• Tan Hong Kai, 24, from Singapore, is a senior butler at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
• Kai looks after guests in the hotel's most luxurious suites, some of which are invite-only.
• He said he enjoys interacting with famous guests, but last-minute requests can be stressful.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tan Hong Kai, senior butler for Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It has been edited for length and clarity

My first memory of Marina Bay Sands is standing with the crowds around Marina Bay and watching the New Year's Eve fireworks. Now, I'm proud to say I work in this iconic Singaporean hotel.

I left school at 18 and got a job with the Singapore Tourism Board. After the pandemic, they had a scheme called the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers to promote local tourism. I taught Singaporeans how to use the vouchers and suggest places they might visit. When my contract was coming to an end, I saw a position for a butler at Marina Bay Sands on a local job site.

I read through the job description and was hooked. I loved the idea that the job could change from day to day, so I decided to apply. I passed the interview, and I joined the hotel as a butler in October 2021. The starting wage for a junior butler is SGD3,000 a month, around $2,237.

My training period lasted for three months. I learned basic butler skills, trained with other departments such as housekeeping, and shadowed my mentor, a senior butler.

What surprised me most during my training was how much a butler is encouraged to go that extra mile for a guest, like getting a cake for their birthday or arranging a light meal if they have an early flight.

What I do in Marina Bay Sands

The hotel has 160 butlers, 10 of which look after the VVIP suites, which are called the Paiza Royal Collection. The VVIP suites are located on the highest floors of the hotel and frequented by celebrity guests.

This is where I started working in February 2022. I'm assigned to specific guests rather than the suite, so I work across the VIP and VVIP suites depending upon which room they choose.

My mentor had a lot of experience working with celebrities and taught me tips like if they're going to the restaurant, I need to try to get a private room or a corner table and I should highlight a discreet path they can use to get there.

Two of the suites in the Paiza Royal Collection are invite-only suites. The 630 square meter Chairman Suite has four bedrooms, a private gym, a grand piano, a karaoke room, and a spa.

You can book The Presidential Suite online which costs SGD$35,000, around $26,101, a night. It comes in various configurations, and can include a state-of-the-art golf simulator or karaoke room.

Day-to-day of a luxury hotel butler

I was promoted to a senior butler in September 2023. I plan to stay on the frontline meeting guests and making their stays memorable. I'm uniquely trained to manage celebrities and I'd like to mentor our junior butlers.

We offer a 24-hour butler service, so we are split into three shifts. If I'm working the morning shift, I will start at 7:35 a.m. We will serve the guests breakfast if they've requested it in their suite, collect the laundry, and make sure their mini-bar is replenished.

We create a preference sheet for all our guests, which we leave in our pantry so that all butlers are aware of the guests' likes and dislikes. We will ask the guests if they enjoy nature, adventure, or food and create an itinerary for them.

During the afternoon, the butlers are sometimes invited to the restaurants and the Marina Bay Sands Mall to find out what the latest menus or events are so we can share this with our guests.

If I'm working in the evening, I'll do the turndown service. We will prepare a tea and draw the guest a bath. There are times when our guests want to hold a party so we help them organize drinks, food and decor.

My favorite part of being a butler is the guests' compliment my work

My favorite part of my job is when the guest compliments my work. I had the privilege of taking care of the two Ferrari Formula 1 drivers. They were staying at the hotel during the Singapore Grand Prix in 2023 and 2024. We are usually assigned the same guests when they stay with us again as rapport has already been built.

They were following European time, so they'd wake up late. I'd try to make everything seamless for them, such as keeping the buffet open. During an interview, the drivers said they enjoyed their stay in Singapore because of me. I was really pleased to hear that.

I get a lot of last-minute requests. I've had a guest text me to say they're in the adjacent mall and have shopping they'd like us to collect. I've also had a guest say they've got lost in the mall and ask me to come and find them.

One of my most challenging moments as a butler was when a guest messaged me at 9 p.m. to say their family wanted to go for a bike ride that night. The rental shops had closed, so I managed to find a sports store that was still open where I could buy five bikes. We now have them in storage if another family wants to use them.

Some requests are more challenging than others

We try not to say no to any of our guests' requests. If we can't fulfil a particular request, we always offer alternatives. There are requests that are easy to manage and others that are more challenging, but at the end of the day the butler's role is to ensure our guests have the best experience possible.

The only time I have to say no is when someone wants to purchase medication. That's for safety reasons, but I will arrange for a car to take them to the pharmacy.

I work five days a week. During my downtime I like to just chill out. I may also enjoy a meal with friends, watch Korean dramas or play with my nephews.

I feel really privileged to be working at Marina Bay Sands. Watching the fireworks on New Year's Eve is still one of my favorite times of the year. As the butlers have access to all the floors, we can watch the fireworks from floor 54, the highest floor in the hotel. It's a big perk.

• Business Insider spoke to two professional organizers about what to get rid of before the new year.
• The end of the year is a good time to go through your holiday decor and outdated clothing.
• Expired food and beauty products shouldn't make their way into the new year.

The end of the year is a great time to do some decluttering. However, it can be difficult to decide what should stay and what should go.

To make things easier, Business Insider asked professional organizers about the best things to get rid of before the new year. Here's what they said.

Get rid of expired items.

The end of the year is a great time to toss expired items, from food and beverages to old beauty products.

Ashley Coleman, founder of home organization company Done Neatly, told BI that starting with bathroom products is a great way to jump-start your decluttering journey.

She also said to go through your kitchen cupboards and pantry for expired canned goods and toss what can't be kept.

The end of the year is a good time to go through your holiday decor.

Styles and preferences naturally change throughout the year, so December can be a good time to get rid of old holiday decor, broken ornaments, and other items that have remained in your holiday-decoration bins and boxes.

Nikki Bell, founder of Just Us Organizing, suggests taking note of what items you didn't decorate with this holiday season and getting rid of them.

Kids' spaces should be decluttered during the holiday season.

Bell said December is a good time to go through kids' toys and clothes since they are likely to receive an influx of new items at the end of the year.

She said it's a good idea to get rid of these items while kids are enamored by their new gifts and will likely have an easier time parting with some of their old things.

Sort through your outdated and worn clothing.

As the year draws to a close, the experts suggest going through your closets and looking for outdated, worn clothing.

Bell said it can be freeing to get rid of the sizes that no longer fit or feel good to wear.

Jamie Hord, cofounder of Horderly, said getting rid of one item for every new item you bring into the home is a good way to maintain order when accumulating new clothes throughout the holiday season.

It's time to go through your kitchen gadgets.

Coleman told BI it's important to look in your kitchen drawers and get rid of items that you don't use or have multiples of.

She said it's easy to develop a small stockpile of niche kitchen gadgets, but you shouldn't hold onto items "just in case" you may need them later.

Bell also said to purge old kitchen tools that have been replaced by newer ones.

Empty boxes take up valuable space.

Having a stash of empty boxes in the house is an easy way to collect dust.

Bell said unless someone is actively using the box to store their item or moving within the next few months, unused boxes from small appliances take up too much space in a room.

Keep sentimental items to a minimum.

Nostalgic items are hard to part with, but all three organizers emphasized the importance of scaling down your collection to only the most beloved items.

After all, a collection of old concert t-shirts or sports trophies can take up a lot of space in the closet, basement, or garage.

In addition to these mementos, Bell said to look through your trinkets and gifts from friends and relatives. After taking a closer look, you might just find some of the items aren't as sentimental as you thought they would be when you first received them.

"I try to keep one thing a year. And that makes that thing even more special and important to me," she told BI.

• Marlo Lyons is a career coach focusing on professional transitions and executive training.
• She told Business Insider the holiday season is the perfect time to reassess your career path.
• Lyons says reflecting now on your goals and boundaries and celebrating your wins can start 2025 on the right foot.

After a year of crushing layoffs and a cool labor market, career coach Marlo Lyons knows job seekers are downright exhausted.

Lyons said the tech and automotive industries have slowed hiring, and there are fewer entry-level jobs available due to advances in automation. However, she sees the end of 2024 as an opportunity for people to reassess their career paths to start 2025 on the right foot.

Here are her top tips for jumpstarting your career in 2025 with a few easy steps before the end of the year.

Reset your mindset

The holiday period is an ideal time to reflect on the past year, Lyons said. Consider — and write down — what went well, what challenges you faced, what you learned, and identify any limiting beliefs that you may have about what you can and can't achieve in the next year.

Do the things that work for you to take stock, she said. Some people like to journal, some meditate, and others choose self-development activities like attending workshops or seminars. Still, Lyons said it's important to take the time to mindfully set your goals and write them down "because people don't write them down, then they wonder why they didn't achieve them."

She recommended identifying what you hope to accomplish each quarter and setting an action plan to help you achieve your goals, breaking your goals into small steps, and celebrating your progress as you go.

Also important is to find your why: Why are you motivated to accomplish this goal? Because without your "why," you have nothing to anchor your goals to, she said.

Set boundaries to reach your goals

Once you know your goals and your reasons for achieving them, Lyons said the best way to accomplish them is to set boundaries and a daily schedule ahead of time.

"Because if you don't set boundaries, your goal becomes the last thing on the priority list," Lyons said.

Write down your ideal daily schedule, and then do your best to stick to it — even if your plans get derailed, practicing adhering to your dream routine gets you in the habit of doing it all the time.

Block off your calendar now for important events. If you want to take a walk every day at lunch, take a moment now to block your calendar so meetings don't creep in. If you want to save time for career coaching or other self-development, prioritize it by blocking it off.

"And get rid of the negative thoughts if you don't achieve it all in one day, or you don't do it the whole week, because boundaries are also mental boundaries with yourself," Lyons said.

Reconnect with your network

The holiday season is the perfect excuse to refresh your connections with your network, Lyons said.

"Whether you're looking to advance your career, grow your business, or just maintain meaningful relationships, you need to have a strong network," Lyons said. "You can deepen those bonds with people through casual conversation, but also in the new year, it's a great time to wish somebody a happy new year you haven't spoken to a while and ask to reconnect."

Your network is where you get job offers, develop partnerships, and start collaborations, Lyons said. And since the beginning of the year begins slow for many companies, the holiday season is a great opportunity to catch up with people you may have lost touch with over the years.

With a tight job market and HR professionals increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to weed out candidates, Lyons said there's an increasing advantage in having a personal referral when you're looking for a new job.

"With those relationships, candidates are going to really stand out and bring unique value," Lyons said.

• Netflix's hit drama "Virgin River" released its latest batch of episodes in December 2024.
• The streamer announced in October that a seventh season had been greenlit.
• Here's what we know about season seven of the show.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the season six finale of "Virgin River."

The latest season of Netflix's romantic drama "Virgin River" saw nurse practitioner Melinda Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) and restaurateur Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) finally walk down the aisle together.

It was a long time coming for the couple, who have faced no end of ups and downs since their meet-cute in the show's first season.

Elsewhere, Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) and Denny (Kai Bradbury) prepared for the arrival of their baby, while Hope (Annette O'Toole) and Doc (Tim Matheson) faced a new threat.

The new episodes also used flashbacks to introduce viewers to younger versions of Mel's parents, Sarah (Jessica Rothe) and Everett (Callum Kerr), giving a glimpse at how their own love story unfolded. The characters are set to be the focus of an upcoming spinoff series.

As for what's next for Mel, Jack, and the rest of the residents of the fictional Northern Californian town, keep reading for everything we know so far about season seven.

'Virgin River' was renewed for season 7 before season 6 aired

The cast of "Virgin River" announced the show's renewal on the series' official Instagram in October.

"Good news, Virgin River is confirmed to come back for Season 7! More love, drama, and small-town charm coming your way. You're very welcome," the caption read.

The series is now Netflix's longest-running original scripted series. The comedy dramas "Orange Is the New Black" and "Grace and Frankie," both ran for seven seasons before ending in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

'Virgin River' season 7 will explore Jack and Mel's 'honeymoon phase'

Speaking to Netflix fan site Tudum, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith teased what fans could expect from the coming season.

"I think we've only just begun to see Mel and Jack function as a married couple, which is exciting," he said, adding that season seven would likely "explore the honeymoon phase for them as they're building their lives on the farm, which can come with its own obstacles."

For those wondering whether those obstacles may include splitting the couple up again, Smith said that wasn't on the cards.

"I can't imagine creating a scenario where you think Mel and Jack are going to break up," he said. "It forces you to dig a little bit deeper into, well, what other issues can they have in their relationship? Especially when you want to keep it through the romance lens. I think Alex and Martin play all of those [moments so well], it's just resting on emotional stakes as opposed to will they, won't they."

There is no release date for season 7 just yet

With season six released earlier this month, it's unlikely that fans will see season seven drop on Netflix any time soon.

In fact, season seven hasn't even begun filming yet. The cast and crew are scheduled to return to set in British Columbia in the Spring of 2025, Smith said, per Deadline.

The show may go on

Netflix hasn't officially confirmed an eighth season, but Smith said that there were "no plans" for the show to end anytime soon.

"No plans to wrap up the series anytime soon, and as long as people keep coming back for it, we're proud and happy to keep telling these stories," he told Deadline in December.

• Bob Dylan and Joan Baez are played by Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro in "A Complete Unknown."
• The two folk singers met in the early '60s and quickly became close collaborators.
• They dated briefly in the '60s and continued to perform together over the years, despite friction.

James Mangold's new biopic, "A Complete Unknown," opens with 19-year-old Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) arriving in New York City, essentially homeless yet armed with his guitar.

It's not long before viewers are introduced to 20-year-old Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), an already-established performer in the Greenwich Village folk scene. In her first scene, Baez takes the stage at Gerde's Folk City and sings "House of the Rising Sun," the fourth track on her self-titled debut album, released in 1960.

"Joanie was at the forefront of a new dynamic in American music," Dylan recalled in the 2009 documentary "Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound."

"She had a record out, circulating among the folk circles," he continued, "and everybody was listening to it, me included. I listened to it a lot."

In "A Complete Unknown," Baez's performance at Gerde's is followed by Dylan's. He sings "I Was Young When I Left Home," leaving the movie version of Baez awestruck.

The star-crossed encounter kicks off a fruitful collaboration and passionate romance, despite Dylan's existing relationship with Sylvia Russo (Elle Fanning).

In real life, however, Baez had gone to Gerde's specifically to see Dylan.

"Somebody said, 'Oh, you've gotta come down and hear this guy, he's terrific,'" Baez told Rolling Stone in 1983. "And so I went down with my very, very jealous boyfriend, and we saw this scruffy little pale-faced dirty human being get up in front of the crowd and start singing his 'Song to Woody.'"

"I, of course, internally went completely to shreds, 'cause it was so beautiful," she continued. "But I couldn't say anything, 'cause I was next to my very, very jealous boyfriend, who was watching me out of the corner of his eye and trying to mentally slaughter Dylan, I think. And then Bob came over and said, 'Uhhh, hi' — one of those eloquent greetings — and I just thought he was brilliant and superb and so on."

The movie depicts Dylan and Baez starting a sexual relationship after another chance encounter, when Baez stumbles upon Dylan performing "Masters of War" in a coffee shop. Notably, this takes place in the throes of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, when the world seemed on the brink of nuclear armageddon. After kissing at the coffee shop, the pair return to Dylan's apartment.

Again, this doesn't seem to be quite accurate. Dylan and Baez did meet again, but it would've been years before they began their ill-fated fling.

In real life, Baez was instrumental in introducing Dylan to a larger crowd

Dylan and Baez became an unofficial musical duo in the early '60s, encouraging each other to refine their songcraft (she as a singer, he as a writer) and regularly performing duets at Baez's concerts.

In the 2009 Baez doc, one friend described the pair as "quite a force at that time," adding, "I think she had a crush on him. I know he had a crush on her."

The details of Dylan's life can be difficult for historians to confirm, given his penchant for myth-making and obfuscation. (He even asked Mangold to include an inaccurate scene in "A Complete Unknown," according to actor Edward Norton, apparently just for kicks.) So, it's unclear exactly when Dylan and Baez's relationship became romantic.

When Rolling Stone asked Baez how long they'd been involved, she replied, "You mean what period of three months was it? Um, Bob and I spent some time together. I honestly don't know what the year was."

Baez wasn't interested in drugs, which she said caused her to feel disconnected from other musicians, including Dylan. She also wanted Dylan to be more politically active outside his music, leading to a rift between them.

In 1965, a few months before the famous Newport Film Festival that saw Dylan "go electric," he invited Baez to join him on tour in England — but neglected to invite her onstage for any show. This trip is scrubbed from the timeline in "A Complete Unknown," but by all accounts, it was the death blow to their relationship.

"I just sort of trotted around, wondering why Bob wouldn't invite me onstage, feeling very sorry for myself, getting very neurotic and not having the brains to leave and go home," Baez told Rolling Stone. "That would be the best way to describe that tour. It was sort of just wasted time."

Dylan also traced their split back to 1965 and, more specifically, the frenzy of his newfound fame.

"I was just trying to deal with the madness that had become my career, and unfortunately she got swept along, and I felt very bad about it," he said in the Baez doc. "I was sorry to see our relationship end."

"A Complete Unknown" depicts Dylan and Baez duetting at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, but this didn't happen in real life; they were on the outs by then. (They did sing at the festival together in 1963 and 1964.)

Baez later said that Dylan broke her heart.

Even after their relationship deteriorated, their connection fueled their art

Many fans believe Baez inspired notable Dylan songs, like the iconic 1965 hit "Like a Rolling Stone" and 1966 song "Visions of Johanna," though he's never confirmed either theory.

In 1968, Baez released her ninth album, "Any Day Now," comprised entirely of Dylan songs. Her 1970 compilation album, "The First Ten Years," includes six Dylan covers, including her much-loved version of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." She also released the 1972 song "To Bobby" as an open letter to Dylan, begging him to engage with the protest movement.

A few years later, Baez wrote the heart-wrenching ballad "Diamonds & Rust," which was shaped by an emotional phone call with Dylan.

"Well you burst on the scene / Already a legend / The unwashed phenomenon / The original vagabond," she sings. "You strayed into my arms / And there you stayed / Temporarily lost at sea / The Madonna was yours for free."

Baez later described "Diamonds & Rust" as "the best song of my life."

"The really, really good stuff comes from down deep," she told Rolling Stone in 2017, "and that was how strongly I was affected by Bob in the relationship and everything. It'd be stupid to pretend otherwise."

"I love that song 'Diamonds & Rust,'" Dylan said in the 2009 documentary. "To be included in something that Joan had written — ooh. I mean, to this day, it still impresses me."

"Diamonds & Rust" was released in 1975 on Baez's album of the same name. Later that year, Dylan invited her to join the Rolling Thunder Revue tour alongside a wide cast of their contemporaries, including Joni Mitchell and the Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn.

In the Baez doc, Dylan said he remembers her as "completely in her element" during that time, while Baez characterized the tour as fun and carefree — a departure from her typical activities as a social activist. The experience seemed to mend a bridge between them, however temporarily.

Dylan and Baez performed a few more duets before cutting ties for good

The pair reunited at a 1982 Peace Week concert at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, performing a three-song set together: "With God On Our Side," a cover of Jimmy Buffett's "A Pirate Looks at Forty," and "Blowin' in the Wind," which Dylan had written shortly after they met.

Dylan's guest appearance at the anti-nuke event came as a shock to the crowd, given that he'd declined to denounce the Vietnam War and generally avoided political events.

The following year, when Rolling Stone asked Baez about Dylan's state of mind at the show, she demurred.

"I really have no idea. But I love singing with him," she replied. "He isn't in tune, the phrasing is nuts, and he always wants to do a song I've never heard before."

The magazine also asked if the couple would ever get back together, "when they're both 60 or something." Baez replied, "Spare us, please. Both of us."

In fact, the very next year, they reunited again for a 1984 European stadium tour with Carlos Santana.

Baez came to discover she'd only been added to the bill because the promoter thought it would boost sales. In her 1987 memoir, "And a Voice to Sing With," Baez said she wasn't treated as an equal performer and was largely ignored by Dylan backstage.

After a few haphazard duets in Germany, Dylan stopped inviting her to share the stage with him, so she decided to quit the tour. In her book, Baez described Dylan as tired and disoriented when she said goodbye in his dressing room. She told him their touring together didn't work out, and he said, "That's too bad." She also wrote that he ran his hand up her skirt.

"Goodbye, Bob," Baez wrote. "I thought maybe I shouldn't write all this stuff about you, but as it turns out, it's really about me anyway, isn't it? It won't affect you. The death of Elvis affected you. I didn't relate to that, either."

The two musicians haven't been seen together since. While they did cross paths at a 2010 White House event to celebrate civil rights-era music, Baez said she didn't try to greet him.

"The chances of him just walking past me would be too awful a scenario," Baez told Rolling Stone. "It would just bring up feelings that aren't necessary."

In 2015, Dylan praised Baez when he was named Person of the Year by MusiCares.

"I learned a lot of things from her," he said during his acceptance speech. "A woman with devastating honesty. And for her kind of love and devotion, I could never pay that back."

Last year, Baez told Variety that she was not in touch with Dylan, though she didn't harbor any resentment. "I may never see him again," she said, "and that's OK too."

• Whenever my son comes home with an invitation to a big birthday party, I'm filled with dread.
• The birthday kid can't connect with everyone, and making small talk with parents is awkward.
• I prefer our tradition of small family pizza parties.

My son is turning 11 this year, and it's the first time he has asked me if he could invite some of his friends from school to his birthday dinner. I told him that I wanted to maintain our tradition of having just our family over to celebrate his birthday, but that next year, we could plan something additional for him to do with a few of his closest friends.

However, no matter what, we'll still keep doing our traditional small family party, and I can't imagine that will change anytime soon.

My son's pizza parties have become a family tradition

Since my son was born, we have invited our close family members for a pizza party to celebrate his birthday. There ends up being about 10 of us, and since it's just family, it almost has the feel of a holiday get together. After pizza, we have cake and then he opens his presents. The entire time, my son is the center of attention, but I'm glad, because I want him to feel loved on his birthday.

Since we keep the guest list small, everyone knows each other, and my son has time to truly visit with everyone. Plus, the fact that it's the same group of people that come every year makes it more special. It feels like everyone there is partly raising him and has the privilege of getting to watch him grow up.

Even though it's not a big party, I still decorate so that it doesn't feel like just another day. Plus, because my son has a December birthday, the Christmas decor has always doubled as party decor. When my son was really little, I think he thought Christmas was for him, so the time of year has always been on my side.

While my son likes going to big parties, I do not

I am filled with dread whenever my son comes home from school with a birthday invitation. While he has fun at these parties, I do not. I have always disliked the large kids' birthday party, as I find myself wandering around and trying to supervise my son and his friends or awkwardly trying to make small talk with other parents.

These large gatherings always make me question my own decision to keep my son's parties small, so I've always paid attention to the child whose birthday it is. I have noticed that there isn't enough time for them to visit with everyone that comes and that their family members get the least of their attention.

These children want to play with their friends, just as my son would if he had a big party like that. The events remind me of my own childhood parties, which were large, or of my wedding as an adult, where the party is a whirlwind, and I'm left feeling like I missed out on seeing everyone.

I feel I've made the right decision in keeping our celebrations simple

While my son is getting older and his birthdays will change to a degree, I'm glad I've kept them small. I know he has a great time. This year when everyone left, he said he didn't want his birthday party to be over, and I knew it was because he loves to spend time with everyone that came over.

His relationship with his friends is different, so as he gets older, he can celebrate with them as well, but separately and in a different way. What I have always wanted for my son on his birthday is just for him to know he is loved, and I think the smaller, more intimate gatherings achieve that best.

• Kim Ollerhead let her 6-year-old twins who require booster seats ride in a Waymo.
• Ollerhead, a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident, said the experience felt fun and safe.
• For now, Ollerhead said she doesn't see too many reasons to reguarly use Waymo for her family.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kim Ollerhead, a 43-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona resident and mother of two twin children. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Waymo has become a frequent sight around our neighborhood in Scottsdale, Arizona.

For the longest time, I kept seeing those white, driverless Jaguars in our city — so much so that my kids and I started playing a game where we count how many Waymos we spot in a day.

I took a few rides in a Waymo last summer by myself and was really impressed by the response time of the autonomous driver whenever it detected a nearby pedestrian or cyclist.

After that experience, I decided to surprise my twin children, William and Emerlyn, for a short Waymo ride on their sixth birthday last year. They've been asking to ride in one for some time, asked so many questions about it, and they both finally weighed enough to sit in booster seats.

My kids loved it.

I called a Waymo to take us to a restaurant for dinner about four miles away from our house.

Just like any Waymo ride, the car pulls up with your initials lit up on the LIDAR sensor that sits on the roof of the car. My kids thought that was hilarious.

Installing the booster seat in the Jaguar was super easy. There's two latches on each booster seat and I just tighten them like I would if I was putting them in my car.

I can't say that I would want to call a Waymo if my kids were a few years old and I still had to use a baby car seat, because moving those seats are a pain.

My kids were shocked, but a happy shocked, when the Waymo took off.

They were a little nervous at first. But that changed when they saw how the Waymo came to a stop at a stop sign and successfully made its first big turn.

I don't think they got used to the fact that there was no driver. Throughout the entire ride they were so excited and had so many questions like, "What is it doing? What is that?"

It was a short ride to the restaurant. The car pulled over, I made sure to unbuckle my kids, and we all waved goodbye to the Waymo.

The kids loved their first ride. They wanted to take Waymo to school. They asked how old they have to be take a Waymo by themselves to school.

They even joked: "Mom, can you just pretend you're not here? Can you just not talk to us so we can pretend like we're in a driverless car?"

I'm like, "Yeah, sure."

The few times I've been in a Waymo, I've had mostly safe experiences.

The only reason why I'd hesitate to take a Waymo is because of horror stories I've heard about Waymos making strange maneuvers on the roads. There was also one experience when I was with my sister where the Waymo tried to overtake another car in front of us and we couldn't figure out why it was doing so. That made me a little nervous.

Even then, my family and I took a few Waymos after that experience and everyone was impressed with how the Waymo navigated tough situations, like driving through busy parking lots.

I don't think Waymos will be a part of my kids' daily experience. We're constantly on the go, and I wouldn't call a Waymo to, say, attend soccer practice because of all the stuff I have to fit inside the car.

Also, where we live, nothing is close by so you're jumping in the car and driving 10 to 15 minutes wherever you go. And a lot of mom life is just being a taxi — going to soccer, going to the dance, going to this competition and that — so a lot of the times it's just easier to be in your own car.

I could definitely see a situation where I would call a Waymo for my kids when they get older. For example, I could see myself calling a Waymo to give them a ride to and from a friend's house.

A Waymo spokesperson told Business Insider that riders must be 18 years or older to ride in a Waymo vehicle alone. Passengers 17 years or younger must be accompanied by guests.

I also know some of the "cool moms" who have babysitters were talking about how they love using a Waymo so they don't have to wake up their kids just to drive the babysitter home. They just call a Waymo for the babysitter.

So it's not like the Waymo ride was a once in a lifetime experience for my kids. I definitely wouldn't rule it out.

• An Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38, including both pilots.
• Remarkably, nearly half the passengers — 29 people — survived.
• The airline's president praised the "heroism" of the pilots and crew while speaking to reporters.

The president of Azerbaijan Airlines praised the pilots of flight J2-8243 after the plane, carrying 67 people, crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Although both pilots were among the 38 fatalities reported by Kazakh authorities, nearly half the passengers— 29 people —survived.

Samir Rzayev, who heads up the airline, also known as AZAL, told reporters on Wednesday that the two pilot's "heroism will never be forgotten."

"While this tragic accident brought a significant loss to our nation, the crew's valiant dedication to their duties until the last moment and their prioritization of human life have immortalized their names in history," Rzayev said, according to the Azerbaijani news agency Report.

Rzayev said the pilots collectively had over 15,000 flight hours and that the plane had recently passed a technical inspection.

"Despite these measures, the causes of the incident are still under investigation," Rzayev added.

The Embraer 190 jet had departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, early Wednesday, bound for Grozny, Russia.

Adverse weather conditions led to a diversion, the airline told BBC News. The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 shows that the plane made a crash-landing at about 06:28 local time near Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan's Senate Chairman Ashimbayev Maulen told Reuters on Thursday that the cause of the crash remains unknown.

Preliminary information from Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, suggested that the plane diverted after a bird strike caused an onboard emergency, according to AP.

And Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cautioned against speculating on the cause of the crash before the completion of an investigation, per the Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.

However, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, put the blame on Russia. On Wednesday evening, he claimed in an X post that the commercial airline was "shot down by a Russian air defense system."

In the post, he said there is video footage from inside the plane, showing "punctured life vests and other damage."

Others have also suggested Russian involvement.

Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the plane may have been damaged by a Russian anti-missile system. The firm cited footage of the crash, the apparent damage to the aircraft, and recent military activity in the area.

"Incidents of civilian airliners being misidentified and shot down by air-defence systems are not unprecedented in the region," a critical alert issued by Osprey and provided to Business Insider said.

Oliver Alexander, an OSINT analyst, said in a message to BI that "at this point, I don't think there is enough available evidence to conclusively say what exactly happened (type of missile etc)."

But he added that "all the evidence I have seen points to the aircraft being hit by shrapnel from an air defense missile which severely damaged the elevator and rudder controls."

Ukrainian drones have targeted Grozny in recent weeks, and the governor of the Russian region of North Ossetia said in a Telegram post on Wednesday that there were Ukrainian drone attacks carried out in a number of regions of the North Caucasus Federal District that day.

The district includes Grozny and the surrounding area.

The post specifically mentioned a drone being taken down in Vladikavkas, about 70 miles west of Grozny.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a statement: "There are videos of the plane crash available in the media and on social networks, and everyone can watch them. However, the reasons for the crash are not yet known to us."

Azerbaijan Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Rzayev, the airline's president, told reporters that the plane's black box had been recovered and that "its analysis is being conducted in line with international aviation standards."

Aircraft manufacturer Embraer said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened" by the crash and was working closely with relevant authorities to support the investigation.

• Getting rid of stuffed animals can be hard for kids because they have sentimental value.
• We learned to donate them instead of throwing them out.
• We contacted our local soup kitchen and realized there were more things we could donate.

This fall we got new carpeting. While packing our house we found dozens of items from our kids' childhood — clothes, stuffed animals, cuddle blankets — shoved into closets and under beds. Things that hadn't been previously donated or recycled but they were also not using. Except now, we didn't have space for.

While surrounded by piles of sweet plush faces — the white dog now gray from being loved, the bunny from grandpa — we knew we needed to figure out where to send them. Thankfully I have a good friend who volunteers at a soup kitchen. She shared that they have a need for stuffed animals and my kid's childhood friends would find a new home.

Letting go of stuffies can be hard

Getting rid of things that have sentimental value isn't easy. When I was moving in junior high I struggled getting rid of my stuffed animals. Each one had meaning to me — the Figment plush from Disney World, my first Care Bear — and the idea of throwing out stuffed animals seemed mean.

Items that are a comfort to us, like stuffed animals and blankets, can be hard to let go of. These items have nostalgia, provide emotional comfort, or may be a reminder of someone we love. I can't let go of the stuffed animals my grandma had before she passed away.

Knowing that their stuffed animals would go to kids who needed them, helped my kids as we sorted through the large pile of plush.

A volunteer at my local soup kitchen also told me that stuffed animals tend to be gone within minutes since it's not something they have often.

Knowing this made us look at all the unused items we have and think about what else we aren't using — things that are just sitting on a shelf, that could have new life as a comfort to someone else.

The stuffed animals were just a start. By talking with volunteers we learned there was a serious need for items we didn't think we could donate.

Winters where I live are rough. Cold-weather clothing and blankets are in high demand. Even items like throw pillows and mattress toppers are put to good use. Our coat closet was a treasure trove of boots, gloves, and hats that we were ready to give away.

Socks and undergarments are popular and most places will take underwear and bras. I had so many pairs of toddler underpants post potty training — I wish I knew then what I know now and had donated them.

I checked with my kids before putting something on the donate pile

I sometimes look at my kid's room and have flashbacks to the book "Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room." I just want to walk in with a huge garbage bag and get rid of all the mess.

Blankets, stuffed animals, toys, books — especially the story you read to them before bed — should be something you agree on before donating. You don't want to get rid of something that has sentimental value.

I asked around before finding where to donate our things

I was surprised how many of my mom friends had connections or volunteered at places. Schools, townships, and churches are another good source.

During the holidays many charities ask for new items. Keep their information because they may take used items the rest of the year.

Your local food bank is an excellent resource for locating soup kitchens and food pantries — places that may provide support beyond food.

It feels good to donate items that help another parent get their kid through a growth spurt, provide blankets needed during the cold months, and give-away stuffed animals that are a comfort to a child in need.

• The labor market is softening, and it might be harder to get a job compared to the past.
• Business Insider talked to job experts about why applicants might struggle to get hired for a role.
• A poorly organized résumé or not learning about a company during interview prep could be issues.

If you're not hearing back after applying for jobs, you may need to make some changes to your résumé, interview prep, or search strategy.

A cooler labor market means it could be harder to find a job now than a couple of years ago. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows there were 1.1 job openings per unemployed person this past October, the latest month with data, compared to 1.3 job openings per unemployed person a year earlier.

Stacie Haller, the chief career advisor with ResumeBuilder.com, said she thinks "people aren't necessarily as prepared when they enter a job search today" because they may think the job market is the same as it was many years ago.

But for job seekers who are struggling, there are ways you can try to improve your odds. Below are some things that you may want to change if you aren't landing a job.

You are sending out way too many résumés

One issue could be you're sending out a bunch of résumés, including for jobs you don't even want or for jobs where you don't have the desired experience. Haller suggested having most of what an employer is looking for before applying to the role.

"I would prefer people to not send out 800 résumés just throwing spaghetti against the wall," Haller said. "That's when you hear from people, 'It's a horrible market, and I can't get a job.'"

Gabrielle Davis, a career trends expert at Indeed, told Business Insider people should first consider the things that matter to them in a job beyond a paycheck, such as the benefits and whether it's remote, instead of first applying to many roles.

"I think that when job seekers function from maybe a place of slight panic, they don't do that because they feel like, 'I just have to move fast because the market's moving fast. I have to get all the stuff in, and I'm just going to see what sticks,'" Davis said. "And that's not always really fruitful for them. So I think that it's better to take a much more intentional approach to the actual job search."

You are waiting too long to apply

OK, so you have decided to send out fewer résumés that are more focused on gigs you want. Now, don't wait too long to actually apply.

Haller said job seekers should reply to a job posting within 24 hours "to at least have a shot to be in the mix."

Haller said people come to her and say, "'Oh, I saw a job posting that I'm interested in.' And they take days, if not a week, to reply."

She added, "By the time they send their résumé out, that company's probably on final interviews."

You might need to reconsider the contents or format of your résumé

Six seconds. That's how long Haller said job seekers have "to capture somebody's attention by your résumé or by your profile."

Formatting could be important to consider when putting together a résumé in hopes of successfully landing work.

"You need to know how to create and format a résumé that works in today's job search process," Haller said, adding this "means the formatting should be cleaned, standardized, and easy to read."

Leanne Getz, vice president of tech staffing firm Experis's delivery channels, said the résumé should also be similar to things noted on a candidate's online profile, like on LinkedIn. She also said résumés should be accurate and be in their own words.

"We're seeing candidates utilizing certain AI tools to generate the résumé, and it's fine to use it to help guide or give you suggestions, but you want to be careful about having something like ChatGPT design your whole résumé," Getz said. "It's easy for recruiters to pick up on that. It doesn't seem authentic."

You are not considering your connections

There's more that can be done than uploading a résumé to a job application. Haller said job seekers may want to see who they can contact at the company beforehand.

Haller said, "The last thing you want to do is dump your résumé into" an applicant tracking system "if you have another way to make contact inside that company."

Getz noted people could consider who they may know at the place they're hoping to get a job when they are applying.

"It is often about the network and who you know, but it also is sometimes just a game of numbers," Getz said. "There are so many applicants. You have to just keep applying, be consistent, be persistent, be patient."

You are not doing sufficient prep for an interview

If you get the good news that an employer is interested in interviewing you, it's probably best to prepare for the interview with some research.

Haller said people should know the company's mission, why they even want to work for the employer, and prepare questions to ask during the interview.

"I've interviewed people as a hiring manager with people who have no idea what the company does or why they're even interested in a job," Haller said. "That's a waste of everybody's time."

Some helpful hints of what to say during the interview are in the job posting itself.

"The job posting tells you exactly what they're looking for," Haller said. "That's where your prep starts. So if you know what they're looking for, you want to prepare as many examples that you can about what they might ask in reference to what they're looking for in the person they hire."

Getz also talked about being prepared and other basics of interviewing. Getz said to make "sure that you're dressed professional, that you've prepared, that you've done your research on the company that you're interviewing with, that you have strong questions to ask, that you're prepared to answer behavioral style questions."

Don't do an interview from a car and eliminate any background noise, Getz also advised. Getz emphasized the basics of doing an interview because "it could be one of those minor, little things that knock you out of consideration that could have been overcome by simply being prepared, dressed for the interview."

Davis suggested preparing a few main points that you want to reiterate in every interview round. "If you're speaking to maybe two or three people at a company, just because you've spoken to the same people at one company doesn't always mean that they are sharing exactly what you've spoken about to their colleagues," Davis said.

She added those main points can help show your prep, and she said, "Any sign of preparedness to an employer means, OK, this person is showing up. They're here. They're taking it seriously."

You aren't sending a thank-you note, or you're following up too much

Davis said a handwritten thank-you note could be good if you did an in-person interview. Even if it was not an in-person interview, Davis said sending a simple thank-you note on the same day could be good.

Davis said the note should thank the person for their time and include something personal from the interview to show you were listening.

"I think that really goes a long way," Davis said. "And after that, it's kind out of your hands, so waiting to hear back from the recruiter or hiring manager and then going from there."

Getz said "to be cautious about how often you're following up" because you're not the only job candidate a hiring manager is talking to. She said people don't want to overdo their reach out, and it should be professional.

How long did it take you to find a job, or how long have you been unemployed? Reach out to this reporter to share your experience at [email protected].

• EV sales in China are set to overtake traditional car sales for the first time next year.
• EV sales are set to grow 20% next year to over 12 million vehicles, a Financial Times report said.
• The key turning point for the world's largest car market contrasts slowing sales in the West.

Electric vehicle sales in China are set to eclipse the sale of traditional vehicles for the first time next year, putting the country ahead of the West in a critical part of the clean energy transition, according to a new report.

Domestic EV sales in China are projected to grow 20% year over year to more than 12 million cars in 2025, according to the latest figures shared with the Financial Times by investment banks UBS, HSBC, and other research groups.

The projections, which include sales for both pure EVs and plug-in hybrids, offer a stark contrast to the outlook for internal combustion engine vehicle sales, which are expected to fall by over 10% to less than 11 million cars in the coming year, the report said.

The figures mark a key turning point in the world's largest car market and signal how much faster the clean energy vehicle transition is taking shape in China versus the West. In Europe and the US, consumer interest in EVs has been mixed in the face of high interest rates and inflation.

EV sales in China have benefited from a mix of government subsidies and domestic competition pushing prices down.

EV sales in China this year have been boosted by a Beijing-led program that offers a subsidy of over $2,800 to any consumer who trades in their internal combustion engine vehicle for an EV or hybrid.

Competitive domestic manufacturers such as the Warren Buffett-backed giant BYD have engaged in aggressive price-cutting strategies to incentivize consumer purchases.

In March, BYD added a 5% discount to its smallest EV the Seagull, making it less than $10,000. Similar moves have been made by others across China's EV industry, such as Nio, as carmakers battle to win over consumers on price.

Elon Musk's Tesla also cut vehicle prices in several countries, including China, earlier this year to combat aggressive pricing strategies from domestic EV firms.

Though Tesla's revenue declined 3.1% year-on-year to $46.8 billion in the first six months of 2024, its China arm announced a total sale of 21,900 EVs in China in the first week of this month, its highest weekly sales in the fourth quarter, per figures first reported by Reuters.

Chinese EV makers have sought to replicate their domestic growth stories overseas, but are hitting a wall against tough Western tariffs.

In October, the EU decidedto proceed with raising tariffs on Chinese EVs up to 45% over a five-year period following concerns that carmakers in the country were receiving excessive support from Beijing.

The US government raised tariffs on Chinese EVs to 100% back in May. It's still unclear whether these headwinds will impact what looks like a bumper year for Chinese EVs.

• Hannah Witton, a sex education YouTuber, quit her popular channel a year ago.
• She cited burnout and becoming a mother as reasons for her shift.
• She now helps creators navigate career changes, focusing on those who have hit a content wall.

Last December, Hannah Witton decided 12 years with her enormously popular YouTube channel, where she became a beacon of knowledge for sex education, was enough.

Now, she wants to be the crisis clinic for struggling creators, using her 12 years of experience to help other YouTubers figure out their next steps.

Witton stepped away from her channel with over a decade's worth of content on sexual health, with a particular focus on sexuality with a disability.

Witton was one of a wave of long-standing YouTubers who left the channels on which they built their businesses over the past year, including MatPat of The Game Theorists and Tom Scott, who ended his famed "Things You Might Not Know" series.

They all did so for different reasons, but burnout and a sense they had hit a wall was a common thread in their decisions.

Witton told Business Insider that having a baby was the biggest factor for her. She had been on the content hamster wheel for so long, beholden to the ever-changing YouTube algorithm, that she didn't realize she was running on empty.

But being raised a feminist, she previously thought becoming a mom wouldn't change her career at all.

"Then when it actually happens, it's like, oh, wait, it's totally normal for this to completely rewire you," she told BI. "Not just physically and mentally, but actually logistically — your circumstances changing and the impact it has on your time, your energy, your resources, and all of that."

So, Hannah retired her channel and her Doing It Podcast, unsure of exactly what was next, but certain of one thing: she was taking a break.

"I was like, oh, I don't have to do that anymore," she said. "It was a risk I was willing to take."

One year after retirement

Witton started making content in 2013 and evolved as a dominant voice in the sex and relationships space, with a particular focus on enjoying sexuality while living with a chronic condition.

Witton herself has been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a chronic autoimmune illness where her digestive system gets regularly inflamed and has a stoma bag — an external pouch that takes on the role of the colon.

One year on from retirement, Witton has leaned into her Patreon. She has a second YouTube channel which she uploads to occasionally and when she feels like it, but it's not a priority in terms of income and career moves.

"Growth isn't one of my main goals at the moment," Witton said. "I'm really judging the success of videos on my enjoyment of it, and then the comment section, and just if other people enjoyed it too."

Witton said her finances did take a hit initially, but in the long term, it worked out. Struggling to keep up with the content mill meant Witton was draining her bank account by hiring freelancers and paying her team.

"I did cut down on a lot of my overheads at the end of last year because, of course, I also removed a big part of my income," Witton said. "But for the most part, I have been a lot financially healthier this year."

The YouTuber crisis clinic

After retirement, Witton organically started having conversations with many other creators about what they wanted to do next. This turned into a business in itself.

"I originally went in being like, I'm going to be a project manager," Witton said. "But it's more that I come in as a consultant or a coach, and then the rest is kind of up to them to execute."

For example, Witton coached a pregnant creator for a few months before her maternity leave, helping her figure out her priorities and what kind of schedule she could realistically keep.

Helping creators launch their Patreon pages is a big part of this process, Witton said, as she's been on there for 10 years and knows how it works inside out.

"It's been really fun and rewarding to use all of this insight and knowledge and experience that I have," Witton said. "It's reassuring for me as well that I do know stuff. I haven't just been talking to a camera — I've been building up all of these skills."

While Witton sees the value she could bring to newer creators, she finds working with more established ones more interesting.

"I want the creator who's going through a crisis," she said. "I want the creator who's been doing it six years and is like, what am I doing in my life?"

That's what gets her excited, she said — helping creators who are burned out, stressed, and confused about the future figure out their next steps.

"A lot of creators are getting to the age where they may be having children or different life responsibilities, or just generally having a different pace of life," Witton said. "It's the life cycle of a creator."

It's hard to turn off the creator voice in her head that tells her she should be doing more, so Witton has to listen to her own advice and not let the hamster wheel take her away again.

She would like a silver play button for her second channel one day, but right now, her priority is creators in need.

"The clinic is open," Witton said. "You can come to me when you're having your existential crisis."

• I'm 67 and am still working 5 days a week. Many of my friends have retired, but I can't afford to.
• I regret not investing in a pension offered to me earlier in life.
• Now I'm planning to move away from my grandchild so I can work less and enjoy a lower cost of living.

I am 67 years old and when people ask me if I've retired yet, my knee jerk response is, "No I haven't! What's retirement?"

I am a Psychologist, was formerly a teacher, and have worked and paid taxes all my life. I am well paid for the work that I do. I have paid my mortgage off and have no outstanding debts. In spite of this, I am now faced with the prospect of living on a state pension, which is just not possible, continuing to work or, as I have now decided, selling up and moving 200 miles away from my only granddaughter so I can live in a location where house prices are lower and I can afford to work less.

This wasn't the plan

It didn't start out this way. I once imagined that somehow I would make such a success of my life that I would be able to retire at 50 or younger, enjoying being a lady that lunches, going on cruises, and doing the odd spot of volunteer work. But I didn't actually have a plan.

I started my working life as a teacher, got married at 30 then found myself to be a lone parent when my children were 2 and 5, with no family support. I was not well advised and ended up with the children, the mortgage, no pension, and an ex-husband who tried his best not to pay anything at all.

Around that time I decided I needed a career change, and started to train as a Psychologist, a long and very expensive process. I'm not quite sure how I did it, but I managed to work, study, and raise children — all on my own.

I was proud of what I accomplished, but had nothing at all in the way of savings; life was a constant struggle to make ends meet. I still did what I could and at 40 I started to pay £100 (about $127 USD) a month into a private pension. Now I know that I was badly advised and if I were to take it, this would only pay me around £1,500 (about $1,905 USD) per year —nowhere near what I would need to live on.

The thing I never did with my money still haunts me

The obvious question is, why didn't I pay into the teacher's pension offered to me earlier in my career? Why indeed.

Not taking advantage of this is one of my greatest regrets. But when I was in my early 20s we didn't have any financial education. Even the teachers' unions didn't send out advice about pensions. To me, it just seemed like a large monthly outgoing from an already meagre salary, so I opted out and didn't give it another thought. Now I know that money would have made a big difference. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I needed to make some tough decisions

I realized around 5 years ago that the only way I could even contemplate retirement would be to downsize and move to a cheaper area in order to have a reasonably substantial nest egg to help me eke out my twilight years. Most of the advice I have read claims that to have a comfortable retirement where I live, one needs a gross annual income of around £40,000 (around $50,802 USD). I have calculated that with my state pension, bits and pieces for my writing, and interest on the surplus when I move, to reach that £40,000 I will still need to work at least one day a week. Not perfect, but a lot better than the five days I have been working.

With this in mind, I put my house on the market. Then my eldest daughter, who lives nearby, announced that she was pregnant. Fantastic as that was, I could no longer imagine moving away, so I carried on working five days.

I'm now more than a year past the typical retirement age and most of my friends seem to be enjoying a fruitful, active retirement. Meanwhile, I'm becoming more and more exhausted, suffering from frequent low-level infections, and becoming increasingly resentful.

Change is coming

Now, my house is back on the market. I will be moving to Derbyshire, where my younger daughter lives and where house prices are around half of those where I live now.

It will be a massive wrench, especially leaving my granddaughter, but I need to do it while I'm still fit and healthy. I have lived in my current house for 38 years and expected to leave it in a box. I've worked out a solution, although not ideal. I will have enough income to work one day a week, more time to focus on my passions, I'll be able to travel and get involved in the local community and still be able to visit my granddaughter every 6 weeks or so.

My advice to young people now? However distant it seems, don't leave it to chance. Make a retirement plan and start paying as much as you can into a good pension. The years fly by and it will be here before you know it.

• 2024 was a big year for artificial intelligence. 2025 could be even bigger.
• Business Insider spoke to over a dozen key figures in the industry about AI's future.
• Here's what they had to say.

If 2024 is the year companies started adopting AI, then 2025 could be the year they start tailoring it to fit their needs.

Some say AI will become so integrated into our lives we won't even notice it's there.

"Like the internet or electricity, AI will become an invisible driver of outcomes, not a selling point," Tom Biegala, cofounder of Bison Ventures, a venture firm focused on frontier technology, told Business Insider by email.

And as companies incorporate the technology into their businesses, they'll likely need to focus more on managing it responsibly.

"In 2025 we expect more enterprise companies will recognize that investing in AI governance is just as important as adopting AI itself," Navrina Singh, founder of Credo AI, an AI governance platform, said.

Business Insider spoke with 13 key figures in tech — from startup founders to investors — for their best guesses on what to expect from AI in 2025.

Investment will continue to soar

"The AI hype cycle may stabilize, but AI investments will soar," Immad Akhund, the CEO of Mercury, which offers banking services to startups, told BI by email.

He believes the sustained interest in AI comes as companies move from experimenting to using it in real-world areas like customer service, sales, and finance.

"Companies will use AI to boost productivity — especially in back-office tasks and document management — helping small teams scale quickly and operate more efficiently," he said.

Under the Trump Administration, the new leadership at the Federal Trade Commission might foster a more favorable climate for mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs in the AI industry.

"I expect M&A to increase by at least 35% next year," Tomasz Tunguz, founder of Theory Ventures, a venture capital firm, told BI. "The top 10 most active acquirers in the software world are falling off a cliff in terms of activity, which requires meaningfully the IPO market to roar open with a combination of AI and other software companies."

The competition will get fierce

Don't be surprised if a leading company takes a hit because of AI.

"At least one major, globally recognized company will fail or significantly downsize due to an inability to compete with one or more AI-native startups. Rapid innovation cycles and the horizontal application of AI will render slow movers obsolete," Stefan Weitz, CEO and cofounder of HumanX, a leading AI conference, told BI.

He believes the tech's threat will extend to the global stage, requiring major powers to regulate AI to maintain their competitive edge.

"As we are already seeing with the US and China regulating or blocking core AI technologies, nations or corporations will experience major geopolitical conflicts over AI algorithms and data, with some countries banning or nationalizing key AI technologies to maintain control over economic and political power," he wrote.

That said, the United States and China are already working together to mitigate the existential threat AI poses to humanity. In November, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed that humans, not AI, should make decisions regarding the use of nuclear technology.

The lines between humans and AI will not be obvious

The idea of humans and autonomous agents working together might soon move beyond the realm of science fiction. That means we'll also need to start drafting rules to govern these interactions.

"Synthetic virtual people indistinguishable from real humans will enter the workforce, even if in limited ways, leading to debates about employment rights and creating a push for 'AI citizenship' to define their societal roles and limitations," Weitz said.

Some predict that the distinction between human-created and AI-generated content will also become increasingly unclear.

"Generative media will hit the mainstream in a big way and will be as much talked about as LLMs in 2024," Steve Jang, founder and managing partner of Kindred Ventures, an early-stage venture firm, told BI. "Generative audio and images are getting better due to more advanced models, and we'll start to see adoption spike across both consumer and enterprise."

Specialization. Specialization. Specialization.

Business leaders told BI that next year will be about custom-fitting AI technology to suit specific needs.

"In 2025, the AI hype cycle will give way to the rise of domain-specific, specialized AI and robotics," Biegala said. "Products will be faster and more efficient while delivering immediate, tangible value compared to general-purpose solutions. This shift will mark the beginning of real, transformative economic impact of AI."

The focus on customization also extends to how we search for information online, with chatbots replacing search engines like Google.

"In 2025, search will no longer be synonymous with a single brand; instead, users will turn to multiple platforms for specific types of queries. Some may rely on AI-powered chatbots for conversational answers, others on domain-specific engines for technical or industry-specific expertise, and still others on visual or voice-based tools for multimedia queries," Dominik Mazur, CEO and cofounder of IAsk, an AI search engine, told BI. "This diversification will create a competitive environment where specialized players and niche solutions coexist with larger generalist platforms, leading to greater innovation and choice for users."

Over the past year, AI leaders have been promoting the value of smaller AI models that can address a company's specific needs better than large-scale foundation models. "There's a lot of pressure on making smaller, more efficient models, smarter via data and algorithms, methods, rather than just scaling up due to market forces," Aidan Gomez, the founder and CEO of Cohere, an enterprise AI startup, previously told BI.

The pressure is rising as the value of building models simply based on computing power decreases.

"The days of using a GPU to brute force compute to build models and applications will be in the rearview mirror," Biegala said.

Companies may also use customizable AI tools more, possibly replacing software-as-a-service applications.

"AI tools are tearing down the moat of SaaS applications as tools that can only be bought vs built, prompting enterprises — from Amazon to ambitious startups — to replace expensive SaaS apps that don't quite totally fit the need with lightweight custom-fit solutions integrated into your stack," David Hsu, founder of Retool, a low code platform for developers, told BI.

Regulation takes priority

With more responsibility comes more risk. Companies are going to start getting serious about regulation.

"I expect to see more voluntary commitments and actions to responsible AI. I think there will be a push to establish guardrails similar to what happened for frontier models, now discussed for AI agents and autonomous AI," Singh said. "Also, I do see a world where we will see the first penalties for noncompliance with AI-specific laws, which will set a global precedent, forcing businesses to prioritize governance or face steep consequences."

Singh, along with others like AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have expressed interest in an international body to govern the use of AI. We may "even see Global AI standards emerge, led by coalitions of nations and enterprises to set the baseline for safety, transparency, and accountability in AI systems," she said.

The value of regulation will be paramount next year amid the growing threat of large-scale AI-driven cybersecurity threats.

"AI deepfake technologies will make generating fake identities and documents trivially easy, creating a trust crisis for businesses," Pat Kinsel, the CEO of Proof, a software platform for notarization, told BI. "The ability to distinguish between real and fraudulent identities and secure digital interactions in the AI age will be the key differentiator between resilient businesses and those at risk of costly fraud."

AI will not take your job — yet

The good news is that business and tech leaders only expect to see AI enhance people's occupations next year, not replace them.

"We'll see efficiency gains in industries that automate repetitive tasks, but humans will still be needed for complex decision-making and creative work. 2025 is the year we really see many using AI as a core part of their job and enabling more productivity," Akhund said.

• Mark Zuckerberg is building a 1,400-acre compound in Kauai, Hawaii, with a vast basement.
• Plans for the compound show an underground structure nearly double the size of the average US house.
• In an interview with Bloomberg, Zuckerberg said it was only a "little shelter" for hurricanes and the like.

Mark Zuckerberg said the 4,500-square-foot underground structure in his Hawaii compound is just a "little shelter."

The description was in answer to the question of whether he is building some kind of armageddon shelter as part of his 1,400-acre property on the island of Kauai.

In a video with Bloomberg's "The Circuit" released on December 19, Zuckerberg effectively said the project was nothing to write home about.

Bloomberg's reporter, Emily Chang, asked if Zuckerberg was entering his "billionaire era" with the Hawaiian home.

(Business Insider in April calculated Zuckerberg's property holdings were worth about $200 million, spanning compounds in Palo Alto, Lake Tahoe and Hawaii.)

"The Kauai thing is really fun," Zuck responded. "We're doing ranching down there," he added, saying he was excited about creating "the highest quality of beef in the world."

In the video, the reporter asks Zuckerberg about the ranch's bunker, joking that he knows something we don't. Zuck responded: "No, I think that's just like a little shelter. It's like a basement."

He added later: "There's just a bunch of storage space and like, I don't know, whatever you want to call it: a hurricane shelter or whatever."

The little shelter, though, is fairly big.

Both Wired and local news outlet Hawaii News Now obtained planning documents showing an underground space spanning some 4,500 square feet.

That's close to double the size of the average US family home. Per census data, in Q2 2024 the medium new single-family home came it at 2,161 square feet.

Wired reported the plans for Zuckerberg's shelter, accessed via a tunnel, included a living space, mechanical room and escape hatch.

A local Hawaii realtor, Tom Tezak, told HNN that shelters were a rarity in Hawaii, and that he'd never seen one so large.

Zuckerberg told Bloomberg in response to media interest in the compound: "I think it got blown out of proportion as if the whole ranch was some kind of doomsday bunker, which is just not true."

• Market research company EMARKETER shared its forecast for retail in 2025.
• Chinese apps like TikTok disrupted the e-commerce space, but growth could be hindered in the US.
• Retailers may create more exclusive content for consumers with in-house production studios.

Technology will continue to impact the retail industry in 2025, pushing the boundaries of traditional sales and e-commerce.

Retailers of all sizes are adapting to this fast-changing consumer landscape, which is on the rebound in the United States.

Retail sales rose 0.7% in November compared to the previous month due to increased automobile sales and the success of online retailers, according to the US Census Bureau. A recent boost in personal-care spending could be a signal that US shoppers are now more confident, meaning they're more apt to splurge at e-commerce retailers like Shein or hybrid models like Walmart.

As the industry sets its sights on the coming year, EMARKETER, a research firm owned by Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, published its insights and forecasts.

"As competition intensifies and consumers continue to seek value, retailers will need to double on how to differentiate themselves and offer shoppers what they want, wherever they are," the report said.

From artificial intelligence to retailers like creating production companies, here are five ways the industry will expand and transform in 2025.

Innovative companies will combine generative AI with predictive AI to stimulate business growth

Artificial intelligence has become more prominent in the retail industry, and that trend will only accelerate in 2025. EMARKETER said the way retailers use the technology will become more sophisticated as they leverage both generative and predictive artificial intelligence.

Gen AI is artificial intelligence that can respond to prompts or requests with original content. Predictive AI can help forecast outcomes by recognizing patterns using statistical analysis and machine learning.

"By using the two technologies in tandem, businesses can make faster, more informed decisions," the report said. "They can unlock revenue growth by reducing customer churn, identifying new business opportunities, and forecasting demand — and they can improve profitability by identifying inefficiencies and optimizing operations."

Companies who can harness this technology will win with consumers, EMARKETER said.

The report predicts that companies will be able to make more accurate inventory and assortment planning, which will result in gains in product gross margin. It also says products will arrive on the market faster with less waste and fewer resources.

Americans are enamored with Chinese retailers, but policies and privacy concerns could slow momentum

Several Chinese retailers have dug deep inroads with American consumers in recent years. Cheap products and bullish digital marketing helped brands like Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop thrive.

Shein generated $2 billion in profits in 2023, while Temu's success helped creator Colin Huang become one of the richest men in China. PDD Holdings, Temu's parent company, said it made about $35 billion in revenues in 2023, a 90% increase from 2022. It's unclear how much TikTok Shop has generated since its 2023 launch, but the company said in its 2024 economic report that the app drove $15 billion in revenue for small businesses in the United States. A March Financial Times report, citing three sources, said TikTok Shop facilitated $16 billion in sales in the United States.

Americans are enamored with these brands, but obstacles lay ahead in 2025.

TikTok, for example, could be banned in the United States before the end of January. Congress passed a law in April that gave ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, a January 19 deadline to divest the app or be removed from US app stores, citing security concerns. TikTok asked the US Supreme Court to block the law, arguing it violates the First Amendment rights of Americans who use the app. President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he opposes the ban, but what actions he would take is unclear.

The report said both Shein and Temu, meanwhile, have faced concerns over data privacy, product safety, and copyright infringement. At one point, Temu and Shein sued each other. Shein's parent company, Roadget Business Pte., Ltd., filed a lawsuit against Temu in 2023 that accused it of creating fake Twitter accounts using Shein's name and trademark. Temu later sued Shen, saying the fast-fashion company violated antitrust laws.

A Shein spokesperson said told BI that it "has robust data security policies and practices in line with industry standards, and we are committed to only collecting and using the minimum amount of data needed to fulfill orders. SHEIN stores U.S. customer data within Microsoft's U.S.-based Azure cloud-based solution and within AWS's U.S.-based cloud-based solution."

The spokesperson said Shein "takes product safety very seriously and is dedicated to providing customers with safe and reliable products."

These e-commerce stores also have to compete with powerhouse retailers in the United States, like Amazon, which launched its own Temu-like discount storefront called Haul in November.

Despite the hurdles, EMARKETER says the TikTok Shop will continue to grow, Shein's supply chain model will become more popular, and Temu could expand its offerings into low-cost groceries.

Major retailers like Amazon and Walmart will continue to dominate ad spending while smaller ones struggle

EMARKETER's report said the influx in new retail media networks — a type of advertising platform that lets retailers sell ad space on their channels to third-party brands — won't dent the share of ad spending allocated to Amazon and Walmart.

"Amazon and Walmart combined will gobble up more than 84% of all retail media ad spending in 2025, representing a pervasive and unyielding dominance within the channel," the report said. "The share of ad spending allocated to all other RMNs increased by less than 1 percentage point between 2019 and 2024. While the pie has grown nearly five times larger since 2019, it has also grown significantly more crowded, with more retailers competing for advertiser investment."

The report said most small and midsize retailers don't have a digital footprint big enough to create "meaningful revenues by monetizing their owned and operated digital channels."

"Many are branching into arenas that enable a more scaled reach, including off-site digital channels with the potential to tap into budgets typically reserved for upper-funnel awareness," the report said. "But success off-site or in-store requires a tough-to-stomach investment to fund capabilities, expertise, and technology."

As a result, EMARKETER said advertisers with fewer resources would likely consolidate their retail media network spending across fewer networks, and ad tech platforms would benefit from companies seeking solutions.

Retailers will rely more on media and entertainment content, including in-house production studios

Retailers want to connect with consumers quickly and effectively, leading some to make their own exclusive content. Ulta Beauty launched a "gamified" loyalty program where users compete in in-app games for perks in 2023. That same year, fast food giant Chick-fil-A said it would create a family entertainment app dubbed PLAY to host video series and podcasts.

Companies like Starbucks and LVMH have also created production studios to deliver high-quality video content for their products.

"Many brands and retailers are also using entertainment content to bolster loyalty programs, drive app downloads, and boost engagement," the EMARKETER report said.

The report said more brands will start production studios in 2025 to create episodic content and daily games to engage with consumers. Streaming will be another method retailers will use.

"Brands and retailers will glean consumer insights to better target customers and then eventually sell advertising space around the content powered by first-party data," the report said.

Retailers are leaning into premium loyalty programs and 'partner perks'

Retailers in 2025 will try to make themselves valuable to consumers by partnering with other companies and offering well-rounded subscriptions. For instance, Walmart+ partnered with Paramount+ to allow certain members access to the streaming site. Similarly, Instacart+ members get access to NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. Amazon Prime members can access Grubhub+ benefits for free.

The EMARKETER report says Walmart could partner with Uber to explore meal delivery and rideshare services. Additionally, quick-service restaurants will be the next frontier for retail partnerships.

"Walmart may expand its partnership with Burger King's parent company, Restaurant Brands International, to bring banners like Popeyes to its membership offerings," the report said. "Target could bolster its Circle 360 membership with Starbucks discounts, as there are already Starbucks Cafes in more than 1,700 Target locations."

• Astronauts take hundreds of stunning photos from the International Space Station.
• This year's best snapshots reveal both Earth and space in glorious detail.
• Check out astronauts' views of eclipses, northern lights, storms, and Earth's grandest landscapes.

Every year, the International Space Station produces some of the world's best photography.

Astronauts tend to be technically skilled with a camera, yes. Many of them are engineers, after all.

Their real photography advantage, though, is the glorious view from space as they circle our planet every 90 minutes.

From blue comets and pink northern lights to snowy volcanos and winding rivers, the view 250 miles above Earth does not disappoint.

Here are the best photos of 2024 from the space station.

You simply can't beat the views from the International Space Station.

So astronauts take hundreds of photos each year.

"How would you not want to take pictures and try and share that with the rest of humanity?" NASA astronaut Matt Dominick told ABC News Radio in August.

This year brought a special treat: the bold, bright Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, or Comet A3.

Of course, astronauts also get front-row seats to the northern lights, aka the aurora borealis.

In April, they watched the shadow of the moon creep across the US during the total solar eclipse.

Earth's atmosphere offers other unique spectacles, such as colorful sunsets and sunrises.

This eerie sheen is noctilucent clouds — extremely rare ice-crystal formations much higher in the atmosphere than any other cloud.

Even these gorgeous photos don't do the real views justice, according to Dominick.

"I've spent a fair amount of time trying to capture what I can see with my eye. I've not been able to achieve it yet," he said.

Not all the views are fun or comforting. Astronauts can see wildfires clearly.

Every year they get a bird's-eye view of hurricanes, too.

Stretching hundreds of miles wide, major storms like Hurricanes Helene and Milton seem to swallow the world below.

Astronauts can even see lightning blaring through the clouds.

One thing they can't often see is borders — like in this spot where Libya, Sudan, and Egypt meet in the Sahara desert.

Astronauts have long described a profound shift in perspective when they first see Earth from above. It's called the "Overview Effect."

They talk about overwhelming feelings of awe, unity, and a sense of Earth's fragility.

The actor William Shatner described it after his 2021 spaceflight with Jeff Bezos: "There's the blue down there and the black up there. There is Mother Earth and comfort, and there is — is there death? I don't know."

"It really is difficult for me to imagine people on Earth not getting along together," NASA astronaut Suni Williams told reporters in September. "It just changes your perspective."

Williams and her crewmate, Butch Wilmore, have been stuck on the space station for months.

They were the first people to fly on Boeing's Starliner spaceship for a roughly week-long flight in July.

Starliner returned to Earth without them after engine issues made NASA officials concerned about its safety.

Now, Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in March.

They've taken the setback in stride. "This is my happy place. I love being up here in space," Williams said.

The space station's days are numbered, though. It will reach the end of its operational life in 2030.

NASA has asked SpaceX to design a vehicle to push the ISS out of orbit, to a fiery plunge into the Pacific Ocean.

The ISS will have a "big legacy," Dominick said: "Look what humanity can do when they come together and work together."

• Ryan Salame, an ex-FTX executive, appears to have had time shaved off his scheduled release from prison.
• Salame began his 7 ½ year sentence for his role in a massive crypto fraud scheme in October.
• Federal prison records show Salame is scheduled to be released in March 2031.

Ryan Salame, a former top executive at the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, reported to federal prison in October to start his 7 ½ year sentence for his role in Sam Bankman-Fried's multi-billion-dollar fraud scheme.

And it appears that Salame — who was in the inner circle of Bankman-Fried, the disgraced crypto tycoon and FTX founder — has already had his prison release date moved up by more than a year.

Salame was sentenced in May after he pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the 2022 collapse of Bankman-Fried's crypto exchange. Salame began his prison sentence at Maryland's medium-security Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland on October 11.

Federal Bureau of Prisons records viewed by Business Insider in mid-December show Salame's prison release date as scheduled for March 1, 2031 — which is just over a year short of 7 ½ years.

Salame's attorneys did not respond to requests for comment for this story. A Bureau of Prisons spokesman told BI the agency didn't comment on the confinement conditions of any person in custody, including release plans, but said incarcerated individuals could earn time off their sentence for good behavior under the 2018 First Step Act.

"Every incarcerated individual earns Good Conduct Time (GCT), which is projected on their release date," the spokesman told BI in an email, explaining that under the First Step Act, "qualifying individuals will be eligible to earn up to 54 days of GCT time for each year of the sentence imposed by the court."

In accordance with federal law, the Bureau of Prisons "continues to pro-rate the amount of GCT earned for the final year of service of the sentence," the spokesman said.

Just before he reported to the federal Maryland lockup, Salame turned to LinkedIn to share a life update.

"I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Inmate at FCI Cumberland," Salame posted at the time.

He later updated his LinkedIn profile headline to read, "Camper Librarian at FCI Cumberland / Previously Co - CEO FDM (FTX Digital Markets)."

In a profile description under "Inmate / Camper Librarian," Salame wrote: "Incarcerated; manually implemented Dewey Decimal System with no internet access; trained Navy Seal style training daily 2+ hours with no water; honed chess, ping pong, yoga and spades skills; began pursuit of reading every presidential biography; learned to cook plethora of meals with 190 degree water and an iron; taught cryptocurrency courses to fellow campers; never screwed up a daily count."

Salame pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to make illegal campaign contributions totaling tens of millions of dollars and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business.

He was one of four top executives within Bankman-Fried's business empire to plead guilty. Among those former executives was Caroline Ellison, Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend and the CEO of his Alameda Research cryptocurrency hedge fund.

Ellison was sentenced to two years in prison in September after she previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with Bankman-Fried in the $11 billion fraud scheme.

As BI recently reported, it appears Ellison also had some time shaved from her scheduled release from prison.

Earlier this year, Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy.

He remains behind bars at the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as he appeals his conviction.

• Gong Yoo returns in "Squid Game" season two as the recruiter.
• Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told BI he wanted to explore the character's backstory and true nature.
• That true nature is pretty wild — and Gong embraces it in his performance.

Gong Yoo's ddakji-playing recruiter is blessedly back in "Squid Game" season two — and this time, his appearance is even more memorable.

Gong plays the recruiter, a well-dressed, frankly unfairly attractive man who approaches people and challenges them to a game of ddakji. If they win a round, he gives them money. If they lose, he slaps them. Win-win! After enough time, he'll invite them to participate in a game with a much larger prize pool, and much more severe consequences for losing.

He appears only briefly in season one to recruit Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) into the games. More memorably, he utterly trounces Gi-hun in ddakji, slapping him no less than ten times all while remaining perfectly pleasant and composed. It's enough to, if you're a true freak, make him want to slap you too.

Luckily for those of us who have been thinking about this scene for the past three years, there's a whole lot more Gong Yoo in season two.

"I got many, many requests, people asking me to tell us the backstory about the ddakji man," creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told Business Insider. "I also thought of him to be a very intriguing character, so I wanted to bring him back again in season two and give him is own narrative."

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season two, episode one of "Squid Game."

Gi-hun tracks down the recruiter as a means to an end

In season two, Gi-hun is a man on a mission: he wants to shut down the games, and to do so, he needs to pin down his first point of contact. That's ddakji guy, and Gi-hun enlists a veritable small army of foot soldiers to scour the Seoul subway system for people getting slapped. It's slow going until Gi-hun's former creditor Mr. Kim (Kim Pub-lae) and his associate Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho) actually manage to find him.

They pursue him from the subway, to a bakery, to a convenience store, to a park, and eventually to an alleyway. Unfortunately, Mr. Kim and Woo-seok are no match for six feet of bitch-slapping recruiter, and he captures them and forces them to play a game that leaves Mr. Kim dead.

When Gi-hun returns to the motel where he's taken up residence, he finds the recruiter waiting for him. During their conversation, the recruiter reveals his backstory: after getting brought into the game as a guard, he was given a gun. After killing a player who turned out to be his father, the recruiter realized that his calling was.... leading people to their violent deaths. Sure!

This time, the recruiter challenges Gi-hun not to ddakji, but a modified game of Russian Roulette that will inevitably leave one of them dead. Apparently, he's a man prone to absurd melodrama, because he queues up "Time To Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman to set the tone.

After trying to convince Gi-hun to acknowledge that he's a "piece of trash" like everyone else who ended up in the games, the recruiter ends up with the last bullet in the gun — and after Gi-hun calls him a dog, ddakji man pulls the trigger, ending his own life.

No more Mr. Nice Ddakji Guy

In season one, the recruiter was an entrancing figure because of the difference in his demeanor (perfect, poised) and actions (slapping the daylights out of people). This time, however, Hwang told BI that he wanted to not only reveal his backstory, but also, "what kind of state he is in as a human being."

The answer? One untethered to anything except his objectively wild and remarkably strong convictions. This is a man who does it all — harassing people already being crushed by debt, sentencing them to a death game, and murder — for the love of the game. It's not really clear why he believes people, like those he recruits into the games, are trash. On the flip side, it's incredibly clear that he's a sadist who will play any game he initiates to the end, even if he has to forfeit his own life.

Gong brings a charged energy to his sequences in episode one — particularly his confrontation with Gi-hun — that remains largely unmatched by the rest of the season. His physicality, whether it's getting up in another performer's space or spinning the barrel of a pistol, is unmatched.

"Gong Yoo is an actor who's mostly taken on very sweet characters," Hwang said. "He's never done something that's as crazy or insane as this one, so I was personally curious to see how he was going to portray the character as well."

In season one, it was clear that the recruiter was a tightly coiled spring. In season two, Hwang and Gong finally let him snap.

"Squid Game" season two is now streaming on Netflix.

• BYD is chasing down Tesla on EV sales, but the Chinese giant is much more than just a car company.
• As well as cheap EVs, BYD also makes batteries, buses, trains and even some iPhones and iPads.
• BYD is following in the footsteps of Elon Musk's company, which also has lucrative side hustles.

BYD has fast become one of the world's biggest electric-vehicle makers — but the Chinese giant is much more than just a car company.

Like its rival Tesla, BYD, which was founded in 1995 as a battery manufacturer, makes and sells a variety of products alongside its car business, from solar panels to buses.

The EV giant's manufacturing expertise allows it to make nearly all of the components of its vehicles in-house, cutting down costs and enabling BYD to sell EVs for as little as $10,000.

That versatility has proven a crucial advantage, helping BYD to expand rapidly in China's cut-throat EV industry and even briefly overtake Elon Musk's automaker and become world's largest producer of EVs by sales last year.

Here are all of BYD's side hustles.

iPads and iPhones

Apple has long turned to China to assemble its tablets and smartphones, and it is reportedly increasingly relying on BYD.

The EV maker's manufacturing arm, BYD Electronic, now assembles more than 30% of Apple's iPad tablets and is part of the supply chain for the iPhone, according to industry executives and analysts cited by The Wall Street Journal earlier this month.

Apple CEO Tim Cook praised its partnership with BYD during a visit to China in March, and Apple isn't the only company that relies on BYD Electronic.

EV rivals Xiaomi as well as other smartphone manufacturers Huawei and Samsung are also customers.

Batteries

China dominates the global battery industry, and BYD is one of its biggest success stories.

The automaker is the world's second-largest battery producer, behind fellow Chinese firm CATL, per data released in September by Korean market research SNE Research.

In 2020, BYD rolled out its Blade battery, which the company said had "maximum safety, while offering outstanding strength, range, longevity and power."

The Blade battery is now incorporated into all BYD vehicles, and the automaker also sells it to rivals such as Toyota, which uses BYD's batteries in its cars sold in China.

In October, Bloomberg reported Apple had worked with BYD on designing long-range batteries for its project to build its own car, which it ultimately scrapped.

Energy storage

Just like its rival Tesla, BYD has been able to turn its battery know-how into a lucrative side hustle in energy storage.

Tesla's energy business includes solar panels and its megapack and powerwall batteries, which provide a backup power supply for homes and businesses.

BYD also sells solar panels and its battery-box system — a stack of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries that the company markets for home and commercial usage.

BYD's energy storage business has grown rapidly in recent years, but the automaker may be about to face more competition from Musk with Tesla set to begin megapack production at its factory in Shanghai early next year.

Buses

BYD may not sell its cars in the US market thanks to tariffs — but the company has been making buses and commercial vehicles in its Lancaster, California factory since 2013.

BYD's commercial vehicle business, which makes everything from school buses to forklifts, has often entered new markets before the company's automotive arm.

BYD has also been contracted to provide London's famous red double-decker buses and has struck a deal to provide Mexico City with a fleet of electric buses.

The company's November figures showed it had sold around 16,400 commercial vehicles, including around 4,200 buses, in 2024 so far.

Monorails

In addition to buses, BYD has also branched out into mass transit with its "Skyrail" monorail.

The company unveiled its first single-track electric train in the Chinese city of Yinchuan in 2017. The company said the Skyrail is cheaper and easier to build than traditional subway systems.

BYD has a contract to build a Metro system in the Brazilian city of São Paulo, and it is also part of a consortium developing a proposal for a monorail system in Los Angeles.