• A man from Vancouver caught people's attention because they thought he was RedNote's CEO.
• Jerry welcomed new users who had been flocking to the app ahead of a potential TikTok ban.
• People got a bit carried away, and it became a viral case of mistaken identity.

Americans flocking to the Chinese app RedNote thought the platform's CEO had left them an encouraging message.

Turns out, he wasn't the CEO. He's just a guy from Vancouver.

Jerry, who shares a RedNote account with his girlfriend Dani that has about 31,000 followers, posted a video on January 13.

In the video he welcomed US users who had been signing up ahead of a possible ban on TikTok. He said the app, also known as Xiaohongshum, was mainly Chinese-speaking, and it was a place people mainly used for finding restaurants and sharing lifestyle content such as makeup videos.

"But do feel free to speak English and post English content because I believe there are a lot more English-speaking people on this platform nowadays," Jerry said. "We need to build this community."

Mistaken identity

For reasons that aren't entirely clear, some users assumed Jerry was RedNote's CEO.

His video got reposted on TikTok, and the rumor quickly spread around the platform. People thanked him for welcoming them with open arms while the potential TikTok ban loomed.

Jerry's video was also mentioned at the end of a Fox 5 New York news segment about the ban threat.

"The CEO of RedNote even made a video welcoming new users who speak English to the app, and he also encouraged them to never stop sharing their voice," said Jennifer Williams, a sports reporter for FOX 5 News.

On Tuesday, Jerry and Dani, on their TikTok account FakeCEORealGF, tried to clear up the confusion. In the video, Dani showed Jerry what had happened, and he responded with disbelief.

"Guys, I'm not the RedNote CEO, just to be clear," Jerry said.

"I'm just another normal guy in Vancouver," he added. "I didn't expect this post to go viral like this, and thank you for all the comments, but I want to clarify that I'm not the CEO of RedNote."

Jerry said all the points he made were still true, and he hoped new users enjoyed the platform.

Dani, who is Chinese and grew up in North America, and Jerry, who was born in Shanghai and moved to Canada a decade ago, said they had enjoyed watching Chinese and American cultures merge on RedNote.

"Guys, I hope you guys aren't mad at us," Dani said. "We're really sorry for any misunderstandings this caused."

TikTokers who made the error joked in the comments that Jerry had been promoted.

"We married the first guy to be nice to us," one viewer wrote. Another said: "He said 'welcome' and we said 'THE CEO?!?!'"

Others remarked on Jerry's American accent, remarking, "We have to start using critical thinking skills."

Jerry and Dani and Fox 5 New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

TikTok faces a January 19 deadline to comply with a divest-or-ban law requiring its US operations to be sold. It remains unclear what the ramifications of the bill could be.

Creators have been highly critical of the ban, saying their small businesses and livelihoods will be destroyed. Black creators, who were instrumental in the platform's growth, could be significantly affected.

Element of trolling

In response, TikTok users have been considering their options and downloading alternative apps, including Lemon8 and RedNote. Both have rapidly climbed the app download charts in recent days.

The influx to RedNote has been helping some of its users learn English, BI reported this week.

There's also an element of trolling going on. Frustrated about losing a valuable resource for their income and ability to mobilize, TikTokers are leaning into downloading other Chinese apps to send a message.

A major criticism of the potential TikTok ban is that it is hypocritical. Many claim it focuses heavily on one app while leaving alone other tech companies such as Meta, which owns Instagram.

• I stayed in a cylindrical tiny home hotel in Germany during a European train trip in 2022.
• The 106-square-foot home made smarter use of space than any tiny home I've seen in the US.
• The European tiny home was two stories and less than half the size of the US tiny homes I've booked.

I love how tiny homes creatively use small spaces. Living in NYC for the last six years, I've rented some cramped apartments.

So, I often book tiny home accommodations when I travel to get some ideas for space-saving hacks I could implement in my own dwelling.

From Florida and Maryland to Canada and Switzerland, I've stayed in several tiny Airbnbs around the world.

But none of those homes used indoor space as smartly as this tiny home hotel in Germany, which I found on Airbnb back in 2022.

I was looking for tiny stays in Germany when I found one with a unique, cylindrical shape that packed a lot inside, so I booked it for two nights for $140.

The Airbnb was part of a tiny home hotel in Neustrelitz, Germany, called Slube. The company designs minimal concrete "Slubes" for up to two people.

There are three types of Slubes: Basic, which is one story; Home, which is two stories; and Tower, which adds a rooftop terrace. I booked a Home Slube.

It was less than half the size of any tiny home I'd stayed in before.

At 16 feet tall, the tiny home with two floors was 106 square feet.

I checked in with a code sent to my phone rather than a physical key.

When I arrived by train from the airport in Berlin, I didn't see any employees on the property.

I was confused at first, but then I checked my email. I had a message from Slube informing me I'd be staying in room five and could check in by myself.

Inside, the 53-square-foot bottom level had a bathroom on the right, a sitting area on the left, and a ladder to the second floor.

The sitting area had a foldout table. When I wasn't using it, I could push it into the wall to save space.

Across from a foldout table was a bench with two seat cushions instead of a couch.

Beneath the benches, there was enough space for me to store luggage.

This tiny home utilized more vertical space than those I've seen in the US.

There were hooks and storage cubbies above the bench, so I stored all of my clothing and toiletries on the first floor.

I was impressed by the amenities packed into such a small room.

In the back right corner of the sitting area, there was a nook of built-in shelves storing a small coffee machine, a hair dryer, and a few dishes.

The bathroom felt efficiently designed.

There was a curtain separating the shower head and sink from the toilet and storage space.

Even with two windows, I felt I had enough privacy.

The first-floor windows had a film over most of the glass, which allowed me to let natural light in without sacrificing my privacy.

After checking out the first level, I headed up the ladder to the bedroom.

I thought it was easy to climb but could be challenging for some.

There was a latched gate at the top of the ladder, which I imagine was built to keep people safe from falling.

Knowing I was securely fastened into the bed area made falling sleeping easier.

The bedroom was the same size as the living space and bathroom combined — 53 square feet.

A comfy, full-size bed covered the floor space. The pillows had the ideal ratio of fluff to firmness for my neck and head.

Above the bed, a TV equipped with Netflix and other streaming services was mounted on the wall.

Before bed, I watched some of my favorite shows.

On the far side of the bed, I used the lower platform as a nightstand.

It had easily accessible outlets, a pocket for the TV remote, and more space for my electronics and water bottle.

Above the bed, a large window opened so I could let the breeze into my room.

It had a black-out curtain for privacy and early morning light.

The Slube also had smart electricity that made my stay feel a little luxurious.

I controlled the lights and temperature of each story from my phone.

I found it fascinating that this tiny home truly left no space unused, from the loft bed to the wall cubbies.

While I can't stick a second story into my own rental, the European tiny home still gave me inspiration for how I could make better use of my space, starting with vertical storage hacks.

• Wednesday's BlackRock earnings call was CEO Larry Fink's 100th.
• The firm went public in 1999 when it was still known primarily as a fixed-income manager.
• Despite being the world's largest asset manager, the $11.6 trillion firm is looking to grow through its private market strategies.

At least one thing remains the same from when BlackRock went public a quarter of a century ago: Larry Fink's pre-earnings call dinner.

Fink, speaking on his 100th earnings call Wednesday, said — despite the many changes to the firm and the world over the past 25 years — he has had a bowl of cereal with blueberries the night before each call.

Now, with $11.6 trillion in assets and a record $641 billion in net inflows in 2024, BlackRock is looking toward private markets for its next evolution.

"This just the beginning," Fink said.

The firm hopes to close its acquisition of private credit giant HPS in the second quarter, he said and has already integrated infrastructure investor GIP. Data platform Preqin — which BlackRock bought for $3.2 billion last summer— will make the private markets more accessible, Fink said, because of its data and analytics capabilities.

Altogether, the biggest opportunity for the firm is taking these strategies downmarket to individual retirement plans and managed account models. Private market players are anticipating that the incoming Trump administration, which has promised a deregulatory push, to allow private equity and credit assets into pension plans such as 401ks.

The ideal portfolio blend, Fink said, is no longer the 60-40 portfolio of stocks and bonds that was the standard for so long. Alternatives are needed to diversify properly, and BlackRock plans to offer them.

There's close to $10 trillion in money-market funds Fink expects will "be put to work" soon, and "income-oriented products" like private credit and infrastructure investments should be at the top of the list.

While he's hoping to get private markets strategies into 401ks, Fink did not address his own potential retirement. Mark Wiedman, a potential successor to Fink, is leaving the asset manager. Fink said on the call that Wiedman's departure was discussed for months and he will stay on through the spring to help with the transition.

"Rob and I are proud of the deep leadership team at BlackRock," he said, referring to firm president Rob Kapito.

He said talent is "the most important thing we invest in each and every year," stating that a new generation of leaders is being developed.

Those new leaders will be the ones who will determine what BlackRock's next 25 years look like and where it will grow next. They just need to be careful not to blink.

"It goes by quick," said Bill Katz, TD Cowen's analyst, on the call, reminiscing about covering BlackRock's IPO.

• AI hiring is rising 30% faster than overall hiring, LinkedIn reports.
• By 2030, 70% of the skills needed for most jobs will change due to AI, the platform predicts.
• LinkedIn's COO told BI that fluency with AI will be something that comes up in many job interviews.

If you want to get a new job this year, it might pay to lean into artificial intelligence.

Since last fall, AI hiring has risen 30% faster than overall hiring, new figures from LinkedIn show.

This doesn't just mean being one of the technologists who build AI, though many employers are desperate to find workers with these skills. It can also mean workers comfortable using AI to do their jobs, Daniel Shapero, COO at LinkedIn, told Business Insider.

He said that, in part, that desire reflects a need to have people best positioned to withstand an enormous shift in the workplace.

"There's a feeling from employers that they need to make sure that the workers that they're hiring are up for the changes that are about to occur in the labor market," Shapero said.

Part of the coming shift is underscored elsewhere in the LinkedIn report: By 2030 — in only five years — 70% of the skills required for most jobs will change, the company said. That's largely because of AI.

"That's just an indication of how prevalent AI is likely to be across different kinds of jobs," Shapero said.

AI has also only recently become mainstream. ChatGPT was the first major chatbot to burst onto the market, and that was in late 2022. Yet workers who embrace the technology will be most likely to succeed, LinkedIn says.

Employers are expecting AI fluency

The forecast about how much many jobs will change comes years into what's sometimes called the Big Stay, the buttoned-down sequel to the job-hopping that unfolded during the pandemic era. Before the pandemic, LinkedIn said, some workers were adding to their AI skills. Then, during the so-called Great Resignation, many workers didn't feel pressure to tack on abilities because they could often readily change jobs.

Now, years later — and with many workers reporting that they feel stuck in their roles — adding to their bona fides can seem prudent, Shapero said.

LinkedIn found that the share of jobs listed on the platform that included AI literacy skills jumped more than sixfold in the past year.

Yet, even with that increase, employers are only spelling out their desire for AI literacy in one of every 500 job listings on the platform, LinkedIn found. That's perhaps in part because fluency with AI is becoming an expectation for employers, Shapero said.

"It may not be on the job description, but it's going to be something that shows up somehow in the interview," he commented.

Shapero said one head of recruiting for an employer told him that the No. 1 question they're asking candidates is how they've used AI for work or at home within the past year.

"What they're trying to get at is comfort and fluency and the ability to learn new things and new technologies," he said.

AI will affect "almost every job," Shapero said.

Kelly Mendez-Scheib, chief people officer at Crunchbase, which collects data on companies, told BI that the company is hiring for roles including machine learning engineers and data scientists.

"I'm pretty bullish on AI," she said.

Adding more skills to our profiles

Job seekers appear to feel the need to beef up — or at least enumerate — their skills.

"People are trying to make sure that they are showcasing what's most attractive about them as a candidate," Shapero said. "And it comes down in many ways to AI skills."

Since 2022, LinkedIn users have increased the rate at which they add skills to their profiles by 140%. This includes so-called soft skills like communication and leadership.

A lot of what employers are after is workers who can marry tech with old-school basics. Communication, for example, was the most in-demand skill in 2024, LinkedIn figures show.

Parminder Jassal, CEO of Unmudl, which focuses on developing workers' abilities through hands-on training, told BI that, in many ways, the ideal is a matchup is AI's power with people's skills and emotional know-how.

"You put that together with AI intelligence, and now you get this super intelligence skillset," she said.

LinkedIn's report found that "leaders and companies understand that AI is the most powerful when collaborative humans surround and lead it."

Do you have something to share about your job search? Business Insider would like to hear from you. Email our workplace team from a nonwork device at [email protected] with your story, or to ask for one of our reporter's Signal numbers.

The Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of a specific red dye in food products.

Red No. 3, a synthetic dye which gives a cherry hue to candies, sodas, and some medications, has been linked to cancer in some studies.

"The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in human or animals," Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy director for human foods, said in a statement.

"Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3."

Red No. 3 is present in a quarter of baking decorations and tenth of cookies sold in the US. Products include:

• Nerds
• Peeps
• Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips
• Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice
• Tylenol PM

Food companies have until 2027 to phase out Red No. 3 from their products. Drug companies, like the maker of Tylenol PM, have until 2028.

Europe, California, and RFK took the lead

The move comes more than 30 years after the FDA banned the use of Red No. 3 in cosmetics, when animal studies showed links to cancer.

At the time, the FDA promised to extend that ban to food products too, in part due to pressure from the food industry.

"Americans like their cherries red," a food lobbyist who worked with the maraschino cherry industry told the Washington Post in 1989, fighting to keep Red No. 3.

In the EU, Red No. 3 is banned in all cosmetic and food products except cocktail cherries. Instead, manufacturers use natural dyes like carmine, turmeric, and beets to add vibrance to their products.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been making a push to follow suit at the state level.

In 2023, Newsom signed into law a ban on Red No 3., giving food giants until 2027 to change their products. In September 2024, he issued a ban on six other synthetic food dyes in public schools: Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. That, too, will take effect in 2027.

It is serendipitous timing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department.

In his campaign for president, Kennedy promised Americans that he would ban all synthetic food dyes in his pursuit to "make America healthy again."

• Americans are flocking to Xiaohongshu as a potential TikTok ban looms in the US.
• Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote, offers similar short-form video content to TikTok.
• The app, founded in 2013, reached over 200 million users by 2019.

Americans are flocking to another China-based social media app as a potential TikTok ban looms.

Xiaohongshu has risen to the top of the App Store in the US as so-called TikTok refugees search for apps that provide similar short-form video content. The name translates to "little red book" in English but it's referred to as RedNote or Red Book by English speakers.

Its format isn't much different from TikTok, and some familiar faces have already started popping up in the "Explore" section. It's unclear if users are posing as celebrities on the platform, but actor Selena Gomez's alleged profile has a verified check mark next to her name. It looks like Gomez has been posting there since as early as 2023.

Most of the app's instructions are set in English once you choose the language, but there are still aspects written in Chinese. Xiaohongshu describes itself as "a lifestyle platform for young people" founded in 2013. The site says it reached over 200 million users in 2019.

"Users can record their daily lives, share their lifestyles, and interact based on their interests through short videos, pictures and texts," it said on its "About" page.

It's still up for debate on where most Americans will go for short-form video content if a TikTok ban goes into effect. Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, and apps like Lemon8 have all been touted as alternatives.

Here's how to get started on RedNote.

First, you'll have to agree to terms of services related to how data is collected and shared. Then, you can create an account using your phone number.

You can decide what sort of content you're interested in viewing, like fashion, food, and reading, and access feeds related to them. Like TikTok, there's a "For You" page to browse videos and "Shop" section that doesn't have much English translation.

From there, it's not much different from TikTok. You can like, share, comment, and favorite videos. Americans have taken the app by storm.

Your profile functions similarly to TikTok, with a bio, profile picture, and a customizable username.

Representatives for Xiaohongshu didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Over on TikTok, users are still unsure which app will prevail, but RedNote has been the Apple App Store's No. 1 download for the last few days.

• I love cruising and have picked up lots of tips to ensure the best possible experience on board.
• To avoid any possible delays, I I highly recommend building ample travel time into your itinerary.
• If your budget permits, it's worth booking a private enclave or treating yourself to other upgrades.

Cruises are a lot of fun but can require some planning to ensure everything goes smoothly. Over the past few years, I've been on cruises to places like the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the Panama Canal.

However, I used to be cruise-averse, mainly because of the stories I'd heard about overcrowded buffet lines and pool decks, and being trapped on a ship with thousands of people.

I've since come to enjoy most things about this kind of trip, mainly because I've learned there's an itinerary and a ship for every type of cruiser. I've also gleaned tips and hacks during my journeys to avoid the crowds and make the experience feel more special.

Here are nine tips I've learned that have made sailing less stressful and more enjoyable.

Arrive the day before the cruise departs

Although it might be tempting to save money on a hotel by booking a flight for the day you depart, the potential stress isn't worth it.

Delays and cancellations due to weather or mechanical issues might mean that you arrive at the dock after embarkation — and the ship won't wait for you.

I highly recommend building ample travel time into your itinerary — plus, you'll get to start your vacation a day sooner.

Book restaurants as soon as you board

Getting on the ship is exciting, and you'll understandably want to explore the pool deck or hang out on your balcony. Before you do, though, hit up the concierge to make restaurant reservations.

The most popular restaurants and reservation times will likely book up quickly, especially on sea days when everyone is on board.

Getting your preferred times and spots for dining will give you peace of mind — especially if you're cruising with a large group — allowing you to relax and enjoy your sailing.

Consider skipping port to enjoy the ship

Conventional wisdom might lead you to believe that a day at sea is the best time to enjoy all the ship has to offer.

When all the passengers are on board, though, the pool will likely be woefully crowded, spa appointments may be difficult to book, and there will probably be long lines for waterslides and other attractions.

If your cruise is making a port stop at a locale that doesn't really excite you, there's no crime against staying on board and blissfully having the ship practically to yourself.

Book excursions directly through the cruise line

If you do a Google search for tours and things to do at your various port stops, you'll inevitably find lots of operators whose prices are cheaper than similar activities offered through your cruise line.

However, if you book the official excursions, the ship's activities director knows where you are. So, if there's a delay or hold-up getting back to the ship, they'll wait for you.

On the flip side, if you do your own thing and then hit traffic after sunbathing at a local beach in Aruba or going on a taco crawl on Cozumel, you may end up getting left behind.

Spring for breakfast in bed

If waiting in line for pancakes and bacon first thing in the morning isn't your thing, I recommend ordering room service at least once during your trip.

The service may incur a small surcharge, but sipping coffee while enjoying an omelette and fruit platter on your balcony is the perfect, solitary way to start the day.

Check out the back of the ship

My favorite part of the ship is the back, referred to as the "aft."

It's relaxing and borderline mesmerizing to watch the wake the ship leaves behind. However, in talking with my fellow passengers over the years, not everyone heads back there.

Your ship may even have a bar or restaurant overlooking the wake. Even if it doesn't, I recommend grabbing a coffee or a cocktail and heading to the back of the ship, which is arguably the most zen-like area.

Consider staying in a private enclave

If your cruise line offers it and you can afford it, book a cabin in a private enclave, like the Yacht Club on MSC Cruises, The Haven on Norwegian Cruise Line, and the Suite Class on Royal Caribbean.

Each aforementioned experience comes with amenities like a more sumptuous cabin, and a separate pool deck, restaurant, and lounge — all of which feel like an oasis from the crowds.

These VIP passengers also get priority check-in and a butler who can make the best reservations for restaurants and shows.

Although the experience doesn't come cheap, it lends a feeling of exclusivity to the on-board experience.

Bring attire for theme nights

FOMO can be strong on gala night, white night, or for a poolside pajama party if you don't have something fitting to wear.

Check the cruise line's website or app ahead of time to find out if there are theme nights — and pack accordingly.

On cruise lines with dress codes, you may be excluded from certain dining options if it's an elegant night and you show up in shorts and flip-flops.

Treat yourself to one special experience

Even if you're budget-conscious, it's nice to upgrade yourself during your cruise.

This could mean a multi-course tasting menu at one of the upscale dining concepts, an afternoon at the thermal spa or hydrotherapy circuit, a high-end excursion like a private sunset sail, or an expensive bottle of wine that's not included in your drink package.

Sure, part of the allure of a cruise is that many things are already included, but adding something extra can make the trip more memorable.

• Donald Trump champions the working class but his policies are bad news for them, Paul Krugman says.
• The Nobel-winning economist says tariffs and deportations will hurt instead of help the poor.
• "A lot of people are going to get brutally scammed," Krugman said.

Donald Trump rode to victory in the US presidential race by pledging to put America first and fight for blue-collar workers. Paul Krugman says he'll only make their lives harder.

The economist, who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2008, criticized the president-elect's plans to raise tariffs and cut taxes during Tuesday's episode of "The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent" podcast.

He told The New Republic show that those and other policies would lead to the working class paying higher prices while high earners keep more of their money.

"Even more than usual for a Republican, he appears to have an extremely regressive economic program in mind, one that really will effectively redistribute income away from working-class voters to the top," Krugman said.

American households are already being pinched by inflation, which spiked to a 40-year high of more than 9% in the summer of 2022 and remains above the Federal Reserve's 2% target.

On top of higher prices for food, fuel, rent, and other basics, many consumers are also paying more toward their credit cards, car loans, and mortgages.

That's because the Fed, in a bid to curb inflation, increased its benchmark rate from zero to north of 5.25% in under 17 months, and has kept it as high as 4.5% for now.

The battle over groceries

Krugman, a former MIT and Princeton University professor and New York Times columnist, zeroed in on grocery prices. Trump said during his campaign that he would reduce them, but he's walked that claim back in recent weeks.

Yet recent surveys show that his supporters still expect him to do so, Krugman said, despite the fact that broader prices are still rising and deflation is almost universally regarded as undesirable for an economy.

A CBS News/YouGov survey, conducted in late December with a nationally representative group of 2,244 US adults, found that 40% of Americans expect Trump to make food and grocery prices go down, exceeding the 36% who expect him to make them increase.

"A lot of people are going to get brutally scammed," Krugman said. Trump isn't just misleading people by saying they'll be better off once he's in office, he also doesn't appear to know how he'll deliver on his promises, Krugman continued. "So the scam is there is no plan."

Trump said last year that lowering grocery prices would be tricky, but improving supply chains and boosting domestic energy production could lower costs for farmers, who could then pass those savings onto consumers.

Tariffs and immigration

Separately, Krugman nodded to the fact that tariffs are a tax on imports, and businesses usually pass on their increased costs by charging higher prices to consumers.

He described their impact as "really bad," and said the fallout from Trump's proposed mass deportations would be "much, much worse." They'd be hugely disruptive and drive up prices in industries like agriculture, food processing, and construction, Krugman said, leaving the US with a shortage of workers for large-scale programs like rebuilding Florida after a hurricane.

The author and blogger also rang the alarm on Trump and his allies' fierce criticism of colleges and skepticism of higher education.

"We've been pulling ahead on technology, but an administration that's extremely hostile to universities and education is going to undermine that source of advantage as well," Krugman said.

"Trump wants to turn the clock back to 1896, and that's not good for the US economy."

• A Stanford law professor dropped Meta as a client in the wake of Mark Zuckerberg's recent changes.
• Mark Lemley represented Meta in a 2023 AI copyright case involving comedian Sarah Silverman and others.
• Zuckerberg's recent changes at Meta more closely align with Elon Musk's opinions and strategies.

Mark Lemley, a Stanford law professor and lawyer who represented Meta in a 2023 AI copyright case, says he has dropped the company as a client because of what he described as CEO Mark Zuckerberg's "descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness."

"I have fired Meta as a client. While I think they are on the right side in the generative AI copyright dispute in which I represented them, and I hope they win, I cannot in good conscience serve as their lawyer any longer," Lemley, a partner at the law firm Lex Lumina, wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday.

Lemley and Lex Lumina represented Meta when comedian Sarah Silverman and other authors sued the Facebook owner in 2023, saying it violated copyright by training the Llama AI model on books they had written.

At the time, Meta's lawyers argued the claims should fail because the authors could not prove Llama generated text that closely resembled their books. The case is ongoing.

In the LinkedIn post, Lemley also said he was changing how he used some Meta products.

He has deactivated his Threads account as he did not want to "support a Twitter-like site run by a Musk wannabe."

The lawyer also said he will no longer buy anything from ads he encounters on Facebook or Instagram.

"While I have thought about quitting Facebook, I find great value in the connections and friends I have here," Lemley wrote.

Lemley is a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. At Lex Lumina, he works with clients on cases pertaining to intellectual property, antitrust, and internet law.

Lemley, Lex Lumina, Sarah Silverman and Meta did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Changes at Meta

Since the start of the year, Zuckerberg has made sweeping changes to Meta. They include eliminating third-party fact-checking on the platform in the US in favor of community notes.

Meta also planned to reduce diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Zuckerberg recently said Meta needs more "masculine energy."

"Masculine energy, I think, is good, and obviously society has plenty of that, but I think that corporate culture was really trying to get away from it," he told the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.

Zuckerberg's changes at Meta resemble those made by Tesla and X owner Elon Musk.

Musk has spoken out against DEI and content moderation. Politically, Musk has thrown his support behind right-leaning political parties and figures in Europe and the US.

He's a prominent supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, and is joined lead of a commission called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

In politics and relationship-building with Trump, too, Zuckerberg's actions are starting to mirror Musk's. Meta donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. Zuckerberg also declined to endorse any candidate during the 2024 election campaign.

These moves mark a distinct change in how Zuckerberg approaches Trump.

In 2020, after Facebook was criticized over the then-president's violent remarks on the platform, Zuckerberg said he was "deeply shaken and disgusted by President Trump's divisive and incendiary rhetoric."

Trump was barred from Facebook and Instagram in 2021 for what Meta called praising "people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6." Meta reversed the decision two years later.

• "Ghost jobs" are roles that employers list as open even though they're not actually trying to fill them.
• Employers may post them for various reasons, but they can waste applicants' time and sour them on the company.
• Here are some tips on how to sniff out these job listings.

We've all heard of being ghosted in the hiring process: You apply for a job and go through a few rounds of interviews, only for a prospective employer to disappear in the end.

But what about jobs that weren't actually there to begin with? So-called "ghost jobs" are roles that employers say they're actively hiring for when they're really not.

And they're a pain point for many job seekers: Between 18% and 22% of jobs listed on Greenhouse in any given quarter are considered ghost jobs, the hiring platform said in its 2024 State of Job Hunting report.

Employers may post bogus job listings for several reasons: They may be trying to give the appearance they're growing or trick overworked employees into thinking they'll get some relief soon. Or, companies may be trying to build their talent pool for real job openings in the future.

Regardless of the reason, there are some signs candidates can look for that suggest a position is likely just a ghost job. One big indicator is if a job post has been up for several months.

"If the job has been posted for 30 days or more, that's something that you could put in the back of your mind and say, 'Well, this posting's been open for a while and they haven't hired anybody yet. Maybe they're not in a hurry to hire,'" says FlexJobs lead career expert Toni Frana. "The sooner you can apply to a job in relation to when it was posted, the better."

If you saw the role advertised on a job site like LinkedIn or Indeed, double-check it's still posted and active on the company's own careers page.

When reading the job post, you want to see as much specificity as possible.

"Sometimes if job descriptions are vague and don't provide a lot of detail to explain what the role actually is, then it's possible that someone from the company may have quickly typed something up and posted it to see if candidates will apply and to see the quality of those candidates," said human resources administrator and former recruiter Jackie Cuevas. "So pay close attention to the actual quality of the job description — the more information, the better."

If you make it to an interview, ask about the timeline for filling the position, says Charnay Horton, a career coach and CEO of resume writing firm Resume Addict. 

You can say, "Can you tell me more about the interview process, and when the hiring manager is looking to make a decision?" or "Can you provide additional insight regarding why this opportunity is available?"

You could also consider asking, "How does this position contribute to departmental success?" to gauge how important the role is and how urgently it might need to be filled.

If your point of contact is dragging their feet throughout the process, it might be a sign they're not actively trying to fill the position.

"When employers are actively hiring, they move quickly, especially if you are qualified for the role," Horton said. "They want to get you in front of the hiring manager quickly so that they do not lose you mid-process. If you get a sense that the company is lagging with responses, they may not be serious about filling the role."

Ultimately, you want to "be as proactive as you can in your search," said Frana.

"It's not just about reading the job postings and applying," she said. "You can find out a lot of information on a company's website, on social pages like LinkedIn and Twitter, or if you just do a Google search of the company hiring and see what results you get. That is all information-gathering that can be really helpful for you as a candidate, and it's one of those action steps that helps job seekers focus on the things they can control in the process when so much of it is outside of their control."

• Football season is a key time for chain restaurants to draw in customers.
• We tried boneless chicken wings from five chains to determine the best option for game day.
• Applebee's and Chili's impressed us with their juicy, flavorful wings.

As football season kicks off, restaurant chains are rolling out crowd-pleasing tailgate favorites and value-focused deals to win over fans.

In a new series, "Tailgate Taste-off," Business Insider is pitting these chains against each other to uncover the best versions of popular game-day dishes.

Whether you're deciding which chain has the best Buffalo wings or offers the best value for delivery, this guide will help you make the most of your football season dining experience.

Boneless wings are one of the most popular options at chain restaurants on game day, and chains that specialize in chicken wings, such as Wingstop, are also experiencing significant growth.

In October 2024, the chain, which focuses its menu on bone-in chicken wings, boneless wings, and other chicken items, announced 38.8% year-over-year revenue growth.

Chains like Applebee's also know the value of delivering high-quality boneless wings.

"We've ensured our promotions during the season were available in-restaurant and for ordering to-go or delivery so we can be part of guests' football moments no matter where they like to watch," Joel Yashinsky, Applebee's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider, adding that "a key element" of Applebee's football-season strategy this year has been to highlight the chain's boneless wing options.

We ranked boneless wings from five chain restaurants — Applebee's, Chili's, Buffalo Wild Wings, TGI Fridays, and Wingstop — based on taste and value.

My least favorite wings came from Buffalo Wild Wings, which surprised me.

I tried the same three flavors of wings from the five chains: Buffalo, garlic Parmesan, and barbecue.

At Buffalo Wild Wings, an order of 15 boneless wings, which included up to three different sauce flavors, cost $24.99, excluding tax.

However, Buffalo Wild Wings has been running a number of promotions recently that could help lower costs.

The chain is offering a value deal that includes 20 boneless wings in up to four sauces and a large order of fries for $16.99, excluding tax, when ordered online or through the BWW app.

Given that the chain is famous for its wings, I was surprised that the chain's boneless wings landed last in my ranking.

Buffalo Wild Wings' boneless wings looked more like chicken nuggets than boneless wings.

Some of the wings were meatier than others, but I thought Buffalo Wild Wings' wings were the smallest when compared to the other chains.

Still, I enjoyed the flavor of the boneless wings, particularly the classic Buffalo wings. They had a sweet buttery flavor without packing too much spice.

The flavor of the Parmesan garlic wings could have been amped up.

The wings had a slightly pungent garlic savoriness, but they weren't as flavorful as the ones I tried from the other chains.

The breading was crunchy and had a peppery flavor to it, but I thought it slightly overpowered the sauce.

The honey barbecue wings were coated in the most sauce.

Of the three kinds I tried from Buffalo Wild Wings, these were my favorite. The wings were sticky and sweet, thanks to the addition of the honey in the sauce, and paired nicely with the chain's creamy ranch.

The inside of the boneless wings was moist.

The wings were juicy on the inside, which balanced nicely with the crunchy outer breading.

In some ways, these boneless wings reminded me of standard chicken nuggets.

Boneless wings are made exclusively from chicken breast, while nuggets are typically made from a blend of various chicken parts. These did taste better than most chicken nuggets I've had, though I wasn't blown away overall.

In the end, I'll go for the burger next time.

Next up were the boneless wings from TGI Fridays.

I ordered boneless wings from TGI Fridays in three flavors: Buffalo, garlic Parmesan, and apple-butter barbecue. I ordered them as part of the chain's combo platter, which allows you to choose three appetizers to try.

At the TGI Fridays I visited in Massachusetts, the order cost $18.29, excluding tax, and came with eight of each flavor wing.

The Buffalo wings were small but packed a decent amount of flavor.

TGI Fridays doesn't seem to have its own house Buffalo sauce and instead douses its wings in Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce, a pretty standard grocery-store hot sauce.

I did enjoy the overall flavor, but these wings didn't bring the heat for me. Compared to the other Buffalo boneless wings I tried, these were just average.

I was most impressed by the Parmesan garlic boneless wings.

The wings had a super crispy coating and were drenched in a savory, garlicky sauce.

The wings had a crunch when I bit in — which I didn't quite get with the Buffalo boneless wings — and paired excellently with the chain's ranch.

I also liked the apple-butter barbecue wings.

I could distinctly taste the apple butter in this sauce, which gave it a sweet, almost molasses-like flavor. Though the size varied, these wings also were slightly bigger and crunchier than the Buffalo wings.

The wings were filled with a good amount of chicken breast meat, but the sauce truly stole the show.

The wings were reasonably thick, but the chicken and breading lacked seasoning or flavor on their own — the sauces provided the majority of the flavor, which wasn't necessarily a criticism but an observation.

The boneless wings from Wingstop landed in the middle of the pack.

Boneless chicken products like boneless wings, chicken nuggets, and tenders are having a moment right now.

However, Wingstop's senior director of culinary, Larry Bellah, told Business Insider that the chain's bone-in traditional wings are still its most popular offering.

Bellah also said the five most popular sauce flavors at Wingstop are lemon pepper, Original Hot, hickory-smoked barbecue, garlic Parmesan, and hot honey.

I ordered 20 boneless wings, which allowed me to select up to three sauce flavors for $24.69, excluding tax.

The Buffalo boneless wings were crispy on the outside.

They were smaller than the top two brands I tried but had a lot of flavor. Wingstop doesn't have a Buffalo sauce, but their Original Hot flavor is the chain's own spin on a classic.

They were buttery, with just the right level of spice.

The garlic Parmesan wings were covered in cheese.

I found the wings to be quite flavorful overall, but the Parmesan cheese stood out much more prominently than the garlic. The garlic flavor was subtle, almost overshadowed by the richness of the cheese.

The hickory-smoked barbecue flavor was sweet and smoky.

The sauce had a bold, smoky flavor with a rich balance of sweet, tangy, and savory notes, and coated every square inch of the boneless wing.

Of all the sauces, this flavor paired best with the chain's ranch, which was creamy and mildly tart.

The chicken meat inside was juicy and filling.

Though these wings were small, they were thick. I thought they were an excellent value for the price. The chicken meat inside tasted high-quality and shredded apart with every bite.

My second favorite wings came from Applebee's.

Applebee's seriously delivered on flavor. However, the chain didn't clinch the win for me based on value.

I found it difficult to try a variety of different flavors of boneless wings from Applebee's. The chain has an appetizer platter called the Classic Combo that's somewhat similar to the Triple Dipper from Chili's, but it's not fully customizable.

I ended up ordering two separate orders of eight boneless wings, which cost $16.99 each, at my local Applebee's in Brooklyn. I also got another order of eight boneless wings as part of the chain's "2 for $2X" deal, which included an appetizer and two entrées for $30, excluding tax.

In the end, I ended up paying more than at any other chain so that I could try multiple flavors. However, Applebee's does sometimes offer promotions like $0.50 boneless wings that could cut costs.

The Buffalo wings were packed with flavor.

As the official grill and bar sponsor of the NFL this year, I expected the chain's boneless wings to be good — and they delivered.

Out of all the boneless Buffalo wings I tried, these were the spiciest and most flavorful. They paired seamlessly with the chain's ranch, which was tangy and creamy and perfectly balanced out the heat.

The garlic Parmesan wings were also super flavorful.

The outside of the wing was crispy and crunchy, and the garlic Parmesan sauce added a savory, nutty flavor to each bite.

The honey barbecue wings came coated in a sticky sauce.

The wings were perfectly balanced between sweet and smoky.

I was also impressed by the thickness of these wings.

The wings were impressively large and packed with tender, juicy chicken.

When it came to flavor, Applebee's was exceptional. All three sauces I tried were well-executed and flavorful. However, the garlic Parmesan stood out as my favorite.

Its rich, creamy blend of nutty Parmesan and savory garlic created a bold and indulgent flavor that took the wings to another level. While the other sauces were delicious, the garlic Parmesan offered a perfect balance of crispy breading and zesty flavor that kept me going back for more.

Chili's came in first place for its flavorful boneless wings at a great value.

I got 15 wings in three different flavors as part of Chili's highly popular Triple Dipper appetizer combo, which allowed me to select three appetizers for $17.29, excluding tax, at a Chili's in Massachusetts.

The chain has seen great success with its viral Triple Dipper.

CNN reported that the TikTok-famous appetizer, which the company says is especially popular among younger customers, now accounts for 11% of Chili's sales. Triple Dipper orders grew by 70% over the last year, boosting foot traffic to Chili's restaurants and cementing the chain as the brand to watch.

The boneless wings from Chili's were the largest out of all the chains.

The wings appeared to be baked in the Buffalo sauce rather than tossed in it after cooking.

The Buffalo sauce was sweet and slightly spicy, with a light buttery flavor. I got a strong citrus flavor coming through, which I also enjoyed.

The garlic Parmesan boneless wings were really flavorful.

I was again impressed by the size of the wings and thought the savory punch of garlic really came through. The wings were moist yet crispy, and I couldn't get enough of them.

The barbecue wings came coated in a smoky sauce.

Unlike the others, which were almost dry to the touch, these boneless wings came completely drenched in the chain's house barbecue sauce.

I thought the sauce was smoky with a slight sweetness, but they could have benefited from a little acid for some brightness.

I loved the breading and the thickness of the wings.

They were full of chicken meat, which made this an incredibly filling appetizer to share among a few people at a Super Bowl party … or keep all to yourself while catching the game.

For under $20, the Triple Dipper delivered incredible value, offering a generous portion of high-quality wings that didn't skimp on flavor or size.

It's a standout deal that perfectly balances affordability with crave-worthy flavor — it's no surprise this menu item has become such a hit.

• "Conclave" leads the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards nominations with 12 nods.
• "Emilia Pérez" received 11 nominations while "The Brutalist" got nine nods.
• All three are nominated for best film, along with "Anora" and "A Complete Unknown."

The nominations for the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards have been announced, as the road to this year's Academy Awards heats up.

"Conclave," Edward Berger's papal drama starring Ralph Fiennes, received the most nominations, making it the one to beat at this year's BAFTA awards, which are set to take place at London's Royal Festival Hall on February 16.

"Conclave" is in the running for 12 awards — one more than Jacques Audiard's musical "Emilia Pérez," which recently took home four Golden Globe awards.

Meanwhile, Brady Corbet's critically acclaimed "The Brutalist" received nine nods. The three films will compete for best film alongside James Mangold's Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" and Sean Baker's sex worker drama "Anora."

Here's the complete list of 2025 BAFTA nominations.

Best film

"Anora"

"The Brutalist"

"A Complete Unknown"

"Conclave"

"Emilia Pérez"

Leading actor

Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"

Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"

Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"

Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"

Hugh Grant, "Heretic"

Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Leading actress

Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"

Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths"

Mikey Madison, "Anora"

Demi Moore, "The Substance"

Saoirse Ronan, "The Outrun"

Supporting actor

Clarence Maclin, "Sing Sing"

Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"

Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist"

Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"

Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"

Yura Borisov, "Anora"

Supporting actress

Ariana Grande, "Wicked"

Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"

Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"

Jamie Lee Curtis, "The Last Showgirl"

Selena Gomez, "Emilia Pérez"

Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez"

Best director

Sean Baker, "Anora"

Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"

Edward Berger, "Conclave"

Denis Villeneuve, "Dune: Part Two"

Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"

Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"

Outstanding British film

"Bird"

"Blitz"

"Conclave"

"Gladiator II"

"Hard Truths"

"Kneecap"

"Lee"

"Love Lies Bleeding"

"The Outrun"

"Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"

Original screenplay

"Anora"

"The Brutalist"

"Kneecap"

"A Real Pain"

"The Substance"

Adapted screenplay

"A Complete Unknown"

"Conclave"

"Emilia Pérez"

"Nickel Boys"

"Sing Sing"

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

"Hoard"

"Kneecap"

"Monkey Man"

"Santosh"

"Sister Midnight"

Film not in the English language

"All We Imagine as Light"

"Emilia Pérez"

"I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)"

"Kneecap"

"The Seed of the Sacred Fig"

Animated film

"Flow"

"Inside Out 2"

"Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"

"The Wild Robot"

Documentary

"Black Box Diaries"

"Daughters"

"No Other Land"

"Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story"

"Will & Harper"

Original score

"The Brutalist"

"Conclave"

"Emilia Pérez"

"Nosferatu"

"The Wild Robot"

Casting

"Anora"

"The Apprentice"

"A Complete Unknown"

"Conclave"

"Kneecap"

Editing

"Anora"

"Conclave"

"Dune: Part Two"

"Emilia Pérez"

"Kneecap"

Cinematography

"The Brutalist"

"Conclave"

"Dune: Part Two"

"Emilia Pérez"

"Nosferatu"

Special visual effects

"Better Man"

"Dune: Part Two"

"Gladiator II"

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"

"Wicked"

Costume design

"Blitz"

"A Complete Unknown"

"Conclave"

"Nosferatu"

"Wicked"

Sound

"Blitz"

"Dune: Part Two"

"Gladiator II"

"The Substance"

"Wicked"

Makeup and hair

"Dune: Part Two"

"Emilia Pérez"

"Nosferatu"

"The Substance"

"Wicked"

Production design

"The Brutalist"

"Conclave"

"Dune: Part Two"

"Nosferatu"

"Wicked"

British short film

"The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing"

"Marion"

"Milk"

"Rock, Paper, Scissors"

"Stomach Bug"

British short animation

"Adiós"

"Mog's Christmas"

"Wander to Wonder"

EE rising star award

Marisa Abela

Jharrel Jerome

David Jonsson

Mikey Madison

Nabhaan Rizwan

• Inflation accelerated for the third straight month.
• The consumer price index rose 2.9% year-over-year in December, matching the consensus expectation.
• The Federal Reserve is expected not to cut interest rates later this month.

Inflation sped up in December as expected, marking the third consecutive month of acceleration.

The consumer price index, an inflation measure, increased 2.9% over the year this past December. That matches the forecast increase and is above November's year-over-year increase of 2.7%.

While the 2.9% is the highest rate since July, it falls short of the roughly 3.1% in January 2024. Inflation was around or above 3% for the first half of the year; it slowed from the year's peak of 3.5% in March to 2.4% in September.

Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased 3.2% over the year in December, below the expected forecast of 3.3%, which would have matched November's rate. The rate had been 3.3% for three consecutive months before December.

The year-over-year percent change in the shelter index continued to slow. The shelter index increased 4.6% over the year in December, down from the 6% year-over-year increase in January 2024.

The CPI climbed 0.4% over the month in December, matching the forecast and above November's 0.3% increase. BLS said in a news release that energy contributed more than 40% of that increase.

The gasoline index rose 4.4% over the month, higher than the previous 0.6% increase. The fuel oil index saw a similar story — it increased 4.4% in December after rising 0.6% in November.

Core CPI rose 0.2% from November to December. It was expected to continue rising by 0.3%, as it had done for four straight months before December.

"The takeaway for consumers is that the pressure on household budgets is unrelenting," Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate, told Business Insider.

The Federal Open Market Committee could consider the new data in its interest rate decision at the end of the month. After three consecutive cuts, there likely won't be another interest rate cut just yet.

Traders have been expecting the Federal Open Market Committee to hold the Fed's target rate steady at 2025's first scheduled meeting. CME FedWatch, which indicates what traders expect to happen to rates based on market activity, showed before the CPI release a 97% chance the Fed's target rate would be unchanged. That probability was little changed after the release.

"The consumer reaction is going to be a lot different than the market reaction in the sense that the market is going to look at the improvement in the core and take that as good news and rejoice," McBride said. "But consumers' household budgets are based on the headline, and the food and energy costs are both rising at a faster than desired pace and pressuring already tight household budgets."

Fed chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference on December 18 that "the Committee will assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks" when figuring out any additional changes to its target rate.

"We know that reducing policy restraint too fast or too much could hinder progress on inflation," Powell said after the most recent interest-rate decision. "At the same time, reducing policy restraint too slowly or too little could unduly weaken economic activity and employment."

The recent jobs report, published last Friday, showed job growth exceeded the forecast in December, while unemployment fell from 4.2% in November to 4.1% in December. Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, said the labor market report "validates the stance that we've seen from the Fed recently."

• I got breakfast at fast-food chains Wendy's, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and Burger King.
• At each place, I tried to order a breakfast burrito, potato side, and an iced coffee drink.
• Burger King's breakfast was the best fast-food breakfast I had, and Taco Bell was a close second.

In search of the best fast-food breakfast right now, I visited five popular chains near my New York City home and ordered similar meals at each.

I got a breakfast burrito with a potato side and coffee drink at Wendy's, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and McDonald's. Then, I rated every component of each breakfast on a scale of one to 10 and tallied up the scores to rank the five chains.

Here's my fast-food breakfast ranking, from my least favorite to my top pick.

Wendy's breakfast was new to me.

I've eaten many dinners and lunches at Wendy's, but this was my first experience with its breakfast. The chain has tried to serve breakfast many times over the years without luck and most recently brought it back in 2020.

I chose a sausage-burrito combo with a side of seasoned potatoes. I opted for a cold-brew coffee with Frosty creamer for a $1.45 upcharge, bringing the total cost of my meal to $8.97.

Wendy's burrito wasn't bad, though some hot sauce helped.

Wendy's breakfast burrito with sausage seemed more substantial than it looked in the pictures I saw of it online.

It contained a square sausage patty split in two, two eggs, American cheese, cheese sauce, and some of the same seasoned potatoes that came on the side.

When I tried the cheese sauce in isolation, it had a nice, cheddar-like taste, but its flavor was lost when I bit into the whole burrito.

This was a fine fast-food breakfast burrito, but the sausage was a little dry, and I didn't love the texture of the eggs — these were the only ones I tried that didn't appear scrambled, and they felt unnaturally fluffy for fried eggs.

I liked that my burrito came with two packets of Cholula hot sauce, which made it much tastier.

Rating: 5/10

The potatoes on the side didn't impress me much.

Every other fast-food chain I visited served hash browns in some form, but Wendy's has seasoned potatoes instead.

In my opinion, overseasoned potatoes would be a better name for them. They were too salty for my liking and not as crunchy as I wanted them to be.

The smaller, crunchier potatoes tasted like seasoned curly fries, which was good. The larger, mushier ones were less exciting.

Rating: 3/10

My coffee from Wendy's fell short.

Unfortunately, Wendy's cold brew felt entirely punchless, like a weak coffee-flavored beverage instead of actual coffee, which is the light of my life.

To me, the Frosty creamer tasted pretty indistinguishable from the little vanilla-flavored creamer containers you find in big bowls next to the coffee station at chain hotels.

Rating: 2/10

I'm pretty familiar with McDonald's breakfast.

I more closely associate McDonald's with breakfast than I do any of the other chains I visited. My McDonald's breakfast preferences were forged long before its burritos became available, though, so I'd never tried one before.

In the combo meal I ordered, I got two sausage burritos and a hash brown on the side. I paid a 40-cent upcharge to have my coffee iced instead of hot, which brought my total bill to $9.13

The burrito from McDonald's was my least favorite of the ones I tried.

McDonald's sausage burrito was my least favorite — and not because it was the smallest.

It contained scrambled egg, sausage, cheese, and bits of tomato and pepper. I thought it lacked flavor and that there wasn't enough sausage.

Plus, the tortilla itself was squishy and soft, almost like it had been steamed. The salsa packet this came with did add some sweetness and mild spice, but this seemed no better than a breakfast burrito I might microwave for myself at a convenience store.

Rating: 2/10

The chain's hash brown was a bit too greasy for me.

I'm sure I've eaten a thousand McDonald's hash browns before this one, and each has brought me some regret.

They're tasty for a few bites, but they tend to be quite greasy. This one was no exception, coating my fingers in oil as I ate it. Some of the edges still had a nice crunch from the fryer, but the middle was soft from the grease.

Rating: 3/10

McDonald's had the best coffee drink I tried.

Just when I was feeling pretty disappointed about the quality of my breakfast at McDonald's, I took a sip of my iced coffee.

I loved its smooth and surprisingly rich coffee flavor.

It was undoubtedly the best fast-food coffee drink I tried, even though it had maybe a touch more cream than I'd prefer.

Rating: 9/10

It felt weird not ordering chicken at Chick-fil-A.

Chick-fil-A's chicken biscuit is one of my favorite fast-food breakfasts anywhere, but I'd never tried one of its burritos before.

It felt strange not ordering chicken at the chain that's famous for it, but for the sake of consistency, I ordered my hash-brown-scramble burrito with sausage.

The meal came with a side of hash browns. After a $1.16 upcharge for iced coffee, the bill came to $13.23.

This was the most expensive of the meals I tried, but it may be partially due to prices at this specific location. The Chick-fil-A I visited was in midtown Manhattan — which is famously expensive — and the other four restaurants I went to were in Queens (McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King) or Brooklyn (Taco Bell).

The burrito was large but I didn't care for the tortilla.

Chick-fil-A's burrito felt large, but the tortilla seemed almost too big for the eggs, sausage, cheese, and hash browns it contained.

I liked the mild peppery flavor of the sausage and the fluffy, moist texture of the scrambled eggs. However, the hash browns that give the burrito its name seemed completely unnecessary — they had lost all their crunch, so the flaky bits of potato felt almost like rice, adding bulk and grease but not much flavor.

I didn't love the tortilla itself, which didn't seem to have been heated in any way and had the taste and texture of a deli wrap.

Rating: 6/10

Chick-fil-A's hash browns underwhelmed me.

I'll say this for Chick-fil-A's hash browns: There were a lot of them. Otherwise, I was underwhelmed.

Like every fast-food hash brown, these were very greasy, but given the smaller individual pieces, I felt like these should've been crispier.

Plus, in my opinion, they fell short on flavor.

Rating: 4/10

The coffee was pretty solid.

Chick-fil-A's coffee was definitely among the better and stronger drinks I tried for this taste test. It had a bolder, darker flavor than the others, but some sips bordered on tasting burnt.

Rating: 7/10

Next, I tried Taco Bell's breakfast.

I visited Taco Bell a little after 10 a.m. — shortly before it began serving lunch — and there was no coffee available.

They might've brewed up a pot if I asked, but I didn't want to make a fuss, so I had my late breakfast with a Mountain Dew Baja Blast Zero and got a coffee at a later date.

With a hash brown for a side, the combo came to $8.05.

Taco Bell had a pretty tasty burrito that only needed a touch of hot sauce.

I've had breakfast burritos from Taco Bell before, and most of them had fresher-tasting tortillas.

Still, I like that Taco Bell uses the same grill press for its breakfast burritos as it does for the stuffed ones on its lunch and dinner menu. It makes the tortilla nicely toasty.

The diced tomatoes were a highlight of the burrito, a nice touch that added a juicy brightness none of the others I tried had.

Everything else inside was also good — the eggs were moist, the sausage was flavorful, and the cheese was melty and gooey. The burrito tasted surprisingly mild by Taco Bell standards, but a packet of Fire Sauce helped.

Rating: 7/10

This chain had the best hash brown I tried.

I'm pretty sure this was my first experience with a Taco Bell hash brown, and I was pleasantly surprised.

It was greasy, of course, but not quite as unreasonably greasy as some of the others I ate. It had a strong crunch and a sneaky black-pepper spice that made it the most flavorful, best hash brown of all I tried.

Rating: 10/10

The coffee I got at a later date didn't impress me, though.

In the interest of fairness to Taco Bell, I went back to try its coffee.

A few days later, I went to the same location at an earlier time, but once again, it didn't have coffee. Eventually, I was able to find some at a different location in Queens.

This Taco Bell didn't have regular milk available for its iced coffee, just sweetened vanilla creamer.

Unfortunately, the coffee disappointed me. It tasted fairly strong, but it was also very acidic, and I didn't like the overwhelming sweetness of the creamer.

Rating: 3/10

It had been a while since I'd been to a Burger King.

Twenty years ago, I was in a band, and the only place to eat near our rehearsal space was a Burger King. It happened to be a terrible one where somehow everything took forever to cook but somehow never tasted particularly fresh.

This may have been the first time I've visited a Burger King since I quit that band in 2006.

I ordered the Egg-normous burrito combo, which came with an iced coffee (no upcharge) and a side of hash browns for $7.61, the least expensive of the five combos I tried.

Burger King had the best breakfast burrito I tried.

The name is no joke: Burger King's breakfast burrito was, in fact, Egg-normous. Inside, it was stuffed with generous portions of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, cheese, hash browns, and spicy sauce.

The spicy sauce had a sweet, spicy flavor that resembled hot honey or pancake syrup mixed with hot sauce.

Historically, I've found fast-food bacon is rarely crispy, yet Burger King's bacon was extremely crisp. The sausage had a nice kick of pepper, and the packets of salsa that came with the burrito added some spice and tomato flavor.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Burger King sold my favorite fast-food breakfast burrito.

Rating: 10/10

Its hash browns weren't bad.

Burger King's coin-sized hash browns looked similar to Chick-fil-A's, but they were crunchier and not any greasier.

I wouldn't go out of the way to order them again, but they weren't bad.

Rating: 6/10

The coffee wasn't bad, nor was it especially good.

I appreciated that there was no upcharge for Burger King's iced coffee, but there wasn't a ton else about it that stood out.

It seemed to be adequately punchy, and it didn't taste bitter or stale. Still, the coffee wasn't especially good.

Rating: 5/10

Overall, Burger King beat Taco Bell by just one point.

Final breakdown:

• Wendy's: 10/30
• McDonald's: 14/30
• Chick-fil-A: 17/30
• Taco Bell: 20/30
• Burger King: 21/30

In last place is Wendy's, with an OK breakfast burrito and a meal I found to be disappointing overall. Coming in fourth is McDonald's, where a good cup of iced coffee was the saving grace of my otherwise disappointing meal

Chick-fil-A is in third for its good coffee, decent breakfast burrito, and disappointing hash browns. Fourth is Taco Bell: I was impressed by its breakfast burrito and loved its hash brown. If it had decent coffee, it could've won.

First place goes to Burger King, which I hadn't expected. Its superior burrito made its combo the most satisfying, even though its coffee and hash browns were middle-of-the-road.

Maybe it had an unfair advantage for having both sausage and bacon in its burrito, but no one's stopping the other chains from also doing that.

• A new report recommends doctors stop using Body Mass Index to diagnose obesity because it isn't nuanced enough.
• Doctors should consider a patient's overall health instead of their weight, it said.
• A leading obesity expert told Business Insider why BMI is bogus and how to better assess the risk of overweight.

The previous version of this story was published in 2022, when Business Insider spoke to Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford. It has been updated to reflect the findings of a new report. 

Chances are, a doctor has at one point measured your Body Mass Index to check if you are a healthy weight. But a new report suggests that BMI should no longer be used as a measure of an individual's health. 

BMI is calculated using a person's weight and height, and doctors may tell those who fall into the obese or severely obese categories that they could be at risk of health issues including diabetes and cancer. The solution?: Lose weight.

But the report, published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology on Tuesday, suggested that having obesity according to the BMI scale doesn't mean a person is unhealthy. It comes after the American Medical Association raised similar concerns about BMI in 2023. 

The report includes recommendations from 58 experts in multiple medical specialties and from multiple countries, as well as input from two people with lived experience of obesity.

The experts concluded that people should be diagnosed with "clinical obesity" if their weight negatively affects their organs or they struggle with daily activities. If patients have excess fat but no health problems, they should be diagnosed with "preclinical obesity," and not be treated for their fat levels.

"It doesn't tell you anything about the health of a person," Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine physician and associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, previously told Business Insider.

Here's why BMI is a bogus way to evaluate your health and what you should be paying attention to instead, according to experts who spoke to BI in 2022 and prior, before 2025 Lancet report was published. 

Higher weight is not a death sentence

Having a higher body weight increases the risk of developing a life-altering disease such as diabetes or high-blood pressure, but not everyone who has excess body fat has "significant disease," Stanford said.

The problem with BMI is that it puts too much emphasis on a target weight, which can be misleading.

Stanford recalls the case of a patient who weighed 550 pounds and had obstructive sleep apnea and low testosterone levels, in spite of an active lifestyle.

He reduced his weight to 300 pounds, and no longer had any health problems caused by severe obesity, she said, despite his BMI still being "very high."

BMI is an arbitrary and outdated metric

When BMI was created, it had nothing to do with health. 

Albert Quetelet, an astronomer and sociologist, first defined a metric relating weight to height squared in the 1830s, and this later formed the basis of BMI. Originally, it was meant to help describe the dimensions of the "perfect" or average man.

Quetelet only looked at white French and Belgian men, a very narrow representation of humanity. His ideas were later used to justify racist and eugenic policies and have been discredited. 

Quetelet never intended the ratio to be linked to health. That came in the 1900s when the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company used Quetelet's formula to build actuarial tables based on height and weight, and used data from their mostly white policyholders.

So the metric is deeply biased, and was only designed to measure your risk of dying if you're white, said Stanford.

Studies, including one led by Stanford, have shown that Black and Asian people may not be at the same risk as white people with the same BMI. 

Waist size is a better predictor of ill health — but still isn't perfect

The 2025 report suggested that health is much more complicated and individual than BMI can show.

"Where we carry our adipose or fat is much more important than how much fat we have," Stanford said.

That's because not all fat cells are created equal. Fat that wraps around internal organs is much more likely to lead to disease, but fat around the hips may have a protective effect against heart disease, for instance, Stanford said.

Plus, BMI doesn't take into account the differences between fat and muscle, or differences in fat distribution among different ethnicities, the report said.

So while BMI can be useful when studying the health of a population, the authors of the report recommended that other measurements be used to assess individual patients' health, such as a direct measurement of body fat or waist-to-hip ratio. 

Stanford said that waist size is a reliable measure of weight-related health risk.

Women with a waist size over 35 inches and men with a waist larger than 40 inches are at higher risk of developing metabolic diseases, she said. 

Regardless, without other measures of ill health — such as blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, or cholesterol, insulin, and testosterone levels — it is very difficult to tell if a person is unhealthy, said Stanford.

What if your doctor only looks at BMI? 

Some doctors will use BMI to assume ill health and prescribe weight loss, Stanford said.  

Stanford advises patients whose doctor only focuses on BMI to challenge them.

"Say: 'Okay doctor, I hear that. And I do see that BMI does exceed these guidelines, but how does this relate to my current health status?', which will probably challenge them because they've only thought to think of it in terms of BMI," she said.  

The recommendations made in the report were endorsed by 76 organizations worldwide, including scientific societies and patient advocacy groups.

Erin Brodwin contributed reporting to a previous version of this article.

• Dr. Dhivya Srinivasa is a double-board-certified surgeon who runs a private practice in California.
• Srinivasa had three kids while pursuing her medical career and is glad she didn't delay motherhood.
• She shares how she manages her busy schedule by prioritizing specific events with her kids.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dr. Dhivya Srinivasa, a California-based breast reconstruction surgeon. Business Insider verified her employment with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Some moms are at every PTA meeting, class party, and basketball game. Then, they're cooking dinner when their kids arrive home. You won't find me doing all of that — and it doesn't mean I love my kids any less.

I grew up with a physician as a mom. She had me and my siblings during her residencies. When I was born in India, my dad told my mom she didn't have to give up her career and they would make it work.

I grew up with strong examples of working parents and I hope to pass this on to my children. You can balance a career with parenting and what being an involved parent can look like is evolving.

I often felt misunderstood as a parent in my working environment

When I became pregnant during my fourth year of residency in 2013, I remember not wanting to tell anyone. I was the only female in my class.

I was a hard worker and supervising physicians' favorite, but I felt like things shifted when I got pregnant.

One time during residency, I remember being in a long surgery that was going past the scheduled end time. I let my attending physician know I needed to leave for a prenatal appointment, which was common practice for health-related appointments.

He said, "Sometimes I feel like you book them early on purpose." He had two kids of his own and should have known there weren't ever later appointments.

I had my first child in 2014 while working as a medical resident, and I was back at work four weeks after a difficult c-section, often pushing through 80 to 100-hour workweeks with an infant at home. Luckily, I had a nanny and my in-laws supporting me, and I completed my residency.

I had my second child in 2016 while completing a fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Michigan from 2015 through 2018.

After having my third child in 2020, I started working on faculty at a hospital in L.A. Some doctors I worked with didn't acknowledge I'd just had a baby. I'd pump in my car as there was no lactation area in the hospital. I felt my colleagues doubted my ability, but I made it clear being a mom only made me a better surgeon.

I'm now a double board-certified plastic surgeon and run my own business for breast reconstruction.

Learning how to succeed at both

I started my private practice in September 2021. Now, I can be a physician and mother on my terms.

I had kids early in my career on purpose. My kids are now five, eight, and 10. I didn't want to wait and compromise my fertility for my career. I knew I could succeed at both, but it meant making sacrifices.

I had to learn where my energy was best directed. I used to prioritize pick-up until realized my kids didn't really care about that. But, I value their education, so I do their homework with them every night.

I've also learned to be proactive when selecting which of my children's events I can attend. When I first started my practice, I didn't block my schedule for certain school events. After my oldest child shared with me that he missed having me at these events, I started proactively blocking out time for my children — even if it meant requesting classroom activities from teachers at the start of the school year.

Now, I always take off Halloween for classroom parties and second-semester field trips. In the office, We've established color codes on my calendar so they're aware when a calendar event is non-negotiable and dedicated to my children.

As my kids get older, I make those decisions with input from my kids about what events are most meaningful to them. I cancel work for one on-campus activity per kid a year. On those days, we go all out. It isn't just a stop by the school for a few minutes, we dress up and plan our activities weeks in advance.

Their excitement, and mine as well, have shown me it isn't the number of events you're at as a parent, but your presence at the ones you can come to.

I've sacrificed at work too. I moved to running my practice versus the world of medical academia. In opening my practice, I had to make the tough decision to stop working with trainees. Though I love teaching, it slows down cases and I had to prioritize my family.

It does take a village — and it makes my kids well-rounded people

My husband Ravi is an interventional radiologist and professor. He is the parent the school calls if a kid needs to be picked up because I'm sometimes in surgery. While he also works full time, he's easier to reach due to set office hours and less time in the operating room.

We also talk to teachers at the beginning of the year about our setup so they know I won't be available at the last minute. I love that they learn that dads might be the first point of contact, not just moms.

My kids spend almost every weekend with their grandparents and sometimes weekday evenings. They are getting a rich education by spending time with their first-generation immigrant grandparents and have learned things I'd never be able to teach them. This assuages any guilt I have about my schedule.

Similarly, I have precious videos of my husband at the park with my kid, which he'd send to me while I was working.

These sweet moments are made sweeter as they show that my kids have so many different people who love them.

• An American Airlines passenger is suing the airline, saying he was racially profiled.
• The complaint says Anthony Williams was falsely accused of trafficking his own wife.
• Williams' lawsuit also highlights similar claims of racial profiling by the airline in 2023 and 2024.

A Black passenger is suing American Airlines, saying he was racially profiled and falsely accused of trafficking his wife on a 2022 flight from Phoenix to Miami.

Former police officer Anthony Williams and Katsiaryna Shasholka, who is white, boarded the flight to Florida for their honeymoon in September 2022.

According to the suit, filed in the Southern Florida District Court, a fellow passenger believed Williams was trafficking his wife, Shasholka, and reported this to American Airlines employees Michael Wilfong and Angel Rodriguez.

The lawsuit says that the employees did not question Williams or conduct any kind of investigation but instead "falsely reported to law enforcement that Plaintiff Anthony was human trafficking his own wife."

When the aircraft landed at Miami International Airport, Williams and Shasholka were "falsely imprisoned" by American Airlines staff who escorted them off the aircraft, the suit says.

The two then waited, "confused and embarrassed," as the other passengers disembarked the plane and walked past them before they were questioned by police officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department, and were "detained, falsely imprisoned, questioned, and humiliated," the suit says.

It says the biracial couple were "racially profiled, and discriminated against based on their race by employees and/or agents of American Airlines, at Miami International Airport."

Williams and Shasholka seek damages in excess of $75,000, not including interests and costs.

The complaint then lists three other instances between 2023 and 2024 in which Black passengers say they were mistreated by American Airlines.

In September 2023, singer-songwriter and guitarist David Ryan Harris — who played in John Mayer's band for two decades — was accused of trafficking his children on an American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles.

Harris and two of his sons were met by an airline employee and police officers at the top of the jetway as they were deplaning.

"A flight attendant had called ahead with some sort of concern that his biracial children were not his children, because they were unresponsive during an interaction with her," the lawsuit says.

American Airlines declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider.

• Crime+Investigation UK's "The Eunuch Maker" is about a man who performed castrations on volunteers.
• Marius Gustavson ran a pay-per-view website where he livestreamed the procedures.
• He made almost $360,000 from the site.

Marius Gustavson, dubbed "The Eunuch Maker" for performing castrations on livestreams, is the focus of a new true crime documentary.

Released on Crime+Investigation UK on Monday, it follows a bumper year of true crime in 2024, with shows including "American Nightmare," "Baby Reindeer," and "The Man with 1000 Kids" getting audiences talking.

The show tells of how Gustavson, a 47-year-old Norwegian living in London, had his penis and testicles removed by a male escort in 2017. He then posted on extreme body modification forums that he was interested in castrating volunteers himself.

He nicknamed himself the "eunuch maker," and performed the procedures in apartments and hotel rooms in London, which he livestreamed on his website and charged viewers a subscription fee. He made almost £300,000 ($365,000) from the website between 2017 and 2021.

The Independent reported that the site had 22,841 registered users.

Gustavson was arrested in 2021 after the London Metropolitan Police launched "Operation Vicktor" to investigate the illegal castrations and other procedures that he carried out on the website.

Marius Gustavson was sentenced to life in prison in 2024

In May 2024, Gustavson was given a life sentence. He can face a parole board after serving a minimum of 22 years, per court documents.

Gustavson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, making and distributing indecent images of a child, and possessing extreme pornography.

During the proceedings, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said that Gustavson also engaged in cannibalism. He said: "On one occasion Gustavson cooked what appeared to be human testicles which were then plated to be eaten, and kept other body parts as 'trophies.'"

Gustavson's defense said he had body integrity dysphoria, a condition that causes a person to feel as if a healthy body part doesn't belong to them.

Rashvinderjeet Panesar, his lawyer, said that Gustavson started to modify his own body in 2017 shortly after the breakdown of his marriage in 2016.

Panesar said: "He was stuck in a body he wanted to make changes to, and understood there were more people out there who wished to do the same."

• My parents were incredibly involved in my childhood and made sure I had endless opportunities.
• I'm 27 years old and constantly fight with my parents about my decisions.
• I feel cognitive dissonance when making choices my parents don't agree with.

I'm the youngest child of two, so it's not shocking that I'm the "rebel" between my sister and me, and I definitely drive my parents crazy because of it.

Despite currently living on the other side of the world (a choice they weren't thrilled to hear about), I still find myself bickering with them over every single decision I make — living location, my relationship, career choices, and more.

It's created a lot of strain on our relationship, especially in adulthood.

My parents did everything right

My parents were incredibly involved as a child, providing me with opportunities that other children never experienced. For example, when my school's mathematics curriculum changed in a way my parents believed would slow the class's progress, they transferred me to a new school to ensure I remained challenged.

During the summers, they found ways to enroll me in programs offered in the neighboring town that weren't available in my own town. This allowed me to sign up for tennis camp, take cooking classes, and become a level-five swimmer — opportunities my classmates didn't have.

In high school, they fought tirelessly at every school board meeting to save the Mandarin course I took from getting cut due to budget constraints. Thanks to their relentlessness, I went on to minor in Mandarin in college, and I'm currently spending a year working from my company's office in China.

These are just a few examples of the many times my parents showed they were overqualified for the parenting role.

My parents blame themselves when I make decisions they oppose

To quote my mother from our most recent kerfuffle: "I didn't fulfill my motherly duties." This isn't the first time I've heard my mother say something along these lines, but it's yet another instance where I wholeheartedly disagree with her.

While my mom and dad will always be my parents, I'm not turning to them to pick me up from soccer practice, help me read over my essays, or pay my cell phone bills. In my late 20s, I just want to know I can go to them for sound advice when I ask for it and that they'll always be in my corner.

I want a closer relationship with my parents

It's challenging to hear that my parents disagree with my choices. While they're only trying to help, our disagreements result in a constant feeling of cognitive dissonance, and instead of consulting my parents about big decisions, I tell them about things after decisions have already been made — such as sky diving, moving to Philadelphia, or taking a trip a self-guided trip to Egypt.

Over time, this reluctance to share decisions I know they'll criticize has caused me to subconsciously stop sharing updates altogether. For instance, I didn't tell them when I got promoted — a moment I would normally want to celebrate with my parents. Avoiding conversations about choices they might disapprove of made me overlook sharing news of which they'd be proud. I was mortified when my dad mentioned he learned of my promotion via LinkedIn.

The last thing I want is a strained relationship with my parents. I hope they'll eventually see that, while I may never think like them or share all their perspectives, I'm more than capable of making thoughtful, sound judgments and navigating life's challenges — skills they've spent my entire life teaching me. I don't expect them to agree with me all the time, but it would help if they showed trust in my decision-making by leading with a supportive attitude and offering their concerns as suggestions to consider rather than implying my choices are misguided or need to be corrected. Constantly feeling at odds is exhausting.

I know my parents love me deeply and only want to protect me from potential mistakes, but I wish they could see that their job now that I'm an adult, isn't to shield me, it's to trust the person they've raised. My choices aren't a rejection of my parents' values; they demonstrate the independence and confidence my parents have instilled in me. I don't want my parents to feel worry or guilt; I want them to be proud that I'm creating a life that reflects what they've taught me and who I've become. More than anything, I want our relationship to grow stronger, built on mutual respect, trust, and the understanding that even if our paths differ, their guidance has always been — and will always be — my foundation.

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

Hello there! Business Insider's Alistair Barr thought he was doing the right thing when he discouraged a colleague from joining a little-known startup back in 2016. Turns out he was wrong. Really wrong. The startup was OpenAI, and the former colleague, who thankfully didn't listen, is now an AI billionaire.

In today's big story, Meta is looking to quickly get rid of low performers with companywide cuts as it prepares for what Mark Zuckerberg says will be an "intense year."

What's on deck

Markets: The saga of finding Jamie Dimon's replacement takes another twist.

Tech: Microsoft employees across multiple divisions have been laid off.

Business: President-elect Donald Trump announces plans for an external revenue service.

But first, on the chopping block.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The big story

Raising the bar

Tired: Move fast and break things. Wired: Move fast and get rid of underperformers.

Two years after Mark Zuckerberg's famous "Year of Efficiency" the Meta CEO is ratcheting things up a notch.

The tech giant announced plans to cut 5% of its workforce with a focus on the lowest performers, Business Insider's Jyoti Mann and Hugh Langley report. Based on Meta's most-recent earnings report, that would amount to about 3,600 roles.

In a memo to staff, Zuckerberg said the company is entering an "intense year" and the decision was made to "move out low-performers faster."

So how does Meta plan on doing that? Jyoti and Pranav Dixit got their hands on an internal memo from a human-resources executive explaining how the job cuts will work.

The key is reaching a 5% non-regrettable attrition rate this year. In case you don't speak HR mumbo jumbo, that describes workers Meta wouldn't mind losing.

To get there, Meta managers will need to identify 12-15% of employees with performance ratings of "Met Most Expectations" or worse. Those who receive ratings of "Met Some" and "Did not Meet" will definitely be fired while those with a "Met Most" rating will be further evaluated by a director and VP before a decision is made.

They won't have a lot of time to do it. Employees based in the US will find out about the cuts by February 10.

Meta employees had plenty of questions about the strategy.

Some got behind the idea. One wrote on an internal message board viewed by Jyoti and Hugh that "there is a need to raise the bar and I absolutely support this."

Others, however, weren't as optimistic. Some wondered how — dare I say — efficient the process would be.

The process is "marginally better than 'monkey's throwing darts,'" another employee wrote.

Like it or not, it might be here to stay. An internal FAQ document viewed by BI hints that performance-related layoffs could become an annual tradition at Meta.

The bigger question is whether the approach catches on at other companies. You could argue Zuckerberg's 2023 efficiency push kicked off a wider trend. (Or maybe it was bound to happen anyway.)

Regular performance-based cuts aren't the standard in tech like they are in other industries, but they also aren't unheard of. Amazon, in particular, has leaned on performance-improvement plans in recent years.

News brief

Top headlines

• South Korea's impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested.
• TikTok tells US employees they'll still have jobs even if the app gets banned.
• TechCrunch cuts staff amid 'evolving needs.'
• SEC accuses Elon Musk of securities violation in new suit.
• LA fires could leave a 'staggering' $275 billion of damage in their wake, one estimate now says. And it could get worse.
• MSNBC president Rashida Jones has stepped down.
• Exclusive: VC firm IVP has hired Atlassian's top sales boss as it builds out its brain trust.
• Kate Middleton says she's in remission nearly a year after her cancer diagnosis.
• A casino is getting into the ad-network business as 'commerce media' continues to surge.
• How Starbucks, Disney, and other companies are reacting to the LA fires.
• Toyota's North American employees are the latest to be ordered back to the office.

3 things in markets

1. Crypto might be a lot of things, but a currency isn't one of them. For all the attention digital currencies like bitcoin have gotten over the years, the likelihood they'll replace money (as some predicted) still seems farfetched. BI's Adam Rogers writes about how crypto has just become another way for people to gamble.

2. JPMorgan and BlackRock shake-up their executive ranks. Daniel Pinto, the bank's president and COO, will step down in June and plans to retire at the end of 2026. Jennifer Piepszak, currently a co-CEO of JPMorgan's commercial and investment bank, will replace Pinto as COO. The promotion isn't about CEO Jamie Dimon grooming a successor, though. Piepszak doesn't want the top job, leading to more questions about Dimon's succession plans. Meanwhile, the race to succeed another Wall Street titan — BlackRock's Larry Fink — took a turn with the departure of Mark Wiedman, who was widely viewed as a top candidate for the job.

3. What the Los Angeles wildfires mean for the economy. AccuWeather estimates the total economic cost could reach $275 billion. Goldman Sachs says it could rank as one of the costliest natural disasters as a share of GDP in US history. However, the bank isn't concerned about higher insurance costs meaningfully impacting inflation. In the meantime, here's a rundown on who could foot the enormous bill.

3 things in tech

1. TikTok's fate hangs in the balance. US users are flocking to the Chinese app RedNote, and TikTok Shop sellers are testing out other e-marketplaces. Selling the app to an American owner isn't out of the question, though — there are reports that Chinese officials are considering an eleventh-hour sale to Elon Musk. MuskTok? Sure, why not.

2. Apple takes a hit despite launching AI iPhones. The tech giant had a standout 2024 with the debut of Apple Intelligence and the Vision Pro. However, its global market share of smartphone sales slipped due to the iPhone losing ground to competitors and its new AI feature not being available in Greater China — one of the company's major markets.

3. Exclusive: Layoffs sweep Microsoft. Employees in security, experiences and devices, sales, and gaming faced job cuts, two people familiar with the matter told BI. The layoffs are separate from the recent cuts targeting low-performers within the company, which BI previously reported.

3 things in business

1. Justin Baldoni's New York Times lawsuit could hinge on an emoji. The "It Ends With Us" director accused the paper of taking his publicists' quotes out of context. He said the paper omitted an emoji — an upside-down smile — that would've made it clear his publicist was being sarcastic, not serious.

2. Trump's got tax plans, but Congress holds the strings. The president-elect vowed to create an "external revenue service" to collect tariffs and revenue from foreign nations on Day One. It's not clear how the new agency would work, but establishing it would require congressional approval. Back home, Americans could see their tax bills change this year since Trump's 2017 package is set to expire.

3. Come for the coffee, stay for the refills. Starbucks announced all its customers — not just rewards members — can get free refills of many brewed coffee and tea drinks at participating stores starting January 27. But the freebies end there, as the company is closing the door on its open-door policy that allows non-paying guests to use store facilities.

In other news

• Australian ugg-boot maker forced to rebrand after trademark battle with American rival.
• Seven mistakes to avoid making during a job interview, according to a business-etiquette expert.
• A therapist has worked with clients worth at least $30 million for a decade. He shares four problems the ultra-rich discuss in sessions.
• Biden signs executive order to accelerate AI infrastructure build-out in the US.

• Gold is one of the 'least effective' inflation hedges, according to Goldman Sachs. Here are three investments that actually protect your portfolio.

  ---

  What's happening now

• BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup report earnings.
• President Biden delivers farewell address to the nation.
• Sinaloa cartel's "El Mayo" in court on drug trafficking charges.
• CPI data released.

The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Ella Hopkins, associate editor, in London. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.