• Tech leaders are spending more time in Washington, DC, these days, Keith Rabois said Friday.
• Rabois recently had a chance meeting with Mark Zuckerburg and Jensen Huang while in the capital.
• But that doesn't mean DC has become a great scene for founders and VCs, he said.

One month after Donald Trump's swearing-in, big names in tech appear to be spending more time in Washington, DC, according to venture capitalist Keith Rabois.

Many tech leaders, from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, attended Trump's inauguration last month.

But if a chance meeting that Khosla Ventures' Rabois had last week is any indication, some of them have kept coming back to the nation's capital.

"Without any pre-existing knowledge, I ran into Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen from Nvidia," he said at a conference on Friday, referring to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. "That never would've happened in my entire life before in DC, like zero chance."

Rabois spoke onstage at the Venture in the Capital conference hosted at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. He previously lived in the Washington, DC, area while working as a lawyer and said he still visits to see family.

Rabois, a self-identified conservative, welcomed Trump's victory in November's election. He's known in the tech world for his early role at PayPal.

Lately, the nation's capital has been attracting more visits from big names in the tech world. Elon Musk has spent lots of time in DC over the past month as he oversees DOGE's efforts to cut government spending from a perch adjacent to President Donald Trump's administration.

Those kind of chance meetings with other high-profile figures can lead to new investment ideas or follow-ups that wouldn't have otherwise happened, Rabois said.

But that doesn't mean DC will become a hotspot for founders or venture capitalists looking to invest.

Being in DC is "unlikely to drive me to meet some undiscovered talent who's going to create the next iconic company," Rabois said.

"It definitely still is not where early-stage venture capitalists should be spending too much time," Rabois said.

The Bay Area remains the place for startups to get noticed by venture capitalists in the US, Rabois said.

During the pandemic, some venture capitalists left the Bay Area in California for other parts of the US, seeking a change of pace. Rabois himself moved to Miami and became an evangelist for the city, trying to convince others from Silicon Valley to make the move.

But the rise of AI, including the growth of Sam Altman's OpenAI, has pulled many founders and venture capital players back to the Bay, Rabois said on Friday.

"If anything saves the Bay Area, it's going to be this AI wave led by OpenAI," he said.

• Satellite images obtained by Business Insider show work on Saudi Arabia's Neom project.
• Images appear to show a major palace for Saudi Arabia's ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.
• The palace has private beaches, extensive gardens, a golf course, and 10 helipads.

Satellite images obtained by Business Insider show a lavish palace that's been constructed as part of Saudi Arabia's $2 trillion Neom megacity project.

The images, which feature in a new Business Insider documentary and were captured by satellite firm Maxar Technologies in January, show a large palace on the Red Sea coast in the northeast of Saudi Arabia.

The images show a palace with private beaches, extensive gardens, a golf course, and 10 helipads.

The documentary based its identification of the palace as likely belonging to Saudi Arabian ruler Mohammed bin Salman on public data, including details in a 2018 Reuters report.

Information on the palace complex is sparse, but Reuters said that plans to build a complex of five royal palaces around 105 miles west of Tabuk were among the first Neom contracts to be awarded.

According to Reuters, the plans featured opulent buildings with Moroccan-style architecture, helipads, a marina, and a golf course — matching the development seen in the satellite imagery.

Neom is the centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed's plans to transition the Saudi economy away from fossil fuels and toward technology, innovation, and tourism.

The BI documentary highlights the project's most ambitious development, the construction of a 110-mile-long 'vertical city' called the Line, as well as controversies over Neom's design and environmental plans, as well as human rights concerns.

The entirety of the Line was initially scheduled to open by 2030, but now only a 1.5-mile "Hidden Marina" is likely to be ready by that date.

Crown Prince Mohammed has a lavish array of properties and assets, including a $300 million chateau in the South of France and a $400 million superyacht.

Saudi Arabia has channeled huge amounts of its oil wealth into funding the Neom project, but reports say it has struggled to attract foreign investments fast enough to realize its ambitious construction schedule.

Neom didn't respond to Business Insider requests for comment.

• Kelly Mackin grew up watching her mom work as a senior vice president at an ad agency.
• When Mackin went into marketing, she felt the same burnout she'd seen her mom have.
• Now, she promotes work-life balance and thriving at work.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelly Mackin, author of "Work Life, Well-Lived." It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I was a child, I thought my mom was the epitome of success. She was the senior vice president of research at an ad agency in Chicago. Even as a child I could see that her job lit her up. Sometimes she would work evenings or weekends, but it was clear she was happy and thriving.

Then, her company was bought out. Suddenly, she was working most nights and weekends just to keep her job. I was only a pre-teen, but I could feel the energy shift from working extra because she was passionate, to working extra because her company was treating her poorly. Still, I idolized my mom, and I followed her into the industry.

I started to experience physical symptoms of burnout

Working in marketing in Chicago felt like "Mad Men" for modern times. There were screaming matches, whisky before 10 a.m., and regular all-nighters to meet unrealistic deadlines. I just thought that was the norm.

Yet, my mental, emotional, and physical health were suffering. My hands started shaking and my eyes twitched. I developed a sleep disorder and my confidence was shattered. I had only worked in the corporate world for about 7 years, but I knew this lifestyle wasn't sustainable.

One night, I ran to Chicago's Union Station to catch the last train at 10:30 p.m. It was winter, so the sidewalks were icy and slick. I'd been working since 6 a.m. and was utterly exhausted. When I missed the train, it felt soul-crushing. On the cab ride to my home in the suburbs, I knew something needed to change.

I left my job — and Chicago

I felt like I needed to leave everything behind, so I moved from Chicago to San Diego. I was so focused on my own wellness that I became an expert in work-life balance, and soon I was being paid as a consultant by companies and other workers. I'd found harmony, and I wanted to help others do the same.

Unfortunately, there's no one formula for work-life balance. Everyone needs to find what works for them. Some people like a clear separation between work hours and personal hours. I like a more integrated approach, personally.

On a typical day I get up early, starting work by 5 a.m. and working until about 10 a.m. That's when my brain is at its best, so I focus on the most intensive projects. I take a break in the middle of the day for errands, work out, or just relax. Then, I start working again in the evening on lighter items, like responding to emails.

Your priorities will shape what balance looks like for you

When we put expectations on how work-life balance should work, we do ourselves a disservice. You just have to follow what feels right, and what gives you vitality. Vitality has been a word on my mind a lot for the past few years, because I want to have energy for my work and hobbies. Sometimes, that means stepping away from work to go play beach volleyball or do a boxing workout. Other times it means working 12-hour days again, but this time, I'm reaping the benefit of that work.

Finding your balance can take some trial and error, but it starts with writing down your priorities, at work and personally. Then, take a look at how much time you spend on each. You might be surprised that how you spend time doesn't align with what's most important to you. If that's the case, it's time to adjust.

Not everything can happen in every season

Even with good balance, there's no way to fit everything we want into 24 hours. So, it's helpful to think about your life in weeks, months, or seasons.

Sometimes, you're more focused on one area during a particular season. Last year, I wrote and published my book. I barely left my house for 30 days while I was drafting it. I didn't go on vacation or out to eat because I was pouring energy into that project.

This year, I'm more focused on my personal life. I'm travelling to Mexico, to Chicago for my brother's wedding, and to Banff, Canada, one of my all time favorite places. When I have harmony between work and my personal life, I feel good and I know I'm thriving.

• I recently spent the weekend at Rosewood Miramar Beach, a five-star resort in Montecito, California.
• I stayed in a beachfront suite right on the sand, falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.
• My dinner at the resort's Michelin-starred restaurant was one of the best parts of the experience.

Nestled along the American Riviera, a place so revered that Meghan Markle tried to name her lifestyle brand after it, sits Rosewood Miramar Beach.

The five-star resort, owned by billionaire real-estate developer Rick Caruso, is mere steps from the sparkling Pacific Ocean. It's become an iconic part of Montecito, the swanky California neighborhood that many A-list celebrities — including Markle, Ariana Grande, and Oprah Winfrey — call home.

After spending a weekend at Rosewood Miramar Beach, it was easy to see why so many stars love this property. The beach was spotless, my suite looked out directly over the sand, and I still can't stop thinking about my dinner at its Michelin-starred restaurant.

Rosewood Miramar Beach was inspired by the grand estates of Montecito.

Once a farm of lemon and black walnut trees, the property became an established beach hotel by 1910, according to Rosewood Miramar Beach's website.

Originally named Miramar By The Sea, the hotel was beloved by legendary newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, who would stop by on his way to Hearst Castle.

Miramar closed in 2000 and remained empty for nearly two decades. Caruso purchased the estate in 2007, and after years of renovations, the Rosewood Miramar Beach opened in 2019.

It wasn't long before the beachside resort began making a splash.

Rosewood Miramar Beach is currently one of only 15 properties worldwide to hold a triple Five-Star title from the Forbes Travel Guide, which means its hotel, restaurant, and spa have all received five stars.

But those aren't the only stars attached to the resort. Rosewood Miramar Beach also quickly caught the attention of Hollywood, attracting everyone from Patrick Schwarzenegger and Larry David to Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian, who got engaged at the property in 2021.

Walking past the lobby after checking in, I was immediately struck by the resort's grand but playful elegance.

One of my favorite places in the 16-acre property was this gorgeous hall in the resort's main building.

The classic red roses popped against the black-and-white checkerboard floor, which was illuminated by a dazzling chandelier and flanked by a spiral staircase. It felt opulent and modern all at once.

My boyfriend and I spent two nights in one of the second-story beachfront suites located right on the sand.

Rosewood Miramar Beach has 119 rooms and 34 suites, offering garden bungalows or beach-facing retreats that start at $1,695 a night. Business Insider received a media rate for accommodations and dining during the two-night stay.

My stylish 960-square-foot suite came with a large wooden deck with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

The interior leaned into the nautical theme with textured blue-and-white pinstripe wallpaper, blue and gold lamps, and complimentary beach bags.

It was a warm and charming room, unafraid of mixing bold fabrics and chic fixtures that added plenty of personality.

Our first meal of the weekend was at AMA Sushi, one of Rosewood Miramar Beach's six on-site restaurants.

AMA Sushi's interior is a beautiful study of sleek Japanese minimalism. The marble sushi bar seemed to glow against the dark wood walls while a fireplace roared under a moody painting of the moon. The atmosphere was both serene and sexy.

The omakase dinner featured creative dishes and an incredible nigiri course.

Our $135 omakase menu began with a delicious snow crab, followed by a sashimi course featuring bluefin tuna.

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the delicious red miso soup with clams, which, per Japanese tradition, came at the end of dinner.

We then headed to The Manor Bar, where the cocktails are inspired by literary works.

With its wood-paneled walls, velvet seats, and stuffed bookshelves, The Manor Bar felt like the kind of library you'd find at a sprawling estate in the English countryside. The lights were dim, but the bar was packed and brimming with energy. I was almost shocked it didn't smell like cigar smoke.

As a former English major, I loved the creative cocktail menu, which featured drinks named after iconic literary villains. The "Lady Macbeth" melded gin with pineapple, roasted banana, and cinnamon, while the "Tom Buchanan" had two types of Johnnie Walker whiskey, plus tawny port and bitters.

The sound of crashing waves was my soundtrack as I went to sleep and woke up the next day.

Even the rainy morning couldn't damper my mood as I watched the ocean from the comfort of my plush king bed.

The French doors offered a perfect sea view, making the suite feel incredibly romantic.

We enjoyed breakfast at The Revere Room, which had a very different vibe from the restaurant and bar the previous night.

The Revere Room's Tiffany-blue walls were covered in illustrations of white roses and bluebirds. Frosted Christmas trees twinkled in the corner for the holidays while natural light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling French doors.

We started with the gluten-free lemon ricotta pancakes, which had a lovely fluffy texture and were served with a delicious blueberry sauce. Then came the breakfast sammie, which stuffed a fried egg, bacon, and Havarti cheese between two soft and flaky homemade sourdough slices.

With the sun finally out, it felt like the perfect time to tour the grounds.

The centerpiece of Rosewood Miramar Beach is the Manor House, which includes the lobby, ocean-view guest rooms, luxury retail stores, The Manor Bar, and The Revere Room.

Tucked behind the Manor House is a massive and perfectly manicured lawn, which made me feel like I was in someone's incredibly nice backyard. Since the resort is kid and pet-friendly, the lawn was frequently filled with children chasing after their adorable pups.

Rosewood Miramar Beach is lush with beautiful gardens.

The resort could have easily coasted on its beach access alone, but every inch of the estate is designed to evoke beauty and elegance.

The air is naturally perfumed with scents from the gardenia and lavender bushes, while citrus, olive, and fishtail palm trees dot the property. Everything was pruned to perfection, nary a leaf or petal out of place.

Luxury retail stores are tucked inside elegant clapboard houses, and a large bocce court stretches across the lawn.

Rick Fidel, the resort's managing director, told me that Rosewood Miramar Beach was designed to make guests feel like they were "being hosted in a private home."

If it weren't for the beautiful weather at the end of November, you could easily forget you were in California. As I walked around the property, I felt like I had been transported to Martha's Vineyard or the set of a Nancy Meyers movie.

There's even an outdoor gym.

I didn't squeeze in a workout during my stay, but I had to check out the resort's indoor/outdoor fitness studio, where guests can enjoy weekly fitness classes and private personal training sessions.

Treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines dotted the gym's patio, while Pelotons, weights, and StairMasters could be found inside.

While I opted to walk, guests can tour the resort on complimentary electric bikes or a Rosewood Miramar Beach Jolly car.

The cotton-candy-pink Miramar Jolly cars are inspired by the open-top taxis of Capri. They feature wicker seats and canopies and are free for guests who want to be chauffeured to the beach or around the property.

After the tour, we stopped for lunch at Miramar Beach Bar.

The oceanfront Miramar Beach Bar is a small restaurant on the deck above Caruso's, the resort's Michelin-starred restaurant. It was just steps away from our beach suite and offered gorgeous views of the sea sparkling under the California sun.

Our tacos — tempura fish and red chili-braised beef — were solid but couldn't compete with our breakfast at The Revere Room or our dinners at AMA Sushi and Caruso's. Next time, I'd skip the food at Miramar Beach Bar and just grab a drink while watching the sunset.

Before heading to our room for a nap, we saw the iconic Pacific Surfliner train passing by the resort.

According to Rosewood Miramar's website, the family that first owned the property — which was originally a farm — decided to build a guest house after the train tracks were built in 1887. The Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight Amtrak now cut through the resort en route to the Santa Barbara Amtrak station.

The tracks are gated, and a guard is always on duty for safety purposes. While the trains didn't pass by very frequently, it was fun watching everyone around us stop to admire them whenever one came through.

My favorite meal during our stay was dinner at Caruso's.

Before dinner, I had the opportunity to sit down with Massimo Falsini, the chef at Caruso's and director of culinary operations at Rosewood Miramar Beach.

Falsini's menu seamlessly blends his Italian roots with California ingredients. All the seafood at Caruso's is "from the ocean in front of you," Falsini told me, including the spiny Santa Barbara lobster and the signature Channel Islands halibut (which were both fantastic).

"We don't fly in anything; we only buy from local small fishermen in order to support the community," said the chef, who hopes to make Caruso's a zero-carbon footprint restaurant by 2026.

Caruso's is a swoon-worthy restaurant with bold and stunning dishes.

The open-air space allows you to hear the waves and smell the sea as you dine amid the beautiful navy-blue leather booths and pristine white chairs.

The service was impeccable from start to finish, as was my $175 four-course dinner. The amuse-bouches included cones stuffed with caviar and gougères plump with truffle cream. Olive oil was decanted tableside for the bread basket, and the Baja Kanpachi crudo looked like a work of art.

One of my favorite courses of the night was the honeynut squash vellutata soup, which was topped with an intricate tuile of vines and tasted like autumn.

The dinner was so good that I think the restaurant deserves a second Michelin star.

Read my full review of Caruso's here.

Our final morning at Rosewood Miramar Beach began at the pool.

The resort has two pools on the property. We spent our time at the cabana pool, which is for adults 21 and up and features 19 cabanas, plus a bar and a large jacuzzi. The cabana pool features a scalloped zero-edge border, a design choice that makes it feel whimsical.

For those with kids in tow, there's also the kid-friendly manor pool. We stopped by to check out the Scoop Shop, which is right next to the pool and offers gourmet burgers and house-made gelato.

The pool also has a fire pit, where we tried the resort's complimentary s'mores kits.

While checking in at the resort, we learned there were s'mores kits at the front desk, which we could always pick up and enjoy by one of the fire pits.

I finally got to try the kit on our last day, opening the bag to find the most classic of s'mores ingredients: Honey Maid graham crackers, Hershey's milk chocolate, and Jet-Puffed marshmallows.

My boyfriend and I giggled like kids at camp as we used the provided wooden sticks to roast our marshmallows over the fire before building our s'mores.

And we couldn't leave without a long walk on the beach.

After such a rainy weekend, it felt fitting to end our stay with the sun shining down on us at the beach.

If it had been summer weather, I could've easily laid on the sand all day. The resort offers complimentary chairs, umbrellas, and beach toys, as well as equipment for paddleboarding, kayaking, and beach volleyball.

There's a designated beach butler who brings food and drinks, and the resort even has a falconer who helps keep seagulls and pigeons at bay.

Rosewood Miramar Beach perfectly understands that cozy and luxury can go hand in hand.

In the era of #quietluxury, which I detested, many people equated splendor with mundane. The colors went neutral, patterns disappeared, and everything felt inoffensive and uninspired. It was all very beige, like a plate at Thanksgiving.

But Rosewood Miramar Beach isn't afraid to make the space feel comfortable yet distinct, even with the luxury price tag. There's a fine line between Nantucket and coastal grandma, and the resort knows exactly where to stand. It's effortlessly chic and cozy, as if you're staying on a beautiful yacht.

And with the fantastic dinner at Caruso's and the sexy Manor Bar, Rosewood Miramar Beach is perfect for a special-occasion romantic getaway. I can't wait to go back.

• The Trump administration is dropping regulatory cases.
• Crypto firms including Coinbase and Robinhood have already benefited.
• Antitrust enforcement against tech giants, however, is expected to continue under the current DOJ.

There will be winners and losers as the new Trump administration rewrites how business is regulated.

And after only its first month, a pattern is emerging, with four major Biden administration cases dropped and others left firmly standing.

Crypto? There are clear winners already, with Coinbase, OpenSea, and Robinhood seeing federal officials swiftly closing shop on probes and enforcement lawsuits.

Meanwhile, some legal experts predict an uptick in traditional securities cases and a continuation of the Biden DOJ's aggressive antitrust enforcement in cases against Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Ticketmaster.

"Gail Slater, who's going to be confirmed head of the DOJ antitrust division pretty soon, is an experienced antitrust lawyer, and her confirmation hearings suggested she was pretty much going to stay the course," said attorney and Brookings fellow Bill Baer, who led the DOJ's antitrust division during the second Obama administration.

Here are the fortunate corporations whose federal cases or probes have been — or promised to be — dropped since Trump took office.

SpaceX

The Department of Justice plans to drop a lawsuit against SpaceX that it filed in 2023. In the lawsuit, officials accused Elon Musk's rocket company of discriminating against refugees and asylees in its hiring process.

SpaceX promptly sued to block the lawsuit, which was paused as both sides readied their cases. Yet on February 20, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to lift the original stay so that it could dismiss the case entirely.

In the initial suit, the department alleged that SpaceX discouraged refugees and asylees from applying to work at the company by incorrectly stating in job listings that it could only hire US citizens. The case referenced a tweet Musk sent in 2020 in which he said that "US law requires at least a green card" to be hired at SpaceX, as the rockets are "advanced weapons and technology."

Musk has become a centerpiece of Trump's second term and is closely linked to the White House DOGE Office, which has embarked on a mission to reshape the federal government and dismantle agencies. While the White House itself said in a court filing that Musk doesn't have any "actual or formal authority," he appears extremely close to Trump. Many Democrats and watchdog groups have questioned whether there are conflicts of interest given Musk's power in the private and, now, public sector.

Coinbase

On February 21, the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said the Securities and Exchange Commission was ending a nearly two-year lawsuit against the company. The decision likely foreshadows an era of lighter crypto regulation during a second Trump term.

The SEC had accused Coinbase, the biggest US crypto exchange, of being an unregistered securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency. The company's CEO, Brian Armstrong, celebrated the decision, saying it was a "huge day" for Coinbase and calling the case "bogus."

Other industry leaders also welcomed the news, as BI previously reported. Though Trump once doubted crypto's merits, he's since become closely linked to the industry, releasing his own memecoin and creating a group to pursue regulatory changes.

Under former President Joe Biden, the SEC and its chair, Gary Gensler, drew the ire of much of the crypto community.

A spokesperson for the SEC declined to comment on this story.

OpenSea

OpenSea, which which lets users sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs), said the SEC was closing its investigation into the company on February 21. The investigation began in August 2024, when the SEC issued a Wells notice, which is typically sent before launching a formal suit, and alleged the company might have been functioning as an unregistered securities marketplace.

OpenSea's founder and CEO cheered the decision in a post on X, writing, "This is a win for everyone who is creating and building in our space. Trying to classify NFTs as securities would have been a step backward — one that misinterprets the law and slows innovation."

Robinhood

On February 24, the financial services platform Robinhood said in a blog post that the SEC would drop its investigation into the company's crypto unit, after sending a Wells Notice in May of 2024. The SEC told Robinhood in a letter that the investigation was over and it didn't plan to pursue a lawsuit, the post said.

"We appreciate the formal closing of this investigation, and we are happy to see a return to the rule of law and commitment to fairness at the SEC," Robinhood's chief legal, compliance and corporate affairs officer said in the post.

Cases to keep an eye on

There has been no public sign of Trump's DOJ backing down after inheriting seven ongoing and massive federal antitrust-enforcement lawsuits — against Ticketmaster, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple.

The Ticketmaster case seeks to break up parent company Live Nation's concert venue, promotion, and ticketing arms, and has 27 states signed on as co-plaintiffs who could carry it forward should the Trump DOJ pull out. The case remains scheduled for trial in the spring of 2026.

The two Google cases are in their final stages.

The first, from 2020, was actually filed at the end of the first Trump administration and led a DC judge to find in August that Google maintained a search-engine monopoly. It will be another year of litigation before the search-engine case goes to trial on what the remedy should be, with the Biden DOJ having demanded that Google sell its Chrome browser.

In the second Google case, filed in 2023, the DOJ alleged at a September bench trial that the company has an adtech monopoly. A decision by a federal trial in Alexandria, Virginia is pending.

Two Amazon cases — one challenging the company's dealings with vendors, the other challenging its Prime subscriptions model — are working their way through the federal courts in Seattle, as is a government antitrust lawsuit against Apple.

The Federal Trade Commission's 2020 antitrust lawsuit against Meta is set for a bench trial before a DC judge on April 14. The FTC's new chairman, Andrew Ferguson, has vowed to go after Big Tech and its
"vendetta against competition," though it's expected he'll seek policy and contract changes rather than major breakups of any of these big companies.

Spokespeople for the FTC and DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story.

• Jade Bonacolta began her career at LinkedIn and was promoted five times in her 6 ½ years there.
• Before each one-on-one meeting with her manager, Bonacolta spent one hour preparing a "pre-read."
• Pre-reads included weekly wins, upcoming tasks, and new ideas, helping increase her visibility at work.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jade Bonacolta, a 31-year-old based in Miami who began her career at LinkedIn and is now head of North American marketing at Google. Her employment and promotion history have been verified by Business Insider. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

After graduating from Columbia University in 2015, I landed a job at LinkedIn in San Francisco.

During the six and a half years I was at LinkedIn before joining Google in 2022, I was promoted five times, beginning as an associate in the Business Leadership Program and leaving as the head of marketing for enterprise technology.

A lot of my promotions came from the way I handled my one-on-one meetings with my manager.

Preparing pre-reads for my one-on-ones

Most people go into one-on-ones taking a more passive approach, expecting their manager to present to them and tell them what to do. But managers often have teams of five or more people, so having weekly meetings with each of them can be a lot to juggle.

I noticed that my first manager would generally ask me the same things in every call — "How did this week go? What are you working on next week and where do you need help?" I knew I wanted to be more proactive and make those meetings more efficient.

I began spending an hour beforehand writing up what I called a "pre-read." I would draft a simple email with three sections: what went well for me this week, what I'm focusing on next week, and one new idea or interesting innovation to suggest for our team.

I would send it to my manager before we met and bring my copy to the meeting to help guide our conversation.

My manager told me he found the pre-reads incredibly helpful; they made our conversations far more productive and helped him feel completely aware of my work. He found the format so useful that he asked the rest of my team members to follow the strategy for their one-on-ones as well.

3 things that make an effective pre-read before a 1:1 meeting

1. What went well

First, I created a "wins" folder, and every time I had a win throughout my week, I would add it to the folder.

For example, if, when working with the sales team, I received an email from one of the leaders saying, "I am so impressed with the questions you asked my team and the way you provided value," that email would go straight into the wins folder. I would then pull from that folder when making my pre-read email to my manager.

I understood that I could be doing the best work in the world, but it didn't matter if the right people didn't know about it; if I wanted to be promoted, I needed to be visible.

I'd also save all of my wins in a document and share it with my manager to make it easier to write my performance review and build a case for my promotion.

2. What I'm working on

Managers are often expected to tell their employees what they should be working on. However, it can also be helpful and beneficial if the employees show proactiveness.

After sharing what I did the week before, I would then say, "Here's what I think I should work on next week." Some of these were ongoing projects, while others were new initiatives I was introducing.

When it came to projects, I had a pretty strong instinct on the direction I wanted to take my career, and I made the promotion I wanted clear to my manager. I asked them, "Are there any projects I could work on that allow me to start building those skills?"

I also tried to anticipate where I might need my manager's help. I'd ask myself: "What could possibly go wrong next week?" and "Which person do I need to connect with next week that I might need an introduction to from my manager?"

This way, I could ask my questions all at once in the meeting rather than throughout the week.

I also tried to proactively come up with solutions, rather than just present problems.

For example, I might say to my manager, "It seems like we have to get our budget in by this date, so is there a way that I can submit this earlier this week in order to make sure that that deadline doesn't sneak up on us?"

3. One new idea

In my pre-read, I'd also share one new idea.

Throughout the week, I would pay attention to things that my manager found frustrating or inefficiencies that came up over the past week — things that had simple fixes.

Then, in my one-on-one meetings, I'd offer an idea or solution to solve those issues. I realized that the ideas didn't have to be big. In fact, when presenting a new idea, the key is to make it small, as you don't want to take on an unhealthy amount of work and burn out, or neglect the main parts of your job.

Once, my team and I were doing really great work but no one in our broader organization knew much about it. As I wanted to lean more into the marketing world, I asked my manager, "What if we started a very quick, regular newsletter?"

My manager agreed.

I took on ownership of that newsletter. Every month, I consolidated and sent out the newsletter to the entire organization, sharing updates on what our team was doing. It was simple, and other teams weren't doing it, and I was reaching the leaders of other teams.

When those leaders would reach back out to my manager about how the newsletter was great, my manager would respond, "It was actually her idea. I didn't even ask her to do that; she just volunteered to take this on."

Spending an hour to prepare was worth it to give my manager visibility

I've repeated this process in every new role I've taken and every new manager I've had at Google. My managers have loved it and I've received incredible feedback whenever I've done it.

Even in my now-senior-level role, my leadership team deeply appreciates my weekly status updates and new ideas for the team. They treat me as a thought partner rather than just a direct report.

Making the most of one-on-one meetings gives your leaders more visibility into all the work you're doing.

If you found an effective strategy for getting promoted and would like to share your story, email Jane Zhang at [email protected].

• Goldman is building a new campus in Dallas, its largest US office outside of New York City.
• It will include rooftop gardens, bike parking, childcare, and more.
• Two top executives walked BI through the amenities and design.

Goldman Sachs may be synonymous with Wall Street, but working there no longer requires you to be a stone's throw from downtown Manhattan.

The investment bank's largest US workforce outside of New York City is now in Dallas, Texas — and the firm has plans to continue to grow its presence in the southern city in the coming years. Indeed, it's spending some $500 million to build a new office campus near downtown Dallas that's expected to house as many as 5,000 employees, or more than 10% of its global workforce, when it opens in 2028.

That's up from the roughly 1,500 staffers who worked at the Dallas site at the conclusion of 2018, the year CEO David Solomon took over leadership of the bank.

What will the new office tower look like, and what might it be like to work there every day?

BI spoke to two Goldman executives overseeing the project, Ben Trinder and Aasem Khalil, about the design, the office perks, and what it will mean to Goldman staffers based in Dallas. They said the goal was to create a space that feels more like a campus than a commercial office tower, including rooftop gardens, a park, and paths for walking and biking.

The design vision

The three-acre site, located in the hip Victory Park neighborhood, will include an 800,000-square-foot office tower powered by electricity. The structure will include a north and south wing united by a central, connective segment. The north wing will rise 14 stories, the central 10 stories, and the south wing 8 stories.

The building will include bicycle parking, lockers, and changing facilities, allowing employees to cycle to work.

A central, landscaped walkway called Paseo will connect the building to the large nearby park. An oculus above the Paseo will give passersby a glimpse into some of the building's busy offices while allowing sunlight to filter through the building.

Parking will be stored underground to make the campus more walkable.

"We pushed all of our parking below ground so that our building had a relationship with the public realm that was respectful," said Trinder, a managing director and and global head of real estate development for corporate and workplace solutions at Goldman Sachs.

Rooftop gardens

Each section of the tower will feature rooftop gardens and terraces where employees can gather for a breath of fresh air or to enjoy the Dallas skyline. The gardens will also host events, meetings, and functions.

The landscape designer on the project, Michael VanValkenburg, is known for projects including Brooklyn Bridge Park and Maggie Daley Park. VanValkenburg will also be responsible for developing a 1.5-acre park adjacent to the Goldman campus. A passageway will run through the office, connecting it to the park.

"By elevating the centerpiece of the building, we've created this connection to the community, to the park," Trinder said. "We knew that the park was the heart of the development."

From wellness to dining

Amenities include fitness and wellness facilities, childcare services, and multiple dining options. Dining options will be spread throughout the building but the main food exchange will be located on the second floor. The building will also include a social lounge and coffee bars.

"The new campus was designed to support the health and wellness of Goldman Sachs' workforce," the company said in a 2023 press release announcing the site's groundbreaking.

What the neighborhood has to offer

The new campus will be based in Dallas's trendy Victory Park neighborhood, named for a nearby park known for its festivals and outdoor markets. The hub is close to the American Airlines Center where the Dallas Mavericks play, as well as the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the Dallas World Aquarium, a Ritz-Carlton hotel, the arts district, and plenty of popular restaurants.

Khalil — who also serves as the firm's global head of investment-banking services — described the location as representing "the heart of the city" because of its central location between Dallas' upscale uptown district and its vibrant business district located downtown.

Goldman's Dallas expansion is part of an multiyear cost-cutting plan introduced at the company's inaugural Investor Day in 2020. The bank said it would save money by shifting staffers from higher-cost centers like New York City and London, to more affordable cities like Dallas, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The bank's current leadership sees the Dallas team continuing to grow once the new office opens as a result.

"We build for expansion," Trinder said, "and this office is designed to accommodate future growth."

Reed Alexander is a correspondent at Business Insider. He can be reached via email at [email protected], or SMS/the encrypted app Signal at (561) 247-5758.

Amanda de Cadenet says Michelle Trachtenberg called her from a “hospital bed” before her death at age 39.

The podcaster, 52, took to Instagram on Wednesday, February 26, to post a photo she’d taken of Trachtenberg when she was younger and mourn the loss of her longtime friend.

“What sad news this morning to wake up to,” de Cadenet wrote in a caption. “It feels weird and awful to be posting this, but I want to acknowledge your death because I cared about you. I will always remember you as the young vivacious woman I met when I took this photo of you … and seeing your face from the hospital bed when we FaceTimed recently, even though you did not look like you, your sweetness and humor were still alive. I’m so sad for you that the outcome was not a better one. Wishing you a peaceful transition sweet friend and may your spirit finally rest.”

Police sources confirmed to Us Weekly earlier on Wednesday that Trachtenberg was found unconscious inside her New York City apartment. No cause of death has been reported, and the incident is not believed to be suspicious.

Stars React to Michelle Trachtenberg’s Death at Age 39

Trachtenberg’s representative later addressed the news in a statement, telling Us on Wednesday, “It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.”

Recently, Trachtenberg had a liver transplant, multiple sources told Us.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amanda de Cadenet (@amandadecadenet)

The tragedy sparked an outpouring of tributes from the actress’ famous friends and loyal fans. 

“She was electricity,” Blake Lively, who costarred with Trachtenberg on Gossip Girl, stated via Instagram on Wednesday. “You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%. She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself.”

Michelle Trachtenberg's Neighbors Reflect on the Actress' Final Months

Prior to appearing on The CW series, Trachtenberg played Dawn Summers on the last two seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

“My heart is heavy today. We have lost a beautiful soul,” James Marsters, who portrayed Spike on the series, wrote via Instagram. “Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny and a very talented person. She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her. … Godspeed Michelle. You are missed.”

The cast and crew of Gossip Girl honored their former costar Michelle Trachtenberg following the news of her death at age 39.

“Michelle was one of a kind,” Chace Crawford, who played Nate Archibald, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, February 26. “I remember her coming on set for the first time and just absolutely owning it. She was a force of nature and just so so unapologetically funny and magnetic.”

The actor, 39, included two selfies with Trachtenberg as well a snap that appeared to show them on the set of Gossip Girl, which aired from 2007 to 2012 on The CW.

Police sources confirmed to Us Weekly earlier on Wednesday that Trachtenberg was found unconscious inside her New York City apartment. No cause of death has been reported, and the incident is not believed to be suspicious.

‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Buffy’ Star Michelle Trachtenberg Dead at Age 39

Trachtenberg’s representative later addressed the news in a statement, telling Us on Wednesday, “It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.”

Multiple sources told Us that the Ice Princess actress had a liver transplant prior to her death.

Trachtenberg broke out as a child star in the 1996 film Harriet the Spy, which was based on Louise Fitzhugh’s 1964 novel of the same name. She later appeared in shows including The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Six Feet Under.

In 2008, she made her debut in season 1 of Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks, a villainous former friend of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively). Trachtenberg appeared in 28 episodes of the original series and later returned for two episodes of the Max sequel, which debuted in 2021.

In February 2020, Trachtenberg praised her former costars for their post–Gossip Girl achievements and said she’d recently seen Leighton Meester, who played Blair Waldorf.

“Leighton and I actually had dinner not too long ago, and she’s also a mother,” Trachtenberg exclusively told Us at the time. “I think it’s just amazing what they’ve all accomplished.”

‘Gossip Girl’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

She noted that she hadn’t yet seen Penn Badgley’s then-new show You, but she’d heard about the memes joking that Georgina could ruin his character, Joe.

“[It] says that I would be the one to take him down, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what this means,’” she joked. “And then my friends were like, ‘Well … ’ I go to all of my friends for the content to understand what’s cool with the kids these days.”

Keep scrolling for more tributes to Trachtenberg from the Gossip Girl cast and crew:

Chace Crawford

“Michelle was one of a kind,” Crawford wrote via Instagram. “I remember her coming on set for the first time and just absolutely owning it. She was a force of nature and just so so unapologetically funny and magnetic.. remembering those years with a big smile. Just a terrible loss. Love you .”

Ed Westwick

“So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg,” Westwick, 37, wrote via his Instagram Story alongside a throwback photo of Trachtenberg from the series. “Sending prayers.” (The actor played Chuck Bass on the teen drama.)

A Look Back at Michelle Trachtenberg's Relationship With 'Gossip Girl' Cast

Josh Schwartz

The Gossip Girl cocreator, 48, paid tribute to Trachtenberg via his Instagram Story, writing, “RIP Michelle. Thank you for Georgina. You will be missed but not forgotten.”

He also commented on Crawford’s post, writing, “Well said. Love these photos. .”

Kevin Zegers

“What a loss. Michelle was tough and a force,” wrote Zegers, 40, who played Damian Dalgaard, via Instagram. “Just a kid, so sad.”

Joshua Safran

The Gossip Girl writer penned a touching social media tribute for Trachtenberg on Wednesday sharing it was “an honor and joy” to create her character.

“Georgina unlocked something in me in which writing her was the easiest thing I’d done. It was partially the character: devious, delicious, direct — the most fun to write,” he reflected. “But it was also Michelle. She had such a clear voice as an actor. You heard her as you typed.”

Safran continued: “You knew she’d make each line rougher, more real, much funnier — and that made the writing better. She was an inspiration and an icon. There’s many reasons GG1 caught fire when we came back from the strike, but one of the biggest was the intro of her arc. The injection of *her.* Long live Georgina Sparks, and the brilliant woman who gave her the fire. You will be forever missed. Xoxo.”

Blake Lively

“This is the first day I met Michelle. She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed,” Lively, 38, wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of the duo filming Gossip Girl. “Everything she did, she did 200%. She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself.”

Calling her “king through and through,” Lively continued, “Time passes. You take for granted that you get the chance to see an old friend. To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday. Hold those you love and have loved dear. The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”

Taylor Momsen

The actress-turned-rocker took to social media to share her “shock” over Trachtenberg’s death, writing via Instagram, “When I met this girl 15 years ago I knew we’d be friends..she was smart and sassy, bold and sensitive, funny as f— and filled with fire. She was simply awesome. I’ll miss our late night calls that no one should ever hear but us. She was always in my corner and there to support me whether I was right or wrong.”

Momsen then took a moment to address Trachtenberg directly. “I will miss you everyday my love..I think we truly understood each other and I am so grateful to have had a friend like you in my life for so long..You were a true friend to me which is a rarity in this world and I can’t believe I won’t hear your voice again,” she wrote. “I hope you’re f—-ing up heaven for both of us..I love you so much Michelle, my heart is on the floor.”

She concluded the post  — which featured a black and white slideshow of the costars over the years — by sharing that she “needed to honor” her longtime friend, noting that she “deserves more than this.”

“I grieve with all her fans around the world, and my heart is with her family and loved ones,” Momsen added. “I have so much to say, but she’s the only one I’d want to say it to, my love to you all xxt.”

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