• The CEO of Ford warned that AI could eliminate half of white-collar jobs.
• He emphasized the importance of skilled trades amid a slowdown in tech hiring.
• Some CEOs have sounded the AI alarm, while others are more skeptical of mass job displacement.

Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, pumped the brakes on opting for an office job in the AI era.

Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 27 about what he coined the "essential economy," Farley reflected on his own family's journey. His grandfather, he said, was an orphan in Michigan and built a career at Ford from his early days as an hourly employee.

"Look around the room," he said in his opening remarks. "At some point, almost all of your families came from these kinds of jobs."

Farley warned, though, that the American education system focuses on four-year degrees instead of the trades, while hiring at tech firms is falling rapidly.

"Artificial intelligence is going to replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the US," Farley said. That's why, he said, more people are looking to the skilled trades. Representatives for Ford did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

Farley isn't the only executive sounding the alarm.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in May that AI could eliminate half of entry-level office jobs within five years. Companies and governments, Amodei said, should stop "sugarcoating" the risks of widespread job replacement in fields including technology, finance, law, and consulting.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told employees in June to expect corporate job cuts because of generative AI (people weren't thrilled about the memo). Jassy didn't offer many specifics, but said in a later interview that the new technology will create jobs in robotics and AI.

Other leaders have a different view. Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar told BI that he thinks AI will create more jobs for college graduates, particularly when it comes to human labor. Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, also disagreed with Amodei's warning, and said AI will change everyone's job but could also crate creative opportunities.

White-collar job postings dropped 12.7% over the year in the first quarter, compared to a 11.6% dip for blue-collar jobs. The tech industry in particular has slowed down hiring. Big Tech firms' hiring of new grads fell around 50% from before the pandemic, according to venture capital firm SignalFire. Some of that has to do with AI, the report said.

GenZ is turning increasingly to blue-collar jobs, which some AI whisperers think is the safest spot in the labor market, at least for now.

• We've lived in our house for 30 years and have no plans of moving out any time soon.
• Our friends are downsizing, but emotions play a big part in our not leaving our 3,500 square foot house.
• There are memories in every corner of this place.

After 30 years, we're not ready to leave our 1970s home, even though it has stairs and no walk-in shower.

Among my friends my age — I'm 67 — downsizing is a major topic at social gatherings. The focus is always on finances and logistics, not the deep feelings that the decision reveals.

Emotions play a big part in why, for now, we're staying in this too-big, too-out-of-date, difficult-to-manage two-level 3,500-square-foot home despite many reasons to go and fewer to stay.

We've put so much work into it

My husband of 40 years and I have upgraded and replaced many things. Our upper level has oak plank floors, and we ripped the kitchen to the studs, put in a long peninsula, and increased cabinet space. We upgraded all the interior doors, replaced the concrete driveway, and improved the drainage. We've added a new roof and refurbished a concrete patio. We've added tiles to the bathroom floors and repainted multiple times. And except for the ubiquitous ancient refrigerator in the basement, we've upgraded with good appliances as needed.

But we don't necessarily love everything we've done throughout the years. The oak planks throughout the upper level are narrow, having been put in years ago, and the trend is wider planks. The remodeled kitchen, chic in 2011, has dark cabinets that are not in vogue.

It's an expensive house

At our price point and on our retirement income, it doesn't make sense to replace wooden floors or upgrade a kitchen that costs more than we'll ever get back.

A costly team cares for our lawn. A landscaper cares for the garden beds, and early every Monday, a team of mowers wakes us up. Another person hauls away branches after our frequent Midwestern storms. A man with a lift and a crew takes down the big trees, about 15 in 30 years. A company fertilizes the acre-sized lot and treats it for moles.

One Mother's Day, my husband looked out the kitchen window and said, "You are not the only mother on the property today," spotting Mr. and Mrs. Ground Hog and their four babies. We hired "The Critter Roper," who gently removed them from our property.

We hired the varmint guy to build a structure to protect our foundation, one of those expenses that cost a pretty penny and are not as exciting as a new car or TV. Our foundation has been safe from varmints ever since.

But we have reasons to stay

All that said, we are comfortable in our home. While the decorative style might be called Eclectic Grammy, each room has relics of past travel, copies of famous paintings, and originals by artist friends. We are surrounded by books everywhere (my husband is a retired librarian), and I can't bear to part with one book yet.

We each have an office, and my husband, who runs an online antiques business, keeps inventory in our basement and yard barn.

I love my yellow-and-white striped wallpapered office and large L-shaped desk. Diverse items hang on the walls — a huge picture of Eleanore Roosevelt, an "I Love Lucy" Vitameatavegamin clock, posters of Baryshnikov, my mother's 1955 Indiana University diploma, a picture my son drew in first grade of "The Cat in the Hat," and a poster of El Greco's "Toledo," the exact spot where my husband and I stood.

My most precious books are on a rough-hewn bookshelf my Dad built when I moved into my first apartment, arm's length away from my comfortable office chair.

From my office, I see West Lake, the canopy of trees in our yard, and lilac bushes that recently bloomed. Three bird feeders hang off the deck rail, awaiting the imminent arrival of the Rose-breasted grosbeaks on their way back to Canada.

I'm not ready to give these things up. My husband, who couldn't run his business from a smaller space, isn't ready to stop his business.

I hear kids in my mind, despite it being empty now

The house is quiet now, but I still love being here despite its too-small rooms and the lack of a linen closet.

In my mind, I hear the noise of children's pool parties and the clatter of my son's quick, child footsteps on the stairs, although he left for college in 2008 and lives on the East Coast.

My maternal grandfather was a real estate agent and always told me, that owning a home is an emotional investment. That statement sticks with me now as my husband and I contemplate when to downsize.

For now, I'm happy to stay in our home on its lovely tree-filled lot, which offers comfort and familiarity, rich memories, and seasonal beauty.

• Charlize Theron added a dramatic scene to "The Old Guard 2" during reshoots.
• The scene highlights the complex relationship between her character, Andy, and Quỳnh, played by Veronica Ngô.
• "The Old Guard 2" is currently available on Netflix.

Though "The Old Guard" franchise is filled with exciting action sequences, it also has some serious moments, and one of the most dramatic in "The Old Guard 2" was imagined by its star, Charlize Theron.

When immortal warrior Andy (Theron) learns that her friend from centuries ago, Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô), is actually alive, Andy is beside herself. She has felt guilty all this time that she could never locate her friend. And, to make things worse, Quỳnh has teamed up with the evil immortal, Discourse (Uma Thurman).

In one scene, soon after learning Quỳnh is alive, Andy has a memory from back in medieval times. In one of her darkest moments, she almost strangles to death a man who seems to have done nothing wrong to her until Quỳnh tells her, "This is not who you are."

This dramatic moment is relevant towards the end of the movie when Quỳnh has her own dark moment. After an all-out battle between Andy's team and Discourse at a nuclear plant, Andy comes across Quỳnh as she's about to blow up the facility. In that moment, Quỳnh says to Andy, "Is this when you tell me that this isn't who I am?"

"That was all Charlize," "The Old Guard 2" director Victoria Mahoney told Business Insider, revealing that Theron came up with the sequences when they did reshoots on the movie.

"It was to give the audience another view of who these two were in time and what they've meant to each other," she continued. "It wasn't just fighting side by side but pulling each other from the dark side."

Mahoney said they were able to build out the Andy/Quỳnh relationship thanks to the groundwork laid out in the first movie.

"My job was to grow all these wonderful aspects of what had already been planted," she said. "How to honor them, celebrate them, and then expand."

She also hopes that delving deeper into their relationship will make the audience think about the Andy and Quỳnh in their own lives.

"Going to your darkest self, many people can relate to that," Mahoney said. "And that makes them think of the person in their lives who says, 'That's not you.'"

• After seeing a stunning aerial shot of Lake Bled on "The Amazing Race," I booked a trip to Slovenia.
• I spent 2 weeks driving through Slovenia, visiting beautiful towns, hiking alpine gorges, and more.
• The country's kind locals, diverse landscapes, and peaceful charm made it my top travel destination.

My husband and I were halfway through an episode of CBS's "The Amazing Race" when a brief aerial shot of a glittering alpine lake stopped us cold.

The water shimmered in a perfect shade of blue, a tiny island church sat at its center, and towering green mountains framed the scene like a painting. We looked at each other and said, "Let's go there."

The destination? Lake Bled in Slovenia, a country I couldn't have placed on a map at the time. Within weeks, we'd booked the trip.

I thought this would be a one-off adventure to a pretty spot we'd seen on TV. I had no idea Slovenia would become my favorite travel destination.

We based parts of our trip on 'The Amazing Race' episode

Although there's an airport in Slovenia's capital city, Ljubljana, we opted to fly into Vienna instead, then take the train into Ljubljana, just like competitors did on "The Amazing Race."

The ride through the countryside was cinematic, with rolling hills, dense forests, and snowy mountains in the distance.

We then rented a car and spent two weeks tracing the show's route, filling in the gaps with places that caught our attention along the way.

Ljubljana felt like a fairytale come to life, with pastel buildings, pedestrian promenades, and a calm river that split the city center. We searched for the famous locks and dragon statues we'd seen on TV, ate pizza, and enjoyed local beers at cafés lining the water.

From there, we drove to Lake Bled, where the island church and emerald water looked just as magical in person as they did on our screens.

The nearby Lake Bohinj, quieter and more rugged, felt like a local secret.

We hiked through Vintgar Gorge, where wooden walkways hugged the cliffs over rushing water, and explored the medieval clifftop Predjama Castle, which looks like it was carved straight into the rock.

In the Soča Valley, we based ourselves in the mountain town of Bovec.

The Soča River shimmered in surreal shades of blue, and we spent hours walking along its banks, dipping our toes in, and soaking up the mountain air.

We hiked through Tolmin Gorge, crossed hanging bridges, and attempted to paraglide, though the weather didn't cooperate.

Before heading home, we detoured to explore the Škocjan Caves, a jaw-dropping underground world with echoing caverns and waterfalls thundering in the dark.

We then ended our trip on the coast in Piran, a tiny seaside town where cars aren't allowed in the historic center.

We wandered narrow alleyways, climbed to the city walls, and watched the sun dip into the Adriatic while church bells echoed in the distance.

The locals we encountered were so friendly, too

As beautiful as Slovenia is, the people left the most profound impression.

When I got sick mid-trip, my husband drove to a nearby village to find a pharmacy. The pharmacist didn't speak much English, and my husband spoke no Slovenian aside from "hello" and "thank you," but she still managed to get him everything I needed — and even sent him off with well wishes for me.

Later, we hired a boat captain for a sunset cruise, and he went so far above and beyond that he offered to drive us to the train station the next morning. He still checks in with us to this day.

That level of kindness wasn't the exception — it was the norm. People we encountered everywhere we went in Slovenia seemed patient, welcoming, and eager to help us enjoy their country.

They helped us learn small bits of Slovenian, provided us with suggestions and ideas on how to spend our afternoons, took the time to chat with us, and never made us feel like unwanted tourists.

Now, Slovenia is my favorite travel destination

Slovenia wasn't on my radar before that random episode of "The Amazing Race," but now it's the first place I recommend to anyone looking for something special.

It gave us adventure, peace, stunning scenery, and meaningful connections, all without the crowds or chaos of more popular European spots.

But more than anything, it just felt good to be there. Slovenia reminded me that sometimes the best trips aren't the ones we plan for months, they're the ones that start with a single, unexpected moment that makes you say, "Let's go."

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Good morning. President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" is heading for a final vote in the US House of Representatives. BI has broken down how it could affect your wallet, if it passes, from an increase in the child tax credit to a repeal of student loan forgiveness.

In today's big story, Sean "Diddy" Combs may have dodged a possible sentence of life in prison, but he's not a free man yet.

What's on deck

Markets: A new report attempts to answer one question hanging over everyone on Wall Street.

Tech: Amazon's performance review process is getting a new key metric.

Business: What media and politics insiders are saying about Paramount's settlement with Trump.

But first, the jury has reached a verdict.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The big story

Diddy's empire on the line

Cheers erupted in the courtroom as the verdicts were announced.

Sean "Diddy" Combs was found guilty on two felony counts of transporting people for prostitution. He avoided convictions on steeper charges: two counts of sex trafficking and one of racketeering.

"Love you!" Combs shouted to his family with a beaming smile after the verdict was read. "I'm gonna be home soon!"

Not as soon as he'd like. Combs was denied bail and ordered to remain in jail until his sentencing, with the judge citing his history of violence.

The verdict came after 14 hours of jury deliberations and more than six weeks of testimony from 34 government witnesses, including the R&B singer Cassie Ventura, who dated Combs for 11 years.

What does the verdict mean for the hip-hop mogul's business empire and his fortune?

Well — what's left of them, anyway.

As a result of the criminal indictment, emotionally-charged courtroom testimony, and the wave of civil sex abuse lawsuits against Combs, he's become persona non grata in the industries that once made him very wealthy, BI's Madeline Berg and Natalie Musumeci write.

His income streams and reputation have been dealt a blow.

For example, Diageo, Combs' partner in Cîroc vodka and DeLeón tequila, cut ties with him in 2023. The move officially ended a relationship that, according to the company, netted the music tycoon nearly $1 billion since he was named the face of Cîroc in 2007.

"Mr. Combs is well-aware that these lawsuits make it impossible for him to continue to be the 'face' of anything," Diageo lawyers wrote in 2023.

Beyond his criminal case, Combs is still facing more than 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, rape, drugging, and other forms of violence. And if any of the plaintiffs win, the financial impact could be steep.

3 things in markets

1. Tough times for Tesla. The EV maker's delivery numbers came in just as bad as Wall Street predicted, representing a 13.5% year-over-year decrease from Q2 2024. Early Tesla investor-turned-bear Ross Gerber called Elon Musk's latest spat with President Trump another "nail in the coffin" that could tank the stock as much as 50% if the market reevaluates it.

2. Why the economy is doing worse than we thought. The job market is tough, real GDP dropped more than initially thought, and consumer spending fell. These warning signs indicate there's trouble in the US economy, but that doesn't mean a recession is guaranteed.

3. A new report measures exactly how much AI will reshape banking. Unsurprisingly, the report found tech, engineering, and infrastructure would change the most, with a projection of 55% of the work being redefined by 2030. Front office functions are projected to see huge changes, too.

3 things in tech

1. Behind Microsoft's new AI-focused sales strategy. Microsoft's chief commercial officer Judson Althoff is revamping the sales unit to become "the frontier AI Firm," according to an internal memo viewed by BI. The memo was sent out a day before Microsoft cut less than 4% of its workforce, which affected many salespeople.

2. Amazon's performance reviews are getting stricter. Employee evaluations will now formally include the company's long-standing "Leadership Principles." Managers will use a new three-tiered system to evaluate how well employees reflect the company's values, according to an internal document BI obtained.

3. How much Meta pays top talent across its broader workforce. Software engineers at Meta can make up to $480,000, and even product designers and researchers can make $200,000, according to federal filings. Here's what Meta pays employees across various key roles.

3 things in business

1. More layoffs at TikTok. The company notified some e-commerce workers that their roles were being cut as part of "organizational and personnel changes," according to two employees and an internal email viewed by BI. US e-commerce sales performance has been mixed this year amid new tariffs on China.

2. Paramount's settlement with Trump sets a new media precedent. The media giant is paying $16 million to settle a lawsuit Trump brought over a "60 Minutes" segment that aired last fall. Here's what top people in media and politics, from Sen. Bernie Sanders to veteran White House reporter John Harwood, are saying about the agreement.

3. Corona beer is losing a key group of drinkers. Constellation Brands, the parent company, said first-quarter spending was soft in areas with "larger Hispanic populations." CEO Bill Newlands said this demographic makes up about 50% of the beer's consumer base.

In other news

• How Meta is training its chatbots to message you first, remember your chats, and keep you talking, according to internal documents obtained by BI.
• Citadel hires a chief medical officer as Ken Griffin's empire adds investment bank-like benefits.
• Tesla competitor BYD axes Mexico factory plans.
• KPMG partners share how to turn your Big Four summer internship into a job offer.
• National security-focused VC firm America's Frontier Fund is raising $315 million for its debut fund.
• Over 900 ETFs were launched in the last year. Here are nine of the most innovative.
• Four reasons forecasters are bullish on the market's smallest stocks after years of underperformance.
• What Babbel's new CEO has learned about leadership from his previous roles.
• Why a famed financial advisor thinks crypto should be up to 40% of your portfolio.
• Elon Musk is threatening their political careers. Republicans say they aren't sweating it.

What's happening today

• Bureau of Labor Statistics releases monthly employment report.

• US financial markets close early ahead of Independence Day.

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  Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Meghan Morris, deputy bureau chief, in Singapore. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Ella Hopkins, associate editor, in London. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York (on parental leave).