• BrewDog cofounder James Watt has criticized the UK's work culture.
• Watt said the UK was "one of world's least work-oriented countries."
• Watt stepped down as BrewDog CEO in 2024.

BrewDog cofounder James Watt said the UK was "one of the world's least work-oriented countries" as he criticized the idea of "work-life balance."

Appearing in an Instagram video alongside his fiancée, Georgia Toffolo, Watt initially said he believed "the whole concept of work-life balance was invented by people who hate the work that they do."

Watt said he and Toffolo instead believed in "work-life integration."

Watt received pushback over the post and later deleted it from Instagram, saying "the comments crossed the line from debate to personal abuse." However, he later reposted it with additional context.

In the new post, Watt made it clear that his content was "aimed at founders, entrepreneurs, and people who want to push their careers forward," adding that "most successful leaders I know don't separate work from life."

In a LinkedIn post, Watt then suggested the pushback may be linked to what he described as the UK's comparatively low work ethic.

"As a nation, we love to joke about the French being lazy, but the reality is that our output per hour is 13% lower than theirs," he wrote. "I've heard countless international leaders say that the UK's work ethic just doesn't stack up against other nations, especially the US."

He then went on to cite a 2023 study by the Policy Institute at King's College London that found the UK public ranked among the lowest internationally for the importance placed on work.

The study, which looked at 24 nations, including Italy, France, and Russia, found that British people were the least likely to say work was important in their lives and among the least likely to say that work should always come first.

"This isn't to say nobody in the UK works hard—I know that millions of you do and are relentlessly grafting every day," Watt added.

BrewDog was founded in 2007 in Scotland and soon found success as it shook up the craft beer scene with its bold, controversial marketing and its signature Punk IPA.

The company has since built a network of bars and breweries around the world. Its Columbus, Ohio site features a taproom, hotel, and brewery.

Watt stepped down as CEO of the company in 2024, after 17 years at the helm. His departure followed a number of controversies over the company's alleged treatment of staff.

In 2021, dozens of former employees wrote an open letter accusing the company and Watt of creating a "culture of fear" in which staff were treated "like objects."

Watt later apologized to the former employees, saying the company had "always tried to do the best by our team."

"But the tweet we saw last night proves that on many occasions we haven't got it right. We are committed to doing better, not just as a reaction to this, but always; and we are going to reach out to our entire team past and present to learn more. But most of all, right now, we are sorry," he added.

In January 2024, BrewDog also faced fallout after it emerged it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.

• Viral imitations of Hermès' Birkin bag have boosted awareness of Walmart's e-commerce marketplace.
• The positive attention is a tailwind as Walmart aims to take on Amazon's online dominance.
• But dupes like the so-called Wirkin also pose a challenge for the retailer's brand relationships.

For all of the fanfare they received last month, the internet-famous dupes of the ultra-luxe Birkin handbags have been disappearing from Walmart's e-commerce marketplace.

Walmart itself has been fairly quiet about the trend.

"In some instances, products may no longer be available," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider, declining to comment on the items specifically. The spokesperson added that the company encourages shoppers to explore its website for "exciting alternatives."

The frenzy around these imitation luxury accessories, available for a fraction of the price of the designer versions, highlights how such an increase in attention can be a somewhat mixed bag for online platforms like Walmart. An imitation bag going viral on TikTok can bring publicity to an online marketplace while also posing legal and reputational risks for brand owners.

"The Birkin dupes on Walmart's site have attracted such attention because of the juxtaposition of a very price-focused brand and a very aspirational product," GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders told BI. "It underlines how much its marketplace has evolved over recent years. Walmart has been actively expanding the offer to attract more consumers, especially younger and more affluent ones."

Walmart executives have touted the massive assortment of products available via third-party sellers in its online marketplace, which launched in 2009. Last quarter, CEO Doug McMillon said the SKU count is approaching 700 million items — a figure that dwarfs the 120,000 SKUs typically carried in a Walmart Supercenter.

McMillon has spoken at length about how important a huge selection of products is for Walmart to become the first place shoppers think of when they need anything from a dozen eggs sold by Walmart to a pair of sneakers from a third-party seller.

"When somebody thinks about buying anything and they want to go search or they want to go find a specific item, we want to be in that consideration set and that requires 1P and 3P," he said in a September 2023 earnings call, referring to first-party and third-party goods.

Amazon largely achieved this place in American consumers' minds by offering more than 600 million products on its site, of which 588 million are sold by third-party vendors, according to Capital One.

But what happens when sellers offer — and shoppers want — products that might infringe on another company's intellectual property rights?

Neither Walmart nor Hermès have said publicly whether an official complaint was filed, but McMillon has often said the company prizes its brand partnerships and wants to keep suppliers happy.

That position could lead the company to take a more cautious approach with potentially risky listings.

While many of the listings for the imitation Birkin bags are no longer available on Walmart's website, similar bags can be found on some of its e-commerce rivals.

As of Wednesday, a third-party seller on Amazon was offering a $100 "Wirkin welmes" leather handbag, using keywords that were popularized in reference to the delisted dupes on Walmart.com. Amazon didn't respond to BI's request for comment.

Balancing new customer awareness with protecting brands could help explain Walmart's relatively low-key handling of the Wirkin trend publicly. However, this likely won't be the last time the company will have to thread this needle.

Opening the marketplace to an ever-larger number of sellers means there will be no shortage of listings that will go on to be deleted. Those future listings will likely come and go with less attention as more people realize Walmart's offering goes well beyond its physical stores.

If anything, the kerfuffle over the Wirkin shows that Walmart's marketplace ambitions have reached a key milestone, attracting a level of viral attention in league with existing titans like Amazon and eBay.

• Myka Stauffer was a family YouTuber who chronicled her adoption of a child with medical needs from China.
• She and her husband faced backlash in 2020 when they said they were placing their son with a new family.
• Now, Myka is the subject of a new docuseries. Here's where she is today.

In May 2020, parenting YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer posted a video that would change their life.

In the since-deleted video titled "an update on our family," the Stauffers said that their son Huxley, whom they had adopted from China in 2017, had "a lot more special needs" than they had initially been aware of. After pursuing treatment and consulting medical professionals, the Stauffers said that they had made the decision to place Huxley with a "new forever family" who would be better able to care for him. Before deleting their channel, it had over 700,000 subscribers.

The Stauffers faced backlash online for their decision, as well as criticism that they had profited from content about Huxley's adoption before placing him with a new family. Fabletics, Kate Hudson's athletic wear brand, as well as other brands including Chili's and Big Lots cut ties with Myka.

Now, the Stauffers — and the family vlogging ecosystem at large — are the subject of the documentary series "An Update on Our Family." The series, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024, will air on HBO and Max starting January 15. It examines Huxley and the Stauffer family's story and the family vlogging ecosystem in which they existed.

Here's what we know about where Myka Stauffer is today.

Myka Stauffer left social media and hasn't posted since 2020

On June 24, 2020, Myka posted a statement to her Instagram account addressing the controversy around Huxley. In it, she said that she was "naive, foolish, and arrogant," and wished that she had been more prepared when she and her husband adopted him.

"I wanted to help so bad I was willing to bring home any child that needed me," she wrote.

Myka also said in the statement that she and James did not "adopt a child to gain wealth," writing that revenue from their videos featuring Huxley was put back into his care.

"We love Huxley and know that this was the right decision for him and his future," she said. "Praying that Huxley only has the best future in the entire world."

Since then, Myka has not publicly posted on her main Instagram account. Her personal YouTube channel and the family's channel, The Stauffer Life, have been deleted.

While Myka no longer posts online, James maintains his car detailing channel Stauffer Garage.

Myka and James' lawyers, Thomas Taneff and Taylor Sayers, told People in 2020 that the Stauffers had consulted medical and education professionals while caring for Huxley.

"Over time, the team of medical professionals advised our clients it might be best for Huxley to be placed with another family," they said.

The Stauffer family did not participate in 'An Update on Our Family'

The Stauffer family, who The Columbus Dispatch reported lives in Columbus, Ohio, did not participate in "An Update on Our Family."

Executive producers Rachel Mason and Rachel Knudsen told Business Insider that they attempted to reach the Stauffers multiple times while making the docuseries.

"We wanted them to participate, and also understand them not reaching back out to us," Knudsen told BI.

"We trust that their decision is their decision, and what's best for their family," she continued.

Email addresses that appeared to be associated with Myka Stauffer and the email address associated with James Stauffer's YouTube channel did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

"An Update On Our Family" premieres on HBO and Max on January 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will air for three weeks.

• I'm an experienced skier who has been to more than a dozen ski resorts around the world.
• I often see beginners make mistakes like holding up lines, tailgating, and zooming down slopes.
• Wearing proper gear and being aware of your surroundings can enhance your skiing experience.

As an unathletic kid, I dreaded "going skiing" because it really meant slogging through ski school while my parents hit the slopes.

I started ski school before I started actual school, and for years, I was much better in the classroom than on the slopes.

Now, as a (much more athletic) adult skier with years of experience, I've been lucky enough to travel beyond my home base in Lake Tahoe to ski resorts in Utah, Colorado, the Canadian Rockies, and the French Alps.

Ski resorts have an etiquette system that can be difficult to grasp, and I've seen beginners make the same mistakes over and over, no matter where I am.

If you're a newcomer at a ski resort but you don't want to seem like one, here are some mistakes to avoid:

Holding up the line

If you're traveling in a group, wait until everyone is present before you all enter the chairlift line together. Don't try to save a spot for your friend — it's rude to other parties who are ready to get on the lift.

If you need to make boot or gear adjustments, do these before you get in line. Don't block the line's entrance.

At most resorts, lift lines funnel from many lanes into one main artery that feeds the chairlift. If there's no lift operator queueing groups, you have to merge lanes by alternating groups. Be mindful of when it's your turn and when you should let someone else go ahead.

Tailgating

It's annoying when someone steps on the back of your shoe while you're walking. However, it's even worse when someone does that to you while you have big metal slats hooked to your 8-pound boots.

When you're queueing up for the lift, leave just enough space between the tips of your skis and the next person's.

You wouldn't drive bumper-to-bumper, and you don't need to ski like that either.

Poorly planning your dismount from the lift

Good lift etiquette continues at the top of the hill on the dismount.

Coordinate with others on your chair to figure out which direction you're going when you get off. This can help you avoid a collision if you need to cross paths with another person on your chair.

Once you get off the chair, keep moving so the people behind you have a clear runway to exit.

Not staying in your lane

Once you advance past beginner techniques like "pizza" and "french fry," you need to make more parallel turns to ski down a hill safely.

Avoid zooming straight down the trail, which is how you can lose control.

On busier trails, it's safest to make your turns in a chosen section of the slope. Stick to one side of the trail rather than using its entire width to leave enough room for other skiers.

Picking a bad mid-mountain rest stop

Whatever you do, don't stop in the middle of the trail — that's like parking in the center lane of a highway.

Just like you would on a freeway, pull onto the shoulder instead. When you know you need to hit a stop, get to the side of the trail so the other skiers won't have to swerve around you.

Then, when you're ready to get back on the slopes, look uphill for anyone making their way down toward you. I usually wait for a break in the traffic — when there are very few skiers uphill of me — before I hop back on the trail.

In general, downhill skiers have the right of way because they can't see you coming behind them. It's your responsibility as the uphill skier to ensure you won't crash into them.

Not wearing the right outfit and gear

There are no fashion faux pas in skiing, but I would caution against those tight designer ski suits some people like to wear. They feel impractical for a sport that involves a fair amount of falling and bending over.

On the slopes, you should also wear bright colors and avoid wearing white. This can help other skiers see you coming, thus avoiding unnecessary collisions.

I also swear by wearing helmets. Most of the times I've taken bad falls have been on flat ground — it's easy for even the most experienced skier to catch an edge and lose their balance.