Nesta terça-feira, dia 23 de junho, a Empiricus Research vai liberar os acessos à inteligência artificial de investimentos criada para buscar até R$ 1 milhão no mercado de criptomoedas a partir de um capital inicial de R$ 3,5 mil.

Diferentemente de ferramentas que apresentam soluções a partir de prompts dos usuários, esse modelo opera de forma automatizada no mercado de criptomoedas.

Mas os acessos serão limitados, por isso, confira como receber o seu.

Veja como essa nova IA busca as melhores oportunidade no mercado de criptomoedas

A inteligência artificial atua de forma automatizada no mercado de criptomoedas e busca as melhores oportunidades em tempo real. Dessa forma, a ferramenta identifica os ativos mais potencialmente promissores e executa as operações automaticamente.

O modelo foi desenvolvido por Valter Rebelo, head do departamento de criptomoedas da Empiricus Research, profissional do mercado de ativos digitais há seis anos, com um MBA em ciências de dados pela USP.

Unindo automação, análise e estratégia, o objetivo da ferramenta é buscar até R$ 1 milhão a partir de um investimento inicial de R$ 3,5 mil, em um período de 12 meses.

Para isso, a inteligência artificial procura características de moedas digitais que dispararam até 300 vezes no passado em sua base de dados.

Apesar de retornos passados não serem garantia de retornos futuros, esse histórico permite a ferramenta buscar novos ativos com o mesmo perfil.

Como a IA lida atua com ativos digitais em um mercado volátil e de risco, o acesso a ela é limitado. No entanto, um novo lote de acessos será liberado durante um evento online e gratuito para investidores interessados em testar a ferramenta.

Novos acessos serão liberados durante evento gratuito; veja como participar

Nesta terça, 23 de junho, a partir das 19h, será realizado um evento online e gratuito para apresentar mais detalhes sobre o funcionamento da inteligência artificial e explicar como ela pode buscar até R$ 1 milhão com um investimento inicial de em média R$ 3,5 mil.

Durante a apresentação, Valter Rebelo deve mostrar como a ferramenta funciona na prática, quais critérios que a IA usa para selecionar ativos digitais e executar.

Será liberado um novo lote de acessos para investidores interessados em testar a tecnologia, porém, de forma limitada e distribuídos por ordem de chegada.

Por isso, se você ficou interessado em saber mais sobre a ferramenta, clique no link abaixo para participar do evento:

QUERO CONHECER A IA QUE PODE BUSCAR ATÉ R$ 1 MILHÃO

O post É hoje: ferramenta que pode buscar até R$ 1 milhão será apresentada às 19h; participe do evento apareceu primeiro em Empiricus.

Com força na capital e na Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, Juliana Brizola (PDT) lidera a pesquisa RealTime Big Data para o governo do Rio Grande do Sul divulgada nesta terça-feira (23), com 37% das intenções de voto no primeiro turno. O deputado federal Luciano Zucco (PL) aparece com 32%, seguido pelo vice-governador Gabriel Souza (MDB), com 17%, e Marcelo Maranata (PSDB), com 3%. Brancos e nulos somaram 5% e outros 5% não souberam ou não responderam.

Nos principais cenários de segundo turno, a advogada e ex-deputada estadual tem empate técnico com Zucco, com 44% a 41%, e vence Souza por 47% a 35%. A neta de Leonel Brizola bate Maranata por 49% a 27% em um eventual segundo turno entre ambos. A margem de erro é de 2 pontos porcentuais.

Nos recortes da pesquisa por regiões do Estado, Juliana Brizola lidera na Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, que inclui a capital e 23 municípios e responde por 43% do eleitorado do Estado. A pré-candidata do PDT tem 43%, Zucco tem 25%, Souza tem 19% e Maranata, 5%.

Na Região Noroeste, que representa 18% do eleitorado, Zucco tem 39% e Juliana Brizola tem 30%, Souza tem 16% e Maranata, 2%. Na região Nordeste, com 10% do eleitorado, o deputado federal mantém vantagem, com 40% contra 31% de Juliana Brizola, 19% do vice-governador e 2% de Maranata.

No Sudeste gaúcho, que representa 8% do colégio eleitoral, a ex-vereadora volta a ter vantagem numérica com 35% a 33% sobre Zucco, com 20% de Gabriel de Souza e 1% Maranata.

No Sudoeste, o cenário também é de equilíbrio, com 36% a 34% para Zucco sobre Juliana Brizola, na região Centro Ocidental o deputado tem 39% a 33% contra a ex-deputada estadual e na Centro Oriental Zucco tem 42% a 30%. Nessas três regiões, Souza varia de 16% a 18% e Maranata entre 1% e 2%.

Zucco tem a maior rejeição, com 40%, seguido por Juliana, com 38%, Souza com 23% e Maranata com 16%. O vice-governador e a ex-deputada estadual têm um potencial de voto de 49%, a soma eleitores declarando que votariam neles com certeza e dos que possivelmente poderiam escolhê-los. A chamada “votabilidade” de Zucco é de 42% e a de Maranata é de 27%.

Presidente

A corrida presidencial no Rio Grande do Sul tem empate técnico entre senador Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), com 42%, e presidente e pré-candidato à reeleição Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), com 39% das intenções de voto no primeiro turno. Renan Santos (Missão) aparece com 5%, seguido por Ronaldo Caiado (PSD), com 3%, Romeu Zema (Novo), Joaquim Barbosa (DC), e Aécio Neves (PSDB) aparecem com 2% das intenções. Augusto Cury (Avante) tem 1% e outros candidatos somaram também 1%. Brancos e nulos foram 2% e outros 1% não souberam ou não responderam.

No segundo turno no Rio Grande do Sul, Flávio Bolsonaro tem 51% a 42% contra Lula. Ambos lideram também a rejeição, com 51% para o atual presidente e 46% para o senador.

Foram realizadas 1.600 entrevistas, no período de sábado (20) a esta segunda-feira (22), a margem de erro é de 2 pontos porcentuais para mais ou para menos e o índice de confiança é de 95%. As pesquisas estão registradas sob o protocolo-RS 07063/2026 no Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE).

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kymm Dracup, a 56-year-old based in Toronto. It's been edited for length and clarity.

My daughter says, "Don't worry, Mom, you'll get a job. I've seen your résumé, you're great." I don't think my daughter realizes the effect that my age, 56, has on my confidence and finding work.

I was unemployed for 22 months before landing a temporary consulting job a few months ago. There's no guarantee for a transition to full-time work, and I'm really scared about my future.

I've been rejected countless times, and I recently got evicted from my home. Unfortunately, I think my confidence took a hit, and my desperation for a job is coming through in my interviews.

I never learned why I lost my last job

I was the head of the management team for a group travel company for three years. In 2024, my job was terminated.

I asked for a reason, but I was never given one. In Ontario, you don't legally need to give a reason, so that was it.

It was very tough on my confidence to get let go. I still don't know the reason, but my best guess is that they were bringing in younger people with fresh eyes and innovations to replace me.

It's difficult to prove that age is hindering my job search

After losing my job, I started applying wherever I could, mostly for travel jobs, and later, any sales job. I received rejection after rejection.

I've been stood up for interviews, received automated rejections, and even had recruiters find excuses to end calls after seeing my face on camera.

Have you ever felt your age was a factor in a job rejection? Scroll down to the comments and share your experience.

It feels obvious to me that age is a factor in why I can't find a job, but the tricky thing is that there's no real way to prove that any of these rejections are due to my age. It hurts, and I don't feel as though recruiters see my value.

Applying to jobs felt different 5 years ago

When I was on the job market five years ago, I don't think AI was being used to sort through résumés.

Additionally, I've never interviewed online before now, and quite frankly, it's a bit intimidating. Therefore, I may not come across as confident, as there is an insecurity factor lending to the video.

I know how to sell myself in person, but I find it difficult, especially at my age, to do so over Zoom. You can be vibrant, brilliant, and all these things, but it's tricky because my generation is so geared to meeting people face to face. That is where we shine.

There are also only so few jobs available. I applied for an entry-level receptionist role for a yoga studio, and they stood me up for my interview. So many people are looking for jobs, and I think older people might not be the first to get hired.

I think my desperation for a job is making it harder to get one

As a single woman in my 50s, I don't have a partner to financially support me during this time. I feel desperate to find a job, and though I don't want it to come across that way to hiring managers, I think they can feel it.

When I get another rejection, the self-doubt that I'm worthless, too old, and that nobody will hire me comes back up, and the desperation intensifies. It's a vicious cycle. I try to tell myself, "Kymm, pull up your socks. Let's go. Go on to the next interview," but in the back of my mind, the doubt is still there.

Sometimes I'm joining an interview after not leaving the house or speaking to people for days. When I get an interview, I can't just snap my fingers and get out of that dark place.

I got evicted from my home and moved in with my daughter

My daughter has offered to let me stay in her home since I now have an income. I'm helping her pay bills while I figure it out.

I think it's very difficult for her to have a parent who is all of a sudden in need. I raised her as a single mom. I was strong, and now I just crumpled to the ground.

I've been in a really dark place, and I know that's not easy for her. What is helping me through this time is turning to God. I have to believe in something.

I wish I had been more prepared for unemployment in my 50s

Most people coming out of university these days are learning AI and are up to date with modern technology. When you bring in someone my age, it's different because the technology we had in school was pretty archaic.

I had no idea how difficult it would be to navigate the job market. I wish I were more prepared for all of the "no"s because it can be really hard on your self-esteem.

I wish that life experience were viewed as a more valuable asset in the workplace. It's been very hard to get out of that dark mindset when I keep receiving rejections. My advice is to find a way to believe in something better for yourself.

Sometimes belief is all you have, so you've got to hold onto it.

Are you navigating a career change in your 50s? Contact this reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com to share your story.

A inteligência artificial tem se consolidado como uma forma de otimizar a rotina de trabalho, auxiliando na produção de textos, vídeos e na estruturação de dados.

Porém, a IA também é útil na área de finanças, e uma nova ferramenta desenvolvida pela Empiricus foca exatamente na busca por geração de renda.

Esta inteligência artificial de investimentos foi criada para buscar até R$ 1 milhão no mercado de criptomoedas a partir de um capital inicial de R$ 3,5 mil.

Saiba como esta nova IA busca as melhores oportunidades no mercado de criptomoedas

A inteligência artificial foi desenvolvida por Valter Rebelo, head do departamento de criptomoedas da Empiricus Research, que atua há 6 anos no mercado de ativos digitais e possui um MBA em ciências de dados pela USP. 

A ferramenta opera de forma automatizada no mercado de criptomoedas e busca as mais promissoras em tempo real. Assim, a IA identifica oportunidades e executa operações sem a necessidade de intervenção manual do investidor. 

Com automação, análise e estratégia, o objetivo é buscar até R$ 1 milhão a partir de um investimento inicial de R$ 3,5 mil, em um período de 12 meses. 

O modelo procura características de moedas digitais que dispararam até 300 vezes no passado em sua base de dados.  

Apesar de retornos passados não serem garantia de retornos futuros, esse histórico permite a ferramenta buscar novos ativos com o mesmo perfil. 

Como a inteligência artificial lida com ativos digitais em um mercado volátil e de risco, o acesso a ela é limitado. No entanto, um novo lote de acessos será liberado para investidores interessados em testar a ferramenta. 

Evento gratuito vai liberar novos acessos; confira como participar

Para quem ficou interessado, no dia 23 de junho, às 19h, investidores poderão ter acesso a essa inteligência artificial de investimentos. 

Além do novo lote de acessos, será realizado um evento online e gratuito com mais detalhes sobre como esta IA pode buscar até R$ 1 milhão com um investimento inicial de R$ 3,5 mil. 

Contudo, a quantidade de acessos será limitada. Então, se você quer saber mais sobre como utilizar essa ferramenta, basta fazer sua pré-inscrição gratuita no botão abaixo: 

QUERO SABER COMO GANHAR DINHEIRO COM IA DE FORMA AUTOMATIZADA

O post É possível ganhar dinheiro com IA? Ferramenta da Empiricus pode buscar até R$ 1 milhão em 12 meses apareceu primeiro em Empiricus.

• After traveling to all 50 states solo, I've narrowed down the best cities to visit in the summer.
• Places like Taos, New Mexico, and Anchorage, Alaska, experience milder temperatures in the summer.
• Lubec, Maine, and Carmel-by-the-Sea, California feel like they're straight out of a fairytale.

When the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, I think it's the perfect opportunity to explore new parts of the United States.

After visiting all 50 states solo, I can recommend dozens of places to visit in the summer, but some stand out for their solitude, outdoor activities, accessibility, or great weather.

These are the seven cities and towns I've been telling my friends to visit this year.

Chicago really comes alive in the summer months.

Growing up in Illinois, I spent many summer days in Chicago. But, honestly, it wasn't until I'd visited all 50 states that I understood just how magical the city becomes in the warmer months.

Each summer, Millennium Park hosts a packed calendar of free outdoor concerts and festivals, and the Riverwalk comes alive with outdoor dining and kayakers.

Plus, the lakefront beaches are among my favorites in the country.

Lubec, Maine, is one of my favorite places to visit.

In my opinion, Maine feels like a fairytale in the summer months. With lush forests, rocky coastlines, and quaint fishing villages — you really can't go wrong.

However, the place I find myself recommending most (and dreaming about visiting again) is Lubec. Home to the easternmost point in the contiguous US, this town feels like a Hallmark movie.

I love hiking at West Quoddy Head State Park, staying at The Inn on the Wharf, eating lobster at Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant, and hiking or biking on the Cobscook Shores Trail.

There's so much to do in Taos, New Mexico.

The temperatures in Taos, New Mexico, stay surprisingly mild in the summer months, with highs in the mid-80s and lows ranging from the high-40s to low-50s. This makes it a great destination if you're looking to escape those hot summer nights.

Plus, there's so much to do. I like to visit Taos Pueblo, one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America. Here, visitors can take guided or unguided tours of the Native American village.

When I want to spend some time outside, I hike the Williams Lake Trail, a beautiful 3.8-mile round-trip trek to the lake at the base of Wheeler Peak.

Jackson, Wyoming, is the perfect home base for outdoor adventure.

Summer is absolutely high season in Jackson, Wyoming, but to me, it's still worth battling some traffic to experience.

The town sits right outside Grand Teton National Park, and the outdoor recreation options in the area are almost overwhelming — hiking, fly fishing, rafting the Snake River, and kayaking across beautiful lakes.

Jackson's Town Square is worth an evening of its own for exploring the shops, grabbing dinner or a drink, or attending one of the summer festivals or markets.

Another perk? Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport in the country located entirely within a national park — so you can fly straight into one of the most stunning places in America.

I think Anchorage, Alaska, is a must-visit destination.

I think everyone should experience the magic of Alaska in the summer. The days are incredibly long, the weather is mild, and everything feels more accessible.

Although there are lots of cities I love visiting in the state, Anchorage is my top pick because there's so much to do. I love visiting the Anchorage Museum, hiking the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, eating at Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria, or grabbing brunch at Biscuitclub.

The town is also a good basecamp for day trips to Seward, the Kenai Peninsula, and Girdwood.

Brevard, North Carolina, is the perfect place to stay if you want to see waterfalls.

I think Western North Carolina is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. However, my favorite town to visit is Brevard.

Located in Transylvania County — known as the "Land of Waterfalls" for its more than 250 cascades — Brevard is the perfect home base for exploring the area.

Within the town itself, I love attending the concerts put on by the Brevard Music Center, a summer training institute for young musicians.

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, feels like a fairytale.

Even though I've lost count of how many times I've visited Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, I'm still not tired of it.

The downtown area genuinely feels like stepping inside a storybook, with whimsical cottages built in the 1920s, and 41 hidden courtyards and passageways filled with shops and restaurants.

I love staying downtown and just walking between the 17 wine-tasting rooms — it's one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon.

• Panera Bread CEO Paul Carbone hopes to reverse the chain's slumping sales with a new strategy.
• The effort, named RISE, addresses customer complaints about food value and in-store service quality.
• The chain's latest menu launch, featuring new summer drinks and bowls, builds on the momentum.

As Panera Bread's chief financial officer, Paul Carbone once signed off on a change that looked good on a spreadsheet.

The chain swapped its salad base from 100% romaine lettuce to a mix of romaine and iceberg in the summer of 2024, a move he said was intended to save money.

Now, as CEO, Carbone says Panera is trying to undo that kind of thinking.

"No one really likes iceberg lettuce," Carbone told Business Insider. "No one looks at that white salad and says, 'Now that's worth it.'"

For Carbone, the lettuce decision — which was fully reversed in June 2025, shortly after he became chief executive — has become shorthand for a broader problem at Panera: Years of small cost-cutting moves, menu changes, and operational tweaks chipped away at the experience customers remembered loving.

Panera is now rolling out a summer launch tied to its broader "RISE" transformation strategy, an acronym for the steps of the turnaround effort, which stands for "refresh the menu," “ignite value," "serve guests with excellence," and "expand the network."

The latest evidence of that effort arrives this week in the form of new shrimp-topped bowls, upgraded salads, bacon-and-cheese breakfast frittatas, frozen coffees, and fruit-forward beverages — a menu overhaul intended to remind customers why they fell in love with Panera in the first place.

Carbone said Panera began developing the strategy last year after multiple years of negative same-store transactions. Sales sometimes rose, he said, but that growth was driven by pricing and mix, not by more customers coming in.

"The lifeblood of a restaurant company is transactions," he said. "So that's where we started to develop Panera RISE."

At its core, RISE is Panera's attempt to fix the complaints customers raised most often: food that no longer felt worth the price, fewer affordable options, weaker in-store service, and growing competition for diners' attention. The company spent months talking with thousands of customers to determine its areas of focus.

Carbone said many still had warm feelings toward Panera, but had stopped visiting because the chain had gotten too expensive, removed favorite menu items, or simply fallen out of their routines.

That's a tough place to be in a restaurant market where consumers have become increasingly selective. Business Insider has previously reported that diners are splitting along income lines, with lower-income consumers cutting back while wealthier households keep spending. Restaurants have responded with discounts and limited-time offers to improve value messaging, but analysts have warned that value alone is not always enough to bring customers back.

Panera's own traffic remains under intense pressure. Foot traffic has declined year over year every month from January through May this year, according to data from the foot traffic firm, Placer.ai.

R.J. Hottovy, Placer.ai's head of analytical research, said sandwich chains in particular have seen fewer visits than other concepts as consumers push back on menu price increases and embrace healthier eating habits.

Carbone's diagnosis goes beyond food. Panera also cut labor at cafés to cut costs, he said. The company has since added a front-of-house role, the Guest Experience Champion, to greet customers, answer questions, and help maintain dining rooms.

It is also rethinking how technology fits into the business.

"There was a time that if you talked to folks here, they would tell you that we were a technology company that sold food," Carbone said. "I will tell you emphatically, we are a restaurant company that uses technology to enhance the guest experience. We're not a technology company."

That does not mean abandoning digital ordering, kiosks, or loyalty tools. Only about a quarter of Panera's business is now eaten inside its cafés, Carbone said, but two-thirds of customers still walk into a restaurant, whether they are dining in, picking up, or ordering to go.

That means the in-store experience still matters.

Under RISE, Panera is adding new menu items and drinks, but the bigger bet is that customers will notice when the chain starts optimizing for experience again, not just efficiency.

Carbone said Panera's priorities now are simple: "Transactions, sales, profits — in that order."

After years of trying to drive growth through price cuts and efficiency, Panera is betting that getting more customers through the door again will take something simpler: giving them a reason to come back.

A Amazon (B3: AMZO34 | Nasdaq: AMZN) abriu sua operação de transporte de cargas fracionadas (Less Than Truckload, ou LTL, na sigla em inglês) para empresas externas, na última semana.

“O episódio reforça uma das principais virtudes da companhia: a capacidade de extrair novas fontes de receita a partir de ativos já existentes”, afirma Matheus Spiess, analista da Empiricus Research.

Confira a tese da Amazon (AMZO34) e por que investir

O serviço, disponível apenas nos Estados Unidos, conta com mais de 80 mil reboques e 24 mil contêineres e integra a plataforma Amazon Supply Chain Services, que abrange frete, distribuição, fulfillment (conjunto de processos logísticos que abrange todas as etapas entre a compra online do cliente e a entrega do produto) e envio.

A expansão da oferta LTL da Amazon (AMZO34) permitirá que companhias, que utilizam ou não o marketplace da plataforma, enviem paletes para armazéns de terceiros, centros de distribuição e varejistas parceiros.

Na visão de Spiess, o movimento remete diretamente à fórmula de sucesso da Amazon de “transformar uma infraestrutura originalmente desenvolvida para atender necessidades internas em uma plataforma de serviços escalável para terceiros”.

Veja também: Empiricus libera acesso a todas as carteiras recomendadas da casa por 30 dias grátis

Com a abertura, a Amazon passa a competir diretamente com operadores tradicionais de logística, que sentiram a reação imediata do mercado: as ações da FedEx Freight caíram cerca de 10%, e da Old Dominion, 5%.

Mesmo que o impacto financeiro imediato deva ser limitado diante da escala da Amazon, a abertura “fortalece a tese de longo prazo ao aumentar a utilização de sua infraestrutura, ampliar a integração de seu ecossistema e abrir novas avenidas de crescimento”, afirma Spiess.

“Nesse contexto, seguimos enxergando a Amazon como uma das companhias mais bem posicionadas para capturar tendências estruturais ligadas à digitalização, logística, inteligência artificial e serviços empresariais”, destaca o analista.

AMZO34 é uma das recomendações de ações internacionais de analista; veja mais

Spiess recomenda as BDRs AMZO34 para investidores brasileiros que querem acessar de forma eficiente essa tese, que faz parte da série de ações internacionais da Empiricus.

Você pode conhecer as outras recomendações por meio do Empiricus+, a modalidade de assinatura “streaming” da casa.

Com o Empiricus+, você tem acesso às principais recomendações de investimento dos analistas em ações, fundos imobiliários, renda fixa e outros ativos.

Além disso, você também conta com relatórios, tutoriais e guias práticos para descobrir como investir em cada tese recomendada de maneira simples.

Você, leitor deste texto, tem direito a testar a plataforma gratuitamente por 30 dias. Basta se cadastrar nesse link, ou clicar no botão abaixo, para liberar o benefício:

QUERO TESTAR O EMPIRICUS+ POR 30 DIAS GRÁTIS

O post Amazon (AMZO34) expande serviço de frete para outras empresas: é hora de investir? apareceu primeiro em Empiricus.

• Jea Park walked away from her tech career at 32 to pursue a job in the trades.
• She said she no longer enjoyed working in tech, as AI has become more embedded in daily workflows.
• Her biggest challenge is finding an apprenticeship, but she is excited about the change.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jae Park, a 32-year-old based in Las Vegas. It's been edited for length and clarity.

About a decade ago, I took a furniture-building class on a whim, and I loved it so much.

I considered going into carpentry at the time, but after leaving college with six-figure debt, I gave up on the idea of having my work tied to something I was actually passionate about. Instead, I wanted to pursue a path that could let me make more money.

Over the past year, as my tech job pushed me to incorporate AI into every aspect of my workflow, I wanted out. It felt like I was on a giant cruise ship with the company trying to make a U-turn as quickly as possible, and everyone was falling off the ship. So, I left in March.

After I left my tech job, I walked into the trade union office with the plan of becoming a carpentry apprentice at 32, but finding an apprenticeship has proven to be difficult. Still, I'm so overjoyed with my decision.

I worked with a union rep to learn about apprenticeships

I always aspired to work in tech for its stability, pay, and benefits. Once I got in as a sales enablement ops strategist, however, I felt very disconnected from my work output and realized there wasn't much I enjoyed about the industry.

One time, I was listening to a podcast where the hosts briefly talked about a push for women entering the trades, and I thought, "You know what? Let's give this a shot."

On my first visit to the trade union office, the union rep walked me through the compensation packages, benefits, and four-year carpentry apprenticeship programs. I'm in a lucky position where I don't have kids or own a home, so I started to feel really great about this opportunity.

I had to provide documents to the trade union and complete a 10-hour construction course on the OSHA website that cost $60.

Finding an apprenticeship has been the trickiest part

To get sponsored for an apprenticeship, I was instructed by the rep to visit active construction sites listed by the trade union and speak with the foremen.

It made me really nervous, but I went to seven construction sites in one week. It was confusing, at times, because there was no real direction. Sometimes, there would be an address of an entire casino, but no information about where the construction site was. It took a lot of problem-solving, but the nice thing is that the union has a lot of people to talk to, and they can give tips and tricks.

A lot of times, the foreman was really busy, so I had to use my people skills to find the right time to jump in and give them a quick pitch.

I'd take about 30 seconds to introduce myself as a new apprentice and see if they had any opportunities. I thought I had an opportunity, but it turned out their program hours weren't compatible with the union's, so I'm back to showing up at job sites.

It's been almost a month, and I'm still not sponsored

I'm interested in millwork, but it seems to be in a slow period right now. To make sure I get an apprenticeship, I'm taking down the foremen's phone numbers and setting reminders for myself to call them later this year when more jobs pop up.

I can technically look for work in specific scopes outside of millwork, and it would count toward my apprenticeship. However, I'm not pinched for cash immediately, and I'd really prefer to land a millwork job to start.

I'm glad I'm getting into the trades in my 30s

When I finally decided to join carpentry, I was bummed out, thinking, I wish I had joined when I was younger. In hindsight, I'm glad I'm bringing all of my life experiences with me.

The trades are male-dominated, and it's hard work. I think I had to spend over 10 years in my professional career to understand my boundaries, know when to push back, and stand up for myself. If I had joined the trades when I was 18, I don't think I would've made it.

I also now know that the corporate route is 100% not for me. If I had gone into the trades first, part of me would have always wondered if I should've tried corporate.

I'm confident in my decision to leave tech

I'm so overjoyed about my decision to pursue carpentry. Even though I know unions aren't perfect, I'm looking forward to being a part of a system of employment that's worker-first.

I went to my first union meeting, which was the biggest culture shock. It's so cool to have dedicated time for people from different organizations to talk, share experiences, and offer support. I almost cried during that meeting. I was like, "I've never felt so supported."

I've only just begun this journey, so we'll see how it goes, but I'm so excited.

Do you have a story to share about joining the trades? If so, please reach out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.

Austrália e Turquia estreiam na madrugada deste domingo (14) na Copa do Mundo 2026, em partida prevista para começar à 1h (horário de Brasília) no BC Place Stadium, em Vancouver, no Canadá

O jogo é válido pelo Grupo D da competição, que ainda tem Estados Unidos e Paraguai.

• LEIA MAIS: Calendário da Copa: saiba como acompanhar os 72 jogos da 1ª fase sem se perder

A Austrália participa de sua 7ª Copa do Mundo e nunca conseguir ultrapassar a fase de oitavas-de-final, feito obtido em 2006 e 2022.

Já a Turquia só esteve em dois Mundiais até agora, mas avançou até as semifinais em 2002, quando foi eliminada pelo Brasil e terminou a competição em 3°º lugar. A aposta da seleção é da nova geração comandada pelo meia-atacante Arda Guler, que joga no Real Madrid.

Veja onde assistir Austrália x Turquia 

A partida da Copa do Mundo 2026 terá transmissão ao vivo pela TV Globo, Sportv, CazéTV (no Youtube), GeTV e Globoplay

Prováveis escalações

A Austrália deve entrar em campo com Ryan; Souttar, Circati, Burgess; Italiano, Irvine, O’Neill, Bos; Irankunda, Leckie; Toure.

Já a escalação prevista da Turquia é Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Calhanoglu, Yuksek; Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz; Akturkoglu.

Veja as datas de jogos por grupos

Grupo A

Grupo B

Grupo C

Grupo D

Grupo E

Grupo F

Grupo G

Grupo H

Grupo I

Grupo J

Grupo K

Grupo L

The post Onde assistir Austrália x Turquia? appeared first on InfoMoney.

As inovações em inteligência artificial têm se concentrado em hyperscales, empresas de tecnologia que oferecem infraestrutura e serviços de nuvem em larga escala.

Para consumir essa tecnologia, os usuários dependem do modelo SaaS (Software as a Service, na sigla em inglês), onde a distribuição de software é baseada na nuvem e as aplicações são acessadas diretamente pela internet.

Mas esse cenário pode mudar, pois empresas como Qualcomm, Apple e mais recentemente a Nvidia, querem levar a IA para dentro dos notebooks comuns.

Novo ‘superchip’ da Nvidia (NVDC34) chama a atenção do mercado

Durante o GTC Taipei 2026, a Nvidia (NVDC34) apresentou o RTX Spark, um “superchip” que reúne CPU e GPU, com até 128 GB de memória para processamento.

“A principal inovação está na integração dos componentes, reduzindo gargalos que normalmente surgem quando o processador e a placa de vídeo trabalham de forma separadas em tarefas mais exigentes, uma limitação comum nos computadores atuais”, explica Matheus Spiess, analista da Empiricus Research.

Leia também: Empiricus libera acesso a todas as carteiras recomendadas da casa por 30 dias grátis

Também foram anunciados os primeiros equipamentos que terão o chip instalado: os notebooks Surface Laptop Ultra, da Microsoft, que possuem o Windows 11. O sistema foi desenvolvido especialmente para dar suporte otimizado ao ecossistema RTX Spark.

Além de aplicações em IA, a Nvidia promete entregar versatilidade para executar jogos de última geração em alta qualidade, edição de vídeo, modelagem 3D e criação de conteúdo, sem a necessidade de intermediação de um data center para cada tarefa.

Depois do anúncio, Intel e Qualcomm, empresas que já atuavam nesse segmento, registraram quedas de 4,7% e 8,8%, respectivamente, no pregão seguinte. Por outro lado, Nvidia e Microsoft avançaram 6,3% e 2,3%.

Na visão de Spiess, o episódio fortaleceu a tendência da inteligência artificial se aproximar do cotidiano de consumidores e empresas.

“Para quem acredita nessa transformação, investir nas companhias responsáveis por fornecer a infraestrutura dessa nova realidade pode ser uma forma de participar desse crescimento”, afirma o analista.

Nvidia e quem mais? Veja outros BDRs recomendados para investir em tecnologia

A Nvidia (NVDC34) é um dos ativos da série de ações internacionais da Empiricus.

Você pode conhecer as outras recomendações por meio do Empiricus+, a modalidade de assinatura “streaming” da casa.

No Empiricus+, você tem acesso às principais recomendações em:

• Ações; 

• BDRs; 

• Fundos Imobiliários; 

• Renda extra; 

• E muito mais. 

Além disso, você também conta com relatórios, tutoriais e guias práticos para descobrir como investir em cada recomendação de maneira simples.

Você, leitor deste texto, tem direito a testar a plataforma gratuitamente por 30 dias. Basta se cadastrar nesse link, ou clicar no botão abaixo, para liberar o benefício.

QUERO TESTAR O EMPIRICUS+ POR 30 DIAS GRÁTIS

O post Nova era dos computadores? Entenda novo foco de empresas de tecnologia e como investir agora apareceu primeiro em Empiricus.

A Latam Brasil tem tratado a questão do fim da escala de trabalho 6×1 dividindo o impacto da mudança nas duas realidades de sua equipe – o pessoal de solo e as tripulações – e tem recebido das autoridades do país que essas diferenças serão respeitadas no caso de aprovação da legislação pelo Congresso. A afirmação foi feita pelo CEO da companhia no Brasil, Jerome Cadier, durante entrevista coletiva na 82ª Assembleia Anual da Associação Internacional do Transporte Aéreo (IATA), no Rio de Janeiro.

Para a realidade do pessoal de solo, Cadier disse que a companhia “está muito próxima do estado desejado” pela nova lei e que vai buscar os ajustes necessários para sua tripulação. No caso da tripulação e pilotos, o executivo disse que as discussões tem avançado e que tem ouvido que as diferenças serão respeitadas. “O governo garantiu que as mudanças vão impactar mais as equipes de solo”, disse.

Leia também: O que é escala 6×1? Entenda a jornada que está em discussão no Congresso

Durante a última teleconferência após a divulgação dos resultados da companhia, o CEO comentou que, caso as duas situações fossem tratadas sob o mesmo prisma, a redução da jornada de 44 para 40 horas semanais iria inviabilizar a operação internacional das companhias aéreas, por conta da duração dos voos.

O executivo também disse na coletiva que a previsão da primeira certificação de um avião Embraer E195-E2 da companhia é o quarto trimestre de 2026. No ano passado, a companhia aérea anunciou a compra de até 74 aeronaves da Embraer (EMBR3), sendo um pedido de 24 entregas firmes e mais 50 opções de compra, num valor estimado em US$ 2,1 bilhões.

Leia também: Lula agradece Latam por compra de 24 aviões da Embraer

Roberto Alvo, CEO da Latam Airlines também participou da coletiva e destacou o crescimento do setor e da empresa desde que IATA sediou pela última vez sua assembleia anual no continente, em 1999. Na quela ano, as aéreas da América do Sul tinham transportado 68 milhões de passageiros, o equivalente a 4% do mercado no mundo. No ano passado, foram 447 milhões, mais de 5% do total.

Pelo modelo de entrega dos serviços da Latam, que busca o mesmo tratamento aos passageiros independentemente da rota, Alvo disse não estar preocupado com notícias de uma possível maior concorrência na região de empresas estrangeiras. Eles destacou ainda que a Latam é a companhia aérea mais sustentável do Hemisfério Ocidental.

Sobre o impacto da guerra nos preços das passagens, por conta dos custos mais altos, o executivo acredita que eles seguirão altos, até um ajuste para baixo que deve acontecer no ano que vem. “A indústria como um todo se readaptou. É normal ver ajustes de capacidade. No final das contas, nós vamos ver um novo equilíbrio, com os preços baixando em 2027”, disse Alvo.

O jornalista viajou a convite da IATA.

The post Escala 6×1: Latam acredita em impactos diferentes em equipes de solo e tripulação appeared first on InfoMoney.

• Motherhood changed my perspective on the World Cup.
• The six-week tournament on the global stage creates a tangible connection to heritage.
• It makes memories and deepens relationships between families and across oceans.

It all started with a onesie, as so many parenthood journeys do.

The Ipswich Town Tractor Boys gear traveled across the Atlantic before I snuck it onto my then-infant son, just before my husband arrived home. Adorable photos of the drool-covered shirt followed, sent back across the pond to Ipswich, England, the epicenter of my father-in-law's family.

It was a reason to connect — one that wouldn't have happened without our family's shared love of country and capturing moments that remind us of one another.

The onesie spurred a different reaction when my Belgian grandmother and father saw their pride and joy, the one and only baby wearing the colors of an English football club. "The English?! He should be wearing Red Devil red!" exclaimed my grandmother, with a delivery that bordered on genuine betrayal.

Becoming a parent made me see these interactions between family members as long-lasting connections and pivotal memories, not just silly quips at a sporting event.

Motherhood changed my perspective

By the time of the Women's World Cup later that summer, a lighthearted rivalry had formed (Belgium didn't even qualify that year, but that didn't simmer my family's bubbling pride). My 4'5", 80-pound grandmother had outsize opinions about every decision on the pitch.

Cheering my grandfather on at years of weekend games, she wielded words capable of besting anyone's strongest kick. Other countless memories help fill the multi-year gaps between tournaments, like my grandmother and father-in-law's sheepish chuckles and simultaneous "santé!" and "cheers!" as glasses chinked. Or the audible disbelief at a call that was simply unjust to everyone on the pitch. And, all the proud comments about my son's various traits as evidence of his Belgian or English heritage.

In stark contrast, I can't tell you a thing about prior World Cups. I likely passively watched, enjoying the game, but not for the reasons that matter now.

Multigenerational moments are fleeting

I became a mom, and suddenly the moments on screen were truly part of the background; I was watching the moments in the room.

Motherhood has made me keenly aware of these fleeting multi-generation interactions and how readily they slip away without intention. My dear grandmother died in 2024. I will miss her elegant outrage at the ref's calls and the players' decisions. I know my Dad will represent Belgium in this year's World Cup, complete with a click of the tongue and an exasperated sigh, unwittingly echoing my grandmother's to a tee.

Add in shared culture, country-themed snacks, and friendly competition, and you have cherished memories in the making. I daydream about my rambunctious toddler dashing into the yard to greet his grandfathers, surprising them in his Belgium, England, or even US kit. Jeers will be hurled based on his selection, but so will love and enthusiasm.

The World Cup is a time to connect with our heritage

For my children, this summer is a rare at-home immersion into the cultures that define their grandfathers and of which their great-grandmother was deeply proud.

I imagine US parents living abroad may experience similar feelings on Super Bowl Sunday or during March Madness, but it can't compete with the World Cup. More than 100 games spread over six-ish weeks extends the tradition, winning it the title of my favorite sporting event — an admittedly unexpected statement for an American (who grew up watching the Super Bowl).

This World Cup will ground my children in family legacy, strengthen connections in the present, and create memories and shared interests for the future.

Unlike a book or photos, the stadium's palpable energy, chants and songs, and the homemade family recipes at watch parties make culture easy to grasp — no matter how small the tiny hands. My son will experience why one side of the family wears black, yellow, and red, and the other red and blue, knowing he can feel at home in each.

This will be the first time my son sees Belgium and England play in the World Cup, heightening the rivalry and making the experience more tangible.

The further Belgium, England, the US, (or any other team for which we have a smidgen of affinity) make it, the longer the family connections and memory-making magic — that's what I'm in it for.

Maio foi um mês complicado para os investidores. O mercado sofreu com a escalada da tensão geopolítica, as oscilações nas expectativas para os juros globais e as variações no mercado de commodities e câmbio.

Para o analista Matheus Spiess, da Empiricus Research, para quem quer investir em renda extra, o cenário reforça a necessidade da previsibilidade dos fluxos de caixa, a diversificação entre diferentes fontes de retorno e o dimensionamento adequado das posições na hora de escolher os ativos.

“Em um mundo de juros mais elevados por mais tempo, ativos como crédito privado, debêntures incentivadas, fundos imobiliários e empresas com forte geração de caixa continuam oferecendo oportunidades relevantes de geração de renda”, afirma Spiess.

Por que o Kinea Infra é uma das recomendações do analista

Entre as recomendações do analista está o Kinea Infra (KDIF11), um fundo listado especializado em debêntures incentivadas de infraestrutura. O fundo possui cerca de R$ 2,9 bilhões de patrimônio líquido e conta com 69 ativos na carteira.

Spiess destaca que, ao longo dos anos, a Kinea “construiu uma reputação sólida na seleção de ativos de infraestrutura, combinando rigor na análise de risco com profundo conhecimento nos setores em que atua”.

Apesar do mercado de debêntures incentivadas ter passado por um período de forte compressão de spreads recentemente, impulsionado por uma demanda excepcional pela classe de ativos, o analista aponta que a estratégia do KDIF11 foi bem-sucedida.

“Como o fundo ingressou no período de abertura de spreads com uma posição de caixa mais elevada, conseguiu reduzir a sensibilidade da carteira às oscilações do mercado e preservar a flexibilidade para realizar novas alocações em condições potencialmente mais favoráveis”, explica.

O fundo concentra ativos de infraestrutura com contratos de longo prazo, receitas corrigidas pela inflação e elevada previsibilidade de fluxo de caixa, além de oferecer um retorno estimado de IPCA +8,04 ao ano, já líquido de taxas.

Spiess ainda afirma que, caso o cenário da recente abertura de spreads se confirme, “o fundo poderá captar retornos mais elevados nas próximas alocações, reforçando o potencial de geração de renda”.

Mas essa não é a única recomendação do analista para quem quer investir em uma fonte mensal de renda passiva.

Kinea Infra e quem mais? Veja outros fundos e ações para a carteira de renda extra

O Kinea Infra (KDIF11) é um dos ativos escolhidos por Spiess para a carteira recomendada de Renda Extra de junho.

Se você quer conhecer as outras recomendações, a boa notícia é que o portfólio está liberado gratuitamente, na íntegra.

Acessando a área do assinante da Empiricus, você pode conhecer os ativos e investir de forma automatizada com poucos cliques.

Ou seja, você pode investir no portfólio completo e acompanhar a execução das ordens. Além disso, a plataforma faz o rebalanceamento de forma automática sempre que há mudanças na carteira.

Para conhecer a carteira de Renda Extra, basta clicar neste link ou no botão abaixo:

QUERO CONHECER A CARTEIRA DE RENDA EXTRA DA EMPIRICUS

O post Kinea Infra (KDIF11) e mais: veja ativos para investir com foco em renda extra em junho apareceu primeiro em Empiricus.

• In 2023, I graduated into a volatile job market, but thankfully, I landed a job.
• I was living in New York, with an inordinately high cost of living, which made staying untenable.
• Moving to Texas, with its much lower cost of living, allowed me to succeed.

After graduating with a bachelor's in computer science in 2023, a software company offered me an exciting job that paid $60,000 a year.

The catch? I had to move away from home.

I had grown up on Long Island all my life, but the company didn't have an office within commuting distance of my parents' house. Moving felt daunting. Moving across the country? Even more so.

But I felt like I had no choice because of the difficult job market and the rising costs in New York, so I packed up and moved to Texas.

The East Coast was nearly impossible to afford

I did the math. The average rent for an apartment in most East Coast states is $2,000 to $3,000 a month.

Over the course of a year, on average, that would be $30,000. This was half of my annual income — before accounting for any other expenses.

New York State income taxes are also high, plus there's federal tax on top. Already, with back-of-the-napkin math, I found that I would be left with less than half of my annual salary before accounting for food, insurance premiums, utilities, and rainy-day savings.

After all that, there would be next to nothing left for student loan repayments, and I wouldn't be able to save any money to eventually buy a house.

Texas was the much cheaper option

Researching my options, I learned the company had an office in San Antonio. As I researched this unfamiliar city, what I found astounded me.

Even in a large city like San Antonio, rent averages $1,000 to $1,500 a month. Texas also has no state income tax.

I would have significantly more of my annual income to spend and save if I lived in Texas with the same job.

I decided to move across the country to Texas

Though the numbers were promising, I had never been south of Virginia until my move. I had no clue what San Antonio was like and had no family or friends there for support.

I found my apartment in this new, unfamiliar city remotely. I scanned Google Maps. I made a list of apartments with ideal locations and read their tenants' reviews. I focused on ones with two to four stars to avoid being misled.

As part of my research, I looked at crime statistics. I was happy to see it was very low. I then narrowed my commute down to five minutes.

I'm financially comfortable in Texas

After the move, I paid about $1,250 a month for a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment with an in-home washer & dryer, community gym, and pool.

There is a rule in personal finance called the 50/30/20 rule. Ideally, you should spend 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and save 20% of what you earn. Living in Texas, I easily spent less than 50% on needs and saved more than 40% of what I earned.

All of that would not have been possible on the East Coast at my entry-level, new-grad salary.

Lastly, home prices in Texas are much lower, so my goal of homeownership finally felt achievable.

I made my cross-country move work for me

As a new graduate, I faced a market with low salary expectations, frequent mass layoffs, and high job volatility.

I made it work by moving away from a state with a high cost of living to one offering a 50% discount on life.

New graduates and early professionals may find success doing the same.

Um dos questionamentos que podem surgir ao montar um portfólio de investimentos é “quais ativos vão subir mais?”. Mas, para investidores que já conhecem o mercado, essa não é a pergunta correta, pois o futuro é imprevisível.

O melhor caminho é a diversificação de risco, destaca a analista Lais Costa, da Empiricus Research. Essa, inclusive, foi uma das estratégias adotadas para a nova carteira de ETFs de Thiago Salomão, CEO e fundador do Market Makers.

Saiba a estratégia com ETFs utilizada na carteira do Salomão

O portfólio de ETFs foi montado por Lais Costa e Salomão com o objetivo de gerar ganho de capital ao longo do tempo.

Para isso, a analista pensou de que forma poderia diversificar o risco para montar uma carteira de longo prazo capaz de oferecer um retorno consistente para a multiplicação do investimento.

“Hoje, os gestores tentam maximizar a consistência entre vários vetores de risco”, explica a analista. Para isso, Costa aplicou o modelo de Hierarchical Risk Parity para entender o comportamento dos ativos e separá-los com base nisso.

O modelo aplicado permite menos erros estatísticos do que outras análises tradicionais, afirma a analista. Isso permite que a diversificação do portfólio seja feita de forma mais segura para os investidores.

No backtest realizado entre 2019 e 2026, a carteira gerou um retorno médio superior a CDI+ 3% ao ano.

Aumento do investimento em ETFs impulsiona o mercado

Salomão lembra que muitos investidores que querem viver de renda ao se aposentarem cometem o erro de investir em ativos geradores de renda logo cedo.

Ele aponta que, caso o leitor não precise de renda imediatamente, o melhor é investir em uma carteira de acumulação de capital para posteriormente, com um bom patrimônio acumulado, migrar para ativos pagadores de proventos.

E qual o melhor caminho para esse investimento? “São os ETFs”, afirma o executivo.

Os ETFs (Exchange Trade Funds, na sigla em inglês) são fundos de investimento negociados na bolsa de valores que replicam a performance de índices de mercado.

Segundo dados da Anbima, os ETFs foram o segundo investimento que mais cresceu, em porcentagem, em 2025. O aumento foi de 47,8% e ficou atrás apenas do Fundo de Investimento em Direitos Creditórios (FIDC).

Mas por quais motivos esse tipo de investimento está chamando tanta atenção?

ETFs na mira do mercado; veja por que

Os ETFs oferecem uma grande variedade de ativos e podem replicar desde índices de renda variável, como o Ibovespa, até os de renda fixa.

Alguns ETFs permitem que os investidores acessem mercados internacionais e setores específicos, como commodities, small caps, crédito privado e criptoativos.

Esse tipo de investimento, geralmente, oferece taxas de administração menores do que fundos tradicionais. Os ETFs são fáceis de negociar e por serem negociados na bolsa de valores, oferecem alta liquidez.

Em resumo, trata-se de um produto financeiro que permite o investimento em diferentes mercados, classes de ativos e teses de uma maneira simples, sem sair da Bolsa brasileira.

Saiba como acessar a carteira de ETFs do Salomão

A carteira elaborada por Lais conta com 10 recomendações, sendo 9 ETFs e um BDR de ETF. Agora que você sabe como o portfólio foi montado, pode conhecer os ativos selecionados através deste link.

Caso tenha interesse, também é possível investir no portfólio de Thiago Salomão com apenas alguns cliques, pois a carteira pode ser “copiada” de forma automatizada no BTG Pactual.

Ao optar por essa modalidade, o portfólio é atualizado de maneira automática sempre que houver uma mudança por parte dos analistas, sem que o investidor precise fazer o rebalanceamento manualmente.

Se você quer investir em ETFs e ficou interessado em conhecer mais detalhes sobre a carteira do Salomão, basta clicar neste link ou no botão abaixo para saber mais informações.

QUERO CONHECER A CARTEIRA DE ETFS DO SALOMÃO

O post Carteira de ETFs: veja o que levar em conta na hora de investir e um portfólio completo com 10 recomendações apareceu primeiro em Empiricus.

• USCIS issued new green-card guidance before the holiday weekend.
• BI spoke with six immigration lawyers about the fallout from the memo.
• Lawyers said anxious clients asked whether their yearslong plans had changed overnight.

Lynden Melmed was supposed to be spending part of his Friday with family visiting from Germany. They were touring the Capitol and learning how the American government works during the long holiday weekend.

Then, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services released a memo about green card applicants. Melmed, a partner at BAL and former US Citizenship and Immigration Services chief counsel, stayed behind to read it and field client questions.

"You do unfortunately need to clear your schedule," Melmed said. "That's just an occupational hazard of being an immigration lawyer."

On Friday, USCIS announced that it would grant "adjustment of status" — the process that lets some immigrants in the US apply for green cards without leaving — only in "extraordinary circumstances."

The decision could force many immigrants to leave the country and continue their green card applications abroad rather than completing the process in the US.

A USCIS spokesperson, Zach Kahler, said on Friday that the new guidance likely wouldn't impact "people who present applications that provide an economic benefit or otherwise are in the national interest."

Business Insider spoke with six immigration lawyers across the US who work with tech workers, startup founders, physicians, investors, and other foreign national workers. They described a holiday weekend packed with calls, texts, and emails from anxious clients trying to understand whether yearslong green-card plans had changed overnight.

The questions were practical: Should workers keep filing green-card applications? Should they wait? Would pending cases be affected? Should people avoid international travel?

Companies were also asking whether this was serious enough to brief senior executives immediately.

For now, the answer was a cautious wait-and-see.

"I started hearing from my clients and from other immigration attorneys within minutes of this memo dropping on Friday morning," said Loren Locke, an immigration attorney who works with multinational corporate clients. "It has thrown a lot of uncertainty into something that's been very stable and very predictable for decades, out of nowhere, with no warning."

Brian Hunt, counsel at immigration firm Fragomen, said his company began hearing from clients on Friday and "pretty much worked all weekend."

"Everyone wants answers as to what this memo means," he said.

For employers, the concern is not abstract. Consular processing can be slow and unpredictable, lawyers said, and companies may struggle if workers have to leave the US without knowing when they can return.

"I don't know how people could just leave their job for months and come back," Hunt said.

Multiple lawyers compared the rollout to a September presidential proclamation signed by President Donald Trump that raised the H-1B petition fee to $100,000, which sparked immediate alarm before later guidance softened its apparent impact.

Several attorneys also said Friday's announcement appeared more severe than the underlying memo.

At Bay Immigration Law, which works with startup founders and tech workers, Otto Van Maerssen said many existing clients were seeking reassurance. "For some of them, it was, is it even possible now to adjust status?" Van Maerssen, a senior partner, said.

TJ Albrecht, managing director at Bay Immigration, estimated that client outreach surged over the long weekend. He said the firm's reaction oscillated between "dread and optimism" as lawyers compared the memo with the USCIS press release announcing the change.

"So, we think that the vast majority, at least from our clients, will ultimately not be affected," he said. Other visa applicants — like students and B-1 temporary business visitors — might not be so lucky.

Divij Kishore, founder of the immigration-focused firm Flagship Law, said clients asked whether they should continue with green-card applications, what would happen to pending cases, and whether staying in the US still made sense.

"There's a sense of fatigue that I'm starting to see in the people that I represent," Kishore said. "I'm concerned that in the way that it's been released to the public and the way it's been reported to the public so far, there's a knee-jerk reaction that's happening where people are acting out of fear rather than proactive decision-making and thoughtful decision-making."

Locke said the memo arrived at the end of a yearslong process for some workers who had followed the rules, renewed visas, built careers, and started families in the US.

"It has been chaotic," she said. "Right now, we are waiting to see what USCIS does."

USCIS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Tehmina Watson is an immigration lawyer who advises startup founders and businesses.
• Watson says there has been panic and confusion about the most recent immigration policy memo.
• She advises tech workers to get in contact with their lawyers now to address their visas.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tahmina Watson, a business immigration lawyer in Seattle. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When I saw the administration's new immigration policy memo last Friday, stating that I-485 forms will only be approved in "extraordinary circumstances," I felt like the sky was falling.

The I-485 is the form used to apply for a green card (legal permanent residence) from inside the US. The last several days have been filled with fear, stress, and confusion, from people who don't know what this means for their status, and if they'll have to leave the country.

I'm the founding attorney of Watson Immigration Law. We specialize in business and family immigration. One of our areas of expertise is working with startup founders and businesses that are expanding into the United States, and many of my clients are tech workers.

It's hard to wrap my head around the enormity of this decision because the I-485 is used in almost every category of immigration to allow people to adjust their status from visa to green card.

This change will have a ripple effect on everyone. Laid-off tech workers are in a particularly difficult spot. My advice is to get in contact with your lawyer now and gather documentation.

Green cards will only be granted to those in 'extraordinary circumstances'

People can apply to adjust status to permanent residence from inside the US by filing Form I-485 with USCIS.

While the memo initially stated that I-485 forms will only be approved in extraordinary circumstances, a USCIS spokesperson clarified that those who bring economic benefits to the United States will be viewed favorably in their adjudication. However, there's no real policy guidance yet.

Typically, if somebody has arrived in the United States legally, they can adjust their status to that of a green card holder without leaving. The memo is essentially saying the intent of the law is that people get their applications filed outside the US, and that they're returning to the intent of the law.

The last 72 hours have been full of fear, stress, and confusion

Since Friday, my email has been blowing up with people asking, "What does it mean? What do we do?" The immigration lawyer community has been scrambling to figure out what this means as well, so Friday was very much about a lot of analyzing, discussing what we're going to do, and setting up calls with our clients.

So much is still uncertain. As the week unfolds, we might see more clarification from the administration. We may actually see litigation on the subject where the policy could actually be completely or partially enjoined. I sincerely hope that the courts will enjoin this policy.

I think a lot of my guidance to people will be dependent on what we hear from the administration in the coming days.

If you're on a work visa, start gathering documents that prove your economic benefits to the US

A lot of my clients work in tech, and the question that's been coming up since the memo release is what happens to people with work visas, such as H-1B.

On page five of the memo, it states that "maintaining lawful status in a dual intent non-immigrant category is not sufficient on its own to warrant a favorable exercise of discretion." To me, that means my clients need to file even more documentation to prove the economic benefit that they bring to the United States.

I'd advise people to get in contact with their lawyers and act urgently. For work visa holders, it will be important to sit down with their lawyers and figure out what kind of positive economic documents they can submit with their adjustment applications to prove the economic benefits they provide.

This policy will have a ripple effect on people and businesses

If a policy like this continues to go forward, families could be separated for years, likely because the consulates will not be able to shoulder the burden of the volume that will be required to adjudicate.

This means the people currently waiting will wait longer, and those who are being put into the system will exacerbate the system.

It will also mean that the businesses that invest in their workers are going to suffer because their workers will have to wait outside the country.

Laid-off tech workers are at risk

There are categories of people who never intended to be out of status, like folks who've been laid off from their tech jobs.

Laid-off workers have a 60-day grace period to find another employer to sponsor their visa or change their visa status to an interim visa, such as a tourist visa. However, it appears that the administration could be taking the perspective that those who apply for an interim visa have not maintained status.

If Big Tech companies are laying people off and not hiring, where are these people going to be able to get jobs to maintain their status? The ripple effects of this change are going to be felt everywhere.

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

• Dropbox CEO Drew Houston plans to step down as CEO after 19 years in the role.
• Houston named Ashraf Alkarmi as his co-CEO and eventual successor in a memo to employees on Tuesday.
• He shared how he knew Alkarmi was the right person for the job.

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston invoked an old and reliable piece of advice to choose his successor.

Houston told employees in a Tuesday memo that Dropbox named Ashraf Alkarmi as co-CEO and that Houston would be training him as his replacement. Following 19 years at the helm, Houston said he plans to step down as CEO after a transition period and become executive chairman.

The Dropbox cofounder said in the memo that the company's culture was in "good hands" with Alkarmi.

"Early in running Dropbox, someone gave me a piece of advice: before you hire anyone, ask yourself if you'd feel good about your little brother or sister working for this person (I didn't have kids at the time)," Houston wrote. "Ashraf is that leader."

He said Alkarmi cares deeply about the people doing the work, and "tells the truth even when it's hard and disagrees with me when I'm wrong."

Houston credited Alkarmi, who previously oversaw Dropbox's core business, with helping the company navigate challenging periods.

Just before Alkarmi joined Dropbox in November 2024, the company axed about 20% of its workforce due to softening demand and excess management.

Alkarmi has since overseen the launch of AI products, according to his LinkedIn profile. He said the company needs to keep "innovating aggressively" during the AI era in his own note to employees on Tuesday.

Read Houston's full memo from Tuesday below:

Subject: Congratulations Ashraf, our new co-CEO!

Hi team,

Today we're promoting Ashraf Alkarmi to co-CEO of Dropbox. Ashraf has done an incredible job transforming our core business, and I can't think of a better leader for Dropbox's next chapter. Ashraf and I will jointly lead the company, and after a transition period I'll move into the role of executive chairman and Ashraf will be the sole CEO.

I want to share why we're doing this and why now. Our business is in a stronger position than it's been in years, and a lot of that is because of Ashraf. He inherited a challenging setup when he took over our core business. Many inside and outside the company were skeptical that our trajectory could change, but Ashraf saw things differently. He made difficult and courageous calls, placed some smart bets, and those bets are paying off. While there's still plenty of important work ahead, the business has been getting stronger every quarter.

Early in running Dropbox, someone gave me a piece of advice: before you hire anyone, ask yourself if you'd feel good about your little brother or sister working for this person (I didn't have kids at the time.) Ashraf is that leader. He cares deeply about the work and he cares deeply about the people doing the work. He tells the truth even when it's hard and disagrees with me when I'm wrong. And anyone who has done karaoke with Ashraf at our offsites knows our culture is in good hands.

Ashraf has spent his whole career—at Amazon, at Vimeo, and before—building products for the creative and content-focused customers we serve. He's also been leading from the front on AI. Last December, while most of the world was on break, Ashraf was building prototypes with AI tools and pushing us to think bigger about what our products could become. I can't wait for our customers to see the next generation of the Dropbox experience.

Ashraf and I will be working side-by-side through the transition. I care about Dropbox as much as I ever have, and that's not going to change. My focus right now is making sure Dropbox is in the strongest possible shape. But knowing me, it won't be long before I'm getting credit card alerts for my Cursor token spend.

Please join me in congratulating Ashraf. We'll do an All Hands today at 10am PT where we'll take your questions, and we'll have more time together in the coming days.

Drew

Read Alkarmi's full memo:

Reply from Ashraf:

Hi team,

First, I want to say how grateful I am for the opportunity and trust that comes with this role. Dropbox is a company and product I've admired for a long time, and it's been incredibly rewarding to work alongside this team. I'm also beyond excited about this next chapter for Dropbox!

What's energized me most since joining Dropbox is the connection people have with our brand. I've heard it over and over in conversations with customers around the world, from creative teams at Sundance to long-time users who tell me Dropbox was one of the first products they ever paid for. Dropbox is a trusted home for their most important work, and that creates a real responsibility for us to keep improving the experience for them.

I'm really excited to double down on customer obsession and build products that solve hard, real problems for the people who rely on Dropbox every day. Our customers are asking us to do much more in the AI era, and we need to keep innovating aggressively to improve how work gets done.

As Drew said, we're in a much stronger position than we've been in years, and that progress is thanks to all of you. Over the last year and a half, we've gotten much clearer about our priorities, where we invest, and how we operate. We've built a much stronger foundation as a company, and that focus is showing up in our results and in how people are engaging with our products.

It gives me a lot of confidence in what's ahead for Dropbox, and I'm grateful to the teams across the company who've stepped up, taken ownership, and helped drive that transformation!

My commitment to you is that we'll be deliberate about where we're going and how we work. We're entering a new chapter where we'll be even more focused on our customers. We'll make decisions grounded in their needs and in the results we're seeing, and continue growing from the foundation we've put in place.

I have a lot of admiration and respect for the company Drew has built and the values that have shaped it over the years: customer obsession, trust, and integrity. Those things matter deeply to me as a leader, too.

Those values have also shaped how Drew and I work together. We've built a working relationship grounded in trust, truth telling, and doing what's best for our customers, and we'll continue working closely together through this next phase. We also both care about building a culture where people are kind, direct, and focused on customer impact.

Looking ahead, my priority is to give our leaders the support and clarity they need to stay focused and keep performing at this level. A big part of that is the strength we have across our executive team. We have an incredible group with strong operational experience who know our customers and know how to execute.

On that note, I'm really excited to share that Mike Torres will be joining Dropbox and our senior leadership team as our new Chief Product Officer on July 7. Mike brings deep experience leading and scaling products used by hundreds of millions of people, including leadership roles across Chrome, Kindle, and OneDrive, along with a strong track record of driving focus across large organizations. We'll share more on Mike and the Product Organization this week, with more details to follow this summer.

I know we have all the right ingredients to be successful: a trusted brand with more than 700 million global registered users, deep customer relationships, and employees who genuinely care about the quality of what we build.

I'm so excited about where we can go from here!

Looking forward to continuing the conversation at the All Hands shortly.

Ashraf

A Suprema Corte dos Estados Unidos desferiu mais um golpe contra empresas internacionais que ainda fazem negócios em Cuba: decidiu nesta quinta-feira a favor de uma empresa americana vítima de expropriação pelo governo castrista, baseada na proteção de uma lei de 1996 e reforçada na primeira gestão de Donald Trump.

Por 8 votos 1, os juízes decidiram que a empresa Havana Docks Corporation — que antes de 1960 possuía o direito de usar e operar os portos do porto da capital cubana – tem potencialmente direito a receber centenas de milhões de dólares pelo uso do porto por companhias internacionais de cruzeiro entre 2016 e 2019. A decisão atinge diretamente Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival e MSC.

Leia também: Como a cruzada de Trump contra Cuba jogou uma mineradora de 99 anos no caos

Entenda o caso

Em 1928, a Havana Docks Corporation, sediada nos EUA, adquiriu do governo cubano um direito de propriedade relacionado ao desenvolvimento e à operação de docas no Porto de Havana. Esse direito de propriedade, uma concessão de usufruto, tinha prazo determinado e estava previsto para expirar em 2004. Ou seja, o governo cubano concordou na época que, caso expropriasse as docas antes de 2004, compensaria a Havana Docks pelo valor das obras que a empresa havia construído.

Mas após Fidel Castro tomar o poder na ilha em 1959, o novo governo cubano decretou que tomaria à força propriedades e empresas de americanos em Cuba e identificou especificamente a Havana Docks., o que foi feito.

A Havana Docks apresentou uma reclamação à Comissão de Liquidação de Reivindicações Estrangeiras, que certificou aproximadamente US$ 9 milhões em perdas, mais juros anuais de 6%. Apesar dessas perdas certificadas, a Havana Docks não teve na época qualquer meio de obter essa compensação.

Leia também: Ex-presidente cubano Raúl Castro é indiciado nos EUA, diz agência

Lei Helms-Burton

Isso começou a mudar em 1996, quando o Congresso dos EUA promulgou a Lei de Liberdade e Solidariedade Democrática Cubana, conhecida como Lei Helms-Burton, que endureceu e consolidou o embargo ao país caribenho.

A legislação continha um dispositivo, o Título III, que criou um direito de ação privado para nacionais dos Estados Unidos que possuíam reivindicações sobre “propriedade que foi confiscada pelo governo cubano em ou após 1º de janeiro de 1959”.

Como havia a possibilidade de suspender esse dispositivo, as administrações dos presidentes Bill Clinton, George W. Bush e Barack Obama suspenderam continuamente esse direito de ação desde a sua entrada em vigor. Mas o presidente Trump permitiu que a suspensão do direito de ação do Título III expirasse em maio de 2019.

O fato é que, de 2016 a 2019, quatro companhias de cruzeiro comerciais — Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Carnival Corporation e MSC Cruises — transportaram quase um milhão de passageiros pagantes para Cuba, utilizando as docas construídas pela Havana Docks para embarcar e desembarcar seus passageiros.

Em 2019, a Havana Docks invocou o Título III e processou as companhias de cruzeiro no Tribunal Distrital dos Estados Unidos para o Distrito Sul da Flórida. As companhias de cruzeiro argumentaram que não eram responsáveis porque o direito de propriedade da Havana Docks teria expirado em 2004, mesmo na ausência de confisco.

O Tribunal Distrital rejeitou esse argumento e proferiu sentença sumária contra as quatro companhias de cruzeiro, condenando cada uma a pagar à Havana Docks mais de US$ 100 milhões.

O Tribunal de Apelações do Décimo Primeiro Circuito reformou essa decisão. Em sua visão, um réu só é responsável por traficar em propriedade confiscada se suas ações teriam interferido no direito de propriedade do autor caso não tivesse havido confisco. Nessa perspectiva, como a concessão da Havana Docks teria expirado antes de 2016, a conduta contestada das companhias de cruzeiro entre 2016 e 2019 não constituiria tráfico.

A decisão da Suprema Corte

Segundo a Suprema Corte, um Tribunal de Apelações interpretou a lei formulando um cenário contrafactual em que o governo cubano “nunca expropriou” a concessão da Havana Docks, uma vez que a concessão teria expirado em 2004”. Ou seja, considerou que a Havana Docks teria de entregar as docas nesse momento de qualquer forma. Assim, o tribunal da Flórida concluiu que a conduta das companhias de cruzeiro entre 2016 e 2019 não violou os direitos da Havana Docks e, portanto, não pode constituir tráfico sob o Título III da lei.

Mas os juízes da Suprema Corte decidiram nesta quinta-feira que essa abordagem contrafactual “é difícil de compreender e aplicar”. Para eles, se a abordagem exige que os tribunais presumam que o titular original manteve seus direitos legais, ela impediria a responsabilização em casos em que o texto a exige.

“Concluímos que as companhias de cruzeiro utilizaram propriedade confiscada sobre a qual a Havana Docks detém a reivindicação. Como o Tribunal de Apelações concluiu em sentido diverso, ele não examinou os demais argumentos das companhias de cruzeiro contra a responsabilização. Esses argumentos não estão submetidos à nossa apreciação e não os analisamos. Assim, anulamos a decisão do Tribunal de Apelações e remetemos o caso para novas deliberações em conformidade com esta opinião”, diz a decisão.

The post Negócios com Cuba na mira: Suprema Corte dos EUA decide contra cias. de cruzeiro appeared first on InfoMoney.

Na estampa da tradicional camiseta de mangas compridas que se tornou moda entre produtores rurais, a bandeira do Brasil e as cores verde e amarela dividem espaço com o nome do ex-presidente da República. É comum encontrar “Jair Bolsonaro“, condenado e em prisão domiciliar por tentativa de golpe, escrito e homenageado nas vestimentas desses apoiadores que visitam feiras agrícolas pelo país.

Entre elas, está a Agrishow, que acontece esta semana em Ribeirão Preto (SP). Em um evento na principal feira do agronegócio da América Latina, dois discípulos de Jair Bolsonaro – seu filho e sucessor político Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) e o governador de São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos) – se tornaram coadjuvantes do ex-presidente.

Ambos fizeram questão de falar mais do líder da direita nos discursos a uma plateia de apoiadores e políticos, do que deles próprios. “Quem deveria estar aqui não deveria ser eu, deveria ser o presidente Jair Bolsonaro”, afirmou Flávio Bolsonaro.

Durante sua fala, o senador classificou o pai algumas vezes como injustiçado e perseguido político, assim como, segundo ele, é seu irmão Eduardo Bolsonaro. O ex-deputado federal reside, desde o ano passado, nos Estados Unidos e tenta influenciar o governo norte-americano a impor sanções políticas e econômicas contra o governo brasileiro.

Segundo Flávio Bolsonaro, “a reforma agrária do País foi feita por Bolsonaro, com mais de 420 mil títulos de propriedade urbana e rural (concedidos)”. O senador chegou a dizer que durante o governo do pai, o Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) teve seus ativistas “tratados como seres humanos”.

Ex-ministro de Jair Bolsonaro, Tarcísio seguiu o senador e lembrou do apoio recebido pelo ex-presidente em 2022, quando ainda era candidato ao governo paulista. Saudoso, citou quando, na mesma época há quatro anos “entrei nessa feira montado a cavalo ao lado do presidente Bolsonaro” e agora participa da Agrishow com o filho “01” do ex-presidente.

“Aprendi muito com seu pai, estar hoje com você é manter o legado vivo. Você pode contar com esse exército”, afirmou o governador paulista para Flávio e uma plateia de apoiadores.

As citações a Jair Bolsonaro só dividiram espaço com as críticas ao governo federal, liderado pelo ex-presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Pré-candidato à reeleição, Lula foi alvo de duras críticas da Flávio, Tarcísio e de políticos apoiadores.

“O que vemos sair da boca dele, o que o coração está cheio é de ódio. (Lula) É uma pessoa que não aprendeu com nada na vida e está perseguindo adversários políticos”, afirmou o senador. Coube ao secretário de Agricultura do Estado de São Paulo, Geraldo Melo Filho, mais um discípulo de Jair Bolsonaro, os ataques mais pesados ao governo.

Ex-presidente do Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária (Incra) no governo do ex-presidente, Melo Filho criticou o anúncio feito ontem pelo atual vice-presidente Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), na abertura oficial da Agrishow, de liberação de R$ 10 bilhões em linhas de financiamento para compra de máquinas.

“Um crédito fantasma, que não existe, anunciado pelo governo. Mais uma decepção de mais uma promessa, sem juro definido, sem prazo, sem direcionamento”, disse o secretário. Segundo Alckmin, as regras dessa linha de crédito serão definidas em maio.

Ainda de acordo com o secretário de Agricultura paulista, o Plano Agrícola e Pecuário “perdeu a relevância” e a “função” e se tornou uma “peça de ficção” durante o atual governo. “O recurso do seguro rural não resiste ao primeiro contingenciamento”, completou.

Tradicional crítico, o presidente Frente Parlamentar da Agricultura e Pecuária (FPA), deputado federal Pedro Lupion (PP-PR), engrossou o coro de elogios a Bolsonaro e ataques ao governo federal.

“Com Bolsonaro, o agro era respeitado, havia previsibilidade e um governo que estendia a mão ao produtor”, disse. “Não há segurança jurídica, não há crédito, os juros reais passam dos 20% e dinheiro para investimento não existe”, concluiu Lupion.

Após o evento e da entrevista coletiva a jornalistas na qual se repetiram as críticas ao presidente e ao governo federal, Flávio Bolsonaro e Tarcísio visitaram a feira e se tornaram o centro das atenções dos visitantes da Agrishow por algumas horas. Muitos deles com as camisas de mangas comprida, com detalhes em verde e amarelo e o nome de Jair Bolsonaro escrito.

• John Ternus, Apple's new CEO, has a background in hardware engineering.
• Oculus inventor Palmer Luckey unearthed a VR headset from Ternus's time at Virtual Research in the '90s.
• Ternus left the small VR company in 2001 before joining Apple the same year.

Apple's John Ternus is a 25-year veteran of the tech giant, but one of his first engineering gigs was at a lesser-known company building virtual reality headsets.

Defense startup founder and Oculus headset creator Palmer Luckey reminisced on X about a product that Ternus, who is set to become Apple's CEO in September, might've had a hand in during his early engineering days.

Luckey posted a photo of an old V8 head mount display from Virtual Research.

"From what I can tell, he was the lead mechanical engineer on the V8 I obtained when I was 16!," Luckey wrote, referring to Ternus.

"It was an incredible headset for the time," Luckey told Business Insider.

He described the headset as well-balanced and relatively lightweight, with a field of vision that was ahead of that of other consumer products at the time. It mainly sold to military flight simulators for around $50,000, Luckey said.

Ternus and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A user guide for the V8 published online suggests the model was released in 1998, when Ternus would've been working at the company. He was an engineer at Virtual Research from 1997 to 2001, and joined Apple later that year, according to his LinkedIn profile.

A patent filed in 1995 and issued in 1998, during Ternus's time at Virtual Research, describes a similar-looking product, a virtual display apparatus for use in a virtual reality system. It supported the attachment of video displays.

Ternus is best known today as Apple's hardware boss, notably for working on AirPods and the iPad among other products, and as the incoming CEO.

His appointment marks the return to a product-minded chief like Steve Jobs. Current CEO Tim Cook's background is in operations.

The tech giant made its debut in the high-tech headset market in 2024 with the Vision Pro, which received a lukewarm response from the public. Its $3,500 price tag and lack of a killer app didn't wow consumers. At that point, Ternus had been in the senior vice president of hardware engineering role for three years.

Despite an underwhelming response to the Vision Pro, execs like Cook and Ternus remain optimistic about the product and the future of VR.

"Vision Pro is an extraordinary product," Ternus said in a Tom's Guide interview earlier this month. "It's like we reached into the future and pulled it into the present."

• Bought a Tesla before 2023? Bad news: your car won't be able to drive itself.
• Elon Musk said last week that vehicles with previous-gen tech can't support full autonomy.
• Longtime Tesla owners told Business Insider they felt let down by the company's announcement.

For years, Tesla sold its EVs with the promise of an autonomous future. Now, some owners face being left behind.

On Tesla's earnings call last Wednesday, Elon Musk said that Tesla vehicles shipped before 2023 — which are equipped with a previous-gen Hardware 3 computer — would not be able to achieve fully unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD).

"I wish it were otherwise, but Hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD," said Musk.

The billionaire said that Tesla would offer Hardware 3 owners the choice of a "discounted trade-in" or a physical replacement of their car's computer and cameras at "micro factories" in major cities.

The announcement is a major blow for longtime Tesla owners, who paid thousands of dollars and have been waiting for years under the impression that their vehicles have the tech necessary to achieve fully autonomous driving.

As far back as 2016, Tesla stated in marketing materials that all its vehicles had the necessary hardware for "full self-driving capability at a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver."

In a 2019 tweet, Musk said that all Tesla vehicles produced since 2016 had the right hardware for FSD or were "trivially upgradeable."

"It feels like a bait and switch at this point," Andrew Apperley, who bought a used 2018 Model 3 with FSD for $53,000 in 2023, told Business Insider.

"They kind of shot themselves in the foot by saying that this is going to come, and then it never does," Apperley said, adding that he felt like Hardware 3 customers would find it hard to trust Tesla and Musk's promises in the future after waiting in vain for unsupervised FSD.

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

Autonomy angst

Rick Flashman, who paid $10,000 for FSD when he bought his Model 3 in 2022, told Business Insider that, despite receiving increasingly generous trade-in offers from Tesla, he was not interested in swapping out his EV for a vehicle with up-to-date hardware.

"My car's in great shape. It's got 73,000 miles, it's driving perfectly, so I have no reason to upgrade it," Flashman said.

The Florida resident said that FSD was one of the main reasons he bought a Tesla, adding that he uses it for "over 90%" of his driving.

Hardware 3 vehicles in the US run a more limited version of FSD, with Tesla planning to release a "lite" variant of FSD version 14 for older vehicles in June.

Despite his car's limited capabilities, Flashman said he was well satisfied with the tech and is happy to wait for the overhaul Musk promised on Wednesday.

"It might take another year, but I'm one of the ones who's just waiting it out," he said.

"I wish it were sooner, obviously. But I don't feel like I was ripped off," Flashman added.

Matt Simmons, a Tesla owner who bought his Model 3 Performance in 2019, told Business Insider he added FSD for an extra $6,000 because he was curious about the hype. Seven years later, he says he rarely uses the feature.

"It kind of sucks, if I'm being honest," said Simmons, who said he doesn't use FSD on highway trips because of issues with the software's speed control.

Simmons said that he was not surprised by Musk's comments, pointing to the Tesla CEO's track record of making ambitious predictions for self-driving cars have often failed to fully pan out.

"We realize we're being strung along at this point," Simmons said.

The Pittsburgh resident described his Tesla as "long paid for" and said he had no intention of trading it in for a more advanced model.

"That would mean I'd have to buy another Tesla," said Simmons, who said he was hoping that rival EV maker Rivian would offer a similar deal for disenfranchised FSD owners.

Backlash goes global

Some Hardware 3 owners are done waiting for the software they paid thousands of dollars for years ago.

Tesla is already facing several lawsuits in the US from owners who say they were misled by the company's FSD marketing, and the backlash is starting to go global.

Earlier this month, Tesla finally received the green light to launch FSD in the Netherlands, marking the tech's debut in Europe after a yearlong campaign to woo regulators.

However, the rollout in the Netherlands excluded Hardware 3 owners, prompting Mischa Sigtermans, an executive at Amsterdam-based Ryde Ventures, to start a website to gather European Tesla owners for potential legal action.

Nearly 4,000 verified Tesla owners have now signed up to Sigtermans' website.

The Model 3 owner, who paid 6,400 euros ($7,530) for FSD in 2019, told Business Insider that Musk's comments confirmed many owners' worst fears, and said that the proposed solution of a discounted trade-in would simply make owners "pay for the same broken promise twice."

"Musk said out loud what many of us have been saying for months, if not years," said Sigtermans. "The admission is there, the solution isn't."

• The suspect traveled from Los Angeles to Washington by train with two guns, an official said.
• President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated and are safe.
• The accused man will be formally charged in federal court on Monday.

The suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner traveled from Los Angeles to Washington by train and checked into the hotel where the event was held — with two guns and a plan to target Trump administration officials, the nation's top prosecutor said on Sunday.

"We know that there were some writings, and we've already spoken with several witnesses who knew him," Todd Blanche, the acting US attorney general, said on NBC News' "Meet the Press."

Blanche stressed several times during the interview that the information about the suspect, widely identified by media citing law enforcement officials as Cole Allen, was "very preliminary."

Blanche said the suspect will be formally charged in federal court on Monday morning and faces at least two felonies — assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm during that assault — that relate to a Secret Service agent who was shot at but protected by his armored vest.

No one else was injured during the chaotic incident at the Washington Hilton, where hundreds of journalists and government officials — including Trump, the first lady, Vice President JD Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson — were gathered for the annual celebration of a free press.

The shooting has raised questions about the level of security at the event, which Trump boycotted in his first term and last year. He was quickly hustled off stage and evacuated to the White House after the shots rang out.

A security video posted by Trump on Truth Social hours after the shooting showed an individual running past security officers outside the main doors of the event. Officers in the video could be seen trying to grab the man, then drawing their weapons and pointing their guns at him.

In a press conference following the incident, Trump said a Secret Service agent was shot in his bulletproof vest and said that "he's in great shape."

What we know about the suspect

Photos of the shooter posted online by Trump on Saturday night appear to match the LinkedIn profile and other photos of Allen. Authorities have not publicly named him, and Business Insider has not independently confirmed his identity.

Allen, 31, of Torrance, describes himself on his LinkedIn as a "mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth."

His current job is listed as part-time tutor at C2 Education, which provides "personalized support designed to improve test scores, strengthen academic skills, and help students reach their full potential." He graduated from CalTech in 2017 and earned his master's in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025.

Jeffrey Carroll, the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said in a press conference following the president's remarks that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives when he tried to bypass a security checkpoint at the event.

The suspect was not struck by gunfire and was transported to a hospital for evaluation, Carroll said.

In remarks after the incident, Trump described the suspect as a "sick person" who had been "totally subdued and under control."

Inside the room when the shooting occurred

The incident occurred after 8:30 p.m. Friday night, shortly after Trump took his seat.

There was suddenly shouting in front of the stage, according to Tim Röhn, the senior editor of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, who attended the event. Business Insider is part of the network.

Röhn reported that pushing and chaos broke out, people started running, guests threw themselves to the floor, and hid under tables. From behind the curtains onstage, heavily armed officers emerged and pointed their rifles at the crowd.

Guests needed a screenshot of an invitation to gain access to the premises and the building, Röhn reported. Photo ID wasn't required. Inside, Secret Service agents patrolled in some areas with dogs, and there was an airport-style security checkpoint in front of the ballroom. Jackets did not need to be removed for security checks.

CBS senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, the president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said law enforcement had requested that everyone leave the premises "consistent with protocol," and that Trump "insists" the event be rescheduled within 30 days.

Röhn reported that, following Jiang's remarks, attendees started leaving the venue.

Suspect to be arraigned on Monday

Blanche said law enforcement had worked through the night to piece together information about the suspect and had obtained warrants to examine his devices in their search for a motive.

"We believe he was targeting administration officials in this attack," Blanche told "Meet the Press," adding, "Obviously, President Trump is a member of the administration."

He added, "It does appear he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president, but I want to wait and not get ahead of us on that."

Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, who was at the dinner, said at a press conference that her office would consider terrorism charges if the investigation revealed evidence sufficient to sustain them.

Responding to reporters' questions during his press conference, Trump advocated for the man to be sentenced to life in prison.

'Praying for our country tonight'

Until the start of the event, it was unclear when Trump would appear and how long he would stay.

Though Trump appeared as a private citizen and media personality in 2011 and 2015, he boycotted the White House Correspondents' Dinner during his first term.

The Washington Hilton hotel, long the site of the annual dinner, is where President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt, just steps outside the hotel after addressing a labor gathering.

Trump was the target of two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign, including a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left him injured, and a separate incident at one of his Florida golf courses in which a suspect was apprehended and later sentenced to life in prison.

Video shows a man believed to be the shooter at the White House Correspondents Association dinner being detained by security on Saturday, April 25. FBI officials told Reuters the man fired at a Secret Service agent.

• Apple's outgoing CEO, Tim Cook, expanded the iPhone's size during his tenure, delighting some fans.
• The standard iPhone grew from 3.5 inches to over 6 inches, and Cook introduced larger-format models.
• Cofounder Steve Jobs initially dismissed the larger phones, calling them impractical.

Apple's outgoing CEO, Tim Cook, proved his predecessor, Steve Jobs, wrong: some people love a large iPhone.

Jobs, the cofounder and driving force behind the iPhone, once knocked smartphones larger than 4 inches. "You can't get your hand around it," he said in a 2010 press conference. "No one's going to buy that."

When Cook took the reins in 2011, he began expanding the iPhone's size. In 2012, the release of the iPhone 5 increased the phone's screen size from 3.5 inches to 4 inches. Later base models reached up to 5.8 inches before landing at around 6.3 inches in the latest iteration, the iPhone 17.

Cook also introduced larger-format iPhones, starting with the Plus series in 2014, which had a display size of 5.5 inches that year.

Cook deftly leaned into larger models as the world turned to video streaming and on-the-go viewing. Netflix, for example, shifted its business around 2011 to focus more on streaming, and YouTube was growing rapidly around that time.

In 2025, Apple introduced its largest iPhone model yet, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which topped out at 6.9 inches.

The shift to larger sizes has been working out for Apple. Cook said in January that iPhone demand was "staggering" and "unprecedented" in the holiday quarter. Apple posted $85 billion in iPhone revenue for the period.

Early data also showed that demand for the 17 Pro Max was stronger in the first two weeks of availability than other models in the 17 lineup, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research.

Apple's larger-format phones are an example of how the tech giant prioritizes putting its own spin on technology rather than being first-to-market with an idea.

"We could have done a larger iPhone years ago," Cook told PBS News' Charlie Rose in 2014. "It's never been about just making a larger phone. It's been about making a better phone in every single way."

Thanks, Tim.

• Courtney Clapper started applying for jobs in 2025 after graduating from Cornell Tech.
• She tried video cover letters, portfolios, and more to stand out, but had no luck.
• A hack on Reddit helped her get in contact with hiring managers and land her strategy lead job.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Courtney Clapper, a 32-year-old strategy lead for a major retailer in New York. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I started my job hunt in the fall of 2025, a few months after graduating with my MBA from Cornell Tech. I was applying for a mix of roles, such as product manager or digital strategist, and I knew the competition would be fierce in this tough job market.

From portfolios to video cover letters, I tried all sorts of creative methods to stand out and show off my personality, but they didn't work. A simple, free AI tool that locates hiring managers' emails landed me multiple interviews — and a job.

Video cover letters were a great start for me

My first thought process when entering the job market was to imagine myself as a recruiter, getting slammed with thousands of résumés filled with data and numbers.

I figured it would be in my best interest to give them a sense of what makes me stand out: my personality. So, I recorded myself reading my AI-written cover letters, throwing in a joke or two, and attached the video via a private YouTube link.

The video tells the recruiters I can speak and present well, and it gives them a sense of who I am. This approach helped me land an interview at Microsoft. They specifically called out the video, saying it made them feel like they already knew me, which I thought was pretty good feedback.

I still wanted to try several different creative ideas.

Next, I decided to make something more visual — a portfolio

My portfolio was in the form of a timeline. It included pictures of all professional endeavors I thought could help me land a job, from products I've built and my time at Cornell to pictures of me pitching. My goal was to showcase my skill set and personality while also creating something more visually interesting.

I'd also heard of people getting jobs by putting together a slideshow on how they'd improve the company, so I gave it a shot, and it didn't really get me anywhere. Neither of these strategies was worth the time commitment they required.

Referrals also got me nowhere. I have a solid network, and that wasn't making a difference. Interestingly, I applied for a bunch of roles at Microsoft, and the only one I got an interview for was the one I didn't have a referral for.

I came across a job-finding hack on Reddit

I was reading comments on Reddit from people complaining about their job-hunting struggles, and I saw a few people saying they found success by reaching out to hiring managers directly.

Some people said they cold-called, which made me think, "Okay, that's a little bit too far," but the emphasis was just to reach out. The idea of emailing them seemed low-risk, so I decided to give it a shot.

I started by researching on LinkedIn, trying to guess who the hiring manager or recruiter might be. Sometimes it was listed, but it wasn't the best method. Then I came across a Reddit comment about Apollo AI, a free tool that can locate hiring manager emails. I found it to be pretty accurate, so I started reaching out with my résumé and cover letter. It was a game changer.

The CEO of Sweetgreen responded to my email

My messages showed initiative and, honestly, probably just made things easier for the hiring manager. I reached out to three people directly and got interviewed for two jobs.

I even emailed the CEO of Sweetgreen directly, and he responded by putting me in touch with the hiring manager to schedule an interview.

One of my email reachouts turned into my current job, a strategy lead role for a major retailer. This strategy made things more efficient because I already had a direct line of contact, so it was easy to follow up if there was a delay.

I didn't get any negative feedback about it and would do it again

I was wondering if anyone might be weirded out about me finding their emails, but no one said anything. They could find it creepy, but they could also find it resourceful.

If I were back in the job market, I'd start with the email strategy. The exercise of thinking through creative approaches like portfolios and video cover letters was fun and got me thinking about how to present my personality most effectively, but ultimately, getting in direct contact was the best way to be competitive.

Do you have a story to share about a unique job-finding hack? If so, please reach out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.

Na última semana de abril de agenda lotada de dados fiscais e mercado de trabalho no Brasil, em 72 horas, seis bancos centrais darão seu recado sobre os impactos econômicos do conflito no Oriente Médio que completará dois meses. E que está longe de acabar, apesar do cessar-fogo por tempo indefinido anunciado por Donald Trump. […]

O post Bancos centrais mandam “recado” sobre a guerra (e ele não é nada bom) apareceu primeiro em NeoFeed.

O pacote de medidas anunciado pelo governo para conter os preços dos combustíveis e gás de cozinha em função do custo do petróleo no mercado internacional – em alta de 59% no ano, embora em leve desaceleração pelo cessar-fogo provisório acordado entre EUA e Irã – não blinda o estado de ânimo do consumidor. Positivo, mas […]

O post Inflação de alimentos e cautela com juro colocam “otimismo” do consumidor em xeque apareceu primeiro em NeoFeed.

O presidente nacional do PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, cobrou a entrada “para valer” da ex-primeira-dama Michelle Bolsonaro na campanha do senador Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) a presidente da República. Em um painel no 12º Brazil Investment Forum, realizado pelo Bradesco BBI em São Paulo (SP), o líder político admitiu, no entanto, que não será fácil o empenho dela, que já manifestou sua preferência ao governador de São Paulo e candidato à reeleição, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos).

“Esperamos que ela entre na campanha para valer e para ajudar nosso Flávio a ser presidente do Brasil. Não vai ser fácil”, afirmou Costa Neto. Ele repetiu que o PL só perderá a eleição em 2026 por incapacidade e pelos desentendimentos internos .

O presidente do PL afirmou que atuará pessoalmente para tentar pacificar a relação entre o deputado federal Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) e o ex-deputado federal Eduardo Bolsonaro, que rotineiramente trocam ataques pelas redes sociais.

“Amanhã (8) vou jantar com Nikolas Ferreira, que é o maior fenômeno eleitoral do Brasil. Dia 19 vou para Miami conversar com Eduardo para não ter mais desentendimento. Vou conversar com cada um”, afirmou o presidente do PL. “Só perderemos a eleição por incapacidade, pelos desentendimentos”.

Costa Neto comparou os dois desafetos ao prever que Nikolas irá bater o recorde de histórico de votos para deputado federal no Brasil em 2026, que pertence a Eduardo Bolsonaro em 2018. “Ele vai bater recorde de votação 1,8 milhão de votos do Eduardo e vai passar de 2 milhões de votos”, disse.

Ciro Gomes e Sérgio Moro

Costa Neto defendeu também a aliança do partido com antigos desafetos e citou Ciro Gomes (PSDB), pré-candidato ao governo do Ceará, e o senador e ex-ministro Sergio Moro, que deixou o União e se filiou ao PL, no Paraná para disputar o governo local.

“Nós temos que fazer aliança com Ciro Gomes no Ceará, que o único com condições de bater o PT lá. Ciro briga com todo mundo, com a mãe, irmã, e até comigo. Mas tinha processos contra ele e retirei todos”, afirmou.

O presidente do PL lembrou que Moro deixou o Ministério da Justiça, durante o governo de Jair Bolsonaro “atacando todo mundo, até a mim”, mas superou o passado e será o nome do PL à sucessão de Ratinho Junior no Paraná. “O Moro tinha 40% nas pesquisas e foi só ir para o PL que chegou aos 60%”, afirmou Costa Neto sem citar qual pesquisa.

‘Nordeste é o nosso desastre‘

Outra missão da campanha do PL será, segundo o presidente nacional do partido, será ganhar votos no Nordeste, base eleitoral do atual presidente e candidato à reeleição Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). “Nosso desastre é o Nordeste”, afirmou, citando como exemplo a Bahia, onde Jair Bolsonaro perdeu por 6 milhões de votos em 2022 para Lula.

Para 2026, além da aposta em Ciro Gomes no Ceará, Costa Neto citou o nome de ACM Neto (União Brasil) na Bahia, como nomes fortes para o PL apoiar no Nordeste. Costa Neto repetiu que o partido prevê eleger entre 115 e 120 deputados federais e 25 senadores.

Com a aliança com partidos de centro e de direita, o PL poderia atingir 45 senadores, ter a maioria e eleger o próximo presidente do Senado.

Anestesiado pelo ingresso de R$ 53,4 bilhões de investidores estrangeiros para aplicação em ações na B3 neste ano – melhor resultado trimestral desde 2022, quando, segundo a consultoria Elos Ayta, R$ 65,3 bilhões aportaram na bolsa – o mercado acompanha a estreia do Brasil em “novo” calendário, a partir de domingo, 5 de abril. No […]

O post Guerra e eleição pesam e mercado revê inflação. Mas “gringos” colocam R$ 53 bilhões na B3 apareceu primeiro em NeoFeed.

• President Trump will be the first sitting US president to have his signature on the nation's currency.
• The move is symbolic of the nation's "fiscal strength" under Trump, the Treasury announced Thursday.
• Since Trump took office, the dollar has fallen amid sweeping tariffs and global conflict.

The US Treasury Department announced Thursday that President Donald Trump's signature will appear on future US paper currency, marking the first time a sitting president's name will be printed on American bills.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a press release, framed the move as symbolic, saying US currency should reflect the country's economic standing under Trump's leadership and serve as a marker of the nation's "fiscal strength and stability."

The decision breaks with long-standing precedent. For more than a century, US banknotes have carried the signatures of Treasury officials — not the president.

The Treasury said the move was to commemorate the coming 250th anniversary of American independence, as the administration pursues a broader effort to mark the milestone through currency and coin redesigns.

New bills bearing Trump's signature, along with that of the Treasury Secretary, will begin being issued at the semiquincentennial, the Treasury said. It's unclear which bills will bear Trump's signature or how long the initiative is expected to last.

"The decision for Trump to end years of precedent of Treasury Secretaries signing bills is another piece of evidence that Trump is trying to brand everything in his name, even though it is unusual and in the mold of what more undemocratic leaders typically do in other countries," Christian Grose, a professor of political science and public policy at the University of Southern California, told Business Insider.

Grose said the move risks making using cash a partisan act, potentially making Trump's supporters more enthusiastic about cash payments, and Democrats more likely to use electronic payments.

The US dollar has faced downward pressure in recent months, driven in part by sweeping tariffs that have rattled global trade and increased import costs, as well as the ongoing war in Iran, which has heightened geopolitical risk and unsettled currency markets.

Economists have warned that both factors can weaken demand for the dollar by slowing growth and increasing uncertainty.

O Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) formou, na tarde desta quinta-feira (26), maioria para rejeitar a decisão do ministro André Mendonça de prorrogar os trabalhos da Comissão Parlamentar Mista de Inquérito (CPMI) do Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS). Até o início da noite, seis ministros votaram contra e dois, – Mendonça e Luiz Fux – votaram para que o STF determinasse a prorrogação por 60 dias.

Flávio Dino, Alexandre de Moraes, Cristiano Zanin, Nunes Marques, Cármen Lúcia e Dias Toffoli votaram contra a prorrogação e basicamente sustentaram que o tema cabe ao Congresso Nacional. A ação pela prorrogação foi apresentada pelo senador Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG), presidente da CPMI e pelos deputados Alfredo Gaspar (União-AL), relator e Marcel Van Hattem (Novo-RS).

Mendonça acatou a ação, foi favorável ao pedido, mas encaminhou o processo ao plenário, que rejeitou a prorrogação. Com isso, o relatório da CPMI deve ser lido nesta sexta-feira (27) e a votação deve ocorrer até sábado (28), prazo final regimental para o encerramento da comissão.

O relatório de Alfredo Gaspar tem mais de 5 mil páginas e cerca de 220 pedidos de indiciamento. O relator disse que ainda analisa a possibilidade de Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, o Lulinha, ser incluído entre as duas centenas de nomes.

O presidente do colegiado, senador Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG), porém, trabalha para aprovar um relatório de consenso entre governo e oposição de modo a impedir uma derrota na votação do parecer no sábado.

• TSA agents are a hot topic as scores quit and call out sick during the partial government shutdown.
• Agents undergo up to six months of rigorous training to ensure they can spot prohibited items.
• Take Business Insider's quiz and see if you know what you can — and can't — bring on the plane.

Do you have what it takes to be a TSA agent?

Transportation security officers don't only screen passengers and luggage, but also ask travelers security questions and look out for suspicious activity.

From the X-ray machine to pat-downs, it takes substantial training to ensure agents can spot prohibited items. Becoming a TSA agent takes four to six months.

And sometimes, what's prohibited might not be as obvious as you think. While there are definite no-nos — like weapons — other banned items are a little more unexpected.

With that in mind, Business Insider created a quiz on passengers bringing items through airport security and take into the cabin with them.

Try it below to see if you know what's allowed and what's not in your carry-on:

TSA issues persist

Staffing shortages are causing enormous lines at airport security checkpoints right now and putting severe pressure on TSA workers.

Large numbers have been calling out since the partial government shutdown began on February 14, which stopped TSA staff from being paid. More than 400 have quit entirely.

The Department of Homeland Security says this leaves "critical gaps in staffing."

"TSA simply cannot afford to lose its screening workforce as it takes four to six months to train new recruits."

During the shutdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been deployed to 14 US airports.

That's drawn criticism from many in the aviation industry, including flight attendants' unions, which accused politicians of using workers as "pawns in this dangerous game" in a Sunday statement.

On Tuesday, the Association of Flight Attendants created an online reporting form for its members to flag incidents, like ICE agents "doing work they are not trained to do, such as screening passengers and baggage."

• Elon Musk said that Tesla and SpaceX would collaborate on a moonshot Terafab chip-building project.
• Tesla has posted its first Terafab roles in California and Texas, and is offering a wide salary range.
• SpaceX is also ramping up hiring at its silicon division as it looks to bring chip production in-house.

Tesla and SpaceX are ramping up semiconductor hiring as Elon Musk's ambitious plans for a Terafab take shape.

Tesla is hiring Terafab engineers in Palo Alto and Austin, according to job listings on the company's website, after Musk said the company would collaborate with SpaceX to build what could be the largest chip manufacturing plant in history.

In California, the EV giant is looking for module process engineers with expertise in lithography, the highly technical discipline that uses ultraviolet light to etch chip designs onto silicon wafers at a molecular scale. It is offering a base salary of $88,000 to $240,000, depending on experience and other factors.

Applicants need to have at least 10 years of experience in cutting-edge semiconductor development.

The job listing suggests they would also need to be comfortable with Tesla's famously intense work culture, with expectations including a willingness to be on-call to "support 24/7 manufacturing operations" and respond rapidly to "critical production issues."

At the Terafab announcement on Saturday, Musk said the facility would create lithography masks — the quartz or glass template that contains the chip design imprinted onto the wafer — in-house, allowing Tesla and SpaceX to quickly iterate and improve chip designs.

"To the best of my knowledge, this doesn't exist anywhere in the world," said Musk, who added that the companies were exploring "some very interesting new physics" to make the project work.

Tesla's Terafab division is also hiring process integration engineers to build advanced logic chips, with base salaries ranging from $88,000 to $338,280. Musk has said Terafab will combine logic and memory chip production under a single roof, something that is highly unusual in the chipmaking industry.

The wide salary range is in line with Tesla's approach to compensation. Business Insider previously reported that the company offers lower base salaries than its tech giant rivals, but includes substantial stock grants.

Tesla is also advertising open roles for silicon engineers in Austin, and is looking to recruit a technical program manager with a proven track record of running "$100 million-plus capex projects" to oversee the design and construction of the fabs. Neither job listing includes base salaries.

Tesla faces talent scramble over Terafab

Recruitment will be one of the biggest challenges facing Musk's ambitious goal of building one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers from scratch. The industry relies on specialized knowledge that is carefully cultivated within leading companies like TSMC. It's also facing a global shortage of skilled workers.

SpaceX is scaling up its semiconductor hiring as the rocket maker prepares to launch up to one million orbital data centers, powered by AI chips built by Terafab that are specially adapted for the icy wastes of space.

The company has around 60 open positions in its Silicon division, according to SpaceX's website, though it's unclear which of these roles — if any — are directly related to Terafab.

They include assembly and packaging engineers at its Starlink factory in Bastrop, Texas, where the company invested $280 million last year to expand its semiconductor R&D and packaging facilities, as well as engineers in Washington and California to develop "cutting-edge" specialist chips for deployment in space and on Earth.

"In true SpaceX fashion, Starlink is taking the next step in vertical integration by bringing integrated circuit packaging and assembly in-house for development and manufacturing," read the descriptions on the Bastrop job listings, which do not include salaries.

SpaceX and Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

Do you work at Tesla or in the semiconductor industry? Contact this reporter via email at tcarter@businessinsider.com or tcarter.41 on Signal. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Salesforce is skipping raises for director-level and above employees this year, according to an internal memo.
• The company said it is increasing stock and bonus pools for its "highest performing individuals."
• Employees will find out about their pay during reviews, which start at the end of this month.

Salesforce isn't offering raises this year to employees at the director level and above, according to an internal email viewed by Business Insider.

"We have decided to focus merit increases at the Senior Manager level (grade 8) and below," states the email, sent by the company's human-resources team.

Instead of giving raises, the company said it is increasing stock and bonus pools for its "highest performing individuals" among upper-level employees, calling it part of an "investment in performance and long-term growth."

Employees will learn about their compensation during performance reviews, which begin at the end of March.

Salesforce's decision could reflect a broader shift in how Big Tech is paying senior talent. Instead of increasing base pay, some companies are increasingly tying compensation to stock performance and equity, preserving cash while still incentivizing top leaders. Meta just announced this week that it created a lucrative incentive system for stock for a number of its C-suite executives.

Salesforce stock is down about 37% over the past year. CEO Marc Benioff recently downplayed fears about AI's threat to software-as-a-service companies. Those fears have prompted recent sell-offs of software stocks.

The email stated that 10% more directors and senior directors are getting stock grants, that the average stock grant increased, and that 80% of directors and senior directors who received "highly successful" or "exceptional" performance ratings received a 20% to 40% bigger grant.

The pool for bonuses "is funded at 103%," the email stated. Most eligible directors and senior directors received 100% or more of their bonus, and all of the directors and senior directors who received the top performance ratings got 115% to 140% of their bonuses.

Salesforce laid off some employees around the start of its fiscal year Feb. 1. Those cuts affected fewer than 1,000 employees, according to a person familiar with them. Around that time, the company also hired or promoted six new leaders, replacing five high-profile leaders who had recently announced departures from the company.

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

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang urged all workers, from farmers to electricians, to embrace AI.
• He told podcaster Lex Fridman that the technology could elevate blue-collar jobs, such as carpentry.
• Blue-collar has generally been viewed as less likely to be affected by AI disruption than white-collar jobs.

Artificial intelligence isn't only coming for office jobs — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says blue-collar workers should be paying attention, too.

Huang leads one of the biggest chipmakers fueling the AI revolution. He joined Lex Fridman's podcast in an episode published Monday to discuss everything from AI in space to work.

While blue-collar jobs have been considered relatively safe from AI disruption compared to tech roles like engineering, Huang said workers in every profession, including farming and electrical work, should use artificial intelligence to help future-proof their jobs.

"If I were a farmer, I would absolutely use AI. If I were a pharmacist, I would use AI," Huang said. "I want to see what it could do to elevate my job so that I could be the innovator to revolutionize this industry myself."

For example, he said coding represents a big opportunity for carpenters, and he would go "completely berserk" using AI if he were in that line of work.

"A carpenter with AI is also an architect," he said. "They've just increased the value that they could deliver to the customer. Their artistry just elevated tremendously."

Huang has said before that he is "certain 100% of everybody's jobs will be changed" by artificial intelligence, and that while he expects some jobs to be lost, many will also be created.

Many tasks, for example, will be automated, and those jobs will be highly disrupted, he said on Fridman's podcast.

But, he said, "If your job's purpose includes you … then it's vital that you go learn how to use AI to automate those tasks."

Anxiety grows alongside AI

As AI advances, so has anxiety around job security. The fears aren't unfounded. Companies have slashed thousands of jobs in the name of prioritizing new technology and automation.

Huang's solution: Become an expert in AI, no matter what your job function is.

It could be the difference between landing a job and ending up unemployed. In almost every case, Huang said he'd rather hire the candidate who's an AI expert over one who isn't.

"Every college student should graduate and be an expert in AI," Huang said.

It could help them stay ahead of the curve as AI quickly advances.

The next phase of AI is already here

Artificial general intelligence is a form of AI that elicits anxiety or excitement among the field's most advanced minds. It's the idea that AI will one day meet or surpass human intelligence. Huang said that the age of AGI is already here.

Fridman asked if AI could do Huang's job of starting, growing, and running a successful tech company worth more than $1 billion.

It's possible, Huang said.

He also said, "It's not out of the question" that chatbots like Anthropic's Claude could design an app that billions of people would use for $0.50 apiece, and then go out of business shortly after, similar to websites that went bust in the dot-com era.

Even his job running one of the most successful tech companies today isn't immune to the effects of AI, he said, encouraging everyone to jump on the technology before they're left behind.

"Go see what it can do to transform your current job, elevate yourself," Huang said.

• Kim Vaccarella, CEO of Bogg, said dupes have cost her business tens of millions.
• Social media has driven the Bogg bag's growth, but also boosted competition and copycats.
• Bogg's unique offerings and customer service aim to outshine cheaper dupes.

Bogg's founder takes each dupe she sees personally.

Kim Vaccarella began making Bogg 15 years ago to be the ultimate beach bag for working moms. She saw an opportunity in the plastic material used for flip-flops — durable and waterproof.

Thus, the Bogg bag was born with its patented design featuring signature holes and a flat bottom, which Bogg says makes it tip-proof.

"My plan was to come up with the idea, patent it, and maybe sell it because I had a career," Vaccarella said. "Once I put my papers in for the patent and started reaching out to a few companies, I was getting a lot of nos."

There were those who said the Bogg bag was a one-time purchase that wouldn't attract repeat customers.

Vaccarella believed in her idea, however, and quit her job in 2018 to run the company full time. It wasn't long after that she realized she had a viral hit on her hands thanks to social media. The power of TikTok and beyond has been a game changer for Bogg. It led the business to $100 million in annual revenue by 2024, Vaccarella said.

However, being the new it-bag came with its hardships. Along with her success came Vaccarella's No. 1 enemy: dupes.

Dupes are products that are similar in appearance or functionality to a higher-end item but sold at a lower price. Bogg bags start at $55 for the smallest size and go up to $100 for the largest. Similar bags in the largest size sell online from retailers like Walmart for less than the small Bogg "bitty bag."

"Social media is kind of that double-edged sword where you're getting a lot of exposure, a lot of new customers, but also, that visibility is introducing new competitors and giving them ideas," Vaccarella told Business Insider.

The viral success and dupes that have come with it have cost Bogg tens of millions of dollars, Vaccarella said.

As dupes become more common, even larger brands like Lululemon have taken action to curb copycats, including suing retailers. To combat the copycats, Vaccarella said she keeps three principles in mind.

Know your audience

Gen Z may be the talk of the town among many retailers, but Vaccarella said that Bogg knows its customer base skews older. Its target shoppers are women ages 18 to 64, but moms over 35 are the brand's "sweet spot," she said.

"She's carrying all the things for a day at the ball field, for the pool, for the beach," Vaccarella said.

Knowing who is willing to pay the premium price for the real thing is a key part of its strategy.

Social media is also a powerful tool driving Bogg's growth. Vaccarella said that it has helped build its customer base to 78% new shoppers, with 22% being returners.

It's still not an ideal mix, Vaccarella said, as companies tend to want to see a higher percentage of return visits. However, she said the numbers are based on Bogg's direct-to-consumer business and don't include its retail partners that carry Bogg products, such as Dick's Sporting Goods, Nordstrom, or Bloomingdale's.

You won't find Bogg bags at your local Hobby Lobby, Five Below, or other discount stores, though.

"Unfortunately, with our pricing, we can't sell in a Walmart," Vaccarella said.

Stand up for your ideas

Vaccarella has taken legal action against retailers whose marketing and products she thinks could confuse consumers. It's not about making a profit, she said, but making up for the "significant" amount of revenue that may have been taken away from Bogg.

"I just want them to stop in most cases," Vaccarella said.

Bogg applied for trade dress, a form of intellectual property protection that protects a product's visual appearance. It's worth the time and money, she said.

It's helped Bogg when it sent out cease-and-desists, followed by further legal action. Suing copycats isn't a "money-making scheme," Vaccarella said.

"Even if it pays the legal fees that I have to pay, just to get somebody to stop, it's worth it," she said.

Offer something the dupes can't

While dupes make certain product types more accessible to those who can't afford to spend $100 on a bag, Vaccarella said some things can't be replicated.

That's how Bogg justifies its premium pricing. You may be able to pick up a similar bag for $20, but Vaccarella said it won't come with the service Bogg offers.

"I'm not going to say every single dupe is a throwaway product, but we see that they break," Vaccarella said. "If your bag breaks, if the button comes off, we're going to send you a new button."

It's not only the repairs that Vaccarella said keep customers loyal, but also the ability to accessorize your bag to make it both functional and stylish. Shoppers may hope to kit out their Bogg dupes with accessories from the real brand, but they don't fit.

It's an opportunity to get them to buy into the Bogg family and leave their dupes behind.

OpenAI has built one of the most popular products in the world. Now it has to figure out how to pay for it.

Enter Fidji Simo.

Simo, the 40-year-old former Instacart CEO and longtime Meta executive, became OpenAI's product boss in August under CEO Sam Altman. While Altman has long been the face of OpenAI, Simo is increasingly shaping how the company operates and makes money.

"Part of bringing me on, and giving me the responsibilities of a CEO, was to make sure that I could really run that part of the company with autonomy," Simo, whose title is CEO of applications, told Business Insider.

Altman defers to Simo when he doesn't feel strongly, she said, and they "debate it out" when he does.

As OpenAI races toward a possible IPO later this year, Simo, who oversees nearly two-thirds of the company, has a delicate balancing act. She must craft a strategy to make products profitable, while convincing staffers who joined a research-driven organization that commercialization won't change the mission.

The stakes are high. Deutsche Bank estimated that OpenAI is expected to amass the "largest startup losses in history," totaling a projected $143 billion between 2024 and 2029. (An OpenAI spokesperson said that figure is incorrect, and one person familiar with the numbers said OpenAI's internal projections are in line with other reports of $111 billion cash burn by 2030.)

Competitors like Anthropic and Google are starting to erode OpenAI's early and commanding lead and, in some cases, surging ahead. Anthropic's coding tool has outperformed OpenAI's even after the latter made dominance in coding its top priority, a person familiar with internal goals told Business Insider.

OpenAI and Simo now face pressure to create the most powerful models and turn them into accessible and marketable products that can sustain the enormous cost of training and deployment.

"This AI moment is so unique that there is really no blueprint for OpenAI to follow," UBS analyst Karl Keirstead told Business Insider. "This is uncharted territory."

In an interview, Simo was warm and charismatic — a charm paired with a reputation for intensity and follow-through. This month, she unveiled a strategy shift for the company: an increased focus on coding and enterprise users.

"We cannot miss this moment because we are distracted by side quests," Simo told employees at an all-hands meeting, according to a person familiar with her remarks. The company needs to nail productivity — primarily on the business side, and then on the consumer side, she said. "Everything else is going to have to take a backseat to those priorities."

Former colleagues said they were familiar with this laser focus.

One former Meta employee recalled a moment when, after a contentious meeting, Simo sent a one-line follow-up saying she was unlikely to change her mind, so the team shouldn't waste time trying to persuade her. She has little patience for internal debates that lose sight of the product, the former employee said, and she's skilled at "being super clear in her directive so teams don't scramble and waste time."

Priya Monga, who served as Simo's chief of staff at Facebook and Instacart and is now director of go-to-market strategy at Instacart, said Simo arrives at any new role having mapped out the full journey.

"She knows she's going from A to Z, and she sees that right at the beginning," Monga said. "In the back of her mind, she has already really thought a lot about the broader visionary 10-year road map."

Interviews with Simo, current and former OpenAI employees, and former colleagues reveal how she's approaching one of the company's most crucial years — and the mark she's already made on it.

Competing for resources

A few months after she joined OpenAI, Simo invited the company's researchers to a series of roundtable meetings.

She wanted to talk about advertising inside the AI giant's flagship product, ChatGPT: what it might look like, what guardrails should be in place, and what principles would make AI ads publicly defensible. Nearly 100 employees weighed in.

For years, OpenAI executives said the company wouldn't turn to ads for revenue. Altman referred to the idea as a "last resort." A year later, Altman hired Simo, a seasoned executive with a reputation for monetizing new products. In February, OpenAI began testing ads.

The drive to become more product-focused predated Simo, two people familiar with the company's internal strategy told Business Insider.

After ChatGPT took off in 2023, OpenAI leaders decided to put research teams in two buckets: one for improving products, and another centered on more forward-looking exploratory projects. In the years since, the company has faced more pressure to roll out products as competitors gained ground.

OpenAI had two broad goals in 2025, according to a former executive: reach a $12 billion revenue run rate, which it handily beat midway through the year, and "dominate in AI coding," which it did not. It was the first time the company had failed to meet a major internal objective, according to the person familiar with the goals.

Codex, OpenAI's coding tool, has since reached more than 2 million weekly active users, nearly four times as many as at the start of the year. Anthropic doesn't disclose active users; it said in February that Claude Code's run rate revenue is more than $2.5 billion, and its weekly active users had doubled since January 1.

OpenAI leadership realized it needed to start acting more like a Big Tech company, not a research lab. "There's definitely some stress happening to the company, and no company wants to be behind," one of the people familiar with the company's strategy said.

Since Simo joined, OpenAI has moved several executives into different roles, two people with knowledge of the shifts said.

A few months after she arrived, Kevin Weil moved from chief product officer to vice president of OpenAI for science, and VP of engineering Srinivas Narayanan became chief technical officer of B2B applications. In January, Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap shifted to overseeing commercial operations, while Barret Zoph began overseeing B2B after he rejoined the company. Weil and Narayanan underwent title changes in September, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

Simo has also personally recruited a number of high-level executives from across Big Tech, including former Facebook VP Vijaye Raji, Slack CEO Denise Dresser, OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger, and several executives from Amazon, Shopify, and Instagram, according to a person familiar with the leadership changes.

Since Simo started, the company's post-training team, which fine-tunes AI models after initial training, has acted as a bridge between research and product teams. The team interfaces directly with Simo about research projects, a person with knowledge of the organizational strategy said.

Early on, Simo told Business Insider, she did a "listening tour." More than 200 people took up her offer to meet, she said. That helped her better understand the company and culture and build trust with her new colleagues.

"I think that really made the company feel like I wasn't jumping in with preconceived notions," she said. "I was really trying to understand what was right for this company at this specific moment in time."

Simo said she manages the company's product research team alongside Mark Chen, the company's chief research officer. One of her first priorities was to understand how the research side operated, something she worked closely with Chen on.

As ChatGPT grows — it has nearly a billion weekly users — and its valuation surges, resources like compute power — the GPU chips, energy, and data-center capacity required to train and run AI models — have become increasingly competitive.

The tension between research and product has become increasingly visible inside OpenAI, some insiders say. Some researchers told Business Insider that the focus on user optimization and product growth risks narrowing the lab's ability to chase more exploratory work.

Earlier this year, vice president of research Jerry Tworek resigned after seven years at OpenAI, saying in a post on X that he wanted to "explore types of research that are hard to do at OpenAI."

Others have voiced similar frustrations. Tom Cunningham, the company's chief economist, left in December over friction between OpenAI's work on the economic impact of AI and the marketing of its product, Wired reported at the time.

One former researcher told Business Insider that as ChatGPT has grown, they "started feeling a little bit of pushback" from the rest of the company and began to feel as if "ambitious research" didn't have a place at the company anymore. Another former employee said the pivot towards a more traditional tech culture at OpenAI was "inevitable," but it has led to a "changing of the guard."

"At the end of the day, it's about survival," they said.

Chen has pushed back against claims that the company is driving a product-focused agenda. "The majority of our compute is allocated to foundational research and exploration — and not product milestones," he wrote on X in February.

Are we going to turn into Big Tech?

Simo was hired by OpenAI after serving on the board for more than a year.

Some employees, Simo told Business Insider, worried that her arrival meant OpenAI would transform into a Big Tech clone. "Is the only way to build this big product company to hire tons of people and kind of do what Big Tech is doing?" she recalled employees asking.

She spent her first few months trying to convince them that the answer was no.

One of her early moves was a company-wide effort to eliminate the unnecessary bureaucracy that can bog down a large organization. She publishes a monthly update on the company's Slack detailing obstacles that have been removed — everything from small annoyances like how to get headphones to bigger structural bottlenecks like clunky code reviews. She created a dedicated inbox where employees could flag issues and says she reads every submission.

"I'm very focused on scaling the company without creating the excess process and friction that many of us have seen in big tech," read an excerpt of her first dispatch.

Her aim, she said, is to keep OpenAI small, focused, and process-light. To that end, Simo said, OpenAI has an advantage that most Big Tech companies don't: It started as a research lab.

"There is no product if there is no research," Simo said. It's easier to build products on top of a strong research base than to put a research lab on top of a product-driven company, she added.

Big Tech would "put products out into the world and then kind of react to what would happen," Simo said. "We started with a research lab that was very focused on safety, and really thought of safety as a leading research field and not as the thing you do right before the launch."

"I think we have a very big advantage in how we think about problems and anticipating where the technology is going and feeling a lot of responsibility for guiding that technology towards the right place," she added.

Vivek Sharma, who worked under Simo at Meta, said that's a natural part of the maturation process in tech.

"Tension is a good sign someone is advancing beyond the basics," he said. "If there's no tension, no division happening — real expertise, experience, past multi-domain decisions haven't been made."

'Founder mode'

Simo isn't a traditional Silicon Valley insider. Raised in Sète, a fishing town on France's Mediterranean coast, she was the first in her family to graduate from high school before earning a place at one of France's elite business schools.

From there, she worked her way into tech — first through an internship at eBay, then at Facebook, where she went on to help monetize the company's core app and eventually oversee some of its most ambitious product expansions. She also served as CEO at Instacart, where she helped steer the company through the pandemic boom and took it public in 2023 during a notoriously difficult market for tech IPOs.

Simo married her high school sweetheart, former software engineer turned chocolatier Remy Miralles, in 2011; they have a young daughter. Simo has spoken in the past about how navigating chronic health issues, including endometriosis and the nervous system disorder POTS, has shaped some of her work. She cofounded a women's health venture called the Metrodora Institute and was largely responsible for the launch of ChatGPT Health.

Former colleagues describe Simo as intense, empathetic, and known to crack a joke during a high-stakes meeting.

They say that background shapes how she leads. Sharma described her as a "hard-charging" executive with a distinctly human lens — someone who thinks about what ordinary people would actually find useful, not just what's technologically impressive.

Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT who reports to Simo, said she has a "customer orientation" that has reshaped how the company approaches products. During an interview, he said that she has driven a new focus on reliability and performance over "flashy" new tech.

She also has a relentless operating tempo. Turley described it as her propensity to go "founder-mode."

"She will read every single document — including the links," he said.

Daniel Danker, who worked with Simo on Facebook's video team and later at Instacart, said "she was causing all of Facebook to move faster."

Simo's track record of commercialization is not without controversy.

At Facebook, she oversaw the company's video push, which later came under fire for inflating numbers. Facebook admitted in 2016 that it had overestimated how long viewers watched video ads by 60 to 80 percent; a lawsuit alleged the figure was as high as 900 percent. Facebook settled for $40 million while admitting no wrongdoing.

At Instacart, Simo inherited a fraught relationship with gig workers. On her first day as CEO in August 2021, she published an open letter pledging to be "a thoughtful and open partner" to the company's hundreds of thousands of gig workers, and invited them to email her directly.

The Gig Workers Collective, representing some 13,000 contract workers, called for a boycott and walkoff within weeks, telling Fortune that her responses were "basically canned answers."

OpenAI's next chapter

At OpenAI, Simo has helped push several high-profile initiatives, including a newsletter product called ChatGPT Pulse, OpenAI's Frontier enterprise agents, and advertising. This month, the company launched GPT-5.4, a model that incorporates coding capabilities into its core system, and announced a desktop "superapp," which Simo will oversee.

Simo said she approaches new product launches by involving employees throughout the process. She pitched those advertising roundtables by sharing her own ideas for what kind of ads the company could be proud of, and asking employees to share where they agreed and disagreed.

"The way I approached it was not to tell the company we're going to have ads. It's to actually start a dialogue," Simo told Business Insider. "That's not usually the way it goes. That's a big difference for this place."

As product chief, Simo has to prepare the company for battle inside a complex leadership structure, working closely with Altman.

Simo has said the two are complementary and aligned on vision, with Altman focusing heavily on research and compute scaling while she drives product execution.

It's a dynamic familiar to Simo, who worked closely with Mark Zuckerberg. She had a special talent for knowing how to navigate the CEO, Sharma said.

OpenAI can be a cutthroat place to work for leaders. As one former executive put it, OpenAI is such a rocket ship that there's very little time or patience for those who don't hit the ground running. "What a leader needs to do is astounding," the person said.

"The speed at which OpenAI is growing, it's relatively easy for Sam to hire the best, most famous people, but it's hard to keep them. His mode is: Nobody is not sacrificeable," the person said. "'You have to magically grow to what I think you can do right now.'"

OpenAI no longer has the luxury of being a research lab dreaming about the future of AI. It has rapidly become a global consumer product under intense scrutiny. Now Simo's job is to help it grow up without losing what made it successful in the first place.

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• Americans are visiting bars less often and spending more when they do, due to rising costs.
• That leaves plenty of room for products that promise bar-quality results at home.
• As a result, ready-to-drink cocktails and mix-it-yourself kits are surging in popularity.

If you can crack a can or pour from a jar, you're halfway to a cocktail.

Across the drinks industry, "lazy bartending" has gone mainstream. Ready-to-drink cocktails, canned spirits, and DIY infusion kits promise bar-quality drinks without the shaker, the garnish station, or even a bartender. And increasingly, consumers seem happy to trade mixology theater for convenience.

From canned margaritas to dehydrated fruit infusion kits, companies are racing to make cocktails easier to prepare and more portable. The trend reflects a broader shift in how younger consumers approach alcohol: they want high-quality drinks but without the effort, the bar tab, or the late-night outing traditionally associated with cocktails.

The rise of canned cocktails and mix-at-home kits also comes as bar habits shift. Industry data from NielsenIQ shows that Americans are visiting bars less often and spending more when they do, due to rising costs — leaving room for products that deliver bar-style cocktails with minimal effort.

That demand is fueling a fast-growing ready-to-drink category. Grand View Research estimated the global RTD cocktail market at about $3.7 billion in 2025 and projected it to reach more than $10 billion by 2033, driven largely by younger consumers prioritizing convenience and on-the-go drinks. In the US, the Distilled Spirits Council found that spirits-based RTDs posted 16.4% sales growth last year, making them the fastest-growing spirits category even as the broader alcohol market softened.

For brands like On The Rocks, convenience is the point. The company built its business on what Daniel May, senior brand director at On The Rocks, calls "high quality, crafted experiences" delivered in bottles or cans — cocktails developed with a mixologist but designed to be "pop it or crack the can, pour it over ice or drink."

The approach reflects how people are drinking today. On The Rocks says many cocktail occasions now happen outside traditional bars — casual gatherings, game nights, or smaller social events where consumers still want a premium drink but not the hassle of building a full home bar.

Smaller companies are leaning into the same logic from another angle. Infuse & Booze sells cocktail infusion jars filled with dried fruit, herbs, and sugar that customers add alcohol to at home. The founders told Business Insider that the idea started during camping trips when they realized mixing drinks outdoors was tedious.

The jars can make eight to 10 cocktails and are designed to sit in a refrigerator until guests want a drink — another nod to the industry's shift toward low-effort entertaining.

Even major spirits companies are adjusting to this mindset, with ready-to-drink mixes from brands like Malibu, Bacardi, and Absolut spreading across shelves nationwide. Caroline Begley, US VP of Marketing for Absolut Vodka, previously told Business Insider that younger drinkers are "drinking differently" and are increasingly "intentional about what they want to drink," with the occasion and vibe shaping their beverage choices.

That intentionality doesn't mean consumers are abandoning alcohol. Instead, they're redefining how cocktails fit into their lives — favoring drinks that are portable, flexible, and easy to prepare, whether they're hosting friends, heading to a festival, or opening something quick at home.

In other words, the modern cocktail hour might still involve premium spirits and creative flavors. It just might not involve a bartender.

• Elon Musk is about to unveil his most challenging project yet: a giant semiconductor factory.
• The billionaire has said Tesla needs to build a "Terafab" to churn out chips for its robotaxis and Optimus robot.
• One analyst said to never rule Musk out, but that building a Terafab could be harder than sending rockets to Mars.

Self-driving cars, cyborgs, and catching rockets in midair: Elon Musk can't resist the lure of the impossible.

The world's richest man has made a habit of taking on the world's most difficult engineering challenges at Tesla and SpaceX — and has often proved the doubters wrong. His latest target is a tall order even by his standards.

For several months, Musk has been talking about building a "Terafab," a mammoth factory that would churn out semiconductors critical for Tesla's ambitious rollout of robotaxis and humanoid robots.

On Saturday, he teased that an announcement was imminent. "Terafab Project launches in 7 days," Musk wrote in an X post, without providing further details.

In a January earnings call, the billionaire cited chip production as the major long-term headwind to the company's growth, suggesting that output from suppliers Samsung, TSMC, and Micron would be nowhere near enough to meet Tesla's targets as the EV giant scales its robotaxi and humanoid robot programs.

"This is definitely going to be sort of a controversial thing, but I think Tesla needs to build a Terafab," Musk told investors, adding that such a facility would also protect Tesla against geopolitical upheaval.

The Tesla CEO suggested that the company would pursue the hardest possible version of that vision, a "very big fab" that would produce and package logic and memory chips entirely in the US.

Speaking at Tesla's annual shareholder meeting last November, Musk estimated the Terafab would aim to initially produce 100,000 silicon wafers a month and could eventually grow to 1 million.

Ahead of the Terafab announcement, Tesla has begun laying the groundwork for Musk's grand plan. The tech giant is hiring a semiconductor infrastructure manager to oversee factory design and construction, per a recent job posting. The role is based in Austin, suggesting the Terafab could be built near Tesla's gigafactory on the outskirts of the city.

However, analysts told Business Insider that Tesla would face enormous challenges — and a huge bill — as it tries to master one of the most complex technologies on the planet.

"It's Musk, so I would never count it out. But I suspect this is actually harder than sending rockets to Mars," Stacy Rasgon, managing director and senior semiconductor analyst at Bernstein, told Business Insider.

Semi-impossible?

The global supply of semiconductors is almost entirely produced by a small handful of companies, many of them based in East Asia.

Manufacturing them is an expensive, complicated, and time-consuming process. Deep within hermetically sealed factories, chip designs are etched onto thin silicon wafers at the molecular level by specialist lithography machines, which are almost entirely made by one company in the Netherlands and can have a waitlist of over a year.

Rasgon said that procuring these in-demand ASML-built machines was a critical roadblock for any would-be chipmaker.

"If you're a brand new customer, you're probably waiting a couple of years before getting your hand on one of those," he said.

Rasgon added that chipmakers usually split up production of logic and memory chips and semiconductor packaging across different factories.

Musk's suggestion that Tesla could integrate them all into one facility would make scaling the Terafab even more complicated, Rasgon said, as each product has wildly different processes and economics.

Musk is not alone in fearing geopolitical disruption. The threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which would plunge global chip supply into chaos, has prompted companies, including TSMC, to build new chip fabs in the US.

But the road to US-produced semiconductors has been far from smooth. TSMC's Arizona expansion has faced years of delays and a total price tag of around $165 billion across multiple facilities.

The industry runs on technical knowledge that is deeply embedded within leading companies. TSMC flew employees out from Taiwan to help the Arizona facility ramp production and brought US workers to its home country to train them.

The need for specialized knowledge will make recruitment critical for Tesla's Terafab hopes, Rasgon said, adding that the semiconductor industry is already facing a worker shortage.

"These guys don't grow on trees," he said.

A 'Herculean' challenge

Analysts warned that overcoming these challenges would add to the severe cash burn Tesla is set to face in the coming years.

The company said in January it would spend $20 billion on building out its robotaxi and Optimus production lines this year, a figure which does not include the Terafab project.

Ben Kallo, a senior research analyst at Baird, told Business Insider that investors would have questions about how Tesla plans to fund such an ambitious project — especially considering Musk has also said Tesla will build around 100 gigawatts of solar panel manufacturing.

"Where's the money coming from? I think that's going to be a question," said Kallo, who added that he wouldn't rule out Tesla raising outside capital for the first time since 2020 to fulfill Musk's ambitious targets.

Musk hasn't given a specific timeline for building the Terafab and producing chips, but he said in the January earnings call that he was building it to "remove a probable constraint in three or four years."

In a Tuesday note, Morgan Stanley analysts led by Andrew Percoco pointed to Micron's factory in Boise — which began construction in late 2022 but isn't expected to begin shipping chips until mid-2027 — as evidence of how long it can take to build semiconductor infrastructure in the US.

They estimated that building a factory capable of producing 100,000 wafers for cutting-edge logic chips a month could cost as much as $45 billion. A note from UBS analysts in January estimated that just getting to Musk's initial production target of 100,000 silicon wafers a month would cost $30 billion.

"Even understanding Elon Musk's history of doing difficult things, this seems like a Herculean task," the Morgan Stanley analysts wrote.

• Delays persist at TSA checkpoints across US airports due to the partial government shutdown.
• As of Monday morning, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport is advising travelers to show up 4 hours early.
• Here's the latest on TSA delays, and how to check wait times before you travel.

If you're flying in the US, get ready to stand in line.

Airports across the US are continuing to see lengthy waits at security checkpoints as scores of TSA workers call out due to missed paychecks.

A partial government shutdown has left the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration unfunded and their agents unpaid at the height of the spring break travel season.

As many as 10% of all TSA agents called out on several days last week, DHS updates showed, with absence rates averaging as much as 20% in some airports. A DHS spokesperson told Business Insider that some airports, such as William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, had seen absence rates as high at 40.8%.

Security lines in affected airports are spiking unpredictably from day to day, and sometimes even from hour to hour.

"The current unpredictability is being driven by unpredictable staffing levels, basically, how many TSA officers are showing up for work on any given day," Sheldon H. Jacobson, the founder professor of engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an expert on aviation security and airport security screening, told Business Insider.

"TSA officers have historically been cross-trained to do many different tasks, so the number that show up is the key factor," Jacobson said.

How long are the TSA delays?

Delays at TSA checkpoints across the US have been unpredictable, and some airports are changing how they're communicating with travelers.

As of Monday morning, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest by passenger numbers, now displays the following message on its website: "Due to current federal conditions, passengers are advised to allow at least 4 hours or more for domestic and international screenings."

Atlanta has been among the worst-affected airports since the shutdown began, with over a third of TSA staff not showing up on some days.

The airport said there had been congestion at the international checkpoint as domestic travelers try to bypass long lines in the domestic terminal. The airport said domestic travelers should use the domestic checkpoints.

At Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, lines stretched over three hours on Sunday evening. As of Monday morning, the average wait time is 28 minutes.

Lines at checkpoints at JFK, the New York area's biggest airport, are running at 45 minutes on Monday.

JFK said it has "deployed additional customer care staff into terminals to help manage queues, assist passengers, and keep people moving as efficiently as possible."

As of Monday, Newark Liberty International Airport displays a message on its website that says security wait times may be "significantly longer than normal."

"Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight," the message says.

Separate from TSA issues, LaGuardia Airport was closed early Monday after a plane collided with a vehicle. It will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. ET.

Denver, home of the fourth-busiest airport in the US, is experiencing wait times of 45 minutes on Monday. Dallas-Fort Worth lines are at 46 minutes.

At Los Angeles International Airport, the nation's fifth-busiest travel hub, waits were listed as "0" minutes.

Some airports have so far avoided the hourslong lines. Business Insider's Taylor Rains flew out of Las Vegas last week and saw minimal TSA lines.

The maximum wait time at Philadelphia International Airport was listed as 30 minutes on Monday, although some terminals were quicker.

How to check TSA wait times

The unpredictable delays mean travelers should plan for long waits even if their airport hasn't yet experienced problems.

The easiest way to avoid the stress of missing your flight is to give yourself extra time in the airport. Many airports are advising travelers this week to arrive up to three hours before their flight, even for domestic flights.

Many airports, including major hubs like Atlanta, Houston, JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Denver, have been posting TSA wait times live on their websites.

These can also provide more specific insights. For example, DFW's website shows the wait times at each checkpoint.

You can also use the MyTSA mobile app. It provides estimated wait times in 15-minute intervals based on average checkpoint data. The app, however, will use historical data if the live data cannot be retrieved. The TSA also says it is not "actively" managing its sites during the partial shutdown, and so the app may not always be updated.

How long will the TSA delays persist?

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said airport delays could get worse.

"As we get into next week and they're about to miss another payment, this is going to look like child's play, what's happening right now," Duffy said on CNBC.

Some airports could be forced to close, both Duffy and Adam Stahl, the TSA's acting deputy administrator, said.

Airports like Denver and Seattle have asked the public for food, gift cards, and basic supplies to support TSA staff working without pay.

• Michael Buckley revitalized True Religion, doubling the brand's sales to $500 billion over three years.
• The Y2K denim brand shifted its focus to younger, diverse shoppers and became more accessible.
• Partnerships with artists like Megan Thee Stallion also highlighted the brand's roots in hip-hop culture.

True Religion had to recognize some hard truths in order to turn its brand around.

When Michael Buckley returned to True Religion as CEO in 2019, he inherited a company that was struggling to emerge from bankruptcy. Since then, he's helped turn things around — doubling sales to $500 million from 2022 to 2025 — and now aims to reach $1 billion in revenue within five years.

He said the company didn't reach an annual revenue growth rate of 20% last year by sticking to the strategies from its heyday in the early 2000s, when it was selling $300 jeans at stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. It needed some serious reevaluation to get True Religion back on the path to a comeback, with its iconic horseshoe logo on the back pockets of stars like Kylie Jenner.

While the brand is still dwarfed by denim giants like Gap and American Eagle, True Religion has been building its comeback among a new generation of shoppers drawn to its Y2K heritage.

It started with getting to know its customers. The old True Religion shopper was niche, Buckley said. They shopped at Saks, Bloomingdale's, and Nordstrom, and they came from households earning over $250,000.

"That's not the consumer anymore," Buckley told Business Insider.

The new True Religion customer

Buckley used consumer surveys to learn the ages, genders, and ethnicities of True Religion's customers in the post-Y2K era. Today, he said the brand's average shoppers are 15 to 45-year-olds from households earning about $65,000 a year.

True Religion needed to make the brand more accessible and inclusive to a wider audience without lowering prices, Buckley said. However, he said, the team understood that promotions are a key component.

"We know that the customer always expects to buy us on sale," Buckley said.

It also struck new deals with stores like Dillard's, Macy's, and Urban Outfitters, where Buckley said True Religion's customers like to shop both the sales rack and full-price items. In those stores, Buckley said the silhouettes of the early 2000s have come back stronger than ever in apparel. From baggy jeans to low-rise waists, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are getting on the trends of their parents and older siblings.

"We don't create trends, we follow the trends," Buckley said. "We make sure that we have our version of it because we know what the consumer wants."

Staying true to its roots with a twist

Buckley highlighted True Religion's "big affiliation" with hip-hop, dating back to its early years. More than two decades later, the brand is tapping into that relationship through its social media partnerships with celebrities and influencers.

Its most recent advertising campaign stars rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Key Glock. A 2024 Instagram post featuring Megan Thee Stallion is still True Religion's best-performing in its history, the company said.

"We know what our consumer likes," Buckley said. "We know what artists they like, who they aspire to be, and who moved the needle for us."

Buckley also expanded True Religion beyond jeans. From 2006 to 2010, 80% of its sales came from denim jeans, the company said. Today, 60% of the business comes from other apparel, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and joggers.

Its biggest opportunity is also a challenge

The Y2K-revivial led by Gen Z is a major opportunity for True Religion, Amy Leverton, CEO of denim-focused consultancy Denim Dudes, said.

"It's a return to more expressive, identity-driven denim after this decade of minimalism," Leverton said.

Brands like Von Dutch, Baby Phat, Juicy Couture, and Ed Hardy have had their own resurgences as the trend continues to capture young people.

Leverton said True Religion will have to figure out how to ride the wave of relevance into a profitable future. Fashion trendsetters are already pondering what the next big trend will be after Y2K.

"When things quiet down. because they're going to, it's like a pendulum that goes from side to side," Leverton said. "It's going to move away from this Y2K thing."

Buckley said True Religion is spending 10% of its annual sales on marketing, and it will have to keep leaning into that marketing investment to keep up with powerhouses like Gap, which has had a slew of viral partnerships in the last six months.

The key, Leverton said, is staying true to its brand identity and tapping into its DNA.

The signature thick stitching, the horseshoe logo, and its presence in hip-hop are all elements that thrust True Religion back into the cultural conversation in 2026.

• More than 1,500 US retail stores and restaurants are set to close by the end of 2026.
• Major chains, including Wendy's and Macy's, are citing efficiency as the reason behind the closures.
• Eddie Bauer is one of the latest companies to announce closures.

Retailers and restaurants are gearing up for another wave of store closures.

It's shaping up to be the continuation of a retail pullback that Business Insider tracked in 2024 and 2025. Major chains, from department stores like Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue to restaurant chains Pizza Hut and Wendy's, have already announced multiyear closure plans that extend into 2026, as have some niche stores.

Some companies, such as Macy's, are closing their physical stores to invest more resources into their online businesses.

In 2025, Business Insider tracked around 4,100 closures as of late December. Retail data and consultant firm Coresight Research predicted earlier in the year that roughly 15,000 retail locations would close in the year.

So far for 2026, Business Insider has identified more than 1,500 planned closures.

See the list of major closures below.

Francesca's: over 400 stores

After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 5, apparel retailer Francesca's said it will conduct going-out-of-business sales at all of its roughly 400 stores across the US.

Francesca's previously filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020 before being acquired by TerraMar Capital and Tiger Group.

"This process provides a structured path to pursue the best outcome for all stakeholders," Curt Kroll, CFO, said in a February statement about the bankruptcy. "We remain focused on operating responsibly and supporting our teams, partners, and guests throughout this process."

Wendy's: 300 stores

In a February 13 earnings call, Wendy's interim CEO Ken Cook said the company planned to close underperforming restaurants in the US, representing 5% to 6% of its roughly 6,000 locations. An estimated 5% of Wendy's restaurants would come out to around 300 locations.

Cook told investors to expect the closings to take place in the first half of 2026.

Pizza Hut: 250 stores

Restaurant chain Pizza Hut is set to close 250 underperforming stores in the US during the first half of 2026, its parent company, Yum! Brands, said in February. The reduction comes as part of a program to accelerate the Pizza Hut brand in the long term.

The company said that the 250 targeted closures are a fraction of the 20,000 locations that Yum! Brands operates globally.

Eddie Bauer: 175 stores

Nearly 200 North American Eddie Bauer storefronts are expected to shut down after the operating entity behind the stores failed to find a buyer during its Chapter 11 restructuring.

Liquidation sales have been underway at the 175 Eddie Bauer stores in the US and Canada.

Those store-closing sales are projected to wrap up before April 30, according to court filings in the company's bankruptcy case.

Carter's: 100 stores

Carter's, one of North America's biggest children's and baby apparel retailers, said in October that it plans to close 150 stores across the region over the next three years as leases expire, including about 100 by the end of 2026.

Macy's: 80 stores

In January 2025, Macy's said it planned to close 150 locations through 2026, allowing it to focus on its best-performing locations and online experience. After the closures are complete, about 350 Macy's stores are expected to remain. Macy's closed at least 66 stores in 2025.

Kroger: 60 stores

Grocery giant Kroger said in June 2025 that it planned to close 60 "unprofitable" stores across the US over the next 18 months. The company said in September that it had begun that process.

The company said in its last annual report that it operated 2,731 supermarkets in 35 states and Washington, DC, as of February 2025.

Saks Off 5th: 57 stores

Saks Off 5th, a luxury outlet retailer offering discounted designer brands, plans to close 57 stores in early 2026. It announced plans to close nine of those stores last year, and the rest were announced in January.

Saks Global, the parent company of Saks Off 5th, as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early January. The outlet's website, a separate legal entity, is also winding down operations.

In addition to the Saks Off 5th closures, Saks Global is closing five Last Call locations, the off-price Neiman Marcus stores.

Grocery Outlet: 36 stores

Supermarket chain Grocery Outlet is set to close 36 underperforming stores, representing about 6% of its fleet in 2026. CEO Jason Potter told analysts on March 4 that the company had identified stores that no longer had a "viable path to sustained profitability."

The closures come as the grocery chain has been expanding rapidly, particularly in Eastern states. The chain said in November that it planned to end 2025 with 37 new store openings. It plans to open another 30 to 33 net new stores in 2026, Potter said in the March call.

Of the 36 stores closing this year, 24 are located in the Eastern US. The closures make up about 30% of that region's stores, Potter said. He said Grocery Outlet won't be exiting any state completely.

"However, it's clear now that we expanded too quickly and these closures are a direct correction," Potter said.

Grocery Outlet saw a nearly $235 million operating loss and a more than $218 million net loss in its fourth-quarter earnings results.

Torrid: 29 stores

Torrid, a plus-size apparel retailer, told investors in March that it had previously identified 180 unproductive stores, of which it closed 151 locations by the end of 2025. CEO Lisa Harper said the company plans to close the remaining stores in the first half of 2026.

Torrid closed 11 locations in the first quarter of 2026, Harper said.

Allbirds: 23 stores

Shoe brand Allbirds said in January that it would close its remaining full-price stores in the US by the end of February. The company said the closures would enable it to dedicate resources toward its e-commerce business.

As of December 2025, Allbirds' US retail presence consisted of 23 stores.

"By exiting these remaining unprofitable doors, we are taking actions to reduce costs and support the long-term health of the business," said Joe Vernachio, CEO.

In March, Allbirds agreed to sell to American Exchange Group, a New York-based fashion and consumer goods company, for $39 million.

Yankee Candle: 20 stores

Newell Brands said in December 2025 that it would close 20 Yankee Candle stores in the US and Canada beginning in January 2026. The closures were announced alongside the reduction of its workforce by over 900 employees.

"This productivity plan is about taking the next, disciplined step to enhance efficiency, sharpen our strategic focus, and deliver stronger, more consistent performance," CEO Chris Peterson said in a press release.

Saks Fifth Avenue: 18 stores

After filing for bankruptcy in January, Saks Global announced a series of closures.

The first wave was announced in February, with the company saying it would optimize its Saks Fifth Avenue footprint by closing eight locations. In March, it announced that another 10 locations would close.

Those closures leave 15 Saks Fifth Avenue locations remaining.

Neiman Marcus: 4 stores

In addition to many Saks Fifth Avenue and Off Fifth locations, Saks Global closed four Neiman Marcus locations. The company announced one of the closures — a Boston store — in February and another three in March.

REI: 3 stores

REI confirmed to Business Insider that it plans to close three stores, starting with a location in New Jersey, in the first quarter of 2026. Its stores in New York City's SoHo neighborhood and Boston are set to follow in late 2026.

"As markets and customer needs evolve, we must adapt to position the co-op for long-term success," the company said in a statement.

People love to complain about baby boomers, including that they have a lot of stuff. They're hoarding all the houses, they're keeping all the money, they're materialists who have accumulated an exorbitant amount of possessions. There are a couple of problems with these gripes: For one, no generation is a monolith, and everybody amasses things over the course of their lives, so back off. But more importantly, youths and slightly-beyond-youths, the stuff pileup is actually to your benefit.

The golden age of boomer estate sales is upon us, and while you probably don't want all the wedding china that's about to flood the market, there's a lot of other neat stuff you can pick up. Think knickknacks for Gen Z maximalists, midcentury modern decor, and so much silver that one estate seller says the weighing it all makes her team "feel like drug dealers." Over the next couple of decades, baby boomers' stuff has to go somewhere, and that rehoming process is increasingly taking place at estate sales.

"I call it the tsunami of stuff," says Julie Hall, the director of the American Society of Estate Liquidators. "It's cresting."

There are … a lot of baby boomers. America's over-65 population reached 55.8 million in 2020, and an additional 42.4 million are in the 55-64 age group (which, yes, catches some Gen Xers). This adds up to nearly 100 million people who have amassed a large amount of possessions — stuff they bought, stuff they got from their own parents, stuff their kids stuck them with.

"They kept everything," says Sarah Hersh, one of the owners of Ben Hersh Estate Sales in New Jersey. Boomers were the first American generation to come up in an era of mass production and blatant consumerism, and many of the things they bought were built to last. "When we go into these houses of the boomer generation, they're packed to the rafters with stuff from the mid-century to current."

Many elders would prefer to keep all of this stuff in the family, but their kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews don't want to inherit much, or simply don't have the space. Enter the estate sale — pop-up limited-time museums of a person's life, where everything on the premises is for sale.

"Boomers were an era of collectors. They believed in entertaining, and they believed their possessions had value, so they were proud to amass large collections of things to display to the world," Hersh says. "We don't really live like that anymore, but those things make for excellent inventory for resellers and the new younger generation of consumers who are into that vibe."

Gen Z likes the appeal of sustainability, plus they're into "cottagecore" and "grandmacore" aesthetics. Millennials and Gen X want midcentury modern and utilitarian pieces.

I recognize estate sales can sound a bit morbid at first, but not all offloadings come after a funeral. There are actually four Ds to estate sales: downsizing, divorce, decorating, and, yes, death. That latter one may give you the heebie jeebies, but as the saying goes, you can't take it with you, and there are plenty of people willing to scoop up the stuff you've left behind.

Janelle Stone, a high-end estate liquidator, operates out of what she calls the "mecca of estate sales" — Dallas — and sees her line of work as a goldmine. After decades of minimalism in fashion and design, maximalism is back. She's started buying plate hangers to put dishes on display again and marvels at 20-something shoppers grabbing various tchotchkes. Furs have gone "insane," she says, and the same goes for vintage fashion. Customers will wait in line for two hours for a Herend porcelain starfish they've scoped out online prior to the sale. "You're never going to completely clear a house, but it's pretty amazing," she says. "People know what they want, and they come and buy."

It's a huge moment for sterling, given the increase in the price of silver, which hit an all-time high of over $120 per ounce at the start of the year. (It's since come back down but is still in the $85 range.) Stone tells me it's affected how they price it — they can't be as aggressive, because nobody can afford to pay $16,000 for an eight-piece silverware set, and the smelters are so inundated they might not even take it. Hence the drug dealer analogy: "We have to weigh it out. I mean, we look like drug dealers with our gram scales and baggies everywhere," she says.

Hersh, in New Jersey, concurs on the popularity of sterling silver and vintage clothes, and adds that vintage collectibles, jewelry, toys, and electronics are also a big draw.

Not everything is flying off the estate sale shelves. Hersh says midcentury modern furniture still sells, but "it's not as strong as it was." Few buyers are into china, etched crystal, and glass. The big brown furniture that's long sat in baby boomers' and the silent generation's homes often goes unwanted.

"A general rule of thumb is the bigger and heavier and darker a piece is, the more likely it's going to remain there and not be sold," Hall says. Younger generations tend to prefer smaller, portable pieces. Hersh tells me clear glass isn't a popular seller "no matter what you do."

I recently witnessed this for myself at an estate sale in Long Island, New York. It was a lazy Sunday, so I showed up during the last hour of a five-hour sale. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the kitchen was two sets of china, one of which looked very similar to the set my mother has. Around the corner was a big brown hutch filled with stacks of crystal and clear glassware, and there was more in the basement. My main thought was we should shut down Ikea immediately and never buy new dishes or glasses again.

The internet has changed and accelerated the scale of the estate industry, just as it has every other part of the economy. Everyone can look up what everything costs, so sellers have to do their research and can't simply guesstimate a fair price anymore. Sellers often post what's available online ahead of time, so buyers can pinpoint exactly what they want before they show up in person.

And then there are the resellers — technology has given birth to a plethora of resale platforms, from eBay to Depop to Whatnot, and droves of people eager to turn flipping used stuff into a side hustle or even a full-time gig. Most of the estate sellers and aficionados I spoke to for this story had tales about this development. Hersh tells me resellers are "vicious," and on certain sales, flipped me up the first 50 people in line. "They are like elbowing each other out of spaces to get to stuff," she says.

Hall points out that the resellers are generally a positive for estate sales — after all, the goal is to get rid of everything in the house, and who cares if someone plans to put it on eBay for triple the price. But they can be pushy, asking for deals. "Resellers sometimes want more of a bargain, and a lot of times we cannot give it to them on the first day," she says. "It's not for the faint of heart."

Maddy Brannon, an estate sale influencer based in Washington, DC, says she prefers to hit up estate sales later in the day so she doesn't have to duke it out with the pros. She stumbled into the market when she and her husband were looking to furnish their home, and now she uses her experience to pass along useful tips to the noobs.

"You don't need to be the first person at the estate sale unless you saw something on the listing you absolutely have to have," she says. She's not sure if it's the "Disney World effect" or what, but people worry about long lines and feel like they must be first in at all costs. Plus, later in the day, you're more likely to get a discount.

Brannon's other pieces of advice included going during the week to avoid crowds and making sure you understand the rules of getting in — for some sales, waiting in line isn't enough. Instead, the executor will call you in by name or number. And don't shop off the "hold" table, where shoppers place items they want to buy. "People get really upset about that," she says.

There's genuinely something quite nice to all of this, albeit awkward. We spend our lives accumulating things and, over time, getting attached to them. Getting rid of them can be emotionally fraught, especially if we'd hoped our loved ones would want them or believed they'd hold more value than they do. For many people, it's a hard pill to swallow that their kids don't want their prized tea set, but acknowledging that is also permission to let it go.

There's a peculiar sense of intimacy to estate sales — you walk through someone's home, touch their things, look through their drawers, and get to make up stories about them based on their possessions. The golden age of estate sales isn't just about the "goldmine" of inventory or the "vicious" hustle of the resale market, it's about the way we experience life through tangible items — and how those things can live multiple lives, even ones we're not involved in.

So next time you see an estate sale nearby because your boomer neighbors are finally selling their family home and moving to a condo in Florida, instead of begrudging that it took so long, pop over to see if you can pick up a vintage Le Creuset.

Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

• After years of decline, the Gap brand recently posted its ninth straight quarter of growth.
• Gap brand CEO Mark Breitbard said he's shifted the company's focus back to basics.
• Gap has regained relevance with millennials while building appeal with Gen Z via viral partnerships.

Danielle Shaw, a 31-year-old living in Los Angeles, said her mom used to dress her in Gap clothes as a kid — and that was her only memory of wearing the brand until about two years ago.

"I went into Gap, and I honestly became obsessed with everything that I tried on," Shaw told Business Insider.

Shaw said she stocked up on basics like sweatsuits and T-shirts. She left with three or four pairs of denim because the fit and price point were "amazing." The brand is now a staple in her wardrobe, and she said her friends have bought in, too.

Shaw isn't the only zillennial embracing the 57-year old brand for the first time. A new wave of shoppers is discovering Gap after years of declining relevance. TikTok is full of influencers showing off their Gap hauls, while buzzy partnerships with artists like Katseye and Young Miko have breathed new life into the brand, once known to be the epitome of American basics.

Founded in 1969 with a simple idea to help customers find a pair of jeans that fit, Gap is leaning back into its roots: affordable, well-fitting essentials.

Gap's focus on younger customers — its target shopper is 25 to 35 — appears to be paying off. Sales rose 5% last year to $3.5 billion, cementing its comeback after years of flat or declining growth. Comparable sales were up 7% in the fourth quarter, marking Gap's ninth straight quarterly increase. Parent company Gap Inc. is riding the momentum too, posting its second year in a row of revenue growth and one of its highest gross margins in 25 years.

Gap's global brand CEO Mark Breitbard returned to the brand in 2020 and has been on a mission to return to basics, reconnect with once-loyal millennials, and simultaneously win over Gen Z.

Now he wants everyone to know: Gap is back.

"It's been a full return to relevance of the brand," said Breitbard, who's been in leadership roles at Gap Inc. — the parent company of Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta — on and off since 2009.

Back to the basics

After its '90s peak, Gap Inc. shares hit roughly $52 in 2000, a level it hasn't reached since. Gap's namesake brand started to falter in the 2010s and entered a roughly decadeslong slump in revenue.

As Zara and H&M pushed further into trendy fast fashion and others doubled down on athleisure or premium denim in the mid-aughts, Gap landed in the awkward middle and lost its selling point. Many industry insiders thought that Gap Inc.'s brands couldn't be turned around, UBS analyst Jay Sole said.

Breitbard said the brand used to have awareness and affinity — and people missed the old Gap.

"We moved into this period where we were over corporate and too many products in the store, and too many ideas, and too much discounting — and not enough of our playbook," said Breitbard.

Breitbard said his 2020 tenure began with a major cleanup from the inside out: rounds of layoffs to reduce bureaucracy and reset leadership, store closures in unprofitable markets, a narrower assortment of styles, and a dramatic upgrade in product quality.

The sweats and jeans that once made the brand famous are now "central" to its comeback, Breitbard said.

That renewed focus on classic American style is a major reason the strategy is resonating, Bill Kenney, CEO of brand agency Focus Lab, told Business Insider. Rather than trying to reinvent itself — like when it briefly changed its logo in 2010 — Gap is leaning into what worked all along.

"They're not trying to tell 17 different stories," Kenney said.

The power of viral partnerships

Breitbard said that the brand grounds its purpose in "great storytelling" around big product ideas every season. That includes partnerships with popular artists, which have had a strong impact, especially with younger consumers.

Breitbard said that 2023, Gap's first year returning to positive revenue after its slump, marked the true turning point.

From there, the momentum built with a LoveShackFancy collaboration. By 2024, Breitbard said, a steady "drumbeat" of moves followed.

Lily Comba, founder and CEO of creator marketing agency Superbloom, told Business Insider that she noticed a change when Fabiola Torres was hired as the brand's chief marketing officer that year.

It began with Gap's spring 2024 linen campaign featuring Tyla. In August 2025, the brand followed up with its "Better in Denim" partnership with Katseye — a TikTok-ready moment that featured the girl group performing to 2003 hit "Milkshake." It arrived on the heels of Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle ad, and it positioned Gap as a lighter, more inclusive voice in the denim category.

The Katseye campaign appeared to pay off in store visits, as Gap saw positive visit growth across most of the six-month period from August to January, according to data from analytics platform Placer.ai.

Part of what makes Gap distinct, Breitbard said, is that "we bridge gaps" (no pun intended). Some of its best-selling styles are worn by both mothers and daughters, he said.

For the holidays, the multi-generational choir featured in the "Give Your Gift" campaign reinforced the message that Gap is an American brand, Comba said.

Most recently, its partnership with Puerto Rican Gen Z artist Young Miko felt especially well-timed, Comba said, tapping into the cultural momentum sparked by Bad Bunny's halftime show. She said the choice to team up with Young Miko was "exactly what Gen Z wants."

"That's the beauty of Gap," Comba said, adding that, "they've always made denim; they've always made sweats; they've always made linen; but it's just how they're communicating is evolving."

Although Gap's turnaround is in full swing, Sole, the UBS analyst, said it has to meet the moment in more ways than its marketing. Shoppers want to know they're getting good value for their money, he said.

Gap will have to deliver items that match the price point and identity it has built if it wants to retain the customers it's attracted.

"They have money in their pocket, they're willing to pay, but they want to have real value," Sole said.

• Camillia Nwokedi left her tech career to become a content creator in 2025.
• She started with $6,000 in savings and experimented with posting for 60 days before leaving tech.
• Nwokedi said the journey is lonely, but it's the best decision she has ever made.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Camillia Nwokedi, a 28-year-old content creator based in Pittsburgh. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When the crypto startup I was working for was sold in July 2025, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to go all in on myself as a content creator. I had about $6,000 in savings and less than 40,000 followers on TikTok, but I believed I was worth the investment.

In less than a year, I've gained brand deals, consulting and coaching clients, and I'm launching my second cohort soon. I'm taking the lessons I learned from the startup to build myself from the ground up.

It's been a difficult emotional journey, but investing in myself is the best decision I've ever made.

I worked at Accenture before getting into crypto

I worked at Accenture from late 2019 to 2021. Bitcoin was popping off at the time, and I started getting the itch to get into crypto, so I started listening to podcasts and building connections in that space.

In 2022, I connected with the CEO of a bitcoin rewards platform, and we hit it off right away. He offered me a job as a special ops agent, and I took it.

The team was really amazing, and I had a lot of senior responsibility, which I loved. At the same time, I was building a social media presence on TikTok and Instagram, where I posted about optimization, self-belief, competence, and more.

In mid-2025, the company was preparing to be sold, and I saw it as an opportunity to give myself a shot. I had been posting consistently, and it really gave me confidence to start looking at myself as an entity and not just a cog in the system.

I had helped scale and sell for other people, but now it was time to give myself that opportunity.

I did a 60-day trial run before going all in on content creation

In the 60 days prior to leaving the startup, I did a series on TikTok called SIM 60, where I posted a video each day pretending to act like a video game Sim. It was all an attempt to get me out of my head, put myself out there, and make content creation more fun. What it did was unblock me as a creative and force me to stop taking myself so seriously.

My audience significantly grew in that period, which gave me confidence that I'd be able to make life as a content creator work.

There are two necessary components for creating a startup: finances and self-belief. And sometimes, if you don't have the financial component, your self-belief can make up for that gap. Getting my self-belief up helped me feel as though I could go all in.

I started with $6,000 in savings and created a research and development budget

A lot of the initial planning was trying to get my working capital in place so that I could make this leap. I had about $6,000 in liquid savings and a retirement account with about $30,000 in it, which I didn't want to touch.

It wasn't a lot to go off of, but because I had been putting myself out there on social media consistently and even had a few user-generated content (UGC) and brand deals coming in, I had a lot of self-belief.

I even gave myself a research and development budget, so I had a little money set aside if I wanted to invest in coaching or consulting to help me with my branding. Thankfully, I haven't touched my retirement account.

I set quarterly goals and have days dedicated to things like CEO and CFO responsibilities

I looked at all the roles that I would have to maintain as a one-person business and decided to split my week into days dedicated to each role.

I have CEO day, COO day, CMO day, and more. It makes it so that every part of me can show up at the table, but I'm not necessarily asking myself to do it all at once.

Tuesdays are typically consulting and operations days for me. This is when I get things in order and execute things for my clients. As much as I've left the 9-to-5, I try to work within that realm for the structure. It helps me manage my time well without overwhelm.

I also give myself quarterly goals or KPIs, which has been comforting. It adds familiarity and structure to a space that is entirely new territory for me.

It's been an emotional and lonely journey

The most challenging and the most worthwhile part of switching from tech to content creation has been the emotional journey.

One morning, I cried because I was so stressed. There's a lot of discomfort that comes along with pursuing my goals. It can feel lonely to be building something entirely on my own.

I have to gentle-parent myself and my nervous system to keep going, and to keep believing that it's going to pay off.

It's hard to communicate to people how many internal conversations I have with myself on a daily basis to reframe old narratives and rewire limiting self-beliefs.

At the end of every week, I can't believe I made it

If you're considering leaving your job or making a big leap, don't ignore that feeling or settle.

I think people often stay as close to their dreams as possible without actually going after them directly.

As someone with not much savings who is still pursuing her dream, and it's working out, I could not recommend it more. It's the best decision I've ever made, and I hope others can have the experience of pursuing what they want as directly as possible.

Do you have a story about leaving tech and pursuing a different career you want to share? Email the editor, Manseen Logan, at mlogan@businessinsider.com.

• Airport security checkpoints in the US are under pressure due to the partial government shutdown.
• Many now-unpaid TSA agents are skipping work or even quitting, causing long lines and wait times.
• Here's the latest on TSA delays, and how to check wait times before you travel.

If there's anything that can bring Americans together to demand government action, it's long lines at airport security.

Those lines persisted at airports across the US this week as a partial government shutdown left the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration unfunded and their agents unpaid at the height of the spring break travel season.

Airports are now telling passengers to arrive up to three hours early to clear security in time for their flights.

The TSA on Sunday called on Congress to resolve the impasse over the immigration enforcement policies that have left the DHS unfunded for a month. The agency said hundreds of unpaid agents have quit.

"3+ hour TSA lines for travelers. 300+ TSA officers who have quit. A $0 paycheck for those continuing to serve. Enough is enough," the agency said in an X post on Saturday.

A group of airline CEOs also sent a letter to Congress on Saturday calling on Republicans and Democrats to figure it out. "Americans —who live in your districts and home states — are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays, and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown," the letter, which was signed by the CEOs of Delta, United, American, JetBlue, and others, says.

By early Tuesday morning, lengthy lines were still present at several airports, though they had calmed at some locations that had seen long lines over the weekend.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest by passenger numbers, had lines as long as 90 minutes at some domestic security checkpoints early on Tuesday morning, having seen waits of up to 2 hours over the weekend.

In a Monday X post, the airport encouraged travelers to allow extra time for screening and to arrive at least 3 hours before their flight. Many flights also faced lengthy delays or cancellations due to a major storm.

Lines at some checkpoints in the New York area's two biggest airports, JFK and Newark, were both around 30 minutes long early Tuesday.

At Dallas-Fort Worth, waits varied by checkpoint, ranging from over 20 minutes to as short as 2 minutes.

Austin-Bergstrom International was one of the worst-affected airports over the weekend, due in part to an influx of travelers for the SXSW festival.

The airport's social media channels are posting frequent updates about how busy TSA lines are, showing long lines in the terminal building on Tuesday morning.

While busy, Austin appeared to have calmed down compared to the end of last week and the weekend. Photos and videos shared by travelers over the weekend showed lines stretching from the terminal building into the parking lot.

To ensure passengers clear security in plenty of time, many airports are telling passengers to leave longer than usual to get through. Dallas-Fort Worth Airport told travelers to allow at least 2 hours for domestic flights, while Austin advised leaving 2.5 to 3 hours.

How to check wait times

The easiest way to avoid the stress of missing your flight is to arrive as early as you can. Many airports are advising travelers this week to arrive up to three hours before their flight.

To check TSA wait times, many airports, including major hubs like Atlanta, Houston, JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Denver, post them live on their websites.

These can also provide more specific insights. For example, DFW's website shows the wait times at each checkpoint.

While broadly reliable, some airport websites aren't always accurate. On Monday, Atlanta Airport said the feature was "currently unavailable due to a technical issue," although it was later fixed.

You can also use the MyTSA mobile app. It provides estimated wait times in 15-minute intervals based on average checkpoint data. The app, however, will use historical data if the live data cannot be retrieved. The TSA also says it is not "actively" managing its sites during the partial shutdown, and so the app may not always be updated.