The author chose to have a fourth child in her 40s.
Courtesy of the author
I had kids in my 20s, 30s and 40s.
While my body took longer to recover the older I got, I also learned to enjoy little things more.
I've learned that there is no "right" age for when to have kids.
Parenting is one of those experiences that somehow gets better and harder with age.
When I had babies in my 20s, I was young and optimistic β I figured I could handle anything. By my 30s, I had a few more kids, a lot more chaos, and maybe just a little less mental bandwidth. But then, when I was 40, I surprised myself and decided to have one more.
Here's the thing: being a parent is an adventure, and no matter how many kids you have or how old you are, the ride never gets predictable. Some parts are way harder than they used to be, and others are way sweeter.
Pregnancy at 40 was hard
Let me just start by saying that pregnancy at 40 is not for the faint of heart. At least, it wasn't for me. The first big difference I noticed was the exhaustion. Sure, I was tired with my other pregnancies, but this time, it felt like I had been hit by a truck every time I got out of bed.
I used to bounce back quickly after a long day of work and chasing toddlers. At 40, it felt like I needed a recovery plan just to survive a trip to the grocery store. The baby bump wasn't as perky as it used to be, and my back wasn't as forgiving when I bent over to tie my shoes. Every movement felt like a yoga class I hadn't signed up for.
The doctor's appointments also took a bit more effort. Not just the regular ones β I had extra blood tests, ultrasounds, and "advanced maternal age" reminders.
Some days, I feel like I'm moving at a toddler's pace just to keep up. My knees and ankles creak. My energy levels are more in line with someone preparing for a nap than chasing after a baby β the only thing I asked Santa for Christmas was uninterrupted sleep.
I can't tell you how often I've looked at my husband and said, "I'm too old for this!" And yet, when that baby smiles at me when I hear that little giggle, I remember exactly why I'm doing it.
The biggest challenge isn't just physical, though. I remember juggling a newborn with work and life in my 20s, thinking I was some kind of superwoman. In my 20s, I was ready to conquer the world with a baby in one hand and a coffee in the other. Now, at 40, I'm hoping to conquer the laundry pile before the baby wakes up.
I savor motherhood
Even with all the challenges, I wouldn't change it for the world. Sure, my body doesn't bounce back as quickly, but my heart is bigger than ever.
Having a baby at 40 means you appreciate the little things even more β the snuggles, the baby smells, and the fact that you don't have to Google "how to get a baby to sleep" every five minutes because, well, you already know the tricks.
I've also realized that I'm in a different place mentally. Parenting at this stage isn't about surviving β it's about savoring. The late-night wake-ups that used to drain me now feel like a special chance for one-on-one snuggles and quiet connection. I'm not running on fumes the way I did in my 20s. I've learned to enjoy the slow moments, the quiet nights, and the chaos, too. Because when you're older, you know that all the crazy is part of the beautiful mess.
There's no "right" age to have a kid. The journey might be a little more challenging the older you get, but it's also much more rewarding.
Wealthy travelers are increasingly booking luxury train vacations.
Roberto Sorin/Shutterstock
Wealthy travelers are increasingly booking luxury train vacations.
High-end suites often include amenities like bottomless Champagne, butlers, and private bathrooms.
A night on Belmond's iconic Venice Simplon-Orient Express starts at about $4,370 per person.
Vintage luxury is making a comeback. Not just with clothes, but with a particularly beloved mode of transit β trains.
Set to debut in April, Italy's La Dolce Vita Orient Express would offer guests luxuries like a stylish lounge, Champagne buckets from Giobagnara (which can command more than $500 each), and meals curated by the chef of Rome's three-Michelin-starred La Pergola.
Expect dishes like calamari carpaccio and lamb with artichoke and truffle shavings β for lunch, no less.
Orient Express's La Dolce Vita trains, shown in a render, would launch in April 2025.
Courtesy of Orient Express Italy
"It's all a bit pricey, but we're determined to put all the finest stuff made in Italy on board this train," Samy Ghachem, the coming train's general manager, told Business Insider.
La Dolce Vita Orient Express is not to be confused with Belmond's iconic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, best known for its sumptuously restored century-old carriages. Both trains are helping lay the tracks for a revitalized rail renaissance characterized by surging demand and increasingly high-end amenities.
Luxury train bookings are going loco-motive
Glacier Express' Excellence Class guests have amenities like an exclusive bar, a five-course meal, and window seats.
Train-focused tour company Railbookers had been experiencing double-digital growth before 2020. However, after the pandemic and the subsequent boom in "slow travel," popularity started going express.
Frank Marini, president and CEO of Railbookers Group, told BI that 2023 and 2024 have consecutively been the company's best-performing years, with no signs of slowing down. During this period, Railbookers also saw a 68% spike in luxury-level bookings.
"It keeps snowballing," Marini said. "We see passengers that have come back traveling with us on a lot of luxury rail, and they're like, 'well, where else is there luxury rail?'"
Rocky Mountaineer's GoldLeaf-level travelers have upgrades like a two-level coach with a glass dome.
Rocky Mountaineer
Unlike bus tours or flights, the vacation experience doesn't begin when you arrive at your destination. Instead, like cruises, it starts when passengers board.
Plus, the amenities can be as lavish as a five-star hotel. Guests traveling Canadian Via Rail's Prestige Class have enhancements like a butler and a private bathroom with heated floors. Gold-level US and Canada's Rocky Mountaineer travelers get a dining room, an open-air viewing platform, and glass dome lounges.
On Belmond's Andean Explorer, based in Peru, suite guests slumber in 141-square-foot bedrooms with private bathrooms and lounges.
Suites on the Andean Explorer include a double bed, wardrobe, and private bathroom.
Courtesy of Belmond
Such luxury comes at a cost, of course.
Andrew Channell, Railbookers Group's senior vice president of product and operation, estimates a typical multi-day luxury train trip, but not of the highest-end tier, could cost around $3,000 per person and day.
And then there's the iconic Venice Simplon-Orient Express, where a one-night journey from Venice, Italy, to Paris starts at about $4,370 per person for a basic cabin with a shared bathroom.
The train's most luxurious Grand Suites come with a private restroom (plus upgrades like bottomless bubbles) β for about four times the cost.
They are, after all, a "rich and famous-type bucket list item," Julie Durso, a travel manager for agency Scott Dunn Private, told BI.
Venice-Simplon Orient Express' six Grand Suites are themed after different cities on the route. The Venice, Italy-themed cabin has elements of Italian Baroque and Renaissance design.
Belmond
Gary Franklin, Belmond's senior vice president of trains and cruises, told BI that reservations for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express spiked 10% from 2023 to 2024. The Grand Suites are often the first accommodations to be booked.
To adapt to this swell in demand, the train β which only accommodates about 100 passengers β now operates a longer season than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The popularity of train travel is seeing a renaissance," Franklin said, adding that bookings for Belmond's five β soon to be six β other trains also increased. This includes a 25% boost for the Royal Scotsman, which was almost fully booked through 2024. (A two-night roundtrip Edinburgh, Scotland journey on the high-end locomotive starts at about $5,940 per person.)
Full steam ahead on luxury
Venice Simplon-Orient Express' Istanbul-themed Grand Suite has plush embroidered rugs and interiors that remind of the Grand Bazaar in Turkey.
Courtesy of Belmond
Popular commercial travel companies, like airlines and cruise lines, often offer cheap, low-tier options to capture more guests. Think interior cabins on cruises and basic economy seats on airlines.
Belmond is taking the opposite approach by enticing wealthy travelers with increasingly luxurious add-ons.
In 2024, the company introduced two Grand Suites to the 40-year-old Royal Scotsman. The addition was "exceptionally well-received," Franklin said β so much so that Belmond plans to add more in 2025.
The train had previously been updated in 2023 with a Dior-branded spa carriage, now also available on the recently relaunched Eastern and Oriental Express.
"We all lead these very frenetic lives," Franklin said. "This is an opportunity to slow down, look out the window at the incredible scenery, and come together with fellow travelers in a nice luxurious environment with great food and beverage."
Belmond's relaunched the Eastern and Oriental Express in Malaysia in 2024. The high-end train includes amenities like a Dior spa.
Belmond
Not everyone can afford to spend thousands of dollars for a night on Belmond's trains. However, the financial barrier isn't deterring travelers from their luxury vacation dreams.
According to Marni, all of Railbooker's conventional train bookings now include some touch of extravagance, such as a cabin upgrade, a night's stay at a high-end hotel, or an exclusive excursion. This "little luxuries" trend, as he calls it, only started a few years ago.
Or, if you're rail-y in the mood to splurge, you could request Belmond's new L'Observatoire suite. The skylight-lit moving hotel room spans the entire carriage β hidden tearoom and marble bathroom with a tub included β all for about $101,515 a night.
Happy New Year! Since many are focused on their health goals this month, we designed a special Saturday edition. Enjoy our best fitness reads to help you keep your wellness resolutions.
When the clock struck midnight, Rihanna β yes, the billionaire beauty magnate and pop superstar β proclaimed to her 150 million Instagram followers that she "didn't drink all year."
Rih Rih joins so many celebrities and mere mortals alike who are giving up alcohol for one reason or another.
If you still love the habit of opening up a cold can of brew, stock up on alcohol-free beers and other alternatives that will allow you to still get your fix without sipping alcohol.
Your mid-20s are tricky enough, but graduating during a pandemic is another challenge. As the traditional goalposts of homeownership and parenthood get pushed further back, many are looking for other ways to measure their progress and regain a sense of control.
Young people in their 20s are pursuing intense physical fitness challenges, from ultramarathons (yes, races longer than 26.2 miles) to Ironman triathlons. They're also inspiring their peers to follow suit. Why now?
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to cut out the foods you enjoy or endure tough workouts you hate just to lose weight. Research shows this rarely works in the long term and can have unintended health consequences, like malnutrition and disordered eating.
Take it from three people who lost weight sustainably after years of yo-yo dieting. From prioritizing health over appearance to adding a social element to their journey, they shared the advice that helped them succeed.
Harold Cunningham/ Getty Images; iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI
Ultra-processed foods, which contain additives, made headlines in 2024 for their potential health risks. Last year, nutritionist Rob Hobson tried eliminating them from his diet, instead cooking everything from scratch.
Hobson found cooking three times a day is too time-consuming. Now, he incorporates "healthier" UPF options, like picking up pre-made pasta sauce from the store, to "make life easier."
Courtesy of Dr. Michael Roizen; MirageC/Getty Images
Dr. Michael Roizen, 78, is the chief wellness officer at Cleveland Clinic. He's all about helping people make lifestyle changes to live healthier for longer. In fact, there are small, easy changes that can make a big difference, even if you can't completely overhaul your lifestyle.
Roizen shared with BI the six things he thinks everyone should do to live longer and improve mental, physical, and social health.
"Nightbitch": Amy Adams plays a stay-at-home mom who becomes convinced she's turning into a dog in this black comedy horror film now streaming on Hulu.
"The Front Room": The A24 psychological horror comedy available on Max stars Brandy as a pregnant woman who's being terrorized by her husband's ultra-religious ailing stepmother.
Most popular picks of 2024: We looked back on the products our readers clicked on most from our buying guides and reviews this past year, including our favorite walking shoes, work totes, and deep-cleaning essentials.
Boots to the ground: There's a lot to consider when it comes to boots, so we've rounded up a tried-and-tested list of the best casual men's boots to protect your feet this season.
Time to cozy up: We've spent hours snuggling and researching to compile this list of the best throw blankets to fit your home's needs.
The BI Today team:Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.
In the 1940s, for example, there was an ample supply of reasonably priced starter homes for first-time homebuyers. A starter home during that time typically cost between $8,000 and $12,000, or between $109,000 to $168,000 in today's dollars, according to Realtor.com.
Fast forward to today, where affordable new home construction has declined, mortgage rates are stubbornly above 6%, and the average home costs $357,469, according to Zillow data. It's no wonder that the share of first-time homebuyers in the market has shrunk to a historic low of 24%, while the age of first-time buyers has hit a record high of 38 years, according to the National Association of Realtors.
"There are a lot of financial barriers to entry for younger households," Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, said in an interview. "As a result, we see fewer first-time home buyers. They are a smaller share of the market, and the number of home sales has been historically low in recent years."
Despite the tough times, there are some positive inklings for the housing market heading into next year: lower interest rates and increased inventory could be on the horizon in 2025. Still, housing experts are unsure if the market will significantly improve for first-time buyers in the near future.
In the meantime, first-time homebuyers seem to be making the most out of the circumstances and are getting creative with the following three homebuying habits.
Starting small
One of the most straightforward ways that homebuyers are reducing costs is by buying a smaller house. That's how Symone', a 32-year-old user-experience content designer who asked not to share her last name for privacy reasons, was able to purchase her first home in 2024: a two-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot single-family home in the Raleigh, North Carolina metro area.
Buying a house in one of the most popular real estate markets in the country wasn't a walk in the park for Symone'. Competition was fierce and inventory was limited, making it difficult to find affordable units, Symone' told BI.
"I would go to sleep basically on my phone, scrolling on Zillow trying to find something," she said.
Her biggest takeaway from the homebuying process was that she wouldn't get everything on her wish list. Symone' prioritized the urban location and made concessions on the size β her house is much smaller than the median American home size of 2,000 plus square feet, according to Bankrate.
"That's where I compromised on this house. I love it because it's a new build, and it has all the finishes that I wanted, but I definitely don't have as much storage in this house," Symone' said.
House hacking
When Tom Brickman bought his first house, he lived in the upstairs unit and rented out the downstairs unit to a tenant.
That was back in 2009, but house hacking, or renting out part of your home, has only increased in popularity as a way for first-time homeowners to get their foot in the door. The extra income from rent can help the owner pay off the mortgage on the house and build up home equity.
"I think it's definitely gained more popularity as things continue to get more and more expensive," Brickman said.
Danny Gardner, senior vice president of Mission and Community Engagement at Freddie Mac, agrees. Gardner believes that increasing living costs are leading people to become more open to nontraditional home ownership options such as sharing space.
In the twenty-plus years since Brickman's first home purchase, he's gone on to buy more houses and become a successful real-estate investor who provides coaching services to new homeowners. House hacking with two tenants was how one of Brickman's clients was able to afford a condo while working as a server in Los Angeles.
House hacking can provide a point of entry into the market, especially for otherwise prohibitively expensive markets such as Los Angeles, but Brickman cautions that it's not for everyone. Cohabiting with a tenant can create complications: when Brickman first started out, he encountered lifestyle conflicts with his downstairs neighbor and had to scramble for money to fix a broken furnace.
"It's inconvenient," Brickman said of house hacking, "but I could afford a much nicer house by doing that."
Buying a fixer-upper
Another way first-time homebuyers are combatting the rising cost of housing is by buying fixer-uppers. These houses are often available at below-market prices and can be a great deal β if you're willing to put in the work and money to invest in renovating.
According to Hale, fewer affordable starter homes are being built as builders have trended towards constructing larger, more expensive homes in recent years.
As a result, those looking to buy an accessible first-time home might not have a lot of new options to choose from.
"A lot of lower-priced homes are lower priced because they're older and could require work," Hale said.
Prospective homeowners might choose a fixer-upper due to lower competition. Brickman went this route a few years ago.
"I was just tired of getting outbid, so I took a house that needed more work than what it was needed," Brickman said of his experience buying a fixer-upper in 2022.
However, the lower price of a fixer-upper can come at the cost of the convenience of a new build, as it's difficult to accurately predict costs no matter how diligently you budget. Another one of Brickman's clients was hit with thousands of dollars of unexpected costs on a fixer-upper after an initial inspection failed to catch an issue with a retaining wall on the property.
The housing landscape is undoubtedly tough to navigate today, but until affordability improves, prospective homeowners are coming up with workarounds to get a piece of the American dream.
"Sometimes you have to get a little creative to get your foot in the door," Brickman said.
"Hot to Go" singer Chappell Roan embraced the neo-medievalism trend at September's MTV Music Video Awards.
Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV
"Neo-medievalism" is emerging as a consumer trend, according to creative agency Wonderhood Studios.
The trend embraces medieval aesthetics and reflects a rejection of modern tech culture.
Fashion, home decor, and mead sales are key areas influenced by neo-medievalism, per Wonderhood.
With Brat Summer fading further into the rearview mirror, it's time to look ahead to the next consumer trend set to sweep the internet. You might want to prepare yourself for a year of "neo-medievalism."
That's the key takeaway from a new report by Wonderhood Studios, a UK-based creative agency and production company. Wonderhood examines data from social media, Google Ngram, and other sources to produce an annual consumer trends predictions report for its marketer clients.
"The future is medieval," Jack Colchester, the head of data and insight at Wonderhood, wrote in the report.
Think cloaks and blacksmithing, all washed down with lashings of mead, the ancient honey-based alcoholic drink.
Colchester said the medieval trend taps into two prevailing consumer attitudes: A lust for nostalgia and the renunciation of an always-online culture.
"Neo-medievalism is the embrace of all things medieval in the face of growing rejection of modern tech-centric culture," Colchester wrote.
A growing embrace of Gothic and medieval fashion
Camila Cabello wore a Gothic gown and matching veil to the 2024 VMAs.
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
There were hat-tips to medieval fashion on runways and major entertainment events last year that hint at the growing trend, Colchester said.
Take the MTV VMAs in September, where singer Camila Cabello donned a veil while fellow pop star Chappell Roan fashioned a sword as an accessory and later appeared in an outfit entirely made from chainmail. Elsewhere in September, actor Natalie Portman wore a chainmail-inspired Dior dress to the Deauville Film Festival.
Analysis of English-language Pinterest searches between September 2022 and August 2024 found a 110% lift in search volume for "medieval core," while searches for "chainmail necklace" and "castle house plans" were both up 45%, respectively.
Colchester said "Bardcore," referring to medieval-style music, has also steadily grown in popularity on TikTok in recent years. Speaking to this trend, the tech company Teenage Engineering last year released aΒ beat machineΒ that includes a library of hundreds of built-in medieval sounds, such as bowed harps, bagpipes, and frame drums, andΒ effects like swords clashing and arrows flying.
The rise of mead
Mead is also having a moment, popularized by TV shows like "Game of Thrones" and with a growing number of commercial meaderies opening in the US.
Global sales of mead are set to grow from $592 million in 2024 to $1.4 billion by 2032, according to the market research company Fortune Business Insights. A separate report, from the market research company Technavio, had an even rosier outlook, estimating the global mead market would grow by $2.7 billion between 2024 and 2028.
In its report, Wonderhood also cited Google Ngram data, which explores language usage trends within books and other published materials, that suggests interest in mead is at its highest since 1887.
Mead is having a moment.
Gosnells
Colchester said mead fits into several trends among younger consumers.
"It's lower alcohol, chemical free, has loads of taste, and it's sustainable and helps bees," Colchester said.
Colchester said that the "neo-medievalism" trends β while somewhat tongue-in-cheek β point to consumers rejecting what he describes as hyper-modernity and pristine sameness.
"The creative benchmark in 2025 will be: get to places AI couldn't," Colchester said.
"In a tidal wave of algorithmic mediocrity overwhelming the internet, the only way to stand out is to embrace being an unashamed attention seeker β and boldly step into your neo-medieval jester era," he added.
Researchers are finding that even moderate drinking carries health risks.
iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI
The US Surgeon General issued a report warning alcohol is associated with cancer.
He cited 4 recent studies to make his case that alcohol should have warning labels like cigarettes.
Some scientists disagree: Another major report, published in December, found alcohol has benefits.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, said Americans need to know there's a link between alcohol and cancer, citing four recent studies.
Murthy said all alcoholic beverages should have cancer warning labels on them, a measure Congress would have to design and approve.
In a new report, published January 3, Murthy outlined the research that persuaded him β and other medical professionals β that alcohol is a serious and under-appreciated health concern.
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Here's the data that backs up Murthy's advisory, with some caveats:
How alcohol causes cancer
There are four ways alcohol causes cancer, Murthy said, citing a 2021 Nutrients study.
The first two are widely accepted, he wrote. Most physicians agree that when alcohol breaks down in the body it can bind to DNA, damaging cells and fueling tumors. There is also robust evidence that alcohol can drive inflammation, which is linked to cancer.
The study points to newer research that suggests alcohol may influence hormones like estrogen, paving the way to breast cancer, though it's not exactly clear how.
Another emerging idea is that alcohol seems to provide a literal melting pot for other toxins. Tobacco, for example, dissolves in alcohol, which could make it easier for the body to ingest, the study says.
3 studies linking alcohol to cancer
To back up his argument for warning labels, Murthy pointed to a 2015 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Cancer, which found "a significant relationship" between alcohol consumption and seven cancers.
The team of researchers from Italy, the US, France, Sweden, and Iran examined data from 572 studies, featuring 486,538 cancer cases. They compared the cancer risk of heavy drinkers with occasional drinkers and nondrinkers.
They found heavy drinking was linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, colorectum, liver, larynx, and breast.
Murthy also referenced a 2020 study, published in Nature, that specifically looked at alcohol as a risk factor for head and neck cancer.
The research on around 40,000 people in 26 studies found higher-intensity drinking β consuming more drinks per day, and drinking more years in a lifetime β was correlated with higher risk of head and neck cancers.
The third significant study that Murthy highlighted was a 2018 global systematic analysis looking at alcohol-related deaths in 195 countries over the course of 26 years. That report, published in The Lancet, concluded that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to cancer.
Each report has caveats. For example, the 2015 meta-analysis used varying measurements of alcohol and the 2018 study did not differentiate between drinking patterns, such as binge-drinking or moderate drinking.
Still, the studies are comprehensive, significant, and have informed many of the physicians who say that alcohol is a serious health concern.
Some scientists disagree
Murthy said he was motivated to publish this report because surveys suggest more than half of Americans do not recognize a link between alcohol and cancer.
The science on alcohol is not cut-and-dry, though.
Some of the healthiest people in the world β in the Mediterranean and so-called Blue Zones β drink wine daily. Researchers believe the social aspect of alcohol may have strong benefits for longevity.
Plus, Murthy's report clashes with a major report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which was published in December.
The paper, which will be used to inform the new 2025 Dietary Guidelines, found that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of premature death from heart attack and stroke than people who don't drink at all. It also found an increased risk in breast cancer.
The Department of Health and Human Services is due to publish its own analysis of the latest science on alcohol in the coming weeks.
Nvidia's Jensen Huang is gaining massive popularity as his company goes from strength to strength in the AI arena.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/ AFP via Getty Images
Nvidia's Jensen Huang admitted he gets stage fright despite his cool persona in tech.
Huang's nerves are shared by other tech leaders like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Many have worked meticulously to lessen the pressure of public speaking.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is considered a "cool guy" in the tech industry, but he revealed in a recent interview that being onstage still makes him nervous.
Huang's "60 Minutes" interview aired on December 29. The Nvidia co-founder said walking out to a big crowd at last year's GTC AI Conference was a scary experience.
"I'm an engineer, not a performer. When I walked out there, and all of the people going crazy, it took the breath out of me," Huang said after giving his keynote. "I'm still scared."
He's at the helm of a company valued at over $3 trillion, and Huang's style (like his signature black leather jacket) and his meteoric success in the booming AI field have earned him a cool guy reputation in Silicon Valley. Still, Huang acknowledged his nerves around delivering a speech β something he will have to confront again when he presents a keynote speech at CES in Las Vegas on Monday.
He's not the only tech founder to struggle with public speaking. Steve Jobs, the Apple cofounder known for leading iconic launch events, might've appeared like a natural at public speaking but reportedly planned them out months in advance.
His effortlessness was envied by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who said Jobs had a talent for looking unrehearsed while on stage. Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli wrote in their 2015 book "Becoming Steve Jobs" that he actually spent entire days going over a presentation.
"I'll never achieve that level," Gates said on an episode of the Armchair Expert podcast.
Other leaders have been open about their nerves when addressing large crowds onstage. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg turned 40 in 2024, and he said he "didn't know anything about running a company, communicating publicly, etc" when he founded Facebook as a teen.
However, age and experience have made him more comfortable being himself in public, Zuck said on Threads.
Elon Musk was one of the most outspoken voices in 2024. As the owner of X, formerly Twitter, Musk uses his account to post almost daily. Before he owned the platform, he was still an active tweeter but admitted his lack of skills in public speaking in 2019.
Warren Buffett, billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO, once said his fear of public speaking would've been detrimental to his career.
"I had been terrified of public speaking. I couldn't do it," Buffett said in the 2017 documentary "Becoming Warren Buffett."
Instead of letting his anxiety get in the way of his career, Buffett said he enrolled in a public speaking course after graduating from business school in 1951. Decades later, he still credits the course with changing his life.
WalletHub recently released a 2024 report of the safest US cities.
It ranked cities based on 41 safety indicators, including crime rates and natural disasters.
Vermont has two cities in the list's top five.
Out of 163 countries, the US ranked as the 132nd safest, according to a Global Peace Index 2024 report. Iceland was deemed the safest at number 1 and Yemen was the least safe at 163.
When ranking countries, the index considers everything from weapons imports and exports to homicide rates. Like all countries, though, some regions of the US are safer than others.
For a more granular look, WalletHub, a personal finance site, released a 2024 report listing the safest cities in the US based on 41 factors in three key areas: home and community safety, risk of natural disaster, and financial stability.
The report ranked 182 cities across the country. Mass shootings, murders and assaults, hate crimes, earthquake and fire risks, and unemployment rates all factored into each city's weighted average.
Here are the safest cities in the US, according to WalletHub's rankings.
20. Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama.
Denis Tangney/Getty Images
Population of metro area: 225,564
Median household income: $73,319
Climate Vulnerability Index: 54th percentile (average vulnerability). This index shows areas of the US most likely to face climate change-related challenges.
Huntsville is a hub for aerospace and defense and attracts startups in these industries. While US News & World Report noted it has an above-average rate of violent crime, the paper also named it one of the best places to live.
While Honolulu has a low climate vulnerability percentile overall, sea level around Hawaii is projected to rise up to 1.5 feet by 2050, according to the University of Hawaii, likely affecting some areas of the city.
A popular destination for tourists, Honolulu was ranked the "Safest City to Travel to in the World" in 2024 by Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection.
It has relatively low rates of violent crimes but an above-average rate of property crimes, according to FBI data.
In 2023, Vancouver's overall reported crimes dropped by over 9%, according to a report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. In terms of natural disasters, the city is most vulnerable to earthquakes, extreme heat, and wildfires.
On average, Juneau had around 900 violent crimes and 1,200 property crimes each year between 2015 and 2023, according to FBI data. Heavy snow, extreme cold, and landslides are a few of the hazards the city's residents face.
Located in New Hampshire β the safest state in the US, according to US News & World Report β Nashua has low crime and unemployment rates and ranked well for home and community safety and financial safety in WalletHub's 2024 list.
Located near Montanta's border with Idaho, Missoula has attracted wealthy newcomers to the area in recent years, raising home prices. Meanwhile, it's scrambling to build more housing to address a spike in homelessness.
A recent report found that homes in this growing city have become slightly more affordable. Situated near the Elizabeth River, which flows into Chesapeake Bay, the city experiences flash flooding and hurricanes.
After seeing an uptick in crime in 2022, Fargo's rates dropped in 2023 and 2024, Captain Bill Ahlfeldt of the Fargo Police Department told WDAY Radio in September 2024. The city is vulnerable to some natural disasters but has a number of infrastructure projects aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic flooding.
Home to several universities, Irvine is just a few miles from Disneyland. Its crime rates were among the lowest of all the cities on this list, based on FBI data. For most of this century, the city has had the lowest violent crime rate in the US for cities of 250,000 or more people.
10. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Stephen M. Katz/Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
To protect against future hurricanes and rising sea levels, Virginia Beach voters approved a $568 million bond referendum to fund infrastructure projects focused on addressing these risks, PBS reported in 2021. US News and World Report named it the second-best place to retire in the US in 2024.
Maine's biggest city, Portland, is known for its incredible seafood. It has a lower violent crime rate than the national average, per FBI data. In 2024, the city installed flexible poles and added blue paint to some intersections to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists, The Forecaster reported.
Designed to be a self-sustaining city, Columbia is a planned community and Maryland's second-largest city. In 2024, WalletHub ranked it the top city for women in terms of health and safety and financial well-being.
Iowa's second-largest city experienced a devastating flood in 2008, which caused billions of dollars in damage. Since then, Cedar Rapids has a Community Climate Action Plan aimed at reducing similar events in the future.
As for crime, in 2023, the city's crime rates had dropped compared to the previous year, KCRG reported in January 2024.
Crime rates in Boise, Idaho, have dropped since the early 1990s, per the city's statistics. The Idaho Statemen described the city as car-dependent, though its downtown is walkable. In 2023 Boise had its most traffic fatalities in a decade.
This scenic city is Vermont's largest. A mix of low risk from natural disasters and high financial safety secured Burlington's fourth-ranking spot on WalletHub's list.
It's not completely invulnerable to climate change, though. Warming temperatures are bringing more rain and flooding to the area.
Warwick is the state's third-largest city and has low rates of residents without health insurance, according to WalletHub.
In fact, based on a number of factors, including access, cost, and health outcomes, the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund ranked the state of Rhode Island as having one of the top health systems in the country.
WalletHub cited Casper's low pedestrian fatality rates and comparatively lower risks for earthquakes and tornadoes among the reasons it landed number two on its list. However, the city has dealt with flash floods and nearby wildfires in the past, according to Wyoming Public Media.
South Burlington jumped from the US's third safest city in 2023 to the top spot in 2024. Most of the city's drivers are insured, and it has a low pedestrian fatality rate. It has good financial security, including a very low unemployment rate. Overall, the area has a relatively low risk of natural disasters, securing the highest safety ranking of the cities on the list.
I met a blind date at the Atlanta airport, and we flew to Alaska together.
Though we didn't end up having a romantic connect, we spent a week together with our friends.
It was an amazing time, and I'm glad I was brave enough to say yes.
I never thought a blind date would include flying thousands of miles with someone to see if we were compatible, but when mutual friends set me up, I couldn't resist. My date was in the Air Force and on his way home to Alaska for a two-week leave.
We decided to spend his first week off together. It would be a crash-and-burn scenario or a story to tell my grandkids one day. Whatever the result, I was all in.
We met at the airport and flew to Alaska together
Our first meeting was in the airport moments before an eight-hour flight from Atlanta to Anchorage. It wasn't my ideal way to start the date, especially since we'd spoken on the phone exactly once before, but it turned out better than I expected. He was thoughtful and made things less awkward. We made small talk for the first couple hours of the flight but mutually decided not to overdo the conversation.
The mutual friends who'd set us up greeted us in Anchorage. My date had known them most of his life, and I'd met them a year before on a work trip when they'd plotted this set-up, thinking the two of us might hit it off. Connecting with them helped ease any lingering awkwardness and settled my nerves.
The author enjoyed her time in Alaska, even if she didn't find a romantic connection.
Courtesy of Kate Huff
We didn't have a romantic connection, but we still had an amazing time
Our friends planned an incredible week for us, and our first real date was at his favorite restaurant after we arrived. We quickly figured out neither of us felt a romantic connection but enjoyed hanging out together. Thankfully, our friends pivoted, and we ended up doing everything as a group for the rest of the week, taking the pressure off both of us and still allowing us to enjoy the week they had planned.
We visited an old mining community and picked wild raspberries on the side of the road. Traffic stopped on our way to Portage, but instead of worrying about what we'd miss, we played cards while waiting for the roads to reopen. It was a joy to discover glaciers work as well as trees for hammock-hanging. Soaking up the sun felt incredible after white water rafting down a freezing cold river to this Georgia girl.
Capping off our trip, I climbed Bear Mountain and nearly kept up with the Airman and my native Alaskan Friends. I only had to stop and take pictures every few feet to catch my breath. Thankfully, they pretended not to notice. The midnight sunset view from the top was worth every minute of the struggle. I've never felt so accomplished, especially as we raced down the mountain to beat complete darkness.
While our days were jammed with the best Alaskan adventures, when the sun finally set, our nights were filled with endless rounds of Settlers of Catan. Those cozy nights around a fire fueled my love for games and experiences, even if it didn't ultimately bring me the love of my life (or much sleep!).
The author plans to return to Alaska.
Courtesy of Kate Huff
Even though I never saw or talked to my date again after that trip, it was still one of the best vacations of my life. I learned you should always take a chance when you have an opportunity in front of you. You never know what the end result will be until you try β you could meet the love of your life or just go on the best vacation ever. I'm thankful for my friends, who took a shot at setting us up, and for the courage to live in a moment of spontaneous possibility.
As for all the landmarks I missed last time, I plan to return in March. Who knows what will happen this time?
Luigi Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Some people are praising Mangione on social platforms β and it's causing a moderation headache.
Pamela Smith/AP
YouTube and Threads have taken down pro-Luigi Mangione posts they've said violate their policies.
YouTube told Business Insider it forbids videos that glorify the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
The different moderation approaches among platforms are leaving some users confused.
Diana "Ladidai" Umana, a content creator based in New York, has been closely following the news of Luigi Mangione β posting her thoughts on various social media accounts.
Umana's posts are pro-Luigi (and some have unorthodox angles, like saying he wasn't the shooter, which authorities have charged him with). But she was surprised when her entire YouTube account was permanently removed for what YouTube told her were "severe or repeated violations" of its rules.
YouTube's content moderation policies forbid "content praising or justifying violent acts carried out by violent extremist, criminal, or terrorist organizations."
"This means we remove content that glorifies or promotes the suspect in the murder of [UnitedHealthcare CEO] Brian Thompson, as well as content that trivializes his death," Jack Malon, a spokesperson for YouTube, told Business Insider. "This enforcement began in the immediate aftermath of the incident, as part of our standard practice to address content related to violent tragedies."
Other social platforms have also taken down content related to Mangione.
Several subreddits devoted to him have been banned βΒ like r/luigimangione2 βΒ although there are still other active subreddits about him. Reddit didn't respond to a request for comment on its moderation policies about the topic.
TikTok also has a policy against "promoting (including any praise, celebration, or sharing of manifestos) or providing material support" to violent extremists or individuals who cause serial or mass violence. People have complained that TikTok has removed comments saying "Free Luigi" and some videos about Mangione.
On Meta's Threads, people have said some of their posts about Mangione β like a post about his astrological sign or a video montage of him set to an Olivia Rodgigo song β were removed.
Meta has similar guidance, banning the "glorification" of dangerous organizations and individuals, which it defines as "legitimizing or defending the violent or hateful acts of a designated entity by claiming that those acts have a moral, political, logical or other justification that makes them acceptable or reasonable."
However, Meta recently updated what it calls its dangerous organizations and individuals policy to allow for "more social and political discourse in certain instances including β peace agreements, elections, human rights related issues, news reporting and academic, neutral and condemning discussion β and to ensure users are not unduly penalized for sharing it."
A spokesperson for Meta pointed to this policy but declined to comment further.
Pro-Lugi posts can be difficult to moderate
You might imagine how, when it comes to posts discussing Luigi Mangione, there are some gray areas between what's considered praise vs. discussion of social issues.
That's where the deluge of pro-Luigi posts from American users on social platforms gets a little weird.
Mangione's popularity among some people online is complicated, and I won't try to untangle it here (read this or this for some smart analysis). But you've probably already observed some of this online: There are a lot of people posting about Mangione and running afoul of content guidelines that they'd never usually run up against β rules designed for posts praising ISIS or Mexican drug cartels, for instance.
The result is some confusion and frustration among users.
Content moderation is an art, not a science, and there's a spectrum of differences between a statement like "Luigi was justified" and a meme about his looks or an ironic fan cam edit video.
Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder "in furtherance of terrorism," which may clarify things for platforms about whether to consider him as a single accused murderer or an alleged terrorist when it comes to content policy.
For now, it seems that a lot of social media users are surprised or confused by what is or isn't allowed when talking about Mangione on social media.
Business Insider spoke to seven people about why they're not interested in being parents, and their answers ranged from practical concerns about parenthood to just never feeling the desire to have kids.
When she knew she didn't want to have kids:Β Romero told BI she knew from a young age, as she spent much of her adolescence helping to care for her younger siblings.
Why she doesn't want them: Romero is the oldest of three children, and because of the large age gap with her siblings, she did a lot of childcare growing up. She understood the sacrifices people make when they have children, and it wasn't something she wanted for herself.
"I grew up very much understanding not just the Disney version or what the media portrays as having kids, but the more realistic version of having kids," she said.
She also thinks the American government and society don't do enough to support parents, particularly mothers.
"Women are very much taking on the burden of motherhood, as well as everything else, by themselves," she said. "I personally don't think that's fair."
"There's also something to be said about the fact that motherhood is just not for everybody," she added. "I have so much ambition. There are so many things I want to do."
How people have responded to her choice: "I have been lucky that I have surrounded myself with friends and family who have always respected my decision," she said.
Romero said she sometimes gets pushback from people she isn't close to but looks inward for acceptance instead of outward.
"I have stopped trying to get validation from people who don't understand my decision-making," she added.
What she's most excited about for her future: "As a content creator, I'm very passionate about human rights and collective liberation," Romero told BI.
"I'm excited to have the time, and the space, and the purpose to be able to do these things," she said. "I am a child of immigrant parents, and I'm looking forward to being a voice for that experience."
AnaΓ―s Chantal
AnaΓ―s Chantal.
AnaΓ―s Chantal
Age: 26
Job: Project manager, personal assistant, and bookkeeper in the music industry
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: In 2020, Chantal became friends with a woman who wouldn't have kids.
"I had in my head that I was going to grow up, get married, and have three children," she said. "When she said that, it was like, 'Oh, you can choose to do that. That's an option.'"
"I really started to self-reflect on why I wanted children," she said. "Did I actually want kids, or was I just conditioned to want children?"
Why she doesn't want them: Chantal said her mental health is one of the biggest reasons she wants to remain child-free. She told BI she is a victim of sexual assault and thinks giving birth, breastfeeding, and raising a child could be triggering for her.
"I don't normally tell people this, but there might be somebody out there that has this conflict, and I want people to know that they're not alone," she added. "My mental health is really important, and I don't want to put myself through that. And I also don't want to put my child through that because kids can pick up on things."
Chantal also said that she just doesn't think kids are something she needs to feel fulfilled and joyful.
"I have friends with kids, and they're the sweetest little things, but I really value my peace and being able to come home to peace and quiet," she said.
How people have responded to her choice: "My parents, of course, were initially sad," Chantal said. "But when I sat them down and told them my reasons, they were like, 'You know, it sounds like you really thought this through.'"
She also said she surrounded herself with people who don't want children, bothΒ in person and online, which gave her a sense of community.
Chantal had her fallopian tubes removed at 24 once she decided to remain child-free. Her insurance covered the procedure, and she said she felt relieved when it was done.
"I can remember getting wheeled out and waking up and seeing my partner with the biggest smile on my face," she said. "I was so, so happy."
What she's most excited about for her future: Chantal plans to move to New York with her partner next year. Eventually, they hope to settle in a more remote desert area with their dog.
"I just want to see the world, and I'm excited for my freedom," she said. "It does feel like the possibilities are endless for me."
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: "The feeling of wanting to have kids just never came," Nasir told BI.
She said her friends often imagined themselves as moms during imaginative play when they were children, but she pretended to be an explorer or adventurer.
"Even when I hit high school, I never really imagined a future where I was having a kid, but at that time, I didn't know that there was a thing of not having kids because everybody around me had children," she said.
"As I grew older, I started realizing this is a thing," she added. "There are some people who don't have children."
Eventually, Nasir realized she had fallen into that group.
Why she doesn't want them: "I'm very happy around kids," Nasir said. "I think they're very interesting. You can learn a lot from them."
However, Nasir told BI she's "not interested in parenting."
"It doesn't fit the lifestyle I've built for myself over the last 15 years," she said. "I would have to shift a lot to accommodate a child."
"I'm a therapist, and I know how important it is to have parents who are present, connected, and engaged," Nasir continued. "I think that my role in the world is different."
"Everybody has a role that they take on in this world, and when people have kids, a lot of their life, especially for the first five years, starts revolving around their children," Nasir said, adding that she's "not able to do that."
How people have responded to her choice: Nasir said she and her husband were on the same page about not having kids but her choice has been more surprising for other family members.
"I'm South Asian. This is a very big part of our culture, so I definitely got a lot of disappointment and anger from my mom," she said, adding that her mom still has not accepted her decision.
She also thinks her dad is sad about not being a grandpa, and some of her friends have expressed that she and her husband would have been great parents.
"I make a lot of space for other people's grief on this because they lose something when I make a decision," Nasir said. "It doesn't mean that I'm not entitled to it, and it does not mean that I have to feel guilty about it."
What she's most excited about for her future: "I am excited about building something that I can leave behind for others that makes their life a little better," she said. "One person can't change the whole world, but I want to add an impact."
"On a personal level, I'm really excited about being able to have experiences with my partner and have adventures and have a really big life on my terms," she added.
TJ Turner
TJ Turner.
TJ Turner
Age: 38
Job: Engineer at a power company
When he knew he didn't want to have kids:Turner reflected on how kids could fit into his life after his father died in 2024. His dad was part of two unplanned pregnancies, including his conception.
"Not to insult myself, but I realized I didn't want to make that same mistake," he said. "That's kind of when I decided this isn't for me."
Why he doesn't want them: "I just didn't think that I would be good parent material," Turner told BI.
He said the financial and physical toll of parenting, like a lack of sleep, didn't appeal to him. He also didn't think he could take care of his mental health and be the kind of parent he wanted.
"In this day and age, it's so hard to focus on yourself that I don't know how people can not only focus on their own mental health but also focus on the health of their children on top of working full-time," he said.
How people have responded to his choice: Turner was already married when he decided to get a vasectomy, and he said his wife was supportive of his choice. His mom also supported him, though she was "sad initially" that she wouldn't have grandchildren.
"I tried to explain to her, like, 'Look, it's not because I think you raised me poorly or I had a bad childhood. It's honestly more because I know I will never be as good of parents as you were,'" Turner said.
"I think she understood that, and I think she respects that," he said.
What he's most excited about for his future: Turner told BI he's glad his future is flexible thanks to the independence. He can foster his love of motorcycling or go on a date with his wife without worrying about childcare.
"I can pay for my own retirement, own houses, and just live comfortably," he said.
Kathryn Hoffman
Kathryn Hofman.
Kathryn Hofman
Age: 33
Job: Marketing professional
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: Hofman said she always knew, on some level, children weren't part of her life plan. In fact, her late grandfather knew she didn't want children before she did.
"I was not the serial dater," she said. "I didn't typically bring folks around, so everyone assumed it was pretty serious when I brought my husband home. Somebody asked something about children, and my grandfather just chimed in and was like, 'She doesn't want kids.'"
"And I was like, 'You know what? I don't,'" she said.
Why she doesn't want them: "I have a lot of ambitions," she said. "I'm not saying a mom can't accomplish a lot of things, but I really value my ability to assign success to myself and not assign success to what I've done for other people in my adult life."
"I think there are many, many things that I would have to prioritize differently if I were to be a mom," Hofman added.
How people have responded to her choice: "One of the things that people tell me often in response to the statement that I don't want children is, 'Oh, but you would be so good at it,'" Hofman said.
"The idea that I would be exceptionally good at it is one of the deterrents," she told BI. "I know myself well enough to know that if I were to become a mother, I would put all of my effort and energy into that child versus myself."
"Whether that's selfish or not, I'm sort of indifferent to that," she said. "I value my relationships as they are, my relationship with my husband and my relationship with myself."
What she's most excited about for her future: Hofman is an aspiring author, so she's looking forward to starting the querying process in 2025.
She also hopes to learn more and travel with her husband. They plan to head to New Zealand together and Disney World with her niece and nephews.
"That was one of the very few things I felt like I might miss out on not becoming a mom is that first time taking kids to Disney, so I'm borrowing my niece and nephews, and we're going to go do that with them," she said.
"There's just a lot of opportunity and things that come with the freedom of not owing your life and raising somebody else. You can raise yourself and go from there," Hofman said.
Whitney S.
Whitney S.
Whitney S.
Age: 38
Job: Nursing home staffer
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: When she was 17, Whitney watched a video of a woman giving birth in a college-level health class. The reality of giving birth shocked her β and made her sure she didn't want to go through the experience herself.
"I didn't tell anyone because you can't say that when you're 17," she told BI. "Nobody will believe you."
"But no matter what phase in life, no matter how old I was, I said, 'A kid is not going to fit in this,'" Whitney added.
Why she doesn't want them: "With the way things have been going and the way things will be, I don't see a reason to bring a child into this world," she said, pointing to the climate crisis as one of her concerns. "I don't feel like it's safe enough."
Whitney also said she doesn't want to take on the physical and mental risks of pregnancy and motherhood. She thinks many people take the responsibility of becoming parents too lightly.
"I know people who really want kids, and they're preparing for that financially and mentally," she said. "But I know too many people who have not β¦ and the kids always suffer."
How people have responded to her choice: Whitney said she is estranged from some of her family members, who are disappointed she isn't having children, even though there are other kids in her family. She also said her decision impacted her dating life.
"For seven years, I was single," Whitney told BI. "That's a large reason I was single for so long."
Whitney has a boyfriend now, and she said she told him early in their relationship that she didn't want to have children.
What she's most excited about for her future: Whitney has fostered a community with other child-free people on social media and said she's eager to keep growing it and connecting with like-minded people.
"I get a lot of enjoyment out of it despite all the negativity," she said. "I told myself there's gotta be at least one person that can relate to what I'm saying."
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: Hawk said she never felt the urge to be a mother, even as a child.
Watching her friends become parents made it clear to Hawk that having kids wasn't for her.
"I had so many goals and aspirations for myself," Hawk said. "I knew from my friends who started having kids in their 20s just how much time, effort, and energy, mentally and physically, kids took."
"When I saw real-life examples of exhaustion, I definitely knew it was not the path for me," she added.
Why she doesn't want them: "When you decide to become a parent, you have to be ready for every possible scenario that could come up," Hawk said. "That includes having a child who might have special needs and will need care for the rest of his or her life."
"You have the possibility of the marriage not lasting," she added. "What would it be like to be a single mother?"
"When you think of all the variables that can come up with having children, it was more reasons for me to say I'm not ready to accept any of those variables," Hawk said.
How people have responded to her choice: Hawk didn't have pressure from her family to have children, which made her decision easier.
"I come from a long line of child-free women on both sides of my family," she added. "I always had real-life examples of child-free people thriving in my life."
Still, when she married her ex-husband β who also didn't want children β Hawk said people asked them within hours of the moment they said "I do" when kids were coming.
"At the beginning of the reception, I said, 'Oh, you know, we don't want to have children,' and the pushback I got: 'Oh, you'll change your mind.' 'You're too young.' 'You just got married.'"
"I'm like, 'Can I eat my cake?'" Hawk said.
What she's most excited about for her future: "I am at a point in my life now where I put myself in a really good financial situation," she said. "I live in my own large apartment and have peace and quiet. I travel extensively with my boyfriend and friends. I have such freedom to live my life in a way that is not a grind."
"I just feel completely unfettered and to the point where I can really just have fun, and I think not everybody has that opportunity," she added. "I'm going to take it to the fullest extent I can."
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates founded the charitable organization, though the couple have since divorced and Melinda French Gates has resigned from the foundation.
Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images; Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a charitable organization with a $75.2-billion endowment.
The nonprofit was created by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his now ex-wife, Melinda French Gates.
The foundation supports causes related to global health issues, poverty, and inequity.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization founded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. The foundation has donated tens of billions of dollars to issues like global health, gender equality, water sanitation programs, nutrition education and support, and more.
The Gates Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) organization, partners with groups that can do impactful work on specific issues in specific areas β medical researchers studying mosquito-borne illness in Tanzania, for example β and helps ensure there is proper funding for the work.
The Gates Foundation is one of the largest such organizations, second only to Denmark's medical research-focused Novo Nordisk Foundation. Its size and scope noted, there is still much people wonder about the BMGF, so let's take a closer look at who it supports, who runs it, and just how much money we're talking about here.
The history, ownership, and wealth of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was formed in 2000 as an offshoot of the William H. Gates Foundation, which the Microsoft founder created six years earlier. Bill Gates stepped down as Microsoft CEO in 2008 to devote more of his time to the foundation.
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates divorced in August of 2021, and she resigned from her position as co-chair and trustee of the foundation in the spring of 2024. However, despite the couple's divorce, the Gates Foundation is still very active and is even growing the scope of its operations and its endowment. The foundation has about 2,000 employees, and has offices all over the world, including several in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
David Ryder/Getty Images
The former power couple aren't actually the owners of the organization. The Gates Foundation is owned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust.
The Gates Foundation is best known for funding efforts to eradicate diseases like polio and malaria worldwide and addressing global poverty and malnutrition. It works closely with global health organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The foundation has backed efforts like developing and delivering vaccines to poverty-stricken countries, supporting agriculture and reducing food insecurity in developing nations, and committed more than $2 billion to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the foundation has also received criticism from global health and development experts, who have accused the organization of lacking transparency and accountability. Despite being a private, unelected entity, the foundation has had major effects and implications on public policy around the world, and its critics say it makes decisions based on the whims of its billionaire trustees rather than voters.
For instance, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into agricultural development in Africa over the years via a "green revolution" emphasizing technological innovations in farming. Instead, multiple organizations have called the efforts a failure and urged the foundation to instead listen to the needs of African farmers.
Bill and Melinda Gates have also acknowledged shortcomings in the foundation's strategies. For instance, despite spending billions on improving the US education system, with the goal of boosting high school graduation rates, the couple acknowledged that the foundation's efforts to improve American public schools were "still falling short" and said the foundation hadn't accomplished as much as they would like.
How much money does the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have?
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has personally given tens of billions of dollars to the foundation.
Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images
The foundation is well-endowed, largely thanks to donations directly from the Gates themselves and billionaire Warren Buffett. BMGF has also made some excellent investments over the years.
According to its website, the foundation has an endowment of $75.2 billion. Bill and Melinda Gates have given $59.5 billion to the foundation since its inception, and Buffet has given $39.3 billion since 2006.
The foundation has billions of dollars of Microsoft stock, which is little surprise given that the software company is the provenance of Bill Gates' wealth. Bill Gates' net worth fluctuates with the stock market, but it is well over $100 billion β and that's after subtracting the $76 billion Melinda Gates gained when the couple separated.
Notably, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does not give money to individuals, its website states, nor does it donate to "projects addressing health problems in developed countries," "political campaigns and legislative lobbying efforts," "building or capital campaigns," or "projects that exclusively serve religious purposes."
Alex Witt said venture capitalists have an unprecedented chance to back five transformative technologies: Generative AI, robotics, autonomous electric vehicles, blockchain, and biotech.
Courtesy of Alex Witt
Founding partner Alex Witt shared three venture capital predictions for the next decade.
Witt says that managers who've launched less than three funds will get more attention.
He also says that five key technologies and the African market will see more investments.
Since venture capital funds plummeted from 2021 to 2023, VCs are looking for ways to stop the pain and regain a sense of control over their future. Still, many VCs predict the industry will significantly decline in 2025 due to high interest rates.
Alex Witt, general partner at Verda Ventures and cofounder of the payment platform SWFT Blockchain agrees with recent predictions.Based on his 14 years of experience in finance and technology, Witt also gave Business Insider three more core predictions for the VC industry's next decade.
He believes technological opportunity combined with changing demographics will shape the VC experience over the next 10 years, creating more investment space for emerging managers, five key technologies, and Africa.
1. Emerging managers will drive the highest returns in the next decade
As limited partners recognize that successful Fund 1s don't necessarily translate into successful Fund 2s or 3s, the VC landscape will see a greater focus on new managers who've launched less than three funds.
"Emerging managers have been traditionally underfunded despite their success," Witt explained.
For context, Witt explained that larger funds have a track record of underperforming: only 17% of funds larger than $750 million return over 2.5 times of capital. Yet smaller funds have been proven to consistently outperform.
"Funds under $249 million are disproportionately represented in the top decile and quartile of performers," he said. Witt explained that targeting smaller, high-performing funds will be critical for future success.
2. VCs have an unprecedented chance to back five transformative technologies
According to Witt, we're entering a new "industrial renaissance" fueled by breakthroughs in five key technologies he believes have massive VC potential.
Generative AI: Witt predicts that key players in this arena will be companies with unique datasets, such as Google with YouTube data and xAI with X and Tesla data. Generative AI will even affect the finance and pharmaceutical industries.
"Some impacts of generative AI to watch for include drug discovery with even faster trials and finance with real-time, data-driven trading.
Robotics: Witt pointed to innovations like generative AI-driven physical AI β for example, Nvidia β and referenced Tesla. "Market leader Tesla is positioned to dominate this area with its 'robots on wheels' approach to manufacturing."
Autonomous electric vehicles: Witt saidChinese carmakerBYD stands out as a global leader in data access and scalable manufacturing. "In terms of cost impact, more than 70% of Uber ride costs are labor-related, and autonomous transport will significantly reduce expenses," he said.
Blockchain: Accessibility is an area to watch in blockchain. Witt said blockchain enables low-cost, borderless transactions, and more markets are using it. "For example, MiniPay, the #1 app in Kenya, surpassed Facebook and Instagram in downloads."
Biotech: As an emerging technology, Witt explained that gene-based therapies offer precision treatments for inherited or environmental genetic abnormalities. "As examples, Moderna's mRNA success foreshadows the broader potential of CRISPR and similar technologies," he said.
"This era is reminiscent of the early 20th century's transformative, broad-based innovations like electricity and the internal combustion engine," Witt said. For VCs, Witt believes the coming decade marks a rare chance to back category-defining companies in emerging industries β but he emphasized that success won't come easy.
"VCs will face the challenge of identifying category-defining winners," Witt said. "As history shows, industries tend to consolidate around one or two dominant players, with only a small fraction of companies emerging as leaders β think Amazon and Google among the dot-com era's 500 IPOs."
3. Africa and the Global South will lead in VC-backed innovation
Beyond technology, Witt stressed that demographics are a critical and often overlooked factor shaping VC trends. He projects that population dynamics will increasingly determine the locations where innovation thrives.
"Demographics are destiny," Witt said.
He predicts that VCs will increasingly allocate capital to the Global South, particularly Africa, due to its "explosive" consumer and market growth potential.
"This shift will redefine traditional portfolio strategies, emphasizing demographic-driven investments," Witt said.
As support for his prediction, Witt noted that Africa leads global population growth, and that all of the top 20 fastest-growing populations are in the Global South.
He added that countries with aging populations and declining birth rates, such as Korea, with a fertility rate of 0.68, face a shrinking workforceand reduced appetite for risk and technological adoption.
In contrast, he believes that regions like Africa, with a fertility rate of 4.18, offer a young, growing population and expanding market potential.
"This is why some VCs are betting on the Global South as the next frontier for innovation and growth," Witt concluded. "Large populations equal large markets, and big markets mean that one or two successful companies can offset eight or nine failures, which is critical for VC success."
If you're a VC who would like to share your thoughts on the industry, please email Manseen Logan at [email protected].
Ben Carpenter is an advocate of finding habits that don't require lots of willpower to maintain.
Ben Carpenter/Getty
The personal trainer Ben Carpenter said it's a mistake to rely on willpower to make healthy changes stick.
For lasting fat loss, Carpenter advises making habits that can be kept long-term.
Work with, not against, your existing preferences, he said.
If you want to lose weight successfully β and for good β it helps to make it as easy as possible.
By making healthy habits effortless, you won't have to rely on willpower and are more likely to stick to them, Ben Carpenter, a personal trainer and fat loss coach, told Business Insider.
Carpenter's new book, "Fat Loss Habits," is designed to help people set themselves up for sustainable fat loss.
"When it comes to weight loss, a lot of people view obesity traditionally as a lack of willpower," Carpenter said.
But willpower is a finite resource, and at some point, it will run out, he said.
By choosing a form of exercise you enjoy, rather than what's optimal, you're more likely to develop a habit that becomes so ingrained in your routine that you don't have to think about it.
"Over time it becomes second nature," Carpenter said.
Ben Carpenter advises people to make lifestyle changes that they find easy to maintain.
Ben Carpenter
Think long-term
Changing your mindset about fat loss could be the key to getting off the yo-yo diet cycle.
Carpenter said that instead of asking yourself how you can lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible, ask what you could still be doing in a year's time.
"What could you be doing so well a year from now that next January you aren't asking yourself again, 'What diet should I go on?' I think that's a fundamental mindset shift that would help most people," Carpenter said.
People go on and off restrictive diets like they're switching lights on and off, Carpenter said: "If someone can adopt health-promoting behaviors that they can adhere to for long periods of time, arguably the need for dieting diminishes."
For your weight loss to be long-term, you need to think about long-term habits, Carpenter said: "Most people are trying to achieve long-term goals, but they're doing it via short-term behaviors."
Dietitians have previously told BI that diets promising rapid, drastic weight loss are unsustainable and best avoided.
Keep a food diary for a couple days
Carpenter recommends people self-audit before trying to lose weight.
This could be as simple as keeping a food diary for a couple of days to help you identify tweaks. For example, swapping cream in your coffee for milk.
"I prefer to ask people what they're doing at the moment, their own preferences, and then try and find things that take as little effort and cause as little pain as possible," Carpenter said.
He added: "If you can get better results doing 99% of everything you are already doing, it takes a lot less effort and willpower than someone going, 'Here is your new diet plan, good luck.'"
Overhauling your diet can seem doable at the start but motivation often dwindles.
"From a motivation perspective, it could be really exciting to make substantial changes to your eating and watch the scale drop quickly. It might even motivate you to keep going," registered dietitian Alix Turoff previously told BI. "But when your plan is very rigid, this motivation typically lasts only a few weeks before you're burnt out and wanting to quit."
Kristina Bumphrey/Getty, Araya Doheny/Getty, Tyler Le/BI
Justin Baldoni sued The New York Times over its coverage of Blake Lively's harassment complaints against him.
The suit is a strong PR defense that shows he's serious about protecting his reputation, a PR expert said.
Industry pros told BI both stars' personal and professional lives will likely be damaged as the battle continues.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's reputations are likely to face even more damage as their legal battle intensifies, crisis PR and legal experts say.
Baldoni, the director and star of the romantic drama "It Ends with Us," sued The New York Times on Tuesday for libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract over its December 2024 story about his costar Lively's accusations that he sexually harassed her and damaged her reputation in the press.
Baldoni's 87-page lawsuit rebuts Lively's claims in detail, offering a different perspective on the Times' bombshell story. It also accuses Lively of attempting to salvage her public image at Baldoni's expense and engaging in a "hostile takeover" of the production of "It Ends With Us."
The Times told BI in a statement that their story was "meticulously and responsibly reported."
Baldoni's team's decision to sue a newspaper for hundreds of millions of dollars isn't just a legal tactic. It's a major PR statement, too.
"To know that the Baldoni team is so strongly standing in their truth shows that there's a lot more to the story than what initially came out in that Lively complaint," Mike Fahey, the founder and CEO of the PR agency Fahey Communications, told Business Insider.
Baldoni's suit does not name Lively, but her attorneys told BI in a statement that the filing doesn't change anything about the initial claims made in her complaint, and they look forward to addressing Baldoni's claims in court.
Whether the case goes to trial or settles out of court, Fahey said the story is far from over. "It's an onion, and there are a lot of layers to peel back," he said.
Erik Bernstein, the president of Bernstein Crisis Management, agreed. He cautioned that it might get ugly: "I think we're going to see two people's personal and professional lives dragged through the mud."
The text messages included in Baldoni's lawsuit cast Lively's claims in a different light
Baldoni at the world premiere of "It Ends with Us" in August.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The timing of Baldoni's lawsuit against the Times, which was filed 10 days after Lively filed her initial complaint against him, was a strategic move to strike back quickly before public interest waned, Fahey said.
"The shelf life on a story like this is very short," Fahey said.
Evan Nierman, the CEO of PR firm Red Banyan, added that the tone of Baldoni's lawsuit suggests that the actor-director is "concerned that The New York Times piece could define him for years to come."
"He is taking a very aggressive stance to defend his reputation and prevent a negative perception of him from hardening into the public consciousness," he added.
Part of that stance included providing additional context on text messages in Lively's complaint to make the case that the Times' reporting leaned on "'cherry-picked' and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead."
The PR and legal experts who spoke to BI said that, if real and undoctored, the text message screenshots included in Baldoni's lawsuit strengthen his case and make for a strong defense.
"I thought it was a necessary move to show the full context of the text messages and the full context of some of the events that Blake Lively is alleging to paint a different type of picture, a different type of narrative," said Camron Dowlatshahi, a partner at MSD Lawyers, a Los Angeles law firm that specializes in entertainment and employment law.
"This is a full-on legal battle, but this is more of a public relations battle at this point," he added. "And so Baldoni had to come forward and do something."
Baldoni's lengthy lawsuit addresses various points made in Lively's initial complaint. With pages and pages of details to pore through, the general public may no longer know what to believe. Nierman said that's likely also by design.
"I think that's probably part of their strategy, is to muddy the waters," Nierman said. "And part of the way that you do that is by launching a full frontal assault on the outlet that broke the story and has so far framed the narrative."
Nierman added that Baldoni and his team probably hope that undermining the Times' credibility will "cast doubt into people's minds that Baldoni is this negative actor that the story portrayed."
Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, doubled down on his team's intention to unveil more messages between Lively and Baldoni during a Friday interview on NBC's "Today" show.
"We plan to release every single text message between the two of them," Freedman said. "There is nothing that in any way is a concern about this entire situation from our perspective, and we want the truth to be out there."
Bernstein said that Baldoni and his team likely view this lawsuit "as a must-win."
"He has to be thinking that he needs to win, or he'll be seen as untouchable by Hollywood in our, let's say, post-Weinstein era," he said.
Experts say Baldoni seeking $250 million in damages from the Times is a deliberate move to fuel headlines
Baldoni in August.
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Baldoni's suit is lengthy and asks for a hefty $250 million in damages. The experts who spoke to BI said that's another PR strategy that will draw more attention to Baldoni's narrative.
"Big numbers get printed, right? Your story is a lot more interesting if it's $250 million than if it's $20,000," Bernstein said.
"The exorbitant number is meant to drive headlines, not to result in collection,'" Nierman added. "It is a PR play to get attention and to ensure that his side of the story does get reported. So I actually think it's a very savvy move to attach such an astronomical figure to it."
Dowlatshahi, the lawyer, said that it's not typical for an amount in damages to be listed in the lawsuit, though he said that this situation is anything but typical.
"This is a high-profile celebrity battle, and so I think that amount was needed to be a show of force."
The PR battle will continue in public, and neither star will emerge unscathed
Lively at a UK screening of "It Ends With Us" in August.
Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
The same day Baldoni filed his lawsuit against the Times, Lively formally filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer, and his PR team in New York federal court.
The lawsuit, obtained by BI, stems from the complaint Lively previously filed with the California Civil Rights Department. It accuses Baldoni and his PR team of engaging in a campaign to retaliate against Lively for speaking out about Baldoni's alleged sexual misconduct on the set of "It Ends With Us."
It's unclear how long it will take for this to play out β it could be months or even years if it goes to a jury trial β but the experts BI spoke with agreed that this is just the beginning of a long and messy road ahead.
And the hits will keep coming: Though Lively was not named in Baldoni's suit against the Times, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman told NBC's "Today" show that they "absolutely" plan to sue Lively, too.
Though both stars' reputations have already been damaged, they'll likely worsen as the case unfolds publicly.
"There's going to be some skeletons in the closet coming out," Bernstein said. "It's just going to be a long dragged-out thing where there's maybe no real winner."
The US's Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, at left, is now rivaled, if not topped, by China's Type 055 "Renhai" cruiser.
Lt.j.g Samuel Hardgrove/US Navy and Sun Zifa/China News Service via Getty Images
China's new Type 055 cruiser is its most modern and powerful surface combatant.
The ship China labels as a destroyer is so large it compares more to US cruisers.
China is building these ships fast while the US sunsets most of its aging cruisers.
China's navy has a menacing new addition to its naval fleet: the Type 055 class guided missile destroyer.
The destroyer is the most modern and potent surface combatant in China's navy, officially known as the People's Liberation Army Navy. Designed for multiple missions and fitted with a massive arsenal and advanced electronics, it is an apex predator in the PLAN's growing fleet meant to protect China's carriers from harm.
The class is so daunting and capable that the US Department of Defense classifies it as a cruiser. Many observers compare it to the US Navy's own cruisers, which have performed a similar role.
"Depending on your criteria, the Type 055 is the best or second-best surface combatant in the world," Chris Carlson, a retired US Navy captain and naval analyst told Business Insider.
And while the US Navy seeks to divest from its aging cruiser fleet, China is expanding its fleet at a breakneck pace.
Type 055 'Renhai'
The commissioning of the first-in-class Nanchang in 2020 revealed China had launched one of the world's top surface combatants. China may build up to 16 of them.
Fu Tian/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
China's desire for a massive surface combatant dates back to the 1960s. China initiated an "055" program in the mid-1970s, then canceled it in 1983 due to weaknesses in its industrial base and technological know-how.
Three decades later, however, China's booming economy enabled its shipbuilding industry to become the largest in the world. It emphasized modernizing the navy and building or acquiring fleet oilers,nuclear submarines, guided missile warships, aircraft carriers, and more.
The keel of the first Type 055, Nanchang, was laid in December 2014, just three months before the keel of China's first domestically built carrier, Shandong, was laid.
When Nanchang was commissioned in 2020, it made the class a force to be reckoned with. Measuring 590 feet long and displacing 12,000-13,000 tons, it is the largest class of surface combatant China has ever built.
Each Type 055, which NATO classifies as the Renhai-class, is fitted with 112 vertical launch system (VLS) cells,which launch missiles. Sixty-four cells are positioned forward of the bridge in an 8x8 configuration and 48 are located aft in a 6x8 configuration. These VLS cells have both cold and hot launch capability, enabling them to field a more diverse missile arsenal; in a cold launch, a missile is ejected from the cell via pressurized gas before its engine fires.
That arsenal includes YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles, and HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), which have ranges of around 335 miles, 497 miles, and 124 miles, respectively. The class may also be able to carry Yu-8 anti-submarine missiles.
In 2022, China tested a cold launch of a YJ-21 hypersonic missile from a Type 055's VLS cells. The missile reportedly has an approximate range of 932 miles, a cruising speed of Mach 6, and a terminal speed of Mach 10,Β which makes it challenging to intercept.
The Type 055 also features a single box launcher with 25 HHQ-10 short-range SAMs, four Type 726 defensive launchers capable of launching chaff, flares, and decoys, 2 triple-tubed torpedo launchers with Yu-7 torpedoes, a single 11-barelled H/PJ-11 Close-in weapon system (CIWS), and a H/PJ-38 130 mm naval gun.
At the stern, a helicopter deck and hangar can house two helicopters capable of tracking submarines and helping with logistics.
The Type 055 is also brimming with modern radars, sensors, and other electronics. This includes four Type 346B Dragon Eye S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars mounted on the superstructure and four X-band radars housed in an integrated mast, making it the first Chinese warship with dual-band planar radar arrays. Its hull-mounted sonar can be enhanced by towed active array sonars.
With its arsenal and sensor/electronic suite, the Type 055 can take on an anti-ship, anti-submarine, anti-air, or land-attack role, making it the best candidate for a carrier escort. It's also capable of operating as a command flagship for any PLAN surface action group without a carrier.
The US Department of Defense has speculated that China wants to incorporate ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems on the Type 055, which could enable it to serve in a BMD/anti-satellite role similar to Japan's BMD destroyers.
Eight Type 055s are in service. At least three more are reportedly in varying stages of construction. China may build as many as 16 Type 055s in total.
Despite its young age, the class has already gained a reputation as one of the best surface combatants in the world.
"I'd say the Type 055 is the most capable in anti-surface warfare, but not as capable in the air defense and BMD role as a US [Arleigh] Burke DDG," Carlson, the retired US Navy captain, said. He said the Type 055's strike and ASW capabilities are about the same as its American counterpart.
Ticonderoga-class
Cruisers like the USS Normandy play key roles in carrier strike groups.
MC2 Malachi Lakey/US Navy
The size, armament, and mission of the Type 055 are often compared to the US Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruiser. Measuring 567 feet long, displacing around 10,000 tons, and first entering service in 1983, the ships of the class are considerably older and smaller than the Type 055s.
But the Ticonderogas are no less potent and have a larger missile arsenal, with two sets of 61 Mk 41 VLS cells able to carry 122 missiles and two quad-tubed Mk-141 launchers at the stern.
Two Mark 45 5-inch guns are present at the stem and stern, as well as two Phalanx CIWS' and two triple-tubed Mark 32 torpedo tubes capable of firing Mk 46 or Mk 50 torpedoes. A helicopter hangar capable of housing two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters provides additional ASW capability.
The exact makeup of each Ticonderoga's missile arsenal is dependent on its mission, as it is capable of carrying a host of different missiles. These include Tomahawk cruise missiles for ground targets, Harpoon anti-ship missiles for hostile ships, and RUM-139 VL-ASROC anti-submarine missiles for enemy subs.
The missiles have ranges of up to 1,500 miles, 149 miles, and 10 miles respectively.
The Ticonderoga's main role, however, is air defense. It can carry a wide range of anti-air missiles, including Evolved Sea Sparrow SAMs, and all active variants of the Standard Missile family; the SM-2 Blocks III, IIIA, IIIB, and IV; the SM-3, and the SM-6.
Those missiles, which can intercept targets ranging from 35 miles to over 200, enable the Ticonderoga to provide an effective air defense umbrella against low- and high-altitude threats, including helicopters, drones, jets, and missiles.
In 2008, an SM-3 fired from the cruiser USS Lake Erie destroyed a defunct satellite at an altitude of some 150 miles, demonstrating its ability to perform anti-satellite missions.
Another defining asset of the Ticonderogas is the AN/SPY-1 passive phased array radar β a vital component of the AEGIS Combat System, an advanced and integrated naval defense system that combines command, detecting, tracking, and weapons control for comprehensive management of air, surface, and submarine threats, and which the Ticonderogas were the first ships to employ.
Twenty-seven Ticonderoga-class cruisers were built between 1980 and 1994, but only nine are in active service today.
Cruiser gap?
The US Navy is moving to retire most of its nine cruisers in the coming years.
MC2 Indra Beaufort/US Navy
The importance of the Ticonderoga and the Type 055 to their respective fleets is hard to overstate. Their displacement, arsenal size, and ability to perform multiple missions and operate as flagships puts them at the top of the list of most important surface combatants β second, perhaps, only to the carriers.
In an acknowledgment of their capability, the US Department of Defense officially designates the Type 055 as a cruiser, despite China's own designation of destroyer, which is likely a PR move intended to make the PLAN seem less aggressive. (Destroyers typically have smaller displacements and arsenals than cruisers and play a less prominent role in the fleet.)
Consequently, their deployments are carefully monitored, with their standalone voyages seen as intentional shows of strength.
Type 055s have sailed in the waters off Alaska in 2021, 2022, and 2024, including as part of joint Chinese-Russian patrols.Recently, a Type 055 visited the island nation of Vanuatu, signaling to some that China was trying to increase its presence in the South Pacific.
The Ticonderogas have also been on the move. In 2022, the cruiser USS Port Royal sailed through the Taiwan Strait in a sign to China. More recently, in June, USS Normandy participated in a show of strength off Norway, and in September, USS Bunker Hill took part in a massive five-nation drill in the South China Sea.
Though both navies currently have nine cruisers in active service, this will not be the case for long. While China has only just entered the cruiser game, the US Navy has been seeking to decommission its cruisers for years.
The Navy argues that the cruisers have approached, passed, or will soon pass their expected service lives and that the cost of keeping the ships up and running is draining the service of funds and shipyard space.
In 2021, for instance, USS Vella Gulf lasted just one week into a deployment before leaks in a fuel tank required it to return to port. More mechanical problems were soon uncovered, and the ship spent two months undergoing repairs before it could rejoin its carrier strike group.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has even testified to Congress that some of the ships were unsafe. A modernization effort for seven cruisers, meanwhile, went as much as 200% over budget and fell years behind schedule.
The Navy wants to divest from ships it says it doesn't need and invest in new vessels that it argues can adequately fill in for the role of the Ticonderogas in the 21st century, like the new Flight III variant of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
But Congress has so far rejected the Navy's plans to retire all of its remaining cruisers due to fears that they play too important a role in countering China, whose increasing might could be a means to try to seize the island of Taiwan by force.
Four Ticonderogas β Vicksburg, Cowpens, Leyte Gulf, and Antietam β were decommissioned in the last year. On November 4, Del Toro announced that the Navy would operate three cruisers planned to be decommissioned in 2026 into 2029, effectively extending their service lives. The rest are planned to be decommissioned before then.
China, meanwhile, will continue building Type 055s at rates virtually unthinkable to US shipyards.
Benjamin Brimelow is a freelance journalist covering international military and defense issues. He holds a master's degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His work has appeared in Business Insider and the Modern War Institute at West Point.
Located in Bastrop, Texas, Ad Astra is a private preschool that is accepting applications for children aged three to nine. The school's website said that Ad Astra will subsidize tuition for its opening year, after which costs will be set in line with local private schools.
"Ad Astra's approach to education is centered around hands-on, project-based learning, where children are encouraged to explore, experiment, and discover solutions to real-world problems," the website said, adding that its curriculum will be centered on integrating STEM subjects into the classrooms.
A notice from the Texas Health and Human Services Department said the preschool obtained its initial permit on November 14, officially allowing the school to open in 2025. Per the permit, the preschool can admit up to 21 students in its first year of operation. The school's application materials first obtained by Bloomberg said that the school's long-term goal is expanding into a university focused on STEM learning.
While Musk's name does not appear in any of the school's application materials to the state, his foundation donated $100 million to get the preschool up and running, according to tax filings.
As the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and the owner of the social media website Twitter turned X, Musk is not primarily known for his influence on education. However, this isn't his first investment into the field β in 2014, Musk opened a school also named Ad Astra that he created for his kids and the kids of his SpaceX employees, which stopped its in-person operations after Musk's kids graduated.
It's not uncommon for billionaires to donate to schools and universities. Ad Astra's opening, however, comes at a time when President-elect Donald Trump is taking office for his second term. Musk is a close ally of Trump, tasked with leading a new cost-cutting commission called the Department of Government Efficiency. Amid calls to eliminate the Education Department and give states more control over classrooms, Musk could play a key role in shaping education policy by offering advice to Trump and lawmakers. DOGE does not have the power to make any changes on its own.
"I do think we need significant reform in education," Musk said during a Trump campaign event in October.
"The Department of Education seems to regard as its primary duty foisting propaganda on our children as opposed to getting them a good education. It's insane," Musk said. "The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life and leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom."
Ad Astra and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
New priorities for education
Ad Astra's website said it is not a Montessori school, but it operates like one, focusing on child-centered education and individualized lessons. The application form to the school also encourages parental involvement, saying that Ad Astra wants "parents and guardians to be actively involved and share their gifts with the community."
The school's website does not directly reference politics, but Musk, Trump, and other Republican lawmakers' past comments indicate how the GOP would like to shape education under Trump's administration. When Trump announced former wrestling executive Linda McMahon as his education secretary, he wrote in a statement that she would "fight tirelessly to expand 'Choice' to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families."
Reducing the federal Education Department's influence over education has long been a priority for Republican lawmakers. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a series of bills aimed at increasing parents' involvement in classroom curricula and ending "woke" lessons in classrooms.
Trump and Musk's DOGE partner Vivek Ramaswamy have also proposed shutting down the Education Department altogether. Ramaswamy recently blamed the department for kids' poor reading literacy scores.
The emphasis on STEM education at Ad Astra reflects Musk's priorities for hands-on learning that would equip children with the skills he has saidthey'll need to enter the workforce. McMahon has previously expressed support for workforce education programs, suggesting a focus on teaching kids practical skills could be a priority over the next four years.
Are you a parent interested in enrolling your child at Ad Astra? What priorities do you have for education in the US? Share your thoughts with this reporter at [email protected].
Business Insider health writer Rachel Hosie struggled to decide whether to get Botox for her wedding.
She said the decision was made harder by the rise of "undetectable" beauty treatments.
People increasingly look inexplicably ageless, setting what she sees as even less attainable beauty standards.
Getting engaged a year ago was one of the most special and exciting moments of my life.
But wedding planning has come with some tricky decisions: Should I change my name? Is "Mr Brightside" an acceptable first dance song? And should I get Botox for the first time?
I've changed my mind endlessly: perhaps I'll get just a little something to smooth out the lines that, as a 32-year-old woman, have appeared on my forehead in recent years. "No, actually, I won't," I think.
For every sister-in-law warning against the "weird, shiny texture" Botox can give skin, a gym-mate encourages me to do it because I "won't look back."
I worry that Botox will become yet another expense alongside the mani-pedis, hair coloring, and waxing that are quietly expected of women to live up to patriarchal beauty standards, but my feminist principles are what are really causing me to hesitate.
While some men increasingly feel the pressure to look young, the scrutiny women β particularly those in the public eye β face is unrivaled. By erasing those signs of life, would I be part of the problem in a society that, as Anne-Mette Hermans, who studies the sociology of cosmetic procedures, told me, puts on women "a penalty on looking older"?
Deciding whether to get antiaging treatments like Botox isn't a new problem. Still, it feels harder to avoid as aesthetic treatments and surgeries become more subtle and less detectable and, in turn, make everyone look inexplicably ageless β setting even less attainable beauty standards.
I know that women are valued for looking young
Christine Hall, an aesthetic doctor at London's Taktouk Clinic, told me that since the COVID pandemic, skincare has replaced makeup as the aesthetic focus for many women and girls. This reflects a shift from the heavily made-up look of the mid-2010s β with many celebrities revealing they've had filler removed β toward looking "natural" and effortless.
Of course, by "natural," we mean young.
I've never worn a lot of makeup and am happy to go out and about bare-faced, so I was pleased that societal expectations changed. But the focus shifting from makeup to antiaging just as my first wrinkles appeared made me feel uneasy.
Antiaging has been big business for centuries, as Western cultures traditionally value women for beauty and fertility, which are seen as synonymous with youth. These ideals followed women when they entered the workforce in greater numbers.
"A beautiful appearance, especially for women, can definitely lead to advantages on the relationship market, but also in terms of jobs, in terms of promotions, in terms of so many different things," Hermans, an assistant professor studying cosmetic procedures at the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, said.
Psychologists point to a phenomenon called the "halo effect," where people unconsciously assume an attractive person has positive traits, such as trustworthiness and intelligence. A 2021 study from researchers at the University of Buffalo found that people perceived as attractive "are more likely to get hired, receive better evaluations, and get paid more."
So wanting to cling to our youth makes sense, and I don't shame anyone for having treatments like Botox.
I like my skin, but I wonder if I should get Botox when I see women without lines on their faces.
Rachel Hosie
After the FDA approved Botox for cosmetic use in 2002, Gen X started the trend of facial "tweakments" in earnest. It was taken to new heights by millennials amid the rise of social media and filters that made them appear wrinkle-free. The Kardashian-esque "Instagram face" quickly became ubiquitous.
Now, increasing numbers of Gen Zers are getting "baby Botox" in their 20s in the hope of preventing wrinkles. (Some practitioners, however, won't administer Botox to line-free faces as it can actually make people look older and, if done incorrectly, lead to muscle atrophy and sagging).
While the US has tighter regulations around cosmetic treatments than some countries, it's remarkably easy in the UK, where I'm from, to find someone who will administer Botox β whether at a "home salon" or your dentist.
"The idea of tweaking things in your own body and especially the face, it's become far, far more normalized," Hermans said.
Gen Alpha, children born after 2010, is seemingly set to continue down the same path, with the emergence of "Sephora kids" who are as young as 10 and save their pocket money to buy expensive antiaging products they don't need.
"When I was 16 or 17, it was all about blue eyeshadow and putting on as much foundation as possible. And now obviously the trend is kids wanting Drunk Elephant products and acids on their skin," Hall told me.
Dr. Christine Hall has seen aesthetic trends change over time.
Mike Blackett for BI
Commenting more widely on beauty trends, Hall added: "Nobody wants to wear makeup. Everyone wants to have natural, glowing skin." At the same time, aesthetic treatments are "much more acceptable now," she said.
This combination has in part ushered in what's dubbed the "undetectable" era of beauty. In recent months, the faces of Lindsay Lohan, 38, and Christina Aguilera, 44, have been the subjects of online fascination because they suddenly looked dramatically younger without the tell-tale signs of cosmetic treatments.
Lindsay Lohan in October 2019 (left) and November 2024.
Santiago Felipe/Getty Images, James Devaney/GC Images
For the average person who doesn't have the same resources as celebrities, this presents a paradox between wanting the result of treatments to look natural while also making enough of a difference to justify the price tag.
Earlier this year, I tried what I had hoped would be the holy grail of antiaging treatments: "microtox," for a hefty cost of Β£495 ($657).
Popular in Korea but relatively new in the West, diluted Botox is injected into the skin's surface rather than muscles, preventing a frozen-looking face.
I hoped my skin would be wrinkle-free while maintaining all movement and expression. While my skin glowed, the effect on my fine lines was negligible and wore off over a couple of months.
My face before microtox (left) and two weeks after.
Rachel Hosie
So, when I look at photos of myself in the run-up to my wedding and wince at my forehead lines, I think, sure, Botox may be contributing to low self-esteem among women, but we can't change the world overnight.
If everyone else is giving in and walking around with shiny, smooth foreheads, maybe I should, too?
I want to look like myself at my wedding
It's now less than six months until my wedding, and considering most people get Botox every three to six months, I've nearly run out of time to do a trial run.
Hermans told me that a big predictor of whether someone will get any kind of aesthetic treatment is whether those in their social circle have done so. None of my close friends have had Botox β yet.
For now, I've decided not to get Botox.
While I may have crinkles and lines on my face, I also know who I am, which I was still working out a decade ago. My face looks like me, lines included. Just as my muscle definition reflects my love of strength training, my forehead lines reflect that I've embraced life.
I still have moments where I catch my reflection in harsh lighting or an action shot photo and don't like what I see. But perhaps reframing how I think about my looks is the answer, not Botox. After all, trying to "fix" everything you dislike about your appearance is an expensive path to go down.
When I'm smiling at my new husband on our wedding day, I want him and everyone else to be able to see my joy β forehead wrinkles and all.
Microsoft's earnings calls are typically led by CEO Satya Nadella.
Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images
Microsoft holds quarterly earnings calls to discuss the company's financial performance.
In 2024, earnings calls touched on topics like the Activision Blizzard acquisition, AI, and layoffs.
Here's what to know about Microsoft's revenues, profits, and more.
Information about Microsoft's earnings is released publicly at the end of each quarter of the fiscal year. For Microsoft, this is done during an earnings call usually hosted by CEO Satya Nadella.
An earnings call consists of company executives laying out the current state of the company's financial situation and explaining how the company performed over the course of the closing quarter. It also involves projections about upcoming fiscal performance. These calls are closely watched by investors, economists, and regulators.
In 2024, some of the major themes on these earnings calls were the advancement of AI tools like Copilot, which was first launched in late 2023, and layoffs at Microsoft, largely in the company's gaming division.
Microsoft Q1 earnings 2025
Things were going well for Microsoft as of the October 2024 earnings call which covered the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year calendar. Revenues were just over $65.6 billion, a 16% increase year-over-year.
Among the specifics discussed were a 10% increase in revenue for LinkedIn and a 61% increase in revenues for Xbox "content and services."
The company reportedly returned $9 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks. On October 30, Microsoft's stock price was trading at around $432 per share.
Microsoft Q4 earnings 2024
The July 2024 earnings call was mostly filled with good news. Amy Hood, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Microsoft reported that the quarterly revenue was $64.7 billion, which was up 15% over the previous quarter.
Hood also reported that share prices were up $2.95 over the previous quarter. (On July 30, 2024, Microsoft share prices were at $4.22.92 per share at the close of the market.) Q4 was the best quarter of the fiscal year for Microsoft.
Not all the news was good, though: revenues for Xbox video game console hardware fell by 42%, and this drop surely helped account for large round of layoffs in Microsoft's gaming division.
Microsoft Q3 earnings 2024
Microsoft's revenues for the third quarter of the 2024 fiscal year were almost as strong as those of the fourth quarter. In April 2024, the company reported overall revenues of $61.9 billion for the months of January, February, and March of that year, a 17% year-over-year increase.
Revenues increased for platforms like LinkedIn and software suites like Office 365, but decreased for some physical device sales. Share prices increased by $2.94 on average. And Xbox "content and services revenue" increased by 62%, this increase coming only a few months after Microsoft's acquisition of the gaming company Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft Q2 earnings 2024
In the months of October, November, and December of 2023, the second quarter of the 2024 fiscal year, revenue was almost the same as the following Q3. Q2 revenues were $62 billion, a 18% YOY increase.
The massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard concluded during the early days of this quarter, with the software company laying out $69 billion to acquire the gaming company. And artificial intelligence was top-of-mind for Nadella, who said in the earnings call that "we've moved from talking about AI to applying AI at scale. By infusing AI across every layer of our tech stack, we're winning new customers and helping drive new benefits and productivity gains across every sector."
Microsoft earnings history
Like most major tech companies, Microsoft spent 2024 adjusting to the post-pandemic slump in what some are calling a tech industry recession.
At the same time, a fiercely competitive AI arms race has proven challenging, even with Microsoft's 2023 launch of Copilot.
In 2020, the peak year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft's annual revenues were $143 billion. 2021 saw an increase to $168 billion, while 2022 saw another jump to $198 billion in revenues. In 2023, Microsoft revenues were $211 billion, and when you add all those quarters of FY24 up, you'll see its 2024 fiscal year revenues were a healthy $245 billion.
Explosives experts said the level of damage of the Las Vegas blast was likely limited in part because of the materials used and the execution of the apparent attack.
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Experts told BI the explosives detonated in an apparent attack outside a Trump hotel didn't appear sophisticated.
One explosives expert said the incident, where the driver was an active-duty Army service member, appeared "poorly executed."
Authorities said the explosives were "not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience."
Explosive experts told Business Insider the damage from the materials detonated inside a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas would likely have been worse if the items used had been more sophisticated.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to social media in the wake of the incident to praise the Cybertruck's design and suggest it helped limit the damage of the explosion.
Nick Glumac, a mechanical science and engineering professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told BI thatthe volume of the explosion was likely due to the types of explosives used. Glumac said this was a "poorly executed" incident if the intent was to cause major damage.
"It would be very difficult to get the types of fuels here to make into a large scale destruction kind of event," Glumac said.
Glumac said similar improvised explosive device blasts look very different from what occurred on January 1. He also pointed to the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, when Army veteran Timothy McVeigh detonated an explosive-laden rental truck that killed 168 people and reduced a third of the federal building to rubble.
"That was very carefully planned. They knew what they were doing," Glumac said about the Oklahoma City Bombing, adding that the Cybertruck explosion on January 1, by contrast, appeared "very improvised."
'The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience'
Car and truck bombs were a key feature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,to which the suspect deployed at least three times. In many of those instances, vehicles were packed with enough explosives to blast fortified positions or take down buildings. The war in Ukraine has similarly suggested that heavily armored vehicles and tanks can be used as rolling car bombs.
Officials spoke about the explosive materials used in the incident during a Thursday press conference.
"The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,"Kenny Cooper, an assistant special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said at a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police press conference, adding that most of the materials in the vehicle were to "help fuel a greater explosion."
Ali Rangwala, a fire protection engineering professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, said that the driver may have miscalculated the explosion, and it might not have been released instantaneously.
"Some of the explosives might not have triggered on time systematically," Rangwala said.
"The only way to create an instantaneous energy release, as in the case of a bomb, is for all of the energetic material to ignite in micro- or milli-seconds," Jim Wesevich, a global service line leader of forensics at safety and security firm Jensen Hughes, told BI in written commentary.
A military official told BI that Livelsberger "wasn't a bomb maker." But his military occupational specialty (MOS) within the 10th Special Forces Group was 18Z, making him a special forces operations sergeant, which the Army says, "trains and maintains proficiency in all major duties associated with Special Forces."
Cooper said it was too early to know if there was "sophisticated connectivity" to the components or to "give any determination" as to how the explosion was initiated. Officials said they discovered consumer fireworks, mortars, aerial shells, fuel enhancers, and explosive targets that Cooper said could be purchased at "any sporting goods store."
Experts say a vehicle's design may shape the trajectory of a blast
Elon Musk, in a social media post Wednesday, called the Cybertruck the "worst possible choice for a car bomb, as its stainless steel armor will contain the blast better than any other commercial vehicle."
Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the Cybertruck's design helped limit the explosion.
"The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up and through the truck and out," McMahill said in a briefing.
Rangwala said the damage may have been partly limited because a Cybertruck's roof, which includes a large glass pane, would clear pressure from inside the vehicle early in the explosion. The pressure from an explosion would be felt on all sides equally if it wasn't relieved by going upward through the roof, he said.
Glumac and Brian Meacham, an engineer and director of risk and regulatory consulting at Crux Consulting LLC who spoke to BI over email, said that they would have expected similar scenarios if the incident took place in a traditional pickup truck.
Michael Villahermosa, a US Army commander with a background in explosive ordnance disposal, said on X that photos of the items used in the blast suggest the explosives were "poorly constructed and poorly thought out."
As he said on X, "People are using the Las Vegas bombing to show the quality of the Cybertruck," when, in his view, "it shows the quality of the explosive device that was used."
Staff writer Ryan Pickrell contributed to this report.
