• When my sister was dying of breast cancer, she made me promise I'd live my life to the fullest.
• At first, I didn't follow through, but eventually I found the courage to act on my promise.
• I decided to move on my own to a beach town, where I met my husband.

When my older sister called to let me know that the painful lump in her breast was not a clogged milk duct from nursing her newborn, my world shattered. My 31-year-old sister was diagnosed with stage 3C breast cancer.

I immediately purchased a one-way plane ticket to stay with her and help with my 2-year-old nephew and newborn niece. Over the next two and a half years, I watched my once strong and bossy sister slowly become bedridden. She then became unable to walk or breathe without oxygen.

In our final conversation, I told her I wished I could take her place. After all, I had no children and was in an unhappy marriage. My sister replied that she was glad it was her and not me. She said she wanted me to have children and truly experience life.

She then asked me to promise to live a life for both of us, doing the things she wouldn't be able to do. She encouraged me to create happiness despite whatever difficult decisions I'd have to make. I made her that promise, altering my life forever.

At first, I couldn't handle the grief and ignored the promise I made

Her passing, though ultimately expected, rocked my sense of mortality and shattered me. We had always talked about growing old together in a nursing home and bickering with each other when we were 95, sharing a room like we did when we were kids.

At 27, I was deeply cognizant that I had no guarantee of time. Like everyone else, I thought I had decades before thinking about mortality, let alone a bucket list.

I was in denial for years. I lacked direction, strength, and self-worth.

Running became my outlet for grief. When I'd get tired and wanted to stop, I pictured my sister in her wheelchair, gasping for air, and took another step for her.

After my sister died, I had no mental or emotional energy to deal with my failing marraige. Having a baby didn't fix it.

I wondered if this was the life my sister envisioned for me as she was dying. Suddenly, I knew it wasn't. At 29, I finally admitted I was anything but happy and knew it was time to make a change.

I eventually acted on the promise I made with my sister

Braving the judgment I knew I'd face, I left my marriage and moved states with my infant and two large dogs to fulfill my dream of living near the beach despite having no family nearby to help. I started saying "yes" to more things and tackling my newly created bucket list.

An opportunity to visit Hawaii arose, and I jumped on it. In just one week, I skydived, got scuba certified, hiked a mountain at sunrise, and swam with sharks.

Keeping my promise to her — to say yes, to create happiness — changed everything. I gained confidence and self-esteem. That transformation led me to my life partner and now-husband, whom I met on the beach. We got engaged and married on that same sand.

Having my second child with him and feeling renewed in my career and personal relationships, I now live a life my 90-year-old self — and my sister — would be proud of.

I choose myself daily and remove what doesn't serve me. Every year, I celebrate aging; each birthday I see means I'm still alive, and I will never take that for granted.

I still live near the same beach where I rebuilt my life, and my car is covered in sand, dog hair, kids' toys, and sunscreen — just as I had always hoped.

• Inventor James Dyson has talked about the importance of embracing "failure" in work and life.
• "I've always said mine is a life of failure," the British billionaire told The Wall Street Journal in an interview.
• He's created thousands of prototypes over his career and also scrapped plans to enter the EV market.

Inventor James Dyson is famous for his namesake vacuums which use his patented cyclone technology. His net worth is $16.8 billion per Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.

But he says that, "mine is a life of failure."

In a video interview with The Wall Street Journal published Saturday. Dyson — who said he created 5,127 prototypes over five years before launching his bagless vacuum cleaner in 1993 — said that embracing failure was essential to life.

"It's true for writers and filmmakers and all sorts of people. It's a life of failure. It takes a long time before you find the one that works," he said. "You just have to get used to that."

Dyson, 77, said he enjoyed the misfires and struggles he's had across his career, saying that real wisdom comes from experience.

"At school, you're taught to get the answer right the first time," he said. While a clever student may get to the answer quickly, he said, they are at a disadvantage to those who take their time getting to an answer, as they haven't "viscerally experienced failure and overcoming failure."

For Dyson, resilience and adaptability are some of the most important skills someone can learn. "Life is about making things work," he said.

He continued: "That's what you have to do. It's trial and error. When something works, it's less challenging, it's less interesting."

Aside from the many prototypes it took him to invent the first vacuum with his namesake brand, Dyson famously abandoned plans to enter the electric car market in 2019 after spending more than $600 million on developing a vehicle that he came to realize was not commercially viable.

"The route to success is never linear. This is not the first project which has changed direction and it will not be the last," he wrote in a letter announcing the decision.

He said of his scrapped EV vehicle, "I could see that it was just too risky."

• "You" star Charlotte Ritchie, who plays Kate Lockwood, spoke to BI about the fifth and final season.
• Ritchie reacted to Kate's fate and said she was "on the fence" about what should happen to her.
• The actor also gave her opinion on how Joe's story ends.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for season five of Netflix's "You."

The final chapter of Netflix's hit series "You" has arrived, and star Charlotte Ritchie is (mostly) thrilled that her character, Kate Lockwood, made it out alive.

The fifth season of "You," released on Thursday, picks up three years after Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and Kate move back to his hometown of New York City at the end of season four. Everything is going well for the now-married power couple, but Joe's dark side can only be suppressed for so long, and once it reemerges and reinvigorates him, their relationship becomes fraught.

Ritchie told Business Insider that Kate has known all along that this is who Joe is — she's just been in denial about it. This season is "a real lesson in accepting the reality of your situation," Ritchie said.

When Kate finally sees clearly, she decides that the only way to stop Joe is to kill him.

"She is genuinely afraid of him and what he can do," Ritchie explained. "I think she just sees how this man consistently gets away with everything, and she's like, 'He has to not exist anymore for us to be safe. There's no system in the world that could keep him from us.'"

Kate recruits Joe's season three love interest Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle) and season four character Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman) to help her. This is one way the final season weaves together loose ends from the series and provides closure for other fan-favorite characters.

"What I love about this series is that they really lean into the genre. They really lean into the history of the show," Ritchie said. "I think it does the whole narrative justice."

In one dramatic moment in the penultimate episode, after getting into a physical altercation, Kate and Joe end up on the floor of Mooney's basement as the bookstore goes up in flames.

Resigned and more truthful than ever and thinking they've both reached their end, Joe admits that he killed Kate's dad and murdered Love. Relieved, Kate reveals that she secretly recorded Joe's confession and will be sending it to the authorities.

"You got me," Joe says. "You can die happy."

It's a scene that, like many in the show, finds the humor in unconventional moments.

"I love that that's in there, just Kate and Joe both quite dryly commenting on how absurd it is and how sad that they're both going to die," Ritchie said. "I just think it's a great scene. I think it's really well written."

Neither Kate nor Joe dies in that moment, and Ritchie has complicated feelings about her character escaping the fire.

"I was so happy because I've grown to really love this character, and I found it was so fun to get to be right in the midst of getting him," Ritchie said. "But I also felt like if there's ever a poetic justice in death, there was some justice in Kate going down with him."

"I really don't believe in people dying because they've done bad things, but in the world of the justice of this show, there's such a redemptive element to Kate's demise that it would've been OK," she added.

With Joe locked up for life in the finale, Ritchie said she's happy that Henry has a consistent and stable parent. But still, Kate's not innocent.

"She's done some pretty dastardly things and she's got herself into scrapes and been responsible for a lot of people's downfalls," Ritche said. "So yeah, I was on the fence as to what should happen to her, but I was obviously really pleased that she comes through."

"You" co-showrunners Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo previously told BI that they are prepared for fans to have varying reactions to Joe's fate in the finale and their choice to put him behind bars. Ritchie, too, is still grappling with that conclusion.

"I feel so mixed about it," she said.

After multiple seasons of seeing Joe do terrible, gruesome things, she's not sure what ending could adequately bookend his story.

"There is no fate that matches a life like that," Ritchie said. "But I do feel like the isolation is a good punishment for him. The thing is, I just don't get any sense that he's going to reflect or grow. It's not going to be a formative or spiritual experience for him. Broadly, it isn't for people. As far as I can tell, solitary confinement just seems to wear people down, except for some kind of amazing exceptions."

Case in point: in the final scene, Joe reads a creepy fan letter and says that maybe the problem isn't him — perhaps it's society.

"I do find the letter-writing thing quite an interesting twist, and his ability to turn it back onto his admirers and these women who have been asking to be involved with him," Ritchie said. "He'll never accept responsibility."

As the press tour for season five winds down, Ritchie already misses the cast and crew, including her frequent scene partner Badgley.

"I love Penn," Ritchie said. "I think he's such a decent and thoughtful and committed actor. He's such a lovely friend. He's very funny. And he commits to that role in a way that means that when you are working with him, you can do the same."

After seeing Kate go from closed-off and cold to blossoming in the final season, Ritchie is going to miss exploring more sides of her.

"And I'll miss the outrageous scenarios that are constant. Like, the nonstop drama, the daily, different high-octane situations where people are constantly about to extort somebody or about to kill somebody," she said. "That kind of level of high drama, I'll miss."

Season five of "You" is now streaming on Netflix.

• I'm from Maui, and there are spots I recommend for visitors and things I suggest they avoid.
• Some of the best things for tourists to do in Hawaii is visit Haleakala National Park or Twin Falls.
• Proceed with caution if you plan to drive the Road to Hana or go to Makena State Park.

As a born and raised Hawaii resident, navigating the beauty of Maui has been both a privilege and a joy.

While serving as a tour guide for loved ones who've visited, I've crafted a list of must-see attractions and identified spots that don't live up to the hype or, in some cases, may even pose risks.

So, consider this list a local perspective on the best ways to appreciate Maui's wonders — and which places or activities might be worth skipping.

Experience an authentic luau in Lahaina

A luau provides a glimpse into Polynesian culture through traditional cuisine, music, dance, and insightful education on history and cultural practices.

The award-winning Old Lahaina Luau has always been a personal favorite. Although the property sustained fire damage, it has since reopened and continues to welcome guests with its renowned spirit of aloha.

Let the luau staff and performers — many of whom are longtime Lahaina residents — transport the audience back in time to ancient Hawaii with the Pacific Ocean as a serene backdrop.

The evening includes a captivating performance paired with a multicourse meal with dishes like locally sourced ʻulu (breadfruit) hummus, kalua pork cooked in an imu (traditional Hawaiian underground oven), and fresh-caught fish.

Explore rare landscapes and vegetation at Haleakala National Park

One of my favorite activities while growing up on Maui was spontaneously driving up to Haleakala National Park (home to the island's dormant volcano) to watch the sunrise.

The park is a great spot for a sunset or a daytime hike, whether you want to try a short walk to a viewpoint or a full-day hike into the crater.

Drink in the sunset and cocktails at Ocean Organic Vodka

Nestled on the slopes of Haleakala is an 80-acre organic farm and distillery that produces Ocean Organic Vodka and other liquor, including my personal favorite, Kula Rum.

Guests can take a guided tour of the farm and distillery that's followed by a tasting.

Alternatively, head straight to the al fresco Cafe at The Point to enjoy dishes like poke nachos, teriyaki chicken sandwich, and an array of cocktails. With its panoramic views of the Maui landscape, this is the perfect place to catch a sunset.

Connect with the local community at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center is a venue for education and entertainment, including performances of Hawaiian music and dance as well as cultural programs and gallery exhibitions.

Some standout events include the annual Slack Key Guitar Festival, with live music, and the Maui Brewers Festival, with beer and food tastings.

Plus, there are shows by renowned musicians, comedians, and much more all year round.

Have family-friendly fun at the Twin Falls

This leisurely hike through Wailele Farm includes various waterfalls and fresh-water pools that are fun for all ages to swim in.

The path to the upper falls is only about a mile roundtrip and is an ideal place to immerse yourself in some of Hawaii's natural wonders.

The family-owned-and-operated farm also grows more than 350 species of tropical plants. Try a taste of fresh produce like mangoes, lilikoi (passion fruit), coconuts, and more — all of which are available for purchase at the on-property Wailele Farm Stand.

Be sure to check trail conditions before heading out, as there can be closures due to flooding.

On the other hand, don't play in the waves at Makena State Park

Makena State Park, also known as Big Beach, is a popular spot for experienced surfers, but I don't recommend coming here if you want to float around or go for a swim.

The shorebreak can be dangerous, and the powerful waves frequently create hazardous conditions. Although there are sometimes lifeguards on duty, even experienced swimmers can struggle to keep up in the waters here.

The waves may look fun to play in, but the risk simply isn't worth the potential reward.

Be discerning about driving on the Road to Hana

Hana is my favorite place on Earth, but the road to get there is treacherous, with dozens of one-lane bridges and hundreds of curves, many of which are on the edge of a cliff.

This journey is not recommended for novice drivers or those who are prone to getting carsick. Parking is also an issue, as the narrow roads don't provide much room to pull over.

Instead of driving yourself, consider booking an official tour with a professional guide if you want to visit the Road to Hana.

It's better to view the Nakalele Blowhole from a distance

The Nakalele Blowhole is a natural wonder that's caused by ocean waves shooting through an underwater lava tube to create a geyser-like spout.

It's certainly a sight to behold, but witnessing it up close requires hiking across rocky terrain. This can be dangerous if you have children or other curious souls who could venture too close and slip on the rocks or (worst case scenario) get sucked in.

Instead, consider just enjoying the sprays of water from a distance.

A hike on Waihee Ridge Trail can be great, but only in the right conditions

The Waihee Ridge Trail is stunning but fickle. The trail typically has one of two extremes: It's either hot and sunny with minimal shade or covered in slippery mud on a steep slope with no views from the top due to thick clouds.

Even my friend who's an avid hiker wasn't inclined to hit the Waihee Ridge Trail when they visited.

It's really only worth going on this hike if you go early in the morning on a day with great weather. Otherwise, your trek may be a lot more taxing than it might be worth in the end.

Leave jumping off Black Rock to professional cliff divers

At the north end of Kaanapali Beach stands Black Rock, which is a popular cliff-jumping spot about a dozen feet (or more in some places) above the water.

It's frequented by locals as well as hotel employees who light torches along the rocks before diving into the water at sunset most evenings.

However, cliff diving can be extremely dangerous, especially when done without proper precautions, supervision, or prep.

Even if you don't get seriously hurt, it's still painful if you hit the water wrong, and you're sure to hear commiserating cries from onlookers — something I know from personal experience.

There are also strong currents around Black Rock, so please carefully consider entering the water.

• Facebook is testing a downvote feature for comment sections. It's designed to cut down on spam.
• It would allow you to downvote comments that aren't "useful."
• Facebook has tested a dislike or downvote button before, but it never stuck. Will this be different?

Mark Zuckerberg has vowed to make Facebook great again, and Meta announced a tiny new feature that might be a step toward that goal.

As part of a series of features and policies aiming to cut down on spammy content, Facebook is testing a "downvote" button for comment sections. This would allow people to anonymously downvote comments that they deem less "useful."

This wouldn't be the first time something like this has come up. For nearly as long as the "like" button has existed (since 2009), the masses have yearned for a "dislike" button. Meta has toyed around with testing a feature like this, but ultimately has never done it.

Back in 2016, Facebook added the extra "reaction" emojis (smiling, laughing, hugging, loving). Geoff Teehan, a product design director at Facebook at the time, wrote a Medium post in 2016: "About a year ago, Mark [Zuckerberg] brought together a team of people to start thinking seriously about how to make the Like button more expressive."

Teehan explained why they went with additional reactions instead of just a "thumbs down" emoji:

We first needed to consider how many different reactions we should include. This might seem like a pretty straightforward task: Just slap a thumbs down next to the Like button and ship it. It's not nearly that simple though.

People need a much higher degree of sophistication and richness in what choices we provide for their communications. Binary 'like' and 'dislike' doesn't properly reflect how we react to the vast array of things we encounter in our real lives.

In 2017, Facebook also tested out a "thumbs down" reaction button for Messenger. This would've been similar to the Apple iMessage reactions that launched in the fall of 2016 and included a thumbs-down emoji.

Instagram has also considered something like this. In February of this year, Instagram head Adam Mosseri posted about a test of downvoting Instagram comments:

But will people understand what the downvote arrow actually means? Will they use it on comments that are extraneous and actually not "useful," or will they use it to try to crush comments they don't agree with or don't like?

I asked Meta about this, and a spokesperson told me that, unlike past tests of a dislike or thumbs-down button, this test will explicitly tell users that it's about being useful —a little text bubble below the button will say, "Let us know which comments aren't useful."

The test is still just a test. It might not actually end up being rolled out. Personally, I think that less-useful comments are less of a burning issue than some of the other AI-slop stuff on Facebook. (Facebook is working on combating some of that, too.) But hey, that's just my questionably useful comment.

• United Airlines is investing in a revolutionary new aircraft type.
• The head of its latest venture, a jet with one big wing, said it will be like a "living room in the sky."
• The 'blended-wing body' plane built by startup JetZero could replace United's older Boeing jets.

United Airlines is investing billions of dollars in funky new aircraft, including electric air taxis and a supersonic jet. Up next? A plane that's essentially one giant wing.

The airline on Thursday unveiled a plan to buy up to 200 of the 'blended-wing body' aircraft from California-based aerospace startup JetZero. The startup wants to compete with Airbus and Boeing by creating a plane that burns half the fuel of a similarly sized, traditional tube-and-wing plane.

The 250-passenger "Z4" aircraft is not yet certified, but the company is aiming for a 2030 commercial launch and successfully flew a subscale prototype in 2024.

Andrew Chang, the managing director of United Airlines Ventures, the division that funds these innovation-focused investments, told Business Insider the Z4's oversized wing could create a "living room in the sky."

"Everything around the customer travel experience — how they sit in the plane, board, and deplane, and how [crewmembers] serve them — can be reinvented around the new space within this new aircraft design," he said.

Chang added that the conditional purchase agreement relies on JetZero's ability to prove its revolutionary design with a full-sized demonstrator by 2027 and meet United's operational and business requirements on things like cost, fuel burn, and safety.

But he was confident JetZero, which the US Air Force has also backed, could deliver: "If you look at the management team, there's a lot of institutional experience and knowledge there from companies like Airbus and Boeing."

More wing means more cabin real estate

JetZero's futuristic plane combines the wings and fuselage into a single lifting surface. This unique airframe dramatically widens the cabin, allowing United to accommodate over a dozen seats per row.

Widebody passenger aircraft today max out at 10-abreast rows. The densest configuration ever proposed was 11 seats across on the world's largest commercial airliner, the Airbus A380 — though no carriers signed on.

The Z4 will be shorter than traditional dual-aisle planes. Chang said that instead of 20 or 30 rows of seats, there may be only 10 or 15.

There would also be more aisles for navigating the cabin, and up to four entry doors, improving boarding and deplaning efficiency.

Chang added that there would be economy and premium seats with Starlink WiFi and media to create a living-room-like vibe and likely some reimagined spaces: "Every square foot of real estate, you want to have revenue passengers on it," he said.

It's unclear what new spaces United could develop, but JetZero competitor Natilus has some ideas for its in-development 200-person blended-wing aircraft design called Horizon.

Speaking to BI in October, Natilus CEO Aleksey Matyushev said Horizon could accommodate lounge or playroom areas. He added that this could offset the possible complaint of the longer rows reducing the number of window seats.

Delta Air Lines is also working with JetZero as a partner developer. It said the cabin could accommodate accessible seats and lavatories, and dedicated overhead bin space for every passenger.

Alaska Airlines' investment, which also has the option for plane orders, said the airframe would provide a quieter flying experience.

JetZero could replace some of United's old Boeing planes

JetZero said its Z4 plane's better lift and lower drag could cut fuel burn by up to 50% per passenger mile while still flying up to about 5,750 miles nonstop. It would use conventional jet engines and run on traditional or sustainable aviation fuel.

Chang said this efficiency and subsequent cost cuts could make the new jet a replacement for midsize airplanes like the Boeing 757 and the Boeing 767. United plans to retire these older aircraft by 2026 and 2030, respectively.

For example, United said in a press release that a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, would use up to 45% less fuel than the twin-aisle aircraft flying the route today.

United's Boeing 767 operates that summer seasonal transatlantic trek. JetZero's new aircraft could take over, and it would fit into the existing airport infrastructure on both sides of the pond.

JetZero's expected commercialization is years away. United plans to take on next-generation aircraft like the Airbus A321XLR and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as more immediate and reliable replacements for the 757 and 767.

If certified, JetZero's aircraft would provide United with another high-range, high-capacity, and cost-effective fleet option that could comfortably sit in between.

It would have more range and capacity than the A321XLR but less than United's 787-9 and 787-10. The Z4 could hold a handful more people than the airline's smallest Dreamliner variant, the 787-8.

"We believe [JetZero] is a game changer; this is a different way to reinvent aviation," Chang said.

• To celebrate my 500th day sober, my husband and I went on an expedition cruise.
• Traveling sober used to be a bit of a struggle, but I realized it makes my vacations so much better.
• I remember more of my trip and feel more physically able to do everything I want to do.

It's been more than 520 days since I last had an alcoholic beverage. It feels like quite an accomplishment, considering in my pre-sobriety days, I'd been known to polish off an entire bottle of wine in one evening or skip my early-morning gym workout due to a hangover. Since I'd hit the legal drinking age, my vacations had been synonymous with cocktails by the pool and rosé on the patio, so one of my biggest worries in my early days of sobriety was what travel would look like when I wasn't drinking.

Soon after I stopped drinking alcohol, I traveled on an expedition cruise, whale-watching in Mexico through National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions. I remember being thrilled for the experience, but also nervous about the all-inclusive alcohol on the ship.

Staying sober on vacation was easier than I thought, but it was a struggle to watch other passengers, including my husband, throw back a few glasses of wine at dinner or sip craft cocktails at the ship's bar.

I've often been told sobriety is a muscle, and the more you exercise it, the easier it gets to pass up booze. It's true: Since my first sober vacation, I've visited an all-inclusive resort in St. Vincent, stayed alcohol-free during a solo trip to London, and even faced my fears at some of my favorite Florida theme park Halloween events without liquid courage. So when my husband and I talked about taking a trip together to celebrate making it to 500 days sober — this time, an expedition cruise around Portugal's Azores islands — I didn't worry at all.

An expedition cruise felt like the perfect vacation for celebrating my sobriety wins

On our cruise around the Azores, we stopped at seven islands and spent our days hiking, walking, and exploring. We learned about Azorean history and culture, ate some incredible local dishes, saw breathtaking views, and hit lots of cafés and shops in quaint Azorean towns. In the evenings, we sat at communal dinner tables with other guests and had great conversations late into the night. The trip was unique and special, and being sober throughout every moment of it felt like the perfect way to enjoy it.

I'm more physically able to enjoy my travels

Expedition cruises are among the most physically demanding trips I've ever taken. Not only are there full days of hiking and walking around towns, but there are lots of stairs aboard the ship and activities like early-morning stretch classes. Most days begin with an early-morning wake-up call around 6 or 7 a.m., followed by a mad dash to get ready, eat breakfast, and disembark the ship for adventure.

Had I been staying up late drinking and waking up hungover, I'd never have enjoyed these activities as much as I did. What's more, I was overwhelmed with pride each time I succeeded at completing a difficult hike, since in my drinking days, my physical health wasn't as good as it is now.

I make more memories now

When I traveled and drank alcohol, there were always parts of my vacation that were a blur. Too many Aperol spritzes in Italy, and I can only remember a day we spent in Florence through photos. Bottles of wine poolside on a Caribbean cruise? There are blocks of that day I barely recall. Traveling sober has allowed me to remember more of my vacations, like when we were picked to sleep overnight in one of the heated igloos on our ship's upper deck.

Where I previously would have had several cocktails and fallen asleep, I'll now remember having a candle-lit sleepover with my husband in a glass igloo as we looked at the stars and watched movies on my iPad. In fact, all of my memories of the trip, from hiking to the top of a volcano to watching dolphins swim alongside our ship, are permanent fixtures in my booze-free brain.

Sobriety has only made travel better

Looking back at the expedition cruise we took last year, when I was only a few months sober, I wish I could tell that version of myself how much better travel would continue to get without alcohol. My biggest focus during travel used to be my next drink, and now I spend vacations breathing in the fresh ocean air, proving how strong my body is through hiking, and appreciating local cuisine, which tastes way better when not drowned in alcoholic drinks.

I'm more present, more relaxed, more energetic, and more ready to enjoy everything I do and see on my trip. Travel has only gotten better in more than 500 days of sobriety, and I've been able to enjoy every moment in every destination.

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

Welcome back to our Saturday edition! Oscar-nominated actor Demi Moore eats a meat-free diet, but there's one guilty pleasure she can't live without.

On the agenda:

• Why eating too much protein might backfire in the long term.
• Everyone used to want "Instagram face." Now, "K-face" is all the rage.
• The clothes and shoes that successful women swear by.
• A couple spent $1.7 million on two Bali villas that they rent out for parties.

But first: Leave the kids at home.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

Grown-up getaway

There's nothing like a family vacation, but every once in a while, you really do need adults-only fun. Think about it: You can properly relax with no unexpected (well, maybe) interruptions as you unplug.

Lucky for us, there are plenty of options to enjoy kid-free fun — from cruises to hotels.

Adults-only resorts cater to grown-ups, whether you're looking for a tranquil afternoon at the spa, adventure on nearby hiking trails, or delight in fine dining.

Brittany Chang, BI's senior visual features reporter, took readers inside Hyatt Vivid's first-ever adults-only all-inclusive resort in Cancún, Mexico, and it's a perfect paradise for travelers looking for something more casual. It doesn't mean there aren't plenty of activities to do.

"Guests can sign up for mezcal tastings or booze it up at the property's six watering holes, including a swim-up bar in the rooftop pool," she writes, adding that guests can also "sweat it out in an underwater cycling class, or take a 10-minute bus to Ennea Beach Club."

There are also adults-only cruises that still offer the space to act like a kid. BI's travel reporter Joey Hadden went on one with Virgin Voyages and was surprised to find not only a tattoo parlor on board, but also an actual playground.

"The cruise ship playground was surrounded by fun activities, like a human-size chess set, a boxing ring, and a net suspended above an ocean view," Hadden writes. "If there had been children around, I wouldn't have felt comfortable taking up space on this playground. Surrounded by only adults, however, I felt free to enjoy these activities."

Convinced yet? Great! Call the sitter.

POV: protein overload

Protein-maxxing is the latest obsession in health, fitness, and longevity. Still, there is such a thing as too much protein.

Our bodies can't store it past a certain point, and the excess sometimes crowds out other necessary nutrients. Doctors and dietitians told BI what happens when you overdo it.

They also shared how to consume the right amount.

The human cost of "K-face"

Korean plastic surgery, like K-pop and K-beauty, is riding the wave of global South Korean cultural influence. International tourists go to South Korea for procedures at low prices (by US standards, at least) to achieve "K-face."

The quest for K-face is not a grassroots movement, however. It's a carefully executed investment strategy by the Korean government worth more than a billion dollars.

And it profits off endless insecurities.

Working women with great taste

BI asked successful women across industries about the clothes they wear to achieve a chic, professional look.

Their answers ranged from sustainably-sourced favorites to trusted Jenni Kayne sweaters and timeless Gucci loafers. Many said it's not the clothes that matter, but the feeling they give the wearer.

Confidence is key.

Also read:

• 9 office fashion staples Gen Zers think only millennials would wear

No ordinary short-term rental

Justin and Annabelle Parfitt wanted to offer guests luxury stays at their two-villa Bali compound, and they spent $1.7 million to do so.

The five- and seven-bedroom villas boast separate pools, fine dining fare, and butlers, but the best part is the complimentary party-planning services. The Parfitts work with guests and planners to throw extravagant shindigs, especially big birthdays.

See inside the party villas.

What we're watching this weekend

• "You": Netflix's psychological thriller series, starring Penn Badgley, ends with its fifth and final season.
• "Andor": Diego Luna reprises his role as the titular rebel soldier in season two of the "Star Wars" spin-off series.
• "Babygirl": Nicole Kidman plays a powerful CEO who has an affair with her much younger intern in Halina Reijn's 2024 erotic thriller, now streaming on Max.

See the full list

What to shop

• Weekend luggage: Not every trip requires a full set of suitcases. For your next long weekend, quick visit, or overnight stay, these are the best weekender bags we've tested.
• A city-dweller essential: Our team's newest NYC transplant put the viral Hulken rolling tote to the test, and she can't believe anyone lives here without it. Make city-schlepping easier with her favorite find.
• Make ice cream at home: The Ninja Creami has blown up on TikTok as an easy way to make ice cream with any kind of milk or dairy alternative. We tested it, and while it's useful for those with dietary restrictions, it has drawbacks.

More of this week's top reads:

• "You" star Penn Badgley said he almost quit acting at 20 because he was "disillusioned and dried up" after starting work at 12.
• I've been to 45 countries and think every traveler should add these five incredible places to their bucket list.
• A bride chose the first wedding dress she tried on and paired it with a veil made by her grandmother.
• We got dinner at STK Steakhouse. The restaurant's vibe wasn't perfect, but our $636 meal was spectacular.
• I stayed at a luxury lodge in Uganda. The pool and butler service were nice, but one perk has me dreaming of a return trip.
• Kelly Marie Tran says after years of therapy, she can look back on "Star Wars" with "fondness."
• I think of vacations as relaxing on a beach. A solo trip to Iceland changed that.
• The next Golden Bachelor is a 66-year-old former NFL player. Here's everything we know about "The Golden Bachelor" season 2.

The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City (on paternity leave). Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

• Sarah Anderson and her husband have road-tripped through 33 states over the past decade.
• Anderson shared her favorite hidden-gem destinations for summer road trips in the US.
• These destinations offer alternatives to crowded national parks during the summer.

Sarah Anderson and her husband, Myles, have been road-tripping across the US for a decade. Each year, they've traveled roughly 7,000 miles, covering 33 states and countless campgrounds from east to west.

As summer approaches and national parks around the country are bound to get crowded, Anderson shared with Business Insider lesser-known natural destinations that will give you a unique and secluded experience.

Avoid crowded trails in Custer State Park in South Dakota.

Anderson said one of the most underrated trips they've ever taken was to South Dakota in the summer of 2022, where they spent the Fourth of July camping at Custer State Park.

"We were able to get a last-minute camping spot, and it wasn't crowded," she said. "You could spend a week there because it's so beautiful, and there's so much hiking."

It was a sunny 75 degrees Fahrenheit — perfect for hiking, Anderson said. During her hikes, Anderson appreciated the park's unique geographic features.

"Custer Park is known for having these rock spires. I've never seen anything like it," she said. "You get a really good reflection of the rock formations on Sylvan Lake."

The park is also full of grasslands and wildlife, from donkeys to bison, she added.

"You can drive from Custer to Badlands National Park, and you can also stop by Mount Rushmore," Anderson said. "So you can easily make a whole road trip there."

Explore diverse landscapes in eastern Idaho.

In July 2023, Anderson explored hidden gems in eastern Idaho.

"Grand Teton National Park is really popular, but on the other side of the Tetons, the Idaho Teton Valley isn't very popular," Anderson said. "They have amazing wildflower hikes, mountains, and waterfalls."

Anderson said she also explored sand dunes nearby.

"No one was there when we went except for a few people on ATVs," she said. "But for sunset, we had the sand dunes completely to ourselves."

Sedona is quiet in late summer.

"Sedona, Arizona, is obviously a really popular destination, but a lot of people don't visit during the summer because it's really hot," Anderson said. But when she went in late August 2024, temperatures had cooled down a bit, and there were still no crowds.

"It would be a good destination for people who don't mind getting up early to hike and or like hiking at sunset," she said. "We hiked at sunrise and sunset to beat the heat, and we had a lot of the trails to ourselves."

Anderson recommends staying at Ambiente Sedona, an adults-only hotel, and spending the hottest hours of the day at the pool.

In South Carolina, avoid crowds in Charleston with a canoe trip in the Edisto River.

"In South Carolina, everybody goes to Charleston, but we went to this place called Carolina Heritage Outfitters in the Edisto River area of South Carolina," Anderson said.

Carolina Heritage Outfitters is a tour company that offers treehouse camping by canoe. Anderson told BI that her tour guide said it's a popular activity among locals.

"You canoe downstream a very easy 10 miles to a treehouse, stay overnight, and then canoe 10 miles back to the tour company," Anderson said. "That was one of the coolest things that we've done. We travel all the time, and we've never done anything like that."

Check out Wyoming's lesser-known natural escapes.

Anderson said she's been to Wyoming many times.

"I think, in general, it's underrated as a state to visit for tourism. It is obviously popular because of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park," she said. "But you don't really hear about people going other than that."

South of the Tetons in Wyoming, the Wind River Range offers a similar experience and is far less crowded, Anderson said. For maximum privacy, Anderson recommends pitching a tent at the free campsites in the Green River Lakes area, as she did in July 2024.

"You do have to prepare because it is remote, there's no service, and we took a 20-mile dirt road to get there," she said. "But there's nobody else around. You can go swimming, and the landscapes are so beautiful."

Medicine Bow National Forest is another underrated destination in southern Wyoming.

"We went there in the summer of 2023, and they have amazing lakes and mountain peaks that made me surprised that it's not more popular," Anderson said.

Visit a California ski hub in the summer.

"Mammoth Lakes in California is really popular during the winter because it has great skiing," Anderson said. "Fewer people go during the summer, but it's one of the best hiking destinations we've been to."

Anderson went in 2022 and hiked through mountains, swam and kayaked in the lakes, and marveled at waterfalls.

"It's like a quintessential summer experience," she said.

• Handshake data seen by BI reveals federal job interest dropped 40% after a wave of executive orders.
• Meanwhile, interest in state and local jobs grew over 30% year over year in the second half of the school year.
• Some job seekers initially interested in government roles are also going back to the private sector.

A year ago, the hashtag "government jobs" was trending on TikTok, with videos of employees hyping up the stability and perks of the field and explaining best practices to get a job.

Interest in the industry was surging. Not so much anymore.

In a highly competitive year, federal employers were the only industry that saw year-over-year applications decline in the second half of the school year, according to Handshake data shared with BI.

The federal government lost more application share than any industry year-over-year, aside from tech, the platform said.

Government roles, including state, local and federal sectors, received about 4.4% of the Class of 2025's total applications, down from about 5.5% for the Class of 2024 last year, according to Handshake's Class of 2025 report released Thursday.

Last year, the hiring platform reported a significant uptick in job availability and interest from college students to work for the government. At the time, stability was the top priority for graduating students, and government jobs delivered exactly that.

"People presumed at the time, there's nothing more secure than a government job," Handshake chief education strategy officer Christine Cruzvergara told Business Insider in an interview.

Cruzvergara said the class of 2025 was on track to follow and surpass that trend until a series of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump hit the federal workforce in January.

Around mid-January, federal jobs were drawing 2.7 times as many applications as state roles or local roles, despite state and local roles outnumbering federal roles over six to one, Handshake told BI.

But by early April, state employers were receiving 1.5 times as many applications as federal employers, and local employers were just below, the platform told BI.

"January hits and, all of a sudden, government lost a ton," Cruzvergara said, adding that the federal government specifically "lost a ton of applications."

Increased interest in state and local roles

While federal job applications dropped 40% year over year in the second half of the school year, local roles increased by 31% and state roles by 35%.

Cruzvergara said there's essentially been "a flip" between the government sectors. Prior to the executive orders, students were more interested in federal jobs, and there was some interest in state and local roles. This year, interest in state and local jobs went up after mid-January.

That's not a total surprise. Trump implemented a federal hiring freeze just about as soon as he got into office. He also created DOGE, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, which has been on a mission to reduce the federal workforce and dismantle agencies.

Meanwhile, states like New York, California, and Virginia released hiring campaigns within their local and state governments for federal workers. Cruzvergara said that students who were really set on working in government likely ended up looking at state or local positions instead.

The priorities of this year's graduating class may have also influenced their interest in state and local positions. While stability was the top priority last year, it came in second this year, behind location, Handshake said in its report.

State and local roles allow job seekers more flexibility to choose where they want to work.

Back to the private sector

Cruzvergara told BI that some job seekers from the class of 2025 who had high intentions of entering the federal government are shifting back to the private sector. Handshake told BI that there was an increase in applications to roles in tech, finance, healthcare, and consulting among seniors who had previously applied to federal roles before the executive orders.

"You've got students that are going back into finance, back into tech, back into some of the areas that they were leaving to go to the federal government last year," Cruzvergara told BI.

Cruzvergara said that there have also been increases in applications to nonprofits, law, and even real estate, which can also intersect with state and local policy.

The choice to reconsider the private sector often came down to practicality, Cruzvergara. The Class of 2025, in particular, is less rigid about sticking to one path and more open to using their skills across different areas.

Handshake's report found that out of 57% of the Class of 2025 who started college with a "dream job" in mind, fewer than half still have the same goals.

• Stord, a commerce enablement platform, is now valued at $1.3 billion.
• Founder Sean Henry said his entrepreneurial journey began at age 7, selling electronics online.
• Stord operates a fulfillment network, shipping nearly 50 million packages annually.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sean Henry, the founder of the commerce enablement platform, Stord. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When I look back on my life now, at 28, I can easily see that I was always an entrepreneur.

The dots usually connect in hindsight. But in the moment, being an entrepreneur often feels a bit like you're in a perpetual existential crisis. You're always wondering what you're supposed to do next.

I grew up on a farm in Woodstock, Georgia. My dad grew up in a trailer park in Columbia, South Carolina. He was a field engineer at BellSouth, a telecommunications company, and stayed there for almost 40 years.

You might think someone like that would be pretty risk-averse. But the best thing both my parents gave me is the belief that I can do anything. You can see it in my siblings, too — there's an actress, a nurse, a lawyer, and a high school English teacher among us.

My founder story began back in elementary school. When I was 7, I was selling items on eBay and Craigslist. I'd post signs around local neighborhoods that said things like, "We'll buy junk electronics" or "I can fix phones and computers." I bought everything from broken phones and computers to used-but-working devices, then cleaned them up, repaired them, or broke them down for parts — batteries, chargers, chips — and resold them.

By middle school, I started selling phone cases, too. By high school, I had entered into automotive parts, in part, because I could afford my own car by then. I remember my teachers being mad at me because I was always on my phone in class responding to emails and customer service messages.

I tried re-investing the $30,000 in savings I had racked up into other endeavors. I attempted to build an app that lets spectators in sports arenas message people in sections from the opposing team. That didn't really take off. I was trading stocks with my dad on the side. At one point, I even tried my hand at being a YouTuber by making videos about e-commerce.

How I ended up in logistics

Somehow, I kept coming back to the customer shipping experience.

The summer before I entered college at Georgia Tech in 2015, I interned at HUEHOCO, the German metal processing giant. I worked at several of their factories over time, five of which were abroad in Germany, Mexico, and Canada.

I noticed that this massive global company with 14 factories worldwide was overspending on every shipment.

I launched Stord the year I started college to improve the shipping experience for brands and consumers. I wanted to level the e-commerce playing field so that it wasn't only controlled by Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

You, as a consumer, probably see Stord more than you realize. When you see that delivery promise, the shipping insurance offering, or when you get that post-purchase landing page — that's all Stord.

We have an orchestration layer of software that helps manage, route, and execute the network. Then we run a physical fulfillment network with 10 of our own fulfillment centers and also partner with over 50 fulfillment centers.

There's one question I always ask myself

I went all in on building Stord while I was at Tech. I hired new employees, we raised a $2.5 million seed round — on top of checks from accelerators and angel investors. I dropped out before my fourth semester. Six months later, I won the Thiel Fellowship. It's a two-year deal that requires you to drop out of college.

There's a lot of talk about the value of college these days, especially for young entrepreneurs. I'm a dropout, and I gave my family an analogy to explain my case. Entrepreneurship is like professional sports. If you had an offer from the NBA, I don't think you should go to college, and delay the NBA just because you want the degree first.

Stord is now valued at $1.3 billion. Last year, we delivered 30-35 million packages to 11.5% of unique US households. This year, we expect to ship almost 50 million packages to nearly 20% of US households.

We exist in markets in the EU, UK, and Canada and plan to launch a few more. In light of the tariffs, we've seen an influx of interest in e-commerce brands looking to move inventory to our US and Canada locations. Over the past few months, we've helped brands divert millions of units. In the short term, I suspect we'll see a lot of brands holding more inventory closer to their primary markets.

There's a simple question I ask myself that brought me to where I am today: Why not you? Once you realize that everything in life was made up by someone no smarter than you, everything changes. You think, "If I give this all my energy, why couldn't I transform this industry?"

• President Donald Trump's tariff strategy is already causing price hikes and supply chain snarls.
• Logistics experts and shipping industry insiders told BI the effects are only going to intensify.
• Consumers can expect inflation, stock shortages, and higher unemployment, the experts said.

President Donald Trump's tariffs are already wreaking havoc on the supply chain, and several experts believe it could get worse.

Business Insider spoke with nine supply chain researchers, shipping industry insiders, and logistics specialists about the timeline for when consumers might expect to see the most significant effects of Trump's aggressive trade policy, should he maintain his current strategy.

They agreed that, in the coming weeks, Americans can expect major disruptions to the prices and availability of goods — store shelves may be emptier, prices will rise, and some products will run out sooner than others.

And if things continue on the current trajectory, four of them said, by the end of the year, those effects could be compounded, leading to higher domestic unemployment rates, global market instability, and increased geopolitical tensions.

Shipping rates are already down

Bookings of ocean freight shipments have been down significantly in the weeks since Trump's sweeping tariffs took effect. Though on April 9, the president paused his higher tariffs on goods from many countries for 90 days, his 10% baseline tariff on all countries remains in effect, as does his 145% tariff on imported Chinese goods.

During the first week of April, following Trump's initial April 2 tariff announcement, ocean freight container bookings saw a sharp global decline of nearly 50%, according to data from the digital logistics company, Vizion. Specifically, imports into the US fell 64% compared to the previous week, including imports from China to the US, which dropped 36%. Exports out of the US also dropped 30%, according to Vizion data.

In the following weeks, that nosedive continued in what Vizion has called a "tariff shockwave." For the week of April 14, ocean freight container bookings showed that overall US imports declined 12% week over week, and imports to the US from China declined 22% week over week, Vizion data shows.

"This is a big deal," Bob Ferrari, a supply chain executive and managing director of the Ferrari Consulting and Research Group, told Business Insider of the changes in shipping volume. "It has a lot of ramifications because it's something that the system is not equipped to deal with, and businesses are not equipped to deal with. It has a lot of far-reaching implications."

Front-loaded inventory is running low

Before Trump took office, let alone announced or implemented his tariffs plan, many major companies brought in extra inventory of products to the US in an attempt to mitigate the impact of potential tariffs, multiple supply chain experts told Business Insider. Trump implemented tariffs on countries including Mexico, Canada, and China during his first term and made tariffs a central part of his reelection campaign.

"I would say between one and three months of inventory, they tried to bring in early," Lisa Anderson, a supply chain expert and president of LMA Consulting, said.

But that buffer will run out — and soon.

With the tariffs against China currently at 145%, many companies have been forced to cancel their shipments of new stock and are in a holding pattern trying to wait out Trump's 90-day tariff pause to see what changes come next before placing big orders, Chris Tang, a University of California, Los Angeles professor who's an expert in global supply chain management and the impact of regulatory policies, told Business Insider.

"Right now, they're canceling orders, so the inventory will be running low, " Tang said of businesses. "And once they sell off this inventory, then it's either higher prices or no products."

According to data from supply chain research and analysis firm Sea Intelligence, canceled bookings of container shipments from Asia to both coasts of the US over the next few weeks are increasing drastically, in what the company calls a "quite extreme" scenario.

Multiple supply chain analysts told Business Insider that, in a normal business cycle, June through August is when end-of-year imports, like back-to-school supplies, fall products, and holiday merchandise, arrive in US ports. But the decreased volume of shipments and increased cancellations of shipment bookings that the industry is already seeing indicate that the normal cycle could be significantly disrupted, they said.

"There may be short-term stockouts, particularly in retail," Sean Henry, founder and CEO of the logistics startup Stord, told Business Insider. "And with brands streamlining their product lines, there will be a tighter selection of products in certain categories."

Ryan Petersen, the founder and CEO of Flexport, told Business Insider that if Trump makes a deal to lower the tariffs in time to bring back shipping bookings before inventory completely runs out, there will be minimal impact on consumers.

"But if there's no deal, then yes, there will be big shortages," Petersen said. "Probably worse than anything we've seen in our lifetimes."

Trump told Time on April 22 that he believes seeing tariffs as high as 50% in the next year would be a "total victory."

The 'bullwhip effect'

If the shortages start, further price hikes would be close behind, Ferrari said. Low-margin products that companies don't make a lot of money from — like toys, apparel, holiday items, and home goods — could see shortages and price hikes sooner than others, Ferrari said.

The exact date when Americans could start seeing the effects of those product shortages depends on how much pre-inventory companies have loaded up, Ferrari said, but added that consumers could see some price hikes as early as May or June.

"But once that occurs, then it'll be cascading," he added. Appliances and electronics could see the next round of price hikes and possible shortages starting in July or August, Ferrari said. And despite Trump's exemption of some electronic devices from tariffs, not every component of every device is included in that exemption, so Ferrari expects those to be affected as well.

Higher prices could then decrease consumer buying habits through major spending seasons, exacerbating the negative effects on the economy, Nick Vyas, the founding director of USC Marshall's Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute, told Business Insider.

"Imagine a mom, if her budget for back to school is exposed to 50%, 60% even 70% inflation, they will not be able to expand their budget to absorb that," Vyas said. "She will just say, 'Hey, if I was going to buy 10 things, now I'm only going to buy five things.' So that actually creates less demand, which creates consumer spending degradation. And all of a sudden, you start to see economic activity slow down, and this creates what we call in supply chain the bullwhip effect."

If consumers choose not to go out and spend money due to increased prices, demand decreases, Vyas said. Then, when all the backlogged supply that had been deferred and delayed in hopes that the trade environment would stabilize hits the market, there'll be no one interested in buying it.

"All of a sudden, now you have an imbalance between supply and demand," Vyas said. "And this becomes really the sort of crisis that we dealt with initially in COVID times, which was not pretty, where we had nothing, then too much of something, then nothing, then too much. When you go back and forth like that, the bullwhip is really bad for the market. It's bad for the industry. It's bad for retailers — for everybody."

The potential impacts in the long run

The longer it takes to work out a trade deal with China that lowers tariffs, the worse things could get for everyday Americans four supply chain analysts told Business Insider.

Margaret Kidd, an instructional associate professor of supply chain and logistics technology at the University of Houston, told Business Insider that the volatility of Trump's tariff policy is being compounded by numerous trade negotiations, the ongoing trade war with China, and potential new tariffs on pharmaceuticals, truck imports, and even Chinese ships.

"In the end, American consumers bear the brunt and become the downside partners of President Trump's tariff policies," Kidd said. "His approach could soon earn him the title of 'The President Who Canceled Christmas.'"

A continued trade war also has the potential to hurt US businesses.

Petersen told Business Insider the impact of decreased freight bookings "is already being felt."

"American companies are importing these goods, and if they have to cancel their bookings, their business is really suffering," Petersen said.

That means small and medium-sized businesses could close up shop for good, and hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost across the retail, shipping, and logistics industries.

The Budget Lab at Yale on April 15 estimated that, if Trump's tariff strategy continues without deals, the US unemployment rate could increase by 0.6 percentage points by the end of 2025, and there could be 770,000 fewer people on payrolls.

And the international repercussions could be even more significant, Vyas and Tang said.

"If not managed properly, this could create a huge risk and drag the global economy into a tailspin," Vyas said. "And it would be a very difficult shock for us to absorb as a society, because the recovery process and the global trade world order could really go into disarray, which is actually contrary to what he's trying to accomplish."

In just a short period of time, Tang said Trump's current trade strategy could erode decades of relationship-building with our existing trade partners like Canada and Mexico. Vyas said that tension could drive our allies to create their own trade routes with China — the exact opposite effect of Trump's goals.

But Vyas said his biggest concern is the potential geopolitical conflict that could arise out of the trade war.

Still, he said he's optimistic that Trump will use the 90-day pause to strike a deal with many countries, including China, to lower their tariff rate and avoid the worst of the possible outcomes.

"Because what is alternative? If we ratchet up the continued pressure on China, we create the huge destruction of the global economy, to the point that it's as bad as the Great Depression of 1928 or something even bigger than that," Vyas said. "So then, when you think from that standpoint, I would say, why not be optimistic, because the alternatives are not that pretty."

• Dr. Rupy Aujla changed his diet after being diagnosed with a heart condition in his early 20s.
• Aujla used to rely on processed convenience foods, now he prioritizes plant-based whole foods.
• He shared how his diet has changed with Business Insider.

As a junior doctor in his early 20s, Rupy Aujla ate a pretty standard diet: cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and pasta for dinner.

But when he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation — an irregular heart rhythm with episodes of an exceptionally fast heartbeat — at the age of 24 in 2009, Aujla suddenly changed how he thought about his health.

Alongside medication and lifestyle changes (managing his stress levels and prioritizing sleep), Aujla, a London-based family doctor with a master's degree in nutrition medicine, changed his diet, cutting down on ultra-processed food and focusing on whole foods, plants, and fiber.

While Aujla acknowledges that his personal experience may not be the case for everyone, he managed to reverse his atrial fibrillation in 18 months. The NHS states that eating a balanced diet and avoiding caffeine, spicy food, stress, dehydration, and lack of sleep can help with symptoms of atrial fibrillation. However, medication is the main form of treatment.

Aujla told Business Insider how he's changed his diet to improve his health.

Inadvertently cutting out ultra-processed food

At the start of his career, Aujla was eating what he calls a "standard junior doctor diet," which was generally highly processed and low in fiber and protein.

An average day of eating might be:

• Cereal
• A sandwich with a packet of chips
• Pasta

"It was quite normal, but actually when you look at it through the lens of fiber, protein, and ultra processing, it was horrific," Aujla said.

At the time, there wasn't the same public awareness about the health risks linked to ultra-processed food consumption — including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers — but Aujla sees now that he inadvertently cut out all highly processed foods. His aim was to up his consumption of plant-based foods, with lots of greens, and keeping protein and fiber in mind, which meant eating lots more whole foods.

Aujla's diet has been almost entirely free from ultra-processed foods for 15 years, he said. However, dietitians have previously told BI that the average person doesn't need to worry about the occasional ultra-processed food in their diet if they're eating mostly whole foods.

"It's been apparent to me that the overuse of additives, emulsifiers, and the habituation of this kind of food in our diet are responsible for a huge swath of ill health, and it goes beyond obesity," Aujla said.

"This is the most important thing because it affects your gut, which affects inflammation. There is a very clear link between the ultra-processed diet that is so normalized and a number of different conditions that we see affecting people across the UK and beyond."

Aujla describes his diet as "plant-focused" or "plant-forward," meaning 70-75% plant-based while including some fish (about 20% of his diet), meat, and dairy products. Staple foods in Aujla's kitchen include nuts, seeds, tofu, and lentils.

Aujla still eats foods that he enjoys, like pizza, but it'll be a high-quality pizza from a pizzeria rather than a fast-food chain. He'll pair it with a homemade broccoli salad with balsamic vinegar, rocket, and Parmesan shavings.

"I get greens in at every single meal," Aujla said.

• Protein is everyone's favorite nutrient after decades of demonizing fats and carbs.
• But our protein fixation could be crowding out underrated nutrients for muscle-building and longevity.
• Doctors and dietitians offer simple guidelines for getting the right amount of protein for your goals.

These days, protein is pervasive in American culture.

You can chug a bottle of protein water in flavors like lemon ice and orange mango, sip on high-protein beer, or chow down on protein cereal, pasta, and pizza.

The Kardashians got in on the business this week — Khloé Kardashian dropped her proprietary "Khloud" dust protein popcorn.

Our love affair with eating extra protein for losing weight, building muscle, and extending lifespan is strong. But nutrition experts wish we would open up the relationship to other nutrients, too. Past a certain point, our bodies can't use excess protein, and it sometimes crowds out crucial vitamins and fibers we need for muscle-building.

Dr. Tim Spector, a top nutrition scientist, said most people would do better to focus on factors like eating more fiber or fewer processed foods, rather than blindly focusing on protein.

"It's become really like a religion. People get very, very aggressive when I say this," Spector told Business Insider. "They think protein's the answer to everything."

Business Insider talked to researchers, doctors, and food industry pros to get to the bottom of our protein obsession, why it might backfire for health long-term, and what we can do about it.

Why we need protein

Getting enough protein is crucial to stay healthy.

Protein plays a critical role in building and repairing tissues, including muscle, hair, nails, and skin. Protein preserves strength and metabolism as we age, and powers our immune system.

"It's essential because we can't make some of the amino acid building blocks in our body, so we need to get it from the diet," Daniel Moore, professor of muscle physiology at the University of Toronto who specializes in protein metabolism, said.

Protein also offers a dual benefit for weight loss. It's more satiating, meaning you're likely to eat less, and it takes more energy to digest, helping your metabolism burn a few more calories than you might otherwise.

With the growing market of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, protein is all the rage because it's key to retaining muscle mass while losing weight.

Your protein sweet spot

The bare minimum for adults is around 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day, according to the US dietary guidelines.

Translation: for a 180-pound person, that's about 65 grams of protein. You can hit that by lunchtime: a cup of Greek yogurt with walnuts for breakfast (25-30g), a tuna or turkey sandwich for lunch (20-30g), and string cheese (6-7g) or veggies and hummus (4-5g) for a snack.

To lose weight, build muscle, or support athletic performance, you'll want about 0.7 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight daily.

Translation: that 180-pound person would need 126-144 grams of protein. Try a three-egg and cheese omelette for breakfast (27g), bean and quinoa salad for lunch (25g), and chickpea pasta with chicken and spinach (53g) for dinner, with snacks like almonds (6g) or cottage cheese (25g).

For healthy aging, you need something in between — around 0.6 grams per pound of bodyweight.

Too much protein can displace other nutrients needed to build muscle

Going over your protein baseline is not harmful for most people, according to the dietary guidelines. However, it pays to be strategic.

For one, our bodies can't store protein.

"If you eat a lot of protein, that's fine, but you're going to be peeing it out essentially," Moore, the physiology professor, said. Your body uses protein to rebuild tissue, and your kidneys clean up any excess.

More importantly, if your goal is to build muscle to feel good, look good, and live longer, you need other nutrients.

You need energy. That means getting enough carbs, which can be crowded out if you're overly focused on protein because protein is very filling.

"Most athletes that I talk to are eating too much protein because they think eating more protein means building more muscle," said sports dietitian Nancy Clark. "It's actually the carbs that fuel muscle. All the protein they're eating displaces the carbs that are needed to fuel the muscles."

Clark recommends athletes eat twice as many grams of carbs as they do protein for optimal energy and recovery — possibly more, depending on the specifics of the sport.

You also need fiber, vitamins, and healthy fats — easy to skimp on if you're pounding ultra-processed protein shakes and high-protein snack bars.

According to the USDA, more than half of adults hit their protein goal but 90% of women and 97% of men don't eat enough fiber. Without fiber, a protein-heavy diet can be hard on your gut and digestion.

There's also magnesium, found in leafy greens and seeds, and omega-3 fatty acids, in nuts and fish, which do wonders for muscle health. B-vitamins and vitamin C can keep your energy levels high and bolster your immune system.

"Anyone who tries to really go for these extreme amounts of protein will be getting virtually nothing else that is healthy," Spector said. "That's what the big worry is about."

Kristin Draayer, a registered dietitian nutritionist, warns her clients against fixating on one nutrient. Her job is to help clients understand their body better, without relying on a tracking app.

"This protein-centric mindset can transform eating from an intuitive, enjoyable experience into a calculated nutritional exercise," Draayer said.

The real winners of your protein obsession? Food brands.

Through the decades of conflicting advice about fats and carbs, protein has held steady as a reliably safe nutrient to focus on.

In the 1990s, fat was wrongfully blamed for Americans' growing problem with obesity, and the diet industry responded with a wave of low-fat or fat-free products. By the 2010s, carbs were out — pop nutrition did a complete 180, embracing the high-fat, low-carb keto diet.

"It's a very appealing concept. We have to eat something, and everything else has been labeled bad," Bettina Mittendorfer, nutrition researcher at the University of Missouri, told Business Insider.

For food brands, this has been a blessing.

Consumers are increasingly skeptical about the health consequences of pre-packaged meals and snacks. But companies can use processed protein isolates — concentrated pellets of protein derived from soy or milk — to pump up the protein content of cereals, granola, and microwaves meals for the more health-conscious.

Julia Mills, a food and drink reports analyst for market research firm Mintel, said protein became a top advertising angle in 2019, with brands positioning high-protein products as a "cheat code" to enjoy ice cream, chips, and candy without guilt.

"The idea is, with these protein products, it's okay to indulge and even go overboard because it's healthy," she said.

The protein trend has also created a selling point for previously unglamorous foods like yogurt, beans, and sardines.

"I don't think cottage cheese would have made a comeback if not for the protein trend," Mills said.

Spector worries that the boom in protein is benefiting business at the cost of consumers' long term health. "Manufacturers see this as an incredible opportunity to produce fairly cheap supplements with big margins," Spector said.

As the trend continues, though, consumers are getting savvier about their protein sources, according to Mills.

Real-food sources of protein — Chobani's high-protein Greek yogurt, Good Culture cottage cheese, and Fairlife protein-packed milk — are shaping up to be the big winners of the mid-2020s compared to processed protein snacks.

"People still want protein but they're asking, 'what else does it offer?'" Mills said.

4 tips to hit your protein goal the right way

Simple guidelines can help you hit your protein intake without sacrificing other essential nutrients:

• Eat balanced protein sources

Our focus on protein often leaves us lacking in fiber, according to Spector. It's a crucial nutrient for healthy digestion and metabolism.

Thankfully, some cheap and versatile foods are high in both protein and fiber. You could try quinoa instead of rice for lunch, chicken with a side of leafy greens, or tuna on whole wheat toast.

A key point here is eating more plants: Spector tries to get at least 30 different kinds per week in his diet to increase fiber, protein, and other nutrients.

• Limit your processed foods

Aim to get most of your calories from whole foods, not out of a package.

Ultra-processed protein contains protein in isolation, meaning it's broken down and lacks vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting polyphenols that are important for energy, muscle recovery, and overall health.

Think fish, beans, whole grains, dairy, and lean meats.

• Space your protein out throughout the day

Consider eating like a pro athlete by spacing your protein out throughout the day.

"The best way to think of protein is like bricks. If you're trying to build a wall, it's pointless dropping all the bricks in one place. You need to distribute them strategically." Matt Jones, a sports nutritionist who advises supplement brand Cadence and worked with the Boston Celtics during their 2024 NBA Championship-winning season, said.

Eat protein at each meal — about 25-35 grams of protein every four to five hours — instead of trying to pack loads into your morning shake. That way, you'll give your body time for growth and repair processes, Jones said.

Even distribution also helps regulate your appetite so there's room to consume other essential nutrients.

• Don't fixate on one number

Above all, don't sweat too much about it. Coming up short a few grams of protein one day isn't going to derail your goals as long as you stay on track most days.

In the US, where people eat a lot, you don't need excessive protein to get a good amount, Mittendorfer said. The average American eats as much as 3,800 calories a day; 10% adds up to 95 grams of protein.

If you're eating enough on a balanced diet, you'll likely hit your target without needing to worry too much.

"If I eat very little food, I should have a high percentage of protein. If I eat a lot, I can have a low protein percentage," Mittendorfer said.

• Rahul Pandey, a former staff engineer at Meta, said much of his career was thanks to luck.
• He said on an episode of "The Developing Dev" that building a strong network can help luck along.
• Networking by being genuinely curious about others can help you get more opportunities, he said.

Rahul Pandey, former staff engineer at Meta, credits much of his career trajectory to good fortune. But you can still make your own luck — at least in part.

"You can manufacture luck in the sense of being curious about the people and the opportunities around you," Pandey said on an episode of "The Developing Dev" podcast.

Pandey's path through tech started right out of college, when he joined a startup run by one of his former professors at Stanford. From there, he bounced from Pinterest to Meta, where he eventually climbed to staff engineer before leaving to start Taro, a YC-backed startup that offers career coaching to software engineers.

To line up those kinds of opportunities takes a degree of luck, Pandey acknowledged. But they're more likely to come if you develop a network — and do it by being genuine, he said. By reaching out on the basis of real curiosity and making sure you have something to share, you can avoid making a cold reach-out feel clinical.

"Me doing a lot of the job hops in my career have come from just, again, being kind of in the know on — what are the people doing that I respect?" he said. "And so I think that can be a repeatable algorithm or repeatable process that's not dependent on luck. Just change your approach to networking or talking to people, and that's a really good way to manufacture luck."

If your conversations feel stilted, Pandey suggests evaluating whether there's an equal balance of give-and-take.

"I do think that one of the best ways to develop a relationship with someone is not just by asking a ton of questions or asking for mentorship," he said. "A really good way to develop a relationship is say, 'Hey, here's something I've worked on which might be interesting to you.'"

Pandey said the strategy of "being thoughtful about what are you sharing" makes the speaker more likely to build productive relationships.

"You create gravity," he said. "People gravitate toward you because they want to get your opinion on things, too. So it's like a two-way street."

When first deciding to start his career at a fledgling company, Pandey said he felt it was a high-risk, high-reward option.

On the one hand, "it could go really, really well," he said; but even in the worst case, it'd be a "good story to tell."

"I felt like it was almost too good of a story to pass up. I could be one of 10,000 or 20,000 engineers in Big Tech if I go join Google or Microsoft or Meta — and I had received offers at all of them," Pandey said. "But then I felt like, okay, this is a story where I had this connection, relationship with the professor. He trusts me, I trust him, and it just feels like a Silicon Valley unique story."

Pandey said he used a decision-making framework of thinking of his career paths being either a one-way or a two-way door. That helped him decide between gambling on a startup or going the more traditional (and usually more secure) route of signing on with a big-name company.

"Most things in your career are two-way doors, in the sense that you try it out, you learn something, you experiment, and then you can always back out," he said. "You can always decide to leave the startup and then go to Big Tech if needed, so that was one consideration.'"

Another consideration: Pandey had already taken on an internship with Meta the summer before his graduation and felt like he'd already earned a level of "approval" from Big Tech. Also important, he added, was the "often overlooked" storytelling potential of the riskier route.

"The narrative that you can create about what you did, why you did it, and why it's interesting — that is incredibly powerful," Pandey said. He got a lot of mileage out of being able to describe his experience as an "enterprising young engineer" who "took a bet on a startup," he added.

When you're on the precipice of a big career decision, Pandey suggested it could be useful to consider what might eventually be the better story. Those opportunities, he added, are typically the ones that allow you to meet more people and take on unique responsibilities.

"One of the things I tell people, on Taro or just in general when I mentor people, is that if you have a choice between A and B, and you feel like A is the one which will give you exposure to more unique opportunity, unique people, unique stories — that's a really good argument to pick option A," Pandey said, "because it just will broaden your perspective and give you that storytelling ability."

• Many businesses are bracing for negative impacts from tariffs. WeWork actually sees an upside.
• Its CEO told Semafor that tariff uncertainty is actually a boon for the coworking space company.
• "With all the uncertainty around tariffs, who's prepared to commit to a 10- or 15-year lease?" he said.

Many companies are sounding the alarm on the negative repercussions of tariffs on their businesses. Not WeWork.

WeWork CEO John Santora said Thursday at the Semafor World Economy Summit that the economic uncertainty around tariffs has actually attracted more business for the coworking space company.

"So if we look at it and just take today's environment with all the uncertainty around tariffs and what's happening, who's prepared to commit to a 10- or a 15-year lease with $50 or $100 million spend?" Santora said.

"The world, business, investments are all on a pause right now until you determine what impact it's going to have on your company, on your supply chain, on the cost of all of that," he added. "So we're seeing companies that are in our spaces today extend, companies that haven't been in our spaces before talking to us about 'Can you fill the short-term gap for us? What can you do for the next six months?'"

Santora expanded on his remarks in an interview with Bloomberg on Friday, saying WeWork's clients "look to a player like us to give them that flexibility."

"You have to pause," he told Bloomberg of how his clients are thinking of the uncertain economic environment. "You have to think about it. You have to think whether or not to invest that major capital in a market, at least through this short term. You have to step back."

Besides tariffs and their consequences, return-to-office mandates could also drive business for WeWork, Santora said.

"The other thing is, do we really know how many people are going to be in the office? We don't," he told Semafor. "We don't know whether it's going to be three days a week, four days a week, five days a week. We can mandate it, or firms mandate it, but by taking that short-term look at it, do two years with us, do three years with us. At that point, you know where your business is heading."

It's been a tumultuous few years for WeWork, which saw the exit of founder and former CEO Adam Neumann in 2019. His departure followed a failed IPO marred by concerns about WeWork's business model, valuation, and governance. WeWork eventually went public via a SPAC in 2021. The company later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023.

WeWork declined to provide additional comment.

• Apple is constantly adding new tools to its iPhones with iOS releases.
• There are apps to automate tasks and other features that stave off overstimulation.
• Here are the coolest things I discovered my iPhone can do.

Apple took the world by storm with the iPhone in 2007, and its crown jewel is only getting more features that can be lifesavers — or just really cool.

I upgraded from the iPod Touch to an iPhone 5 as a 13-year-old in 2012, so I consider myself a bit of an expert. Yet years later, my iPhone 14 Pro Max seems to be outpacing me with innovations. I've grown used to the old ways of manual functions, typing queries into the Safari search bar, and having to rely on my memory.

As Apple introduces new features, I've picked up on the tools that I see every day — like sending voice notes over iMessage or searching for apps instead of looking for them in all of my folders. However, there are more obscure additions that I hadn't made use of.

These days, top-of-the-line iPhones cost over $1,000, and Apple analysts have said they could become much more expensive if President Donald Trump follows through with the steep tariffs he wants to impose on China, the main hub for iPhone manufacturing.

I decided it's time to get my money's worth out of my handset since I won't be getting an upgrade for a while.

Here are four ways I'll be putting Apple's software to good use.

Shortcut Automations

Apple launched the Shortcuts app as part of iOS 12 in 2018. It was marketed as a time-saving app that could perform actions according to custom commands.

I remember the "I'm Being Pulled Over" feature being a big deal in 2020. When activated it would begin recording your interaction with police during traffic stops, but that's the last I paid attention to Shortcuts.

I perused the app again and found a number of customizable features that could come in handy. What's more, they can be automated.

For a trial run, I made a command for my phone to automatically FaceTime my friend whenever he sent me the word "hey." It worked, though it's probably not a command he'd like me to keep on.

You can use Shortcuts for things like:

• Turning on "Do Not Disturb" when you open a certain app.
• Sending a message when you leave a location.
• Changing your wallpaper every day.

Voice Isolation

Voice Isolation is one of my favorite iPhone features of this decade. Since its release in 2021, I've been singing its praises to anyone I talk to on the phone.

In New York City, I find myself talking in a loud environment as soon as I step out of my door. Inside, my two dogs go wild with barking whenever someone gets too close to the windows. Voice Isolation, however, silences all of the fuss.

When my best friends and I fell into the habit of group FaceTime calls, we discovered that we could isolate our voices and silence non-vocal background noise. So, when a ambulance whizzes by with a loud siren, my friends can still hear me recapping my day.

You can enable it by pressing "Phone Controls" in the Control Center while you're on the phone.

Clean Up Safari Tabs Automatically

If you're an organized technology user, you probably don't need this. However, if you're like me, you're welcome.

I like to leave my Safari tabs open as a way to keep track of places I want to visit, things I want to buy, and any other helpful sites that I might need to refer to.

Naturally, many many tabs are never revisited again as I continue to add more. Eighty-nine tabs is modest compared to the 150+ that I've proven to be capable of. I'm hoping that will change now that I know I can set my tabs to automatically close after a period of time.

I think I'll start with monthly tab closings — just to ease myself into the concept.

Follow these steps to close all of your tabs:

Settings > Safari > Close Tabs.

Background Sounds

The most zen discovery of the group is also the coolest. I've played rain sounds and white noise before by looking them up on Apple Music, but I learned that they've been built into my iPhone.

Through the Settings app, you can turn on Background Sounds to hear calming sounds like the ocean, dark noise, or a crackling fire. The sounds will continue playing behind other media if you that setting toggled on.

Follow these steps to enable Background Sounds:

Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Background Sounds.

• Ritendra Datta worked as a software engineer for Google and Meta between 2010 and 2023.
• He compared the culture, promotion process, and workload, and said he burned out at both companies.
• Datta said, despite burnout, he felt a better influence, impact, and monetary gain at Meta.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ritendra Datta, a software engineer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I worked at Google from 2010 to 2019, then transitioned to Meta for just over four years.

If I look at it strictly from an engineering perspective, my first few years at Google were the best in my career. The company felt extremely mission-driven, and I was inspired as a builder.

At Meta, I worked more hours and experienced higher stress levels, but not necessarily in a bad way. In fact, working for Meta was a better experience overall than working at Google.

I loved Google, but I saw the company culture change

My early years at Google had a rare mix of being well-funded and feeling driven by a mission, not profit. Google was slow, steady, and careful with everything it rolled out. I knew the ins and outs of everything my team was working on.

I spent my first four years working out of the Google Pittsburgh office, where we had foosball tables, food options, and areas to hang out. No one cared if I spent an hour or two just jamming out with colleagues in the music room, and I loved it.

I think the company was betting that very inspired, well-intentioned engineers would build awesome things regardless of whether they worked 10 hours or four.

Google felt completely different when I transitioned to the Mountain View office

I switched to the Google Mountain View office because I was tired of East Coast winters and figured there'd be more opportunities. That location had amenities like lap pools and volleyball courts, but people seemed more heads down and focused on work. I think it was partially due to differences between the East Coast and Silicon Valley, and partially due to a cultural shift within the company toward beating out the competition.

After nearly a decade, I started to feel complacent. I was repeating the same tasks, collaborating with the same people, and no longer learning. I ultimately left Google and accepted an offer with Meta in 2019 because of a pay increase and the hopes of growing as an engineer.

I started working at Meta and immediately felt the difference

Meta's motto at the time of my hiring was "move fast and break things," and I felt it immediately. The second I felt like I understood something, they'd say, "Let's pivot, let's drop this, let's switch priorities." We failed often, but the amount we innovated outweighed it.

I felt good stress when we hustled to build a compelling product, and our motivation was clear. On the other hand, I felt bad stress when I didn't understand the motivation behind certain strategic shifts and would have to rally my team behind a strict timeline that I didn't even understand.

I think many people who come from Google don't ever really adjust to that change, but I think I adapted well.

I experienced burnout at both companies, in completely different ways

Somewhere around the middle of my career at Google, I started worrying I was falling behind. On the outside, it looked like I had an illustrious career, but what people don't see are the patches of very slow progress and extreme frustration. The pressure I felt to progress in my career burned me out.

The burnout I had at Meta was for moral reasons. In 2021, Meta was under scrutiny when a whistleblower presented scathing documents about the hate speech and misinformation that Meta allowed. This made me question whether I was fighting the right fight and building a better society.

I had a lot of doubts about my career and didn't even want to go to work despite having a big team to run.

Promotions worked differently at Google and Meta

The promotion process at Google felt fair, but it became more competitive, especially after I moved to the Mountain View office. I would create a promotion packet with my manager, and then a totally independent set of senior leadership would review it.

At Meta, the people who decided my promotion were either in or peripheral to my organization. Plus, it wasn't just important to do good work, but you also had to market your work.

We had an internal version of Facebook where people would post about their accomplishments, which caused a lot of competition. I became keenly aware of my team's visibility because marketing our work was just as important as doing it.

I developed a muscle of constantly thinking about visibility, and I don't think it was in a good way.

Meta shuts down jerky behavior more than Google

The feedback process was very strong at Meta. Everyone gave feedback on everyone, and if one person was a big jerk, their career would likely be affected by it.

Additionally, everyone's engineering levels were hidden except for some pivotal employees, like a director or VP, so there was no definitive hierarchy.

At Google, the emphasis was less on how well you collaborated and more on the technical work you did. People were very public about their level, meaning they might leverage their higher status to override decisions.

I preferred Meta over Google

My early years at Google were amazing. But when I consider influence, impact, and monetary gain, Meta was overall the best.

Despite this, I quit Meta in 2023 and accepted an offer for a role at a startup. I'm happy where I'm at now, but I truly believe both companies can be amazing places to work.

If you work in Big Tech and have a story you would like to share, please email the editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected].

• Business Insider talked to US Army Secretary Driscoll during his visit to Alaska to see soldiers training for Arctic warfare.
• Driscoll told BI his focus is lethality, aligned with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
• That includes next-generation technologies, future warfare, and training.

Daniel Driscoll is only two months into his new job as the 26th Army secretary, but the 38-year-old former armor officer and Iraq War veteran knows what he wants: lethality.

Anything in the US Army that doesn't advance that goal could be out, he told Business Insider on a call this week. That could mean changes from training to force structure, even the tossing out of legacy systems, his staff said.

Lethality is a guiding light for the Department of Defense under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. It was also a core objective — and talking point — in the earlier Trump and Biden administrations, though with different interpretations. The subjective measuring stick is what programs are being evaluated against.

From the military's perspective, lethality is simply about being able to effectively defeat an enemy. There are different views, however, about how to fortify a fighting force to achieve that.

"What has occurred is a hollowing out of a lot of the tools that we have given our soldiers," Driscoll, formerly an officer with the Army's 10th Mountain Division, told BI during his official visit to Alaska this week to observe the 11th Airborne Division.

Decision-makers in DC "have optimized for nearly everything other than the soldier in their decision-making," he said, arguing that the acquisition process for new capabilities and programs needs an overhaul and that the individual soldier's ability to effectively engage the enemy has to be at the forefront of every decision.

That push may force a reassessment of the US Army's older systems that may be vulnerable in a future fight.

Driscoll suggested cutting down training requirements for soldiers "to return to the core of things that they need to do to be good at their jobs," removing excess or unnecessary elements. "If it doesn't directly correlate with lethality, we're getting rid of it," he said.

What is lethality?

During President Donald Trump's first term in office, then-Defense Secretary James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, made building a more lethal fighting force a Pentagon priority. Lethality was also a common topic under the Biden administration, though the current administration has accused its predecessors of focusing too much on superfluous agendas.

Lethality is a go-to buzzword in the Pentagon lexicon and for longstanding Army programs. Project Manager Soldier Lethality, for instance, develops next-generation rifles and machine guns for soldiers. A cross-functional team of the same name designs systems to help soldiers close with and destroy the enemy. The term has also been the subject of numerous professional panels and research papers by soldiers.

For this administration, Trump, Hegseth, and other military leaders are all-in on tossing anything they see as nonessential for warfighter readiness. That has included diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, climate change initiatives, and other projects.

"Everything starts and ends with warriors in training and on the battlefield," Hegseth said this week at the Army War College. "We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind and refocusing on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness."

Programs have been shut down. Billions of dollars in contracts have been cut. Still, many of the proposed plans are early concepts, and what exactly the significantly increased focus on lethality will mean for the future of the US military isn't clear yet, especially the nonlethal, non-combat roles that support other missions.

For the Army, Driscoll said, he wants to see improved combat readiness. Talking to BI, he highlighted the 11th Airborne Division's constant work on adjusting equipment, weapons, gear, and vehicles to the cold temperatures and harsh conditions of the Arctic.

"They were not focused on things like PowerPoint slides and how they could deliver better work products to the Pentagon," he said of the 11th Airborne Division. Instead, they are "out in the world figuring out what we need to do as an Army."

Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, Driscoll's public affairs advisor, told BI that the heightened emphasis on lethality could mean doing away with legacy gear and vehicles that aren't needed for future wars, such as older armored vehicles and command posts that are detectable and targetable with electronic warfare.

Instead, next-generation technologies — drones and other uncrewed systems, robotics, human-machine integration, improved night vision gear, and more maneuverable vehicles and formations — are a top interest for the Army. Communication integration that better informs commanders to make decisions is crucial, too.

The Army has been focused on these new emerging systems, learning much from the Ukraine war about the need for newer technologies, drones, the role of the tank on the battlefield, and mechanized warfare. Driscoll was recently in Europe, where he said many lessons are being learned from the war, now in its third year.

Artificial intelligence will also help with lethality in future warfare. Driscoll hypothesized that within 12 months, "you'll start to see generative AI showing up, maybe in some limited use cases, on the battlefield."

Driscoll served in the Army from 2007 to 2011, leaving the service as a lieutenant. In 2009, he deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After leaving active duty, Driscoll attended Yale Law School, where he was a classmate of Vice President JD Vance. After receiving the Army secretary nomination in late January, he was confirmed as the service's top civilian official in late February.

In his first message to the force after confirmation, the Army secretary said: "You are a part of the most lethal land-based fighting force in the history of the world."

"But," Driscoll continued, "administrative burdens and unnecessary distractions have taken you away from what matters most. We will refocus, eliminating distractions and training you to fight and win in the most contested environments. Your country demands no less."

• The US Dollar Index has fallen more than 8% since the start of the year.
• Uncertainty around President Donald Trump's tariffs and recession fears have hurt the dollar.
• Experts warn of inflation, trade war risks, and potential shifts in global currency reliance.

The dollar is getting weaker. The US Dollar Index is down more than 8% since the start of the year, putting the currency at its lowest point in about three years.

Uncertainty around President Donald Trump's tariffs and fears of a looming recession have hurt the dollar.

Here's what smart people and institutions have to say about its depreciation.

Deutsche Bank

Analysts at Deutsche Bank in a note on Thursday said they foresee a "major dollar downtrend."

"The dollar bear market is finally here," they wrote.

"At the core of the dollar bear market are three assessments: a reduced desire by the rest of the world to fund growing twin deficits in the US; by extension, a peak and gradual unwind in elevated US asset holdings; and a greater willingness to deploy domestic fiscal space to support growth and consumption outside of the US."

Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs

"I believe that the recent dollar depreciation of 5 per cent on a broad trade-weighted basis has considerably further to go," Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, wrote in an op-ed.

He listed one of the consequences of dollar weakness as putting upward pressure on consumer prices, which tariffs have already hit.

"Dollar depreciation reinforces our view that the 'incidence' of higher US tariffs will fall predominantly on American consumers, not foreign producers," Hatzius said.

Ken Griffin, Citadel

Ken Griffin, Citadel's billionaire founder, told Semafor's World Economy Summit in Washington, DC, on Wednesday that Trump's trade war was putting the US's brand at risk.

He said when comparing the dollar to the euro, America "has become 20% poorer in four weeks" because of the dollar's slide against the single currency.

"All you're trying to do is tread water and not drown," he added.

Torsten Slok, Apollo

"By depreciating the dollar and starting a trade war about goods, which make up less than 10% of US GDP, the US is risking that the rest of the world will slow their imports of the 80% of the US economy that is services, such as iPhones, Windows, Facebook, and large language models," Torsten Slok, partner and chief economist at Apollo Global Management, wrote in a newsletter on Thursday.

"In addition, a depreciating dollar puts upward pressure on inflation and the term premium, which can create new macroeconomic challenges."

PIMCO

"The US has long enjoyed a privileged position, with the dollar serving as the global reserve currency and Treasuries as the go-to reserve asset," analysts at PIMCO wrote in a note, adding that this status was not guaranteed.

"If global capital flows into US assets dwindle, it could point toward a more multipolar world with a diminished reliance on a singular reserve currency."

UBS

Strategists at UBS wrote in a note that the dollar has "weakened significantly."

"Volatility in FX markets has moved up to levels last seen in 2022," they said.

Following the recent dollar sell-off, the bank wrote that it's refraining from dollar-based trades.

Adam Turnquist, LPL

Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial, said: "Building trade war tensions with China have intensified growth concerns and increased expectations for Fed rate cuts, weighing on dollar demand."

"Hedging costs to protect against downside in the dollar have surged to multi-year highs," he said.

"A breakdown from the dollar's consolidation range would not only be technically significant but could also stoke fear over the health of the US economy."

Bank of America

The dollar has entered a secular decline, said analysts at Bank of America led by Michael Hartnett.

They wrote that the currency is trading 4.6% below its 200-day moving average: "Weaker US dollar will play out either slowly with lower yields or quickly with higher yields, it's brutally flagged by soaring gold price."

Shannon Saccocia, Neuberger Berman

"The US dollar has continued to lose value even as US equity and bond markets have stabilised," Shannon Saccocia, managing director and chief investment officer of wealth at Neuberger Berman, said in a newsletter on Thursday.

"This is concerning for the longer term, as a simultaneous sell-off in both currency and bonds is associated with risky rather than haven countries and suggests structural damage to global demand for US dollar assets."

If the dollar continues to lose ground, short-term investors outside the US may decide that "the pain from the currency outweighs the gain from the yield," she said.