Macworld One of Apple’s great competitive advantages is the way its products work so smoothly together as an integrated ecosystem. Your iPhone pings your AirPods. Your Apple Watch pings your iPhone, and unlocks your Mac. Apple Music is optimized for the HomePod, and Apple Arcade for nearly everything else. Fall in love with just one of the company’s devices or services and, like a dinosaur dipping its toe in a peat bog, you’ll be sucked in and never escape. In a good way. Watch the average WWDC keynote, however, and you’d think Apple had, not a deep and mutually beneficial network of interoperable products, but a single flagship plus some accessories. Sure, you’ll hear about new software features coming to the Mac and the Apple Watch (which got 12 and seven minutes of stage time respectively at WWDC 24). You might even catch some interesting news related to the iPad (nine minutes) and Apple TV (two minutes). But it will be clear that the star of the show (clocking in at a full 16 minutes last year) is that most golden of geese: the iPhone. I’m hopeful that WWDC 25, which starts on June 9, might be different. In fact, I think that, within reason, Apple should ignore the iPhone and focus on other more interesting product lines. Perhaps this year the iPhone should have to manage with two minutes. WWDC 25 comes at a difficult time for Apple, which has been hit by delays and controversies over the past 12 months: Apple Intelligence has been a conspicuous failure and the iPhone 16, which was sold off the back of that feature, proved so disappointing that some customers filed lawsuits. Next month’s event represents an important opportunity for Apple to draw a line under such issues and reset. And you don’t do that by repeating the process with boasts about the upcoming iPhone 17. Instead, Apple could start by giving some proper attention to the Apple Watch, which analysts tell us has been in significant global decline for two years. The time is ripe for Apple Intelligence to arrive on the wrist (albeit likely piggybacking off the processing power of a nearby iPhone) ahead of new hardware in the fall. A younger and less commercial product than the iPhone, the Apple Watch has far more room to grow. It needs the attention far more than the iPhone does. Pundits also predict that macOS 16 is going to see a thorough redesign this summer, with a new redesign inspired by Vision Pro, and the Mac itself could get new hardware in the form of the M4 Ultra Mac Pro. All of which feels a lot more interesting and relevant than generative AI and Siri learning to understand natural language at… some… point. Let’s give the pro Mac users some love. We iPhone owners will survive a bit of neglect. The iPhone has had most of the attention for the best part of two decades, and it feels like Apple is running out of interesting things to say. So let’s hear instead about the smaller and less commercial projects going on in the background at Apple Park. I want to know more about Apple’s vision for the post-smartphone future, which of course means visionOS 3 (and hopefully progress on third-party apps and content) but also encompasses the role of other wearables such as the Apple Watch and AirPods. Tell me about the smart home. Tell me about fitness and entertainment. Just don’t tell me anything more about the iPhone. Foundry Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. Trending: Top stories Your iPhone notifications are ruining your life. Here are 3 easy steps to fix them. Maybe Apple was right about Siri all along, ponders the Macalope. Let’s take a depressing look at the best Apple tech that’s gone forever. Sic transit gloria mundi and all that. WWDC 2025 is only weeks away. Here are 7 announcements I can’t wait to see. After Google IO’s big AI reveals, my iPhone has never felt dumber, says Mahmoud Itani. Here are 26 free macOS apps every Mac user should have. How many have you got? Podcast of the week WWDC is coming soon, and on episode 935 of the Macworld Podcast, we talk about the current state of Mac hardware and macOS, and what that tells us about what Apple could be doing at WWDC. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner McAfee Total Protection for Mac review: Not as good as it should be. OnlyOffice for Mac review: The free Microsoft 365 alternative you’re looking for. Soundcore AeroClip review: Clip-on open-ear earphones. Satechi SM3 review: A smooth, responsive mechanical keyboard. The rumor mill The iPhone 17 Air’s battery looks to be exactly as bad as we feared. Apple AI glasses ‘better made’ than Meta’s now on tap for 2026. Apple job posting confirms that a Calendar revamp is in the works. Apple plans to offer AI alternatives as it works to overhaul Siri. Software updates, bugs, and problems Massive data breach exposes swath of unencrypted Apple ID logins. And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.

Who says that virtual reality (VR) is limited to gaming? Not Cas and Chary. Our team had the absolute pleasure of collaborating with the renowned duo on the Unity-sponsored YouTube video, AWESOME things to do in VR that’s NOT gaming.More than virtual reality’s reigning cutest couple, Cas and Chary are deeply passionate about showing how technology can improve our lives today – and shape the future. Here are just a few applications of Unity mentioned in the video that demonstrate how.During Cas and Chary’s segment on how VR can change the way we travel, they explored the Great Pyramids of Giza in Emissive’s Horizon of Khufu. This experience was designed in partnership with Peter Der Manuelian, professor of Egyptology and his team at the Giza Project at Harvard University. On the experience, CEO of Emissive Fabien Barati shared, “We are thrilled by the success of Horizon of Khufu. Both entertaining and educational, it shows how VR can be appealing to a wide audience.”With several years of research and data collected onsite, they managed to produce an immersive VR landscape that allows you to freely roam and discover one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A small group of us at Unity actually had the opportunity to try it at a pop-up in New York City, and we can confirm that it’s as magical as it sounds.“We are thrilled by the success of Horizon of Khufu. Both entertaining and educational, it shows how VR can be appealing to a wide audience.” – Fabien Barati, CEO of EmissiveTo quote Cas in the video, “You want a window that looks out to the universe? Done. You want five TVs instead of one? Done!” That’s where Custom Home Mapper comes in.It takes a one-to-one map of your home and brings it into the metaverse in three simple steps:Trace out the perimeter of your home.Mark out large objects, such as your couch or bed.Set your anchor, and you’re ready to start customizing your home for VR mini golf, or just about anything else you can imagine!The solo developer behind this SideQuest project, Ryan, explains why he created the app: “To help people experience real freedom of movement in VR. It was a joy to try and solve these unique, creative problems of multi-room gameplay and social home interactions.”Ryan acknowledges “The tremendous amount of support received from enthusiastic users who wanted to see the same dream realized… Couldn’t have asked for a more interesting project to keep busy with during Covid lockdowns!”We’ve been fans of Rezzil for a while now and couldn’t wait to introduce the app to Cas and Chary. Rezzil uses a VR headset with both eye- and feet-tracking to register a player’s skill level in a particular sport.Rezzil’s suite of drills helps athletes achieve excellence in specific modalities they need to improve. And it doesn’t end there: Rezzil puts players back into past matches so they can understand where there’s room to improve their performance. Top clubs like Manchester United F.C. and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL are using the app, and while the team at Rezzil can’t say who, we know that at least five World Cup teams took the app with them to the competition.Our friends at Cause + Christi XR worked with six-time Emmy Award winner, Baobab Studios, to build a custom social VR world for the red carpet premiere of Baba Yaga. Daisy Ridley and Jennifer Hudson brought some star power to the virtual event and even took photos with fans in AltspaceVR.As Cas points out, doing premieres this way is fun and gives anyone with internet access and a headset the chance to join in. That’s our kind of guest list.BraVeR is doing something pretty spectacular. With intentionally designed VR spaces, this team is working to help people overcome their fears. All of the levels and tasks in BraVeR are tested by experts and users alike, and based on proven methods and studies to help people cope with their anxieties. Each of BraVeR’s unique spaces centers on a fear to offer a mutually challenging yet enjoyable experience.In the words of Moshe Radman, CEO of BraVeR, “I saw that there is a huge technological change coming at us and decided to use this change for good. Mental health is a great place to start. As I dug in more and more, I found out that this is an inefficient and overloaded market. But VR can radically help take the load off and make mental health-related solutions more accessible.”“VR can radically help take the load off and make mental health-related solutions more accessible.” – Moshe Radman, CEO of BraVeRWe can’t wait to see how extended reality (XR) will shape the future of product design and prototyping. One of the apps that gets us super excited about this is ShapesXR. Gabriele Romagnoli and his team created a product that’s intuitive to use, even for beginners in the XR space.Visualizing your thoughts with 3D sketching enables you to communicate in a way that isn’t really possible with traditional methods. Safe to say that Cas and Chary are thrilled with the app.“We’ve been in the XR space since 2015 and have seen that creatives still have a hard time contributing their skills and knowledge to this new world. We created ShapesXR with the mission to empower designers and any non-developers to ideate, design, and prototype immersive apps,” states Gabriele Romagnoli, Founder of ShapesXR.“Some of our users call us ‘the Figma for 3D and immersive’ and it is actually very spot on. ShapesXR is, in fact, easy to pick up, and you can mock up interactions in a way that is fully collaborative. We strongly believe that working together and being able to effectively communicate your ideas in real-time is the key to success.”For the construction folk among us, it’s impressive to see how Arkio has made it so much easier to design interiors, sketch buildings, and craft environments with our hands.As Cas says in the video, “It supports the right tools for the industry and it’s really, really powerful.” With Arkio, the only limit is your imagination.Transfr trains people for well-paying careers in high-demand fields. It enables learners to find secure jobs currently available and facilitates their upward mobility thanks to immersive, hands-on VR training.With complete VR courses, tailored to audiences at diverse educational institutions and companies, Transfr puts participants in simulations that teach real-world skills relevant to their career paths. They even include tests that are reviewed by instructors in specific fields. When Cas gave it a try, she had a blast learning about autobody tools.“There is so much undiscovered and underdeveloped talent in our world. These high-potential individuals are often passed over because they lack access to the training needed for well-paying careers at great companies,” says Bharani Rajakumar, CEO of Transfr.“VR allows us to deliver on-the-job training at a massive scale to support the economic development needs of different communities, so that employers get what they want, a highly skilled workforce – and we get what we want, a pathway to upward mobility. By working with everyone in the ecosystem, from customers to technologists, we are creating pathways, from classroom to career, that can help workers and learners access new skills and a better quality of life.”We’d like to see more XR experiences created for younger generations. After all, they hold the future of these technologies.That’s why the Kai XR platform is so exciting. Created by educators, it provides students with the ability to explore the world of immersive tech. Schools, libraries, and extracurricular programs like summer camps across the United States are using the platform to show students what’s possible with XR.According to Kai XR CEO Kai Frazier, “Kai XR works with a wide variety of students ranging from those at juvenile detention centers to charter schools. Some students are expert coders while others don’t know what coding is. From working with a range of experiences, I wanted to create a makerspace that lets all students dive into their imaginations, and doesn’t limit them due to schools lacking the tools or experience to create. All of their ideas are valuable and it’s great to see what they create in our drag-and-drop Metaverse Makerspace, Kai XR Create.”“I wanted to create a makerspace that lets all students dive into their imaginations, and doesn’t limit them due to schools lacking the tools or experience to create.” – Kai Frazier, CEO of Kai XRThe combined forces of Varjo Technologies and Volvo have done some stellar work with Unity. The two companies first came together to create a digital twin of the entire car factory – Volvo’s own metaverse. Engineers and designers can now show each other exactly what they envision in VR with an interactive 3D model.As Cas states in the video, this has resulted in improved collaboration, faster design iteration, and accelerated development. Working together in the metaverse, from start to finish, has been beneficial for Volvo, and it could not have happened without the incredible people at Varjo.And now, it’s time to enjoy more awesome things you can do in VR outside of gaming. Let Cas and Chary take it away.Are you using Unity for something other than games?If you’re using Unity for a unique project, give us a shout on social media.Follow Unity for Digital Twins on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. For more on Unity for Digital Twins, check out our recent demo or our new kickstarter package.

The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America’s international standing, as anxious students and parents overseas fretted over what would come next.Among the two largest parts of the international student community in Harvard are Chinese and Indian students. The university enrolled 6,703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school’s data, with 1,203 of those from China and 788 from India.The Trump administration’s move, announced Thursday, was a hot topic on Chinese social media. State broadcaster CCTV questioned whether the U.S. would remain a top destination for foreign students, noting Harvard was already suing the U.S. government in court.“But with the long litigation period, thousands of international students may have trouble waiting,” the CCTV commentary said.It went on to say that it becomes necessary for international students to consider other options “when policy uncertainty becomes the norm.”Educational cooperation with the U.S. is mutually beneficial and China opposes its politicization, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing in Beijing.“The relevant actions by the U.S. side will only damage its own image and international credibility,” she said.She added that China would firmly protect the rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars abroad but she didn’t offer any details on how it would do so in this situation.Indian authorities say they currently assessing the impact of the U.S. order on Indian students who are already enrolled with Harvard, as well as those aspiring to study there in future, but have not issued any statements of criticism. Chinese students in U.S. previous point of tension The issue of Chinese students studying overseas has long been a point of tension in the relationship with the United States. During Trump’s first term, China’s Ministry of Education warned students about rising rejections rates and shorter terms for visas in the U.S.Last year, the Chinese foreign ministry protested that a number of Chinese students had been interrogated and sent home upon arrival at U.S. airports.Chinese state media has long played up gun violence in the U.S. and portrayed America as a dangerous place. Some Chinese students are opting to study in the U.K. or other countries rather than the U.S.Meanwhile, two universities in Hong Kong extended invites to affected students. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said it would welcome international students already at Harvard and those who have been admitted in a statement Friday. City University in Hong Kong did as well without mentioning Harvard by name.Some people in China joked online about having the university open a branch in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin, whose name shares the same character as Harvard’s name in Chinese. Wait and see Mumbai-based higher education and career advisory firm, ReachIvy, is receiving anxious queries from aspirants and their parents about the impact of Trump administration’s latest move.The company’s founder, Vibha Kagzi, herself an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, said they were advising students to keep calm, and wait to see how the situation unfolds as legal challenges were underway.“Harvard will surely fight back,” she said, adding that the situation remains fluid.Kagzi, while recalling her days from 2010 at Harvard, said the U.S. was then welcoming international students and its immigration policies supported educational aspirants.“Indian students should stay hopeful. Universities value global talent and are exploring all options to ensure continuity in admission and learning,” she said. Associated Press writer Kanis Leung in Hong Kong and AP researcher Shihuan Chen contributed. Roy reported from New Delhi. —Huizhong Wu and Rajesh Roy, Associated Press

These annual rankings were last updated on May 23, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Split by the North China Sea into Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo’s East Malaysia, the country has a particular geographical location that has contributed to a diverse and forward-thinking architectural landscape. Its history originates from the Malay kingdoms, which were colonized by the British Empire in the 18th century. Ornate mosques adorned with intricate carvings to elegant colonial buildings lining the streets of George Town are testaments to the country’s architectural heritage. Malaysia’s modern architecture such as the Petronas Twin Towers, designed by César Pelli and the visionary works of Hijjas Kasturi that have reshaped the urban landscape of Kuala Lumpur exhibit technological prowess and sustainable designs. Malaysian architects today draw equal inspiration from traditional Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous motifs, infusing contemporary designs with elements that resonate with Malaysia’s diverse cultural fabric. The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia for example is where traditional Islamic architecture harmonizes with modern museum design principles. Projects such as the Forest City development in Johor demonstrate the country’s commitment to integrating green spaces and innovative technologies to create eco-friendly communities of the future. With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Malaysia based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge. How are these architecture firms ranked? The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority: The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2025) The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2025) Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Malaysia architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 20 best architecture firms in Malaysia: 20. Design Unit © Design Unit Sdn Bhd John Bulcock has 35 years experience working as an architect, planner, interior designer and landscape designer on a wide variety of projects in Europe, Turkey, India and Southeast Asia. His experience encompasses Architecture as well as Architectural, Master, Urban and Sustainable Planning. Since 1994 he has been commissioned to carry out a variety of projects in Malaysia, India and Southeast Asia including residential, commercial and institutional buildings and sustainable master planning of resorts and townships. Low energy and sustainable design is central to his philosophy and approach to architecture and he has received a number of awards for his work. Some of Design Unit’s most prominent projects include: Cantilever House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The following statistics helped Design Unit Sdn Bhd achieve 20th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 19. Eowon Designs © Eowon Designs An integrated team of design professionals incorporating architects and interior designers. We believe exquisite designs are produced as a result of artistic judgement coupling with visional innovation. Dedicated to pursue perfection in every project through expressive creativity and committed professionalism. We design to impress! Some of Eowon Designs’ most prominent projects include: BSG Sales Gallery , Penang, Malaysia The following statistics helped Eowon Designs achieve 19th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 18. Hijjas Architects & Planners © H Lin Ho Formerly known as Hijjas Kasturi Associates; Hijjas Architect & Planners is the evolution of a long standing professional practice that values a holistic approach to design and building; combining multi-disiplinary approach with strong concept and contextual driven solutions. Some of Hijjas Architects & Planners’ most prominent projects include: Heriot Watt University, Putrajaya, Malaysia Heriot Watt University Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia The following statistics helped Hijjas Architects & Planners achieve 18th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 2 17. Anuar Aziz Architect (a member of Arte Axis Design Group) © Anuar Aziz Architect (a member of Arte Axis Design Group) Arte Axis Design Group is a boutique multi-disciplinary design group specializing in green build environment. Central to the company philosophy is design excellence, achieved through extensive and active collaboration with our clients, consultants and specialists. The work emerges from an evolutionary design process, exploring and testing ideas, while focusing on the clients’ objectives, functional discipline and value based design. Some of Anuar Aziz Architect (a member of Arte Axis Design Group)’s most prominent projects include: SOCSO Rehabilitation Centre, Malacca, Malaysia PPR (People Housing Program) Gua Musang , Gua Musang, Malaysia UPSI Student Village, Tanjung Malim, Malaysia The following statistics helped Anuar Aziz Architect (a member of Arte Axis Design Group) achieve 17th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 3 16. Seshan Design © Rupajiwa Studio We are a boutique, design driven practice based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, where we offer customized design solutions, tailor-made to suit our clients’ needs and exceed their expectations! We believe every project is unique and the best results are obtained from intimate discourse and development with our clients. We are passionate about our work and we seek equally passionate clients who will willingly work closely with us to push the limits of what is possible. We are a very versatility office- our projects range from masterplanning, architecture to interiors and in various categories: residential, commercial, food and beverage and hospitality. Some of Seshan Design’s most prominent projects include: “Chahna” – Glenhill, Shah Alam, Malaysia Menerung House, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia SS3 House, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia The following statistics helped Seshan Design Sdn Bhd achieve 16th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 3 15. Kee Yen Architect © Pixelaw Photography We respond to the sensitivity and random at its artfulness for all reveries. – Ar. Lim Kee Yen “We are dedicated in using multi-perspective and rational means to intervene the development of contemporary living environment, committed to creative-thinking and thorough design solutions. In this complex era, the new ideas and inspirations are always come from the responsiveness and sensitiveness of the contextual study – a careful study of the unique needs, the constraints of each project as well as from continuous improvements in the process from conceptual to construction details. Some of Kee Yen Architect’s most prominent projects include: Project Conservatory, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia KYA Studio, Shah Alam, Malaysia Fillet House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kemaris House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 3-Juxta House, Malaysia The following statistics helped Kee Yen Architect achieve 15th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 5 14. D&P Associates © D&P Associates Founded by Romain Duval in 2004 after a successful career with top practices in Paris. We are band of makers — curious, industrious and experimental. We are architects, designers, creators and entrepreneurs working together across a wide range of landscapes and locations. We are futurists, making today what we believe will inspire and connect people tomorrow. Our philosophy is to work closely with client to refine designs and produce cost effective and elegant solutions. People entrust us with realizing the expression of themselves and to translate that into built form. Ours is an architecture of listening & understanding. This is what we know to do. Some of D&P Associates’ most prominent projects include: Spaces Rialto , Melbourne, Australia Regus HP Tower , Wellington, New Zealand Regus Center One, Seoul, South Korea Regus Center One, Seoul, South Korea La Table du Chef, Hanoi, Vietnam The following statistics helped D&P Associates achieve 14th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 36 13. TKCA Architect © TKCA Architect TKCA Architect is an award-winning architectural firm located in Kota Damansara, Selangor, Malaysia which provides complete architectural, planning and interior design services. Founded by Ar. Ts. IDr Rien Tan in year 2020, TKCA Architect has a diverse portfolio of outstanding community, adaptive reuse, industrial, commercial and residential projects. TKCA Architect fully embraces the Integrative Design Team and Integrative Design Process method of design and building which assures the most responsive, accurate and cost effective process for each client. Notably, TKCA Architect has recently earned recognition as one of the emerging architects in Malaysia under KLAF 2023. Some of TKCA Architect’s most prominent projects include: Skyblox Co-living, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Spectrum House, Subang Jaya, Malaysia SAMA Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ERASCAPE PAVILION, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The following statistics helped TKCA Architect achieve 13th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 12. zlgdesign © zlgdesign zlgdesign was set up some 20 years ago by two architect both trained in London under the banner of zeidlerlim design. Susanne Zeidler had worked and studied under sir Peter Cook in London and Frankfurt, and later at the Bartlett, London, whereas Huat Lim trained at the Architectural Association London, and then went on to work at foster and partners in the UK (at the time the chelsea reach offices had not yet been built) in 1984 and for foster france at the time, in Nimes, south of France. Some of zlgdesign’s most prominent projects include: Point 92, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Lantern Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia BOH Tea Visitor’s Centre, Pahang, Malaysia The following statistics helped zlgdesign achieve 12th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 3 11. Fabian Tan Architect © Fabian Tan Architect Fabian Tan Architect is an architectural studio based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The firm has completed several notable houses which have garnered awards and favourable publication throughout Asia & Europe. Its approach to architecture has been one that involves evolution and flexibility. Ideas that are formed in the conception of a project never imposes anything on the site. Throughout, conventions are constantly reassessed, resulting in individual variations of concepts meant for a specific context. He believes that the essence and consistency of a space is a whole that reflects its constituent parts such as light, material, volume, and relationships. In this hectic and overly complicated times we exist in, restraint and refinement serve as his guiding philosophy to create buildings of subtle beauty. Some of Fabian Tan Architect’s most prominent projects include: Voila House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Eigent House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Ittka House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Ottiqa House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tessera House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The following statistics helped Fabian Tan Architect achieve 11th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 6 10. Eleena Jamil Architect © Marc Tey Ge Wai EJA was formed in 2005 by Eleena Jamil and is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It has a breadth of experience in delivering successful and imaginative projects. With a dynamic and committed team of architects and assistants, it focusses on creating enduring architecture by seeking tactile spatial solutions with strong references to context and culture. Some of Eleena Jamil Architect’s most prominent projects include: Sepang House, Selangor, Malaysia The Buzz.ar, Malaysia Bamboo Playhouse, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sri Rampai Pedestrian Bridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Shadow Garden Pavilion, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia The following statistics helped Eleena Jamil Architect achieve 10th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 8 9. S.PIN ARCHITECT © S.PIN ARCHITECT S. Pin Architect is an award-winning firm based in Kuala Lumpur. Founded by Ar. Tan Sih Pin, one of the alumni of ’30 Under 40 Emerging Malaysian Architects 2011′, the firm strives for holistic approach in architecture which includes urbanism, interior design & landscape design. It has vast experience in wide range of projects which include residential, commercial, hospitality, recreational, industrial and mixed development. Inspired by Malaysia’s rich nature & diverse culture, S.Pin’s architecture has been persistently spinning out from the following core visions: NATURE When architecture embraces & responses to the surrounding nature, magic happens, innovative solutions will emerge. We believe architecture & nature can symbiotically co-exist and mutually calibrate to reach a new sustainable balance for our challenged environment. CULTURE Architecture functions at its best when it works seamlessly with its surrounding socio-cultural and historical fabric. Some of S.PIN ARCHITECT’s most prominent projects include: The Skywalker House, Jalan Medang Tanduk, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The Concrete Cloud, Bayan Club, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia MINANGKABAU-LONIAL House at Subang Heights, Subang Jaya, Malaysia Pantech Corporation, Pasir Gudang, Malaysia The following statistics helped S.PIN ARCHITECT achieve 9th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 11 8. architects 61 © architects 61 sdn bhd Architects 61 was established in 1995 by Jeffrey Ling. The firm with 50 strong workforces has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and is associated to the regional architectural practice of Architects 61 which is one of the largest practice in Singapore that was founded in 1974. With a proven track record spanning over 25 years, our portfolio includes master planning, mixed use developments, hotels, residences, offices, civic buildings and urban heritage conversion. The Firm is registered with US Green Building Council (USBGC) and also member with GBI as we strongly believe GREEN would be direction to pursue in order that developments become sustainable. Some of architects 61’s most prominent projects include: Kia Peng Suites, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Troika Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia Continew, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Lakeville, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia D’Sara Sentral, Sungai Buloh, Malaysia The following statistics helped architects 61 sdn bhd achieve 8th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 6 7. Core Design Workshop © Core Design Workshop With experiences in new builds, remodeling design and adaptive reuse architecture, Core Design Workshop has been emphasizing on looking deep into the iNSIDE of Architecture, not in the context of interior design but simply representing architecture from the iNSIDE out. Putting Form and Function as the old norm, prioritising on defining the spatial quality within the context of architecture, with creating NEW spatial experiences as the top agenda of all the design programs, re-discovering the inner essence of what truly matters to the building users. Some of Core Design Workshop’s most prominent projects include: inTroVerse House, Subang Jaya, Malaysia inSight House, Malaysia inTerlace House, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia The following statistics helped Core Design Workshop achieve 7th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 3 6. Kuee Architecture © Kuee Architecture Kuee Architect(s) is a multiple PAM Award-winning ISO 9001 Architecture practice in Malaysia. With our design works spread across various countries, our focus is on delivering green, sustainable buildings with exquisite quality and functionality. Some of Kuee Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Rebranding of Pantai Hospital Ipoh, Ipoh, Malaysia 1 Lasam, Ipoh, Malaysia Galasa Event Place, Ipoh, Malaysia Kuee Architect’s Residence, Ipoh, Malaysia The following statistics helped Kuee Architecture achieve 6th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 4 5. SAVA Architects © SAVA Architects SAVA is a design consultancy firm based in Borneo, Malaysia and Danang, Vietnam. We are inspired by the mountains in Northern Borneo and coastlines in Central Vietnam. SAVA is formed with a commitment to designing spaces for people from every walk of life – by utilising locally-sourced materials and local building techniques. Our design intends to bring people closer to nature, especially in an urban environment. Our portfolio ranges from residential, hospitality, commercial to interior design, with past experience in masterplanning, housing and bamboo architecture in Asia and Europe. SAVA’s architecture is beyond aesthetics. Our aim is to raise awareness and appreciation for our surroundings through our thoughtful design process. Some of SAVA Architects’ most prominent projects include: Thavi Cosmetic Showroom, Vinh, Vietnam Red House, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia The following statistics helped SAVA Architects achieve 5th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 4. Gibert&Tan © Gibert&Tan GIBERT&TAN is a design studio directed by Michael Gibert & Tan Seok Foong. The studio was founded on the premise that a small but expert group of individuals can deliver outstanding works. Our prism is in a permanent search for an accurate interaction with the present, attentive and non-arrogant, with collaboration standing at the core of our methodology. Our interest does range from the mundane to the spiritual and we endeavor to bring these two conditions together to truly impact those who experience our works in real time. Some of Gibert&Tan’s most prominent projects include: 181Chambers@Semantan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia BBR Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Gale’s Residence, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Lotus KL Store, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The following statistics helped Gibert&Tan achieve 4th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 4 3. ArchiCentre © Archicentre Sdn. Bhd. Founded in 1994, ArchiCentre is a multidisciplinary architecture design practice based in Malaysia. Archicentre’s work is driven by sustainable regionalism to create socially responsive built environments. Their portfolio of works range from large scale city and town planning through to commercial, hospitality, residential, and adaptive re-use projects. Archicentre’s multi award-winning designs are widely published in the region. Some of ArchiCentre’s most prominent projects include: Estuari Sport Complex, Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia Setia Corporate Headquarters, Shah Alam, Malaysia Glad Tidings Vision Centre, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia S14 House, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Setia Eco Tower, Setia Alam, Shah Alam, Malaysia The following statistics helped Archicentre Sdn. Bhd. achieve 3rd place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 10 2. Code Red Studio © Utile, Inc. CRS also known as Code Red Studio, aim to be the key player of architecture, interior and illustration industry in Johor Bahru. Some of Code Red Studio’s most prominent projects include: Autodesk Boston Workspace Expansion , Boston, Massachusetts The Bunker House, Kulai, Malaysia 30° tilted terrace REJUVENATION, Taman Tasek, Johor Bahru, Malaysia POOL HOUSE @ Leisure Farm., Malaysia The following statistics helped Code Red Studio achieve 2nd place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: A+Awards Finalist 3 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 1. DRTAN LM Architect © H Lin Ho DRTAN LM Architect (DTLM) is an architectural design studio that operates out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where they are involved in a large variety of high profile work. Ar. Dr. Tan Loke Mun is the principal of DrTan LM Architect (DTLM). DTLM’s works embrace and interpret regionalism in a modern social context. In a rapidly changing world landscape, they believe that well designed buildings and spaces create added value for all its users. Often working from the basis of typologies, they have managed to interpret and translate simple regional metaphors into their increasingly green architecture. DTLM’s notable projects include GTVC Centre, M Marini, No.19 Subang Jaya, Puchong Festival City, Nagaworld Phnom Penh Cambodia, Suen Galleries Bangsar, No.18 House, 23 Terrace and House 12H. Some of DRTAN LM Architect’s most prominent projects include: PJKita Community Centre, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 23 Terrace, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia House No.18, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Clay Roof House, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 8D House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The following statistics helped DRTAN LM Architect achieve 1st place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Malaysia: Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 16 Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking? With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year. Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York. An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted A Guide to Project Awards The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award. The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status: Project completed within the last 3 years A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value High quality, in focus photographs At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings Inclusion of construction photographs There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.     We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com. The post 20 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Malaysia appeared first on Journal.

Growing up, dinner table conversations at our house weren’t just about what we learned at school that day. My mom, Jill, was a CEO for my entire life, leading a nonprofit that made meaningful community impact while she simultaneously raised a family. Our dinner conversations included recaps of board meetings, talk of juggling multiple personal and professional roles, and advice for her kid (me!) on how to do right by others.   My mother’s daily examples of leadership showed me that career success and personal fulfillment don’t compete with each other—they’re complementary. Now, as I help lead Guild’s efforts, partnering with companies to invest in employee career development and talent pipelines, those early lessons continue to guide me.  It is possible to find balance  My mom taught me important lessons about balance that I use today. First, she taught me that having a meaningful career and making a positive impact aren’t mutually exclusive. People talk about “doing well by doing good” as an abstract concept, but I saw it firsthand every day. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would pursue the same.  I was also lucky enough to have a role model who showed it was possible to have both a thriving professional and personal life. Being a wife, mother, a (literal) boss, and an engaged community member were identities she wove together. It wasn’t always easy, but watching her showed me that these identities were equally important for fulfillment.  Often people—especially women—are presented with binary choices: Career or children? Devoted partner or independent social life? Many grapple with these decisions, but we don’t have to. There isn’t any shame in prioritizing one thing over another one day, and changing the next. My mom taught me not to feel guilty about this balancing act.   This ripple effect of positive modeling extends beyond the family. I’ve seen it through stories of Guild learners, like Sherry from Oklahoma, who works at Tyson Foods. Sherry finished high school, got promoted to plant manager, and became an advocate for our program among her colleagues. She’s an example of how leaders can effectively balance everything important to them: career, family, community outreach, and learning.   It’s never too late (or early!) to start a second act  My mom grew up in the 1950s and 60s with three brothers and limited resources. She was a natural athlete, but didn’t have the privilege of formal training in her earlier years.   Decades into adulthood, as her career entered its final chapters and she had more free time, she embraced the transition to her next chapter in life. At 50, she started playing senior women’s basketball. Fast forward 25 years, and she’s now a multi-titled senior Olympian at 75. Some of her best friends came through basketball, and she serves as a board member and advocate for senior women’s sports.  My mom taught me that building skills later in life is more than fulfilling—it keeps you young! It increases cognitive function, improves memory, and enhances emotional well-being. There’s urgency here on a global scale, as the half-life of professional skills is less than 5 years (less than 2.5 years in technology fields). The workforce needs people willing to be nimble and adapt to the skills their field requires, just as our personal lives benefit from constant learning. We can take lessons from people who grew to be the best in their field, too. Vera Wang designed her first dress at 40, and Toni Morrison wrote her first novel after a long career in publishing.  I’ve been inspired by people who pivot, learn, and succeed, and my admiration for people with this skill absolutely bleeds into the workplace. I like to bet on potential and give people opportunities beyond what their experience suggests, with faith that lifelong learners can figure things out with the right mindset and support. I believe that most career paths aren’t linear, and I have benefited from this myself, like in a previous role. A cofounder was the first person to really take a chance on me. He truly let me run by giving me a role that, on paper, wasn’t congruent with my experience but leveraged my skills in a meaningful way.   You’re a role model—whether you know it or not  Another lesson I learned from my mom is something I observed from her actions, not something she intended to share. She was, and is, a role model to me and many others without asking for the title. She modeled behavior, like taking initiative on difficult problems, championing innovation, or methodically pursuing ambitious goals, that those around her naturally emulated.  I’m again reminded of Sherry from Tyson, who not only completed her own education and rose through the ranks, but then supported her husband as he continued his education. Her son now works at Tyson too, and is pursuing his degree simultaneously. Her drive to better herself was contagious and positively impacted her family’s trajectory.   Other high-achievers come to mind as natural role models, too. Take four-time Paralympian Matt Stutzman, who competed in the recent Paralympics for archery. He’s using the same drive that took him to Paris to pursue a career transition that will support him and his family post-games. The examples are endless.   It takes courage to take on new challenges or champion change, especially when countering established norms. Whether pitching a fresh approach to customer research or volunteering to test a new platform, lifelong learners blaze trails for others to follow, and we have the power to be those leaders for others.   Your continuous growth will have a ripple effect on others  The most powerful lesson from my mother’s journey—from CEO to senior Olympian—is that our growth journeys create ripples far beyond our own lives. When we commit to continuous learning and development, we become living examples of what’s possible.  For business leaders, this means investing in growth while creating cultures where employee development is prioritized. For professionals at any career stage, it means embracing opportunities that stretch you beyond your comfort zone. For parents, it means focusing your energy where it’s needed most—at the boardroom or dinner table.   The result? More resilient organizations are populated by adaptable individuals who find deeper fulfillment in both personal and professional realms. More importantly, you’ll inspire others along the way—perhaps even your own children, who might someday write about the dinner table lessons that shaped their leadership journey.   Rebecca Biestman is chief marketing officer of Guild. 

Places Hand-Painted Shopfronts in Rural Uganda Olivia Krawczyk introduces the hand-painted signs for businesses large and small in Kumi, Uganda. Better Letters May 22, 2025 • 6 min read "Pure & Tasty" in Kumi, Eastern Uganda. Outside of the continent itself, the most well-known facets of signs and sign painting from Africa are perhaps the Ghana's wild film posters and the 'Danfo' vehicle lettering from Nigeria. Last year, I shared some books and articles in the bonus material that accompanied the Deadly Prey feature in BLAG 04, but these are also heavily skewed towards countries in West Africa.Books about hand-painted signs in Africa. From left: African Signs (2010) by Rob Floor and Gert van Zanten, and Chez Bonne Idée (1986) and Ici Bon Coiffeur (1992), both by Jean-Marie Leratby.I was therefore very happy to see some material from Uganda, East Africa, which graphic designer Olivia Krawczyk shares here alongside her comments on what she's learned about the signs.Hand-Painted Shopfronts in Rural UgandaWalking along the streets of rural Uganda, you can’t help but notice the almost random ‘pop’ of colour on buildings. Their striking exteriors are, more often than not, part of the hand-painted advertisements that cover them.Nile is one of the most popular Ugandan beer brands and their signs are frequently painted on bars where you can quench your thirst for one.During my working visits to Uganda, I'm based in Kumi town, which is about a five-hour drive from the capital, Kampala. I spend a lot of time in the surrounding rural areas of the Kumi District, where the painted buildings have always caught my eye. This was nothing more than a passing interest until my last trip in 2023 when curiosity took over and I set out to learn a little bit more about the signs.The Art of Making DoIn Uganda's Kumi District, money is short, but competition is high, with whole rows of shops frequently selling exactly the same products and services. The most common are hairdressers, tailors, DIY stores, and, in the central market, food and drink stalls.So how do you stand out in this environment where the buildings all look similar, the streets are packed with people, and you have limited funds? Armed with paint and a whole lot of determination, shopkeepers turn their spaces into vibrant reflections of their trades. These amateur creations convey the impression of a competition to see who can fit the most writing onto their shop or sign, often including multiple phone numbers. The results might not be polished, but they sure are authentic.A classic DIY sign cramming five phone numbers into the pricing of meats sold by this butchers on the side of the road just outside of Kumi.Y.Y. Coaches, Kumi's public transport booking office, gives you no less than six numbers to try, and if any of those phones need repairing, there's always the Agg & Sons Phone Clinic, which is advertised by this more professionally finished shopfront.With tight budgets, the upkeep of these signs isn’t always a priority and this, paired with the constant exposure to the sun, means that they start looking rundown pretty quickly.This abandoned shopping plaza has old remnants of hand-painted, including one for the New York City Salon. Even the barbeque in front has a 'sausages' ghost sign on it.In the process of looking more closely at these faded walls, I started to notice some that are quite distinct from these DIY creations. They frequently advertise things unrelated to the shop inside — a launderette painted with advertising for a SIM card, for example — and the designs are often repeated on multiple buildings.White Star Magic laundry bars being advertised on a farmers' wholesale and retail shop, and spaghetti promoted via the medium of a hairdressing salon frontage.Corporate MuralsI soon realised that not everyone has the time, skill, or resources to paint their shop, This, coupled with bigger companies looking to advertise their products, has lead to a mutually beneficial arrangement: the companies paint the shop with their advertising, while the small business owner gets some extra income from renting the space. As a bonus, their shop looks smarter than the one next door, helping to attract more customers.The Renedol painkiller brand have painted this entire building, in stark contrast to the bare concrete on the one next door.Before the addition of these painted billboards, the buildings all look very much alike, and are often in a poor state of repair. So its a no-brainer to say 'yes' when a company offers to paint your whole shop for free in exchange for their logo being front and centre.It's unlikely you can actually buy milk here, but the shop owner is happy to host the hand-painted sign and save money on decorating.Condom signs are quite common, and this one does have a connection with its host building via the Medi-Care Clinic below.These corporate messages are eye-catching bursts of colour as you walk along the streets of Kumi, and almost all of them are hand-painted — it took me a while to realise this, as the pictorial elements are so often convincing.Freshly painted signs covering the entrance to Kumi's central market. They are advertising the Fortune Gold vegetable oil brand, the self-proclaimed 'Taste of Uganda'.The DownsideNothing lasts forever, though. Walking around Kumi and other rural areas of Uganda, you will see many buildings that were once brightly coloured but are now left in a state of disrepair. The advertisers that commissioned the signs rarely maintain them, leaving business owners with crumbling paint and no funds to fix it.Business continues below while the paint comes loose on the Gentex advertising above.However, these aren't just buildings; they're storytellers. They tell tales of resilience, resourcefulness, and the bridge between small local businesses and large corporations.Photography and text by Olivia Krawczyk.More brand advertising for Fortune sunflower oil and Star laundry bars.In Kumi, Uganda, hand-painted messages like this — "Pray for my enemies alwa[y]s, Kumi Boys" — are a common sight on trucks, mixing faith, local pride, and personal expression to create a form of moving street poetry.The Ugandan take on 'commit no nuisance' signs with the fine being about £20 ($25), and advertising for Sadolin paints providing the back drop for street vendor displays in Kumi, Uganda.

Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images 2025-05-15T16:11:15Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet recently made their red carpet debut as a couple. They have reportedly been dating for about two years, but some fans still think it's an odd pairing. PR experts told BI that creating an air of mystery or even confusion works to the couple's advantage. Despite nearly two years of sightings, smooches, and soft launches, Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet's relationship still feels like a glitch in the Hollywood matrix.Even when the couple made their long-awaited red carpet debut last week after several PDA-filled public outings, some still struggled to accept the news."i still can't believe kylie & timothee is a real thing," one user wrote on X. Jenner and Chalamet's relationship has been defined by skepticism since rumors of their pairing first surfaced in 2023. Social media users wondered what these two stars — one who rose to fame on a gaudy reality show, the other in the world of Oscar-worthy cinema — could possibly have in common."I firmly believe they sit together in complete silence," one person wrote on X. Such reactions to Jenner and Chalamet are not confined to social media's most hyperactive posters; I've heard them firsthand. A friend of mine recently said she couldn't shake the feeling that Jenner and Chalamet "don't exist in the same celebrity timeline."Conventional wisdom suggests a relationship this puzzling could be bad business for both parties. But it turns out that confusing the pop culture-following public can actually be a smart strategy.Two public relations experts who spoke to Business Insider said that the ongoing stream of confused responses to this celebrity coupling actually represents a job well done by Jenner and Chalamet's respective PR teams.It's a sign that both of their carefully cultivated individual brands are strong. So if you feel the friction from those brands clashing, you're not alone — that's precisely what makes the couple so fun to doubt.A tale of two very different celebrities Evan Nierman, the CEO of the crisis PR firm Red Banyan, described Jenner's brand as ultra-visible, social media-heavy, and incessantly self-promotional. Meanwhile, Chalamet has made a point of pitching himself as an artist with discernment and taste."The problem that people are having is those two different personas seem at odds with one another," Nierman explained. "The kind of brooding, super-serious, super-authentic actor clashes with the Kardashian model, and I think that's probably why people are having such a hard time understanding the pairing of the two of them."In reality, the public's reaction to Jenner and Chalamet as a couple has nothing to do with their personalities or compatibility behind closed doors. It has everything to do with brand positioning and integration strategies, likely orchestrated — or, at the very least, closely monitored — by large teams of publicists, image consultants, and managers (in Jenner's case, a "momager")."PR can play a much bigger role in the things that you see coming out of Hollywood than most people at home would guess," Mike Fahey, the founder and CEO of the PR agency Fahey Communications, told Business Insider. "A lot of those things that seem like happy accidents are actually by design." Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the 2025 Oscars. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP However, there's an important distinction between our traditional understanding of a "PR relationship," one that's been orchestrated by celebrities' respective teams to generate mutually beneficial publicity, and a real relationship that has been carefully managed by PR to maximize its impact. Yes, celebrities have a lot to gain by cross-pollinating their fan bases. But the "Kymothée" curiosity feels different from, say, Tom Hiddleston getting papped wearing a T-shirt declaring his love for Taylor Swift.Jenner and Chalamet are simply too odd a match for people to believe they have a calculated arrangement, or that they're being prodded to perform affection for the cameras. To what end? To cross-promote "Dune" on "The Kardashians"? To sell a Bob Dylan-inspired makeup line by Kylie Cosmetics?So something must be keeping them together. Could it be… love? Well, yes, maybe. Why not?The slow rollout of Kymothée was PR perfection Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet pose on the red carpet at an awards ceremony in Rome. IPA/ABACA via Reuters Connect The initial media rollout of Jenner and Chalamet's relationship was drawn out over several months, nudged along by blurry photos of Jenner's car in Chalamet's driveway and anonymous tips sent to gossip aggregator Deuxmoi before the two were eventually spotted kissing at a Beyoncé concert in September 2023. Even when Jenner and Chalamet attended several awards shows together, including two consecutive Golden Globes, they avoided the spectacle of a red carpet appearance as a couple until just last week.A power couple's red carpet debut is a big deal in Hollywood — for comparison, Swift has never walked one with any boyfriend — but Jenner and Chalamet still kept it relatively low-key. Instead of posing for photos together at a star-studded event like the Met Gala or the Oscars, they staged their official debut at a sparsely attended ceremony in Rome: the David di Donatello Awards, where Chalamet received an honorary award for cinematic excellence.Their relationship's incremental, tempered launch created plenty of space for suspicion and conspiracy theories to flourish. But counterintuitively, both Nierman and Fahey said that isn't necessarily a bad thing."It's leading to more confusion, but it's also doing exactly what it's intended to do, which is sparking ever-more interest," Nierman said. "A series of slow strategic leaks that are then followed by a red carpet debut is a PR move that's designed to generate buzz and to get people talking."If Jenner and Chalamet had opted for a hard launch — a formal announcement, perhaps, or a sit-down interview for a magazine cover — it could have encouraged fans to come to grips with their romance more quickly, or to understand their connection more deeply. That would take away the mystique, which is the very thing that's keeping us interested."If I were a Kardashian and I was sitting on this relationship, I would do the exact same thing. I would be like, 'I want to get as much mileage out of this as possible. It means that I don't have to do other things. Let's milk this for all it's worth,'" Fahey said. "They've created this media firestorm while doing very little."More than two years after Jenner and Chalamet were linked, they still have valuable cards to play — their first selfie shared on Instagram, for example, or Chalamet's debut appearance on "The Kardashians.""When that happens, it's going to be a big cash cow payday for them, and that's why they're so deliberate in what they do," Fahey said of the Oscar nominee's seemingly inevitable appearance on Jenner's Hulu reality show. "There are no accidents in the Kardashian family."Each new milestone will likely spawn a new round of headlines, TikToks, and heated debates in my group chats. I anticipate receiving many more texts like, "I can't believe they're still together," and "I still don't get it."Here, "still" is the operative word. The ongoing disbelief that Jenner and Chalamet are a match is not a symptom of a PR rollout gone wrong. In fact, it's probably the opposite."It's been played to perfection," Nierman said. "It keeps us guessing, it keeps us talking, and that's entirely the point." Recommended video

This week, President Trump traveled to the Middle East on a business and diplomacy mission, during which he greenlit the sale of hundreds of thousands of American-made AI chips to firms in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. These deals signal a major shift in the U.S.’s approach to cutting-edge AI technology. Previously, U.S. leaders had focused on limiting access to ultra-powerful chips, especially to countries that might pose national security threats. Now, Trump is using them as leverage for his larger trade ambitions. While Trump was at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh—held in parallel with his visit—the White House announced that Saudi Arabia was committing $600 billion in investments in the United States, “building economic ties that will endure for generations to come,” Onstage at the conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced his company was entering a massive partnership with Humain, a new company owned by the Saudi kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, and sending them hundreds of thousands of chips. Rival chipmaker AMD announced its own $10 billion Saudi Arabian project. Another deal in the works could send hundreds of thousands of chips to the Emirati firm G42. While Trump allies heralded the deal as mutually beneficial to all parties, some national security experts have concerns about the longterm impacts of spreading these chips around the world. “AI chips should not be bargaining chips for broader trade deals,” says Janet Egan, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). “They underpin US AI dominance, and we have to be really careful to not make short term decisions that might be beneficial for trade in the near term, but cede AI leadership in the longer term.”Early this year the Chinese company Deepseek revealed that it had developed a very powerful model mostly using Nvidia chips obtained before the Biden administration closed an export loophole in 2023, heightening the intensity of the race. President Biden, in his final weeks, ratcheted up export controls, including limits on countries in the Gulf. Last week, the Trump administration ripped up those rules, with a spokesperson calling them “overly complex, bureaucratic” and saying they “would stymie American innovation.” They then switched to a new tack: linking countries’ access to AI chips with larger trade negotiations. Transitioning to a negotiation-based approach, the administration argued, could allow for more flexibility from country-to-country and allow Trump to secure key business concessions from Middle Eastern partners. Business and governments in the Middle East have massive ambitions for AI, aiming to position themselves at the forefront of this emerging technology. They benefit from several strategic advantages to do so, including access to boundless energy, free-flowing capital thanks to oil and sovereign wealth funds, and a lack of government restrictions—allowing them to rapidly push through massive infrastructure projects. But until now, the Middle East had lacked one crucial puzzle piece: Access to cutting-edge American chips from companies like Nvidia.Now, the amount of chips that U.S. companies will reportedly send to the UAE and Saudi Arabia is massive: “We're talking about something larger than any AI training system that exists in the world today," says Alasdair Phillips-Robins, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Conceivably, the ultra-powerful models built with this training system could synthesize automated cyber-attacks, intelligence collection, and weapons development. This is potentially problematic to some U.S. analysts, given Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s close ties with China. In previous years, American spy agencies issued warnings that G42 could be a conduit for siphoning advanced American technology to China. G42 denied any connections to the Chinese government or military.“If you think about which country should be leading the future of potentially the most critical and transformative technology we've ever had, I would not want that to be a non-democratic authoritarian regime,” Egan says. On Tuesday, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, led by Michigan Republican John Moolenaar, wrote on Twitter that the new chip deals “present a vulnerability for the CCP to exploit.” Sam Winter-Levy, another Carnegie Endowment fellow, worries that the deal will encourage U.S. AI companies to move to the Gulf, where they might get better deals on energy and avoid U.S. regulations and community pushback. Prominent U.S. companies have wasted no time in seizing the new opportunity presented by the Trump administration. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and AMD’s Lisa Su all attended the Saudi-U.S.Investment Forum. The AI startup Scale AI—which has a partnership with the U.S. government to develop AI safety standards—announced its intentions to open an office in Saudi Arabia. Google, too, advanced an AI hub in the country. "You could end up in a position where some large proportion of U.S. computing power has been offshored to a bunch of states that can wield leverage over U.S. foreign policy to shape it in ways that may not align with US national interests,” says Winter-Levy,. Winter-Levy also contends that these AI chip deals go against Trump’s past emphasis on an “America first” foreign policy approach. "This is offshoring data centers that could be built in the United States. This is offshoring chips that could be going to US tech companies,” he says. “It's hard to reconcile this with an America First approach to industrial policy or economic policy in general.”

If the question, “Who is Meta’s biggest rival?” were on a Family Feud survey, TikTok would likely be the winning answer. In the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against the Facebook and Instagram owner, the government’s response probably wouldn’t even make the top 10: a small blockchain-based platform called MeWe. MeWe looks a fair amount like Facebook at first glance, except that you make an account using the Frequency blockchain — which the company explains is a decentralized protocol that lets you move your social connections to other (mostly hypothetical at this point) apps that support Frequency. The company says 20 million users have joined, but when I make a MeWe account and log in, I scroll through my autopopulated feed and think, “Who are these people?” I search for a few of my Verge colleagues, figuring if anyone has tried this obscure app, it might be one of them, but I come up short. I try some public figures: Tim Cook? Jeff Bezos? Mark Zuckerberg? There are some accounts with these names, but it seems unlikely they’re the ones I have in mind.The claim that MeWe is a closer competitor to Facebook and Instagram than TikTok might be baffling if you’re not steeped in antitrust law or the specifics of the FTC’s complaint. Meta CEO Zuckerberg testified he hadn’t even heard of the app before this case was filed. But the FTC has spent the past three weeks laying out its logic. Using Meta’s own internal discussions about how it views itself and its competition, it says that Meta has historically, and to this day, competed in a market for connecting with friends and family online — and when it saw its dominance in that space threatened by the rise of Instagram and WhatsApp, it bought them to squash the competition.Whether Judge James Boasberg buys this could determine who wins the case — if the FTC can also show that Meta acted illegally through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp to solidify its alleged monopoly power.Antitrust law is supposed to ensure fair competition, which usually means that people have options for a useful class of goods and services — what’s known as a relevant market. The FTC says that here, that market is “personal social networking services,” or PSNs: spaces where a core purpose is helping people connect with friends and family. While there are many online platforms that overlap with Meta’s services, the FTC argues that virtually none of them serve that market. If internet users want to find and hang out with people they know — as opposed to, say, watching influencers or making work connections — then it’s Mark Zuckerberg’s way or… in the government’s telling, Snapchat, BeReal, and MeWe. Beyond that core definition, PSNs have some other unique features and norms: The apps feature a social graph of users’ friends and family connections, as opposed to mapping users primarily based on their interests. Users can look up and find people they know in real life. And they come to the app to share personal updates with those people.Facebook and Instagram increasingly display videos and photos from influencers and celebrities, but the FTC argues personal social networking remains a core service. It used Instagram chief Adam Mosseri’s testimony to most clearly make this point. In that testimony as well as posts to his own Instagram account, Mosseri said that it’s still important for the app to connect users with their friends. The FTC argues that even if that use case is a smaller portion of what Meta’s apps do these days, it’s still a significant need users have that can virtually only be fulfilled by Facebook and Instagram. While someone might connect with people they know in real life on LinkedIn, they likely won’t primarily share personal updates there. And while they also could follow and interact with people they know on TikTok or YouTube, they’re more likely to passively watch videos from people they don’t.Meta says this is an entirely wrong way to think about it. Social media platforms compete for users’ time and attention, so whether a particular app is squarely aimed at so-called friends and family sharing is beside the point. Facebook and Instagram have evolved to show more content from people like influencers, shifting further from the use case the FTC says Meta has illegally dominated. The company has already landed some important points that could help its case, and it will get more time to push back on the agency’s framing when it calls its own witnesses in the coming weeks.But as the FTC’s case-in-chief continues into its fifth week, its argument for Meta’s dominance is becoming a lot clearer.Why do people use Facebook?When defining a market, each side is trying to answer a key question: why are people choosing one particular company’s product? A lot of goods and services compete with each other in some sense, but this doesn’t mean they serve the same niche. In the case of sodas, for example, “you could buy lemon-lime, but many people would never see that as a close substitute for buying Coke or Pepsi,” says George Washington Law professor and former FTC Chair Bill Kovacic. In the tech world, Netflix has claimed its biggest competitors are Fortnite and sleep — but those comparisons probably wouldn’t stand up in court.The FTC says that outside of Facebook and Instagram, only apps like Snapchat and MeWe can fulfill a users’ desire to broadcast personal updates with friends and family online. To make its case, it brought in a string of executives from other social media companies to explain why their apps can’t quite scratch the same itch for users. Strava’s former VP of connected partnerships Mateo Ortega testified that sure, users of the fitness-tracking social media app could share baby photos on the platform, but they probably wouldn’t unless it was in a running stroller. “It’s all about fitness, and while you can post other stuff, it just doesn’t seem as relevant,” he said. “You could buy lemon-lime, but many people would never see that as a close substitute for buying Coke or Pepsi”Pinterest’s former head of user growth Julia Roberts testified that users who come to Pinterest “expecting it to be like other social media apps … tend to be confused about how to use the product.” That’s because the app is so much not about connecting with other people that it works much differently from other social media platforms. Pinterest is more about finding things users are interested in, she said, so “following is not a big part of the Pinterest experience.”TikTok has a tab where users can watch videos from their friends — identified as people who mutually follow each other. But head of operations Adam Presser testified only about 1 percent of videos watched on the platform are there. The company doesn’t think of itself as competing with Meta’s apps for personal social networking, he testified. And even though side-by-side screenshots of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts look identical, Presser said, “when you click out of this view for these other platforms, you would get to essentially what I think of as their core business,” which for Instagram, includes a feed and stories that often contain at least some content from family and friends.At times, Meta’s cross-examination of rival company executives showed the limits of apps’ similarities. When questioning Apple director of product marketing Ronak Shah, Meta sought to show that group chats in Apple’s messaging feature could serve as a social media feed for friends and family sharing. But Shah testified that feed would be limited to 32 people at most, and users can’t just look up each others’ profiles like they would on social platforms. Still, Meta pointed out, Apple’s messages app is listed under social media on its own app store.However, Meta also made important arguments about why the judge should question the FTC’s framing. It pointed out that some documents from TikTok and YouTube owner Google claiming their products are very different from Meta’s were submitted to foreign officials to try to avoid getting drafted into potentially frustrating regulations. It also pointed out when TikTok briefly went dark in the US ahead of a (now-aborted) ban, users flocked to Meta apps, showing consumers see it as a substitute on at least some level. That’s because, Meta argued, competition for users is really about winning their time and attention.Companies can “sometimes make mistakes. They misjudge who their users are”But X VP of product Keith Coleman testified it’s not that useful to think about competition this way. Instead, “it’s much more helpful to understand what people are trying to accomplish in their lives and to try to help them accomplish that.” Under former CEO Jack Dorsey, then-Twitter leaned into focusing on news and users’ interests, Coleman testified, because that’s why people were coming to the platform. Coleman was later surprised at how his own website characterized the product in its help center as a “service for friends, family, and coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.” “I can’t believe that’s on the website,” he said. “That’s pretty wacky.”This point was “a caution that not everything a company writes down or says is necessarily decisive in establishing what the boundary of a market is,” Kovacic said. Companies can “sometimes make mistakes. They misjudge who their users are.”There are real ramifications for internet users here. Going back to Netflix’s comparisons, if the streaming video service went down, some people would probably be happy to play a video game or get a few hours of shut-eye instead. But others would be frustrated that they couldn’t watch a movie, which is why it’s good that Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Prime Video also exist. The FTC’s argument isn’t that Meta owns the only social apps on the internet, it’s that the company faces little competition for a service many people specifically want — so the fact that you probably don’t know anyone using MeWe is sort of the point.How will the judge decide?Ultimately, Boasberg’s market definition — whether it’s Meta’s, the FTC’s, or his own — will come down to a few things: how Meta views itself, how competitors see it, and his own intuition, says Kovacic. ”Notice how much the FTC has been questioning Meta witnesses on the basis of its own internal documents,” he says. “Does the story in the courtroom match the story of your own internal documents?” So far, the documents have shown that Meta has clocked that at least some portion of users come to its products to connect with family and friends, but also that the rise of TikTok has had it looking over its shoulder. In September 2020, Meta told its board that Instagram revenue would be “meaningfully lower” than planned in the second half of the fiscal year because TikTok was drawing users’ attention. But other internal documents have shown Meta’s well aware that at different points in time, users have come to its apps to connect with family and friends, and worriedly took note of other apps entering that space. In a 2018 presentation, Meta found that the highest percentage of surveyed users said they come to Facebook, Instagram, and Snap to “see daily casual moments” and “see special moments.” By contrast, users came to Twitter’s feed for news and YouTube’s for entertainment. And even as Instagram expands into entertainment, the FTC notes that it still advertises its sign-up page as a place to “see photos and videos from your friends.”“Instagram will always need to focus on friends”In a 2018 email, Zuckerberg told Mosseri that “Instagram will always need to focus on friends.” And even though a lot has changed in the social media landscape since then, Mosseri testified that to this day on the app, “friends are an important part of the experience.” Even though users may share fewer of their own updates on Facebook and Instagram, Mosseri admitted that two friends talking in the comments of a public figure’s post counts as an interaction between friends — and one that Instagram actively tries to facilitate.Meta has argued that this special focus on friends and family sharing makes up a shrinking portion of its offerings as it works to compete with fierce rivals like TikTok. But the FTC says it’s still significant enough to monopolize. It’s a scenario that came up in another major tech monopolization case, Kovacic says: the late-1990s lawsuit US v. Microsoft. In that case, Microsoft argued the Justice Department was ignoring how computing would soon move beyond the personal computer to the Internet of Things, meaning it couldn’t truly lock up the computing ecosystem as much as the government alleged.“Judge Jackson in the Microsoft case said, yeah, those things are happening, but not happening fast enough to deny you real market power in this PC and laptop-based market that the Justice Department is emphasizing,” Kovacic says.Still, he adds, a market niche can at some point become so small that it’s no longer significant in the eyes of antitrust law. “You can have a process of change that ultimately renders the market segment unimportant,” he says. “And the hard task of analysis for the judge is to say, has it already happened?”See More: