• Sundar Pichai praised Jony Ive's design legacy in a recent interview and talked about AI's "exciting" impact on hardware.
• OpenAI acquired ex-Apple design boss Jony Ive's startup, IO, for nearly $6.5 billion to collaborate on a line of AI products.
• Ive and Altman's announcement coincided with Google's I/O conference, echoing last year's timing.

OpenAI and iPhone designer Jony Ive's nearly $6.5 billion deal got the tech industry talking last week — and Google's CEO has now weighed in.

Like many tech leaders, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is leading his company through a mission to build out its AI empire with both software and hardware products. Meanwhile, the hiring war for top talent has heated up as companies spend big to execute their goals. OpenAI's latest move was to bring in a not-so-secret weapon that Apple had long leaned on for his design chops: Jony Ive.

When asked about the nearly $6.5 billion deal to acquire Ive's secretive startup, IO, and collaborate on hardware with his design collective, LoveFrom, Pichai praised the former Apple design chief.

"Stepping back, Jony Ive is one of a kind," Pichai said during an interview for the "Decoder" podcast.

He pointed to Ive's storied track record, which includes leading the design of iconic Apple products like the iMac, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Although the pair have only met a few times, Pichai said, he and many others in the tech industry have long been admirers of Ive's work.

"I think it's exciting," Pichai said. "There's so much innovation ahead, and I think people tend to underestimate this moment."

To underscore his point, Pichai reminded listeners that Google, the most popular search engine in the world, didn't exist when the internet was invented. We're in a similar moment with AI, the Google CEO said — except he predicts that AI will be "bigger than the internet."

"There are going to be companies, products, categories created, which we aren't aware of today," he said.

While Pichai said he's excited to see what Ive and OpenAI's Sam Altman have in store, he said Google is also going to be "doing a lot" of innovation as AI shifts the industry. That doesn't mean a mystery AI hardware product will replace the smart gadgets we use today, Pichai said.

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

Although Altman and Ive haven't announced exactly what future products will look like, consumers can expect a "family of AI products," the pair said in a video last week. Reports have indicated the pair is working on an AI companion device, and Altman has previously said he has "no interest in trying to compete with a smartphone."

OpenAI went public about the deal on Wednesday while Google's annual I/O developer conference was in full swing — a move that didn't appear to be lost on Pichai.

It's not the first time the ChatGPT maker dropped a big announcement around the same time as Google I/O. Last year, the company announced its AI model GPT-4o on May 13, a day before Google's 2024 I/O conference kicked off.

"I'm looking forward to an 'Open I/O' announcement ahead of Google I/O the night before," Pichai said.

• The Washington Post is offering buyouts to staff as part of a reorganization.
• The buyouts are set to be offered to longtime employees and all video, copy, and opinion staff.
• Read the memos from the Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, and deputy opinion editor Mary Duenwald.

The Washington Post is offering buyouts to select teams as part of a restructuring.

"Like the rest of our industry, we are adapting to changing habits and new technologies," its executive editor, Matt Murray, wrote in a memo to staff sent Tuesday. "To reach new audiences we must increase our staffing flexibility and expand in areas such as audience data and social video."

The voluntary buyouts are set to be offered to news employees with a tenure of at least 10 years at the Post, as well as all members of the video department, copy desks, and opinion section.

The period to accept the buyouts is scheduled to last roughly two months, ending in July. The announcement comes as Post employees are set to return to a five-day in-office workweek next week.

In his memo, Murray outlined changes to the video and copy teams.

For video, he said the company would focus more on "repeatable franchises" and "personality-driven formats for YouTube," while embedding producers within the newsroom.

The Post also plans to restructure its copy teams to combine all editing operations into one desk.

In a separate memo, the deputy opinion editor Mary Duenwald wrote that the opinion section was still looking for a new top editor and would soon "carry out in earnest" a plan announced in February to focus on personal liberties and free markets.

"Ideally, our new editor will be known before the time is up" to decide on taking a buyout, Duenwald wrote. She said the offer was "meant to give people security to make a clear-eyed decision on whether they want to be part of the new direction for Post Opinion."

The Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper sparked a backlash last year after opting not to endorse a candidate in the presidential election for the first time in 40 years.

In January, more than 400 staffers urged Bezos to meet with company leaders, saying that integrity and transparency issues had sparked high-level departures.

In February, Bezos overhauled the opinion section and announced David Shipley, the section's editor, would be stepping down. In March, Murray detailed further organizational changes, including new leadership roles and reorganized teams.

A Post spokesperson said the company had been going through a serious and significant transformation in recent months and called the voluntary buyouts an inflection point for employees to ask themselves whether they want to stay or go.

"The Washington Post is continuing its transformation to meet the needs of the industry, build a more sustainable future and reach audiences where they are," the spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement.

Here's Murray's memo:

Dear All,

Today, we are announcing that The Washington Post is offering a Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) to news employees with 10 or more years' service at The Post, as well as to all members of the video department and to all members of the copy desk and sports copy desk.

The program is part of our ongoing newsroom transformation efforts aimed at reshaping and modernizing the newsroom for the current environment. Like the rest of our industry, we are adapting to changing habits and new technologies that are transforming news experiences. Even as we have begun creating new departments and welcoming new colleagues, to reach new audiences we must increase our staffing flexibility and expand in areas such as audience data and social video.

Our efforts are beginning to bear fruit. We are producing a more diverse news report with a great deal of superb and impactful journalism. I am confident we have exciting opportunities ahead of us. I also recognize, as I said at the all-staff meeting in March, that reimagining the newsroom, rethinking all we do and how we do it, is disruptive and even uncomfortable. The VSP presents an opportunity to colleagues who may want to pursue alternatives.

In that light the VSP is being offered to the entirety of the video team and to the copy desks. In the former case, we are restructuring and refocusing our video team to place much greater emphasis on developing repeatable franchises and more personality-driven formats for YouTube, other social media channels and off-platform more broadly, while embedding some video producers and facilitators in the core newsroom to help all our journalists and artists produce more video for our products.

On the editing front, we aim in the coming months to combine operations to one desk that will be part of the central news hub and ultimately will serve our digital products full time. The new print desk will also have a handful of crucial editing roles. These changes will enhance the speed and quality of our digital products and free most of us from constraints imposed by print requirements—while preserving the editing standards that undergird our focus on accuracy, clarity and credibility.

I want to underscore that the VSP is voluntary, and that we are fortunate we can offer enhanced packages for those who choose them.

Today's announcement kicks off an approximately two-month process that should culminate around the end of July. Eligible employees will receive a note with more details of the VSP later this morning from Wayne Connell. We will meet with the video team and editing desks later today and hold an information session for all others who are eligible. We also will schedule training and information sessions for managers in coming days.

In coming weeks, we will name a print editor and welcome Jason Anders, the new ME for the news hub, and with them share more detailed plans on the new editing desks. And I expect to hold another all-staff in June to update everyone on our progress. In the meantime, please feel free to bring your questions to Wayne and Liz Seymour.

With the VSP, we will no doubt see valued colleagues and friends decide to leave The Post. But as stewards of this great institution, we all must remain relentlessly focused on bringing engaging and relevant journalism to growing numbers of readers in the formats and ways they want it in 2025. That is an urgent and important task for us given the pace of technological change, the industry's evolving landscape and the ever-present need to produce and promote strong, rigorous and independent journalism.

Matt

Here's Duenwald's memo:

Dear Dept of Opinions,

It's been a few months since we learned about changes ahead for Post Opinion. We're closer to the time when the section will begin to carry out in earnest the plan laid out in February to devote attention to personal liberties and free markets. So it's important to begin to transition to this time of reimagining Post Opinion.

Today, the company is announcing a voluntary separation program for Opinion. All eligible employees in our section will receive an email from Wayne Connell shortly laying out the details (contractors and freelancers will not).

Please know that all of us will have time to make up our minds about whether to accept this offer. The decision period will run until the end of July. Ideally, our new editor will be known before the time is up.

This voluntary offer is meant to give people security to make a clear-eyed decision on whether they want to be part of the new direction for Post Opinion.

I'm happy to discuss this, of course. At 11:30 today, Wayne Connell will meet with us to answer questions. Mike, Mili, Chiqui, Alyssa, Trey and Bina are read in on this, and all are also willing to listen.

Mary

• On an adults-only cruise with Virgin Voyages, I booked a 225-square-foot sea terrace room.
• Starting at $844 a night, the room has a balcony and a queen-sized bed that transforms into a couch.
• With a rainfall shower and smart controls for mood lighting and entertainment, it felt luxurious.

For seven mornings in a row, I took rainfall showers, prepped for the day in front of a mirror with an iridescent glow, and kicked back in a roomy hammock overlooking the Mediterranean Sea — all in a 250-square-foot cabin.

In the summer of 2023, I took my first adults-only cruise with Virgin Voyages, a luxury cruise line reserved for grown-ups.

For the seven-day Mediterranean adventure aboard Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady ship, I slept in a cabin with a sea terrace. My room was so glamorous that I spent more time in my cabin than anticipated.

The cruise sailed round-trip from Barcelona to ports in Italy and France. It had a starting rate of $5,910 for a weeklong stay for two people, a representative for Virgin Voyages told Business Insider.

While this ship isn't sailing the same itinerary in 2025, the room is still available on all Virgin Voyages cruise ships.

Here's a look at every detail that made it worth the price.

Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady ship has 1,408 cabins and suites. My room was toward the back of deck 12.

I booked a third-tier stateroom with a balcony — a step above sea-view cabins, which only have a window, and two steps above an interior room with no view.

The room was 225 square feet, including the balcony. I thought the cabin made great use of the tiny space while including luxury details.

Inside, there was a queen-sized bed, a desk, a bathroom, and plenty of hidden storage compartments. Considering the room's small size, I was surprised by the ample floor space. I never felt cramped in my cabin.

The bathroom at the front of the cabin was stocked with toiletries and had storage spaces to keep the counter free of clutter.

The bathroom felt luxurious thanks to a rainfall shower head.

Across from the bathroom, a clever curtain hid the closet. Inside, I spotted a shelf with two empty bins for extra storage and a cabinet holding emergency life vests, towels, a safe, and drawers I filled with clothing.

Next to the closet, the desk against the wall had an ottoman tucked underneath it. I thought this made the room feel bigger.

The circular mirror was layered over iridescent glass, which made getting ready feel like a luxurious experience.

Beneath the desk, I spotted a hidden mini fridge, which I used to keep my drinks cold.

At the back of the room, there was a comfortable queen-sized bed. Next to it, a thin nightstand was light enough to move around the room as needed.

I learned from the Virgin Voyages app that crew members could transform the bed into a couch upon request. This made the cabin feel more like a living room during the day.

I didn't have to leave my bed to change the lighting or close the curtains.

The cabin also had an in-room tablet with entertainment and smart controls. From "Hangover" to "Photoshoot," different settings on the tablet changed the mood lighting around the room.

I thought the best part of the cabin was the balcony. It had a table and chairs as well as a large, netted hammock.

I spent a lot of time on my balcony during the voyage. From fresh air to sunset views, I thought it was totally worth upgrading to a private outdoor space.

With multipurpose furniture and plenty of storage, I thought the 225-square-foot room was just big enough to keep two cruisers comfortable.

I traveled with a buddy on this cruise, and we felt like we had enough space for the two of us. I'd definitely book a sea terrace cabin with Virgin Voyages again. I'd also recommend it to any adult travelers who want to feel wrapped in luxury while at sea.

• Sea creatures have adapted to help them thrive in extreme environments.
• Unusual features allow them to live thousands of feet below the surface.
• Underwater robots give researchers a glimpse at some of these elusive, fascinating animals.

Ghosts, goblins, spiders, and wolves don't just show up in fairytales. Some deep-sea creatures are named after frightening or mythical creatures thanks to their eerie appearances.

However, strange snouts, enormous eyes, and sharp teeth all help these animals survive the cold, dark depths of the ocean. So much is unknown about the deep sea, and these unusual adaptations can teach scientists more about what life is like thousands of feet beneath the waves.

Scientists need remotely operated vehicles to capture images and video of some of these species. Watching them in their natural habitat offers insight into the behavior of fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans that don't often surface.

Here are 15 bizarre ocean dwellers that show just how mysterious much of our own planet still is.

Known as a living fossil, the frilled shark has retained some of the features of its ancient ancestors.

Decorative-looking gills inspired this animal's name. With its prehistoric-looking appearance, the frilled shark hasn't changed much in several million years. Biologists study them to learn more about how sharks evolved particular traits.

Though they're spread throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, they're rarely spotted, though fishers do catch them.

What's most unusual about this shark is the way it reproduces. Females give birth to live young after a 3.5-year pregnancy, one of the longest known gestations of any vertebrates, according to a 2020 study.

Growing to at least 6 feet long, these predators primarily prey on squid and fish.

Hagfish consume the decaying carcasses of other sea creatures by burrowing into them with tooth-like structures.

There are estimated to be 76 species of hagfish, some living 5,600 feet below the surface. Although they're fish, they are also known as slime eels because of the goop their bodies produce to ward off predators, according to Chapman University.

Researchers are exploring ways the gel-like substance could be used in industrial or medical applications, including healing burns.

Certain species of the jawless fish can grow to 4 feet long, while others are only a few inches.

Sharp, canine-like teeth explain why this species is known as the Atlantic wolffish.

Typically feeding on scallops, hermit crabs, and sea urchins, this creature has several rows of pointy teeth, some protruding from its mouth. A powerful bite helps it break through hard shells.

You'll find the Atlantic wolffish along North America's Atlantic Coast. Preferring chillier water and rocky areas, it lives as deep as 1,640 feet. To survive frigid temps, they make a special kind of antifreeze so ice doesn't form in their bodies, according to a 2007 study.

Its eel-like body grows to around 3 feet long, though it can be up to 2 feet longer. Other names for the wolffish include the ocean catfish and wolf eel.

The goblin shark can have more than 100 teeth in its mouth.

You can identify goblin sharks, a rarely seen bottom-dwelling species, by the shape of their snouts, which are long and flat.

Inside their mouths is a mix of spiky, grooved teeth and flat teeth. There can be as many as 53 in the top jaw and 62 in the lower, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

When it chows down on bony fish, crustaceans, and squid, the shark uses a method called slingshot feeding. At the lightning-fast rate of almost 7 miles per hour, they protrude their jaws and snatch their prey. Scientists first reported observing the behavior in a 2016 paper.

A Japanese spider crab can weigh up to 44 pounds.

Native to the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese spider crab grows up to 15 inches wide with legs that extend to 13 feet, according to Smithsonian Ocean. It's one of the largest known arthropods, a group of invertebrates that also includes lobsters, spiders, and insects.

Often, these crabs are found missing one or more of their spindly legs. Instead of hunting, they generally scavenge for food, drifting along the seafloor instead of swimming.

Their lifespan remains a mystery, but some estimates say they could live as long as 50 to 100 years.

Vampyroteuthis infernalis, the vampire squid's scientific name, means "vampire squid from hell."

This cephalopod is neither a squid nor an octopus but has traits of both, occupying its own separate taxonomy or scientific classification.

Found over 2,000 feet down in the inky depths of the mesopelagic zone, the vampire squid doesn't feed on blood. Instead, this creature subsists on marine snow, organic material that falls to the ocean floor as dead animals decay.

The cephalopod gets its name from the webbing that connects its arms, creating the appearance of a cloak similar to something hanging in Dracula's closet.

At 12 inches, it's about twice as long as a typical sub sandwich. A small size doesn't mean it's defenseless. When predators approach, the vampire squid puffs out a cloud of bioluminescent mucus.

A bioluminescent growth on the anglerfish's head lures prey to its death.

You can find this type of fish practically all over the globe. There are more than 200 species of anglerfish, coming in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some swim in coral reefs, while others stay far from sunlight in the ocean's midnight zone.

Only females possess the iconic, bioluminescent apparatus. Sometimes researchers refer to it as a fishing rod, which includes its own lure. Part of the dorsal fin extends from the head, with a tip of glowing bacteria that invites squids, worms, and other animals to get a little closer. That's when the anglerfish suctions in its feast.

Meanwhile, when some species reproduce, the male permanently attaches to the female as a parasite, according to Yale News.

Due to their long, tapered bodies, grenadiers are known as rattails.

Grenadiers are a family of fish containing over 300 species. Their range is worldwide in the bathyal and abyssal zones, as deep as 13,100 feet.

They skim above the seafloor, and some researchers believe they've adapted several traits, like gelatinous tissue and less dense muscles, to increase buoyancy at those depths.

Gigantic eyes help these fish spot bioluminescent prey in the darkened waters. If they aren't able to catch their dinner, many species will scavenge, sniffing out decaying animals.

The ghost shark bears an uncanny resemblance to Zero, the dog from "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Like sharks and rays, ghost sharks, also known as chimaera, are cartilaginous fish. A protruding snout detects electric fields and movement as they hunt for prey in the sand. Near their dorsal fin, a venomous spine provides protection from predators.

Fossil evidence shows that chimera have been around for millions of years. The earliest specimen, a skull, was unearthed in South Africa and dated to about 280 million years ago, according to UChicago News. Their ancestors split off from sharks nearly 400 million years ago.

Scientists have found over a dozen new chimaera species in recent decades but worry that the fish will go extinct before they have a chance to learn more about them, The New York Times reported in 2020.

The sarcastic fringehead is an aggressive big mouth.

Due to its frilly forehead and tendency to get irritable when anything approaches, researchers dubbed this fish the sarcastic fringehead, The New York Times reported in 2022.

Native to the Pacific Ocean near California and Mexico, it's a kind of tube blenny, a type of small fish that takes over abandoned worm tubes. Fringeheads have also been known to take up residence in discarded soda cans, according to AAAS.

Though they're usually only 3 to 8 inches, their fluorescent-rimmed mouths can open enormously wide. It's a little like when the Dilophosaurus dinosaur expands its neck frill in "Jurassic Park." Researchers think this display acts as a warning to members of its own species.

The barreleye has a see-through, fluid-filled head.

Scientists first described the barreleye in 1939, taking note of its light-sensitive eyes with vibrant green lenses. At the time, they thought the fish could only see what was directly above it.

Decades later, researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered that its large, tubular eyes could actually rotate. This ability allows them to look upward for potential prey or face forward to see what it is eating. Yellow pigment in the eyes helps them distinguish between sunlight and bioluminescence, making them better able to spot food.

Barreleyes may sneak up on siphonophores and nab some of their prey, researchers told The Guardian in 2022. The transparent shield may protect their eyes from their prey's whirling tentacles.

An online poll called the blobfish the "world's ugliest animal."

A 2013 poll conducted by a British organization called the Ugly Animal Preservation Society gave the "world's ugliest animal" title to the blobfish. It belongs to the fathead sculpin family, a group of tadpole-esque fish that dwells in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans at between 330 and 9,200 feet.

When a blobfish is on land, gelatinous fluid under its skin droops like melting Jell-O. Fathoms below the sea, the water gives support and structure to the goo, making the blobfish look more fish-like.

Not only does the fish appear less strange underwater, but its jelly-like fluid helps it maintain depth without the aid of a swim bladder. Blobfish lack this gas-filled bladder, which some other fish use for buoyancy. 

An apex predator of the deep, the deepwater lizardfish can be cannibalistic.

Two species, Bathysaurus mollis and Bathysaurus ferox, make up this genus. B. molis have been known to travel as deep as 16,085 feet.

Deepwater lizardfish can grow to be more than 2 feet long. Large eyes and a mouthful of teeth mean their likely ambush predators, National Geographic reported in 2017.

While much is unknown about these fish, they do eat their own species, according to NOAA.

The slender snipe eel can grow to be at least 4 feet long, but it weighs only a few ounces.

The slender snipe eel can grow to a length of 4 feet, with around 750 vertebrae packed into its ribbon-like body. Thanks to a long, narrow snout, its jaws resemble a bird's beak.

Scientists aren't entirely sure how this eel catches its prey, but they speculate that the process involves swimming with its mouth open. Crustaceans' antennae may catch on the snipe eel's inward-curving teeth, preventing escape.

Making its home in the open ocean, this fish is fairly enigmatic because scientists haven't had many opportunities to study it.

The teeth on Sloane's Viperfish create a cage, locking other fish inside.

The ocean's mesopelagic zone is also known as the twilight zone, roughly 650 to 3,300 feet below the surface. It's where Sloane's viperfish goes to hunt. While viperfish spend much of their time thousands of feet deep, they also vertically migrate, rising closer to the surface when it's time to feed.

Topping out at about 10 inches, they can gulp down larger animals by unhinging their jaws and expanding their stomachs. The predator uses its icicle-looking teeth to trap crustaceans and lanternfish. Researchers think these fish can do days without eating, especially after consuming prey that's larger than they are.

On their undersides, light-producing organs called photophores shine blueish green and yellow. It helps disguise them from predators below, while a bioluminescent lure may also draw in prey.

Sources for this article include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute; the Natural History Museum, London; the Australian Museum; the Smithsonian Institution; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; the Marine Science Institute at the University of Texas at Austin; Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources; the Alaska Department of Fish and Game; the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department; the Maine Department of Marine Resources Recreational Fisheries; and the Georgia Aquarium.

This article was first published in April 2018 and was updated on May 27, 2025.

• Some career advice we've heard over the years doesn't hold up.
• You don't always need to find your passion or ascend the corporate ladder to enjoy your work.
• As some employers are reluctant to hire, it's important to know what advice to follow.

Your boss might not want to know the real you after all.

One of the many bits of career advice that emerged years ago and has somehow stuck around is the idea that we should bring our whole selves to work.

That doesn't always work, and it's looking a bit threadbare with age. Now that temperatures are rising, consider office attire:

"If you love wearing tight little leather outfits that are strapped on, I don't want to see that," said Margie Warrell, a leadership consultant and author of the book "The Courage Gap."

"That's not appropriate," she said.

The whole-self idea is just one example of bumper-sticker wisdom that was meant to guide us through our careers but often doesn't hold up.

It's especially important now that caution about the prospects for the economy is causing some employers to slow or pause hiring. That hesitation is also making it harder for people who want to change jobs. So, not screwing up at work is all the more important.

Here are five bits of trite work advice — and what to consider instead.

Follow your passion

The impulse to align your work with what you love makes sense. Yet, feeling like you have to "find your passion" can also set you up to fail.

"That's probably as vague as it gets," said Jochen Menges, a professor of human resource management and leadership at the University of Zurich. "It's not an actionable goal."

He told Business Insider that a better approach would be to set goals around the emotion you want to feel in your work, like pride, even though you won't necessarily experience that every day.

"If I align my emotional needs more with what I do — with my career prospects — then I'm a lot better off," he said. That, in turn, will accelerate your career, Menges said.

Climb the corporate ladder

On a ladder, you can only go up or down.

The idea of scaling a corporate hierarchy has become outdated for many workers, Christian Tröster, an Academy of Management scholar and a professor of leadership and organizational behavior at Germany's Kühne Logistics University, told BI.

Instead, he said, people might want to think of what he called a "protean" career — one that changes shape over time.

Tröster said that rather than ascending a ladder, a better aim for many workers would be to become "psychologically successful."

"The ultimate goal of your career is feeling proud and accomplished," he said.

One practical reason you might not want to climb the ladder is that a push among some corporate leaders for "flatter" organizational structures — and an elimination of middle management — can mean there aren't as many rungs for ambitious workers to grab onto.

"Careers today are no longer linear," Warrell said. Instead, workers might opt for a lateral move, a side gig, or a so-called portfolio career — where you take on multiple jobs to earn a living while maintaining flexibility.

Warrell said workers who chart their own paths are often more fulfilled and successful than those who try to grind their way up an org chart.

Don't job-hop

Career advice once often included the suggestion that workers avoid changing jobs for at least a year to avoid looking like they weren't committed to an organization.

While a string of frequent job changes can raise concerns among prospective employers, Warrell said prohibitions on moving around often have softened.

She said "smart" job changes — even in quick succession — that indicate you're taking on extra responsibility and developing new skills can add polish, not tarnish, to a résumé.

"It can be seen as a sign of ambition, adaptability — not instability," Warrell said.

Focus on tech skills

Technical mastery — especially in hot areas like artificial intelligence — can take you far and often leave you with your pick of jobs, yet it's not the only route to career success.

AI is already taking on some coders' work, for example. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has said the company might not hire software engineers in 2025 because of its success in using AI agents to boost productivity.

In surveys, employers often say they're after so-called soft skills — abilities like communication and teamwork.

Menges said one reason soft skills are important is that humans will often be needed to evaluate what AI produces.

To help do that, he said, workers will need to rely in part on emotion for guidance. Menges said that in the 20th century, workers were often told to sequester their feelings in the workplace.

"Now, you've got to bring those emotions back because whatever AI does needs evaluation, and that evaluation comes down to how we feel about what appears on our screens," he said.

Bring your whole self to work

While it might have been well-intentioned, critics of the idea of showing up at work as the unvarnished version of yourself have long found it problematic.

Business leaders from Google's Sundar Pichai to venture capitalist Marc Andreessen have pushed back on the concept.

Ella F. Washington, a professor of practice at Georgetown University, previously told BI a better way to think about the idea is to bring your whole professional self to work.

That might mean putting aside your politics or working with people you might not like. Or, Warrell said, it could mean pushing through a bad mood.

"If one part of your whole self is that you're short-tempered and grumpy in the morning, don't bring that self to work," she said.

Do you have a story to share about your job hunt or career? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

An earlier version of this story appeared on March 3, 2025.

• At 79, my wife, Susan, has been accepted into Oxford University.
• I'm trying to support her emotionally because this will not be easy.
• I'm also trying to figure out how to finance her dreams, but it'll all be worth it.

After 25 years as a successful piano teacher, my wife, Susan, decided to go back to school for a master's degree in music theory — at 79 years old.

When I married Susan eight years ago, I knew she was a gifted teacher, one who puts in the hours needed to do her best and who genuinely cares about every student.

But then last year, Susan started to explore ways she could learn more about music and how she wanted to return home to the UK from Canada.

Almost on a lark, she applied to the oldest university in the English-speaking world: Oxford. In March, word came back that Susan had been accepted at the university that most British students dream of attending.

We couldn't be more excited, but her 80th birthday is fast approaching, and the road ahead is not easy.

Being a student at 79 will come with challenges

Susan has always been an accomplished woman. She studied the piano from the age of 5, played cello as a teenager in the National Youth Orchestra, and became a successful animator. She put her education on hold to raise a family and went back to school in Canada in her 50s.

Now, returning to university after 25 years as a self-employed piano teacher will most likely be difficult for Susan.

As a 79-year-old, completing assignments will take longer, and she can't pull all-nighters like younger students. She has to accept that seven or eight hours a day of school work will be the limit for her. Resting in between her lessons will be the most important thing for her.

Susan also has to manage her other commitments, such as doctor's appointments, a daily gym workout, and stopping for a bottle of wine on some evenings.

I'm trying to hold everything else together

My job is to support Susan through this period. I will focus on cooking, cleaning, and shopping. I will also do the laundry, watch the bills, and make sure that we have paper and toner for the printer. When it comes to her schoolwork, I'll be a sounding board, a proofreader, and an editor.

At times, when the frustration seems too much, I take the brunt of the anger and doubt.

She often asks me, "Am I too old? Do I want to work in an academic setting?" At times, she even asks, "Will I even be around long enough to finish a degree?"

Those are difficult questions to answer, but I remind her of the sheer exhilaration I see in her when doing this work. I can see it when she suddenly learns a new idea and excitedly shares it with me. I can see that Susan was born to be an academic, to do this research, and to make these discoveries.

We're still figuring out how to afford this dream

Oxford won't be cheap. We both have small pensions, retirement savings, and income from teaching and writing. We also know it would be foolish to throw everything into chasing this one incredible opportunity.

That's why I've set up a GoFundMe to raise money to make this journey possible.

I'm confident that we'll find a way to make it happen. I know it will be tight, and there will be struggles, but to see Susan back home in Britain and to see her fulfill her dream of studying at Oxford will fulfill my own dream of seeing Susan proud, successful, and happy.

Now, she will get to spend her 80th birthday at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

• People are making false claims about AOC's net worth. One viral post said she's worth $29 million.
• The congresswoman disclosed she owned less than $50,000 in assets in 2023.
• She also reports that she has student-loan debt.

People are making false claims about Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's net worth again.

A viral post from Ted Nugent, the outspoken conservative musician, says that the New York congresswoman is worth $29 million. It's not the first time this has happened — Ocasio-Cortez is a frequent subject of misinformation about politicians' net worths.

According to the latest publicly available information, the congresswoman reported that she owns less than $50,000 in assets and has between $15,000 and $50,000 in student loan debt. Like other rank-and-file members of the House and Senate, her annual salary is $174,000.

"I am not even worth $1 million. Or a half million," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in February, responding to a since-deleted post claiming she made tens of millions of dollars. "I am one of the lowest net worth members of Congress, trade no individual stock, and take no outside income."

Forbes estimated Ocasio-Cortez's net worth last year at about $125,000 with most of her wealth in a Thrift Savings Plan — a 401(k)-style investment vehicle for government employees that doesn't have to be listed in financial disclosures.

The Forbes estimate was based on the assumption she's been putting 5% away and getting matching funds — putting her account at just over $100,000 this year.

You can look this information up yourself

Disclosures filed by House members and senators are available online. They are required to file these documents annually and include information about lawmakers' assets, outside income, debts, and other agreements.

For example, here's the "Assets" portion of Ocasio-Cortez's latest financial disclosure, which was filed in August 2024 and covers all of 2023.

It shows four accounts, totaling a maximum of $46,000. The congresswoman reports that she does not own individual stocks and has no outside sources of income.

Sometimes, the disclosures contain interesting nuggets of information. For example, her most recent disclosure shows that trips she took to South America and East Asia in 2023 were paid for by a foundation and a think tank, respectively.

In 2022, she disclosed receiving an engagement ring from her fiancé worth slightly more than $3,000.

While there's a widespread notion that members of Congress are enriching themselves through corruption the reality is generally more mundane. Most often, it's things like book deals that allow lawmakers to make extra cash on the side.

• Tech CEOs pivoted hard, and publicly, toward Donald Trump this year.
• Sometimes, it looks like they're not getting anything for their time and money.
• But it's more accurate to say Trump is helping them on some things — and fighting them on others.

Remember when all those tech CEOs lined up to give Donald Trump money and take photos with him?

They're not getting much for their efforts: Trump has frequently snubbed tech, or worse, since taking office.

That's a fairly standard take this spring, and we have been seeing a new round of it in the past few days, prompted by recent assessments of tech moguls and their relationships with Trump.

The New York Times points out that Apple's Tim Cook, who figured out how to manage Trump during his first administration, is now facing serious tariff trouble. And Bloomberg Businessweek reports that despite Mark Zuckerberg's ostentatiously pro-Trump pivot, Trumpworld remains suspicious of all things Meta — and notes that the federal government is still trying to break the company up.

All of which is true.

It's just that, as with many things Trump, you can't consistently sum up his attitude toward tech. Sometimes he's beating up the industry — and sometimes he's sticking up for it. And sometimes he changes his mind.

It's been a consistent contradiction.

For instance: The Trump administration has repeatedly yelled at Europe about fines and other punishments levied against US tech giants — something that's been a big focus for Zuckerberg and his peers.

And while Trump has once again been saying Apple will face tariffs unless it makes its iPhones in the US — despite overwhelming skepticism that this is plausible — that doesn't mean he'll keep saying it in the future. In April, for instance, Trump's administration removed impending tech tariffs on Apple — and then insisted they could return, all in one weekend.

The Times also says that Trump's recent vow to levy 25% tariffs on Apple comes after he brought up that Tim Cook didn't join him on his recent tour of the Middle East.

On the one hand, that's a bummer for Cook, who now has to clear his calendar for Trump's next junket. On the other hand: Cook visits China all the time because he has to keep China happy. So he can spend a little more face time with Trump, too.

Then yet again: Face time alone doesn't get you everything you want, all the time.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang did go with Trump on his Middle East trip, and Trump praised him for his presence. Not coincidentally: Nvidia is a partner in Trump-blessed plans for massive data centers in the Middle East.

But in April, Trump banned Nvidia from selling its most advanced chips to China — a move Nvidia says cost it $5.5 billion.

So maybe it's more accurate to say tech CEOS are getting something for all the time and money they're investing in Trump. Just not everything.

"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best sushi in the city. They'll be visiting three locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."

• Ex-assistant Capricorn Clark testified that Sean "Diddy" Combs kidnapped her at gunpoint in 2011.
• She said Combs made her go with him to see Kid Cudi, "to kill him" for dating Cassie Ventura.
• She also described death threats over missing jewelry and being pushed by Combs.

A former assistant and top executive to Sean "Diddy" Combs tearfully told a Manhattan jury Tuesday that he kidnapped her at gunpoint and made threats against her life.

Capricorn Clark, the former music tycoon's employee, testified at Combs' sex-trafficking and racketeering trial, that Combs was "furious" with her for keeping him in the dark about Cassie Ventura's 2011 relationship with rapper Kid Cudi.

Ventura, the R&B singer and the prosecution's star witness, dated Kid Cudi briefly that year while she and Combs — who dated on and off for a decade — were on a break.

Clark told the jury that Combs, armed with a gun, went to Clark's house in a rage in December 2011 and banged on the door.

"He just said, 'Get dressed, we're going to go kill'" him, Clark testified that Combs told her, using the N-word to refer to Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi.

Clark said Combs took her to Mescudi's Los Angeles home — and she characterized herself as "kidnapped."

"The way he was acting, I just felt like anything could happen," Clark testified through tears.

Last week, Mescudi testified that Combs broke into his house in December 2011 after Combs found out he was dating Ventura, who prosecutors allege is one of two women Combs sex trafficked.

Mescudi said at the time Clark called him to say that she was outside Mescudi's house — and that Combs was inside. Clark told him that Combs had "forced her physically" to drive there with him, Mescudi said.

"You have to tell Cudi to not tell the police that it was me," Clark said Combs told her.

"If you don't do that I'm going to kill all you motherfuckers," she said he threatened.

Mescudi ultimately did report the break-in to police, he previously testified.

In the days after the break-in, Combs repeatedly and angrily asked Clark when she knew about Ventura's romance with Mescudi and why she didn't tell him, Clark told the jury.

"He would say, 'I should just kill you bitches and I should cut her face,'" Clark said Combs said about herself and Ventura.

Prosecutors hope Clark's testimony will bolster the top two federal charges against Combs — sex trafficking and racketeering, which each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

More threats and a week of lie detector tests

During her testimony, Clark told the jury that Combs had threatened her multiple times.

"I was terrified," she said as she described a time being forced to take a lie detector test after some of the rapper's jewelry was stolen.

Clark told the jury that at the time, a man who "looked like the size of two linebackers" told her that if she failed the lie detector test, "they were going to throw me in the East River."

"I was told I was unable to leave until they got to the bottom of this," testified Clark, who added that Combs' head of security, Paul Offord, had her take the lie detector test over the course of five days in a locked room.

She said she was asked whether she stole Combs' high-end jewelry, which included a large diamond cross that was out on loan from Jacob Arabo, better known as "Jacob the Jeweler."

"I'm not getting good readings. You better calm down. You're going to end up in the East River if he didn't get a good reading on this," the linebacker-esque man told her, Clark said.

Under cross-examination, Clark said she was on her way with Combs in a car to New Jersey's Teterboro when she realized that the jewelry, which had been in her purse, was missing.

Clark told the jurors that she didn't know whether the stolen jewelry was ever found, but that she continued to work for Combs, and he never mentioned it.

"I felt like if I had left it would have been written off as I had stolen it anyway," said Clark, who worked as Combs' personal assistant from 2004 until 2006 when she was promoted to the role of Combs' global brand director.

Clark said she briefly quit her personal assistant job in the summer of 2006 after Combs angrily pushed her during an argument at his Miami estate.

Combs' chef had relayed to him that Clark said, "I hate it here," Clark testified.

"If you hate it here, get the fuck out of my house," she said Combs kept repeating, pushing her through the kitchen, through the butler's pantry, and down hallways until he'd pushed her out the front door.

Clark also recalled that on her very first day working for the Bad Boy Records founder, he threatened her at nighttime in Central Park after he found out she had worked for Combs' longtime rival Suge Knight.

"He told me he didn't know I had anything to do with Suge Knight and that if anything would happen he would have to kill me," Clark said of Combs.

"I said we'll just have to see," Clark testified. "There was nothing I could do in Central Park to convince him that I was a trustworthy person."

"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best steak in the city. They'll be visiting three locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."

"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best fried chicken in the city. They'll be visiting four locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."

• Like much of the world, the UK is ramping up its defense spending.
• But defense companies are now competing with an expanding talent-hungry tech sector for scarce skills.
• "We need a sea of talent," a defense sector insider told BI. "At the moment, it's a puddle."

When Calvin Bailey — a member of the UK parliament — was a squadron commander in the country's Royal Air Force, he saw a shift in how his engineering-heavy workforce changed careers.

In the early 2010s, people would leave the service "like for like," he told Business Insider — meaning they were leaving the military for complementary roles in the defense and aerospace industry.

However, by around 2017, he said, a new sprawl of high-tech companies and major infrastructure projects created a demand for skills that the military had nurtured, such as robotics, advanced engineering, and logistics.

Bailey wrote in a recent piece for War on the Rocks that he watched as the military "hemorrhaged" certified aircraft engineers.

"I found myself competing with unlikely adversaries: Amazon logistics hubs," he wrote.

As the UK attempts to redress the effects of decades of reduced military spending, it's not just a steep price tag that has experts worried. It's a shrunken — and highly competitive — skills pipeline.

Bailey still doesn't think the UK is spending enough, he told BI. But even if the country throws money at it, "you haven't got the skills base with which to go and do the work that's required."

A skills shortage in the defense industry

Paul Oxley, a spokesperson for UK defense trade association ADS Group, told BI that demand for skilled workers now presents the defense industry's "largest barrier for growth."

This covers everything from traditional skills like welding and high-end engineering, to growing fields like cybersecurity, digital, and AI capabilities.

Oxley said that surveys of ADS members have seen the issue of talent leapfrog energy prices to become the top worry for many companies.

These concerns come amid an increased commitment by the UK to defense spending — to 2.5% of GDP — that has defense-related industries looking out for new orders.

Big projects are already in the works. Dreadnought-class submarines, the Tempest fighter jet, and Type 26 and 31 frigates are due to come into service in the next decade or so.

Yet in March, Kevin Craven, the head of ADS Group, warned lawmakers that skills shortages are "combining to a point where both the defence and aerospace industry cannot fulfil the demand that they have."

These warnings also come as the government prepares to publish its latest Defence Industrial Strategy, which a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said will help the UK have the "capability, skills and industrial resilience" for warfighting.

Multiple skills initiatives are already underway, they added.

An 'arms race' for skills

The UK's defense sector pays an average of £39,900, Oxley said, which is about $53,000 and around 14% higher than the national average.

But even that can't always compete with other sectors, Bailey, the MP, said.

Meanwhile, many companies, like Amazon, actively recruit UK veterans as part of a government program pledging to support post-service careers. Amazon declined to comment when approached by BI.

Bailey shared that other competing industries include infrastructure projects, such as the recent nationwide rollout of electric smart meters.

He told BI those leaving the RAF for such companies "would find an easier job — because it's less regulated and controlled and demanding on their skills — paying equal or more than they would expect on the general market."

In addition, security clearances make it hard to hire from abroad — and in any case, the UK's nearest European defense industry neighbors are themselves in a scramble for talent.

A shortage decades in the making

The expansion of a talent-hungry tech sector compounds a much longer-running skills issue.

Andrew Kinniburgh, a spokesperson for manufacturing industry trade body Make UK, told the Defence Select Committee in March that the country is in an "arms race" for engineers.

Campaigners say STEM has been neglected from the earliest schooldays up, causing a shortage that has seen all sectors — not just military — competing for talent.

That situation wasn't helped by the Apprenticeship Levy, a 2016 attempt to invigorate private sector investment in training. It was so cumbersome that schemes fell by 172,000 across all sectors in its first year, according to HR industry body CIPD.

The government now says it's streamlining the process.

The looming threat of 'skill fade'

Industry experts told BI that another reason defense sector workforce skills have atrophied is a long-term lack of investment in the military that began in the 1990s.

The defense ministry spokesperson told BI that the current government is addressing the country's security "after years of hollowing out."

People like naval architects and high-level engineers take decades to nurture, and when orders dry up, "you have skill fade in these areas quite quickly," said Sam Cranny-Evans, a freelance defense analyst and associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

"Once they're gone, they're gone," he told BI. "Standing them up again is really hard."

COVID-19 lockdowns haven't helped. Suddenly, people with 10 to 15 years left in their careers decided to accelerate their retirement plans, leaving what Oxley called a "handover cliff edge" and a decadelong knowledge gap.

The problem has come to a head before.

In the early 2000s, BAE Systems took over a contract to produce the Astute-class submarine, following a 10-year gap since the development of the earlier Vanguard-class sub.

Dated skills — among other factors — became a major problem, forcing the UK to bring in General Dynamics Electric Boat, a US company, to help at an eventual cost of about $145 million.

The project ran years late, exceeded its budget by hundreds of millions of pounds, and spurred multiple reckonings that still reverberate today.

Janet Garner, BAE Systems' future workforce director for submarines, told BI the company is focused on ensuring it has a strong submarine workforce. She highlighted its $33.5-million training center and said early careers programs are "up to record levels."

An analysis by Navy Lookout highlighted lessons learned, saying that the next-generation Dreadnought went into production with a much more experienced workforce. But across the industry, there's a long road ahead.

A 'puddle' of talent

Oxley and Bailey say there's a lot more to be done, and that skills need to be addressed at the level of education. Both are calling for schools and colleges to develop applied STEM curricula showcasing the appeal of working in defense.

Encouraging a much more flexible career structure, allowing people to "zig-zag" between the military and civilian sectors and making the relationship complementary rather than competitive, is also among the suggestions being made.

Tan Dhesi, a lawmaker heading up the UK parliament's Defence Select Committee, declined to comment in detail while the inquiries continue, but said that he had seen "clear and consistent" evidence that the issue needs addressing.

"We need a sea of talent," Oxley said. "At the moment, it's a puddle."

• The 2025 American Music Awards were held in Las Vegas on Monday night.
• Jennifer Lopez hosted, and Janet Jackson received the night's Icon Award.
• Celebrities like Ciara stunned on the red carpet, while Shaboozey and others made fashion mistakes.

In case you missed it, the 2025 American Music Awards were held in Las Vegas on Monday night.

Jennifer Lopez hosted the event, Janet Jackson accepted the night's Icon Award, and numerous celebrities showed up in eye-catching fashion.

While some looks were standouts, others missed the mark entirely.

Here's a look at the best and worst-dressed stars of the night.

Jennifer Lopez stunned in a skin-baring gown.

Defaïence designed her light-brown halter dress.

It was crafted with flowing fabric that extended into a train across the purple carpet. Large silver rings held the below-navel baring dress together.

Lopez completed the daring ensemble with platform sandals and long diamond earrings.

Heidi Klum should have picked a different outfit altogether.

She wore a black Stephane Rolland minidress that was designed to look like an oversize blazer. Unfortunately, it was so large that the effect was lost entirely.

The garment also had a ruffled train that didn't flow very well along the carpet. Instead, it looked like a pile of excess fabric on the ground next to her.

Wayne Brady looked cool and classic in a printed suit.

Some panels of his suit were tan and others were a deep maroon, creating a fun and eye-catching contrast that highlighted its unique diamond pattern.

The actor's suit was also perfectly tailored, making his outfit even sharper.

For accessories, he chose brown patent-leather dress shoes and a two-toned Rolex Submariner watch, which usually costs around $13,000.

Shaboozey's ensemble was a little chaotic.

Etro custom-made his five-piece ensemble. It included a white blouse with a black-lined bowtie, a leather vest decorated with studs, floral-printed blue jeans, a checked blazer, and matching chaps.

The latter garment would have looked better if designed as pants without blue jeans underneath. He also could have forgone his vest to better highlight his standout jacket.

Ciara sparkled in silver and diamonds.

She wore a strapless bodysuit from Bronx and Banco, which was embellished with rows of crystal fringe.

The metallic shade complemented her blonde hair and luminous skin, while her layered diamond necklaces and bracelets added more glamour.

Heidi Montag wore a catsuit that looked more like a stage costume than a red-carpet outfit.

Designed by The Blonds, the royal-blue piece had a structured bodice, a sharp neckline, and long pants with flame-like fringe at the ankles.

Though parts of the outfit worked, like its all-over sparkle, other elements did not. The long pants, for example, overwhelmed Montag.

A minidress made from the same fabric would have better suited the reality star turned musician.

Kendra Scott stood out in silver.

The jewelry designer — who has a net worth of $460 million, according to Forbes — arrived on the red carpet in a metallic dress from Maria Lucia Hohan.

It had a single strap that crossed her collarbones, a deep neckline with a small cutout beneath it, and a wrap skirt.

The unique shape of the dress complemented her figure, and its deep color beautifully suited her dark hair and silver jewelry.

• Business Insider asked an etiquette expert what employees should avoid ordering at work events.
• She said it's best to stay away from anything too expensive or difficult to eat.
• It's also important to limit your alcohol intake in front of colleagues, she said.

Although business lunches, dinners, and happy hours are great opportunities to network and get to know your colleagues better, the way you handle the meal can leave a lasting impression.

To help you avoid any big mistakes, Business Insider asked an etiquette expert, Mariah Grumet Humbert, about the things you should avoid ordering in front of coworkers. Here's what she said.

Overly expensive meals

When dining at a work event, it's best to avoid ordering the most expensive dish on the menu. This includes seasonal items, which can be more expensive out of season, or fancier meals such as steaks or lobster.

Grumet Humbert also said to err on the side of caution when you don't know the price of a special or market-priced dish.

Too much food

Similarly, Grumet Humbert said it's best not to order a wide variety of items, as this will increase the bill.

That's why she suggests following the lead of the person hosting the get-together. For example, if they're ordering multiple courses, having more than just a salad is probably OK.

But if the host is ordering one course, opting for multiple menu items can be impolite.

Excessive amounts of alcohol

Alcohol can be tricky to navigate in professional settings. But whether you choose to drink or not, it's best to put your professional image first.

"When too much alcohol is consumed, you're not able to represent yourself in the best way," Grumet Humbert told BI. "It could lead to potential tricky conversations, perhaps showing yourself in a light that you don't want to in a professional realm."

Meals that are difficult to eat

It's also important to order something that will allow you to talk with your colleagues and doesn't feel difficult to eat.

For example, it's best to avoid anything that's too messy or requires a lot of effort to enjoy.

Instead, Grumet Humbert suggests ordering something you know you'll like that's also relatively simple to pick up. This way, the focus can remain on the conversation.

• Southwest Airlines will no longer allow all passengers to check bags for free.
• For flights booked from Wednesday, a first checked bag will cost $35.
• Falling profits post-pandemic have forced budget airlines to rethink their business models.

Southwest Airlines' signature "Two bags fly free" policy officially comes to an end on Wednesday.

For flights booked on or after May 28, passengers will have to pay $35 for a first checked bag and an additional $45 for a second, a Southwest spokesperson told Business Insider.

These prices are the same as those of mainline carriers like United Airlines and Delta Air Lines and cheaper than those of some rival budget airlines.

Southwest customers who book "Business Select" fares, the most expensive category, will still be able to check two bags for free.

The perk will also be available for "A-List Preferred" loyalty members — a status that requires 40 flights a year.

All loyalty members and credit card holders will be allowed one free checked bag.

Southwest first announced the change in March, saying it intended to "deepen and reward loyalty" for its "most engaged customers."

Six months earlier, the company had said it wouldn't start charging for bags because research had shown that removing the policy would reduce demand. It added that "Two bags fly free" — a registered trademark — helped Southwest stand out from the competition.

However, the airline has been forced to rethink its business model.

Increased fuel and labor costs, changing consumer habits, and domestic overcapacity have made it harder for budget airlines to fill planes post-pandemic.

Many carriers have instead looked to add more tiers and end freebies to help their bottom lines. Southwest has also faced pressure from the activist firm Elliott Investment Management.

The airline has also said it will end its other signature policy, unassigned seating. Instead, passengers can pay more to choose their seats or for premium options like extra legroom.

US airlines made over $7 billion from baggage fees last year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The data showed Southwest's $83 million was a fraction of its rivals' takings. Spirit made $774 million on baggage fees, Frontier made $861 million, and the Big Three each made over $1 billion.

• Alba Health raised $2.5 million with backing from the founder of Oura Ring.
• Alba Health's CEO told BI she launched the startup after improving her eczema through diet changes.
• The startup offers a gut microbiome test, nutrition plans, and coaching for families with children.

Alba Health, a Swedish-Danish startup focused on gut health and personalized nutrition for children, has raised $2.5 million in seed funding.

The startup was founded in 2022 by Eleonora Cavani, CEO, and Professor Willem Meindert de Vos, its chief scientific officer and a microbiome scientist with more than 800 research publications.

By offering gut microbiome tests, personalized nutrition plans, and one-on-one calls with a certified children's nutrition coach, the startup is aiming to tackle a problem Cavani knows firsthand.

"I grew up with a lot of allergies," Cavani told Business Insider. "I was that one kid that couldn't play outside with the others during the spring. I missed out on so many experiences."

Cavani said that at age 27, severe eczema turned her "life upside down." After resolving her own eczema and chronic pain through gut-focused lifestyle changes, Cavani said she teamed up with de Vos to build Alba and help families address childhood gut health before problems emerge.

Cavani told BI that de Vos's research shows the gut microbiome in the first years of life can help predict allergy risk later on.

"Our long-term mission is to reduce the risk of allergies and eczema," Cavani said. "But right now, we help families make better choices in their children's and their family's diet and lifestyle for the best start in life."

She added, "We don't diagnose or cure allergies. What we do is help families with wellbeing — and nothing we offer should replace going to doctors."

Alba's clinical approach is backed by over 1,600 scientific publications and its own study, which, in partnership with top universities, tracks the gut microbiome development in more than 300 Swedish families.

The seed round was led by Unconventional Ventures, with support from Exceptional Ventures, Voima Ventures, Noaber, Bust, and the founder of Oura Ring, a smart device company.

"In the next five years, gut health has the potential to become the new sleep," said Oura founder Petteri Lahtela, referring to the recent boom in sleep tracking technology.

Alba plans to use the fresh funding to grow its digital platform, invest in further clinical research, and reach more families across Europe and the UK.

Here's the pitch deck Alba Health used to raise its $2.5 million seed round.

• James Lewis was accused of being the Tylenol murderer, but denied the charges and wasn't convicted.
• He gave his first and only full interview in Netflix's "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders."
• The filmmakers said they had to build trust with Lewis by promising to treat him as a human being.

Netflix's "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders" features chief suspect James Lewis' first and only interview, where he addresses the allegations made against him — including that he killed seven people in 1982.

That year, cyanide-laced Tylenol was distributed in Chicago, leading to the pharmaceutical industry introducing tamper seals to certain products.

The docuseries also includes interviews with family members of some of the victims.

Joseph Janus recalled the moment he heard that his brother, Adam Janus, had died: "I got a phone call, they said my brother Adam had a heart attack. I said 'What are you talking about? He's a very healthy person.' They said: 'He's dead and we can do nothing for him.' I almost passed out, I was in shock."

Lewis, who died in 2023, was arrested but not convicted and denied the allegations.

But he admitted to writing a ransom letter to Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Tylenol, for $1 million. He later claimed it was an attempt to point the authorities at his wife's former boss for unpaid wages.

Lewis was convicted of extortion in 1983 for writing the letter and served 10 years in prison.

Author Nicholas Mennuti, who wrote "The Tylenol Murders" book and features in the three-part true crime series, compared the Lewis case to the gangster Al Capone, who was suspected of committing more serious crimes than he was convicted of.

"They make it look like I'm the world's most horrible, dangerous person ever... and I wouldn't hurt anybody," Lewis says at the end of the first episode, seemingly referring to the authorities and the media.

The creators of 'The Tylenol murders' earned Lewis' trust

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, co-director Yotam Guendelman praised the show's producer Molly Forrester for convincing Lewis to take part.

Guendelman said that Forrester told Lewis: "'You're a human being. We want to talk to you as a human being — even if you did all of this horrible stuff.'" adding, "She just sort of got his trust."

The documentarian said that Lewis was cautious about being interviewed, but Forrester's "intimate rapport" helped him open up.

"There was something in him that wanted to say what he wanted to say, for many years. Having people basically trying to get you for 40 years, I guess also makes you want to talk and enjoy this attention," Guendelman said.

Ari Pines, the show's co-director, said they also aimed to shed light on the other cases connected to Lewis with "The Tylenol Murders."

"We didn't do this interview just to get a confession out of [Lewis], but to really confront him about all the hard questions about this case and the other cases that he was suspected of in the past," Pines told The Hollywood Reporter.

Lewis was also connected with other criminal cases and was charged but not convicted of killing a truck driver called Raymond West in 1978. Episode three also states that he was accused of aggravated rape after allegedly kidnapping a young woman, but that the supposed victim dropped the charges.

In the docuseries, Lewis said: "I did not kidnap her. There was no evidence that I had ever been with her or touched her in any way, shape, or form, not even shaking hands."

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
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Welcome back! Chances are, you might be reading this over a nice cup of coffee. If that's the case, you also might be wondering why it costs you more than usual. We spoke to three roasters to learn why that's the case. (And no, it's not just because of tariffs.)

In today's big story, more depressing news about the state of the job market, and the people who are suffering as a result.

What's on deck

Markets: Nervous investors keep turning to gold.

Tech: Google's fancy new AI features could boost its mobile business.

Business: For the first time in a long time, the price you see online is the price you actually get.

But first, one bill to rule them all.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The big story

Not hiring

I regret to inform you that I have more bad news about the job market.

It seems the labor market is in its wait-and-see era as companies are taking much longer to fill their few open roles, according to BI's Jacob Zinkula and Madison Hoff. Data shared with BI from Revelio Labs shows how deliberate companies are being nowadays.

Back in October 2019, roughly 91% of job postings from Russell 3000 companies were filled in six months. This October, fewer than half the jobs posted were filled within that same timeframe.

It's the latest in a long line of disappointments for job seekers these days.

The white-collar recession is alive and well. Tech jobs, in particular, are being hit hard as companies rethink their workforce. (And even if you work in tech, it might not be for long.)

AI has made applying and interviewing for jobs a mess. You also have to worry about ghost jobs. And even if you decide to stay put, get ready to be around many grumpy people.

I'd love to tell you things are going to get better. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. But the reality is I can't. The biggest thing holding up the job market is what's frozen the rest of the economy: uncertainty.

President Donald Trump's on-again-off-again trade war has companies hesitant to commit to hiring plans they might regret depending on where tariffs land.

Maybe you're still not convinced things are that bad.

After all, unemployment is still fairly low (4.2%). And yes, some of the above data might look a bit scary, but the job market ebbs and flows.

Sometimes data only tells part of the story, which is why BI's Allie Kelly spoke to some people who have felt the job market's challenges firsthand. After months of rejection, they are settling for jobs that'll just help them pay their bills.

The challenges of the job market are age-agnostic. A 71-year-old told Allie about putting retirement dreams on hold as he sometimes works seven days a week to support himself.

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old hoped to break into the marketing and communications industry. But after applying to nearly 100 roles in the field, she's now opened her job search to anything that'll help her pay the bills.

3 things in markets

1. Bad vibes are prompting people to go for gold. The economy may be intact, but "soft data" shows worsening consumer sentiment and inflation expectations. Now, people are flocking to physical gold, with demand up 13% in Q1, according to the World Gold Council.

2. These retail investors dumped stocks. They don't regret it. Some retail investors may be scrambling to buy the dip, but "cash is king" is also picking up steam. Two investors de-risked their portfolios amid market volatility. Here's why.

3. Meet the investment banker behind Trump's invest-in-America agenda. For 30 years, Michael Grimes was the go-to banker at Morgan Stanley for tech companies. He also helped Elon Musk buy Twitter. Now, instead of wooing Silicon Valley, Grimes is trying to attract foreign investors to the US as Trump's investment accelerator.

3 things in tech

1. It's Google's time to shine. Apple has done a good job of keeping customers in its product ecosystem, but Google's slew of new AI announcements at its I/O conference could be a "Trojan horse" for its device business, as Bank of America analysts put it. Apple is behind Google and OpenAI in the AI department, and the gap is only widening.

2. A tour of where Amazon's robots are born. The company has hundreds of thousands of robots working across its sortation and fulfillment centers. As manufacturing comes back stateside, these facilities could be the future.

3. Inside the brain drain happening within Meta's Llama AI team. Out of the 14 researchers who worked on the original version of Meta's open-source Llama model, only three remain. A good portion now work at Paris-based startup Mistral, cofounded by two of Llama's key architects. The exits raise eyebrows over Meta's ability to retain AI talent.

3 things in business

1. The era of all-in pricing is here. On May 12, a bipartisan-supported FTC rule went into effect, cracking down on bait-and-switch pricing. Live-event and short-term rental companies like Airbnb and Ticketmaster now have to disclose all costs up front. BI's Emily Stewart took the new rule for a spin — and said it was awesome.

2. Employees aren't interested in engaging with "engagement surveys." In a post-COVID world where workers are spread out across the map, companies are cashing in on employee vibe checks. The problem is, employees taking the satisfaction surveys are pretty … unsatisfied, prompting the question: Do the surveys actually work?

3. This app is becoming "the ultimate girl math." Women are renting out their closets on the app Pickle with some "lenders" making thousands of dollars a month. BI spoke to five women about how much they make on Pickle, and how they get the most out of their unworn clothes.

In other news

• There's a nasty CEO succession crisis brewing.
• Trump weighed taking $3 billion in frozen Harvard grants and giving the money to trade schools instead.
• BYD just fired another shot in China's EV price war — and investors are worried.
• Here's how newly public Hinge Health wants to use AI to automate more care delivery and bring in more cash.
• Get ready to pay even more for a used car this year.
• Labubu's bootleg cousin 'Lafufu' is janky, cheap, and weirdly irresistible. It's fueling a thriving market of fakes.
• Here are the eight programming languages to know to land a tech job on Wall Street.

What's happening today

• Monthly and Quarterly House Price Index.

• US Supreme Court releases an order list.

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

• The CEO of Fincantieri called on Europe to scale up its subsea defenses in the face of rising threats.
• Pierroberto Folgiero told the FT it's time for Europe to take "responsibility" for subsea defenses.
• This comes amid intensifying Russian threats and reduced US commitments to the region.

The CEO of Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said Europe needs to boost its subsea defenses amid intensifying threats and weakening US security guarantees.

"The Mediterranean has always been populated by Russian and US submarines, it's up to us Europeans now to take responsibility for our underwater defence," Folgiero told the Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday.

"If European countries are going to spend more on defence, we should spend better," he added.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European military and political leaders have repeatedly accused Russia of sabotaging subsea cables that carry vital internet data and energy.

European militaries have scaled up their protection, with a specialist NATO unit launched in January increasing the surveillance and patrols of the vital infrastructure.

European defense firms are also boosting the development of technology to help underwater defenses.

Fincantieri, Europe's largest shipbuilder, announced last week that it expects its underwater division, which makes submarines, underwater drones, and other technology, to double in size over the next few years, to account for 8% of group revenue by 2027, and bring in the equivalent of $930 million.

When announcing its new subsea-focused strategy, the company said it would be partnering with Italy's Graal Tech to develop new subsea drone technology.

Folgiero told the FT that Europe faces a range of subsea threats, and that it's boosting production to meet them.

"Attention has focused on the Baltic Sea following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine," he said. "But the Mediterranean is twice as big as the Baltic and a crucial juncture from a geopolitical perspective."

"This is why we are betting on underwater defence and technology and increasing our industrial capabilities," Folgiero added.

Meanwhile, earlier this month German defense firm Helsing said it was working with the UK's Royal Navy to deploy new subsea drones to better monitor subsea infrastructure.