• Jamie Dimon and Elon Musk are continuing to make amends.
• The JPMorgan Chase CEO told CNBC they've "hugged it out."
• Dimon wished Musk the best with DOGE and said he'd "love to be helpful" with the government efficiency effort.

Jamie Dimon and Elon Musk are patching up their relationship after a yearslong feud.

Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" in an interview that aired Wednesday that the two of them have "hugged it out."

"He came to one of our conferences, he and I had a nice long chat, we've settled some of our differences," he said in the interview.

Musk attended a JPMorgan tech summit in March, where he and Dimon spoke for an hour onstage, and Musk also visited Dimon's suite at the resort, The Wall Street Journal reported in June, citing people familiar with the matter.

In his CNBC interview, Dimon went on to call Musk "our Einstein."

He also expressed support for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that Musk is leading. President Trump signed an executive order Monday to create DOGE and make it officially part of the White House. Its stated mandate now is to update the federal government's software and IT systems, a marked change from Musk's desire to use DOGE to slash regulations and federal spending.

"We deserve good government," Dimon said. "I don't think anyone thinks that sending another trillion dollars to Washington, D.C., will lend to good government so government needs to be more accountable. It needs to be more efficient, it should be outcomes-based."

Dimon said DOGE would have its work cut out for it, but he supports Musk's efforts.

"I wish him the best. It's going to be complicated, the federal government's complicated, you've read about all the people in it," Dimon said. "If we can be helpful to them, I'd love to be helpful to them."

Musk had floated the idea for DOGE in August during a live-streamed conversation with Donald Trump on X, formerly Twitter. Musk said he'd "be happy to help out" on a government efficiency commission — which Trump said he'd "love" — if Trump won the election. Musk spent upwards of $200 million in efforts to get Trump and other Republicans elected.

Dimon said last year that he does "actually like" the idea of "having an efficiency commission."

"I think governments have to become more efficient, more competent," Dimon said in an interview with CNBC in September. "And look at, when they take money, what do they get for it. I actually think it's a very good idea."

It now looks like Musk will lead DOGE alone after Ramaswamy dropped out earlier this week ahead of a possible gubernatorial bid in Ohio.

Dimon and Musk started reconciling last year after several spats and lawsuits over the years.

Their feud dates back at least to 2016, when JPMorgan walked away from underwriting leases for Tesla vehicles.

In 2021, JPMorgan sued Tesla and Musk for $162 million, saying Musk's carmaker "flagrantly" breached a 2014 contract pertaining to warrants sold to the bank. JPMorgan adjusted the value of warrants after Musk tweeted in 2018 about taking Tesla private, which he walked back shortly after. Tesla countersued, saying the bank was angry at being left out of Musk's business and that senior JPMorgan executives had "animus" toward Musk.

The SEC later charged Musk with securities fraud, and Tesla and Musk each agreed to pay $20 million to settle the suit.

The companies dropped their suits against each other in November and agreed for the case to be voluntarily dismissed with prejudice, meaning the claims can't be refiled.

• Tech CEOs, GOP megadonors, and media personalities celebrated Donald Trump's inauguration.
• Parties thrown by the likes of billionaire Peter Thiel and X attracted big Silicon Valley names.
• The weekend demonstrated a realignment of the richest's Trump support as he starts a second term.

Tech CEOs and billionaires were front and center, quite literally, at Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday — as well as at the parties celebrating his ascendence to president for the second time.

The photos of the Silicon Valley elite taken this past weekend in Washington, D.C., seem to leave little doubt of a broader realignment of Trump's relationship with some of the wealthiest individuals in the country as he heads into his second term. It's a marked change from 2016 and Trump's first term, which often saw the same tech CEOs at odds with the president.

Throughout the weekend, a similar cast of very rich characters was spotted at various events dedicated to the new president.

The Crypto Ball on Friday night kicked things off. One of the evening's stars was David Sacks, a PayPal Mafia member and Trump's incoming AI and crypto tzar. The event drew a number of billionaire guests from the industry, like crypto investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.

On Saturday, billionaire venture capitalist and GOP megadonor Peter Thiel threw an exclusive party at his D.C. mansion, attended by Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Uber founder Travis Kalanick, The New York Times reported.

On Sunday night, at a party thrown by X, Uber, and Bari Weiss's The Free Press, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi posed with UFC fighter Conor McGregor, while X CEO Linda Yaccarino smiled with podcaster Lex Fridman. The same evening, at a dinner at the National Building Museum, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, chatted with Ivanka Trump.

Monday night's official events — the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Liberty Ball, and the Starlight Ball — included performances from the likes of the Rascal Flatts, Gavin DeGraw, and Nelly, while Meta CEO Zuckerberg, who'd also had a prime place in the Capitol Rotunda, cohosted a party with billionaire GOP donor Miriam Adelson, Todd Ricketts, and billionaire Tilman Fertitta.

Throughout the weekend, many of Trump's billionaire donors who have been supporters since his first term were also out celebrating, as were members of the media, like podcaster Theo Von and YouTuber Jake Paul.

Here's a look at how the rich and famous celebrated Trump's inauguration:

Crypto Ball

One of the first events of the weekend, Friday's Crypto Ball in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, brought together many of the biggest — and richest — names in cryptocurrency.

The four hosts of the "All-In" podcast — venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg — were in attendance. Sacks will serve as the White House's artificial intelligence and crypto czar.

The billionaire Winklevoss twins, who donated to Trump's campaign, also showed up.

Uber, X, and The Free Press party

On Sunday, The Free Press, Uber, and X (formerly known as Twitter) jointly hosted a party for Trump at D.C.'s Cafe Riggs. Notable guests included Peter Thiel, Lex Fridman, and Jason Calacanis.

Candlelit dinner

The same evening, Bezos, Sánchez, Musk, and Shivon Zillis, a Neuralink executive with whom Musk shares three children, were seen at a candlelit dinner celebrating Donald Trump at the National Building Museum on Sunday.

The Starlight Ball

Monday night's festivities included three official balls, as well as other celebrations — like the one cohosted by Zuckerberg.

The Starlight Ball, held at D.C.'s Union Station, seemed to draw the largest collection of big names.

Sánchez posted photos of her ensemble for the Starlight Ball, featuring a Dolce & Gabbana dress and jewelry from Lorraine Schwartz.

X CEO Yaccarino and two other executives from X, which Elon Musk owns, attended the Starlight Ball.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin made an appearance as well.

Jake Paul and Mike Tyson were also out celebrating — and seemed to be getting along fine after their Netflix boxing match.

• Apple CEO Tim Cook's day starts before 5 a.m. and is full of hourslong meetings.
• Cook is a very private person but has given some insights into his daily routine over the years.
• He's said he reads hundreds of emails a day and is the last one to leave the office.

It takes a lot to run the world's largest company — including a very early wake-up call.

Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes up before dawn and starts his day by reading hundreds of feedback emails from customers before heading to the gym. Once he's at the office, he works long hours and leads famously lengthy meetings.

Cook is known to be a private person, but over the years, he's shared glimpses into his daily schedule.

Here's a look inside the typical day-to-day routine of Apple's chief executive:

Cook typically wakes up a little before 5 a.m.

"I get up really early, I'm an early bird," Cook said on an episode of the "Dua Lipa: At Your Service" podcast that aired in November, noting that he generally wakes between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.

He's said that at that early hour, he has the freedom to spend his time as he sees fit.

"I can control the morning better than the evening and through the day. Things happen through the day that kind of blow you off course," he told The Australian Financial Review in 2021. "The morning is yours. Or should I say, the early morning is yours."

On an episode of the podcast "Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware" released in January 2025, he added that the morning is "the part of the day that I can control the most."

"As the day starts to unfold, it becomes less predictable," he said. "So I love the part of the day that I can kind of block out the world and focus on a few critical things and just be silent for a while."

 

Once he's up, he spends about an hour reading through his emails.

The first thing Cook does in the morning is check his iPhone, on which "he reads email, reviews overnight sales reports and studies countries where numbers are changing to keep his finger on the pulse of the business," The Wall Street Journal reported in 2024.

"I spend my first hour doing email, and I'm pretty religious about doing this," he said on Dua Lipa's podcast. "I read emails from a lot of customers and employees, and the customers are telling me things that they love about us or things that they want changed about us. Employees are giving me ideas. But it's a way to stay grounded in terms of what the community is feeling, and I love it."

Cook said on the "Table Manners" podcast that he gets "probably 500, 600" emails per day although that number can be far higher on "days where there's something extraordinary going on."

"I get notes both that are positive and some that are not so positive because people feel free to reach out and voice their opinion and I think this is great because it keeps my hand on the pulse of the company," Cook told WSJ in 2024. "I try to internalize it and ask myself, well is that accurate or not, and not just quickly put up a defensive shield and say, 'Why? What we've done is right.'"

Employees, too, have experienced Cook's early-morning emails.

"Tim wakes up really early and is very well capable of expecting you to reply back before the sun comes up," one source told Business Insider in 2014.

Before he can head to the office, the Apple CEO hits the gym several days a week.

"I spend an hour in the gym, usually doing strength training, and I've got somebody to really push me to do things I don't want to do," he told Dua Lipa. "I do no work during that period of time at all, I never check my phone, I'm just totally focused on working out."

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2014 that Cook didn't work out on Apple's campus, opting instead for a gym where he was less likely to run into his employees.

Cook told Axios in 2018 that working out helps "keeps my stress at bay."

After his workout and a shower, Cook gets a coffee.

Cook told the Journal in 2024 that he drinks "many cups" of coffee a day.

He'll typically have some "protein-based" cereal like Kashi with unsweetened almond milk, he said on the "Table Manners" podcast.

Once he's at work, Cook hosts marathon meetings.

The Journal's 2014 article reported that Cook's weekly operations meetings could last five or six hours and that he was known to relentlessly question employees.

"'Talk about your numbers. Put your spreadsheet up,' he'd say as he nursed a Mountain Dew," the Journal wrote.

Cook has since said he's a big fan of Diet Mountain Dew, though Apple's campus doesn't stock it.

Mike Janes, the former head of Apple's online store, told CNN Money in 2008 about an afternoon meeting with Cook.

"A number of us had tickets to see the Mets that night," Janes said. "After hours, he was still drilling us with question after question while we were watching the clock like kids in school. I still have this vision of Tim saying, 'Okay, next page,' as he opened yet another energy bar. Needless to say, we missed the Mets game."

He also has no problem sitting in silence until he gets a suitable answer.

"In meetings, he's known for long, uncomfortable pauses, when all you hear is the sound of his tearing the wrapper of the energy bars he constantly eats," CNN Money reported.

As a result, the Journal said, employees had learned to be prepared, cramming for the meetings as if they were tests.

For lunch, he keeps it pretty simple at the Apple cafeteria.

The Journal reported in 2014 that besides the energy bars he was snacking on throughout the day, he stuck to meals such as chicken and rice for lunch.

Cook has been known to eat his lunch in the cafeteria with employees, unlike his predecessor Steve Jobs, who would typically eat with then-design chief Jony Ive.

"I have lunch in Caffè Macs and I take a dinner home from Caffè Macs during the week," he said on the "Table Manners" podcast. "I typically go for the fish."

Cook works long days at the office.

"I'll divide the day in terms of spending time with product teams or spending time with marketing teams or spending time with the executive team, and we're either handling issues of the day or hopefully our balance is more on working on future stuff, and thinking about what's next," he said on Dua Lipa's podcast.

When he was COO, he was known for being one of the first people in the office and one of the last people to leave.

 

After-hours, Cook's life is more of a mystery.

We don't know much about how Cook spends his weekends and evenings, though he's said he's outdoorsy and enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and cycling.

He usually goes to national parks on vacation, he said on the "Table Manners" podcast. 

He has also vacationed at the Canyon Ranch resort in Arizona, where guests spotted him keeping to himself, often dining alone and reading on his iPad, Fortune's 2012 profile of Cook said.

More recently, he went caving in Slovenia in the summer of 2024.

He's also talked about using the Vision Pro when at home to watch "Ted Lasso" and other TV shows while stretched out on the couch.

Áine Cain contributed to an earlier version of this story.

• The impression you make in a job interview can make or break your chances of getting the role.
• Just as candidates watch for red flags in potential employers, hiring teams look for red flags in candidates.
• Recruiting pros told BI the red flags they watch for, from lateness to AI-generated cover letters.

You might have your own "red flags" you look for when job-searching that signal when to steer clear of a particular role or employer.

Well, the red flags go both ways: Recruiters and hiring managers have their own telltale signs they watch out for in job applicants that can sour their feelings on a candidate.

BI spoke with a handful of recruiting professionals to learn the red flags applicants can exhibit that hurt their chances of landing the job.

Being late

The first impression you make can begin to form before even saying a word. That includes how you arrive for an interview.

"It may seem like a no-brainer, but showing up late can count against you in the process," says Marissa Morrison, VP of People at ZipRecruiter.

"Arriving to your interview on time shows respect for the hiring manager's time while reiterating your interest in the role," she added. "During the interview process, you want to present your best self. This is the type of mistake that could cost you the job."

Using AI-generated application materials

Amri Celeste, a recruitment manager and interview coach, says cover letters clearly written with AI are "becoming more and more common." She said that they've been crossing her desk every week recently — some still including the prompt an applicant used to create them.

AI-generated cover letters "do candidates a disservice," she says.

"It stops me from assessing their ability to communicate effectively, which is critical for roles requiring strong writing skills, and makes it harder to shortlist candidates effectively, and then give updates and feedback quickly."

Omitting a cover letter

The debate over whether or not to write a cover letter rages on, but there's a clear answer for Andrew Fennell, a former corporate recruiter and the founder of the résumé-builder website StandOut CV.

"Over the years I've found that people who can't be bothered to do that don't usually have great work ethic," he said. "It doesn't have to be an A4 essay, just something brief in their email to show that they've read the job advert and explain why they think they would be a good fit for the job."

On the flip side, applicants who submit a well-tailored cover letter "will always stand out and ensure that I read their résumé," he said.

Being unwilling to relocate

Kyle Samuels spent 20 years in senior-level executive recruiting and now leads executive search agency Creative Talent Endeavors.

He makes a mental note of applicants who dodge the question of whether they're willing to relocate for a position, as he said that shows they may not be "extremely serious about a role."

Badmouthing previous employers or colleagues

Be careful how you speak about former jobs and colleagues.

"Speaking negatively about previous or current employers or team members and pushing the blame on others" is a big red flag for Lauren Monroe, who leads the creative practice group at Aquent, a staffing agency for creative, marketing, and design roles.

Lying

Lying in an interview can get you in some pretty hot water and tank your chances of getting the position.

"Don't ever lie" in an interview, says Tessa White, a former head of HR and the CEO of The Job Doctor and author of "The Unspoken Truths for Career Success."

"You'd be surprised how much goodwill you get from your interviewer when you give authentic insight into your career growth and you can talk honestly about what you've learned along the way," she said.

Being unprepared

"You should never walk into an interview without doing your research," says Amy Garefis, chief people officer at ZipRecruiter. "Make sure you understand the role you are interviewing for, what the company does, and how your skills apply to this position."

Be prepared with details and specifics about your role in projects or deliverables.

• Donald Trump did not immediately impose tariffs on Inauguration Day, despite his campaign promises.
• He vowed tariffs are coming February 1 and will lead to "massive amounts of money" entering the US Treasury.
• Trade experts have said broad tariffs could increase prices for consumers and spark inflation.

President Donald Trump is back in the White House, and one of his top priorities is tariffs and trade.

While no tariffs were imposed on January 20, Trump said on Inauguration Day they'd be coming on February 1.

The president said during his inauguration speech that he plans to create the External Revenue Service, which would collect tariffs, duties, and revenues. He said this agency would lead to "massive amounts of money" coming into the US Treasury. Trump first announced his plans for the creation of the External Revenue Service on January 14.

The details of the plan are unclear, and creating a new agency requires approval from Congress.

"Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens," Trump said during his inauguration speech.

In a second speech on Inauguration Day, Trump reiterated his plan to implement new tariffs before signing a flurry of executive orders, including a freeze on federal hiring, a return-to-office mandate for federal workers, and an order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord.

"Tariffs are going to make us rich as hell," Trump said. "It's going to bring our country's businesses back."

Trump said on Monday that he'd impose a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada on February 1, citing illegal immigration and drugs entering the US from those countries. He's previously warned of an additional 10% tariff on all goods imported from China on top of the tariffs he had already proposed.

Answering questions from reporters while signing additional executive orders at the White House on Monday, Trump said he believes tariffs will bolster manufacturing stateside.

"We're going to have a lot of companies coming in to avoid tariffs. You know, if you don't want tariffs all you have to do is build your plant in the US. So we're going to have a lot of workers coming in, but we have to have legal immigration," he said.

Asked if he was still considering a universal tariff on all countries, Trump responded, "I may, yeah, but we're not ready for that yet."

Trump's past comments on tariffs

On the campaign trail, broad tariffs were a cornerstone of Trump's platform. He proposed a 60% tariff on all goods imported from China, along with a 10% to 20% tariff on all imports from other countries.

Trump also threatened the BRICS group — which consists of emerging countries including Brazil, Russia, India, and China — with a 100% tariff on imports from those countries unless they committed to not creating another currency that competes with the US dollar.

On Monday, he reiterated his interest in slapping a 100% tariff on BRICS nations while also appearing to include Spain as part of the group. Spain is not part of BRICS.

Trade industry experts previously told Business Insider that Trump's tariff proposals could cause the prices of impacted goods to increase, leading consumers to pay more for products like electronics or apparel, creating a form of consumption tax.

A number of companies have already announced that they are preparing to raise prices in anticipation of the tariffs. Some economists have also predicted that broad tariffs could increase inflation, likely causing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

Trump has denied that his tariff proposals would hurt the economy and consumers, saying during a speech in August that his plans have "nothing to do with taxes to us. That is a tax on another country."

Many economists have argued that the costs of tariffs could largely fall on US consumers; the left-leaning Center for American Progress estimated that the president's trade plans could cost the typical American household an extra $1,500 a year.

Brian Hughes, a Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, told BI that Trump "has promised tariff policies that protect the American manufacturers and working men and women from the unfair practices of foreign companies and foreign markets."

"As he did in his first term, he will implement economic and trade policies to make life affordable and more prosperous for our nation," Hughes said.

How tariffs will impact consumers and the economy

Trump implemented tariffs during his first term, which did not significantly impact inflation. Some economists, however, predict his proposals this time around could have a larger impact on the economy given their broader scope. For example, the nonpartisan Peterson Institute estimated that Trump's 60% tariff on goods imported from China would boost inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2025.

During his inauguration speech, Trump touched on inflation concerns, which he blamed on government overspending and high energy prices. He vowed to direct members of his Cabinet to fight inflation and bring prices down by focusing on expanding domestic energy supply, specifically for oil and gas, and ramping up domestic manufacturing.

"Today, I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill," Trump said.

It's unclear how quickly consumers could see the tariffs translated into higher prices on goods or whether a drop in energy prices could counteract the effect.

In a recent report, the National Retail Federation predicted that Trump's tariff plans would raise prices on apparel and shoes, furniture, and appliances. An October report from the Consumer Technology Association estimated that the proposed tariffs would increase laptop and tablet costs by 45%.

"It's tough to say right now at what point consumers would feel the impact," Jonathan Gold, the vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, previously told BI.

"It could also depend upon the individual companies and what their tariff mitigation plans are and how much they can try and lessen the impact on the consumers," Gold added.

Trump's tariffs could also face legal challenges due to their potential violations of the US-Mexico-Canada agreement, a free-trade agreement negotiated by Trump in his first term that went into effect in July 2020.

• President Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.
• Both Jill Biden and Melania Trump wore outfits by American designers.
• Usha Vance, the second lady, wore a pink coat, while Ivanka Trump wore a green skirt suit.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance took the oath of office on Inauguration Day on Monday.

Political spouses, Trump family members, and other VIPs attended the festivities, which included the official swearing-in ceremony and black-tie events.

Here are the most notable inauguration outfits.

At the vice-presidential dinner on Saturday, Usha Vance, the second lady, wore a custom black velvet Oscar de la Renta gown.

Ivanka Trump wore a custom Oscar de la Renta dress embroidered with crystals and pearls to an inaugural dinner on Sunday.

On Inauguration Day, Melania Trump, the first lady, wore a navy coat and skirt by the American designer Adam Lippes with a wide-brimmed hat by Eric Javits.

Jill Biden, the former first lady, wore a purple coat and dress designed by Ralph Lauren, a color often worn to symbolize bipartisan unity.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris wore a black pantsuit with zipper detailing.

Usha Vance wore a pink Oscar de la Renta coat and scarf with tan Manolo Blahnik boots.

Many of Trump's children and their families wore dark blues.

Ivanka Trump wore an asymmetrical forest-green Dior skirt suit to the inauguration with a matching beret and black stilettos.

Tiffany Trump accessorized her blue velvet dress with Christian Louboutin boots.

Trump's granddaughter Kai Trump wore a gray turtleneck sweater dress and a necklace with a gold heart pendant.

Former President George W. Bush wore a navy suit and blue tie. The former first lady Laura Bush wore a rust-colored dress with a pearl necklace and pearl earrings.

Former President Bill Clinton and the former secretary of state Hillary Clinton coordinated in deep-blue outfits. Hillary Clinton wore a Stella McCartney pantsuit and accessorized with a Peace on Earth brooch from the jewelry designer Ann Hand.

Former President Barack Obama wore a black suit and a striped blue tie. The former first lady Michelle Obama didn't attend the inauguration.

Former Vice President Mike Pence wore a black suit and blue speckled tie.

Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos' fiancée, wore a white Alexander McQueen suit and a white lace bra.

Melania Trump let her hair down and changed into a black-and-white dress by Hervé Pierre for the Commander-in-Chief Ball.

Usha Vance switched to a sequined blue dress as she appeared with her husband, Vice President JD Vance, at the Commander-in-Chief Ball.

Ivanka Trump wore a Givenchy haute-couture gown to the Liberty Ball. Kushner matched her look in a black tuxedo.

Kai Trump wore a sparkly Sherri Hill dress to the Liberty Ball.

• Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.
• Big names in business and tech attended the inauguration and other weekend celebrations.
• Here are the billionaires and CEOs who attended Trump's inaugural ceremony.

Donald Trump was sworn in as president of the United States for the second time on Monday, and key business and tech leaders were there to watch it happen — and to try to get in his good graces.

It's a shift from recent years, when Big Tech leaders and Trump appeared more at odds.

Several of them even sat on the inaugural platform, getting better seats than some of Trump's cabinet appointees.

Tesla's Elon Musk, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos were among those seated on the inaugural platform. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in contrast, reportedly watched from an overflow room.

Here are the billionaires and CEOs who attended Trump's inauguration.

Elon Musk, Tesla, SpaceX, and X

Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO who spent hundreds of millions helping to elect Trump, attended the inauguration and spoke at an inaugural rally Monday.

Musk has been a frequent visitor to Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, since Trump was reelected.

Trump tapped Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, though Ramaswamy confirmed Monday he's leaving DOGE.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, attended the inauguration ceremony and sat on the platform.

Later on Monday, Zuckerberg posted a photo of himself and Chan dressed for an inauguration event with the caption "Optimistic and celebrating," alongside an American flag emoji.

Meta was one of the first major companies to donate $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund, and has started 2025 with a slew of changes that appear to be influenced by Trump's politics.

Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November, and was "very keen to play an active role" in the president's tech policymaking, Meta's then-global affairs chief, Nick Clegg, said at the time.

Trump was a vocal critic of Facebook in his first term and last year threatened to jail Zuckerberg if re-elected.

While Zuckerberg didn't endorse a candidate for president in 2024, he said Trump's reaction to being shot at a rally in Pennsylvania last summer was "badass."

Jeff Bezos, Amazon

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, reportedly met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in December. Amazon also donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.

Bezos said at The New York Times' DealBook Summit last month that he was "actually very optimistic" about another Trump term, and would like to help Trump with "reducing regulation"

"What I've seen so far is he is calmer than he was the first time and more settled," Bezos said. "You've probably grown in the last eight years. He has, too."

Bezos didn't always feel this way about Trump.

In 2016, he said Trump's desire to lock up Hillary Clinton and his stated refusal to accept a loss in the presidential election that year "erodes our democracy around the edges."

Trump has also criticized Amazon and The Washington Post, which Bezos owns, frequently over the years.

In 2024, for the first time in decades, The Post didn't endorse a presidential candidate. Bezos reportedly intervened to block an endorsement of Kamala Harris.

Bezos later defended the decision, writing in an op-ed that endorsements "create a perception of bias" and "do nothing to tip the scales of an election."

Tim Cook, Apple

Unlike some of his peers, Apple CEO Tim Cook — better known to Trump as "Tim Apple" — made a $1 million donation to Trump's inaugural fund from his own wallet, rather than from his company.

Cook has credited the first Trump administration with helping Apple break into the retail market in India.

Sam Altman, OpenAI

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also made a personal donation of $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.

Altman has stated that he agrees with some of Trump's views around bureaucratic blockades.

"The thing I really deeply agree with the president on is, it is wild how difficult it has become to build things in the United States," Altman told Bloomberg earlier this month.

He added: "Power plants, data centers, any of that kind of stuff. I understand how bureaucratic cruft builds up, but it's not helpful to the country in general."

Shou Zi Chew, TikTok

Shou Zi Chew, TikTok's CEO, was also spotted in the Capitol Rotunda.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled against TikTok on its challenge against a divest-or-ban law. The platform briefly went dark for US users on Saturday night but resumed its services on Sunday after Trump said he would pause the ban with an executive order.

On Friday, Chew thanked Trump for "his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States."

Sundar Pichai, Google

Google CEO Sundar Pichai was also in attendance Monday.

Google was among the companies that donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.

Rupert Murdoch, NewsCorp

Rupert Murdoch, the patriarch of the Fox News empire, was also in attendance.

Bernard Arnault, LVMH

French billionaire Bernard Arnault, the CEO of luxury conglomerate LVMH, which includes brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior, attended the inauguration.

He was joined by daughter Delphine Arnault, who is CEO of Dior, and son Alexandre Arnault, who will become deputy CEO of LVMH's wines and spirits division, Moët Hennessy, starting in February.

Dana White, UFC

Silicon Valley's growing alignment with the cultural MAGA-verse was also on display Monday.

In attendance at the inauguration was Dana White, president and CEO of UFC, who was recently appointed to the board of Meta, and is a close Trump ally.

White and Meta's Zuckerberg, whose hobbies include MMA fighting, have been spotted together multiple times over the years.

Podcaster Theo Von, one of the internet celebrities Trump used to court young male voters, was at the inauguration, too, representing an ascendant realm of right-wing media.

Joe Rogan, who interviewed Trump on his podcast in late October, also attended.

Miriam Adelson, Las Vegas Sands

Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, was also in attendance.

According to the Associated Press, the longtime GOP megadonor co-hosted a reception for Trump on Monday night alongside Zuckerberg, Tilman Fertitta, Trump's pick for US ambassador to Italy, Todd Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, and Ricketts' wife, Sylvie Légère.

Phil Ruffin, Circus Circus Hotel and Casino

Las Vegas casino magnate Phil Ruffin attended the inauguration with his wife, Oleksandra Nikolayenko.

Trump had served as Ruffin's best man when he married Nikolayenko in 2008.

Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries

Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, attended Trump's inauguration along with his wife Nita, a spokesperson for Ambani confirmed to Business Insider.

The couple also attended Trump's pre-inauguration reception in Washington on Saturday.

Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment

Linda McMahon, Trump's nominee for education secretary and the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, was also present at Trump's inauguration.

While not a billionaire in her own right, McMahon gave $15 million to Trump's campaign and is married to Vincent McMahon, the former executive chairman of WWE-owned TKO Group Holdings, valued at $3 billion.

She led the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019, during Trump's first term in office.

Scott Bessent, Wall Street veteran

Also in attendance was Scott Bessent, Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary.

Bessent founded and runs the macro hedge fund Key Square Group and served as Trump's top economic advisor during the campaign.

If he gets Senate confirmation, Bessent would be the highest-ranking LGBTQ+ official in American history, according to the Associated Press.

Doug Burgum, Arthur Ventures

Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was another attendee at Trump's inauguration.

Burgum, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Interior and "energy czar," co-founded Arthur Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage B2B software businesses and manages $1.1 billion.

Chris Wright, Liberty Energy

Chris Wright, founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, an oilfield services firm with a $3.7 billion net value, was also present.

Trump has tapped Wright to lead the Department of Energy, but he will continue in his positions until the Senate confirms him, the company said.

Howard Lutnick, Cantor Fitzgerald

Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Wall Street investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald, was another attendee at Trump's inauguration.

Lutnick, who has been put forward as the next commerce secretary, has been president and CEO of the financial services firm since 1991.

In recent years, the billionaire banker has become a key advisor to Trump as well as a major fundraiser.

He is cochair of the Trump transition team.

Others congratulated Trump online

Responses from the corporate world also poured in online.

Pichai, Cook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg were among those congratulating Trump on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday.

Correction: January 20, 2025 — An earlier version of this story misstated Jeff Bezos' current position at Amazon. He is the founder and executive chairman, not the CEO.

• As the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman is frequently asked for his predictions about how AI will change our lives.
• He has thoughts on where we're headed on AGI, superintelligence, agentic AI, and more.
• Here are some of his predictions about the future of AI.

Over the years, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has shared predictions about where he thinks we're headed on artificial general intelligence, superintelligence, agentic AI, and more — and when we might get there.

He's typically bullish on these technologies: He thinks AGI — which ChatGPT maker OpenAI defines as "AI systems that are generally smarter than humans" — will enhance productivity by taking care of menial tasks to free up people for more abstract work and decision-making. He also believes it'll create "shared intelligence," he said in a May 2024 interview at Harvard Business School, and that it'll usher in "massive prosperity," he forecast in a 2024 blog post titled "The Intelligence Age."

One day, everyone will have "a personal AI team, full of virtual experts in different areas, working together to create almost anything we can imagine," Altman wrote in his 2024 blog post.

"AI models will soon serve as autonomous personal assistants who carry out specific tasks on our behalf like coordinating medical care on your behalf. At some point further down the road, AI systems are going to get so good that they help us make better next-generation systems and make scientific progress across the board," he added.

As far as timelines go, Altman wrote in a January 2025 blog post that he thinks this year "we may see the first AI agents 'join the workforce' and materially change the output of companies."

He said in December at The New York Times' DealBook Summit he thinks we'll achieve AGI "sooner than most people in the world think and it will matter much less."

"We are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it," he added in his January post.

Beyond AGI, the company is also turning its attention to superintelligence, which it defines as "future AI systems dramatically more capable than even AGI."

"Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity," he wrote in his blog post earlier this year.

Altman has shared some concerns about ways AI development could go wrong, though.

"If we don't build enough infrastructure, AI will be a very limited resource that wars get fought over and that becomes mostly a tool for rich people," he wrote last year. He cited the need to drive down the cost of compute, as well as the massive demand for enough chips and energy to power AI.

Then there's the repercussions for people's jobs.

"Most jobs will change more slowly than most people think, and I have no fear that we'll run out of things to do (even if they don't look like "real jobs" to us today)," he wrote in his 2024 blog post.

At the same time, he acknowledged in 2023 that many people will lose their jobs in the process.

"A lot of people working on AI pretend that it's only going to be good, it's only going to be a supplement, no one is ever going to be replaced," he said. "Jobs are definitely going to go away, full stop."

And his bleakest statement on AI yet: That the worst-case scenario is "lights out for all of us," he said in a 2023 interview.

To that end, Altman has spoken about the need for guardrails to ensure responsible AI development.

"I think it's like impossible to overstate the importance of AI safety and alignment work. I would like to see much, much more happening," he said in the 2023 interview.

• Americans are flocking to Chinese app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, as a potential US TikTok ban looms.
• Some of them are learning Mandarin in an attempt to bridge the language divide on the app.
• Language-learning apps Duolingo and Drops told BI they've seen an increase in US users learning Chinese.

The threat of TikTok going dark in the US appears to have compelled some Americans to start learning Mandarin as they look to communicate on a rival Chinese app.

Many Americans are joining Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, as a potential TikTok ban looms in the US. As they hop from TikTok to RedNote, some of the so-called "TikTok refugees" are learning Mandarin to bridge the language divide.

Language learning apps Duolingo and Drops told BI they've seen a jump in US users learning Mandarin on their platforms recently.

"oh so NOW you're learning mandarin," Duolingo joked in a tweet Tuesday.

However, the spike in interest is real, according to the company.

Duolingo told BI it's seen roughly 216% growth in new Mandarin learners in the US compared to this time last year. The company says this is "a much bigger increase" than that of other languages, even when it comes to some of its most popular offerings. Spanish, for example, saw 40% growth in the same period.

Duolingo also asked new users in a survey how they heard about the app, and said it's seen "a corresponding spike in people selecting 'TikTok' as their answer."

Duoling was the 18th most downloaded free app in Apple's App Store on Thursday.

Another language learning app, Estonia-based Drops, said it has seen an increase in Chinese-language learners too.

Frederik Cordes, general manager at Drops, told BI the app has welcomed "three times as many users learning Chinese during the past few days and five times more US-based users learning Chinese" than what it expected based on the previous two weeks.

While the company has recently added new features, Cordes believes "the current spikes do indicate there are external factors with strong contributions to installs."

Noël Wolf, a cultural expert from Babbel, which does not offer Chinese, told BI that the influx of Americans to RedNote "marks an unprecedented level of direct cultural exchange facilitated by language learning and communication at a scale we've never seen before."

In one TikTok, a user pointed to a cat before saying in Chinese, "Hello, this is my cat. I am learning Mandarin. This is day one."

"Me after literally 2 hours on RedNote," the person captioned the video.

A second TikTok featured another user speaking Chinese, with the text overlay on the video reading, "Trying to learn Chinese to be a more respectful RedNote user."

"I hope this came out alright," the user captioned the video.

And it turns out RedNote's popularity isn't just driving some Americans to learn Chinese. As new users flood the app from the US, some of RedNote's Chinese users are learning English from Americans new to the app.

More than 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu in two days, Reuters reported, citing a person close to the company. While the growth is notable, that would represent a fraction of TikTok's 170 million US users.

For now, TikTok's future in the US remains up in the air.

TikTok could be banned from US app stores from Sunday under a law that would require it to divest from its current owner, Chinese company ByteDance. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing TikTok's appeal.

There are some potential US buyers who could swoop in to prevent the ban, though, and President Biden could grant a 90-day extension if there's "significant" progress on a deal.

President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office Monday and supported banning TikTok in his first term, has recently expressed interest in keeping the app operating in the US, saying he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok."

• Decisions, decisions.
• Billionaires and CEOs have to choose between Donald Trump's inauguration or the first day of Davos.
• Attending Trump's inauguration could mean scoring face time with the new president.

It's a scheduling conflict most of us will never know.

Some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful people are staring down a decision as the first major events of the billionaire social calendar this year overlap.

President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20 coincides with the first day of Davos, an annual gathering of the world's business and politics elite in Davos, Switzerland, held by the World Economic Forum.

Those invited to both must now decide: Do they miss potential face time with the incoming president and members of his inner circle or skip a day of networking with political leaders and business titans from around the globe?

Trump's swearing-in begins at noon ET on Monday.

The first item on the agenda at Davos, "First Impressions: Inauguration Day," starts at 3 p.m. local time Monday. (Davos is six hours ahead of Washington, DC.) Later on Monday, an awards ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Davos time, followed by an open forum and an opening concert, both at 6:30 p.m. Given the time difference, you couldn't possibly attend both Trump's inauguration and Davos day one in person — even with a private jet.

A slew of major US companies or their execs made $1 million donations to Trump's inauguration fund, including Meta, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, and Uber.

Making a donation and attending the inauguration could be savvy business moves. Trump was a vocal critic of Big Tech in his first term, so those firms and their execs could benefit from maneuvering to be in his good graces when he retakes the Oval Office.

Big donations to presidential inauguration funds typically come with exclusive perks, like seats for the inaugural address or entry to black-tie balls or other events.

Donors who gave $1 million to the fund were supposed to receive six tickets each to six different events, including Trump's swearing-in and a January 19 "candlelight dinner" with Trump and his wife, Melania, The New York Times reported. Some big donors, however, may no longer receive VIP tickets as some events have already reached capacity, the Times reported.

While it will become clear on Monday who opted to go to Washington, some CEOs are virtually guaranteed to attend Trump's inauguration.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been frequently spotted by Trump's side since the election and has lambasted Davos in the past.

Screenshots of invitations for a black-tie reception Monday night cohosted by Mark Zuckerberg also circulated on social media this week. The invite says that Zuckerberg will cohost the event with Miriam Adelson, the billionaire widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson; Tilman Fertitta, Trump's pick for US ambassador to Italy; and Chicago Cubs owner Todd Ricketts and his wife, Sylvie Légère.

For those who choose to attend the inauguration, they'll still be able to catch much of Davos. The annual event concludes on January 24.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.
• Carrie Underwood performed a cappella at the swearing-in ceremony after an issue with the musical accompaniment.
• The inaugural festivities included three balls, at which musicians, including Billy Ray Cyrus and Nelly, performed.

President-elect Donald Trump was sworn into office Monday for a second non-consecutive term, and his team enlisted the help of some celebrity acts for his inaugural ceremony and related events.

One such event, The Victory Rally, took place Sunday and featured performances by Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Village People.

On Inauguration Day, following Trump's swearing-in ceremony, three separate balls took place: the Liberty Ball, the Commander-in-Chief Ball, and the Starlight Ball.

Here is a list of 11 musical acts that performed at the 2025 inauguration events:

Carrie Underwood (Swearing-in ceremony)

Carrie Underwood performed "America the Beautiful" a cappella after an apparent issue interfered with the planned musical accompaniment to her performance.

"I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event," Underwood said in a statement to Business Insider on January 14. "I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future."

The "American Idol" alum has largely tried to stay out of politics throughout her career.

"I feel like more people try to pin me places politically," Underwood told The Guardian in 2019. "I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins. It's crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it's black and white. And it's not like that."

Christopher Macchio (Swearing-in ceremony)

Opera singer Christopher Macchio performed the national anthem at the inauguration.

"It is with the deepest humility that I will perform our national anthem, to pay tribute to our great country, and to its newly sworn-in Commander-in-chief, President Donald J. Trump," Macchio said in a statement to BI on January 20.

A representative for Macchio also confirmed that the singer had performed during an inauguration party at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, on Saturday, and is also scheduled to perform at the National Cathedral with the Marine Band Orchestra on Tuesday.

In 2020, Macchio sang at a White House memorial service for Trump's younger brother, Robert Trump, per the Associated Press.

More recently, in October, Macchio performed "New York, New York," at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden.

Lady Gaga performed the national anthem at President Biden's swearing-in in 2021.

Lee Greenwood (Multiple events)

Lee Greenwood, best known for his song "God Bless the USA," has long been affiliated with Trump, and has appeared at multiple rallies for Trump. He performed at the Victory Rally on Sunday and again at the swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

"This particular time, we have elected to be live with the United States Marine Corps band, and that's going to have a particularly majestic presentation of my song," he told the Washington Examiner. "It'll be a wonderful appearance."

Village People (Multiple events)

During Sunday's Victory Rally and again at the Liberty Ball on Monday night, Trump danced along onstage as the Village People performed their signature song, "Y.M.C.A."

On January 13, Village People, the '70s disco band known for hits like "Macho Man," announced on its official Facebook page that it would be performing at "various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump."

"We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics," the group's post read. "Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost."

The band's decision to perform at the inauguration events is a reversal of its stance from two years ago.

In 2023, the band's manager sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump's lawyer, requesting that Trump stop using Village People's music and likeness at his events, following an "unauthorized" performance by a cover band at Mar-a-Lago.

A representative for Village People did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Jason Aldean (Liberty Ball)

Jason Aldean, who Trump called a "fantastic guy" in 2023, also performed at the Liberty Ball.

He sang some of his popular hits, including "Try That in a Small Town." The song — which critics said had racist undertones and promoted gun violence — sparked controversy in 2023 because its accompanying video was filmed at a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a Black man was lynched in 1927.

Aldean responded to those accusations in a statement on X, saying that those references were "not only meritless but dangerous."

Before performing the song at the ball, Aldean doubled down on his stance.

"This next song kind of stirred up a little bit of some shit. But I've always said I stand by the song, I stand by the video, I stand by what it says," Aldean said. "And I think President Trump knows too, because he called me when it came out and told me he liked the song and what a great song it was, that kind of thing."

The musician has played at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve at least twice, per Country Now.

A representative for Aldean did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Billy Ray Cyrus (Multiple events)

Following a performance at the Victory Rally on Sunday, Billy Ray Cyrus took the stage again on Monday. He sang "Old Town Road" and "Achy Breaky Heart" during his set at the Liberty Ball, but his performance was riddled with technical issues.

At one point during his set, he couldn't hear his guitar. "Check, check, is anybody awake?" the singer said as he requested assistance from the stage crew.

"You all want to sing more or you just want me to get the hell off the stage? I don't give a damn," he said.

Some internet users also took to social media to criticize Cyrus' "embarrassingly awful" performance and his rough-sounding voice.

This comes after the country singer attended a Trump rally over the summer, as seen on Instagram.

His daughter, Miley Cyrus, has previously been a vocal critic of the president, calling him a "nightmare" in 2016, per People.

A representative for Cyrus did not have a statement for BI.

Nelly (Liberty Ball)

Nelly, the Grammy Award-winning rapper, performed some of his biggest hits, including "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma," at the Liberty Ball.

On Sunday, during a YouTube stream hosted by rapper Willie D, Nelly defended his decision to perform and said that he was "not political."

"Performing for somebody and voting for somebody is two different things. Endorsing people is two different things," Nelly said during the stream.

The singer added that he wasn't too bothered by the backlash he received following the announcement of his performance.

"It is an honor for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office," he said. "If President Biden would have asked me to perform, I would have performed. If Vice President Kamala Harris would have won and asked me to perform, I would have performed."

He added that he wasn't "doing this for money."

A representative for Nelly did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular hours.

Rascal Flatts (Commander-in-Chief Ball)

Rascal Flatts performed at the Commander-in-Chief Ball.

Gary LeVox, the lead vocalist, had taken to Instagram last week to announce the band's performance.

"I am so humbled and honored and grateful for the opportunity again to play the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. I got to play it in 2016 and now Rascal Flatts will be performing at the commanders ball and I am so looking forward to it!" LeVox wrote in an Instagram post.

The band — known for hits such as "Life is a Highway" and "What Hurts The Most" — disbanded in 2021 but announced last year that they would be coming together for a reunion tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

LeVox previously performed at the Veterans Inaugural Ball in 2017 without his bandmates.

Parker McCollum (Commander-in-Chief Ball)

Parker McCollum also performed at the Commander-in-Chief Ball.

McCollum has been releasing music since 2013 and had something of a breakthrough in the last couple of years. His single "Burn It Down" was nominated for song of the year at the 2024 CMA Awards.

Gavin DeGraw (Starlight Ball)

Gavin DeGraw performed at the final official ball of Monday evening, the Starlight Ball.

The singer is known for songs such as "I Don't Want to Be," "In Love with a Girl," and "Not Over You."

Kid Rock (Victory Rally)

Kid Rock was one of multiple performers at the Victory Rally on Sunday.

Rock performed at the 2024 Republican National Convention last summer and appeared with Trump at a UFC fight in November, so it wasn't a surprise that he was tapped to celebrate him once again.

A representative for the rapper did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook have criticized each other's companies for years.
• They've traded barbs over Apple's prices and Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal. 
• The latest exchange is Zuckerberg saying Apple is "squeezing people" for more money and lacks innovation.

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Apple's Tim Cook have a long-standing feud.

The two tech titans have been bickering since at least 2014, trading barbs over each other's products and business models. Over the years, their battle has escalated to include public jabs, pointed ad campaigns, and even a legal dispute.

In January, Zuckerberg went on Joe Rogan's podcast and said Apple hasn't "really invented anything great in a while" since the iPhone launched under Steve Jobs.

Here's when the rivalry began, and what's happened since.

The feud between Zuckerberg and Cook became public in 2014, when Cook lambasted Facebook's business model.

In September 2014, Cook gave an in-depth interview with Charlie Rose that touched on a range of topics, including privacy.

During the interview — which took place in the weeks following the infamous leaks of multiple female celebrities' nude photos stored on their iCloud accounts — Cook espoused Apple's commitment to privacy while denouncing the business models of companies like Google and Facebook. 

"I think everyone has to ask, how do companies make their money? Follow the money," Cook said. "And if they're making money mainly by collecting gobs of personal data, I think you have a right to be worried. And you should really understand what's happening to that data."  

Shortly after, Cook reiterated his stance in an open letter on Apple's dedicated privacy site. 

"A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you're not the customer. You're the product," Cook wrote. 

Cook's comments rankled Zuckerberg, who called the claims "ridiculous" and blasted Apple products as being expensive.

In an interview with Time later that year, Zuckerberg was reportedly visibly irritated by Cook's assertions. 

"A frustration I have is that a lot of people increasingly seem to equate an advertising business model with somehow being out of alignment with your customers," Zuckerberg told Time's Lev Grossman. "I think it's the most ridiculous concept. What, you think because you're paying Apple that you're somehow in alignment with them? If you were in alignment with them, then they'd make their products a lot cheaper!"

Their squabble came to a head following the Cambridge Analytica scandal when Cook criticized Facebook's actions.

In 2018, a whistleblower revealed that consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested user data without consent from 50 million users. 

During an interview with Kara Swisher and Chris Hayes in the months following, Cook was asked what he would do if he was in Zuckerberg's shoes.

Cook responded: "What would I do? I wouldn't be in this situation."

Cook said that Facebook should have regulated itself when it came to user data, but that "I think we're beyond that here." He also doubled down on his stance that Facebook considers its users its product. 

"The truth is, we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer — if our customer was our product," Cook said. "We've elected not to do that."

Zuckerberg hit back, calling Cook's comments "extremely glib."

"You know, I find that argument, that if you're not paying that somehow we can't care about you, to be extremely glib. And not at all aligned with the truth," Zuckerberg said during an interview on The Ezra Klein Show podcast.

He refuted the idea that Facebook isn't focused on serving people and once again criticized the premium Apple places on its products. 

"I think it's important that we don't all get Stockholm Syndrome and let the companies that work hard to charge you more convince you that they actually care more about you," he said. "Because that sounds ridiculous to me."

Privately, Zuckerberg was reportedly outraged by Cook's remarks — so much so that he ordered his employees to switch to Android devices.

In November 2018, The New York Times published a blockbuster report detailing the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The Times reported that Cook's comments had "infuriated" Zuckerberg, who ordered employees on his management team who used iPhones to switch to Android. 

Soon after the report published, Facebook wrote a blog post refuting some of the reporting by The Times — but not the Zuckerberg-Cook feud. 

"Tim Cook has consistently criticized our business model and Mark has been equally clear he disagrees. So there's been no need to employ anyone else to do this for us," Facebook wrote. "And we've long encouraged our employees and executives to use Android because it is the most popular operating system in the world."

In 2019, Zuckerberg and Cook had a meeting at the annual Sun Valley retreat in Idaho that went poorly, according to The New York Times.

According to The Times, Zuckerberg asked Cook for his advice following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Cook told Zuckerberg Facebook should delete the user data his company collects from outside of its family of apps, which "stunned" Zuckerberg and was akin to Cook saying Facebook's business was "untenable," The Times reported.

In August 2020, Zuckerberg jumped in the fray as Apple faced criticism over its App Store policies.

During a company-wide meeting, Zuckerberg openly criticized Apple, saying it has a "unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones," according to a report from BuzzFeed News. 

Zuckerberg also said that the App Store blocks innovation and competition and "allows Apple to charge monopoly rents," BuzzFeed reported. 

Apple has been facing antitrust scrutiny from Congress and has been strongly criticized by developers — most notably "Fortnite" creator Epic Games — for the 30% fee it takes from App Store purchases. In 2020, Facebook said Apple blocked an update to Facebook's iOS app that would have informed users about the fee Apple charges.

Apple's iOS 14.5 software update angered Facebook, which says the privacy features could destroy part of its business.

That version of Apple's smartphone operating system, iOS, made it so that iPhone app developers would need permission from users to collect and track their data. While this affects any company that makes iOS apps, it also has a direct impact on Facebook's advertising business: It uses data tracking to dictate which ads are served to users. 

In an August 2020 blog post, Facebook said it may be forced to shut down Audience Network for iOS, a tool that personalizes ads in third-party apps. 

"This is not a change we want to make, but unfortunately, Apple's updates to iOS 14 have forced this decision," Facebook said. 

The complaints from Facebook and other developers led Apple to temporarily delay the new privacy tools, saying it wanted to "give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes."

Facebook escalated the feud to a full-page ad in The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

 

 

 

 

 

—Dave Stangis (@DaveStangis) December 16, 2020

In the ads, Facebook argued that the changes would hurt small businesses that advertise on Facebook's platform.

"Without personalized ads, Facebook data shows that the average small business advertiser stands to see a cut of over 60% in their sales for every dollar they spend," the ad reads, which was posted by Twitter user Dave Stangis. 

Apple hit back, telling Business Insider that it was "standing up for our users." 

"Users should know when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and websites — and they should have the choice to allow that or not," an Apple spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Facebook also said it would help Epic Games, the company behind "Fortnite," in its legal battle against Apple.

Epic Games had accused Apple of violating antitrust laws and engaging in anticompetitive behavior regarding the App Store's fees and policies.

Facebook said it planned to help Epic with discovery for the trial. 

Zuckerberg also lashed out at Apple during an earnings call in 2021, saying the company frequently interferes with how Facebook's apps work.

When discussing Facebook's suite of messaging apps during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, Zuckerberg made a clear dig at Apple, saying the iPhone maker made "misleading" privacy claims. 

"Now Apple recently released so-called nutrition labels, which focused largely on metadata that apps collect rather than the privacy and security of people's actual messages, but iMessage stores non-end-to-end encrypted backups of your messages by default unless you disable iCloud," Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg went on to describe Apple as "one of our biggest competitors" and said that because Apple is increasingly relying on services to fuel its business, it "has every incentive to use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work, which they regularly do to preference their own."

"This impacts the growth of millions of businesses around the world," he added.

But Cook hasn't backed down from his view that Facebook's business model of harvesting user data and selling it to advertisers is harmful to consumers.

During a speech at the European Computers, Privacy and Data Protection Conference the same week, Cook discussed business models that prioritize user engagement and rely on user data to make money. Though he didn't mention Facebook by name, Cook made several references that alluded to the platform.

"At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement — the longer the better — and all with the goal of collecting as much data as possible," Cook said.

Facebook launched another ad campaign in 2021 aimed at proving the need for personalized advertising amid its ongoing battle with Apple.

The initiative, titled "Good Ideas Deserve to be Found," makes the case that personalized ads help Facebook users discover small businesses, particularly during the pandemic. 

"Every business starts with an idea, and being able to share that idea through personalized ads is a game changer for small businesses," Facebook said in a blog post announcing the theme. "Limiting the use of personalized ads would take away a vital growth engine for businesses."

Cook called Facebook's objections to the privacy update "flimsy arguments" during an interview with The New York Times.

During a podcast interview with Kara Swisher, Cook said that he believes society is in a privacy crisis and that he's been "shocked" that there's been pushback to the new feature to this degree. 

"We know these things are flimsy arguments," Cook told The Times. "I think that you can do digital advertising and make money from digital advertising without tracking people when they don't know they're being tracked."

Cook also said he doesn't view Facebook as a competitor, contrary to what Zuckerberg has said.

"Oh, I think that we compete in some things," Cook said. "But no, if I may ask who our biggest competitor are, they would not be listed. We're not in the social networking business."

Apple's iOS 14.5 update finally rolled out in April 2021, and Facebook paid steeply for it.

"The impact of iOS overall as a headwind on our business in 2022 is on the order of $10 billion," then-Meta CFO David Wehner estimated in an earnings call that year.

In March 2024, Meta, Microsoft, X, and Match Group joined Epic Games in arguing that Apple has been flouting a 2021 court-ordered injunction that required the company to let developers show users links to alternative payment systems beyond the App Store.

Apple, for its part, said in January 2024 that it had "fully complied" with the injunction.

One of the latest battlegrounds in Apple and Meta's feud is their work on virtual and augmented reality.

Apple released its Vision Pro headset in February 2024, and Zuckerberg was quick to offer his critique of the competitor to Meta's Quest headsets.

"I have to say that before this, I expected that Quest would be the better value for most people since it's really good and like seven times less expensive, but after using [Vision Pro] I don't just think that Quest is the better value, it's the better product, period," Zuckerberg said in a video on Threads. "They have different strengths, but overall Quest is better for the vast majority of things that people use mixed reality for."

Zuckerberg says many people "assumed that Vision Pro would be higher quality because it's Apple and it costs $3,000 more."

"I know that some fanboys get upset whenever anyone dares to question if Apple's going to be the leader in a new category," he said. "But the reality is that every generation of computing has an open and a closed model. And yeah, in mobile, Apple's closed model won, but it's not always that way."

In Meta's first quarter earnings call in April, Zuckerberg said he didn't think AR glasses would find mainstream success without "full holographic displays."

"I still think that that's going to be awesome and is the long-term mature state for the product," he said. "But now, it seems pretty clear that there's also a meaningful market for fashionable AI glasses without a display."

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has also taken shots at Apple over its Vision Pro.

"As soon as I put the headset on, I can see what trade-offs they made and why they made them. And, perhaps definitionally, those aren't the trade-offs I would have made," he said.

Bosworth called the Vision Pro's motion blur "really distracting" and said the headset was "very uncomfortable to use."

The companies also reportedly had a disagreement over a potential AI partnership.

Apple months ago rejected the possibility of integrating Meta's Llama AI chatbot into the iPhone because it doesn't consider Meta's privacy practices up to par, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in June 2024, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Apple has since launched iOS 18, which includes a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into the iPhone's software.

Zuckerberg recently leveled some new insults against Apple.

In an episode of the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast released in January 2025, he said Apple hasn't "really invented anything great in a while" since the iPhone.

"It's like Steve Jobs invented the iPhone and now they're just kind of sitting on it 20 years later," he said on the podcast.

Zuck added that Apple has been "squeezing people" for money with the 30% commission the company charges developers for selling paid apps through the App Store.

"They build stuff like Airpods, which are cool, but they've just thoroughly hamstrung the ability for anyone else to build something that can connect to the iPhone in the same way," he said.

• One of the biggest tech trade shows in the world just ended.
• CES 2025 brought us cool, zany tech demos, and lots of robots.
• The robots shown off highlight how companies are thinking about positioning the tech, including AI, in the home.

Cool, a little bizarre, and in some cases smack dab in the uncanny valley, more robots are on the way.

Techies in Las Vegas just got their best look yet at the robots various companies are building, thanks to the annual Consumer Electronics Show, one of the world's largest tech trade shows that wrapped up last week.

The robots offer a glimpse into how companies and startups are looking to bring tech like AI and autonomy into people's homes. The variety of designs also highlights the question of what kind of aesthetic potential buyers might gravitate toward.

Do you design a "cute" robot? Something that's strictly functional? Or do you aim for realism and risk some shoppers finding the design too lifelike or creepy?

We looked through the robots shown off at CES this year and rounded up those that stood out, either for their potential usefulness or eye-catching design.

A $175,000 companion robot with 'relationship-based AI'

If you're looking for companies going the "Bladerunner" route and targeting realism, look no further than Realbotix's human-like robots.

Realbotix offers robots designed to look like humans in three options: A bust starting at $10,000; a modular robot for $150,000; and a full-body version for $175,000.

The company boasts it can "replicate any human face with 14+ moveable points to create multiple life-like expressions," and that its robots' bodies can be customized. Comedian Whitney Cummings has previously talked onstage about her own lookalike robot from Realbotix.

If you're thinking some people will use the robots as an AI girlfriend or boyfriend, the robots appear to be leaning into the idea by advertising "relationship-based AI." A Realbotix robot named Aria said in a demo at CES that the robots are "designed specifically for companionship and intimacy."

The bot can have conversations thanks to AI and its eyes have cameras to identify who it's talking to.

An AI bot with kids in mind

One of the cutest robots to come out of CES this year is TV-maker TCL's Ai me (sounds like "Amy.")

It's definitely designed with children in mind, with big doe eyes that can blink, a childlike voice, wings that can flap, and interchangeable outfits. It sits in a cradle of sorts that gets around on wheels, but it can also be removed.

However, Ai me also has features that can appeal to adults, including integrations with smart home devices and your car, and AI image recognition to identify things it's shown.

The company says it's the "world's first modular AI companion robot." Ai me is just a concept for now, with no guarantee it'll ever come to market.

A robot vacuum with an arm

On the utilitarian side of the spectrum, robot vacuums also showed off some upgrades.

The Saros Z70 from Roborock uses AI to analyze its environment and has a foldable arm that can extend to move objects out of the way so it can clean your home and pick up light items like socks or small towels.

It's expected to hit the market in the first half of this year.

A robovac with legs

Robovacs aren't just getting arms. The X50 Ultra robot vacuum from Dreame has "legs."

The robot vacuum climbed a small ledge in a demo at CES, after a few hiccups at first. (It's still a long way from, say, climbing stairs in your home.)

It's available for preorder now, and launches February 14 at $1,699.99.

Samsung's Ballie is back

This isn't Ballie's first CES rodeo, but Samsung says it'll finally become available to consumers some time this year.

The ball-shaped robot, which Samsung brands as an AI companion robot for the home, gets around on wheels and first debuted at CES in 2020.

Samsung says Ballie's AI-powered abilities include answering phone calls, projecting movies onto your wall, and sending videos of what your pets are up to while you're away from home.

A fluffy bird-like robot

Think of Yukai Engineering's Mirumi as a robot version of a pom pom purse charm.

The fluffy robot accessory resembles a bird and can latch onto your arm or a handbag and interact with its surroundings.

When someone enters its field of vision, it shyly hides its face, for example.

Yukai Engineering says crowdfunding will start this fall for Mirumi.

Tesla and others are readying their own robots

Beyond those showcased at CES, other robots are in development at major tech companies.

Apple is rumored to be working on home robots. Amazon has its $1,600 Astro robot, which is still invite-only. And Tesla's Elon Musk wants to eventually launch humanoid robot Optimus to consumers in the coming years.

Whether or not shoppers are willing to splurge hundreds, and in many cases, thousands on an in-home robot is another question.

And while Nvidia didn't show off a robot of its own at CES, during his keynote at the trade show, CEO Jensen Huang announced the company's new AI superchip, the GB10, which is designed to power humanoid robots and other AI uses.

• Exhibiting red flags in a job interview can be an easy way to lose out on advancing to the next stage.
• But on the flip side, there are green flags that can help set you apart and boost your chances.
• We asked 6 recruiting professionals for the green flags they look for in candidates during job interviews.

The start of the year is usually one of the busiest times for hiring as many companies have finalized their new budgets.

If you're brushing up on your interview skills right about now, BI spoke with several current and former recruiters for the traits they say always make a good first impression.

Here are the green flags they like to see in job candidates:

Demonstrating accountability

"Self-reflection, accountability, and confidence in themselves and their work," are green flags to Lauren Monroe, who leads the creative practice group at Aquent, a staffing agency for creative, marketing, and design roles.

A personalized touch also helps. Monroe recalls one candidate who "studied the job description and prepared success stories and examples for every responsibility" to share in the interview. As the cherry on top, the candidate "created a fun animation using the company's logo and added it to their email signature" in their thank-you note.

A clear pitch

Tessa White, a former head HR chief, is the CEO of The Job Doctor and author of "The Unspoken Truths for Career Success."

"When a candidate comes in and is clear on how they can help the company, and why they are a fit, it's refreshing," she says. "I often tell people, if you don't know what your value proposition is, I guarantee you the company won't know."

Mentoring others

Kyle Samuels, who leads executive search agency Creative Talent Endeavors after 20 years in senior-level executive recruiting, looks for candidates with "a history of coaching and mentoring others" because this shows they "want the organization as a whole to operate at a high level."

Enthusiasm for the job

Amri Celeste, a recruitment manager and interview coach, watches for applicants who show passion and enthusiasm for the job.

"When a candidate is particularly enthusiastic or excited about a role, the hiring manager will often be enthusiastic and excited about the candidate," she says. "It's one of the most common pieces of positive feedback I receive from managers about candidates."

Having prepared "clear examples of any achievements and duties mentioned on a résumé" ticks off another box on the candidate checklist, she adds.

Asking thoughtful questions

Marissa Morrison, VP of people at ZipRecruiter, says well-thought-out questions reflect "interest, enthusiasm, and a deeper understanding of the position."

"For example, asking about how they'd be expected to use AI or a certain new technology in the role in a job interview can be a way to demonstrate that you're up to date with current trends and willing to embrace new technologies to creatively solve problems, drive value, and support your work," she says.

An upbeat attitude

"Having a positive attitude, showing enthusiasm for the role, and being engaged during your interview can help set you apart from the competition," Amy Garefis, chief people officer at ZipRecruiter. "In my experience, it is often the tiebreaker for me between candidates with similar skills or professional experience."

• Job cuts are continuing into 2025 following waves of reductions last year.
• Companies such as Meta, Microsoft, BlackRock, and BP are conducting layoffs.
• See the list of companies letting workers go in 2025.

Layoffs and other workforce reductions are continuing in 2025, following two years of significant job cuts across tech, media, finance, manufacturing, retail, and energy.

While the reasons for slimming staff vary, the cost-cutting measures are coming amid a backdrop of technological change. In a recent World Economic Forum survey, some 41% of companies worldwide said they expected to reduce their workforces over the next five years because of the rise of artificial intelligence.

Companies such as CNN, Dropbox, and IBM have previously announced job cuts related to AI. Tech jobs in big data, fintech, and AI are meanwhile expected to double by 2030, according to the WEF.

Here are the companies with job cuts planned or already underway in 2025 so far.

CNN plans to cut 200 jobs.

Cable news giant CNN is cutting about 200 television-focused roles as part of a digital pivot. The cuts will amount to about 6% of the company's workforce.

In a memo sent to staff on Thursday, CNN's CEO Mark Thompson said he aimed to "shift CNN's gravity towards the platforms and products where the audience themselves are shifting and, by doing that, to secure CNN's future as one of the world's greatest news organizations."

Starbucks is planning layoffs in March.

Global coffee chain Starbucks announced it is planning layoffs in March.

In a memo to staff on January 21, Brian Nicoll, the company's chairman and CEO, said: "We need to meaningfully change how our support teams are organized and how we work," and as part of that, "we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward."

Nicoll said the changes would be communicated to staff by early March.

Stripe is laying off 300 employees.

Payments platform Stripe is cutting 300 employees, primarily in product, engineering, and operations, according to a January 20 memo obtained by BI.

Chief People Officer Rob McIntosh said in the memo that the company still planned on growing its head count to about 10,000 employees by the end of the year.

BP slashing 7,700 staff and contractor positions worldwide.

BP told Business Insider it plans to cut 4,700 staff and 3,000 contractors, amounting to about 5% of its global workforce.

The cuts are part of a program to "simplify and focus" BP that began last year.

"We are strengthening our competitiveness and building in resilience as we lower our costs, drive performance improvement and play to our distinctive capabilities," the company said.

Meta is cutting 5% of its workforce.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently told staff he "decided to raise the bar on performance management" and will act quickly to "move out low-performers," according to an internal memo seen by BI.

In a post on the company's internal communications platform, he said Meta will make "more extensive performance-based cuts" in this year's performance review cycle. Impacted US employees will be notified on February 10, he wrote.

The company has laid off more than 21,000 workers since 2022.

BlackRock is cutting 1% of its workforce.

BlackRock told employees it was planning to cut about 200 people of its 21,000-strong workforce, according to Bloomberg.

The reductions are more than offset by some 3,750 workers who were added last year and another 2,000 expected to be added in 2025.

BlackRock's president, Rob Kapito, and its chief operating officer, Rob Goldstein, said the cuts would help realign the firm's resources with its strategy, Bloomberg reported.

Bridgewater has cut about 90 staff.

Bridgewater Associates cut 7% of its staff in January in an effort to stay lean, a person familiar with the matter told Business Insider.

The layoffs at the world's largest hedge fund bring its head count back to where it was in 2023, the person said.

The company's founder, Ray Dalio, said in a 2019 interview that about 30% of new employees were leaving the firm within 18 months.

The Washington Post is cutting 4% of its non-newsroom workforce.

The Washington Post is eliminating less than 100 employees in an effort to cut costs, Reuters reported in January.

A spokesperson told the wire service that the changes would occur across multiple areas of the business and indicated that the cuts wouldn't affect the newsroom.

"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 said, according to Reuters.

Microsoft is planning an unspecified number of cuts.

Microsoft is planning job cuts soon, and the company is taking a harder look at underperforming employees as part of the reductions, according to two people familiar with the plans.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed cuts but declined to share details on the number of employees being let go.

"At Microsoft we focus on high performance talent," the spokesperson said. "We are always working on helping people learn and grow. When people are not performing, we take the appropriate action."

Ally is cutting less than 5% of workers.

The digital-financial-services company Ally is laying off roughly 500 of its 11,000 employees, a spokesperson confirmed to BI.

"As we continue to right-size our company, we made the difficult decision to selectively reduce our workforce in some areas, while continuing to hire in our other areas of our business," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also said the company was offering severance, out-placement support, and the opportunity to apply for openings at Ally.

Ally made a similar level of cuts in October 2023, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Adidas plans to cut up to 500 jobs in Germany.

Adidas intends to reduce the size of its workforce at its headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, impacting up to 500 jobs, CNBC reported.

If fully executed, it amounts to a reduction of nearly 9% at the company headquarters, which employs about 5,800 employees, according to the Adidas website.

The news comes shortly after the company announced it had outperformed its profit expectations at the end of 2024, touting "better-than-expected" results in the fourth quarter.

"Strong growth across all regions and divisions proves the good job our teams are doing across regions and functions," CEO Bjørn Gulden said in a press release. "So although we are not yet where we want to be long term, I am very happy with this development which was much better than we had expected."

Adidas did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the impending layoffs.

Is your company conducting layoffs? Got a tip?

If you're an employee with a tip about coming job cuts, please contact Dominick via email or text/call/Signal at 646.768.4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out.

• Meta announced Tuesday it's doing away with third-party fact-checking in favor of community notes.
• Several lawmakers told BI the move is an indication Mark Zuckerberg is catering to Trump.
• Some business leaders praised Meta for the change while others expressed concern.

Meta is carrying out the biggest overhaul to its content moderation system in years.

The company announced on Tuesday that it's replacing third-party fact-checking program with user-generated community notes, like those on Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter.

In another page from Musk's playbook, Meta said it's moving some teams — specifically its trust and safety teams, responsible for writing the company's content policies and reviewing content — out of California into Texas and other locations in the US.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the decision was about getting "back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms."

Democrats: Zuckerberg's sucking up to Trump

Democratic lawmakers told BI at the US Capitol on Tuesday that they saw the move as a sign that Zuckerberg is trying to appease President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his return to the Oval Office.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said Zuckerberg was "kissing Trump's ass" in making the change.

"I think that Mark Zuckerberg is trying to follow in Elon's footsteps, which means that actually, they're going to use this guise of free speech to actually suppress critics of Trump and critics of themselves," Ocasio-Cortez said. "That's why they're moving to this system. It's a model for their own self-aggrandizement."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told BI that Big Tech CEOs "want a government that works for them, and they're making clear that sucking up to Donald Trump is one of the ways they think they'll get that."

Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida said the change appeared to be symptomatic of authoritarianism.

"It's not just about the legislation they pass, or what they push, but it creates this environment of fear and self-censorship, and a place where companies will begin to do the things he wants them to do without him forcing them to do it," he said, referring to Trump.

"They're surrendering essentially to implied threats by the government, which is very dangerous," Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York said.

Trump himself told reporters Tuesday that he believed Zuckerberg's changes at Meta were "probably" in response to previous threats Trump has made to the Meta chief executive, including to jail him.

Republicans: A good sign, but we'll see

Republicans offered more mixed reactions to Zuckerberg's decision, with some expressing skepticism while others saw it as a win. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told reporters at the Capitol that what the Meta CEO said "sounds good" but that the "proof will be in the pudding."

He also said he saw Zuckerberg's move as the product of both political positioning and a sincere evolution in his thinking.

"I've had multiple conversations with Mark on this topic," Cruz said, "and I will say, he had previously expressed an interest in protecting free speech."

Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, meanwhile, called the decision a "ploy to avoid being regulated." For several years, she's been pushing a bill to increase social media protections for kids.

"Can any of us assume Zuckerberg won't return to his old tricks?" wrote Sen. Mike Lee of Utah on X.

Republican Rep. Randy Weber of Texas, meanwhile, wrote on X that it was "a great day for freedom of speech."

"It seems like Meta is finally taking a page from Elon Musk's playbook & letting Americans make decisions for themselves. It's about time Meta owned up to censoring Americans," he added.

Tech and business leaders react

In the tech and business world, some of Zuck's peers congratulated him and Meta on the move.

Musk said in separate tweets that the decision was "cool" and "awesome."

X CEO Linda Yaccarino called it "a smart move by Zuck."

"Fact-checking and moderation doesn't belong in the hands of a few select gatekeepers who can easily inject their bias into decisions. It's a democratic process that belongs in the hands of many," she wrote.

David Marcus, the former Meta exec in charge of the company's Libra cryptocurrency project, said the change marked a "massive step in the right direction towards free expression for Meta."

Other tech and business figures were more skeptical of the decision.

Yoel Roth, the former head of Twitter's trust and safety department, said, "Genuinely baffled by the unempirical assertion that Community Notes 'works.' Does it? How do Meta know? The best available research is pretty mixed on this point. And as they go all-in on an unproven concept, will Meta commit to publicly releasing data so people can actually study this?"

And in response to a message from Zuckerberg saying Meta will work with Trump to "push back against foreign governments going after American companies to censor more," Mark Cuban wrote on Bluesky: "Translation: Americans are going to see Tariffs on products from countries you believe censor Meta services as a means of pressuring them into removing any restrictions that impact your profitability in those countries. Also: You'll have carte blanche to take posts that no longer have restrictions, making them a more explicit representation, and train your AI Models."

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• CES, a massive tech trade show in the US, is in full swing this week.
• Product announcements and demos offer a look at how some companies are trying to use AI.
• Here's some of the AI news from CES that caught our eye.

CES 2025 technically hasn't even started, but the AI product announcements and demos are already piling up.

The biggest tech trade show in the US, formally known as the Consumer Electronics Show, kicks off Tuesday but has already led to news of AI integration in TVs, grills, and even bird feeders.

Not everything that companies talk about at CES eventually makes it to market, but these announcements show the array of AI applications companies are exploring after the technology's explosive growth in popularity in 2024.

Here are some of the biggest, coolest, and kookiest ones we've seen so far.

TVs

Samsung and LG are bringing Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant to some of their smart TVs.

Samsung's AI offerings include Click to Search, which can help identify an actor onscreen, and Live Translate, which provides subtitle translations in real time.

LG says its newest OLED TVs have AI-enabled features that tailor audio and visual settings to a user's preferences. AI also welcomes users by name, and an AI Voice ID feature can identify users' voices to switch between profiles and recommend what to watch.

LG says Copilot "further streamlines the process, allowing users to efficiently find and organize complex information using contextual cues."

Grills

This isn't your granddad's grill. The Zelos 450 electric wood pellet smoker from a startup called Brisk It uses generative AI (and WiFi connectivity) in the grilling process. Grillers can remotely adjust settings, get updates as their food cooks, and receive reminders about steps.

Bird feeders

Birding is getting high-tech with the Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo, which can capture avian visitors in slow-mo and high-res video. The accompanying app provides real-time notifications when a bird stops by and uses AI to help identify and catalog various species.

Vacuums

Roborock's Saros Z70 robot vacuum has an extendable arm that can help with housekeeping by picking up items and putting them back in their rightful place.

It can't pick up anything heavy and can help with only a few items, such as socks, but the company expects to add more items to the robot's visual inventory in the future.

Refrigerators

LG wants its newest smart fridges to not just tell you what food is inside but help you order more of what's not in them anymore.

Its new French Door refrigerator with ThinQ technology has a built-in AI camera designed to recognize food inside, suggest recipes based on what you have handy, and track expiration dates.

Samsung has a similar offering in its Bespoke refrigerators, partnering with Instacart on same-day grocery delivery for items it notices you're running low on.

Home security cameras

Kami says that its Fall Detect camera can identify falls with 99.5% accuracy by identifying patterns that could cause someone to trip and that it can detect falls even if a person's body is partially obscured from view.

It can send notifications to family members and caregivers or help with making an emergency call after a fall.

Monitors

Dell's new 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED monitor uses a camera under its display to track your head and adjust the placement of sounds coming out of its five speakers so they go straight to your ears.

• One of the most common job interview questions can also seem like one of the hardest to answer.
• The simply phrased "Tell me about yourself," can lead to sprawling answers.
• An ex-MBA admissions director shared a common mistake people make — and how they should answer instead.

For as common an interview question as it is, it can still trip up a lot of job candidates.

"Tell me about yourself."

One of recruiters' favorite questions, the simple prompt can be daunting because many candidates may try to squeeze too much of their professional experience and qualifications into their answers.

Thomas Caleel, former director of MBA admissions and financial aid at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told Business Insider there is an effective approach to framing your answer to the question in both an academic or job interview context.

"Being able to clarify a question and re-frame it in a way that is respectful to the interviewer and shows that you can think and act under pressure, is, to me at least, a valuable skill in both the academic and corporate worlds," Caleel told BI.

Caleel talked more about the open-ended question on a recent episode of his "Admittedly" podcast.

"Most people when you ask them tell me about yourself, they will start to talk, and they will ramble and ramble and ramble," he said. "What happens is you lose your interviewer, like 30 seconds into that interview response, the interviewer's eyes glaze over, they kind of look at you and they're like, 'Oh my gosh.'"

So how exactly should you tackle the question?

Caleel recommends breaking your answer down into parts and posing a question back to the interviewer.

"What I say to do and what I think you should do instead is say 'Love to tell you about myself. There are three main areas that I'm involved in: academics, extracurricular activities, and sports (or volunteering.) Which one would you like to start with first?'" he told the podcast.

Compared to the common mistake candidates make of talking at their interviewer, this approach gets the interviewer's attention by making them "an active participant" in the conversation, Caleel said.

"By involving the interviewer in the conversation, you draw them in, you invest them in your answers instead of boring them with just a torrent of words," he added.

As a former admissions director, Caleel's advice is geared toward students applying to colleges — job candidates probably won't be talking much about academics or extracurriculars. However, for those applying to jobs, you might use as categories leadership, teamwork, and directly relevant experience, he told BI.

Regardless of the type of interview, his key point is "to try to engage the interviewer and set a more dynamic tone," he added.

Career experts also suggest highlighting some career accomplishments and focusing on the parallels and transferrable skills between your past experience and the position at stake when answering "Tell me about yourself." They say to try not to spend too long on this one question and aim to cap your response at around a minute.

"In my experience, candidates who can think on their feet, who are not cowed by the process and can remain genuine and engaged with the interviewer, usually fare well," Caleel told BI.

• Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, has a net worth of $160 billion.
• The billionaire and philanthropist plans to give away most of his wealth to his charity foundation.
• For now, he spends his wealth on luxuries, from his car collection to a vast real estate portfolio.

Bill Gates may be one of the 10 richest people on earth, but he doesn't plan to stay that way forever.

The billionaire philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft has pledged to give away most of his wealth to charity, which he says will bump him off the world's richest people list.

Gates' net worth is $160 billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. He is one of only a handful of moguls to reach centibillionaire status.

He's also made some lavish purchases over the years: Gates owns a mansion in Medina, Washington; a private airplane; and a luxury car collection. These indulgences comprise only a fraction of his massive fortune.

Gates has also given money to charitable causes through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and vowed to give away most of his fortune through the Giving Pledge, which he and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates launched in 2010 along with Warren Buffett.

Here's a look at how Gates spends his billions.

Gates has an estimated net worth of $160 billion.

Gates long held the title as the world's richest person, up until 2018 when Jeff Bezos surpassed him.

Now, Gates is only the world's seventh-richest person and part of an exclusive club of centibillionaires — people worth over $100 billion.

Gates has invested in various stocks and assets and launched a $1 billion investment fund, Breakthrough Energy, alongside 20 other investors.

Despite his massive fortune, Gates previously told Ellen DeGeneres that when he became a billionaire at age 31 (which was history's youngest billionaire at the time), he didn't immediately start splurging. Gates' initial spending spree was limited to just two "crazy" purchases: a Porsche and a private jet.

Gates has splurged on some things, like his luxury car collection.

After founding Microsoft, Gates bought a Porsche 911 — his first big splurge, which he purchased in 1979, even before Microsoft's hit products like Windows and Word ever reached the market. Gates later sold the Porsche, and it was auctioned for $80,000.

Gates' car collection later included a Porsche 959.

Gates also owns a small fleet of private jets.

Gates invested heavily in his Washington estate called Xanadu 2.0.

Gates owns at least 12 parcels of land spanning about 10.5 acres in Medina. He purchased the land for a combined $34 million between 1988 and 2009. In 2023, the Gates' property taxes in Medina came to $1.3 million.

Gates' estate includes a 60-foot pool — in its own separate, 3,900-square-foot building — with an underwater sound system. He reportedly paid to import sand from St. Lucia in the Caribbean to the shore surrounding his house.

There's also a 2,100-square-foot library, home to a 16th-century Leonardo da Vinci manuscript that Gates bought at auction for $30 million in 1994. The home also features several famous paintings, including a Winslow Homer painting Gates purchased for $36 million in 1988.

The mansion has six kitchens, 24 bathrooms, a home theater, and various garages for his 23 cars.

Gates also has properties in Florida and Montana.

Aside from his Washington home, Gates has a 20-acre estate in Wellington, Florida. The estate includes at least two mansions, one 6,668 square feet, and the other 5,716 square feet. He bought the properties over three years for about $35 million.

Gates' daughter, Jennifer Gates Nassar, is an accomplished equestrian, and he bought the property to support her passion. It serves as the home base of her horseback riding facilities, and the area is a hot spot for many other wealthy equestrians as well.

He also purchased property at the Yellowstone Club in Montana. The main house is 6,993 square feet and has eight full baths, eight bedrooms, a sauna, and a home theater, according to property records.

Additionally, Gates is the biggest owner of private farmland in the country, with a whopping 275,000 acres. Gates has faced questions in the past about what he is doing with the land, and has downplayed concerns about the farmland, saying it's managed by his investment team and makes up only a small fraction of total US farmlands.

Gates has several properties in California, too.

In California, Gates owns the 228-acre Rancho Paseana, which he purchased for $18 million. When he bought it, the property had a racetrack, olive orchard, and five barns.

In 2020, he dropped $43 million on an oceanfront home in Del Mar with a 10-person Jacuzzi and 120 feet of Pacific coastline.

Gates also owns a 6-bedroom home on the grounds of Indian Wells' famous Vintage Club.

There's also another home on the grounds of a country club, Santaluz Club, in San Diego.

Some of the properties have likely been divvied up between Gates and French Gates following their divorce.

Gates has made numerous investments through his personal investment firm.

Using his personal investment firm, Cascade, Gates has made several investments, including partial ownership of the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 2013, Gates and several unnamed buyers paid $161 million for the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco.

Gates takes luxurious vacations.

Gates never took weekends or vacations during the early days of Microsoft, and has said startup founders shouldn't, either. However, Gates made time for some splashy trips later in his career.

In 2014, he treated his family to a Mediterranean vacation on board the 439-foot superyacht Serene, which he chartered for $5 million a week. It included a helicopter.

He's also traveled to Australia, Croatia, Belize, and the Amazon in Brazil.

He previously said that he likes to play tennis and go skiing. He's also been spotted at tennis matches.

But Gates' downtime isn't always so adventurous. Gates loves books, and is an "avid bridge player," as he told Reddit in a 2013 AMA.

Gates is a well-known philanthropist.

Gates has sometimes said he has no use for money, and often speaks of his philanthropic giving and healthcare investments.

A grant from Gates and his then-wife Melinda led to the creation in 2003 of Amyris, a synthetic biology company that originally produced precursors to malaria drugs and hydrocarbon-based biofuel but also uses the technology for things like fragrances, skincare, and sweeteners. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023.

In November 2017, Gates invested $50 million into Alzheimer's research. In 2018, he invested another $30 million with a group of investors in the Diagnostics Accelerator, a "venture philanthropy" fund to diagnose Alzheimer's earlier.

Gates and his former wife also pledged about $2 billion to defeat malaria, donated over $50 million to fight Ebola, and pledged $38 million to a Japanese pharmaceutical company working to create a low-cost polio vaccine.

During the pandemic, their foundation announced a 5-year, $1.6 billion commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to deliver vaccines in the world's poorest countries.

The Gates Foundation also funds education through its $1.6 billion initiative known as the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.

The foundation said it made $77.6 billion in grant payments from its inception through Q4 2023. Gates' total giving to the foundation during that time period totaled $59.5 billion.

Its 2024 budget is $8.6 billion, and the foundation is targeting a $9 billion yearly budget by 2026.

In the future, Gates has pledged to give most of his wealth away.

Gates is frequently named among the most generous philanthropists in the United States.

He has vowed to give away most of his fortune through the Giving Pledge, which he helped launch in 2010.

In July 2022, he reiterated that he plans to give virtually all his wealth to his and French Gates' foundation, saying that he'll eventually fall off the list of the world's richest figures.