• I stayed at a resort in Sidemen, a more rural part of Eastern Bali, for under $50 a night.
• While in Sidemen, I enjoyed a private bike tour and incredible waterfall views.
• I'm happy I chose to skip more popular spots in Bali, which helped me avoid crowds of tourists.

Before I visited Bali, I was convinced by posts on Reddit and TikTok that it was little more than a crowded playground for influencers trying to get the perfect photo for Instagram.

Knowing that many of its popular areas, like Seminyak and Kuta, have struggled to deal with high levels of tourism (and the pollution and damage that can cause) in the past few years only added to the image I'd created in my mind.

I don't travel just to snap photos, and I enjoy getting to explore without crowds, so when I finally visited, I decided to head to a less popular and more rural region of Eastern Bali: Sidemen.

I'd heard about Sidemen from a friend who had visited Bali a few months prior. After seeing images of the area's lush green landscape and reading about its incredible waterfalls and laid-back feel, I was sold.

My resort in Sidemen felt like an excellent value

When I arrived in Sidemen, I was delighted to find the lush valley was filled with rice terraces, artisan silver workshops, and otherworldly landscapes.

I stayed at Cepik Villa Sidemen, a resort where I paid $45 per night for an air-conditioned bungalow with a king-sized bed and complimentary breakfast each morning.

It had a pool, a rooftop spa, a yoga pavilion, and a restaurant where I had the best nasi goreng (an Indonesian fried rice dish) of my entire trip.

The luxe-feeling hotel, which only has six rooms, was surrounded by rice terraces. It looked immaculately maintained, and I even saw staff walking the grounds multiple times a day to tend to the wide variety of tropical plants.

A highlight of my stay was a private tour of the area with a local guide

My favorite activity at Cepik Villa Sidemen was a private scooter tour of the area with a staff member at the hotel who was born and raised in Sidemen.

Early in the morning, I hopped on the back of his scooter, and we drove about five minutes to the local market, which was already bustling before 8 a.m. I bought and tried things I'd never heard of, like snakeskin fruit, a sweet-and-sour fruit with scaly skin.

After exploring the market, we hopped back on the scooter and wove through the beautiful surrounding scenery until we reached Gembleng Waterfall.

My guide dropped me at the base of it, where I walked up a steep series of steps to access a few small pools that the waterfall feeds into.

I didn't see a single other person hiking up the steps or lounging in the pools during my visit. Looking out over the valley with the sound of the waterfall behind me, I was struck by how beautiful the area was and how lucky I was to have the view all to myself.

After that, we stopped to taste locally brewed Arak (a strong Balinese liquor) and visited Pertenunan Pelangi, where I watched crafters go through the complex process of designing, dyeing, and weaving colorful fabrics.

Choosing the right spot to base your stay in can make all the difference

As it turns out, I'd underestimated Bali and how much it has to offer.

Much to my delight, Sidemen felt so much different from the crowded, influencer-filled Bali I'd expected — yet it still felt luxurious and beautiful.

Unlike some of the other places I visited in Indonesia, Sidemen offered me a unique opportunity to connect with the landscape and the people.

I don't think I could've had the same personalized, private experiences in a more crowded place.

Although I don't necessarily dislike "touristy" destinations, I think there's something to be said for straying from the most popular recommendations online and seeking out something a little different.

I'm sure there are many reasons Bali's trendiest destinations draw so many visitors — but I feel my choice to spend time in a lesser-known part of the province was a good one.

• My friend and I boarded a 10-hour economy flight between Denver and Munich.
• Like most long-haul flights, the journey was filled with highs and lows.
• We celebrated an empty middle seat and dined on OK plane food.

Long-haul economy flights are a roller coaster of highs and lows.

I hate cramped quarters but love plane food. I struggle to fall asleep but crave an excuse to binge movies for hours.

Jet lag is a nightmare, but the stomach drop from taking off and gaining a bird's-eye perspective on a destination are two of my favorite things.

My most recent long-haul flight was filled with similar highs and lows.

For the first time in years, I wasn't traveling solo. I had a friend by my side. Together, we were heading to Italy's Dolomites for a week of skiing — a high.

To get there, we had to embark on a 10-hour Lufthansa flight from Denver to Munich in economy — a low.

Here's how we spent every hour of the journey.

Hour 1: A TSA hiccup

Like any long-haul flight, the journey starts long before stepping on the plane.

Thankfully, dropping off ski bags was a breeze, and my friend and I were eager to zoom through TSA PreCheck and get to the Capital One Lounge.

Like any plan, something is bound to go wrong. I was supposed to have PreCheck, but it wasn't showing up on my boarding pass. After getting turned away at TSA, I waved farewell to my friend Emma and headed to general check-in.

It was no big deal. Then, the TSA agent's face filled with confusion when she scanned my passport and boarding pass. The name on the screen and my passport didn't match.

She sent me back to the Lufthansa desk, where they printed me a new boarding pass. Two lines later, I was in front of a new TSA agent. Again, the incorrect name popped up.

After flagging a supervisor, they let me through with no explanation.

My friend and I have no theories about what happened or how a completely wrong name could be attached to my profile. We ultimately shrugged it off, attributing it to Denver International Airport's many quirks.

The fiasco reminded me that I needed to get to the airport early. Many things are out of your control when you fly — from traffic to technology issues — and creating a buffer for things to go wrong is always key when traveling.

Hour 2: A quick lounge bite

Our planned lengthy break before boarding turned into a quick bite.

My friend wrapped up a last-minute work assignment, I sent off an email, and we toasted to making it through security.

As I sipped my spritz, I sat in disbelief that I had gone years without lounge access. Late last year, I finally caved and bought a travel credit card with lounge perks. It only took one trip to make the card worth the cost, and now, every time I fly out of Denver, I drink and dine for free.

Our time in the lounge flew by, and after about an hour, we both realized our flight had already started boarding.

Once again, stress set in. We scrambled to shove our laptops in our bags, use the bathroom quickly, and pack a few lounge snacks for the flight ahead.

Hour 3: A race to our gate

Emma and I rushed to the gate. I often travel alone, so I was thankful we had each other for reassurance.

"Boarding doesn't end for another 7 minutes," we reminded each other as we hopped on and off moving walkways and darted between passengers to get to gate A45.

We were some of the last passengers to board, and as we looked around, we noticed the back of the plane was practically empty. No one was seated in our middle seat, and the row in front of us was empty. There was plenty of overhead storage for our carry-ons and personal items.

My unpopular opinion that the back of the plane is the best place to sit was proven right again. Later, when I walked to the front of the cabin, I noticed a much more crowded area.

After settling in, Emma and I celebrated the legroom and extra space.

Then, we eyed the pros and cons of our Lufthansa A350-900 aircraft.

The seats felt a little bigger and comfier than my other long-haul flights. We had TV screens and larger tray tables. What we didn't have were outlets, so getting work done was going to be a challenge.

Still, as the plane pulled out of the gate, I felt the giddy excitement of starting an adventure.

Hour 4: Skeptical about a new travel pillow

I've been on the hunt for the best travel pillow. I tested an inflatable one on a recent 33-hour travel day and didn't love it.

I've tried traditional pillows and foot hammocks, and I'm convinced something better has to exist.

I packed a sleep mask that attaches to a plane's headrest for this flight.

Our journey had just started. Dinner hadn't been served, and we were less than an hour into the flight. But something about getting on a plane immediately makes me sleepy, or maybe that's just the lounge cocktails.

Thankfully, the eye mask was easy to set up. Emma and I laughed at how ridiculous I looked strapped in, but I wasn't too worried about that as long as it helped me sleep.

After getting it set up, I debated sleeping. There were still 5,000 miles left in the trip. If I slept now, would I regret it?

Instead, we watched the sunset. The striking sky and watercolor of pastels were gorgeous. It felt like a good omen for our trip, and I snapped images of the plane's wings.

"As if I don't already have enough plane pictures," I thought as I added about a dozen more to my camera roll.

Hour 5: Perplexing plane food

Suddenly, the plane cabin was enveloped in smells. Drink service started about an hour into the flight, and with eight hours left, food arrived.

Only the vegetarian meal was left when the flight attendants reached my seat.

I wasn't sure what I was smelling, and as I uncovered the aluminum lid, I was even more confused. The flight attendants didn't give me a description, and there wasn't a label on the tray. It looked like some sort of quinoa loaf.

I could pinpoint some ingredients. There was zucchini, I'm sure. The loaf was on a bed of rice, and there was a white sauce that I couldn't identify. My meal also included what looked like melted vanilla ice cream, but instead, it was a room-temperature mousse.

The meal was fine, but I was thankful I had dined at the airport lounge beforehand.

A Lufthansa representative told Business Insider that the airline is working on upgrading its food and beverage services.

Hour 6: Attempting to sleep

My desire to sleep had vanished, so I spent the next hour listening to a podcast and deleting old photos from my phone.

I knew I needed to attempt to sleep soon, so I headed to the bathroom for a quick break to stretch my legs.

I found an empty area, did a few calf raises, touched my toes, stretched my hamstrings, and returned to my seat.

By this point, most of the passengers were already sleeping. I strapped into my eye mask and hoped sleep would come easily.

Instead, I was restless. After about 20 minutes, I turned on a TV show.

Hour 7 - 10: Begging sleep to come

There were less than six hours left, so I turned off my TV show, strapped back into the eye mask, and willed myself to sleep.

I dozed off for a bit, but after about an hour, the pressure from the eye mask was too much. I ripped it off, grabbed my jacket, and used that as a pillow instead.

I continued tossing and turning. At hour nine, I mistakenly checked the flight's remaining time. Four hours remained, and sleep wasn't coming. I was antsy and ready to be off the flight.

In the past, flight attendants have shared tips and tricks for successful long-haul flights. I should've packed melatonin and had a healthy snack midair, and ultimately, I regretted not being more prepared to sleep for the journey.

Hour 11: Groggy with a grumbling stomach

I woke up dazed and more tired than I was 10 hours ago.

With less than two hours left, a new smell filled the plane's cabin. This time, I knew exactly what it was: coffee.

It was breakfast time, and I was hungry.

I was handed another cryptic tray, and I crossed my fingers that it would be better than the dinner.

Unfortunately, I thought breakfast was worse than dinner. There wasn't much flavor, and the textures felt off. The scrambled eggs were dry, and the hashbrowns were soft and greasy.

I longed for airport lounge food and regretted not packing more snacks for the flight.

Hour 12: Surviving and thriving

The pilot announced our landing, and my friend and I eagerly opened the plane windows to catch our first glimpses of Europe.

We were tired, hungry, and thrilled to be one step closer to our ski destination.

We landed in a dreary Munich and headed to our next gate, where a plane was waiting to take us to Venice.

Our ski trip was just hours away, and the dreaded long-haul flight was finally behind us.

I've taken plenty of long-haul flights, but each one teaches me something new

It's been a while since I've traveled with a friend on this long of a flight, and I forgot how much a travel partner can ease the stresses of flying.

Instead of panicking when my name was incorrect or when we were late for boarding, we reassured each other, soaked in sunsets, and celebrated the small wins of what is often the miserable experience of long-haul flying.

The flight also reminded me that long-haul flights require preparation. Next time, I'll pack the sleeping essentials, get to the airport early, and, of course, book my back-of-the-plane seat days in advance.

• Whitney Synder, who has worked at HuffPost his whole adult life, is the site's new top editor.
• Snyder's predecessor left in January amid layoffs.
• Snyder says the audience at his left-leaning site shrank after the election but is bouncing back.

HuffPost has been around for nearly 20 years. Whitney Snyder has been around for almost all of it: He joined right out of college in 2008, as an assistant to cofounder Arianna Huffington, and never left. Now he's running the place.

HuffPost has named Snyder, 39, the site's newest editor in chief. He fills the slot vacated by Danielle Belton, who left last month as part of a round of layoffs. Huffington originally conceived of the site as a place for her famous friends to publish blog posts. But it has gone through several owners and iterations since then, and the lefty, populist site is now one of the remaining pieces of the BuzzFeed publishing business.

I talked to Snyder about working for BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti, gauging his audience's interest in Trump, and how it ended up with office space at the Pentagon. Here's an edited excerpt of our conversation.

Business Insider: Your boss Jonah Perreti just put out a memo explaining that he wants to fight back against something he calls SNARF online — that's "Stakes, Novelty, Anger, Retention, Fear." But then he also said that he wants HuffPost to use "SNARF for good.'" I'm looking at your homepage. Can you show me examples where you're using SNARF for good?

Whitney Snyder: I think that what we do is totally consistent with that memo. We have tabloid roots. We want to be journalistically responsible, but tabloids try to appeal to people in a lot of different ways, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

I think what Jonah's memo gets to is that doing that at the scale of these platforms that are using machine learning, along with an endless supply of content to optimize to an unhealthy extent — that's where it becomes a problem. But we want people to come to us.

You've had a lot of experience covering Trump, and satisfying an audience that wanted to read a lot of Trump news during his first administration. What is surprising you now, a month into his second term?

When we were planning last fall for the year ahead, we thought about a scenario where Trump wins and it's total chaos and, in some ways, kind of a replay of his first term. And then we also thought there's a scenario where he wins, and people are thinking, "You know what? I just don't want to be a part of this. I can't be in this headspace every day."

Anecdotally, I hear from a lot of people in that group.

Same here. But what's interesting is I feel like we've already gone from one scenario to the other.

We definitely did see, after the election, a lot of people checked out. We did see a drop-off in our audience. We felt confident it would come back. But it came back more quickly than I expected. I think that is in parallel with what's happening in the country.

The thing is, I still think there are people that are in that other place. That are sort of like "You know what? I'm not ready to read about this stuff every day." But from the numbers we look at, that's already a smaller number of our readers than we would have expected.

One surprising thing the Trump administration did is give you guys office space at the Pentagon, alongside some right-wing/conservative outlets. How did that come about?

I would love to have been in the room when that list was drawn up because it was news to us when it came out. We have credentialed Pentagon reporters, and we cover the Pentagon, but we didn't ask to have that space. We had no plans to use that space. Our assumption is that the Pentagon leadership wanted to punish a number of the mainstream media outlets that really do have a long history of in-depth on-the-ground everyday Pentagon coverage.

Did you accept the slot?

Our attitude is that if they want us there, we're ready to deliver and we have a reporter who's been there several times already. We're gonna rotate in some other reporters as well. We aren't planning on having daily news broadcasts from the Pentagon, as NBC might have. But we're happy to be there if that's what's asked of us.

Given that you didn't ask for it, and that you don't have a full-time Pentagon correspondent, did you consider handing the space back to an outlet that does do that coverage?

Our assumption is that if we did that, then they would just take it away.

You've worked at HuffPost for a long time, under several different owners: It was independent, then it was owned by AOL, then by Verizon, now by BuzzFeed. I don't want to ask you to comment on different owners …

I am kind of happy to cover the different owners. I think that different eras have had their own strengths and weaknesses.

I really like being owned by BuzzFeed. Because when we were at Verizon, for instance, we were a rounding error on a rounding error. And I think that really showed in some of the sort of investment and care that was put into what we do.

For instance, our front page really, really languished from a product perspective. Not that it just didn't get better — it actually got worse in our time at Verizon. Because we were just an afterthought. Understandably. The great thing about being at BuzzFeed is that we're actually a strategically important part of the whole business.

• I love popular cities, but there are gems on the East Coast I like to visit to avoid big crowds.
• Ocracoke is more secluded but as beachy as more popular towns in Outer Banks, North Carolina.
• Instead of Miami, try exploring more laid-back beach towns in South Walton, Florida.

As a DC-area native who's been traveling up and down the coast all my life, I've experienced all the big hitters.

I've spent hours in line waiting to grab a beer in Asheville and get ice cream in Nags Head. I've pushed my way through Times Square and crowded Miami bars.

I still appreciate the allure of these ultra-popular cities and towns, but I'm over the chaos and crowds that come with them.

Luckily, I've found plenty of lesser-known-yet-equally-worthwhile spots dotting the East Coast that I think offer similar vibes as big-name places but with far fewer tourists.

Ditch the DC crowds for a Virginia town brimming with historic charm.

Washington, DC, is one of my favorite cities on the planet. However, with its many historic sites, museums, and events, it can be packed with visitors no matter what time of year you visit.

For a more peaceful destination with less traffic that also has a rich heritage and spectacular food, head an hour away to Middleburg in Virginia's wine country.

You'll find quiet, tree-lined streets lined with charming shops, galleries, and classy restaurants. At the circa-1728 Red Fox Inn & Tavern, you can eat and sleep where former presidents like John F. Kennedy once were.

I love strolling past historic buildings and visiting spots steeped in American Civil War history, like Mt. Defiance Historic Park.

When it's time for a bite, I suggest visiting King Street Oyster Bar for fresh seafood and The Bistro at Goodstone Inn for farm-to-table dining.

Swap Asheville's breweries and outdoor adventures for the ones you'll find a few hours north.

Asheville has gained well-deserved recognition over the last decade for its breweries, artsy vibes, and stunning scenery. It's absolutely worth visiting.

However, if you want the same Blue Ridge charm with more breathing room, I'd recommend heading to Roanoke, Virginia.

This gem has a thriving arts district, an emerging craft-beer scene, and its own showstopping mountain landscapes. You can peruse the exhibits at the Taubman Museum of Art, shop for funky antiques in Grandin Village, and grab brews at Big Lick Brewing.

Whether you're driving the Blue Ridge Parkway or hiking McAfee Knob, you'll find panoramic views similar to the ones people love in Asheville.

Instead of Nags Head, plan your Outer Banks getaway on a lesser-known island.

I've spent vacations on the Outer Banks for as long as I can remember, and I never grow tired of the pristine coastline and laid-back villages

Although I love the region's popular and family-friendly Nags Head, it can get especially crowded in the summer. If you're looking for a nearby spot that's more secluded, Ocracoke is not to be missed.

Ocracoke is primarily accessible by ferry, so it pairs the same coastal beauty with an off-the-grid vibe. Its beaches feel unspoiled and its seafood joints are rarely overcrowded.

It's great for beach bums, history buffs, and nature lovers alike.

I've biked coastal wooded paths, seen remnants of wrecked pirate ships, and learned about Blackbeard's ties to the island at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum. I've also eaten my weight in raw oysters at Ocracoke Oyster Co., but that's another story.

Trade the beaches of Miami for a range of options in South Walton, Florida.

I've spent plenty of time in glitzy Miami. If you love its white-sand beaches and vibrant nightlife, but can't stand the gridlocked traffic, consider trying a trip to South Walton.

Tucked along the legendary Highway 30A, South Walton is home to several beach communities that each bring their own flair to the table.

In Seaside, you'll find pastel-colored cottages (made famous by "The Truman Show"), along with outdoor concerts, epic sunsets, and beachfront movie nights.

Alys Beach has white-washed Mediterranean buildings and trendy bars. Grayton Beach pairs its "Old Florida" aesthetic with upscale shops and art galleries.

It may not be Miami — nothing can be — but South Walton has many of the elements that attract tourists there with a more relaxed pace.

Skip Manhattan madness for art and farm-to-table dining in Hudson.

New York City is world-famous for its art, culture, and food (it has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other US city).

However, if you're ready to escape the crowds and traffic that come with all that, try Hudson. It has NYC coolness but with more fresh air and fewer people.

You get stellar farm-to-table restaurants (like feast & floret and Lil' Deb's Oasis), Brooklyn-esque art galleries, and high-end boutiques with one-of-a-kind designs. If you want to see a live performance, choose between options at the Hudson Opera House and Basilica Hudson.

If you love lounging in Central Park, spend some time at Promenade Hill Park or Greenport Conservation Area for views of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River.

• My family moved from Philadelphia to Puerto Rico in 2017 because of my husband's job.
• We downsized our belongings and only took six suitcases with us.
• The weather in Puerto Rico is great, and everyone is so friendly.

I've always wanted to live in Puerto Rico, so when we were asked to relocate from Philadelphia to the island for my husband's job in 2017, I didn't need to be asked twice.

We already had family on the island, and I was excited to stop working my full-time nursing job and spend more time with my almost 3-year-old and 5-year-old. We downsized nearly all our belongings and arrived on the island with six suitcases, four backpacks, and two car seats.

Living near the beach was important to me, but we also needed to be within a reasonable distance of my husband's job. This meant settling over an hour away from our family. With them being set in their ways, they weren't willing to make the trip to visit us. Suddenly, I found myself alone with the kids most of the time, where I knew no one, wasn't yet fluent in the language, and didn't have a car — all while my Spanish-speaking husband was at work.

Still, it was the best decision ever.

Everyone is warm and friendly

To say we didn't face challenges at first would be untrue. However, we quickly discovered that Puerto Rico's culture is deeply family-oriented, with a warm and loving community that embraces children. You are always greeted with "Buenos dias" and a smile wherever you go. Kids are celebrated and not viewed as a disturbance at restaurants and events. Coming from Philadelphia, where people can be cold and don't make eye contact, it took a little getting used to people saying hello or telling us "Buen provecho" (enjoy your food) while dining out.

Eight months after moving to the island, I found out I was pregnant again. Instead of celebrating, my mind was racing, trying to figure out how I would receive care, where I would give birth, and how I would add another baby to our adventure that had only just begun. My worries faded once I brought him home and witnessed the kindness of neighbors and strangers offering to help. Every time we went out, he became the center of attention, and people went out of their way to ensure we felt comfortable and safe.

I love how men and even teenage boys are never hesitant around babies and children and are always quick to smile and say, "Qué lindo" (how cute). I also never felt uncomfortable breastfeeding my baby in public, which made my breastfeeding journey easy and enjoyable.

People have helped us when needed

I have traveled to many places, and Puerto Rico has the friendliest people I've ever met. We've been through several hurricanes and I'm always in awe of how everyone bands together to help each other, especially to ensure the kids are fed and safe. I have seen more random acts of kindness on the island than anywhere else. People are always willing to help, whether it's to assist in crossing the street with your child, carrying your grocery bags, or changing your flat tire.

The weather in Puerto Rico is gorgeous year-round, like an endless summer. There is natural beauty everywhere you turn, from beaches to mountains and rivers. We spend most of our time outside, which allows us to stay healthy. Exposure to clean air and sunshine helps us not get sick often. Having access to nature helps us save money as well. Puerto Rico can be expensive, but most days, all we need is gas money and a little extra cash to order food if we haven't packed a lunch.

We've been fortunate to build a great community and have friends we can count on to meet up to play or get dinner. We get to experience activities in many parts of the island. My kids get to experience their culture and are constantly immersed in Spanish. My children's teachers are some of the most loving people I have ever met, which helps them feel safe and secure.

Although my children don't have many of the modern conveniences that kids do on the mainland, I feel like they have a fuller life. We've learned to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life, such as working electricity, spending quality time, and watching the sunset at the beach.

Living in Puerto Rico has made me realize how much more enjoyable and easier it is to raise children on the island.

• Business Insider spoke with coffee experts to find out how to improve your joe at home.  
• Buying fresh, whole beans makes a big difference in the overall quality of your final brew.
• They also said water quality is important for making good coffee.

Ordering coffee from your favorite café can be a treat, but it's not the most budget-friendly option.

Making a cup at home is often the cheaper alternative, so Business Insider spoke with coffee experts about their best tricks for at-home brewing. 

Start by cleaning your coffee maker regularly

Josh Zad, founder and creative director of popular café chain Alfred, told BI that one way to improve your cup of coffee is to clean your coffee maker regularly

"Make sure to get into the nooks and crannies of each part, especially where the coffee drains through the filter," he said. "The taste and aroma of old coffee really muddles the flavor of freshly brewed coffee."

The best way to clean those hard-to-reach stains is by tossing in a dash of baking soda, a splash of vinegar, and some water. Then, let it sit overnight.

Zad said it should scrub right off the following day.

Consider trying out a new brewing method, like a French press or moka pot

If you're ready to venture further into the world of craft coffee, there are so many fun ways to brew at home, Selina Viguera, café leader of Blue Bottle Coffee's Abbot Kinney location, told BI.

Moka pot, French press, AeroPress, Chemex, and a variety of pour-overs are just the beginning.

If you don't know where to start, Viguera said there are plenty of online resources, and most coffee-roasting companies have tutorials on their sites.

For a fun and unique coffee experience, invest in a pour-over carafe

If you're looking for a specific brewing recommendation, multiple experts agreed that pour-over — which involves slowly pouring hot water over coffee grounds — is their favorite. 

With proper technique, Viguera said it can produce a really delicious cup of coffee.

Once you understand some of the variables for brewing coffee (grind size, water temperature, agitation), you can create different cups from the same bag of coffee, she added. 

Switch to buying whole coffee beans instead of pre-ground

"To make better coffee, buy better coffee," Viguera told BI. 

Alex Azoury, the founder and CEO of Home Grounds, said whole-bean coffee is usually fresher and has a more vibrant flavor than pre-ground varieties.

Brew fresh coffee within its first 2 weeks after roasting

"Coffee is a natural product (it's the seed of a fruit), and while it will never spoil, it will lose a lot of flavor if it sits around too long," Zad told BI. 

Viguera said coffee flavor peaks within the first two weeks after roasting, so it's important to make sure the coffee you're buying was recently roasted.

Proper storage is also important to maintain your coffee's freshness. Zad suggested keeping it away from heat, light, moisture, and the freezer. 

Invest in a good coffee grinder that suits your bean preferences

Once you've purchased quality beans, it's also important to invest in a good grinder.

"It's a good idea to get a grinder that will grind coffee in the amount and coarseness you want," Azoury told BI. "A good grinder will give you both grind and amount options to suit your taste."

Make sure to adjust your grinder to the right size

Viguera told BI that grinding coffee too finely causes over-extraction — too coarse, and it can be under-extracted. Over-extracted coffee can taste dry and bitter, and under-extracted coffee can taste watery or sour.

To avoid this, she said it's important to "dial in" your coffee. Baristas use this term to describe the act of adjusting your grind setting to find the right coarseness/fineness to brew a balanced cup.

Coffee has a sweet spot — a perfect grind setting — that produces a balance of bitterness, acidity, and sweetness. That sweet spot can vary with the origin of the coffee, roast level, and age.

Only grind the beans you're planning to brew right away

You should only grind the amount of coffee you're going to make.

"If you've pre-ground all your coffee but aren't going to brew it all right away, then you've drastically sped up how quickly the rest of the coffee will lose its delicious complexity," Zad told BI. 

A cup of coffee can taste different depending on the quality of your water

Another important factor to consider when making coffee at home is your water, which Viguera said makes up about 98% of your brewed cup of coffee.

"As the main solvent for extracting the flavor and aroma from your ground coffee, your water needs a certain level of hardness/minerality and alkalinity for a quality extraction," she told BI. "Depending on where you live, your tap water may be too hard/soft to bring out the best in your cup."

Light and dark roasts require different brewing temperatures

Water temperature is another key variable when brewing coffee.

"You want to use water heated to 198 degrees Fahrenheit to 202 degrees Fahrenheit to make a properly extracted cup of coffee," Viguera said.

The expert said lighter roasts can generally withstand more heat (closer to 202 degrees), and darker roasts should be brewed lower (closer to 198 degrees).

Try preheating your mug before pouring the coffee

If you're pouring hot coffee into a cold mug, it's just making the coffee colder the second it hits the ceramic.

Zad said a preheated mug can increase the length of time you can enjoy hot coffee in the morning.

Switch things up by making cold brew at home

Another way to mix up your coffee routine is by making your own cold brew at home.

To do so, Zad said to simply grind your beans coarsely and add water. Next, pop it in the fridge overnight to extract all the rich sweetness from the coffee.

Add spices to make your own flavored coffee

Zad told BI that many flavored coffees are full of artificial ingredients that don't complement the natural flavor of the beans.

Instead, he suggested adding the actual ingredients behind the flavors you like to your coffee.

"Try adding spices to your coffee grounds when you make your cold brew," he said. "Throw in cinnamon sticks, crushed roasted hazelnuts, cardamom pods, anise, cacao shells, or even savory elements like caraway to steep overnight in your cold brew, and you'll have natural spicy goodness in the morning."

Use a scale to achieve the right coffee-to-water ratio

Knowing your brew ratio — coffee to water — and using a scale can help you brew consistently good cups.

"For reference, the industry standard is 1:18 (one part coffee to 18 parts water), which typically produces a cup that is light in body but a greater clarity of flavor," Viguera told BI. "If you prefer a bolder, fuller-bodied cup, try a 1:14 ratio."

This story was previously published in September 2022 and most recently updated on February 25, 2025.

Read More:

• 10 ways to recreate your favorite Starbucks drinks at home
• What 6 baristas actually order when they go to a coffee shop
• A former Starbucks barista shares 9 of the most annoying drink orders
• 7 coffee hacks that can save you time and money

• The 2025 Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 2, on ABC.
• The ceremony alone costs $57.7 million, WalletHub estimated.
• A star's Oscars look costs $1.5 million on average — in 2014, Cate Blanchett's cost $18.1 million.

2024 was a big year for film.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande starred as Elphaba and Glinda in Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" and famously held space for the lyrics of "Defying Gravity." Timothée Chalamet embarked on one of the most chaotic press tours for his turn as Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown." And the cast of "Emilia Pérez" has been marred in a number of controversies since the film premiered.

These movies account for three of the 10 best picture nominees at the 97th Academy Awards, set to take place on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

This year's awards season is set against the backdrop of the devastating wildfires that tore through the greater Los Angeles area. In January, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang wrote to members, per Deadline, "We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry."

From red-carpet looks to the costs of the statues, WalletHub's annual Oscars report found that honoring the biggest achievements in film comes with a high price tag.

Here's a breakdown of everything it costs to celebrate the movies in true Hollywood fashion, according to the personal-finance company's report.

The 2025 Academy Awards ceremony will cost an estimated $57.7 million.

WalletHub's 2025 report estimated that it will take $57.7 million to put on the Academy Awards.

This is just a fraction of the money spent by the actual nominees, though. "Wicked" — which is nominated in 10 categories this year, including best picture — had a budget of $150 million, higher than all the other best picture nominees except "Dune: Part Two."

The 50,000-square-foot red carpet alone costs $24,700.

That's not the only high figure associated with the red carpet: Its installation takes 600 hours and a 500-person crew, WalletHub reported.

Celebrities will begin gracing the red carpet several hours before the ceremony's 7 p.m. ET start time.

Each gold-plated Oscar award costs $400.

The estimated cost of each 24-karat gold-plated statue awarded to winners is about $400.

The Academy gives out awards in 24 categories, and a winner is not allowed to sell their statue without first offering to sell it to the Academy for $1, according to its policy.

Couples must reportedly pay $83,000 for tickets to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Each year, the highly anticipated, ultra-glamorous event hosted by Vanity Fair is attended by Hollywood's biggest stars, often after they've had a change of wardrobe.

The Oscar goodie bags contain gifts like skincare, luxury getaways, and snacks, and are worth $170,000.

WalletHub estimates that the value of each goodie bag given to Oscar nominees is $170,000.

But, the "Everybody Wins" bags aren't actually gifted by the Academy, they're the work of LA-based marketing agency Distinctive Assets, PRNewswire reported.

Some of this year's gifts include the full line of Miage skincare products, a four-night stay in the Maldives, a five-star hotel stay in Barcelona, and more than $1 million of "personalized disaster recovery services from Bright Harbor."

"While our gifts may be famous for being fun and fabulous, they also serve as a means to elevate small businesses, minority-owned brands, female entrepreneurs and companies that give back. This year, on the heels of the historically tragic LA fires, we have found even more ways that our celebrity swag can do good in our community," Distinctive Assets founder Lash Fary said, per PRNewswire.

He added, "Whether they pamper themselves or share these bountiful gifts as a care package for a friend who may have recently lost their home, we give these gifts not based on the recipients' needs but out of a desire to brighten someone's day and to acknowledge a job well done."

It costs $10 million to complete the look of an A-list actress for the Oscars.

While A-listers wear multi-million-dollar looks, the cost of dressing a first-timer at the Oscars is $266,000, WalletHub reported.

Because the cost of a look varies based on a person's stardom, the average cost of a look at the Oscars is about $1.5 million.

In 2014, Cate Blanchett made Oscars history when she wore an $18.1 million look; but her $100,000 Armani Privé gown was the least expensive element of her outfit — her jewelry alone was estimated to cost $18 million, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The only person to wear even more expensive jewelry was Lady Gaga in 2019, whose 128-carat yellow diamond Tiffany & Co. necklace cost more than $30 million.

A 30-second advertisement that premieres during the Oscars costs close to $2 million.

Last year, an average of 21 million people tuned in to watch the show, WalletHub reported. That was a 6% increase from 2023, so it's no surprise that running an ad during the live event's commercial breaks is expensive.

It costs $1.95 million to buy 30-seconds of ad time during the Oscars, WalletHub reported, which is 72% less than the $7 million it cost to run an ad during the Super Bowl.

ABC makes at least $127 million in ad revenue on Oscar Sunday.

WalletHub estimated that ABC, the TV network that hosts the awards, makes $127 million in ad revenue on the day of the Oscars.

Upwards of $20 million of that revenue comes from the pre-show red-carpet coverage.

Hollywood spends upwards of $100 million on awards-season lobbying.

Turns out, winning an Oscar requires much more work than just releasing a movie.

In 2023, The New York Times reported on the competitive nature of Oscars campaigns, in which professional strategists seek to shape public opinion on films, actors, and opponents.

WalletHub estimates that more than $100 million is spent on lobbying each year — that's more than the budgets of best picture nominees "Anora," "The Brutalist," "A Complete Unknown," and "I'm Still Here" combined.

It costs $20,000 to stream one film for voters to judge.

The Academy has gone digital. Rather than paying millions of dollars to send physical copies of the year's nominated pictures to voters, the group has turned to streaming, which costs $20,000 per film, WalletHub reported.

• Katie Zicarelli Gesell is a 34-year-old grief therapist who lives in Phoenix
• Her late wife unexpectedly died in 2018 after less than a year of marriage.
• When Katie was sick, her new spouse brought her the blanket of her late wife for comfort.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Katie Zicarelli Gesell. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I met Melissa, my first wife, when she contacted me online about my blog on long-distance relationships. When we met for the first time in 2015 our connection was instant. Conversation flowed and it felt like we had known each other forever. We started dating, and by 2017, we were married.

We decided on November 11 as our wedding date because we'd always text "I love you" when the clock read 11:11. It was a beautiful wedding at an outdoor nature center in Michigan. I was in my final year of grad school, and we were excited to spend time together without the added pressure of school. I loved Melissa so much, but it was shorter-lived than I would have hoped for.

She died shortly after

Only 10 months after we married, on September 3rd, 2018, Melissa suddenly died of cardiac arrest at only 27 years old. It was completely unexpected. Time just seemed frozen.

I lived in this complete fog, unable to fully understand what had happened. Even now, I don't have many memories from the first three months after she died. I'd show up to work and stare at my computer screen, unable to function.

Melissa and I had a mutual friend, Emily, who checked up on me after Melissa's death. She was always there and became a huge source of support for me through my grief.

I remember when we were in college, Emily and I had unsaid feelings for one another. Those feelings returned when we started spending more time together after Melissa's death. We started dating in June 2019 and were married in October 2022.

My new wife never tried to erase my memories with my late wife

Throughout our relationship, Emily has never tried to erase my memories or love for Melissa.

In January 2025, I was really sick in bed with nausea. Emily came into the room and told me she had something for me. I thought it would be our cat. But then I saw it was Melissa's Mexican-style blanket. "I brought this for you because this always gives you comfort when you're not feeling good," Emily told me as she covered me with it, tucking me in. It was no different than if she would have brought me any other comfort object. Such a sweet, simple gesture.

Melissa loved that blanket. After she died, I slept with it every night, eventually putting it away so the cats wouldn't chew at it. I often get it out and wrap myself in it through the autumn when I'm reminded of Melissa's birthday, her death, and our wedding anniversary.

I also often wear Melissa's ring. In fact, I wore the ring when Emily and I had engagement and wedding photos taken. I now use "Zicarelli" as my middle name — previously my last name when married to Melissa.

Emily has never been threatened by the comfort I find in that blanket, ring, my name change, or any memories of Melissa.

I love her more for that

When I wrote about Emily's lack of jealousy of my late spouse on Threads, I was surprised by the positive responses. In the past, I've been told it was disrespectful to my current partner to remember my past partner with such fondness — that I needed to move on. But not one person on Threads had a negative comment to say. It was really refreshing.

Nora McInerny, an author and widow I love, once said, "Love is not a competition, and a dead person is not much of a competitor." That's the way it should be in a new relationship with someone who has lost a spouse or partner. Emily often jokes, asking what she has to be jealous of — she knows I can't leave her for my dead wife.

I believe that if you are going to be with someone who has been widowed, then you've got to know you are signing up to love someone who will always also love someone else. You must embrace that part of them, just as you'd embrace any other part of who they are.

Emily has let me love and remember Melissa without letting it threaten my love for her. And I love her all the more for it.

• I booked a $720 round-trip economy ticket from Seattle to Manchester, England, with British Airways.
• On my way back to the US, I received a surprise upgrade to business class.
• I enjoyed the business-class experience but probably wouldn't pay full price for it.

As a Brit in Seattle who often travels between the US and England, I love a comfortable plane ride. So, when I was upgraded to business class on a British Airways flight this past summer, I was absolutely delighted.

I paid about $720 for a round-trip economy ticket from Seattle to Manchester, England, and on the way back to the US, I had a layover in London.

When I scanned my boarding pass to get on the plane, the gate agent printed a new ticket and said I was upgraded to British Airways' Club World, the airline's long-haul business-class cabin.

British Airways, which has seen a decrease in popularity in recent years, is spending $9 billion over the next two years to upgrade its planes, customer perks, and other aspects of its business model. So, I was excited to see what the experience would be like.

Here's what my 10-hour flight in British Airways' business class was like.

British Airway's Club World cabin was a little different from other business-class models I've seen.

When I entered the cabin, my first impression was that it felt a little dated. Parts of my seat looked worn, which made me feel like the cabin could have used a cosmetic update.

Some seats in the cabin also faced opposite directions. This seating arrangement would probably be great for couples traveling together, as it makes socializing easy. But staring at a stranger for hours isn't ideal for people traveling alone.

Luckily, my window seat didn't face another passenger. It also had high walls and a screen, so I had ample privacy during the flight.

My seat was comfy but lacked storage space.

Aside from an under-seat drawer and the fold-out tray in front of me, I didn't see much storage space for my belongings. I found it difficult to empty my purse, as there didn't seem to be a good spot for in-flight essentials, such as water or a phone charger.

My seat also had all the classic airplane nooks and crannies, including a USB port and headphone jack. When I went to charge my phone, however, the USB port wasn't working. 

Turning my seat into a bed was easy.

When I boarded, everything I needed to enjoy a restful sleep — pillows, a comforter, and sheets — was in a bag under the seat. 

About halfway through the flight, I decided to take a nap. To turn my seat into a lie-flat bed, all I had to do was press a labeled button on the wall. My chair lowered until it aligned with the fold-down footrest on the back of the seat in front of me.

The bed was very cozy, and I ended up falling asleep for a few hours.

I ordered delicious food from a British-inspired menu.

Business-class passengers were also served lunch inspired by British cuisine.

For a starter, I chose the poached-prawn salad with crushed avocado and horseradish ketchup, which was light and flavorful.

Next, I opted for mushroom-and-kale-stuffed British chicken, served with spring greens and creamed potatoes. The chicken was tender, the stuffing was well-seasoned, and the herb jus was perfectly salty and hearty.

For dessert, I chose the chocolate, walnut, and orange cake — it was one of the most incredible things I've eaten on an airplane. 

Next, I enjoyed afternoon tea and some snacks.

About an hour before the plane landed, the flight attendants served afternoon tea — something I welcomed as a Brit.

The meal came with mini sandwiches, cakes, and a warm scone with jelly and clotted cream.

The amenities kit was a highlight of the flight.

I also received a beautiful amenities kit filled with products from The White Company, an English home, clothing, and accessories brand.

Along with the usual eye mask, ear plugs, toothbrush set, and socks, the leather bag contained a few miniature skincare products: a moisturizer, lip balm, and pulse-point oil.

When I researched the products online, I saw the bag alone cost $55.

I'd fly British Airways' business class again, but only if it was a good deal.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience flying with British Airways in the Club World cabin. As someone who has flown both economy and business class with the airline, I'd happily pay for an upgrade if I could get a discount.

After looking on the British Airways website and playing around with various dates and flight routes, I saw that a business-class seat booked during the same week of my flight cost about £9,000, or $11,680. I had a good experience but wouldn't book a flight that cost that much.

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed my business-class experience. The upgrade was a great way to travel back to Seattle in style.

• I tried chicken tenders at Sonic, KFC, & Smashburger to see which fast-food chain has the best ones.
• Smashburger's chicken tenders were large, generously breaded, and all-around excellent.
• However, I thought KFC's tenders were a disappointment in every way — including the price.

There are many fast-food chains out there, but it can be hard to know which place has the best flavor and value when it comes to chicken tenders.

So, I recently ordered chicken tenders from multiple chains — Kentucky Fried Chicken, Sonic, and Smashburger — to see which I preferred.

I ate them all plain (no dipping sauces), so nothing could influence the true flavor or texture. Here's how it went.

I started my fast-food tour at Smashburger.

Smashburger is a newer kid on the fast-food block. The first location opened in Denver in 2007, and there are now over 200 shops across the US and Canada.

I paid $8.68 for an order of chicken tenders, which came with three pieces.

Smashburger's chicken tenders were almost like mini fried chicken breasts.

Even though the order only came with three, the tenders were impressively big — easily twice as large as the other chains.

The breading was thick and crispy, and the flavor profile was savory and lightly salty. Still, the tenders were begging for a dipping sauce, or even to be popped into a wrap or sandwich.

Despite that, I was entirely happy with Smashburger's tenders.

KFC was next on the list.

Contrary to its name, the first KFC franchise location opened in Salt Lake City in the 1950s. However, founder Harland "Colonel" Sanders laid the groundwork for the chain in Kentucky a few decades earlier.

My order of three chicken tenders cost me $8.90, making them the most expensive, but they also came with a biscuit.

KFC's chicken tenders let me down.

For a fast-food chain named for its chicken, I was a little disappointed by its tenders.

To start, they were easily half the size of the ones from Smashburger, and they appeared to be unevenly breaded.

They tasted salty but otherwise unremarkable. Sauce would definitely help, but the texture was a bit of a dealbreaker for me — I found the tenders a little tough and chewy.

I even took bites of each one to make sure I didn't just get a proverbial bad apple.

Sonic had the cheapest tenders.

Sonic is an Oklahoma-based fast-food chain that's known for its drive-in and drive-thru options. Customers don't actually go inside to order or eat.

A five-piece order of chicken tenders cost me $6.83, making it the cheapest of the bunch.

Sonic's chicken tenders are well-priced and good enough for a repeat purchase.

Sonic's tenders were much smaller than those from Smashburger — but there were five of them, so I still felt like I was getting my money's worth.

The texture of the chicken was — true to its name — tender. The breading, however, was on the thinner side, and there wasn't much flavor beyond a mild saltiness.

I think tenders really are meant to be enjoyed with sauce, and the uniform narrowness of these makes them especially good for dipping or putting in a wrap.

Overall, there was a clear winner for me.

Without a doubt, Smashburger had my favorite chicken tenders. They were massive, and I liked the generous amount of breading.

I'm sure I'll get them again — though next time, I'll probably try ordering the chain's spicy tenders for more flavor.

On the other side of the scale, I won't be going back to KFC for tenders. They were the most expensive, and I got the least amount of chicken. Even with a biscuit, the value just wasn't there for me.

Sonic may not have been my top choice, but I still think its chicken tenders are a good deal. They were cheap, and they're a great size and shape for dipping.

• A Chinese navy flotilla conducted a live-fire exercise off the Australian coast on Friday.
• A Virgin Australia pilot informed air traffic control after hearing a radio broadcast.
• The warning triggered 49 flights to divert as a hazard alert commenced.

Dozens of flights were forced to divert after a pilot warned air traffic control about a Chinese navy live-firing exercise off the Australian coast.

Authorities were unaware of the exercise until a pilot raised the alarm on Friday.

Rob Sharp, the CEO of Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for air safety, gave evidence to a Senate hearing in Canberra on Monday. "It was, in fact, a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles off our coast," he said.

Task Group 107 of the People's Liberation Army Navy was operating off the New South Wales coast in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand. It consisted of a frigate, a cruiser, and a replenishment vessel.

The Virgin Australia pilot heard one of the vessels broadcasting on the international guard frequency on Friday morning, said Peter Curran, Airservices Australia's deputy CEO.

He told the hearing that the government agency then commenced a hazard alert to warn all flights in the area.

It then advised the Department of Defence's Headquarters Joint Operations Command. "Bearing in mind at that stage, we didn't know if it was a hoax or real," Curran said.

Twenty minutes after the Virgin pilot's warning, an Emirates aircraft also made contact with the Chinese flotilla. It heard the radio broadcast advising that live firing was taking place between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time.

Some 49 aircraft were diverted over the course of Friday, Curran said.

That included some that were already in the air when the hazard alert was issued, but were flights later in the day that adjusted their route to avoid the airspace.

Flight plans continued to divert throughout the weekend as a matter of precaution, he added.

The incident sparked diplomatic tensions over the weekend.

A spokesperson for Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, told Guardian Australia: "The Australian Government has raised its concern with the lack of notice on the live fire activity from the Chinese Government, including through appropriate channels in Canberra and Beijing."

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement that the drill would not impact aviation safety.

He added that it took place in international waters and safety notices were issued in advance.

"Australia has unjustly criticized China and deliberately exaggerated the issue," Wu said.

Reuters reported that New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the live-fire exercise complied with international law, adding: "The issue for us is … we'd appreciate a little bit more advance notice, particularly on what is a busy air route."

Australia's Department of Defence said it was continuing to monitor Task Group 107 as it re-entered Australia's exclusive economic zone early on Tuesday.

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

Good morning! Fyre Festival is back, and it's officially got a date and location. The sequel to the infamous festival will occur from May 30 to June 2 in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Additional details are scant, but I'm sure that's definitely not a red flag.

In today's big story, the debate continues over how best to respond to DOGE's "What did you do last week?" email. (Got an opinion? We want to hear from you.)

What's on deck

Markets: Jamie Dimon's sorry about cursing, but he still wants you back in the office.

Tech: AI could spell trouble for some software engineers, but it's far from a death knell for the entire profession.

Business: For these companies, layoffs are never an option.

But first, singing for my supper.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The big story

Dealing with DOGE

From "Should they stay or should they go?" to "Should they send or just no-show?"

A few weeks after considering buyout offers, federal workers faced another dilemma: Responding to Elon Musk's "What did you do last week?" email.

The message, which asked federal workers to reply with five accomplishments from the previous week, left Washington in chaos.

Agencies differed on their recommendations to employees before the deadline, which was yesterday at 11:59 p.m. The deadline may have passed — but conflicting guidance persists.

The Social Security Administration initially told workers it was "an opportunity to highlight the important work you do." Although it later clarified that responses were voluntary.

The Department of Defense was less welcoming. The Pentagon publicly told its employees to "pause any response" to the email, adding that it "is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel."

Of course, it wouldn't be a DOGE mandate without getting the lawyers involved.

All of that begs the question: What would YOU do?

Business Insider's Katie Notopoulos, who wrote about how people might choose to respond to the email, wants to hear from you. She created a nifty form for you to share how you might respond.

Interest in DOGE, for better or worse, doesn't seem to be waning.

President Donald Trump's political operation is actually selling DOGE membership cards. For only a $47 donation, you can be the proud owner of a black metal card that says "Trump DOGE member." There are also t-shirts for $40 or $28.

Jamie Dimon is hopeful DOGE will be successful. "More effective government — more efficient government — isn't bad. It's actually a good thing," the JPMorgan CEO said in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, Rep. Rich McCormick said he's worried DOGE might be moving too quickly after getting an earful from his constituents at a recent town hall. The Georgia Republican said he's "not against anything he's doing," but added that he's "concerned that maybe we're moving a little bit too fast."

And then sometimes things are just getting plain weird. Some Department of Housing and Urban Development employees had a brutal start to their day on Monday. TVs in the office were showing an AI-generated video of President Trump sucking Musk's toes underneath a text that read, "LONG LIVE THE REAL KING."

News brief

• Starbucks is laying off 1,100 corporate staff this week.
• Sam Bankman-Fried's long-dormant X account is alive again — and posting about DOGE and leadership advice.
• Joann plans to go out of business and close all remaining fabric and craft stores.
• Microsoft stock slips after analysts say it canceled two AI data center leases, suggesting possible 'oversupply position.'
• The agency that regulates vehicle safety — and Elon Musk's Tesla — is another target of DOGE layoffs.
• Advertisers hit back at Rumble lawsuit in a new filing, calling it an attempt to 'weaponize' antitrust laws.
• Grok briefly censored criticism of Musk and Trump. It was blamed on a new hire who hadn't 'fully absorbed' the startup's culture.

3 things in markets

1. YOLO traders can now literally bet the farm. The CME Group debuted a suite of agricultural "micro" contracts one-tenth the size of corn, wheat, and soybean futures. The move is part of CME's larger plan to pull retail investors into a market largely dominated by institutional players. On top of offering more opportunities to a wider part of the market, these bite-size options can also help smaller farmers.

2. The markets are about to feel the burn of Trump's policies, Steve Cohen says. The billionaire Point72 founder warned that slowing immigration, tariffs, and cuts to government spending could slow economic growth and create a "significant correction." For investors, the best may be behind them.

3. Jamie Dimon is sorry … but not about criticizing WFH. The JPMorgan CEO apologized for cursing during a fiery rant he made against remote work at an internal town hall meeting that was leaked. But he didn't back down from his main point about the importance of in-office attendance: "I'm not against work from home. I'm against where it doesn't work."

3 things in tech

1. The AI coding apocalypse. Generative AI is beginning to shake up the engineering profession and entry-level coders could pay the price. The recent changes have software engineers worried they're coding themselves into obsolescence. But industry experts say that's unlikely to happen anytime soon. Plus, there's more to the job than just writing code — and AI has yet to catch up.

2. Donald Trump doesn't want anyone regulating Big Tech but himself. Last week, the president seemed to issue conflicting messages. On the one hand, he criticized European regulators for being too harsh on US tech companies. On the other hand, the Trump administration said it would regulate American tech companies because they have "too much power." BI's Peter Kafka breaks down what it all means.

3. Elon Musk isn't the only one who hates OpenAI's for-profit plan. Sam Altman is trying to transform OpenAI from a non-profit into a more conventional business, but the process is complicated thanks to its complex corporate structure. Musk, an OpenAI cofounder who split from Altman, has vocally opposed OpenAI's plan. He's not alone, with a growing chorus of entrepreneurs, companies, and charities saying it could be a grave mistake for the AI leader.

3 things in business

1. POV: Your company has never conducted layoffs. Companies laying off their employees — even outside a recession — have become commonplace in the professional world. But some purposefully refrain from making cuts. Not only is the no-layoff approach good for employees, but the CEOs of these companies said they think it's good for business, too.

2. MrBeast's secrets to success. The YouTuber knows the negativity he receives — from viewers and former employees — is part of the job. But in a recent interview on "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, MrBeast said it's helped him cultivate a stronger sense of self. He shared some key traits to his success, like his propensity for risk and what he looks for when hiring.

3. AT&T and Verizon's rivalry takes a modern twist. While AT&T navigates a rocky return to office, Verizon is seemingly looking to capitalize on its rivals' employees who aren't as keen on the mandate. In a recruiting email obtained by BI, Verizon's talent team encouraged AT&T workers to check out the company's hybrid and remote job opportunities. The outreach highlights how RTO mandates have become a sticking point for workers recently.

In other news

• Coffee is about to get way more expensive — and mediocre.
• Video: Satellite images show reality of Saudi Arabia's $2 trillion megacity.
• Palantir CEO Alex Karp reveals what he would do if he weren't running the company.
• Shopify acquihired six startups for their AI talent last year as it competes in a 'white-hot' market.
• Four charts show how Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway piled up cash, dumped stocks, and made a record tax payment in 2024.
• Hedge funds are trimming their Magnificent 7 holdings — here's what they're buying instead.
• Starbucks is removing these 13 menu items from its menu next week
• Apple braces for DEI showdown at annual shareholder meeting.

What's happening today

• Apple shareholders vote on whether to abolish DEI program.

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.

• Tesla is rolling out self-driving features to some cars in China, per a software update log.
• It's not being called Full Self-Driving and Tesla is not offering all the FSD features as in the US.
• BYD is equipping nearly all its models with advanced self-driving tech at no extra cost.

Tesla has started rolling out driving-assistance features to some cars in China that are similar to the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in the US, according to a software update log.

Tesla said the new features allow Tesla owners in China to use driver-assist features on controlled-access and city roads. These include guiding vehicles to exit ramps and intersections, recognizing traffic signals, making turns, and managing lane changes and speed adjustments.

It does not incorporate all of Tesla's FSD features, including autonomously navigating complex urban environments such as parking lots. Tesla is not branding it as Full Self-Driving.

"For some features, the time of implementation and results may vary based on the vehicle's model and configuration," the company said, adding that the range of models will be gradually expanded.

Bloomberg first reported Tesla's planned deployment of FSD features in China.

The move comes after BYD, Tesla's biggest rival in China, announced earlier this month that it would equip nearly all its models with advanced self-driving tech at no extra cost, and other rivals followed suit.

In contrast, Tesla owners in China have had to pay about $8,800 extra for self-driving features — a sum nearly as high as the cost of BYD's cheapest model.

BYD has racing ahead in China's fiercely competitive EV market. In January it sold sold nearly twice as many EVs as Tesla, with the US carmaker's sales down 11% compared with the same month in 2024.

BYD sold a record 66,000 vehicles outside China in January, indicating that a push to expand outside its home market is starting to pay off.

Last month, BYD overtook Toyota to become Singapore's best-selling car brand and also beat Tesla in the UK for the first time.

Other Chinese brands such as NIO, XPeng, MG, and ORA are also notching up higher sales of their affordable electric and hybrid vehicles outside China amid intense competition in the domestic market.

• Home Depot beat Wall Street revenue forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2024.
• The retailer said, however, that customers are still putting off major renovation projects.
• That's due to higher interest rates in recent years, its CEO and CFO said.

Home Depot beat Wall Street estimates in the fourth quarter of 2024, but said that customers were still putting off bigger home improvement projects amid higher interest rates.

Revenue climbed 14% compared to the same period in 2023. On a comparable sales basis, a metric that strips out new store openings and other one-off events, revenue was up by 0.8% globally and 1.3% in the US.

The Atlanta-headquartered firm reported revenue of $39.7 billion for the fourth quarter of 2024. Analysts had forecast revenue of $39.2 billion.

CEO Ted Decker put the company's better-than-expected revenue down to "greater engagement" in home improvement spending. However, he noted that Home Depot was seeing "ongoing pressure" on business related to larger-scale home renovations.

"A higher interest rate environment" had "impacted home improvement demand," Decker added.

In an interview with CNBC, CFO Richard McPhail said the company expects demand to return as higher rates become the "new normal."

"Home improvement always persists, and so the question, I think, will be around the mindset of whether long-term rates have gotten to a new normal," McPhail said.

The Federal Reserve's key interest rate, which sets a general baseline for all US interest rates, reached 5.5% between July 2023 and August 2024. Though it has been cut to 4.5% in recent months, it remains elevated compared to the near-zero rates seen in the US since the 2008 financial crisis.

While Home Depot reported marginally better-than-expected revenues, its 2025 forecasts fell short of investor expectations. The company said it expected sales growth of 2.8% and comparable sales growth of 1%, compared to analyst forecasts of 3.3% and 1.9% growth, respectively.

Shares dropped in premarket trading on lower-than-expected growth forecasts. They fell as much as 3.8% but recovered a little, and as of around 7:30 a.m. ET, they were set to open down around 0.6%.

Home Depot said it expects an operating margin of roughly 33% in 2025. The home improvement retailer also announced plans to open 13 new stores.

• Tesla's European sales plunged in January, falling 45% compared with the same month in 2024.
• The decline came despite a rise in EV sales in Europe, with Tesla falling behind China's SAIC Motor.
• Elon Musk has waded into European politics in recent months, backing far right-wing German party AfD.

Tesla sales in Europe plunged in January, falling 45% compared with the same month last year, while overall sales of electric vehicles increased.

Elon Musk's automaker sold 9,945 vehicles last month in the European Union and UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, figures from the European Automotive Manufacturers' Association showed. There were 18,161 sales in January 2024.

In December, Tesla sold 44,697 vehicles across the same markets.

Tesla had a 1% market share in January, down from 1.8% in the same month last year.

That decline put it behind China's SAIC Motor, whose sales grew 37% to nearly 17,000 vehicles in January under brands including MG. The company had a 2.3% market share, up from 1.7%. It sells petrol and hybrid cars as well as EVs.

Chinese EV giant BYD also outsold Tesla in the UK for the first time in January, according to separate industry data, as China's EV makers continue to put Musk's company under pressure.

Tesla's shares were down as much as 8% on Tuesday, taking its market capitalization below the $1 trillion mark.

The EV giant, which recorded its first annual fall in sales last year, is changing over assembly lines at its factory near Berlin as it prepares to start building the revamped Model Y this year.

Overall sales of battery electric vehicles jumped 34% to 124,341 in Europe last month, giving the category a 15% market share, up from 10.9% in January 2024.

Tesla's declines follow Musk's decision to wade into European politics in recent months, and he endorsed Germany's far-right AfD party ahead of last Sunday's elections.

The AfD won the second-highest share in the election, but seems unlikely to form part of the next government.

The billionaire spoke virtually at campaign events for the anti-immigrant and anti-European Union party. AfD leader Alice Weidel said Musk called to congratulate her after the party's historic election performance.

Musk's involvement in European politics has sparked public backlash, protests, and isolated acts of vandalism.

Last month, activists projected an image of a controversial gesture the Tesla CEO made at an event marking President Donald Trump's inauguration, which some interpreted as a fascist salute, onto the company's Berlin factory. A Tesla showroom in the Netherlands was also vandalized with spray-painted swastikas, Politico reported.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• Moon mining could become a multibillion-dollar industry.
• The moon holds resources like rare earth elements, water ice, and helium-3.
• But astronomists say large-scale lunar mining could be bad news for scientific research.

Mining the moon for water, helium-3, and rare earth elements could become a multibillion-dollar industry in the near future, but astronomers warn it risks coming at the expense of scientific discovery.

The NASA-sponsored Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimates that the moon holds untapped resources worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

These include water ice, which could support lunar habitation or be converted into rocket fuel, and rare earth elements, which are a key component in modern electronics.

Perhaps the most lucrative lunar prospect is helium-3, a non-radioactive isotope that holds the potential to be used for nuclear fission.

Helium-3 traded for about $2,500 per liter in 2024, according to the Edelgas Group.

"That's a huge market, in principle, and something is coming along very fast," Martin Elvis, a senior astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, told Business Insider.

He also said that lunar law is "very much" like the Wild West, where a "bad incentive" now exists that encourages those who reach mining sites first to "exploit" them quickly before anyone can catch up.

Resource-rich, scientifically valuable

NASA, China, and several private companies aim to mine the moon within the next decade. However, astronomers warn that large-scale operations there could make studying the universe more challenging.

The moon has scientifically significant sites that could also be rich in lunar resources, creating a potential clash between money-making ventures and scientific research.

These areas include the far side of the moon, a radio-quiet environment ideal for studying the cosmic Dark Ages, the time before there were stars and galaxies.

Elvis said the moon's permanently shadowed regions near its poles are also "special places for astronomy." But they're believed to be rich in water ice — crucial for future space exploration — once again making them highly valuable for resource extraction.

Ongoing human activities, such as water extraction or deploying rovers for mineral mining, could introduce vibrations that disrupt delicate lunar studies, Elvis said.

"Mining for water is probably the worst," he added.

A loose legal framework

While legal frameworks exist — such as the Artemis Accords, a non-binding set of principles established in 2020 and signed by over 50 countries — Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, told BI these agreements come with their own challenges.

One of the details of the Artemis Accords was actually explicitly permitting space mining, provided it complies with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and is done in a "safe and sustainable" way, he said, "effectively allowing people to set up camps in different places on the moon to extract resources."

According to Elvis, there is a relatively brief window of time to "inject the need for science" into the lunar mining debate. One suggestion he had was introducing protected planetary parks on the moon's surface.

Massey, meanwhile, stressed that any future regulations should emphasize astronomy's value and better protect scientific research, rather than focusing solely on the financial prospects.

"There should be more stakeholders than just the wealthy and companies that want to do this," he said, adding: "The stakeholders ought to include all of us — just as all of us have a stake in terrestrial environments."

• Some Gen Z workers are finding it hard to get into the workforce due to the demands of "entry-level" jobs.
• Leaders should value Gen Z's creativity and entrepreneurialism, not base decisions on "young-ism."
• Zoomers can push back against stereotypes by going into the office and listening to older colleagues.

Plenty of entry-level jobs are no longer entry-level.

Mona Mourshed, the CEO of the employment nonprofit Generation, said many employers are now looking for two to three years of work experience for such roles.

"Job vacancies are down for entry-level roles, and that's true across the world," she told Business Insider. "Then, on top of it, to get those job vacancies, hiring requirements have gone up."

Labor market commentators previously told BI there's a surplus of available workers, and this is only getting more true as highly skilled employees are being laid off from the likes of Meta, Google — and the federal government.

The "unbossing" of the workplace is also likely a factor, with millennial middle managers being squeezed out in the "Great Flattening" and wading into the hiring pool. Without these people in companies and mentoring junior employees, more experience is necessary for new hires to thrive.

The group most likely to be affected is Gen Z — the youngest cohort of workers, which is also set to make up 30% of the workforce by 2030.

Making it harder for young workers to find jobs could be short-sighted. "They tend to be entrepreneurial in spirit, they collaborate with their peers, and they embrace diversity," said Stephanie Chung, JetSuit's former president and the author of "Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You."

"The older generations need to come to grips that there are many ways to achieve the goal and that their way of working is one way," she told BI. "It's not the only way. "

Mourshed said most entry-level roles are not what they used to be: "When you went through a training, or you have a degree or a certificate, and you're seeking to get your first work experience — that's gone."

'Young-ism' on the rise

There are many influences at play, including negative stereotypes about Gen Z's work ethic and the balance tipping in favor of employers, making room for experienced talent over "underperformers."

Jennifer Moss, a workplace culture strategist and author of "WHY ARE WE HERE?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants," told BI that "young-ism" is on the rise.

Gen Zers are sometimes labeled difficult, demanding, and even weird in interviews. Many are fed up with work and don't want to climb the corporate ladder, thinking the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Some attribute this to the pandemic and being stuck at home in some of their most formative years. Moss thinks Gen Zers actually became more ambitious after lockdowns and now seek lives with purpose.

"This can be a great driver of engagement and lots of really positive business outcomes," she said.

Chung said employees hiring for entry-level roles should consider Gen Z's positives, such as their ability to think outside the box, courage to take calculated risks, and that they are "super collaborators."

"These folks collaborate on everything from school projects, to slaying dragons while immersed in a fictitious game," she said. "Gen Z sees collaborating as a way of life — they don't know anything different."

Leaders create a company's culture, so they need to address workplace disengagement, said Leena Rinne, a VP at online learning platform Skillsoft.

"Feeling that Gen Z doesn't have a work ethic, that they're entitled, that they lack motivation — those can be addressed through leadership," she told BI. "If we believe those are learnable skills, then as an organization, as leaders, we should be investing in Gen Z to actually be able to do it."

Forging connections

Gen Zers can fight back against negative stereotypes, by realizing that technology cannot replace experience, Chung said.

Older generations have significant knowledge "that doesn't always get captured by computers," she said.

Going to the office more often is another good idea, in Chung's view, given the opportunities for forging connections and ad-hoc learning.

"Sometimes simply being present can lead to impromptu conversations that may enhance your thinking or change the trajectory of your career," she said.

Chung thinks workers should ask what they can gain from interacting with those outside their cohort. "Everyone can learn something from anyone if they're willing to try. All generations add value to a company — how do we both win?"

• A Delta flight made an emergency landing just 10 minutes after takeoff.
• In air traffic control audio, one of the flight's pilots can be heard saying there is smoke in the cabin.
• Footage and images shared on social media showed passengers evacuating onto the tarmac.

A Delta Air Lines flight was evacuated after the pilot reported smoke in the cabin on Monday morning.

The Boeing 717 was set to fly from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Columbia, South Carolina, operating as Flight 876.

But data from Flightradar24 shows it started to turn back around five minutes after taking off from the world's busiest airport. In total, it was in the air for just over 10 minutes.

In communications published by LiveATC.net, one of the pilots can be heard declaring an emergency after ascending to 3,000 feet.

"Got smoke in the cabin and need to plan a return back," he says. "Have the fire trucks roll for us, please."

He added that there were 99 people on board.

Images shared on social media appear to show passengers evacuating after landing safely, with people standing on the wings and a slide deployed from the 717's tail.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane returned safely "after the crew reported possible smoke in the flight deck."

It added that the FAA will investigate the incident.

"The flight crew followed procedures to return to Atlanta when a haze inside the aircraft was observed after departure," Delta said in a statement shared with a number of media outlets.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience," the airline said.

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

• Verizon is capitalizing on its rival AT&T's full-time RTO mandate.
• In a recruiting email, Verizon mentioned remote and hybrid openings amid "changing RTO policies."
• AT&T told BI that its workers "always have a choice" about the company they work for.

The rivalry between two of telecom's biggest players has taken a decidedly modern twist.

After AT&T's full-time return-to-office mandate began to be implemented in January, Verizon reached out to AT&T employees who may not be keen on working five days a week in the office.

In an email sent to multiple AT&T employees and obtained by Business Insider, Verizon's talent team encouraged recipients to explore the company's hybrid and remote job opportunities.

"Following the news of changing RTO policies across the industry, we're reaching out to share helpful resources and potential hybrid/remote job opportunities across Verizon," the email said.

"If you have been personally affected by organizational policy changes or know anyone who has, we're looking to add top talent to the V Team," the email continued. Verizon declined to comment.

While it's common for companies to recruit from their competitors, Verizon's outreach highlights how five-day office mandates have become a sticking point for some workers in recent months.

AT&T told BI that its workers "always have a choice to pick the type of company and work environment they wish to be part of."

"We desire individuals who wish to work in a dynamic and challenging team environment with strong relationships and collaboration fostered by in-office constructs," AT&T added.

AT&T has had to navigate a rocky return to office this year, with some employees describing to BI a lack of desk space, parking shortages, and shifting guidance about the policy.

On Monday afternoon, Verizon's job-listings website showed openings for more than 1,200 roles across the US, 10 of which were remote. Listings for several full-time positions said they required at least eight days in the office a month, as determined by a manager.

The Verizon email also referred to the company's support of DEI at a time when other large employers are backing away from DEI policies.

"If you're looking for a culture of learning that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion with room to grow, our V Team may be the place for you," the email said.

The email said Verizon job perks include up to $8,000 of annual tuition assistance, up to five weeks of paid time off, paid parental leave, and medical, dental, and vision coverage.

While AT&T traces its origins to 1885, Verizon was formed in 2000 when one of the so-called Baby Bells — spun off from AT&T in the 1980s — merged with GTE.

More recently, the two have been in a race to build out the nation's fiber optic network and extend 5G and satellite coverage.

Though AT&T is now based in Dallas, its former New Jersey headquarters is a major corporate campus for Verizon — not to be confused with Bell Labs in Holmdel, which features in Apple TV's "Severance."

If you are an AT&T or Verizon worker who wants to share your perspective, please contact Dominick via email or text/call/Signal at 646.768.4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a nonwork device when reaching out.

• For my first overnight Amtrak ride in 2021, I booked a roomette on a Viewliner train.
• Then, in 2025, I booked a roomette on a newly upgraded Superliner train.
• The rooms had similar layouts, but modern upgrades made the second ride much cozier.

I'll never forget my first overnight train trip in October 2021.

I took an Amtrak Viewliner train from my home in New York City to Miami and spent the 30-hour ride in a roomette — a 20-square-foot private cabin — for $500.

After spending the next three years sampling sleeper trains in Europe, I took another long-haul Amtrak journey from Denver to Salt Lake City in January. This ride was on a Superliner train, and it was only 15 hours.

I booked the same accommodation — a roomette for $400 — which had the same basic layout with a couple of differences.

Overall, the second roomette had modern updates, making my train ride more comfortable.

Amtrak sleeper trains from east to west

Amtrak's Viewliner fleet takes overnight riders through the eastern and southern US, and the train line's Superliner fleet carries passengers west of Chicago and New Orleans.

The main difference between the two fleets is size. The Viewliner is a one-story train, while the Superliner is two stories and includes an additional communal car on the top floor for sightseeing.

Amtrak is updating the roughly 30-to-50-year-old Superliner cars, and about 76% of the fleet has already been refreshed, including the train I took, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told Business Insider.

The Viewliners are a bit newer than the Superliner cars — the first Viewliner train was delivered in the late '90s, according to Magliari. Still, he said many of the one-story trains would also get an interior update in 2026.

Viewliner vs. Superliner roomettes

Before we get into the upgrades, there is a notable difference between the roomettes on these two trains.

Both roomettes sleep up to two people, with two chairs forming a lower bunk and another pulling down from the ceiling. They both also have mirrors, small closets, and pullout tables.

Some Viewliner roomettes also squeeze in a toilet, and they all include a sink, so travelers don't have to use the shared bathrooms in the car.

The Superliner roomettes don't have plumbing, so guests must use the shared bathrooms.

Fresh seat cushions

The most important upgrade to me was the seats.

When I stepped inside the Superliner roomette, I immediately noticed the seats looked like they'd never been used.

I'm sure that's not true, but I didn't find one sign of wear or crust of dirt on either seat. Sitting in one for the first time felt like sampling a recliner at a furniture store.

Magliari told BI that the old blue cloth seats had been replaced with soft vinyl.

"The seats have the same frame, but the cushions are new. And there's more lumbar support in this current seat cushion design than the old seat cushion design," he said. "If you see gray, vinyl seating, then you know that you are in a fresh room."

A comfy seat makes a cozy bed

My upper bunk on the Viewliner felt like a cot, and my lower bunk on the Superliner felt more like a mattress.

I selected the upper bunk in the Viewliner roomette because I'd never been on an overnight train before, and sleeping up top felt more adventurous.

It kind of was — but not in a good way. The suspended bunk shook throughout the night from the turbulence of the train. I couldn't find a comfortable position on the stiff mattress and tossed and turned through the night.

I haven't slept on a train's top bunk since, but being on the ground wasn't the only thing that made the Superliner bunk feel more like a bed. The reclined seat cushions had a bit more give to them, and the soft vinyl felt smoother on my skin.

Seeing the difference in comfort after four years got me stoked about the future of overnight Amtrak travel.

In the future, you'll catch me on an upgraded Viewliner.