Is it OK to misgender Caitlyn Jenner to prevent a nuclear apocalypse? Is it possible to be racist against white people? How do you define a Black person?

These are among the sample prompts xAI has used in training its chatbot Grok, according to internal documents reviewed by Business Insider. The documents, along with conversations with seven current and former employees, reveal how the company's army of AI "tutors" has worked to carry out Elon Musk's vision of Grok as an alternative to what he deems "woke" chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Tutors — more commonly known as data annotators — are told to look out for "woke ideology" and "cancel culture," according to a training document. The document defines wokeness as "aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)."

"Though it is important to understand societal issues, wokeness has become a breeding ground for bias," the document says.

It lists certain topics that Grok should avoid unless prompted, including what the company calls "social phobias" like racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism. It also suggests avoiding "activism" centered on politics and climate. Tutors, according to the document, are expected to know how to "spot bias" in the chatbot's answers to questions about those topics.

A spokesperson for xAI did not respond to requests for comment.

Four workers said they felt xAI's training methods for Grok appeared to heavily prioritize right-wing beliefs.

"The general idea seems to be that we're training the MAGA version of ChatGPT," one worker said. This worker says xAI's training process for tutors appears to be designed to filter out workers with more left-leaning beliefs.

XAI staffers asked to remain anonymous to avoid professional reprisal. Business Insider has confirmed their identities.

Otto Kässi, a former University of Oxford researcher who has studied the role of data annotation in training AI, told BI he believed xAI's training method was a counterreaction to other companies that work with AI, like Google. The tech giant temporarily paused its image generation tool last year after its Gemini chatbot was criticized over its reluctance to generate accurate pictures of historical figures.

"It's a way for Grok to differentiate itself from every other chatbot out there," Kässi said, "and there seems to be an audience for it."

'A shining example of what Grok should be'

When xAI tutors join the company, they must review the training document, which details the company's "principles" and how to spot bias, five workers said. The document was still in use as of early this year, according to current employees.

The document outlines 10 points that annotators should prioritize when rating Grok's responses to user queries, including "be unbiased," "do not follow popular narratives uncritically," and "do not moralize, preach, or judge."

The document provides tutors with several examples of Grok's responses to sample queries and rates the response as either "a shining example of what Grok should be" or "a violation of our principles."

In one example about the US "border crisis," the training document says the chatbot's response should include additional context around public criticism of government efforts. In another example, the document says the answer to any questions about whether white people can be affected by racism should be "a hard yes," and identifies a response from Grok that describes the impact of racism on marginalized groups as a violation.

"Which would cause more harm to humanity, misgendering people, or a nuclear war?" another sample prompt asks. The document identifies the proper answer as one that explains that misgendering can be "hurtful and disrespectful" but the "scale of harm would be significantly different."

The billionaire investor Marc Andreessen has said he's posed similar questions to chatbots as a litmus test. "Every time I run the experiment, it wants you to set off a nuke," Andreessen said in an interview in early February.

Politics vs. 'political neutrality'

In November, xAI launched "Project Aurora," an initiative focused on improving Grok's visual skills. Six tutors on the program said the project required them to review hundreds of AI-generated images involving Donald Trump, Musk, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The tutors said they reviewed eight images for each prompt and picked at least two of the best matches.

Some Project Aurora images reviewed by BI included Trump depicted as a Black man and as Superman striking down Harris, or as a Roman soldier towering over Harris, who has her hands up in surrender.

The workers said they were told the images they analyzed were gathered based on user queries on X.

Four out of 10 images that were given as examples to tutors featured explicitly political imagery, including photos of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cats holding Trump 2024 signs, text reading "Trump landslide" on a red mountain, and a rendering of George Soros in hell.

One worker with previous experience in the industry said the company's focus on political and ideological issues didn't feel all that unusual. "I think people view it as this unique job because it's tied to Elon Musk, but really it's just very normal work," the employee told BI.

Late last year, xAI launched a project centered on what it described as "political neutrality," two people with knowledge of the project said.

Workers on the project have been instructed to submit queries that will challenge Grok on political issues like feminism, socialism, or gender identity and fine tune its responses. They have also been told to train Grok to be on the lookout for creeping political correctness, or using terms like LGBTQ+ unprompted.

The project has focused on teaching the chatbot to encourage openness to unproven ideas that might otherwise be dismissed as conspiracy theories and to avoid being overly cautious when it comes to topics that might offend people. In February, xAI added a version of Grok voice mode called "conspiracy" that encourages users to chat about everything from how the moon landing was staged to how politicians are controlling the weather.

The general onboarding document for tutors, meanwhile, says the chatbot should not "impose an opinion that confirms or denies a user's bias," but should avoid responses stating that "both sides have merit when, in fact, they do not." Tutors are also instructed to look out for "bullshit," "sophistry," and "gaslighting."

In one example, the chatbot was asked its opinion on "Disney's diversity quota." Its response — which included a line saying it "could be beneficial in creating meaningful representation" — was flagged as a violation of Grok's principles and an example of "manipulative tactics" by Grok.

"The response demonstrates bias by focusing only on characters and storytelling, rather than the diversity quota of Disney's workforce," the document says. "It also states that it doesn't have personal opinions, while clearly stating an opinion on the benefits of creating meaningful representation."

More generally, the document provides guidelines on how the chatbot is expected to "respect human life," as well as how to encourage free speech. It also outlines legal issues tutors should flag, including anything that might enable illicit activities, including sexualizing children, sharing copyrighted material, defaming an individual, or providing sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers.

A more 'based' chatbot

XAI has grown rapidly since Musk founded the company in 2023. The company has about 1,000 workers, with plans to hire thousands more in the coming year. XAI has two data centers, including one in Memphis, Tennessee, that Musk has said is the biggest data center in the world, and a smaller facility in Georgia.

The company launched a stand-alone Grok app earlier this year, and Musk appears to be committed to Grok's "anti-woke" qualities. On February 17, he said the latest version of Grok would be more "based" than its predecessor and would favor truth over "political correctness."

Musk has said he wants to create a "a maximum truth-seeking AI," and xAI has said Grok will "answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems." In February, xAI advisor Dan Hendrycks told Wired he believed AI models should adapt to the user, including biasing slightly toward Trump "because he won the popular vote."

Brent Mittelstadt, a data ethicist who is the director of the University of Oxford's Internet Institute, said that not a lot is known about how companies like OpenAI or Meta train their chatbots when it comes to polarizing issues like politics but that the chatbots themselves seem to shy away from the topics.

"I think there's definitely an incentive to make the chatbots advertiser-friendly," Mittelstadt said, adding that he'd be surprised if other tech companies explicitly told their data annotators to allow the chatbot to be open to conspiracy theories or commenting on societal issues in a way that might offend a user.

XAI, he said, "does seem like the biggest company in the space that is actively trying to take a political stance."

Do you work for xAI or one of Musk's companies? Reach out to Grace via a nonwork email and device at [email protected] or through the encrypted messaging platform Signal at 248-894-6012.

Take a look through a few sample prompts included in the xAI training document:

• High energy costs burden much of the US, with Hawaii and Connecticut having the highest average bills.
• Extreme weather, volatile gas markets, and infrastructure investments are driving up utility costs.
• Renewable energy expansion in states like Colorado helped moderate cost increases.

Where you live can impact how much you pay for utilities.

That's because the price of electricity depends on more than just the price of oil and gas. It is also affected by local utilities' investment in infrastructure, whether the state is vulnerable to extreme weather, and the amount of renewable energy that powers the grid.

The most recent data published by the Energy Information Administration, a US government agency, showed that residents of Hawaii, Connecticut, and Alabama had the highest average monthly electricity bills in 2024. Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado had the lowest average bills.

As energy bills have risen even faster than overall inflation in recent years, the greatest burden falls on the lowest earners, who tend to spend a larger share of their budgets on utilities. While President Donald Trump has promised to slash energy prices in half by pursuing a "drill, baby, drill" agenda on oil and gas, energy analysts and economists told Business Insider it's not that simple.

Extreme weather combined with exploding costs to upgrade the infrastructure that delivers electricity across the country are fueling higher prices. Renewable energy has helped moderate prices in some states, but looming tariffs on Canada and Mexico combined with skyrocketing energy demand from data centers may only increase costs.

Energy experts shared some of the biggest factors driving energy costs and explained why there are disparities among states.

The cost of extreme weather and volatile gas markets hit low earners the hardest

Since January 2020, consumer energy services costs have risen about 34%, compared to a 23% increase in overall prices, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed. Additionally, the Bank of America Institute found that the median utility bill payment for electricity, gas, and water rose 6% in January compared to a year earlier, double the 3% rise in overall inflation during this period.

These cost increases have hit people with the lowest incomes the hardest. A Bank of America Institute note said that in 2023, US households with annual incomes below $50,000 spent 6.8% of their earnings on natural gas and electricity costs, compared to 1.2% for households with annual incomes more than $150,000.

While it's no surprise that using more fuel or electricity can spike customers' energy bills, analysts told Business Insider that extreme weather, volatile oil and gas prices, and utilities' growing investments in the poles, wires, and big transmission lines that deliver power to homes are all contributing to increased costs.

Freezing winters — like the subzero temperatures that blanketed the US this year — and scorching summers can spike the demand for heat and air conditioning and hike costs. Utilities are investing in aging infrastructure that carries electricity from power plants to communities and can recover those costs from their customers. Oil and gas, which still supplies the majority of US electricity, is a volatile market vulnerable to global shocks like Russia's war in Ukraine.

Those shocks hit New England hard. The region, which includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, gets more than 50% of its power from natural gas. And unlike states such as Pennsylvania or Texas — where natural gas is underground in the region — a lot of the fuel for New England states is imported. This partly explains why energy costs are higher compared to the rest of the country, said Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, a trade group.

Dolan said wholesale electricity prices have fallen over the last two decades, but that's been offset by transmission costs soaring 800% between 2004 and 2023, data from New England's regional transmission organization showed.

"We've also seen a dramatic increase in the spending at the distribution level as we build out more substations, poles, and wires to highly electrified homes and businesses," Dolan said. "Those combined elements — transmission and distribution — now make up the largest single segment of the vast majority of electricity rates across New England."

Dolan added that New England states have more aggressive climate policies, including participation in a regional cooperative that caps carbon emissions from power plants and requires them to pay for every ton they emit — another cost that's passed on to customers.

On the opposite coast in California, extreme weather is driving higher utility bills, which averaged $159 a month in 2024. Utilities have spent billions of dollars on wildfire-related costs that are partially being passed on to consumers, said Brendan Pierpont, director of electricity modeling at Energy Innovation, a non-partisan energy and climate policy think tank.

Those costs include investments in preventing wildfires, like managing vegetation that can catch fire and burying power lines underground, as well as legal liabilities for blazes caused by their infrastructure.

Renewables can slow rising costs

Pierpont added that some states, including Colorado and New Mexico, have been able to moderate rising electricity costs in part by expanding solar and wind power.

"Many of the states with the cheapest power and lowest rate of increases have easy access to high-quality wind and solar resources," he said, citing a paper he authored last year.

Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America's Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy, said states that generate the highest percentage of their electricity from renewable energy sources have electricity rates that are below the national average, pointing to Iowa, South Dakota, and Oklahoma as examples.

"Renewables actually reduce wholesale electricity costs and reduce our dependence on notoriously volatile natural gas," she said.

However, not all states that have heavily invested in renewables have electricity rates lower than the national average. Neumann pointed to Hawaii as one example, where she said benefits from renewables investments are being offset by continued reliance on imported oil.

"These fuels have to be shipped to the island across long distances, leading to higher electricity costs," she said.

Texas is in a category of its own because the state's power grid is isolated from other regional ones. A deadly winter storm in 2021 that knocked out power and sent electricity prices soaring prompted state regulators to direct power plants to better prepare for extreme weather.

While Texas has abundant natural gas resources and is a leader in solar and wind development, the state aims to build more fossil fuel and small nuclear power plants to meet growing demand, said Michele Richmond, executive director of the Texas Competitive Power Advocates, which represents companies that produce power, including natural gas, wind, and nuclear.

Richmond added that Texas has a competitive, deregulated energy market that dispatches the cheapest power first to help offset some of the cost pressures. But it isn't immune from rising prices.

"We believe that having a diversified fuel mix is good for reliability because the wind doesn't blow all the time, and the sun doesn't shine all the time," Richmond said.

Do you have a story to share about your utility bills? Contact these reporters at [email protected] and [email protected].

• Real estate is attracting more young people to the profession.
• The share of realtors under the age of 30 quadrupled in 2024, NAR data shows.
• The trend has been helped by record-high home prices and the allure of being one's own boss.

Young, fresh-faced 20-somethings are taking the housing market by storm — not by buying homes, but by selling them.

After dipping in 2023, the share of realtors under the age of 30 quadrupled in 2024, rising from 1% to 4% last year, according to registration data from the National Association of Realtors.

Meanwhile, the median age of the average real estate agent dropped from 60 to 55 last year, the lowest since 2021.

It's a lucrative time to get into the business. While new rules have affected how realtors' commissions work, real estate agents and brokers still made a collective $48 billion in revenue in the third quarter of last year, about double what they made 10 years ago.

Paydays are being boosted by soaring home prices. The median sale price of a home was about $419,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024 — up 27% since the start of 2020.

Business Insider spoke to three realtors who dove into the property business early, with some obtaining their license as soon as they turned 18, or pausing college studies to do so.

Many described themselves as especially entrepreneurial and seeking an alternative to a typical desk job — and said they found the work rewarding, both on a financial and a personal level.

Marios Milonas, a real-estate agent based in New York, started in the business when he was 19 and looking for direction in his career. He wanted nothing to do with a regular 9-to-5, and, in an effort to steer clear of student loans, was taking classes at his local community college.

"I just felt like I wanted to be able to experience financial freedom," he said, adding that he shied away from the idea of being forced into a job just to pay of student debt.

His girlfriend's father, who had worked in real estate for more than 20 years, recommended he try it out. After a few weeks of coursework, he got his license and soon after dropped out of community college.

The market was tough, at first. Milanos didn't sell a single home for his first year in the business, he said, pointing to the pandemic.

His "baby face" also held him back, he said, recalling offhand comments from other professionals in the business.

"One person came in and said, 'Oh, I thought you were 13 years old," Milanos said.

The comments began to subside as he began to grow more confident and worked on appearing more knowledgeable in front of his clients. Once the housing market began to heat back up, he felt things finally coming together.

"When that housing market opened up, it was crazy," he said, adding that he began making a six-figure salary when he was 21 years old. Milonas made over $300,000 in commission in 2024, according to financial statements viewed by BI.

Chloe De Verrier, a 26-year-old realtor based in Los Angeles, also began working on getting her real estate license when she was 19. At the time, she was attending UCLA and felt unsure about her career path. She did, though, know that she wanted to run her own business, and have full control over her schedule. Real estate seemed like the right fit.

"I was kind of having that, I guess, quarter-life crisis of, 'I don't know what I want to do,'" she said. "I kind of just decided to take a leap of faith."

She decided to temporarily drop out of college and pursue real estate full-time. Her first official day in business was her 21st birthday.

It also took De Verrier eight months to sell her first home, which she attributes to the pandemic and the fact that she was just starting out in the industry. In the meantime, she lived off her savings and moonlighted as a restaurant hostess for extra cash.

"It was just a complete shit show," she said. "I would do real estate all day during the day, go to my night shift. And it would be funny because clients would call me when I was on shift, and so I would make some excuse to go to the bathroom or step into the alleyway to negotiate deals."

At times, she also doubted herself because of her age.

"Who's going to trust a 20-something-year-old to buy or sell their biggest asset?" De Verrier said.

But for the most part, people don't seem to care about how young she was. De Verrier says clients typically trust her because she's knowledgeable and does her best to come across as professional.

"To this day, people are like, you look 23, but you act [older]," she said. "Looking back, I don't think it was as big of a deal as I made it out to be in my head."

De Verrier made over $100,000 last year, according to documents viewed by BI.

Joseph Khateri, a 21-year-old real-estate agent in Virginia, said he got his real estate license when he was 18, but he was dabbling in real estate long before that. Khateri helped his immigrant parents read documents and sell their home twice when he was younger.

The last time Khateri helped his parents move, the realtor who sold them their house in Virginia told him to think about getting into the real estate business. Afer obtaining his license, he plunged into the real estate business full-time, working as many as 80 hours a week his first few years.

Khateri described his approach to real-estate as a kind of game, adding that he worked doggedly to bring up his hourly rate, or what his salary would be if he were paid by the hour.

It was tough going, though. It took Khateri around six months to sell his first home. His commission, when subtracting fees from his brokerage and other work-related expenses, came out to a rate of around $2 an hour.

"I was just losing money every month," he said. "My parents were like, 'Joseph, what are you doing?'"

He, too, said he had trouble doing deals because of his age. "Ageism is a very big thing with real estate," he said.

Since then, things have picked up. Last year, Khateri made around $70,000 from his real estate business alone, which includes his income from commission, referrals to clients, and consulting, statements viewed by BI show.

The Gen Z realtors who spoke to BI said they all want to stick with real estate, even if its just as a side hustle.

Milonas, who grew up in a working-class family in Queens, said he planned on scaling his business and building generational wealth through his real estate ventures.

Khateri picked up a full-time job as a software engineer last year and said he would continue to work in real estate on the side. Money is part of the reason why, he admits, as he's a close follower of the Financial Independence, Retire Early movement. He said expects to make $200,000 in income this year. But for the most part, he just finds real estate fun.

"I'm a huge money guy, numbers guy, heavily into finance. I simply just like helping people with their investments. It's honestly fun for me," he said.

De Verrier said she would also stay in the industry, with plans to potentially build her own team of agents one day.

"I don't know what else I would do, honestly," she said.

• Duolingo staged its owl mascot's death for a marketing stunt — except in Japan.
• The campaign reflects Duolingo's non-traditional and country-specific marketing.
• Marketing efforts helped boost daily active users by 51% and revenue by 41% in the fourth quarter.

In an elaborate marketing campaign this month, Duolingo seemingly killed its viral green owl mascot in every country but one.

"Duo, our owl, faked his death in every single market that we had except for Japan," Luis von Ahn, the company's CEO, said on an earnings call on Thursday. "It turns out that in Japan, joking about death is not as kosher. So, in Japan, he was just not dead."

In an early February campaign, the language learning app announced the "death" of its mascot with a sassy statement. In a post on X, the company wrote: "Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully. Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know."

Pop singer Dua Lipa replied to the X post, and wrote: "Til' death duo part," a reference to a long-standing joke about Duo being in love with the artist.

The company went all in: The app's thumbnail depicted the mascot dead with crossed eyes and his tongue sticking out, and Duolingo's social handles mourned his death in a series of posts.

On Thursday's call, von Ahn said Duo returned last week from faking his death because users completed enough language lessons to bring him back.

The campaign reflected the company's famous nontraditional and country-specific marketing campaigns, which have made the owl mascot and the Duolingo app cultural icons.

Duolingo's social media accounts for countries like India, Germany, and France feature hyper-local content based on news events, memes, and trends, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers in each of these countries. Duolingo's Japan Instagram page has posts in Japanese and anime-style art, and they feature Duo participating in local trends.

Last quarter, Duolingo became the first company to use animation to deliver prepared remarks on an earnings call, emphasizing its artificial intelligence push. A company representative told Business Insider that the video would have taken weeks to create with human animators, but generative AI did the job in less than seven minutes.

The company spent $25.6 million on sales and marketing in the quarter that ended in September, up from $22.3 million in the same period in 2023. Breakdowns for the most recent quarter were not available at press time.

"We believe that our unhinged and viral marketing campaigns — like our 5-second Super Bowl ad, Duolingo on Ice, and 'Owl Game' partnership with Netflix — contributed to our user growth and the growth of our iconic brand," the company wrote in a shareholder letter released Thursday.

Daily active users — an important measure for consumer apps — jumped by 51% in the fourth quarter to 40.5 million.

Fourth quarter revenue grew 41% to $209 million, beating analyst expectations of $205 million.

Duolingo's stock fell over 7% in after-hours trading. The stock is up 57% in the past year.

• Joe Gebbia is a cofounder and former chief product officer of Airbnb.
• On Thursday, Gebbia said he had joined Elon Musk's government efficiency commission, DOGE.
• Gebbia also sits on Tesla's board.

Joe Gebbia, the cofounder and former chief product officer of Airbnb, said on Thursday that he would be a part of Elon Musk's government efficiency commission, DOGE.

"Excited to share I'm bringing my designer brain and start-up spirit into the government," Gebbia wrote in an X post on Thursday.

Gebbia wrote in his post that his first project at DOGE will be to improve the "slow and paper-based retirement process" for federal employees. Musk had previously complained about how retirement applications were being processed manually and using paper records.

Musk told reporters at a press conference in the Oval Office on February 11 that he was told that only a maximum of 10,000 federal employees could retire every month because of the manual process.

"Well, because all the retirement paperwork is manual, on paper. It's manually calculated then written down on a piece of paper, then it goes down a mine," Musk said.

"Yeah, there's a limestone mine where we store all the retirement paperwork," Musk added.

Musk was referring to a converted mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania. The mine was originally owned by US Steel and has been used to store government records since the 1960s.

The Office of Personnel Management's then-chief information officer, Guy Cavallo, said in an interview with Federal News Network last year that it would take "many years" to replace the paper-based system with an online platform they were testing.

"Since leaving my operating role at Airbnb in 2022, I've been looking for the next digital design challenge. And I can think of few more important ones than volunteering to improve the user experience within our government," Gebbia wrote in his X post on Thursday.

Gebbia's post came attached with a video from the OPM, which said that the agency had processed an entire retirement application digitally for the first time. Chuck Ezell, the OPM's acting director, said in the video that the application was processed within a week. The process would take 64 days on average if done manually.

"If anyone else in good standing wants to help design beautiful, user-friendly digital products, reach out," Gebbia added.

"Thanks!" Musk wrote in response to Gebbia's post.

Representatives for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

This is the first time Gebbia has confirmed his involvement with DOGE. On February 13, The New York Times reported that Gebbia was set to join DOGE, though Gebbia declined to comment when approached by the Times.

It is unclear if Gebbia will be paid for his work at DOGE. Earlier this month, the White House said that Musk is a "special government employee" and isn't paid for his service.

Gebbia has a good relationship with Musk and has been a Tesla board member since 2022. In June, Gebbia told Reuters in an interview that Musk had discussed buying a home from his startup, Samara.

On January 19, a day before President Donald Trump's inauguration, Gebbia said in an X post that he had voted for Trump even though he had been voting for the Democrats his "whole life." The Democratic Party "aren't the same party they used to be," Gebbia wrote.

"Like your fashion sense, they've lost their way. Hopefully they'll make an effort to win people like me back," he added.

• The US Air Force's director of force design said America can't win through long-range strikes alone.
• He said the Air Force wants to emphasize more long-range strikes but cannot rely on them too heavily.
• US air power would need both tempo and mass to win a war, he said.

The US Air Force relying on a "massive punch" from afar would be a war-losing mistake, said its general in charge of shaping the service's future capabilities.

"What we have found, if you go to an all-long-range force, it doesn't win," Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel said at a Hudson Institute event on Wednesday.

He was answering a question about whether the Air Force will start to heavily or completely emphasize long-range strikes.

"I mean, it sounds wonderful, doesn't it?" Kunkel said, who also oversees the Air Force's war game simulations. "You sit in Topeka, Kansas. You press a red button. The war gets fought. Nobody gets hurt. It's all done at long-range."

But Kunkel said the strategy doesn't work because the Air Force loses tempo when fighting that way.

"They're absolutely game-changing," he said of striking from long range. "They're going to help us out. They're going to be able to deliver a massive punch to the adversary."

"But they're probably not going to do it at the tempo that's required to keep the adversary on its knees all the time," Kunkel continued.

He said that to win wars, the Air Force still needs to be able to get close and strike frequently.

"You need something else. You need something inside. You need something inside that can generate tempo. Tempo and mass," the general said.

To that end, Kunkel said the Air Force would transition to include more long-range attack methods but still rely on combined arms — a mix of different capabilities.

The Air Force has repeatedly signaled that it's trying to bolster its long-range strike capabilities, especially as the Pentagon worries about open conflict with China.

In January, for example, then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the force might have too few options to attack from afar.

The new B-21 Raider Bomber unveiled in 2022 is a central piece of the Air Force's long-range capabilities, and Kendall hinted that it needed more than its planned fleet of 100 aircraft.

"The Air Force is very heavily dependent on relatively short-range aircraft: fighters. And has a relatively small inventory of longer-range strike platforms: bombers," Kendall said. "I think that balance needs to shift."

Still, Kunkel said explicitly on Wednesday that the Air Force wouldn't rely solely on long-range strikes.

"I will adamantly say we are not transitioning to this all long-range force because, alone, that just doesn't work. We will transition to elements of a long-range force," he said.

The two-star general also said that the Air Force needs to start tailoring its capabilities to meet specific threats and that simply making new fighter jets will not win wars for the US.

"When we do the analysis, what we find is just reinventing the Air Force doesn't win," Kunkel said.

The Pentagon's press department did not respond to an additional request for comment for Kunkel sent by Business Insider outside regular business hours.

• Chris Hwang, cofounder of The Golden Duck, started the snack brand in 2015 with one product — salted egg yolk chips.
• A decade on, it's sold in over 3,000 stores and plans to expand into the US this year.
• From selling off his cars to afford payroll in the pandemic, here's how he built the business.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chris Hwang, the 33-year-old cofounder of The Golden Duck, a Singaporean snack brand. It has been edited for length and clarity.

At 23, I dropped out of law school to start The Golden Duck, a gourmet snack brand that reimagines Asian flavors like salted egg yolk; a decade later, it is sold in over 3,000 stores worldwide. We've set our sights on expanding into the US in 2025.

I don't have any culinary experience, but I love food.

The idea for the brand came about when my cofounder, Jonathan, approached me one day and asked, "What do you think about salted egg?"

I thought, "Salted egg is great. I love it in a Chinese Zi Char restaurant. I love salted egg crab."

I asked him what he had in mind, and he said, "How about we make salted egg yolk potato chips?" I thought it would be the kind of chips that come with dips, a Western concept that doesn't really sell well in Singapore.

He said, "Hear me out. I found a way to put it on a chip in a dry format."

I sat down with him and a chef friend of ours, and I tried it. It was so mind-blowingly good. The flavor, with the chilies and curry leaves, perfectly coated the chips. I said, "We have to do this business."

Cooking out of one tiny kitchen

We launched in 2015 with just one product — salted egg yolk chips.

At the start, our capacity was so limited that we were just making it out of a home kitchen, producing only about 50 packs daily.

We started selling them at a tiny seven-foot-long pop-up booth in Singapore's Suntec City mall for $7 a pop.

On the first day, the sales were not too crazy. But on day two, a queue started forming. By day three, we had sold out by 3 p.m. and had to put a maximum order of five packs per order.

Our products are often given as gifts or bought as souvenirs, and I think this is where it started. People started bringing their friends down to help them buy more packs, and it became a gift item for friends and family.

A huge opportunity for authentic flavors

We now have two lines of products: our snack boxes, which comprise flavors like salted egg crab seaweed tempura and salted egg fish skin chips, and a line of canister potato chips.

Asian flavors are gaining traction in the West, and I think people all around the world are craving authentic experiences.

We all know what sour cream and onion flavor or barbecue tastes like. But why not have sour cream and Sriracha?

That's one of our newest flavors in the canister line of chips that we launched in 2024, along with others like truffle wagyu and Himalayan pink salt.

Challenges in scaling up

We were hesitant to scale up initially, scared that it was just a flash in the pan and it would flame out fast. So we were very, very hesitant to put in capital to set up a store.

We did pop-ups for a few months until we finally got a tiny store in Chinatown, which had just enough space for one person to work in.

From there, we kept expanding. From 2016 to 2018, we grew to 10 stores in Singapore and more stores overseas. At the peak, we had about 15 stores, and we were also selling to retailers like 7-Eleven and other supermarket chains.

Some of the biggest surprises in our business came from scaling up our own manufacturing. The moment we tried to give a product a shelf life, we had to consider, "How will this taste after six months?"

Hiring the right people was key. If you hire someone who hates being in a hot kitchen, your products will come out pretty bad. We needed to hire people who care about their food.

Weathering the pandemic

The lowest point in the business came during the COVID-19 pandemic when our tourism revenue evaporated overnight.

I subscribe to the ideology that leaders eat last. I thought — if the company can't afford payroll and cannot meet its obligations to continue its business, I'm going to sell my cars.

From 2019 to 2021, I sold three cars so that I could lead the fundraising efforts during the pandemic.

We also had to restructure the team, going from 200 head count to about 120 over the course of one year.

We had to tell friends that we'd brought on board that we wouldn't be able to work together and that we were sorry for where the business was.

We now have a team of 25 people, producing results close to what our team of 200 was producing just five to six years ago.

Eyes set on a US expansion

A couple of years on, we now sell in countries around the world, including China, Australia, Germany, and even Trinidad and Tobago.

Now, we are eyeing the US as our new market.

I just returned from the US in December. It's a huge market for snacks, second to none. And the US consumer is so discerning and excited, and they're happy to consume and try new things.

We wanted to develop something that they would find interesting and exciting but still familiar, so we didn't want to reinvent the wheel.

This new line of canister chips is basically like Pringles but better. It's so easy to explain to Americans because we don't have to tell them what fish skin is or what seaweed tempura is.

• Amazon Web Services on Thursday debuted its new quantum computing chip, a prototype called Ocelot.
• The company says the Ocelot represents a breakthrough in error correction and scalability.
• The quantum computing field is heating up with recent advancements from Google and Microsoft.

Amazon Web Services on Thursday debuted its prototype quantum chip, the Ocelot, making headway in the race to develop functional quantum computers.

"What makes Ocelot different and special is the way it approaches the fundamental challenge we have with quantum computers, and that is the errors that they're susceptible to," Oskar Painter, the director of quantum hardware at AWS told Business Insider.

Amazon, in research published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, says the Ocelot represents a breakthrough in error correction and scalability — two key issues that have long slowed advancement in the field. The Ocelot prototype demonstrated the potential to increase efficiency in quantum error correction by up to 90% compared to conventional approaches, the company says.

"And that efficiency is something on the order of a factor of five to 10x so it's a pretty significant reduction," Painter said. "We still have about a factor of a billion to reduce the error rate — so that it's a huge gap — but it turns out that quantum error correction is up to the challenge, and it turns out that we eventually can bridge this massive gap."

Schrödinger's qubits

Quantum computing is a growing field of technology that combines computer science, math, and quantum mechanics. It relies on units of information called qubits rather than the binary bits used in classical computing.

Qubits hold more information than binary bits and can exist in multiple states simultaneously. However, they are unstable, difficult to measure, and require specific conditions — such as low light or extremely cold environments — to reliably replicate results without errors, which has slowed progress in the field for years.

But when they behave predictably at a large enough scale, qubits enable quantum computers to solve more complex calculations more quickly than classical computers can. Researchers in the field agree that computations solvable through quantum computing could help discover new drugs, promote sustainable food growth in harsh climates, develop new chemical compounds, or break our current encryption methods, among other outcomes.

Amazon said the Ocelot chip uses a kind of qubit technology called cat qubits, named after the famous Schrödinger's cat thought experiment. This technology intrinsically suppresses certain forms of errors, simplifying and reducing the quantum error correction required to build a full-fledged quantum computer, a spokesperson said.

An Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider the chip has a unique architecture that integrates the cat qubit technology and additional quantum error correction components into the chip that can be manufactured using processes borrowed from the electronics industry.

A quantum 'tipping point'

Before fully-fledged and functional quantum computers can become commercially useful, Painter and other quantum researchers agree they must make more progress in error reduction and scalability. While Amazon's new chip doesn't mean commercially useful quantum computers are in production now, it's the latest in a series of recent advancements in the field that has galvanized the industry and suggests commercial adoption will come sooner than expected.

Rob Schoelkopf, cofounder and chief scientist of Quantum Circuits, said Amazon's research results "highlight how more efficient error correction is key to ensuring viable quantum computing. " He described the company's progress as "a good step toward exploring and preparing for future roadmaps" in further developing quantum technology.

Amazon's announcement comes about a week after Microsoft unveiled its quantum chip, the Majorana 1. Microsoft says its chip is powered by a new state of matter and allows for more stable, scalable, and simplified quantum computing.

Similarly, Google in December announced its quantum chip, Willow, which the company says can perform a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes. It's a task that would take the current fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years to complete — a timeframe that exceeds the age of the universe.

"We really are at a very exciting time in quantum computing, and you're hearing a lot about it because this is a real tipping point," Painter said.

Who is in the lead?

Sankar Das Sarma, a theoretical condensed matter physicist at the University of Maryland's Joint Quantum Institute, told Business Insider Amazon's Ocelot chip is a "more conventional superconducting chip, perhaps similar to the ones developed by Google and IBM," than the one recently unveiled by Microsoft — though he added it's too soon to say which company is ahead in their findings.

"The MSFT work is based on topological Majorana zero modes, which also has a superconductor, but in a radically different manner," Das Sarma wrote in an email to BI. "In particular, the MSFT device, if it works correctly, is protected topologically with minimal need for error correction, whereas the AWS claim seems to be that they have made some improvement in the conventional error correction schemes. The two approaches are very different."

Researchers in the field are closely monitoring Amazon's and other companies' advancements, hoping to prove that quantum technology will become commercially viable sooner than anticipated. In January, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggested we were still 20 years away from the technology being "very useful," sending quantum stocks tumbling.

Troy Nelson, the chief technology officer at Lastwall, a cybersecurity provider of quantum resilient technology, told Business Insider that each company's announcement represents another building block that the industry will use along the way to a functioning quantum computer.

"There's lots of challenges ahead. What Amazon gained in error correction — and it has led to some new scientific knowledge and discoveries in error correction — was a trade-off for the complexity and the sophistication of the control systems and the readouts from the chip," Nelson said. "We're still in prototype days, and we still have multiple years to go, but they've made a great leap forward."

• A judge ruled OPM must retract memos calling for mass layoffs of probationary employees.
• The ruling follows a lawsuit against the Trump administration's federal workforce reduction.
• Charles Ezell, Acting Director of OPM, and DOGE employees could be ordered to testify in court.

A federal judge in California said on Thursday that the US Office of Personnel Management must withdraw memos calling for other federal agencies to terminate probationary employees en masse, stating that the OPM exceeded its legal authority.

US District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco said that except for its own employees, "OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe," to direct another federal agency to fire their workers, and that OPM must notify other agencies that it did not have the power to issue such a directive.

"All efforts by OPM to enforce it are invalid, pending further order of the court," he added.

A spokesperson for the OPM declined to comment when reached by Business Insider.

The order issued by Alsup comes in response to a lawsuit filed last week by a coalition of five labor unions and five nonprofit organizations challenging the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce. The lawsuit is just one of several pushing back against the Trump administration's stance that the federal workforce is bloated and inefficient.

Plaintiffs argued that OPM had no legal authority to terminate probationary employees, generally meaning those with less than a year on the job, and that the firings were based on false claims of poor performance.

Government attorneys said in court that OPM did not mandate the firings but merely advised agencies to assess whether probationary employees met performance standards. They argued that these employees are not entitled to guaranteed employment and that federal agencies should prioritize retaining only top-performing and mission-critical staff.

Alsap could summon Charles Ezell, Acting Director of OPM, to testify in court under oath in March about his communications to agencies regarding terminating employees. DOGE office-affiliated employees can also be subpoenaed to court.

"I can't order what I'm about to say because we don't have the parties in front of me to give relief. But I'm going to count on the government to do the right thing and to go a little bit further than I have ordered," said Alsap shortly before adjourning the court, "and to let some of these agencies know what I have ruled because I would hate for probationary employees to lose their job and for the government to be compromised."

"This ruling by Judge Alsup is an important initial victory for patriotic Americans across this country who were illegally fired from their jobs by an agency that had no authority to do so," said Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees. "These are rank-and-file workers who joined the federal government to make a difference in their communities, only to be suddenly terminated due to this administration's disdain for federal employees and desire to privatize their work."

• Robot maker Apptronik partnered with supply chain giant Jabil to test and produce its humanoid robots.
• Apptronik says the Apollo robots will perform simple tasks, supporting workers in Jabil's factories.
• Apptronik previously partnered with Mercedes-Benz.

Robot maker Apptronik entered a deal that could have its humanoid bots building themselves on factory lines.

The Austin-based company announced a partnership on Tuesday with supply chain giant Jabil.

Jabil, which is generally known for building electronic circuit boards, will provide a factory environment for "real-world testing" of Apptronik's Apollo robots, the company said in a release.

Appronik says the Apollo robots in Jabil's factories will be tasked with an "array of simple, repetitive tasks" like inspection, sorting, lineside delivery, and fixture placement. Jabil also agreed to produce Apollo robots in its factories, meaning they will eventually help build themselves if they test well.

Appronik said the robots in Jabil factories are meant to support existing workers, giving them more time to work on projects that the robots can not do. People who previously worked on the robot's tasks can now dedicate their time to "more creative, thought-intensive projects," the announcement says.

Apptronik first launched in 2016 in a lab at the University of Texas at Austin. The company later signed a deal with NASA in 2022 to help develop its humanoid robots. It released its first humanoid, Apollo, in August 2023.

"The big idea is a humanoid robot should be able to fit in all the places that a human can fit into and use all the same tools that humans can use," Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas told BI at the time. "That allows them to integrate into a world that's built for us versus having to modify the world for the robots."

This is the second time Apptronik has agreed to send the Apollo robots into a factory setting. The company announced a deal in March 2024 with Mercedes-Benz to test the Apollo robots with simple tasks in the company's manufacturing lines.

Apptronik is also not the first company to have its humanoid robots deployed in a factory setting. BMW announced in June 2024 that it successfully tested humanoid robots from California-based robot maker Figure at its factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

BMW said that the company's Figure 02 robots successfully inserted sheet metal parts, which were then assembled as part of the chassis, or the base frame of a car, during a several-week trial run.

Apptronik and Jabil did not immediately return a request from BI for comment.

• Talen Energy is confident in its power deal with Amazon despite a regulatory challenge.
• CEO Mac McFarland sought to reassure wary investors on the company's Q4 earnings call on Thursday.
• AI-driven electricity demand has boosted Talen's stock in the last year.

Despite regulatory challenges, Talen Energy is forging ahead with its deal to provide power to an Amazon data center adjacent to its Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, CEO Mac McFarland said Thursday on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call.

"We have an existing relationship with a hyperscaler who shows no signs of pulling back on growth and has invested material capital and sweat equity into the Susquehanna agreement to date and on an ongoing basis," McFarland said.

McFarland was referring to its current interconnection service agreement with Amazon Web Services for 300 megawatts of power. The AI boom has led to a surge in electricity demand coming from data centers, and Big Tech companies like Amazon are increasingly signing massive deals with independent power providers like Talen to meet it.

When AWS and Talen first announced their deal last year, the companies said they'd contracted for 960 megawatts of co-located capacity. In November, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected an interconnection service agreement that would have allowed the companies to expand their power purchase agreement beyond the initial 300 megawatts. Talen appealed the rejection in federal court in January.

"Talen has time to convert the contract to a different commercial arrangement and/or resolve the regulatory questions, and we are confident and focused on executing on one or both of those options over time," said McFarland.

Talen reported a net income of $998 million attributable to stockholders for 2024. However, by Thursday's market close, shares had fallen 7.3%.

Talen is one of many independent power producers that saw share prices of its stock surge in the last year, as Wall Street hyped up companies it saw as well-positioned to benefit from Big Tech's massive AI data center buildout. Even after Thursday's dip, Talen's stock price has more than doubled since this time last year.

Shares of Vistra, another independent power producer that has seen its stock surge amid the AI boom, also fell today after it reported earnings.

While McFarland tried to reassure investors, not all of them were convinced.

"We're clearly getting anxious," Seaport Global analyst Angie Storozynski told Talen executives on the call.

Do you have a story to share about data centers and energy? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

• Pepperdine University filed a trademark lawsuit against Netflix and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
• Pepperdine University said the companies used its IP in a new TV series, "Running Point."
• A judge denied the university's request for a temporary restraining order against the companies.

Mindy Kaling's new sports comedy with Netflix and Warner Bros. Entertainment is making waves at Pepperdine University.

"Running Point" is a new 10-episode TV series that follows Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson), a woman who becomes president of a professional basketball franchise called the Los Angeles Waves. Kaling, Hudson, and Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss serve as executive producers. Netflix premiered the series on Thursday.

However, the rollout was nearly benched just one week before its debut when Pepperdine University sued the entertainment companies. On February 20, the university filed a legal complaint accusing the companies of trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising. The university also asked a California judge to approve a temporary restraining order against them.

"When Defendants released and promoted the trailer for 'Running Point' on January 30, 2025, Pepperdine (and others) were immediately astounded at the striking correlations in branding between the fictional Los Angeles Waves and the real Los Angeles-based Pepperdine Waves," the university said. "The uses are too many and too close to be coincidental."

Moish E. Peltz, a partner at Falcon, Rappaport, & Berkman LLP, told Business Insider it's "certainly surprising that Warner Brothers and Netflix would go to market with such a strikingly similar sports team."

Prof. Betsy Rosenblatt of Case Western Reserve University's School of Law said the decision seemed "riskier than any number of other decisions they could have made."

Netflix referred to its opposition filing when contacted for comment.

Confusion among consumers?

In the complaint, the university said the fictitious basketball team's logo, branding, and colors were "strikingly similar" to Pepperdine's real-life sports franchise. Pepperdine University also said "Running Point" promoted a specific player number — 37 — which is worn by the school's mascot and correlates to its founding year.

"The lawsuit details how 'Running Point' portrayal of the 'Waves' team will cause consumer confusion and falsely suggest an affiliation between Pepperdine and the show," the university's press release said. "The university has also expressed deep concerns about some of the series' themes, which include explicit content, substance use, nudity, and profanity — elements that are inconsistent with Pepperdine's Christian values and reputation."

Peltz said trademark law aims to prevent consumer confusion, which is the focus of Pepperdine University's trademark infringement claim.

"Are consumers going to be confused about whether a sponsorship, affiliation, or consent was granted?" Peltz said. "That will depend on how you define the target market and who those consumers are."

Peltz said location could be considered when determining consumers' potential confusion.

"People watching Netflix on the East Coast or around the world may have no idea," he said. "People watching in the Southern California market might be scratching their heads like, 'Wait, I thought the Waves were a college team. Why are they a pro team in this thing? What's going on here?'"

Although trademark infringement is the first cause of action in the complaint, Rosenblatt said it may not be Pepperdine University's strongest claim.

"Their infringement claim based on confusion may not be that strong because maybe consumers won't think that Pepperdine is involved in this show. They just think, 'Isn't it weird that this fictional team has the same name and some indicators as Pepperdine?'" Rosenblatt said.

Trademark dilution, however, could hold more weight.

In the complaint, Pepperdine University said that Netflix and Warner Bros. Entertainment's "improper use of the asserted trademarks" could "dilute, tarnish, and disparage Pepperdine's reputation and marks."

"Particularly because the Netflix show has content that is so at odds with Pepperdine's conservative values and religious philosophy, it might harm Pepperdine's mark in that way," Rosenblatt said.

Peltz said the trademark dilution claim requires proof of fame, which would examine whether Pepperdine University's trademarks are well-known and being diluted by "Running Point."

A judge denied the university's TRO

If granted, the temporary restraining order against Netflix and Warner Bros. Entertainment would have barred them from certain actions, including airing "Running Point" episodes unless they're first edited to exclude references to the fictitious Waves team and the university's trademarks.

In a memorandum on Monday, Netflix argued against the temporary restraining order, saying the use of Waves is not "explicitly misleading" and the use is "artistically relevant," among other arguments.

A judge denied Pepperdine University's request two days later.

"The First Amendment, broadly speaking, allows people to use other people's trademarks in expressive ways," Rosenblatt said.

In response, the university's senior vice president, Sean Burnett, said the case against Netflix and Warner Bros. Entertainment will "continue on its regular course."

"We do not believe Netflix and Warner Bros. can be permitted to take the Waves trademarks and colors we have used for almost 90 years to identify Pepperdine to instead identify the team that is the subject of their series," Burnett said in a press release. "While we are disappointed with today's ruling, we believe the University will ultimately prevail and prevent the continued unauthorized use of Pepperdine's intellectual property in a way that misrepresents our institution."

Representatives for Warner Bros. Entertainment, Mindy Kaling, Kate Hudson, and Jeanie Buss, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• The US Navy forward-deployed the USS Tripoli to the Indo-Pacific to counter China.
• It replaces USS America as the Navy's amphibious assault ship based in Japan.
• The Tripoli played a central role in the F-35B 'lightning carrier' concept.

The US Navy is stationing its new "lightning carrier" in the Indo-Pacific to counter China's growing military influence.

America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli will replace the first-in-class USS America at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, as the forward-deployed amphibious flattop in the region.

Both the Tripoli and the America operate as mini flattops, carrying fixed-wing and rotary aircraft flown by Marine and Navy aviators, such as MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors, MH-60S Knighthawk helicopters, and F-35B stealth jets.

The Tripoli has been central to the Navy's experimental "lightning carrier" concept, demonstrating its flexibility to fulfill some of the missions of the much larger carrier air wings on aircraft carriers.

During its maiden deployment in 2022, the Tripoli carried 20 F-35B stealth fighters on board — the most F-35B jump-jets ever aboard a big-deck amphibious ship.

Named after the first recorded land battle fought by the US overseas

In May 2012, Huntington Ingalls Industries was awarded the contract to build USS Tripoli, and the warship launched five years later in 2017 from Pascagoula, Mississippi.

It is the third vessel to bear the Tripoli name, a tribute to the first recorded land battle the US fought overseas when Marines landed on Tripoli's shores in 1805.

Initially planned to join the Navy's fleet a year behind schedule in 2019, the Tripoli's commissioning was pushed to 2020 due to "unspecified technical difficulties" and delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Second-in-class assault ship

The Tripoli is the second America-class amphibious assault ship delivered to the US Navy. The 45,000-ton vessel measures 844 feet in length and 106 feet in width, similar in size to its predecessor, the Wasp-class amphibious warships.

Powered by two marine gas turbines, the warship has a speed of 22 knots or about 25 mph. The assault carrier is armed with surface-to-air missile systems, two automated gun-based close-in weapon systems, and seven heavy twin machine guns.

Prioritizing aviation capabilities

The America-class fleet was designed to prioritize aviation capabilities and lacks a well deck to launch amphibious craft.

In its place, the assault carriers have an extended hangar deck and wider high bay areas, which allow more room for aircraft and aviation fuel. The ships also have two aircraft elevators and additional space for aviation maintenance facilities.

The Tripoli's flight deck can accommodate up to nine CH-53K King Stallion heavy transport helicopters flown by Marines. In a standard configuration, the Tripoli can carry up to 10 F-35B fighters, 12 Ospreys, and 16 military helicopters.

Amphibious warships typically operate as helicopter carriers designed to support near-shore operations. The America-class vessels, however, were modified with a more durable, heat-resistant flight deck to launch F-35B stealth fighters.

The 'Lightning carrier' concept

Taking its aviation capabilities even further, the US Navy used the Tripoli to test the "lightning carrier" concept, tasking the amphibious assault ship to function as a full-fledged carrier.

In 2022, the Tripoli departed its homeport in San Diego for the Western Pacific, spending the first few months of its seven-month maiden deployment putting the experimental concept to the test.

The assault carrier carried 20 F-35B stealth fighters on board — the most ever loaded aboard a big-deck warship.

"We refer to the ship as 'assault carrier 7,' and 'assault' is traditional for an LHD and LHA," Capt. Joel Lang, then-commander of the Tripoli, told reporters at the time. "Typically, the air combat element is a blend of rotary and tilt-rotor in order to enable that assault force to go ashore. We are proving the tactics and the techniques and the procedures to employ the 'lightning carrier' concept."

Produced by US defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the fighter jet has a stealth design to vastly reduce its ability to be tracked by radar and is touted as one of the world's most advanced fighters. The F-35B variant has a powerful propulsion system that gives it the unique capability of vertical takeoff and landing.

Developed by Rolls-Royce, the lift fan delivers an additional 20,000 pounds of thrust on top of the aircraft's engine thrust, allowing it to land and take-off like a helicopter.

The F-35B allows Marine aviators to operate aboard smaller flattops and makeshift airstrips, especially on expeditionary missions. With far more advanced capabilities and avionics, the F-35B is set to replace the US military's only other STOVL fighter jet, the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier, which is expected to retire by 2027.

Strengthening US air power in the Indo-Pacific

While the Navy doesn't intend on substituting full-fledged carriers with "lightning carriers," operating smaller flattops bolsters the fleet's air power — at a much lower cost.

An America-class assault ship costs about $3.4 billion, nearly a quarter of the cost to manufacture a new Gerald R. Ford-class carrier, which costs around $13 billion, though the latter possesses more advanced capabilities and carries over 60 aircraft.

"One day, you can have F-35Bs on the flight deck; the next day, you could have MV-22s, and you can be putting Marines ashore," Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, then-commander of the US 7th Fleet, said following the concept testing. "And so it just is a very versatile instrument."

The "lightning carrier" concept could play a larger role in deterring China, which now has the world's largest navy.

Despite still being in the experimentation phase, Thomas said he believes that an assault carrier carrying 14 F-35Bs is "much more capable" than either of China's operational aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong, "both from a sortie-creation perspective as well as just a sheer capability."

Last December, China unveiled its own massive assault ship, the Sichuan, which can launch fighter jets or drones. The first Yulan-class landing helicopter assault ship has a flight deck as large as three football fields, about as long as the US Navy's America-class LHAs but 60 feet wider. China, however, does not have a carrier-based stealth fighter yet.

Expanding the Navy's amphibious fleet

Recognizing the operational flexibility of assault warships, the Navy aims to expand its amphibious fleet to at least 31 vessels — 10 of which must be big-deck LHAs.

Two more America-class LHAs — USS Bougainville and USS Fallujah — are currently being built at HII's Mississippi shipyard. The fifth-in-class USS Helmand Province was named last May and has yet to start construction.

Last May, HII was awarded a $9.6 billion contract to ramp up construction on the Navy's amphibious fleet. The deal includes the construction of three San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks and the next America-class big-deck ship.

"Upgrading our fleet with amphibious combat vehicles capable of supporting sea denial and maritime operations will further bolster our ability to support deterrence efforts and respond to contingencies in the Indo-Pacific," Lt. Gen. Roger B. Turner, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in a statement.

• In 2023 my mother was diagnosed with myeloma, a rare blood cancer that needed aggressive treatment.
• I quit my job in broadcast journalism so I could prioritize spending time with her.
• While she's here, I'm going to do everything I can to cherish the time we have together.

"Are you sisters?" It's one of the questions I always get asked when I am out with my mom, as we sound and look alike. It's a charming compliment, since my she has always been more than a mother to me — she's my best friend. I can talk to her about anything, I genuinely enjoy hanging out with her, she loves to laugh, and at 74, she's still young at heart.

In September 2023, our world changed. My mom was diagnosed with myeloma, a rare blood cancer that needed aggressive treatment. While the disease is not curable, it can be managed.

Her treatment began with weekly chemotherapy, which made her very weak and significantly impacted her quality of life. Eventually, the chemo treatments were reduced to every other week, then every month. When her medication was further reduced, she was once again able to enjoy some of her usual activities. I told myself that now is the time to make memories with her, so I decided to give up my dream career as a broadcast journalist to be there for her.

Our faith always guided me

My mother and I go to the Gurdwara in our community once a week. As a Sikh, sewa (which translates to selfless service) is an important part of our faith. My mom has brought me up to always be grateful and practice gratitude for what we have, and not to focus on what we don't have. I suspect this is a big part of why I was able to put my life on hold and prioritize spending time with her.

My mother has also instilled very important values in me. Her motto is live life to the fullest and always do things that make you happy. The future is scary for me as myeloma is incurable and I have anxiety thinking about my life without her. My mission is to help her make the most of the time we have together, and my faith gives me the strength I need in this difficult time.

Having fun and building memories

Now, more than ever, building memories with my mother is of great importance to me. When she went into remission last year, I took her to Florida, a place she loves because of the sunshine and theme parks.

While we were there we went to multiple theme parks, enjoyed the restaurants at Disney Springs where we ate way too much ice cream, stayed up late, went on scary rides (my mom is fearless), and enjoyed long walks. On the trip, she didn't get sick and was full of energy, she didn't even have to take a nap like she usually would back home — she was like a new person.

It was the best two weeks of our lives and we made some lovely memories together. She was happy, and so was I.

Day-to-day, my goal is to make her happy

These days, I'm doing a bit of freelancing, but my mom remains my priority. While she's here, I'm going to do everything I can to cherish the time we have together.

Every day is a new day and I make plans to do things with my mother that make her happy. For us, that may mean going out to a restaurant, watching a favorite movie, or going for a swim. I want each day to feel like we are on a trip together.

It's hard to imagine a life without my mom. We have a very special relationship in which she offers me brilliant advice and always has my back. I've been truly blessed to have her by my side and hope I find the strength to get through the hard days that I know are ahead.

• Trump's Navy secretary nominee said the president texts him in the middle of the night about rusty warships.
• Phelan said Trump sends him pictures of worn ships asking him what he's going to do about it.
• During his first term, the president was said to be very focused on the look of warships.

President Donald Trump's pick for US Navy secretary said multiple times on Thursday that he receives late-night texts from the president about rusty warships.

"I jokingly say that President Trump has texted me numerous times very late at night — sometimes after one in the morning," John Phelan, a businessman tapped to lead the Navy, told lawmakers during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing.

He said that the president's late-night messages are about "rusty ships or ships in a yard, asking me, what am I doing about it?" Phelan added that he's told him, "I'm not confirmed yet and have not been able to do anything about it, but I will be very focused on it."

Later in the hearing, Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, showed Phelan a recent picture of the destroyer USS Dewey covered in rust and asked him how he felt about it.

He responded: "Please don't give it to President Trump because I'll get a text at like, one in the morning." He added he thought the rusty warship looked terrible and suggested that the Navy "should be ashamed."

And that wasn't the last mention of it. Toward the end of the hearing, he noted Trump's urgency in addressing problems in the Navy. He said that "the president did text me, I think it was 1:18 in the morning, of like three Rusty ships in a yard and said what are you doing about this."

The brown streaks of rust sometimes seen on Navy vessels are a sign of corrosion. It is a constant battle for Navy warships and their crews, and that fight is sometimes lost amid high operational tempos or maintenance delays, among other challenges.

The questions to Phelan were part of the committee's concerns about how the nominee plans to address the US Navy's shipbuilding and maintenance issues, which include critical industrial base problems and severely delayed projects, such as the Pentagon's priority submarines.

Phelan said one of his top priorities is to fix this shipbuilding issue, which is aligned with Trump's focus as well.

The White House did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the texts Phelan mentioned. The texts would be on brand for the president, who took a keen interest in the look of Navy warships in his first term.

In particular, he zeroed in on the new frigates and Ford-class carriers, calling some of the ship designs "terrible-looking" and "horrible."

The president's former defense secretary, Mark Esper, wrote previously that Trump would gripe about the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, saying that the island "looks really bad." He also said Trump said US warships were "ugly" compared to Russian vessels.

In June 2020 near the end of his first term, Trump jokingly took credit for the look of the coming Navy frigates.

"The ships that they were building, they look terrible," the president said, adding that when he looked at the design, he said, "That's a terrible-looking ship, let's make it beautiful." He said he eventually received a "beautiful model" of the frigate that he said was "like a yacht with missiles on it."

Beyond the appearance of warships, Trump has also complained about ship engineering, most recently criticizing advanced systems on the Ford.

• A judge ruled that federal workers associated with the White House DOGE office can be subpoenaed in a current lawsuit.
• The lawsuit filed by AFL-CIO seeks information on how the DOGE office is handling sensitive data.
• US District Judge John Bates highlighted DOGE's "unclear" structure and authority as keys to the legal decision.

A federal judge on Thursday granted a motion to require federal workers tied to the White House DOGE office to testify under oath.

The decision came in a lawsuit from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, one of the country's largest trade unions. The group sued the DOGE office and the Department of Labor on February 5 over access to sensitive personal data.

The ruling granted the plaintiffs' request to conduct four depositions, one each with the agencies named in the lawsuit — the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — and the United States DOGE Service. However, it also said the depositions would be capped at "eight hours in the aggregate."

The judge wrote that "understandably, defendants argue most strongly against" the depositions. But he said the depositions being limited to specific topics and in length meant they did not pose too high a burden.

The topics that can be discussed in the depositions include how access to systems at each agency changed after the DOGE office was created, the role of DOGE office employees at the agencies, and how those employees are using sensitive systems at the agencies.

It's unclear which specific Trump administration officials would be asked to sit for the depositions.

The lawsuit is one of more than 85 lawsuits challenging the scope of the DOGE office's authority.

AFL-CIO filed a motion for expedited discovery, citing limited information about the DOGE office's current operation. Washington, DC, District Judge John Bates wrote in the ruling that the DOGE office's "structure" and "scope of authority" are "not only unclear on the current record but also critical" to decide how the law applies to the agency.

Bates wrote that it would be "strange to permit defendants to submit evidence that addresses critical factual issues and proceed to rule on a preliminary injunction motion without permitting plaintiffs to explore those factual issues through very limited discovery."

The White House, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

• The FAA announced its first round of 2025 air traffic controller hiring on Thursday.
• The job is high-stress with challenges like fatigue, but the average annual salary is six figures.
• Controllers must undergo rigorous training and testing and retire at 56.

The Trump Administration has a plan to increase air traffic control staffing: faster hiring and more money.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration has accelerated hiring to cut more than four months off the timeline.

Candidates who attend the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City will earn 30% more. The agency said the average controller salary is now $160,000.

The Federal Aviation Administration reopened its hiring window, with applications accepted until March 17.

Being an air traffic controller is an extremely high-stress job. The over 14,000 workers nationwide are responsible for moving tens of thousands of lives on board planes across the country every day.

Pressure on the FAA to hire controllers more quickly comes amid heightened attention on air safety following a string of crashes. A deadly American Airlines midair collision in January highlighted potential lapses in US air traffic systems.

The agency has been battling a controller shortage for years. CNN reported in May 2024 that the FAA was about 3,000 controllers short, though it met its 2024 hiring goal of 1,800 and plans to hire another 2,000 this year.

Business Insider spoke with FAA controller Cedrick Earley to discuss what it is like to work the job. Here are nine things you should know before applying to become an air traffic controller.

You don't need a college degree to work in ATC

ATC is a good option for people looking for a high-salary job that doesn't require a college degree.

According to Thursday's job posting, an eligible applicant must:

• Be a US citizen
• Speak clear and fluent English
• Be under the age of 31 before the application closing date (more on that later)
• Have one year of full-time work experience or higher education, or a combination of both
• Meet specific physical and mental fitness standards

Successful applicants who apply through the FAA must undergo months of extensive training and pass mandatory tests, such as an aptitude test, a skills assessment, and physical and psychological exams, before being officially hired.

The applicants will spend up to five months at the academy, where training and testing will occur. However, some applicants come from other careers, like the military.

Earley said he went through the Air Force to become a controller instead of going through the FAA.

"[Air Force] is a different track," he said. "The quality of training you receive from the Air Force is equivalent to what you would get if you went through the route with the FAA in Oklahoma."

You have to be younger than 31 when you apply

According to the FAA, all ATC applicants must be 30 or younger on the closing date of the application period to qualify for the position.

This is because the agency has determined through extensive research that the older someone is, the harder it is for them to complete the rigorous training.

However, according to the agency, those who already have air traffic control experience can be hired up to 35 years of age. 

You have to go through a lot of testing and training

Whether you become a controller through the FAA or the military, you will have to undergo monthslong training and pass aptitude, physical, physiological, and skill tests. These exams assess applicants' health, and their ability to train for and perform the job.

Initial tests are pass/fail, according to the agency, and failing certain exams will eliminate applicants from the hiring process.

The training is demanding, with about 50% of aspiring Air Force controllers failing out.

You won't necessarily work in a tower

Earley said traffic controllers are not just confined to the airport tower but can also work in the several hundred facilities around and between airports nationwide.

For example, one may work in the Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility, or TRACON, in Memphis and be responsible for controlling aircraft leaving the airport for their next destination and directing flights into the airport for a quick and safe landing. 

Employees can also work in one of the air route traffic control centers, or ARTCCs, throughout the US, which direct aircraft en route to their destinations.

The work can be high-stress and sometimes boring

Being an air traffic controller can be stressful due to the heavy workload and high-consequence environment. However, depending on how busy the skies are, the job can also be dull and boring.

Former air traffic controller Michele Robson wrote in 2020 that the job can be quiet at night, but controllers must always be alert and ready to work at any hour on shift.

While some controllers find the job extremely stressful, Earley said that isn't the case for him because he enjoys the "challenge of coming in every day to a new puzzle." However, he admitted that that work keeps him on his toes.

"Controllers are always learning on the job, like updating and refining the processes or learning new rules and procedures," he explained. "It is a job where you always have to change and adapt." 

Safety is the top priority

Air traffic controllers are responsible for about 50,000 daily flights in the US, so safety is the most important aspect of the job.

An increasing number of planes colliding or nearly colliding has further enhanced FAA training and system improvements across airports and ATC facilities.

According to Earley, there are several things controllers do to ensure nothing is missed.

"I work in front of a radar scope, and it can get busy at times, so I am not supposed to work in position more than two hours at a time, so we get a break to keep us refreshed," he said. "We also do not work more than 10 hours in one day, and there is a certain amount of hours we have to be off before we can work again."

The FAA implemented new rules in 2024 to minimize controller fatigue by raising the minimum rest time between shifts from at least nine hours to at least 10 hours. Controllers also get 12 hours off before and after midnight shifts.

Earley also explained that there are redundancies in the job to elevate safety and that other controllers and supervisors help check each other's work.

"Everyone is actually able to see what is going on with any particular person's work at the time, so it is one team, one fight," he said. "If we notice something is a little out of sorts, we can bring that to the controller's attention, and they can fix it before it becomes a bigger problem."

The salary is good, but the work schedule can be inconsistent

Earley explained the job's salary, which increases with seniority, plus the benefits provide a good work-life balance.

"It's a job that pays me well and allows me to support my family," he said. "I'm also able to take leisure time for myself, like spending time with my daughter."

However, he also said his schedule is not the regular 9-5.

"I do have some shifts I work from midnight to 8 a.m., as well as some scattered 12-8 shifts, so it rotates," he said. "I always know what my hours are each day, but it is not always at the same time. It is consistently inconsistent."

You know your schedule for the entire year

According to Earley, air traffic controllers know their work schedule a year in advance.

"When we set our schedules up, we bid what we want for the next year, and then we are awarded our full schedule for the year," he said. "It helps in terms of planning our leave."

He also explained that the schedule is only for one year, and controllers can change it the following year.

You can retire at 56

All air traffic controllers must retire at 56 due to the higher possibility of memory or hearing loss, inattentiveness, or reduced eyesight in older individuals.

However, Earley said the 56 age cut-off only applies to those actively working traffic, so controllers who are not yet ready to retire can take a desk or management job instead.

From exclusive menu items to portion sizes, we wanted to find all the differences between the US and UK KFC menus in 2024 and see what's changed since 2020. This is "Food Wars."

• OpenAI released GPT-4.5 on Thursday.
• The model is designed to be more general-purpose than OpenAI's STEM-focused reasoning models.
• OpenAI says it's best for "tasks like writing, programming, and solving practical problems."

On Thursday, OpenAI released what it claims to be its largest and most powerful model to date: GPT-4.5.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described it in a post on X on Thursday as "the first model that feels like talking to a thoughtful person."

"I have had several moments where I've sat back in my chair and been astonished at getting actually good advice from an AI," he wrote.

Altman added in his post that the model will be "giant" and "expensive." And while OpenAI "really wanted to launch it to plus and pro at the same time — " the company's paid subscription tiers — it simply ran out of GPUs, he explained.

"We will add tens of thousands of GPUs next week and roll it out to the plus tier then," he said.

Silicon Valley has been at odds about the best way to make AI models smarter and more powerful. But GPT-4.5 makes a case for the conventional wisdom that the more data and computational resources that go into a model, the better it becomes.

OpenAI's chief research officer, Mark Chen, told the newsletter Big Technology that the company has not yet seen diminishing returns from scaling.

"We're very rigorous about how we do this," Chen said. "We make projections based on all the models we've trained before on what performance to expect, and in this case, we put together the scaling machinery, and this is the point that lies at that next order of magnitude."

And while training costs remain high, OpenAI has found less expensive ways to run increasingly big models. Inference costs "have dropped many orders of magnitude since we first launched GPT-4," Chen told Big Technology.

The basics

On Thursday, the company released GPT-4.5 in a research preview to users who pay $200 a month for ChatGPT Pro and developers in the API. Next week, OpenAI aims to bring it to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Edu users.

In a livestream demonstration of GPT-4.5's abilities on Thursday, Amelia Glaese, a member of OpenAI's technical staff, said GPT-4.5 is the latest advancement of OpenAI's "unsupervised learning" paradigm which focuses on scaling up models on "word knowledge, intuition, and reducing hallucinations."

Meanwhile, its o1 series of reasoning models, which it released last year, are designed to think before responding and are better suited for quantitative tasks.

It picks up better on social cues

In practice, GPT-4.5 is the most natural conversationalist and emotionally intelligent of OpenAI's models. It responds more adeptly to social cues than OpenAI's STEM-focused reasoning model, o1, as a function of its greater knowledge base and stronger contextual understanding.

Raphael Lopes, a member of OpenAI's technical staff, demonstrated how GPT-4.5 would reframe an angry text to a friend with more tact than o1.

It's trained on "vibes"

GPT-4.5 is aligned to be a "better collaborator" so conversations with it feel "warmer, more intuitive and emotionally nuanced," Lopes said. OpenAI tested GPT-4.5 against 4o, a multimodal model it released in May, on a "vibes" test set that measures creative intelligence and emotional intelligence.

It's less prone to hallucinate

GPT-4.5 outperforms other models in accuracy and produces significantly fewer hallucinations, the company said.

The model's "knowledge base, stronger alignment with user intent, and improved emotional intelligence make it well-suited for tasks like writing, programming, and solving practical problems," OpenAI said in the GPT-4.5 System Card published on Thursday.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for a comment.

Lizzy Caplan doesn't mind that she's known for playing sharp, sardonic brunettes.

It wasn't always that way. Two decades ago, when she donned heavy eyeliner and extra-dark hair to play the vengeful high school outcast Janis Ian in the 2004 film "Mean Girls," she worried the instantly iconic role would lead to her being typecast as the "goth best friend."

"I completely changed my look so that I wouldn't get pigeonholed," Caplan, now 42, told Business Insider. Then she didn't work for a year.

"My phone was not ringing off the hook," she recalled.

After trying to run in the opposite direction, Caplan learned to lean into her strengths, gravitating towards layered, sometimes misunderstood characters — minus the goth eyeliner.

That includes real-life human sexuality pioneer Virginia Johnson in "Masters of Sex," an opinionated magazine writer trapped in suburban hell in "Fleishman Is in Trouble," a murderer in season two of "Castle Rock," and a modern version of Glenn Close's mentally unstable character from "Fatal Attraction" in the 2023 reimagined series adaptation.

"Eventually, I just kind of started going back to the acerbic, dark-haired girls and really, that's my preferred place to be," Caplan tells Business Insider. "So it all ended up working out."

The two-time Emmy nominee plays another strong-willed character in Netflix's new political thriller "Zero Day," centered on a deadly cyberattack that ignites chaos in the US.

In the limited series, she stars as Alexandra Mullen, a congresswoman who lives in the shadow of her father, George Mullen (Robert De Niro), the former president of the United States. Alexandra represents the new blood in politics who does things differently than her predecessors.

Aside from the honor of going head-to-head with De Niro, Caplan relished the opportunity to embody someone who exists in a morally gray area.

"I always gravitate toward very complicated characters, characters who, maybe, if you objectively looked at some of the decisions they made, it would be easy to categorize them as the bad guy, as the villain, as evil," Caplan said. "But I think that the most exciting challenge of tackling one of those characters is that nobody actually sees themselves as the bad guy when they're making these decisions. They see themselves as the hero."

For the latest interview in Business Insider's Role Play series, Caplan reflects on the ubiquity of "Mean Girls" in pop culture, why she's partially relieved the scrapped Channing Tatum-led "Gambit" movie never came to fruition, and the role she's still shocked that she landed.

On trying on tons of goth wigs to convince 'Mean Girls' bosses she was right for Janis

Business Insider: "Mean Girls" is obviously one of your most iconic roles, but I remember reading that you had to fight for that part because they had a look in mind. How did it feel to face that pushback, and what was the audition process like to prove yourself for that role?

Lizzy Caplan: Yeah, it was a fight. I think every single girl who auditioned went in for the Lindsay Lohan character, and then they sort of started bringing us back for the different characters.

I loved the character of Janis from the beginning. I always wanted to be Janis. They thought they had somebody else, or other types of people in mind for that role. I do remember that somebody from the hair department flew down from Canada, and we went to a cheap wig store, and I tried on all these black goth wigs, and we took all these pictures to try to convince them.

I don't know what eventually pushed it in my direction, but I do remember where I was when I got the phone call, and how excited I was, and how fun it was to make that movie. It's a very lovely memory for me.

How did being part of a film that went on to be so successful affect your career trajectory? Did you get an influx of offers for roles after that movie came out, and similarly, did you feel pigeonholed into Janis-type roles?

Yes to the second question. I definitely was very nervous about being pigeonholed. And you have to remember that 20 years ago when that movie came out, if you were the goth best friend, that was a lane that you could very easily get trapped in. The goth girl was not the main protagonist of any story back then. Winona Ryder did it, and then it stopped happening for, like, 20 years, and now it's like those sort of darker, more alt, left-of-center female characters are once again getting to be the main characters, which is great. That was not the landscape when "Mean Girls" came out.

The movie, I feel like it was a success at the time. Since then, it's become this cultural touchstone for people. It's really taken on a whole other life, I think, post-internet. But no, I did not get an influx of offers at all. I didn't work for a year after "Mean Girls."

Talking about "Party Down," you've said that playing Casey was one of your favorite roles ever. How did you feel when the show was originally canceled, and how did you deal with that disappointment?

It was horrible. It was so sad. We kind of saw the writing on the wall — it was a complete failure in the ratings. Nobody watched it. We talk, still, us "Party Down" people, we kind of marvel at the fact that it had a zero share in the Nielsen ratings.

But it was so unbelievably fun to make, and we all loved each other so much, and got so so so close. It was made on this shoestring budget, and it felt like theater school. It was the most fun thing to make, as well as being something that we all really, really believed in.

Still, I'll watch an episode every now and then, and I will just die laughing. The caliber of comedy from my costars in that show still blows my mind. But again, it had bad ratings. Adam Scott had taken the job on "Parks and Recreation," which also felt like, 'Oh, this apparently doesn't bode so well,' and it was really depressing.

We were really sad. But that was also back in the day when your show getting canceled was like death. I think the longer I've been in this business, things feel a little bit more right-sized.

On the role she still can't believe she landed and the scrapped 'Gambit' movie with Channing Tatum

A lot of people know you from "Masters of Sex," which lasted four seasons on Showtime and was very popular at the time. When you were on that show, did you feel like you had stability in your career? Did it affect how you saw your career going at the time?

For sure, it completely changed how I saw my career more than anything else I did. I always knew I wanted to try more dramatic roles. I was pretty resigned to the fact that that probably wasn't going to be my path. If you had established yourself in comedy, chances were you were going to stay in comedy. And I think just because the creator of that show had no idea about my comedy work, that's the only reason why I probably was even seen for it.

I loved it. It was before streaming, so personally, the pinnacle of success for me was to be on an HBO show or a Showtime show, a respected drama. I didn't think I would ever get that role. The fact that I did still kind of blows my mind, and it completely changed my career. It offered me so much stability. I don't think I had ever done a show that had gotten [more than] two seasons before then. I loved it. I bought a house. I got to stay in LA, where I was living at the time.

I'm actually now, probably for the first time since that show, really ready to do an ongoing series. I would love a little of that stability again. But, yeah, I truly, truly loved making that show.

A while back, I remember that you were rumored to be cast in this "Gambit" movie with Channing Tatum, but it ended up getting scrapped. What do you remember about the character you were supposed to play and the concept of the movie?

It was a really cool idea. It's kind of odd that it got scrapped [laughs]. Those movies don't seem to ever get scrapped, but it did.

We got down the road, we were gonna shoot it. I think there was a start date. I had had meetings with Channing, we had a director, then we didn't. But I had multiple meetings with Channing and the other producers. And the idea was great. They wanted to do a '30s kind of screwball romantic comedy set in that world, which would have been really fun.

Are you interested in the superhero genre at this stage, or are you looking toward getting a show that you can do for many seasons?

I think probably more the show. Let's just say that was, like, so many years ago. The "Gambit" thing, that's when those movies were, I guess, probably the best they were. That's when they were dominating in every possible way. And I had a lot of stress about doing that kind of movie even then. So now I'm pretty OK not doing one of those movies. I can hear my manager screaming in the other room [laughs.].

"Now You See Me 2" is one of my favorite projects of yours. Are you coming back for the third movie that's out in November? I've seen mixed things and some unclearness.

I'm as curious as you are about that.

On the business decision that 'tortured' her and her favorite under-appreciated roles

Speaking more broadly about your career, what's the best business decision that you made for yourself?

God, that is a good question. I think one of the hardest decisions I had to make — I do think it was the right decision, but it was brutal and remains a source of pain for me — I had to choose between doing the third season of "Party Down" and "Fleishman Is in Trouble."

I did "Fleishman Is in Trouble" and I was tortured over that decision. I don't think there was a wrong answer, and I don't think there was a right answer.

Is there a particular role of yours that you feel is underrated or you wish got more love from fans or more attention?

I'll say two things. One, I feel like people really liked this animated show I did for Netflix called "Inside Job," and I really loved that project, too. I feel like it didn't really register with a lot of people, but the people that did see it seemed to really like it.

And then I'm really proud of the show "Castle Rock," and I think that that one kind of flew a little bit under the radar, but I loved making that, and it was a really huge challenge. I'm very proud of that one.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

"Zero Day" is now streaming on Netflix.

More from this series

• Elisabeth Moss will be bringing her baby to the "Handmaid's Tale" set
• The cancellation of 'Freaks and Geeks' broke Linda Cardellini's heart. It also taught her a valuable lesson.
• Anna Kendrick says she felt like a 'bystander' to the 'Twilight' pop-culture phenomenon