filing in the bankruptcy case said.

"The Company experienced significant management turnover, which resulted in frequent changes to expansion strategy, brand direction, and menu offerings," said the filing.

It added, "Under successive leadership teams, the Company invested capital outside its core market areas and in new product lines and restaurant concepts that were ultimately unsuccessful and outside of the Company's core mission and menu."

The filing said that while many True Food Kitchen outposts are profitable, several have struggled with low foot and vehicle traffic, and others have been affected by "changing market forces and demographics," leading to revenue losses.

True Food Kitchen was founded in 2008 by wellness author Andrew Weil and restaurateur Sam Fox, who wanted to serve both delicious and healthy food for an anti-inflammatory diet.

In 2017, the company spun off from Fox's restaurant group as FRC Balance, LLC. A year later, Winfrey made an undisclosed equity investment in the company and also joined its board of directors.

"When I first dined at True Food Kitchen, I was so impressed with the team's passion for healthy eating and, of course, the delicious food, that I knew I wanted to be part of the company's future," the media mogul said at the time.

A spokesperson for True Food Kitchen told Business Insider on Monday that Winfrey is no longer on the board, but remains a "minority investor." Representatives for Winfrey did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Chapter 11 filing.

Meanwhile, in a statement Monday, True Food Kitchen CEO Jeff Chandler called the company's bankruptcy filing the "best path forward to simplify the business and focus on what we do best: delivering craveable, health-forward food and genuine hospitality."

"We are confident this step will help us build a stronger True Food Kitchen for the future," he said.

• Over 40 global airlines have announced deals for Elon Musk's Starlink WiFi.
• The ultra-high-speed WiFi is free on airlines that offer it, but some require a loyalty account.
• Starlink is already available on some airlines — here's how to find out if your plane has it.

From United Airlines and Emirates to British Airways and Air New Zealand, Elon Musk's Starlink is gaining popularity across global airlines.

In its 2025 Progress Report, Starlink said more than 1,400 commercial planes worldwide have been equipped with the ultra-high-speed internet. Over 40 commercial carriers have announced deals.

All airlines that offer Starlink do so free of charge, although some require passengers to sign up for their loyalty programs.

Business Insider previously tested Starlink on Qatar Airways' first flight with Starlink in October 2024. The connection speed peaked at 215 megabits per second, more than enough for a lag-free video call, and faster than many cable-based internet services.

Starlink operates thanks to a constellation of over 11,000 satellites, enabling internet connectivity in remote locations, including over oceans. The satellites are in low-earth orbit, which means faster internet speeds, but they can also disrupt astronomy.

Starlink has competition: Carriers like JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines have signed up for Amazon Leo, which works similarly and has launched about 400 satellites.

Viasat has been a common pick for airlines for over a decade, relying on fewer high-capacity satellites in geostationary orbit about 22,000 miles above Earth, which have higher latency than Starlink.

There are ways to find out whether your next flight is equipped with Starlink. For most airlines, passengers are notified during the booking process, in pre-flight communications, or via the app.

Although not associated with Musk or the carriers, there are free online tools, such as Starlink Flights, that can be helpful.

For example, Starlink Flights tracks which aircraft tail numbers are equipped with Starlink by using airline announcements, public records, flight-tracking data, and passenger reports.

Travelers can use aviation tracking tools like FlightRadar24 to find their flight's tail number and cross-check it. Still, aircraft swaps and data inaccuracies mean these tools should be treated as helpful guides rather than guarantees.

Here are all the airlines that have publicly announced plans to launch Starlink.

Aer Lingus

The Irish flag carrier is part of International Airlines Group, which announced its Starlink deal in early November.

Aer Lingus began flying planes with Starlink in March 2026, with plans to equip its long-haul fleet first before expanding across its network.

Air Baltic

Latvia's airBaltic flies around Europe and the Middle East only using Airbus A220 jets. It was the first European airline to adopt Starlink in early 2025.

Air Busan

Air Busan is a budget carrier and a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines, which is merging with Korean Air. Korean Air announced in December that it's adding Starlink.

While the legacy carrier has clearer plans for its wide-body jets, Korean said Air Busan will review which planes to prioritize.

"Rollout schedules will vary by carrier, with the earliest service introduction expected as early as the third quarter of 2026," it added.

Air Dolomiti

Air Dolomiti is a regional airline that only operates Embraer jets and focuses on connecting Italian destinations with other cities around Europe.

It's a subsidiary of Lufthansa, which announced its deal with Starlink in January.

Introduction is set to begin in the second half of 2026, with all Lufthansa Group planes equipped with Starlink by 2029. The company said access would be free for all status customers and Travel ID users.

Air France

The French flag carrier announced its Starlink deal in September 2024, available to Flying Blue loyalty members. Installation began across its fleet in 2025 and is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.

About 60% of its planes are Starlink-equipped.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand first said it was working with Starlink in 2023.

It then rolled it out on two domestic aircraft in June 2025, saying that it was "currently in the test phase."

Air Seoul

Air Seoul is a budget carrier and another subsidiary of Korean Air. Like with Air Busan, it is not yet clear which jets will get Starlink.

Alaska Airlines

After merging with Hawaiian Airlines — the first major carrier to offer Starlink — Alaska Airlines announced its deal in August 2025.

It has completed the rollout on its regional aircraft and started equipping its Boeing 737 mainline jets. Its widebody Boeing 787s are also set to get Starlink.

American Airlines

American Airlines announced in May 2026 that it will install Starlink on more than 500 narrowbody planes starting in early 2027.

Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines is merging with Korean Air, but has not begun the Starlink installation.

"Following the integration with Asiana Airlines, the airline plans to complete fleetwide installation by the end of 2027," Korean said in its Starlink announcement.

It also said it will prioritize installation on its Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 jets.

Austrian Airlines

Austria's flag carrier is a subsidiary of Lufthansa, which announced its deal with Starlink in January.

Austrian said its entire A320 family and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner would get Starlink, but did not yet disclose a timeline.

British Airways

The UK flag carrier is also part of IAG. British Airways has Starlink on select aircraft as of July 2026 and is gradually adding it to more jets.

Brussels Airlines

Belgium's national airline is another subsidiary of Lufthansa, which announced its deal with Starlink in January.

Brussels Airlines' entire fleet will get the new WiFi, starting with A320s, followed by the long-haul fleet.

Cebu Pacific

The Filipino carrier Cebu is rolling out Starlink starting in 2027.

Cebu is part of the private equity firm Indigo Partners, which announced a deal to equip Starlink on 1,000 aircraft across five airlines: Cebu Pacific, Frontier Airlines, Mexico's Volaris, Hungary's Wizz Air, and South America's JetSMART.

Copa Airlines

Panama's Copa Airlines launched Starlink in July 2026 and plans to equip its entire fleet by 2027.

Discover Airlines

Discover's Starlink rollout is part of the broader deal under the Lufthansa Group agreement.

Edelweiss Air

Edelweiss Air is a sister company of Swiss International Air Lines. Both are subsidiaries of Lufthansa.

Like with other Lufthansa-owned airlines, Starlink will be free for all status customers and Travel ID users.

Emirates

Dubai's airline rolled out its first Starlink plane, an Airbus A380, in April 2026 and plans to add it to all 232 in-service aircraft by mid-2027.

Eurowings

Eurowings, a German budget airline and another subsidiary of Lufthansa, will get Starlink as part of the Lufthansa Group's deal.

FlyDubai

The Emirati budget airline also announced its Starlink deal during the 2025 Dubai Airshow. It operates only Boeing 737s and plans to install Starlink on 100 of them.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier, part of Indigo Partners, announced in July that its first flight with Starlink will take off in early 2027.

Gulf Air

The Middle Eastern carrier announced in January that it would add Starlink across its entire fleet. The first flight took off in May 2026.

Iberia

The Spanish flag carrier is also part of IAG. The conglomerate said it would roll out Starlink across its fleets. The first flight was in June 2026.

ITA Airways

Italy's flag carrier is part-owned by the country's government and the Lufthansa Group.

The Pope typically flies abroad on a chartered ITA Airways plane, with the airline dressing the seats in Vatican colors.

Jazz Aviation

The Canadian airline operates regional flights on behalf of Air Canada and has equipped select Dash 8 turboprop planes with Starlink.

JetSMART

The airline is equipping Starlink as part of the Indigo Partners collective deal for over 1,000 aircraft across its five airlines.

Jin Air

Budget airline Jin Air, another subsidiary of Korean Air, will also get Starlink on its planes.

It will first install the high-speed WiFi on its Boeing 737 Max 8 jets.

JSX

JSX is a charter air carrier and was the first carrier to equip Starlink back in 2023. Its fleet is mostly made up of regional Embraer jets, all of which are equipped.

Korean Air

Korean Air announced in December that it's adding Starlink, with service starting as early as the third quarter of 2026.

It said it will prioritize installation on its Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 jets, aiming for Starlink to be across the fleet by the end of 2027.

Level

Level is a budget airline based in Barcelona and is part of IAG. The airline's parent company said it would roll out Starlink from late 2026.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa, Germany's flag carrier, announced in January that it would install Starlink across its fleet and that of its subsidiaries.

Introduction is set to begin in the second half of 2026, with all planes equipped with Starlink by 2029.

It said access would be free for all status customers and Travel ID users.

The Lufthansa Group added that further details will be announced throughout the year.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways outpaced its regional rival, Emirates, by announcing Starlink back in May 2024.

Starlink is installed on all Qatar's Boeing 777s and is being rolled out to its Airbus A350s.

SAS

Scandinavian Airlines, or SAS, is the flag carrier for Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Its first Starlink flight was in March 2026 on an A320. Passengers need to sign up for the EuroBonus loyalty program to access it for free.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore is adding Starlink to its Airbus A350 and Airbus A380 planes from early 2027.

Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines is one of the many Lufthansa subsidiaries getting Starlink internet. It will be part of the rollout that starts in the second half of 2026.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest's first Starlink flight was in June 2026, and it plans to install the WiFi on more than 300 jets this year.

United Airlines

United Airlines was the second US airline to announce a Starlink deal, but the first of the Big Three.

It has installed the service on over 560 of United's aircraft, including regional, narrowbody, and widebody planes, the airline said in September.

The airline says customers will receive a notification before their flight if their plane is equipped with Starlink. Passengers need to sign up for United's MileagePlus loyalty program for free access.

In late September 2026, United aggressively touted its Starlink capabilities online, poking fun at rival Delta — which does not offer Starlink — and attempting to lure frequent fliers for both Delta and American to switch their allegiances.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic was the first UK airline to announce its deal with Starlink.

The first Starlink plane took off in May 2026. Passengers will need to sign up for the airline's Flying Club loyalty program to use the WiFi.

Volaris

The Mexican carrier, part of Indigo Partners, announced Starlink in July and plans to equip its entire fleet by 2027.

Vueling

Another IAG subsidiary, Vueling is a Spanish budget airline. Its parent company said it would roll out Starlink from 2026.

WestJet

Canada's WestJet started installing Starlink in February, and it's now equipped on over 100 of its Boeing 737 jets.

Nearly all of its 737-800 and 737 Max 8s have Starlink. Free access requires signing up for its loyalty program.

Wizz Air

The Hungarian low-cost airline, part of Indigo Partners, said in June that it will install Starlink from 2027.

Zipair

Zipair is a Japanese budget airline and a subsidiary of Japan Airlines.

It was an early adopter of Starlink, announcing its deal in early 2023, and has rolled out the service on all of its 787s.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in November 2025. It was updated in January 2026 and again in August 2026.

• Investors are growing anxious about financial contagion as France's bond market convulses.
• French bond yields have spiked amid concerns about debt, inflation, and political unrest.
• The bond sell-off is spilling over into other nations, sparking fears of a larger event.

A sell-off in the US bond market has shaken investors in the last few months, but traders are also nervously eyeing fixed income turmoil in a major European nation: France.

The country, which has the third largest economy in Europe, is teetering on the edge of a debt crisis, threatening social unrest and political upheaval. Yields on French government bonds have spiked in the last week last week as investors balk at the country's fiscal situation. Broader inflation and political concerns in Europe have sharpened the market's reaction, resulting in a massive sell-off in European bonds that continued through the weekend.

French bonds took the brunt of the selling, and investors are demanding increasingly higher yields to hold the debt compared to Germany's sovereign bonds. The French 10-year bond yield surged to just under 5% last Friday, its highest level since 2002, and the difference between French and German bond yields widened to the most in almost 15 years.

Anxiety that the country's pain could spark wider financial contagion is now growing.

Here's what you need to know:

First, France unveiled its 2027 budget bill last Thursday, drawing investors' attention to the country's debt, which is expected to rise to an all-time high of 119% of GDP this year.

Second, France said it planned to sell a record amount of bonds next year, stoking fears among fixed-income investors that the nation's borrowing is becoming unsustainable.

So-called bond vigilantes have been on the lookout in sovereign debt markets for the last few years as world governments have racked up more debt and ramped up deficit spending. The market's tantrums often send yields higher, which bearish investors hope will force governments to change their approach to fiscal issues. Donald Trump admitted last year that the bond market caused him to ease up on his trade war.

Fourth, inflation is top of mind for investors globally. Eurozone inflation accelerated to 3.8% in September, up from a 3.2% pace the prior month. Hotter inflation makes investors more hesitant to hold onto government debt securities.

Fourth, political instability in Europe is also playing a role. Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, called for snap elections in November after recent protests about housing affordability. Geopolitical instability also be a reason for investors to sell bonds.

The pain is already being felt in other eurozone nations. Italy's 10-year government bond yield spiked as high as 4.74%, up 18 basis points in the last week. Greece, which has battled fiscal concerns and debt crises for much of the 21st century, saw the yield on its 10-year bond spike as high as 4.57%, also up 18 basis points over the last week.

For investors, the situation has fanned a larger fear of financial contagion.

"When the spread between French and German borrowing costs hits levels last seen in 2012, investors are sending a clear message," Lukman Otunuga, the head of market research at the broker FXTM, wrote in a note on Monday, adding that "caution could spill over" into the US market.

US Treasury yields continued their steady march higher on Monday as investors waited on Fed minutes due midweek. The 10-yea bond rose another 5 basis points to 5.33%, the highest since 2002.

"Contagion risk is back in Europe," top economist Mohamed El-Erian wrote of France's bond sell-off on Monday. "This week provided undeniable, real-time evidence of a dynamic I have warned about: the growing spillover of interest rate risk into credit and spread risk," he added.

Higher rates have the potential to spark a cascade of negative effects across markets. Higher yields pressure stock valuations. They also influence borrowing costs across the economy, and make government bonds a competitive destination for investors, which risks drawing funds away from other areas that have relied on the debt markets, such as AI infrastructure.

Some of the damage from the global bond sell-off has already spread to the currency and stock markets. The euro was valued at 1.12 dollars on Monday, down 2% over the last month and the lowest against the greenback in 17 months.

European stocks were broadly impacted as investors digested the latest spike in yields, with France's benchmark CAC 40 index down 3% over the last five trading days.

"France stands out as spreads have moved to crisis level," strategists at Barclays wrote of the global bond sell-off last week. "The long end remains under pressure."

"The French situation is perilous. It is hard to believe that 5 years ago France 10-year borrowing rates were effectively zero, and today are fast approaching 5%," Stephen Coltman, the head of macro at the digital asset firm 21shares, wrote in a note. "With debt to GDP well in excess of 100% the shock to the public finances as the existing stock of debt rolls off and is refinanced will be substantial."

• As a longtime Costco employee, I love finding the best new items that come into the warehouse.
• This month, the shelves are stocked with yummy treats, cute sweaters, and cooking essentials.
• Plus, the Sharper Image handheld rolling massager seems like a great investment.

I've worked at Costco for 21 years, so I know just where to look to spot the best new products that come into the warehouse.

This month, the shelves are stocked with everything from delicious treats to adorable sweaters. Here are seven items that caught my eye.

I'm a big fan of the Bakery Street churro cupcakes.

The Bakery Street churro cupcakes taste just like a classic cinnamon churro, with soft, moist cake filled with dulce-de-leche-flavored whipped cream.

These are especially good when paired with coffee or milk.

Customers at my store have been loving the Disney crew-neck sweatshirts.

These adorable Disney unisex crew-neck sweaters come in three different embroidered patterns, featuring "Star Wars" characters, Mickey Mouse, and the Seven Dwarves from "Snow White."

This item, which is made with 60% cotton and 40% polyester, has been very popular and even sold out once at my store.

The sweaters range in size from women's small/men's extra small to women's 4XL/men's 3XL.

The Red Bull advent calendar is a fun way to count down to the holidays.

Fans of energy drinks will love exploring different flavors with the Red Bull advent calendar.

Each box comes with 24 8.4-ounce cans that come in 11 different flavors. I'd definitely purchase this ASAP, since it sold out at my store last year.

Reese's sweet-and-salty variety pack contains 5 different snacks.

Reese's sweet-and-salty variety pack comes with 36 individually wrapped Reese's treats. Each box contains eight bags of peanut-butter cups, eight bags of Reese's Pieces, six bags of filled pretzels, six bags of dipped animal crackers, and eight bags of dipped pretzels.

Whether you're looking for a sweet, salty, or chocolatey flavor, this variety pack has you covered.

The Sharper Image handheld rolling massager is perfect for use after workouts.

The Sharper Image motorized handheld rolling massager seems like a great investment that your body will thank you for.

This unique machine has eight motorized rollers designed to reduce muscle tension and tightness. You can even choose between a deep-tissue, kneading, and shiatsu-style massage, based on your needs and preferences.

I love the Skinny Butcher chicken dippers with barbecue sauce.

Costco recently started carrying one of my favorite snacks: the Skinny Butcher chicken dippers with barbecue sauce.

These ready-to-eat grilled-chicken breasts can be eaten cold or warm and contain 11 grams of protein per serving. They also come with a tangy barbecue sauce, made with no high-fructose corn syrup.

Each serving is individually wrapped, making them convenient for school lunches or a quick snack.

The Smith and Clark cast-iron skillet is perfect for making a big meal.

The Smith and Clark 15-inch preseasoned cast-iron skillet is perfect for making a one-pot meal for the family. It's safe for use in the oven or broiler, and on the grill. Plus, it easily wipes clean after each use.

Costco was not involved in the sourcing or writing of this story. The views contained within represent the author's personal views.

Some early Prime Day deals have broken cover today, and we're here to round up the best offers we think you should pull the trigger on before they sell out.

We're talking about hot deals like AirPods Pro 3 for $179. 4K Fire Sticks from $18, Apple Watches under $200, air fryers from $65, and more, as detailed below.

• See all deals at Amazon

However, there are a few categories that I'd say you might as well wait for the full sale to begin, as there's nothing particularly exciting so far, or only a couple of items. TVs, in particular, are very slow so far, with only one TCL catching our attention. We expect the likes of Samsung, LG, and co to get involved with flagship models soon.

MacBooks are $100 off right now, but could go a bit lower perhaps, even with recent price hikes and the RAM shortages. Most of the best style deals we've seen today are on shoes, so if you're after more items for your winter wardrobe, we'd hold on a bit longer.

The best Prime Day tech deals

• Browse at Amazon: Lightning deals | Tech | Kitchen | Home | Fashion | Toys | Halloween

Prime Day Home & kitchen deals

• Browse at Amazon: Lightning deals | Tech | Kitchen | Home | Fashion | Toys | Halloween

Prime Day style & beauty

• See more at Amazon: Lightning deals | Tech | Kitchen | Home | Fashion | Toys | Halloween

When is the October Prime Day sale?

Prime Big Deal Days, also known as Prime Day 2, will officially run from midnight PT on October 6 through to 11:59 p.m. PT on October 7.

This 48-hour window is when most deals will be live, though some started a few days earlier over the weekend. You might get a few stragglers hanging on on Thursday, but not many.

Does every Prime Day deal stay live during the sale?

No. There are lightning deals that are often live for only a few hours or until they sell out. Amazon is also releasing new deals intermittently during the two-day sale, so new offers will appear throughout.

Non-lightning deals are generally supposed to last until the sale ends once they go live, but Amazon and its merchant partners often only have a set number of units they're willing to sell at a Prime Day price, so it's not uncommon to see some items become unavailable or go back up to their regular price in the middle of the event.

Why trust Business Insider

I've covered every Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days since Amazon started the events way back in 2015. In addition to product testing, I have been writing about deals, sales seasons, and price comparisons for most of my career, and have trained a dedicated team of deal hunters at various international publications on how to spot a great deal and filter out also-rans.

How are we picking the deals?

Because I want to help you connect with genuinely great products, the first place I look for a deal is right here, in our buying guides.

These articles are packed with quality items our team and a squad of talented expert freelancers have tested and reviewed. So I'll check Amazon to see if any of our top picks are on sale and whether the discount is significant enough to warrant highlighting here. And also double-check it's not cheaper elsewhere.

It could be the best price of the year, an all-time low, or a discount that still seems worth a punt given current events affecting prices on many items in 2026. Things like tariffs or the RAM crisis. After all, we expect many things, electronics in particular, to get more expensive going forward for a while.

If I'm highlighting a deal on an item we haven't tested on the team, you can rest assured we've done our due diligence by looking up reviews from other sites, if available, customer reviews and ratings, and checking for any red flags or frequent return labels on Amazon. TLDR: products I'd consider putting my own money down for, or recommending to friends or family.

Shopping for more discounts today? Check out our roundup of all Prime Day articles of the best Prime Day deals, or browse Amazon's website for the full selection.

• David Robinson, formerly OpenAI's safety lead, has long been interested in rules around technology.
• Robinson quit OpenAI this week and said the AI giant is moving too fast without regard for safety.
• Robinson said he would now work from outside the company to strengthen safety incentives.

David Robinson, a leader on OpenAI's Safety Systems team who quit the company this week, once had ambitions to bring philosophy to journalism.

A Rhodes Scholar, Robinson graduated from Princeton in 2004 with a degree in philosophy. At Princeton, he led the school newspaper's opinion section.

In a 2003 interview with the Daily Princetonian, Robinson said he wanted to be the kind of reporter who "tells you what the facts are and then gets to the philosophical differences that explain the situation."

Now, Robinson's name is in the headlines — and a notable byline. He left OpenAI, the same week three other safety researchers were fired, and issued a blistering essay for The Atlantic about what he said is OpenAI's inadequate approach to safety.

"I agree with other recently departed staff that the companies building this technology aren't being nearly careful enough," Robinson wrote in the essay.

Robinson and the PR firm he said he hired responded to Business Insider's requests for comment.

A former OpenAI colleague, who was head of futurism at the company until July, said in a post on X that Robinson is not an ideologue.

"My impression of David from our time overlapping at OpenAI is of a sober and thoughtful person who didn't approach the work from an ideological lens," Joshua Achiam wrote.

"This isn't someone who came in with pre-formed opinions about existential risk," he added. "He was consistently productive, collaborative, and well-reasoned in his approach to safety."

A review of Robinson's published essays, interviews, and books dating back to his days as an undergraduate paints a picture of a man deeply concerned with the impact of technology on humanity.

In 2002, he authored "Voices in the Code," published by the Russell Sage Foundation, about the creation of an algorithm for kidney transplant donation.

His résumé says he is writing a second book titled "Reclaiming Who We Are" that will use "social psychology, Buddhist philosophy, feminist theory, history, and sociology to argue for wiser use of algorithmic labeling systems."

"All through my life, I've been fascinated by the rules that surround technology and how we decide when and how we're going to use it," he said in a 2022 interview on the Princeton Alumni Weekly podcast.

From journalism to tech policy

Robinson grew up in Potomac, M.D., an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C.

As a child in the 1990s with a mild case of cerebral palsy, Robinson said, his teachers created a new rule that allowed him to use a word processor in lieu of pen and paper.

"Ever since then, I've been interested in the social impacts of new digital technologies," he said in a UC Berkeley interview in 2021.

During summers as an undergrad at Princeton, he interned at Time Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, according to his LinkedIn page.

He told the Daily Princetonian in 2003 that after gaining experience as a reporter, he hoped to write for a literary magazine like The New Yorker or Harper's.

After Princeton, Robinson got a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford before returning to Princeton to start a research center about the relation between technology and public policy.

"Part of the idea was that, if you're navigating the policy and the values choices that come up around new technologies, it's a big help to have some real depth of technical expertise," he said in the Berkeley interview.

In 2011, Robinson and a colleague from Princeton founded Upturn, an organization that aimed to use algorithmic technologies to make government data more accessible.

He joined OpenAI after lecturing tech execs about ethics

After research and teaching roles at several universities and a one-year tenure as a faculty director at Apple University, where Robinson gave seminars for Apple executives on the ethical questions prompted by new technologies, Robinson joined OpenAI in 2023.

Originally hired as the head of policy planning at the ChatGPT maker, Robinson wrote in a LinkedIn announcement of his new position that "I look forward to helping shape OpenAI's engagement in the broader AI policy debate, at this critical moment."

In a 2023 appearance at the AI Governance Summit hosted by the World Economic Forum, Robinson said OpenAI performs robust safety checks before releasing models and that the company wasn't solely motivated by profit.

"We believe in deploying gradually and then learning as we go," he said.

Recently, Robinson has posted concerns on X about OpenAI's ability to balance safety with increasingly advanced models.

"Things @openai are indeed changing significantly by the day, but I do not know whether we are changing fast enough," he said last month. "I think it is still true, as @hilbertspaess puts it, that many of us 'have not deeply internalized the civilizational stakes.'"

Then, on Friday, Business Insider exclusively reported that Robinson was out at the company. The next day, he published a lengthy essay in the Atlantic explaining why he left.

What's next for Robinson?

Robinson's departure follows that of Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic engineer who quit last month and warned that AI could cause mass extinction. In his Atlantic essay, Robinson addressed the argument that he could do more to improve safety by staying at OpenAI than by leaving.

Robinson wrote that, by working on the outside, he "can help more people understand the risks I saw, and strengthen the incentives OpenAI and other firms have to be safer."

He said he chose to leave because "as the company sprints from one launch to the next, it is failing to achieve the level of care that I believe is needed."

In response to Robinson's essay, an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement that the company is working to ensure that AI models don't outpace the safety measures it has implemented.

"As our models become more capable, we continue to strengthen our safety and security practices to address the risks we see today while building safety cases to anticipate the risks of future advances," the spokesperson said. "We're making sure our models don't become more capable than we can safely manage and secure, and we pause training or hold back models when we need to slow down."

• Swiss investors showcase their wealth each April by carrying blue briefcases filled with chocolate.
• Lindt gifts them to voting shareholders each year, but a share costs around $100,000.
• One local investor described the "quirky tradition" as a "very Swiss kind of flex."

From Patagonia vests to Rolex Submariners, the finance world is full of status symbols and fashion flexes. Wealthy Swiss investors have one of the weirdest: a blue briefcase filled with roughly 10 pounds of chocolate.

Lindt shareholders who vote at the Swiss chocolatier's annual meeting in Zurich every April receive a "Schokoladekoffer" or "chocolate suitcase."

The briefcase is free, but a Lindt voting share costs around 78,000 Swiss francs, or more than $94,000. The shares have traded as high as 132,000 Swiss francs — north of $150,000 — within the past year.

"Nobody rationally spends around 100,000 Swiss francs on a share because they want 3kg of free chocolate," Thierry Borgeat, the cofounder and chief investor of Swiss asset manager arvy, told Business Insider by email on Monday. "But that is exactly what makes it fun."

"It's a flex — but a very Swiss kind of flex," Borgeat continued. "You don't buy a Ferrari or a flashy watch to show people you have money. You own one registered share in a 180-year-old Swiss chocolate company, attend the annual meeting, and then quietly walk through Zurich carrying three kilograms of chocolate in a blue suitcase."

Borgeat recalled that when he worked in wealth management, clients and private bankers would bring their sweet hauls to the office after the annual meeting and share their bars and truffles.

Doing so "had the convenient side effect of letting everyone know that you owned a full Lindt registered share," he said.

Borgeat noted the "quirky tradition has become so exclusive" because Lindt has been an "exceptional long-term investment," resulting in its shares becoming "extraordinarily valuable over time."

Lindt stock climbed from around 3,600 Swiss francs in April 1995 to 132,000 at its peak last October, a 36-fold increase. But it has slumped in recent months as record temperatures have sapped sales, and historically high cocoa prices have inflated the chocolatier's costs and crimped its profits.

Why Lindt rewards its investors

"We consider this a thank you for their efforts," a Lindt & Sprüngli spokesperson told Business Insider about the company's yearly gift to voting shareholders.

"The box contains a variety of Lindt products such as Excellence bars and Lindor truffles, but we don't reveal what's exactly inside because it's meant to be a surprise for our shareholders," the spokesperson added.

Lawrence Cunningham, the director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, said the gift boxes were "good marketing and a thoughtful gesture."

"It thanks shareholders for showing up and puts the company's product in their hands," he said, adding that it also fosters goodwill.

The buzzy phenomenon is reminiscent of Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting. Every May, thousands of shareholders from across the world fly to Warren Buffett's hometown of Omaha, not only to see the legendary investor in person, but also to load up on discounted wares from Berkshire's many businesses, including boxed-chocolate maker See's Candies.

Borgeat said he can "definitely see the similarities" between Berkshire and Lindt as "companies that become more than just investments — they create a sense of identity and community among their shareholders."

"Berkshire has Omaha and See's Candies," he continued. "Lindt has Zurich and the blue chocolate suitcase."

• Intel stock fell dropped 3 %to start the week.
• Shares dipped following a post from Elon Musk over the weekend that hinted a partnership with TSMC.

The move: Intel stock dropped 3% to start the week, dipping to a low of $115.31. Shares of the US chipmaker are up 213% year to date.

Why: The stock dropped as the week began following a weekend post from Elon Musk that hinted at a deepening partnership with an Intel rival.

On Saturday, Musk addressed a report from tech journalist and researcher Tim Culpan, who claimed that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company could work with Terafab, Musk's planned semiconductor plant being developed by Tesla, SpaceX, and Intel.

Musk responded to a post sharing Culpan's report, stating "Just discussions, but something may come of it."

TSMC shares were up about 1% on Monday.

What it means: There's no deal yet between Musk's companies and TSMC, but the market's reaction to the possibility of a partnership has spooked investors who may have been betting on Intel being the top hardware beneficiary of the Terafab project. Data from Stocktwits shows that sentiment among retail investors shifted to bearish following Musk's post.

Intel joined the Terafab project in April, with the stock rallying at that time, but a deal with TSMC could vault the Taiwanese chip company into a much bigger role in the project.

"The most likely scenario is for TSMC to try to own and operate the new factory," Tim Culpan of Culpium Research wrote in the note that prompted the response from Musk.

• When my partner and I started dating, we had similar incomes and opinions on how to split expenses.
• Once we moved in together, though, we realized we wanted our money to go toward different things.
• We came up with a plan that helped us, and accepted that sometimes, we'd just have to compromise.

I was born and raised in Mexico, but I spent most of my financially independent adult life in New York and London.

Living abroad made me second-guess a lot of the norms related to money and dating that I'd long internalized — for instance, the expectation that in a heterosexual relationship, men should just pay for everything.

For years, though, I was single, so I never had to decide how I'd actually split finances with another person.

Things changed when I entered a serious relationship. Funny enough, my partner's background is remarkably similar to mine: She is also Mexican and has built much of her adult life abroad.

Given our similarities, I was curious to see how we'd approach money as a couple.

We seemed pretty in sync until we decided to move in together

At first, we set an expectation that we'd go 50/50 on things like date nights and groceries.

We had similar salaries, neither of us expected the other to fund our lifestyle, and dividing shared expenses down the middle felt like the simplest solution. This system felt like a breath of fresh air after growing up with the idea that men should always pay for everything.

Then, several months into our relationship, we decided to move in together.

Suddenly, we had to agree on how much of our monthly income we were comfortable putting toward rent. She wanted to find a slightly more expensive place in a better location, with more space — a home we genuinely loved.

I, on the other hand, felt like we could find a more affordable spot and save money for things like flights and nice dinners.

The conversation made me realize: Our main difference isn't how much we earn, or even how much we spend, but what we want our money to do for us. Once we found a place and moved in together, the same tension started appearing everywhere.

What feels worthwhile to me can feel unnecessary to her, and vice versa

I am much quicker to spend on travel and experiences. Paying for a flight somewhere new, a weekend away, video games, or even Pokémon cards can make perfect sense to me. I tend to judge a purchase by the enjoyment or experience I expect to get from it.

My partner is more willing to spend on her well-being: our home, clothes, cleaning, and things that make everyday life nicer. For her, anything that would improve our apartment is obviously something worth buying.

I can look at the same thing and wonder whether we need it at all. I am sure she has had exactly the same reaction to some of my purchases.

This has caused friction, because our equal-split system started to feel unfair when one of us had to pay for something we didn't want. Even when it came to things we both enjoy, such as eating dinner together, she would rather buy ingredients to cook our meal at home, whereas I'd rather splurge on going to an upscale Italian restaurant.

We are not a classic saver-and-spender couple. We are both willing to spend. We just have different ideas about what deserves our money.

With time, we stopped trying to make every expense perfectly equal

Eventually, we began thinking about our finances in categories. There are things we need, things I care about, things she cares about, and things we genuinely enjoy together. Seeing our spending this way made it easier to separate shared decisions from personal preferences.

We created a joint savings account, which gives us a place to put money toward some goals that belong to both of us — like theater tickets or a new TV — as well as expenses like rent. With our separate accounts, we each pay for our own priorities, like plane tickets for me and house plants for her.

As our circumstances evolved, we also moved beyond a rigid 50/50 split and began dividing shared costs proportionally according to income.

However, we try to still be flexible and not keep score. For example, I don't drink. If we order wine at dinner, I could insist that we exclude it from my half of the bill, since technically, that might be more precise.

I do not think a relationship works if every amount has to be allocated perfectly, though. Sometimes I contribute toward something she enjoys, and she does the same for me. Compromise is part of the point, and love is the center of everything.

We still don't agree on every purchase, and I don't think we need to. What matters is knowing what belongs to me, what belongs to her, and what we want badly enough to build together.

Our next shared project is already waiting: a dog.

• CNN CEO Mark Thompson will remain in charge as David Ellison's Skydance buys Warner Bros. Discovery.
• The news giant will share common ownership with CBS News, which Ellison shook up by hiring Bari Weiss.
• Read Thompson's full memo to CNN employees.

Mark Thompson isn't going anywhere.

David Ellison is keeping CNN's top executive in place as Paramount buys Warner Bros. Discovery, the news giant's parent company. The merger will put CNN and CBS News under one corporate roof.

Thompson, who's led CNN since October 2023, told staffers on Monday that he's staying at the network. His title will be chairman and editor-in-chief.

"I'm convinced that from David Ellison on down, Paramount Skydance leadership really does believe in news alongside entertainment as a top strategic opportunity for our new company," Thompson said in a memo obtained by Business Insider.

Thompson told employees he has "real confidence" that Ellison will "understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for."

The future of CNN — and particularly its editorial independence — was a hot political topic ahead of the $110 billion mega-merger of Paramount and WBD. Critics were concerned Ellison and his father, Larry — the Oracle billionaire and longtime Trump ally — could bend the operation to be more favorable to the president. Ellison has broadly denied any interest in interfering politically in newsrooms under his control.

As part of the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit brought by 12 states, Paramount will create an independent editorial board to monitor editorial principles at both CNN and CBS News. It will report to the combined entity's corporate board through its chief compliance officer.

Thompson said in his memo that leadership at Ellison's new-look media giant had "seen our digital strategy and are as excited about it as we are."

CNN's top boss previously told staffers not to assume that the network would combine with CBS News after Paramount completed the WBD deal.

"Don't jump to conclusions that we become one with CBS News," CNN CEO Mark Thompson had told staffers at a September town hall, a person familiar with the meeting said.

Ellison shook up CBS News by hiring Bari Weiss as the network's top editor last October. Weiss, a former New York Times opinion editor, cofounded the conservative-friendly site The Free Press, which Ellison bought for about $150 million.

Weiss, who hadn't previously worked in TV news, has critiqued the mainstream media. She has faced accusations of editorial interference and political bias from former CBS News employees, which she has denied.

Paramount CEO David Ellison hasn't said much about how CNN and CBS News will operate under common ownership. The media mogul has expressed interest in building a "scaled news service," though he hasn't publicly given specifics.

Besides CNN and CBS News, the combined company will house assets including two major movie studios, HBO, HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto TV, and a slew of cable TV channels. Paramount said it expects the deal to close on Tuesday.

Read Thompson's full memo to CNN employees below:

Dear All,

As you know, Paramount Skydance will close its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery tomorrow, and CNN will have new owners. Later today, the company is announcing the anticipated leadership lineup of the company which is now called Skydance. You'll see my name on the list as Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of CNN. I'm writing to you now to explain what that means.

The specifics of how CNN will plug into and operate in the new company have yet to be finalized — hardly surprising given that serious discussions could only begin after Paramount's anti-trust settlement a few days ago. So I can't answer every question today. Nonetheless there are a few important things I can say:

First, I'm convinced that from David Ellison on down, Paramount Skydance leadership really does believe in news alongside entertainment as a top strategic opportunity for our new company. They've seen our digital strategy and are as excited about it as we are.

And second, having now spoken to them at length on the topic, I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for. That's why I will be leading CNN into this new chapter as it becomes one of Skydance's suite of major media assets and global brands, and leading it as an independent Editor-in-Chief with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have now.

I know many of you have had trepidations about this moment. That's understandable — indeed, as I've hinted before, I've had the odd moment or two myself! But I want to say that on the eve of the acquisition of CNN by Paramount Skydance, I find myself in a very positive frame of mind. I really do believe we'll be working alongside a team who don't just have real vision and real energy, but real values as well.

We'll make sure that everyone gets details of how to watch the actual launch of the company tomorrow.

More to come, and all the best,

Mark

• The biggest hedge funds had a muted September.
• Izzy Englander's juggernaut Millennium was flat on the month, while Citadel made 1.1% in its flagship.
• Fixed-income-heavy managers struggled as interest rates rose.

A tough month for fixed-income investors resulted in a muted month for the hedge funds' biggest names that invest across asset classes.

Izzy Englander's $97 billion Millennium Management was flat in September, a person close to the New York-based manager told Business Insider. The firm has gained 8.1% on the year.

Michael Gelband's ExodusPoint Capital Management lost 0.7% in September, according to a person close to the firm. Gelband, who was once led Millennium's fixed-income unit, has now returned 4.1% in 2026.

At Ken Griffin's Miami-based firm, Citadel was able to overcome the bond market turmoil and generate a return.

The $76 billion firm was up 1.1% in its flagship fund, a person close to the firm told Business Insider. That puts the fund's year-to-date gains at 13.4%.

Griffin's equities-focused funds — which soared after the manager bought Leopold Aschenbrenner's public portfolio at a discount at the end of July — continued their strong year in September. All four fundamental equities businesses at the firm were positive last month, the person close to the firm said, and year-to-date performance for its Tactical Trading fund that blends quant and traditional stockpickers is 28%.

For players more focused on picking stocks, September was an easier ride. The S&P 500 finished the month down roughly 0.5%, but managers including North Rock Capital and Dymon Asia made money. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors' flagship fund was flat in September, but is up 6.8% in 2026.

The firms mentioned declined to comment. Numbers will be added to the table as they are confirmed.

This story was originally published on October 1 at 12:29 pm. New figures have been added to the table below as they have been learned.

• "Twilight" was a huge part of culture following the book's release on October 5, 2006.
• Adults who starred in the movie adaptation already had careers, but the young stars were basically unknowns.
• We've ranked all the teens of Forks based on their careers post-"Twilight."

Nothing signifies the coming of fall like the opening guitar lick of The Blue Foundation's "Eyes on Fire."

As "Twilight," the book by Stephenie Meyer, celebrates its 21st anniversary on October 5, and the film adaptation turns 18 on November 17, we're taking a look at the new generation of stars the Twihards were introduced to in "Twilight" and its subsequent four sequels.

We ranked the 16 actors who portrayed the teens of Forks (and La Push) based on success, with factors including, but not limited to, quality and quantity of projects, social media followings, other business ventures outside entertainment, and general presence in pop culture today.

Here's who we think are the most successful "Twilight" (former) teens.

16. Tyson Houseman

Houseman, who played one of Jacob's friends and fellow werewolves Quil, only has one acting credit to his name outside of "Twilight," a 2015 horror film called "Feed the Devil."

In 2026, he directed a short film called "Endless Sunlight."

According to his website, Houseman, 36, tours with his theater company and is an accomplished puppeteer. He has nearly 5,000 followers on Instagram and 24,200 on X.

15. Michael Welch

Welch, who played Bella's third suitor — the only human one, Mike — is still acting frequently. 

The 39-year-old had actually been a TV star before "Twilight," with a leading role in "Joan of Arcadia." Welch returned to the medium with episodes of "Grimm" and "Bones" before landing a leading role on SyFy series "Z Nation."

After that ended in 2018, he appeared on episodes of "Scandal," "Lucifer," "Station 19," the reboot of "Quantum Leap," and others.

He has 40,600 followers on Instagram and 60,800 on X.

14. Alex Meraz

Meraz, 41, played a member of Jacob's pack, Paul. After "Twilight," he appeared in episodes of "The Glades" and "Single Ladies." He then scored roles in "Suicide Squad" and "Bright" before landing a recurring role in "Animal Kingdom."

He also wrote, directed, and starred in a film, "Bad Dad," which was released in 2020.

Meraz appeared in four episodes of "The Walking Dead" in 2021 and 2022 as Carver. He also appeared alongside Machine Gun Kelly, Sam Worthington, and Heather Graham in "The Last Son."

Most recently, he appeared in four episodes of "Landman" and four episodes of "Dark Winds" alongside his fellow pack member Kiowa Gordon.

He's set to costar with Chris Hemsworth, Lily James, and Michael Peña in the coming thriller "Subversion."

Meraz has 36,000 followers on Instagram.

13. Nikki Reed

Reed, who played Edward's ice-queen sister Rosalie, was a child star due to her role in the controversial film "Thirteen."

Since "Twilight" ended, Reed hasn't acted that much. She's appeared in multiple direct-to-video films like "Pawn," "Empire State," "In Your Eyes," and "About Scout." Reed also appeared in 18 episodes of "Sleepy Hollow" as Betsy Ross.

In 2019, she was in an episode of "Dollface" and five episodes of "V-Wars," which starred her husband Ian Somerhalder. She hasn't appeared on screen since.

Instead, Reed, 38, has been focusing on activism and her sustainable jewelry line, BaYou with Love, and her supplements brand, The Absorption Company.

Even though she's stepped back from acting, she still has a sizable social media presence, with 3.8 million Instagram followers and 620,100 X followers.

12. Jackson Rathbone

Rathbone played Jasper, the newest member of the Cullen family and a former Confederate soldier. Like many of his on-screen siblings, Rathbone has stuck to indies, shorts, and VOD films. The 41-year-old starred in the box-office bomb "Samson," which was produced and distributed by evangelical Christian company Pure Flix.

He also starred in the MTV series "Finding Carter."

Rathbone's big break as a leading man actually came during the "Twilight" run, when he was cast as Sokka in "The Last Airbender," a notorious flop. The movie was released the same year as "Eclipse," and it effectively took him out of mainstream box office contention.

Rathbone has 1.1 million followers on Instagram and 328,600 followers on X.

11. Ashley Greene

Greene, who played the delightfully kooky Alice Cullen, starred in the one-season wonder "Pan Am" the same year that "Breaking Dawn Part 2" was released.

Since then, Greene has appeared in indie films like "CBGB" and "Wish I Was Here," as well as VOD-only films like "Staten Island Summer" and "Urge." She also had a small role in "Bombshell" as TV journalist Abby Huntsman.

She starred in the Netflix horror film "Aftermath" in August 2021, and in 2022, she costarred with Bruce Willis in "Wrong Place." In 2025, she appeared in two VOD horror films: "The Ritual" and "It Feeds."

On the TV front, Greene, 39, appeared in 17 episodes of DirecTV's "Rogue" and YouTube's "Step Up: High Water," which was canceled and then picked up by Starz, as well as an episode of "Wonder Man" as herself.

Greene has 1.9 million followers on Instagram and 1.4 million on X.

10. Kellan Lutz

Lutz, 41, appeared in all five films as the boisterous Emmett Cullen, Edward's brother. Once the films ended, Lutz was poised to become one of Hollywood's next leading men, but due to some questionable career choices, he's been relegated to TV.

What was meant to be his big break, 2014's "The Legend of Hercules," ended up being a huge box-office bomb. After that, Lutz had a small role in "The Expendables 3" and roles in VOD films like "Money" and "Extraction."

In 2019, he appeared on two episodes of "FBI" to set up the new spin-off, "FBI: Most Wanted," in which he starred for the first three seasons. He left the show in September 2021 to move back to California with his family.

Lutz has 1.1 million followers on Instagram and 737,200 on X.

9. Mackenzie Foy

While Foy, 25, only appeared in two films as Renesmee Cullen (the "Breaking Dawns"), her character made quite the impression. She was even nominated for a Young Artist Award.

Since then, Foy has appeared in "The Conjuring" (a mega-hit), "Interstellar" (mega-hit), and "The Little Prince" (the most successful French animated film abroad of all time). She got her first chance at a real leading role with "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms," which ended up as a box-office bomb, but it had a budget of over $100 million, which is still a huge opportunity.

Foy also starred in Disney+'s "Black Beauty" in 2020 alongside Kate Winslet, and she has 1.7 million followers on Instagram and 55,600 on X (although she hasn't tweeted since 2018).

In 2026, she costarred with Sean Bean and Joe Pantoliano in "The Isolate Thief."

8. Justin Chon

Chon, who is probably still best known for his role as Eric in "The Twilight Saga" — one of Bella's high school friends — has been steadily working since the series ended. He has directed four films, and his 2021 film, "Blue Bayou," received some Oscar buzz. He also co-starred in the film with Alicia Vikander.

Chon has also directed episodes of "Pachinko" and "Chief of War."

On the acting front, he appeared in an episode of "New Girl," and multiple episodes of "Sin City Saints," "Dr. Ken," and "Deception." He also had a successful YouTube career, with more than 199,000 subscribers (though the channel seems to be inactive now), and is part of the parody K-pop group Boys Generally Asian.

Chon, 45, also has 160,000 followers on Instagram.

7. Kiowa Gordon

Gordon, who played one of Jacob's werewolf friends, Embry, had a recurring role on the CW series "Roswell, New Mexico" as Flint Manes, the older brother of one of the main characters, from 2019 to 2020.

In 2022, he began costarring with Zahn McClarnon on "Dark Winds," an AMC series based on the "Leaphorn and Chee" book series, as Jim Chee. It currently has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and was renewed for a fifth season coming in 2027.

The 36-year-old has also appeared in other projects like "The Red Road" and "The Liberator," and he has 52,900 followers on Instagram and 63,400 on X.

6. Christian Serratos

Serratos, who played Bella's sweetly shy friend Angela, starred in "The Walking Dead" as Rosita Espinosa. She appeared in 129 episodes over its 11 seasons until the show's end in 2022.

But what should've been her big break came in 2020 when she was cast as famed Tejano icon Selena, who was murdered in 1995.

Serratos, 36, played the singer in Netflix's "Selena: The Series," which covered her rise to fame and eventual untimely death. The first part was released in December 2020, and the second part dropped in May 2021. Though the critical reception was tepid, Netflix announced it was watched by 25 million households in the first 28 days after its debut.

However, she hasn't had that much of a bump from the show. She's only been in an episode of "Love, Death & Robots" in 2022 since "Selena."

She currently has 2.5 million followers on Instagram.

5. Booboo Stewart

Stewart, who played Seth Clearwater starting with "Eclipse," has kept very busy since the end of the film series. He joined the "X-Men" universe in 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past" as Warpath, starred in the first three "Descendants" movies as Jay, the son of Jafar, popped up in "Westworld," and co-starred in 2020's "Let Him Go" with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane.

He also recurred on the dearly departed Netflix series "Julie and the Phantoms," and recurred in season four of "Good Trouble" in 2022. The 32-year-old also starred in the Prime Video musical series "Paradise City," a continuation of the characters from the film "American Satan."

Up next is a road trip comedy called "Pipe Cleaner Boy."

He's also part of the band tbh.

Stewart has 2.2 million followers on Instagram.

4. Taylor Lautner

Pre-"Twilight," Lautner was already very famous to a certain age group — those who had grown up with "Shark Boy and Lava Girl." Lautner was cast in "Twilight" as Jacob Black, but he was very close to being recast for "New Moon" and subsequent films due to the physical transformation Jacob went through. Instead, Lautner put on pounds of muscle and remained in the cast.

After "Breaking Dawn Part 2," Lautner's career slowed down. He's only appeared in five films since the series ended: "Grown Ups 2" in an uncredited role, "Tracers," "The Ridiculous Six," "Run the Tide," and "Home Team" in 2022. But he had a recurring starring role in BBC One's "Cuckoo" from 2014 to 2018, and he appeared in "Scream Queens" in 2016.

At some point, he'll appear in the film "The Token Groomsman" with Sarah Hyland and Andie MacDowell.

Of course, Lautner's association with his ex, Taylor Swift, has helped his ranking. In 2023, he appeared in the music video for "I Can See You," a song from "Speak Now: Taylor's Version," which was originally written around the time the two were dating. He also popped up on the Eras Tour.

Currently, he cohosts a podcast called "The Squeeze" with his wife, Taylor "Tay" Lautner — yes, his wife is also named Taylor.

Nostalgia clearly helps Lautner, 34, on social media — he has 11.2 million followers on Instagram.

3. Anna Kendrick

The same year Kendrick, 41, appeared in "New Moon," she also co-starred in "Up in the Air" alongside George Clooney and was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress.

The next year, at the same time as "Eclipse," she appeared in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." Essentially, she was already reaching levels of stardom that others in the cast would aspire to — and she was playing the minor role of Jessica, one of Bella's friends in "Twilight."

The year after "Breaking Dawn Part 2," Kendrick starred in "Pitch Perfect," which would spawn two sequels, earn over $100 million at the box office, and earn her a top 10 hit on the Hot 100 with "Cups."

Besides "Pitch Perfect," Kendrick has also starred in musicals like "Into the Woods" and "The Last Five Years," was nominated for an Emmy for her work in "Dummy," starred in one of HBO Max's first original series ("Love Life"), joined another franchise with "Trolls," and wrote a memoir.

Other popular films she's been in include "A Simple Favor" and its 2025 sequel, "Another Simple Favor," as well as "Noelle" and "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates," among others. She also made her directorial debut in 2023 with "Woman of the Hour."

But she hasn't had a really huge hit since 2018.

She also has 24 million followers on Instagram and 5.7 million on X.

2. Kristen Stewart

Stewart is almost unrecognizable from her days as leading damsel in distress Bella Swan — though, of course, she was already a bit famous as a child star from roles in "Panic Room" and "Catch That Kid."

After the end of "Twilight," and the critical flop that was "Snow White and the Huntsman," Stewart focused on prestige projects like "Clouds of Sils Maria," "Still Alice," and "Personal Shopper."

In 2019, she began exploring mainstream films again, appearing in "Charlie's Angels." The next year, she starred in the sci-fi horror film "Underwater" and the first major LGBTQ+ holiday rom-com "Happiest Season."

In 2021, she took on her most challenging role to date — Princess Diana in the semi-fictional biopic "Spencer" — which earned her rave reviews and an Academy Award nomination.

In 2022, she had a scene-stealing role in David Cronenberg's "Crimes of the Future."

Since then, the 36-year-old starred in the surely-soon-to-be cult classic "Love Lies Bleeding" and starred and produced in the film "The Wrong Girls," which was directed by her wife, Dylan Meyer.

Up next is a return to her roots: vampires. She's set to costar with Wagner Moura in the vampire gothic thriller "Flesh of the Gods."

No doubt to the disappointment of her fans, she doesn't have any social media accounts.

1. Robert Pattinson

Pattinson already had a small reputation from his role in "Harry Potter," but when he was cast as Edward Cullen, he almost immediately became an A-lister.

After concluding the last "Twilight" film, Pattinson focused on working with talented directors, like the Safdie brothers ("Good Time"), Werner Herzog ("Queen of the Desert"), Claire Denis ("High Life"), Robert Eggers ("The Lighthouse"), and Christopher Nolan ("Tenet") — the latter was also his reintroduction into blockbuster films. Of course, that return was cemented by his casting as Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, in "The Batman," which made over $700 million. A highly anticipated sequel is in production.

Pattinson, who also does not have an Instagram account, has continued to prove in 2026 that he's capable of holding the screen as an action star.

The 40-year-old has appeared in three huge films this year: "The Drama," which he and Zendaya dragged over the $100+ million threshold; "The Odyssey," one of the biggest movies of the year in which he played a scene-stealing meme machine; and "Primetime," in which he reimagines "To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen as a malevolent entity reflecting our culture's worst impulses.

And that's not even including "Dune: Part Three," which comes out in December.

• Ukraine's robotic gun turrets have achieved their first interceptions of Russia's fastest attack drone.
• The AI-enabled turrets were deployed around Kyiv amid an uptick in jet-powered drone attacks.
• Ukraine has struggled to defend against this faster class of Russian strike weapons.

Ukraine has used artificial intelligence-enabled robotic gun turrets to shoot down Russia's fastest attack drones for the first time, a senior Air Force official confirmed on Monday.

Yurii Inhat, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson, said automated gun turrets have intercepted Russian jet-powered drones, including the Geran-5 — a significant development for Kyiv as it struggles to defend against Russia's high-speed weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that more than a dozen turrets were installed around Kyiv, with another eight planned for deployment across the wider region, to counter the rise in Russia's jet-powered drones.

Inhat described the turrets as "innovative technologies" that rely on AI and machine vision to enable the interception. Speaking during a national telethon, he said the guns have a limited range, Ukrainian media reported.

At least some of the turrets will be installed on Kyiv's bridges, which Russian forces have targeted multiple times with drones over the past week amid a broader escalation of attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

Ukraine has not disclosed the specific type of turret deployed. The system does, however, feature a .50-caliber machine gun, Zelenskyy revealed, a typical weapon used by mobile air defense units.

Last year, Ukraine confirmed the deployment of the Sky Sentinel, an AI-powered turret capable of shooting down Russian attack drones.

Russia is increasingly using drones powered by mini turbojet engines to attack Ukraine; Kyiv said Moscow launched 2,800 in August compared to 350 in June. The Geran-5, the newest and fastest of the models in service, can reach speeds of up to 375 mph.

The uptick in jet-powered drones over the past few months has presented a significant challenge for Ukrainian air defenses. Inhat said on Monday that the interception rate for these drones is 50% to 70%, compared to over 85% for older, slower propeller-powered models like the Geran-2.

The new turret deployment reflects Ukraine's efforts to bolster its air defenses in response to the growing threat of jet-powered drones.

Ukrainian defense companies are also upgrading the speed of their interceptor drones. Some next-generation models have already shot down jet-powered drones, including the Geran-5,

The "Bars" long-range drone has the highest success rate among the Ukrainian interceptors with a 30% shoot-down rate, Zelenskyy said over the weekend. "Others are catching up as well."

• Market maker Citadel Securities sees a reset coming for the stock market as Q4 kicks off.
• The firm's Scott Rubner says several catalysts are opening a window for investors to reload.
• "Positioning is cleaner, valuations are lower, earnings are returning," Rubner said.

September lived up to its reputation as a tough month for investors, but Citadel Securities' top stock strategist sees better things on the horizon as the fourth quarter kicks off.

The firm's Scott Rubner predicts this month will likely set up a more hospitable investing environment, laying out in a note late last week the bull case for through year end and why it's an ideal window to load up on stocks.

"October could still bring volatility and a better entry point," he wrote in a blog post. "But positioning is cleaner, valuations are lower, earnings are returning, and several of the market's largest buyers have considerably more capacity to participate."

Rubner emphasized that it might not be a straight line up and to the right, but said that after the market's September reset, new catalysts are emerging.

For one, "the super bowl" of earnings will arrive at the end of this month, when 44% of the S&P 500 and 38% of the Nasdaq 100 report results, including the biggest tech names that have boosted the market in the second half of the year.

"US corporate profits rose 22.8% year-over-year in Q2 to a record $4.83 trillion, the largest annual increase since Q4 2021," Rubner said. "Profit growth has now accelerated for four consecutive quarters, while nominal GDP grew 6.6% over the same year. That strength is showing up again heading into Q3 earnings."

Meanwhile, Rubner also sees a comeback from stock buyers including corporations, systematic funds, and retail traders. He noted that funds are likely done selling and that historically, activity from the retail side often picks up around this time of year.

"That slowdown has historically tended to reverse in October," he said. "Cash activity has increased from September to October in each of the last four years, by an average of ~8%, while options activity has risen in each of the last three, by an average of ~15%."

All of this should lead to a more favorable market for stock pickers, even if early October brings some trading volatility.

The combination of a strong earnings season that puts more companies back in control of their own performance and the return of several key buying groups is likely setting stocks up to surge in the coming months, following the path laid out in recent years once the fall trading season kicks off.

"September has also historically been the low point for dispersion before levels begin to pick back up through October and November alongside earnings and year-end flows," Rubner noted. "That is the opportunity. Index volatility has normalized, but the opportunity set underneath the index remains considerably richer."

• KPMG has a new global chairman and CEO: Gary Wingrove.
• From AI transformation to an auditing scandal, he's taken over at a turbulent time for consulting.
• Business Insider spoke to industry watchers about the challenges Wingrove faces as he starts his tenure.

KPMG has a new boss.

On October 1, Gary Wingrove took over as global chairman and CEO of the Big Four accounting and consulting firm, succeeding Bill Thomas after an eight-year tenure.

Wingrove joined KPMG in 2000 and most recently held roles as CEO of KPMG Australia from 2013 to 2021 and international COO. He now oversees more than 276,000 employees across KPMG's member firms.

The firms operate as a global network of legally separate firms rather than as a single company, making the role of global chair different from that of a typical corporate CEO.

Big Four leaders typically spend decades building the trust, personal networks, and credibility needed to win an internal election — the way Big Four firms choose their heads.

Once in the role, they are responsible for holding the network together across geographies, monitoring its performance, and stepping in during high-stakes crises.

KPMG did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

When Wingrove's appointment was announced in March, he said that he would aim to create an environment where KPMG employees could thrive.

AI, AI, and more AI

AI is both one of KPMG's biggest growth opportunities and a tricky management challenge.

The Big Four have cast themselves as "client zero" as AI changes the workplace — whatever happens to the rest of the workforce with AI, it probably happened inside the firms first.

Wingrove will be under pressure to ensure all of KPMG's firms innovate quickly and cohesively, and that the workforce can adapt without weakening its pipeline of future managers and partners.

"In consulting, AI is already reducing the value of some of the more junior, research-heavy and analytical work that has traditionally supported the pyramid," said James Ransome, a partner and consulting lead at executive-search and industry-analysis firm Patrick Morgan.

That raises a longer-term question: how will firms train junior staff if the work they once learned is increasingly automated?

Getting that approach right will involve rethinking both team structures and the development of junior talent, Ransome said.

On the business side, KPMG's US arm recently launched a new Client Technology & Innovation group to develop AI-native products and services that it says will move at Silicon Valley-like speed. The wider firm has invested heavily in AI tools and partnerships.

Driving growth

Wingrove, like his fellow Big Four leaders, is facing down a tougher consulting market.

KPMG is the smallest of the Big Four, both in terms of employee numbers and annual revenue. Its latest full-year financial results suggest that it is growing its business slightly faster than rivals PwC and EY.

The firm's annual revenue grew 5.1% in 2025 to $39.8 billion.

That was driven less by consulting than by KPMG's more traditional business. Audit was up 6%, and KPMG's tax revenues grew notably faster than those of its competitors — up 7.5% compared to around 5.5% at EY and Deloitte, and 1% at PwC. However, advisory grew just 2.9%, lower than its competitors.

AI offers a great pipeline of new consulting business as companies turn to consultants for help figuring out how to use AI and retrain workers. However, it's also disrupting the firms' economics and pricing model, putting pressure on time-based fees that have long underpinned the industry.

Economic uncertainty is also putting pressure on prices and comes as the firms need to invest more in technology, especially AI, Emma Carroll, a consultant at Source Global Research who advises the professional services sector, told Business Insider.

The outlook for consulting services is strong, she said.

"There's no shortage of demand. Two-thirds of organizations expect their use of external support to grow in the next 12-18 months; no one expects it to shrink."

Working across the world

The Big Four's independent network structure is particularly important for the audit function, where firms must navigate local regulations and independence requirements.

But global clients increasingly require cross-border coordination and access to shared specialist capabilities and technology.

PwC US announced in September that it plans to merge its offshoring center in India with the Indian branch of PwC. At EY, global CEO Janet Truncale has merged 18 geographical regions into 10 superregions.

In a video released on his first day, Wingrove announced Connected 2030, a global strategy intended to make KPMG a "more connected, agile and innovative global organization."

KPMG has been the least integrated of the Big Four, with practices that are siloed and run by partners who exert more control over their respective businesses, said Tom Rodenhauser, managing partner of K2 Consulting Research.

That fragmentation could be an advantage if KPMG focuses on key markets and functions, and specializes its offering for different clients rather than trying to be a one-stop shop, said Rodenhauser.

Wingrove is probably well-suited to the challenge of balancing the tension between independence and global cooperation, given his previous role as Global COO, where regional integration and global investment were already part of his remit, James Ransome said.

Dealing with trouble Down Under

One of Wingrove's most pressing challenges will be rebuilding trust after an audit-confidentiality scandal at KPMG Australia.

In March 2026, Australian Labor senator Deborah O'Neill aired whistleblower allegations that KPMG partners had accessed and shared confidential client information internally to help pursue audit work.

The whistleblower had raised concerns with KPMG internally from 2024, but the crisis became public after O'Neill's disclosure.

KPMG has since acknowledged that its initial investigation of the whistleblower's concerns wasn't rigorous enough and confirmed that client information was inappropriately shared inside the firm. Reporting of the scandal has been led by The Australian Financial Review.

The fallout has prompted resignations of several leaders, regulatory and parliamentary scrutiny, and reviews of KPMG relationships by some of its biggest clients and public-sector customers. In August, KPMG Australia said it would reduce its workforce by about 5%.

The Australian situation makes governance and reputation an important part of Wingrove's agenda, said Ransome.

"Reputational issues in one market can quickly become a broader global brand issue," he said.

• Instinct users say it texted them a shopping list pulled from chats they thought were private.
• Instinct's CEO says agents shouldn't push purchases users don't want. But users say they got them.
• Marketing and media analysts say the shopping suggestions may hint at monetization.

If Instinct has suddenly texted you a shopping list you never asked for, you're not alone.

Three early users, among dozens of X users, told Business Insider that the personal AI agent sent them unsolicited product recommendations based on details from earlier conversations.

Shruti Gandhi, a general partner and founding engineer at AI-focused venture firm Array Ventures, said Instinct sent her a shopping list despite not requesting one.

"I didn't ask for anything," Gandhi told Business Insider, adding that the agent knew she had a trip coming up.

Screenshots Gandhi shared on X show Instinct using details about her upcoming conference and keynote to create a five-item list, including a $250.75 carry-on suitcase, sunscreen, and a power bank.

The recommendations — reviewed by Business Insider — come as Instinct expanded its shopping tools through a Shopify partnership and began rolling out Instinct Selections, a feature that Shinn says draws on recommendations curated by chefs, designers, architects, and local guides.

They were not labeled as ads, and Business Insider could not determine whether Instinct earns money from resulting purchases.

But they could test a red line set by Instinct CEO Noah Shinn.

In an interview on "Invest Like The Best" posted last week, Shinn said agents should not use their knowledge of users to steer them into purchases they do not want. He criticized platforms that use paid ads to persuade people to buy products they "may or may not want."

"I think it would be a very dangerous world if Instinct were influencing the user's behavior to purchase something that they don't want to purchase or to subscribe to something that they don't want," he said.

Instinct didn't respond to a request for comment.

When a recommendation feels like a pitch

Ghandi isn't the only Instinct user to have flagged such unsolicited recommendations.

Tanmaye Bhatia, AI lead at Primary Venture Partners, said Instinct texted him unsolicited product recommendations on Tuesday.

A screenshot he published on X last Tuesday shows the agent offering picks "for the range and the road," including $15 golf alignment sticks, after drawing on earlier discussions about his golf swing and upcoming travel.

Bhatia told Business Insider he did not believe the recommendations were ads, but said they were "a bit of a turnoff."

He said Instinct should have first asked whether it could make occasional recommendations based on his personal history.

Girum Tihtina, the cofounder and CEO of medical-tourism marketplace Doctours, posted a screenshot on X last Wednesday showing Instinct recommending a "first office kit," including a monitor he said was worth roughly $200.

Tihtina told Business Insider that the message arrived randomly, when he had not been discussing shopping, and that he could not connect the recommendation to any previous conversation.

"I have no idea why it chose what to show me," Tihtina said. "I just shrugged it off as they're probably experimenting on how to make money."

The price of a personal agent

So, is this Instinct's attempt to monetize its personal AI agent?

On "Invest Like The Best" last Monday, Shinn described a business model in which Instinct stays free for users while merchants pay it a cut when it brings them a customer and helps complete a purchase.

That does not establish that Instinct earned money from the unsolicited recommendations.

But marketing analysts told Business Insider the shopping suggestions highlight a potential conflict: An agent is supposed to advise its user, but may also have a financial incentive to turn that user's personal information into a purchase.

Davood Wadi, an AI research scientist at General Motors and a research affiliate at McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management, said the key unanswered question is whether Instinct makes money when a user buys something it suggests. If it does, "then yes, this is monetization, even without any ads," he said.

Kirk Plangger, chair and head of marketing at King's Business School, urged caution. There is "no evidence that these particular recommendations were paid placements or that Instinct made money from them," he said.

Still, he said, the bigger shift is that an agent can use what it knows about a user to "initiat[e] the shopping occasion itself." Even if products are selected in the consumer's interest, Instinct could have an incentive to create more opportunities to shop if it benefits whenever a purchase is made, Plangger said.

Carlos Diaz Ruiz, an associate professor of marketing at Hanken School of Economics, said the messages do not prove covert advertising. But they create a "structural tension" if future commissions give Instinct an incentive to turn personal conversations into purchase leads, he said.

Ari Paparo, founder and chairman of Marketecture Media, said his "best guess" was that Instinct was testing whether these recommendations generate consumer interest before potentially moving toward an affiliate model.

David Rand, a Cornell professor of information science, marketing, and psychology, was more agnostic. The suggestions could be a genuine attempt to help, or a monetization play, he said.

"Without transparency" into the agent's instructions, "there's really no way of knowing," he said.

• SHRM is headed to trial on October 6 over a claim it mishandled a disability accommodation request.
• Jurors will weigh whether the HR group adequately worked with the plaintiff to find a solution.
• In 2025, SHRM was hit with an $11.5 million verdict in another discrimination case. It is appealing.

The nation's largest HR group is set to face a jury this week over allegations that it mishandled a job applicant's request for a disability accommodation.

The trial comes after the Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM, was hit by a jury with an $11.5 million verdict last year in an unrelated race discrimination and retaliation case involving a former employee. SHRM has since appealed that decision.

In the complaint for the lawsuit about to go to trial, plaintiff Fiona Torres alleges that SHRM offered her a role as a senior specialist in its product management department in June 2024, then revoked the offer that July because she wanted to bring her medical service dog to work. She said she is diabetic and that her dog could detect changes in her blood-sugar levels faster and more reliably than a top-tier glucose monitor.

"I was ready and able to work," Torres previously told Business Insider in an email through her attorney. "They said they were eager to have me until they found out I had a disability and a service dog."

In a January court filing in response to the allegations, SHRM said it offered Torres "multiple accommodations," including the ability to use her continuous glucose monitoring system and an insulin pump at work, to take breaks as needed to check her blood sugar levels, and to consume food or drink as needed at or near her workstation.

SHRM also posted a statement to its website on September 28 about the case, saying that it had "tried to understand Torres' need" for a service dog and what reasonable accommodations were available. SHRM further said it asked Torres to speak with her doctor about an alternative to the dog.

"This was a genuine good-faith attempt to find a mutually agreeable solution through an interactive process," the group said in the statement. "SHRM did not say no; we followed proper procedure."

The trial, which is scheduled to last four days, will take place in Alexandria, Virginia, where SHRM is headquartered.

Last year, Business Insider reported that SHRM had been embroiled in various controversies. Those included an attendance policy that penalized workers who arrived a minute after 9 a.m.; a memo about a "conservative" dress code that banned sequins; and a companywide meeting in which SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor said some staffers were "entitled," "complacent," and "sloppy."

• Silicon Valley investors are taking field trips to robot factories in China.
• The goal is not to scout investments, but to size up rivals to their portfolio companies.
• Some investors are paying $10,000 for tours with translators, luxury hotels, and executive dinners.

Last year, when Ryan Cunningham, a Silicon Valley investor, floated a trip to China in a WhatsApp group of robotics investors, the response was lukewarm. One person jokingly asked if he could smuggle a humanoid robot home.

This year, the jokes have given way to travel plans.

Cunningham, the founder of Edgerunner Ventures, a venture capital firm that backs energy and computing startups, is planning an April trip to China for 10 investors. Nearly every investor group chat he is in now trades notes on recent or upcoming excursions to China, he told Business Insider, as venture capitalists gauge China's hardware prowess to see what American robotics startups are up against.

"The reason I want to bring them to China is because I want to take them by the shoulders and say, 'Guys, if you want to get serious, this is what we should be learning from,'" said Cunningham, who visited Shanghai last year for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, an annual gathering for the AI industry.

Cunningham is among a growing cadre of Silicon Valley investors heading east to see how China built its edge in robotics and other hardware. For many, the point is not to scout Chinese investments. It is to size up the rivals confronting their US portfolio companies.

The excursions range from private VC delegations to $10,000-a-head tours that pair factory visits with translators, five-star hotels, and dinners with local tech executives.

Behind the tours is the sobering realization that China has established a formidable lead in crucial parts of robotics, from manufacturing and supply chains to deploying machines and collecting the data needed to improve them.

Chinese companies Unitree and AgiBot together shipped 71% of the world's humanoid robots last year, according to research firm Omdia. China also controls 63% of the key companies in the global supply chain for humanoid-robot components, according to the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a German think tank. Meanwhile, most American humanoids are still in development and not available off the shelf. Most US companies rely on Chinese suppliers for components or assembly, according to Stanford's 2026 Emerging Technology Review.

The stakes are high for US investors pouring money into robotics and physical AI. They are betting that advances in AI, cheaper hardware, labor shortages, and the push to reshore manufacturing can mint the next generation of technology giants. Robotics, meanwhile, is increasingly viewed as a national-security concern. In July, the Federal Communications Commission banned new foreign-made "advanced robotic devices," citing "unacceptable risks" to national security.

Robotics may be Silicon Valley's latest obsession, but China has spent years building up its industry.

"The Chinese have been very hardware focused," Wendy Chang, a senior analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, told Business Insider. "They are trying to own the whole robotics supply chain."

In a 2023 policy document, China's government compared the potential impact of humanoid robots with that of computers, smartphones, and electric vehicles. It laid out a plan to deploy humanoid robots across the economy by 2027.

China's head start has drawn American investors in for a bit of competitive snooping. In recent months, dozens of VCs, including investors from Eclipse, G2 Venture Partners, and Chemistry VC, have traveled to China. Partners from Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures have also made trips, The Information reported last month.

A reality check for Silicon Valley

Late last year, partners at Bay Area-based G2 decided they needed a clearer view of China. The firm, which spun out of Kleiner Perkins, invests in growth-stage companies building technology for physical industries, including energy, manufacturing, and transportation.

"We knew they were ahead, but it doesn't really hit you until you're on the ground," said Neel Mehta, a G2 investor, who traveled to Shenzhen and Beijing with a colleague earlier this year.

Mehta and his colleague built their trip around Morgan Stanley's China Summit in Shenzhen, which included field trips to robotics and autonomous-vehicle companies. They also arranged visits to Xiaomi, the consumer electronics giant that has expanded into electric vehicles, and to EV maker BYD.

For years, Mehta said, US investors had dismissed Chinese technology as lower quality. Conventional wisdom held that China might have an edge in manufacturing, but the US would always build better AI. Mehta returned to the Bay Area convinced both assumptions were wrong.

At a Xiaomi dealership in Shenzhen, Mehta saw the company's flagship SU7 electric car, which starts at around $30,000.

"The quality and finish is everything you'd expect in a luxury car like Porsche, no exaggeration," Mehta said. The car is not sold in the US, where Chinese EV imports face restrictions and a 100% tariff.

Mehta was also struck by China's data-collection efforts. Robotics companies need large amounts of real-world data to train systems to perceive their surroundings and perform physical tasks. At one data-collection farm, he saw hundreds of workers stationed in pods around the clock, teleoperating robots to generate it at scale.

"If you think data is the core bottleneck in robotics, there's a world in which they have better models than anyone else," he said.

The DeepSeek wake-up call

Rui Ma, who runs Tech Buzz China, a podcast and research platform covering China's technology industry, told Business Insider that Silicon Valley's renewed curiosity about China follows years of US-China tensions and a chill in cross-border investment. That has begun to change as powerful models from Chinese AI companies, including DeepSeek, Alibaba's Qwen, and Moonshot AI's Kimi, have made China's technological gains harder to dismiss.

"It's very specific to the DeepSeek moment," Ma said, referring to the Chinese company's 2025 release of an AI model that shook Silicon Valley. "People are like, 'Oh wow, China actually has AI and other technologies worth paying attention to.'"

Ma began organizing tours to China in 2019, but paused them during the pandemic. This year, she has seen an uptick in interest from Silicon Valley investors and has led two tours: one focused on AI and another on robotics.

"Most people are trying to understand how what's happening in China impacts their portfolio," she said.

The weeklong programs cost about $10,000 per person, which Ma said is comparable to executive education courses. From the moment participants land, her team handles every detail of the itinerary. Groups typically visit two or three cities, touring factories and joining fireside conversations with English-speaking tech executives.

"I like to take people to see things they'll be reading about six months later," Ma said. On a recent trip, she took participants to a brain-computer-interface company.

For Doon Insights, a California-based research and events company, growing investor interest in China is a business opportunity. The company is pitching investors and executives on a 12-day "Robotics Study Mission" in November, with stops in Shanghai, Changzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing.

The itinerary includes visits to humanoid maker AgiBot, autonomous-air-taxi company EHang, and several robot component manufacturers, according to an itinerary viewed by Business Insider. Participants will also walk through Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei electronics market — often called the "Silicon Valley of Hardware" — and visit automated farms and instant-noodle giant Master Kong. Each leg begins with an expert panel and includes dinners with local business and technology leaders.

"It's direct access to the people and technology defining what is coming next out of China," the itinerary boasts. Doon Insights declined a request for comment.

Weighing new risks

The trips to China are changing how investors evaluate US robotics companies. In April, Charly Mwangi, a partner at Eclipse, a venture firm that invests in companies building for the physical economy, and his colleagues left their work laptops at home and boarded a 14-hour Air China flight from San Francisco.

Mwangi, a former Tesla and Rivian executive, said the group was struck by China's ability to turn ideas into physical products. "In the US, we've figured out vibe coding," he said. "In China, they've figured out vibe manufacturing."

Yet Mwangi said the robots' cognitive abilities were far less impressive. At one company, a robot could dance and do martial arts, he said, but it could not pick up a bottle and put it in a trash can.

Both Eclipse and G2 are taking China much more seriously as they evaluate potential investments. After seeing the Chinese government's control over the technology ecosystem, Mwangi believes that building their own robots is a matter of national sovereignty.

"Everyone starting now will have to leverage the Chinese supply chain, and then over time, very quickly start figuring out alternatives," he said.

After presenting their findings from the China trip to the rest of the firm, Mehta said that G2 has begun weighing China-related risks in every potential investment.

"We're thinking, five to 10 years from now, what is going to be the China equivalent?" he said. "And does the US version of the company have a durable advantage?"

Have a tip? Contact Rya Jetha via email at rjetha@businessinsider.com or Signal at rjetha.07. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Ethan Alexander was a high school sophomore when he started reselling goods on Amazon.
• He did $125,000 in sales last year, before the business became overwhelming.
• He's invested much of the money and plans to use what he learned from the business.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ethan Alexander. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Each year, I get a $500 gift from an investment account that my great-grandfather set up for all of his great-grandkids. My gramps — Jack Davis — owned his own company and left a legacy of entrepreneurship in our family.

I get the money on his birthday, May 9th. In 2025, my sophomore year of high school, I came across a video on Instagram about making a profit by reselling items online shortly after I received Gramp's gift. I had stopped playing lacrosse, my typical spring sport, and I was looking for something to fill my time. I used the $500 to pay someone to teach me how to resell.

I didn't do much research, just thought "what's the worst that can happen?" The business took off immediately, and I generated just under $10,000 in revenue that first month. In August, I did more than $25,000 in revenue.

I resold lots of goods at a relatively small profit

Success reselling on Amazon comes from volume. I would find a product where I could make a relatively small profit margin — about $2 to $4 — and sell lots of it. To find these products, I utilized software that many Amazon sellers use. I also used AI to create my own system for finding products.

The first product I sold was laundry detergent, which I could buy at Walmart and resell on Amazon for about a 25% profit. I'd spend hours driving my truck to all the Walmarts in Greater Kansas City, buying as much detergent as I could fit. The garage at my home looked like a warehouse.

After spending afternoons buying the goods, I'd stay up until the early morning packaging them. Then, I'd wake up in the early afternoon and bring my shipments to the post office. Before long, they knew me by name.

I learned about the rewards of business and the risks

The work wasn't glamorous. I was essentially working a warehouse job in my own house. I didn't see much of my friends that summer, because I was focused on scaling my sales.

My mom was a huge asset. She runs her own health and wellness business and is also a business coach. I'm always willing to learn, so I listened to what she told me, and also drew on the skills you learn growing up in an entrepreneurial family.

Still, there were lots of little challenges. I was a minor, and some months I was making $45,000 in purchases. At first, I used my mom's credit card for those transactions, but it kept getting flagged as fraud. Eventually, I had to go to the bank and take out a large amount of cash for my Walmart runs.

I hired a few people to help me pack items, but one of them put the wrong labels on products, a mistake that cost me thousands. I learned about not mixing friendships and business that way. I also had frustrations with the backend of Amazon's seller platforms.

I was making good money and incredibly proud of what I had built — but I also learned a lot about the risks of business, not just the rewards.

I want to own my own business in the future

By February 2026, running the business became overwhelming. My grades were suffering. As a seller, I needed to keep the momentum up to get more sales, so there wasn't really a way to scale back. I decided to stop the business for now.

I spent some of the money on splurges, like clothes and Meta glasses. I've also invested a lot of it.

Now I'm 18, and entering my senior year of high school. I plan to go to college, because I don't see a reason not to — especially since my parents have a college savings account for me. I'm curious, though, whether I'll learn more in business school than I did from running my own business.

I know one thing for certain: I plan to be an entrepreneur. There's no other option, as far as I'm concerned.

• Qatar Airways debuted its new Qsuite Next Gen business class in 2024, but it's still not flying.
• The airline said the cabin was planned for the Boeing 777-9, a plane years behind schedule.
• I toured the new seat to see what flyers can expect once it launches and found surprising upgrades.

Qatar Airways hoped to debut the next generation of its famous Qsuite business class last year — with lockable drawers and two-person window suites — but it still hasn't flown a single passenger.

The Doha-based airline unveiled its reinvented Qsuite at the UK's Farnborough Airshow in 2024, promising a new level of luxury for its Boeing 777-9 jets by 2025. The 777-9 is the larger variant of the 777X.

But Boeing's new widebody still isn't certified. The 777X is seven years behind its original schedule, while Boeing continues to grapple with safety, quality, production, and supply-chain problems.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said at a September Morgan Stanley conference that the 777-9 was still on track for 2027, but an engine issue discovered earlier this year could slightly push the timeline.

"I don't see that as a major challenge for us, but we still got a lot in front of us on the flight test program," Ortberg said. "Not done until we're done."

Neither Boeing nor Qatar Airways responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.

While passengers continue to fly in the original Qsuite — introduced nearly a decade ago and already considered one of the world's best airline business class cabins — I toured Next Gen at the Arabian Travel Market trade show in Dubai in September.

Qatar Airways Group CEO Hamad Ali Al-Khater told Euronews the same month that Qsuite Next Gen is due in summer 2027, though the airline has not announced any specific routes.

Upgrades include new combinable suites, improved tech, and smarter storage. Seeing these features up close revealed interesting differences that weren't immediately obvious.

Here are the seven things that stood out most on the Qsuite Next Gen.

The Companion Suite connects two window passengers.

The current Qsuite lets passengers open center seats into shared configurations. Next Gen brings that concept to two window passengers with the Companion Suite.

One faces forward and the other backward, situated diagonally from each other instead of directly opposite. I could see my companion without leaning or turning, with enough separation that we didn't feel unusually close. The screens are designed to latch fully aside, opening the sightline between both suites.

I had plenty of personal space. The walls weren't close to my shoulders, and the curved architecture made the suite feel enclosed without becoming claustrophobic.

The Quad Suite feels enormous.

Next Gen redesigns Qsuite's existing four-person layout with larger shared surfaces, movable screens, bigger beds, and digitally controlled dividers.

The open Quad felt massive. I could easily speak with someone beside or opposite me, while someone diagonally across required me to lean forward and speak up. I could imagine a family spreading a board game across the middle. The dining table felt solid and easily fits a large laptop, with room for phones and belongings.

Climbing into the fully flat bed, my shoulders and feet had plenty of room, so that I could roll comfortably to my side.

The 4K screens physically swing aside.

Qatar upgraded Next Gen with 4K screens, though watching them disappear was more memorable.

The Quad's screens looked bright and colorful, responded well, and moved smoothly as I operated them. I slid them until they met back-to-back, then swiveled them 90 degrees toward the rear-facing side and nested them into the surrounding architecture, fully opening the space.

A separate touchscreen remote beside the seat provides another way to control the entertainment system.

The Quad becomes private again with digitally controlled dividers.

That openness is reversible. Digitally controlled internal dividers restore passenger privacy in the Quad. They rose quietly and slowly, extending above my head. With the screen returned to position and the divider raised, the enormous shared space felt like my own cocoon again.

I discovered a useful safety feature when my hand blocked the rising divider's path: It stopped automatically. The aisle door remains manual and slides smoothly. It provides substantial privacy while seated, although you could still see taller passengers as they walked past.

There's a small safe in the sky.

One of my favorite additions was a concealed drawer secured by a four-digit PIN entered through the suite's touchscreen. There's easily enough room for valuables like my passport, a watch, and jewelry. It essentially gives passengers a small safe in the sky.

Wireless charging and USB-C come to Qsuite.

The current Qsuite uses USB-A ports, while Next Gen replaces them with USB-C and wireless charging. Sitting in different seats revealed another difference. The consoles around the forward- and rear-facing Quad seats aren't identical.

I found the forward-facing configuration offered more usable surface area for a laptop, a phone, a menu, a book, or an amenity kit. The seat wasn't more spacious; I simply had more places to put my things, something I'd consider when choosing a seat.

An open storage shelf and universal AC outlet sit underneath the main console.

'Make My Bed' makes turndown obvious.

I didn't press it, but I immediately understood its value. I've flown business-class products where passengers need to ask for turndown, and first-time flyers may not know it's available.

Seeing "Make My Bed" removes that guesswork and lets passengers request the service without feeling shy about asking the crew.

I liked the Companion Seat most.

After exploring the different configurations, I'd choose the forward-facing window seat in the Companion Suite. It feels more natural to me, with better surrounding surfaces and the option to open the space toward a companion when I want company.

But getting a Qsuite seat comes at a significant premium. Round-trip fares in April between New York and Doha on Qatar's Boeing 777-300ER cost around $4,000 in business class, compared with about $600 in economy. Looking at the November and December peak season, Qsuite fares reach $9,000 or more.

I'll still book it. I've now seen what Qsuite Next Gen can do; I just have to wait for Boeing's 777-9 to finally start carrying passengers.

• Automakers have reorganized their EV lineups since September 2025, when federal tax credits ended.
• Sagging demand, tariffs, and a new generation of EVs have also led to several product cancellations.
• Business Insider compiled a list of EVs that have been killed or indefinitely delayed in 2026.

American EV sales aren't looking too hot.

Since September 2025, when the federal $7,500 tax credit for US-made EVs ended, fewer shoppers have chosen a battery-powered car for their next set of wheels.

In the second quarter of 2026, deliveries dropped 20.5%, according to Cox Automotive data. That follows a 27% drop in first-quarter 2026 EV sales and a 36% plunge in EV sales in the final quarter of 2025.

The slowdown began reshaping which new car models appeared on US dealership lots last year. By the end of 2025, Ford ended production of the F-150 Lightning, Nissan axed the Ariya, Acura stopped building the ZDX, and Volkswagen paused the ID. Buzz until 2027.

That shake-up has continued into 2026, but the lineup changes aren't a wholesale retreat from EVs.

"It's a part of many legacy automakers retooling their EV strategies," Seth Goldstein, an analyst at Morningstar, told Business Insider. "A lot of automakers are going back to the drawing board. They're looking to discontinue unprofitable EVs and replace them with more affordable, long-range EVs."

Business Insider is tracking every EV canceled or postponed since January 1, 2026 — a list we'll keep updating as the industry redraws its all-electric road map.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 Standard

Hyundai confirmed to Business Insider that it will stop selling the Korean-built, standard Ioniq 6 in the US.

The retro-styled sedan never matched the success of its crossover sibling, the Ioniq 5, which has sold more than 30,000 units this year.

Hyundai said it sold just 229 Ioniq 6s in February, its final full month of sales.

"Sedan sales have declined a lot over the past decade, and the Ioniq 6 is no exception," Sam Abuelsamid, the vice president of market research at Telemetry, told Business Insider. "Without enough sales to justify US production, the numbers just don't add up for Hyundai."

Hyundai said it plans to import a limited number of high-performance Ioniq 6 N models to the US — a pricier variant with more oomph in the electric motor and track-focused upgrades.

"In the meantime, 2025 Ioniq 6 sedans continue to be available at dealers alongside our award-winning, US-assembled Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 SUVs," the automaker said.

The Ioniq 6 will still ship to Canadian dealerships.

2026 Hyundai Kona Electric

In 2019, Hyundai electrified its popular Kona crossover, swapping the gas engine for a battery-powered drivetrain.

It became one of the automaker's first mass-market EVs.

That run is now on pause. Hyundai said in February that it would not ship the 2026 Kona Electric from its Korean plants to US dealerships. Like the Ioniq 6, the Kona Electric remains available in limited numbers as a 2025 model.

The model could return for the 2027 model year.

With a starting price around $33,000, it was one of the cheapest EVs on the US market in 2025.

Kia Niro EV

The Kia Niro EV has been discontinued in the US, InsideEVs reports.

First introduced in the US for the 2018 model year, the Niro EV was developed from Kia's small Niro crossover, which was also offered in hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants.

The model received a facelift for the 2026 model year, and the plug-in hybrid version was discontinued as part of the lineup adjustment.

The Niro EV was imported from Kia's Hwaseong plant in South Korea, leaving it exposed to ongoing US automotive tariffs.

Those added costs, combined with slowing sales in the EV segment, reportedly made the model increasingly difficult to justify at American dealerships, according to InsideEVs.

Kia has not responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Tesla Model S

The Model S was critical to Tesla's historic ascent.

When the sedan debuted in 2012, it was the company's first ground-up vehicle — and a sharp break from the slow, quirky EVs that came before it.

With hypercar-like acceleration, sleek body lines, and a tech-forward cabin, the sedan made going electric feel aspirational rather than a legacy automaker's compliance exercise.

That shift helped propel Tesla into America's dominant EV automaker.

Now, despite its historic role, CEO Elon Musk says the $94,990 sedan is headed for an "honorable discharge" after years of sliding sales.

Tesla Model X

The Model X is also going the way of the dodo.

Tesla's second built-from-scratch vehicle will end production in the second quarter of 2026 amid soft demand. The SUV starts at $99,990.

Launched in 2015, the Model X was ambitious. And complicated.

Its signature second-row falcon-wing doors — which opened by pivoting upward via electronically connected hinges mounted to the roof — became a production headache.

Musk once called the car a "Fabergé egg."

The production lines that made the two vehicles will now build the company's Optimus robots.

"We're really moving into a future that is based on autonomy," Musk said while announcing their final days, adding that the decision was "slightly sad."

Kia EV6 GT and EV9 GT

Kia's flagship EV portfolio is also getting tweaked — but more narrowly.

The Korean automaker is delaying the GT trims of two models, the EV6 and EV9. Those versions are the highest-performance variants in each lineup.

Kia confirmed to Business Insider that the GT trims are delayed "until further notice" due to "changing market conditions."

Other trims — which are made at Kia's plant in West Point, Georgia — remain on sale in the US.

"This delay does not impact the availability of other trims in the EV6 and EV9 lineups," the company said.

Volvo EX30

Volvo has confirmed to Business Insider that it's discontinuing the EX30 in the US.

The small SUV was meant to be a breakthrough in America's electric car market: a ground-up EV with a starting price under $35,000.

Tariffs — spanning both the Biden and Trump administrations — upended those plans. Volvo first intended to build the EX30 in China, then shifted production to Belgium, driving up costs and US prices.

Now, the automaker is turning its focus to the EX60, a midsize two-row SUV expected to offer up to 400 miles of range, with a US launch set for summer. The three-row EX90 remains at dealerships, too.

"Volvo Cars' commitment to electrification and our customers remains unchanged," the company said in an emailed statement.

Honda's 0 Series EVs

In March, Honda said it was canceling production of its coming 0 Series Saloon and SUV.

Both vehicles — the wedge-shaped Saloon (shown above) and the SUV — were slated to be Honda's first internally developed EVs. The automaker's earlier electric models were built through a joint venture with GM.

Honda had planned to produce the cars at its Marysville, Ohio, plant with a starting price of around $50,000.

Instead, the company is pivoting toward hybrids after booking a $15.7 billion loss in its EV division.

Acura RSX

Honda also scrapped plans for the RSX EV — a Tesla Model Y-style SUV — as it pulled back on its electric ambitions.

The cancellation caught some auto analysts off guard. Honda had just unveiled a production-ready version of the vehicle in August.

The car was also supposed to roll out of the Marysville plant, leaving Acura without an electric vehicle in its lineup.

Honda Sony Mobility Afeela

In March, Honda confirmed it would no longer build the Afeela.

The sedan — which was expected to hit the market at the end of the year before a sibling SUV reached dealerships — was a joint-venture product between Honda and PlayStation maker Sony. It featured a bevy of wild tech options: a customizable front-bumper screen, lidar sensors, and a place to hold a car-connected PlayStation controller.

It was canceled a few months before its Ohio production was set to start, a "very unusual" move, Adam Bernard, founder of AutoPerspectives, told Business Insider.

It's still available to race in Gran Turismo 7.

BMW i4

German luxury automaker BMW is phasing out the i4, per Car and Driver.

The i4 — a five-seat hatchback with a sedan-like profile (what BMW calls a "Gran Coupe") — will end production by late 2026.

The model favored performance, reaching 60 mph from a standing start in as little as 3.7 seconds, with an estimated range of 268 to 333 miles.

It will be replaced by a new generation of EVs built on BMW's coming "Neue Klasse" platform, which the company says will boost performance while lowering costs.

The closest successor, an electric i3 sedan, is expected to offer up to 440 miles of range.

BMW iX

BMW is also phasing out its iX electric SUV in favor of a next-generation model built on its "Neue Klasse" platform.

The iX — BMW's midsize luxury EV — first hit US dealerships in 2021 as the company's second all-electric vehicle. The five-seat SUV carried a price tag ranging from about $70,000 to over $100,000, with an estimated range of 290 to 360 miles depending on the trim.

The German luxury automaker is discontinuing the iX in the US, though it will continue selling the model in Europe. American dealerships are instead preparing for the arrival of the new iX3 midsize electric SUV, which is expected to reach showrooms this summer.

"We remain fully committed to electrification in the US," a BMW spokesperson told BMW Blog. "This marks the beginning of the Neue Klasse era and the introduction of these technologies across our future portfolio."

Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and Sport Turismo

Porsche's Taycan lineup is getting a refresh for the 2027 model year. Its Cross Turismo and Sport Turismo wagons are not part of those plans, the company confirmed to Business Insider.

The Taycan was Porsche's first fully electric nameplate in the US, debuting in 2020 as a sedan. The low-slung Cross Turismo and Sport Turismo options with an extended roofline and a lift-up hatch reached American dealerships in 2021.

Still, station wagons are a dying breed in America, and Porsche says sales for both options never took off.

In a statement, the company said the wagon variants played a "minor role" in Porsche's sales.

The Taycan sedan is back for 2027 with a larger battery, more exterior paint options, and a NACS charging port.

Polestar 3, 4

Polestar is pulling out of the US after the Commerce Department denied the EV maker authorization to sell new vehicles beginning with the 2027 model year.

The Swedish automaker, which is majority-owned by China's Geely, was denied an exemption under the federal Connected Vehicle Rule, which restricts the sale of cars with software tied to China or Russia over national security concerns. The decision means Polestar won't be able to sell new 2027-model vehicles in the US, though it can continue selling existing inventory and servicing current customers.

The decision stands in contrast to sister brand Volvo, which received authorization in May following discussions with US officials.

"The automotive industry is entering a new phase, based on regional dynamics," Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller said in comments emailed to Business Insider.

Polestar also told Business Insider it was "too early" to say what the decision means for its South Carolina operations, where it builds the Polestar 3.

Honda Prologue

Honda's only EV is walking the plank.

"Honda confirmed production of the Prologue will end at the completion of the 2026 model year," a company spokesperson told Business Insider. "Sales will continue through early 2027 based on expected inventory."

The Prologue was built on General Motors' Ultium EV platform as part of a partnership between the two automakers. The partnership also built the Acura ZDX, Chevy Equinox EV, Chevy Blazer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, and Cadillac Optiq. The companies ended their joint EV efforts in 2023, citing higher-than-expected building costs and slumping consumer demand.

Honda has since shifted its focus toward hybrids.

The Prologue's departure will leave Honda without an EV in its US lineup for the 2027 model year.

Volvo EX40

Volvo confirmed to Business Insider that it's discontinuing the EX40 in the US, while it will continue after "significant updates" in other global markets.

The EX40, which debuted in 2019 as the XC40 Recharge, was an electric variant of Volvo's gas-powered subcompact SUV, the XC40.

Like several other EVs discontinued this year, the EX40's demise comes as Volvo launches a new lineup of more efficient, upgraded EVs. The Swedish automaker is about to launch the midsize EX60 for sales in the US, and executives previously told Business Insider that it's planning a smaller electric SUV.

Mercedes-Benz EQE sedans

Mercedes' electric portfolio is getting a haircut.

The EQE sedan and its performance variant, the Mercedes-AMG EQE, won't make it into the 2027 model year, the automaker confirmed. The ultra-premium Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV is also getting chopped from the lineup.

All three vehicles were part of Mercedes' first go at the electric vehicle market. They were made obsolete by a fresh round of EVs that promise more range, faster charging, and less blob-like design.

The next generation of EVs also gets more Mercedes-ish naming, including familiar monikers like the CLA electric, GLB, and C-Class.

• The Fed is hiking rates for the first time since 2023, changing the landscape for investors.
• Complicating matters is an ever-shifting AI trade that's constantly minting new winners and losers.
• We asked eight investing pros how they would invest $10,000 right now.

Do you feel that? The nagging sense that financial conditions are slowly getting tighter?

It's a new reality for investors contending with the first interest-rate-hiking cycle since 2023. And it's the backdrop for the latest installment of Business Insider's quarterly "Where to Invest $10,000" series.

The Federal Reserve is fighting against inflation at a time when the Iran war is pushing energy costs higher. AI companies, meanwhile, are continuing to pour hundreds of billions into capex, and increasingly tapping debt markets to fund it.

The result has been a run of multi-decade highs in Treasury yields, reflecting a market that's worried not just about the Fed's next move, but America's ballooning debt and deficits.

We spoke to eight investing pros to find out where they're seeing the best opportunities right now as rate hikes collide with AI ambitions. If you have a chunk of money you're looking to invest, here's what they recommend:

Kriti Gupta, global investment strategist, JPMorgan Private Bank

Investing ideas: Utility stocks, industrials, defense, financials

Interest rates look poised to remain structurally higher, but US stocks seem resilient for now, Gupta told BI. She pointed to how the recent rise in yields has been spread out over weeks, and the broader move up has taken place over the course of this year, giving investors time to adjust.

Gupta said that the AI trade likely has more room to climb, especially considering how stock valuations have compressed recently amid the bond sell-off. Her allocation view is to be overweight US stocks over bonds.

In equities, she sees opportunities in four sectors: (1) utilities, a defensive play, (2) industrials, linked to the AI buildout, (3), defense, because of US government investment, and (4) financials, because higher rates will juice their interest income.

Funds that track these sectors include the Vanguard Utilities ETF, the State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF, the iShares US Aerospace & Defense ETF, and the iShares US Financials ETF.

Mark Malek, chief investment officer, Siebert Financial

Investing ideas: S&P 500, AI stocks, short-term US Treasurys, gold

Malek said he sees big risks looming for equities given the recent mix of economic data and the surge in bond yields. US and AI stocks still offer the best growth potential, but data points like weak consumer confidence show cracks in the economy's growth narrative, he said.

If the 10-year US Treasury yield were to stick around the 5.25% mark through the end of the year, more pain in stocks is likely, Malek added.

Siebert's $10,000 portfolio consists of four main parts:

• S&P 500 (30%): Malek cited continued strong earnings growth.
• AI stocks (20%): He expects tech revenue growth to hold up for at least another year.
• Short-term US Treasurys that mature in less than 5 years (35%): Malek sees them offering an ideal blend of protection and stronger returns amid higher rates.
• Gold or T-bills (15%): He says T-bills offer investors some dry powder in their portfolios to buy any dips in stocks.

Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist, US Bank Asset Management

Investing ideas: Global stocks, long-term bonds, global infrastructure

Haworth told BI that the recent surge in yields hasn't upended his view that equities will remain strong, thanks to robust earnings and the secular growth potential from AI.

Haworth said he would divide a $10,000 investment into three parts. He recommended allocating 65% of the cash to a "core of global equities" largely consisting of US and emerging-market stocks, which have the strongest earnings growth potential.

Next, he would allocate around 30% to high-quality long-term bonds, which can shield investors from stock volatility stemming from concerns about higher rates and hotter inflation.

Finally, he would put about 5% into global infrastructure investments to get exposure to the continued AI infrastructure buildout.

Kieran Osborne, chief investment officer at Mission Wealth

Investing idea: Interval funds

Osborne's recommendation is rooted in the Fed's new rate-hike regime.

Interval funds invest in alternatives and private assets, and are partially redeemable on a quarterly basis. While that comes with liquidity risks (see recent private credit jitters at firms like Blue Owl), these funds offer robust returns that continue to rise as short-term rates tick up.

So, investors get to take advantage of rising rates while eschewing duration risk. Funds yield around an extra 5% annually on top of what the Fed fund's rate is, Osborne said. Today, that would be about 9%. Every three months, the coupons adjust based on where short-term rates are, he said.

"When the Fed increases interest rates, it actually drives increased income on that portfolio," Osborne said.

Melissa Cournyer, CEO of Konvex Wealth

Investing idea: Energy stocks and tech stocks

The thesis: Cournyer's recommendations for investors are similar to what she would have recommended at the start of Trump's second term, high interest rates or not: energy and the artificial intelligence explosion.

While both have seen large price appreciation for expected reasons (the increased need for energy to power AI) and unexpected reasons (the war in Iran), she said there's still "room to run."

Cournyer said persistently high inflation and interest rates, combined with rising oil, will continue to push energy assets higher. And if they don't, energy companies are still strong dividend payers.

Her practice focuses largely on retirement and pre-retirement and her clientele largely skews older. She said their continued adoption of AI is shows there's still money made in tech investments.

Examples of funds that offer exposure to specific hot AI themes include the Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE), the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) and the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ).

Kevin Khang, head of global economic research team at Vanguard

Investing idea: Actively managed growth funds

The Thesis: Khang says the market has come to a point where active management — or stock picking — matters more than it did when the AI tide was lifting all boats.

As the AI trade evolves, winners and losers are being decided among both hyperscalers and adopters, and concrete earnings growth is being rewarded, he said. The right kind of active management can beat passive indexes.

Companies "are all trying to actively evolve their business models and reposition themselves into another position of strength," Khang told Business Insider. "That inherently comes with a risk of executing well versus poorly, and that's precisely the type of environment where a good active manager could be adding value."

Examples of actively managed growth funds include the JPMorgan Active Growth ETF (JGRO), the T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth ETF (TCHP), or the Vanguard Wellington U.S. Growth Active ETF (VUSG).

Mona Mahajan, the head of investment strategy and asset allocation at Edward Jones

Investing idea: Communication services stocks and industrials stocks

Assuming your investments are already diversified, Mahajan said she'd put the money to work in two of her preferred stock sectors at the moment: communication services and industrials.

Industrials-sector stocks allow investors to catch the upside on a hot economy, with manufacturing activity expected to expand at a higher rate this quarter. The iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) is one way investors can gain exposure to the trade.

Communication services stocks, meanwhile, give investors exposure to the explosive growth in the AI trade. For example, Meta and Alphabet — two of the AI hyperscalers spending most on AI — are the two largest holdings in the State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC).

Jason Draho, head of asset allocation Americas of UBS Global Wealth Management

Investing idea: Cyclical stocks and AI stocks

Within the AI trade, Draho highlighted cybersecurity as his top pick. Stocks in this space have gotten a boost recently amid headlines about rogue agents running amok and breaking into other companies, and demand for security software is expected to skyrocket in the coming years.

In the theme of cyclicals, Draho likes financials and the consumer discretionary sectors, in addition to industrials. He sees strong growth ahead, and all of these tend to benefit when an economy is booming. People borrow and spend more, and orders for new products pick up.

Plus, many investors are probably underweight in these areas of the market given how concentrated the AI trade has become.

Examples of funds that offer exposure to these trades include the Amplify Cybersecurity ETF (HACK), the Fidelity MSCI Consumer Discretionary Index ETF (FDIS), and the Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH).

Elianor Williamson is a 36-year-old living in Seattle. Business Insider has verified Williamson's income and employment history with documentation. The following as-told-to essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I went to school for wine. My major was originally education, but while studying abroad for a year in Ireland, I took a class on global food and beverage, and loved it. I switched majors to global wine studies — a little bit of the marketing world and a lot of the wine world.

I was drawn to it because it seemed like a fun, cool, shiny, interesting career path. Salary wasn't really discussed in my two years of studying; looking back now, that was disappointing.

After graduating from Central Washington University in June 2013, I worked in the wine industry for about half a year at a tasting room, pouring wine for people and helping at events.

I was broke and didn't feel I could make any money in that space. I wanted to start a corporate career.

Here's my salary journey since then.

Event coordinator, $22,000

Later in 2013, I found a nonprofit in my area that was hiring for an event coordinator role for wine-related events, like fundraisers where we'd auction off wine for donations.

My offer was around $22,000, my first salary. I was thrilled; before, I'd been paid hourly. I had an office that I went into every day.

I did that for about a year, and I realized there was a sort of ceiling on salary for nonprofit work.

Marketing manager, $45,000

A friend of a friend worked at a marketing agency, which I knew nothing about, but he got me an interview.

I was offered a role as a marketing manager in 2015, and they asked what I was looking for from a salary perspective. I'd read all these articles about not being the first one to share a number, so I was like, "Well, it's going to have to be a lot more than what I'm making now," which wasn't helpful, because I hadn't told them what I was making.

We went back and forth, and finally I asked for between $40,000 and $45,000. They came back and offered me $45,000.

Again, I was thrilled with that. I moved out and got my own big girl apartment with a roommate.

Program manager, $61,000

I was at that marketing agency for three years, during which I had three different titles, and one promotion in 2016. I was promoted to a program manager, and my salary at that point was around $61,000.

In April 2018, I was like, "I actually kind of might hate this. I don't know what I want to do with my life." So, I quit with nothing lined up.

Everyone in my life thought I was insane, but I just needed time to figure things out.

Contract project manager, $40 an hour (annualized around $83,200) for a six-month contract

I was unemployed, job searching, and applying to things. It only took six weeks for me to get an offer for a 6-month contract project manager role at Zillow, project managing content that would be shared at a big event for real estate agents.

I was paid $40 an hour, or about $83,200 annually.

Project manager, $90,000

When my contract was ending, I wanted to convert to full-time, so I pushed and worked with my manager to make it happen.

In November 2018, I was converted to a full-time employee at Zillow with the same title — project manager. However, they bumped up my salary to $90,000, and I also got some stock options and other full-time benefits.

Because the equity we got as employees vested over a period of four years, I don't really consider that a huge incentive or part of my income, because I wasn't able to take advantage of that.

Campaign manager, $101,000

A year later, there was a reorganization, and my title changed. I moved to a different team as a campaign manager, and my salary bumped up to $101,000.

This was a huge milestone for me because I was finally making six digits, which I'd been wanting to hit for a while. I was so excited and celebrated with my husband.

I did that for two years.

Senior project manager, $135,000

In 2022, there was another reorg within Zillow, and I got a promotion to senior project manager. My salary was $135,000.

The environment at Zillow had changed under new leadership, so I decided to look for something else.

Senior program manager, $150,000

Later that year, a former colleague got me an interview at a real estate tech startup called OJO.

Once I got the offer and was negotiating my salary, she also encouraged me to ask for more money —so I did.

I was a senior program manager with a salary of $150,000. I also got a $10,000 signing bonus, which was great. I did that for a year.

Senior program manager and operations manager, $180,000

OJO was acquired by the Royal Bank of Canada in 2023 and rebranded as Houseful.

I made a lateral move to be a senior program and operations manager. Six months later, I was making $155,000, plus a 20% annual cash bonus, which I'd never had before. It was huge.

That year, my total compensation was over $180,000, which was absolutely mind-blowing to me. I was ecstatic.

In March 2025, I was impacted by layoffs. I was unemployed for about five months and collected unemployment. It was a super stressful time.

I started a TikTok account, where I shared my experience of job searching and interviewing hardships, and the mental energy it requires to keep going.

Global brand operations manager $145,000

In August 2025, I started as a global brand operations manager at Starbucks.

I was originally offered a salary of $131,500. I was terrified to negotiate; I was desperate for a job and would've 1000% accepted it at that salary. But I knew I'd be disappointed; I know my worth and what my work experience warrants in the market.

After researching the best ways to negotiate, I emailed them back three different options I was comfortable with. I gave a combination of more PTO, a higher salary, a higher bonus, or a bigger signing bonus.

I ended up accepting an offer of $145,000 with a 10% annual bonus and stock. Although I'm technically making $10,000 less in salary than what I was making before, the gap is significantly bigger if you consider my previous full compensation of $180,000. I'd love to get back to that. I think it'll probably take a couple of years.

It's been hard to feel like I took a huge step backward, but I'm grateful to work at Starbucks. I love the brand, and it's a great fit for me right now. It's hybrid, and I love going to the office and seeing people.

I am highly driven by making more money, progressing in my career, and climbing the ladder

There's something in me that ties success to money and my career. I don't know if that comes from a societal narrative or if I've just always been a very driven and determined person. I want to do good work and to feel like I'm contributing.

From a logistical standpoint, more money allows me to live the life that I want to live. I feel like $250,000 to $300,000 in total compensation is what I would be very content with. My husband and I prioritize travel; I want to go on two vacations a year. We love nice things. We want to get a nicer car and have a nicer wardrobe.

My husband owns his own business, so we could invest in more of his videography equipment. We could invest in a second home, maybe a rental property. We could retire early, at 60 or even 55.

It's wild to think that when I was making $45,000, I was living in a two-bedroom apartment and going out every weekend and living the dream. I was contributing to my 401(k), and I had a car. It's a bit of a whiplash to be now making $100,000 more and still be like, "I want more money."

But 10 years later, we bought a new house, and have a higher mortgage. Interest rates are insane. And we have a toddler, so we're thinking about daycare costs and a college fund we probably need to start for him. Our priorities have changed.

I'm in my mid-30s, and it's hard not to compare yourself to what other people are doing in this stage of their life; there's such a spectrum. I think no matter what anybody chooses to do, it's fine. Follow your own path.

If you're interested in sharing your salary journey, please fill out this Google Form.

• Ryan Cohen outlined his best and worst investments to Business Insider in an email in late September.
• GameStop's billionaire CEO said nothing could match his return from spending time with his father.
• The Chewy cofounder said his biggest investing mistake was trusting the wrong people.

Ryan Cohen says the best and worst investments of his life have to do with people, not money.

GameStop's CEO and Chewy's billionaire cofounder told Business Insider by email last week that nothing has yielded a greater return for him than spending "time with my dad."

"I'm still collecting dividends," Cohen said about his father, Ted, who died in 2019.

Cohen launched a "Teddy" series of children's books in 2022 to share his father's lessons with a wider audience. He detailed some of them in an email to Business Insider in 2020.

"My dad showed me how to trust my instincts," he wrote. "When I was a child, he treated me like an adult. He never patronized me. When I asked him for his opinion, he turned it back on me and asked me what I thought. He never wanted to bias me with his. He was the best listener. He was a glassware importer and knew his business inside and out. I learned how to build my company by watching him build his."

In a prior phone interview, Cohen said that his father had the "greatest influence" on him of anyone, and "taught me everything."

"Most importantly, he taught me to shave," he quipped.

In his email last week, Cohen said his gravest investing error was putting his faith in others who talked a big game but ultimately disappointed him.

"Trusting people who were better at selling themselves than doing the work," he said.

Warren Buffett, Cohen's biggest professional influence after his dad, has warned against falling for false promises.

In his final shareholder letter as Berkshire Hathaway CEO, Buffett wrote that "our country has forever had many scoundrels and promoters who seek to take advantage of those who mistakenly trust them with their savings."

Writing about brokers in his 1983 letter, Buffett said: "Those who cannot fill your pocket will confidently fill your ear."

Cohen was clearly burned by people who sold him on their abilities but failed to deliver, leading him to chalk up his investment of time, energy, and resources in them as a loss.

• Candidates in swing states are vying to win on the Big A: Affordability.
• In states with key Senate races, gas, electricity, and housing prices have all soared.
• Now, candidates on both sides of the aisle are touting their plans to bring costs down.

Zac Owen, a 31-year-old brand strategist and high school football coach in the hotly contested swing state of Michigan, said that it's normal to drive two to four hours to get somewhere else in the state.

The cost of those long commutes is top of mind for Owen and other voters as the country heads into the midterm congressional elections. "Gas prices, oh boy. People are up in arms about gas prices over here. I'll tell you that," Owen said. Hearing more about gas pricing from candidates, he said, would help sway his decision.

The elections are in about a month, and candidates have touted their plans to bring costs down. But a war in Iran and rising prices for things like electricity and housing threaten to keep the affordability issue front-and-center. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from August found that 47% of registered voters said the cost of living would be the most important factor in choosing a candidate if the elections were held today.

Consumer price growth came in at 3.4% in August, exacerbated by the ongoing Iran war and its disruptions to the oil market. Tariffs have also added upward pressure.

That puts inflation above the Fed's 2% target, although it's down from its post-pandemic highs. The Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2023 in September to try to dampen rising prices, and more hikes could happen before the year is over.

Senate races in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas are all toss-ups, according to the political handicappers at The Cook Political Report. Business Insider took a look at how prices have fared during President Donald Trump's second term in those states, along with how candidates in key elections have been talking about affordability.

Gasoline

Americans are shelling out more to fill their gas tanks, as average prices are up from a year ago. "Typically, the start of autumn brings lower gas prices, but lingering volatility in the Strait of Hormuz and the high cost of crude oil are driving up pump prices," AAA said in September.

Data from GasBuddy, which collects price reports from gas stations, showed prices have increased about 46% nationally from January 2025 to roughly the end of September 2026. Most of the seven swing states saw similar surges, with three of them increasing by at least 50%.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said that "politicians are now feverishly trying desperate attempts to reduce prices," such as through gas tax suspensions. He said, however, that relief is limited as geopolitical tensions remain a key burden on gas prices.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, who is in a tight race for reelection against Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, has pushed for a ban on diesel exports in an effort to lower prices. Peltolta has called out gas prices in the state, posting a receipt for a $24.49 gallon, and saying that her opponent has voted "for the war that's making everything more expensive."

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has said his campaign is about gas and grocery affordability.

"Michiganders are now paying a staggering $5 a gallon for gas and $6.79 a gallon for diesel—raising prices for groceries and everything else," he said in a statement. His opponent, Republican Mike Rogers, has called for a suspension of state and federal gas taxes, and for a temporary embargo on diesel exports.

Electricity

Electricity prices in most swing states have risen faster than the national average from January 2025 to July 2026. Maine has one of the highest rates in the country and saw a 24% increase, compared to the national increase of about 15%.

Americans are worried about what the data center boom means for their electricity charges. A Consumer Reports survey from November found more than three-quarters of Americans were at least somewhat worried their energy bills would rise because of this.

"High costs of energy are burdensome to Maine families, truck drivers, farmers, fishermen, schools, small businesses, mills, and factories," said Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins' site. Her opponent, Troy Jackson, has been criticized for increases in energy costs during his time leading the state legislature; in a statement to the local news outlet WABI, Jackson's campaign said that he "has a record of working to lower energy costs and will always stand up for Mainers."

In Texas, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico wants to "guarantee large energy users like data centers fund the infrastructure improvements they need rather than passing those costs on to consumers," while Republican candidate Ken Paxton has said that he supports data centers recycling water and producing their own energy to fend off potential costs for consumers.

Housing

Housing prices have also surged faster than the national average in most swing states from January 2025 to August 2026. Michigan's median home sales price increased 23%, higher than the overall 6% and the other toss-up states.

Redfin's chief economist Daryl Fairweather said there aren't any signs that the housing market will improve soon. "If anything, it's gotten a little bit worse in recent weeks with the bond market flaring up and mortgage rates going up," Fairweather said.

Republican Mike Rogers, who's running against El-Sayed in Michigan, has a housing platform centered on down payment assistance, lowering purchase and interest rates, and incentivizing new housing construction.

"The solutions I'm championing for Michigan transcend party lines: making housing affordable, bringing back jobs, fixing our broken healthcare system, and saving schools," Rogers told nonprofit news site Bridge Michigan. Meanwhile, El-Sayed has proposed streamlining local regulations to build more housing, banning algorithmic rental pricing, and expanding down payment assistance.

Tariffs

Throughout Trump's second term, there have been a slew of new tariffs. Businesses had to figure out what this would mean for what they import, and whether to pass these costs on to consumers.

In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins has pushed back on President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, saying that she thought imposing the fresh round of levies was a "mistake."

"Maine, our blueberries, our potatoes, our lobster, our lumber — that is processed across the border," Collins said. "If it comes back with a huge tariff on it, perhaps as much as 50%, that increases the cost of eating, building homes, and purchasing our best-known products." Collins' site touts her work in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and bringing online clean energy jobs. Meanwhile, Democratic opponent Troy Jackson has said that "tariffs will only hurt us," and that the state needs a senator who will stand up to the president.

As of July, the US imported over $2 trillion in goods year to date, with battleground Texas accounting for 15% of that. ABC 7 News asked Democratic candidate Talarico about what he would do to protect cattle producers and ranchers.

Part of his answer included eliminating tariffs: "We've got to reverse these corrupt tariffs that are driving up the price of fertilizer, the cost of equipment, and really putting a strain on our Texas cattle industry," he said. His opponent, Republican Ken Paxton, has been notably quiet about tariffs during recent events.

• Most of my previous homes have been bigger, two-story houses.
• However, my family of five just moved into a smaller three-bedroom duplex.
• I was dreading having less space at first, but there are unexpected benefits.

I've always loved the idea of having a big family home. I grew up in a two-story house with six family members, and it was always loud, fun, and messy.

Now that I'm a mother of three, I have a very different perspective on what it actually takes to run a busy family home. After living in multiple two-story houses in the last few years, I've realized that bigger isn't necessarily better in many ways.

In August, our family of five downsized to a small three-bedroom duplex in Labrador on the Gold Coast, Australia. Before that, we'd been living with my parents, and prior to that, we lived in a double-story house in Bright, in country Victoria.

Initially, I dreaded the idea of residing in what felt like a shoebox. How would we all cope? Would the kids drive each other nuts? How would they manage without a big yard to run around in? And most importantly, where on earth would I hide, aside from the shower?

The first couple of weeks were an adjustment, as we got used to our smaller abode. But much to my surprise, I'm actually finding it to be a refreshing change, and there have been plenty of unexpected benefits.

The inside is so much easier to clean

Our previous homes took me at least three hours to clean each week. When you're busy running businesses and raising three children, that kind of time can feel like dead expenditure, a bit like paying rent.

In contrast, it takes less than an hour to clean our new home. It's light and bright and somehow doesn't seem to accumulate dust in the same way the two-story properties did.

Having a smaller space to maintain has saved me an enormous amount of time and energy. Instead of spending hours keeping on top of the housework, my husband and I have more time for things that actually matter to us, like making memories with our kids.

There's less yard work

One of my favorite things about our home in country Victoria was the garden. It had these beautiful, mature trees that were spectacular to look at, but they also dropped a huge amount of foliage.

As a result, my husband was forever outside raking up debris. Likewise, when we lived with my parents, he'd spend several hours a month mowing and maintaining their yard.

Our new home is a different story. The back has a tiled courtyard, so there's no real maintenance required, and out front, there's a small yard. My husband or son can mow the grassed area in about 20 minutes. Again, this means we've gained more time to spend together as a family, rather than being tied down with the upkeep of a property.

Less clutter, more functional

With bigger homes, it's easy to fall into the trap of buying things to fill the space. Often, it's stuff you don't necessarily need, or at least that was my experience in the past.

Before we downsized, we ditched a whole lot of our clutter. Toys the kids hadn't looked at in years went to the thrift shop. Old clothes were tossed or passed on to someone who could use them.

In our new home, we've kept the furniture to a minimum, which has naturally reduced clutter. I feel like this has really helped with my mental health. Moving into a smaller space has also made us more conscious about the items we do own. We try to stick to items that are functional and serve a specific purpose in daily life.

Cheaper bills

It's still early days, and we haven't had to pay any bills yet, but we do expect to see some energy savings thanks to our move. The difference in our utility bills will really help our household budget over time.

It's hard to compare like for like between our last two properties, as one was in a much cooler climate and needed heating at this time of year, and Mum and Dad's house had solar panels. We do expect our bills to be lower at our new home.

Our water bills may also be cheaper, as there's less outdoor watering required.

Small suits us, for the moment

We know that our current home probably won't work as our kids grow older. I imagine that having three teenagers in a small duplex, haggling and loafing around, could test our patience in the long run.

But for the moment, downsizing has been a refreshing change. There's something so liberating about simplifying things, living with less stuff, and having a smaller space to maintain. We're embracing our small-home chapter and appreciating the little things along the way.

• LinkedIn creators are finding career success by posting work selfies and videos on the platform.
• AI's impact on LinkedIn is making authentic, personal posts more effective than polished content.
• LinkedIn launched a Next Gen Voices program to help young creators connect and grow their careers.

Your next career opportunity could start with your front-facing camera.

For some LinkedIn creators, selfies and unscripted videos are opening doors that career updates alone did not — from speaking invitations to a new job.

Three LinkedIn professionals told Business Insider that what used to be awkward on a platform where your boss, colleagues, and potential employers are watching is becoming the new norm that those looking to stand out may need to adapt to.

Arielle Berlinsky, the Director of Marketing at Movement Strategy, told Business Insider she started posting on LinkedIn while in a workplace where rules and expectations felt constraining, and LinkedIn became a space to share opinions, humor, and — eventually — her face.

“Even if you're working for a small company, you have a certain box that you can be kept in or standards you have to uphold,” Berlinsky said, adding that she initially shared photos from work events, then began recording videos about experiences and lessons as they happened.

"The one thing you carry with you everywhere is your face and your name and your personality because that's the heart of who you are," Berlinsky said. “I'm so much more than just my job and my title.”

AI is reshaping tactics for how to stand out

As AI makes polished posts easier to produce, some creators say personality can help people connect with the human behind the profile.

Tara Crymble, an account manager at B2B influencer marketing agency Creatorbuzz, told Business Insider that showing her face and speaking on video helps convey something a text post can struggle to capture.

“In this time of AI, it's so easy for people to get lost in this overly polished, filtered, corporate, or even robotic tone,” Crymble said.

“I think if you're posting your face or especially video content, you can add in your personality and your quirks into your content, and it just comes across as more genuine,” Crymble added. “And I think that layer of trust is more quickly built.”

LinkedIn has been tightening its approach to AI content, introducing a “Seems like AI slop” feedback option and tools to limit the distribution of generic AI-generated posts.

Jack Appleby, a 37-year-old writer and creator consultant who dubbed himself an "elder millennial" in a conversation with Business Insider, said he is seeing personal photos gain traction and may be changing his tactics after initially building his 90,000 followers on LinkedIn almost exclusively through text posts.

“I think the AI police are out in full force on LinkedIn, maybe more than any other social network,” Appleby said.

“People are more concerned than ever whether something's made by someone real or made by AI,” Appleby added. “I think people want connection, and maybe it's time I let people get to know who I am as much as the way that I think."

Gen Zers are emerging as the leading voices on LinkedIn

Crymble once used LinkedIn like a traditional résumé for job announcements. But last December, when she began sharing what she was doing and learning as a recent graduate, including her face and voice, Crymble said her following grew from roughly 1,000 to 6,000, and her posts have generated more than 250,000 impressions.

“Not only was I getting opportunities such as speaking and media and opportunities to be in rooms that I wouldn't have originally had the chance to have, but I also received my current job,” Crymble said. “I found that out through my LinkedIn presence and connecting with the team.”

Berlinsky said her posts have earned millions of impressions and helped her build a community of over 55,000 people.

Berlinsky and Crymble both said they participate in LinkedIn's Next Gen Voices program, an invitation-only, 12-week cohort for Gen Z creators that offers opportunities to test features, provide feedback, and meet the LinkedIn team.

"This may sound crass, but generally, if you know how to dress and present yourself, it's probably worth putting your face out there so people know who you are," Appleby said.

"Most data I see, and people are often not comfortable hearing this, says it's often the most well-kept people or the most conventionally attractive people who get promotions in the workplace," Appleby added.

Advice on how to get started

For those who are not social media natives like more Gen Zers, the young creators have tips on how to get unstuck on LinkedIn.

"I've seen a lot of creators that fully embrace themselves, whether that be their interests or personality," said Crymble. "In a world of all this AI content, it shines through as relatable and is embraced back."

Berlinsky recommends starting with a friend who can take photos of you doing something naturally, and practice speaking into the camera as though you're speaking to one person.

“I'm going to show up and talk as if I'm talking to one person and not try to speak to everyone, not try to cater to everyone,” Berlinsky said, "Consistency matters more than sticking to a single format, so think about the memes and infographics that can also communicate personality."

"Stop waiting for the ideal lighting or buy that thousand-dollar equipment," Berlinsky added. "The less you worry about filtering yourself, the less you worry about making it perfect, the more it will translate into success.”