• Mario Carbone is the chef behind the iconic Italian restaurant Carbone in New York City.
• He gave me the recipe for a penne with spicy shrimp that only takes 20 minutes.
• The delicious pasta is quick, easy, and packed with flavor.

When it comes to Italian restaurants in New York City, Carbone is easily one of the most famous.

I've found myself dreaming of Carbone's melt-in-your-mouth meatballs, the signature "grandma bread" slicked with tomato sauce, and the spicy rigatoni vodka that celebrities can't get enough of.

While Mario Carbone wouldn't divulge the secrets to his most famous dish, the chef gave me a 20-minute pasta recipe to bring some of Carbone's magic to my own kitchen.

Here's how to make it.

This penne with spicy shrimp was inspired by chef Mario Carbone's childhood.

Carbone told me this dish reminds him of the southern Italian seafood pastas he grew up eating with his family in Queens.

"What I love about it most is that it's bright, acidic, and clean," he said. "There's no murkiness whatsoever, mainly because the tomato sauce and shrimp don't spend a lot of time together in the pan."

The Carbone Fine Food team developed the recipe to pair with its line of sauces. In addition to the arrabbiata, which is used in Carbone's penne with spicy shrimp, you can try the marinara, tomato basil, roasted garlic, and more.

Carbone's penne with spicy shrimp just has a few simple ingredients.

To make the dish at home, you'll need:

• Shrimp
• Penne pasta
• Carbone's arrabbiata sauce
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Chili flakes

If you don't have the sauce on hand, Carbone said you can always whip up your own. His sauce is made with Italian tomatoes (whole peeled tomatoes, tomato purée, sea salt, basil), along with onions, olive oil, sea salt, garlic, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and oregano.

To begin, I started my very minimal prep.

Since I was whipping up pasta for three people, I chopped up nine sprigs of parsley and minced three cloves of garlic.

Then, I peeled the shrimp.

I cracked off their tails to make the process easier — and quicker.

Then, per Carbone's instructions, I carefully butterflied them.

I sliced down the back of each shrimp with a knife, making sure not to cut them in half. Then, I used the tip of my blade to remove the dark vein running down the middle.

It was time to start cooking! First, I got a pot of salted water boiling.

To make three servings, I used two-thirds of a 16-ounce box of penne pasta.

Then, I placed a sauté pan over medium heat and added some olive oil and the garlic.

Carbone notes that it's important not to brown the garlic. Simply wait until the oil is infused and aromatic.

I added the shrimp as the smell of garlic wafted through my kitchen.

I seasoned the shrimp with a pinch of salt and plenty of chili flakes — I like a kick.

"There's no need to be too delicate with the shrimp," Carbone told me. "You want to cook it somewhat aggressively, almost toasting it."

Then, I added the arrabbiata sauce and checked on my pasta.

"This recipe calls for penne, but so many shapes would work well with the sauce — try it with angel hair, for instance," Carbone said. "No matter what, though, make sure it's al dente."

Carbone's pro tip? Cook the pasta for one to two minutes less than the package says to ensure you get it perfect.

I brought my shrimp and sauce to a simmer, then removed my pan from the heat.

I slid the pan to a different burner and then drained my pasta.

Then, I added the penne and chopped parsley, tossing everything together.

The parsley gave a beautiful burst of color to the pan. I couldn't wait to dig in.

I sprinkled bread crumbs on top before taking my first bite, and the penne was so delicious and light.

I thought just penne and shrimp might be a little too plain, but Carbone's recipe packs plenty of heat and flavor.

The arrabbiata sauce and chili flakes give each bite a nice kick without overwhelming the palate. Even my dad, who doesn't love spicy food, said it was the perfect amount of heat.

And both my mom and I agreed it was a great light pasta dish.

"It reminds me of eating spaghetti and fish by the beach in Greece," she told me.

However, I believe everything is better with cheese, especially feta. I added some on top, along with some freshly ground black pepper, and loved the extra bite it gave to the penne.

While I'll have to wait until my next NYC trip for Carbone's spicy rigatoni, his delicious penne and shrimp pasta is a cheap and easy dish when I need something quick.

• "The Wheel of Time" season three premieres on Thursday on Prime Video.
• The fantasy series follows a group of villagers forced to become heroes of the world.
• Here are the key story plots to remember before tuning into season three.

"The Wheel of Time" returns for a third season after a year-and-a-half break.

The fantasy Prime Video show, based on Robert Jordan's whopping 15-novel series, follows a group of five villagers forced to save the world from an evil known as the Dark One.

Before you start season three, here's a quick refresher on the key players and story plots.

Rand Al'Thor and his friends each have roles in the battle against the dark.

In season one, Moiraine Damodred, an Aes Sedai who uses magic known as the One Power, and her trusty warrior Lan Mandragoran come to the Two Rivers village to find the Dragon Reborn — a reincarnated hero prophesied to save the world from the Dark One or destroy it.

They instead find five special villagers.

Rand al'Thor is the Dragon Reborn and one of the few men who can use the One Power, though the magic is driving him mad. His parents were Aiel, a tribe of skilled warriors, but he was raised by non-Aiel farmers who never told him about his heritage.

Mat Cauthon seems to have a connection to his past lives. Perrin Aybara is a Wolf Brother, a human with heightened senses who can telepathically communicate with Wolves.

Egwene al'Vere and Nynaeve al'Meara can use the One Power and are training to be Aes Sedai.

Along their journey, Rand and his friends have made allies, including Elayne Trakand (a princess of the Andor kingdom and an Aes Sedai trainee), Loial (an Ogier), Min Farshaw (a woman who can see people's futures), and Aviendha (an Aiel).

Rand killed Ishamael, one of the Dark One's lead minions, but there are more villains to fight.

The Dark One is locked up in a special prison, but the Forsaken, powerful male and female Aes Sedai who were imprisoned centuries ago after they chose to follow the Dark One, have now been freed.

In the season two finale, Rand kills one of the Forsaken, Ishamael, during the Battle at Falme. Two more Forsaken have been shown onscreen: Lanfear, who is in love with the Dragon and wants to protect him from her fellow Forsaken, and Moghdien, who attacks Lanfear at the end of season two.

The others are waiting to attack Rand and his friends.

The Aes Sedai have traitors within their ranks.

Rand's identity as the Dragon was revealed to the world in the season two finale, which will split the Aes Sedai community, led by the Amyrlin Seat. Some believe the best action is to work with the Dragon, and others want to cage and control him until he has defeated the Dark One.

A third group, known as the Black Ajah, are secret servants of the Dark One.

In season two, Liandrin, Nynaeve's mentor, reveals she is a member of the Black Ajah. She kidnaps Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne and hands them over to the Seanchan, an army from across the seas that enslaves women who can use the One Power and want to retake the kingdoms they say belong to their ancestors.

Nynaeve and Elayne escape, but Egwene is enslaved and tortured for days. The three women will want their revenge on Liandrin and the Black Ajah.

The Whitecloaks want revenge against Perrin.

The Whitecloaks, also known as the Children of the Light, are a religious militia dedicated to eradicating evil and servants of the Dark One. However, they often just harm anyone who seems shifty, is an Aes Sedai, or looks different from an average human.

In season two, they attack Falme to get rid of the Seanchan, while Rand and his allies try to do the same. In the crossfire, Perrin fights the Whitecloaks and kills a general, Geofram Bornhald, in front of his son. The son, Dain, vowed revenge against Perrin, so The Whitecloaks will likely be a bigger problem in the future.

Mat blew the Horn of Valere to defeat the Seanchan.

The Horn of Valere can resurrect heroes and is one of many special artifacts in "The Wheel of Time" needed for the final battle against the Dark One.

Mat blows the horn during the battle in Falme, which helps unlock part of his memories of his past lives. The resurrected heroes are the turning point in the fight against the Seanchan, leading to their retreat, but they will likely return.

• OptimHire is a hiring platform that uses an AI agent to replace traditional job recruiters.
• The startup just raised $5 million in funding from Mucker Capital.
• Check out the 10-slide pitch deck OptimHire used to raise its seed funding round.

2025 is shaping up to be the year of the AI agent, and one startup just landed a seed investment to bring the tech to the world of hiring.

The startup OptimHire just raised a $5 million seed funding round led by Omar Hamoui, a partner at early-stage VC fund Mucker Capital. SparkLabs, Citta Capital, Pitbull Ventures, and Vijay Chattha at VSC Ventures also participated in the round.

Founded in 2019, OptimHire provides companies with an end-to-end hiring platform via an AI-powered applicant tracking system. The startup's AI agent, OptimAI recruiter, sources candidates, conducts screening calls, and schedules interviews on behalf of hiring managers to reduce the time and cost associated with filling an open role.

OptimHire claims it reduces the job application timeline by 80% — from an average of two to six months down to just 12 days — and reduces the fees companies must pay to recruiters from 20% of a new hire's first-year salary, which is the industry average, down to 6%.

The startup previously raised another seed funding round in 2021 to the tune of $3 million, also from Mucker Capital.

For OptimHire CEO and founder Larry Kodali, advancements in generative AI during the last few years have been a boon for the startup, which landed 8,000 hires in 2024.

"Recent advancements in our tech stack have meant we can handle higher capacity and at higher speeds," he told BI. "For instance, today, our AI recruiter can complete 20,000 outreach calls or emails in a matter of minutes. That would have been inconceivable a few months ago."

AI agents are a huge theme for 2025, and the tech world is excited about digital helpers that can autonomously complete tasks like scheduling meetings, conducting phone interviews, making marketing calls, and more. VCs invested $8.4 billion in agents AI startups in 2024, and many investors told BI they're on the lookout for more bets in the space this year.

When it comes to hiring, OptimHire has a handful of competitors: AI-powered applicant tracking system Ashby has raised $68 million from investors, including Lachy Groom and F-Prime Capital, while AI talent acquisition platform Findem closed a $30 million Series B in 2022 led by Four Rivers and Quarry Ventures.

With a new influx of financing, Kodali said that OptimHire will continue to improve its AI to make it more intelligent and realistic.

"As the needs of the global workforce continue to change, we believe that it's important to deliver a hiring experience that meets the individual needs of talent and hiring managers alike," he said.

Check out the 10-slide pitch deck OptimHire used to raise $5 million.

• Tracy McCubbin grew up around family members who were hoarders.
• Their experience helped her understand the burden that can come with mess.
• She's been a professional declutterer for 18 years and says it's her calling.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tracy McCubbin, founder of dClutterfly. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was in my 20s when people first started talking about hoarding. Before that, no one really used the word, and hoarding disorder certainly wasn't considered a medical condition. Instead, people used words like "packrat" or "eccentric."

I had two family members — one close to me — who fit that description. After seeing a newspaper article about a professional who helped hoarders, I reached out. He came to help my family member, and he also said to me "You should do this as a living."

I had been working as a personal assistant, and I continued to do that for years. I would organize homes and businesses on the side. When I was about 40 I reached a fork in the road of my career, and a friend encouraged me to make decluttering my full-time job. I thought, this isn't a job, it's just what I do to help people.

A home and belongings should serve you, not the other way around

I was wrong: decluttering was definitely a job — a career even. I started dClutterfy 18 years ago, and for the past four years, the business has grossed more than $1 million annually. I have 12 employees and just signed contracts with my first two franchisees.

I usually get a call when people feel like their stuff owns them rather than them owning it. I know from my family members that belongings can become a burden. That's true even for people who don't have hoarding disorder. People will pay for storage units or spend all their time moving things around, which takes away from more meaningful things they could spend time or money on.

I believe that a home is a tool. It should relax and rejuvenate you. I want to help my clients make their homes and belongings work for them. If it doesn't, it's time for something to change.

A clean, decluttered home doesn't have to be perfect

I didn't think too much about my family and my career until I was working with a client who was a psychiatrist. He asked me questions about my background, then said, "You took your primal wound and turned it into your life's work."

That's true. I couldn't help my family members, but I can help others. Doing that feels like a calling.

I don't usually work with hoarders, but I had one client who was in treatment for hoarding disorder (which was officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013). The first time I went to her house, it took her 45 minutes to let me in. Two of my employees helped her multiple times a week over six months. When I went to the house again, she eagerly opened the door and had me in for tea. She told me it was the first time she'd been able to entertain in 10 years.

That's what this work is about: not designing picture-perfect homes but creating spaces that allow people to live their lives.

Reframe wants and needs to avoid buying too much

There are tons of women — often oldest daughters — helping people declutter and organize. Usually, they're not paid for their labor. I've been able to help other women find careers in this space, and I hope to do that even more by franchising.

I'm 60 now and was just married two years ago. Before that, I didn't share my finances with anyone, so I had no financial safety net. Yet, I've managed to support myself very well using these skills, and I'm very proud of that.

Today, despite running a seven-figure business, my life isn't extravagant, but it's full. I travel when I want to. I love a designer purse and enjoy pretty things. Yet, I'm always mindful and intentional about what I bring into my home.

People often shop to feel in control when other aspects of their life feel out of control. It's a quick dopamine hit. I encourage clients to be mindful of that and look for other ways to feel good, like going for a walk. I also tell them to stop saying "I need" and start saying "I want." Most of us don't really need anything else. Reframing your mindset can take away the power of the urge to buy, and with fewer new items coming into your home, you can stick with the systems that really work for you.

• BI got early access to Manus, which claims to be the world's first fully autonomous AI agent.
• It structured tasks well but stumbled in execution — hallucinating data and creating clunky designs.
• Here's how it did at capturing public opinion on DOGE, and building a startup from scratch.

We tested Manus, the new general AI agent from China, that promises to be the future of AI helpers, requiring minimal human oversight.

Since its launch last week, it has already been praised by AI experts and industry observers, with some even calling it "the second DeepSeek."

For now, Manus is currently invite-only, but I was among a small proportion of waitlisted users granted access.

I wanted to see if it could live up to its promise as a fully autonomous general AI agent.

Here's what I asked it to do — and how it handled those tasks.

Task 1: Analyze DOGE sentiment in news and social media

Manus claims to be able to scrape the internet, analyze public discourse, and map real-time sentiment shifts on social media and news sites.

I asked it to analyze how the public is reacting to federal workforce cuts under the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

From its initial response to my prompt, things looked promising.

But Manus didn't really get the memo.

First, it couldn't find any reactions on social media — despite the fact that federal workforce cuts have been making headlines for many weeks.

Instead of stopping and asking if I wanted real news articles, it instead simulated public discourse about DOGE.

Then, it got worse.

For the next five minutes, I watched it generate fake social media reactions and accounts, completely made-up tweets, and even showed real websites making up posts that did not appear to be real.

At no point did it ask if I wanted this. I didn't.

This went on for 20 minutes. There was an option to step in and take control, but that seemed to me to be at odds with the whole point of this supposedly being a fully autonomous agent capable of working independently.

The final report pulled fake data from real websites, including Taxpayers for Common Sense, described as "a fiscally conservative watchdog organization with the highest overall influence in news coverage."

But Manus' claim that these were the most influential voices on DOGE was questionable at best. Among its top-listed sources was a Medium blog called Progressive Times, which hadn't published anything since 2017 — long before DOGE existed.

As for social trends, Manus appears to have provided made-up X and Reddit users and listed them as driving online discourse about DOGE.

The one redeeming feature was the visualization of its — completely fake — dataset. The way it categorized sentiment, made predictions, and generated visual breakdowns was impressive.

It could have been useful if it had been working with real data. But since it wasn't, it just felt like a very polished way of presenting entirely fabricated information.

At first glance, the report looked legitimate, complete with a convincing reference list. But only at the very end — buried in fine print — was a disclaimer saying the entire 10-page analysis was of synthetic data.

If someone needed a real sentiment analysis and wasn't actively monitoring the agent's actions, they'd end up with useless results.

It left me with very little confidence going into the next task.

Task 2: Launch a business to solve the rising price of eggs

For this test, I asked Manus to develop a startup to tackle rising egg prices. Admittedly, my request was ambitious: I wanted a business plan, a founder's backstory, a fully designed website, brand guidelines, a marketing strategy, and even a logo and business card.

From the moment I hit return, Manus was enthusiastic, entrepreneurial, and organized — a stark contrast to the earlier test where it made up data, and needed constant course correction.

This time, it got off to a smooth start. The process looked structured and methodical.

Manus was fantastic at outlining multiple strategies, and managing expectations throughout.

Things were looking up!

Halfway through, it offered to show me progress, revealing the first branding assets for my new business: Eggonomy™, a "direct-to-consumer egg savings platform."

The logo's odd, petri dish-esque design felt like it had been lifted from the pages of a school science textbook. It also provided a basic business card with the slogan "eggs without the price shock."

But I held out hope. Given the scale of the task, I expected it to take much longer, and it didn't appear to hit any technical roadblocks.

The process was clear, fast, and easy to follow — until it wasn't.

After half an hour, Manus told me the final product, Eggonomy™, was ready.

I was taken aback by a first look at the website, which looked clean and vaguely egg-related.

But something was off.

The blog section featured random, unrelated posts that had nothing to do with eggs.

It didn't take long to figure out why. Eggonomy already existed. The website wasn't generated from scratch — and it was registered in 2016, according to domain checking services.

At least the business strategy appeared to be backed by real data and market research.

Manus was great at brainstorming brand names, structuring business plans, and analyzing the main competitors — but its execution was way off.

Worse, it wasn't transparent about lifting an existing website — unlike in the DOGE task, where it at least admitted to using synthetic data.

Manus isn't ready to go solo yet

Manus is fascinating to watch in action, but for now, it's far from the fully autonomous agent it claims to be.

That said, the two tests I threw at Manus weren't formal or scientific. On the GAIA benchmark — a more robust measure of AI utility — Manus claims to outperform OpenAI's DeepResearch and GPT-4.

While it's not ready to work alone yet, it is still an early version of the tool.

It could be a powerful AI assistant if it stabilizes, improves data reliability, and stops making things up. For now, it's more of a research intern than a fully independent operator.

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

• Partner numbers at PwC's UK division fell sharply last year.
• The firm parted ways with more partners in 2024 than it had in the two previous years combined.
• The Big Four firm has also paused a hiring program for high school leavers.

PwC's UK division closed out 2024 by parting ways with more than 70 partners as the consulting giant worked to weather a slowdown in the sector.

The Big Four firm cut 76 partners from its ranks in a single day on December 31, 2024, according to Business Insider's analysis of publicly available data. The end-of-year departures topped off a year that had already seen a larger than usual number of partners depart.

A total of 124 partners left the firm in 2024, according to records at the UK's Companies House.

In 2023 and 2022 combined, 103 partners left PwC's UK arm. In those two years, it also appointed more partners than it let go, adding 225 to its most senior ranks.

Last year, the firm appointed 69 new partners. Companies House data says it has 987 active partners as of March 13.

The Financial Times first reported on PwC's partner exodus.

PwC, which doesn't provide reasons as to why partners leave the firm, declined to comment.

Partners are the most senior employees at the Big Four consultancies. Those who hold equity ownership in the business traditionally receive a share of annual profits. As market pressures have weighed on the Big Four, partner numbers and their payouts have been falling.

Partners at the UK wings of EY, PwC, and Deloitte all saw their pay fall last year as growth slowed.

The high annual exit numbers come in the same year as Marco Amitrano was appointed to lead the firm's UK and Middle East operations.

Amitrano, who took up the role in July, has launched an overhaul of operations in the UK. This includes creating a stand-alone technology and artificial intelligence unit and merging other parts of the business to create six new teams. He is also seeking to control costs amid an industry downturn.

Growth at PwC's combined UK and Middle East divisions slowed by seven percentage points to 9% in 2024.

From April 2025, it will be facing higher taxes per employee in the UK after the government increased the rate of national insurance contributions — a tax on earnings — that employers must pay.

The firm has recently paused one of its apprenticeship schemes in the UK, from which it typically hires, according to a person familiar with the matter.

BI understands that the "flying start" technology apprenticeship, which had offered opportunities to high school graduates since 2018, is no longer accepting applications.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected] or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• I started making sourdough bread six years ago and have since fallen in love with the hobby.
• Initially, I didn't realize how often the sourdough starter had to be fed.
• I also didn't know I could use the discard to make other treats like flatbreads and muffins.

Seven years ago, I started making my own sourdough bread.

In addition to being a relaxing hobby that's taught me the importance of patience, making bread also keeps me from spending ridiculous amounts of money on loaves from the grocery store.

However, baking sourdough is pretty different from other types of bread. This is partially because sourdough requires a starter — a fermented mixture of flour and water that creates its own yeast and bacteria.

The process of creating a starter, and eventually bread, isn't foolproof and can take beginners a little while to grasp.

Here are five things I wish I had known before making sourdough bread for the first time.

You have to feed your sourdough starter like a pet

To keep your sourdough starter active, you have to feed it using flour and water. However, until I inherited my first starter, I didn't realize I'd have to create a feeding schedule for it.

If you leave your starter on the counter, you'll want to feed it once every 12 to 24 hours. However, if you keep it in the refrigerator, you can feed it less, typically about once a week. This schedule will also vary depending on how often you bake.

If you need a break from feeding your starter, you can preserve it in a few ways

When I first started making sourdough, I didn't realize I could store my starter for a while without feeding it.

Turns out, if you need a break from feeding your starter, you can leave it in the freezer for up to one year. Another more reliable, long-term storage option is to dehydrate your sourdough starter.

This would've been good to know when I let mine go bad because I went on a work trip and couldn't find a friend to feed it for me.

A starter can be brought back to life

Even if your sourdough starter looks grim, it's still possible to bring it back to life.

When this happens to mine, I feed it filtered water and flour and give it a few days to see if it starts to form bubbles.

It may take a while to get the cultures moving again, especially if the starter has been freeze-dried or dehydrated. When it bubbles up and doubles in size, you'll know you have a pillowy, healthy starter to bake with.

You don't have to get rid of your discard

I didn't realize until far into the process that sourdough discard can be used for other recipes. I figured the term indicated the runoff's value.

However, you can either compost your discard or use it in other recipes like flatbreads, pastries, rolls, waffles, muffins, and more.

When making sourdough, patience is key

Throughout the process, it's important to remember that fermentation takes time. Living cultures need the ideal environment to engage, grow, and develop a strong and active formula.

Your sourdough hobby will not satisfy any need for instant gratification. The starter will test your patience, indulge your mad scientist alter-ego, and encourage a certain level of imagination in the kitchen.

• I returned from five months of maternity leave to a career built on purpose and impact.
• I stretched too thin between work and motherhood without a built-in support system.
• Instead of forcing myself to fit into an old structure, I built a career that works for my life.

I never set out to climb a corporate ladder. My career was always about purpose — helping others, creating impact, and working on things that mattered.

For years, I thrived in roles where I could drive meaningful change. But when I returned from five months of maternity leave, my priorities, time, and energy all felt different. I still wanted to create impact, but I needed to do it in a way that aligned with the life I was now building.

Even the best corporate benefits can't replace a village

On paper, my job had everything a working parent could ask for — on-site subsidized childcare, flexible leave, a 30-day flexible transition back to work after maternity leave, lactation rooms, and even parent coaching programs. But here's the raw truth: corporate parental benefits are built for someone with a village.

As an immigrant professional relatively new to Los Angeles, I had no family nearby to lean on. No parents to drop by with a home-cooked meal, no siblings to give me a brief moment to shower or nap, and no grandparents to share the mental load. No amount of subsidized childcare could replace having family around — not just for emergencies, but for those everyday moments when you're trying to be both a high-performing professional and the default parent, running on empty.

The best advice came from moms who'd been there before

When I confided in other moms at work, they offered the kind of wisdom only experience can bring: We need to give ourselves grace and six months to make big decisions.

They reminded me that my body was still balancing out hormones, and everything felt different from my pre-baby life. When I realized that the six-month mark would land on my birthday, it felt like a sign. I promised myself that my birthday gift would be peace of mind, whatever I decided.

What I thought was flexibility was really just working around the clock

As a breastfeeding mom, I was the default parent, which added another layer of complexity to the work-life puzzle. There I was at 11 p.m., typing emails one-handed while nursing my baby, telling myself this was work-life integration. Between racing to wrap up by 5 p.m. and responding to emails during late-night feedings, something had to give.

I wasn't integrating — I was barely hanging on. So, I signed up for my company's parent coaching program, hoping for clarity.

Building my own definition of work-life integration

These weekly coaching sessions became my lifeline, bringing together parents at different stages of their journey. We were sharing real stories, real struggles, real victories. Through these conversations, I had my revelation: I wasn't failing at achieving "balance" — I was playing the wrong game entirely. Instead of asking "How do I fit into this traditional structure?" I began wondering, "How can I design work around my life right now?"

Reimagining success on my own terms

Now, I run my own social impact consultancy. The work still matters, but now, I get to shape my days around my and my family's needs, not the other way around. Recently, when my daughter was sick, instead of being stuck in back-to-back meetings, I could take breaks throughout the day to walk outside with her. No guilt, no rushing back to my laptop — just being present when she needed me.

3 lessons I learned along the way

First, protecting your time isn't career suicide — it's survival. Setting boundaries around my availability didn't diminish my professional edge — it sharpened it by focusing on what truly mattered.

Second, I needed to direct the same creativity I applied to business challenges toward my own life. The most powerful career moves aren't about fitting into existing structures but creating new ones.

Third, the community requires intention. Finding my tribe of working mothers became as essential as any professional network. While these connections couldn't replace the village I lacked, they provided support and a reminder that I wasn't navigating this terrain alone.

• Jeniffer Castro faced online criticism after she refused to give up her airline seat for a child.
• A video of the incident was viewed millions of times and reposted across platforms including TikTok.
• Castro said she was suing GOL Airlines and the passenger who filmed her.

A woman said she is suing an airline and a fellow passenger after an on-board incident went viral late last year.

Jeniffer Castro, 29, was working in a bank in Belo Horizonte, Brazil when she boarded a GOL Airlines flight in December.

Castro said a child was sitting in her designated window seat. when she boarded. She said she waited for him to move and then took her seat in comments reported by outlets including DailyMail.com.

Another passenger then started filming Castro, who can be seen wearing AirPods and closing her eyes.

The video was viewed millions of times, reposted across TikTok, and picked up by multiple international outlets.

"What surprised me was the fact that a person who had nothing to do with the situation started filming me without permission, insulting me, and trying to publicly embarrass me simply because I didn't want to change seats," Castro said. "Since that incident, my life has taken a turn I could never have imagined."

On the one hand, she found online fame and now has some 2 million followers on Instagram, where she posts about lifestyle and travel.

However, the incident had other ramifications. "What should have been just an ordinary flight turned into an extremely embarrassing situation, exposing me unfairly and causing consequences that affected both my personal and professional life," Castro said.

Castro said she had filed a lawsuit against GOL Airlines and the passenger who filmed her, seeking compensation for distress, but did not reveal further details about the legal action.

GOL Airlines declined to comment.

• Egg prices continued to rise in February, surpassing the record-high prices in January.
• Avian influenza has been driving up the cost of the staple food.
• But wholesale prices are falling, suggesting good news could be around the corner.

Egg prices hit another record high in February, but there's a glimmer of hope — wholesale prices are now falling, and egg shortages are easing up.

This could be welcome news in the lead-up to Easter.

The latest consumer price index, released Wednesday, shows that in February, a dozen Grade A eggs cost an average of nearly $5.90 in US cities, surpassing January's then-record high of $4.95.

A year earlier, in February 2024, the average price was just $3 — almost half of the current cost, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI data.

Between December 2024 and January 2025, egg prices in the US saw their biggest spike in 10 years, driving up the cost of grocery shopping.

A widespread outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1 bird flu) is the main culprit. When an outbreak is detected, infected chickens and their entire flock must be culled.

As of February 7, the USDA reported that 116.9 million "layer" hens —bred for egg production — had been removed from the population.

A glimmer of hope

Emily Metz, president of the American Egg Board, said in a statement Wednesday that the avian influenza outbreak is disrupting egg supply.

However, she pointed to some "good news" — demand for eggs has eased, as it usually does before the Easter buying season, which has helped to bring down wholesale prices.

A USDA report published last week said that wholesale prices for graded loose eggs dropped "sharply" and that a respite in bird flu outbreaks had given egg producers a chance to catch up on supply shortages.

Even so, while this could eventually lead to lower prices at the store, this hasn't happened yet.

"Retail price levels have yet to adjust and remain off-putting to many," the USDA report said.

Metz also warned that as the Easter holiday grows nearer, demand for eggs may increase, causing a "second, temporary increase in prices."

It's also possible that eggs may just be more expensive from now on.

"It seems highly unlikely we'll see a $2 egg market anytime soon," Karyn Rispoli, a managing editor for eggs in the Americas at Expana, told Business Insider in January.

The rising cost led to Waffle House adding a 50-cent charge to each egg it sells, and some grocery stores limiting egg purchases.

And, in Pennsylvania last month, 100,000 eggs were stolen from the back of a distribution trailer.

• Dr. Rupy Aujla eats a high-protein "plant-focused" diet, meaning it's about 70% plant-based.
• His recipes are designed to provide lots of protein, fiber, and gut health-boosting micronutrients.
• Aujla shared three recipes from his latest cookbook, including his favorite, salmon tikka bowls.

To hit his protein targets, Dr. Rupy Aujla doesn't eat lots of red meat or ultra-processed supplements like shakes and bars.

Instead, the London-based family doctor with a masters degree in nutrition medicine follows what he calls a "plant-forward" or "plant-focused" diet. It features plenty of fiber and micronutrients from vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, and he eats dairy, meat, and fish occasionally.

Aujla, author of the new recipe book "Healthy High Protein," told Business Insider his diet is about 70 to 75% plant-based.

His favorite recipe from his book? The salmon tikka bowl, which you could also make with chicken or tofu.

"It's easy, you don't have that cognitive load. You can meal prep it if you want as well," he said.

Aujla added: "That way of eating is just super easy for people to get on board with and batch cook. You've got to have things that you can rely on and constantly come back to."

He shared three recipes, including the salmon tikka bowl, with BI.

Spicy 'meaty' tacos with avo and lime-soured cream

Serves: 2

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Aujla said: "I don't use the word 'meaty' lightly. These tacos are really meaty. The blend of umami in the spices, walnuts, mushrooms, and tempeh in the mixture is phenomenal. And unlike 'meat-like meals', this actually packs a big protein punch that satisfies your body's need for this important macronutrient, rather than just having the texture of meat.

"A smattering of sharp and fresh ingredients brings this wholesome gut-nourishing meal together. Double up the ingredients to make this family-friendly, it's definitely a crowd-pleaser."

Nutrition

• 41.1 grams protein
• 21.2 grams fiber

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 150 grams onion, finely chopped
• 250 grams mushrooms, finely chopped
• 200 grams tempeh, coarsely grated
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 50 grams walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons fajita or Cajun spice mix
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 20 grams nutritional yeast
• 3 tablespoons soured cream
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

For the slaw:

• 100 grams red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

To serve:

• 4 medium corn tortillas, warmed
• 1 baby gem lettuce, shredded
• 1 avocado, halved, stone removed and sliced
• 30 grams jalapeños from a jar
• 1 lime, zested then quartered

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for five minutes until starting to turn golden, then add the mushrooms and tempeh and cook, stirring often, for another eight minutes until there is no sign of any liquid, and everything has browned. Mix in the garlic and walnuts and cook for another two minutes, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Stir the spices into the pan followed by the soy sauce, tomato purée, nutritional yeast, and six tablespoons water. Turn the heat to low—medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for six to eight minutes until cooked through, adding a splash more water to loosen if needed.
3. Meanwhile, make the slaw. Massage the red cabbage, lime juice, onion and a good pinch of salt in a mixing bowl for a few minutes until the cabbage starts to break down and soften. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the meal.
4. Mix together the soured cream and lime juice in a small bowl and season with salt, then set aside.
5. To assemble the tacos, place a warm tortilla on each serving plate and top with the shredded lettuce, the 'meaty' mixture, slaw, avocado, a spoonful of the soured cream mixture, and finish with the jalapeños and a squeeze of lime juice with some zest. Serve the tortillas flat or rolled up.

High-protein rigatoni

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Aujla said: "The walnut, tempeh, Puy lentil blend in this recipe delivers on the protein and fiber needs for your gut well-being, and the texture and flavor of this combination are phenomenal. With red wine and mixed herbs plus a bit of time, you get a gorgeous bowl of food that is nourishing and delicious.

"Try it with different pasta varieties if you wish and, for more protein, use a lentil- or bean-based pasta."

Nutrition

• 56.7 grams protein
• 22.1 grams fiber

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 100 grams onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 100 millileters red wine
• 100 grams walnuts, roughly chopped or pulsed into a coarse crumb
• 200 grams tempeh, roughly chopped or pulsed into a coarse crumb
• 200 milliliters vegetable stock
• 200 millileters passata
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 200 grams cooked Puy lentils
• 100 grams cavolo nero, stalks removed, and leaves massaged and roughly chopped
• 150 grams dried rigatoni pasta
• 20 grams Parmesan, finely grated, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large lidded casserole pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until softened and starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and plenty of seasoning and cook for another minute before adding the mixed herbs and tomato purée. You want to cook the purée for three to four minutes to intensify the flavor.

2. Pour the red wine into the pan and cook for another three minutes until there is no smell of alcohol and the mixture becomes thick and sticky.

3. Add the walnuts and tempeh and stir to coat them in the sticky mixture. Cook for two minutes, stirring, then pour in the stock, passata, and vinegar and add the lentils. Reduce the heat to low—medium, stir until combined, and simmer, part-covered with the lid, for 15 minutes. Toss in the massaged cavolo nero for the last two minutes of cooking.

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce with enough of the pasta cooking water to loosen. Serve in bowls, drizzled with olive oil and with the Parmesan scattered over.

Salmon tikka bowls with a quick fennel and cabbage pickle

Serves: 2

Prep: 10 minutes, plus marinating

Cook: 30 minutes

Aujla said: "Every Tuesday in the Doctor's Kitchen household, it's salmon bowl night. We use a single tray to make the most delicious and easy bowls, packed with vegetables, grains, and high-protein oily fish. It's something I always look forward to. You can easily use an air fryer to cook the salmon instead in half the time."

Nutrition

• 46.9 grams protein
• 7.4 grams fiber

Ingredients

• 300 grams salmon, skin on, cut into thick 4-centimeter chunks
• 2 tablespoons tikka masala paste or mild curry paste
• 300 grams cauliflower, broken into 2-centimeter florets
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chile or sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

For the fennel and cabbage pickle:

• 100 grams red cabbage, finely shredded with a mandolin
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons apple juice or 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

To serve:

• 150 grams cooked short-grain brown rice, warmed
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 100 grams arugula leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) fan.

2. Smother the salmon in the curry paste and cover with foil in a bowl. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes (it's even better overnight).

3. Add the cauliflower to a baking tray, sprinkle over the spices and drizzle over the olive oil and mix well. Then season well and bake for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, add the cabbage, fennel seeds, vinegar, apple juice or sugar and salt to a mixing bowl and scrunch everything together with your hands for 30 seconds. Set aside.

5. Remove the tray from the oven, toss the cauliflower florets and turn up the heat to 220°C (428°F) fan. Nestle the salmon, skin-side up, between the cauliflower florets and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and golden colored with some charring.

1. Build your bowls with the warmed rice, fennel and cabbage pickle, dollops of yogurt, salmon and cauliflower, and rocket leaves with a drizzle of oil.

• LVMH's CEO, Bernard Arnault, promoted his second-youngest son to be the CEO of Loro Piana.
• Frédéric Arnault, aged 29, led LVMH's watches division.
• This is Arnault's latest move of reshuffling his children around in leadership roles in LVMH.

Bernard Arnault, the billionaire CEO and chairman of French luxury giant LVMH, is shuffling one of his children around at his companies again.

Frédéric Arnault, the chief executive's 29-year-old son, has been tapped to be the CEO of Loro Piana, an Italian cashmere brand under LVMH.

The company said in a Wednesday statement that he will step into the role on June 10. Before the promotion, the younger Arnault led LVMH's watches division.

Frédéric Arnault's appointment was one of three across LVMH. Damien Bertrand, the current CEO of Loro Piana, was promoted to deputy CEO of Louis Vuitton, and Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou was appointed deputy CEO of Dior. According to his LinkedIn, Angeloglou is currently the managing director of LVMH's fashion group and the CEO of Fendi.

"Our maisons' desirability is fuelled by dedicated and passionate leaders. Damien, Frédéric and Pierre-Emmanuel's vision, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and commitment to excellence will be assets to pursue the dynamic development of our maisons," Arnault said in the statement.

The move is the latest instance of Arnault, aged 76, shaking up leadership in LVMH and putting his five children in the upper echelons of its fashion houses.

In November, he appointed his third-eldest child, Alexandre Arnault, as the deputy CEO of LVMH's Wines and Spirits division, Moët Hennessy. Before the new posting, he was executive vice president of product and communications at Tiffany & Co.

In 2023, Arnault's eldest child, Delphine Arnault, was tapped to be the CEO of Christian Dior. His second oldest child, Antoine Arnault, is LVMH's image and environment director.

And Jean Arnault, the youngest of the siblings, is the watch director of Louis Vuitton.

Four of his children — Delphine, Antoine, Alexandre, and Frédéric — sit on LVMH's board of directors.

• "The Wheel of Time" TV series is back for its third season on Prime Video.
• The series adapts a fantasy book series comprised of 14 novels and one prequel.
• Here's the correct way to read the entire series.

The fourth book in "The Wheel of Time" series (and some of the third) have been adapted for the latest season of its eponymous TV show.

Fans of the show who want to read the source material can do so in order of publication — but have two options for digging into the prequel.

You can read 'The Wheel of Time' in publication order

"The Wheel of Time" follows Rand al'Thor and his friends Egwene al'Vere, Nynaeve al'Meara, Matrim Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara after they are forced out of their village, the Two Rivers, to save the world from an evil known as the Dark One.

The series is filled with magic, which is called the One Power, monsters, magical artifacts, and even portals to other worlds.

In order to stop the Dark One and his minions, Moiraine Damodred and her trusty Warder, Lan Mandarogan, must guide and train the five villagers, one of whom is the Dragon Reborn and is destined to either save the world or destroy it.

The order of the original series is as follows:

1. "The Eye of the World"
2. "The Great Hunt"
3. "The Dragon Reborn"
4. "The Shadow Rising"
5. "The Fires of Heaven"
6. "Lord of Chaos"
7. "A Crown of Swords"
8. "The Path of Daggers"
9. "Winter's Heart"
10. "Crossroads of Twilight"
11. "Knife of Dreams"
12. "The Gathering Storm"
13. "Towers of Midnight"
14. "A Memory of Light"

Author Robert Jordan, real name James Oliver Rigney Jr., wrote the first 11 books in the series and the prequel, "New Spring."

After he died in 2007, a fan and fellow author, Brandon Sanderson, was chosen by Jordan's editor and wife Harriet McDougal to finish the last book using the late author's notes. It was later decided to split the book into three novels.

The final book includes an epilogue written by Jordan before his death.

Season one of the TV series adapts "The Eye of the World," while season two merges a few plotlines from "The Dragon Reborn" into "The Great Hunt" storyline. Season three will focus on book four, "The Shadow Rising," but also includes a few storylines from "The Dragon Reborn."

'New Spring' can be read first or after 'Crossroads of Twilight'

"New Spring," set 20 years before the events of the main series, follows a younger Moiraine who is training to become an Aes Sedai, a specially-trained witch, alongside her close friend Siuan Sanche. Siuan is the leader of the Aes Sedai in the main books and the TV show.

In the novel, we see how she and Siuan become involved in the prophecy of the Dragon Reborn and how she meets Lan.

If you have been watching the TV series, a lot of this was explored or teased in the first two seasons.

"New Spring" was published between book 10, "Crossroads of Twilight," and book 11, "Knife of Dreams," so you could read it between those two novels. Alternatively, you could read "New Spring" first as your entry into the world of "The Wheel of Time."

According to a note published on the official "Wheel of Time" Facebook account, "New Spring" was meant to be the start of a prequel trilogy, but Jordan never got to finish the series before he died.

'Wheel of Time' inspired 'Game of Thrones'

The show's third season, which premiered on Thursday, is part of Amazon's attempt to create a fantasy franchise that rivals the success of "Game of Thrones." "The Wheel of Time" and "The Lord of Rings: Rings of Power" have been hits on Prime Video, but haven't recreated the critical and cultural highs of "Game of Thrones."

Jordan's novels, written in the '90s and early '00s, inspired George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" series.

Martin told Entertainment Weekly in 2020 that "GOT" would not have been successful without "The Wheel of Time."

"Jordan essentially broke the trilogy template that Tolkien helped set up. He showed us how to do a book that's bigger than a trilogy," referring to the author of "The Lord of the Rings." He added: "I don't think my series would've been possible without 'The Wheel of Time' being as successful as it was."

It's unlikely there will be more 'Wheel of Time' books

Sanderson said in a 2020 video on his YouTube channel that he didn't want to take ownership of the series and does not plan to write any more spinoffs or sequels.

"I handed that ring back, and I told Harriet, 'I'm not going to write any more 'Wheel of Time,'" Sanderson said. 

While publisher Tor and McDougal could hire another author to take over the series, there hasn't been a new book in over 10 years.

Sanderson also said that Jordan was against other authors writing their own "Wheel of Time" stories for much of his career, and only became open to the idea of another author helping him finish the series when he was close to death.

Correction: January 5, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misidentified the author of the final three "Wheel of Time" novels. It is Brandon Sanderson, not Brian Sanderson. 

• Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Tom Hardy all star in Paramount+'s new crime drama, "MobLand.'"
• Brosnan and Mirren play mob bosses, while Hardy is their fixer.
• Here's what to know about the show produced by Guy Ritchie.

Paramount+'s new crime drama, "MobLand" starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren revolves around a British crime family in London.

Mirren and Brosnan play mob bosses Maeve and Conrad Harrigan who employ Harry Da Souza (Hardy) as a fixer for their shady dealings.

The show was produced by Guy Ritchie, and comes after his 2024 Netflix series "The Gentlemen," which is a spinoff of his 2019 movie of the same name starring Matthew McConaughey.

Here's what to know about "MobLand."

'MobLand' is about warring crime families

Like any good story about London's criminal underworld, "MobLand" revolves around rival criminal gangs.

The synopsis for the show reads: "Power is up for grabs as the Harrigans and Stevensons, two warring London crime families, clash in a kill-or-be-killed battle that threatens to topple empires and ruin lives.

"Caught in the crossfire is Harry Da Souza, the street-smart 'fixer' as dangerous as he is handsome, who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide. As kingdom goes up against kingdom, lines will be crossed — and the only saving grace is a bet-your-life guarantee: family above everything."

The show was originally meant to be a spinoff from "Ray Donovan," a long-running crime drama series on Showtime that starred Liev Schreiber. But Ritchie later reworked it into an original story, Variety reported.

Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan lead the 'MobLand' cast

Hardy, Mirren, and Brosnan lead a talented cast of British actors including Paddy Considine as Kevin Harrigan, the Harrigan family heir, while "Sherlock" star Lara Pulver plays his wife, Bella.

"Downton Abbey" actor Joanne Froggatt plays Jan Da Souza, the wife of Hardy's character, and Geoff Bell plays Richie, the leader of the Stevenson gang warring with the Harrigans.

"MobLand" is a reunion of sorts for Hardy and Ritchie, who worked together on 2008's crime thriller, "Rock 'N' Rolla," in which a group of gangsters cross paths with a Russian billionaire.

"MobLand" premieres on Paramount+ on March 30. The whole season drops at once, so audiences will be able to binge-watch it.

• Reid Hoffman said Thursday that a feud with Elon Musk is one-sided.
• Musk has accused Hoffman of funding Tesla protests, which Hoffman denied.
• The two clashed on X, with Hoffman mocking Tesla's stock plunge.

Reid Hoffman has dismissed the idea that he has a personal "beef" with Elon Musk, saying their ongoing feud is one-sided.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, the LinkedIn cofounder and early OpenAI donor said Musk was still bitter over OpenAI's success after his departure. Musk left OpenAI in early 2018.

"Well, so actually, it's more his beef with me for having made OpenAI successful with his departure," Hoffman said. "Because he left saying, you know, 'You're all a bunch of jackasses and you'll fail,' and I helped them succeed."

Hoffman added that AI should be developed by those willing to "consult with and deal with other people" — something he said Musk doesn't do. "That's not how Elon operates, which anyone who has two eyes can see," he said.

The latest clash between the two played out over the weekend on X, the social media platform Musk owns. Musk claimed that Hoffman was among several donors funding Tesla protests.

"An investigation has found 5 ActBlue-funded groups responsible for Tesla 'protests,'" Musk wrote on Saturday, listing Hoffman alongside George Soros and other political donors.

Hoffman fired back on Monday, calling Musk's claims false.

"Just one more of Elon's false claims about me: I never funded anyone for Tesla protests," Hoffman replied in a Monday X post. "I don't condone violence. But it's clear Americans are angry at him—it's easier to explain away their anger than to accept that actions have consequences."

Musk replied: "Describe your favorite island vacation."

Hoffman shot back with a graph of Tesla's stock price decline, writing: "I don't know about islands but here's your least favorite mountain."

Tesla stock closed down 15% on Monday, dragging Musk's net worth down by $29 billion — a 6.7% drop in a single day. Despite the hit, Musk remains the world's richest person.

Hoffman and Musk were both early OpenAI backers. Hoffman, who remained a supporter of OpenAI after Musk's departure, has been a vocal critic of Musk's actions. In September 2024, he dismissed Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI as "sour grapes," suggesting Musk was frustrated by the company's success without him.

Last month, Musk led a $97.4 billion bid to take control of OpenAI, which the company's board swiftly rejected.

Musk and Hoffman did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• I graduated from college around the same time my grandmother died.
• When I couldn't get a job, I moved in with my grandfather.
• We became even closer during the three years we lived together. I'm grateful for that time.

As I've gotten older, I've realized that certain people have an undeniable force surrounding them. My grandfather has always been one of those people in my life. Ever since I was little, I've been enamored by him. He moves through the world with an unwavering sense of confidence, a blend of street smarts and book smarts that makes him both inspiring and, at times, maddening.

He's the kind of wise where, even when I don't like his advice, I know deep down I should listen.

The year I needed his advice the most was in 2019, the year I graduated from college, which happened to be the same year my grandmother died. As my senior year wound down, I had precisely one job offer. It was with a small event planning company, offering a laughably low salary and no benefits. It wasn't the dream job, but it was a job, and who was I to turn down my only option?

I called my grandfather. He didn't sugarcoat it: "It's not a good deal." So, I turned it down.

The job market was brutal, so I moved in with my grandfather

A few weeks later, I graduated with no job and no plan. I felt lost. My grandfather, meanwhile, was adjusting to life without his wife. I asked whether I could stay with him in Birmingham, Alabama, for a few weeks while I figured things out. He agreed, and soon after, I moved in with him and his rescue dog.

Since I'd only ever visited with my parents before, those first few days were spent observing, trying to understand his rhythms. Shoes off at the door. One trash can for trash, one for garbage (I still don't know the difference). Beds must be made. Water cups can stay by the sink, but everything else must be hand-washed — though I later convinced him the dishwasher was worth using. Eggs are cooked with butter (lots of it), never oil.

Not only does he have rules, but he also has a routine. Saturdays are for dinner with friends; Sundays are for family. And at the time I moved in with him, he was 80 years old and still working as an ENT surgeon. While he used to work five days a week, during this time he worked two days a week; on Mondays he performed surgery, and on Tuesdays he did office visits. Again, an inspiration.

I had planned to stay for only a few weeks while I applied for jobs in big cities such as New York and Los Angeles — anywhere but Birmingham, Alabama. But the job search was harder than I expected, and to my surprise, I found myself enjoying Birmingham more than I ever anticipated. I settled into a routine. While my career felt stalled, I was growing in other ways.

His rules were the structure I needed

Living with my grandfather taught me discipline and structure in a way college never had. His rules, which at first felt arbitrary, became the guardrails I needed. He never told me what I wanted to hear, only what I needed to. And most of all, he showed me what it meant to love your work, because to still be a practicing surgeon in your 80s and enjoy every second of it? That's something special.

I had always thought highly of my grandfather, but living with him helped deepen my admiration. It's easy to think of grandparents as relics of a different time, and while I never saw my grandfather as outdated, I also never saw us as equals. He was someone to look up to. But then, somewhere along the way, we became friends. Best friends.

We gossiped, laughed, and cried together. He consoled me. We watched "Ozark" every night until we ran out of episodes. I read romantic novels on the patio while he smoked a cigar and told me stories about his trips to Miami with my grandmother.

Moving in with family after graduation felt like a step back, but it wasn't

Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. We lived together through the pandemic, through the time he got hit by a car and severely broke his ankle, through his retirement, through my first job and my first resignation, and through the moment I met the boy I'm about to marry.

I stayed for only about three years, but they were three years of profound growth, both personally and professionally. Had they not happened the way they did, I know I'd be a different person. My grandfather is the reason I'm now driven, more confident, and surer of myself.

It's easy to feel like moving in with family after graduation is a failure. Like it's a step backward. But for me, it was three steps forward. And for all three of them, I have my grandfather to thank.

• High schooler Matteo Paz won $250,000 for discovering 1.5 million new space objects with AI.
• Paz built an AI algorithm to search data from a NASA space telescope for objects like black holes.
• His discoveries could help solve one of the universe's biggest mysteries.

When Matteo Paz scored a high school internship at the California Institute of Technology, the scientists there gave him the daunting task of manually sorting reams of data from a NASA mission.

It was "classic intern work," Paz, an 18-year-old from Pasadena, California, told Business Insider. "The very menial, tedious, dirty tasks that require a lot of time."

Instead of manually sifting through the data, Paz built an AI algorithm to do it for him. Ultimately, he discovered 1.5 million new objects in space, including supernovae and supermassive black holes.

On Tuesday, he won $250,000 in the Regeneron Science Talent Search for his efforts.

Every year the competition casts a net across the nation for high schoolers doing the type of research you might expect from graduate students. This year Paz snagged first place out of nearly 2,500 entrants.

"Surprised isn't a strong enough word," Paz said shortly after the award ceremony. "I didn't even give a thought to what I'd say to people if I'd won."

The objects in Paz's catalog aren't just plain old stars or planets. They're all variable objects, meaning they change dramatically, violently, and often unpredictably. A black hole, for example, can emit powerful jets that vary in brightness depending on how much material it's gobbling up or how fast it's spinning.

That makes these objects a wealth of information about some of the universe's most befuddling mysteries. For example, they can be used to measure how quickly the universe is expanding from the Big Bang — a puzzle scientists are still trying to solve, which could rewrite physics.

Most of the objects Paz discovered are "candidates," meaning further study is required for scientists to confirm what Paz's analysis suggests they are.

Luckily, astronomers are already digging into his catalog.

Building an AI to scan the sky

Paz needed his machine-learning algorithm to comb through nearly 200 terabytes of data from a 10-year infrared survey of the entire sky by NASA's NEOWISE space telescope.

Looking in the infrared — wavelengths invisible to the human eye — the NEOWISE mission searched for asteroids and comets near Eart. Infrared wavelengths, however, can also reveal objects deep in space that are shrouded in interstellar dust.

Even though NEOWISE wasn't designed to look for such objects, Paz thought he could tease them out of the data with his AI algorithm.

"Prior to Matteo's work, no one had tried to use the entire (200-billion-row) table to identify and classify all of the significant variability that was there," Davy Kirkpatrick, who was Paz's mentor at Caltech, told BI in an email.

Other surveys had tried to comb through NEOWISE data for specific types of variable objects, he added.

At the end of the summer program, "we were so impressed with his results that we hired him part-time at Caltech to finish the catalog," Kirkpatrick said.

Paz said a lot of that work was him "in a dark room, eye bags heavy, looking at my computer, trying to solve a bug." Sometimes he worked out math problems on a whiteboard at Caltech. He also consulted a variety of astrophysicists and astronomers.

Once the algorithm was ready though, it blew him away.

Making 1.5 million new discoveries

In order to analyze all 200 terabytes of data, Paz divided up the data into 13,000 equal parts.

The algorithm analyzed miniscule changes in infrared radiation to identify variable space objects and sort them into different classes, such as black holes or double-star systems. In some constellations, the algorithm was discovering more objects than anticipated.

"That was where I first started to see a lot of promise in the project," Paz said.

In the end, he surveyed over 450 million objects in the sky and identified 1.9 million that may be variable objects like black holes or supernovae. Of those, 1.5 million had never been cataloged before — they were new discoveries.

"It's very beautiful. Not just that number — it's a big number that obviously makes you proud — but when you visualize the data," Paz said.

Here's that visualization, plotting all the candidate objects he discovered:

"You can see the Milky Way, you can see satellite galaxies, you can see Andromeda, you can see star-forming regions," Paz said. "Even though it's a very one-dimensional view of the universe, just plotting a point at every discovery we've made, we can really see the intricacies and the glory of the night sky."

Now an infrared research group at Caltech is already using his catalog, called VarWISE, to study dual-star systems in the distant universe. They've already found dozens of star systems in VarWISE that weren't previously detected, Kirkpatrick said. He added that the research helps them calculate the mass of distant alien planets.

Paz is submitting the catalog for publication in the Astrophysical Journal later this year. The catalog has not yet gone through the peer-review process, but the algorithm itself was peer-reviewed and published in the Astronomical Journal in November.

"The variable candidates that he's uncovered will be widely studied and illustrate the enduring value of astronomical surveys," Amy Mainzer, a scientist who led the NEOWISE mission, told BI in an email.

"It's clear that he is simply a unique talent — smart, hardworking, and with a crazy ability to assimilate newfound knowledge into new ideas for studying the universe," Kirkpatrick said.

From LA fires to the Big Bang

As for Paz and his $250,000, the next frontier is college. He said he's been accepted at Stanford University, and is keeping his mind open about potential career paths.

Just weeks before flying to Washington, DC for the awards ceremony, Paz woke up in his Pasadena home to see flames outside the window. The Eaton fire traveled so quickly that he had received no official warning. After evacuations and several days of fire, his family's home was spared.

"It really gives you a new perspective," he said. "I have a new appreciation for the problems that I have the privilege not to worry about."

Now he's pondering the possibility of putting an infrared telescope into Earth orbit — this time to monitor Earth itself for emerging fires.

More immediately, though, Paz wants to use his NEOWISE findings to study the elusive expansion rate of the universe, starting from the Big Bang, and hopefully help scientists solve the biggest mystery in cosmology.

"It will either contribute to the resolution of a very contentious topic in current research, or it's going to reveal something truly foundational about the origins of the universe," Paz said.

• China has warned Walmart against squeezing suppliers to offset US tariffs.
• US tariffs on Chinese goods have risen amid heightened tensions with the Trump administration.
• Companies were already shifting some manufacturing to other developing countries due to US-China tensions.

Beijing brought Walmart executives in for a meeting earlier this week — a sign the country is keeping a close watch on retailers amid concerns about US tariffs.

On Tuesday, Chinese authorities summoned the retail giant for a meeting, reported Yuyuan Tantian, a Weibo social media account linked to state television CCTV.

A spokesperson at China's Commerce Ministry said at a press briefing on Thursday that it had communicated with Walmart after reviewing reports and feedback from some enterprises, according to CCTV. Walmart has explained the situation, the ministry said without further elaboration.

Yuyan Tantian's post said the authorities, including the Ministry of Commerce, sought to discuss reports that Walmart had asked suppliers to cut wholesale prices to offset higher US tariffs.

The social media post said such a move would create risks of supply chain disruption and may "violate commercial contracts and disrupt the order of normal trading."

It also cautioned Walmart not to pass on costs from the tariffs to its Chinese suppliers.

"If Walmart insists on doing so, then what awaits Walmart is more than just a meeting," according to the post.

Beijing's meeting with Walmart underscores Chinese leaders' concerns about the economy, as US President Donald Trump's trade war injects fresh challenges.

"Beijing has essentially warned that it would take action against Walmart if Chinese suppliers are coerced to absorb the tariff impact," wrote Vishnu Varathan, Mizuho's head of macro research for Asia excluding Japan, in a Thursday note.

Beijing "is on its guard against US tariff assault on the margins of Chinese manufacturers," he added.

The development shows the tensions between US efforts to blunt inflationary effects from tariffs and Chinese efforts to ward off worsening deflationary risks, wrote Varathan.

On Wednesday, the US started imposing additional new tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. On March 4, Trump's administration doubled blanket tariffs on Chinese goods to 20% on top of existing levies.

Walmart did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment outside regular business hours. However, the company confirmed the meeting to Reuters and said it would continue to work closely with suppliers to "find the best way forward during these uncertain times."

China is the world's factory floor for companies worldwide, including Walmart. The retail giant's $5 billion worth of net sales in China account for about 3.5% of its total net sales globally.

Bessent: 'Prices won't go up'

Trump's new tariffs come as China is trying to revive confidence in its economy, which has been struggling to recover since pandemic lockdowns ended. It's dealing with multiple problems including a property crisis, high youth unemployment, and deflation.

In February, China's consumer inflation fell below zero for the first time in 13 months, highlighting weak demand.

China's industrial profits at large companies — a key indicator for how well factories, mines, and utility firms are doing — fell 3.3% in 2024, marking its third straight year of decline.

Last week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News he was positive Chinese suppliers would absorb the tariffs.

"With the China tariffs, I am highly confident that the Chinese manufacturers will eat the tariffs — prices won't go up," Bessent said.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have been simmering for years, spurring companies — even Chinese ones — to move manufacturing outside China. The moves accelerated during the pandemic due to supply chains disruptions in China, which implemented on-off lockdowns of nearly three years.

Beneficiaries of the trend include India, Vietnam, and Mexico.

• One number stood out in Adobe's earnings report: AI's annual recurring revenue.
• Investors are eyeing Adobe's ARR from AI as the company bets big on the technology.
• CEO Shantanu Narayen says Adobe plans to double its AI ARR by year-end.

One number from Adobe's quarterly earnings on Wednesday caught investors' attention: annual recurring revenue from AI.

At $125 million from the first quarter this year, it's a small slice of Adobe's $5.71 billion in total quarterly revenue. But analysts were quick to talk about the breakout number on Wednesday's earnings call.

Shantanu Narayen, Adobe's CEO, said on the call that the company expects to double its AI ARR by the end of the financial year.

"Whether it is innovation, having our own models, integrating it across all of our products, brand new revenue streams like GenStudio in the enterprise and then usage and monetization, I feel really good about it," Narayen said on the call.

The company said it expects revenue to increase to between $5.77 billion and $5.82 billion in the second quarter.

Adobe's stock dipped 4.5% in after-hours trading, extending a rough year that has seen shares slide 23%, even as the S&P 500 climbed 8%.

As AI spending surges, investors are watching closely to see if tech companies can turn big bets into real returns.

Narayen said on the earnings call that future info on AI's ARR would be released "periodically" — not quarterly.

In a research note ahead of earnings, Gregg Moskowitz, a managing director at Mizuho, wrote, "Adobe is unquestionably a frustrating stock in 2024."

He wrote that analysts remain optimistic that Adobe would successfully monetize its generative AI offerings and see strong growth in ARR and revenue guidance for the financial year.

Equity analysts from Jefferies said in a report published on Sunday that chief information officers they surveyed expect their companies' spend on Adobe's creative software to accelerate in 2025.

The surveys included 15 chief information officers and 40 end users. The report said that Adobe's AI offerings are "competitive" and that "fears of AI reducing the need for Adobe may be overblown."

Of end users surveyed, 65% told Jefferies their use of Adobe's creative software would increase within the next three years, while 50% evaluated Adobe's AI offerings "as better than competitors."

Adobe did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside business hours.

• I got a Chase Sapphire Preferred travel card when I got engaged.
• I used the card for big purchases for my wedding, amassing major points over my 15-month engagement.
• Those points ended up paying for all the lodging on my honeymoon.

When I got engaged in May 2023, I was overwhelmed with excitement. My now-husband and I giddily called our loved ones to share the news, and we toasted to our future with glasses of bubbly. I fell asleep fantasizing about our perfect wedding day.

By the time I woke up the next day, a to-do list had formed in my mind. I needed to insure my ring, hire a wedding planner, and find a venue. The list got longer and longer the more I thought about our nuptials, my mind racing as I tried to figure out where to start.

As we formed a plan, there was one task I was glad I had completed a few days before my husband proposed: applying for a travel credit card.

Picking a travel card

I had been interested in getting a travel rewards credit card for a while when I finally applied for one in May 2023.

I fly often, particularly because my extended family is based in Atlanta while I live in New York. I also knew I would be in Atlanta more in the lead-up to my wedding since my husband and I had decided to get married there to accommodate my aging grandmother.

It seemed like a good idea to make my travel purchases work for me, especially since my husband and I wanted to go to California for our honeymoon but knew we wouldn't have much of a budget for the trip.

There are several travel credit cards out there, but I decided to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. A friend of mine already had it and got bonus points for referring me, and it had all the travel benefits I was looking for, including five points on travel purchases and three points on dining for a $95 annual fee.

After getting the Chase card, I started using it for my daily life and wedding purchases.

Racking up credit card points

Once I got my Chase card, I made it my go-to credit card, determined to earn the 60,000 bonus points the Sapphire Preferred card offered if I spent $4,000 on it within the first three months. The task was easier than expected, as I made several big purchases for the wedding in the summer of 2023.

I booked whatever I could for the wedding on my credit card and paid it off twice a month throughout our engagement, using the wedding budget and amassing points simultaneously. I also decided not to use any points until the honeymoon, preferring to put them toward one big purchase rather than smaller ones.

As our engagement continued, I made several travel-related purchases through the card, like the Airbnb I rented for my bachelorette weekend and the hotel suite my husband and I stayed in over the wedding weekend.

Plus, I flew to Atlanta monthly for preparation and events like showers in the final six months before the wedding. Each time I booked a flight, I felt grateful the cost earned me points I could use later.

When our wedding rolled around in September 2024, I had close to 250,000 points saved. My husband and I used the points on lodging for our California road trip in February 2025.

Booking our dream honeymoon hotels

On our honeymoon, my husband and I visited Monterey, Sonoma, and Yosemite National Park for two days each, flying in and out of San Francisco.

As we planned the trip, we looked for hotels through Chase Travel℠, only considering lodging that would allow us to use the points for our stays. That didn't feel like a limitation because Chase partners with so many hotels.

After careful research, we selected three hotels that gave us a different experience in each city. In Monterey, we stayed at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa, a high-end hotel on the water with multiple restaurants and a café.

The partial oceanview room we stayed in cost 83,307 points and gave us a view of the ocean and the hotel's courtyard. Sitting on our patio, we could people-watch and look for sea otters, which we loved.

Next, we chose The Lodge at Sonoma for our time in wine country. We stayed in one of the resort's private cottages and took advantage of the hotel's amenities, such as a jacuzzi, a free wine-tasting happy hour, and a spa.

The Lodge staff also helped us book a day of winery tours in Sonoma, a highlight of our time there. The cottage cost us 71,203 points.

Our most unique stay was at AutoCamp Yosemite, a luxury glamping site in Midpines, California, that gave us easy access to Yosemite National Park through the valley. We stayed in one of AutoCamp's Vista Airstreams, which cost 49,844 points when we booked it.

The views on the property were stunning, and we loved being immersed in nature throughout our stay while still enjoying the amenities of a hotel.

One evening during our visit, we grilled out for dinner using a kit we bought from AutoCamp's store.

We spent just over 204,000 Chase points on lodging for our honeymoon, so after booking the hotels, we still had points left.

The travel card made perfect sense for us to use on wedding expenses whenever possible, as it allowed us to save on our honeymoon even as we spent on the wedding.

The memories from our honeymoon were priceless — and the fact that our wedding helped us save money on it was the perfect cherry on top of the trip.

Offers, rates, and fees for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are accurate as of 03/12/2025.