• Microsoft Teams is a live meeting platform and virtual collaboration space.
• Microsoft first launched teams as a direct competitor to Slack.
• Here's what to know about Microsoft Teams and how to use various features.

If you need to set up a remote meeting wherein you can conduct video calls, swap notes, share files, align calendars, and much more, the Microsoft Teams just might be the right platform to use. A part of the Microsoft 365 subscription service that includes programs like Word, Excel, Outlook, and more, Teams easily integrates with much of the software and many apps you are likely already using.

Teams was first created because Bill Gates was against buying Slack, the workflow management platform. In 2016, Microsoft almost made an $8 billion bid for Slack, but the company's founder and former CEO was opposed to the move.

Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, agreed with Gates, and the offer was never made. Instead, Microsoft would develop Teams as a competitor to Slack, releasing it the next year.

Let's take a closer look at Microsoft Teams and what it allows its users to do.

What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration app that allows users to communicate and work together in real time. It's designed to help users stay organized and connected, and can be used for a variety of purposes, including meetings, during which people can use features like PowerPoint Live, Microsoft Whiteboard, and AI-generated meeting notes.

Teams can also be used as a phone call platform. Users can make group calls, send voicemails, and transfer calls to others.

It's also a chat platform, letting users message individuals or groups, and access features like emojis and suggested replies.

Teams users can share files and share apps, and can use the program to help align and manage their calendars and schedules.

Is Microsoft Teams still free?

There is a free version of Microsoft Teams that offers many of the same functions as the paid version, albeit in scaled down form. Called "Teams for personal life," the free version limits video calls to 60 minutes, but it allows chat, file sharing, and up to five gigabytes of cloud file storage. The free version limits participants in a single session to 100 users.

How to join a Teams meeting — even without an account

You don't need to install Microsoft Teams join a meeting. You can join a meeting using your browser, or you can download the Windows app. On your computer, you need to use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome as your browser to join a Teams meeting.

You can also join a Team's meeting even if you don't have a Microsoft Teams account, and that's true on a smartphone or tablet or on a computer.

To join without an account, first find the meeting invite in your email or on your calendar, then select "Join Microsoft Teams Meeting." On a computer, choose "Join on the web," whereas on a mobile device, you will be prompted to download the Team app. Enter your name, allow the device to use your camera and microphone, then hit "Join now."

The meeting organizer will then be notified that you've joined, and someone in the meeting can admit you.

Which is better: Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet?

Each better serves different users and use cases, so it's not a matter of which platform is better, but rather which is better for a given situation. Google Meet is a stripped-down and easy-to-use platform ideal for more casual meetings, as among friends or small groups of coworkers. Zoom allows for a high number of participants, so it's good for major presentations or remote conferences.

And Microsoft Teams offers a robust suite of features, as discussed here, making it ideal for ongoing use by groups that need to regularly collaborate in productive ways.

• Eric Sim retired from his 20-year banking career in 2017 after achieving financial freedom.
• But the former investment bank managing director says he's not a fan of the FIRE lifestyle.
• Sim became a professional speaker and executive coach after he left banking in 2017.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Eric Sim, 54, a former banker who became a published author, professional speaker, and career coach. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider previously published an essay about Sim's banking career.

When I started my career in banking, I didn't give much thought to retiring early.

I figured I would retire at age 65 and engage in typical retirement activities like going on cruises and hanging out with old friends.

But things changed after I became a managing director at UBS. After working for a few years there, where I managed to earn multiple annual bonuses, I realized that I was actually financially free.

That got me thinking: If I didn't need to work for someone else, what would I do?

I knew that I couldn't just quit my job without a plan. I needed to find a meaningful project to which I could devote my energies.

After much thought and reflection, I decided to leave banking to run my own training institute for young professionals. I started the Institute of Life in 2015 with the mission of helping young people achieve success at work and in life.

FIRE isn't as great as you think it is

Even though I have achieved financial freedom, I'm not a fan of the Financial Independence Retire Early, or FIRE, movement.

To achieve FIRE, you must save a lot of your income during your working years. But the truth is, people often don't have a clear idea of what retiring will look like for them or if they'll enjoy it — especially if they're in the weeds and working toward it.

Of course, when you first retire, you can do whatever you want. You can travel overseas, hit the spa, or play golf.

After working for 10 to 20 years, being free from the grind for the first three months feels good. But you'll get bored very quickly.

When you are working, you don't have to plan for what you want to do. Your day job will give you more than enough things to do.

But if you are financially independent, without a regular schedule to adhere to, you need to find projects to occupy your time. If you don't do that, then your days are wasted.

A good retirement isn't just about having money in the bank

To have a good retirement, you will need three types of capital. Besides financial capital, you need human and social capital if you want to make the most of your time.

Human capital refers to the knowledge you possess. You can build this up through your career or through your side hustles and hobbies. By developing your interests and skills, you will know what activities you want to do when you go into retirement mode.

Social capital refers to the goodwill you accumulate with others. The small help that you offer to others can come back in a big way when you retire.

Ultimately, you need to know what you want to do after leaving your day job. If there is something that you always wanted to do, and is meaningful, I would say go for it.

But if you have nothing to look forward to and don't have a mission yet, just stay in your day job. You can still pursue your own interests on the side without quitting your job.

• Nicola Prentis doesn't enjoy spending time messaging on dating apps and prefers to meet in person.
• She created a poll on Hinge to help her find men who are happy to meet face-to-face early on.
• The poll is helping her find spontaneous men who have time to go on dates.

I've noticed that people on dating apps tend to fall into two categories: "messagers" and "meeters."

The first kind wants to message for a while to make sure there's enough common ground to meet up in person. The second type is like me, people who want to meet face-to-face as soon as possible. For me, that's the only way to tell if there's a connection worth investing time in.

After a two-year break from dating apps, the one thing I was sure of when I downloaded Hinge in 2024 was that I wanted to spend as little time chatting on the app as possible. My previous experiences with lengthy text conversations that dragged on for weeks, only to fizzle out or lead to disappointing dates, had left me thoroughly burned out on online dating.

In the past, I only brought up the idea of meeting in person when it felt natural.
But even that was often a waste of time, as a lot of men never seemed interested in an actual date. Maybe they were married, or maybe they used dating apps as an ego boost or for entertainment on their phones.

I run my own company and work from home, which offers few opportunities to meet people organically, so I view online dating as a shortcut to real-life dating, not a replacement for it.

To cut to the chase sooner, I've started using one of Hinge's prompts — the poll option — and it's proving efficient at getting me the matches I want.

The poll is simple but effective at getting to an IRL date

The poll reads: Do you want to meet…

a) Today?

b) Tomorrow?

c) Swap "How are you?" messages for weeks on end?

If someone votes for either of the first two options, I always make it a match and reply. Best of all, I can get straight to the point and make arrangements for how to meet instead of wasting time in chit-chat.

Dating coaches and matchmakers told Business Insider that it's important to ask pre-date questions to ensure safety and compatibility before agreeing to meet in person. Suggestions included asking for their last name and looking it up on LinkedIn to confirm their age and occupation, as well as hopping on a phone call before the first date. I only ever meet in busy public places to keep myself safe.

As I've found that a lot of guys I've spoken to don't really read profiles, a poll works because it spotlights the fact that I prefer to meet than chat.

It's not perfect — I don't think any method on a dating app ever could be. But, so far, I've ended up meeting over half the guys who took the initiative to vote, successfully avoiding endless messaging.

It's true that some people vote and never reply. But one of the best things about this approach is that I've invested nothing. I barely notice if they disappear before we meet.

My method helps repel the wrong guys

It might seem like my poll signals that I'm only looking for hookups, but so far, that's not been my experience.

A possible downside is that I live in a major tourist destination, so I often get men who are just passing through on vacation. But that doesn't bother me.

It reminds me of the years I spent traveling and how life-enriching it can be to meet someone you hit it off with instantly, even if your paths only cross for a few hours. In fact, one hiking date led to drinks that same evening. It went so well that I'm now planning to visit him on the third date.

To my surprise, some men choose the third option of sending endless text messages. At first, I thought it was their way of jokily showing they got my point and were on board. But no. Nine times out of 10, those guys weren't proactive about meeting, so now I skip them completely.

An unintended benefit of the poll is it makes me much less of a target for scammers and married men. After all, both always have excuses for why they can't meet in real life.

So far, I've been going on dates with spontaneous action-takers who prefer to do something rather than just talk about doing it. Crucially, they actually have time in their lives for dating and prioritise it. All of these qualities are what I'm looking for, and mercifully, they mean I spend a maximum of 15 minutes a week on the app.

Got a personal essay about dating that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: [email protected].

• Spencer Pratt asked fans to buy and stream his wife's music after the couple's LA home burned down.
• As a result, Heidi Montag's 2010 album "Superficial" reached No. 1 on the iTunes chart.
• Pratt said this would help raise money for their family to rebuild, but the feat is mostly symbolic.

Spencer Pratt may have lost almost everything to the Pacific Palisades fire, but he believes his wife's music career may be what helps them afford to rebuild.

Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, are among the dozens of celebrities whose homes burned down in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. But unlike other victims of the fires, who have opted for GoFundMe campaigns to help get back on their feet, the former stars of "The Hills" have devised a much more publicity-friendly plan.

"Please stream any of @heidimontag music on any platforms it will make a huge difference!" Pratt wrote on TikTok Friday alongside photos of himself standing on the ashes of their home, set to Montag's song "Look How I'm Doin."

His campaign triggered a spike in downloads for Montag's 2010 album, "Superficial," which rose to No. 1 on iTunes on Saturday.

Both Pratt and Montag shared their reactions to the news, thanking friends and fans for "rallying behind us in this devastating time," as Montag said in a video on Instagram. But despite the insinuation that more streams will directly result in a significant amount of money for Pratt, Montag, and their family, the couple's feat is likely more symbolic than productive.

iTunes revolutionized the music industry when it was launched by Apple in 2001, solidifying the shift from physical media to digital downloads. But little more than two decades later, it has been rendered mostly obsolete by the rise of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.

Unlike music streamers, which charge users monthly subscription fees for unlimited consumption, iTunes relies on individual payments for each download.

This setup is more lucrative for the artists but proved to be far less popular among fans. In 2019, Apple announced it would discontinue iTunes and remove the app from its newer operating systems. These days, the iTunes Store is still accessible from Apple's primary Music app, but as its own entity, iTunes only exists for Windows and older Macs.

Very few music fans still use iTunes regularly, which makes its charts less consequential — and easier to manipulate. The daily, ongoing updates are susceptible to fickle fluctuations in download activity.

"Relatively small organized efforts can lead to the most purchased songs drifting far from what's actually receiving the most attention," Jonah Krueger reported for Consequence last year.

"Because fewer people are shelling out $1.29 to download their own copy of a song," Krueger wrote, "it takes proportionally fewer people to sway the numbers and launch whatever song's being pumped to the top of the charts."

So why do iTunes achievements still cause chatter? Rich Juzwiak argued in Jezebel that it's because artists and their most ardent supporters — people like Montag and Pratt — leverage these charts on social media for headlines and bragging rights.

In other words, the iTunes charts are not reliable sources to determine what people are actually listening to on a macro scale. They're also not likely to make Pratt and Montag rich overnight.

The most reliable source cited by music professionals is Billboard, which ranks albums and songs based on various data points, including iTunes downloads, physical sales, and streaming stats.

Billboard's charts, like the all-genre Hot 100, are updated weekly — and that's where Pratt has set his sights.

"We need radio play, I guess not just iTunes, to get No. 1 on Billboard charts, which is the ultimate goal, cause then it's like, that's a wrap," Pratt said in a TikTok video. "Heidi is the biggest superstar in the world, you know? Obviously not Taylor Swift, but it's like Taylor Swift, Heidi Montag."

But would it really be a wrap? If Pratt's goal really is cold, hard cash for his family, probably not. Montag's songs have not appeared on Spotify or Apple Music's daily charts as of yet. And even if they did, earning reliable income from streaming alone is infamously difficult even for established artists.

Still, Pratt and Montag's desire for money has always been matched by their desire to get (and stay) famous. This streaming campaign might not get them too much of the former, but it will ensure the latter.

• Tech leaders, including an early Facebook investor, launch a $30M campaign for independent social media.
• Free Our Feeds aims to counter billionaire control with the open-source AT Protocol.
• The campaign is led by executives from Mozilla, Social Web Foundation, and other tech nonprofits.

Days after Meta announced controversial changes to its content moderation policies, a group of prominent technology leaders and nonprofit executives launched an ambitious $30 million campaign to build a social media ecosystem free from "billionaire control."

The initiative, called "Free Our Feeds," aims to create independent infrastructure around the AT Protocol, an open-source technology that powers the Bluesky social network, and allows anyone to build their own social media applications, similar to how open web protocols let anyone build websites.

The project comes at a critical moment when traditional social platforms are facing intense scrutiny over their concentrated ownership and control.

"For the first time, we have a clear pathway to securing the future of social media as a tool for connection, creativity, and joy," Nabiha Syed, Executive Director of Mozilla Foundation and one of nine custodians overseeing the project, said in a statement. "But it will take community-driven resources and independent infrastructure to ensure it remains free from the pressures of venture capital and billionaire capture."

The campaign's immediate goal is to raise $4 million as part of a larger $30 million three-year effort. The funds will be used to establish a public interest foundation supporting the AT Protocol and build independent infrastructure including a second "relay" system. The relay is effectively a backup index of all content on the network that ensures developers and users can access posts even if Bluesky restricts access to its data. The capital will also be used to fund developers to create new applications on the protocol.

At the time of publishing, the campaign had raised nearly $18,000 from 273 donors on GoFundMe.

According to Syed, one of the Foundation's key goals is to operate the AT Protocol infrastructure independently from Bluesky.

"The greater the number of stakeholders who build on AT Protocol, the more countervailing power they have with regards to Bluesky or any other large company involved in the network," she told Business Insider. "The Foundation will operate AT Protocol infrastructure independently from Bluesky to ensure that there is always an alternative."

Roger McNamee, an early Facebook investor turned tech critic who is backing the initiative, told BI that the project comes at a time when users are increasingly frustrated with existing platforms.

"We're in a world right now where every new startup is either crypto or AI," McNamee said. "Show me something that might actually make the world a better place. If this works, it's going to make the world a much better place."

Over the last few months, Bluesky has seen explosive growth. BI reported last week that the company is in the final stages of raising new funding led by Bain Capital Ventures that would value it at around $700 million. The platform reached nearly 26 million users by the end of 2024, with nearly half joining in the last six weeks of the year following Donald Trump's election victory.

While Bluesky has positioned itself as an alternative to X, Free Our Feeds' backers argue that even Bluesky's venture capital-backed structure could eventually face similar pressures as other commercial platforms.

"Bluesky is built on values we share, by people we admire. However, founders are not companies," the project's FAQ states. "They will come under the same pressure all businesses face to maximize return to their investors."

The campaign's nine custodians include executives from Mozilla, the Social Web Foundation, and other nonprofit technology organizations. Development Gateway, a US nonprofit organization, will hold funds raised through the crowdfunding campaign.

The timing of the announcement comes just as Meta significantly scaled back its fact-checking program and as X continues to struggle with advertiser exodus under Musk's leadership. The initiative's backers argue that these recent developments highlight the risks of concentrated ownership of social platforms.

"We've gone a really long time since people in Silicon Valley actually solved a problem that existed," McNamee noted, arguing that the project represents a rare opportunity to address fundamental issues with how social media platforms are structured and controlled.

The foundation aims to be operational by the end of 2025. While ambitious in scope, the project's backers acknowledge the challenges ahead but argue that recent events at major platforms have created an opening for fundamental change in how social media operates.

"Centralized ownership of platforms — our digital public square — leads to a constantly shifting, opaque digital environment in which people can lose their digital public square and livelihoods from a single billionaire's decision," Syed said.

"We can do better. The internet doesn't need to be like this, and if we work together, it won't be."

• Netflix's "American Primeval" is inspired by the true story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
• The massacre is depicted in episode 1 and is the inciting incident for the main characters' journey.
• The real-life tragedy took place in 1857 in Utah. 120 people were murdered.

Netflix's dark new Western series, "American Primeval," draws inspiration from a real-life American tragedy to depict the harsh landscape of the West in the 1800s.

The six-episode limited series, released Thursday, focuses on the clashes between Native Americans, Mormons, settlers moving West, and the U.S. government through the lens of two people experiencing the conflicts in real time: Sara (Betty Gilpin), a mother going West with her son, and Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), a mountain man who grew up among the Shoshone tribe who's tasked with transporting her there safely.

While Sara and Isaac are fictional characters, many of the events in "American Primeval" are rooted in history. Case in point: the first episode's bloody massacre is a dramatization of a real incident that occurred in Utah.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 claimed the lives of 120 men, women, and children in southern Utah

In September 1857, emigrants traveling from Arkansas to California were attacked and murdered on a wagon trail by about 50 or 60 local Mormon militiamen with assistance from Paiute Indians in Mountain Meadows, Utah. Seventeen children who were 6 years old or younger were spared.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre stemmed from a feud between the Latter-day Saints (more commonly referred to as Mormons) and the American government that was later known as the Utah War.

The Mormons, led by Brigham Young, feared that they would be attacked by US troops and driven off the land, so they created their own army called the Nauvoo Legion.

Despite multiple people being involved in the massacre and subsequent cover-up, John Doyle Lee, a militia major, was the only person who faced severe punishment.

Lee and Isaac Haight, who was also involved in the tragedy, were excommunicated from the church in 1870. Lee was later convicted and executed for his involvement in the massacre. He was sentenced to death by firing squad and executed at the massacre site in 1877.

In 'American Primeval,' the massacre is the inciting incident that drives the plot

In the first episode, Gilpin's character Sara Rowell scrambles to protect herself and her son Devin (Preston Mota) when the group they're traveling with is attacked by Mormon soldiers disguised as Native Americans. Sara and Devin are about to be killed, but they're saved by Isaac, who hides them in the woods and helps them get away on horseback.

The brutality of the scene, which also depicts a man getting partially scalped, sets the stage for the rest of the season, and is a key part of the season's narrative.

"The Mountain Meadows Massacre did happen … and it became, for our narrative purposes, an inciting incident of conflict for our cast of characters," executive producer Eric Newman told Tudum, Netflix's editorial site.

Sara, Devin, and Isaac are doggedly pursued by the Mormon soldiers who want to cover up their part in the attack.

"It was driven by the Nauvoo Legion, but we have to understand that they perceived it as a threat," writer and executive producer Mark L. Smith added. "They were coming in to defend their world. It is just another step — a very violent step — in the lengths that they went to."

"American Primeval" is now streaming on Netflix.

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook have criticized each other's companies for years.
• They've traded barbs over Apple's prices and Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal. 
• The latest exchange is Zuckerberg saying Apple is "squeezing people" for more money and lacks innovation.

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Apple's Tim Cook have a long-standing feud.

The two tech titans have been bickering since at least 2014, trading barbs over each other's products and business models. Over the years, their battle has escalated to include public jabs, pointed ad campaigns, and even a legal dispute.

In January, Zuckerberg went on Joe Rogan's podcast and said Apple hasn't "really invented anything great in a while" since the iPhone launched under Steve Jobs.

Here's when the rivalry began, and what's happened since.

The feud between Zuckerberg and Cook became public in 2014, when Cook lambasted Facebook's business model.

In September 2014, Cook gave an in-depth interview with Charlie Rose that touched on a range of topics, including privacy.

During the interview — which took place in the weeks following the infamous leaks of multiple female celebrities' nude photos stored on their iCloud accounts — Cook espoused Apple's commitment to privacy while denouncing the business models of companies like Google and Facebook. 

"I think everyone has to ask, how do companies make their money? Follow the money," Cook said. "And if they're making money mainly by collecting gobs of personal data, I think you have a right to be worried. And you should really understand what's happening to that data."  

Shortly after, Cook reiterated his stance in an open letter on Apple's dedicated privacy site. 

"A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you're not the customer. You're the product," Cook wrote. 

Cook's comments rankled Zuckerberg, who called the claims "ridiculous" and blasted Apple products as being expensive.

In an interview with Time later that year, Zuckerberg was reportedly visibly irritated by Cook's assertions. 

"A frustration I have is that a lot of people increasingly seem to equate an advertising business model with somehow being out of alignment with your customers," Zuckerberg told Time's Lev Grossman. "I think it's the most ridiculous concept. What, you think because you're paying Apple that you're somehow in alignment with them? If you were in alignment with them, then they'd make their products a lot cheaper!"

Their squabble came to a head following the Cambridge Analytica scandal when Cook criticized Facebook's actions.

In 2018, a whistleblower revealed that consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested user data without consent from 50 million users. 

During an interview with Kara Swisher and Chris Hayes in the months following, Cook was asked what he would do if he was in Zuckerberg's shoes.

Cook responded: "What would I do? I wouldn't be in this situation."

Cook said that Facebook should have regulated itself when it came to user data, but that "I think we're beyond that here." He also doubled down on his stance that Facebook considers its users its product. 

"The truth is, we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer — if our customer was our product," Cook said. "We've elected not to do that."

Zuckerberg hit back, calling Cook's comments "extremely glib."

"You know, I find that argument, that if you're not paying that somehow we can't care about you, to be extremely glib. And not at all aligned with the truth," Zuckerberg said during an interview on The Ezra Klein Show podcast.

He refuted the idea that Facebook isn't focused on serving people and once again criticized the premium Apple places on its products. 

"I think it's important that we don't all get Stockholm Syndrome and let the companies that work hard to charge you more convince you that they actually care more about you," he said. "Because that sounds ridiculous to me."

Privately, Zuckerberg was reportedly outraged by Cook's remarks — so much so that he ordered his employees to switch to Android devices.

In November 2018, The New York Times published a blockbuster report detailing the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The Times reported that Cook's comments had "infuriated" Zuckerberg, who ordered employees on his management team who used iPhones to switch to Android. 

Soon after the report published, Facebook wrote a blog post refuting some of the reporting by The Times — but not the Zuckerberg-Cook feud. 

"Tim Cook has consistently criticized our business model and Mark has been equally clear he disagrees. So there's been no need to employ anyone else to do this for us," Facebook wrote. "And we've long encouraged our employees and executives to use Android because it is the most popular operating system in the world."

In 2019, Zuckerberg and Cook had a meeting at the annual Sun Valley retreat in Idaho that went poorly, according to The New York Times.

According to The Times, Zuckerberg asked Cook for his advice following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Cook told Zuckerberg Facebook should delete the user data his company collects from outside of its family of apps, which "stunned" Zuckerberg and was akin to Cook saying Facebook's business was "untenable," The Times reported.

In August 2020, Zuckerberg jumped in the fray as Apple faced criticism over its App Store policies.

During a company-wide meeting, Zuckerberg openly criticized Apple, saying it has a "unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones," according to a report from BuzzFeed News. 

Zuckerberg also said that the App Store blocks innovation and competition and "allows Apple to charge monopoly rents," BuzzFeed reported. 

Apple has been facing antitrust scrutiny from Congress and has been strongly criticized by developers — most notably "Fortnite" creator Epic Games — for the 30% fee it takes from App Store purchases. In 2020, Facebook said Apple blocked an update to Facebook's iOS app that would have informed users about the fee Apple charges.

Apple's iOS 14.5 software update angered Facebook, which says the privacy features could destroy part of its business.

That version of Apple's smartphone operating system, iOS, made it so that iPhone app developers would need permission from users to collect and track their data. While this affects any company that makes iOS apps, it also has a direct impact on Facebook's advertising business: It uses data tracking to dictate which ads are served to users. 

In an August 2020 blog post, Facebook said it may be forced to shut down Audience Network for iOS, a tool that personalizes ads in third-party apps. 

"This is not a change we want to make, but unfortunately, Apple's updates to iOS 14 have forced this decision," Facebook said. 

The complaints from Facebook and other developers led Apple to temporarily delay the new privacy tools, saying it wanted to "give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes."

Facebook escalated the feud to a full-page ad in The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

 

 

 

 

 

—Dave Stangis (@DaveStangis) December 16, 2020

In the ads, Facebook argued that the changes would hurt small businesses that advertise on Facebook's platform.

"Without personalized ads, Facebook data shows that the average small business advertiser stands to see a cut of over 60% in their sales for every dollar they spend," the ad reads, which was posted by Twitter user Dave Stangis. 

Apple hit back, telling Business Insider that it was "standing up for our users." 

"Users should know when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and websites — and they should have the choice to allow that or not," an Apple spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Facebook also said it would help Epic Games, the company behind "Fortnite," in its legal battle against Apple.

Epic Games had accused Apple of violating antitrust laws and engaging in anticompetitive behavior regarding the App Store's fees and policies.

Facebook said it planned to help Epic with discovery for the trial. 

Zuckerberg also lashed out at Apple during an earnings call in 2021, saying the company frequently interferes with how Facebook's apps work.

When discussing Facebook's suite of messaging apps during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, Zuckerberg made a clear dig at Apple, saying the iPhone maker made "misleading" privacy claims. 

"Now Apple recently released so-called nutrition labels, which focused largely on metadata that apps collect rather than the privacy and security of people's actual messages, but iMessage stores non-end-to-end encrypted backups of your messages by default unless you disable iCloud," Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg went on to describe Apple as "one of our biggest competitors" and said that because Apple is increasingly relying on services to fuel its business, it "has every incentive to use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work, which they regularly do to preference their own."

"This impacts the growth of millions of businesses around the world," he added.

But Cook hasn't backed down from his view that Facebook's business model of harvesting user data and selling it to advertisers is harmful to consumers.

During a speech at the European Computers, Privacy and Data Protection Conference the same week, Cook discussed business models that prioritize user engagement and rely on user data to make money. Though he didn't mention Facebook by name, Cook made several references that alluded to the platform.

"At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement — the longer the better — and all with the goal of collecting as much data as possible," Cook said.

Facebook launched another ad campaign in 2021 aimed at proving the need for personalized advertising amid its ongoing battle with Apple.

The initiative, titled "Good Ideas Deserve to be Found," makes the case that personalized ads help Facebook users discover small businesses, particularly during the pandemic. 

"Every business starts with an idea, and being able to share that idea through personalized ads is a game changer for small businesses," Facebook said in a blog post announcing the theme. "Limiting the use of personalized ads would take away a vital growth engine for businesses."

Cook called Facebook's objections to the privacy update "flimsy arguments" during an interview with The New York Times.

During a podcast interview with Kara Swisher, Cook said that he believes society is in a privacy crisis and that he's been "shocked" that there's been pushback to the new feature to this degree. 

"We know these things are flimsy arguments," Cook told The Times. "I think that you can do digital advertising and make money from digital advertising without tracking people when they don't know they're being tracked."

Cook also said he doesn't view Facebook as a competitor, contrary to what Zuckerberg has said.

"Oh, I think that we compete in some things," Cook said. "But no, if I may ask who our biggest competitor are, they would not be listed. We're not in the social networking business."

Apple's iOS 14.5 update finally rolled out in April 2021, and Facebook paid steeply for it.

"The impact of iOS overall as a headwind on our business in 2022 is on the order of $10 billion," then-Meta CFO David Wehner estimated in an earnings call that year.

In March 2024, Meta, Microsoft, X, and Match Group joined Epic Games in arguing that Apple has been flouting a 2021 court-ordered injunction that required the company to let developers show users links to alternative payment systems beyond the App Store.

Apple, for its part, said in January 2024 that it had "fully complied" with the injunction.

One of the latest battlegrounds in Apple and Meta's feud is their work on virtual and augmented reality.

Apple released its Vision Pro headset in February 2024, and Zuckerberg was quick to offer his critique of the competitor to Meta's Quest headsets.

"I have to say that before this, I expected that Quest would be the better value for most people since it's really good and like seven times less expensive, but after using [Vision Pro] I don't just think that Quest is the better value, it's the better product, period," Zuckerberg said in a video on Threads. "They have different strengths, but overall Quest is better for the vast majority of things that people use mixed reality for."

Zuckerberg says many people "assumed that Vision Pro would be higher quality because it's Apple and it costs $3,000 more."

"I know that some fanboys get upset whenever anyone dares to question if Apple's going to be the leader in a new category," he said. "But the reality is that every generation of computing has an open and a closed model. And yeah, in mobile, Apple's closed model won, but it's not always that way."

In Meta's first quarter earnings call in April, Zuckerberg said he didn't think AR glasses would find mainstream success without "full holographic displays."

"I still think that that's going to be awesome and is the long-term mature state for the product," he said. "But now, it seems pretty clear that there's also a meaningful market for fashionable AI glasses without a display."

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has also taken shots at Apple over its Vision Pro.

"As soon as I put the headset on, I can see what trade-offs they made and why they made them. And, perhaps definitionally, those aren't the trade-offs I would have made," he said.

Bosworth called the Vision Pro's motion blur "really distracting" and said the headset was "very uncomfortable to use."

The companies also reportedly had a disagreement over a potential AI partnership.

Apple months ago rejected the possibility of integrating Meta's Llama AI chatbot into the iPhone because it doesn't consider Meta's privacy practices up to par, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in June 2024, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Apple has since launched iOS 18, which includes a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into the iPhone's software.

Zuckerberg recently leveled some new insults against Apple.

In an episode of the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast released in January 2025, he said Apple hasn't "really invented anything great in a while" since the iPhone.

"It's like Steve Jobs invented the iPhone and now they're just kind of sitting on it 20 years later," he said on the podcast.

Zuck added that Apple has been "squeezing people" for money with the 30% commission the company charges developers for selling paid apps through the App Store.

"They build stuff like Airpods, which are cool, but they've just thoroughly hamstrung the ability for anyone else to build something that can connect to the iPhone in the same way," he said.

• Abbie Stockard was crowned Miss America 2025 on January 5 in Orlando.
• Stockard told BI that she doesn't think Miss America should change its age limit like Miss USA did.
• Women must be between the ages of 18 to 28 to compete for the Miss America title.

The Miss America pageant has seen quite a few changes in its 104 years. But Abbie Stockard, who won the crown on January 5, believes a few rules should stay the same, including the current age limit.

Women must be between 18 and 28 to compete for the title of Miss America, a rule that Stockard thinks has "served our organization well for years," as she told Business Insider.

"I like the way that we have it, and I appreciate that we do have an age limit," the 22-year-old Auburn University student said. "This organization has always been about empowering young women. And I think for the sake of fostering these friendships and creating a sisterhood, there has to be some type of age limit."

"There has to be some type of cap to carry out the ultimate mission of this organization, which is empowering young women to lead," she added.

While Miss America has remained firm on its eligibility requirements, the Miss USA pageant now allows all women 18 and over to compete. The rule change was announced in September 2023 and went into effect at Miss USA 2024.

Like Miss America, the organization previously only permitted contestants between the ages of 18 to 28.

Miss USA president Laylah Rose told BI in February 2024 that lifting the age limit was about "really proving that we're inclusive."

"We can start running for a marathon at 45, we can pick up a hobby at 50, we can go back to school at 65. So why would we limit a woman and tell her that she can or cannot do something?" Rose said.

At the time, several past contestants told BI that they weren't sure it made sense for the brand. Miss Montana 2020 Merissa Underwood said she thought the rule change was a "total cash grab," while the winner of Miss USA 2020, Asya Branch, questioned how they would "compare someone who's just entering adulthood to someone who has lived 20 years in their adulthood."

"Before we knew who Miss USA was, we knew what her job was and her role in society," Branch said. "Now, I think the organization should redefine what that means and what they're looking for."

Others were excited for the new direction, including Miss USA 2003 Susie Castillo.

"I'm excited to see what the future brings for the Miss USA competition and the incredible women who aged out and never competed because they didn't have the means or didn't feel as confident in their younger years," Castillo told BI at the time. "This rule change is a game changer, and I love it."

Miss USA 2024 featured multiple contestants over 28, but none reached the top 20. Alma Cooper, a 22-year-old US Army officer, won the crown.

Married women and mothers are now also allowed to compete at Miss USA, a rule change that went into effect in 2023. They are still not eligible to enter Miss America, a decision defended by past winners, including Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke.

Stockard also doesn't believe the eligibility requirements should change.

"I think the way we have it has served us well for years," she told BI.

However, Stockard applauded the organization for now allowing contestants to go public with their significant others. Former winners said in the 2023 A&E docuseries "Secrets of Miss America" that the organization previously had an unofficial anti-boyfriend rule under Sam Haskell's leadership.

"I'm so glad that it doesn't really matter now because it does not affect your job as Miss America at all," said Stockard, who is dating Utah Jazz player Walker Kessler. "And I think this is a good way to boost recruitment because I've heard stories of girls who just didn't want to compete because they were in a serious relationship."

"They weren't willing to put that relationship on hold or to hide it throughout their year," she added. "But now it's not like that. They don't have to worry about that anymore."

• After working at Sephora for a few years, I've found a selection of holy-grail beauty products.
• Glow Recipe's niacinamide drops and Ilia's skin tint with SPF create a hydrated, flawless base.
• The Fenty Beauty Gloss Bombs and Anastasia Beverly Hills eye shadow work for so many people. 

As a Sephora employee, I'm used to trying new products to see which items are the best for flawless makeup.

Here are the products I swear by each time I do my makeup.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on May 3, 2022, and most recently updated on January 13, 2025. Product availability may vary by location.

The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops serum is the perfect start to a hydrated look.

It's crucial to prepare and hydrate your skin so you have a good base for the rest of your makeup to go on smoothly.

I love a glowy look, and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops serum makes my skin look beautiful. It also preps my face for makeup. 

Incorporate SPF into your routine with this skin tint the Ilia Super Serum skin tint.

The Ilia Super Serum skin tint is my favorite tinted moisturizer for beautiful, glowing skin.

It is so important to use SPF to protect your skin each day. Using products like this one that have skincare benefits can also help improve the appearance of your skin while evening it out.

I use shades Balos ST3 and Bom Bom ST5.

The Make Up For Ever Ultra HD concealer is perfect for photos and an everyday look.

It's important to have a formula with good coverage that also looks natural, so I recommend the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD concealer. It gives the perfect amount of coverage, has a natural finish, and looks beautiful in photos and for everyday makeup.

Use your concealer in areas where you want a little more coverage than your skin tint or foundation can provide.

I use the shade 20 - Soft Sand.

Cream bronzer and blush from Makeup By Mario look flawless on my skin.

I have recently fallen in love with the look and feel of cream contour and blush. I feel like using cream products makes your skin look so natural and flawless.

The Makeup By Mario SoftSculpt shaping sticks and the Soft Pop blush sticks are my all-time favorite cream products.

The formula blends like a dream, and you can layer powders on top for a longer-lasting effect. I use the shades Light Medium and Dusty Rose.

The Huda Beauty Easy Bake baking and setting powder helps my makeup last all day.

After using all of these glowy products, the last thing you want is to look greasy. After all, the goal is to achieve a natural, flawless look.

That's why I love the Huda Beauty Easy Bake loose baking and setting powder to set my under-eyes and any areas I get oily, the center of my face.

This powder will help blur and smooth your pores, create a flawless look, and set your makeup. I use the shade Cupcake.

The Benefit Gimme Brow tinted volumizing eyebrow gel is a staple when doing my makeup.

Eyebrows help frame the face, but I know they can be difficult to get just right.

In my opinion, the Benefit Gimme Brow tinted volumizing eyebrow gel is one of the easiest eyebrow products to use.

This product makes your brows look fuller, is super user-friendly, and gives a natural look. I use shade 4.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills eye-shadow formula can't be beaten.

My preference for eye makeup depends on how much time I have, where I'm going, and what I'm wearing, so I'll often use a powder bronzer as a quick and easy eye shadow.

But if I had to choose my favorite eye-shadow palette formula, it would be the one from Anastasia Beverly Hills.

The formula of the brand's eye shadows is very pigmented and easy to blend, and there are so many different palettes with beautiful color stories for any makeup look.

If you don't have an eye-shadow primer, try using your concealer and a little bit of powder to prep the eyelids for the formula to work even better.

I hydrate my skin and lock makeup in place with the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip dewy long-lasting setting spray.

Finishing off your look with a setting spray will make all the difference in how your makeup wears and will help to melt any powder products into the skin to create a flawless look.

Milk Makeup's Hydro Grip dewy long-lasting setting spray is one of my favorites for hydrating the skin while making my makeup last longer.

I love how the Lancôme Lash Idôle lengthening and volumizing mascara doesn't smudge.

A little mascara to make your eyes pop goes a long way. I personally prefer a lengthening and lifting formula that won't clump my lashes together.

My current favorite is the Lancôme Lash Idôle lengthening and volumizing mascara because I love the brush.

The product makes my lashes look amazing and doesn't smudge on me. 

If you ask me, the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fu$$y pairs well with just about any look.

A lip will help to complete any look, but I hate the feeling of a dry, thick, matte finish. When in doubt, a glossy lip will always make your lips appear plumper. 

My go-to lip gloss, the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in the shade FU$$Y, looks good on everyone and goes with every look.

It has the perfect hint of pink and the right amount of shine, and it doesn't feel sticky, just hydrating.

• Americans are rushing to download two Chinese social apps, days before a possible TikTok ban.
• Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 rose to the top spots on the Apple app store rankings on Monday.
• Both platforms could be subject to the same divest-or-ban law that's imperiling TikTok.

TikTok users are lamenting that the app could "go dark" in less than a week in the US due to a divest-or-ban law. At the same time, two other apps with Chinese owners have risen to the top of the Apple app store in the US.

On Monday, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, and Lemon8, an app with the same owner as TikTok, hit the top two spots on the Apple app store rankings.

Xiaohongshu functions similarly to Instagram, but with more commerce features, while Lemon8 has been described by creators as a Pinterest-like platform.

The rush to download these apps is a bit of a head-scratcher, as they could be subject to the same divestment requirements as TikTok if the US government chooses to target them. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act applies to social platforms owned by countries that the US government views as foreign adversaries. TikTok became a political target because its owner, ByteDance, is based in China, which the US government has labeled a foreign adversary and Congress views as a national-security risk.

TikTok is clearly subject to the divest-or-ban law, as it's named in the bill's text. But ByteDance is also named, which raises the question of why its other app, Lemon8, is suddenly surging in popularity.

Christopher Krepich, the communications director for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, previously told Forbes the bill would ban Lemon8 unless ByteDance divested. A spokesperson for the committee did not immediately respond to Business Insider on whether it would apply to Xiaohongshu.

The law was written broadly and could be enforced on any company owned by a foreign adversary that permits a user to "create an account or profile to generate, share, and view text, images, videos, real-time communications, or similar content." That could include Xiaohongshu if the US government chose to target the app.

The law does have some exceptions, including apps where users "post product reviews, business reviews, or travel information and reviews." That suggests Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu would not be targeted.

ByteDance, Xiaohongshu, Apple, and Google did not respond to requests for comment.

Why users are flocking to these two apps

It's tough to say exactly what's driving mass interest in Xiaohongshu and Lemon8. Some users may be flocking to the apps to find a replacement for TikTok, while others may simply like their product features. In December, Xiaohongshu had around 300 million monthly active users globally, Bloomberg reported.

Another possibility for the downloads surge is that TikTok users are choosing the Chinese apps as a tongue-in-cheek protest of the divest-or-ban law.

"It really is just retaliation towards the government in the simplest way, but in a way that feels very native to Gen Z," said Meagan Loyst, founder of the investor collective Gen Z VCs.

If millennials pioneered "slacktivism" with online petitions, Gen Z seems to be trying something new. You might call it "trolltivism."

"This is not the first time that trolling on a large scale has happened," Loyst said, citing the 2020 incident when TikTok users purchased tickets to Trump rallies. "It's trolling the US government."

• Here are the famous people who died in 2025.
• Soap star Leslie Charleson and legendary musician Peter Yarrow have passed away.
• So did Aubrey Plaza's husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena.

Below, we look back at those we lost in 2025.

Jeff Baena, 47

Baena was known for writing and directing comedic independent movies like "Life After Beth," "The Little Hours," and "Horse Girl."

Many of them starred his wife Aubrey Plaza.

He also wrote the 2004 movie "I Heart Huckabees" with director David O. Russell.

Baena died by suicide on January 3.

If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or has had thoughts of harming themself or taking their own life, get help. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is also available through the Crisis Text Line — just text "HOME" to 741741. The International Association for Suicide Prevention offers resources for those outside the US.

Leslie Charleson, 79

For 50 years, fans of "General Hospital" knew Charleson as Dr. Monica Quartermaine, a role she played since 1977.

Charleson was beloved by fans and used her celebrity to support charities for breast cancer, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS awareness.

Charleson's other credits include "Adam 12," "Barnaby Jones," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Ironside," "Kung Fu," and "The Rockford Files."

She also starred in "Happy Days" and gave Ron Howard his first on-screen kiss.

Charleson died on January 12 following a long illness.

Sam Moore, 89

Moore's R&B sound influenced everyone from Michael Jackson to Bruce Springsteen.

Alongside Dave Prater, Moore found fame in the 1960s with Sam & Dave, a duo who had hits like "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and "Soul Man."

"Soul Man" would gain renewed popularity in the late 1970s when Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi began performing the song as their alter egos, R&B singers The Blues Brothers, on "Saturday Night Live." The song would continue to find new fans in 1980 when "The Blues Brothers" movie was released.

Moore went solo in 1970 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Moore died on January 10 from complications while recovering from surgery.

Peter Yarrow, 86

Yarrow was a singer-songwriter who was a member of the iconic folk music group Peter, Paul and Mary.

Along with Paul Stookey and Mary Travers, the trio had six Billboard Top 10 singles, two No. 1 albums, and won five Grammys. Their major hit was "Puff the Magic Dragon," which Yarrow cowrote.

Yarrow died on January 7 after a battle with bladder cancer.

• At Amazon, a shadow advisor is a quasi-chief of staff who joins almost every CEO meeting.
• The position is one of the top jobs at the company.
• Former shadow advisors have gone on to huge roles at Amazon, including Jassy himself.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has a new "shadow" advisor, according to an internal organizational chart obtained by Business Insider.

This role is a quasi-chief of staff position at Amazon. Formally called "technical advisor," it's one of the most desirable jobs at the company because this person joins the CEO in almost every meeting and call. It typically lasts about 18 to 24 months.

Shadow advisors often go on to hold top positions at Amazon once their tenure ends. Jassy, for example, was Jeff Bezos's shadow advisor early in his career. Others include Amit Agarwal, Amazon's India chief, and Jay Marine, who leads Prime Video's sports streaming business.

This time, Alex Dunlap has taken on this prized role, the org chart shows.

Dunlap is a 17-year veteran of Amazon Web Services who most recently served as VP of productivity apps. He started as Jassy's shadow advisor in late 2024, replacing Eric Rimling, a logistics VP who was Jassy's shadow since January 2023.

Dunlap's appointment coincides with Amazon's renewed focus on business applications, also known as software-as-a-service. AWS has market-leading cloud infrastructure services, like computing and storage, but has not yet built an equally strong presence in the lucrative SaaS market.

Last year, Amazon moved Colleen Aubrey, a longtime advertising executive, to oversee its business applications group. Dilip Kumar, another high-profile executive who launched Amazon Go stores, is now in charge of Amazon Q, an AI application for developers and other business customers.

AWS has built many business applications throughout the years with mixed results. Bedrock, an AI development tool, and Connect, a call center application, have shown early success. Meanwhile, the file storage app WorkDocs failed to gain much traction, and the app-building software service Honeycode was shut down.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Do you work at Amazon? Got a tip?

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• The US deployed a top air-defense battery to Israel in October after a huge Iranian attack.
• The THAAD system has now been used in combat twice — once in December and another time in January.
• THAAD's combat debut comes amid an uptick in Houthi missile attacks on Israel.

A top American-made air-defense battery deployed to Israel has been used in combat multiple times since it arrived in the country last fall, a US defense official confirmed to Business Insider on Monday.

The THAAD, or Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, battery was used to defend Israel once in December and again this month, the official said. They declined to provide additional details about either of the incidents, and it's unclear whether the THAAD system successfully intercepted the targets. The January employment has not been previously reported.

The two incidents come amid an uptick in Houthi attacks on Israel. The Yemeni rebels have launched a number of missiles and drones at the country in recent weeks. Most recently, on Monday, the Israeli military said it intercepted one missile and one drone.

The US sent a THAAD battery and around 100 soldiers to Israel in October after Iran launched a massive missile attack on the country at the start of the month. In late December, this newly deployed battery was used in combat for the first time.

THAAD is an American air-defense system made by the US defense contractor Lockheed Martin. It is designed to intercept short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during the final phase of flight.

THAAD has a long reach and can engage targets at ranges of 93 to 124 miles both inside and outside the atmosphere. It intercepts an inbound missile by striking it rather than exploding nearby.

The US Army began developing THAAD in 1992, and it entered service in 2008.

Its first operational intercept in combat occurred in January 2022 when a battery used by the United Arab Emirates shot down a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis. Although the system has only been used a handful of times in the three years since, it is widely considered to be one of the best air defenses in the world.

The US has seven THAAD batteries, several of which are outside the continental US, including the one in Israel. A typical battery consists of nearly 100 soldiers, six truck-mounted launchers, a radar, and a fire control and communications element.

The October deployment of the THAAD battery added another layer to Israel's highly advanced air-defense network. The Israeli equivalent to THAAD, the Arrow 3 system, has been widely tested in combat since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, massacre that sparked a wider war across the Middle East.

Israel also fields other air defenses, including David's Sling and the well-known Iron Dome system, designed to intercept rockets and artillery. The country is retiring its American-made Patriot batteries, which Ukraine has used to defend against Russian attacks.

THAAD's role in combat over the past few weeks underscores how Israel continues to face the threat of long-range missiles as it grapples with the Houthis. The rebels have stepped up direct attacks on Israel after spending a year menacing shipping lanes off the coast of Yemen, claiming that their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has responded to the Houthi attacks by bombing the rebels in Yemen and has vowed to keep striking them in retaliation.

• I've been a college professor for 15 years.
• When I noticed the teacher shortage in my public school district, I decided to substitute teach.
• Although the pay isn't great, I'm happy I get to connect and be with the kids.

I've been a college professor for years, but when I needed a change from the grind of university work, my husband suggested I try substitute teaching in our public schools.

The pay isn't great, but neither was my salary as an adjunct instructor. Plus, I wouldn't have to grade papers. I also knew our local schools were desperate for reliable subs to pitch in, especially if they had teaching experience and actually liked children — which I do.

Schools rely on subs for various reasons, but we mostly step in when teachers are ill, have a medical appointment, or have a family emergency. I've also filled in for teachers who had coaching duties or professional development assignments. Sometimes, teachers just decide to call it quits. They might retire, find a job closer to home, or decide they don't want to be in a classroom.

Whatever the reason, school administrators I know say it's becoming harder to find qualified replacements, including competent substitutes. There just aren't enough new teachers entering the field to keep up with the number of those leaving the profession.

I wanted to help fix this problem in our New Jersey public schools by being a substitute.

I've learned to love subbing in public schools

I'm a high-energy person who liked school as a child. So, if I can give back and help kids succeed, I will. I've been teaching college students for more than 15 years, but nothing prepared me for the mental and physical exhaustion of teaching 22 8-year-olds who think they will implode if they can't go to the bathroom in pairs.

Yet I like subbing so much that I keep signing up for more shifts. I get push notifications on my phone that let me know when there are openings, and there are always openings.

I shy away from subbing at our high school because my older son would prefer it that way. But with six elementary and three middle schools in town, I've got plenty of options.

It's amazing how quickly you can form relationships with the students just by being there and being present. That could mean spending a few extra minutes during morning meetings talking to the kids about weekend plans or, when I'm feeling nostalgic, sharing memories of my beloved third-grade teacher.

Sometimes, the classroom teacher will leave me lesson plans that could rival a White House briefing. Other times, I have to fend for myself. Some days, I'm there as an extra body and spend the afternoon hanging paper snowflakes in the hallway. I've helped students prep for winter concerts and opened thermoses while on lunch duty. I've read aloud to kindergartners and worked with children who have learning challenges. I've quizzed students on spelling words.

When you sub, you see a lot. The good is often amazing: Teachers kicking around a soccer ball with kids during indoor recess, the young student who masters her spelling, fourth graders sharing reports on Latin American icons, watching a teacher delicately handle a student's poor behavior without raising her voice, and my favorite activity: Drop Everything and Read.

Subbing isn't always easy, but it's necessary

Subbing is not without its challenges. It's heartbreaking to watch a child struggle and know that he or she is being underserved. That's not a knock on teachers, but it can happen when schools are understaffed or parents are disengaged.

Plus, the frequent lockdown drills are disturbing reminders of school shootings and the horrors that teachers and students face.

Sometimes, I'm the one who goofs. I've called students by the wrong name and used incorrect pronouns. But I always apologize, and we move forward.

The other day, when it was raining, the 5th-grade students had indoor recess. They were stuck in their classroom because the younger kids get priority in the gym when it rains. They begged to play silent ball. Students toss a foam ball around the class, and someone has to catch it. No talking allowed. This sounded like a bad idea to me; it was a small space with too many tweens. But I decided to lean in and play with them. No one got hurt.

We all had fun and felt energized. It helped to know that my presence there helped them all connect, reminding me that subbing is worth it. It's what our public schools need right now, and I'm happy to help.

• One of the biggest tech trade shows in the world just ended.
• CES 2025 brought us cool, zany tech demos, and lots of robots.
• The robots shown off highlight how companies are thinking about positioning the tech, including AI, in the home.

Cool, a little bizarre, and in some cases smack dab in the uncanny valley, more robots are on the way.

Techies in Las Vegas just got their best look yet at the robots various companies are building, thanks to the annual Consumer Electronics Show, one of the world's largest tech trade shows that wrapped up last week.

The robots offer a glimpse into how companies and startups are looking to bring tech like AI and autonomy into people's homes. The variety of designs also highlights the question of what kind of aesthetic potential buyers might gravitate toward.

Do you design a "cute" robot? Something that's strictly functional? Or do you aim for realism and risk some shoppers finding the design too lifelike or creepy?

We looked through the robots shown off at CES this year and rounded up those that stood out, either for their potential usefulness or eye-catching design.

A $175,000 companion robot with 'relationship-based AI'

If you're looking for companies going the "Bladerunner" route and targeting realism, look no further than Realbotix's human-like robots.

Realbotix offers robots designed to look like humans in three options: A bust starting at $10,000; a modular robot for $150,000; and a full-body version for $175,000.

The company boasts it can "replicate any human face with 14+ moveable points to create multiple life-like expressions," and that its robots' bodies can be customized. Comedian Whitney Cummings has previously talked onstage about her own lookalike robot from Realbotix.

If you're thinking some people will use the robots as an AI girlfriend or boyfriend, the robots appear to be leaning into the idea by advertising "relationship-based AI." A Realbotix robot named Aria said in a demo at CES that the robots are "designed specifically for companionship and intimacy."

The bot can have conversations thanks to AI and its eyes have cameras to identify who it's talking to.

An AI bot with kids in mind

One of the cutest robots to come out of CES this year is TV-maker TCL's Ai me (sounds like "Amy.")

It's definitely designed with children in mind, with big doe eyes that can blink, a childlike voice, wings that can flap, and interchangeable outfits. It sits in a cradle of sorts that gets around on wheels, but it can also be removed.

However, Ai me also has features that can appeal to adults, including integrations with smart home devices and your car, and AI image recognition to identify things it's shown.

The company says it's the "world's first modular AI companion robot." Ai me is just a concept for now, with no guarantee it'll ever come to market.

A robot vacuum with an arm

On the utilitarian side of the spectrum, robot vacuums also showed off some upgrades.

The Saros Z70 from Roborock uses AI to analyze its environment and has a foldable arm that can extend to move objects out of the way so it can clean your home and pick up light items like socks or small towels.

It's expected to hit the market in the first half of this year.

A robovac with legs

Robovacs aren't just getting arms. The X50 Ultra robot vacuum from Dreame has "legs."

The robot vacuum climbed a small ledge in a demo at CES, after a few hiccups at first. (It's still a long way from, say, climbing stairs in your home.)

It's available for preorder now, and launches February 14 at $1,699.99.

Samsung's Ballie is back

This isn't Ballie's first CES rodeo, but Samsung says it'll finally become available to consumers some time this year.

The ball-shaped robot, which Samsung brands as an AI companion robot for the home, gets around on wheels and first debuted at CES in 2020.

Samsung says Ballie's AI-powered abilities include answering phone calls, projecting movies onto your wall, and sending videos of what your pets are up to while you're away from home.

A fluffy bird-like robot

Think of Yukai Engineering's Mirumi as a robot version of a pom pom purse charm.

The fluffy robot accessory resembles a bird and can latch onto your arm or a handbag and interact with its surroundings.

When someone enters its field of vision, it shyly hides its face, for example.

Yukai Engineering says crowdfunding will start this fall for Mirumi.

Tesla and others are readying their own robots

Beyond those showcased at CES, other robots are in development at major tech companies.

Apple is rumored to be working on home robots. Amazon has its $1,600 Astro robot, which is still invite-only. And Tesla's Elon Musk wants to eventually launch humanoid robot Optimus to consumers in the coming years.

Whether or not shoppers are willing to splurge hundreds, and in many cases, thousands on an in-home robot is another question.

And while Nvidia didn't show off a robot of its own at CES, during his keynote at the trade show, CEO Jensen Huang announced the company's new AI superchip, the GB10, which is designed to power humanoid robots and other AI uses.

• Multiple wildfires across Los Angeles have caused widespread devastation and killed 24 people.
• The fires have burned over 40,000 acres as high winds have made them difficult to contain.
• Photos show scorched coastlines and oceanfront homes reduced to rubble.

Parts of Los Angeles are still burning from multiple wildfires that have ravaged over 40,000 acres and killed 24 people.

Over 105,000 Los Angeles residents have been ordered to evacuate since the Palisades fire started on January 7, with evacuation orders still in place for 92,000 people.

With wind speeds of up to 90 miles per hour, the flames spread rapidly and proved difficult to extinguish, resulting in additional fires. As of Monday morning, the Palisades and Eaton fires remained largely uncontained.

Iconic Los Angeles landmarks, such as Sunset Boulevard, sustained heavy damage. Others, like the Hollywood Sign, were obscured by smoke and ash.

Photos taken across Los Angeles show the devastating damage caused by the fires.

The Palisades and Eaton wildfires were so large that the smoke was visible from space on Saturday.

Evacuated Palisades residents took shelter at the Westwood Recreation Center in Los Angeles as firefighters struggled to extinguish the flames.

Firefighting helicopters dropped water on the Hollywood Hills on Sunday in an effort to contain the Palisades fire.

The US National Guard enacted a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires to prevent looting.

Some evacuees in the Pacific Palisades were forced to abandon their vehicles on the road as they fled to safety.

Evacuees in Altadena also left behind cars.

These cars at the Altadena Auto Center dealership were destroyed in the wildfires.

Residential areas across the city have sustained extensive damage.

Entire streets in the Pacific Palisades have been nearly wiped out by the powerful wildfires, creating an almost apocalyptic atmosphere.

Firefighters walked through destroyed streets to survey the damage.

Oceanfront homes on the Pacific Coast Highway were reduced to rubble.

A winged sculpture is all that remains of this home along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

One home along Pacific Coast Highway was burned entirely, except for its metal spiral staircase.

The Bank of America on Sunset Boulevard was destroyed by the Palisades fire.

Marquez Charter Elementary suffered damage in the Palisades fire, with many students' belongings left behind in the rubble.

In Malibu Beach, residents returned to their homes to search through ashes and blackened debris for any remaining items.

One Pacific Palisades resident found reason to smile as she discovered a beloved doll in the scorched ruins of her home.

The Eaton fire began on January 7 and has burned through over 14,000 acres of land.

Normally bustling streets like Lake Avenue in Altadena were completely wiped out.

This home along Lake Avenue near Altadena Drive was burned to the ground, with only the fireplace remaining.

Personal items could be seen scattered on the floor of homes that burned in the Eaton fire.

People left behind full mailboxes as they evacuated.

The decimation looks like something out of a dystopian film.

The auditorium at an Altadena middle school was severely damaged.

The Altadena Community Church, which had been standing since 1947, was destroyed.

Source: Los Angeles Daily News

Even the most basic infrastructure, such as street signs, will need to be replaced.

Relief efforts are underway, like this event for victims of the Eaton fire at Santa Anita Park.

The Pasadena Community Job Center has also become the site of a large donation drive.

Local authorities continue to comb through the rubble for human remains as the death toll climbs to 24.

"I'm trying to figure out where I am in the house ... I think I'm standing in my dad's bathroom," one resident said as he sifted through the rubble of his family's home. "There's nothing left, just ash and bricks — there's nothing."

Source: Getty Images

• Nike plans to launch new running shoes this year.
• In 2024, Nike trailed competitors like Asics and Adidas in running-shoe launches.
• BMO analysts are optimistic about Nike's 2025 lineup despite past performance challenges.

Nike's shoe competitors were on a tear in 2024, so expectations are high for the sportswear giant this year.

Data from BMO indicates most footwear brands launched at least six shoes in 2024. Asics, Adidas, Brooks Running, and Hoka led the way in running-shoe launches, but Nike had fewer than six.

As part of its moves to improve sales, Nike is getting back to basics. That includes redefining itself as a running brand. To keep up with the competition, it will have to prove that in 2025.

According to BMO, Asics launched new models or updated performance running models 11 times last year, while Adidas and Brooks launched or updated 10 and nine models. Nike only updated its running-shoe lineup and released no new models.

Nike has said it will launch the Pegasus Premium in late January and the Vomero 18 in late February. It said the Vomero Plus, the Vomero Premium, and the new Structure model would come "later in 2025."

Retail analysts at BMO say that with this running lineup, Nike's launch schedule in 2025 "looks more promising." Its new product line received a positive response from consumers and industry watchers when it was announced at The Running Event, a trade show held in November.

"We believe NKE's inflection is a question of 'when' compelling product begins to roll in rather than 'if,'" BMO analysts wrote.

Brands like On Running and Hoka have been growing in popularity over the past few years. Brooks said this summer that it reached a quarterly revenue record, adding that its North American sales in the second quarter grew by 19%.

In October, Nike brought a veteran employee, Elliott Hill, out of retirement to take over as CEO, and he has his work cut out for him. Revenue for the Nike brand grew by only 1% in the latest fiscal year, dragged down partially by declines in North America.

The company has acknowledged that it will take time to see its desired results.

"A comeback at this scale takes time, but we see early wins — from momentum in key sports to accelerating our pace of newness and innovation," Matthew Friend, Nike's executive vice president and chief financial officer, said during its first-quarter earnings call.

• The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the new high-performance version of the compact EV SUV.
• I was impressed by the Ioniq 5 N's retro rally car styling, supercar performance, and advanced tech.
• The Ioniq 5 N falls short on range.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 received a warm reception upon its debut in 2022. The compact EV SUV impressed with its daring styling, comfy cabin, and quick charging.

This year, Hyundai launched a new high-performance variant called the Ioniq 5 N to compete against the likes of the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT and Tesla Model Y Performance.

I recently spent a week driving a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N AWD in an eye-catching 'Soultronic Orange' paint job.

I was impressed by the Ioniq 5 N's retro rally car looks, supercar performance, and advanced driving and infotainment tech.

I was disappointed with the high-performance Hyundai's limited EV range.

My test car came to $67,685.

The base 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 starts at $42,500, while the Ioniq 5 N starts at $66,100.

Freight fees and floor mats pushed the as-tested price for my test car to $67,685.

The N builds on the Ioniq 5's daring, futuristic looks.

Despite being labeled an SUV, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is a hot hatchback in the truest sense, evoking classic rally racers from the 80s and early 90s like the Lancia Delta Integrale.

The N's revised front fascia features aerodynamic elements like wings and active air flaps for improved cooling. Out back, the N is equipped with a large spoiler up top and a diffuser that protrudes from the bumper to optimize airflow.

Compared to the standard Ioniq 5, the N is about an inch lower, two inches wider at the bottom due to wider tires, and over three inches longer due to the rear diffuser.

The N gets upgraded 21-inch wheels with sticky 275mm wide Pirelli P-Zero tires.

Behind the rims are massive 15.75-inch front brakes and 14.2-inch units in the rear.

Under the passenger cabin is an 84 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

The Ioniq 5 N is built on Hyundai's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which is also shared with Genesis GV60 and Kia EV9.

Ioniq 5 N can charge to 80% in 18 minutes.

According to Hyundai, the Ioniq 5 N can charge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes at a rate of over 250kw. With a 240V level-two charger, its batteries can charge from 10% to 100% in about 7 hours.

The SUV also has bi-directional charging capability, which means it can power small appliances outside the vehicle.

The EPA rates the Ioniq 5 N for just 221 miles of range. Due to cold weather, I struggled to get 205 miles out of a charge.

The Ioniq 5 N's biggest shortcoming is its lack of range. The regular Ioniq 5 with a similar battery pack is rated for up to 318 miles in rear-wheel drive guise and 290 miles with all-wheel drive.

(High-performance EVs tend to be rated for shorter ranges, due to the power required for faster acceleration or more power.)

Unlike other vehicles built on the platform, there's no frunk under the hood.

Instead, you'll find a plastic lid that hides batteries and electronics from view.

The Ioniq 5 N features 'N Grin Boost' feature that unleashes an extra dose of power

By pushing the orange "NGB" button on the steering wheel, the Ioniq 5 N's total power output jumps from 601 to 641 horsepower in 10-second bursts.

The Ioniq 5 N drives like a real-world simulation of an old-school rally car.

The Ioniq 5 N is a dream to drive. It takes everything that's wonderful about high-performance EVs, instant torque, and mind-bending acceleration and stuffs it into a package with the visceral pleasures of an internal combustion rally car.

As a result, it all feels slightly surreal. The Ioniq 5 N is a dual-motor EV, but when the right performance settings are engaged, a tachometer appears, and the car revs like it has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the hood.

Launch the Ioniq 5 N, and the paddle shifter allows you to work your way through the gears by simulating an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It delivers a simulated ICE experience like no other vehicle on the market.

Hyundai claims the 4,900-lb SUV can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.25 seconds and reach a top speed of 162 mph.

The cabin is a prime example of utilitarian excellence.

Despite the flashy exterior, you'll find a cabin that's anything but flashy. Instead, the focus here is to make the Ioniq 5 N easy to live with as a daily driver.

The ergonomics and quality are both excellent. There's loads of storage space and charging options. I also love the folding cup holder, which tuck out of the way for additional storage.

The Ioniq 5 N's special lightweight sport bucket seats come with light-up "N" logos.

The heated and ventilated faux leather bucket seats proved exceptionally supportive in the corners. However, they are manually adjusted, which can be a bit of an annoyance when getting into and out of the vehicle.

In front of the driver is a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel brand with the logo of Hyundai's N performance division.

Instead of a traditional gauge cluster, the Ioniq 5 N comes with a configurable digital instrument display.

The Ioniq 5's shifter is located on the right side of the steering column, where the ignition key once lived. It's weirdly placed but oddly intuitive to use.

Atop the center stack is a 12.3-inch touchscreen.

The touchscreen runs the latest version of Hyundai's corporate infotainment system, which is easy to navigate and loaded with features.

The screen is also home to the Ioniq 5 N's many performance features menus as well as its surround view camera.

The Ioniq 5 N comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The rear cabin boasts a stout 39.9 inches of legroom, on par with Hyundai's flagship Palisade SUV.

Rear seat occupants get their own dedicated USB sockets and AC vents mounted on the B-pillars by the doors.

Open the smart hands-free power liftgate, and you'll find a hearty 26.1 cubic feet of cargo space.

Fold down the 60/40 split rear bench, and cargo capacity expands to 59.3 cubic feet.

The back of the Ioniq 5 N also has a small underfloor storage nook. That's where you'll find its charging cables and tire inflation kit.

The Ioniq 5 N comes standard with pretty much every piece of safety tech in Hyundai's arsenal.

Standard features include a surround-view monitor, blind spot view monitor, blind spot collision avoidance, navigation-based smart cruise control, lane-following assist, and lane-keeping assist.

My verdict: The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is a modern high-performance EV with the soul of an old-school rally car.

Driving the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N feels like the steak scene from the Matrix. My brain tells me this Soultronic Orange Hyundai looks and sounds like a snarling turbocharged rally car from the 80s; Stomp on the gas, and it accelerates like a bat out of hell, too.

But I also know it's all fake. There's no boosted four-banger under the hood and the sound is coming from speakers

At the end of the day, though, I don't care. Ignorance is bliss because I enjoyed every second I had behind the wheel of the Ioniq 5 N.

My only gripe is that the battery runs out of juice before I am ready to go home.

• Jason Oppenheim said filming for "Selling Sunset" season nine is on hold because of the LA fires.
• He said the Oppenheim Group has instead focused on efforts to help those who have lost their homes.
• He told BI it's unclear if and how the fires will be addressed in the coming season.

Jason Oppenheim, the star of "Selling Sunset," said filming for season nine of the Netflix show has been paused as fires continue to devastate parts of Los Angeles.

In a conversation with BI, Oppenheim confirmed that filming had commenced and then abruptly halted because of the ongoing natural disasters.

Netflix has not officially announced that the show has been renewed for a ninth season, but several cast members, including Mary Bonnet, Chelsea Lazkani, and Amanza Smith, have suggested on social media that production was underway. The streaming platform declined to comment.

The fires, which have been raging for nearly a week, have burned more than 40,000 acres in Los Angeles County, displacing more than 100,000 residents and killing at least 24 people.

"I don't know if or how we'll address it on camera," said Oppenheim, who runs the real-estate brokerage the Oppenheim Group with his twin brother.

"We've paused filming so we can focus on our efforts right now," he added.

Oppenheim said the efforts include a donation drive at his office, financial contributions to the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments, and a pledge to represent fire victims who have lost their homes for free.

In an Instagram post over the weekend, Oppenheim announced that the Oppenheim Group would refund any commissions it received from transactions involving fire victims.

The fires have destroyed more than 12,300 structures, local authorities have said.

Many celebrities, including some Oppenheim Group agents, have lost their homes in the fires, though Oppenheim did not specify whether any cast members were affected.

Oppenheim said representing people who've lost their homes has taken up considerable time and contributed to the pause in filming.

"We've had dozens and dozens of people reaching out to us that are needing houses for themselves and their family," he told BI. "Many of them are wanting to be in the same or near the same communities where they lost their homes."

This surge in demand for rental properties in areas like Santa Monica, Brentwood, and Pacific Palisades has led to price gouging, which Oppenheim is trying to draw attention to.

"Landlords that think they're going to get away with this will end up in a lawsuit where they'll be receiving a letter from an attorney in six months or three months, or whatever it is, and those tenants will be calling back that money," he said.

"So just this is a time for people to put aside any opportunities for financial gain," Oppenheim added. "If anything, we should be giving back financially, not trying to be rewarded financially from the situation."

• Pete Hegseth, Trump's controversial pick to be the secretary of defense, made millions at Fox News.
• He's received $4.6 million in salary income from the network since the beginning of 2023.
• He's also made $900,000 from 41 paid speeches and hundreds of thousands more from books.

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has made millions of dollars per year working as a Fox News host, according to a financial disclosure made public on Monday.

Hegseth disclosed more than $4.6 million in salary income from the network. Because the disclosure covers both 2023 and 2024, he likely earned more than $2 million annually. A spokesperson for Fox News said his contract was terminated on November 12, 2024, the same day his nomination was announced.

In addition to his former day job on the conservative-leaning network, Hegseth has also had a lucrative career as a public speaker and author. His disclosure lists 41 paid speeches that he's delivered around the country since the beginning of 2023, for which he received a total of $900,000.

Hegseth often received $20,000 or more for a single speech, whether he was speaking at a chapel in Washington state, to an anti-abortion group in Pennsylvania, or at a Heritage Foundation event in Washington, DC.

In one instance, Hegseth was paid $150,000 to deliver a single speech to the American Legislative Exchange Council in Virginia in February 2023.

Hegseth has also made hundreds of thousands of dollars, at least, from writing books.

His disclosure lists a $150,000 advance payment for his 2022 book, "Battle for the American Mind," and $348,000 for his 2024 book, "The War on Warriors." The disclosure also lists between $100,000 and $1 million in royalties for each book.

The defense secretary nominee owns between $15,000 and $50,000 in bitcoin and has received between $100,001 and $1 million in rental income from a Baltimore rental house he sold in 2023.

The Trump-Vance transition did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A transition spokesman previously told BI in a statement that "all nominees and appointees will comply with the ethical obligations of their respective agencies."

Hegseth is likely to face the most bruising confirmation battle of any of Trump's nominees. He has faced accusations of sexual assault and drinking on the job, which he has denied. He has also voiced opposition to women serving in combat roles in the military, though he recently recanted that position.