• McDonald's is closing its CosMc's spin-off drink shops.
• CosMc's, which launched in 2023, drew comparisons to coffee shops like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.
• McDonald's sales declined this year amid economic uncertainty.

McDonald's announced on Friday that it is closing its CosMc's spin-off line of Starbucks-style drink shops.

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said in the company's last earnings call that drinks from CosMc's would be introduced to "hundreds of McDonald's restaurants" in the future.

"In connection with this next phase of testing, we will begin closing all stand-alone CosMc's pilot locations in late June, and the CosMc's app will be discontinued," a McDonald's spokesperson told Business Insider.

When it opened in 2023, CosMc's drew comparisons to Starbucks. Its menu included coffees, teas, lemonades, slushes, breakfast sandwiches, and small donut-like pastries called "McPops."

In a December 2023 meeting with investors, Kempczinski said that CosMc's is a "small format concept with all the DNA of McDonald's but its own unique personality."

"Its menu includes new customizable drinks, sweet and savory treats and familiar favorites such as the Egg McMuffin," Kempczinski said in the meeting.

In its announcement on Friday, McDonald's said CosMc's served as a good testing ground for different new flavors, and it plans to blend the "out of this world tastes" of CosMc's drinks into "the McDonald's experience."

"What started as a belief that McDonald's had the right to win in the fast-growing beverage space quickly came to life as a multi-location, small format, beverage-focused concept," the company said. "It allowed us to test new, bold flavors and different technologies and processes — without impacting the existing McDonald's experience for customers and crew."

The closing of CosMc's comes as McDonald's faces its lowest sales since the COVID-19 lockdowns. US same-store sales at McDonald's declined 3.6% during the first quarter.

With low-income diners pulling back their spending over the past year due to economic uncertainty, McDonald's saw even more middle-income buyers do the same during its first quarter, Kempczinski said in an earnings call.

"People are just being more judicious in cutting back on visits," he told investors.

• In 2002, I moved in with my grandmother while going to college.
• She was 81 and I was 19, and it was the perfect setup for both of us.
• We loved having each other to have dinner with and chat with at the end of the day.

When I told my parents that I had been accepted to Bath University in the UK, they quickly said there was no way I was going.

Their logic was simple: They knew I was chasing after a high school boyfriend who wasn't right for me and that I wouldn't love living in Bath by myself.

Knowing I needed a little freedom from living in São Paulo, they suggested I move to Argentina, where I'm originally from, for college. After that, I could decide what to do next. There was only one caveat — I had to live with my 81-year-old grandmother. They didn't think I was ready to live by myself in a big city, and I also had no way of paying for rent.

I was already close to my grandmother

My maternal grandmother and I were already pretty close. My grandfather died months after I was born (my family says he waited to meet me), and so my grandmother dedicated her time to helping my parents raise me.

She would stay at our apartment when my parents had to travel for work, teaching me how to walk and talk. When my dad was moved to a different country for his job, she came for a year to help us settle in.

I moved in when I was 19 and she was 81

My grandmother lived in a two-bedroom apartment when I moved in with her. Besides a computer and a desk, I only had to bring my clothes. I paid her for my parking spot in the building and helped keep the place tidy.

Because we were so close and had lived together before, there wasn't much adjusting for us to do. The one issue we had was with me going out at night; she couldn't understand how I could be out until the early hours of the morning and still make it to class on time.

But the setup was beneficial for both of us. Even though I was born in Argentina, I hadn't lived there for over a decade. Having a safe place to land helped me focus on studying and making friends.

When I came home, my grandmother had dinner ready, and we would spend time catching up and talking. When she needed to go to the doctor, I would go with her to ensure she understood everything they were telling her.

People in my life thought it was weird at first

At first, not everyone understood my decision. My uncle told my mother that it wasn't "natural" for a teenager to live with their grandparents. My friends, who still mostly lived with their parents, also thought it was a bit weird.

As the years went by, people in my life started to see how beneficial it was for both of us.

One time, my grandmother confused her pills and took the wrong amount of her blood pressure medication. She called for me, dizzy, saying something was wrong. I rushed her to the hospital, where we were told it was just a scare and that her symptoms would subside once the medicine left her system.

When my college boyfriend broke up with me out of the blue, she held me while I sobbed into her shoulder. She scratched my back until I fell asleep, just like she did when I was a little girl.

I moved out after college

After graduation, I moved out to live by myself, not far from her. I still took her to lunch with our family and made sure to be as present as I could be in her life. Years later, I moved to the US but still called her weekly to chat.

My grandmother died when she was 97, seven years ago. I knew it was coming, so I flew from New York to say goodbye in person and thank her for everything she did for me.

My grandmother's love and care in such formative years, when I was trying to figure out who I was, had a huge impact on my life. If I were given the choice, I would move in with her again.

• Netflix is releasing a documentary about the OceanGate Titan submersible disaster.
• The sub imploded in 2023 while descending to view the Titanic wreck, killing all five people on board.
• The documentary takes a closer look at the incident and the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

An upcoming Netflix documentary is set to take a closer look at the Titan submersible's ill-fated journey to the wreck of the Titanic two years ago.

"Titan: The OceanGate Disaster" arrives on Netflix on June 11 and will examine the events leading up to the doomed expedition that killed OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and four others after the vessel carrying them to view the wreck imploded in June 2023.

The trailer for the documentary shows interviews with several people close to the late exec and who worked for the expedition company.

"There was no way of knowing when Titan was going to fail," Rob McCallum, a former OceanGate advisor, says in the trailer. "But it was a mathematical certainty that it would fail."

The trailer also teases interviews with ex-OceanGate staff members like Tony Nissen, a former engineering director at the firm, Bonnie Carl, a human resources and finance director, and David Lochridge, an operations director who previously said he was fired after raising safety concerns about the sub.

In the trailer, Lochridge says he thought Rush "wanted fame" to "fuel his ego," while Nissen adds that he thought Stockton was "a borderline psychopath."

Elsewhere in the clip, Carl recalls her reaction after she said Rush announced she would be the company's next sub pilot: "Are you nuts? I'm an accountant."

As well as testimonies from key figures, "Titan: The OceanGate Disaster" will also feature "pivotal" audio recordings and footage from OceanGate's early days, per the documentary's synopsis.

Speaking in an interview with Netflix's Tudum, director Mark Monroe said he had been "horrified and mesmerized" by the coverage and social commentary on the sub and that he hoped the documentary could provide answers about how the disaster happened.

"The more I dug into this terrible tragedy, the more intrigued I became about how this could have ever happened in the first place, and who exactly was the man who built and then went down with this ship," he said. "We hope that this film can help provide answers to these very questions."

Earlier this week, the US Coast Guard released footage showing the moment that Rush's wife, Wendy Rush, heard the apparent sound of the Titan submersible imploding.

Wendy can be seen trying to contact the sub from a support vessel when a loud slamming sound can be heard through a monitor.

"What was that bang?" she said.

The submersible lost communication with the support vessel — the Polar Prince — around an hour and 45 minutes into its dive, sparking a dramatic four-day search and rescue effort.

Debris from the Titan was eventually found by a remotely operated vehicle around 500 meters (roughly 1,640 feet) from the bow of the Titanic, which lies around 12,500 feet below the surface.

Alongside Rush, British pilot and adventurer Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and former French Navy diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet died in the incident.

• The E-4B "Nightwatch" is nicknamed the "doomsday plane" because it can survive a nuclear attack.
• In the event of nuclear war, it would serve as the US military's command and control center.
• It is the US Air Force's most expensive plane to operate, at $159,529 per hour.

Air Force One is known as the "flying Oval Office," but there's another lesser-known presidential plane that can operate as a "flying war room": the E-4B "Nightwatch."

Nicknamed the "doomsday plane" for its ability to survive a nuclear blast, the E-4B is designed to protect the president and other senior officials and function as a military command center in worst-case scenarios. It also transports the Secretary of Defense on international trips.

Many of the E-4B's features are classified, but the US Air Force has shared some glimpses into its capabilities. Take a look inside the top-secret aircraft.

The E-4B "Nightwatch" is a militarized version of a Boeing 747-200.

The US Air Force's fleet of four E-4Bs comprises the National Airborne Operations Center at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska.

It costs $159,529 per hour to operate, making it the Air Force's most expensive plane.

Each E-4B costs $223.2 million to build, according to the US Air Force.

A standard crew consists of 60 people with 15 different specialties.

In 2022, the Air Force debuted a $9.5 million E-4B simulator to train pilots, flight engineers, and other crew members to operate the aircraft, according to the US Strategic Command.

The E-4B can refuel while in flight, allowing it to fly for several days at a time.

The E-4B can fly for 12 hours straight without refueling.

Its communications technology is kept in a bulge on top of the plane called the ray dome.

The E-4B possesses more communications capabilities than Air Force One with around 67 satellite dishes and antennas in the ray dome.

The plane's exterior also features thermal and nuclear shielding, and its electrical system can withstand electromagnetic pulses.

The plane's main deck features six functional areas.

The layout includes a command room, conference room, briefing room, operations team work area, communications room, and a rest area, according to the US Air Force.

The plane can seat up to 112 people.

In the briefing room, officials update members of the press and conduct meetings with staff.

The E-4B isn't just a "doomsday plane." The Secretary of Defense occasionally uses it to travel overseas and hold press briefings.

Located in the center of the plane, the battle staff room is where officers would gather to strategize in a national emergency.

In the event of a nuclear attack or other apocalyptic scenario, the president, secretary of defense, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would use the plane as a secure command and control center similar to the Pentagon.

The rest area has 18 crew bunks, while the Secretary of Defense occupies private quarters on international trips.

The Secretary of Defense's private quarters are furnished with a bunk and a desk with chairs.

The E-4B is staffed and on alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

At least one E-4B has been on continuous alert since 1975, ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

• New video shows the moment the wife of the late OceanGate CEO heard the apparent sound of the Titan sub imploding.
• "What was that bang?" Wendy Rush said after a slamming noise could be heard through a monitor on the sub's support ship.
• All five passengers on the sub were killed as it descended to view the Titanic wreck in June 2023.

Video footage released by the US Coast Guard shows the moment the wife of the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush heard the apparent sound of the Titan submersible imploding.

In the video, Wendy Rush, a director at the ocean tourism company — which has since suspended all operations — can be seen attempting to contact the sub from the Polar Prince support vessel when a loud slamming sound can be heard through her monitor.

"What was that bang?" she said, before receiving a message saying the sub had dropped two weights, seeming to give her the impression the trip was going to plan. Analysts say the message may have been sent shortly before the sub imploded but a delay may have caused it to come through later.

The Titan sub imploded while descending to view the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean in June 2023, killing all five people on board.

The Titan lost communication with the Polar Prince around one hour and 45 minutes into its dive, sparking a frantic search effort involving US, Canadian, and French rescuers.

The vessel's wreckage was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle four days after it went missing, around 500 meters (roughly 1,640 feet) from the bow of the Titanic, per the Coast Guard.

OceanGate cofounder Stockton Rush, pilot and adventurer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and former French Navy diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet were the passengers in the vessel.

OceanGate charged up to $250,000 per ticket to see the Titanic, which lies at a depth of around 12,500 feet.

A passenger waiver form for the Titan viewed by Business Insider in 2023 said the sub had successfully completed "as few as 13" out of 90 dives to the depth of the Titanic.

A new Netflix documentary scheduled to be released in June will take a closer look at what caused the tragedy.

• James Crosby got started in sports betting with an arbitrage strategy he learned from his roommate.
• He exploits the odds when betting against himself on multiple platforms, so he always makes a profit.
• Crosby is on track to bring in about $8,500 in just three months — but he's budgeting for taxes.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with James Crosby, a 26-year-old Deloitte consultant from Arlington, Virginia. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Online sports betting is legal in some states. Before participating, verify the legality in your specific state.

My first month doing arbitrage betting, I made a little over $2,000. The second month, I made about $2,500. This month, I'm on track to bring in more than $4,000 in pure profit.

The process is pretty straightforward: I've opened accounts on about 12 different sportsbook platforms, like FanDuel and DraftKings, and I pay to subscribe to a service call OddsJam, which helps me find the best bets. Once I've found them, I strategically bet against myself so I always turn a profit. I only use US sites.

Last week, I bet on Alex Ovechkin for the Capitals versus the Hurricanes playoff game in hockey. On one sports betting platform, I bet $100 to win $150 that Alex Ovechkin would get over three and a half shots on goal. That meant my total payout would be $250 because I would get my $100 back plus the $150 in profit.

During the same game, on another betting site, I had the exact opposite bet, where I bet Alex would get under three and a half shots on goal. The chances were betting $130 to win $119, so my total payout would be $249.

So, for both bets, I had a total wager of $230. But because one of the bets had to win and the other bet had to lose, my payout would either be $249 or $250, and I was guaranteed either $19 or $20 in profit, depending on the outcome.

Most of the time, I'm betting between $50 and $100 to win $3 to $4, but it all adds up.

For the returns I'm getting, I needed initial capital of about $20,000 and maybe one to two hours per day. But anyone can really be profitable with this.

The name of the game is maximizing your return on investment, so the more that you put in, the more profitable you will be. Each one of the bets you're making is going to have a profit margin between 3% and 4% — so if you have $1,000, you're going to make $30 or $40 bucks. If you only have $100, you're going to make $3 or $4. Even paying for the subscription to OddsJam, it really does pay for itself very quickly.

There's a bit of a catch

Online arbitrage betting is legal, depending on the state you're in, but of course, the sportsbook sites don't really like it because they're losing money. Each platform has different terms of service, but when they catch you — and they will because they have algorithms dedicated to detecting these kinds of bets — your account will probably get restricted so you can't bet as much money. That means you'll have to play more often or bet on more games to see the same returns.

If you're betting on very obscure sports that aren't usually bet on — like you're betting $2,000 that some cricket game in India is going to go a certain way — they're going to be able to figure out that you're probably arbitraging. So you can kind of mitigate the risk by not taking bets that are super obscure and just doing more main lines that are very, very common, which will help you remain undetected for a while.

I would say you could probably last a week or two on average before the casinos catch on. I lasted around two weeks on most of my sports books, but there were a couple that got me within three or four days, so I wasn't able to be super profitable on them, but it was still fun in the first couple of days to take advantage of the bigger bets.

You'd think it would probably be in the site's best interest to disband your account if you were just exploiting them and taking money from them. But, as arbitrage betters, we actually do provide a little bit of value to the sportsbook sites, because they can study an arbitrage player's activity for signals on where they can tighten up their odds.

It's actually kind of like a value feedback loop where we provide a service — almost like consulting — and help them make sure that other players aren't taking advantage of them and getting bets at a better value than they should be, which allows them to stay more profitable over time, and in return, they allow us to use their platform to place these bets, knowing that we'll probably squeeze out a little bit of profit.

I learned about arbitrage betting from my roommate, who has been doing it for years. He's been averaging between $30,000 and $40,000 a year with this side hustle and bought himself a Tesla with his winnings. I knew he was doing it, but I was always kind of skeptical of the time commitment that it would take, the amount of starting capital I would need, and the learning curve behind it, because it seemed kind of complex.

I finally started in March because I figured I would just give it a shot. I wanted an easy way to earn extra money because I've been worried about the job market. It ended up being really, really easy once I put a little bit of time into it, and it wasn't overly complicated, so my roommate and I started a blog and social media channels to teach other people our strategy.

One thing you have to keep in mind is taxes. Every state and player is different, but I know that I'll have to pay taxes of around 20% of my earnings. So I've accounted for that, and I put that portion in a fund that's allocated to low-risk stocks, so hopefully I don't lose any of that money. But even taking that money into account, it feels worthwhile.

I'm assuming I'll be able to keep this going because my roommate's been doing it for years, and he's been able to remain profitable. So there's no end in sight, hopefully. I'm hoping that in the future, my winnings could serve as a down payment on a house, a wedding ring for my girlfriend, a new car, or just, you know, a fallback fund if things go really south and I lose my job or something like that especially with the economy the way it is.

I have no idea exactly where I'll spend the money, but my plan is to save it and invest it wisely.

Do you have a unique side hustle, or has your side hustle replaced your full-time job? Email Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert at [email protected].

• I decided to move from Los Angeles to Paris to live with my boyfriend.
• Getting there was difficult because I had to set up my visa and bank accounts.
• Eight years later, I'm so happy I made the move because life is easier here.

I had always wanted to live outside the US — to experience the world and myself in a new way. But when the opportunity finally came, I didn't realize how difficult it would be.

In 2017, I was 46 and dating a French man. After visiting the city of lights several times, I decided to move from my home in Los Angeles to Paris so I could be with him.

While the move sounded like a fairy tale, it wasn't always easy. Still, all the struggle was worth it in the end.

Before the move, there was a lot of paperwork

First, I had to figure out which visa I could legally apply for. There was a visa for talent (my acting career was not exactly on fire), a family visa (I had a boyfriend, not a fiancé), a student visa (I was not enrolled at a French university), and a long-stay visa. For the long-stay visa, I only had to have enough in the bank to support myself for a year and a place to stay in Paris. That worked perfectly for me.

I muddled through the paperwork and made my appointment at the French consulate in Los Angeles before my next trip to Paris. I could stay with my boyfriend until I found a place. But when I got there, the woman behind the desk said I would have to have an original document from him stating that I was "welcome in his home."

We laughed about that and in the end decided to get a new apartment together. I was shocked when we applied for four different apartments before we were approved.

In the meantime, I was trying to get my French phone set up and a bank account. At the time, French banks required me to fill out miles of paperwork. It wasn't easy.

Adjusting to the culture wasn't smooth either

Once I was settled, I got a tutor. I had studied French in high school but hadn't spoken it in years. I was surprised to find that many people here preferred to speak French over English with me, even though I knew very little of the language.

I also learned that if you can speak at least functional French, you'll get much better treatment by everyone, from the transport police who monitor the Metro to your local fishmonger at the farmers market.

Beyond the language itself, I needed to learn the cultural norms. One day, for example, I walked into a Starbucks, hoping for a bit of home.

The girl behind the counter said, "Bonjour." I immediately launched into my order, but the barista stared back and repeated, "Bonjour," this time with stern eyes.

I quickly learned it's rude to start a conversation with anything but "bonjour" in France. I kept finding myself in awkward situations because I was unknowingly being a rude American.

Over the years that followed, there were more culture bumps, but I learned to adapt.

The move from the US to France was worth it in the end

My partner and I are now in a civil partnership, which has allowed me to stay in France for the last eight years.

For almost a decade now, I've learned to adapt to the Parisian life. I've learned to eat fruits and vegetables in season, like artichokes in February and strawberries in May. I know what I'm buying at the farmers market will always be the freshest.

I continue to be impressed by this beautiful country, from the history to the architecture. Life moves at a slower pace here. I don't have to drive because public transport is terrific. Paid vacation time is plentiful. Plus, healthcare is much cheaper here than in the US.

Now, many of my friends are looking to flee California, citing the fires, the high cost of housing, and traffic.

I tell them all to come join me in France. Sure, it's annoying when you sometimes sit down in a café and it's 15 minutes before you even have a menu, but that's France. You're meant to just sit back and relax here.

• The US Navy destroyer USS Stockdale came under Houthi fire multiple times last year.
• The Stockdale's captain, then the executive officer, described to BI what it was like to battle the rebels.
• He said his heart was racing and that seeing the warship's missiles launch was "unlike anything else."

Cdr. Jacob Beckelhymer remembers vividly the first time his warship came under attack in the Red Sea.

It was late September of last year, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stockdale was already several months into its lengthy Middle East deployment. Beckelhymer, then the warship's executive officer, knew that the ship and its sailors could be pulled into combat at any moment against the Iran-backed Houthis who had been launching missiles and drones into shipping lanes.

"We went into it with the expectation that there was a high probability that we would come under fire," he told Business Insider in a recent interview.

When the attack came, the destroyer was prepared. Sailors had received their pre-briefing, and the crew was well-rested. The watch teams were ready.

That day, the Houthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles and drones.

Beckelhymer was in the pilot house with the warship's commanding officer and watched as the bridge team, from lieutenants down to junior sailors, performed as they were trained. He said he experienced a heart rate increase and some excitement. Seeing a surface-to-air missile come out of the launchers for real, and not in a training scenario, is "unlike anything else."

Beckelhymer recalls thinking about his composure. He briefly thought about how he'd always wanted to teach his eldest daughter how to ride a bike. The most pressing thought, though, was that the destroyer needed to make it home.

A mix of Navy warships in the Red Sea, including the Stockdale, thwarted the Houthi attack.

Beckelhymer said that "the biggest takeaway" for him "was how quickly we did the things that we were supposed to, we reset, and then we all got back on the same page to do it again."

The Stockdale came under Houthi fire several times during its combat-packed deployment, which ended in February. The Navy said that the destroyer "successfully repelled" multiple attacks, shooting down a tough combination of drones and missiles and emerging unscathed each time.

"The mission sets that we performed over there were a combination of standard missile defense, contested straight transit, and civilian escort," said Beckelhymer, who is now the Stockdale's commanding officer.

"We had occasion to use weapons in defense of ourselves and ships in company a number of times. In all of those instances, the team responded really, really great," he told BI. "We didn't incur any sort of stress reactions. The overall resilience of the crew was great."

Several weeks after Stockdale returned to its homeport in San Diego, the destroyer deployed again — this time to the waters off the coast of southern California, where, until recently, it supported the US military's southern border mission. Two other warships that fought the Houthis also participated in these operations.

While the threat environment was different in the Pacific compared to the Red Sea, Beckelhymer said the approach to the mission was relatively similar, even if Stockdale's weapons system was placed in a different configuration.

"It takes every single person on board this ship, all-in, every single day, to operate safely at sea," he said. "Whether you're off the coast of California or you're in the Red Sea, the business that we do is inherently dangerous. And flight operations, small boat operations, underway replenishment — all of those things take our collective focus."

Beckelhymer said he saw his crew's confidence grow consistently from September until the end of the most recent deployment. The sailors, he said, had every reason to be proud of their abilities. Receiving the training is one thing, but it's another to be tested in real-world conditions and have everything validated.

"We experienced that in the Red Sea, and I think we experienced that again over the last 40-ish days off the coast of California," he said. "When the Navy needs us, Stockdale is ready."

• "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" sees Tom Cruise's hero fight an evil AI known as the Entity.
• The story is packed with intense action sequences and leaves the door open for more installments.
• Is this really Tom Cruise's last movie in the "M:I" franchise?

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning."

"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" leaves the door open for future movies despite being a worthy sendoff for Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt.

The sequel follows the agent as he races to save the world from the Entity, an evil AI that has taken control of every nuclear missile on the planet. He also has to fend off Gabriel (Esai Morales), an assassin from his past who wants to control the Entity for himself.

Ethan focuses on trying to disable the AI, and he's forced to retrieve its source code from the Sevastapol, the Russian submarine that sank at the start of 2023's "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning."

Here's how it all plays out. Cue the theme music.

Ethan Hunt saves the world with seconds to spare in "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning."

For audiences who are claustrophobic, a certain scene in "The Final Reckoning" will be a nightmare. Ethan's team discovers that the Sevastopol submarine wreck, which holds the Entity's source code, is at the bottom of the North Pacific, and transmits the location to Ethan, who is in a submarine with Captain Bledsoe (Tramell Tillman).

Ethan dives down to the wreck and eventually retrieves the source code after a painstakingly long sequence in which he has to navigate falling missiles and debris while the sub slowly floods.

The most intense moment sees him escape through a tiny missile tube and float to the surface. He actually drowns in his ascent, but luckily, Grace (Hayley Atwell) is waiting with the inflatable hyperbaric chamber that stops him from dying from decompression sickness.

After that, the gang heads to a secure digital bunker in South Africa, where the Entity is planning to wait out the impending nuclear apocalypse by combining its source code with a piece of tech called the "Poison Pill." This would isolate the AI into a single hard drive and avert the end of the world.

But before they can do so, Gabriel shows up to try to take the Entity for himself. He reveals a smaller nuclear bomb will go off if Ethan doesn't give him the Poison Pill. Predictably, the deal goes south, and Ethan chases Gabriel — even when the villain takes to the sky in a biplane.

Ethan climbs aboard a second plane piloted by Gabriel's henchman, and a jaw-dropping feat of aerial stuntwork ensues, as Ethan moves between the two planes in midair to retrieve the hard drive.

The film cranks up the tension during the climax because while the aerial chase is happening, Benji (Simon Pegg) gets shot and has to talk Grace through rebooting the digital bunker while their enemy-turned-ally Paris (Pom Klementieff) performs an emergency tracheotomy on him.

In true "Mission: Impossible" style, Ethan retrieves the Poison Pill at the last moment as Gabriel falls out of the plane and dies. To make matters worse, the plane catches fire, and Ethan has to leap out of the vehicle and put the source code into the Poison Pill while falling through the air, because nothing is ever easy in this franchise.

Obviously, he manages to pull it off, and Grace uses her quick reflexes to yank a glorified USB stick out of the console in the bunker to permanently trap the Entity. In the film's final moments, the IMF team meets up again in London as Grace gives Ethan the stick containing the Entity for safekeeping. They all share an emotional look at one another before going their separate ways.

That shot doesn't definitively end the franchise, and leaves the door open for the cast to return (should they choose to accept) for another mission.

But that's a little weird, since the film was billed to be an ending to the franchise. Here are the lingering questions we have about "The Final Reckoning" ending.

Was Ethan Hunt supposed to die at the end of "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning?"

Our most pressing question is whether Ethan was originally supposed to die at the end of the film. During the climax on the burning biplane, Gabriel makes a point of telling the hero that he's wearing the only parachute before he falls out and is killed by the plane's fin.

The film perfectly sets up that Ethan might have to sacrifice himself in order to save the world. But no, there's a second parachute tucked away inside the plane that Ethan conveniently finds.

Considering "The Final Reckoning" has been billed as Cruise's swan song and the end of the franchise, it would have made sense for the hero to go out in a blaze of glory. But no, Hunt just puts the two together while falling through the sky and then lands on the ground as if it's just a normal day.

It's a shame, because killing him off would've given the story and its ending more weight.

Why was Luther Stickell hooked up to medical equipment in "The Final Reckoning"?

Tech genius Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) has helped Ethan as part of his team in every "Mission: Impossible" movie. During "The Final Reckoning," Ethan finds Luther in a base underneath King's Cross train station in London, where he develops the Poison Pill.

But during those scenes, it's heavily suggested that Luther may be dying of some kind of disease. He's hooked up to medical equipment, there's a hospital bed, and an IV drip — yet the film strangely never addresses this at all.

Instead, Stickell dies while defusing a bomb left by Gabriel.

Why does "The Final Reckoning" completely ignore Ilsa Faust's death in the previous film?

One of the most devastating moments in "Dead Reckoning" is when Gabriel murders Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in Venice. Isla was a mysterious MI6 agent with whom Ethan had a "will-they-won't-they" relationship.

Many fans assumed her death was a fakeout as part of a plan to trick the Entity, but Isla does not return in the final installment.

Even without bringing Ferguson's character back, it feels like a bizarre choice that the film does not even mention that Gabriel murdered someone Ethan was close with.

Did "The Final Reckoning" need to be that long?

One of the most obvious questions is: Why did "The Final Reckoning" need to be two hours and 50 minutes long?

The first hour of the sequel is crammed with exposition about where the team is after the previous film, how the Entity has taken hold of the world's nuclear weapons, and why the authorities think Ethan might be working for the opposing side (he isn't).

It could have focused instead on setting up the concept of the Poison Pill and isolating the Entity in the South African bunker. It's understandable though; the early scenes put a variety of different locations from around the world on display and give "The Final Reckoning" the feel of a globe-trotting adventure. If only traveling all that way had led to a more a definitive ending.

• My in-laws asked to stay with us for over a month during a recent vacation.
• They've helped us out financially in the past, so I felt like I couldn't say no.
• I learned that communication and boundaries are crucial for successfully sharing a small space.

When my in-laws needed a place to stay for 38 days during their yearly trip to America from the Netherlands, it felt like we were backed into a corner. They'd been our financial safety net multiple times over the past year, covering our rent and some bills.

We weren't reckless with our finances, but I only made $12.25 an hour, and my husband hadn't been able to work for years due to limitations on his visa that had only recently been lifted. That's why, when they shared the good news they'd save over $1000 if they crashed our one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment for over a month, it felt impossible to turn them down.

Their visit got off to a rocky start

They landed on March 25. Their air mattress was sandwiched between our couch and TV, and we added two folding chairs to the dining table. I was embarrassed that I couldn't offer more.

"It's just like camping!" my mother-in-law remarked, recalling their RV trip in Germany. I wanted to say, "But this isn't a camping ground in Germany; it's our apartment!" but I didn't.

Every morning thereafter began with my mother-in-law's chipper, "Good morning!" as we shared coffee. After that, my husband got ready for his part-time job, and my in-laws made plans to grocery shop or spend the entire day watching reality TV or YouTube. Sometimes, they'd even just tag along and watch me and my husband as we went about our day, because they wanted to maximize our time together.

Sharing space started to affect my work and sleep

I work from home as a freelance writer and typically work from the living room to avoid working in the same room where I sleep. As we entered week two of their vacation, I had to start working from my armchair in the bedroom, as they were staying in the living room, and we all needed our space. My sleep started to suffer; the bedroom became associated with frustration instead of peace.

It also felt exhausting to wake up and immediately have to infuse myself with energy to talk with the family, then try to get into a mindset to work.

I had my breakthrough the day I decided to work out of the apartment's complimentary business center. While I was there, I was extremely productive, and my mind was clear. I thought of my office nook in the living room, overloaded with clutter, dishes, and laundry, and knew something had to change.

Being clearer about boundaries was helpful for everyone

I realized I had to get over my fear of being a rude hostess or ungrateful daughter-in-law. Articulating my needs and boundaries didn't mean I was spurning their love or generosity. In fact, it was more cruel to be passive because it left us all confused.

I learned it's OK to say, "I will have coffee with you this morning — but then, I have to work." By being clearer about what I needed to get my work done instead of just hinting at what I wanted, I ended up more productive and happier. When I worked, I really worked. When I had time to hang out with the family, I was able to be fully present. Gone were the moments where I would be with them but not really with them, silently growing anxious that I was neither truly working nor really relaxing.

In the third week, I also started to ask for help with laundry and dishes. This request became key to our peace, as my in-laws helped with gusto. As soon as I'd set a dish down, they'd wash, dry, and put it away. They delighted in doing the laundry, too. Turns out, they were looking for a way to contribute but didn't know how. So much of the housework got done, I even had time to date my husband and organize family brunches with my parents.

I realized my feelings about money were all in my head

I had told myself I couldn't say no when they asked about staying with us because they had helped us with rent and groceries. I had felt powerless in our dynamic and hadn't allowed myself the grace of remembering our financial situation.

I thought that if my in-laws were going to help us financially, they probably felt entitled to the space. However, they hadn't felt that way at all. They had helped us in earnest; they'd received help themselves when they were just married. The shame was all mine.

By articulating my needs and expectations, their 38-day visit became a memorable and collaborative one. We respected each other's space — even if that space was a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.

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

Welcome back to our Saturday edition! Are you headed to the movie theater this weekend to see Tom Cruise's next big flick, "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning"? Find out why he's had such staying power. Hint: It rhymes with punts.

On the agenda:

• Living in the forest for four years shaved a decade off a researcher's biological age.
• Rich Americans are booking fancy vacations. Everyone else is cutting back.
• Morgan Wallen is the man of the moment because of his controversies, not in spite of them.
• A week on Mexico's "Happy Coast," the hidden getaway of the wealthy.

But first: It's cookout time.

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

This week's dispatch

It's time to sizzle and serve

Summer, is that you? :squints:

With Memorial Day on Monday serving as the unofficial kick-off for summer, it's my favorite time of the year — grilling season. Get out the burgers. Get out the hot dogs. And if you'd rather not eat meat, get out the vegetables.

Luckily for you, BI's Lifestyle team has been speaking with various chefs for tips on how to ensure people will be coming back to your grill asking for more.

Chef Alissa Fitzgerald tells BI that a good burger starts with the kind of beef you buy. Try to aim for beef with "80% meat and 20% fat," allow them to thaw completely, and don't season them too early.

"Right before placing it on the grill, take a large pinch of kosher salt and gently cover the outside of the patty with a thin layer," she suggests. "Add the burger salt-side down on the grill and sprinkle some on the other side."

If you're putting other types of meat on the grill, however, like steaks, you'll want to season them "a few hours before you plan on cooking it and let it sit in the fridge," Chef Marcus Jacobs tells BI.

Meanwhile, when grilling chicken, Jacobs suggests creating a "blend of salt, white and black pepper, paprika, coriander, and several different types of chilies."

No matter how you season or what you're throwing on the grill, check out the chefs' other tips to make sure you're not the talk of the neighborhood for the wrong reason.

Touching grass

When David Furman discovered his body was prematurely aging because of stress, he and his family moved to a one-room cabin in the woods to reset. Furman changed what they ate and how he exercised, and scaled back use of electronics.

To his delight, the experiment worked: It dramatically improved his longevity and energy. He continues to reap the benefits now, even after leaving the forest.

Plus, his family loved the lifestyle.

Travel is for the rich now

Almost half of summer travelers this year make over $100,000, according to a Deloitte survey. The wealth gap is growing, and middle-income vacationers are either staying home or opting for more budget-friendly trips.

Even as demand wavers, luxury travel is booming. New accommodations are under construction, and "luxury" short-term rentals are increasing in price faster than other listings.

But the stark divide may not last forever.

Morgan Wallen's country

There's nothing sonically special about Morgan Wallen's music, and he has a habit of attracting controversy. Still, in the wake of scandals involving slurs and disorderly conduct, Wallen is more popular than ever.

That's because Wallen's messiness is a key part of his brand, writes BI's Callie Ahlgrim. Fans see his scandals as proof of his authenticity, and he embodies an idea of freedom.

Why it pays to be the problem.

A Happy Coast hideaway

A 155-mile stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast is a quiet vacation hot spot for the ultrawealthy. Costalegre, Spanish for "Happy Coast," is practically impossible to reach — for those without a private jet, at least.

BI's Monica Humphries spent a week resort-hopping in Costalegre. Each had a different appeal, from the neighborhood feel and star-studded history at Careyes to the ATVs and private beaches at Las Alamandas.

Meet luxury and nature.

What we're watching this weekend

• "Sirens": Julianne Moore, "The White Lotus" actor Meghann Fahy, and "House of the Dragon" standout Milly Alcock all star in Netflix's new dark comedy set in a beachside town.
• "The Last of Us": Season two of HBO's TV show adaptation of the popular video game series ends this weekend.
• "Nine Perfect Strangers": Nicole Kidman returns as a wellness guru in season two of the Hulu series, this time set in the Austrian Alps.

See the full list

Deals we love

• Memorial Day savings: Mattresses are almost always on sale, but our deal experts know that Memorial Day is when we see the steepest discounts. Here are the best mattress deals for the holiday weekend.
• Business (Insider) casual: Our men's style editors are here to help you look sharp at the office without feeling stiff. Check out our brand-new guide to the best men's business casual clothes for work.
• Le Creuset vs. Staub: Our kitchen experts hate to break it to you, but there's a reason the more expensive option is better. Here's why we recommend Le Creuset.

More of this week's top reads:

• I stayed at a luxurious resort in Barbados with my young daughter. From the private pool to the stunning beach, our stay was nearly perfect.
• Keke Palmer said she didn't feel adequately paid in Hollywood until Jordan Peele's 'Nope' — two decades into her career.
• Four sandal trends that are in this summer and four that are out, according to stylists and designers.
• The patent behind a $182 cult-favorite skincare product recently expired. So where are all the dupes?
• I visited the most expensive city in Utah and spotted five signs of over-the-top wealth and luxury.
• Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter's choreographer shares how she gets her clients so fit they can sing and dance — in just 12 weeks.
• Five style mistakes a menswear designer wishes you would stop making.
• A 56-year-old personal trainer on how to build muscle after 40 — with rucking, body weight exercises, and short workouts.
• I visited Universal's new theme park, Epic Universe. I see why some people wouldn't like it, but I'd happily go back.

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

• Americans are getting requests for tips in more and more places, a Morning Consult survey found.
• Some customers are fighting back by avoiding businesses that request tips— or tipping less.
• Many consumers are still willing to tip for good service, the survey found.

Customers say they feel like they are being asked to leave a tip at more places, and some are fighting back.

About 33% of people surveyed by Morning Consult said that they're expected to tip more, either more often or a greater amount, than they were five years ago.

They're not imagining it. From self-checkout kiosks to paying for service on your car at a mechanic's shop, customers are seeing businesses ask for tips in situations where gratuity wasn't previously expected.

Consumers are feeling pressure to tip more from that phenomenon, which a report on the survey from Morning Consult calls "tip creep."

"The biggest change is that the prompt to tip is showing up in places that we didn't expect it," Lindsey Roeschke, a travel and hospitality analyst for Morning Consult, told Business Insider.

Morning Consult surveyed 2,200 adults online in the US between March 14 and 16.

Some customers told Morning Consult that they're fighting back.

More than 25% of respondents said that they use services that require tips less frequently than they previously did. Almost as big a share — 23% — said that they focus on visiting businesses that don't pressure them to tip more than they have historically.

And 16% had another response: Their individual tips are smaller because of all the requests they are getting.

"Perhaps due to the perceived pressure related to growing gratuity expectations, a majority of U.S. adults say they've changed their behaviors in some way to account for tip creep," Morning Consult's report states.

Expectations around tips could change again if an idea that President Donald Trump floated in his last campaign becomes reality.

On Tuesday, the US Senate passed the No Tax on Tips Act, which would create a federal income tax deduction of up to $25,000 a year for workers who receive cash tips. Another version of the proposal is part of Trump's larger budget and immigration bill. The Act would need to pass both houses of Congress and get a sign-off from Trump to become law.

If enacted, a tax-free status for tips could create an incentive for more employers and workers to prompt customers for gratuities, one tax expert told CNBC.

Despite feeling pressure, Americans are still willing to tip in the right moments.

In several situations, from getting a haircut to picking up your car from a valet, more Morning Consult survey respondents said that it was "necessary or expected" to tip than said they felt pressured to tip.

Being brought or served food was a major point of agreement: Sixty-nine percent of respondents said it was necessary to tip when dining out at a local restaurant, while 64% said it was the norm when getting food and drinks delivered to their home.

Pizza chain Domino's has also seen a lift in tips at many of the new locations that the chain has opened in recent quarters, CEO Russell Weiner said on the company's earnings call last month.

Many of the new stores are splitting the service area with existing locations, cutting the time that it takes to get pizzas to customers, he said.

"You get hot, predictable deliveries," which, in turn, make customers more likely to order again and leave a bigger tip, Weiner said.

Morning Consult's survey also showed that many people support paying service workers a fair wage. Forty-four percent of respondents said that service workers should not have to rely on tips for their income.

When asked about whether they would support additional mandatory costs that could support workers, such as businesses adding a fixed service charge between 15% and 20% to their bill, most consumers said that they were opposed.

Instead, a majority — 53% — said that tipping should be optional and depend on the service they receive. At the same time, "they also think that service workers need to be paid a fair living wage," Roeschke told BI.

"It just reflects this overall tension" around tipping, she said.

• Women renting their clothing on the app Pickle told BI they can make thousands of dollars each month.
• The lenders use the money for everything from paying bills to reinvesting in their own businesses.
• Keeping up a closet is an "enterprise" for some, who track viral pieces and buy clothes just to rent.

Lane Creatore realized she was sitting on an untapped gold mine: her closet.

Her closet was full of viral pieces, many of them hardly worn and taking up space in her tiny New York City apartment. Instead of letting those clothes collect dust, Creatore turned to renting them out online.

The 31-year-old fashion blogger is one of the thousands of women who rent their clothes on the app Pickle to the city's fashionably desperate — maybe they need a dress for a wedding, or are just itching to wear an item but don't want to pay the full price. In good months, Creatore can make five figures.

"Pickle is honestly the ultimate girl math," Creatore told Business Insider. "Instead of thinking in terms of wears, I think, 'I'm going to make this investment in terms of rentals.'"

Pickle was founded by former Blackstone employees Brian McMahon and Julia O'Mara. After launching its app in 2022, Pickle tapped New York City influencers for growth. In 2023, it opened its first brick-and-mortar store in New York and has since expanded to markets like Los Angeles and Miami. The startup has also raised $20 million to date.

Pickle's top 10 "lenders" earned an average of $3,200 a month in 2024, according to the company, which takes a 20% cut of transactions in the app (and 35% of transactions from their in-person shop).

BI spoke with five women about how much money they've made renting out their clothes on Pickle, how they've built bustling side-hustles, and their strategies for getting the most out of their unworn clothes.

Some are earning thousands

Creatore started renting on Pickle in July and listed only a few items. Less than a year later, she made $12,797 in April alone. She now typically earns between $7,000 and $12,000 each busy month.

BI verified Creatore's and the four other Pickle lenders' earnings with documentation.

Isabella De Murguia, 26 and based in New York City, works in consulting and devotes around four hours a week to her Pickle side-hustle, not including laundry. She opened her closet in 2023 after seeing ads for the app on TikTok, and now makes between $3,000 and $4,000 a month during peak rental seasons.

Jess Work, 26, works full-time in fashion while balancing a part-time job as a content creator. On average, she earns between $3,000 and $4,000 from her rentals. Some months, like around the holidays, she can make about $6,000 from the app, Work told BI.

Work has a total of 229 listings on Pickle, which range from $15 to $215 — the most expensive item being a limited edition silver dress from an H&M collaboration. Work said the dress has been rented a handful of times since she listed it six months ago, dubbing it the "sisterhood of the sparkly dress."

Even those who aren't hitting four and five figures can earn a sizable chunk of change. Andrea Duffield, a 31-year-old entrepreneur in Miami, makes between $600 and $800 each month, which is helpful "especially in this economy."

In Los Angeles, photographer and bartender Kana Kozlowski, 26, has been renting for around a year. She earns between $200 and $500 most months, but saw a bump during Coachella. Across the platform, Pickle has had spikes in rentals around holidays like Halloween, or seasonal categories like skiing gear.

Pickle also helps its lenders price their rentals, which are typically listed at 10% to 20% of the original retail price, McMahon said.

Rentals are paying the bills

For some, Pickle earnings go toward everyday expenses and bills. De Murguia said the app helps her hit savings goals and afford social outings.

"It's really tough to get joy from being a full-time creative when you're worried about money," Creatore said. "This has really given me that peace of mind again to fall back in love with blogging and photography."

Duffield recently founded her own company and said everything she makes from Pickle goes back into the business.

Keeping up a Pickle closet takes work

Unlike most New Yorkers, De Murguia has a lot of storage space — four closets go to herself and her Pickle inventory, and one goes to her boyfriend.

Pickle has changed the way lenders shop. Four of the women BI spoke said they now buy items with the intent of renting them out.

"I can buy something maybe that I wouldn't have bought previously," Work said. "I know that I'll be able to hopefully make more or at least cover the cost of the item."

Creatore said she has a spreadsheet to map out purchase, rental, and maintenance costs, and De Murguia returns anything that doesn't rent within a week.

Keeping inventory flowing also comes at a cost. Work estimated that she spends between $1,000 and $2,000 each month on new items.

Certain items are pretty much guaranteed to do well, the lenders told BI: pieces that are sold out, were seen on a celebrity, or come from certain brands, like Rat & Boa and Frankies Bikinis. Part of being successful is about knowing what's likely to go viral, they said.

"If something starts to get really popular in a particular market or on social media, it's typically on Pickle right away," McMahon said.

As De Murguia put it, the potential success for those with closet savvy is huge: "You could probably call it an enterprise."

About 10 years ago, David Furman realized something had to change.

As a postdoc at Stanford University in 2016, he studied how inflammation and aging are tightly wound together. His life was "pretty stressful," he said, and he feared his body might be aging in hyperdrive.

He could feel it, too. Furman had migraines several times a week and often took ibuprofen to dampen the pain. Mostly, he said, he felt run-down.

One day, he decided to test his hypothesis using a novel blood test he was developing. The lab test, which has since been peer-reviewed, measured inflammatory markers linked to immune dysfunction in his blood and compared it to hundreds of other samples from roughly 1,000 people young and old. The results showed that his 39-year-old body had the "inflammatory age" of a 42-year-old.

"I freaked out," he told Business Insider.

Furman knew, professionally, that these results could be a harbinger of premature aging, chronic disease, and decline — what researchers call "inflammaging." He had an inkling that by changing certain aspects of his lifestyle, ridding it of many of the modern conveniences that our ancestors never had, he might be able to turn the trend around.

"Any species that you put in a new environment will develop inflammation as a response to something foreign; we do not escape that reality," he said.

So he decided to overhaul his life. He and his wife and two young children moved to a two-bedroom cabin in the woods, nestled near a creek in the San Gregorio area of Northern California, about a half-hour drive from Stanford. The move meant they'd be giving up lots of everyday items and modern conveniences.

Our world modernized quickly, and it's constantly assaulting our biology, Furman said. "We haven't evolved looking at a screen and having an electrical light and sitting in a chair."

In their little cabin, there were no chairs, no plastics, and no industrial cleaning products — conveniences that researchers suspect could contribute to muscle degradation, immune dysfunction, and hormonal imbalances.

After his forest-living experiment, Furman said he felt dramatically better, and his blood test suggested that three years of cabin life significantly lowered stress and inflammation in his body — as he'd hoped.

The experiment triggered a cascade of other changes, too, he said. It had long-lasting effects on his daily routine and the products he uses nearly a decade later, even as he's living back in the city.

Life in the forest: pull-ups, fishing, foraging, and bonfires

Furman remembers waking up in the tiny cabin in San Gregorio, where he and his wife slept in a small lofted room above the living room and kitchen. He'd rise, hang from the cabin's rafters, and complete his workout of 10 to 15 pull-ups for the day.

Then, it was off to work at Stanford. On his days off, he played in the dirt with his kids, fished for salmon in the creek, and foraged for berries. His family also kept a garden.

He usually packed lunch, which might include a salmon lettuce wrap with a side of blueberries. It was a veritable nutrient buffet: plenty of magnesium in the lettuce, omega-3s in the salmon, and antioxidants in the berries, all foods consistently linked to better brain health.

He still went grocery shopping sometimes, and if he went out to lunch or dinner with colleagues, he ate whatever was offered.

"I prefer to blend in and not be stressed because I'm the weirdo," he said. "I think that causes more inflammation than the effect of what you're eating that may not fully align with your principles."

Still, he made little changes here and there.

When he did make the occasional trip to the grocery store to pick up items like artichokes or broccoli, he'd park his car at the farthest parking spot he could find to force himself to walk further with the heavy grocery bags.

"All species tend to do the minimum effort for the maximum gain as a way of conserving energy," Furman said. "And I said, 'No, we have to do the opposite! We have to do the maximum effort.'"

He said those small changes weren't time-consuming but made a big impact on his fitness.

"I was looking so good and I was so energetic. I had my six-pack," he said.

Instead of taking supplements, he said he relied on fresh, organic foods like raspberries and broccoli to "feed the microbiome," that diverse constellation of bacteria in the gut thought to have wide-ranging effects across the body.

After 7:30 p.m., he'd turn off all electronics — no more computer or bright overhead lights. He would light candles and start winding down for the night, preparing his body for bed with some gentle stretching.

Forest life lowered his 'age' by 10 years, Furman said

After three years in the woods, Furman did another test. The results were stunning, he said.

His inflammatory age was down to 32 — a reduction of a full decade from his first test, and a full 10 years below his actual age at the time.

This was remarkable to him. In his clinical trials, Furman typically saw people's inflammation age results fluctuate by three to five years after taking supplements or making lifestyle changes. Furman said he felt a sense of accomplishment and agency, and his results suggested he might be changing the way he was aging for the better.

"Also, I was feeling great, very energetic, and no more headaches," he said.

Why would Furman experience such a dramatic change in his biological age score? It's hard to pinpoint.

Without headaches, he wasn't taking ibuprofen, which can have a negative impact on a person's microbiome over time.

He suspects that being in the forest also had a positive effect on his body.

He was exposed to more microbes and fewer plastic chemicals. That might've changed his gut and his mood. Seeing green and sitting around a bonfire could've helped, too — studies suggest that being in touch with nature can curb inflammation.

The forest life was also great for Furman's career. "I was sharp, better than ever," he said. "Just a lot of productivity." He published three papers in a year, tripling his typical output.

What the simple life taught Furman about genetics and environment

In his lab, Furman studies "the exposome."

That's the scientific term for each person's unique combination of genes, environment, diet, metabolism, mood, social life, stressors — everything that influences how you feel and how your body functions.

Research indicates that genetics accounts for only about 10% to 20% of a person's health outcomes. What we eat, the air we breathe, the dirt and chemicals we're exposed to, and the stress we experience day after day also influence our overall health.

This picture — the whole picture — is what Furman wanted to clean up when he headed to the forest. What would happen when he swapped late nights at the office for evening bonfires?

Furman was so fired up by what he learned in the forest, he's eager to share the lessons widely. He wants to write a book with 10 principles for combating "inflammaging" — the inflammatory processes that can creep up on us as we age.

He's also trying to develop a tool that anyone can use to help assess how well their body is aging, for free. There are a lot of tests out there promising to help you calculate your biological age, and many different ways to measure it (some more dubious than others). Furman is interested in using photos of a person's face as an accessible way to gauge their rate of aging, a technique that medical researchers at Mass General Brigham are also trying out for informing cancer treatment.

Blending the forest and the city

Furman doesn't suggest that he's cracked the code to the perfect life. After three years in the forest, it was time to move on. He got a new job in Qatar and then a position in Argentina, where he enjoyed pastries, pizza, and ice cream again.

In fact, by the time he turned 45 in 2021, his inflammation test put his biological age at 54. The headaches were back, and he'd gained weight.

It was time to head home to California, which he considers his "place on Earth." He's back at Stanford, directing the "1,000 immunomes project," a long-term study of immune aging. He also directs the AI platform at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging nearby.

There's no cabin. Furman lives in a quiet neighborhood of San Francisco near the beach and the Golden Gate Bridge, but he tries to incorporate what he learned in the forest into his everyday life.

He still doesn't use plastic, and his mattress is wool. He opts for natural fibers for his clothes and organic food from the farmers market. He uses a wood-burning stove to heat his house, and surfs every week to keep his stress in check.

Keeping electronics off at night is not easy for him or his family. His daughter, who was 3 years old when they went to the forest, is 13 now and texts with friends after dark. Furman, who runs several companies and research projects, including a startup studying how astronauts age in space and a now-commercialized "iAge" inflammation test for clinicians, can't always promise to put his device away in the evening, either.

"I found my way to adjust to this reality and yet continue to have a healthy life and continue to respect those learnings from evolution and from my times in San Gregorio," he said.

Now, at 49, he said his iAge is 43, and he's happy with that result.

"It's not perfect, and nothing will be perfect," he said. "We are in a world that's largely polluted, but within this reality, I think I've managed to do my best to keep inflammation at bay."

• TJ Maxx parent company TJX operates on a different playbook from most retailers.
• In particular, the CEO says it wants to give shoppers a "wow" factor from finding incredible value.
• It's part of a larger strategy that could help the company do well — even in chaotic times.

It's an experience that almost anyone shopping at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Sierra, or Home Goods eventually has: you're browsing items, see a price tag, and think, "that can't be right."

Before you know it, you're a full-blown Maxxinista.

As it happens, TJX CEO Ernie Herrman said the company wants you to feel a little suspicious when you encounter a sharp deal.

"We want a customer to actually say, 'That almost feels too cheap,'" he said in a quarterly earnings call Wednesday. "One out of every 10 hangers I want a customer saying, 'Boy, that that almost feels too inexpensive,' strangely enough."

The playbook has been working for the company, which reported strong sales and traffic gains at its family of brands despite a broader slowdown in apparel and housewares categories in recent years.

Apart from a bad-weather month in February, monthly visits to TJ Maxx and Marshalls were up roughly 6% to 8% in January, March, and April of this year versus last year, according to foot traffic data from Placer.ai. Visits to traditional apparel stores have been basically flat or down for the period.

Placer.ai also found that not only do shoppers visit more often, they spend more time in the stores as they hunt for those surprising deals.

"A significant part of this success may stem from the segment's inherent 'treasure-hunt' experience — off-price shopping cultivates a browsing mentality, encouraging visitors to linger and explore the constantly changing inventory," Placer.ai's Bracha Arnold wrote.

This year so far, Placer.ai found TJ Maxx shoppers spent an average of 40.3 minutes in the store, while shoppers at traditional apparel chains averaged 33.3 minutes — a difference of about 20% more time spent trying to find that suspiciously good deal.

Of course, there's a lot more to the equation than simply offering low prices.

"Value isn't just a function of competitive prices," Global Data retail analyst Neil Saunders said in a note. "It also comes from buying well and meeting customer needs. In our view, TJX merchants are excellent at doing at that and they are one of the key assets that will propel the company forward."

On the earnings call, Herrman said TJX has a team of over 1,300 buyers who have relationships with more than 21,000 vendors across more than 100 countries around the world.

And while the company is not immune from tariff impacts (Herrman said TJX directly imports about 10% of its goods), much of its sourcing is downstream from other brands and retailers that will likely bear a fair amount of the costs, rather than TJX itself.

Global trade chaos now represents a key opportunity for TJX to load up on interesting merchandise, since unexpected inventory surpluses are where off-price retail shines.

Jefferies retail analyst Corey Tarlowe found that retail inventories are on the rise for the first time in two years, reversing a trend of leaner, more disciplined inventory strategies in the post-COVID era.

"Given these trends, the availability for TJX should remain robust. TJX management noted inventory availability in the marketplace is better than usual," Tarlowe wrote.

On the earnings call, Herrman said his buyers aren't tasked with a complex set of price sheets or profit margin targets. Their primary task is finding exciting products they can offer at a compelling discount to the full-price store around the corner.

"Our only contract to the customer is that we will have great value on the goods that we put out there, and it'll be below the out-the-door price of traditional retailers," he said.

• Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis urged teens to lean into learning about AI.
• Hassabis said learning AI tools and maintaining STEM skills can help them in future jobs.
• He predicts that AI advancements will disrupt some jobs and create "more valuable" ones.

Teens should consider learning AI tools now or risk falling behind, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says.

Just as millennials had the internet and personal computers and Gen Z had smartphones and tablets, generative AI is the transformative technology of Gen Alpha's time — and they should embrace it, the AI leader said on a recent episode of "Hard Fork," a podcast about the future of technology.

"Over the next 5 to 10 years, I think we're going to find what normally happens with big new technology shifts, which is that some jobs get disrupted," he told co-hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton.

However, he said, "new, more valuable, usually more interesting jobs get created" in the wake of that kind of disruption.

The generative AI arms race began in earnest with the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022. The technology has advanced rapidly ever since, sparking both excitement and concern for how it will revolutionize the workplace and the world at large.

Google DeepMind is the research lab behind Google's AI projects, including Gemini, the company's chatbot. Hassabis is leading Google's charge toward the AI race's ultimate prize — artificial general intelligence.

There is little agreement on a definition for AGI, but generally, it is considered an AI model that can reason in the same way a human does. Hassabis said Tuesday during a live interview at the Google I/O developer conference that DeepMind is less than 10 years away from creating its own.

"Whatever happens with these AI tools, you'll be better off understanding how they work, and how they function, and what you can do with them," Hassabis said, referring to young people.

He advised those headed to college to "immerse yourself now" and strive to "become a sort of ninja using the latest tools." Hassabis said they should spend time "learning to learn" — the same advice he gave to students at the University of Cambridge.

Other AI leaders have also encouraged teenagers anxious about AI to learn about it. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman told young people to play with the new technology and learn its weaknesses. In higher education, Rice University announced Tuesday that it will join a growing number of colleges offering AI degrees.

That doesn't mean they should abandon the building blocks that make for a good STEM student, Hassabis said. He still recommends getting good at coding and building up fundamental skills for success.

"Creativity skills, adaptability, resilience. I think all of these, sort of meta skills, are what will be important for the next generation," he said on the podcast.

• Blythe Graham-Jones left a career in advertising to renovate and sell homes in the Hamptons full-time.
• Her first project was a home she purchased for $635,000 that Zillow now values at $1.8 million.
• She partners with brands, promoting their products to her Instagram followers, to help defray renovation costs.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Blythe Graham-Jones, 39, a former advertising executive who now flips and rents out homes in the Hamptons, documenting her projects for 10,200 Instagram followers @Via_Norfolk. Graham-Jones makes money from renovating Hamptons homes, renting them out on Airbnb, consulting on design projects, and various social media revenue streams, including brand partnerships. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I used to work in advertising. I worked with some of the most amazing creative minds, but didn't really consider myself a creative. I was the organized, left-brained person for these amazing talents.

My husband Cody was a real estate agent when we started dating back in 2008. Now, he works in tech sales, but we have both always loved real estate. We used to be the ones who'd organize a Montauk share house for our friends. We loved driving around looking at rentals together.

We never believed that your first purchase had to be your primary home. In 2017, we were still renting in Brooklyn and expecting our first child when we bought a three-bedroom home in East Hampton for $635,000.

It wasn't a hot property. The previous owners were in the middle of a divorce, and it was a bit neglected. People just didn't want to deal with the hassle.

There were boxes everywhere. They hadn't even cleaned out the medicine cabinets. It was a weird layout, too: The refrigerator was in the hallway, the living room was in the back of the house, and there was no primary bedroom.

Renovating my first Hamptons home inspired me to change careers

We had renters that first summer. By September, I was on a mission to fix up the house for cheap. I got white paint and Ikea rattan furniture.

For two years, we continued to rent it out on Airbnb and reinvested every penny back into the house. We started out charging $1,000 per night during peak season.

In 2019, we refinanced and pulled out a home equity line of credit, or HELOC, for $250,000. With that money, I finally got to do a big renovation. I ended up opening up one bedroom to make a living room and an open kitchen. I added a bathroom to make a primary bedroom.

Now, the home is valued at $1.8 million, according to Zillow.

I realized that doing this was my thing. I could see the potential in homes. Managing through the chaos was natural for me from my previous role. At the time, I also wanted to spend more time with my kids, who were 1 and 3. I left my corporate role in 2021 to pursue renovations full-time.

I grew my social-media brand early, and it helped make renovations cheaper

One of the first steps I took was hiring a freelance designer on UpWork to build a brand identity. For $2,000, she created my website, brand identity, logos, colors, and official fonts. I think it really helped me land deals with brands.

For instance, I work with home and kitchen fixtures company Kingston Brass. For three properties, they've gifted me an entire house's worth of products — probably $20,000 worth — for showing them off during my renovation videos on Instagram. It definitely helps for the ROI of the eventual sale.

Now, the goal is to sell one house each year while renting out the other two on Airbnb. Last year, our two properties in the Hamptons brought in $360,000 in Airbnb revenue. Both have five bedrooms and pools.

I only invest in homes in East Hampton because I like its rules regarding short-term rentals. There are minimum two-week stays, but with four exceptions you can use them throughout the year, which I usually time around holidays like Thanksgiving.

There's the profit from flipping, our Airbnb rental income, and the brand partnerships I bring in through Instagram. I also offer design consulting that starts around $1,000 or $5,000 a month to work on retainer. I also generate income from my LTK page, where people can shop the products I use in my renovations.

Instead of one job, I have multiple streams of income now.

I arrived at Mexico's Happy Coast stressed, anxious, and, frankly, unhappy.

Within minutes of arriving in Puerto Vallarta, I was standing at the rental car company, utterly confused. Three hundred unplanned dollars later, I was driving three hours on a pothole-filled road to my first resort in Costalegre.

As I crawled behind slow mopeds and put my rental car's suspension to the test on countless speed bumps, I couldn't help but wonder if the nausea from the winding roads and the scratch in my throat from nearby wildfires would be worth it.

I also questioned how a place earned a name like the Happy Coast if it feels impossible to reach.

Situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, Costalegre is a roughly 200-mile stretch of coastline between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo. It's a region of extremes — small seaside towns sit near multimillion-dollar resorts.

For years, it's been a quiet retreat enticing the elite, where everyone from Mick Jagger to Bill Gates has vacationed. The properties — and the thousands of acres surrounding them — are mostly privately owned and developed by families who have promised to keep the ecosystems largely untouched.

I spent a week driving dirt roads, sipping margaritas with strangers, and resort hopping across Costalegre. Before landing in Mexico, luxury vacation destinations were synonymous with extravagance. Costalegre challenged those beliefs.

By the time I said goodbye to the rocky coastline, I was captivated by a remote region that prioritized nature and weaved luxury into every aspect of the stay.

If you know, you know

When I told friends and family I was heading to Mexico, they assumed I was setting off for Cancún or Tulum; maybe Mexico City. Not a single person I spoke to had heard of Costalegre.

"It's still unknown," said Alba Garcia, the director of rooms at the Four Seasons Tamarindo, a luxury hot spot in Costalegre. "It's an 'if you know, you know' kind of vibe."

Maria Campos, the director of client services at Las Rosadas, a collection of private villas and residences along Costalegre, grew up in the small town of Chamela, where she said the coast was typically called Costa Sur. In 1990, the state of Jalisco officially deemed the region a priority tourism area and named it the Costalegre Ecological Tourism Corridor.

Unlike Finland, which has data to support its designation as the happiest country in the world, Costalegre, which translates to "coast of joy," taunts its title casually and confidently.

When asked how guests wind up in the region, I was rarely told it was because they wanted to visit Costalegre. Some people stumbled on a property while researching Puerto Vallarta; most received a rave review from a friend.

Likely, if you've heard of Costalegre, it's because of the private community of Careyes.

In 1968, Italian banker Gian Franco Brignone flew over Mexico's Pacific Coast. Impressed by what he saw from the small Cessna plane, he purchased 13,000 acres of the coastline to build a colorful retreat. (Careyes declined to share how much Brignone paid for the land.)

"There was not anything when my father first started," Emanuela Brignone Cattaneo, Brignone's daughter, told me over dinner one evening. "My father would show friends, and then those friends would buy land."

Careyes now sits on 35,000 acres with a 25,000-acre biosphere, 46 multimillion-dollar villas, 40 casitas, 55 suites, and three bungalows. It's a colorful neighborhood with villas in cobalt blues, highlighter yellows, and dusty pinks. A few dozen permanent residents call it home, but most properties cater to vacationers throughout the year.

"It's Mediterranean meets Mexico," Kim Kessler, a Careyes resident and the founder of KIPR Global, the public relations agency that represents Careyes, explained.

While Careyes' architecture and color palette leave an impression, its visitors are what put it on the map.

It's where Heidi Klum and Seal married and Cindy Crawford posed for Playboy. It's known for its annual Lunar New Year party, and celebrities like Tom Ford, Naomi Campbell, and Uma Thurman have vacationed there.

Careyes might've been the first luxury development, but it certainly wasn't the last.

Two decades later, French-British financier and politician James Goldsmith started building an estate nearby. Today, it's the luxury resort Cuixmala. Following Cuixmala's construction, the 18-suite Las Alamandas opened in 1990. More recently, in 2002, the Four Seasons Tamarindo opened its doors, and the smaller operation Las Rosadas popped up along the coastline in 2005.

For now, there are just a handful of luxury resorts on the rocky coastline. (Xala, a billion-dollar development, is set to open a Six Senses resort in 2026.)

With limited properties, the vacation experience is far from a Cabo, Cancún, or Tulum. Once you arrive at a resort, you won't see other buildings stretching into the sky. There are no middle-tier resorts with crowded pools or clubs bumping the bass late into the night. Souvenir shops are limited to small resort boutiques with local art instead of shot glasses and T-shirts.

Instead, Costalegre is quiet and private.

Multiple times throughout my trip, it was just me and my travel partner on a beach in complete solitude, something that feels impossible to discover in today's world.

This seclusion is exactly what appeals to the residents and vacationers enamored by the Happy Coast.

"I don't think there are too many places in the world where you can walk three kilometers down the coast and there's no one there," Viviana Dean, who lives full-time in Careyes, told me while sipping a margarita overlooking the ocean. "Even after 30 years, I can't believe I'm alone in this beautiful place."

While plenty love Costalegre, Kessler said that's not the case for everyone.

"For people that want Chanel and Gucci and all of that, you won't find that here," Kessler said. "I think it has far more of a refined but understated clientele that appreciates luxury and nature."

A rich realization

By the end of the trip, I realized what makes Costalegre rare is an equation of simplicity, seclusion, and splendor.

Yes, the remote seashell-filled beaches at Las Rosadas were impressive, but having that paired with a private infinity pool made the entire experience luxe.

Sure, the pristine jungle at the Four Seasons Tamarindo was memorable, but fresh pastries and a concierge just a text message away created a five-star experience.

When Kessler invited me to a morning yoga class at Careyes, the setup was simple. We lowered into Warrior 2 and listened as waves crashed nearby.

After class, I overheard a group chatting.

"There are three brands everyone, everyone around the world knows. Versace, Gucci, and Armani," one woman said.

As the debate turned into a story about partying with Gianni Versace, I laughed to myself. This is the quintessential conversation I pictured having on a vacation in this wealthy hot spot.

The group dispersed. Some headed to their private villas, where chefs had breakfast waiting for them. Visitors, on the other hand, might pop between the area's five pools or walk along the coastline to take in the rugged scenery.

For vacationers, itineraries tend to be light. There aren't museums to check off or popular archaeological sites to explore. Unsurprisingly, the focus is on the outdoors.

At Las Alamandas, for instance, afternoons can be spent on horseback navigating the property's 2,000 acres, and evenings picnicking during sunset.

It's a slightly different scene when you reach towns like Barra de Navidad and Melaque, which cater to locals, snowbirds, and regional tourists. Here, you'll find streets lined with colorful beach supplies, buses shuttling in people for day trips, karaoke nights, and beach vendors slinging mangos, pineapples, and coconuts.

There's much more action in these seaside towns, but the wealthy travelers I spoke to rarely had plans to head that far south.

Leaving happy

I ended my trip back at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, overwhelmed by crowds, noises, and intercom announcements.

It was a harsh welcome back to reality, but I was calm, relaxed, and — you guessed it — happy.

Sitting at my gate waiting for economy class to board, I thought about why Costalegre felt remarkable.

Yes, it was the stunning resorts, but it was also pristine nature and the welcoming people I met.

Families like the Brignones and resort owners like Isabel Goldsmith, who owns Las Alamandas, light up when discussing their properties and the ecosystems that surround them. They said they plan to keep Costalegre's habitats largely undeveloped.

The hope is for it to remain a hidden gem, although each property I visited also shared plans to grow.

Kessler said Careyes would max out at developing 7%. Meanwhile, the Four Seasons, which sits on 3,000 acres, has only developed 2% of the land with plans to cap the number at 3%. A small percentage of Las Alamandas is developed, but Goldsmith said she plans to add residences to the property in the coming years.

Campos said she hopes the area where she grew up will largely remain untouched.

"I pray it will never get overbuilt the way the other places have," Campos said. "I go to Cabo, and it's just exploded."

These moments of solitude, bookended by down duvets, meals by award-winning chefs, and the most breathtaking pools, made me pray, too.

And I'm not a religious person.

• JPMorgan is scaling AI tools across various business lines.
• At its Investor Day, the bank's leaders shared how AI is changing workflows across its main businesses.
• JPMorgan's tech spending is $18 billion, focusing on AI, machine learning, and cloud.

When JPMorgan CFO Jeremy Barnum recently took some time to experiment with "vibe coding," he was amazed.

Computer scientists at the firm told him that using plain-language prompts to generate code with AI — known as vibe coding — has improved their efficiency, too. Barnum told investors and analysts at JPMorgan's 2025 Investor Day on Monday. "We have high hopes for the efficiency gains we might get," he added.

Barnum's remarks on how artificial intelligence is reengineering workflows were far from the only mention of how technology is reshaping America's largest bank. From fraud detection and call center automation to portfolio management and wealth advice, AI is no longer something the bank is just experimenting with through pilot projects; it's now scaling its tools and seeing measurable results.

The first step in adopting AI technology across the firm was rolling out its proprietary, in-house generative AI platform to over 200,000 employees. It has about 100 genAI tools in the pipeline, too, according to Barnum's presentation.

"Certain key subsets of the users tell us they are gaining several hours a week of productivity, and almost by definition, the time savings is coming from less valuable tasks," Barnum said.

The firm's spending outlook for technology is $18 billion, up by $1 billion year over year — the highest among Wall Street banks. As AI, machine learning, and cloud innovation lower the barrier to new features and tools, speed is critical to staying competitive, Barnum said. It's also a way to keep costs down going forward, especially on the hiring front.

"We were early movers in AI," the CFO said. "But we're still in the early stages of the journey."

Here's how that journey is taking shape—business line by business line.

Consumer & Community Banking

Before turning it over to Marianne Lake, CEO of JPMorgan's consumer and community bank, Barnum talked about how AI was being used by the unit's call centers, helping agents service customers more efficiently by anticipating customers' needs or quickly responding to questions.

Lake, the next speaker of the day, followed by saying that the bank reduced servicing costs by nearly 30% in part because of AI, but also because of "good old-fashioned" process automation and organizational efficiency.

"The operations team is at the tip of the spear on using and leveraging new AI tools and capabilities," she said.

She predicted a 10% head count reduction in operations with the help of AI, a division focused on fraud, statement, payment processing, and account services.

"I would take the over on this projection, and I'll bet we will deliver even more as the tools and capabilities just keep getting better and better."

The technology has also played a "very significant" part in reducing fraud, even as hackers and cyberattacks become more sophisticated.

The bank is now looking at ways to use technology to continue personalizing what people see when they open their mobile phone apps in hopes of better promoting relevant products and services. Personalizing for to people's interests and behaviors has helped increase engagement rates by 25% so far, she said.

Asset & Wealth Management

In wealth and asset management, AI is not just a tool, Mary Callahan Erdoes, the unit's CEO, told the audience. "It's reimagining workflows and it's changing the loading capacities for thousands of people on the front line and in the back," she said.

Portfolio managers and analysts at JPMorgan are using Smart Monitor, which the firm has estimated helps reduce time researching a topic by 83% by pulling in data from earnings calls, market moves, and filings, generating tailored alerts and analysis.

"I thought that you would be the last people to use this stuff because you think 'I'm too smart for AI, and I have to do it my way,'" she said, speaking to the investors in the room. "It saves so much time."

She said the tool that's caught the most attention is Connect Coach. The program, which prompts suggestions or recommendations to a wealth manager in real time, was rolled out to private bankers last year, Business Insider reported, and in the last week, it was launched to the banks' 7,600 wealth management advisors.

If a JPMorgan private banker hears from the bank's top researcher about European stocks in a meeting, the tool automatically pulls up who in the banker's client book does not have exposure, Erdoes explained. It'll bring up fund fact sheets, sample emails, or talking points to call clients with.

Advisory productivity is up 3.4 times, thanks to the firm's investments in technology, she said.

Commercial & Investment Bank

AI is being deployed across the workflow in JPMorgan's investment bank, from onboarding new clients — where costs to verify clients are down 40% — to client insights and portfolio optimization, Doug Petno, co-CEO of the commercial and investment bank, said.

He added that the bank now has over 175 AI use cases in production, focusing on predictive analytics and operational efficiency, including helping its bankers with risk—based decision-making.

In its payments business, the firm has used AI and machine learning models to reduce friction in payment transactions. Umar Farooq, cohead of JPMorgan's payments business, said that in the past few years, transaction volumes have gone up by more than 50%. Part of that is down to AI models cutting down on transactions that require human intervention to be resolved, often caused by things like account number mismatches or failed fraud detection checks.

"This is just a small example of how our dataset will be to the future of our business as we expand and lean ever more so into technologies like Generative AI," Umar Farooq, cohead of JPMorgan Payments, said.

• Google's announcements at its I/O developer conference this week had analysts bullish on its AI.
• AI features could be a "Trojan horse" for Google's Android products, Bank of America analysts wrote.
• Apple's AI mess has given Google a major mobile opportunity.

Google's phones, tablets, and, yes, XR glasses are all about to be supercharged by AI.

Google needs to seize this moment. Bank of America analysts this week even called Google's slew of new AI announcements a "Trojan horse" for its device business.

For years, Apple's iOS and Google's Android have battled it out. Apple leads in the US in phone sales, though it still trails Android globally. The two have also gradually converged; iOS has become more customizable, while Android has become cleaner and easier to use. As hardware upgrades have slowed in recent years, the focus has shifted to the smarts inside the device.

That could be a big problem for Apple. Its AI rollouts have proven lackluster with users, while more enticing promised features have been delayed. The company is reportedly trying to rebuild Siri entirely using large language models. Right now, it's still behind Google and OpenAI, and that gap continues to widen.

During Google's I/O conference this week, the search giant bombarded us with new AI features. Perhaps the best example was a particularly grabby demo of Google's "Project Astra" assistant helping someone fix their bike by searching through the bike manual, pulling up a YouTube video, and calling a bike shop to see if certain supplies were in stock.

It was, of course, a highly polished promotional video, but it made Siri look generations behind.

"It has long been the case that the best way to bring products to the consumer market is via devices, and that seems truer than ever," wrote Ben Thompson, analyst and Stratechery author, in an I/O dispatch this week.

"Android is probably going to be the most important canvas for shipping a lot of these capabilities," he added.

Google's golden opportunity

Apple has done a good job of locking users into its ecosystem with iMessage blue bubbles, features like FaceTime, and peripherals like the Apple Watch that require an iPhone to use.

Google's Pixel phone line, meanwhile, remains a rounding error when compared to global smartphone shipments. That's less of a problem when Google has huge partners like Samsung that bring all of its AI features to billions of Android users globally.

While iPhone users will get some of these new features through Google's iOS apps, it's clear that the "universal assistant" the company is building will only see its full potential on Android. Perhaps this could finally get iOS users to make the switch.

"We're seeing diminishing returns on a hardware upgrade cycle, which means we're now really focused on the software upgrade cycle," Bernstein senior analyst Mark Shmulik told Business Insider.

Without major changes by Apple, Shmulik said he sees the gap in capabilities between Android and iOS only widening.

"If it widens to the point where someone with an iPhone says, 'Well my phone can't do that,' does it finally cause that switching event from what everyone has always considered this incredible lock-in from Apple?" Shmulik said.

Beyond smartphones

Internally, Google has been preparing for this moment.

The company merged its Pixel, Chrome, and Android teams last year to capitalize on the AI opportunity.

"We are going to be very fast-moving to not miss this opportunity," Google's Android chief Sameer Samat told BI at last year's I/O. "It's a once-in-a-generation moment to reinvent what phones can do. We are going to seize that moment."

A year on, Google appears to be doing just that. Much of what the company demoed this week is either rolling out to devices imminently or in the coming weeks.

Google still faces the challenge that its relationships with partners like Samsung have come with the express promise that Google won't give its home-grown devices preferential treatment. So, if Google decides to double down on its Pixel phones at the expense of its partners, it could step into a business land mine.

Of course, Google needs to think about more than smartphones. Its renewed bet on XR glasses is a bet on what might be the next-generation computing platform. Meta is already selling its own augmented reality glasses, and Apple is now doubling down on its efforts to get its own smart glasses out by the end of 2026, Bloomberg reported.

Google this week demoed glasses that have a visual overlay to instantly provide information to wearers, which Meta's glasses lack and Apple's first version will reportedly also not have.

The success of Meta's glasses so far is no doubt encouraging news for Google, as a new era of AI devices is ushered in. Now it's poised to get ahead by leveraging its AI chops, and Apple might give it the exact opening it's waited more than a decade for.

"I don't know about an open goal," said Shmulik of Apple, "but it does feel like they've earned themselves a penalty kick."

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