• New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani tried to woo the city's tech denizens on Wednesday.
• He engaged in a fireside chat attended by roughly 200 startup founders and venture capitalists.
• In the discussion, Mamdani seemed to balance progressive ideas with pragmatic outreach.

Zohran Mamdani had no deck, but plenty of pitch when he met with New York City's tech community on Wednesday night.

At an invite-only fireside chat with venture capitalist Kevin Ryan, the New York City Democratic mayoral candidate tried to sell a room of tech workers and startup investors on his vision for a city that works for the working class.

And he mostly avoided the controversy surrounding his views on Israel and tax hikes for the city's millionaires and billionaires, according to multiple people who attended the event.

Fresh off a primary win powered by the blunt message that New York is too expensive, Mamdani spent about an hour taking questions from New York's tech workers at an event hosted by the Partnership for New York City, Tech:NYC, and AlleyCorp, Ryan's venture capital firm that incubates and invests in startups.

The crowd of some 200 people included startup founders, angel investors, and general partners from venture capital funds.

The event, held at a gleaming skyscraper in Midtown, offered a stark contrast to the candidate's grassroots campaign, which was built around free city buses, a freeze on New York rents, and tax hikes for millionaires. Mamdani leaned in, fielding questions with a mix of what attendees who spoke to Business Insider characterized as "charisma" and pragmatism.

Ryan told Business Insider that when someone in the audience raised President Donald Trump's social media post about Mamdani, which referred to him as "a 100% Communist Lunatic" who "looks TERRIBLE," he joked that it must have hurt Mamdani to hear he looked lousy, drawing scattered laughs.

During their discussion, Mamdani and Ryan pinballed from the state of affairs in New York's tech scene to initiatives across housing, childcare, transportation, healthcare, and government efficiency, attendees said.

Last week, Mamdani collided with tech's more conservative wing on social media after a Sequoia Capital investor's viral comments referring to the candidate as an "Islamist."

Ryan said the post didn't come up during the chat, but one audience member did ask Mamdani about his past comments on Israel. Mamdani deflected, Ryan said.

"He was trying to focus on being mayor of New York," Ryan said, "not mayor of the Middle East."

Mamdani was somewhat vague, Ryan and other attendees said, when asked about his previous comments about billionaires. "I don't think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality," Mamdani said in a TV interview in June.

He seemed to be reaching out to the business community, nonetheless.

"He didn't have to meet with the CEOs," said Ryan, referring to a Tuesday meeting with New York's business leaders.

In that meeting, Mamdani reportedly said that he would not use the phrase "globalize the intifada" and that he would "discourage" others from doing so, after months of declining to condemn the phrase that some interpret as a call to violence against the Jewish people.

At Wednesday's event, one attendee, who works at an artificial intelligence company, said he saw the candidate's rhetoric soften into a more pragmatic approach. The person said that when someone asked Mamdani what he hoped to achieve in his first hundred days in office, the candidate referenced a 2009 proposal by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg to make cross-town buses free. Mamdani has said that he plans to make every bus in New York free.

"I was glad to see him being open to new ideas and working with people outside his base," said Yoni Rechtman, a Brooklyn venture capitalist who attended the event. "Over the last few months, he's done a good job moderating on issues that matter to New York." Rechtman questioned if that was because of "an authentic commitment to pragmatism" or "just typical politicking."

"He's engaging," Ryan said, "even though he knows that many people in the room don't agree with a number of his positions. I will give him credit for reaching out."

As an organizer, Ryan played both host and ambassador. He's among the early architects of New York's startup scene, the original "Silicon Alley insider." His hands were on many of its flagship tech companies: Gilt Groupe, MongoDB, and even Business Insider, which he started along with Henry Blodget and Dwight Merriman in 2007.

Ryan, who has previously cohosted events with Mamdani rivals Mayor Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo, and other New York politicians, said he hasn't endorsed a candidate. This event, he said, came together after Mamdani's primary win and offered a chance to introduce the candidate to the tech ecosystem — and for the ecosystem to size him up.

A spokesperson for Mamdani didn't return a request for comment.

Mamdani's campaign has proposed a 2% income tax hike on New Yorkers earning more than $1 million a year — a bracket that likely doesn't include most of the city's early-stage founders and startup employees, and might only graze a few of the investors in the room.

Zach Weinberg, a New York tech founder who notched one of the city's biggest startup exits with the $2.1 billion sale of Flatiron Health in 2018, didn't attend the fireside chat, but he didn't mince words when asked about Mamdani's platform. While the candidate "seems like a perfectly nice guy," Weinberg told Business Insider, he believes many of Mamdani's policies, especially rent freezes and higher taxes, "will not work" and could do more harm than good.

"If he pushes tax rates higher on residents, you will see people move out of the city, which actually decreases tax revenue," he said. "Super wealthy people have flexibility where they live."

He pointed to hedge fund manager David Tepper's departure from New Jersey — a move that caused a drop in the state's annual tax revenue — as a cautionary tale for what happens when tax policy collides with high-net-worth mobility.

Mamdani sits further to the left than most in a room full of card-carrying capitalists, said Ryan. But he tried to show on Wednesday that he's willing to engage with a spectrum of viewpoints ahead of the general election, where he will face a Republican and several independent candidates, he added.

When asked about technology's role in the government, Mamdani lamented that while he can track a food delivery order on his phone, he can't monitor a complaint he's logged in NYC311, the city's information and service hotline, as easily. The public sector, he told the group, could learn from the private sector in how it applies technology.

"He's a good politician and understands that we need to create jobs in the city if people want to pay for anything," Ryan said.

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• President Donald Trump said that Coca-Cola agreed to swap corn syrup for real cane sugar in Coke.
• Coca-Cola has not commented on or confirmed the president's statement.
• If the swap is made, US-based Coca-Cola drinks would taste more like Mexican Coke products.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said a "better" version of Coca-Cola products was on its way.

In a Truth Social post, the president said he'd been working on a deal with the beverage company to use real cane sugar in Coke products in the United States, "and they have agreed to do so."

"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola," Trump wrote in his post. "This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!"

The Coca‑Cola Company acknowledged in a statement that changes were coming but did not provide additional details.

"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand," the statement said. "More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Coca-Cola already sells a cane sugar version of its soda in the US, marketed as Coca‑Cola Mexico or, colloquially, Mexican Coke, since many of its sodas sold in Mexico are made with cane sugar. However, most of its products sold in the United States are sweetened with corn syrup, in part because the government heavily subsidizes corn, which makes corn syrup a cheaper option than cane sugar.

Coca-Cola's stock didn't respond to Trump's announcement in after-hours trading. Shares for the soda company were at $69.27 at market close.

Famously, Trump's drink of choice is Diet Coke, which is made with the artificial sweetener aspartame. The president has frequently been photographed drinking Diet Coke, with The New York Times reporting in 2017 that he drinks a dozen a day.

The Trump administration, through its Make America Health Again initiative spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has urged companies to remove ingredients such as dyes and preservatives from their formulas. Some companies, like PepsiCo, Nestlé, and General Mills, have announced they will remove artificial ingredients and colorings from popular food items by the end of the year.

• The "Gen Z Stare" has captivated the internet, referring to a blank look Gen Zers might give in social interactions.
• Some say it reflects poor workplace communication and social skills.
• But psychologists and generational experts told BI that's not necessarily the case.

It's not polite to stare — especially, as it turns out, if you're Gen Z.

Social media users have described the now-viral "Gen Z Stare" as a vacant, wide-eyed expression often accompanied by an awkward silence. Many of the videos say it happens during retail and customer service interactions, or in painful workplace conversations.

While some say the look might reflect lagging soft skills and questionable office etiquette among Gen Zers, psychologists and generational experts told BI the phenomenon could have more to do with natural growing pains at a first job and factors unique to Gen Z's upbringing. And, they noted, intergenerational criticism isn't anything new.

"Every generation critiques the generation below them," Ellen Hendriksen, a behavioral psychologist and social anxiety specialist, said. "This is nothing new."

Many Gen Zers are working their first jobs

Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist who has written about twentysomethings, doesn't buy the trope that Gen Z as a whole is awkward or socially inept. She said what people may be seeing with the Gen Z Stare is likely a result of Gen Zers navigating the workplace for the first time.

"For most young employees, working with people of other ages and generations is new," she told BI in a statement. "Blank stares you receive from young workers may be more about not knowing what to do and not feeling confident on the job than about their trying to be (passively) aggressively Gen Z."

Megan Gerhardt, a professor of leadership at Miami University and founder of Gentelligence.org, said that customer service jobs, where many social media users claim to see Gen Z Stares, are commonly first gigs.

Hendriksen, a parent of two Gen Zers, said the cohort might not be as up for acting "fake," which could impact their customer service interactions.

"Gen Z might be less willing to do the people-pleasing part, but that means that some of the professionalism has also gotten lost," she said.

Growing up online could play a part

Many factors could be at play in what Gerhardt calls the emerging "norm shift," including the fact that Gen Z tends to spend more time on screens.

"The idea that now that I'm in a face-to-face customer service situation, and I'm supposed to rally an entirely different set of expressions and responses — that might not be something that Gen Z is either used to understanding or has learned yet," she said.

Gerhardt said it's naive to "underestimate" the impact the COVID-19 shutdowns could have had on young people's development, but Jay said she doesn't buy into the notion that Gen Zers are "damaged or stunted" because of the pandemic.

Hendriksen thinks the wordless Gen Z Stare could also be a real-world echo of a now-common digital experience: In a Zoom meeting, one person may say hello, only to have nobody respond because they're all muted.

"Meet them where they're at"

The three experts told BI that regardless of the root causes behind the stare, it's crucial to equip young people with the communication skills they need to thrive in an in-person, multigenerational workforce.

"With respect to the workplace, nearly half of Gen Zers think they don't have the skills that workplaces want—and they're right," Jay said. Universities, she added, generally don't teach students crucial workplace abilities like communication and professionalism. Hendriksen agreed that there's a "skills deficit" for Gen Zers in the customer service and retail space, in part because of the pandemic, but said that the group isn't a monolith.

It's normal for norms around professionalism and etiquette to shift, Gerhardt said, but it's more productive to work with young people on striking the right tone than to try to mock them.

"If we want to make sure that we don't lose this personal touch, then let's meet them where they're at," she said. "Let's invest in helping them understand why that's important and see what they need to get where their bosses or customers feel like they need to go."

Generational critique isn't anything new

When any new generation has entered the workforce, they've needed to get up to speed on a set of skills, said Gerhardt. The viral criticism of the so-called Gen Z Stare reminds her of the "millennial pause" phenomenon and feels like the "latest iteration of generational shaming."

There's been no dearth of criticism targeting various generations — whether it's that boomers are selfish, or that millennials are snowflakes whose avocado toast addiction is to blame for their finances. Now, it's Gen Z's turn.

"Our culture loves to make fun of young adults and how unequipped they supposedly are," Jay said.

• WalletHub ranked 300 US cities to reveal the best and worst places for first-time homebuyers.
• Cities were scored on 22 factors, from housing costs and weather to crime rates and school quality.
• Most top cities for first-time buyers are in Florida, while most of the worst are in California.

Whether it's older generations holding onto large homes or the overall slowing of the housing market amid economic uncertainty, first-time homebuyers are facing an uphill battle when they enter the housing market.

Data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows there are fewer first-time homebuyers than ever in the market. The market share of first-time homebuyers decreased from 32% in 2023 to 24% in 2024 — the lowest share since NAR began tracking in 1981.

It's also taking longer for Americans to secure their first home. The median age of a first-time homebuyer increased from 35 in 2023 to 38 in 2024.

Still, it's not impossible to buy for the first time, and some cities have better conditions than others.

The personal-finance website WalletHub analyzed 300 US cities of all sizes across 22 metrics, grouped into three key categories: affordability, the local real estate market, and quality of life. Factoring in elements like housing costs, weather, crime rates, and school quality, the cities were ranked based on how well they support first-time homebuyers.

"Buying a home for the first time is a very stressful and difficult process, especially when housing prices are through the roof and interest rates have risen sharply in the past few years," WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. "The best cities for first-time home buyers not only are affordable both in terms of buying a house and living there afterward, but they also have a lot of housing choices as well as low crime rates and good schools."

According to WalletHub, six of the best 10 cities for first-time homebuyers are in Florida, while all but one are in the South. California garnered the most cities at the bottom of the list.

Here are the 10 best cities for first-time homebuyers and the 10 worst, according to WalletHub.

The best cities for first-time homebuyers

10. Sunrise, Florida

• Population: 100,128
• Median household income: $72,107
• Median home-sale price: $422,500
• Real estate market rank: 22
• Affordability rank: 153
• Quality of life rank: 13

9. Lakeland, Florida

• Population: 124,990
• Median household income: $60,947
• Median home-sale price: $315,000
• Real estate market rank: 9
• Affordability rank: 139
• Quality of life rank: 15

8. Orlando

• Population: 334,854
• Median household income: $69,268
• Median home-sale price: $403,500
• Real estate market rank: 7
• Affordability rank: 159
• Quality of life rank: 17

7. Cape Coral, Florida

• Population: 233,025
• Median household income: $76,062
• Median home-sale price: $368,800
• Real estate market rank: 4
• Affordability rank: 145
• Quality of life rank: 20

6. Gilbert, Arizona

• Population: 288,790
• Median household income: $121,351
• Median home-sale price: 593,500
• Real estate market rank: 17
• Affordability rank: 34
• Quality of life rank: 85

5. Huntsville, Alabama

• Population: 230,402
• Median household income: $70,778
• Median home-sale price: $343,000
• Real estate market rank: 35
• Affordability rank: 36
• Quality of life rank: 43

4. Surprise, Arizona

• Population: 167,564
• Median household income: $93,371
• Median home-sale price: $435,000
• Real estate market rank:
• Affordability rank: 1
• Quality of life rank: 207

3. Tampa, Florida

• Population: 414,547
• Median household income: $71,302
• Median home-sale price: $435,000
• Real estate market rank: 5
• Affordability rank: 170
• Quality of life rank: 6

2. Boise, Idaho

• Population: 237,963
• Median household income: $81,308
• Median home-sale price: $511,250
• Real estate market rank: 8
• Affordability rank: 61
• Quality of life rank: 27

1. Palm Bay, Florida

• Population: 142,023
• Median household income: $67,521
• Median home-sale price: $327,000
• Real estate market rank: 2
• Affordability rank: 118
• Quality of life rank: 3

The worst cities for first-time homebuyers

10. San Mateo, California

• Population: 103,006
• Median household income: $152,669
• Median home-sale price: $1,725,000
• Real estate market rank: 261
• Affordability rank: 287
• Quality of life rank: 245

9. New Orleans

• Population: 362,701
• Median household income: $55,339
• Median home-sale price: $385,000
• Real estate market rank: 195
• Affordability rank: 213
• Quality of life rank: 295

8. Anchorage, Alaska

• Population: 289,600
• Median household income: $98,152
• Median home-sale price: $425,000
• Real estate market rank: 259
• Affordability rank: 152
• Quality of life rank: 298

7. Costa Mesa, California

• Population: 109,131
• Median household income: $110,073
• Median home-sale price: $1,640,000
• Real estate market rank: 230
• Affordability rank: 297
• Quality of life rank: 188

6. Los Angeles

• Population: 3,878,704
• Median household income: $80,366
• Median home-sale price: $1,124,000
• Real estate market rank: 255
• Affordability rank: 294
• Quality of life rank: 246

5. Santa Barbara, California

• Population: 87,291
• Median household income: $101,672
• Median home-sale price: $1,632,500
• Real estate market rank: 227
• Affordability rank: 299
• Quality of life rank: 130

4. San Francisco

• Population: 827,526
• Median household income: $141,446
• Median home-sale price: $1,500,000
• Real estate market rank: 273
• Affordability rank: 280
• Quality of life rank: 281

3. Oakland, California

• Population: 443,554
• Median household income: $97,369
• Median home-sale price: $868,000
• Real estate market rank: 275
• Affordability rank: 231
• Quality of life rank: 300

2. Santa Monica, California

• Population: 90,729
• Median household income: $109,739
• Median home-sale price: $1,605,000
• Real estate market rank: 252
• Affordability rank: 300
• Quality of life rank: 231

1. Berkeley, California

• Population: 121,749
• Median household income: $108,558
• Median-priced home: $1,350,000
• Real estate market rank: 291
• Affordability rank: 296
• Quality of life rank: 296

• Creator economy M&A deals are on pace for a record year, according to a new report.
• Quartermast Advisors tracked 52 deals that have been announced in the first half of 2025.
• Here are the categories that have seen the most deals and what to expect in the rest of the year.

Creator economy mergers and acquisitions are on pace for a record year, according to a recent report from the M&A advisory firm Quartermast Advisors.

Quartermast tracked 52 deals that had been announced in the first half of the year. According to the firm's analysis, that's a 73% year-over-year increase.

So far this year, two key players are inking deals in the creator economy: private equity firms and industry incumbents.

For instance, private equity firm PSG Equity invested $150 million to take a majority stake in the creator economy startup Uscreen, which helps influencers launch their own apps.

"Private equity is looking at some of these businesses that have been built and saying, 'Hey, there's a lot more we can do with growth equity,'" Quartermast founder James Creech said.

Summit Partners, another private equity firm, made a strategic investment that funded influencer marketing platform Later's $250 million acquisition of affiliate startup Mavely.

Media and advertising incumbents are also snapping up creator startups. An example is advertising giant Publicis Groupe's recent acquisitions of BR Media Group, an influencer marketing agency, and Captiv8, an influencer marketing platform for managing campaigns. Creech also pointed to traditional media companies buying up creator startups, like Fox's acquisition of Red Seat Ventures, a digital media company behind conservative streaming shows and podcasts (including several from former Fox News stars).

"Traditional companies realize the creator economy is an important category," Creech said. "They need to have this DNA, they need to have these capabilities in-house, so they're looking to acquire them."

A recent data point that backs that up: Creator-driven platforms will overtake traditional media companies in ad revenue this year, according to a recent report from WPP Media, an arm of the ad giant WPP.

M&A is heating up

"We track every single creator economy acquisition," Creech said, adding the firm uses SEC filings, PitchBook data, press releases, and other public sources to gather its report on creator economy M&A.

Across the creator economy landscape, here's where deals are being made so far in 2025, according to Quartermast's analysis:

• Software companies, such as influencer marketing platforms and content creation tools, account for about a quarter of the deals so far in 2025 (26.9%). Deals in this category include Later acquiring Mavely and Publicis acquiring Captiv8. Quartermast's report counts 14 deals in this category between January and June.
• Media properties, which Quartermast defines in its report as "digital publishers, short-form video studios, and creator media companies," were the second largest category (19.2%). The report lists 10 media deals, including Wonder acquiring Tastemade and Whalar Group acquiring The Business of Creativity.
• Talent management firms continue to be a space for consolidation, making up 13.5% of deals in the first half. Shine Talent Group announced its acquisition of Spark Talent in January, and firms like The Outloud Group and Fixated have made multiple acquisitions so far this year.
• Influencer marketing agencies are also cutting deals as consolidation runs through the industry, making up 13.5% of first-half M&A. Publicis is another buyer here. It acquired BR Media Group, an influencer marketing agency based in Brazil.
• Audio companies, such as podcasting and music startups, made up 9.6% of deals. Creech listed Alex Cooper's Unwell Media as an example. It announced two acquisitions at the start of the year. Quartermast also included Epidemic Sound's acquisition of music recognition startup Song Sleuth in this category.

Meanwhile, other categories made up a smaller portion of the pie, such as gaming (3.8%), commerce (3.8%), and a generalized "other" (9.6%).

What the rest of 2025 holds for the creator economy

What's in store for the second half of 2025?

Creech, whose firm has brokered two M&A deals so far in 2025, predicts that the creator economy could see more than 100 deals by the end of the year.

Categories that Creech said could ramp up include creator services, talent management firms, and influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing has continued to be a busy sector for M&A for the last few years, which have been freckled with deals on both the agency and platform side.

Publicis, for instance, has already announced two influencer marketing acquisitions in 2025 and acquired Influential for $500 million last year. The French company told shareholders in February that it anticipated "investing €800 million to €900 million" in acquisitions (roughly $930 million to $1.04 billion).

"That might not all be creator economy, but I think other influencer agencies or software will be part of that," Creech said about Publicis' potential deals through the end of the year.

Creech also expects to see more international deals in the second half of the year. While 40% of acquisition targets in the first half of 2024 were international, that shrank to 21% for the first half of 2025.

• Scale AI laid off 14% of its workforce, or 200 employees, on Wednesday.
• Scale interim CEO Jason Droege said it created "too many layers" and is unprofitable.
• The startup remains well-funded and plans to hire in higher-growth areas, it says.

Scale AI interim CEO Jason Droege sent an email to staff saying that it conducted major layoffs because it overhired for its GenAI unit.

Scale AI reduced its 1,400-person workforce by 14% on Wednesday in cuts that affected 200 employees in its generative AI division, which helps Big Tech clients like Google and Meta improve their AI chatbots.

Scale AI ramped up capacity "too quickly over the past year" on GenAI, leaving other divisions, like its public sector units, "under-resourced," Droege wrote in the email, which was viewed by Business Insider.

"While that felt like the right decision at the time, it's clear this approach created inefficiencies and redundancies," Droege wrote. "We created too many layers, excessive bureaucracy, and unhelpful confusion about the team's mission."

The email also confirmed that Scale AI is not profitable, saying that the startup has an ongoing "drive towards profitability." As part of that drive, Scale AI will decline GenAI projects that are low revenue drivers or have low growth potential, Droege's email says.

After publication, Scale AI spokesperson Joe Osborne disputed that Droege said the startup is unprofitable. When asked to elaborate, Osborne declined.

Droege cited market shifts for the layoffs, writing that "shifts in market demand also required us to re-examine our plans and refine our approach."

Droege's email says that as part of the restructuring, Scale AI will streamline its GenAI division from 16 "pods" down to five key areas and merge various teams into a single Demand Generation team.

Meta's blockbuster $24.3 billion investment in Scale and hiring of its former CEO Alexandr Wang led to major disruptions to the startup's Big Tech client base, which competes with Meta on AI. Google, xAI, and others abruptly halted projects with Scale in the wake of the investment.

Scale AI previously told BI that it remains well-funded and plans to hire hundreds more staff in different areas.

"We're streamlining our data business to help us move faster and deliver even better data solutions to our GenAI customers," Osborne, the Scale AI spokesperson, said. "We also plan to make significant investments and hiring across our enterprise and government AI businesses."

• The 8th Circuit blocked the FTC's "click-to-cancel" rule over claims of procedural issues.
• The rule would have made it as easy for a consumer to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up.
• While the provision is blocked, there are ongoing state and congressional efforts to ease subscription traps.

Click-to-cancel is canceled.

Americans were just days away from accessing an easy exit route from so-called subscription traps: On July 14, the Federal Trade Commission's rule to make subscriptions as easy to cancel as they were to sign up, commonly known as "click-to-cancel," was set to go into effect.

The 8th Circuit threw a wrench in those plans in a July 8 ruling that blocked the FTC's click-to-cancel provisions. The court said that the commission failed to follow proper procedure when soliciting feedback on its proposal.

"While we certainly do not endorse the use of unfair and deceptive practices," the ruling said, "the procedural deficiencies of the Commission's rulemaking process are fatal here."

Neale Mahoney, an economics professor at Stanford University, told Business Insider that the most direct impact of the 8th Circuit's ruling is that "it's just going to waste people's time rather than being able to cancel easily."

"They're going to have to block out time during work and sit on hold, or they're going to have to navigate frustrating cancellation flows on company websites," Mahoney said. "And that I think people have difficult everyday lives, and this just adds to the annoyances of people being able to make the decisions they want as consumers."

Companies have become increasingly adept at holding consumers in subscription plans using "negative options," which interpret a consumer's silence as an agreement to continue purchasing a product, rather than requiring customers to actively agree to recurring charges. This is why you might find yourself looking at your credit card bill one month, trying to decipher a list of charges you don't remember signing up for.

While the FTC has had a rule in place regulating negative options for decades, the click-to-cancel provision was the most recent amendment to change the way subscriptions operate.

Lina Khan, the FTC's commissioner under former President Joe Biden who led the subscription rule, pushed back on the 8th Circuit's claims. She said in a post on X that the rulemaking was a "process that took 3+ years and required reviewing 16k comments & giving industry a chance to present their views at an FTC hearing."

For consumers, the ruling means spending more time and money navigating the subscription cancellation bureaucracy. The impacts on the economy are broader — Mahoney said that since subscription traps lock people into products and make it hard to switch, they'll decrease competition.

"We know that when markets are less competitive, then firms have less incentive to lower their prices, they have less incentive to improve quality," Mahoney said. "So I fundamentally see this as, it's going to be annoying, it's going to waste people's time, but more broadly, it's going to lessen the forces of competition and lead to higher prices and lower quality in subscription markets."

The FTC declined to comment on the 8th Circuit's ruling.

Where subscriptions go from here

The 8th Circuit's block doesn't necessarily mean that click-to-cancel is gone. The FTC could choose to appeal the ruling; Erin Witte, director of consumer protection at the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America, told BI that she was surprised to see "how vigorously" President Donald Trump's FTC defended the rule.

Trump's FTC filed a brief in March supporting the negative option and click-to-cancel rule, writing that consumers "face unnecessary obstacles from sellers who force them to endure multiple phone calls, long hold times, and countless automated menus. Studies show that most Americans pay hundreds annually for unwanted subscriptions."

FTC's commissioner Mark Meador took a different tone last week when he wrote in a post on X following the 8th Circuit's ruling: "The FTC's click-to-cancel rule, which would have made it much easier for consumers to get rid of unwanted online subscriptions, isn't going into effect for one reason: the Biden FTC cut corners and didn't follow the law. Process matters."

This suggests that the FTC likely won't appeal the ruling, Witte said — but there are existing state regulations and congressional efforts to ease the subscription cancellation process. John Breyault, vice president of public policy for telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League, referenced California's click-to-cancel rule that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law last year, requiring businesses in the state to make subscriptions as easy to cancel as they were to opt into.

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz and Republican Sen. John Kennedy also introduced the Unsubscribe Act on July 10. The act would require companies to be more transparent about their subscription models and make them easy to cancel. It would also require companies to periodically notify consumers of their subscription and how they can cancel it.

What subscription rules mean for businesses

Subscriptions are advantageous to businesses because they can rely on that recurring revenue, but making them easy to cancel "seems like a pretty low bar," said Teresa Murray, who oversees consumer issues at the nonprofit Public Interest Research Group.

"If you're a company, why would you want to have customers who don't want to be your customers? Why would you want to take money from people who are making a good-faith effort to cancel? That just doesn't seem to be a good business model," Murray said.

She added, however, that consumers should also be held responsible for ensuring they comply with their signed-up terms, such as setting calendar reminders to cancel free trials and keeping copies of email confirmations detailing the subscription agreement.

Breyault said that even with the 8th Circuit's block, some companies may have already started rethinking their subscription models — but it's unlikely anything will change wide scale absent a federal regulation.

"I think what you'll see is that companies will start looking at how they're marketing these subscriptions, how easy or difficult it is for consumers to cancel them," Breyault said. "And I think that some of them may take action voluntarily to reform how they do this, but without the rule in place, companies that profit off of offering them deceptively are likely to continue to do so in a way that harms consumers."

• Goldman Sachs reported strong second-quarter revenue on Wednesday.
• One especially strong area was IB advisory, where revenue was up 71% year-over-year.
• CEO David Solomon told shareholders he was bullish about dealmaking and AI.

For David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, the last few years haven't always been smooth sailing.

Since he took over the bank about seven years ago, he's faced a volley of challenges: Questions over his leadership, an unsuccessful consumer banking push, and a post-COVID dealmaking downturn that never really thawed.

Through it all, he's pushed ahead with his vision for a leaner and more efficient bank that could provide a return for investors in any environment — rain or shine.

On Wednesday, he appeared to have gotten his wish. The bank posted strong results across its business lines, including 71% jumps in M&A advice, even as overall deal volumes slumped.

Solomon's optimism was evident as he spoke on a conference call about the bank's plans to become even more efficient while continuing to grow returns for investors. He said the bank has grown the stock dividend by 400% since he took over in 2018, including a recent increase of 33%. When asked whether that would continue, he sounded optimistic.

"I do think given what's going on with the capital stack and the capital regime and given the way we're executing on our strategy, which is allowing the firm to grow, there is room for us to continue to drive that dividend higher," he said.

Here are four key areas that Solomon was eager to tout for shareholders.

Big deals are back

M&A activity is still down from last year, but large deals are making a comeback, which benefits Goldman. The bank's advisory revenue jumped 71% year-over-year to $1.17 billion. Overall investment banking fees rose 26% from a year ago.

Solomon used the conference call to tout a string of deal wins, including the bank's work on Salesforce's $8 billion purchase of Informatica and 11 stock listings the bank managed for clients like Circle, Chime, and eToro.

"Though uncertainty could persist in some pockets, particularly in industries highly sensitive to trade policy, we are optimistic on the overall investment banking outlook," Solomon said.

Focus on efficiency

Efficiency has been a driving theme of Solomon's tenure, including plans to eliminate duplicative roles and move people to lower-cost centers like Dallas and Salt Lake City.

On Tuesday, Solomon said the bank is taking its efficiency efforts to the next level with the rollout of an artificial intelligence tool called Devin.

The tool, created in conjunction with Cognition Labs, is geared at helping its software engineers work faster and more efficiently, he said.

"Operating efficiently is one of our key strategic objectives, and these efforts will allow us to continue to enhance the client experience while improving productivity," he said.

Regulatory changes

Solomon sounded upbeat on the regulatory environment under President Donald Trump and said optimism over looser oversight is already boosting the firm's dealmaking prospects.

When talking about the bump in M&A advice, he said one reason is regulatory.

"There's a confidence level on the part of CEOs that significant scaled industry consolidation is possible," he said, adding, "And so people are very engaged in that across a range of industries. Scale continues to be incredibly important to businesses broadly."

"We are encouraged by recent statements from regulators that a holistic review of the regulatory and capital regime for the financial services industry is warranted," he added.

Uncertainty

Investors don't love uncertainty — but Goldman certainly benefits from it. Recent uncertainty rattles investors and financial sponsors — but who do they call when they feel the jitters? The banker.

On Wednesday, the bank posted its best trading result ever, with equities revenues of $4.3 billion for the second quarter (up 36% year over year) and revenue from fixed income, currencies, and commodities of almost $3.5 billion (up 9% over last year).

This quarter, clients forged ahead with deals and repositioned their portfolios, some actually spurred by the volatility, Solomon said. "Our global client franchise has never been stronger," he said, "and I'm proud of how we've helped our clients navigate periods of heightened uncertainty."

• I'm a mom of four boys and run my owns business.
• At a work event, a pregnant woman asked me how I juggled everything, and I lied.
• That moment changed my career.

We were at an event for working moms — I bribed my four boys to be there with me, but to everyone else, my pristine children were in attendance out of the sheer goodness of their hearts. The team of women I managed at the time always gushed at my boys' tiny vintage loafers, the color-coded outfits, and can-do helper attitude. And I let them. I let them think we lived a Christmas card life.

So when a pregnant young woman asked me how I did it all, I already knew how to answer.

I got this question a lot, and I was fairly certain all successful mothers have been asked the same thing. I knew this to be true because at the time, all you had to do was pick up a magazine or scroll to find a perfectly polished family Instagram post, and BAM, you'd be hit with a curated line or two about "finding balance."

I lied to her

I fed this woman the same line, told her a story, and quite literally waved my hands fleetingly as if running a household of four young boys and managing a traveling spouse while working full time was no big deal. The fancy title, red soles on my heels, and matching J.Crew cashmere for my kids were my shield. It seemed to be working well.

But that night, I went home and looked around my house.

Were my kids happy? I assumed so. But I wasn't sure. I never asked them. My husband and I high-fived for a brief moment before both returning to our computers. We had important things to do. A makeshift meal simmered on the stove behind me. I watched my oldest play baseball, striving for perfection at every pitch, emotional and angry when it didn't go his way. I watched my second get lost in the shuffle. I watched my third grader struggle to read a simple "Cat in the Hat." And my youngest, glued to a screen (it was Elmo, so I justified it).

I shook my head in disbelief, realizing that I had an opportunity to help that young mother. To tell her the truth. I had the opportunity to help another woman, and I chose not to. Shame on me.

As I looked at my kids that night, I knew I had to do it differently.

I didn't know how to help my family

But the truth was, I didn't know what to do next. I didn't know how to help my family, be a good and present mom, and build a career I loved. Not to mention have a minute to eat protein, lift a weight once and a while, and sleep. I wanted to believe I could have it all, but I didn't even know where to start.

But if my job, as their mother, was to teach them important things, then I had to teach myself first. So, I did. I took instinctual action. I left the fancy job and dug deep into who I was and what this world needed from me. I vowed to do it differently — not to help others from high on the perfect mountain top, but to help others by being real and honest, down in the valley with them.

That stranger changed my life

Looking back, that moment not only changed my career but also my parenting. Something clicked. I'm the only one they've got who can show them how it's done. I don't want them walking into the world believing that a mother, a wife, or a business partner should be frantic and tired, always striving to meet someone's expectations. When they look at women, I want them to see their beauty, power, confidence, and joy.

That woman will never know that she changed my life. Six years later, I would be running a business rooted in helping high performers find their own versions of success. Every day, in every habit, I work to be a better human so I can be a better mother.

My four boys are along for the ride. They know every time I get the gig and every time I don't. They help me prep for speeches while I help them with spelling tests. We run through my P&L while studying geometry. If we want them to work hard for their dreams, we have to do it for ourselves first. And my husband, he's still here, playing a key role, as we grow alongside each other. On the outside, we are in the busiest season of our lives. On the inside, we have never been happier as a family.

Now, when I'm asked, "How do you do it all?" I lead with the truth, which usually leads to a story, which leads to more humanness.

• General Motors is using AI to enhance vehicle production, maintenance, and marketing.
• Still, GM has faced challenges to AI adoption, such as scalable infrastructure and employee support.
• This article is part of "How AI Is Changing Everything," a series on AI adoption across industries.

At General Motors' Detroit-based electric vehicle assembly plant, Factory Zero, artificial intelligence and machine learning are playing an increasingly significant role.

AI-based vision systems can swiftly identify maintenance issues, such as battery leaks, damaged metal components, and patchy paintwork. Marketing teams use AI tools to analyze consumer behavior and adapt their market research and promotional efforts.

As General Motors looks to retain its crown as America's biggest car manufacturer amid increased competition from rivals, corporate leaders see AI as key to its success.

Meeting customers where they are

Jon Francis, chief data and analytics officer at GM, said artificial intelligence is contributing to change across the company. For one thing, he said, AI is helping GM reach consumers at the "right moment" on their car-buying journeys, enabling the carmaker to adjust production lines in "real time" to meet demand.

Using data points like customer interactions and sales and manufacturing metrics, GM's AI solutions can provide insights on how to adjust production to ensure vehicles offer the features customers want most. Francis said examples include "seamless connectivity," safety features in tune with drivers' personal needs and those of their passengers, as well as traditional and electric engines. The AI solutions can also ensure anomalies are spotted and fixed before customers receive their new cars.

Francis said the technology is also providing new GM customers with a more enjoyable driving experience. For example, with the help of AI and machine learning, GM is working with organizations like Pilot and EVgo to find the most optimal locations for EV charging stations, enabling GM drivers to power up more easily. Decisions are made by algorithm-based analyses of traffic flow and nearby EV chargers, in addition to the knowledge of human experts.

A look at the automotive landscape

GM's leaders aren't the only ones turning to AI to drive growth. The tech is making waves across the automotive sector more broadly. Research from Global Market Insights shows that AI automotive technology is a $4.8 billion industry and could reach $186.4 billion over the next decade.

As evidenced by General Motors, AI is improving efficiencies on automotive production lines and in maintenance warehouses. But this technology is also delivering benefits for the end user by overhauling the driving experience.

Wyatt Mayham, cofounder and CEO of IT consultancy Northwest AI Consulting, said that by embracing AI technologies, automotive companies may be able to design and sell "enhanced driver assistance systems" with features such as better automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance.

Tariq Munir, an AI transformation advisor, also envisages a bright future for AI automotive technologies. In particular, he expects to see automakers leverage "smart, self-optimizing systems" that will "enable production optimization and supply chain planning with near-perfect accuracy."

He said automakers may be able to reduce vehicle-testing costs by performing tests virtually by combining AI with immersive technologies like augmented and virtual reality.

"This is the smart factory revolution in the making," he said, "which will enable a faster, cheaper, and more sustainable automotive industry."

Early obstacles

Despite some success so far, GM's AI and ML transformation journey could face challenges. One was ensuring its AI solutions could deliver long-term, tangible benefits for all customers, which requires ample data. Therefore, Francis said, he and his team spent significant time implementing a robust IT infrastructure to collect, process, and analyze large datasets.

This digital environment also had to be scalable from the beginning to facilitate the rapid expansion of AI adoption across GM's various departments, so Francis and his team built a "scaled compute environment." This is a type of IT infrastructure that features self-adjusting compute resources, like processing power and storage, to cater to organizational and employee needs as they change over time.

Resistance to change is another common pitfall of AI adoption within companies. Some workers are understandably concerned that AI could replace them, and using this technology can be overwhelming for those new to it.

With these concerns in mind, Francis said it's essential for business leaders to take time to understand employees' concerns about AI and provide adequate support and reassurance so that they get the most out of the tech. According to Francis, GM believes AI should augment, not replace, workers.

"At GM, we view AI as a tool to enhance job functions, allowing our highly skilled workforce to focus on tasks that humans are uniquely qualified to do, and machines simply cannot perform. Once people see the powerful benefits of using AI, resistance drops rapidly," Francis added.

Customized tools could be coming soon

Challenges aside, Francis and other industry leaders remain optimistic about the future of the automotive industry and the role of AI. For Francis, customers will increasingly demand vehicles tailored to their specific needs and packed with advanced safety and connectivity features.

"AI and data analytics are helping us deliver exactly that across our entire lineup, whether someone is looking for a traditional engine or going electric," he said."Through AI solutions, we're able to create better experiences for every type of customer and every price point."

This sentiment is echoed by Royston Jones, the global head of automotive at computational intelligence firm Altair, who said customers want "more personalized, energy-efficient, and safer" vehicles. These are things he thinks AI will continue to enable in the years ahead in the automotive industry.

"In the long run," he told Business Insider, "AI will push the industry toward mass customization, shorter development cycles, and sustainable innovation that aligns with shifting customer values and regulatory demands."

• Schneider Electric partnered with Nvidia to tackle AI-driven energy challenges.
• The tech company's new data-reference center design aims to cut cooling energy usage by about 20%.
• This article is part of "CXO AI Playbook" — straight talk from business leaders on how they're testing and using AI.

Schneider Electric is a global technology company specializing in energy management for software and services, including data centers and industrial automation. Founded in 1836, the company is headquartered in Paris and operates in more than 100 countries. Some of its customers include Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

Situation analysis

The use of artificial intelligence continues to expand worldwide. Pankaj Sharma, the executive vice president of data centers and networks at Schneider Electric, said as a result, more data centers will be built, the demand for energy will increase, and the environmental impact will grow.

The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2026, the AI industry will use about 10 times the electricity it consumed in 2023. Along with expanding energy, data centers also face the challenge of incorporating cooling systems that enhance energy efficiency and performance.

In December 2024, Schneider Electric announced a partnership with Nvidia to develop tools to help data center operators address their energy and sustainability challenges related to increased AI use. This includes plans for developing AI-focused energy and cooling strategies and AI infrastructure, and consulting support to help data centers reach their sustainability goals.

The partnership includes what Sharma calls "data center reference architectures," frameworks outlining the energy requirements and cooling systems needed to support data processing, business networks, data storage, and other technology. It also includes digital plans and real-time insights to help build new, energy-efficient data centers.

Sharma said the goal is to help companies improve their digital infrastructure by establishing more sustainable, AI-ready data centers.

Key staff and partners

Sharma told Business Insider that Schneider Electric collaborated with Nvidia on the project. He said Schneider's technology teams and data center engineers and architects worked closely with Nvidia's technical teams on the latest partnership to develop and test solutions. The executive leadership and business development teams were also involved.

AI in action

Schneider Electric co-developed a new data-reference center design with Nvidia. This is a plan for building new data centers that support high-density AI clusters of up to 132 kilowatts per data-center server rack. A cluster is a network of servers that power AI, and a server rack is a structure that houses and organizes IT equipment.

Sharma said the reference plan works with Nvidia's superchips, which are designed for large-scale AI and high-performance processing. The project is also built to support liquid cooling, a process of using water or a liquid coolant to absorb and remove heat from large-scale computers and processing units.

Sharma said the new reference designs build on Schneider Electric's existing products, which help remove heat from data centers.

He said the latest designs developed with Nvidia help Schneider Electric's customers organize the development and building of data centers that meet a company's energy and cooling challenges. Sharma added that the plans can be customized for individual companies' requirements for their AI workloads in a more energy-efficient, sustainable way for the future. He said that data centers are already being built using the design created with Nvidia.

"The intent of the design is not to build a real-life, end-to-end replica of the design, but instead, to use various aspects of it to inform customers' initiatives, providing inspiration and guidance as needed," Sharma said.

Did it work, and how did leaders know?

Using virtual modeling and testing, Sharma said that the reference designs developed with Nvidia could help data centers reduce cooling energy usage by about 20%. The plan can also help shorten the time it takes to design and build new data center projects by about 30%, which also saves companies money and enhances sustainability, he added.

"It's not just speed, it's cost and sustainability," Sharma said. "All of these pieces put together are an advantage for all our customers."

Schneider Electric plans to continue working with Nvidia to develop more reference designs over the next few years, Sharma said. The company is also working to create data center designs and infrastructure that can accommodate even higher levels of energy use, as well as the cooling technology necessary to prevent overheating and manage energy consumption.

• The U-505 submarine served 12 patrols and sank eight enemy boats before the US Navy captured it.
• The U-boat is now on display at Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
• Visitors can walk through its control room and bunks that held space for its crew of 59 men.

When the German submarine U-505 was captured by US forces in 1944, the mission was top secret.

Now, eight decades later, the vessel — the only intact German submarine that was captured by US forces during World War II and salvaged — is open to the public at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Built on the docks of Hamburg, the 252-foot-long U-boat was commissioned in August 1941, and, after prepping for combat, was ready for its first mission from January 1942.

The submarine served 12 patrols and sank eight enemy ships until, on June 4, 1944, it met a similar fate when it was captured by the US Navy.

After World War II ended, the submarine was taken to Portsmouth Navy Yard in New Hampshire, where it was used for target practice and eventually restored, repainted, and transported across the Great Lakes to its permanent home at the museum in Chicago.

I visited the museum in January to tour the U-505. Take a look inside.

The U-505 submarine is open to visitors at Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.

General admission to the museum costs $25.95. Veterans and active military service members can submit an online entry form for free admission.

Tickets for the U-505 tour cost an additional $18 for adults and $14 for children, with a $4 discount for active military and veterans.

Thankfully, I booked my tickets online — other visitors who hadn't secured tickets in advance were unable to see the exhibit because it was fully booked.

I started my visit to the exhibit by watching footage and reading newspaper clippings to learn some of the historical context. Immersive video experiences then detailed the events leading to the capture of U-505.

Then, it was time to enter the submarine.

At 252 feet long, the U-505 is nearly as long as a city block. It is also 31 feet and 6 inches tall.

The U-boat — short for unterseeboot or "undersea boat" — is divided into three sections: the stern (rear), the amidships (middle), and the bow (front).

Inside, the floors were crafted from steel, while the top deck was made of pinewood treated with carbolineum, or wood tar, to preserve it and provide black camouflage. This made the sub harder to spot from the air at shallow depths.

Atop the submarine sits the conning tower, used for navigation, protection, and observation.

The conning tower, per the Museum of Science and Industry, is a "small yet heavily armored horizontal hull" that sits atop the submarine above its control room.

It is equipped with three guns, which, when it surfaced, helped protect it from attacks by Allied aircraft.

The 2-centimeter guns were smaller, rapid-fire weapons designed for close-range defense, capable of shooting 240 rounds per minute.

The 3.7-centimeter automatic cannon fired fewer rounds — 50 per minute — but was more destructive per shot, making it more effective against tougher targets, such as low-flying aircraft or smaller ships.

Bullet holes can be seen all over the conning tower.

On the day of its capture, the U-505 found itself surrounded by US forces, encircled at sea and shadowed from above.

Three US destroyer escorts launched a series of shots while fighter planes released rounds from their .50-caliber machine guns.

Under Captain Daniel Gallery's command, only antipersonnel ammunition — designed to incapacitate the crew without causing severe structural damage — was deployed.

This decision ensured the submarine's hull remained largely intact for potential capture.

German crewmembers honored their captains by adopting and painting unofficial emblems on the conning tower.

Many U-boat crews embraced unofficial emblems to honor their captains and foster a sense of unity. Although not officially sanctioned, these symbols were typically painted on the conning tower and became a point of pride for the crew.

The U-505 displayed three emblems during its 400-plus days of operation, one for each of its captains.

The first emblem, a Rampant Lion wielding an axe, paid tribute to Axel Olaf Löwe, whose surname means "lion." The second, a Greek Axe, honored Captain Peter Zschech. The final emblem, still visible today, is the Scallop Shell, chosen to represent its last captain, Harald Lange.

The first stop on my tour was the petty officer's quarters.

It was slightly dark inside, and the lights were dim. The tiny room was packed with four compact bunk beds for mid-ranking men, our tour guide said.

She stood a few feet from us on what seemed like an elevated floor, but was actually the original height between the submarine's floor and ceiling.

She explained that after the submarine arrived at the museum, some adjustments were made for visitor comfort. The floor had been lowered to create more space, and some bunks had been removed to allow visitors to move around more freely than the sailors could.

Still, she said, "It could be worse. You could be one of the enlisted or lowest-ranked men who slept in the forward torpedo room next to active torpedoes."

In the forward torpedo room, bunk beds flanked a torpedo.

For the men who lived in the forward torpedo room, the torpedo would double as a dining table, Wolfgang Schiller, a U-505 crewmember, told the Museum of Science and Industry in an interview in 1999.

"We sat with our bottom on the bunk and ate on this wooden plank that sat on the torpedo," he said.

During my tour, I could only see the forward torpedo room through a gated hatch, but it was enough to get a glimpse of how compact life was for sailors aboard.

The submarine had four 21-inch torpedo tubes in the bow and two in the stern.

The U-505 carried 22 torpedoes on board.

One of its torpedo rooms, carrying four 21-inch torpedoes, was at the front of the ship, and the other, with two, was at the back.

Per museum records, these torpedoes could detect the sound of enemy ships and direct themselves toward their target.

Once the captain gave the command to fire, depending on the position of the enemy ships, one of the six Acoustic T5 torpedoes was fired offensively or defensively.

Next, I walked past a narrow hallway and saw the galley sandwiched between other sleeping quarters.

Originally, sailors moved from one part of the submarine to another by passing through hatches. However, to make it easier for visitors, museum staff removed some of the hatches.

While walking through the hallway, I almost missed the galley because of its tiny size.

Much like a kitchen in a New York City walk-up apartment, the galley in U-505 could only accommodate one person at a time. Cooks had access to two large hot plates and one small one. There was an additional tabletop hotplate for large pots.

There was also an oven the size of a tiny air fryer below the hot plates.

When the U-505 was on patrol, it carried 12 tons of food.

While patrolling, the U-505 could be on the sea for over 100 days.

This meant that food for the ship's 59 crew members had to be carried in advance and distributed across the boat to maintain balance.

Three daily meals were served on U-505, and after each meal, the cooks had to count every pound of food and kitchen supplies consumed and keep a record of where each item was placed.

Per museum records, crewmembers would consume all the fresh food first and then move to canned items once that was over.

Items included fresh and cooked meats such as sausages, preserved fish, and potatoes. The food list also included 917 pounds of fresh lemons, which would likely help fight scurvy, a disease caused by a vitamin C deficiency.

In 1995, 50 years after the U-505 was captured, museum staff found a loaf of canned bread in the submarine.

Bread — both canned and fresh — was a part of the crew's diet, with museum records indicating that 2,058 pounds of preserved breads were carried on board.

Museum staff discovered one such loaf of canned bread in 1995. It is now displayed in a glass casing outside the submarine at the museum.

The crew had to navigate various challenges while underwater, including high temperatures.

Temperatures could soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit during warmer months, making life inside the submarine unbearably hot.

With no air conditioning and limited ventilation, many crew members adapted by wearing only their shoes and underwear to stay cool.

With just two bathrooms on the entire submarine — one of which was used for food storage — traditional bathing was impossible. Instead, the crew went without showers while on patrol and relied on alcohol wipes to clean themselves.

In their free time, the crew entertained themselves by listening to records or playing cards.

Entertainment on board was limited, but light classical music and, sometimes, popular hits of the day reverberated throughout the sub, according to the museum.

American forces found 87 records on board upon capture, our tour guide told us.

Another way the crew kept themselves occupied was by playing a card game called Skat, the national card game of Germany.

Next, we stopped by the radio room, the U-boat's main connection with the outside world.

The radio room served as the submarine's nerve center for communication.

This compact space was packed with dials, switches, and wires. There were also several notebooks on display — these were maintained by the crew, who kept detailed records of the boat's activities.

This is also where the German crew received and deciphered daily messages sent from the main command center.

The control room had a dizzying number of switches, wires, and valves, which were used to control the ship's direction.

The midship compartment, or control room, was packed with crucial controls that kept the submarine running, such as the diving controls for adjusting depth, the gyrocompass for navigation, and the air search radar for detecting threats above.

All calculations before firing a torpedo were done with pen and paper.

Firing a torpedo at the right target at the right moment was a methodical process based on complex mathematical calculations.

In the 1940s, the four torpedo tubes in the bow were already floated and ready to fire, our guide said, adding that the crew just had to wait for the captain's command.

Once a torpedo was fired, the crew used a stopwatch to calculate how long it took to hit its target.

"They are so good at math that they know the exact second the weapon would hit its target," said our tour guide, Elizabeth.

The US Navy captured the U-505 on June 4, 1944.

Our tour guide explained that while the U-505 was on the hunt for supply ships in 1944, US Task Group 22.3, commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, was looking for the U-505.

The Task Group included the aircraft carrier USS Guadalcanal and a fleet of destroyer escorts: Pillsbury, Pope, Flaherty, Chatelain, and Jenks.

Captain Gallery and his men tracked the submarine's signals across the Atlantic for a few months until they finally pinpointed the sub's location.

Upon detecting the US Navy's presence, the German submarine dove deeper into the ocean.

The crew members were instructed to prepare for a crash dive — the ship had to get underwater and out of sight as quickly as possible, which meant every person on board, even those off-duty, now had an important job.

They would have to sprint to the forward torpedo room, dogpile on one another to throw off the weight on the front of the boat, and get it to submerge in just 37 seconds. For context, a regular dive would take about three minutes.

Once underwater, the crew needed to conserve sound and oxygen.

The sound of something as simple as a dropped tool could travel for miles and give away the cruise's location.

Then, a depth charge hit the submarine, spinning it closer to crash depth.

Depth charges were explosives designed to explode underwater at a predetermined depth.

Once Captain Lange realized that the boat was sinking, he had a tough choice to make: whether to follow orders that told him to let this boat sink, killing everyone on the board. Or to order a resurface and risk the intelligence of the U-505.

Captain Lange decided to save his crew.

Once the sub resurfaced, the crew was out of luck because US forces surrounded them.

The gunfire on deck went on for six and a half minutes.

One bullet struck Captain Lange's leg — with the captain down, the crew began to scramble.

To prevent the U-505's capture, the Germans tried one last trick.

"They tried to sink or scuttle it on their way out," said our tour guide, Elizabeth, which meant that the crew members could either scatter an explosive booby trap called scuttle throughout the sub or open the sea strainer valve, which would flood the sub.

They decided to open the sea strainer.

Our last stop on the tour was the electric motor room, with a pit stop to see the sea strainer valve.

Eventually, the Germans were evacuated from the boat, and the American crew, led by Lieutenant (junior grade) Albert L. David and nine other men boarded the sub.

At first, men from the boarding party started collecting as many intelligence materials as possible. They searched for classified documents, code books, how-to manuals for the U-505 machinery, and anything they could take with them in case the boat sank.

This is when one of the men found what proved to be more important than classified material at the time: the sea lid for the sea strainer.

Once the valve had been closed, the Americans felt in control of the boat and were able to tow it to Bermuda.

At the end of the tour, I learned how the submarine found its way to Chicago.

Fifty-eight of the 59 German crewmembers on board survived — one was killed by gunfire — and were taken as prisoners of war to Camp Ruston in Louisiana, where they remained until the end of the war.

The U-505 was painted black to conceal its true identity and kept in Bermuda for the remainder of the war.

Eventually, the submarine was taken on a publicity tour of the East Coast to fundraise for the ongoing war against Japan. But, once Japan surrendered, the Navy did not have much use for the sub, and they decided to use it for target practice, which would've eventually destroyed the submarine.

But once again, Daniel Gallery, now an admiral, came to save the ship.

Since he was from Chicago, he petitioned the authorities to take possession of the boat and display it at the museum.

The US Navy approved these plans and in 1954, the sub sailed across the Great Lakes and parked on a dry dock at the 57^th Street beach in the summer of 1954.

On September 2, 1954, the submarine was hauled across Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

Lake Shore Drive, a major roadway along Lake Michigan, was shut down at night so the sub could be safely transported to its final destination: the museum.

Once there, it was declared a war memorial and made a permanent part of the museum's collection.

At first, the submarine was displayed outside the museum.

The submarine remained outside the museum for 50 years before staff realized the Chicago weather was causing it to rust and decay.

So, after years of planning, the sub was moved indoors — to a 35,000-square-foot air-conditioned room.

Exiting the U-505 exhibit, I was amazed by the life crewmembers had lived on board.

At the end of my tour, a child asked our tour guide, "Why was the U-boat never used again?"

The guide shrugged and replied, "Likely because of all the damages and how compact it was, it didn't work for the Americans."

And yet, decades later, here it stands.

Still imposing, still intact, still capturing the imagination of everyone who walks through its steel-clad past.

• General Motors partners with Redwood Materials to supply energy for AI data centers.
• The collaboration uses GM's new and second-life EV batteries for energy storage solutions.
• This move highlights a trend of repurposing assets amid rising electricity demand and AI growth.

Why would a car company be involved in supplying energy for the AI revolution?

This is exactly what's happening with General Motors, one of the largest carmakers in the US.

In a move that blurs the lines between automaking and energy infrastructure, GM is entering the power business through a new agreement with Redwood Materials, a startup run by Tesla cofounder JB Straubel.

When GM electric vehicle batteries come to the end of their useful lives in cars, the company gives them a second life through a recycling deal with Redwood. The agreement includes new US-manufactured batteries from GM and second-life battery packs from GM electric vehicles.

These batteries will supply energy to AI data centers, GM and Redwood announced on Wednesday.

"The market for grid-scale batteries and backup power isn't just expanding; it's becoming essential infrastructure," said Kurt Kelty, vice president of battery, propulsion, and sustainability at GM. "Electricity demand is climbing, and it's only going to accelerate. To meet that challenge, the US needs energy storage solutions that can be deployed quickly, economically, and made right here at home. GM batteries can play an integral role."

The joint effort, announced just weeks after Redwood launched its new energy storage arm, Redwood Energy, is already bearing fruit.

GM EV batteries are helping power a new Redwood microgrid in Nevada, the largest second-life battery installation in the world, according to the startup. That system supports Crusoe, a company building AI data centers that demand massive, always-on power.

As AI data centers push electricity demand to new highs, the need for grid-scale energy storage has become urgent. What's surprising is how auto batteries, originally designed to move cars, are now being tapped to stabilize the electric grid and enable the next wave of computing.

This collaboration also underscores a larger industrial trend: turning retired assets into strategic resources as global supply chains become stressed by geopolitical tensions and the threat of tariffs.

"Both GM's second-life EV batteries and new batteries can be deployed in Redwood's energy storage systems, delivering fast, flexible power solutions and strengthening America's energy and manufacturing independence," Straubel said in a statement.

More details are expected later this year, though one thing is already clear: the road from EVs to AI runs through power storage, and GM wants to be in the driver's seat.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at [email protected].

• Russia has been packing thermobaric warheads in its Iranian-designed Shahed drones and homemade variants.
• Ukrainians on the front lines of efforts to protect civilians told BI the threat is getting worse.
• One soldier said the warheads are getting bigger, while a first responder said they're being used more frequently.

Russia is packing its one-way attack drones with thermobaric warheads, and Ukrainians dealing with this deadly challenge say the threat is getting worse.

An air defender says the warheads are getting bigger, while a first responder said they're showing up more frequently.

Oleksiy, the deputy commander of a Territorial Defense Forces mobile air defense unit operating near Kyiv, told Business Insider that Russia has been equipping its Shahed-style drones with thermobaric warheads for quite some time now.

What's changing, though, is the size of the warhead, among other things. He said that the explosive payload has grown from 40 kilograms (90 pounds) to 90 kilograms (nearly 200 pounds). "Accordingly, the destructive force is much greater," he said.

Oleksiy shared that his unit, which operates truck-mounted machine guns, has not yet shot down the larger thermobaric drones, but he said they started to appear in Ukrainian military reports at the end of last year.

A thermobaric munition, also known as a vacuum bomb, disperses an aerosol cloud of explosive material and then ignites it, causing a large fireball and a devastating blast wave while sucking out the surrounding oxygen.

These destructive and controversial weapons cause high-temperature blasts that can run hotter than 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit and last longer than typical explosions. The intense pressure and heat can destroy fortified buildings and cause severe injuries and death, especially in enclosed spaces.

A first responder in Ukraine's State Emergency Services, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, explained to BI that the "thermobaric warheads are much more deadly and destructive" than standard explosives.

The first responder said they were not aware of larger warheads, but they shared that Russia has been using the drones with thermobaric payloads more frequently than before. They said these weapons can burn "everything" around them.

Oleksiy said the thermobaric munitions can destroy everything from small homes to multi-story buildings.

BI could not independently verify all of the details of the two Ukrainian accounts. Russia's defense ministry and its embassy in the US did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations.

Russia's military has been accused of deploying thermobaric weapons since the early days of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv and the UK have specifically called out the use of the TOS-1A, an armored multiple rocket launcher that can fire munitions with thermobaric warheads.

Britain's defense ministry previously said that the Russian military used this weapon in its wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Kateryna Stepanenko, the Russia deputy team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said that Moscow began to integrate thermobaric warheads into Shahed drones at scale last summer and fall, enabling these weapons to "inflict more damage on buildings."

Stepanenko told BI that Russia used Shaheds with thermobaric warheads in an attack on civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv last week and that Russian sourcing suggests Moscow is also using these bombs against Ukrainian military targets along the front lines.

While the use of thermobaric warheads is not new, Russia continues to adapt the ways it delivers these strikes, she said.

"The integration of thermobaric warheads onto cheaply made drones may allow Russia to increase the number of strikes that previously would've required a larger and more detectable system, such as TOS-1," Stepanenko said, adding that "the Russians are also trying to make these strikes more precise."

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military said that it carried out a long-range attack on a Russian factory making thermobaric warheads for Shahed drones, possibly reflecting Kyiv's efforts to curb this threat.

The assessment comes as Russia has stepped up its attacks with the notorious Shahed-136, an Iranian-designed drone that Moscow now mass-produces in its own factories.

Shaheds, also known as loitering munitions because they can linger above a target before attacking it, travel at slower speeds than cruise or ballistic missiles. The drones, however, are much cheaper, allowing Russia to use them for large-scale bombardments.

In recent weeks, Russia has staged massive attacks against Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones, including Shaheds and decoy systems intended to exhaust Kyiv's limited air defense stockpiles.

Just on Tuesday, for instance, Ukraine's air force said Russia attacked with nearly 270 Shahed and decoy drones, adding that two-thirds of the munitions were shot down.

• Scale AI just laid off 14% of its workforce.
• Questions have swirled about Scale AI's future in the wake of Meta's blockbuster Scale investment.
• Scale AI remains well-funded and is committed to growth, the company told BI in a statement.

Scale AI just laid off approximately 200 full-time employees (14% of its 1,400-person workforce) and 500 contractors, according to the company.

This comes after Meta invested $14 billion into Scale AI last month as part of a blockbuster AI deal that included the hiring of Scale's ex-CEO, Alexandr Wang, to lead its new Superintelligence group and the purchase of equity in almost half the data labeling startup.

The company is 'restructuring' its GenAI group, according to an email from Scale's interim CEO, Jason Droege, obtained by Business Insider. The GenAI organization is a core part of Scale that manages its work on some of the best-known AI chatbots like xAI's Grok and Google's Gemini.

The move was abrupt, one source told BI, with employees shut out of systems and deactivated from Slack even before they woke up.

Questions about Scale AI's long-term sustainability have swirled since Meta's investment, with some of Scale's biggest clients like Google abruptly halting projects in the wake of the deal. The company has also faced questions around the security practices of its training documents, as revealed through Business Insider's reporting.

Scale remains well-funded and is committed to growth and hiring hundreds more employees in different sectors, the startup told BI.

"As a result of this restructuring, some members of this org will be leaving Scale today," the email reads. "To ensure a smooth process and give people the necessary space, please do not come into the office."

In addition to Alexandr Wang's departure, several VPs, chiefs of staff, and researchers have left Scale AI following the Meta investment, according to LinkedIn and a source. The company didn't comment on specific employee departures.

Laid-off ScaleAI employees will be paid as normal through September 15, and then receive a minimum of four weeks of additional pay if they sign the company's severance agreement, per a separate email to the affected employees obtained by BI.

"We're streamlining our data business to help us move faster and deliver even better data solutions to our GenAI customers," Scale AI spokesperson Joe Osborne told BI. "We also plan to make significant investments and hiring across our enterprise and government AI businesses."

Here is the full email from Scale AI's CEO Jason Droege to Scale AI's GenAI employees:

Hi team,

After reviewing our company and its operations, I've made the decision to restructure several parts of the GenAI organization. I believe these changes will best position us for the long-term, make the org more efficient, and allow GenAI to focus on the biggest and most profitable opportunities.

As a result of this restructuring, some members of this org will be leaving Scale today. To ensure a smooth process and give people the necessary space, please do not come into the office. All impacted FTEs will receive an email to their personal email address by 8am PT and badge and IT access will be removed. For those not impacted, I will share more details later this morning on the restructuring and our path forward.

I know news like this is tough, but please know how grateful I am for the work this team has done. Whether you're directly affected by these changes or not, every one of you has helped build Scale into the company it is today and the accomplishments it has made.

Thank you again.

• Albertsons is selling a lot of cottage cheese.
• The grocery chain's CEO says TikTok deserves some of the credit.
• Viral recipes use cottage cheese in pancakes, bagels, and flatbreads — even on top of ice cream.

Albertsons is selling a lot of cottage cheese. The grocery chain's CEO thinks she knows why.

"This one, I had to double-check the numbers, but cottage cheese is actually a strong growth category," CEO Susan Morris told analysts on the company's earnings call.

Morris was asked whether Albertsons had noticed an increase in healthier items due to the rapid rise of GLP-1 drugs, which include Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic. Patients who use the drugs are advised to eat protein-rich foods like cottage cheese.

It's not just the diet drugs that are driving demand, though, Morris said.

"Yes, some of that's from the focus on protein, lower carbs, perhaps GLP-1 users, and then, just being totally frank, TikTok is driving some of that," she said. "So, we're leaning into those categories."

TikTok creators have found creative ways to get their cottage cheese fix. Good Culture, one of the top sellers, told Business Insider it noticed sales taking off in 2023 when creators talked about using cottage cheese in ice cream. Since then, popular videos have cottage cheese mixed into pancakes, bagels, and flatbread batter.

On TikTok, there are more than 86,000 videos posted with the hashtag #cottagecheese. One of the most popular videos, 3 ways to make cottage cheese toast, has 5.3 million views.

Albertsons is not alone in noticing this trend.

Industry data shows that cottage cheese reached $1.75 billion, according to Chicago-based market research firm Circana. The data, published by the trade publication Dairy Foods, indicate that sales increased 18% in a 52-week stretch ending in Feburary. Last year, sales were up 16%.

Good Culture, which launched a decade ago, told BI it recently partnered with a collection of creators, including chef and Mŏkbar owner Esther Choi, James Beard finalist Fariyal Abdullahi, and NYT bestselling author Jake Cohen.

In 2024, Daisy, one of the mainstays in the space, announced a partnership with Bachelor star Daisy Kent.

It wasn't always this way. According to US Department of Agriculture data, in 1975, Americans consumed an average of 4.6 pounds of cottage cheese per person. Consumption decreased in the decades since, bottoming out at an average of 1.9 pounds per person in 2021.

Consumption has been rising in recent years — perhaps thanks to TikTok. In 2023, the most recent year available, Americans consumed an average of 2.1 pounds of cottage cheese per person.

• Waze cofounder Uri Levine predicts that kids born today won't get behind the wheel.
• Levine said that within a decade, most paid mobility and transportation services will be autonomous.
• He compared the shift to driverless cars to past automations, like elevator operators.

Serial entrepreneur Uri Levine helped build two navigation companies that achieved roughly billion-dollar exits.

But he predicts kids born today, known as Generation Beta, won't end up behind the wheel.

"They will not drive," the Waze cofounder told Business Insider. "A generation after that, if you will tell them that you used to drive cars yourself, they will not believe you."

Levine's comments come in the wake of Tesla launching its robotaxi service in Austin to a small group of users. Elon Musk has said that the vehicles will be in "many other cities" in the country by the end of 2025 and that by the second half of 2026, there will be "millions of Teslas" operating autonomously.

Waymo, owned by Alphabet, started offering its service to the public in 2020 and has already provided millions of paid, fully autonomous rides. The company offers driverless taxi services in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta.

Even though Waymo and Tesla's driverless taxi launches are only available in certain locations right now, Levine said they will eventually transform driving. He said that a decade from now, most paid mobility and transportation services will be autonomous. That includes logistics, public transportation, and on-demand car services, he said.

"The impact will be dramatic," Levine said, adding that urban areas will "barely see any drivers."

According to Levine, any product can only become "good enough" once it's released to the market and users can interact with it. From there, it improves through iteration, he said.

Levine said that when autonomous driving becomes more widespread, it will give people back a substantial amount of time. In a 24-hour day, dedicating even one hour to driving is "actually pretty significant," Levine said.

Levine's thesis also includes a financial component. The cofounder said if someone pays $100 for an Uber ride today, the majority of it goes toward the driver, some amount goes toward operation costs, and another fraction goes toward Uber.

"Once you take the driver out of the equation, the entire ride would be about $25, way more affordable and therefore way more demand at this price range," Levine said.

Not everyone feels equally bullish on the future of driverless cars. Analysts at HSBC recently released a report suggesting that the potential market for driverless taxis was "widely overestimated," and that it could take years for robotaxis to turn a profit.

Levine said autonomous taxis are "just the beginning." Instead of going to the shoe store, there could be a shoe-store van that comes to the buyer directly. The technology could end up changing the retail industry and retail real estate market, Levine said.

"50 years ago there was a driver for the elevator," Levine said. "And obviously, we don't need a driver for the elevator anymore."

• With my husband's help, I turned a horse trailer into a mobile coffee bar for about $10,000.
• I've already been able to profit over $4,000 a month (before taxes) while working flexible hours.
• I'm glad I started a small business and am already hoping to expand.

Although I enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom while my husband worked full-time, I’ve long had big dreams of one day owning a six-figure business. Ideally, one I could pass on to my daughter.

At 21, I decided to finally pursue that path by opening a mobile coffee bar in our home state of Louisiana.

After all, I really enjoyed some of my previous work as a barista, whether I was preparing drinks, learning about the art of making coffee, or interacting with customers.

So, earlier this year, I dipped into my savings, set myself a $10,000 budget, and got to work.

It took me about one month and just over $10,000 to set up my dream mobile coffee bar

By March, my husband and I were driving to Baton Rouge to buy what would become the base of my mobile coffee bar: An old horse trailer.

We got it from a private seller for $2,000, parked it in our driveway, and got to work. The magic didn't happen overnight, but with one step at a time.

With my husband’s help, I spent about a month getting the business set up, from figuring out our bar design to preparing a menu.

We cleaned up the trailer and renovated it, from giving it a fresh coat of paint to adding hookups for a generator. When possible, we tackled many projects by ourselves to save money.

Fortunately, throughout this process, we've had family nearby who could help with childcare.

All in all, I spent just a few dollars over $10,000 on construction materials, decorations, appliances, and coffee essentials I needed to open the bar. Luckily, I already had a truck I could hitch the trailer to.

Once the renovations were complete, my first goal was just to make back the money I’d spent. I got to work contacting local hospitals, colleges, farmers markets, and festivals to secure spots — some free, others for a small fee.

I started by working two or three days a week on the trailer, usually from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. In between, I worked on other tasks, like buying supplies, preparing food to also sell on the trailer, and creating content to promote my business on TikTok.

After just one month, I’d profited over $4,000 (before taxes). I couldn’t believe it.

It's only been a few months, but I'm so glad I started this business

It’s been just over three months since I started running the coffee trailer, and it's been going well. I typically work about 30 hours a week and have still been able to make over $4,000 a month (before taxes) in the two months that followed.

My husband still helps me, and I’ve also been able to hire employees now that we’re busier. This has given me more freedom and flexibility — plus more time to build the business even bigger. Now, people can book us for weddings, parties, or private events, too.

Eventually, I'd like to expand and maybe purchase another trailer in hopes of doubling our profits.

All in all, my husband and I have put our hearts and souls into this business and continue to work each day to perfect it and grow it, even when it's not easy.

As a young mom without a college degree, I’ve realized I’m capable of so much — and I really believe that if I can start a small business, anyone can.

• Scientists set off the Trinity test atomic bomb on July 16, 1945.
• Though they chose a somewhat secluded area of the desert, people lived less than 20 miles away.
• It was impossible to hide the light, noise, shockwave, and fallout from the bomb. 

At approximately 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 1945, the world's first atomic bomb exploded in the New Mexican desert. It was bright, hot, and loud. 

Scientists and military personnel crouched nearby in bunkers. Less than 20 miles away, residents awoke to a brilliant light, jolting sensation, or rumbling sound that officials later blamed on an ammo dump explosion.

Over the next days and weeks, the fallout cloud from the Manhattan Project's Trinity test would drop radioactive debris on nearby ranches and farms before moving onto dozens of states and two other countries. 

Here's what it was like to witness the Trinity test, from its dazzling light to its drifting, deadly radioactive flakes.

The heat was 10,000 times hotter than the sun's surface

Ground zero: The heat generated when the plutonium device imploded was 10,000 times hotter than the sun's surface, National Geographic reported.

Something that surprised physicist McAllister Hull was seeing in photographs the way the heat completely vaporized instrument-containing balloons that had been tethered to the tower. The tower itself disintegrated, too. 

Fusing the desert's quartz and feldspar sandstone with bits of the bomb, the heat created a new material called trinitite, which is a glass-like substance that's mostly shades of green but also sometimes red. Trinitite is radioactive and the Atomic Energy Commission buried most of it in the 1950s.

Bunkers (6 miles away): To the south of ground zero, a member of the Special Engineer Detachment (SED), Hans Courant, saw the flash, and then, "My hands got warm from the heat from the bomb, which just grew and grew," he later said during a 2015 interview with the Atomic Heritage Foundation.

Base camp (9.5 miles away): Nobel Prize winner Enrico Fermi protected his face with a piece of welding glass inserted into a board. "My first impression of the explosion was the very intense flash of light and a sensation of heat on the parts of my body that were exposed," he said. 

The light emitted shades of gold, purple, violet, blue, and more

Ground zero: Upon detonation, about one-third of the total energy from the bomb was in the form of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light, according to physicist and Manhattan Project expert Bruce Cameron Reed.

Bunkers (6 miles away): For physicist Val Fitch, then part of the SED, his welding glass wasn't enough to block out the "enormous flash of light" from the bomb, which he estimated took 30 microseconds to arrive. To Warren Nyer, another physicist, "it looked like a living thing with a blue glow," creating a contrast between the mountains and sky. 

This was the location of many of the cameras that recorded the explosion. None, however, picked up the many colors Brigadier General Thomas F. Farrell said he witnessed, "golden, purple, violet, gray, and blue." 

Base camp (9.5 miles away): Through his dark glass, Fermi had the impression the desert was suddenly brighter than day. He "could see something that looked like a conglomeration of flames that promptly started rising," he wrote. "After a few seconds the rising flames lost their brightness and appeared as a huge pillar of smoke with an expanded head like a gigantic mushroom that rose rapidly beyond the clouds." 

It was the brightest light physicist I. I. Rabi had ever seen: "It blasted; it pounced; it bored its way into you." Though it only lasted a couple of seconds, he said he felt like it would never end. 

Campañia Hill (22 miles away): Before the blast, Edward Teller liberally applied sunscreen to protect his skin from the UV light. SED member William Spindel was instructed to keep his eyes closed for 10 seconds after the detonation so he wouldn't be blinded. 

Hans Bethe compared the flash to a giant magnesium flare. He calculated the rising white ball of fire at 268 mph (120 meters per second). "After more than half a minute, the flame died down and the ball, which had been a brilliant white became a dull purple," he wrote.

Alamogordo Air Base (60 miles away): One of General Leslie Groves's officers reported the flash lit "the entire northwestern sky." Not far off, a rancher awoke as though "somebody turned on a light bulb right in my face," according to Janet Farrell Brodie's book "The First Atomic Bomb: The Trinity Site in New Mexico."

Sandia Mountains (110 miles away): After spending the night camping in the Sandia Mountains, Manhattan Project chemist Lilli Hornig saw boiling clouds and color — "vivid colors like violet, purple, orange, yellow, red." 

Amarillo, Texas (280 miles away): Despite the distance, some residents saw the sky brighten when the bomb went off.

Sound from the explosion was heard as far as 95 miles away

Bunkers (6 miles away): After the flare of light and the fireball, it took a while for the sound, which travels slower than light, to catch up. When it did, Fitch remembered it coming "a long time afterwards, the sound. The rumble, thunder in the mountains." 

Campañia Hill (22 miles away): Estimating the time it would take for the sound to travel over 20 miles, SED member Spindel waited through the most "intimidating minute I've ever spent" after seeing the fire rise into the sky. 

Albuquerque (95 miles away): Residents all over the area heard the blast. When Hornig stopped for breakfast near Albuquerque after her night on Sandia Mountain, she recalled that the man behind the counter asked if she knew anything about the explosion. 

The shock wave shattered the windows of homes 120 miles away

Ground zero: The implosion device looked like a soccer ball, with 32 lenses made of explosives surrounding a plutonium core, about the size of a softball. The simultaneously detonated lenses created a shockwave that compressed the plutonium, triggering the explosion.  

The resulting blast was between 15 and 20 kilotons of force. When the blast wave reflected from the ground, it met up with the original wave and formed the stem of the mushroom cloud. 

Equipment bunker (½ mile away): Shelters containing seismographs to measure the bomb's ground shock and other instruments were located about 2,400 feet from ground zero. The cables were strewn about, and the top of the bunker was bare, all the dirt the SED members had layered on top of it was gone, according to Brodie. 

Schmidt/McDonald Ranch House (2 miles away): The government took over the Schmidt/McDonald ranch in 1942, and scientists and military personnel later used it as the assembly site for the Trinity test bomb. Though the explosion blew out the windows and doors, there was little structural damage to the house. 

Bunkers (6 miles away): It took about 30 seconds for the shock wave to reach Fitch, by his calculations. 

Base camp (9.5 miles away): Some observers were knocked over by the force of the blast when it arrived, according to Reed. "Thirty seconds after the explosion came first, the air blast pressing hard against the people and things," Farrell wrote. 

Fermi, who was a few miles farther than Fitch, put the time of the shock wave at 40 seconds.

15 miles away: The force caused sheepherder Jack Denton to fall off of his cot, Brodie reported. 

Silver City (120 miles away): Whole houses shook, windows shattered, and dishes and cabinets rattled when the shock wave reached nearby cities.  

Fallout rained down, burning cattle located 30 miles away

Ground zero: In the minutes after the blast, the mushroom cloud stretched 50,000 to 70,000 feet into the atmosphere, the New York Times reported. As the fireball cooled, vaporized fission products condensed into a cloud of particles while also sucking in water from the atmosphere.

This debris became radioactive fallout, according to Reed. In addition, 10 pounds of highly-radioactive plutonium never underwent fission and got caught up in the fallout cloud, according to National Geographic. 

Bunkers (6 miles away): Prior to the test, scientists set a limit of 5 roentgens, a legacy measure of radiation exposure, then bumped it up to 10 for evacuations. One bunker did evacuate for what may have been a false reading, according to Reed. Director of the health group at Los Alamos Louis Henry Hempelmann later called the numbers "just arbitrary," according to the book "Atomic Doctors: Conscience and Complicity at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age" by James L. Nolan Jr.

"Exposure rates in public areas from the world's first nuclear explosion were measured at levels 10,00 times higher than currently allowed," a 2010 report for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

Author and journalist Jennet Connet noted that as close as the men were to ground zero, they had little protection. "Had the wind been blowing the wrong way, they all would've been showered in a fair amount of radioactive dust," she said. 

A few days after the test, a technician found radiation had destroyed some of the camera film, according to Brodie. 

Bingham (12 miles away): About four miles outside the town of Bingham, some equipment measured 6.5 roentgens per hour, but the town's residents weren't evacuated, according to Brodie. 

Chupadera Mesa (30 miles away): Fallout rained on cattle near Chupadera Mesa, giving them serious beta burns, which appear similar to a sunburn. Their fur fell out, then grew back gray or white, according to Nolan. The government purchased some of the cows for testing.

Oscuro (45 miles away): Strange white flakes fell for days on a family farm, where later the chickens and family dog died. 

Ruidoso (50 miles): Some teenage girls at a dance camp fell out of their bunks and heard an explosion. Later, what felt like warm snow drifted down on them. They put on their bathing suits and rubbed the flakes on their faces, according to National Geographic. Only two of the girls lived past the age of 30, Nolan reported. 

Tularosa (51 miles away): Eleven-year-old Henry Herrera watched the fallout cloud drift away then return to Tularosa. Black ash covered the Herreras' laundry on the clothesline, according to Brodie. 

Over 100 miles away: The cloud split into three, mostly drifting northeast, raining fallout over an area of about 100 miles long by 30 miles wide. 

A 2023 Princeton University study used weather data and modeling software to show how the cloud spread over northeast New Mexico, as well as to the south and west of ground zero.

Trinity test "downwinders" have been lobbying to receive compensation from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Members of the  Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium say their families have unusually high rates of cancer, which they attribute to living close to the atomic bomb testing site.  

Over 1,000 miles away: In August 1945, Kodak customers complained that their X-ray film, sensitive to radiation, was ruined. Kodak physicist Julian Webb found that the culprit was the strawboard, a packaging material made of straw, from a mill in Indiana. The Trinity test fallout had reached the Midwest.

The Princeton study showed radioactive fallout reached as far as Canada and Mexico over the course of 10 days. 

• During my semester abroad, I spent three days in Paris with my grandparents and their friends.
• We mixed structure with spontaneity, and I enjoyed seeing the city through their eyes.
• I learned so much about my grandparents from observing them during the trip.

When I decided to study abroad in Ireland in 2024, I expected lots of pubs, great music, rainy days, and a fair share of homesickness.

What I didn't expect was that one of the best parts of my semester would be a three-day trip to Paris — with my grandparents.

Shortly after I'd arranged my semester abroad, I learned that my grandparents would be in Europe at the same time as me. Although most of their trip would be spent on a river cruise, they'd have a few free days in Paris, and I immediately knew I had to meet them there.

My grandparents were excited but also a bit nervous. They'd traveled plenty of times before, but this would be their first time in Paris, and they had little experience visiting countries where English isn't the primary language.

Plus, they were traveling with more than 50 people around their age (my grandparents were 73 years old at the time), most of whom they didn't know. So, they were worried I might not like traveling with "the old folks."

Little did they know, they had nothing to worry about.

I enjoyed slowing down and embracing a mix of structure and spontaneity

Leading up to the trip, my grandparents and I decided to plan at least one activity each day to provide some structure, but leave the rest of our time open to wander. We also chose to make balancing time with their friend group and each other a priority.

Initially, they worried this arrangement might slow me down or cause me to do less in the city, but I found that it allowed me to appreciate where I was and savor our moments together.

Often, the three of us would have breakfast together, then meet up with the group for sightseeing in the afternoon.

Traveling with an older group meant that I made a couple of accommodations I wouldn't have normally made when traveling solo, like using ride-hailing services instead of walking or relying on public transit.

This was definitely more expensive, but it was nice not having to grapple with the stress of navigating an unfamiliar city's transit system, and we felt it made it easier for all of us to stay together.

Throughout the trip, I even found myself slowing down to take in small moments, like a man playing his violin on our way to the Arc de Triomphe. I also stopped to take pictures of my grandparents' friends during the day.

One of my favorite memories was walking through Sacré-Cœur Basilica, taking in the views of Paris, and wandering the Montmartre district, popping into a café for coffee, and spending time in local shops.

I've always tried to slow down and travel with intention, but my grandparents gave me the nudge I needed to actually follow through. It wasn't that they literally moved slowly, it was that they had the wisdom to know there was no need to rush.

That mindset quietly seeped into me, and I was grateful for it when we opted to hire a tour guide to walk us through the Louvre. I was able to have a greater appreciation for the art than I think I would've if we'd just winged it on our own.

Another highlight was a girls' dinner I had with my grandma and her friends. I got to hear all of their stories from when they were my age, and watching them joke around and make friends with the waiter was both hilarious and endearing. They were all so encouraging of my travels, telling me to continue seeking out new places and experiences.

It was fun to see new places through each other's eyes

There's a well-known adage that you don't really know a person until you travel with them.

I constantly found myself watching my grandparents throughout the trip to see what architecture caught their eye or what paintings and sculptures interested them at the Louvre. It was also interesting to see how they interacted with their friends.

Although we've always been close, I now know that my grandparents are more adventurous than they're given credit for. I know that my grandpa appreciates a good red wine, and my grandma loves a whiskey sour. I know that my grandpa and I both think comfortable silence is underrated. And I know that my grandma and I like to have a sweet treat in the morning to accompany our coffee.

I think my grandparents may have learned a few things about me, too, from the French skills I'd been practicing in college to how to use Uber and eSIMs.

Travel has always helped me learn about myself, but I'm so grateful to have walked away from this trip knowing even more about — and feeling even closer to — my grandparents.