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I booked a dreamy 2-week vacation in Bali. I was so disappointed that I ditched my original itinerary after just 3 days.

Author Alejandra Rojas smiling with waffle with "25" candle on it
I arrived in Bali with high expectations, but some of the crowded tourist spots I wanted to visit ruined the picture-perfect image I had imagined.

Alejandra Rojas

  • I celebrated my birthday in Bali, booking a two-week trip to turn my Instagram dreams into reality.
  • Many places I visited felt crowded and disappointed me, so I decided to scrap my entire itinerary.
  • On day three, I headed to quieter parts of Bali and it was beautiful and peaceful.

For my 25th birthday, I booked a two-week trip to Bali with my partner.

I'd been dreaming about visiting Bali since I saw the many photos of its beautiful blue waters and white-sand beaches on Instagram.

However, when I stepped out of Denpasar International Airport, my Instagram-fluffed expectations crashed with reality. Crowds, traffic, and chaos overwhelmed me.

As our trip continued, I started to question my itinerary. Within a few days, I realized the trip I'd planned wasn't going to give me the best Bali has to offer.

Unfortunately, my original itinerary was limited by what I'd seen on social media

Crowds of people in front of Tanah Lot Temple
The Tanah Lot Temple was interesting, but it was crowded when I visited.

Alejandra Rojas

My itinerary included visits to some of Bali's most Instagram-famous spots: Ubud's lush rice terraces, the iconic Tanah Lot Temple, and the Gate of Heaven.

From what I saw online, these places seemed to promise serenity, beauty, and the postcard-worthy memories I wanted. However, reality didn't quite live up to my vision, which was very limited to what I could find on social media.

On our first full day, the traffic into Ubud was so bad it took us hours to get anywhere.

Once we arrived at the swings and rice terraces, we felt exhausted trying to enjoy the scenery among the many crowds. The landscapes were impressive, but the narrow paths crowded with tourists and selfie sticks made the peaceful vibe I'd imagined disappear.

The next day, we visited Tanah Lot. We struggled to focus on the temple or the ocean as large groups of people seemed to crowd into every spot around it.

I knew Bali was a popular tourist spot, but I still felt frustrated that the reality wasn't matching my vision of such a bucket-list trip.

My tipping point came when we visited the famous Gate of Heaven

Famous Gates photo opp in Bali: Two stone structures with people near it
The Gate of Heaven didn't look anything like the pictures I'd seen of it online β€” turns out, many of those photos were taken using camera tricks.

Alejandra Rojas

My disappointment became hard to ignore, especially when we visited the Gate of Heaven β€” photos I'd seen of it online really drew me to Bali in the first place.

The magical pictures seemed to show the sky reflected onto the ground, creating what really looked like an entryway to a heavenly place.

I knew I had to visit it and take a photo there to commemorate my 25th birthday.

Unfortunately, once we got there, I learned the photos were just illusions. The great sky reflection was created by photographers on-site, who used mirrors under their cameras to create the effect for an extra fee.

I was disappointed to learn the truth and decided the photo wasn't worth taking after all.

I saved the trip by scrapping my original plans, instead exploring other parts of Bali and Indonesia

Author Alejandra Rojas and someone else on swing in ocean at Gili Island
I had an amazing time at the Gili Islands.

Alejandra Rojas

My trip to Bali had become less about enjoying the island's natural beauty and more about navigating a maze of tourist traps.

I realized maybe I was chasing a staged photoshoot, not a real adventure. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was on someone else's vacation, one planned for social media.

By the third day, I was so disappointed that my partner and I decided to ditch our original itinerary entirely. Instead, we spent the rest of the trip enjoying the quieter side of Bali and other parts of Indonesia β€” and it was the best choice we could have made.

We left the hustle of the cities and stayed about an hour south of Ubud in Nusa Dua, where we enjoyed local cuisine and explored the nearby beach at our own pace.

To celebrate my birthday, we went on a day trip to the Gili Islands, accessible by ferry from Bali.

The Gili Islands felt like a far cry from the crowded spots we went to during our first few days in Bali β€” and we didn't have to fight through crowds. Instead, we found the pure tranquility and natural beauty we'd been searching for in all the wrong spots.

In my decade of traveling the world, I rarely ever choose a destination because of what I see on social media. Now, I know better than to plan a trip based on Instagram photos and highlight reels.

Fortunately, by letting go of my original plans, I was able to have the beautiful experience I'd hoped to have in Bali all along.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Flights to nowhere for hundreds of passengers as storm with 100mph wind gusts causes travel chaos

Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8 as seen during taxiing, take off and flying phase in Eindhoven Airport EIN.
Two Ryanair flights ended up back at the same airports they took off from.

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

  • Storm Γ‰owyn in the UK and Ireland caused at least two flights to nowhere on Friday.
  • Other planes struggled to land, with one diverting 300 miles from its intended destination.
  • The disruption comes after the North Atlantic jet stream propelled some flights faster than the speed of sound.

An accelerated jet stream meant some flights travelled faster than the speed of sound on Wednesday β€” but now it's causing chaos for hundreds of passengers.

There were at least two flights to nowhere as Storm Γ‰owyn brought dangerously high winds to some parts of the UK and Ireland.

Ryanair passengers expecting to fly from London to Edinburgh nearly ended up diverting to Cologne.

After circling twice, the Boeing 737 failed to land in the Scottish capital and changed course, per data from Flightradar24.

It then flew over the North Sea as Ryanair's website listed it as diverting to the German city.

However, it then changed course back to London Stansted Airport β€” touching down two and a half hours after taking off.

Another Ryanair service from London Luton Airport to Dublin also became a flight to nowhere.

Flight RYR338 attempted to land before circling four times around the Irish capital, before returning to Luton, per Flightradar24. The ordeal also lasted about two and a half hours.

Passengers on Ryanair Flight 3976 also faced disruption. They departed Barcelona for Dublin but, after two failed landing attempts, diverted to London Stansted Airport β€” some 300 miles away.

In a statement, a Ryanair spokesperson said the airline "sincerely apologizes to all passengers affected by these storm-related disruptions, which are entirely beyond our control and have impacted all airlines operating to/from the UK."

The airline's ultra-low-cost business model relies on minimal turnover times between flights, so Friday's disruption is likely to have knock-on effects on other flights too.

Thousands of aviation enthusiasts tracked the troubled flights on Flightradar24.

Nearly 8,000 people watched an Emirates A380 struggle to land at Birmingham. After a failed landing attempt, it circled the airfield five times before ultimately managing to touch down.

Flight path of an Emirates Airbus A380 to Birmingham on January 25 2025
An Emirates Airbus A380 was eventually able to land in Birmingham, England on Friday.

Flightradar24

Red-weather warnings, meaning there's a danger to life, were in place for all of Ireland and parts of Scotland on Friday. The UK's Met Office said there could be wind gusts as high as 100 miles per hour.

The storm comes after the North Atlantic jet stream was fueled by the recent cold spell in the US.

Its winds were 250 miles per hour faster than usual, causing at least two flights to reach ground speeds above 800 miles per hour.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Economists are questioning Russia's economic data, seeing a more troubled picture

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a Russian-Iranian meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on January 17, 2025.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that 2024 was a strong year for his country's economy.

Getty Images

  • Russia's latest economic figures show it had a strong 2024.
  • But economists are suspicious, believing its data don't stand up to scrutiny and is inflated.
  • This week, Trump threatened high tariffs and more sanctions if Russia doesn't end the Ukraine war.

Economists are questioning Russia's latest economic data, as they say recently published and cited figures don't seem to match its real economic predicament.

During an economic meeting on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin claimed that 2024 was a "strong year" for Russia.

He cited what he described as a manageable 1.7% deficit, and a 26% increase in non-oil and gas revenue to 25.6 trillion rubles, about $257.9 billion.

A day earlier, Russia's finance ministry released a report saying that the country's budget revenue in December was over 4 trillion rubles, or about $40 billion β€” a 28% increase compared to December 2023, and the highest level recorded since 2011.

However, some are growing skeptical of the data shared by Russian authorities.

On a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Elisabeth Svantesson, the finance minister of Sweden, said Putin "wants us to believe that Russia's economy is strong" and that Western sanctions aren't effective.

"But when you dig a bit deeper, you'll see that's not the case," she said, pointing to a report commissioned by the Swedish government.

That analysis, published in September by the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics, found mounting imbalances and an inconsistent policy mix in the Russian economy β€” including massive stimulus and subsidies amid record-high interest rates.

The report also warned that official statistics like GDP growth and inflation rates were tainted by the Kremlin's propaganda machine and "manipulated to support the narrative that the Russian economy is stable."

"It's very clear that Russia's economy isn't as strong as Putin wants us to believe," Svantesson said, pointing to capital flight and nighttime satellite photos as potential evidence.

Iikka Korhonen, head of research at the Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies, made a similar statement.

Korhonen said that Russia has largely stopped publishing its foreign trade data and fiscal data, in sharp contrast to before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"Of course, Putin will put a positive spin on all pieces of data," he said.

As such, the published data may be correct, he added, "but they always leave out negative data and important context."

Economists on the MMI Telegram channel, a Russian discussion group, also highlighted a December Bank of Russia report on the country's balance of payments.

On Wednesday, the group said that Russia's fiscal surplus dropped last month to its lowest level since August 2020, at an estimated $5.6 billion.

While the Bank of Russia described the fiscal surplus as "stable," the MMI Telegram channel said $5.6 billion was not enough to cover the deficit in trade in services, repayment of foreign debt, and demand for foreign assets from citizens and businesses.

It added that the falling fiscal surplus was also piling pressure on the ruble, which fell to a two-year low against the dollar in November.

In a note on Thursday, TsMAKP, a think tank linked to the Russian government, highlighted what it said appeared to be inconsistencies and miscalculations in Russia's official economic data.

It said that while reported GDP growth of 3.8-4% in 2024 appeared strong, real production activity has stagnated since the third quarter of 2023 and investment estimates appeared inflated.

At the same time, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington DC-based think tank, has questioned Russia's finance ministry report, which said that Russia's revenue hit a record high of about $40 billion in December.

It said Russia's figures failed to account for its unsustainable defense spending, high rates of inflation, a widening deficit, and the depletion of its sovereign wealth fund.

Anders Γ…slund, a Swedish economist and former fellow at the Atlantic Council, said this month that Russia's financial reserves could run out before the end of the year.

Not everyone is so down on the Russian economy.

Vasily Astrov, an economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, acknowledged indicators showing a slowdown in Russia's GDP growth and high inflation, but said that Russia's defense spending of 6% of its GDP could be sustainable for "quite some time."

Exiled Russian economist Vladislav Inozemtsev wrote in November that Russia's war economy isn't in imminent danger of collapse.

And Alexander Kolyandr, a financial analyst and non-resident senior scholar at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told BI in an interview last month that with all "extraordinary" factors remaining unchanged, he didn't see any economic "collapse or meltdown" in Russia.

Even so, the US tightened sanctions against Russia earlier this month, and on Wednesday, President Donald Trump threatened high tariffs and more sanctions if it doesn't end the war.

Anders OlofsgΓ₯rd, a deputy director at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics, said oil and gas exports are by far the most important lubricant of the Russian economy, so global prices, the discount on Russian oil, and the ability to shut down Russia's shadow fleet are key.

Right now, however, Roman Sheremeta, an associate professor of economics at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, said that Putin "needs to show that he can continue this war, that his economy is capable of sustaining the Kremlin war machine for the next 2-3 years."

Otherwise, he said, Putin's "future negotiation position will be drastically undermined."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Tesla's updated Model Y is now available to order in the US and Europe

New Tesla Model Y
The new Tesla Model Y is now for sale in the US, UK, and Europe.

Tesla Hong Kong

  • Tesla's new updated Model Y is now available to order in the US, Canada, UK, and mainland Europe.
  • The refreshed Model Y was first launched in China earlier in January.
  • Tesla's sales fell for the first time in 2024 as EV competition intensified.

Tesla's updated version of the Model Y is now available to order in the US, Canada, the UK, and mainland Europe β€” weeks after it was unveiled in China.

In the US, the refreshed car, including the full self-driving feature, costs $59,990 without the Federal Tax Credit applied to EVs.

According to Tesla's website, deliveries will start in March in North America and mainland Europe and in May in the UK.

The new version of the Model Y has a longer range than its predecessor and features an updated design, including a Cybertruck-style light bar instead of more traditional headlights.

Elon Musk's automaker launched a long-awaited updated version of its most successful car in China, parts of southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand earlier this month to fight fierce competition from Chinese electric vehicle rivals.

Deliveries of the car are due to begin in March in China, where it will cost 263,500 yuan ($35,900), about $3,000 more expensive than the starting price of the existing model.

The move comes as no surprise as Tesla has struggled in recent months next to its Chinese competitors.

At the beginning of January, the automotive company BYD said it sold 1.76 million battery electric cars in 2024, a 12% increase from the 1.57 million cars it sold in 2023. Smaller EV makers Nio and Xpeng also saw strong sales in 2024 compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, Tesla announced that it had delivered 1.79 million vehicles last year, a 1% drop from the 1.81 million vehicles it delivered in 2023 β€” the first sales drop in its history. Its decline in sales was particularly substantial in Europe, where sales fell 13%.

The release of the new Model Y comes as Tesla announced it would deploy a software update to about 1.2 million vehicles in China to fix problems with the car's steering and rear-view cameras. The issue poses a possible risk to safety, Chinese regulators said in a statement first reported by Bloomberg.

Tesla's update to fix the steering system will involve 871,087 domestically produced Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. According to Bloomberg, an additional 335,716 cars, including imported Model S and Model Xs and domestically produced Model 3 and Model Ys, will receive an update for the camera issues.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Trump has a message to CEOs: Build in America or pay up

Donald Trump
President Donald Trump

Scott Olson/Getty Images

President Donald Trump is making sure the whole world knows it: "America is back and open for business."

Trump appeared via videolink to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, where he addressed some of the world's most powerful leaders. BI's Spriha Srivastava was in the room to witness the audience go from laughter to silence in seconds.

"My message to every business in the world is very simple: Come make your product in America," Trump said.

"If you don't make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then, very simply, you will have to pay a tariff," he added.

Trump has previously threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, which he said could begin as early as February 1.

He also proposed a 60% tariff on China during his presidential campaign, but he said earlier this week he was considering a 10% tariff on goods from the country next month.

When Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman asked about Europe, Trump didn't hold back, voicing his frustration with European regulatory enforcement actions against tech giants like Apple, Google, and Meta (who were major donors to his inauguration and whose CEOs were prominent guests).

"Whether you like them or not, they're American companies, and they shouldn't be doing that," Trump said.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC
President Donald Trump signed an anti-DEI executive order on his first day in office.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump has plans for the corporate tax rate.

Brian Moynihan, Bank of America's CEO, asked how the Trump administration would prioritize GDP growth and reducing inflation amid his dozens of executive orders.

Trump said he would work to bring the corporate tax rate down to 15% from 21%, provided companies manufacture their products in the US.

The president also called out big banks, accusing them of discriminating against conservatives.

"Many conservatives complain that the banks are not allowing them to do business within the bank, and that included a place called Bank of America," he said.

Bank of America responded publicly, saying it welcomes conservatives among its 70 million clients.

The president also thanked Saudi Arabia after it announced it would invest $600 billion in the US, but Trump added that he would be asking the crown prince "who's a fantastic guy, to round it out to around $1 trillion."

When Trump finished, Schwarzman remarked: "I'm sure the crown prince of Saudi Arabia will be really glad you gave this speech today."

Trump's speech reminded Spriha of how different his style is from the measured, diplomatic tone that usually defines Davos. Whether his message landed the way he intended, however, is another question.

BI's Katie Balevic, Dominick Reuter, Noah Sheidlower, and Allie Kelly have the full rundown of Trump's address.


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. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Sebastian Stan's 15 best and 15 worst movies, according to critics

Sebastian Stan attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.
Sebastian Stan in 2025.

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

  • Sebastian Stan just received his first Oscar nomination.
  • We looked at the critics' scores for all of his movies on Rotten Tomatoes.
  • Not surprisingly, his top-rated movie is "Avengers: Endgame."

Sebastian Stan has had one of the most interesting careers in Hollywood. He got his start on TV playing roles like Carter Baizen in "Gossip Girl," TJ Hammond in "Political Animals," and the Mad Hatter in "Once Upon a Time." At the same time, he was cast as Bucky Barnes, the lovable best friend of Steve Rogers in 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger."

Fourteen years later, Stan is still playing Bucky, aka the Winter Soldier β€” "Thunderbolts" is out this year β€” and has appeared in multiple billion-dollar films in the role. He's also been nominated for an Emmy for playing Tommy Lee in "Pam & Tommy," appeared in multiple best picture nominees, and got the two biggest accolades of his career this year.

He won best actor in a comedy at the 2025 Golden Globes for his role in "A Different Man" and, a few weeks later, received his first Oscar nomination for playing Donald Trump in "The Apprentice."

Here's how critics have received Stan's films throughout his career.

These are the worst films in Stan's career, according to critics.
sebastian stan
Sebastian Stan.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

According to critics' scores on Rotten Tomatoes, these are the worst films of Stan's career.

15. "Ricki and the Flash" (2015)
sebastian stan in ricki and the flash
"Ricki and the Flash" was directed by Jonathan Demme.

Sony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 65%

Ricki (Meryl Streep) abandoned her family to pursue her dreams of becoming a rock star, but years later, she is forced to reckon with what it did to the three kids she left behind, including her son Joshua (Stan), who didn't even tell her that he is engaged.

"Ricki's life may be chaotic but the film hits the high notes when it counts, in rambunctious, crowd-pleasing fashion," wrote Mark Kermode of The Observer.

13 (tie). "Hot Tub Time Machine" (2010)
sebastian stan hot tub time machine
"Hot Tub Time Machine" also stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke.

MGM Distribution Co.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%

When four middle-age friends reunite at the ski resort they used to frequent in their younger days, they're dismayed to find it rundown. They decide to get drunk and drown their sorrows in a hot tub, which takes them back to 1986. Stan plays a bully, Blaine, who's part of the resort's ski patrol.

"An irreverent, guilty pleasure, frat boy comedy, it blows a big fat raspberry at sci-fi fans and tells them to stick their Flux Capacitors where the sun don't shine," wrote Anna Smith of Metro.

13 (tie). "Red Doors" (2005)
red doors
Stan has a small role in "Red Doors"

Warner Brothers; Polychrome Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%

The film mainly focuses on the Chinese-American Wong family as they navigate their own ups and downs while dealing with their distant father, Ed. Stan has a small role.

G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "a gentle, pleasant film about people you genuinely like."

12. "The Last Full Measure" (2019)
the last full measure
"The Last Full Measure" was based on a true story.

Roadside Attractions

Rotten Tomatoes score: 62%

Scott Huffman (Stan), a Pentagon employee, investigates the life and death of Vietnam airman William H. Pitsenbarger (Christopher Plummer), whose family has submitted a Medal of Honor request, only to find out there's way more to the story.

"Here's a true story about a young soldier's exceptional bravery and sacrifice made into a pretty average war movie, insubstantial and TV-ish despite the appearance of some decorated Hollywood veterans," wrote Cath Clarke for The Guardian.

10 (tie). "Monday" (2020)
sebastian stan in monday
Stan stars in "Monday" opposite Denise Gough.

IFC Films

Rotten Tomatoes score: 48%

Two strangers, Mickey (Stan) and Chloe (Denise Gough), meet while living in Athens and almost immediately have intense chemistry before embarking on a weekend-long relationship that turns into something more.

"Try though the actors may, they're unable to make us care about characters who are primarily defined by their lousy decisions and who lack the spark to draw us closer to their flame," wrote Ty Burr of The Boston Globe.

10 (tie). "The Education of Charlie Banks" (2007)
the education of charlie banks
"The Education of Charlie Banks" is a drama.

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Rotten Tomatoes score48%

Charlie (Jesse Eisenberg) and Danny (Chris Marquette) are childhood best friends who are now roommates in college. But when Mick (Jason Ritter), someone with a dark link to their hometown, decides to come stay with them, Charlie is worried he's planning revenge. Stan plays Leo, another one of their college friends.

"Though painted with broad strokes and marred by dialogue howlers during key moments, 'Education' tracks Charlie's emerging sense of identity and perspective," wrote Film Comment Magazine's Nicolas Rapold.

9. "Endings, Beginnings" (2019)
endings beginnings
"Endings, Beginnings" focuses on a love triangle.

Samuel Goldwyn Films

Rotten Tomatoes score: 45%

After a bad breakup turns Daphne's (Shailene Woodley) world upside-down, she finds herself drawn to two polar opposite men who happen to be best friends: Jack (Jamie Dornan), a stable and serious writer, and Frank (Stan), a free-spirited guy always down for adventure.

Paste Magazine's Amy Amatangelo wrote, "'Endings/Beginnings' swerves toward an uplifting and positive conclusion [that] doesn't feel natural or earned. By then, one can only hope those familiar, poorly lit faces made the viewing worthwhile."

8. "I'm Not Here" (2017)
i'm not here sebastian stan
Stan went blonde for "I'm Not Here."

Gravitas Ventures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 38%

An old man, Steve (JK Simmons), is forced to look back at his life and figure out why he's been left old and alone. Stan plays the younger version of Steve.

"There isn't a moment of 'I'm Not Here' that didn't have me fervently wishing I wasn't here," wrote the New York Post's Sara Stewart.

7. "The Bronze" (2015)
the bronze
"The Bronze" stars Stan and "Big Bang Theory" actor Melissa Rauch.

Sony Pictures Classics

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%

Former bronze medalist Hope Greggory (Melissa Rauch), who has been coasting on her minor celebrity ever since the Olympic Games, decides to coach young gymnastics superstar Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson) in order to receive a $500,000 inheritance from her dead coach. Stan plays another gymnastics trainer, Lance.

"This ostensibly edgy comedy didn't wring a single laugh out of me until maybe fifteen minutes before the finale," wrote Glenn Kenny for RogerEbert.com.

6. "The 355" (2022)
sebastian stan the 355
In "The 355," Stan got to speak in his first language, Romanian.

Universal Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 24%

Three spies (and one field psychologist) from around the world team up to take down a crime lord in possession of a device that could effectively destroy the world. Stan plays Nick, a CIA agent and boyfriend of Jessica Chastain's character.

"If you've ever seen a mediocre action movie with a surprisingly stacked cast, then you've basically seen this," wrote Mashable's Kristy Puchko.

5. "Spread" (2009)
sebastian stan in spread
"Spread" also stars Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche, and Margarita Levieva.

Anchor Bay Films

Rotten Tomatoes score: 22%

After Nikki (Ashton Kutcher), a gigolo who lives without a care in the world, meets Heather (Margarita Levieva), he becomes fixated on her β€” to the detriment of everything else in his life. Stan plays Harry, his best friend.

"Shallow, melodramatic, pretentious and wildly misguided, it's also ambitious, entertaining and rather funny," wrote Tom Huddleston of Time Out.

4. "Gone" (2012)
gone sebastian stan
It's neither actor's best work.

Lionsgate

Rotten Tomatoes score: 12%

A woman, Jill (Amanda Seyfried), is dealing with the aftermath of her brutal kidnapping a year prior … including that no one believes it actually happened. After her sister goes missing, she fears that her kidnapper has struck again. Stan plays the missing woman's boyfriend.

Derek Malcolm of the London Evening Standard wrote, "It's one of those Hollywood movies that goes in one eye and out the other."

3. "The Architect" (2006)
sebastian stan in the architect
"The Architect" was one of his first roles.

Magnolia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%

An architect, played by Anthony LaPaglia, is forced to come to terms with his life β€” his wife is bored, his son doesn't care about following in his footsteps, and his daughter is growing up too fast β€” while contending with the fact that one of his projects has led to community decay. Stan plays his son, Martin.

"Despite his obvious earnestness, first-time director and cowriter Matt Tauber is ill-equipped to mine emotions this complex," wrote Michael Booth for the Denver Post.

2. "The Covenant" (2006)
sebastian stan in the covenant
Stan plays the villain, Chase, in "The Covenant."

Sony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 4%

A group of high school boys who are descended from ancient witches have to contend with the fact that their magic is slowly killing them. They also must confront a new foe, Chase (Stan), who threatens all of them.

"Flying scenes, frat-boy face-offs and pyrotechnic punch-ups are punctuated by excruciating expository dialogue," wrote Nigel Floyd of Time Out.

1. "The Apparition" (2012)
sebastian stan in the apparition
Stan plays a character named Ben in "The Apparition."

Warner Bros. Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 3%

A group of college students, including Stan's character Ben, attempt to recreate the "Charles Experiment," which sees them stare at a drawing of a dead man named Charles to summon his spirit. It works, and they slowly get picked off one by one.

"The entity is a ghostly presence amid an even ghostlier absence. This is truly distressed real estate," wrote The Boston Globe's Mark Feeney.

And now, the best films of his career.
Sebastian Stan
Sebastian Stan.

Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

The last few years have been great for Stan, including his first Golden Globe win, his first Oscar nomination, appearances in multiple billion-dollar films, and an Emmy nomination.

15. "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011)
captain america the first avenger steve and bucky 1
"Captain America: The First Avenger" was the first time Stan played Bucky, a role he's still playing to this day.

Disney/Marvel

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

When the puny Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to become a science experiment for the US Army, he's turned into the super-strong and near-invulnerable Captain America, who dedicates his life to defeating the Nazis in World War II, with the help of Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), best friend Bucky (Stan), and the rest of the Howling Commandos.

"[Director Joe] Johnston should be saluted for old-fashioned heart in a cynical age, while Marvel should be confined to barracks for cynical marketing," wrote Empire Magazine's Colin Kennedy.

13 (tie). "Fresh" (2022)
fresh
Stan weaponizes his charm as Steve in "Fresh."

Hulu

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

"Fresh," which dropped on Hulu in 2022, stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Noa, a young woman who is sick of dating apps and decides to take a chance on Steve (played by Stan), a guy she met at the grocery store. Unsurprisingly, there's more to Steve than he lets on.

"The final act comes with perhaps too many surprises on the menu, but the film is so much fun that I didn't mind the extra courses," wrote Shirley Li of The Atlantic.

13 (tie). "The Apprentice" (2024)
sebastian stan as donald trump in the apprentice
"The Apprentice" was directed by Ali Abbasi.

Briarcliff Entertainment

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

"The Apprentice" focuses on the rise of Donald Trump in the 1970s as he became a power player in New York real estate under the tutelage of Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong. Both Stan and Strong were nominated for Oscars.

"Stan does a bang-up job capturing Trump's verbal cadence and tics, his hand gestures, and his smirk, which seemed a lot less obvious in the 1970s and '80s than they are now," wrote Peter Howell for the Toronto Star.

11 (tie). "Dumb Money" (2023)
sebastian stan in dumb money
Stan reunited with director Craig Gillespie for "Dumb Money."

Sony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score84%

"Dumb Money" is a "Big Short"-esque look at the GameStop stock squeeze. Wall Street and other ultrawealthy investors lost billions of dollars when they bet against the video game retailer, while the Reddit forum WallStreetBets was making the price go sky-high. Stan plays Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev.

"Paul Dano heads a sprawling cast as the guy leading the rebels with pitchforks on behalf of GameStop, resulting in a film that's smart and satisfying enough to earn every dollar it makes," wrote Brian Lowry for CNN.

11 (tie). "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" (2018)
we have always lived in the castle
"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" also stars Taissa Farmiga and Alexandra Daddario.

Brainstorm Media

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%

The Blackwood sisters are ostracized from the rest of society, as their whole town believes they are witches who poisoned their own parents. When their charismatic cousin Charles (Stan) comes to town, Constance (Alexandra Daddario) and Merricat (Taissa Farmiga) disagree on his intentions and what to do with him.

"The film adaptation of 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' understands Shirley Jackson's novel as a tale of male abuse and female rage," wrote Roxana Hadadi for Pajiba.

8 (tie). "Rachel Getting Married" (2008)
sebastian stan in rachel getting married
Stan plays a troubled young man named Walter.

Sony Pictures Classics

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"Rachel Getting Married" stars Anne Hathaway as Kym Buchanan, a young woman who is released from rehab in order to attend her sister Rachel's wedding. Stan has a small role as someone else in Kym's rehab center.

"Hathaway's performance has been deservedly nominated for an Oscar. Whether or not she wins, here's hoping the associated kudos saves her from ever having to do another 'Bride Wars,'" wrote Sandra Hall of the Sydney Morning Herald. (Kate Winslet ultimately won the award for "The Reader.")

8 (tie). "Black Swan" (2010)
sebastian stan in black swan
He's only in one scene.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"Black Swan" is a psychological thriller about a ballerina, Nina (Natalie Portman), whose grip on reality begins to slip after she's made the lead ballerina in a performance of "The Swan Queen." Sebastian plays a man who Nina meets at a bar while she's trying to access her inner darkness.

"By the end, Nina's quest for perfection β€” and Portman's blazing performance β€” will leave you breathless," wrote Caryn James for Marie Claire.

8 (tie). "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)
Bucky Barnes Infinity War
Bucky is the center of one of the most heartbreaking scenes in "Avengers: Infinity War."

Marvel Studios

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

Earth's mightiest heroes are scattered throughout the planet β€” and space β€” to team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time to take down Thanos, their most formidable foe of all time, before he can obtain all six Infinity Stones and wipe out half the population of the universe.

"Never has the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' seemed like more of a universe, in ways both good and bad. 'Infinity War' β€” the title is almost too apt β€” is far from a perfect movie, but it is probably close to the best movie it could have been," wrote The Atlantic's Christopher Orr.

5 (tie). "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
captain america the winter solider bucky cap shield
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is all about Bucky and Steve's relationship.

Disney/Marvel

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

After the events of "The Avengers," Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) is working for SHIELD, a US governmental agency. But when his boss, Nick Fury, discovers a huge conspiracy, he's seemingly killed, and Steve is forced to go on the run.

At the same time, he discovers his best friend from the '40s, Bucky, didn't actually die during WWII, and was instead discovered by the Nazis. He was tortured and brainwashed into becoming a mindless killing machine: The Winter Soldier.

Kate Erbland of MTV wrote, "'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' neatly and entertainingly puts into motion some big changes in the Marvel universe, while still sticking to its own charms β€” no easy feat, but one fit for a hero."

5 (tie). "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)
bucky barnes civil war
"Captain America: Civil War" was a huge hit with critics and audiences alike.

Marvel

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

After HYDRA was destroyed at the end of "Winter Soldier," a newly free Bucky lies low in Romania. However, when he's framed for a bombing in Vienna, Steve comes to his defense, flying in the face of a new agreement called the Sokovia Accords, which aims to hold superheroes accountable, splitting the Avengers down the middle.

"It is one of the best movies to ever come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, balancing engaging action set pieces and witty dialogue with intelligent character studies and ethical debates," wrote Salon's Matthew Rozsa.

5 (tie). "I, Tonya" (2017)
i tonya neon
"I, Tonya" was directed by Craig Gillespie.

Neon

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

Based on the real story of figure skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), the film follows her life from childhood and learning how to skate, all the way to the infamous night when Nancy Kerrigan was attacked.

Stan plays Harding's husband and the brains behind the attack against Kerrigan, Jeff Gillooly.

"'I, Tonya' is far from your typical biopic, and it's all the better for it. Buoyed by sharp, fun storytelling and Oscar-worthy performances, it's exactly the type of movie this story deserved," wrote CultureMap's Alex Bentley.

4. "The Martian" (2015)
the martian
"The Martian" earned its star, Matt Damon, an Oscar nomination.

Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is a botanist and a member of the Ares III mission to Mars. When a storm separates him from his crew, he's left behind and must figure out a way to survive on the red planet alone. Stan plays one of the crew members.

"Despite being marketed under the mainstream bait of a 'space movie,' 'The Martian' is, more than anything, a love letter to science, without ever feeling like a boring textbook," wrote Complex's Kristen Yoonsoo Kim.

2 (tie). "A Different Man" (2024)
sebastian stan in a different man
In "A Different Man," Stan plays a man struggling with his identity.

A24

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

In "A Different Man," Stan plays a man named Edward who has the genetic condition neurofibromatosis. After he gets surgery to "fix" himself, he becomes obsessed with an actor named Oswald (played by Adam Pearson, who actually does have this condition), who is going to play Edward in a play based on his life.

LA Weekly's Erin Maxwell wrote, "Although 'A Different Man' will confound many with its bleak twists and polarizing take on humanity, Stan's performance in the surrealist outing is stellar."

2 (tie). "Logan Lucky" (2017)
sebastian stan logan lucky
Stan has a small, yet memorable, part in "Logan Lucky."

Fingerprint Releasing; Bleecker Street

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Channing Tatum and Adam Driver costar as the Logan brothers who devise a plot to rob a NASCAR speedway, but, in classic Steven Soderbergh style, there are many twists and turns along the way. Stan plays a NASCAR driver, Dayton White.

"A singular filmmaker returns from a cinematic sabbatical in qualified triumph. We're lucky to have him," wrote Donald Clarke of The Irish Times.

1. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)
avengers endgame
"Avengers: Endgame" once again uses the relationship between Bucky and Steve as its emotional crux.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

After Thanos dusts half the universe, the original six Avengers (along with some new allies) go on a "time heist" through their own past to find all six Infinity Stones and return all their lost loved ones to the present.

"The only complaint about 'Avengers: Endgame' is that it raises the bar so high that there may well never be a superhero movie to match it," wrote Matthew Norman of the London Evening Standard.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A 43-year-old fixed his back pain to tackle the world's toughest triathlon by eating more protein and doing 5 simple exercises

A man in athletic gear his hands at the finish line of an outdoor race.
A 43-year-old accountant took on the world's toughest triathlon just months after hip injury by using simple exercises to fix his muscle imbalances.

Courtesy of Pablo Sampaio

  • A 43-year-old triathlete was sidelined by a hip injury from sitting too much and could barely walk.
  • He said working with a physical therapist on hip stretching and strengthening got him back to running.
  • Eating more protein also helped fuel his recovery as he prepped for the toughest triathlon in the world.

In the first ten minutes of his run, Pablo Sampaio knew something wasn't right.

The 43-year-old Michigan resident was in his second day of a weekend conference, sitting for about 10 hours each day before hitting the hotel gym to train for an upcoming triathlon.

With just a few months left to get ready, he decided to run multiple days in a row, between conference events, despite his trainer's warning not to.

The first day was fine. The second day, Sampaio felt pain but pushed through to complete the workout. The third day, he could barely walk.

"I knew I messed something up," Sampaio told Business Insider. "I couldn't land on my feet without excruciating pain."

His triathlon was three months away, and it wasn't an ordinary race β€” the Norseman is considered the toughest triathlon on the planet. To Sampaio, it had been bucket list event ever since he attempted but couldn't finish it in 2014.

"I made a lot of rookie mistakes. It haunted me for a decade," he said.

But he couldn't move without pain, let alone think about tackling the Ironman-style event: a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and full marathon of running, much of which is uphill (or in this case, up a mountain).

A man in a racing tee shirt and ball cap smiles at the camera
Pablo Sampaio has been interested in endurance races like triathlons since about 2009. The Norseman, one of the toughest events, has been on his bucket list for a decade.

Courtesy of Pablo Sampaio

With the help of physical therapists, Sampaio said a consistent program of stretching, simple exercises, and recovery habits helped him offset the damage from a desk job and finally finish his bucket list race injury-free.

Hip flexor stretches help offset the damage from sitting

Long hours at a desk job, combined with lengthy endurance workouts, had twisted Sampaio's pelvis, according to Andrey Simeonovski, a physical therapist who worked with him.

"When he came in, he wasn't able to do anything," Simeonovski told BI. "Because he was training so hard and sitting so long, his hip flexors tightened so much they pulled his pelvis into rotation."

To help stretch the hip flexors, Sampaio did exercises like:

  • Modified pigeon pose β€” Pigeon pose in yoga typically involves having one leg extended along the ground with the other bent at a 90 degree angle in front of your body. An alternate version can be done by elevating the front leg on a box or bench for less pressure.
  • Figure-four stretch β€” Start by lying on the ground face-up, bend one knee toward your chest, and then cross your opposite ankle over the knee. Gently pull your knee closer to your chest to increase the stretch if needed and hold.
  • Half-kneeling rock β€” From a kneeling position, extend one leg out to the side with the foot flat on the ground. Slowly rock backward, stretching the front of your hip, return to the starting position, and repeat.

Sampaio said his PT team also did a lot of manual therapy like soft tissue mobilization, and later had Sampaio use a kettlebell to put pressure on tight spots (like an extra-intense version of foam rolling) which was uncomfortable but effective.

"A lot of it was just trusting the process and trusting the team, " Sampaio said.

A man in a blue biking shirt and yellow blaze vest and safety gear bikes on a mountainous road
Intense exercise after sitting all day at work can put pressure on the pelvis and low back, but working on glute and hip strength helps.

Courtesy of Pablo Sampaio

Strengthening the glutes can fix lower back pain

Problems with the hips and back are common for people who work a desk job, but fixing muscle imbalances can help.

Simeonovski said that helping Sampaio run without pain involved strengthening his glutes and hip muscles like the extensors with exercises like:

  • Glute bridges β€” Start by lying face-up with both heels on the ground and knees bent at 90 degrees. Push your feet into the ground to lift your hips up. Variations like using one leg at a time or wrapping a resistance band around your hips can make the exercise more challenging and help address imbalances.
  • Single leg Romanian deadlifts β€” Holding a weight like a kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand, lift one leg off the floor straight out behind you, hinging your hips back and keeping your pelvis parallel to the ground as you balance on the working leg until the weight reaches about shin height. Return to the starting position by pushing through the standing leg and bringing your hips forward.

The key to relieving pain and imbalances with glute and hip exercise is performing them slowly with control and perfect form.

"They can be frustrating because they seem very simple. But it's very easy to compensate instead of isolating the proper muscles," Simeonovski said.

Sampaio said progress felt slow, but his patience started to pay off as the race approached.

"It probably wasn't up until two weeks before the race where I did a two-hour run," he said. "It was a huge milestone for me. I wasn't pain free but I thought, I can swing this."

Eating more protein and hydrating is key to recovery

Sampaio said better nutrition and recovery habits also helped him bounce back from injury.

For one thing, he found as a vegan, he was only eating about 50 grams of protein a day β€” the typical recommended amount of protein is around 140 to 150 grams daily for an athlete of his size.

He noticed a major improvement in how he felt after eating more plant-based protein sources like tofu and lentils and supplementing with protein shakes.

"That changed the game, I felt like I had more energy, I was recovering faster," Sampaio said.

He also drank more water at his doctor's recommendation.

Still, Sampaio wasn't sure if it he was ready to tackle the Norseman, even the morning of the race. It wasn't until he took his first step off the bike and could run pain-free that he felt a sense of hope, and said the triumph and closure as he finished the final mile was one of the best moments of his life.

"To this day I'm still in disbelief," Sampaio said. "There was so much suffering involved, there was a lot of grief, but crossing that finish line was amazing."

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NATO turns to sea drones to defend its fragile undersea cable network

Warship in the Baltic
Warship off the coast of Latvia during international naval exercises in 2023.

picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

  • NATO is using sea drones to help defend subsea cables.
  • European officials have accused Russia of sabotaging the cables.
  • The cables carry power and internet data.

NATO is deploying sea drones to help monitor and defend subsea cables in the Baltic amid the escalating threat of Russian sabotage.

Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of the alliance, mentioned the new tech at a recent panel.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Rutte said NATO had launched a mission in the Baltic Sea "to fight off the Russians who are getting at our critical undersea infrastructure."

"We are using sea drone technology there, next to the more traditional technology with ships, etc and aircraft," he said.

His remarks follow NATO's announcement on January 14 of its Baltic Sentry mission, using ships, aircraft, submarine satellites, and naval drones to surveil and defend the cables.

Running for thousands of miles under the sea, the cables transmit energy and data crucial for a global internet. But they're difficult to monitor and protect and are vulnerable to attack.

Drones are uncrewed vessels that can be deployed for a range of functions, including surveillance. The use of sea drones is still relatively new.

French Adm. Pierre Vandier, a senior NATO commander, told The War Zone that Baltic Sentry was the first time using drones in that way.

He also clarified that the drones were surface drones, rather than undersea ones.

The mission would "give a persistent, 24-7 surveillance of critical areas," he told the outlet.

In recent months, European officials have blamed Russia for a series of mysterious cable severances around the Baltic.

Analysts told Business Insider that Russia appears to be using aging tankers to sever the cables by dragging their anchors, giving the appearance of plausible deniability. In December, Finnish officials detained a tanker it accused of severing a cable near Estonia and said the vessel was part of a "shadow fleet" Russia uses to dodge sanctions.

Russia has denied any involvement in cable sabotage.

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What does OpenAI get from Stargate? A $500 billion chance to build a whole new moat.

Sam Altman presenting onstage with the OpenAI logo behind him.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is spearheading a $500 billion hardware project as competitors close the gap on its AI software.

Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images

  • OpenAI's ChatGPT once gave it a moat that protected it from competition from rivals.
  • That moat is looking less secure as the likes of Chinese startup DeepSeek close the gap.
  • OpenAI now seems ready to build a new moat with a $500 billion infrastructure project called Stargate.

OpenAI has a new $500 billion project called Stargate. Consider it an extraordinary attempt by the ChatGPT maker to build itself a whole new moat in the face of growing competition from rivals at home and a buzzy startup in China.

This week, OpenAI revealed plans to shift focus and spend $500 billion on AI infrastructure over the next four years. Stargate will focus on hardware powering advanced AI software, such as data centers and energy supply β€” all with Donald Trump's blessing.

It is a colossal amount of money, but OpenAI has two critical reasons for spearheading the initiative alongside key partners SoftBank, Microsoft, and Oracle.

First, reaching what OpenAI boss Sam Altman calls an era of "superintelligence" depends on having access to more computing power. The industry insists that AI models will get smarter when given more of it, making ownership and access a priority.

Stargate, then, offers OpenAI a chance to build itself the kind of formidable "moat" that Warren Buffett once said companies need to ensure they maintain a competitive advantage against rivals. A vast infrastructure empire belonging to OpenAI would certainly help give it that.

The second reason for betting big on infrastructure through Stargate is even more critical: OpenAI may have no choice but to build itself a new moat in response to a Chinese startup that this week caused a stir in Silicon Valley.

Why OpenAI may need a new moat

When OpenAI first introduced ChatGPT to the world, it was clear that the combination of a powerful AI model and an intuitive, consumer-friendly interface gave it a moat that was the envy of Silicon Valley.

How much of a moat ChatGPT offers OpenAI has come under increasing debate.

The latest challenge to OpenAI's moat came on Monday as a little-known Chinese startup called DeepSeek stunned America's top AI researchers after revealing a new AI model called R1. In a paper, it said R1 rivals the frontier AI model OpenAI introduced just four months ago, o1.

ChatGPT
OpenAI rolled out various products in December but in January, engineers are talking about DeepSeek.

Screenshot of Shipmas

Like o1, it reasons, meaning it thinks carefully before responding. According to DeepSeek, which has obtained an MIT license to open-source its model, R1 achieves "performance comparable to OpenAI o1 across math, code, and reasoning tasks."

That an open-source Chinese company has been able to release a free model competitive with the best OpenAI has to offer has not gone unnoticed among AI's most prolific leaders.

Jonathan Ross, the CEO and founder of Groq, an Nvidia rival backed by BlackRock and Samsung, responded to a question in Davos this week about DeepSeek's latest release by claiming "open models will win."

"We cannot do closed models anymore and be competitive β€” open always wins," the former Google engineer said while noting that it will be harder to differentiate between models soon. As he put it, "The models are not going to be particularly special for long."

Gary Marcus, a cognitive scientist and AI researcher, told Business Insider that he has been adamant for a year now that "closed source players have almost no obvious moat" and that it is "certainly even more true now" following DeepSeek's release.

It's not the first time OpenAI's moat has been challenged.

In May 2023, when Google was busy playing catch up to ChatGPT, an internal memo written by an engineer inside the search giant, published by research firm SemiAnalysis, warned that "we have no moat, and neither does OpenAI."

Why? Because, in the engineer's view, the gap in capabilities between the models being worked on in Silicon Valley versus the open-source community was "closing astonishingly quickly."

We are, of course, almost two years on from the warning issued in that memo, and OpenAI has since then convinced investors that it is of market-leading value, having completed a $6.6 billion funding round at a $157 billion valuation in October.

Nathan Benaich, founder and general partner of AI-focused venture capital firm Air Street Capital, offered Business Insider one explanation for why OpenAI has retained favor, noting ChatGPT has things like ease of use and reliability that make it a top pick for customers.

"OpenAI, I think, has won the spot of being CocaCola for consumers," he said. "Who is the Pepsi? The gap is large."

Avijit Ghosh, an applied policy researcher at Hugging Face, doubled down on the point, telling Business Insider that while DeepSeek's R1 performance "challenges conventional wisdom about technical moats in frontier AI," he thinks the reality is more nuanced.

"The real differentiation isn't in raw model performance anymore β€” it's in how these capabilities are integrated into practical applications and systems, and tech behemoths are still leagues ahead in being able to vertically integrate and commodify their models into products," he said.

OpenAI offered a demonstration of this on Thursday following the release of Operator β€” an AI agent that serves as an assistant capable of booking everything from dinner reservations to travel.

This is clearly impressive, but resting competitive advantage on AI agents and an easy-to-use interface may still not be enough in the face of an entire industry making "agentic AI" its focus. The AI industry's pace of innovation is relentless.

Building the Stargate moat

Stargate offers OpenAI a chance to build a new moat that could well be tougher to replicate than a large language model or AI agent for a few reasons. For one, having more computing power is vital to scaling models to greater levels of intelligence, experts say.

Dylan Patel, founder of research firm SemiAnalysis, told Business Insider: "Stargate is extremely important for OpenAI to be competitive because the access to compute is what enables them to keep scaling."

Groq's Ross, meanwhile, told a panel in Davos that he sees access to infrastructure being so important in the future that "what countries are going to be tussling over is how much compute they have access to."

If OpenAI does manage to get Stargate built, it seems it will do so to serve its own purposes. A report from the Financial Times this week said Stargate will exclusively serve OpenAI β€” a sign that the project is meant to give the company an edge.

OpenAI did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Business Insider.

Clearly, then, the Stargate announcement suggests OpenAI sees a chance to build a new moat. It just can't be expected to come easy.

Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman noted that while the project is likely to work as a VC play, where the outcome is expected to be delivered at an unknown date in the future after serious investment, "raising $500 billion is going to be a real challenge."

OpenAI remains lossmaking, and its key Stargate partners, like SoftBank and Oracle, the main equity funders alongside the UAE's MGX, have cash on hand that falls far short of the $100 billion initially being deployed. From a sheer capital position, a new moat won't be cheap.

Building the data centers and clean energy sources forming this new moat will require nationwide coordination spanning multiple initial technology partners, including Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, OpenAI, and Arm. Construction of a data center site in Texas is underway, but the project will need to go much further.

Hugging Face's Ghosh also thinks the "'compute is everything' narrative misses the mark," as small teams like Deepseek have shown "remarkable results through clever engineering."

Still, OpenAI seems ready to go all in on Stargate to build a new moat. Its future leadership in the industry may well depend on its success.

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A memo threatens federal workers with punishment for concealing DEI work from Trump's ban

President Donald Trump holds up a freshly-signed executive order as he attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order after his second inauguration.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

  • Federal workers have been told to report DEI initiatives or face "adverse consequences."
  • Employees at NASA, DHS, and the Treasury received a memo with the warning.
  • The new guidance comes after President Trump signed an executive order ending DEI initiatives.

Federal workers in multiple agencies have received a memo saying they should report any diversity, equity, and inclusion activities in their department amid a widespread purge of DEI initiatives.

Those who don't may face "adverse consequences," according to a template memo issued to federal agencies by the US Office of Personnel Management.

The OPM issued the new guidance on Tuesday, the day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled "Ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing."

The guidance included a template email to be sent from agency heads to all employees by 5p.m. Wednesday, saying that there are "efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language."

Employees should look out for changes in job descriptions that try to hide diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility β€” or DEIA β€” activities "or similar ideologies," and report them within 10 days, it said.

The guidance told federal agencies to place all DEIA staff on immediate leave and to make a plan for ending all related programs.

The letter template added: "These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination."

A version of the template on a NASA letterhead was shared by several people on social media. Business Insider was unable to independently verify it.

In a statement sent to BI, a NASA spokesperson said: "Our agency has complied with the requirements of the executive order and guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management memorandum issued Jan. 21."

They added that the agency sent a message to its workforce ahead of the deadline.

According to the BBC, versions of the email were also sent to employees at agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department.

The Treasury's version, seen by the BBC, omitted the warning about "adverse consequences," the outlet reported.

Trump's executive order overturned efforts by the Biden administration aimed at advancing equity in the federal workforce.

While in office, President Joe Biden required all federal agencies to submit equity action plans.

As of Friday, pages on some federal agency websites detailing DEI initiatives or profiling former chief diversity officers had been taken down.

In other cases, it appears that roles have been reduced to exclude DEI activities.

One example: An archived version of the about page of Elizabeth P. Martin, deputy inspector general at the US Postal Service Office of Inspector General, lists her as the agency's chief diversity officer. That title is now missing from her current page.

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Tesla sales in Europe are sliding. That's a problem for Elon Musk.

Elon Musk
Elon Musk played a key role in Donald Trump's election, and now he's turning his attention to Europe.

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

  • Not content with shaking up US politics, Elon Musk is on a mission to "make Europe great again."
  • His interventions into the continent's politics come as Tesla's sales plunge in Europe, falling 13% last year.
  • Some of Tesla's rivals in Europe are now going after owners put off by Musk's politics.

As Elon Musk wades into European politics, Tesla's sales across the continent are plummeting.

The automaker saw sales of its EVs drop 13% in the European Union in 2024, according to data released by industry body ACEA this week, and is facing growing pressure in its third-largest market as rivals launch a wave of cheaper electric vehicles.

Tesla saw big drops in sales in major markets like Germany, France, and Italy, according to analysis from pricing consultancy Argus Media shared with Business Insider.

In Germany, the hub of Europe's auto industry and the home of Tesla's Berlin gigafactory, sales of Tesla vehicles fell by 41% in 2024, outstripping the 27% sales decline in the general battery EV market.

The company's woes come as wider EV sales dropped across Europe in 2024, driven by the end of key subsidies in several markets.

"The big picture is a shrinking EV market across Europe. But Tesla is shrinking faster than that, and in specific markets, it is outpacing that decline," Dylan Khoo, an analyst at Argus, told BI.

Stuttering sales

While Tesla's sales in markets such as Belgium, Netherlands, and Sweden rose last year, the overall picture in Europe is less than rosy for the automaker β€” especially with many of its rivals rolling out their own mass-market electric vehicles.

Swedish brand Volvo, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely, saw its sales rise nearly 30% in the EU last year, driven by the popularity of its 36,000 euro ($40,000) EX30 electric crossover.

Rivals like Renault and BMW also saw their sales grow in Europe and the UK last year, with French firm Renault launching cheaper models including the baguette-holding R5.

Volvo EX30
Volvo's EX30 is one of a number of cheaper EVs being rolled out by Tesla's rivals in Europe.

Guillaume Payen/Anadolu via Getty Images

Experts told BI that an increasingly stale product lineup had hit Tesla's European business.

The automaker has not launched a new vehicle in Europe since the Model Y in 2021. Its most recent EV, the Cybertruck, is not available in the UK or Europe.

"It's looking a little bit samey," said Philip Nothard, Insight and Strategy Director at Cox Automotive.

Nothard added that Tesla was facing a more crowded EV market in Europe and coming under pressure from domestic rivals and insurgent Chinese carmakers, who have ambitious growth plans for Europe.

Both Khoo and Nothard said that the recently unveiled revamped Model Y will be key to turning around Tesla's fortunes in Europe.

Deliveries of the updated SUV start later this year, and Tesla will be hoping the new Model Y will help the company bounce back after it recorded its first ever annual drop in sales in 2024.

Musk takes on Europe

Tesla's difficulties in Europe come as CEO Elon Musk continues to shake up European politics.

The billionaire caused outrage among many in Germany with his endorsement of AfD, a right-wing political partyGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz branded Musk's support of the "extreme right" as "completely unacceptable."

Tesla's refreshed Model Y
A screenshot of Tesla's refreshed Model Y, which is coming to Europe later this year.

Tesla

Several German companies have announced they will stop buying Tesla vehicles over Musk's comments in recent months. On Wednesday, activists projected an image of a controversial gesture made by the Tesla boss at Donald Trump's inaugural parade onto the side of the company's Berlin gigafactory.

Musk has also become entangled in UK politics, feuding with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and reportedly considering a donation to right-wing party Reform.

The controversy surrounding Musk has seen one of Tesla's rivals step up efforts to court disgruntled owners.

The CEO of EV brand Polestar said on Wednesday he had told the company's sales staff to target Tesla owners put off by Musk's push into politics and echoed Scholz in calling the billionaire's support of AfD "totally unacceptable."

"We get a lot of people writing that they don't like all this," Michael Lohscheller said in an interview with Bloomberg.

"It's important to listen closely to what they say. And I can tell you, a lot of people have very, very negative sentiment," he added.

Matthias Schmidt, a Germany-based automotive analyst, told BI he expected Musk's political involvements to eventually have an impact on Tesla's European sales, and said rivals like Polestar would likely reap the benefit of disgruntled Tesla owners ditching their vehicles.

"I expect Tesla's rivals are rubbing their hands together because this is the exact point where they need a big EV uptake for their own products," said Schmidt.

"The more Elon Musk continues to shoot himself in the foot, if you like, the more Germans and European manufacturers can only benefit. For them, it's like Christmas and all their birthdays coming all at once," he added.

Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the opening of Tesla's Berlin factory in 2022.

PATRICK PLEUL/Getty Images

However, Nothard said that consumers would ultimately be more concerned about factors such as price and performance, rather than Musk's politics.

"I don't think the consumer really connects it. Ultimately it's a car β€”do they like it, is it affordable to them? Does it fulfill the requirements of what they want? That's really what the consumer is looking at," he said.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.

Do you work for Tesla or own one of the compay's vehicles? Get in touch with this reporter at tcarter@businessinsider.com or tcarter.41 on Signal.

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My kids' school cancels class on Fridays so they can go skiing. The parent-teacher organization gives out scholarships so no one misses out.

Mom and kids on ski lift
The author chaperones her kids while the ski on Fridays.

Courtesy of the author

  • On Fridays in January and February classes end early and kids head outside.
  • My first- and fifth-graders look forward to school skiing year-round.
  • The program teaches kids important lessons about physical and mental wellness.

My first-grader zipped by me on skis, her "French fries" easily overtaking my skis' cautious "pizza" positioning. Her sister, a fifth grader, was already down the mountain and on the chairlift again, giggling with friends as she went back for another run.

It wasn't vacation or a weekend, but a Friday afternoon at school for the girls during one of their favorite times of the year. For five weeks during January and February their elementary school cancels classes after 11 a.m. on Fridays and brings kids outside β€” no matter how frigid the air in our rural region of New Hampshire.

When I first heard about the school's Winter Activities program soon after I moved to the district and my oldest started kindergarten, I thought it was a cute, novel idea. Six years later, I'm convinced it's downright brilliant, delivering lessons about health, community building, and nature that go well beyond anything my daughters learn in their classrooms.

Skiing helped us fit it

Growing up outside Boston, I occasionally skied, but the activity was expensive and out-of-reach for a low income family with four kids. When I moved north, skiing felt like a way of life, and I worried that my kids might be left out. We could afford to ski now, but my husband β€” an Australian β€” is even less ski savvy than I am.

Luckily, the school stepped in, teaching my girls about a sport that's essentially part of the local culture here in the mountains. The school subsidizes the program, and the PTO provides scholarships to any families that need them. It's an opportunity I wish I had as a kid. That first year, as I watched my older daughter gain confidence on the snow, I knew she'd have no trouble fitting in in our new town.

Getting outside helps with mental health during winter

According to the school, the idea behind winter activities is to keep kids active during the long, dreary New Hampshire winter. For families in this area, it's a critical lifelong skill, when the sun sets at 4 p.m. and temperatures regularly peak in the single digits.

As someone who works from home and could easily not leave the house some days, I know that making an effort to get outside bolsters my own mental health. I volunteer with the program and can confirm that I'm smiling almost constantly on the slopes, even with the stress of managing kids doing a risky sport. Hopefully, learning to be active year round will keep our kids healthy, and maybe even fight seasonal depression.

Downhill skiing is by far the most popular winter activity, but students can also choose cross-country skiing, ice fishing, or ice skating. There are even indoor options like theater or swimming. Each Friday morning, kids on the bus and in the drop-off line are buzzing with excitement, and I'm sure the teachers breathe a sigh of relief knowing they'll be able to expend all that energy.

I point out all the helpers that make this possible

Bringing more than 100 kids skiing is no small feat. The school buses kids to a local resort, but parents need to drive the 30 or so minutes to pick them up. Behind the scenes are chaperones taking time off work to fit kids into rentals and PTO volunteers making sure everyone has their pass.

Once we're outside my kids might high-five their music teacher or their assistant principal who are also on the slopes β€” and who the kids somehow recognize beneath their ski gear. I make sure my girls don't miss the fact that lots of adults in the community are coming together, pouring time and effort into this tradition. I take a moment to thank them too, because these days I look forward to Friday skiing just as much as my kids do.

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Airlines are flying high with record earnings as they bounce back from the pandemic

An American Airlines Airbus A321 taxis at San Diego International Airport as a United Airlines airplane departs on August 24, 2024 in San Diego, California.
American Airlines and United Airlines were among those who announced record earnings.

Kevin Carter/Getty Images

  • Alaska, American, Delta, and United all announced records in their latest earnings.
  • American Airlines highlighted the performance of its loyalty program.
  • Delta and United are benefiting from premium cabins and flights to Europe.

It looks like airlines aren't just recovering from the pandemic, they're bouncing back with vigor.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Alaska Airlines have all recently announced bumper results.

Legacy airlines have benefited from higher ticket prices for domestic flights after budget operators came under pressure and cut unprofitable routes over the summer.

Delta and United have also homed in on profitable flights to Europe β€” operating more such routes than ever before.

Here's how the four legacy airlines performed financially last year, and their outlooks for 2025.

Alaska Airlines

This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows a gaping hole where the paneled-over door had been at the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282
The fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.

Associated Press

Alaska Airlines had a testing start to 2024 after a door plug came off one of its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.

Despite the subsequent grounding of its 60 such aircraft, the carrier posted record annual revenue of $11.7 billion.

"We reported a full-year adjusted pre-tax margin of 7.1%, and had it not been for the four-week 9 Max grounding, Alaska Air Group would have posted the best margin in the industry," CEO Ben Minicucci said on an earnings call.

That achievement came despite its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines β€” opening up new routes to Asia using wide-body planes.

Its adjusted earnings per share for the fourth quarter was $0.97, smashing forecasts of $0.50.

"Just a year ago, following Flight 1282, a third of our Alaska fleet was grounded, operations were severely disrupted and uncertainty loomed," Minicucci added. "Yet our teams rose to the challenge with an unwavering commitment to safety and restored Alaska Air Group to the safe, reliable operation we're known and trusted for."

He also said employees will share a record bonus payout of $325 million β€” equivalent to six weeks' pay for many.

However, for the first quarter of this year, it expects to make a loss per share of between $0.50 and $0.70, still better than the consensus expectation of $0.75.

American Airlines

American Airlines passenger jets are lined up on the gates at Washingtons Reagan National Airport on February 10, 2024, in Arlington, VA.
American's share price dropped as it expects to start the year with a loss.

J. David Ake/Getty Images

American Airlines said fourth-quarter and annual revenues of $13.7 billion and $54.2 billion were both records.

On Thursday's earnings call, CEO Robert Isom praised how the carrier achieved its debt-reduction goal a year ahead of schedule, down by $15 billion from its peak in mid-2021.

Isom also said its loyalty program broke records in 2024. Loyalty revenues were up 14% in the fourth quarter year-over-year, while AAdvantage members were responsible for three-quarters of premium-cabin revenue. The airline also expects to earn a further $1.5 billion in pre-tax income due to its co-branded credit cards.

However, its outlook for the first quarter was less bullish than its competitors.

American said it expects an adjusted loss per share between $0.20 and $0.40, based on demand trends and the fuel price forecast.

Shares fell more than 8% on Thursday.

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines planes seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Delta Air Lines planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Andrew Kelly/ Reuters

Delta also had record fourth-quarter and full-year revenues, at $15.6 billion and $61.6 billion respectively.

This came despite the disruption from July's CrowdStrike outage that cost it $380 million.

However, Delta was buoyed by retaining its title as the most on-time airline in 2024.

It also prides itself on its premium offerings, named No. 1 for business travelers for the 14th consecutive year by Business Travel News. Premium cabin revenue was up 8% compared to 2023 while main-cabin revenue stayed flat.

It's bullish on the outlook for 2025 too.

CEO Ed Bastian highlighted a continuing strong demand for travel and "consumers increasingly seeking the premium products and experiences that Delta provides."

He added that it's positioned "to deliver the best financial year in Delta's 100-year history" β€” with expected earnings per share above $7.35.

United Airlines

A United Airlines airplane arrives at a gate as an American Airlines airplane takes off at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 18, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
United Airlines stock more than doubled last year.

Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

United has perhaps the biggest post-pandemic rebound story, with its stock up 136% last year.

It posted a record profit for the fourth quarter, with adjusted net income of $1.1 billion β€” up 64% from the same period a year earlier.

Across the same timeframe, premium cabin revenue was up by 10%, while revenue from basic economy rose by a fifth.

United operated the most flights and carried the most passengers in its history in 2024, as well as being first in on-time performance at its seven US hubs.

"United had a unique strategy coming out of COVID and our people have delivered for customers leading to a structurally and permanently changed industry," said CEO Scott Kirby.

It forecast adjusted earnings per share for the first quarter of $0.75 to $1.25.

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I moved from the city to the country so my kids could be more independent. I miss the city but would never move back.

photo of small child in big coat with furry hat and rosy cheeks
I could never move back to the city before my children are grown up.

Courtesy of Alene Laney

  • My family had outgrown our home in the city and had to choose our next move: suburbs or country.
  • I'd seen what a typical childhood looked like for city kids and didn't want that life for my children.
  • So, we packed up an moved from a city of 700,000 to a small town of about 2,000. I have no regrets.

In 2018, my family of five was at an inflection point. We had three young kids and had outgrown our two-bedroom cottage in an urban metro area of over 700,000 people.

We could either buy a larger home in the suburbs or move to a rural area. We considered many places, but our top choice was my hometown β€” a snowy mountain town in Utah with a population of about 2,000.

There, I felt like my kids may have a chance at a real childhood where they could ride a bike to the pool, walk to grandma's house, or work on grandpa's farm.

When we moved, the idea that our kids would grow up better in a small town was just a hypothesis. Now that we've been here for seven years, I can confidently say we made the right choice.

I didn't want to raise my kids in the city

My experience as a high school teacher in large cities helped me realize that I wanted a different life for my children.

The last school I worked in was one of the top in the state. My students generally came from stable, well-to-do neighborhoods and families. They had a lot of advantages in life.

Yet, it felt like my students were missing out on the best parts of childhood.

kid in red pajamas holding a piece of wood
We moved to a home with 12 acres of land and stunning mountain views.

Courtesy of Alene Laney

Much of their lives were a seemingly endless loop of carpools, homework, canned activities, and video games. Where was the adventure, I'd wonder. Would they ever learn to do hard things and foster a sense of resilience?

Kids only have one childhood, and I wanted mine to grow up with the freedom to fly, as I did.

I had freedom growing up in a small town

I remember when I thought I wanted to be an athlete, so I entered the bike race from our town to the next one over β€” approximately 21 miles away. I was 11 years old.

I trained by riding my little Huffy bike to the airport, up the mountain, and out to my dad's farm.

Perhaps I was just stubborn, but I don't think I would have had the courage to do that if I had grown up in a large city.

To me, fostering independence in kids isn't as much about free-range parenting as it is the cultural attitude of small towns. It's acceptable to raise kids with a lot of independence in places like this.

For example, after moving here, one of my kids missed the bus and tried to walk 10 miles home on his own. Nobody called the police on me or scolded me for my son's behavior. Quite the opposite.

Someone saw my son walking alone, sensed something was off, and brought him to the school where we were reunited. In the city, you likely wouldn't get the same small, safe community vibe.

My kids are thriving in their new home

Our kids were young when we moved, but they've grown into kind, capable people. They've had experiences they never would have if we still lived in the city and thrive under the freedom offered here.

For example, when we moved we bought a fixer-upper home with a 12-acre forest and incredible mountain views. It was very different from our small cottage situated next to a busy road. We build forts and bike trails, spin on tree swings, sled off the deck stairs, and camp under the stars β€” all right out the back door.

The kids also help bring firewood into the house and learn bushcraft skills from my husband.

I miss the city, but it's hard to move back now

I miss the city. I miss my friends, being near an airport, the convenience of DoorDash, and how easy it was to find a carpet cleaner.

However, when I look at how my kids are blossoming into confident, well-balanced people, it's hard to imagine uprooting them.

Country life does have many drawbacks, but it's a small price to pay for the independence my kids are afforded.

Read the original article on Business Insider

My parents modeled financial transparency with me, and my husband and I talk openly about money with our kids, too

Mother and daughter adding money to a piggy bank.
The author (not pictured) and her husband are transparent with their kids about money.

fizkes/Getty Images/iStockphoto

  • My parents modeled financial transparency when I was growing up.
  • Even though it has drawbacks, I want my children to learn the same lessons I did.
  • My eldest son is good at shopping for deals, thanks to our open discussions on budgeting.

When I was a young child, my parents lived at the poverty line. My mother's monthly budget to cover all restaurant visits, frivolous shopping, and activities was $40.

We owned one car, so my mother and I rode the bus around town when my father was at work. On Wednesdays, my friend's mother picked us up to take us to the mall. My mother bought me a $3.36 Happy Meal and a discounted day-old cookie from the local bakery.

On one such shopping trip, we walked into a bookstore. Near a stand of collectible figurines, I waltzed around.

"Don't dance so close to those breakables," my mother warned.

I ignored her. A moment later, a Precious Moments ceramic picture frame flew off the shelf and crumbled to the floor.

The store clerk expected her to pay for it. The total? $40.

Until my penance was paid, I didn't receive Happy Meals or day-old cookies. At 4 years old, I learned a valuable lesson on budgeting.

My parents modeled financial transparency

I watched my mother balance her checkbook and heard my parents openly talk about budgeting strategies, including the cost of things. This transparency taught me that our resources were finite and to appreciate what I had.

Zishan Khan, a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, told Business Insider that this openness also equips children with critical thinking skills. "They see firsthand how to navigate difficult situations, such as adjusting spending during times when money is tight and how to re-budget when an unexpected expense comes up."

While many of my friends' parents kept a tight-lip on their finances, I appreciated my parents' tactic instead. It made me feel close to themβ€” we were a cohesive unit working together to accomplish financial goals, give back to the community, and wisely save up for things.

Transparency should be done in an age-appropriate manner

However, the level of my parents' openness did have some drawbacks. When I was 7, I remember feeling anxious that we were "tight on money," and would need to eat beans and rice for a week until a check came through. Even though my mother assured me we'd be fine (and we were), my imagination let the scenarios of our possible destitution play out.

Child and family psychologist Caitlin Slavens told Business Insider that financial transparency should be done thoughtfully and at an age-appropriate level. "If you're stressed about money and you share how worried you are, they might internalize that stress or feel like they need to fix it somehow," she said. "For example, if they hear about the constant stress of bills, parents fighting about how money is spent, they may very well develop anxiety around money or the discussion of money."

She suggests reframing statements to sound positive, such as: "We're saving for something important, so we're spending less right now."

Too much transparency can also lead to a scarcity mindset or associating money with fear, added Khan, leading them to become adults who "hesitate to purchase a nice anniversary gift for their loved one, avoid spending money at an amusement park, or choose to skip a family vacation in order to save money for emergency expenses, like house or car repairs."

I admit that at times, I probably knew a little too much about my parents' finances. As an adult, I struggle with a scarcity mindset because of my upbringing, but I would take that any day over knowing nothing at all. Ultimately, these moments gave me a realistic understanding of the world of finance, and that's why I have a similar level of transparency with my children.

I want my children to understand the value of money

I've taught my children to divide their allowance using the tactic of saving some, spending some, and giving some. We talk openly about our family budget, including charities we donate to and how we save. Admittedly, my husband and I also talk about bills in front of the kids that maybe we should keep to ourselves, but I still prefer being too transparent to not enough.

Expert tips for financial transparency

There are a few practical ways to introduce financial awareness into your home.

Steven Kibbel, a certified financial planner, suggested a few age-appropriate activities to help kids learn about money. "Younger children might benefit from learning how budgeting works through simple, relatable activities like managing a weekly allowance. Older kids and teens, on the other hand, can handle discussions about household expenses, saving for larger goals, or even basic investment principles."

It's also a good idea to have children help you make the grocery store list, Slavens said, so they can understand the cost of groceries.

My husband and I also teach our children the value of smart shopping. Our eldest always checks eBay, Amazon open-box, and Facebook Marketplace before purchasing an item at sticker price.

With age-appropriate transparency, we can teach children that money is a tool they don't have to fear.

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I retired at 59. Middle-management jobs were my secret sauce for building my wealth.

A man standing by a hedge.
Alvaro Munevar Jr.'s real-estate side business helped him to retire early.

Jeannine Lane

  • Alvaro Munevar Jr. credits middle-management jobs for his early retirement.
  • The jobs gave him enough free time to maintain a side business to cover his retirement expenses.
  • Senior management positions would have required longer hours.

The career model you typically hear about in the US is to work for a company until age 65 and then retire and enjoy your latter years as best you can.

I've worked in tech since the 1990s, and I've always known I wanted to retire early to enjoy my more active years.

I realized I could expedite my retirement date by working smarter. By sticking to middle management positions, I made sure I had enough time to build out a side business in real estate rental properties.

With this income, plus my savings from my IT salary, I retired in September 2024 at the age of 59.

In middle-management jobs, I had reasonable work hours compared with colleagues above and below me

After four years working as a clerk for corporate law firms, I pivoted to an IT career in 1994, working as a software support engineer in Seattle. I enjoyed working on a new operating system as part of the job. It felt more like a fun hobby than actual work.

I was promoted to middle management after performing well in identifying and resolving system defects. My core responsibilities were to assist and train junior support engineers and track their ability to solve problems for customers.

I left that job after almost two years and went on to hold several other middle-management roles, including as a project manager and applications engineer at startups and larger companies.

Middle-management positions always came with reasonable work hours relative to those of my IT colleagues above and below me.

Software developers typically had to put in extra hours to complete coding tasks. As far I could tell, the management teams above me worked 50 to 65 hours a week to oversee team members and carry out executive charters and responsibilities, while I worked only 40 hours a week.

Planning, policy, and budgeting discussions mostly took place in senior management roles, so I didn't have to spend hours attending these meetings.

In the management teams above me, people worked more and received more pay. In the developer teams below me, people worked more to receive slightly less pay. The sweet spot was middle management.

Out of interest and boredom, I did apply for a few senior management roles at different points in my career, but I was never offered the job.

Ultimately, I felt I'd be more successful by being the CEO of my own money and businesses outside work than by being a senior manager.

The extra time enabled me to start my own businesses while keeping my day job

Colleagues occasionally asked me how I planned to retire one day. Did I have a lot in my bitcoin wallet or Apple stock, or would I receive a big inheritance? The answer was no.

What I did have was a work strategy that focused on staying in middle management while building out my own business outside work. I'd always viewed doing side hustles as a fun way to learn new skills and build my savings faster than by having just one paycheck with a company.

My 40-hour work schedule gave me enough free time to create several side businesses, including building websites for other businesses and developing a rental-property portfolio that now pays me my current retirement salary.

I'd bought a house with savings from my salary in 2001. In 2014, I started renting out my own residence after purchasing a second home, which then became my primary residence. Once rent started coming in regularly, I added another rental property to my portfolio, which also provided passive income.

Having a solid W-2 software position made this side business possible. Lenders are always looking for borrowers with high credit scores and a predictable income. I was able to show bankers I could pay back my loans, making the process of obtaining home loans relatively seamless.

My wife, who's a neuroscientist, retired at the same time as me. We planned for this by mapping out our family's expected future expenses every year from the present day until we turned 99.

We used the 4% rule, a retirement planning method that involves withdrawing less than 4% of your savings annually. We worked backward using the rule to calculate annual withdrawal scenarios of 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%.

After factoring in the rental-property income, we realized we had enough income from our savings and rent to retire. It was on that day this past August that I gave my notice of retirement.

Having a job and your own business is my key to retirement success

The real-estate income helped me build up my savings, but my early retirement wouldn't have been fully possible without my IT salary.

Throughout my tech career, I made a six-figure salary. Over the years, my wife and I both put savings from our salaries into our post-tax investments and our pre-tax retirement savings accounts. We were even able to save the US maximum 401(k) contribution amounts throughout the past 10 years.

I strongly believe that to succeed financially and retire early, you must build out your own business while simultaneously remaining employed.

I don't regret the way I played my career. Salaries get higher if you work up to C-Suite positions, but I enjoyed working in middle management while also having my own business where I made all the decisions and received all the benefits.

Now that I'm fully retired, I'm living the life I dreamed of when I sat in daily team meetings. I exercise nearly every day and can consume the books and podcasts I didn't have time for during my working years.

Several retirees have told me I'm simply experiencing the "honeymoon" euphoria of retirement, which they say will fade, but I'm glad I can enjoy my life while I'm still relatively young.

Do you have a story about retiring early that you'd like to share with Business Insider? Email ccheong@businessinsider.com

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I watched 'The Traitors' US and UK — and it's clear which version of this brilliant reality show is better

Alan Cumming smiling on set of The Traitors season one US version
Alan Cumming is an excellent host of "The Traitors US" and the perfect counterpart to Claudia Winkleman in the UK version.

Euan Cherry/Peacock via Getty Images

  • "The Traitors" is a reality game show with both US and UK versions β€” and one is clearly better.
  • The British show is played by ordinary people, which makes you root for them more.
  • The use of reality stars and overproduction on the US version distracts from the show's spirit.

"The Traitors" is the best reality TV show ever made, hands down.

As a Brit, I've only ever watched the UK version. I avoided "The Traitors US" for no real reason. Maybe it's a simple bias or the dedication Claudia Winkleman has earned from her constant presence on my TV since I was born. (She's also the co-presenter of "Strictly Come Dancing," the UK version of "Dancing With the Stars.")

I will admit that I was a little skeptical of using reality celebrities rather than unknowns, thinking this would dull some of the magic.

But I wanted to give it a fair shot. In a matter of days, I binged both seasons that are available in the UK (both are available on Peacock for US viewers) and took lots of notes.

Now that I've watched both, I can confidently say I know which one is better.

Claudia Winkleman in "The Traitors UK" season one.
Claudia Winkleman hosts "The Traitors" in the UK.

BBC

An immediate hit

The set-up of "The Traitors" is what makes it so special. It hinges on deceit and teamwork in equal measure against the backdrop of a gorgeous and secluded Scottish castle.

It's loosely based on the board games Mafia or Werewolf and first appeared as "De Verraders" in the Netherlands in 2021.

The contestants have to work together to get the most out of the challenges and increase the prize pot. The majority of them, known as "the faithful," also have to weed out any of "the traitors," who are murdering them off one by one.

Every night, the contestants gather at the roundtable and banish the person they think is most likely to be one of the traitors. Later, the traitors meet and decide who their next victim will be. The faithful only know who didn't make it when they don't return for breakfast the next day, and their portrait is unceremoniously flung onto the floor.

Fans knew the UK version was a hit from the first episode on November 29, 2022. The show has been a huge ratings winner for the BBC, with the season two final peaking at almost seven million viewers. The US edition, while it's still good, also suffers from wanting to dramatize the lightning in a bottle the show already achieved β€” something I think holds it back.

SPOILERS ahead!

The Traitors US season two premiere
Alan Cumming hosts the US version of The Traitors.

Peacock/Getty Images

Teamwork and deceit

The UK show is presented by Claudia Winkleman, who leads the players through the rules of the game and the various challenges. In the US version, it's Alan Cumming. Both are excellent hosts and fashionistas, and I would love to see them team up at some point, even just for the beautifully rustic tartan outfits.

While the UK "Traitors" fills the castle with complete strangers, many contestants on the US version have already appeared on reality TV shows such as "Big Brother" or one of the "Real Housewives" editions. Admittedly, I only recognized Kate Chastain from "Below Deck," and John Bercow, a former Speaker of the UK House of Commons.

I get the vision, but immediately, this made me a bit wary because reality show contestants already have an idea of how production works. They know how to get screen time and have their moment in the spotlight.

My worry was that in the US version, both the audience and the contestants have pre-judgments of one another. You also missed out on important context if you haven't seen those other shows.

Having strangers take part, on the other hand, sets the audience up nicely for getting to know them as the game progresses.

Another difference was the players' attitudes. In the UK version, there was a big emphasis on teamwork. The players all knew there were traitors among them, but their camaraderie as a team always came first.

In the US version, almost everyone seemed to have a secret. This made it hard for the players to trust one another.

This is actually a fate that season 3 in the UK, the finale of which airs on Friday, seems to be suffering from. The show depends on the delicate balance between trust and deceit. But a common critique this year is that the contestants aren't playing as a team as they did in previous seasons.

Is this just the way reality TV goes when it is proven to be popular? Does it suffer from its notoriety and then attract a different kind of person?

Harry Clark, The Traitors season 2 champion
The champion of "The Traitors" UK season 2, Harry Clark.

BBC

You need to root for someone

In both versions of the show, there's little evidence to go on, so the faithful are voted out at an alarming rate at the beginning. But in the US version, they would be weirdly candid about voting for someone else simply to save themselves.

This is a flaw in my view. It made them all pretty hard to root for. In the end, I sort of wanted Cirie to win, but I also didn't really care.

In seasons one and two in the UK, Wilf and Harry, respectively, will go down as impeccable traitors. Wilf fell at the final hurdle while Harry played with all his fellow contestants like putty until the very end.

The UK contestants also just seemed to respect the game more. Whenever someone was banished, they would leave immediately. In the US, they all took advantage of their reality show moment, getting in the last word, swearing, throwing out insults, and more.

Other players also got up to say goodbye, which just felt a bit jarring and went against the escapism aspect. Respect the decorum of the game I say!

"The Traitors" roundtable, with contestants blindfolded.
Claudia Winkleman chooses her traitors in "The Traitors" UK season three.

BBC

The US show definitely has its great moments. In season one, when the players voted Christian out after his chaotic gameplay, it was very satisfying. But that was nothing compared with Hannah, in UK season 1, flipping the script on her best friend and traitor, Wilf, right at the last second, throwing her pouch into the fire for it to burn red, revealing she was finally seeing him for what he was.

Reality stars bring their own drama, but no amount of needless cliffhangers will compare to Miles's panicked reaction that Diane survived his murder attempt, or indeed, Ross throwing out a wink to the camera in plain sight while his fellow faithful knew nothing about Diane being his actual mother. Nothing, too, can top Harry ousting Paul because he became too big for his boots.

There's also none of the glorious buffoonery that the UK is known for, like Meryl winning in season 1 completely by accident, or when Ross was recruited as a traitor only to fail spectacularly.

In the US, it all just felt a little too serious at times. When Cirie took all the money for herself at the end of season 1, it was bittersweet rather than electrifying, like when Harry betrayed Mollie in the final of UK season two.

Harry was correct in his exclamations after his win. "The Traitors" truly is the best game in the world.

But the normies who have no aspirations to be famous are an important part of that. It's a dramatic, heartfelt, tense, and ridiculous game at its core β€” and there's just no need to gild the lily.

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A CEO did business on the ski slope instead of the meeting room. These are our biggest takeaways from a week at Davos.

A seated audience sits before a panel seated on stage in front of a large window
A photo of the Salesforce lunch hosted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where CEO Marc Benioff asked if AI was a human right.

Jamie Heller/Business Insider

  • BI journalists share their biggest takeaways and most memorable moments from Davos.
  • The gathering of the rich and powerful was dominated by conversations about AI.
  • The scale of AI offering was giving people 'FOBO' β€” fear of being obsolete.

Big names like Donald Trump and David Beckham appeared at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, but the topic that kept coming up in conversations was AI.

These are Business Insider journalists' biggest takeaways and most memorable moments from the gathering of the rich and powerful.

Is AI a basic human right?

This year I scored an invitation to the Salesforce lunch, where CEO Marc Benioff was on a panel alongside Sara Eisen of CNBC, Kristalina Georgieva of the IMF, Al Gore, will.i.am, and Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio.

Benioff asked, "Is AI a basic human right?"

This question and the venue in which he asked it β€” a fancy lunch at Davos with Salesforce clients and global luminaries β€” epitomized the polarized and multilayered debates about this technology. Some see it as a powerful universal good β€” maybe even a basic human right. Others see it as a threat to humanity on multiple levels. Maybe it's a bit of both. Whatever it is, it's coming.

Some companies are going to capitalize on it, some will try and fail. Salesforce is one company that is already making it happen in practice with its "agentforce" technology.

What struck me at Davos that I didn't fully understand before is that the tech world sees AI "agents" as full-time workers who will work side by side with people, not just tools to help people. Benioff said this current generation of CEOs will be the last to manage "exclusively human workforces."

With AI agents, he said, institutions will need to figure out how humans and AI "create success together." More on this here from my colleagues Hugh Langley and Spriha Srivastava. β€” Jamie Heller

FOBO

All of this might have you feeling a term bobbing around the conference, FOBO β€” fear of being obsolete. To be sure, there is always sand in the wheels that slows these trends down. Some people with whom I spoke said they felt paralyzed by choice, with so many vendors pitching their AI wares.

And these services are costly β€” sellers need to persuade buyers the benefits are worth it. But one way or another, change is coming. And we'll do our best at BI to keep you informed on what can help you. β€” Jamie Heller

Employees will have to skill up fast to keep up with AI

Tech companies dominated Davos' promenade this week, showcasing their AI innovations. Non-tech companies shared examples of how they are integrating AI into their daily operations to boost productivity and efficiency.

However, a significant gap remains between the speed at which is AI developing and the speed at which employees are upskilling to take advantage of it. Bridging this gap comes down to two key factors: companies doubling down on upskilling initiatives and employees proactively taking the lead in staying relevant.

Talent transformation is a top priority. Several CEOs I spoke with outlined their strategies for fostering continuous learning and career advancement to ensure their workforce is prepared.

Rafee Tarafdar, chief technology officer of Infosys, the Indian tech giant, highlighted the success of the company's in-house learning platform. He described how the company launched a learning platform a few years ago and that, on average, their employees now spend 30 minutes a day learning on it.

Many companies are reinforcing this commitment by incorporating learning and upskilling into employee performance goals. But ultimately, motivation and curiosity play a decisive role, Ravin Jesuthasan, global leader for transformation services at Mercer, told me."I think every one of us has to really force ourselves to be curious because you're not going to learn unless you're curious about something," he said.

Jesuthasan emphasized that companies can provide resources, but it is up to individuals to want to learn. "I think that curiosity and learning agility are probably the two baseline requirements," he said. β€” Spriha Srivastava

Companies are expecting a return on their AI investment this year

There is a real belief that we'll start to see ROI on those AI investments this year. It's not 100% clear how that'll come to fruition, but AI agents will likely play a key role, and businesses are starting to think about how to build commercial models around them.

Uncertainty around Trump's new administration remains a business risk, but there's optimism tariffs won't be so strong they'll stop businesses in their tracks.

And excitement around the return of the M&A and the IPO market is palpable, as exit opportunities will allow the wider business lifecycle to get moving again. β€” Dan DeFrancesco

What it really takes to help people find and thrive in work

On one panel I moderated about the global jobs gap, the organizers told me the president of Singapore would speak first, for about five minutes. The president, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, ended up speaking for more than 15 minutes β€” and it was riveting. (You can watch here.)

In a soft-spoken tone, reminding me of a grandfather calmly dispensing wisdom, President Tharman urged the audience to think broadly about how to solve the mounting problems of global un- and under-employment. It's not just about wages and job creation, he said. It's about how we raise children (the first three years, he said, are critical). It's about how we educate people (countries with strong public school systems where a wide swath of people can participate and benefit do better, he said).

In higher education, it's about giving people relevant skills that can serve them and not leave them feeling dispirited that their investment in education (perhaps their family's or the state's) didn't pay off.

He argued that liberal arts education is not a match for many people for jobs and that the so-called soft skills that such education provides can also be gained in more technical training. "Soft skills are not the sole providence of traditional academic education," he said.

He said that in the years to come, many people will work their lives in the "informal" sector of employment rather than full-time jobs with benefits, and it's imperative that people in those jobs also have ways to develop skills and enjoy basic protections.

Clearly β€” I think it's worth listening for yourself. As the workplace continues to evolve, we intend to be your place to help you navigate it. β€” Jamie Heller

A better way to Davos?

For most Davos-goers, The Promenade is where the action happens. Not for Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince this year, who told us he spent the first three days of this year's Davos barreling down the nearby ski slopes with clients and some members of the US ski team.

And he's confident that swapping the meeting room for the ski lift will pay off. "We'll do more business this year than ever before," he told BI. Maybe that's a good tip for the rest of us for 2026? β€” Hugh Langley

Read the original article on Business Insider

I quit teaching for jobs at Google, Uber, and Meta. My salary grew sevenfold, but Big Tech doesn't live up to the hype.

A man in a green striped sweater sitting in a booth and smiling at the camera.
Keith Anderson.

Courtesy of Keith Anderson

  • Keith Anderson transitioned from teaching to Big Tech in 2016 and boosted his salary significantly.
  • He faced burnout in academia but soon learned Big Tech roles included some of the same challenges.
  • Anderson learned to advocate for himself and manage his stress, and he now runs Career Alchemy.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Keith Anderson, a 36-year-old former English teacher and Big Tech worker who's now the founder of Career Alchemy in Greater Boston. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Within seven years, I transitioned from teaching English to working at Google, Uber, YouTube, Meta, DoorDash, and the weight-loss startup Calibrate. I was an individual contributor at Uber and Google, in design leadership roles at Meta and DoorDash, and in senior leadership at Calibrate.

As a university lecturer at the start of my career, I faced relentless anxiety about job insecurity and low pay. My passion for educating the next generation kept me going.

Once I moved into tech, my salary rose to seven times what I made as a teacher β€” from $30,000 to more than $200,000 a year, plus $150,000 in equity in one of my leadership positions β€” but at the cost of my mental health.

In 2015, I'd been teaching English for 8 years and was burned out

I became so burned out that I developed pneumonia, mainly due to exhaustion. While in the ICU, the university I worked for asked when I would be returning. This was a wake-up call, and I didn't return.

If I had continued teaching, I would also have had limited career growth. My salary wouldn't have increased much, and I would probably have needed to continue living in my rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco and would never have been able to buy my own place. That wasn't the life I wanted for myself.

I learned web development and graphic design to pivot to a new career

I attended a front-end-coding boot camp called Thinkful and took graphic-design classes at the Academy of Art University to hone a new skill set. I finally shifted to a new job in 2016: a contract position at Google.

A recruiter reached out about the opportunity, and both the recruiter and Google's hiring manager were impressed by my portfolio. My teaching background was also seen as an asset for a role with the customer-education team.

I stepped into a world of innovation and speed. I remember thinking, "This is it, I've made it," but I soon realized the pace at Google was a different beast.

Starting at Google was a rude awakening

Before I started, I'd seen this video about the resort-like experience Google employees had every day. It looked like heaven, and I dreamed of being a part of it.

I soon learned the resort-like experience I'd dreamed about was only a small part of Google culture. I hadn't considered that transitioning from academia to tech would require a major mindset shift.

The stress was familiar, but the context was entirely new. In academia, an average project typically lasted two to three months, which allowed time for thorough research and planning. At Google, a similar-sized project needed to be completed within a week. The focus shifted from perfection to effective execution, which was challenging but vital to success in the tech industry.

Also, before joining, I thought Big Tech companies were innovators not just in their products but also in their operations. When I saw it all up close, I realized that these organizations had many growing pains, like what I experienced in higher education. All of this stressed me out, just like higher education did.

From 2016 to 2018, I moved from Google to Uber to YouTube. From 2019 to 2021, I worked as a learning-design manager at Meta.

I had an epiphany during my time at Meta

A man posing in front of a sparkly British flag that says "Facebook" on it.
Anderson in the Facebook office.

Courtesy of Keith Anderson

During my time at Meta β€” amid the intensity of high-profile speaking opportunities at conferences and strategic planning β€” I had an epiphany: No matter what your job is, handling stress and anxiety in the workplace is within your control. The key is how you navigate and tackle it.

This realization changed everything for me. I began to advocate for myself more strongly at work, understanding that my happiness and mental well-being were in my own hands, not dictated by the prestige of my job or the company.

My approach to work transformed when I observed successful colleagues' behaviors. They would strategically evaluate requests and weren't afraid to say no when appropriate, always linking their decisions to key business metrics like revenue generation, cost savings, or efficiency improvements. This insight helped me shift from a people pleaser working 60-plus hours weekly to a strategic team player focused on impact.

Success isn't just about what you achieve but how you manage the journey

Stress is a part of any job, but it doesn't have to define your experience. My teaching and corporate roles taught me the importance of prioritization and built my resilience.

For those moving into tech, remember your unique background is an asset. You, not the company, can define what you do. Your health is more important than the bottom line of a large tech company like Meta or Google, and you need to prioritize it.

Last February, I left DoorDash and Big Tech entirely to focus on my career-coaching company I started working on part time in May 2022. While launching my business brought new challenges, my varied background equipped me well.

I'm now privileged to support hundreds of professionals through their career journeys. Every step of my journey, including the challenges, has contributed to who I am today.

Want to share your Big Tech experience? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Dealer lots are overflowing, and it could help you find a car deal despite sky-high prices

Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles on a dealer lot
Many automakers, including Ford, have struggled with oversupply, according to a recent report.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

  • Car shoppers can expect more discounts as cars pile up on dealer lots.
  • Most brands had enough cars to last more than 75 days heading into January.
  • Oversupply is good for consumers but a headache for dealers.

Holiday car deals will likely spill over into the start of 2025 as some dealers continue to struggle with over-supply.

An uptick in discounts wasn't enough to clear some dealer lots in December. US car dealers had enough vehicles on lots or in transit to last 75 days heading into January, up more than 18% from the same month a year ago, according to data from Cox Automotive. A 60-day supply is considered the benchmark for healthy inventory.

Most brands had inventory levels above that 75-day average, with nine brands holding more than 100 days worth of cars at the end of the month, according to Cox.

This headache for dealers and car companies gives budget-conscious new-car shoppers a much-needed advantage. The supply glut will likely lead to more discounts and give shoppers more room to negotiate for a better deal on a car that has sat for too long on a dealer lot.

Vehicle affordability is a key issue for demand right now, as the average price paid for a new car inches closer to $50,000. That's delivering some stark sticker shock for customers who spent the last few years sitting out of the market waiting for interest rates to come down.

Best brands for a deal

Stellantis brands, including Dodge, Ram, and Jeep, top the over-supply list with between 107 and 122 days' supply.

The embattled Detroit car company struggled with cratering demand last year amid higher prices. After the departure of former CEO Carlos Tavares, dealers are confident that new management will bring sticker prices back in line with customer expectations. In the meantime, discounts are likely to be prevalent.

Nissan is also near the top, with enough inventory to last about 116 days.

Nissan deals are plentiful after the car company brought back an incentive program in the fall designed to whittle down ballooning inventory. The move rustled dealers, who complain these discounts cut into their profits.

Deals for Nissan and Ram vehicles ramped up at the end of the year, with discounts accounting for 13% of the average transaction price for those brands in December, according to Cox.

At the other end of the spectrum, Toyota and its luxury Lexus brand have some of the lowest inventory levels, with less than 30 days of supply. Subaru and Kia sit around the sweet spot of 60 days of supply.

December days' supply of inventory by brand
A chart from Cox Automotive shows days supply inventory by brand at the end of December.

Cox Automotive

Why oversupply is such a headache for dealers

Oversupply is not new to Nissan or Stellantis dealers. Both groups have clashed with their car companies in the last few years over shrinking dealer profits and growing inventory levels.

Stellantis and Nissan brands topped the list of the least-trusted brands in the annual Kerrigan Dealer Survey.

Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealers posted a historically high level of distrust after publicly criticizing former CEO Carlos Tavares last year. Nissan and Infiniti scored as the second and third least-trusted franchises listed in the 2024 Kerrigan Dealer Survey.

Nearly 60% of dealers from each of Nissan's brands reported "no trust" in the company.

Do you work for a car dealership? Are you seeing the effects of over or under-supply? Reach out to this reporter at nnaughton@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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