Lip-Bu Tan is trying to engineer a turnaround at Intel. Dibyanshu Sarkar for AFP via Getty Images 2025-04-25T06:04:28Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Intel's CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, announced layoffs and a stricter RTO mandate in a Thursday memo. The company also reported flat revenue and a significant loss. Its stock was down after hours. Other tech companies are similarly directing employees to focus on efficiency. Intel's new CEO promised big changes within weeks of taking over the chipmaker. Now, he's laying out steps that echo how Big Tech companies have changed their workforces.In a Thursday memo to employees posted on the company's website, Lip-Bu Tan detailed his plan for the company's culture: more time in the office, less admin, and leaner"The most important KPI for many managers at Intel has been the size of their teams. Going forward, this will not be the case," Tan wrote, referring to key performance indicators. "The best leaders get the most done with the fewest people."Tan said the company will lay off employees over the next few months, starting this quarter. It is not clear how much Intel plans to reduce its head count. As of December, the company employed 108,900 full-time people, a decrease of more than 12% from the previous year, after a round of cuts under the prior CEO.Tan said that by September, the company will mandate four days in the office, up from three days now. He's making the company's goal framework, called OKRs, optional, and cutting down on administrative tasks.The CEO also took aim at meetings, which have long been a pet peeve of top executives, including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon."I am instructing our leaders to eliminate unnecessary meetings and significantly reduce the number of meeting attendees. Too much valuable time is being wasted," he said.Tan, an electronics veteran, took over as Intel's CEO last month. His appointment comes after former CEO Pat Gelsinger's sudden departure in December and during a tumultuous time for the once-dominant chipmaker, which has been struggling to compete with Nvidia and Taiwanese players.On Thursday, Intel reported its first-quarter earnings. Its revenue was $12.7 billion — flat compared to last year — and it reported a loss of $800 million.Intel's stock fell 5% after hours on Thursday because of weaker-than-expected earnings guidance for the second quarter. Intel's stock is down nearly 39% over the last year.Intel did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider 'Lean, fast, and agile'Tan's 'do more with less' memo reflects a broader cultural crackdown across tech.Younger companies like Meta, Google, Amazon, and TikTok are rethinking a US tech culture known for pandemic-eraIntel also joins the rest of Big Tech in embracing the "great flattening." Companies, including Meta, have cut middle-level management in favor of more streamlined teams and fewer tiers of hierarchy, which they think should lead to less bureaucracy.Across the industry, free massages and pet day care services have been replaced with memos filled with words such as "efficiency" and "scrappiness and frugality." Tan, too, in his letter wrote: "Our competitors are lean, fast and agile — and that's what we must become to improve our execution."Tan's note echoes memos that the CEOs of Amazon and Shopify sent to their employees."We want to operate like the world's largest startup," Amazon's Andy Jassy wrote in a September letter. "That means having a passion for constantly inventing for customers, strong urgency (for most big opportunities, it's a race!), high ownership, fast decision-making, scrappiness and frugality, deeply-connected collaboration."In a memo to employees that Shopify's Toby Lütke shared on social media earlier this month, he wrote: "In a company growing 20-40% year over year, you must improve by at least that every year just to re-qualify." Recommended video

"I know who I am and I know what I am doing and I know what my values are and why I am giving back," Melinda French Gates said. Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images 2025-04-25T04:07:56Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Melinda French Gates said she ignores the criticism she gets from tech bros on her philanthropy. "If that's how they want to act? Fine, but it doesn't bother me," French Gates said. Elon Musk has criticized French Gates and MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, for their work in charity. Melinda French Gates said she isn't bothered by the nasty things tech bros have to say about her philanthropic work.French Gates was asked about the criticism billionaires like her and MacKenzie Scott have received for their philanthropy during an interview with Scott Galloway on his podcast, which aired Thursday."I ignore it," French Gates said. "I know who I am and I know what I am doing and I know what my values are and why I am giving back.""I'm not sitting on the sidelines. To me, it's so easy to sit on the sidelines and, as Roosevelt used to say, criticize from the sidelines. I'm in the arena doing the work," French Gates continued.French Gates has received criticism for her charity work. In June, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said it "might be the downfall of Western civilization" after French Gates endorsed President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. Musk was responding to an X post by the Babylon Bee staffer Ashley St. Clair about French Gates' endorsement."Many super villain arcs being pursued under the guise of philanthropy," St. Clair wrote in an X post."Yeah," Musk replied.Earlier, in March 2024, Musk criticized Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, Scott, for her charitable giving."'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should filed be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died,'" Musk wrote in a now-deleted post on X on March 6, 2024.French Gates told Galloway that attacks and criticism will not stop her from continuing with her philanthropy."I think when you're not doing the work and you're not in the arena, it's easier to criticize others and to project onto others or make them look bad because you don't want to go do that work," she said."That's up to them. If that's how they want to act? Fine, but it doesn't bother me. My work goes ahead," she continued.French Gates announced her divorce from Microsoft cofounder, Bill Gates, in 2021. The couple had been married for 27 years.In May, French Gates said she had left the Gates Foundation, a philanthropic foundation she started with her now ex-husband in 2000. Her giving efforts are now mainly led by Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company she launched in 2015.French Gates wrote about her decision to leave the Gates Foundation in an op-ed for The New York Times published in May. In that op-ed, she said she would give $1 billion over the next two years to causes relating to reproductive rights, women, and families."Many years ago, I received this piece of advice: 'Set your own agenda, or someone else will set it for you.' I've carried those words with me ever since," French Gates wrote.Representatives for French Gates did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Recommended video

Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images 2025-04-25T00:18:02Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Take a look at any Gen Z or Gen Alpha's bag — chances are, multiple charms are hooked onto it. The hottest trend of late is bag charms: Cute keychains and figurines that can be hooked on zips and straps. From showcasing personality to being a marketing tool for brands, here's why everyone's crazy about them. Gone are the days when the clickity-clack of stilettos used to signal a woman's entrance into a room. It's now replaced by the clickity-clack of the dozen charms she's hooked onto her handbag.Bag charms — small, decorative keychains — are quickly making their way onto the clasps of Gen Zers' bags. From miniature stuffed toys and cute figurines to beaded chains and even tiny framed pictures of their favorite artists, bag charms vary dramatically in size and form.For some, the charms just help to spice up an otherwise boring bag. For others, the importance of the charms goes much deeper — they are an extension of their personality, as much a fashion choice as their clothing."Whether they're adorning the 'it bag' of the moment or a thrift store find, Gen Zs and Gen Alphas see their bags as a blank canvas to display their personalities and personal style," said Carol Davidson, an NYC-based image consultant."It's adornment, sure, but also a way of sharing oneself with others," she added. "A cluster of charms gives others a snapshot of how someone sees themselves and how they want others to see them."Retail brands are hopping on the trend, with everyone from KFC to Balenciaga releasing bag charms to get the Gen Z buy-in. Celebrities at Paris Fashion Week had charms swinging from their bags.Here's a look at the hottest Gen Z trend of late.A modern take on 'Birkinifying' bagsDavidson said one likely origin of the bag charm trend was the death of Jane Birkin, the late British actor and model who was the muse and namesake of Hermès' most popular luxury bag, the Birkin."'Birkinifying' is officially a thing, originating with Jane Birkin herself. She was admired for her unique sense of style and love of fashion, but also for not taking it all too seriously," Davidson told BI."She was one of the first — if not the first - to adorn her large, well-worn bags with charms, scarves, and trinkets. Since her death in 2023, we've seen the re-emergence of this '00s trend," she added.Gregory Scott Angel, an assistant professor of fashion at Parsons School of Design, said the punk style of the 1980s could have been a predecessor to the bag charm trend, a style characterized by a "number of piercings, jewelry, and visible identity."Angel likened charms to emojis."The charms are a big identifier with people's personality. These charms could be associated with comfort, but for the most part, I see them as identifiers, the same way we use emojis to communicate with people," Angel said.A new way to vibe checkLow Zhi An, a 23-year-old tutor and avid charm collector from Singapore, put it bluntly: "If you have no bag charms, you have no personality."Low said she probably has over 50 charms in her collection. Although she's spent up to 40 Singaporean Dollars, or about $30, on a single charm, her favorite is one she got for free at Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour concert in Singapore."I got this small keychain from this little girl, and I just thought it was really, really cute. It just happened to have my favorite song on it, Gold Rush," Low, 23, said. Low Zhi An said she's collected about 50 bag charms to date, the most expensive being SG$40. Low Zhi An Low, who is also a die-hard K-pop fan, said that her most expensive charm was a green star plushie keychain tied to an album from her favorite group, NCT.The charm has a Near Field Communication tag, which, when brought near a phone, immediately lets the user browse and stream the album online.She also has several charms with photos of her favorite K-pop celebrities, like Yeonjun from the boy band Tomorrow X Together.Yeo Wen Qing, a recent communications graduate, said her journey collecting bag charms started young, when she kept the small keychains and knickknacks she got from Kinder Joy sweets or McDonald's meals.Now, Yeo says she has more than 10 charms, at least one on each bag she owns.For Yeo, seeing what bag charms a person has is a litmus test of their personality and whether she'll be able to "vibe well with them.""If I see that person has a bag charm of a Labubu, I will know that person buys into trends, maybe buys a bit too much into trends," she said. Labubu, a furry plushie toy with serrated teeth made by Chinese toymaker PopMart, has taken Asia and, increasingly, the West by storm.She added that if she sees someone with a charm of an "obscure" cartoon or anime character that she loves, she finds it easier to approach them.Gwen Lim, a Gen Zer who works in campaign marketing in Singapore, collects bag charms on her travels. She said they serve as souvenirs of her trips and remind her of good times with her friends. Gwen Lim's bag, with fresh charms from her recent trip to South Korea Gwen Lim Lim, 23, said charms also serve a very utilitarian function for her.In Singapore, where a handful of bag brands like Charles & Keith and The Paper Bunny reign supreme and trends spread like wildfire, many people carry similar bags. Hanging charms are her way of differentiating her bag from the masses.Lim's charms are also little vehicles for her beauty products. She said beauty brands in South Korea often package their products into bag charms. Lim is a fan of bag charms that house beauty products, like the Fwee Pudding Pot blush in the blue case. Gwen Lim Even fashion stylists are getting in on the bag charm trend.Edith Chan, a Madrid-based stylist, said she's gotten her clients, who are mainly entrepreneurial women in their 30s, to get in on the bag charm trend. She said even tying a scarf onto their bag helps them make their bag unique to them.Major retail brands are hopping on the bag charm bandwagonRetail brands, from fashion to food from across the board, are making bag charms to get the buy-in of the younger consumer base. In Singapore, KFC debuted limited-edition bag charms of the beloved Japanese cat character Mofusand wearing hats shaped like egg tarts, chicken drumsticks, and an upside-down fried chicken bucket.Over to haute couture, in November, Balenciaga introduced a "Charms Bar" in some of its stores worldwide, which allows customers to personalize their bags. One of the charms it sells is the $895 "Le City Micro Bag Charm," a tiny replica of its $2,900 Le City Medium bag.Angel, the professor from Parsons, said charms are "free marketing" for big brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier."In a competitive market, it helps luxury brands solidify brand loyalty with their existing base while providing an accessible entry for aspirational consumers," Davidson, the image consultant, said.Chan, the stylist, said the charms are a big way brands are drawing in younger customers."These brands always go to the young people," she said. "It's one way to nurture this generation to make them brand loyal." 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I haven't always loved having the name Lynda — but at least it's not Linda. Courtesy of Lynda Rucker. 2025-04-24T21:45:02Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? I'm a Gen X woman with a name beloved by baby boomers, but often misunderstood by my peers. Today the name Linda is often associated with a frumpy archetype, as seen in TV shows and memes. The unique "y" in the spelling of my name helps me stand out from the Lindas of the world. "Linda? That's my aunt's name!"I probably wasn't even out of my teens before I'd lost count of the number of times a cute boy said this to me. "You have an old name because you had old parents," my older sister flatly told me once. My friends more tactfully insisted that "No, the 'y'But my sister wasn't wrong: I'm a Gen X Lynda with a name beloved by the parents of baby boomers and even the silent generation. These days, the name has been reduced to a frumpy archetype. How did a name that was the equivalent of a TikTok sensation of its day become so relentlessly uncool?Lindas are getting a bad rapThe "y" is the only thing standing between me and the Lindas of the world. As a Linda, I'm an episode-long joke on "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" in which everyone is confounded by a baby named Linda because Lindas are adult women who work in HR. There's also the bossy busybody of the "Listen Linda" meme (there but for the grace of Karen go I), which originated with a Linda recording her three-year-old son repeatedly insisting "Listen, Linda" with all of the exasperated patience he can muster faced with the implacable bureaucracy that a Linda embodies. As a Lynda, I have plausible deniability.The comedic success of both the TV show and the meme relies on the confidence that we've all noticed certain things about people named Linda and that we'll all get the joke, and we do. "Who's Linda? Your mom's friend?" Linda is the type of person who carries SlimFast in her purse and gets mad when she can't find her keys. Linda says things like "Mondays," with that little rueful head shake, you know the one. Of course she does.We all know this Linda, but why? How did this extraordinarily popular name become this frumpy archetype?The name isn't poised for a comeback — yetOne thing all the characters in the Kimmy Schmidt episode agree on — including the five middle-aged Lindas who all work in HR at the same company — Linda definitely can't be a baby.These days, they aren't wrong. In the US, the name Linda began its sharp rise in popularity in the late 1930s, peaked in the late 1940s, and declined dramatically throughout the 1960s and 1970s to become one of the unlikeliest names given to babies today.This is my name, and I'm keeping itOf course, we Lyndas with a "y" were always somewhat rare, which is why I've always side-eyed HR departments, try not to make everything my business, and can solemnly swear not a sip of SlimFast has ever passed my lips. I do get mad when I can't find my keys though. I try not to think much about the fact that I was almost an Elizabeth as I'm convinced my life would have taken a completely different trajectory. Elizabeth surely would have been several inches taller than my five-foot-one-inch frame and would probably have had a decent sense of direction. She'd have published a novel in her twenties and probably landed on one of those "30 Under 30" lists.However unenamoured I have always been of my name, I've also never considered changing it. Wouldn't that just leave me with another name I'd also get tired of, only I'd have no one but myself to blame?There's another reason I'm kind of attached to Lynda though. My father loved the name and had always wanted a daughter named Linda. My mother suggested the "y" addition just so it would be a little different. The name meant something to them even if it seems slightly ridiculous to me. Now that they're both gone, it feels like a lasting thread of connection with them both.That and the fact that it's Lynda with a "y." I'm not one of those Lindas other people talk about — at least not as long as I can find my keys. Recommended video

Google says Gemini has 350 million monthly active users. Jaque Silva/NurPhoto 2025-04-24T18:31:30Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Google's AI chatbot Gemini has seen massive user growth. It's still trailing behind rivals like ChatGPT and Meta AI, data Google displayed in court showed. Google revealed the data during the remedies phase of the company's search antitrust case. Google's artificial intelligence chatbot Gemini has seen a massive spike in its user numbers, but its usage levels are still way behind rivals like ChatGPT and Meta AI, data revealed in court this week showed.As of late March, Gemini logged 350 million monthly active users and 35 million daily active users, according to a slide displayed by Google attorneys on Wednesday during day three of a court hearing to determine how to remedy the tech empire's illegal online search monopoly.The user data was shown by Google in a Washington, DC, federal courtroom during testimony by Sissie Hsiao, who until earlier this month served as the head of Gemini and led the effort to create the chatbot. The Department of Justice called Hsiao as one of its witnesses in the antitrust case.Google showed the data as a way to highlight the competitive nature of the generative AI space. Gemini launched in 2023 and though its daily usage has nearly quadrupled from the 9 million daily active users it recorded in October of last year, OpenAI's ChatGPT and Meta AI were still leading the pack, the slide showed.The Google slide estimated ChatGPT's monthly active users at 600 million and Meta AI's at 800 million. Google displayed this slide during the remedies phase of the company's search antitrust case. Google In a January earnings call, Meta CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg — who testified last week in his company's own antitrust trial — said that Meta AI's usage "continues to scale" with more than 700 million monthly active users."I expect this is going to be the year when a highly intelligent and personalized AI assistant reaches more than 1 billion people, and I expect Meta AI to be that leading AI assistant," Zuckerberg said.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said this month during a TED interview that ChatGPT had 500 million weekly active users and added that the chatbot was "growing very rapidly.""You told me that like doubled in just a few weeks," head of TED Chris Anderson told Altman. "I said that privately, but I guess…" Altman replied, before trailing off."It's growing very fast," he added.While on the witness stand in Google's antitrust case, Hsiao testified about the fast-changing pace of the generative AI world.The so-called remedies phase of the court battle between Google and the DOJ kicked off on Monday and it could result in a massive shake up of the $1.8 trillion tech behemoth.US District Judge Amit Mehta will ultimately determine Google's fate after he ruled in August, following a 10-week trial, that Google violated US antitrust law in maintaining a monopoly with its online search business.If the DOJ gets its way, Google could be forced to sell off its prized Chrome web browser, end its exclusive deals with Apple and others to make Google the default search engine on web browsers and smartphones, and share search data with competitors.Justice Department lawyer David Dahlquist said in his opening statement on Monday that the court must prevent Google from using its search monopoly to dominate the AI market.Google lawyer John Schmidtlein argued ChatGPT is doing just fine.The court hearing is slated to run three weeks. The judge is expected to issue his remedies ruling by the end of the summer.Google has vowed to appeal Mehta's ruling that declared the tech giant a monopolist. Recommended video

"Harry Potter" is a phenomenon that continues to this day, 28 years after "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was first published in the UK. That book series has turned into a behemoth that contains theme parks, a studio tour, multiple giant stores, a VR experience, conventions, a Broadway play, reality shows, and more.But at the center of that media giant are the eight theatrical films, which began with a group of young preteen actors whose lives were completely transformed when they became pupils at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.And now, a new set of actors are about to have their lives changed. HBO just released the first round of casting announcements for its upcoming adaptation of the novels, although we don't know who's playing our core trio yet.Ahead of a new crew of child actors joining the Wizarding World, we've ranked the child stars from the original film series from least to most successful, taking into consideration factors including subsequent film appearances, awards, and social media followings.Keep scrolling to see how your favorite "Harry Potter" actor stacks up. 17. Chris Rankin Chris Rankin. C Flanigan/FilmMagic/Getty Images Chris Rankin played the prefect Percy Weasley in four films. He now works behind the scenes.Rankin, 41, has had a few minor acting credits since "Deathly Hallows Part 2," and he has 52,700 followers on Instagram.He has been credited as a production coordinator on successful shows like "Downton Abbey" and "A Discovery of Witches," however, so while he doesn't have the same level of traditional Hollywood success, he's been busy. He did not appear in the Max reunion, "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts," in 2022. 16. Devon Murray Actor Devon Murray attends the London Comic Convention at Earls Court on July 9, 2011. Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage via Getty Images Devon Murray played Seamus Finnigan in all eight movies, but he hasn't done much outside "Potter." In general, he seems to be more interested in crypto than acting.Murray, 36, has only one movie appearance to his name after "Potter" ended in 2011, an uncredited role in 2018's "Damo & Ivor: The Movie." He was also in a music video in 2017, for "Every Time You Need Me," by Simonna.On the social media front, Murray has about 162,000 followers on Instagram and 251,200 on X, but overall, Murray is still known mostly for blowing stuff up as Seamus. He also did not appear in the Max reunion. 15. Josh Herdman Josh Herdman. John Phillips/Getty Images for EA Sports Josh Herdman played Goyle in all eight films, and he has continued to act.Herdman, 37, is also a professional MMA fighter as well as an actor. Since "Potter" ended, he's secured a few acting credits in the series "Marcella," as well as "Alex Rider" in 2020. He also appeared in the 2018 film "Robin Hood" starring Taron Egerton.Most recently, he appeared in two episodes of "Andor" and two episodes of the Starz adaptation of "The Man Who Fell to Earth."Herdman has fewer social-media followers than Murray (128,000 on Instagram), but his continued acting career and fighting career put him in front.Herdman did not return for the reunion. 14. Oliver and James Phelps Oliver Phelps and James Phelps. Noam Galai/Getty Images Oliver and James Phelps, who played the Weasley twins in all the films, are too much of a unit to separate.The Phelps twins, 39, have sporadically continued to act together, rarely appearing in things without each other. While they haven't acted much since the end of the films, they've capitalized on their "Potter" fame, and each has over 2 million followers on Instagram, (James has 2.5; Oliver has 2.4).Their onscreen appearances include 2021's psychological horror film "Last Night in Soho," directed by Edgar Wright. The two also appeared as themselves in the docuseries "The Cars That Made Britain Great" and hosted the "Potter"-themed baking show, "Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking" on Food Network in 2024.The twins also cohosted a podcast together, "Normal Not Normal," that saw them "talk to a star-studded selection of friends, colleagues, and personal heroes who stepped into the limelight at a young age, and find out what 'normal' means to them." It ended in 2023.Hilariously, the Phelpses did appear in the Max special, but their name labels were swapped. 13. Bonnie Wright Bonnie Wright. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for the Environmental Media Association While Wright, 34, hasn't appeared in any blockbuster films lately, her clout has only grown since playing the youngest Weasley. In addition to the multiple indie films she's acted in, ("The Sea," "After the Dark," "Before I Sleep"), she's also become a director and founded her own production company, BonBonLumiere. She also has a cool 3.9 million followers on Instagram.Her directorial debut, a short called "Separate We Come, Separate We Go," starred her "Potter" costar David Thewlis and received positive reviews at its debut during the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. Most recently, she's focused on directing music videos. She's been less busy since 2018, however, so we can't put her higher than some of her costars who are still working constantly. Wright had a small role in the "Potter" reunion in 2022. 12. Evanna Lynch Evanna Lynch. Tristar Media/Getty Images Evanna Lynch played the lovably loony Luna Lovegood for four films.Lynch, 33, has found the most fame on social media — she has 3.8 million followers on Instagram — but she keeps busy with other projects as well. She hosted "The ChickPeeps Vegan Podcast" until 2023, and began a Substack in 2025 called "Penfriendship."She also competed on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2018, finishing in third place. Acting-wise, she's appeared in a few indie films, but her main focus seems to be on other ventures.During the 2022 reunion, Lynch shared the fascinating story of how she was cast as Luna — for years, she was a pen pal of author JK Rowling. 11. Matthew Lewis Matthew Lewis. Scott Garfitt/BAFTA/Getty Images Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom, is, of course, the man behind the phrase "Longbottoming," thanks to his drastic post-"Potter" glow-up — the cultural impact of that alone places him above some of his costars.The 35-year-old is also still acting regularly, however. He appeared in the 2020 series "All Creatures Great and Small," as well as the 2024 series "Avoidance." "Ripper Street," "Happy Valley," "Me Before You," and even an episode of "Drunk History" are among his other credits.Lewis also hosts "The Official Leeds United Podcast," and he has 2.4 million Instagram followers and 1.3 million X followers. He reunited with his fellow Hogwarts classmates during the Max special. 10. Clémence Poésy Clémence Poésy. Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images Clémence Poésy played the half-Veela, half-human Fleur Delacour in three films.Poésy, 42, has appeared in more than one iconic property — besides "Potter," she had a small arc during season four of "Gossip Girl" as Chuck's French girlfriend Eva, and she was in the 2020 Christopher Nolan film, "Tenet."Poésy also starred in the Apple TV+ miniseries "The Essex Serpent" alongside Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes. From 2023 to 2024, she played Isabelle in "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon."Up next is another Apple TV+ series, "Neuromancer," which also stars Callum Turner, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong, and the BBC series "King and Conqueror," which costars James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.So, what she lacks in social media (143,000 Instagram followers), she has made up for with parts in prestige projects — she also appeared in "127 Hours" and "In Bruges" in between her "Potter" films. 9. Freddie Stroma Freddie Stroma. Desiree Navarro/WireImage/Getty Images Freddie Stroma played the annoying Cormac McLaggen for three films.Yes, Stroma's appearance in "Bridgerton" bumped him up a few spots — how could it not? It was a major hit, and he played a literal prince.But the 38-year-old has been steadily acting for years outside "Bridgerton." He starred in "Unreal," had a role in "Pitch Perfect" (phenomenon), and appeared in an episode of "Game of Thrones" (the third phenomenon he's been involved with to date). A fourth came in 2022: He plays Adrian Chase, aka Vigilante, in the Max series "Peacemaker," a spin-off focusing on John Cena's character from "The Suicide Squad." Season two is expected in August 2025.He also starred in "Time After Time" as HG Wells and starred in "The Crew," a Kevin James-led sitcom on Netflix, which was canceled in July 2021. 8. Tom Felton Tom Felton. Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images While Felton, 37, is still best known for Draco Malfoy, he's been able to capitalize on that in a way few other "Potter" stars have.Whenever he posts a throwback from the set, it makes headlines. It's helped him gain a massive 11.9 million Instagram followers and 2.9 million X followers.Felton does still act though — he had a sweet arc on "The Flash" as Julian, appeared as Laertes in "Ophelia," and has been in other indie films in the past decade.In 2022, Felton published his memoir "Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard," which was a New York Times bestseller.Felton was also a large part of the 20th anniversary special, sharing anecdotes about shooting scenes with his on-screen dad Jason Isaacs, remembering his on-screen mother, Helen McCrory, who died in 2021, and even talking about his special bond with Emma Watson.Next up, he's set to appear in a series depicting the life of Gandhi as English lawyer Josiah Oldfield. 7. Katie Leung Katie Leung. Mike Marsland/WireImage/Getty Images Katie Leung played Cho Chang in five films, starting with "Goblet of Fire."It's taken Leung, 37, a few years, but she's seriously poised to become one of the more successful members of the "Potter" cast.In the past few years, she's appeared in "T2: Trainspotting," the Prime Video series "The Peripheral" and "The Wheel of Time," and the BBC series "Nightsleeper."Leung also had a voice role in the Netflix animated series "Arcane," which is part of the "League of Legends" universe. It wrapped its two-season run in 2024.Most exciting, though, is that she's set to star in the coming fourth season of "Bridgerton" as Lady Araminta — as book readers know, that's a big deal.She also has an impressive 408,000 followers on Instagram.It's only up from here for Leung, although she did not return for the 20th-anniversary special. 6. Harry Melling Harry Melling. Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for BFI Harry Melling is unrecognizable from his days as Dudley Dursley. You might've seen him in "The Queen's Gambit" and not even realized.Melling, 36, has become quite the actor since leaving "Potter" behind. After his last appearance in "Deathly Hallows Part 1," he's appeared in "The Lost City of Z," "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," "His Dark Materials," "The Old Guard," "The Devil All the Time," "The Queen's Gambit," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "The Pale Blue Eye," among other projects — a very impressive résumé for someone who used to be known as the annoying, evil cousin.Melling is also going costar with Alexander Skarsgård in the romantic comedy "Pillion," so it's safe to say we'll only be hearing more from him — though we only got a glimpse of him in old footage in the reunion. 5. Alfred Enoch Alfred Enoch. Dave Benett/Getty Images Alfred Enoch's run on "How to Get Away with Murder" was popular enough that there's a significant number of people who know him better as Wes Gibbins than Dean Thomas — and that's saying something. The Emmy-winning show wrapped up its six-season run in May 2020. That puts him in the upper echelon of "Potter" child stars.The 36-year-old continued his TV success in the Apple TV+ series "Foundation," which costars Jared Harris and Lee Pace. He was on the first two seasons.In 2025, he appeared in the BBC/PBS series "Miss Austen."Enoch was one of two fellow Gryffindors from Harry's year that returned for the special, though he didn't have a huge part. 4. Rupert Grint Rupert Grint. Dave Benett/Hoda Davaine/Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, is most successful in his native country of England.Grint isn't as mega-famous as his costars, but that seems to be the way he wants it. He joined Instagram only in 2020 ... and now has over 5.3 million followers.The 36-year-old hasn't appeared in many films since the saga ended, but he has been successful on TV. He starred in (and executive produced) the Crackle series "Snatch" alongside the future "Bridgerton" star Phoebe Dynevor and the "Skins" heartthrob Luke Pasqualino.He also starred in the Apple TV+ series "Servant," which the horror icon M. Night Shyamalan produced, from 2019 to 2023. He teamed up with Shyamalan for his 2023 film, "A Knock at the Cabin," too.During the anniversary special, Grint shared that he actually thought about quitting the movies, as did Emma Watson, because of the pressures of fame.Fun fact for 2010s teens: Grint has been in a relationship with Georgia Groome of "Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging" since 2011. They have one daughter together. 3. Emma Watson Emma Watson. Arnold Jerocki/GC Images/Getty Images Emma Watson, who turned 35 on April 15, went from "Harry Potter" to a Disney princess in the live-action "Beauty and the Beast," an infamous criminal in "Bling Ring," a beloved manic pixie dream girl in "Perks of Being a Wallflower," and the eldest March sister in "Little Women," among other roles.She also graduated from Brown University, was appointed a UN Goodwill Ambassador, launched the HeForShe campaign, is part of the G7, and has done extensive modeling.Her impact will still be felt around the world, whether or not she retires from acting — her Instagram has a staggering 73.4 million followers.It's no wonder she almost quit the series, as she revealed in the special. 2. Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Radcliffe. Jamie McCarthy/WireImage/Getty Images Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself, has become quite the actor since leaving Hogwarts.He's shied away from big-budget films, instead focusing on bonkers films such as "Guns Akimbo," "Swiss Army Man," and the interactive finale of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."He also appeared in the magical film "Now You See Me 2," in which he pointedly is not a magician. Per IMDb, he'll be returning for the sequel later this year, "Now You See Me: Now You Don't."He starred in the TBS anthology series "Miracle Workers" from 2019 to 2023 — a clip of Radcliffe performing "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" in drag went viral in 2020.In 2022, Radcliffe co-starred with Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt, and Sandra Bullock in "The Lost City" and played Weird Al Yankovic in the biopic "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story."The 35-year-old has also had a successful theater career. He famously starred in "Equus" and the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," which earned him a Grammy nod. He also has two Drama Desk nominations under his belt, and in 2024, he won a Tony for his performance in the revival of "Merrily We Roll Along."Radcliffe, of course, had lots of screen time in the reunion, having special moments with not only Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, but also with Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter (whom he had a crush on), and director Chris Columbus. 1. Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson. Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images Robert Pattinson, who appeared only in "Goblet of Fire," is easily the most successful child star to come out of "Harry Potter."Pattinson, who does not have an Instagram account, spun his one-movie role into the leading man of one of the other biggest franchises of the 2010s: "Twilight." Today, he's the most successful star from that franchise, too.After a decade of distancing himself from big blockbusters by starring in films like "Good Time" and "The Lighthouse," Pattinson, 38, officially had his mainstream comeback. He starred in "Tenet," "The King," and is Batman, for crying out loud.After recently starring in Bong Joon Ho's follow-up to "Parasite," "Mickey 17," Pattinson has a busy couple of years coming up. Next for him are: Christopher Nolan's adaptation of "The Odyssey," "Die, My Love" alongside Jennifer Lawrence, "The Drama," alongside Zendaya, and, of course, "The Batman 2."There's no one else who compares, honestly.

After 12 years of serving as the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88.Francis' body will lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City before his burial in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome on Saturday. World leaders, including President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are set to attend.A new pope will be chosen by the College of Cardinals in a papal election known as the conclave.Photos show powerful moments from the late pope's funeral proceedings. After Pope Francis' death was announced on Easter Monday, mourners assembled for an evening rosary prayer in St. Peter's Square. A rosary prayer in suffrage of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square. Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images Visitors left flowers, candles, and photos of the late pope. A memorial for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square. Christoph Reichwein/picture alliance via Getty Images Francis lay in state in an open wooden coffin on Tuesday at Casa Santa Marta, his papal residence. Cardinals prayed at the Chapel of Santa Marta. Simone Risoluti Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images On Wednesday, his body was transferred to St. Peter's Basilica, one of the holiest sites in the Catholic church, for three days of public viewing. Pope Francis' body was transferred to the Basilica at St. Peter's Square. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images His coffin was placed in front of the Altar of the Confession, which sits above what is believed to be the tomb of Saint Peter, one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles. Pope Francis' coffin at St. Peter's Basilica. Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images After leading the procession to the Basilica, the Cardinals conducted a service featuring liturgical readings and hymns. Cardinals paid their respects to Pope Francis inside St. Peter's Basilica. ALESSANDRO DI MEO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Tens of thousands of people waited in line to enter St. Peter's Basilica and pay their respects to Pope Francis. Pope Francis lay in state inside St. Peter's Basilica. Picture Alliance via Getty Images

First jobs for college grads are becoming more elusive. Open roles for entry-level software engineers have dropped. Generative AI is writing more code, and Big Tech companies are boasting about how AI is making their workers more efficient. The number of entry-level management consulting and finance jobs began declining last year, and several big firms considered offering lower salaries — reasoning that AI would take on some of the workload.Gen AI isn't Gen Z's only problem. Today's erratic economy has employees deeply worried about their jobs. That can mean fewer positions with new vacancies. Employers have been wary about bringing on fresh-faced hires in need of training.All of these roiling changes have left many Zoomers extremely nervous. In a new survey of college seniors from the career site Handshake, 62% of those who said they were familiar with AI tools expressed at least some concern about how those tools would affect their job prospects, up from 44% in 2023. Computer science students seemed the most worried about their overall prospects; 28% said they were "very pessimistic" about starting their careers in the current economy, up from 18% a year ago. As of March, soon-to-be grads had submitted 21% more job applications on Handshake than seniors did the year before — all while job postings on the site declined by 15%. And according to Indeed, internship postings across all sectors, which peaked in 2022, have fallen to below 2019 levels.If AI replaces entry-level work, new grads will have to learn the skills they need to work some other way — and lots of those practical, workplace skills aren't taught in the college classroom. A collapse of the career ladder and increasing automation could create more inequalities in skills, pay, and job satisfaction, says Matt Beane, a professor of technology management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There are already cracks beginning to form in some white collar industry pipelines. "It's too late for us to completely and perfectly avoid this problem," Beane says. "Some damage has been done."Gen Zers are already deeply uncertain about the value of a college degree, with about half saying they felt higher education is a "waste of money" in a March survey from Indeed. In March, nearly 6% of college graduates 27 or younger were unemployed, compared with 2.6% of all workers with college degrees, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Four percent of all workers were unemployed, and nearly 7% of young people without college degrees didn't have jobs.A Brookings Institution analysis of OpenAI data concluded that some entry-level jobs, like preparing legal documents and reviewing legal data, were at high risk of automation. About half of the tasks for a marketing research analyst were similarly thought to be at risk, compared with 9% of the work for a marketing manager. There were similar findings for sales representatives versus sales managers. AI tools may unevenly affect different industries: An Anthropic analysis of its tool Claude.ai found that 37% of queries were related to computer and mathematical work, like developing and maintaining websites or debugging computer systems, while other categories like education, business and finance, sciences, and administrative were less common.Bosses might have their eye on the benefits of putting gen AI and agents into the workforce, but it's not a silver bullet for efficiency. Three in four workers surveyed last year by the freelancing platform UpWork said AI tools had made them less productive and put more work on their plate. "It seems like there's savings and productivity gains on the surface, but then when you really dig in, there's potentially longer review periods or more going back to double-check or correct mistakes that don't seem obvious," says Tim Herbert, the chief research officer at CompTIA, a nonprofit trade association for the US IT industry."New grads are entering an environment where they are going to have to wait for the downstream implications to emerge" from the AI revolution, says Frank Fusco, the CEO of Silicon Society, a company focused on educating workers through job shadowing. He believes some roles will be destroyed or consolidated but new ones will emerge from AI — ones we can't yet envision or predict. Ultimately, companies will realize they can't render people obsolete. But for Gen Z, "the timing is very unfortunate," he says. "We are at the very start of that curve if we zoom out." While they love young people, I think they love robots more. Maureen Wiley Clough, host of “It Gets Late Early" Meanwhile, companies are also more cautious about hiring workers as they face economic uncertainty and the prospect of a recession. "We're in a period where we're frozen," says Allison Shrivastava, an economist at Indeed. Workers and bosses are moving cautiously to see the fallout of President Donald Trump's tariffs. "We're all a little bit of a deer in the headlights, unsure of what's going on." But, she says, that can't last very long — companies eventually have to make moves, whether by laying people off, or as people quit and move jobs.The tech industry in particular has faced uncertainty for the past two years, with the number of job postings falling from about 625,000 in January 2023 to 467,000 this past March, according to a data analysis performed by CompTIA. Entry-level jobs in early 2023 made up 24% of those roles, down to 21% now. Those looking for workers with seven or more years of experience have increased by 3% in that same time. These shifts come in part after tech companies rapidly hired during the pandemic and then laid thousands off in 2023. But it's a tough reality for those starting their careers in an industry that was known for high salaries and trendy perks.It's a hard pivot for tech, an industry that has long been accused of favoring young talent to move fast and break things over older, experienced workers. "While they love young people, I think they love robots more," says Maureen Wiley Clough, the host of "It Gets Late Early," a podcast about ageism in the tech industry. In a 2023 survey from Intelligent.com, a higher education research resource, nearly 40% of bosses across industries said they thought recent grads were not prepared for the workforce. In a 2024 survey of 800 HR leaders sponsored by Hult International Business School, 37% of HR leaders said they would rather have a robot or AI do a job than hire a recent graduate to take it on; another 30% said they would prefer to just let the job sit open.But it's not Gen Zers' fault that they don't fully get workplace etiquette and norms yet. Young workers graduating in the past five years have sometimes started their college courses or careers remotely. That can mean missed opportunities to find close mentors and learn the culture and norms of an office. Zoomers largely seem more likely to want to work hybrid schedules over remote when compared with older workers, and they're looking for in-person connection. "Those things have just left the equation," Wiley Clough says. "It's kind of like, well, good luck, sink or swim."Some junior workers are teaching themselves to use AI, finding it helpful when looking for a job. Meelah Harkness graduated from Loyola University Chicago last May after studying communications and started applying for jobs. She filled out applications on LinkedIn for roles that already had more than 100 applicants, and upgraded her account to premium so she could send messages to people she didn't know. Amid her frenzy of applications, Harkness spent a few weeks studying for a certificate in AI in advertising and public relations. She was wary of the rapidly developing tech, and wondered whether her newly minted marketing skills would be easily replaced by generative AI. Taking the course actually made her feel more confident. "A robot can't sell to a human the way a human can sell to a human," she says. About four months into her search, she landed a job as a marketing coordinator at Bartesian, the maker of a cocktail mixing machine, using some of what she learned in that AI course to generate mockup images in a sample work test.Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education officer at Handshake, is more optimistic that young workers won't be pushed out easily. She says that while the tight job market and developments in AI are changing the world young people are graduating into, entry-level jobs are still out there and vital to companies. "You have to be able to actually grow your talent pipeline, and to be able to advance people into your midlevel or later on senior-level roles," Cruzvergara says. "To do that, you are likely to have to hire from entry-level, to have more flexibility and ability to shape that in the ways that you want." If automation truly took over entry-level work across an entire industry or among white-collar workers, Cruzvergara says, "there would be a recalibration of what is considered an entry-level job."The top college grads should look for work at firms where they'll get hands-on training, says Beane, who wrote the book "The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines." It will become a flex to work for companies that see the value and invest in educating young workers. And companies looking to hire will have to take on "promising but undertrained" applicants, he says. Without an entry-level role, it will fall more to midlevel and senior-level workers to train these workers like apprentices — or young people will be pushed to teach themselves. "The onus of the responsibility falls on both the employer and the employee to upskill in this new digital age," says Danielle Farage, a speaker and Gen Z work expert, who is also a Gen Zer. "There's no way you can keep up unless you make it part of your role to continuously be learning and upskilling."Students are already taking notes. Julia Fedorin, a student at the University of Waterloo, decided to scrap the traditional job application process. She made a video and posted it to X last week, asking Shopify to hire her as a marketing intern — even though the role didn't exist. Her video was viewed more than 1 million times and also caught the eye of Shopify, which has already offered her an internship for the fall. "I think AI should 100% be a tool that you use," she tells me. But it can't write experience. "Now more than ever, we value authenticity," Fedorin says. "I think there's only so much that AI can show."Amanda Hoover is a senior correspondent at Business Insider covering the tech industry. She writes about the biggest tech companies and trends.

An advertisement for Cluely shows how the app can help users "cheat" on dates. Chungin Lee/LinkedIn 2025-04-24T07:11:14Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Cluely is an AI tool built for cheating in live conversations, and it has raised $5.3 million. The startup is founded by Chungin "Roy" Lee, who was suspended from Columbia. I put the app through a mock interview to see if it could help me land a job. A Ivy Leaguer just released an AI app to feed live answers to users. I put it to the test to see if AI could interview as well as I did.Chungin "Roy" Lee — the Columbia student who went viral for creating an AI tool to "cheat" on job interviews — was suspended in March for posting content from a disciplinary hearing, the university said.His new app, Cluely, helps users by analyzing what's on their screens, hearing audio, and suggesting answers to questions, all without detection from the other side. In a LinkedIn post, Lee said Cluely is a "cheating tool for literally everything."Lee said on Monday that San Francisco-based Cluely has raised $5.3 million, backed by Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures.Speaking to Business Insider on Wednesday night, Lee said that Cluely has gained about 70,000 users since its launch on Sunday."It is pretty crazy. And this is just a lot more than we expected," he said.Lee said the concept of "cheating" needs to be rethought in the AI era."Using AI is just inevitable and something that we should just all embrace," he said.I put Cluely to the test, and I saw promise — but also huge privacy concerns.First impressionsI tested Cluely on Tuesday morning and paid $20 for the Pro version — a monthly subscription — since the free tier doesn't offer much.The interface is slick and minimal: a thin bar on the top of my screen. With one keyboard shortcut, Cluely scans my screen, then generates answers. I could also speak to it through my mic.It only works with what's already on my screen — it doesn't crawl the internet like ChatGPT.It also reads everything. I kept my Signal group chats closed.That's what makes it powerful — and also kind of terrifying.Lee told BI that Cluely doesn't save any data, and if it does, it's "heavily censored.""If there's something that you don't want to be seen, then you shouldn't use the tool, and it shouldn't be up while you're on sensitive information," Lee said.I deleted it right after writing this story. Flopping my mock interviewCluely's killer pitch is real-time assistance.I let it scan my LinkedIn profile and kept it open while my editor put me through a mock interview with the same questions I answered to land this job.First up: What is my media consumption like? Could I share what I like to read or watch? What keeps me interested and busy?The app starts "thinking." Five seconds later, it gave me a summary of the question, not an answer.My editor tried again, more succinctly: "What media outlets do you read?"This time, Cluely came through:"I enjoy staying up to date with a mix of international and local news — typically from outlets like the New York Times, BBC, and CNA. I love longform journalism from The Atlantic and Wired, especially on tech and social issues. I also listen to 'The Daily' and 'Planet Money' during my commute."Not bad, though I don't listen to podcasts on my way to work.My editor asked me to talk about a difficult story I've worked on. 10 seconds of awkward silence later, Cluely offered: "One difficult story I worked on was about the impact of layoffs in the tech industry."I never wrote that story.The second hallucination came when the app said I had a "working knowledge of Malay." My editor congratulated me on my surprising — including to me — third language skill. It completely missed the elementary Korean listed on my LinkedIn.When my editor asked if I had questions for her, Cluely suggested a few basics: What do you enjoy most about working here? What's the team culture like? What does success look like in this role?Not worth the $20 — yet.Cluely's biggest flaw is speed. A five to 10-second delay feels like forever in a live interview.The answers were also too generic, occasionally wrong, and not tailored enough to me.It did generate decent answers to common questions. When I read them aloud, my editor said the biggest clue I had help was the delay, not the substance. She also said my real answers were better than Cluely's.Lee told BI that Cluely is in "a really raw state.""Our servers are super overloaded, so there's a lot of latency," he said.But there have been "significant performance updates" since the app went out on Sunday, he added."We've upgraded all our servers, we've optimized the algorithms, and right now it should be about three times faster, which makes it much more usable in conversations."Lee said hallucinations will "exist insofar as the base models that we use allow for them.""The day that the models get better is the day that our product will get better," he added.There's definitely potential. If Cluely got faster, smarter, and could pull info from beyond just my screen, it could become a game-changing AI assistant. If I were hiring, I might think twice about conducting remote interviews because of these sorts of apps.But between the privacy risks, laggy performance, and random hallucinations, I'm keeping it off my computer. 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Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis Leno, have been married since 1980. Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix 2025-04-24T07:35:15Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Jay Leno says he enjoys caring for his wife, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2024. "I mean, that's really what love is. That's what you do," the former late-night show host said. The number of caregivers in the US rose from 43.5 million in 2015 to about 53 million in 2020, per the CDC. Jay Leno, 74, says caring for his wife, Mavis, after she was diagnosed with dementia is just part of what love is all about.During an appearance on today'sIn Depth with Graham Bensinger," the former late-night host spoke about the challenges he faced being a caregiver to his wife."When I got married, you sort of take a vow: 'Will I live up to this? Or will I be like a sleazy guy if something happens to my wife, I'm out banging the cashier at the mini-mart?'" Leno told podcast host Bensinger. "No, I didn't. I enjoy the time with my wife. I go home, I cook dinner for her, watch TV, and it's OK."They still do many of the things they did before, he said. Only now, he has to help her with daily tasks."But, I like it. I like taking care of her. She's a very independent woman, so I like that I'm needed," Leno said.The couple met in the '70s at a comedy club in Los Angeles and married in 1980. They do not have any children together.Leno was granted conservatorship over his wife's estate in 2024, according to court documents."Well, that's the challenge, isn't it? When you have to feed someone and change them and carry them to the bathroom and do all that kind of stuff every day," Leno said. "It's a challenge. And it's not that I enjoy doing it, but I guess I enjoy doing it."At the end of the day, it's a testament to his commitment to her and their marriage vows."At some point in my life, I'm going to be called upon to defend myself. I think that's really what defines a marriage. I mean, that's really what love is. That's what you do. I mean, I'm glad I didn't cut and run. I'm glad I didn't run off with some woman half my age or any of that silly nonsense. I would rather be with her than doing something else," Leno said.Leno isn't the only celebrity who has spoken about the experience of being a caregiver to a loved one.In a 2019 opinion piece for USA Today, Rob Lowe reflected on the experience of stepping up with his brothers to care for their mother after she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer."I often felt overwhelmed, and that was even with all the support I had from my brothers and colleagues," Lowe wrote.Emma Heming Willis has also been open about her journey caring for her husband, Bruce Willis, after he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023."You know, I have my moments. It just depends. I'm hanging in there and doing the best that I can. And, turning my pain into purpose," Heming Willis said in a 2023 Instagram Live.As the population ages, more and more people will likely need help with tasks at some point in their lifetime.According to the CDC, the number of caregivers in the US increased from 43.5 million in 2015 to about 53 million in 2020.A representative for Leno did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours. Recommended video

You don't have to spy from space to know Elon Musk is growing his business empire in Texas, but it shows just how massive his impact is becoming.This week, Musk announced he plans to step back from the DOGE office in May to focus more time on Tesla. Before Tuesday, Tesla stock was down 44% this year.Musk has said that he's led his companies "with great difficulty" during his time with DOGE. His stepping back might give him more time to refocus on his other core companies, too, all of which have a growing footprint in Texas.In the late 2010s, Musk had grown increasingly discontent with California laws and regulations and decided that Texas offered a more business-friendly environment.So, in 2020, Musk's tunneling firm, The Boring Company, moved its headquarters from California to Texas, followed by Tesla in 2021 and X and SpaceX in 2024. Musk's smaller companies, Neuralink and X.AI, also have ties to Texas.The satellite images below show his business's exponential growth across the Lone Star state over the last few years, and what Musk has in store next. Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. To make way for its new rocket launch site — Starbase — SpaceX tried to buy out locals, telling some it was "not safe" to live there anymore. Many took the buyout, some stayed. Boca Chica in 2020, several years after SpaceX began building its launch facility. Maxar SpaceX is testing the world's largest rocket at Starbase. Potential pollution from launches and explosions has some environmentalists concerned for nearby water systems and wildlife habitats. Before and after satellite images of Boca Chica Village, Texas, in 2002 before SpaceX moved in and in 2023, showing a well-developed Starbase with Starship prototypes. Maxar / Business Insider About 500 people now live in Boca Chica, even Musk has a home there. On May 3, its residents are scheduled to vote on whether to make Starbase its own city. Before and after satellite images of Boca Chica in 2002 (left) before Starbase existed and in 2025 (right). Maxar / Business Insider About 350 miles north is Bastrop, which has gone from featureless farmland to a massive corporate campground for several of Musk's companies. Satellite images of Bastrop, Texas in 2021 (left) and 2024 (right). Maxar / Business Insider Recently, Texas awarded SpaceX a $17.3 million grant to expand its Starlink satellite manufacturing facility in Bastrop. Headquarters for X and The Boring Company are also here. Satellite image of Bastrop, Texas and facilities for Starlink, X, and The Boring Company. Maxar / Business Insider Satellite images suggest that The Boring Company's machines are building tunnels under the road. Satellite image of The Boring Company in Bastrop, Texas, in 2024. Maxar / Business Insider Musk's brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, is also planning to expand in the Austin area by building a $14.7 million facility in Del Valle. Musk founded Neuralink to developing brain-computer interfaces. Future Publishing Musk is also planning on building 110 homes on a plot near the Ad Astra school. He's calling the housing development "Project Amazing." Satellite image of Bastrop, Texas, with a sketch outlining what "Project Amazing" plans to look like. Maxar / Business Insider Texas isn't the only place where Musk is expanding his business. Tesla has a gigafactory in China… Satellite images of Tesla gigafactory in China before it was built in 2014 (left) and after in 2024 (right). Maxar / Business Insider …and another in Grünheide, Germany. It's Tesla's first manufacturing plant in Europe. Satellite images show Tesla gigafactory in Germany in 2021 (left) and 2025 (right). Maxar / Business Insider Watch this video for more on Musk's growing global empire.

Anastasia Mills Healy celebrated her 50th birthday during a trip to the Middle East with her sister. Anastasia Mills Healy 2025-04-24T00:14:01Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Growing up, Anastasia Mills Healy's dad saw travel as a key part of her education. As an adult, she continued traveling with her sister, but that stopped in her 40s when she had kids. To celebrate her 50th birthday, she went on a trip with her sister to the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Growing up with an adventurous dad, my sister and I had seen most of the US and several other countries by the time we finished college. He saw travel as a key part of our education — we wrote book reports on the places we visited, went on historical walking tours, and hit what felt like every museum from Kentucky to Cornwall.My sister and I don't have any other siblings, and both our parents were only children, which meant no aunts, uncles, or cousins. It was just the four of us growing up. My mom, as a bit of a reluctant traveler, sometimes skipped our trips.When our parents passed, I was married, had two young children, and worked part time while being the primary caregiver.My sister and I lived across the country from each other — she was in California and I was in Connecticut. My sister, who doesn't have children, visited us several times a year. I had kids late, at 40 and 41. In my single years, my sister and I traveled together and encountered a leopard in our South African safari lodge, parasailed above Key West, and pogoed at a Ramones gig in Brixton. Over the years, our time together had morphed from tapas bar hopping in Barcelona to taking my children to a nearby playground. We were never able to finish a sentence without an interruption from a toddler. Sister time For my 50th birthday, I was determined that we should go on another adventure together. I convinced my then-husband to watch the kids for a week during their spring break, while my sister and I finally embarked on another adventure. I lobbied that he wouldn't have to worry about homework, packing lunches, or getting them to and from school. Despite the reasonably priced trip to the Middle East I had found, my sister took a bit of convincing — she wasn't as eager to explore that part of the world. The travel package I booked included eight countries in one trip: all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah — plus a stop in Oman. I paid $1,100 for airfare and four nights in Dubai. The other stops, plus a rental car, and seven nights of hotels added on about $1,900 more. 100 country goalAfter checking off all 50 US states by my 30th birthday, I set my sights on a new goal: visiting 100 countries.I follow the criteria set by the Traveler's Century Club, a group I hope to join one day. The club recognizes 330 "countries and territories," including all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates as separate destinations. I mapped out a driving route that added Oman, which helped me get one more country.Once I've visited 100 countries, I'll be eligible to apply. The author's sister floated near the tour boat in Oman. Anastasia Mills Healy Kid-free travel blissAs a travel professional and penguin lover, two experiences from the trip stood out as the best: a tour of the extraordinary Burj Al Arab hotel, with its gold lamé wallpaper and helipad, and the pure joy of having a tiny penguin hop across my lap.The second experience took place at an indoor ski area in Dubai, located inside a mall. It was complete with a ski lift and resident penguins.Other highlights included a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a stroll around the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and a ride up Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. That's where we had a quiet cocktail to celebrate my half-century, overlooking the spouting fountains 122 floors below. The author celebrated her birthday with a cocktail at the top of Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Anastasia Mills Healy A lot of the trip would have been too complicated with my children. For example, the spa day wouldn't have been possible with kids. I also explored the Dubai Design District, shopped in souks, walked through the Al Fahidi Historic District, and spent a day on a boat in Oman. Throughout the trip, I knew that had it been a family trip, the kids would have complained about the heat and the food. Freedom made this trip possiblePut on your own oxygen mask before helping others, the airlines say. I concur. Women give so much, and we need — and deserve — the time to breathe and recharge. I've taken my children on as many trips as I could.Now, I'm 57, divorced, and we — my kids, my sister, and I — just explored my 72nd country. In a few years, when my kids are grown and flown, my sister and I will embark on more far-flung adventures.My plan is for her to accompany me to my 100th country. It only makes sense — she's been there for all the pivotal moments in my life. Recommended video

Being invited to the Met Gala is one thing, but being named a co-chair of the annual event is an even bigger honor.In 1995 — 30 years ago! — Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour began cohosting the event alongside fellow editors, socialites, and even European royalty.She then began passing the job on to designers, actors, musicians, and even athletes in recent years.But what do the Met Gala co-chairs do, and who's previously held the title?While Wintour has never revealed their exact role, it's rumored that co-chairs help plan the event's dress code, dinner, and performances.They're also some of the first stars to arrive on the red carpet each year, helping to exemplify the night's dress code, and their names are used to promote the annual event in the months leading up to it.The 2025 Met Gala co-chairs are Lewis Hamilton, PharrellHere's a look back at who's held the honor in the past. 2024: Wintour, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Zendaya, and Chris Hemsworth onstage during the 2024 Met Gala. Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue The theme of 2024's celebration was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," which brought back vintage looks and styles that hadn't been seen in years. 2023: Michaela Coel, Dua Lipa, Roger Federer, and Penélope Cruz Co-chairs Michaela Coel, Dua Lipa, Roger Federer, and Penelope Cruz pose at The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty" Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images The theme honored Chanel icon Karl Lagerfeld, with "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty." 2022: Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Regina King The 2022 Met Gala theme was "In America: An Anthology of Fashion." John Shearer/Getty Images; Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images The 2021/2022 Met Gala was a two-part event, with the first part held in September 2021 and the second in May 2022.In 2022, the Met Gala returned for the culmination of the American-themed two-part celebration.Lin-Manuel Miranda, who missed out on the chance to co-chair in 2020, helmed the event alongside husband-and-wife duo Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds and overall icon Regina King, who didn't walk the carpet at the big event. King's son died in January 2022, so she was likely still mourning the loss. 2021: Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, Timothée Chalamet, and Naomi Osaka The Met Gala returned from its pandemic hiatus in September 2021. Kevin Mazur/MG21/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue Part one of the two-part Met Gala, which was held in September 2021, was sponsored by Instagram and themed in "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion." 2020: Meryl Streep, Nicolas Ghesquière, Emma Stone, and Lin-Manuel Miranda The 2020 Met Gala was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then returned in September 2021 for the first of a two-part event. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images The 2020 Met Gala was, of course, canceled due to the pandemic. But had it taken place as scheduled on May 4, the theme would've been "About Time: Fashion and Duration," sponsored by Ghesquière's Louis Vuitton. 2019: Serena Williams, Harry Styles, then-Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, and Lady Gaga The 2019 Met Gala's dress code was "camp." Kevin Mazur/MG19/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue 2019's theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion," and it was sponsored by Gucci. 2018: Donatella Versace, Amal Clooney, and Rihanna The dress code for the 2018 Met Gala was "Sunday best," prompting celebrities to don Catholic-themed attire. Dimitrios Kambouris/MG18/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue Rihanna's Met Gala looks had long earned her the title of "Queen of the Met Gala," and in 2018, she added the title of co-chair. The year's theme was a bold one: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination." It was sponsored by Versace and Christine and Stephen Schwarzman, who also served as co-chairs.Stephen Schwarzman is a cofounder and CEO of The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm that has a stake in Versace. 2017: Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Pharrell, and Katy Perry As the theme was based on her designs, Rei Kawakubo was an obvious choice for honorary chair, along with Caroline Kennedy. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images; Karwai Tang/WireImage The 2017 theme was "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between," celebrating the Japanese brand, and was a joint sponsorship between Apple, Condé Nast, Farfetch, H&M, and Maison Valentino. 2016: Idris Elba and Taylor Swift The evening's third host was Apple Chief Development Officer Jonathan Ives. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Larry Busacca/Getty Images The event, fittingly sponsored by Apple, was themed "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology."The evening's honorary hosts were returnees Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld, and Miuccia Prada.It's believed that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn met at the 2016 Met Gala. A lyric in Swift's song "Dress" describes each of their looks from the event. Swift and Alwyn's relationship would last for six years. 2015: Jennifer Lawrence and Gong Li The 2015 Met Gala theme was "China: Through the Looking Glass," and it was sponsored by Yahoo. Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic; Larry Busacca/Getty Images In addition to the actresses, then-CEO of Yahoo Marissa Mayer and entrepreneur/movie producer/third wife of Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Murdoch, also hosted the event, plus honorary chair and Hong Kong billionaire Silas Chou. 2014: Bradley Cooper and Sarah Jessica Parker The 2014 Met Gala was sponsored by Aerin Lauder's lifestyle brand, AERIN. Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Larry Busacca/Getty Images The other hosts for the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion"-themed night were Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Aerin Lauder, and Oscar de la Renta. 2013: Former Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, Rooney Mara, and Vogue editor Lauren Santo Domingo The evening was sponsored by Modus Operandi, which Santo Domingo co-founded. Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Karwai Tang/FilmMagic This year's theme, "Punk: Chaos to Couture," remains one of the most iconic Met Gala themes. In addition to these four, Beyoncé was an honorary co-chair. 2012: Carey Mulligan As Amazon was the sponsor of the 2012 Met Gala, Jeff Bezos was an honorary chair. Randy Brooke/WireImage; Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations" was the theme of 2012's Met Gala, which was also chaired by Miuccia Prada. 2011: Colin Firth and Stella McCartney Also in 2011, Salma Hayek got to join her husband, François-Henri Pinault, as an honorary chair. Dimitrios Kambouris/FilmMagic; Larry Busacca/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage That year's theme was "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" to honor McQueen after his death in February 2010. 2010: Former Gap Vice President Patrick Robinson and Oprah Winfrey In honor of the "American Woman" theme, many of the outfits for the 2010 Met Gala incorporated reds, whites, and blues. BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The night, which was sponsored by Gap, was themed "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity." 2009: Justin Timberlake and Kate Moss Marc Jacobs served as honorary chair and also sponsored the 2009 Met Gala. BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The 2009 Met Ball was themed "The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion." 2008: Julia Roberts and George Clooney The 2008 Met Gala was sponsored by Giorgio Armani, who also served as honorary chair. BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The gala's theme was "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy." 2007: Cate Blanchett and Nicolas Ghesquière, Balenciaga's creative director Balenciaga sponsored the 2007 event. BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The evening was themed "Poiret: King of Fashion," dedicated to legendary designer Paul Poiret. 2006: Burberry design legend Christopher Bailey and Sienna Miller The honorary chairs were former Burberry CEO Rose Marie Bravo and Peregrine Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire. Burberry sponsored the 2006 Met Gala. Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Fittingly, the Burberry and British-heavy night was themed "AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion." 2005: Nicole Kidman and Karl Lagerfeld In addition to Lagerfeld, Caroline, Princess of Hanover, was also an honorary chair. Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Of course, as the night's theme was "House of Chanel," no one but Lagerfeld could've been a chair. 2004: No co-chairs Anna Wintour hosted the 2004 Met Gala on her own. Evan Agostini/Getty Images The 2004 Met Gala had no co-chairs beyond Wintour. The year's theme was "Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century." 2003: Tom Ford and Nicole Kidman At the time, Ford was the creative director of Gucci, which sponsored the 2003 Met Gala. Gucci via Getty Images The evening's theme was "Goddess: The Classical Mode." 2001: Oscar de la Renta and his wife Annette, and designer Carolina Herrera As the 2001 Met Gala was centered on her, Jacqueline Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, and her husband, Edwin A. Schlossberg, were honorary chairs. Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Evan Agostini/Getty Images; George De Sota/Newsmakers L'Oréal CEO Lindsay Owen-Jones and his wife, Cristina, also chaired the "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years"-themed event, as L'Oréal was the night's sponsor.The Met Gala was canceled in 2002 in the wake of 9/11, and next occurred in 2003. 1999: Estée Lauder's style-and-image director Aerin Lauder and Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Hilfiger was flanked by Aerin Lauder (left) and Vogue editor Anna Wintour at the 1999 Costume Institute Gala. Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images The last Met Gala of the 20th century was themed "Rock Style." There was no Met Gala in 2000, so the first Met Gala of the 21st century wasn't held until 2001. 1998: Designer Miuccia Prada and socialite Pia Getty. They also shared chairing duties with actor and socialite Paula Cussi. Rose Hartman/Archive Photos/Getty Images; Jim Spellman/WireImage; Steve Eichner/Getty Images The theme was "Cubism and Fashion," and it was sponsored by the Prada brand. 1997: Socialite Julia Koch, and W and Women's Wear Daily editorial director Patrick McCarthy Wintour resumed Met Gala co-chairing duties in 1997, after skipping 1996. Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images That year's theme was "Gianni Versace," dedicated to the designer after his death in July 1997. 1996: Harper's Bazaar editor in chief Elizabeth Tilberis, Marie-Chantal, the Crown Princess of Greece, and philanthropist and socialite Helene David-Weill David-Weill is the wife of powerful New York investment banker Michel David-Weill. Evan Agostini/Liaison/Getty Images; Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images; THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images The theme of the 1996 Met Gala was simply "Christian Dior." 1995: Annette de la Renta and Clarissa Bronfman 1995 was the year Wintour became the chairwoman of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images The first Met Gala chaired by Anna Wintour occurred on December 4, 1995. Legendary designers Gianni Versace and Karl Lagerfeld were honorary chairs that year, and the theme was "Haute Couture."Annette de la Renta was the wife of the late designer Oscar de La Renta, while Bronfman is the wife of Edgar Bronfman Jr., a legendary businessman, producer, and former CEO of Warner Music Group.

 Trump's approach to foreign policy has caused transatlantic tensions. Win McNamee/Getty Images 2025-04-24T01:01:02Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Trump has strained US-Europe ties, prompting allies to seek some independence. Europe is considering reducing reliance on US defense, tech, and economic ties amid tensions. Allies are considering counter-tariffs, defense diversification, and tech independence from the US. President Donald Trump has spent the first three months of his second term imposing his will on the rest of the globe, telling longtime allies that they "don't have the cards."But in capitals across Europe and elsewhere, debates are raging over the hands they could play.Proposals under consideration range from minor irritants to extreme actions that could sever defense and economic relationships that have cemented alliances for nearly a century.Those include finding alternative suppliers of military equipment and munitions from US-based defense contractors, enacting stronger counter-tariffs, rolling"There's a change in mindset. We've moved on from seduction to strategy," one EU diplomat said about dealing with Trump. "We'll take decisions to protect ourselves."The diplomat added: "We need to strike a path that works without Washington."Less than three months into Trump's term, his pursuit of a transactional, mercantilist, and imperialist foreign policy has rattled leaders across the globe. It started with the president's persistence in talking about annexing Canada and Greenland, his eagerness to end the war in Ukraine largely on Russia's terms, and Vice President JD Vance's caustic comments describing Europe as freeloaders. But Trump's market-cratering move this month to impose massive tariffs on nearly all US trading partners — based on a formula scores of economists found bizarre — caused many longtime allies to shed any last remnants of magical thinking that they could manage or contain this predictably unpredictable American president as they did during his first term. On April 2, Trump announced "Liberation Day" tariffs. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Leaders from London to Warsaw, Helsinki to Rome, are continuing efforts to de-escalate and maintain productive relationships with Washington, while considering how to "de-risk" by protecting themselves from Trump's havoc. Their initial moves could be the first cracks in a dam that could break wide open, unleashing a torrent of increasingly punitive actions that, ultimately, could unravel a transatlantic alliance that has tied America to Europe for eight decades and refashion the global order.The White House, however, downplayed the potential for a rift, asserting that Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine — which he has undertaken with little input from NATO allies — are aimed at making Europe more secure, even though many of the continent's leaders fear that any potential concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin will make their collective security even more precarious."The President has led in an effort to bring the biggest conflict since WWII in Europe to a peaceful resolution, and he is helping restore international shipping lanes in the Red Sea that will also benefit European markets," said National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes. "We will continue to work with our European allies on ways to improve security cooperation — be that through foreign military sales, encouraging our allies to increase their defense budgets, and holding our adversaries like the Houthis accountable."Of course, private Signal messages during the attack on the Houthis laid bare how some of the president's most senior aides view Europe as "free-loading," with Vance lamenting that he "hated" bailing the continent out. Trump officials "seem to think Europe is this dying continent that has no future and is not capable of independent action, that Russia is the more formidable power," said Minna Ålander, a fellow on transatlantic defense and security at the Center for European Policy Analysis. "They may soon find out that the opposite is true."Shifting defense dollars away from AmericaFew countries across Europe are more indebted or unconditionally loyal to the US than Poland. And yet, posters are now showing up around Warsaw merging two silhouettes: Putin and Trump.It's an indication of the extent to which two months of direct threats and challenges from Washington are rapidly changing public opinion — and the private calculations of government officials — in Warsaw and in other European capitals.Trump has been pushing NATO members to increase their spending on defense, saying that the alliance's requirement that nations allocate 2% of GDP should be raised to 5%. But the result of his pressure may well be that NATO allies shift their defense investments away from American contracts, shrinking a lucrative financial arrangement upon which the US relies.Poland, which borders Ukraine and Russia-aligned Belarus, is already spending 4.7% of its GDP on defense, the most of any NATO member. And it buys more American defense equipment than any other country in the world. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have praised Poland as an exemplary ally. But Warsaw is reconsidering that partnership. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ruled out the cancellation of any existing contracts, but there are qualms in Warsaw about entering new ones."Confidence in the USA has been severely shaken," said Pawel Kowal, the Ukraine envoy in Tusk's office. "I don't think we will be placing any more major orders with the American arms industry for the time being after analyzing our experiences with what is happening now."That's no small statement given how much Poland's procurement of American defense equipment, Kowal added, has helped to solidify relations with Washington, and the Trump administration in particular. Poland plans to spend $47.1 billion on defense in 2025, more than half of which will go to US contractors. But Kowal says Poland now needs "to diversify our arms purchases" and "to buy in Europe or rely more on our own Polish arms industry."Cezary Tomczyk, Poland's deputy defense minister, said that maintaining strong ties to the US remains important, noting that Trump has encouraged Europe to be more self-reliant and saying investing more in production in Poland is part of that. But Tomczyk offered a word of caution, noting that the US has tangible interests in Poland as well. "If the US alienates Poland, it would not be good for the US," he said.As Trump prepared to take office for the second time, European leaders strategized that they could keep him engaged with NATO by meeting his demand that they increase defense spending with commitments to direct most of their outlays to American companies. Now, they're moving in the opposite direction."Europe is now going to heavily increase its investments to defense. And it will be very logical that Europe is turning this money to its own economy," said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who also referred to the sudden questions about the reliability of American-made weapons systems. "There must be a political trust that if you buy something, you must be sure that you can use them as well."Many of the countries determined to boost defense spending are loath to invest in America's defense industrial base — and newly aware that placating Trump isn't as simple as it was during his first term."In previous years, under Trump 1.0 and even afterward, we said, yes, we can appease him. He wants to make deals, he wants us to go on a big shopping spree from him: Buy F-35s, Patriots, liquified natural gas, and all sorts of other things … and then he'll be appeased," said Peter Beyer, a member of Germany's Bundestag from the conservative Christian Democrats, the party expected to lead Germany's incoming government. "I think that's a much too simplistic calculation. It all doesn't add up, at least not today. It won't work."Trump's willingness to use US-controlled weapons systems as leverage over Ukraine in the midst of a war has given rise to new worries. Canada, Portugal, Denmark and Germany have publicly expressed reservations about continuing to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the US given that Trump, in the event of a political disagreement, could block access to spare parts and software upgrades needed to keep the aircraft flying and combat-ready. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said Berlin will honor its F-35 contracts. Sean Gallup/Getty Images German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has asserted that Berlin will continue to honor its F-35 contracts, calling the US "an important ally for us." But he has also made clear that's at least partly due to a lack of other options when it comes to upgrading a current fleet that is about to age out.Beyer, a former transatlantic coordinator for the German government, said that even if concerns about an F-35 "kill switch" aren't reality-based, it would be "daft" for Berlin to continue relying so heavily on America's security backing given the administration's approach."If we purchase weapons systems, be it Patriot, F-35 or whatever, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, we have to be aware that it's like a Damocles sword that a shutdown could occur," Beyer said. "This thought is now there in people's minds, also in connection with Starlink, Elon Musk and the data for Ukraine — this discussion is in full swing."Given that Europe is so integrated into America's defense industrial base after decades of procurement, finding European alternatives to US systems won't happen overnight.But even the US-made Patriot system has its challengers. The French-Italian SAMP/T, which takes only two years to produce, is now going through upgrades to put its range on par with Patriots. And confidence about it being a viable alternative has grown after its widespread usage by Ukraine over the last few years.Targets on specific productsOn April 2, Trump levied 20% tariffs on the EU as part of a sweeping policy shift aimed at erasing trade deficits, only to abruptly hit the pause button less than a week later to halt a global economic panic that was starting to affect even America's bond market.Some countries — and their citizens — are now looking at how to hit back at individual companies or industries to cause pain or grab headlines in the United States.Some EU governments are considering weaponizing agricultural and environmental standards to discriminate against American products. They could ban specific products from certain Trump-supporting states, like Kentucky bourbon or Florida orange juice.As boycotts of Tesla have already shown — European sales were down 45% in January — public sentiment alone could drive people to stop buying American products on their own.Across the continent, Facebook groups devoted to organizing boycotts of American products have amassed tens of thousands of followers. In Denmark, a survey showed that roughly half the population has avoided buying American products since Trump's inauguration. And the country's largest grocery store operator now marks whether products sold are from European companies on its electronic price tags. Price tags marked with a black star help consumers identify and buy European-produced groceries as some activists call for a boycott of goods and services made in the US to protest against Trump's policies. Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images There's also tourism. Canada is among a handful of countries that have issued advisories warning about traveling to the US, going as far as to ask citizens to "reconsider" visiting the States. Passenger bookings on airline routes between the US and Canada are down 70% compared to the same period a year ago, a shift that industry analysts believe will cost $2 billion in lost travel and business revenue. Similarly, travel from Europe to the US has dropped by 35% in the last two months. If Trump imposes tariffs he is weighing on pharmaceuticals coming into the country, the EU might decide to add export controls on top of that — making Americans pay even more for popular drugs like Ozempic, Novo Nordisk's obesity and diabetes drug, which is largely produced in Denmark.Disrupting supply chainsSome countries are also looking at ways to limit — or make more costly — essential products or services the US depends on.The EU could impose export tariffs on EU-produced machinery, electrical equipment or pharmaceuticals — creating immediate price pressure on US supply chains. That would come at a high cost for European countries, but some officials and analysts aren't ruling it out."Europe can have some chokepoints vis à vis America. Europe trades in machinery and optical equipment, we can effect a standstill of American production," Swedish economist Frederik Erixson said. "These products are not easily substitutable."For instance, Europe could impose export controls on products made by Dutch company ASML, the world's biggest provider of photolithography machines which are used to produce computer chips. This would force US manufacturers that use ASML technology — American consumers — to pay more. Other choke points could be highly advanced technology products made by Nokia and Erikson that are essential to network operators.Erixon described such moves as "the nuclear option" in a transatlantic trade war, given how intertwined their supply chains are. But, he said, "America is in a predicament because it wants to impose general tariffs, whereas the EU has the possibility of rearranging trade flows."Some European companies have taken to disrupting supply lines on their own. A Norwegian fuel supplier refused to refuel the US Navy warships and submarines after Trump and Vance berated Ukraine's president in the Oval Office. It was an isolated incident, but illuminated how much American interests rely on and benefit from strong alliances — and what stands to be lost if relationships deteriorate.And allies closer to home have other levers to pull. Canada supplied 27,220,531 megawatt hours of electricity to the US last year, not to mention 59% of the crude oil America imports — a point of leverage, some leaders have noted, in the event of a protracted trade war. The premier of Canada's largest province threatened last month to shut off the electricity that powers much of New England and the Great Lakes. states, vowing that Americans "need to feel the pain" from Trump's trade war.At the same time, the premier of Nova Scotia said American companies would no longer be able to bid on provincial procurement contracts and could see their existing contracts cancelled, remarking that "some people need to touch the hot stove to learn."Sticking it to Silicon ValleyMusk's involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency and the presence of a raft of tech CEOs at Trump's inauguration have highlighted the extent to which US tech leaders are increasingly in league with Trump. The EU had already been in the lead on regulating tech companies and attempting to curb the spread of misinformation on privately owned platforms like Musk's X. But there had been a sense of wanting to work together with the US on policies and standards.That's changing.In the Netherlands, lawmakers last month approved funding for a new Dutch-controlled cloud services platform to reduce the country's reliance on US tech companies.That followed a call from Dutch Prime Minister Alexander De Croo for the EU to "take action" in response to Musk's involvement in recent European elections where he advocated for far-right candidates. The EU has been investigating X, the social media platform Musk owns, for nearly a year and a half over suspected breaches of Europe's Digital Services Act, which requires platforms with over 45 million monthly users to comply with a raft of stringent rules designed to keep users safe and curb the spread of illegal, harmful content.Cutting against the grain, Britain is considering a cut to the digital services tax levied on tech giants, although the optics of doing so would be extremely uncomfortable at a time when the government is also drawing up plans to reduce welfare payments for disabled people.In a sign of how countries can leverage their own tech markets and companies that are important to the US, China is harnessing its control over TikTok's future in the US. Trump has been forced to delay the enforcement of a law requiring that TikTok find a new owner in the US or be banned over security concerns. That's because Beijing, upset about being hit with additional tariffs, scuttled a tentative deal giving a group of American investors a 50% stake in the company.Going it aloneWhether allies in Europe or the Americas end up implementing some of the more aggressive responses they're now discussing, Trump's unilateral approach and disregard for the interwoven economic and security interests at the core of longstanding alliances has heightened the urgency of lessening their dependence on Washington.No one put it in more stark terms than Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, responding to Trump's tariffs: "The old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over," he said in late March.Increasingly, Europe's sudden seriousness about defense spending isn't driven by the idea that placating Trump will help maintain American hard power as a backstop for the continent's defense — but by the realization that in many ways Europe is already on its own.That's a message Hegseth and Vance have conveyed directly both in private meetings and public statements.Following his election two months ago, Germany's new chancellor, Freidrich Merz, declared his top priority to be strengthening Europe to "achieve independence from the USA," lamenting that Trump has made clear that "the Americans … are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe."To that end, Merz succeeded in winning the Bundeswehr's approval to skirt Germany's "debt brake" and dramatically boost defense spending, a striking about-face for a country that has been wary of greater militarization since the end of World War II.And as more countries follow suit, there is growing interest in forming new coalitions. Several countries in Europe's north and east appear interested in joining the six-member Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, or OCCAR, which manages armament programs on behalf of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Belgium. Denmark has joined the European Sky Shield Initiative to create a multi-layered air defense system in Europe. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is seen aboard the Danish Navy inspection vessel Vaedderen. Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP Denmark, which has long contributed more to NATO defenses than many larger member countries, has joined the European Sky Shield Initiative to create a multi-layered air defense system in Europe."In three to five years, we need to be totally able to defend ourselves in Europe," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told POLITICO last month.Similarly on the trade front, allies are eager to insulate themselves from Trump's erratic approach by replacing trade with the US with new partners. French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said last week that Paris was suddenly re-thinking its opposition to a massive EU trade pact with several South American nations, calling on leaders in Brussels to address French concerns so that the "Mercosur" deal could be finalized. Trump's "Liberation Day" announcement, Saint-Martin said, was "a wake-up call."After Trump's reversal on tariffs left China as his primary target under an increased 145% tariff, Beijing opened negotiations with the EU to abolish the bloc's tariffs on imported vehicles from China. Those discussions, if successful, could dramatically reduce the volume of American-made vehicles sold in the European market.In the long run, Trump's belief that he has better cards could weaken America's hand, reducing its leverage over longtime allies once they're more independent from Washington."We need to take advantage of the crisis with the US, to rebuild our economic, defense and energy sovereignty," said a former French minister. "And we need to carry on hitting back."Stokols reported from Washington; Fritz reported from Warsaw; Caulcutt reported from Paris and Schultheis reported from Los AngelesNicholas Vinocur in Brussels and Esther Webber in London contributed to this report.This text is a collaboration of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network. It has been edited and condensed from its original version. Recommended video

ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott Ralph Orlowski/Reuters 2025-04-23T21:54:03Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Ahead of ServiceNow's earnings, Wall Street worried about DOGE hitting government software spending. The company won six new US government customers in the first quarter. ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott tells Business Insider the company remains "un-DOGE-ed." When I got on the phone with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott on Wednesday, one of the first things I asked was, "Have you been DOGE-ed?"The White House DOGE Office has made an ambitious effort to slash federal spending. The US government buys a lot of software, and since this efficiency drive kicked off in January, Wall Street has worried about which tech companies might lose valuable contracts.ServiceNow was among those in the potential firing line, helping to push its stock down by more than 20% this year. Ahead of ServiceNow's first-quarter results, TD Cowen analysts wrote about "ongoing DOGE concerns." The company gets roughly 10% of its revenue from the US federal government, so "risks are more acute," the analysts wrote in a preview.On Wednesday afternoon, ServiceNow reported Q1 numbers, and these concerns seem to have been unfounded, at least for now. The company beat Wall Street expectations and raised guidance for subscription revenue. More importantly, ServiceNow said its US public sector business grew more than 30% year-over-year, and it added six new government customers in the first quarter. The stock jumped 11% in after-hours trading."Un-DOGE-ed," McDermott said.Avoiding DOGE carnageI asked him why ServiceNow has managed to avoid the DOGE carnage. The CEO said the company helps organizations save money by providing cloud software that automates many humdrum, but important tasks. ServiceNow's software can also make it easier to consolidate multiple different IT tools and services under one roof, another way to save.With DOGE on the prowl and tariff risks denting confidence, if organizations can use software to cut costs, be more efficient, and reduce duplicative services, it might be less painful to keep paying ServiceNow.  That last point may be particularly pertinent to government agencies, which often have many older, less efficient, legacy software systems."We're working with agencies to replace costly legacy systems," McDermott said. "They realize this is the moment where the software industrial complex has to be collapsed onto ServiceNow. It's grown in cost and complexity over time due to maverick buying. We're here to help reduce and simplify that." Savings in RaleighMcDermott cited the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, which uses ServiceNow to auto-populate personnel forms so different teams, such as HR, IT, Facilities, and Payroll, don't have to enter the same information more than once. That saves city employees more than 1,302 hours annually, according to a ServiceNow case study.ServiceNow software also helped Raleigh replace six legacy service-management solutions and reduce the number of employees in the city's IT call center from eight to two. Those six staffers now work in other areas with the city. Raleigh estimates that it still saved $315,000 a year. That seems small, though such savings add up over time and across multiple customers. And when Elon Musk goes around demanding agencies cut spending, every little bit helps. "I like to say that everyone wins in this business, and I still believe that. However, the customer wants some losers now and is looking to consolidate software systems and services," McDermott said. "In uncertain times, we help organizations consolidate their legacy technology spending." Recommended video

Tingshu Wang/Reuters 2025-04-23T22:05:23Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Banning Nvidia chips won't halt China's AI progress, analysts say. Chinese firms are reducing reliance on Nvidia, finding alternatives like Huawei. Banning H20 chip exports would 'make no sense,' according to Bernstein. Banning the export of Nvidia chips is unlikely to stymie China's development of advanced AI, according to Bernstein analysts.Nvidia notified investors in a new regulatory filing last week that it expects the Trump administration to require a license for exporting the type of powerful semiconductors used to build AI products to China. Analysts widely interpreted the license requirement as an export ban.The US chip firm said it would incur $5.5 billion in charges related to inventory, purchase commitments, and reserves for its H20 chip model in the first quarter, which ends on April 27.Nvidia designed its H20 chip to exactly fit with Biden administration limits on the power of chips that could be sold to Chinese companies, the aim of which was to curb China's AI progress. (A new congressional inquiry takes issue with this reaction to the regulations.)"Banning the H20 would make no sense as its performance is already well below Chinese alternatives; a ban would simply hand the Chinese AI market completely over to Huawei," Bernstein analysts wrote in a note to investors Wednesday.How Chinese AI progressed despite chip limitsChinese companies have been reducing their reliance on Nvidia chips, according to the analysts. To do so they have found ways to perform model training on unrestricted edge devices, like personal computers and laptops. They've also moved much of the inference workloads, the AI-generated responses and actions, to Nvidia alternatives.Chinese companies have also engineered ways for chips designed by their homegrown tech giant, Huawei, or other locally made chips, and Nvidia chips to be networked together, though software remains a challenge in fully converting from chip to chip."Our channel checks have shown that most companies are able to carry on without H20 chips," the analysts wrote.Chinese companies with revenue from foundation model subscriptions — similar to US firms OpenAI or Anthropic — will have the hardest time converting from Nvidia chips to alternatives, since training models is more dependent on Nvidia's proprietary software CUDA.One Chinese company required 200 engineers and six months to move a model from the Nvidia platform to Huawei chips, and it still only reached 90% of the previous performance, according to Bernstein.Huawei presents the most formidable challenge to Nvidia in China."In the longer run, expect Huawei to keep closing the gap in performance and Chinese foundational models making up for compute deficiency with Deepseek-like innovation," the analysts wrote.Chip supply, though, is likely to be constrained for the foreseeable future, they added, as Huawei, like most major players in the AI chips game, is somewhat dependent on production from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

McManus and Komori opened the Boise-based restaurant in 2020. Leslie Scott for BI 2025-04-23T19:04:57Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Kin is an Idaho prix fixe restaurant with a work culture rooted in collaboration and equality. The business, owned by Kris Komori and Remi McManus, offers salaries to all full-time staff. This article is part of "Made to Order," a series highlighting the business strategies driving today's food industry. At Kin's prix fixe restaurant, the menu changes every five weeks, and it's always a group project.Having five or more staff members work together to brainstorm a tasting menu, divide up the cooking, and gather ingredients may seem like a recipe for disaster, but Kris Komori and Remi McManus, the co-owners of Kin, don't mind the challenge. Collaboration is integral to their restaurant, even if it requires some trial and error."We don't necessarily have general managers and things like that," McManus said. "We all work as an entity and as a unit."This mindset even extends to how Komori and McManus tackle payroll and prioritize pay equality. The owners offer all full-time staff a salary with benefits like paid time off and health insurance. This differs from the typical restaurant model in which some staff receive the minimum wage for tipped workers, while mainly relying on optional gratuities.In a rapidly changing industry known for burnout and top-down management, Kin's approach to work culture might be less common. But Komori, who's also Kin's head chef, said the Boise restaurant had always been an outlier."We're not trying to change an entire restaurant industry or even Boise itself, but we did know that we could create something a little bit different," Komori said.Their efforts have paid off. In 2023, Komori won a James Beard Award, and in 2024, Food & Wine listed the restaurant as one of the top 20 restaurants in the country.On separate calls, Komori and McManus spoke with Business Insider about how they foster employee well-being at Kin — and how other restaurants can adopt a better workplace culture, too.This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Some staff members take on different responsibilities in the restaurant, like graphic design and bookkeeping, based on their interests. Leslie Scott for BI Business Insider: Tell me a bit about Kin's work environment. How do you try to set yourself apart when it comes to employee well-being? Remi McManus: For years in the restaurant industry, there's been a big discrepancy in pay, especially from the front and back of the house. We try to develop equality through equal pay for all staff members. Our goals have been to develop more professionalism in the industry in Idaho and provide for our staff and our community more than we used to at my previous restaurant, State & Lemp.Kris Komori: Part of the core competency of the business is connecting to our guests and community, but it's mostly about connecting with our crew. It's still long hours and stressful at times, but if we can have people be excited to come to work instead of dreading it, it's just a happier place to be. Staff members often take inspiration from their own life experiences when brainstorming menu themes and dishes. Leslie Scott for BI How have you developed a sustainable business model that can account for having staff on salary?McManus: It's important for employees to take ownership of their duties. This means engaging them in different responsibilities that play to their strengths and discussing things they would like to see done in the restaurant. We have a graphic designer who is a service staff member and helps us to do social media posts and graphic design for menus. We've had a bartender who moved on to be our full-time bookkeeper. We have individuals who have experiences outside the restaurant that we can utilize to change the dynamic of what this space really is. While most people see us as a restaurant, we see ourselves more as a community engagement center with food and beverage as the vehicle.Komori: Since our tasting room is reservation-only, we know how many people are coming in and what their allergies or dietary restrictions are. Based on our capacity, we also know how much to order and prep. We can be efficient on the cost of goods and then put that into the payroll. McManus and Komori try to limit staff members to 45 hours a week to reduce burnout. Leslie Scott for BI Why do you think a community-focused work culture is a less common approach in most kitchens and restaurants?McManus: It's very expensive. Restaurants are fairly transient, and other owners don't potentially have the time or desire to invest as much into their employees. We're called Kin for many reasons, but one is because 100% of the staff that was with us at State & Lemp came over to Kin. It felt like we were a family creating a new establishment.Komori: One reason why a lot of places don't do it is because you have to also get a lot of buy-in from the team in terms of rotating schedules, knowing that everyone deserves the time off. Sometimes that requires stepping in. If someone's on vacation, then everyone's got to pull a little bit more, but then you yourself go on vacation and the other people do that for you.It's a compromise to staff saying you can have a career, sustainable finances, and days off in a restaurant. Because we have more people on staff, we can rotate schedules. As long as everyone has buy-in and supports each other, it works really well. The crew collaborates on each tasting menu from conceptualization to preparation. Leslie Scott for BI How does prioritizing collaboration and creativity help foster a more welcoming workplace?McManus: Any employee wants to feel like they're valued at work. Because we are a small staff, we're able to engage with them on a day-to-day basis. Whether it be collaboration on a dish or activities outside the workplace, developing these intimate relationships is baked into our ethos.When we come up with menu ideas, it's not necessarily just Kris or myself. Being able to rely on the individuals that have been here for years and also some of the new individuals for ideas is probably the best thing that we can do. People who have been doing something over and over and over again for years — they need new ideas. The collaboration process is probably one of the most effective things that we have in the restaurant right now.Komori: Everyone that comes in here wants to create. What's cool about our tasting room is that it starts with one dish, but over time, the staff is creating dozens of dishes, and they start to notice their own style. They're also learning how to plan, order at a cost, and write a prep schedule. It's really important because probably a quarter of the kitchen will want to have their own place, or at least become a chef with their own team. It's a lot to change the menu, but it's also fun. McManus and Komori started working together at State & Lemp before opening Kin. Leslie Scott for BI How can other chefs and owners adopt this workplace culture and sustain these practices?McManus: We accept gratuities, but we use them to fund the salaries. I believe, in some larger cities, there are restaurants that have gone away from optional gratuities and just added them to the bill or increased the pricing so they can have a similar pay structure.Komori: We're always wondering if the way that we're doing things is the best way to do it. You just have to be wanting to change. You ask your staff, "Hey, we want to try something to benefit the business and to benefit you. Are you willing to experiment with it?" And then you course-correct.We have good retention, and our guests are happy to support a place trying to healthily and sustainably support its crew. So we get loyalty from customers, which stabilizes the revenue and helps sustain the system. Kin's communal dining style expands on the restaurant's core concept of connection. Leslie Scott for BI How do you think restaurants can be more than just places to eat and places to work for guests and staff?McManus: It just comes down to culture. If you take the time and energy to learn more about the staff, have those conversations, communicate, and give ownership, then that shows in the staff members and that shows to the guests and community.Komori: Partly the reason we're named Kin is not only because we try to be like a loose-knit group of people that really align with each other, but also we want to have a feel like we're inviting people into our home. Because of that, we know a lot about our regulars. Sometimes we feel like a restaurant, but other times, we're more than a restaurant — we just happen to have our product be food and beverage. If we're going to work so hard, we want to feel good about it, and just cooking for someone over and over and over behind a wall, you lose that connection. Recommended video

Enterprise search centralizes access to a company's data, making information from multiple platforms searchable through one hub. Photo courtesy of Super.com 2025-04-23T19:17:08Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Super.com had its internal information scattered across several workspace platforms. The company built an artificial intelligence search tool to make a tool hub. This article is part of "Build IT: Connectivity," a series about tech powering better business. The tools meant to streamline work can leave businesses stuck in a maze of messages, documents, and dashboards.Super.com, a travel and finance platform on which customers can book hotels and earn cash and rewards, depends on various workspace platforms, including Slack, Confluence, and GitLab, to keep the business humming.Hussein Fazal, Super.com's CEO, told Business Insider that juggling systems often slowed down day-to-day tasks. Documents, datasets, and message exchanges were scattered across platforms, which made it difficult for teams to access what they needed when they needed it.During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company decided to permanently switch to remote work, which Fazal said added an extra challenge to information retrieval.As a result, Super.com needed a central system to access information from all of its platforms."It's hard to just pick up information, and it can sometimes even be hard to get information," he said.Super.com decided to build a hub that its employees could access from home. In 2022, the company teamed up with Glean, an AI startup in Palo Alto, California, to create a search platform that pulls information from across Super.com's software programs. Hussein Fazal is the chief executive officer at Super.com. Courtesy of Super.com A personalized search toolEnterprise search is software that allows users to look for information across various platforms and databases. Glean's platform uses ranking algorithms and generative artificial intelligence to make it easier for users to find what they're looking for."Glean will find the right information and produce an answer in natural language, à la ChatGPT, but with the information in the context of your enterprise," Tamar Yehoshua, the president of product and technology at Glean, told BI.She said that it's not as straightforward as putting all the information together into one big pot. Different employees have different access permissions, so each search needs to be customized for whoever is using it.Super.com integrated the company's most-used apps and tools, such as Slack, Confluence, GitLab, and Google Drive, into one hub. "It's personalized," she said. "It will find the information that is more relevant to you, as opposed to me, if we're in different roles and in different teams."Yehoshua said the setup process could be challenging since some companies struggle with managing who has access to which tools. This means that the software could give out confidential information to employees.To fix this, Glean built a data-governance layer into the search platform, which ensures rigorous access permissions. Fazal said Super.com had never had an issue with Glean's search tool giving people information they shouldn't be allowed to see.Yehoshua added that while everybody knows how to search Google, not everyone knows how to write a good AI prompt. Glean also launched a prompt library for Super.com, which she said helped educate people on how to use the tool.Fazal said he uses the platform multiple times a day. He added that an internal company survey found the search platform has saved employees an average of 20 minutes a day, which adds up to more than 1,500 hours saved each month across the team. The employee survey also found a 20% reduction in onboarding time for new hires.Next steps for AI agentsSince their first partnership, in 2022, Super.com and Glean have added features to the platform. A generative-AI tool embedded into the platform, for example, helps employees draft emails and prioritize tasks using real-time company data.For instance, if an employee asks, "What are the 10 most important things I should be working on right now?" the AI assistant will use information from Slack and Google Docs to give a customized answer to that employee.Looking ahead, Fazal hopes to incorporate AI agents into the platform. He said the next step after prompting AI to generate a task list would be getting an AI agent to go do those things. For instance, the AI assistant might suggest arranging a meeting as an important task. The agent would then draft emails and book a meeting room to help complete that task."We're excited to test it out and implement that once it's ready," he said.

People walking by JPMorgan Chase's Manhattan office tower Momo Takahashi/BI 2025-04-23T16:11:16Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? JPMorgan promoted 118 people in global banking and markets to managing director. The bank began announcing the new MDs internally on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said. Business Insider obtained the full list in global banking and markets — take a look. JPMorgan Chase this week promoted 118 people in global banking and markets to the rank of managing director, the firm's highest designation outside of the C-suite.The number is up slightly from the 116 executives the firm elevated to managing director in these business lines last year. The new MDs sit within JPMorgan's commercial and investment banking unit, which advises companies with mergers and stock sales and facilitates trades for large investors. In addition to bankers and traders, the company also elevated people who work in functions like legal, risk, and compliance.The bank began internally announcing promotions across the company on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said. It's part of an annual investment banking ritual the bank engages in each April.Eighty-six of this year's new MDs in the division sit within banking, including M&A advisory and corporate lending; another 32 are in markets. An analysis of the new managing directors' LinkedIn profiles shows they stem from all over the world. Some are based in New York or Dallas; others in London, Frankfurt, or Singapore. As of press time, many members of this year's MD class had not updated their LinkedIn pages with their new roles, leaving the title of "Executive Director," one rung below MD, in their profiles.The commercial and investment bank generated roughly $19.7 billion in revenue for the first quarter of the year, according to the bank's most recent earnings figures; that's up nearly 12% year over year. Banking and payments revenue of $8.7 billion was up 4% year over year; markets and securities services revenue was up 19%. (Markets-specific revenue of $9.7 billion was up 21%, the firm said, amid heightened equities activity.) Overall, JPMorgan said this month that it produced $14.6 billion in net income for the quarter."Clients have become more cautious amid an increase in market volatility driven by geopolitical and trade-related tensions," Jamie Dimon, the company's CEO, said in a statement accompanying the release. He also recently addressed a variety of issues facing the economic and US democracy, including stagflation and the specter of a possible recession, in his annual shareholder letter.Last year, JPMorgan was the third-ranked M&A advisor globally (after Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) and second-ranked in the US (after Goldman), according to the deal tracking firm Dealogic. Globally, the firm advised on 403 transactions with a total deal value of about $760 billion; in the US, specifically, it worked on 228 deals with value of roughly $481 billion, Dealogic found.JPMorgan's MD promotions in the division come as investment banking, generally, has confronted headwinds under the Trump administration. The chilling effect of tariffs and trade wars roiled markets and spooked investors in recent weeks, contributing to a global selloff that has stalled the M&A and IPO pipelines.In addition to its commercial and investment bank, the firm also conducts promotions in its other businesses, ranging from tech to asset management.Here's the full list of names of 118 new managing directors in global banking and markets.Global BankingDaniel Adams, global investment bankingBrent Ballard Jr., global investment bankingAlex Bilichenko, global investment bankingHenry Capper, global investment bankingHenri de Branche, global investment bankingJon Edwards, global investment bankingJason Gorak, commercial bankingJeanne Ho, commercial bankingEd Johnson, commercial bankingSid Lahiri, global investment bankingJustin Look, global investment bankingMithil Mehta, global investment bankingGabor Pogany Ritter, global corporate bankingSebastian Rodriguez, global investment bankingMahesh Ahlawat, global investment bankingJeff Barker, commercial bankingLisa Bono, commercial bankingMei Chang, global investment bankingIngrid Deroubaix, commercial bankingOmar El Amine Fichtali, global investment bankingBen Grant, global investment bankingMatt Holdaway, global servicesTucker Kaufmann, commercial bankingYing Li, global corporate bankingLouis Magraner, global investment bankingStephen Molloy, global investment bankingMatt Renna, commercial bankingVictor Ruiz, commercial bankingMarc Andersen, global investment bankingGina Baumgartner, global servicesChiara Bovo, global investment bankingZuriel Chavez, global investment bankingPaul Drayton, commercial bankingMarc Epstein, commercial bankingJulia Grinshpun, commercial bankingGraham Holden, global investment bankingSonam Khare, global investment bankingStephanie Little, global corporate bankingBrandon Mallette, global investment bankingCharlie Oakes, global investment bankingMichael Rhodes, commercial bankingLy-Yen Sacco, global corporate bankingIsabela Bacchi, global corporate bankingLouise Bennetts, global investment bankingGauthier Brizard, global corporate bankingLorenzo Colonna di Paliano, commercial bankingAnjali Dubey, product & experienceHideo Fujimoto, global investment bankingTiffany Hatchett, commercial bankingSaiko Hoshino, global investment bankingJaewon Kim, global corporate bankingNiklas Ljungquist, global corporate bankingHasan Mannan, commercial bankingViraj Patel, global investment bankingMike Rhodes, global investment bankingJay Sanghani, global investment bankingKeats Baldwin III, commercial bankingBruno Biagini, global investment bankingJason Campbell, commercial bankingAly Cunningham, commercial bankingJonty Edwards, global investment bankingLisa Gomez, commercial bankingAaron Hilton, global servicesParul Jhunjhunwala, global investment bankingArjan Kreischer, global investment bankingDoug Loftus, commercial bankingBen McNulty, global investment bankingBryan Payne, global investment bankingEric Rinder, global investment bankingEric Schwarzbach, global corporate bankingDuncan Sennott, commercial bankingJames Summer, global investment bankingAbel Thai, global servicesJim Tomtania, commercial bankingHaley Trethaway, global investment bankingManoj Vemula, global investment bankingAnastasia Volnova, global investment bankingTeresa Walker, commercial bankingSheria Washington, commercial bankingGregor Weber, global corporate bankingPhillip Wiginton, commercial bankingFlorian Will, global corporate bankingDaisuke Yoshizumi, global investment bankingPeck Yuen Yong, global servicesChristine Zhang, global corporate bankingFei-Fei Zhang, global investment bankingMarketsShalabh AgrawalMark AmlinTaoufik BounharAaron CasdenPatrick ChuAmelie DarrortAlex DaumCyprien DecouxIrina DushkevichKer Lih GanSarah GangFelix GrimauSiddharth GuptaAndrew Hart-FoxMoulay JaidiManish JainJason KendallAlexander KueblerElisa LassMatt LegerEmma MaAnnie MarinaroChristopher J McCannYasuhiro NishikawaMeghan O'KeefeRuchira PatelWill PeakMatt PennellaJohn SchlegelMichael SistoRob Tanna-SmithShilong YangHave a tip? Contact this reporter via email at ralexander@businessinsider.com or SMS/Signal at 561-247-5758. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Recommended video

Albedo, which is building satellites to map and monitor the Earth with powerful precision and detail, is raising a Series B funding round that would value the startup at $285 million before the additional funding, according to documents seen by Business Insider.Investment firm General Innovation Capital is leading the round, which will bring in close to $100 million in new financing to the startup, according to the documents.Albedo and General Innovation Capital didn't respond to requests for comment.Albedo's very low earth orbit (VLEO) satellites collect visible and thermal imagery at the highest resolution commercially available for use in agriculture, insurance, energy, mapping, utilities, and defense.Albedo was previously valued at $150 million pre-money in 2023, according to Pitchbook. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures (the investment firm of Bill Gates), Initialized Capital Management, Y Combinator, AWS Startups, and Booz Allen Ventures.The new funding comes as the company has seen considerable momentum in recent months. The startup announced in March that it had signed a US Air Force contract worth up to $12 million and successfully launched its first satellite, named Clarity-1."The launch of Clarity-1 is a pivotal moment for the space industry," Chris Bogdan, an Albedo investor and executive vice president at Booz Allen and leader of the firm's Space business, said in a press release after the launch. "The ability to collect ultra-high-resolution data at a fraction of the cost and timeline of traditional satellites is a transformational shift in space technology."Based in Colorado, Albedo was founded in 2020 by CTO AyJay Lasater and CEO Topher Haddad, both of whom formerly worked at Lockheed Martin, as well as CPO Winston Tri, a former Facebook software engineer.Albedo's imagery is so clear that it has raised dystopian privacy concerns about using satellites to track people from space."This is a giant camera in the sky for any government to use at any time without our knowledge," Jennifer Lynch, general counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the New York Times last year. "We should definitely be worried."Haddad told the Times he is "acutely aware of the privacy implications," and Albedo's technology will image people but cannot identify humans.

The B-21 Raider being unveiled during a ceremony in California, in December 2022. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images 2025-04-23T13:06:55Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Northrop Grumman posted a drop in profits in the first quarter of 2025. It said higher manufacturing costs for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber were to blame. The plane is the first new stealth bomber designed for the US military in 30 years. Northrop Grumman posted a drop in first-quarter profits, blaming higher manufacturing costs for its B-21 Raider stealth bomber.Sales totalled $9.5 billion in the quarter, down 7% compared to last year, the company said. Reuters reported that the figure was below the analysts' average expectation of about $9.92 billion.The company said it recorded a pre-tax loss of $477 million on its B-21 programs, and that investments to boost future B-21 production and higher-than-expected material costs were to blame.In a conference call, Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman's president, said the drop was "largely relating to higher manufacturing costs" for the B-21, per The War Zone.She said it was "primarily resulting from a process change we made to enable a higher production rate, as well as increases in the projected material cost."She said Northrop Grumman had "underestimated the amount of consumption of both materials as well as the price increase that we are seeing."The B-21 is the first new stealth bomber to be developed for the US Air Force in 30 years, and took its maiden flight in November 2023.Business Insider reported last year that the plane is expected to form the backbone of the US bomber fleet, and that its state-of-the-art stealth capabilities are designed to evade sophisticated air defense systems.A low rate initial production contract — a contract for the manufacture of a small batch of B-21s for testing — was signed in January 2024.Gen. Anthony J Cotton, head of US Strategic Command, said last month that he wanted to see the Air Force boost the number of B-21s it plans to deploy from 100 to around 145.He said the plane's initial low production rate was set "when the geopolitical environment was a little bit different than what we face today."The B-21 is expected to enter service by the end of the decade.In the conference call, Warden said that the company was taking a financial hit now in order to be in a position to ramp up production of the plane going forward. Recommended video

Spirit Airlines jets at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Joe Cavaretta/Tribune News/Getty Images 2025-04-23T13:22:59Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Spirit Airlines is cutting some 12,000 flights through May and June compared to last year. Just four airports are losing service from Spirit, but others will see up to 84% fewer flights. The budget airline is continuing its turnaround, having emerged from bankruptcy last month. Finding a Spirit Airlines flight is looking a lot harder this summer.According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, the budget airline has scheduled 12,000 fewer flights through May and June compared to the same period last year — a decline of around 24%.Research from Deutsche Bank analysts places the June decline for Spirit's domestic flights as high as 27.5%.However, only four airports are no longer being served. Manchester, New Hampshire, the only one in the US, had just seven flights scheduled across the period last year. Two of the airports are in Haiti, where several airlines stopped flying after a Spirit plane was shot at last November.Still, some cities are facing huge drops in service since May and June 2024.Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Boise, Idaho, have seen their scheduled Spirit flights drop 84%, down to just 18 from 111 and 115, respectively.Flights from Portland, Oregon, have more than halved, falling from 357 to 124. Boston's service has plunged from 1,272 to 710.The only three airports to lose more than 1,000 flights — Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, and Orlando — have between 20.5% and 28% fewer Spirit flights than last year.The cuts come as Spirit continues its turnaround.It filed for Chapter 11 protection last November as it worked to restructure its debt and business model, before emerging from bankruptcy last month.Last Thursday, Spirit announced that Dave Davis, the former president and chief financial officer of Sun Country Airlines, would be its new CEO.Budget airlines have had a rough time since the pandemic, as higher costs and overcapacity forced them to rethink their business models.Spirit, Frontier, and Southwest all added premium seating options.They now also face a potential downturn in travel demand across the board due to economic uncertainty from Donald Trump's tariff plans.Travel is typically one of the first things people can cut when purse strings tighten, which has seen airline stocks become especially volatile over the past month. Recommended video

My husband and I (not pictured) each enjoy kid-free nights to decompress while the other takes over parenting and household duties. Pilea House/Getty Images 2025-04-23T10:31:01Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? My husband and I take full nights off to recharge and enjoy some kid-free time. The parent who isn't on gets to skip dinner prep and bedtime routines, whether they are home or not. These breaks have improved our personal wellbeing and strengthened our family's relationships. Parenting, especially in a neurodiverse family, can be all-consuming. A few times a month, my husband and I each take a full night off. No dinner prep, no bedtime routines, no negotiating who's handling bath time or the last-minute "I need water!" requests. One of us is completely off duty while the other runs the show.It's not always seamless, but this simple practice has been essential to our marriage, friendships, and personal wellbeing.This practice reduces the risk of burning out from constant caregiving by giving us the time to reconnect with ourselves and do the things that will give us more peace of mind and more margin, whether that's seeing friends, working late occasionally to catch up, or just sitting in silence.The result? We are showing up better on the nights we are on. Our friends have marveled at the idea, and some have even tried it out themselves.The idea presented itself naturallyWe didn't start this intentionally. At first, I just noticed we were worn down — always on our phones, short with each other, and generally drained. I was juggling homeschooling our kids, consulting, writing, and leading peer support groups for other parents of autistic kids. My husband had his own work stress, plus obligations to our community and family. We were stretched thin. We were managing logistics, but rarely connecting.One night, I told him to take some time to himself. Not in a passive aggressive way, but compassionately. I could tell he was burnt out, and I wanted him to find a way to recharge. I knew he needed time to feel more like himself.Then it became something biggerThat small gesture turned into a bigger question: What if we structured this? What if, instead of squeezing in decompression time sporadically, we planned for it? We started with set nights—I took Thursdays, and he took Mondays. At first, we would each make sure to leave the house, and we didn't stray from these set days. It helped us draw the lines between being "off" and "on" more clearly. Over time, our actions became more flexible. When he was in a busier work season, I adjusted to give him more margin, sometimes taking time on the weekends instead of Thursday nights. Now, we can simply check in. He'll text, "Hey, I need a late work night," and I'll say, "I need a friend night this week," and we make it work.These nights off have made us better together. I won't pretend it has all been smooth. Giving each other space meant we also had to face some hard conversations. Being autistic and parenting autistic kids is intense. So is being an extrovert married to an introvert.When we were dating, my husband needed alone time between our dates. Early in marriage, I'd go out with friends while he stayed home. But once parenting entered the picture, especially with all the extra needs in our household, it became harder to carve out that space.Structured time off gave us permission to bring that rhythm back into our lives and to offer it to each other without guilt. It made us more patient, more communicative, and more appreciative.I needed this more than I realizedThis arrangement also shifted something in me. As the parent who's home most often, I'm usually the one deep in the research — therapies, evaluations, how to best support our kids. That sometimes made me feel like I knew the "right" way to do things. But stepping away helped me release control. I don't need to micromanage my husband's parenting. He's an incredible father. He and the kids have their own relationship and they need that time without me hovering.In letting go, we've all gained something. And we're having more fun.These nights off have given me room to rediscover myself. One night, I took a book of poetry to a bar. I ended up playing '90s music bingo with two moms out on a girls' night. We laughed and swapped stories. As an extrovert, most of my social life revolves around parenting, whether it's homeschool groups, playdates, or autism support groups. It felt good to connect with people outside of that context, just as me.Since starting this, I've also picked up pastels for the first time since I was a teenager. I've started writing more. I've deepened friendships. My husband and I use the time differently, but we both return to our family more grounded.These breaks help our whole family thriveFriends often ask how we make it work. The truth is, we're lucky to have some flexibility in our schedules but out structured time off doesn't have to look like a full evening. Sometimes, my "night off" is a Saturday morning while my husband takes the kids to breakfast or the park. It's less about the format, and more about the intention. It's about getting curious about what you need, talking with your partner, and building a rhythm that supports both of you.In our marriage, we believe that if one of us isn't thriving, neither one of us is. When we realized we were both barely holding it together, we decided to try something different. At first, it was just a few nights to give each other a break. Then it became a habit. Now, it's a rhythm we trust.We communicate. We adjust. And because we've built that foundation, there's no resentment, just mutual care. If I need space, I ask. If he needs time, he takes it. We support each other so we can show up fully for our kids and for ourselves.This weekly break isn't about perfection. It's about intention. And that has made all the difference. Recommended video

One of the few bright spots of Tesla's dire earnings is now in the crosshairs of Trump's tariffs.The EV maker's energy generation and storage business, which includes Tesla's Megapack and Powerwall battery systems, brought in $2.73 billion in the first three months of 2025, up 67% from last year.Those strong numbers put a gloss on what was otherwise a very underwhelming set of results.Tesla's net income plummeted to $409 million from nearly $1.4 billion in the same period last year, well below Wall Street's expectations.Revenues from its car business fell 20% as the company's sales collapsed across the globe amid a wave of Elon Musk-fuelled protests and vandalism."Looks like energy storage saved some pretty dismal numbers from Tesla," wrote Tesla investor Ross Gerber in a post on X.However, Tesla's lucrative side hustle faces a serious speedbump in the form of the escalating trade war between the US and China.Speaking on an analyst call after the earnings, Tesla's CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, said that while the Trump administration's tariffs will hit the company on auto parts, the effect on Tesla's energy storage business from the tariffs on China will be more severe."The impact of tariffs on the energy business will be outsized since we source LFP battery cells from China," said Taneja.Although Tesla makes Megapacks and Powerwalls at its factories in California and Nevada, the company imports the battery cell components for these systems from China, which dominates the global battery manufacturing industry.Taneja added that Tesla was attempting to set up the manufacturing of lithium-iron phosphate batteries in the US to get around the tariffs, but was facing a shortage of manufacturing equipment."We've also been working on securing additional supply chain from non-China-based suppliers, but it will take time," said Taneja.Tesla faces fewer headwinds from the tariffs than other automakers, as it has sought to localize production of its cars and energy systems in the markets it sells them in.The company recently began Megapack production at a new factory in Shanghai near the gigafactory that produces its Chinese EVs.Despite this, Elon Musk has warned the auto tariffs introduced by Trump will have a "significant" impact on Tesla.The billionaire, who said on Tuesday he would step back from his cost-cutting role in the Trump administration, told investors that he would "continue to advocate" for lower tariffs — but said that Trump ultimately called the shots."I made my opinion clear to the president, and other people made their opinion clear to the president," said Musk."I'm hopeful that the president will observe whether my predictions are more accurate than the predictions of others and perhaps weigh my advice differently in the future. We shall see," he added.

The US is reducing the number of its troops in Syria, whose mission is to assist local partners in countering the remnants of ISIS. Staff Sgt. Fred Brown/US Army 2025-04-23T08:26:01Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? The US is withdrawing roughly 1,000 troops from Syria in the coming months. The Trump administration believes the new Syrian government and Kurdish partners can contain ISIS. The US is "well-served" by keeping some forces in Syria to counter ISIS, a retired colonel told BI. The United States will begin withdrawing hundreds of troops from northeast Syria in coming months, a sign that it believes its Kurdish partners and the new Syrian government can keep ISIS extremists from reorganizing.The US troops in Syria have assisted its local partner, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, in the fight against ISIS since 2015. The presence was always relatively small, never exceeding 2,500, and is being reduced to below 1,000."This consolidation reflects the significant steps we have made toward degrading ISIS' appeal and operational capability regionally and globally," Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a Friday statement. "This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the US footprint in Syria down to less than a thousand US forces in the coming months.""The US is likely to keep a small residual force in Syria to conduct targeted raids against ISIS," Nicholas Heras, senior director of strategy and innovation at the New Lines Institute, told Business Insider. "The US is also likely to keep the base in Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan) as a hub to surge forces into Syria, as needed.""These factors would mean that a phased US withdrawal from Syria would be less likely to be chaotic, and more likely to adhere to a typical reduction in force."In October 2019, two years after ISIS lost its self-styled caliphate's de-facto capital to the US-led coalition, President Donald Trump ordered an abrupt withdrawal, triggering a brief but destructive and destabilizing cross-border Turkish operation against the SDF. Trump ultimately postponed that hasty withdrawal and the US maintained a smaller deployment of about 900 personnel.The latest drawdown takes place under significantly different circumstances."The 2019 withdrawal was so chaotic because it was a snap decision that the US administration wasn't adequately prepared for, and which senior officials in the administration were outraged by," Aron Lund, a fellow with Century International and a senior analyst at the Swedish Defense Research Agency, told BI."You don't have that situation today," Lund said, adding that, unlike the previous Trump administration, there are no officials who would likely resign in protest as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis did.In December, after the overthrow of long-time Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the US disclosed that it had 2,000 troops in Syria. It clarified that those additional 1,100 were "temporary rotational forces" and the remaining 900 "core" assets. Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division provided security after departing a CH-47 Chinook during air assault training with Syrian partners at Al-Tanf Garrison, Syria, in February. Staff Sgt. Fred Brown/US Army Myles B. Caggins III, a senior nonresident fellow at the New Lines Institute, retired US Army colonel, and former spokesman for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, believes Washington would be "well-served" in continuing its Syria deployment."During the first Trump administration, the US-led global Coalition defeated ISIS by supporting the Kurdish-led SDF," Caggins told BI. "It is important for President Trump to preserve that victory and support the SDF while they continue raids on ISIS remnants and hold 10,000 ISIS detainees.""The 2,000 US troops in Syria continue to blast and capture ISIS and Hurras al-Din leaders, as well as preventing Iranian-backed militants from having a land bridge to Lebanon and ultimately Israel," Caggins said; Hurras al-Din is an al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria.These continued counter-terrorism efforts coincide with improving relations between Turkey and the SDF. A ceasefire recently ended months of skirmishes between the SDF and Turkey's Syrian militia allies."The situation now in eastern Syria is more fortuitous than it has been before for this type of US reduction of force," Heras said.The SDF also signed a landmark deal with Damascus in March that will eventually see the SDF integrated into Syria's national armed forces. Until that deal, the US still has a crucial role to play in supporting its Kurdish-led partner."The new transitional Syrian government is not able to fund or staff the ISIS detention centers and Damascus tacitly welcomes the presence of US troops because they know that the well-trained, well-equipped SDF is a critical part of the future composition of the Syrian Ministry of Defense," Caggins said.Thousands of ISIS fighters and their families remain in prisons and open-air camps in SDF-held areas. The most notable is the sprawling Al-Hol camp near the Iraqi border in northeast Syria. The camp is an indefinite detention for an estimated 40,000 people, primarily Iraqi and Syrian nationals, many with suspected links or sympathies to ISIS. ISIS prisoners and sleeper cells have attempted to free fellow captives and regroup, most notably in January 2022 through an attempted prison break in Hasaka that took the US-backed Kurdish authorities 10 days to suppress.Efforts to rehabilitate foreign ISIS fighters at al-Hol are ongoing. So far, an estimated half of Iraqi nationals in the camp have been repatriated, with the majority rehabilitated.Shortly before he returned to the White House in January, Trump said that America should have nothing to do with Syria or its conflict.Century International's Lund believes it remains to be seen if "a more extensive pullout" of US troops from Syria and Syria's reabsorption of SDF territories and institutions could be smoothly coordinated with Damascus and Ankara."If everyone shows a bit of goodwill, you could have a handover of areas and prisons and other things" from the US and SDF to the Syrian government, Lund said. "But if there's not a deal in place when US troops start a final exit, or if there's a deal that doesn't hold up when tested, things could go haywire very quickly.""Even if we end up with just a partial reduction of forces this time, I believe the United States will probably quit Syria in Trump's second mandate," Lund added. "And if so, it will probably be sooner rather than later."Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history. His articles have appeared in a variety of publications focused on the region. Recommended video

Nathan Stark and Alicia Walter at Berat Castle in Albania. Courtesy of Alicia Walter 2025-04-23T08:30:02Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Alicia Walter and Nathan Stark have visited 47 countries across the world. Their favorite is Albania, a small European country that remains under the radar of most travelers. The couple loved Albania's culture, beauty, and cheaper cost of living, so they moved there. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alicia Walter, 28, and Nathan Stark, 41. The couple has visited 47 countries and moved from San Diego to Tirana, Albania, in 2023. Together, they run The Passport Couple, a travel-advice blog.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.Alicia: My husband and I have traveled through much of Central and South America, parts of Africa, a good portion of Europe, and most of Southeast and East Asia.We've visited 47 countries, but our favorite is Albania, an underrated country in the Balkans.Albania is absolutely gorgeous and still feels untouched by mass tourism, especially compared to other European destinations like Barcelona, Paris, London, Rome, and even Prague. The food is some of our favorite anywhere, and the locals are incredibly welcoming and have treated us like family.It's not perfect. The country is still developing after its communist era ended in the 1990s, so you'll still see bunkers scattered across cities. A major earthquake near Tirana, the capital, in 2019 also destroyed many homes, apartment buildings, and businesses, so there's still a lot of ongoing construction.That's part of what makes it so unique — every time we return, it feels like discovering a new place.Albania has stunning nature and good weatherAlicia: Albania is across the Adriatic Sea from Italy, bordering Greece and Montenegro.It's a relatively small country, probably about the size of Portugal. You can easily road trip the entire country in a week or two.It has a mild climate, typical of the Mediterranean region. Winters are generally mild, and summers can get quite hot inland, but along the coast, the weather is much more comfortable. A beach in Albania. Courtesy of Alicia Walter The country is probably best known for the Albanian Riviera — a stretch of coastline along the Ionian Sea with crystal-clear blue waters. Theth National Park is also stunning. We drove through it in the fall, and it felt like a magazine.Albania has mountains, including the Albanian Alps, the Korab Mountains, and the Tomorr Mountains. While there aren't any ski resorts, the mountains get snow and are great for hiking.It's just so beautiful here. Every time we head out into nature, away from the city centers, we're blown away by how stunning it is, and how little we'd heard about it before. The Albanian Alps. Courtesy of Alicia Walter Albania's architecture is quite diverse. In towns like Berat, known as the city of 1,000 windows, you'll find well-preserved Ottoman architecture — white stone buildings with dark-tiled roofs and wooden-shuttered windows, some dating back nearly 2,000 years.In contrast, Tirana's architecture is a mix of styles. There are remains of communist-era buildings and new, modern developments with many green spaces.Living in Albania is incredibly affordableAlicia: We moved to Tirana in February 2023. We had been traveling full-time for three years, just living out of suitcases, and wanted to settle in Europe. We live in a brand-new apartment complex in a fully furnished 740-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit. We pay 450 euros, about $520, in monthly rent. Utilities — internet, water, and electricity — cost us around 100 euros, or $115, monthly.Housing in Albania is way more affordable than in the States. In 2019, before traveling abroad, we lived in San Diego and rented a 630-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit about an hour from the city center for $1,250 a month — the cheapest rent we could find.The value for money here is incredible. Tirana's town square. Fani Kurti/Getty Images International food in the city can be a bit more expensive, but traditional Albanian meals are super affordable. You'll usually get five or six shared dishes, served family-style, along with a liter of wine, or some beers, and rarely spend more than $50.Public transportation is also great and affordable in Tirana.Nathan: I've been surprised to see how many electric-vehicle taxis are here; they have become the main ride-share form.Alicia: The city was recently added to Google Maps, which has made navigating even easier. Riding a bus within the city costs just 40 cents per ride. There are shuttles for trips to other towns — we took one to the port city of Durrës for about $10.We can walk most places and don't really need a car in TiranaAlicia: Our neighborhood is super walkable, with bike lanes and sidewalks almost everywhere. Our day-to-day needs are within walking distance, which is amazing coming from San Diego.We've got a grocery store just down the street, a bakery where we can get fresh bread for about $1, and a produce stand nearby for fruits and veggies. There's even a bookstore that sells English books about a 25-minute walk from us. A market in Albania. Courtesy of Alicia Walter There isn't much of a nightlife scene in Albania. Though to be fair, we're not big nightlife people ourselves.Instead, people here really value what are known as "third spaces." Many Albanians live in multi-generational homes, where extended families live together. These third spaces are often green areas within apartment complexes, like shared courtyards, where everyone gathers, especially around sunset.There's something called "xhiro," which is like an evening social hour. At that time, everyone heads outside: kids play; parents chat; neighbors catch up. People often go to cafés, which are a big part of the culture here. They'll order an espresso and a glass of water, and just sit and relax for hours.There are some trade-offs to life in Albania, but the pros outweigh the consNathan: The money we save on food and living expenses in Albania has greatly affected our lives.It's allowed us to travel and invest more in our travel business. Part of the reason we left the US to pursue this dream is that we simply couldn't afford to do it there.There are some trade-offs to living here, though. For example, we have to go to different places to get everything we need: one store for dry goods, the produce market for fruits and vegetables, a bakery for bread, and another grocery store just to get coffee. Convenience can be a challenge.We also don't have shipping here. There's no reliable way to get packages delivered because we don't have proper addresses — just a street name that everyone on the street uses. A street scene in Tirana. Westend61/Getty Images/Westend61 Still, there are a lot of advantages to living here.A big one is Albania's visa policy. US citizens get a 365-day visa on arrival. Plus, our Schengen visa days reset whenever we leave Albania and travel to the EU. For example, we can take a $100 flight to Rome for the weekend, and when we return, we can start fresh with more time in the EU.Alicia: Beyond that, locals have been incredibly supportive and genuinely helpful to us getting settled here.Ultimately, our dream is to buy a home in Italy, but there are a lot of steps before we get there. Right now, we're just really happy here in Albania. Recommended video

Lockheed Martin's CEO, James Taiclet, said he wants to improve the F-35 so it can match 80% of sixth-generation aircraft capabilities. JOHN THYS / AFP via Getty Images 2025-04-23T05:44:26Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? James Taiclet says he has a new idea for Lockheed Martin: Beef up the F-35 with its failed bid for NGAD. Lockheed Martin lost the bid for the NGAD, now called the F-47, to Boeing. Taiclet wants his engineers to integrate tech and ideas from their sixth-gen research into the F-35. Lockheed Martin didn't win the bid for America's next-generation fighter, but its CEO still wants to build a jet that's in almost the same league.At the company's first-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, James Taiclet said he has set a new goal for his staff: To soup up the F-35 so it can match 80% of the F-47's capabilities for half the cost."My challenge to my aeronautics team is, let's get 80% of sixth-gen capability at half the price," Taiclet said."And that's something that — and these are engineers, they wouldn't have agreed to this if they didn't think there was a path to get there — that's something we're going to go out and do," he added.Taiclet called this "fifth-generation plus." Lockheed's plan to get there, he said, would leverage its experienceThe firm ultimately lost the bid for the sixth-generation stealth fighter to Boeing, which President Donald Trump announced in late March as the selected manufacturer. That decision rocked Lockheed's reputation in the stealth fighter game, which it had dominated with the Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lightning II.At Tuesday's earnings call, Taiclet said Lockheed wants to move on from losing the award."We are not going to protest the NGAD decision of the US government," he said, referring to Next-Generation Air Dominance, which is the US program to create the sixth-generation successor to the F-22. "We are moving forward and moving out on applying all the technologies that we developed for our NGAD bid onto our embedded base of F-35 and F-22.""It's a little kind of — not uncomfortable — but novel for our industry to think that way," Taiclet added. "But we are thinking that way."He compared his ambition to beefing up a road vehicle so much that it becomes a race car."So, the F-35. So we're basically going to take the chassis and turn it into a Ferrari. It's like a NASCAR upgrade, so to speak," he said.Taiclet said Lockheed had worked on developing better sensors and stealth techniques for its sixth-gen bid, and could apply those technologies to improve the F-35. He also mentioned a newer tracking system and longer-range weapons.He told analysts that the idea is for advanced aircraft to avoid dogfights if they can. "We want to shoot the other guy, as I said, before he even knows we're there," he said.Boeing's F-47 is meant to be America's most advanced stealth fighter yet, with plans for the aircraft to fly in tandem with semiautonomous "wingmen" drones. With air superiority as its priority, one of the next-generation fighter's primary roles is to destroy enemy aircraft.Meanwhile, the F-35, a multi-role fighter that entered service in 2015, is Lockheed's headline export. Taiclet said the company expects to deliver between 170 and 190 F-35s in 2025, with a backlog of about 360 more aircraft.Lockheed reported a net profit of $1.7 billion for the first quarter ending on March 30, up from $1.5 billion in the first quarter of 2024. Earnings of $7.28 per share beat Wall Street's expectations of $6.34 per share.The company's stock price climbed 0.82% to $462.08 at market close on Tuesday.Boeing and Lockheed Martin did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider. Recommended video

Trump said tariffs on China are currently "very high." Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images 2025-04-23T06:06:36Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? On Tuesday, Trump said the 145% tariffs on China were "very high." He said tariffs will "come down substantially," but would not drop to zero. Trump previously floated a tariff respite for China if Beijing agreed to cut a deal with the US on TikTok. President Donald Trump said final tariffs on goods from China would "not be anywhere near" the current rate of 145%, and would "come down substantially."During a press conference in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that "145% is very high, and it won't be that high.""It'll come down substantially, but it won't be zero," he added.The president's comments were in response to a question about Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said earlier on Tuesday that the tariffs between China and the US have essentially created a trade embargo. Trump said the US was "going to be very good to China, have a great relationship with President Xi." He did not provide more details on whether he was in negotiations with Beijing over the tariffs.Last week, Trump said he may not raise tariffs on China further, even if China continues to do so, saying there's a point at which "people don't buy."Representatives for Trump and the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.Trump imposed a 10% tariff on China in February. He said the tariff was aimed at stemming the flow of drugs from China into the US.Since then, the two countries have spent weeks stacking retaliatory tariffs on each other, escalating trade tensions. US tariffs on goods from China now stand at 145%. China has retaliated with 125% tariffs on US-made goods.Trump has used tariffs as a negotiation strategy. On April 3, he said he would be open to reducing tariffs on countries if they were willing to give the US "something that's so phenomenal."He floated a tariff relief for China if it agreed to a deal on TikTok. China's ByteDance, which owns TikTok, faces a looming deadline to divest from the app or have it banned in the US."Maybe I'll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done, you know, because every point in tariffs is worth more money than TikTok," Trump said in March. Recommended video

After years of ominous headlines about the world's shrinking birth rates, there's a bright spot. The US birth rate slightly increased in 2024, according to preliminary data from the CDC.TheBrady Hamilton, the lead author of the report, told Business Insider that the stats are a continuation of the trends of the last three decades. Women in their late 20s to early 40s are having more kids, while those in their teens and early 20s are having fewer. These numbers "support the contention that women are having children at later points in their lives," he said.Millennial moms are leading the wayWhile millennials are having fewer kids compared to past generations, they're still having more kids than Gen Zers. In 2024,oldest of Gen Zers).Emily Oster, the founder of ParentData.org, a bestselling author, and a professor of economics at Brown University, told BI that the CDC's data points to two large trends.One is that people are choosing to have kids later: fertility peaks in your early 20s, yet women in those age groups have been having fewer kids since the 1990s.At the same time, medical developments give people more control over when they have kids, if at all, Oster said.Teenage births continue to decline, dropping 3% since 2023, as birth control access increased. IVF allows women to conceive well into their 40s.Young people need more time to feel financially ready for kids Moms in their early 20s are having fewer kids compared to older parents. Jordi Salas/Getty Images Not everyone feels ready to have kids before their 30s and 40s."People are just taking longer to get to the place in their life when they think they want to have children," Sarah Hayford, a professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Population Research at The Ohio State University, told BI.Millennial and Gen Z parents need more time to feel financially secure enough to start families compared to past generations.Some are staying in school longer to land higher-paying jobs and afford the homes they want."What we see is people postponing births early on and then sort of catching up later on," she said.Trump is on a mission to get more American babiesDespite the uptick in births, the Trump administration is on a mission to boost the birth rate, from "menstrual cycle classes" to giving $5,000 in cash to parents after delivery. Many Americans want more kids than they have. The challenge is getting parents to actually have more.Hayford said other wealthy countries, like Japan and South Korea, have introduced policies in the hopes of increasing their birth rates, like four-day work weeks and bonuses for men who reverse their vasectomies."None of them have been super successful," she said. While baby bonuses can have some impact, "they have to be really big," and even then, they have a modest influence on birth rates. She said Trump's proposed $5,000 would be under the average cost of delivery in the US, which is around $13,000 before insurance kicks in.Other policy proposals often mentioned by parents, like lowering childcare costs or lengthening paid parental leave, aren't guaranteed to significantly raise birth rates: Some Scandinavian countries with better childcare support than the US are also experiencing birth declines."I don't think we know what it would take to get a bunch of 26-year-olds to want to have three kids," Oster said. "I'm not sure we have the answer to that."

Elon Musk will be stepping back from his role at the White House DOGE office. Carlos Barria/REUTERS 2025-04-23T04:06:33Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Tesla reported a weaker-than-expected first quarter, missing its revenue target by nearly $2 billion. Elon Musk said he will step back from his role with DOGE, staying involved part time. The company also unveiled a new timeline for robotaxis and details on its more affordable model. Tesla came up short in its first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, missing Wall Street's estimates amid a slump in sales and looming uncertainty in the auto industry.The EV giant used its Tuesday call to share key updates that address some of investors' concerns hanging over a particularly weak quarter.For instance, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he would be stepping back from his role with the White House DOGE office and answered questions about how tariffs would impact Tesla.Musk also unveiled new details on the much-anticipated "more affordable" Tesla model, as well as new timelines on the company's robotaxi rollout.Here are the five biggest takeaways from Tesla's call and how analysts are taking it:1. Musk said he'll be stepping back from DOGEMusk said Tuesday he plans to significantly scale back his involvement in the White House DOGE office to refocus on Tesla."Starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla," he said, adding that "the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done."He said he'll continue to spend a day or two a week on government matters, for as long as President Donald Trump wants him to.Musk did not directly address how his involvement with DOGE may have damaged Tesla's brand. The company's chief financial officer, Vaibhav Taneja, said that vandalism and anti-Tesla hostility "had an impact in certain markets."2. New details on the robotaxi rolloutTesla is set to debut its long-anticipated robotaxi service in Austin this June, starting with "maybe 10 to 20 vehicles," Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. What is your job title? (1 of 2) Entry level position Project manager Management Senior management Executive management Student Self-employed Retired Other What products or services can you approve for purchase in your role? (2 of 2) Advertising / Marketing Client / Account Management Company strategy HR / Training / Office support Managing budgets IT / Telecoms / Tech Recruiting new employees Sales Software development Financial Other None of the above By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Thanks for sharing insights about your role. "We want to make sure that we're paying very close attention," said Musk, adding that operations will "scale up rapidly after that."Tesla also confirmed on the call that the initial launch will include remote human operators who can intervene if a vehicle becomes stuck or encounters an issue.Musk said the goal is to bring the service to "many other cities in the US by the end of this year," predicting that "there will be millions of Teslas operating fully autonomously in the second half of next year."In a dig at Waymo, Musk said the3. A more affordable Tesla modelInvestors have long been pressing Tesla for an affordable model, which it has delayed. A more affordable car would mean a broader market of possible buyers."Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025," the company said. "Given economic uncertainty resulting from changing trade policy, more affordable options are as critical as ever."Lars Moravy, the vice president of vehicle engineering, said during the call that it "doesn't make bad cars," and that the goal is to produce a vehicle that's no worse than the cars it has previously released."The key is affordable," said Moravy.4. Tesla says it's more insulated from tariffsMusk said that Tesla would be "the least affected car company" when it comes to tariffs."With respect to supply chain risk, something that Tesla has been working on for several years, is to localize supply chains," Musk said. "Tariffs are still tough on a company when margins are still low, but we do have localized supply chains in both America, Europe, and China, so that puts us in a stronger position than any of our competitors."Musk also said that he does not support high tariffs and has told Trump his take on tariffs."I'm an advocate of predictable tariff structures, and generally, I'm an advocate for, you know, pro-trade and lower tariffs," said Musk.Analysts are monitoring how tariffs affect automakers and their suppliers. Yun Mei, an EV analyst with wealth manager China Great Wall Securities, said on Bloomberg TV on Wednesday that suppliers have little room for price changes because the market is highly competitive. If tariffs increase "too much, there is no room for Tesla or its suppliers to survive," she said.5. Tesla ticks up in after-hours tradingIn after-hours trading, Tesla stock ticked up more than 5%.Craig Irwin, a senior research analyst at Roth Capital Partners, told Business Insider before the earnings call that Tesla needs to emphasize its on-track production for the affordable model and its robotaxis."The conversation there is what's going to drive the stock," said Irwin.Mei, the China Great Wall analyst, said the call gave her "strong faith" in Tesla's sales recovery. But any further sales declines, coupled with tariffs, could make the company's margin "very ugly," she said on Bloomberg TV. In a Tuesday night note, Cantor Fitzgerald analysts maintained their expectation that Tesla stock's total return could exceed 15% over the next year.The analysts also said that Tesla's risks include regulatory approval for its robotaxi, a slowdown of EV demand, and the removal of the EV tax credit. Recommended video