• SplxAI raised $7 million to enhance AI security, offering tools like Agentic Radar for protection.
• The company tests for security vulnerabilities and edits system prompts to be safer.
• Its CEO believes GenAI gives cyber attackers an edge, and companies must vet technology earlier.

Companies are racing to adopt AI in pursuit of productivity and profits, but the last thing anyone wants is a chatbot going off the rails.

AI systems are vulnerable to all kinds of new threats, from data poisoning to adversarial attacks. In a World Economic Forum survey of over 200 business leaders in 2023, more than half said generative AI would give cyber attackers an overall advantage in the coming two years, while just under 9% said that advantage would go to the defenders.

It's now two years later, and it seems the majority of those business leaders were right: AI has given cyber attackers the upper hand. In a recent Accenture survey of 600 bank cybersecurity executives, four in five said generative AI is helping hackers faster than banks can keep up.

As more companies worldwide adopt AI, Croatian security startup SplxAI wants to redefine how they test AI systems for vulnerabilities by preemptively targeting threats. The company recently raised $7 million in a seed round led by Launchhub Ventures, with participation from venture firms Rain Capital, Runtime Ventures, Inovo, DNV Ventures, and South Central Ventures.

One way companies do this now is through red-teaming, which involves simulating adversarial attacks on an AI system. But red-teaming can often take a few weeks or even months, and companies are racing to vet tools before they deploy them, SplxAI's CEO Kristian Kamber told BI. The company takes an offensive approach by adjusting system prompts — guidelines that shape how an AI model responds to user queries — reducing the need for additional defensive guardrails later.

Before clients connect to SplxAI's platform, the company sends them a questionnaire to understand what risk means to them. They ask questions like, "Are there any questions your chatbot should not answer?" or "Which parts of the system prompt are confidential?"

Elin.AI, for example, a chatbot geared toward Gen Z, said it "needs to do swearing because it needs to speak the language of the kids," Kamber said.

Once SplxAI customizes its approach, it runs a series of attacks. It can run over 2,000 attacks and 17 scans in less than an hour. These include prompt injection attacks, in which AI systems are fed malicious prompts to check for profanity, misinformation, or data poisoning. It runs tests to check for bias, harmful content, or intentional misuse.

Kamber said the tests have revealed a wealth of bias, misinformation, and vulnerabilities in the technology companies use.

SplxAI ran tests on a popular workplace productivity tool that revealed it could let data leak between colleagues. Its tests on a healthcare company that operates chatbots at pharmacies revealed that the bots hallucinated when giving medical instructions. They told patients to take pills at the wrong times or offered incorrect instructions on how to use injection needles. It uncovered gender bias in a chatbot that provided career advice to students. The bot told young women to pursue careers as secretaries and young men to pursue careers as business managers.

Based on its tests, SplxAI generates a report that lists the vulnerabilities of a system and its suggestions for fixing them. But the company goes a step further by changing system prompts. Kamber calls it "hardening" and said it's the biggest driver of the company's business. "We're doing a huge piece of remediation because otherwise no one will buy the platform if it's just testing and offensive security suggestions," Kamber said.

An Arabic chatbot popular in the Middle East and Africa approached SplxAI with a request to ensure the chatbot didn't speak negatively about Abu Dhabi's royal family and other sensitive topics in the region. "We hardened the system prompt that much that you cannot even ask suggestive questions," Kamber said.

Companies are these days preoccupied with shoring up not just one, but multiple agents, chatbots, or applications, as they automate complex tasks. After being approached by several Fortune 100 CEOs about red-teaming this type of work, SplxAI unveiled Agentic Radar — an open-source tool for mapping vulnerabilities in operations with multiple agents.

Kamber said he's shocked by how quickly the world has woken up to the dangers of agentic AI. "Last year, no one was really understanding why AI red-teaming was needed. Now everyone is running to our door."

Take a look at their 12-slide pitch deck.

• Anduril founder Palmer Luckey says the US shouldn't worry about developing AI weapons.
• Luckey said the US has already opened 'Pandora's box,' so it might as well go all in.
• The alternative is that China surpasses the United States in autonomous weaponry, he said.

Anduril founder Palmer Luckey says the US military already opened "Pandora's box" of AI and autonomous weapons, and it's too late to turn back.

During a TED Live event last week, Luckey said the United States should instead double down on developing AI-controlled weapons, otherwise China could outperform the United States in a future war fought with autonomous systems.

"I want you to imagine something," Luckey told the crowd. "In the early hours of a massive surprise invasion of Taiwan, China unleashes its full arsenal. Ballistic missiles rain down on key military installations, neutralizing air bases, and command centers before Taiwan could fire a single shot."

Luckey said that in this scenario, it would "become clear" that the United States does not have the systems to respond quickly enough to fend off China.

"This is the war US military analysts fear most, not just because of outdated technology or slow decision-making, but because our lack of capacity, our sheer shortage of tools and platforms means we can't even get into the fight," Luckey said.

He said the best way to compete with China is to win the AI arms race.

Luckey founded Oculus, which he later sold to Meta for $2 billion. Then, in 2017, Luckey founded the defense company Anduril, which produces and manufactures drones and other autonomous systems and weapons for the US military.

"I'll get confronted by journalists who say, 'Oh, well, you know, we shouldn't open Pandora's box,'" Luckey said. "And my point to them is that Pandora's box was opened a long time ago with anti-radiation missiles that seek out surface air missile launchers."

He added that some US military ships use anti-missile defense systems capable of "locking on and firing on targets totally autonomously."

"We've been in this world of systems that act out our will autonomously for decades," he said. "And so the point I would make to people is that you're not asking to not open Pandora's box; you're asking to shove it back in and close it again."

• We took a tiki boat to Crab Island, a sandbar just off the coast of Destin, Florida.
• The experience cost $60 a person and lasted three hours. We were able to bring drinks on board.
• Overall, we had a blast on this fun and affordable activity. I'd recommend it.

From hot-tub boats in Seattle to chartered yachts in Croatia, I am always seeking out unique and fun boating experiences.

While in Florida, I cast off on an adventure aboard a small boat with a bar on it to Crab Island in Destin.

Here's what it was like.

Crab Island is a unique destination.

Crab Island is quite a scene, although it's not actually an island at all — it's a submerged sandbar.

A watercraft of some kind is required to access this popular spot, where bachelorette parties, families, locals, and tourists bob around the clear waters together with bumping beats blasting from the anchored boats.

We got on our boat at the Destin Harbor Boardwalk.

Although there are a few different boats available to rent in the area, my friends and I booked our excursion through Tailfins Tiki Tours for just $60 a person. (At the time of writing, the price appears to have increased to $70 a person.)

Visitors can rent private boats, but our group chose a shared excursion since there were just four of us.

On the day of our sailing, we arrived at the meeting point at the Destin Harbor Boardwalk, a sprawling commercialized scene where theme restaurants alternate with boat-rental companies.

We left on time and were able to enjoy great views of Destin as we cruised out of the small but busy harbor.

I appreciated our boat's design.

Our tiki boat was at full capacity, which included two crew members and 14 guests.

Each of us sat on our own ornately designed stool and, because of the rounded design of the boat, all passengers had great views of the surrounding waters.

The boat also seemed thoughtfully designed. It had a small bathroom on board, and the bar area included hooks for hanging bags and built-in cup holders to keep beverages steady.

It took about 20 minutes to reach Crab Island.

As we sailed under the Destin Bridge and crept into an open space on Crab Island, we listened to the captain's choice of music through the boat's speakers.

It took us only about 20 minutes of sailing time to reach the sandbar.

Passengers are allowed to bring their own beverages (including alcohol as long as it's not in glass), so we'd packed cold drinks in our backpack cooler.

It was nice to crack them open while enjoying the dazzling emerald waters around us.

Soon, we went for a dip.

After lathering on some sunscreen and moving on to our next round of drinks, we descended the boat's ladder into the chilly waters.

The cool salt water was refreshing in the warm sun, and we spent a bit of time walking around the sandbar.

In the meantime, the crew set up floating tables and a lily pad for guests to use. We brought our own inflatables, and they filled those with air for us, too.

Fortunately, there were also tons of options had we forgotten to bring floaties, food, drinks, or even sunscreen to Crab Island.

We swam past a full floating general store, a whole boat selling barbecue, and vendors on small vehicles selling alcoholic jelly shooters.

We headed back to shore after three hours.

Even on a sunny Saturday in shoulder season, we saw hundreds of watercraft anchored to the sandbar or cruising around it. Pontoons with slides, kayaks, Jet Skis, and tiki boats mingled with giant unicorns and flamingo floaties.

After a fast three hours of sipping and people watching in the shallow water, we were shepherded back to our barge.

The captain guided everybody back onto their barstools, and the ship powered back to the pier.

Overall, the experience felt worth the price.

I felt $60 per person was a reasonable price for the transportation and service provided.

We also chose to tip the captain and other staff member in cash, as they'd worked hard to ensure we had a fabulous time.

Overall, this was a great way to spend an afternoon. I'd recommend booking a boat tour to Crab Island if you're looking for a fun and affordable Florida activity.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an Easter cease-fire in his invasion of Ukraine.
• A statement said Russian military operations would cease from 6 p.m. Moscow time Saturday to midnight. Monday.
• Zelenskyy said Ukraine "will act accordingly" if Russia is "ready to truly engage."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared an Easter cease-fire in his invasion of Ukraine.

During a meeting at the Kremlin, Putin called for his forces to cease all military operations from 6 p.m. Moscow time Saturday to midnight Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a post on Telegram.

"Guided by humanitarian motives, the Russian side announces an Easter cease-fire from 06:00 p.m. today to 00:00 a.m. Monday. I hereby order all military operations ceased for this period," the statement reads.

It added that Moscow expected Ukraine to follow its example but that Russian forces should be "prepared to repel possible cease-fire violations and provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive acts on their part."

In a post on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said air raid alerts were "spreading across Ukraine."

"Ukrainian air defense and aviation have already begun working to protect us. Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin's true attitude toward Easter and toward human life," he wrote.

Zelenskyy said later on Saturday that Ukraine would "act accordingly" if Russia chooses to engage with his country.

"The corresponding proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day cease-fire has gone unanswered by Russia for 39 days," Zelenskyy said. "The United States made this proposal, Ukraine responded positively, but Russia ignored it."

"If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia's actions," he continued. "If a complete cease-fire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20. Thirty days could give peace a chance."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

• My parents raised us in the US but immersed in Korean culture.
• To my sister and me my parents' friends were like aunts and uncles.
• Being raised alongside other children of immigrants was so special.

I know my mom's kimchi by taste. I can also recognize that of her friends', who would often stop by my childhood home with reams of other Korean side dishes, or "banchan."

Because of them, I have always associated the sound of a doorbell with food. They would pass onto us Tupperware of pickled vegetables and seasoned roots, my mom would return the favor with her own plastic containers packed to the brim, and so the cycle would go on.

My parents moved from Korea to the US in the 70s and made sure me and my siblings were still experiencing Korean culture despite being abroad.

We were connected to culture through food

This side-dish whirligig is a common practice across Korean communities, referred to "nanum munhwa". Directly translated, it means a culture of sharing. Making banchan is time-consuming, arduous work, yielding dishes with short shelf lives. It thus makes sense to make the dishes in bulk and share them with others. My mom, who grew up on a farm along Korea's countryside, recalls having to bring her own mother's fare to her neighbors and friends. She dreaded having to make these deliveries at night, she tells me.

She and her friends would bring that same culture of sharing to America, albeit with a few modifications. With different ingredients to improvise old recipes, they concocted their own staple versions of banchan: kimchi made with kohlrabi, pickled radish wraps made with roast beef. And side dishes were not delivered between neighbors trekking across farms, but by way of Volvo Station Wagons and Subaru Foresters.

These side dishes, though, meant much more than just good eats. Connected within this culture of sharing was a network of first-generation parents who had emigrated from Korea to America, many of whom I still consider a core part of my upbringing.

They were like family

My parents' friends emulated a quasi-Korean, quasi-American citizenry in ways that went beyond good neighborly samaritan. For my sisters and I, they were also de facto aunts and uncles. Consequently, their children were our de facto cousins. Our families shared every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day and Father's Day together. We would tag along on each other's day trips and extended holidays. Clothes, games, toys were exchanged, swapped, handed down. And being the youngest, I always had my pick of the crop.

To this day, there is no perfect word to describe what exactly those within this network mean to me. To call them my friends is ungenerous, and to call them family is a fib. What's more is I do have extended family — actual extended family — in Korea. Still, with my blood relatives oceans away, it only seemed right to let those around me err on the side of kinship. Connected by heritage, they define to me what it means to be Korean. To this day, my title for my so-called "cousins" translates to "older sister" or "older brother".

I grew up around other children of immigrants

I have also grown up with a feeling of gratitude, a common sentiment among children of immigrants. Connected by our parents' decision to move abroad, many of us raised within this community would carry with us a deep appreciation that would come to characterize our generation's experience. Sometimes, though, I wonder if it will define that of the third.

A new generation is taking shape today. Proudly, it includes my niece, Sloane. At times, my sisters and I consider how our upbringing will shape hers. It seems the proof will be in the pudding, however. My parents live close by, and are playing a strong role in her upbringing. And Sloane, like many others, is being raised in a multicultural household — inspired by the values of her parents and her parents' parents.

In our growingly multigenerational community, the dedication to bringing forward our Korean-ness lives on. From language to food, Sloane and others within our community are surrounded by reminders of their roots. And while many of the neighborhood kids I grew up with have moved across the country, we are sure to remind those around us they are more family than friends. Distance means we can no longer deliver to each other fresh side dishes on a daily basis. But when we do visit each other, we bring gifts and reminders of our new homes.

We can only hope that the experience of the third generation will be as enriching as it was for us, contoured by our parents' ability to lean on one another.

• Main Street businesses say they're feeling the impacts of Trump's tariff policies.
• Economists said small businesses are hit harder by tariffs than their large, corporate competitors.
• Small businesses said tariffs are cutting into profit margins and forcing them to raise prices.

Marc Bowker's shop, Alter Ego Comics, has been a staple on North Main Street in downtown Lima, Ohio, for 16 years.

The shop sells comics and collectibles and frequently hosts community events, including an annual free comic book day, where they give away thousands of comics.

But now Bowker says he doesn't know what Monday will bring, given the whiplash of President Donald Trump's tariff policy.

He said suppliers are charging him as much as 34% more as a direct result of tariffs, some of which he's had to pass down to his customers.

"If you see prices go up at your local small business, it's not because we want to," he told Business Insider. "It's because we're forced to."

About 70% of Alter Ego's revenue comes from high-end collectibles based on characters from brands like Star Wars, Marvel, DC Comics, and Disney. Those products are made in China, which has been hit with up to a 245% tariff rate for some goods. Bowker said his profit margins have been slashed in half on many items, including some that were pre-ordered months ago.

"The tariff is not being paid by the Chinese government, the tariff is being paid by the American consumer and the American small business, and the American company paying to have the product manufactured in China," he said.

Small business owners and retail experts told BI that smaller businesses are being hit hard by tariffs. Meanwhile, bigger, corporate counterparts are better positioned to weather the storm.

Trump has framed his economic policy as explicitly for middle America. "President for Main Street, Not Wall Street," the White House touted on an online recap of Trump's speech earlier this month after his tariff policy sent financial markets tanking and businesses around the world scrambling.

Businesses on America's main streets are feeling the impact of Trump's trade war.

Many independent retailers — some of which have been longtime fixtures in their towns — are struggling to adapt to the tariffs, especially the steep tariff placed on goods from China. Think bridal stores, toy stores, coffee shops, specialty food and beverage stores, and importers.

"It's all devastating, but small businesses have a worse ability to manage it," Wayne Winegarden, an economist at the Pacific Research Institute, a free-market think tank, told BI. "This is not pro-Main Street, this is anti-Main Street."

"The larger companies are in a better position to absorb some of the costs," said Winegarden. "They have probably more fat that they can cut than small businesses. Small businesses operate in lower margins, so they can't really absorb it as easily."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Winegarden said a lot of small businesses are family-owned, and are the classic example of how Americans climb the economic ladder to middle class, upper middle class, and beyond.

"These tariffs just cut off rungs," he said.

Trump has said Americans could feel "short-term" pain as a result of tariffs, but experts said that pain may not be short-term for everyone, and that it's the small businesses that will go out of business first.

"It's temporary for Starbucks. They will withstand it," Winegarden said, adding, "But if it's a year, that's probably too long for a lot of small businesses, and that's permanent pain."

Why small businesses struggle more with tariffs

Jason Miller, a Michigan State University professor and expert in supply chain management, told BI there were several factors that make tariffs harder for small businesses. For one, their cash flow is more limited, meaning they aren't necessarily able to pay a tariff for a product that they won't actually sell until some point in the future, sometimes months later.

Small retailers are also less likely to source directly from vendors and instead rely on an intermediary like a wholesaler or importer. That gives them far less leverage to negotiate prices on their goods.

"They're in a take it or leave it situation," Miller said.

In contrast, a huge buyer like Walmart has a lot more options and negotiating power to get better deals on the products they sell.

Miller said toy stores stand out to him as a sector of small businesses that could be especially hard hit by the tariffs on China, where 80% of all toy imports to the US come from.

Owners of independent, brick-and-mortar bridal shops, a common fixture on main streets, previously told BI they are also being hit hard, as a majority of wedding dresses sold in the US come from China.

In contrast, David's Bridal CEO Kelly Cook said the company, which is the largest bridal retailer in the US, was more tariff-resilient thanks to its larger and more varied supply chain and production.

Peter Cohan, associate professor of management at Babson College, told BI that the pain small players on Main Street are feeling would likely exacerbate the existing trends toward market concentration, with cascading effects on prices, innovation, employment, and economic inequality.

"Small retailers employ nearly half of all US private-sector workers. Their decline would eliminate jobs disproportionately in local communities," said Cohan. "Concentrated employers can suppress wages. Retail giants like Walmart have been linked to lower wages in local labor markets."

Cohan added that the tariffs could push out local retailers and allow large corporates to expand unchecked, which hurts competition for consumers and workers. Walmart's rapid expansion between 1990 and 2010 was often associated with the decline of local retailers within the same region, and Amazon's rise is similarly associated with the reduction of local bookstores, which diminished diversity in the publishing industry.

"Dominant retailers use their buying power to demand lower prices from suppliers, but these savings are rarely passed to consumers. Instead, suppliers may cut quality or reduce wages to meet demands," said Cohan. "Profits would concentrate among shareholders of large firms, worsening wealth gaps."

Importers directly serving retailers are struggling, too

When Trump announced widespread tariffs on April 2, Victor Schwartz and his daughter Chloe Schwartz, who owns and runs VOS Selections, a specialty wine and spirits importing company based in New York, spent the next two days in an intense math marathon trying to figure out how to re-price their products — and which ones to give up.

A week later, Trump decided to pause so-called reciprocal tariffs on most trading partners for 90 days but left a 10% baseline rate in place, and the Schwartzs' efforts immediately disappeared into the wind.

"We're in that position of having to make firm decisions about what our pricing was going to be under very uncertain situations," Victor Schwartz told BI. "This means we have to be much tighter in our inventory. We had to reduce some orders where we could, we stopped some orders where we could, we didn't move forward on new projects or we delayed them."

Despite being a small, owner-operated company of just 19 employees, VOS Selections handles around 600 products from 350 different producers around the world. Its vast portfolio used to be a merit, yet under constantly changing tariff rates, it became more of a nightmare.

Alcohol is a heavily regulated product, and regulations mandate that importers report their prices at least one month ahead of time before anything reaches retailers — prices importers cannot change later. For Schwartz, this means deciding prices for May in March, leaving room for supplier negotiations, shipping delays, and port processing. Any surprise expenses in this process, such as a sudden change in tariffs, would spell disaster for a small business with limited cash flow.

But surprise expenses aren't the only concern, said Schwartz. Retail stores and restaurants that buy wines from him haven't been doing well in the first quarter under dampened consumer sentiments and other tariff-associated costs, which he said caused his business to be down 16% in comparison to the first quarter in 2024.

"If a restaurant has a $20 price point for their white wine, and I can no longer offer it at $20, they're going to buy something else, and I'll lose that business," said Schwartz. "The customer that was paying $20, they're not going to say 'yes, we really liked that wine, so we're willing to pay $24 for it.'"

"There is an inflexibility in pricing in terms of what the customer is looking for," he added.

Schwartz's business is now the lead plaintiff in the broadest lawsuit yet against Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs, which no prior president has done. The lawsuit argues that Trump's use of the IEEPA to completely bypass Congress violates constitutional limits on executive power, and that a decadelong trade deficit does not meet the "unusual and extraordinary threat" criteria in the Act.

As of April 18, the Liberty Justice Center, a Libertarian legal group that is representing this lawsuit in court, has filed an application with the US Court of International Trade for a temporary restraining order to suspend Trump's tariffs.

Winegarden, from the Pacific Research Institute, said he is concerned that the tariffs would do what COVID did to small businesses. Where Winegarden lived in New York, the storefronts that closed down during the pandemic have remained shuttered for years.

"Everyone talks about small businesses, right? They're the heroes," Winegarden said. "Everyone liked small businesses, so it's just so ironic. Why are we implementing policies that punish them in particular?"

Do you have a story to share about how tariffs are affecting your small business? Contact these reporters at [email protected] or [email protected].

• In the past year, I've gotten a variety of different types of manicures.
• I wasn't blown away by my structured gel manicure, despite the fact it lasted four weeks.
• I was surprised by how well my press-on nails fared during an international trip.

Over the past year, I've tried a variety of different manicure techniques at salons around the world.

From Japanese gel in Chicago to a French manicure in Paris, each technique offered something different for my nails, like affordability, improved nail health, or speedy application.

Here's how I'd rank all the manicures I've tried.

Le Mini Macaron's at-home gel manicure came in last place.

Le Mini Macaron's $38 at-home gel kit was incredibly user-friendly.

The kit included nail-prep tools, a 3-in-1 polish, and a macaron-shaped LED lamp, making the process very straightforward.

Although the kit was affordable and made gel manicures more accessible, it only lasted a few days after I applied the polish.

When I attempted to touch up the manicure, the uneven polish layers made my nails look lumpy.

I liked my structured gel manicure, but I wasn't amazed.

I went to my usual nail tech, Teresa "Tere" Rodriguez, for a structured gel manicure.

This technique uses an extra layer of soft or hard gel before the polish is applied, creating a stronger foundation for your nails.

I opted for gold chrome and gems scattered across every nail, which cost $110 and took about two hours to complete.

I thought the manicure was a good option for prioritizing my nail health. It lasted the expected four weeks (sans a few gems), I didn't have to worry too much about breakage, and my nails weren't as flimsy as I thought they'd be when I had the set removed.

Japanese gel felt like an elevated version of a structured gel manicure.

I went to Tokyo Nails in West Loop, Chicago, for a Japanese gel overlay on short natural nails with a simple design.

The salon owners, sisters Nomin and Nomundari Uuganbayar, source their 100% gel polish directly from Japan.

After four weeks of no chipping, my $160 Japanese gel manicure fulfilled its promise of longevity, and my nails weren't as damaged as I expected after removal.

Overall, I preferred this option over a structured gel manicure due to the 100% gel polish.

I was surprised by how much I liked my Brazilian manicure.

I went to Maria Bonita Salon & Spa in New York City for a Brazilian manicure, which includes applying generous coats of regular polish all over the nail bed and surrounding skin before removing the excess.

During the service, my nail tech offered advice for keeping my nails healthy in the coming months. The careful cuticle work juxtaposed the messy regular-polish application, which had beautiful results after she cleaned my skin with a wooden cuticle stick and a small puff of cotton soaked in polish remover.

My manicure didn't last very long (it started chipping within the week), but it reminded me of my appreciation for regular polish and my interest in prioritizing cuticle care and overall nail health. Plus, it only cost $35 (not including tip).

It was also great knowing I could do the technique on myself for a full-coverage manicure.

I adored my professional press-on nails.

Tokyo Nails offers pre-made, professional press-on nails for a flat rate of $50, regardless of design. The sets come in extra-small, small, and medium sizes, but large sizes can be custom-made.

I paid $90 for a silver set, which included the press-ons, previous manicure removal, tax, and tip.

Although my appointment went over the allotted 35-minute time because of my manicure removal, the application process was fast.

My nails lasted about a week with minimal setbacks. One thumbnail came off six days after application, but I was able to fix it with gel glue provided by my nail tech in an at-home repair kit.

However, my other thumbnail fell off a few days later and didn't respond to the glue. Still, I thoroughly loved this manicure for its stunning design options, surprising longevity, and easy application process.

My French manicure grew out beautifully.

Even though the salon (Nail Club Paris) used a technique similar to what I've experienced in the US, getting a French manicure in Paris was a memorable experience.

My $160 tortoiseshell French manicure, which was done using Aprés gel extensions, was finished so quickly that I genuinely didn't expect it to last as long as it did (over four weeks).

I ranked this manicure so highly because of its unexpected longevity and the nail tech's impressive craftsmanship. I also appreciated how on-trend these French tips were and how beautiful they looked weeks later.

The Russian manicure reigned supreme.

My $300 Russian manicure with hard-gel extensions from Say-It Nails in New York City claimed the top spot.

Russian manicures are done dry and emphasize the importance of cuticle care, removing the excess skin to create more surface area for polish application. Nail techs also prioritize correcting each nails' apex (it's thickest part) to keep them strong.

I still think about the meticulous cuticle care and the satisfying 'pops' of my hard-gel extensions coming out of their plastic molds.

I had this set on for a month, but fully believe it could've lasted weeks longer without chips or lifting (which is one of my biggest pet peeves).

Although my nails needed a little breather after removing this set, the nail care during this manicure — and longevity afterward — had me itching to make another appointment.

• Himera is a Ukrainian tech startup that makes electronic warfare-resistant walkie-talkies.
• It was founded after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Its products are being tested by the US Air Force.

The Ukrainian defense tech industry has boomed in recent years.

From drone and robotics makers to electronic warfare system providers, Ukrainian innovation has been on full display since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

One company to have sprung up since the conflict began is Himera, which makes electronic warfare-resistant walkie-talkies.

Its products include the G1 Pro — a tactical handheld radio — and the B1 repeater, which extends communication ranges.

Despite only having launched in 2022, the company has quickly caught the attention of the defense tech industry, as well as the US military.

The product's major selling point is that it offers a potential solution to one of the defining challenges of the war in Ukraine — electronic warfare.

The G1 is EW-resistant, using frequency-hopping technology to help evade electronic warfare interference, which seeks to disrupt and jam certain signals like GPS, radio, and video.

Reticulate Micro, which supplies Himera's radios in the US, announced the first US delivery of G1 Pro radios to the US Air Force in October 2024.

The company said the Air Force would test the G1 Pro alongside Reticulate's Video Assured Secure Transmission (VAST) technology, which delivers real-time video streaming.

In a press release at the time, Joshua Cryer, then the president and CEO of Reticulate Micro, said: "By combining the Himera G1 Pro with VAST, we're aiming to democratize secure video transmission on the battlefield—empowering every warfighter with video-capable radio technology for enhanced situational awareness."

Misha Rudominski, one of Himera's cofounders, told Business Insider that Himera's tech "bridges the gap" between tactical and commercial communications solutions.

"We take the best from both worlds," he said. "We provide all the tactical relevant functionality like low probability of detection, low probability of interception, and low probability of jamming, which you don't find in commercial spec solutions."

"But we do it in a very user-friendly way," he continued. "We want the lightest radio, we have one of the longest battery lives on the market."

The G1 Pro has a battery life of around 48 hours and weighs just 300 grams. It can support the transmission of multiple information types, such as GPS, voice data, and texts, and is programmable by an encrypted app on a mobile or tablet device.

"We make a very scalable and affordable solution," Rudominski added. "The scalability is a big point because we only use commercial off-the-shelf components."

Representatives for Himera told Ukrainian news outlet Militarnyi in March that the company was "producing up to 1,000 radios per month" and that it had the capacity to "scale quickly to 2,500 units."

"For large-scale orders, we are prepared to supply 10,000 to 15,000 radios per month," they said.

Innovation has been crucial to Kyiv's fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces, and Ukrainian firms have continually adapted to meet the battlefield's ever-evolving demands.

Rudominski told BI that this had also been key to Himera's success.

"Over the last three years, we've done more than 80 versions of firmware updates," he said. "We've done more than probably 20 versions of separate kinds of hardware products. Most of them didn't go into production, but most of them have at some capacity been tested on the battlefield."

Along with Reticulate, Himera has also partnered with Quantropi, a Canadian quantum security company, to integrate its security solutions into Himera's products.

"We have our own software, but they can enhance our capacity," Rudominski said.

• US airlines are gearing up for a slow travel season this summer.
• WalletHub ranked major US airlines on reliability, comfort, safety, and price.
• Budget carrier Spirit Airlines was No. 1 on the list.

US travelers might be flying less this summer thanks to economic instability and anxiety around flight-related incidents in the news.

For those still planning to travel, choosing a reliable and cost-effective airline can be a priority, especially as ticket prices continue to rise.

In 2024, airfare prices rose by 7.9%, while the Consumer Price Index for all products increased by 2.9%, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In a new report, WalletHub rated the largest nine domestic airlines, along with two domestic carriers, based on metrics like flight cancellations and delays, reports of mishandled baggage and animal incidents, in-flight comfort, price, and safety, using 2024 data from the US Department of Transportation.

Here are the airlines that made it to the top 10.

10. American Airlines

Of the top 10 airlines, American Airlines received the lowest score on mishandled baggage claims and the second-lowest for delays.

However, the airline scored well for leg room, entertainment options, and complimentary refreshments.

9. Frontier Airlines

WalletHub ranked the budget carrier Frontier Airlines as the second-safest airline of 2025. WalletHub's safety scores were determined by the number of injuries and fatal injuries in airline accidents between 2019 and 2024, the number of incidents per an airline's total number of flight operations in that same time period, and the age of the airline's fleet.

Among these metrics, Frontier received the top score for fleet age. In December, Forbes reported the average age of an aircraft was around 4.6 years. Frontier also received high scores for mishandled baggage reports and price.

8. United Airlines

While United Airlines received low scores for mishandled baggage reports and flight cancellations, it tied with the regional carrier SkyWest and Envoy Air for best treatment of pets.

7. Hawaiian Airlines

Coming in seventh, Hawaiian Airlines tied with JetBlue Airlines for the most comfortable airline of 2025. Both carriers provide amenities like free WiFi, complimentary refreshments, entertainment options, and extra legroom, per WalletHub.

6. Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines ranked high in both the safety and comfort categories, receiving the top scores for legroom, entertainment options, complimentary refreshments, fleet age, and safety markers.

5. Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines also scored the top score on flight cancellations, legroom, in-flight entertainment, and complimentary refreshments.

However, WalletHub ranked the airline low for price, delays, and mishandled baggage reports.

4. JetBlue

Ranking fourth overall, JetBlue tied with Hawaiian Airlines for the most comfortable airline of 2025.

The carrier, which does not transport animals, received the top score for WiFi, complimentary refreshments, entertainment options, and legroom.

It also scored high on reliability, receiving high scores in the categories for mishandled baggage reports and canceled flights.

3. Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines was ranked the most reliable airline in 2025, with the lowest rate of cancellations, delays, mishandled luggage, and denied boardings.

It also received the top score on legroom, in-flight refreshments, and entertainment options.

However, the airline received low scores on price and fleet age, which contribute to safety. As of December 2024, the average age of its aircraft was 14.9 years, the airline reported.

2. SkyWest Airlines

SkyWest Airlines, a regional carrier serving American, Delta, Alaska, and United Airlines, tied with United for the most pet-friendly.

While the airline doesn't offer in-flight entertainment options, it received the top score on legroom and complimentary refreshments.

1. Spirit Airlines

WalletHub ranked budget carrier Spirit Airlines as the best airline overall, as well as the most affordable and safest airline.

Spirit also received the second-highest score on delays and mishandled baggage reports, showing a high rate of reliability. It also received the top score for fleet age, which contributes to safety.

Still, the budget airline, which ranked highest for price, received low scores on legroom, entertainment options, and in-flight refreshments, which it offers at a price.

• My parents spelled my name as phonetically as possible, but people still get it wrong.
• They named me after a character in a Brazilian movie.
• I traveled to my namesake's home and there I met a Brazilian named John Lennon.

My parents spelled my first name as phonetically as possible, but pronouncing it still seems to cause most people trouble. The most common mispronunciations are when people add extra syllables and letters to my name, so Sheeka becomes Sheneka, Shereka, or Shakeeya.

I do my best to let it roll off my back, repeatedly correcting it to the way it's intended to sound: SHEE-kuh. I love my name, even if it's always mispronounced. That's because I know the origin of my name and that it would take me on an adventure to another part of the world.

When my mom was pregnant with me, my parents watched a foreign film in their small indie movie theater in Tucson, Arizona. The movie, originally from Brazil, was a historical comedic drama called Xica da Silva. My parents loved Zezé Motta's portrayal of the lead character so much that they decided they would give me her character's name.

My parents Americanized the spelling to help people pronounce it correctly — if only they had known back then that it would be futile!

Researching my name brought wild revelations

As an adult, I grew more curious about the origin of my name. As I researched the film, I learned that a popular telenovela by the same name had been made in the 1990s and syndicated across Latin America. Then, I learned that Xica da Silva's filmography was inspired by a real woman named Chica (same pronunciation) who lived in 18th-century Brazil.

That sent me deeper down the rabbit hole. According to her biography, the original Chica da Silva was born enslaved in the early 18th century in Milho Verde, Brazil. As a young adult, a Portuguese diamond contractor bought her, then manumitted her within a matter of weeks or months, which was highly unusual for Brazilian colonial times. Chica da Silva went on to have several children with the diamond contractor. Chica accessed power, wealth, and high society for the rest of her life through her connection to her manumitter.

When I discovered that her 18th-century home in Diamantina, Brazil, had been turned into a museum interpreting her life, I knew I needed to see it in person.

Visiting my namesake's home

It was a journey just to get to Chica da Silva's hometown of Diamantina, Brazil. I flew from Atlanta to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and then drove a rental car for four hours into the Chapada Diamantina mountains. The road trip took my son and me through some magnificent highland landscapes, but by the time we made it to Diamantina, I was exhausted from driving a manual car in a foreign country for hours.

Chica's museum was due to close for the weekend in an hour, and since we would only be in Diamantina for a couple of days, this was my only opportunity to go before it closed. We scurried along the stone-paved street to the museum entrance. I greeted the staff and told everyone who would listen that I was named after the woman who lived in the house nearly 300 years ago.

I met a man named John Lennon

After walking through the first and second floors of the museum, taking my time to study exhibits on the town's history of diamond mining and Chica da Silva's folkloric impact on Brazil, I walked outside to the back courtyard. I was overjoyed that I'd made it to my namesake's home. That's when I met a staff gardener who offered to show me something off the typical tour: Chica da Silva's garden.

My son and I followed him along a stone path, stopping to try an orange, mint leaf, and sugar cane cut fresh from the stalk. As an avid plant lover, this spontaneous garden tour felt like a dream, as though my namesake was personally rewarding me for making the journey in homage to her.

The gardener told me his name is John Lennon — his mom was a huge fan of The Beatles. My jaw dropped in shock. Here I was, four thousand miles away from home, to learn about the Brazilian woman whom I'm named after, and the person showing me around is also named after an international luminary, in fact, one of the most famous British musicians in history.

As I stood in Chica's garden, in disbelief of my good fortune, I couldn't help wish the same fate for my new friend. Hopefully, one day, the Brazilian John Lennon will be able to visit Liverpool and walk in the footsteps of the artist who inspired his name. I know from experience it'll be a life-changing journey.

• My daughter called me from college every day, crying because she hated school.
• Parents told me not to answer her, but I did anyway because I knew it would help her.
• I also told her she could come home whenever she wanted, which gave her a way out.

Moving my daughter into college came with the expected emotions: tears, excitement, and a healthy dose of nerves. Hugging goodbye, we kept smiling, but the tears were just below the surface. Change always feels hard, but I had no idea this was just the beginning of a long road.

In high school, my daughter took advanced placement and early college classes. She worked hard, graduated with a great GPA, and got into every school she applied to. College was the next step, and she was ready.

But everything came crashing down once I left her on campus to finally start this next phase. My daughter called me crying, telling me she hated college. I didn't know how to help her.

My daughter struggled to adjust to college life

At first, everything seemed fine. Her classes were great, and her first assignments reflected the high grades she had earned in high school. While I expected a period of homesickness, what I didn't expect was how deeply unhappy she would be.

She called daily, crying and declaring how much she hated it and missed home. She was committed to her honors program and coursework, but every conversation made clear that this wasn't just a difficult adjustment. It was something more.

It came down to her being uncomfortable in her environment. She missed being somewhere familiar and having the regular support of family.

After a month, it became clear that no amount of encouragement or waiting would change her feelings. My daughter felt trapped and stuck in a situation she hated.

Supporting her was going to be key

Because my daughter was already independent and capable, I had to carefully consider how best to help her, on her terms.

Despite advice from other parents, I picked up the phone every time she called. Sometimes, we barely talked; she just needed to feel less alone. Other times, she poured out everything that felt wrong. Sometimes, I reminded her that she could do hard things.

There were tears every single time. I learned to stop reacting to them and let her feel whatever she needed.

Her friends — and other parents I knew — insisted she stay on campus every weekend to adjust. While this advice works for many, it didn't work for her. So I told her to come home on the weekends. Since we were in-state, it was feasible and made all the difference.

During a hard week at school, she knew she only needed to make it through a few more days before coming home. This motivated her and helped her push through when it felt hard.

We took drastic measures that helped my daughter better adapt

She wasn't interested in the support services offered on campus that typically help many college students in similar situations. Instead, we found a virtual counselor who provided coping strategies and decision-making tools that actually helped.

I also surprised both of us with my advice: I told her she could leave the college — for good.

Giving her permission to leave reminded her that she chose to be there. That shift changed everything. It gave her the freedom to leave, but it also gave her ownership over staying.

Ultimately, she decided to stay at the school. She moved off campus for her sophomore year and has been much happier having her own space. Some separation between the school and where she lives has been key.

I had to go against parenting advice to do what was right for my kid

At the peak of my daughter's struggles, I turned to other parents for help. Most told me to ensure my daughter stayed on campus and just power through. They also told me not to answer the phone every time she called so that she could deal with these issues herself.

These can be helpful guidelines — if they work for your child. Those tips didn't work for my kid.

Instead of following generic advice, I trusted my gut and listened to what I knew about my daughter. That made all the difference.

• Riyadh Air is in talks to buy more aircraft, and CEO Tony Douglas wants them to include first class.
• The most luxurious cabin has enjoyed a recent resurgence, with European carriers raising the bar.
• Saudi Arabia's new airline unveiled its business class ahead of a launch in the last three months of 2025.

First class is enjoying a resurgence — and Saudi Arabia's new airline plans to include the elite cabin on some of its planes.

Riyadh Air is in talks about a third aircraft type in addition to its orders for dozens of Airbus A321neos and Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

"We are at the moment involved in an extra-wide-body campaign as well," CEO Tony Douglas told Business Insider, in a reference to the largest aircraft types such as the Airbus A350 or Boeing 777X.

He said these planes would "almost certainly" include a first-class cabin.

Douglas's comments come as more airlines bet on the most lavish tier, especially in Europe.

Air France's La Première, which debuted this month, has two seats and takes up the length of five windows.

Lufthansa's Allegris first class launched in November with floor-to-ceiling walls and a double bed. British Airways plans to retrofit its Airbus A380s with new first-class suites entering service next year.

Their plans follow an influx of rich Americans visiting Europe since the pandemic ended. New suites are raising the bar because first-class airfares typically cost five figures, so some customers that wealthy could also afford to travel by private jet.

A startup as ambitious as Riyadh Air would also want to compete for the richest travelers.

As part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy, the new airline hopes to help attract more tourists to the kingdom. It would likely also turn Riyadh into a travel hub with a hub-and-spoke route model similar to other Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates and Etihad, where Douglas used to be CEO.

An opulent first-class cabin would help Riyadh display a level of luxury at least equal to its competitors. Saudi Arabia is the wealthiest country in the Middle East and ranks 19th worldwide for GDP.

Starting a new airline is a difficult task, especially as demand faces constraints with economic uncertainty from President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.

However, Douglas pointed to data from credit card companies showing that since the pandemic, some people are more interested in paying for experiences like travel.

"Because the kingdom is growing at the rate that it is doing, because the population is large and young, we don't see any signs of [travel demand] abating," he said.

"The market already exists, so it's not as if we're gambling on trying to build a market. We're completely underserved within the kingdom."

The airline on Saturday unveiled its cabin interiors for the Boeing 787. It has a front row of four "Business Elite" seats with 32-inch TVs, which the carrier says are the largest of any business class.

In the center, removing the divider essentially creates a double bed similar to Qatar's QSuite, named the world's best business class by Skytrax.

Douglas told BI he was especially proud of the design details such as the suite number lights, marble veins, and "mocha gold" color accents.

Despite the huge ticket prices, first class is typically less profitable than business class. That's because the suites take up a lot of space on board and offer top amenities.

American Airlines is the only US carrier to offer it, and on a fraction of its long-haul jets even then. Qatar Airways has turned away from first class, instead saying its QSuite business class is just as good.

Douglas spoke similarly highly of Riyadh Air's Business Elite suites, but is still eyeing the crème de la crème too.

He said the airline decided not to include first class in its initial fleet due to "uncertainty" around the supply chain.

Launch delay

Aircraft seats have been a particular difficulty since the pandemic ravaged international supply chains, delaying plane deliveries. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson previously told BI how much he wanted to get "these damn seats installed on the aircraft."

Riyadh Air previously hoped to start flying this spring but has been hampered by Boeing delivery delays as the planemaker overhauled its production processes to deal with a safety and quality crisis.

Douglas told BI that Riyadh Air is on track to take flight in the last three months of 2025.

• For most of my life, I never imagined living anywhere but New York City.
• Circumstances changed about two years ago, and I decided to move to Portugal with my two kids.
• We've lived here for about a month, and everything is different. Life is so much better.

I made the choice to leave behind everything familiar.

I was born and raised in New York, and for most of my life I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

But about two years ago, I pulled my kids out of public school after multiple safety incidents, opting to homeschool them instead.

I'm a single mom, and my concern for my kids' safety, combined with the rising costs of rent and groceries, made me begin to imagine what I couldn't before: moving away from NYC.

It wasn't just New York, though; it felt as if the US, in general, was moving in a direction I didn't want to follow, so I dived into research about relocating to another country.

My top priorities were safety, quality of life, and cost of living. After months of searching, I landed on Portugal, which is consistently ranked one of the safest countries in the world.

My two sons and I have been living here for a month, and while I doubted myself in the beginning, I know now it was the right choice.

I was surprised by how open my kids were to moving to another country

When I first decided on Portugal, I expected the hardest part to be telling my children, who were then 11 and 16. I knew it would be difficult for them to leave the only home they'd ever known.

We sat down as a family and had an honest talk. Indeed, they were hesitant to leave friends and family behind, but after weighing the pros and cons I was surprised by how open they were to exploring the idea.

So, to test the waters, about a year ago we took two scouting trips: The first was a two-week trip to Porto, a beautiful city in northern Portugal, and the second was a monthlong stay in the Algarve, the southern region known for its beaches and sunny weather.

We treated the trips seriously, as if we were living there, not like vacations. My homeschooled kids continued their schoolwork during our stay, and we explored the neighborhoods, rode public transportation, and shopped at local stores.

After the second trip, we were sure Portugal was the right move — we were ready for a slower pace of life.

It took us over half a year to move

Back in New York, we spent the next six months preparing. I hired an immigration lawyer and a real estate agent. I sold my car, told family and friends, and started packing and donating what we didn't need.

The visa process, with all the forms and financial statements I had to produce, was harder than I expected, but in March we were on a plane with six suitcases, headed toward our new home.

The morning of our flight, I questioned myself: Was I doing the right thing? After living here for a month, though, I know that I was.

Everything about our lives is different now

Instead of sirens and snow, we wake up to the sound of waves.

We've grown closer as a family. We walk along the beach regularly, cook and eat fresh meals together instead of scarfing down takeout in front of the TV, and take weekend trips to other countries.

My boys have also made new friends and spend more time outdoors than on video games.

My spending, so far, is about half of what it was in the US, partly because the cost of living is lower but also because I no longer feel the need to constantly overconsume, like wasting money on fast fashion and bulk shopping.

It's been only about a month, but we feel at home here

The people of Portugal have been kind and welcoming.

Most people where we live speak English, but my kids and I are taking Portuguese lessons because we've found that locals appreciate it when people make an effort to learn the language and integrate into the culture.

We shop locally, and I've become friends with nearby shopkeepers who now greet me by name.

We feel at home here. I get to live across the street from the ocean, something I once only dreamed of. And I finally have the space, time, and peace to enjoy life. My stress has lifted. I can exhale.

My kids still talk to their friends back home and we stay in touch with family. I do not see myself moving back to the US to live, only to visit. We plan on staying in Portugal for the foreseeable future.

• The gig economy might be a tempting option for workers worried about a recession and losing jobs.
• However, many gig work apps are already competitive and at-capacity, though.
• Workers might look to other forms of gig work if the economy goes south.

Delivering food or taking other gig work might be a tempting fallback for workers worried about losing their jobs in a potential recession.

But earning meaningful money through the gig economy might not be so easy, with average earnings falling and competition among gig workers higher than it was a few years ago.

"It's not worth the money," one driver in Colorado who has worked on ride-hailing apps since 2019 told Business Insider.

Gig work provided a source of income for many workers during previous downturns. Apps like Uber and Instacart got their start and recruited lots of independent contractors in the years after the financial crisis of 2008, for instance.

And while the early months of the coronavirus pandemic ground many parts of the economy to a halt, some forms of gig work, especially delivery, became go-to ways of making money.

This time, if an economic downturn arrives, things could be different, gig workers told BI.

During her first year on Uber, the Colorado driver made about $66,000 in gross earnings, according to documents seen by BI. In 2024, she earned half as much despite working a similar number of hours. The driver asked not to be named in this story, citing worries about having her accounts deactivated.

Today, the driver said that she's looking for alternatives to gig work, including applying to full-time jobs and saving up money to open a food truck.

Many ride-hailing drivers have to cover their own expenses, from gas to car maintenance — costs that have largely risen over the last few years thanks to inflation, the driver said, making many of the trips she is offered through the apps less profitable.

These days, her most profitable rides come during bad weather, when lots of drivers stay home. "We make more when it's snowing," the driver said.

In many cities, getting approved to deliver groceries or drive for a ride-hailing service might take weeks or months.

One gig worker in Washington state told BI that she signed up to deliver for Instacart about a year ago and is still waiting for access. "During the pandemic, a lot of people rushed to sign up on Instacart," the worker said. "I think I'm just stuck behind all of that."

Instacart has acknowledged the wait times. "Our shopper supply is very healthy," CEO Fidji Simo said on an earnings call in February. "In fact, we still continue to have a waitlist in most cities."

Today, gig work in other industries may be more readily available, such as getting paid to stand in line for concert tickets, restaurant reservations, or a celebrity's hot new product.

Robert Padron, chief people and experience officer at Arise, which offers call center and other customer service gig workers to businesses, said that his company continues to hire gig workers.

Gig workers who work for Arise can choose to handle customer service requests from a variety of companies, Padron said.

"If one client doesn't have a need for human capital today, there may be 15 others that do," Padron said.

That's different from many gig delivery and ride-hailing apps, where "the one thing to do is drive for Uber or go shopping for Instacart," he added.

Do you have a story to share about gig work? Contact this reporter at [email protected] or 808-854-4501.

• Drones have seen widespread use by both sides in Russia's war against Ukraine.
• Different types of drones include aerial, ground, and naval, all with specific models and uses.
• Drone operators have been working adapt to the new technology.

Drones are an emerging technology in modern combat. Evolutions in these remotely piloted uncrewed systems have been radically affecting the way war is fought.

Although drones have been used in past conflicts, Russia's war against Ukraine has been marked by a rise in drone warfare, both the employment of uncrewed systems and the development of countermeasures such as electronic warfare.

What are drones?

Drones are vehicles or systems that operate remotely or autonomously without a human being physically on board to drive them. They come in aerial, ground, maritime surface, and undersea varieties, and they are used for civilian, commercial, and military purposes.

They can be used for photography, videography, delivery, inspection and monitoring, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as precision strikes.

While drones have received attention for the role they play in Ukraine, they have also gotten a lot of interest in the civilian world. There was, for instance, a drone scare in New Jersey in December 2024 that turned out to be mostly hysteria, but it fueled a very long-overdue conversation about drones, including about the ones routinely flying around US military bases.

Earlier that month, the Pentagon unveiled a new strategy for dealing with the challenge of drones, particularly small aerial drones that can be easily acquired for both benign and malign purposes.

"These cheap systems are increasingly changing the battlefield, threatening US installations, and wounding or killing our troops," the secretary of defense wrote. And they have been becoming increasingly prolific.

These systems have been doing the jobs of snipers, combat aircraft, naval vessels, and even precision-guided munitions. In the Red Sea, the US Navy and its European allies have battled drone attacks accompanying anti-ship missiles. These attacks have come from air and sea, targeting both military and commercial vessels.

These relatively low-cost systems are widely available, lowering the barrier to entry for capabilities that were once reserved for conventional militaries. Now they are being used by non-state actors and nation-states alike.

The future of war is expected to be robotic, with machines outnumbering human warfighters. A wide range of drones are already being employed in battle.

Many militaries are looking into purchasing a lot of drones that are cheap, attritable, and readily available or able to be mass-produced on a budget so that drones are available even for squad-level operations.

There continues to be interest in larger, more sophisticated systems as well, such as uncrewed naval vessels capable of supporting traditional warships and uncrewed combat aircraft to fight alongside piloted planes.

Militaries are also exploring new technologies to drive these assets, such as artificial intelligence.

Aerial drones

Uncrewed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are drones capable of flight. They are typically launched by a UAV operator, and the ranges and altitudes at which they can fly depend on the model.

Some of the most well-known military UAVs are the large, fixed-wing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones and uncrewed combat aerial vehicles, or UCAVs.

Fixed-wing ISR drones include assets like the US military's Globe Hawk or Russia's Orlan drones.

Combat drones include drone platforms like the US military's Predator and Reaper drones. The latter can not only conduct surveillance but is also armed with Hellfire missiles. There are heavy fixed-wing UCAVs like Russia's Okhotnik, and there are several stealth drones like the RQ-170 or emerging Chinese CH-7.

Among these drones are maritime assets. Several countries, such as Iran, China, and Turkey, have actually built drone carriers. Some argue the US military needs drone carriers, too, though the US is looking into launching drones from traditional flattops.

Other fixed-wing drone assets include collaborative combat aircraft, or "loyal wingmen," that fly alongside piloted aircraft. The Air Force has been working on this technology, as well as exploring the potential of AI-piloted fighter aircraft.

While fixed-wing drones take off like airplanes, there are also vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones. These include classic designs like helicopters, tail-sitters, tilt rotors, etc., as well as innovative engineering such as articulating-wing designs.

Quadcopter drones and related hexacopters and octacopters are common VTOL UAV models that have been everything from Christmas presents to combat platforms.

The small combat quadcopters, sometimes called first-person-view, or FPV, drones are usually flown by an operator wearing a headset or using a screen and can be used for scouting enemies, dropping explosives, or flying into targets and detonating.

Some commercially available models, like DJI Mavic drones, have seen extensive use in Ukraine, where operators strap plastic explosives or RPG warheads to the drones.

These drones can be piloted through various means, including radio frequencies, a fiber-optic cable that prevents jamming, and artificial intelligence, although autonomy in drones is still limited to terminal guidance targeting and hasn't seen widespread adoption yet.

Other types of aerial drones include loitering munitions, which fly high above targets before crashing into them. Some common types of loitering munitions include the Switchblade, Lancets, and the Iranian-made Shaheds. All have been used in Ukraine.

Ground drones

Uncrewed, or unmanned, ground vehicles, or UGVs, are drones that operate on land. They're often used for transporting supplies or weapons, clearing dangerous areas of threats, and executing casualty evacuations.

Most military ground drones are wheeled or tracked, resembling more complicated versions of remote-controlled cars. Via a controller, an operator can drive the drone over various terrains. The US military has prioritized using UGVs for urban combat environments and subterranean places like caves and tunnels, as drones can keep personnel and military dogs out of harm's way.

Some UGVs are referred to as robot dogs. These quadrupedal robots have four legs and resemble a canine. These drones have been developed by the US, China, and Russia. Some robot dogs wield rifles or machine guns, while others feature cameras and sensors for intelligence-gathering. These drones have been employed in combat and security roles.

Other UGVs include things like the Air Force's unusual Throwbot, which is a football-size device that can record video and audio for reconnaissance and intelligence purposes.

Naval drones

Naval drones have a few variations, but they are typically defined as drones that operate in water. They can be used for missions in hard-to-reach areas or waterways that would be difficult to reach via ship, submarine, or divers.

Ones that sail on the surface can vary in size and payload but often look like boats. Ukraine, lacking a proper naval force, has used drone boats to devastate Russia's Black Sea Fleet during the war, sailing them into vessels in one-way explosive attacks.

The US Navy has experimented with drone boats that can conduct surveillance, as well as ones like the Ghost Overlord Fleet that can fire weapons and augment the conventional battle force.

US military leaders have seen these uncrewed naval assets, and others, as critical to building the kind of mass American forces would need against an adversary like China, which has the world's largest navy.

Uncrewed underwater vehicles, or UUVs, are submersible drones that operate underwater. There are a number of different UUVs varying depth, distance, and capability types depending on the model.

One of the larger UUVs being tested is the Manta Ray, built by Northrop Grumman. The drone is effectively submarine-sized and looks like a flat metal manta ray. It has recently completed in-water testing and can act as a torpedo, small submarine, or even work as a naval mine.

UUVs are especially useful for navigating waters with relative stealth to gather information in areas that could be inaccessible or dangerous for people or other maritime assets.

Naval drones are a growing area of interest. The US Navy's Task Force 59, located in Bahrain, is working on naval drones for surveillance around the waters of the Middle East. NATO also has launched a new Task Force X for naval drones aimed at combatting Russian aggression and preventing underwater sabotage.

How the US military uses drones

The US military has long used drones like the Reaper for surveillance operations; it lost one to Russian aggression in the Black Sea and has lost several to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. These platforms have also been key in counterterrorism strike missions.

Some other US military drones serve as unit-level airborne sensor platforms while other products like the pocket-sized Black Hornet drones provide individual and squad-level options.

Developing these uncrewed capabilities has been a priority for the US armed forces, but it's taken on increased urgency. The US military is working quickly to adapt drone technology across its service branches, especially as it takes note of the drones that have been used in the Ukraine war.

Special Operations Forces has been a leader due to its agile acquisition process and close relationships with defense industry partners that allow for faster iterations.

Other elements of the military are pursuing this technology as well. The Marine Corps, for instance, just recently created its new Attack Drone Team focused on drawing lessons from Ukraine.

A Marine general recently said that with the rise of drones, the longstanding adage "every Marine a rifleman" may need to change. It may be that future war demands they be something more, maybe a drone operator.

The US military has been looking at how drones can make operations safer for personnel, how to extend the military's reach, and what future warfare would look like with drones. And it isn't just the US military exploring these capabilities. Drone technology and artificial intelligence are considered critical for future war.

Counter-drone technology

The Pentagon has been pursuing new drone policies and initiatives to quickly adapt drones and counter-drone systems.

Last year, the Department of Defense launched a new strategy for countering drone threats in an effort to create common guidelines for the department amid the growing threat posed by the rise of uncrewed systems.

Earlier in 2024, three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack at a military outpost in Jordan. The Tower 22 attack highlighted the need for a comprehensive and standardized plan for counter-drone capabilities.

The Pentagon also has Replicator initiatives focused on developing and delivering thousands of all-domain attritable autonomous systems. Replicator's goal is to innovate with defense partners on uncrewed systems and integrate those technologies into the services. There is also a counter-drone element as well.

And the US military has its new Joint C-sUAS (Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System) University, or JCU, which opened in late 2023 at Fort Sill in Oklahoma to teach troops how to combat hostile drones.

With the rise of drones, there has been greater interest in the development of countermeasures and anti-drone weapons. Counter-drone technology has been seen across the Ukraine war. Some is as low-tech as shotguns, while others are electronic warfare systems that can jam radio frequencies and disable drones.

Signal jamming and electronic warfare require constant innovation and adaptation for drone operators.

Drone careers

Militaries around the world are actively recruiting people to serve as combat drone operators. Ukraine's drone units have said technological, engineering, and even video gaming skills are useful for pilots, as they can quickly pick up the controls needed to operate a drone. Others have said musicians make good operators because of their fine motor skills.

Drone operators in the Army's special forces are working on how to make learning different types of drones easier, such as using similar controllers for multiple systems.

There are many drone operator positions in the US military. The Army is hiring tactical UAS operators for reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting missions, and the Air Force is looking for trained remotely piloted aircraft pilots for systems like the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk. The Marine Corps, too, is looking for small UAS operators. And the Navy has a relatively new Robotic Warfare Specialist position.

To take on one of these roles, an understanding of what capabilities a drone can bring to a fight and what countermeasures an operator will face is crucial.

• When I adopted my third child at 47, I didn't realize I could experience post-adoption depression.
• It took time for me to settle in as a new mom again.
• Getting back into my routine and seeing a therapist helped me deal with my emotions.

"I'm afraid I can't do this," I sobbed on the phone to my caseworker. "What if I made a terrible mistake?"

As a 47-year-old single mom of teens, when I decided to adopt a little girl, I'd assumed that as an experienced parent, I would be fine.

After all, there would be no hormonal changes after an adoption, unlike when I gave birth to my first daughter. I'd had trouble breastfeeding, couldn't soothe her crying, and the days blurred. I felt unmoored and despondent. Slowly, with my husband on night bottle duty, my gloom subsided. And then, when my son was born two years later, I was happy from the moment I brought him home.

By the time the kids were heading off to college, I was divorced and nostalgic for those precious days of swim classes and school plays. My heart longed for another little one, and after two years of home studies and red tape, I was matched with a baby from Vietnam. In mid-September of 2001, the adoption was finalized, and I brought her home.

Yet somehow, during all those visits and checklists, no one had warned me that post-adoption depression was a thing.

When I first came home with Isabella, I was exhausted

The first days with 5-month-old Isabella were a whirlwind of travel to the orphanage, government offices, and doctors. Coming home involved four flights over 12,000 miles and 11 time zones. All were delayed, and I ran out of formula. I thought it would be a relief to be back in my own house. Instead, exhausted and alone, my strength vanished, and I was overcome with sadness.

Maybe I'd gotten my comeuppance: Who was I to think I could handle an infant 24/7 without a partner? Weeping on the sofa, I called my agency caseworker.

"Give yourself time to bond," she advised, "You'll be OK." I wasn't convinced.

Isolated, scared, and helpless, I tried to push away my doubts. Was sleep deprivation playing tricks on my mind?

In time, I started to feel better, and we settled in together

After 72 hours without a shower, change of clothes, a good meal, or adult conversation, I arranged for a babysitter and met a friend at a diner. My stomach was still in knots, but I managed a few bites of French toast. To my surprise, as we chatted, the queasiness subsided. I even smiled. Was it a sugar high from the maple syrup, I wondered?

Still shaky, I resolved to get back to work and arranged to see a therapist. Seeing how getting outside lifted my mood, I forced myself out of my bathrobe, taking Isabella grocery shopping and to the playground.

Two weeks later, my father, an amateur woodworker, came by to install some shutters. To keep Isabella occupied, I sat on the floor and sang silly rhymes to her as she jumped in her bouncer seat. When I first met her, she'd barely managed to hold up her head.

Dad put his tools down, looked at her, and said, "Boy, oh boy, isn't she adorable?" I was filled with love, and it was the beginning of my confidence returning.

It was gradual — about a month — until I truly felt better. Returning to work sooner helped me feel like life was more in control, as was going out with baby and girlfriends for dinner. But it took weeks after I came home to stabilize Isabella's sleeping and eating. Meanwhile, I was sleep-deprived, anxious, and could not eat. I was frightened and ashamed that I felt so inept when I got home.

The caseworker kept in contact with me, assuring me that I'd been through a lot and that I would be OK. She told me not to be hard on myself and that it would take time.Talking to both her and my therapist helped me regain my confidence. When a big group of friends threw me a surprise baby shower Oct 21, filled with so much love and smiles, I knew I was well on my way. As every mother knows, there are ups and downs on every parenting journey, and I was ready to be the mother Isabella needed.

Last year, I opened Instagram and saw that Isabella, now a college student, had posted a photo of us at the orphanage. In the caption, she wrote: "Happy birthday to the most wonderful mother anyone could ask for," with a heart emoji. My spirit soared, and it wasn't because of maple syrup. I was grateful to be the forever parent she deserved.

• I took my first adults-only cruise in August 2023 with the luxury cruise line Virgin Voyages.
• The ship was full of surprises, from a tattoo parlor to a playground for grown-ups.
• The biggest surprise of my adults-only cruise was that it made me feel like a kid again.

After my first cruise in 2022, I didn't think the vacation style was for me.

On board Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, many offerings were geared toward children, from waterslides to splash pads. With kids running around screaming on the pool deck, it was tough to relax. By the end of the trip, I was ready to give up cruising altogether.

Then, I heard about Virgin Voyages, a luxury, adults-only cruise line that first set sail in 2021. I thought sailing on an upscale ship free of children might change my mind about cruising, so I booked a seven-night Mediterranean cruise in August 2023 on Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady ship. I stayed in a cabin with a balcony, and the starting rate was $5,910, though Business Insider received a media rate for the weeklong cruise.

My trip was far better than my first cruise. I sailed in peaceful luxury from Spain to Italy and France, and the ship was full of surprises I never saw coming.

The first thing that struck me was the ship's alluring aesthetic.

The ship was more stylish than I could have imagined. Multicolored lighting, iridescent panels paired with bold artwork, and modern furniture gave it a futuristic feel. Pops of Virgin's signature bright-red color were everywhere, from furniture to accent pieces.

Colorful glows, from pink and purple to blue and green, lit the decks and elevators. I felt like I was surrounded by rainbows. Simply wandering the ship renewed my sense of childlike wonder, yet no kids were in sight.

My cabin felt more spacious than I expected.

I wasn't expecting my 225-square-foot cabin to feel spacious, but multipurpose furniture and clever storage hacks left me with enough floor space to stretch and move around.

The queen-sized bed transformed into a couch during the day, an ottoman was tucked underneath the desk instead of a chair, and the nightstand was thin and light, making it easy to move out of the way when not in use.

The balcony had a side table, two chairs, and a big, netted hammock. Two years later, I'm still thinking about how peaceful I felt curled up in that hammock in the middle of the ocean.

I didn't expect to find a playground on a ship for grown-ups.

The last thing I expected to find on an adults-only cruise ship was a playground. But it wasn't just any playground — everything was jumbo-sized, from the seesaws to the swings. It was clearly built for grown-ups.

The cruise ship playground was surrounded by fun activities, like a human-sized chess set, a boxing ring, and a net suspended above an ocean view.

If there had been children around, I wouldn't have felt comfortable taking up space on this playground. However, surrounded by only adults, I felt free to enjoy these activities.

Going on the swings and playing competitive games made me feel like a kid again. Simply playing refreshed my state of mind in a way I wasn't expecting, and I think all adults could use it on a vacation.

There was no shortage of play indoors, either.

When I wanted to beat the heat, I headed inside on deck seven, where I found a retro-style arcade and a game room full of board games, puzzles, and large tables to play on.

The board game selection was nostalgic for me. I spotted childhood favorites like Mouse Trap, Clue, and Cranium.

I never thought I'd see a tattoo parlor on a cruise ship.

While wandering the indoor shopping strip on deck six, I stopped in my tracks when I spotted Squid Ink, a tattoo parlor. Virgin Voyages says it's the first-ever cruise line to offer tattooing on board. According to Cruise Gear, tattoo pricing starts at around $150.

I love getting tattooed, so I was delighted by the shop, but I resisted the urge to get one on this trip.

With so many high-end restaurants on board, I was surprised that none of the food cost extra.

On my first cruise on board Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, a lot of the food on the ship was included in the ticket price, but specialty restaurants incurred an additional price. Many cruise lines operate this way, so I was surprised to learn that none of the food on my Virgin Voyages cruise cost extra.

The all-inclusive dining was especially shocking, considering all the upscale restaurants on board, with offerings ranging from Mediterranean seafood and fresh pasta to sushi and steak. I indulged in the opportunity to forget about finances while dining.

I expected to see a lot of day drinkers on board, but communal decks were calm during the day.

On my first cruise, I spotted many people drinking and partying throughout the day, so I expected to see even more of that on an adults-only cruise. But the communal decks were calm during the day. It was easy to relax by the pools — one had music playing, while the other was silent.

I talked to a bartender about my differing experiences, and they said Mediterranean cruisers tend to be less interested in partying than Caribbean cruisers.

My first adults-only cruise made me feel like a kid again. That was the biggest surprise of all.

On a luxury ship without kids, I expected to enjoy my adults-only cruise more than my first cruise. But I didn't expect the Virgin Voyages cruise to make me feel like a child myself.

Playing for hours surrounded by rainbows and eating whatever I wanted without thinking about money allowed me to let loose in a way I hadn't in over a decade.

I would definitely cruise with Virgin Voyages again, and maybe next time, I'll add some ink to my arm.

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

Welcome back! Guy Fieri, who has a $100 million contract with Food Network, has a rule for his children's inheritance: "If you want this cheese, you got to get two degrees." Find out how one son is trying to negotiate the terms.

On the agenda:

• Can a clean mouth help you live longer?
• Floral ice cubes and crudités: A BI writer lived like Meghan Markle for a weekend.
• A plastic surgeon shared the cosmetic procedures his male clients are getting.
• Director Ryan Coogler's latest film is also his most personal.

But first: Is that the smell of fresh paint?

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

It's home improvement time (without Tim Allen)

There's something about seeing the early signs of spring — when flowers start to bloom, and trees come back to life — that makes change just a bit easier to bear. It's why it's the perfect time for your home to reflect the change you're seeing around you.

You've already decluttered what Santa Claus left for you under the tree, and have — presumably — started on spring cleaning. Now, it's time for some home improvements. (Renters, this is for you, too!)

Don't worry about tariffs threatening to raise prices. You don't have to spend a lot to transform your space.

Budget-friendly upgrades like a fresh coat of paint, new plants, or a new statement rug in high-traffic areas can do just the trick. For an instant upgrade, try installing new light fixtures or finally moving that old recliner out and getting a statement piece of furniture.

And don't forget about outside of your home, too, when thinking about a refresh. Landscaping can not only breathe new life into your home but also increase your home's property value. That's what's called a win-win.

Ready to roll up your sleeves? Leggo.

Keep your mouth clean

The oral microbiome might be the next big wellness trend. Growing research suggests dental hygiene could lower the risk of chronic diseases, and some of the loudest voices in the longevity space are spreading the word.

Dentists and scientists told BI how the oral microbiome is related to overall health and recommended a few simple steps to promote good hygiene.

What to know about the oral microbiome.

The Duchess treatment

Some critics panned Meghan Markle's Netflix series "With Love, Meghan" as unrelatable and amateur. But what if the Duchess of Sussex has something to teach us?

BI's Anneta Konstantinides spent a weekend living like Meghan and, in her words, "It was quite the trip." After cooking and crafting for 48 hours, Anneta learned more than just how to be a good host.

Living like Meghan.

Men's favorite cosmetic procedures

When Dr. Mark Epstein began his career in plastic surgery, only 2% of his clients were men. That number has since shot up to about 10%.

Men aged 18 to 80 are requesting procedures for anti-aging and weight loss. The most popular treatments are tied to male-pattern baldness, while breast reduction is more common among men than you might think.

Fillers and injectables are on the rise, too.

Ryan Coogler's next big swing

For BI's latest installment of its "Director's Chair" series, the "Black Panther" director shared how his fifth feature film, "Sinners," starring Michael B. Jordan, came to be.

It's the first time Coogler tackled an original concept — rooted in his family's history and his uncle's love of the blues — with some vampires added to the mix.

And Coogler is set to own the film's rights.

What we're watching this weekend

• "Companion": After releasing in theaters earlier this year, the sci-fi horror-comedy, starring "Yellowjackets" actor Sophie Thatcher and "The Boys" favorite Jack Quaid, is now streaming on Max.
• "Daredevil: Born Again": Season one of the Marvel series about lawyer-vigilante Matt Murdock came to an end this week with a gory finale.
• "Ransom Canyon": Fans of shows like "Yellowstone" and "Virgin River" can check out Netflix's new romantic drama, starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly.

See the full list

What to shop

• Travel more with these credit cards: If you've been meaning to start traveling on points and miles, now's a great time — two top travel credit cards are offering welcome bonuses worth $1,000 or more.
• A hands-free purse alternative: Whether you're traveling or just running errands, having your hands free is a game changer. After testing dozens of styles, we've found the best crossbody bags for the job.
• AirPods for non-Apple users: Though AirPods are great for style, convenience, and iPhone integration, there are plenty of more affordable alternatives. Some even offer better audio and Android-friendly features.

More of this week's top reads:

• Weight loss in a pill? Eli Lilly took a big step closer to making it happen.
• I stayed at two all-inclusive resorts in Central America. I'm still dreaming about one of them a year later.
• Four mistakes you should never make at the grocery store, according to an etiquette expert.
• A busy father and business owner got shredded at 42. He said 3 simple things helped him stay in shape for a decade.
• Melinda French Gates says she no longer cares if people don't like her: 'Maybe that comes with being 60.'
• A top nutritionist explains her alternative '5 a day' food rule, which makes caring for her gut health easy.
• Pedro Pascal's 'Mandalorian' salary information is getting turned over to Gina Carano in her legal fight against Disney.
• This stroller is getting $300 more expensive because of tariffs, a baby store owner tells me.

The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City (on paternity leave). Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

• Jing Gao is the founder and CEO of Sichuan chili crisp company Fly By Jing.
• She told BI that the brand is still committed to sourcing ingredients from her hometown in China.
• The tariffs "rob Americans of an accessible way to connect with and appreciate cultures at a time when we need it most," she said.

"An Update from Jing on Tariffs." This was the subject line of an email from the popular chili crisp brand Fly By Jing. I'd previously purchased the brand as a gift, and the message landed in my inbox on April 11, just a few days into an escalating trade war between the US and China.

Founded in 2018, the small business is best known for its popular Chinese chili crisp varieties, sold in stores like Target and Whole Foods. The email said that, as of when it was sent on April 11, the brand's products were subject to a 160% tariff rate, compared to 15% before President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs announcements.

"These tariffs have a material impact — not just on our business but countless others, and are disproportionately impacting small, independent brands like ours," the email read. "The integrity of our ingredients, their specific terroir, and the craftsmanship of our products are highly local to Sichuan and will continue to be."

I scoped out the brand's Instagram page and saw a video of founder and CEO Jing Gao discussing the tariffs' impact on the business and reached out to hear more. Here is the conversation we had over email, with my questions in bold, and Gao's answers below.

How are the tariffs affecting your business?

Considering the volatility of the current tariff conversations, it's really important for us as a brand to fully assess the landscape before making major, potentially irreversible decisions. Currently, no orders or shipments are on hold, and our priorities are continuing to source the ingredients for our core sauces from the Sichuan province and keeping our pricing as affordable as possible.

The tariff announcements have been on and off, and rates have fluctuated. How did this affect your planning?

The current volatility is disruptive and will prove debilitating to many independent businesses. We are fortunate to have built resilience into our organization over the last six years to be able to weather the storm. We have not yet made any major business decisions as we await stabilization, but these fluctuations are impossible to plan for and disproportionately affect small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Can you talk about why it's important to you and to the business to source your products from Sichuan?

One of our key goals through this all is to maintain the integrity of the ingredients in our core products. Our ingredients come directly from Sichuan — fermented black beans, highly prized Tribute peppers, Erjingtiao chilis, and cold-pressed roasted caiziyou — and simply cannot be grown anywhere else.

Last year, you actually dropped prices. Do you see the tariffs impacting product prices going forward, and if so, do you have a timeline on that?

Price accessibility for our products is a core tenet of our brand at Fly By Jing. Our mission is to expand palates and introduce new flavors nationwide, so we need our products to be affordable. In service of this, we implemented a significant price decrease last year — even amid rising inflation — and are reaching more homes than ever. Due to the current volatility, it's important for us as a brand to fully assess the landscape before making decisions that will have long-term implications. Right now, our priority is to keep prices as affordable as possible while maintaining the integrity of our ingredients.

What has your average day looked like in recent weeks? Are you working longer hours as you navigate the situation?

We're at a pivotal moment as a brand and are very focused on expanding to reach new audiences. This news cycle, and its implications, is clearly very consuming as it requires constant attention at an already very busy time — but we are privileged as a brand to have built resilience into our business, which is allowing us to take a step back and assess the situation before reacting. I am speaking often to peers, fellow business owners, and, of course, my team, to gather insights, strategize, and determine the route forward that will allow us to maintain our core brand values.

Is there anything you're not seeing discussed around tariffs and their impact on small businesses that you think is important for people to know?

Sharing authentic ingredients and flavors is one of the most powerful ways to explore the nuances of other cultures — it sparks curiosity, builds connection, and inspires empathy. These tariffs, which as of today are at least 160%, not only threaten our brand's prosperity, but rob Americans of an accessible way to connect with and appreciate cultures at a time when we need it most. Our success as a brand has proven that bold and diverse international flavors at affordable prices are what Americans want and that they are here to stay.

• I've been tracking my latest order from Temu. It finally arrived — with no extra fees.
• But starting soon, because of the expected ending of a shipping loophole, there may be new fees.
• Temu and Shein have said they're raising prices.

Sure, the national hardship of price increases tied to tariffs is only getting started. But my personal journey of stressing about a recent Temu order? Phew, that's done! Our nation can breathe a sigh of relief.

To catch you up on my harrowing personal drama: The night before "Liberation Day," I placed a farewell order from Temu, the e-commerce marketplace that ships orders (mostly) directly from China.

Aside from enacting tariffs, Donald Trump has also said he would end the de minimis loophole that has allowed Temu, Shein, and others to ship orders with values under $800 directly from China to customers in the US without paying duty fees. That loophole has been the underpinning of Temu and Shein's astonishingly low prices on clothing and knickknacks.

The details about closing the de minimis rule have been a little unclear at times — not unlike the back-and-forth with Trump's tariffs. Initially, it was unclear when the yanking of the de minimis exception would go into effect, and I worried that when my order arrived, I might get slapped with a hefty $75 fee.

Now it seems that the de minimis loophole closes on May 2, which means that a few last shipments — including my own — have been able to sneak in under the wire.

I got three bubble machine/bubble wand items.

Temu and Shein have both put up statements on their websites addressing customers to warn them that price increases will hit soon.

What's kind of odd is that both sites, which are owned by different parent companies, had the same message, worded exactly the same — only the company name at the end is different. (Temu and Shein didn't comment.)

The statements say:

Dear Customers,

Thank you for your continued support. Since we began serving U.S. shoppers, our goal has been simple: to offer great product/fashion at affordable prices while creating positive impact in the communities we serve.

Due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs, our operating expenses have gone up. To keep offering the products you love without compromising on quality, we will be making price adjustment starting April 25, 2025.

Until April 25, prices will stay the same, so you can shop now at today's rates. We've stocked up and stand ready to make sure your orders arrive smoothly during this time.

We're doing everything we can to keep prices low and minimize the impact on you. Our team is working extra hard to improve efficiency and stay true to our mission: to offer great product/fashion at affordable prices for everyone.

Thank you again for being part of the [TEMU/SHEIN] family.

With gratitude,
The [TEMU/SHEIN] Team

So, there we have it. I made out just fine. And if you order in the next few days, you might be fine, too. After that, well, you're screwed — either higher prices or a big duty tax bill, or even both!

Will I enjoy my bubble machine knowing it may be the last sweet, sweet duty-free shipment of bargain-basement plastic junk? Yes, yes I will. But will I feel good about pulling off this last-minute near-heist? No, no I won't. I don't feel good about any of this.