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CME Group CEO Terry Duffy said he called Sam Bankman-Fried a "absolute fraud" in March.
"Right away my suspicions were up," Duffy told CNBC on Tuesday.
Bankman-Fried stepped down as CEO and FTX filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 11.
Terry Duffy, the chief executive of CME Group, said the first time he met Sam Bankman-Fried he called him out as a fraud.
"Right away my suspicions were up," Duffy told CNBC on Tuesday, after he initially recounted his meeting with Bankman-Fried last week on the "On the Tape" podcast. "And then when I met with [Bankman-Fried], I knew right away this a joke, this is absolutely going nowhere."
Before his meeting with Bankman-Fried, Duffy said he met with the head of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to ask why it was considering Bankman-Fried's application to ease regulatory rules for his trading model, as it involved great risk.
FTX filed for bankruptcy and Bankman-Fried stepped down as CEO on November 11. Commentators have compared the collapse of the company to the 2008 downfall of Lehman Brothers.
"You're a fraud, you're an absolute fraud," Duffy said he told Bankman-Fried at the meeting in March earlier this year.
The crypto exchange is now starting its bankruptcy hearing in Delaware, and FTX could have more than a million creditors it owes money to.
Duffy said Bankman-Fried, while sitting at a bar, asked him why he wouldn't let FTX grow.
"You could see there were so many different red flags," he said. "I told my team this had nothing to do with crypto. He wanted to list all asset classes, mine, the Intercontinental, the CME and everybody else's, under his model which would have been, as I said, a biblical disaster."
Now, Duffy said he wants to know where the money came from for things like FTX's political donations, luxury homes, and other purchases. He wonders if those are customer funds or revenue from the crypto exchange.
"Who's money were they spending, unsuspecting clients'?" Duffy said. "A lot of questions need to be answered."
Sam Bankman-Fried ftx CME Group | 2022-11-23T19:13:45Z | www.businessinsider.com | Top Exec Called Sam Bankman-Fried a Fraud Months Before FTX Crash | https://www.businessinsider.com/ftx-sam-bankman-fried-fraud-collapse-cme-group-duffy-crypto-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ftx-sam-bankman-fried-fraud-collapse-cme-group-duffy-crypto-2022-11 |
Top Black Friday deals our readers are loving right now
When to shop Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday
No matter when or where you shop, use a credit card with purchase protection
By Tercius Bufete
We expect the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday to be negligible this year.
The two biggest shopping days of the year are finally here โ but is Black Friday or Cyber Monday better for deals?
A solid rule of thumb is that Black Friday is a better time to buy newer, big-ticket items and shop in stores.
Cyber Monday is a better day to shop for tech deals and smaller gifts; you'll also see slightly better online prices.
Is Black Friday or Cyber Monday better for discount buyers? The short answer is that Cyber Monday has better deals overall โ but it's close.
The term "Black Friday" was first coined in 1869 when two investors, Jay Gould, and Jim Fisk, caused a market crash by driving up the price of gold. As a result, the stock market dropped 20%, foreign trade stopped, and farmers witnessed a huge drop in corn and wheat value.
It wouldn't be until the late 1980s that the term became synonymous with shopping. Retailers reinvented the "Black Friday" name to reflect the backstory of how accountants used different color ink โ red for negative earnings, and black for positive earnings โ to denote a company's profitability. Black Friday became the day when stores finally turned a profit.
Of course, the name stuck, and since then, Black Friday has evolved into a season-long event that's spawned more shopping holidays, like Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite: $14.99 (50% off)
Meta Quest 2 with Resident Evil 4 and Beat Saber Bundle (128GB): $349.99 (13% off)
Peacock Premium Black Friday Deal (Monthly Price): $2 per month (80% off)
Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS): $349 (13% off)
Sony WH-1000XM4: $228 (35% off)
Cyber Monday is actually now even bigger than Black Friday โ retail sales on Cyber Monday in 2020 soared to a record high of $10.8 billion online.
Historically, yes. However, we expect the difference between the two holidays to be negligible this year, especially with many retailers encouraging customers to shop early and online with lingering pandemic related supply chain issues.
In past years, we found there to be a few differences, and the line between the two deal days has blurred considerably, with many retailers offering the same deals throughout the whole weekend (and even before and after). For items you're likely to buy once a year or less often, you'll probably find better discounts on Black Friday. Anything you'd buy as a gift is likely to have better discounts on Cyber Monday.
That said, overall savings aren't the only thing to consider. Different products receive better discounts on each day, and the deals that each retailer offers will vary.
"Black Friday equals big-ticket items," said Steve Koenig, the vice president of research at the Consumer Technology Association. "With big deals on TVs, laptops, game consoles, and more during Black Friday week, many [people's] purchases end up being for themselves or their own households."
This year, we saw a lot of deals crop up weeks before Black Friday. Retailers are encouraging shoppers to shop early and online โ a stark departure from previous years. Black Friday used to be characterized by long lines, crowded stores, and the mad rush for bargains, but that, of course, is impossible during the pandemic.
That said, shoppers can look forward to shopping for the very best deals without ever leaving their house, regardless of whether they choose to shop on Black Friday, on Cyber Monday, or right now.
Shop Black Friday for major stores. "For Black Friday, look to the biggest retailers, the ones who can afford to have smaller margins," said Janet Alvarez, the executive editor of the personal-finance publication Wise Bread. "Places like Walmart and Best Buy tend to offer the best deals on Black Friday." The exception is Amazon, which tends to have better deals on Cyber Monday, as long as you're a Prime member.
Shop Cyber Monday for secondhand buys. If you're willing to buy products from resellers, Cyber Monday is a great time to shop on eBay. "You'll find a lot of people reselling items they just purchased on Black Friday," Alvarez said.
Shop Cyber Monday for older generations. "Latest-generation products tend to be cheaper on Black Friday than on Cyber Monday," Alvarez said. "Cyber Monday is a terrific time for smart-home [devices], TVs, and consoles that are older."
Especially if you're buying something expensive like a laptop or TV, it's best to use a credit card that offers purchase protection. If you pay with a card that offers this benefit and a covered item is stolen or damaged, you can receive reimbursement โ much better than being out hundreds of dollars if something goes wrong.
Some of the top rewards credit cards offer this benefit. Coverage varies from card to card and is generally valid for up to 120 days after you purchase an item. Be sure to read the terms and conditions ahead of time so you're familiar with any exclusions and caps on reimbursement.
Tercius Bufete
Tercius Bufete is the Deals Editor for Insider's reviews team. Tercius joined the company in mid-2020. Previously, he was a commerce editor at Kinja Deals and an associate editor at Consumer Reports. He graduated from California State University, Chico with a degree in journalism and a minor in photographic studies. Say hello at tbufete@businessinsider.com, and tweet him @Tercius. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we research deals.
Cyber Monday IP Deals Black Friday 2022 | 2022-11-23T19:13:57Z | www.businessinsider.com | Black Friday Vs. Cyber Monday: Differences and Which Is Best | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/is-black-friday-or-cyber-monday-better | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/is-black-friday-or-cyber-monday-better |
25 wellness gifts for anyone looking to destress, relax, or upgrade their self-care routine
By Emily Hein and Jessica Orwig
Bearaby; Maude
As fun and exciting as the holidays can be, it's no secret that they're also stressful. From buying gifts to planning celebrations, we can all use a bit of relaxation from time to time during this holiday season.
That's why we've gathered a list of gifts that are specifically focused on wellness.
Whether you're gifting yourself or someone else, we've curated a wide selection of gifts that can help anyone feel more relaxed, energized, and relieved.
From coloring books to sex toys and mindfulness card games, these gifts are a great addition to anyone's self-care routine and alleviating some holiday stress.
Siblings Candle Starter Bundle
$64.00 from Siblings Candle
Some candles aren't worth the hype, other candles are just right. The latter is how we describe Sibling's DIY candle kits.
Sibling's reasonably-priced candles are packaged in a 100% compostable bag, and come with a wick, wick holder, and a gob of wax that you heat up, assemble, and set yourself. It's arguably a more sustainable way to do candles. And who knows, maybe the start of a new hobby.
For more wicks to burn, check out our guide to the best candle gift sets.
Bearaby Hugget Knot Pillow (Medium)
$79.00 from Bearaby
Bearaby, a company best known for its popular chunky-knit weighted blanket, recently released the Hugget, a sensory knot pillow that'll add a modern touch to any room, whether you keep it on your bed, couch, or office desk. The knot pillow is available in small, medium, and large sizes, with each designed to be a welcomed distraction for stress-relieving stimulation.
Prosource Fit Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set
$29.99 from Prosource Fit
Acupressure mats are designed to alleviate muscle tension by stimulating large surfaces of the body, and this set from ProSource is a useful self-care tool we swear by. Once you acclimate to laying on a bed of plastic spikes (7,992 of them to be exact), benefits include improved blood flow and relief for everything from headaches to back aches. While it's not a substitute for the targeted treatment you'd receive from a licensed acupuncturist, it's a great tool to turn to for all kinds of pain relief.
Therapy Notebooks Sleep Workbook
$24.00 $19.20 from Therapy Notebooks
$24.00 $15.60 from Bando
There are many benefits to journaling, but if you're not sure how to start, it's worth checking out Therapy Notebooks, makers of the popular Anti-Anxiety Notebook. The guided journal can either be used daily or whenever you're feeling stressed.
The company's new Sleep workbook is designed to be an accessible six-week program to help you get better rest. There's a close relationship between sleep and mental health, and the workbook is filled with evidence-based tools, strategies, and tips to help you identify your sleep patterns and give you more insight into your sleep hygiene.
Actually Curious Card Game
Actually Curious
$24.99 $16.25 from Ban.do
$25.00 from Actually Curious
Strong social relationships are an important factor to positive mental health, and if you're feeling nervous about socializing in a post-pandemic world, Actually Curious can help.
A card game designed to bring people together, Actually Curious is a deck of 52 meaningful questions meant to spur self-reflection and conversation, whether you use it solo or with others.
Speks Blots Silicone Stress Balls
$24.95 $19.95 from Speks
Speks makes some of the most satisfying desk toys we've ever tried, and its latest lineup of Blots silicone stress balls come in three fun shapes you can squeeze and pull to your fidgety heart's content. They look nice enough to display in basically any work setting, and they're sized perfectly to fit in the palm of your hand.
Sagekind A Girl and Her Plants Coloring Book
Sagekind
$23.00 from Sagekind
It's no secret that caring for plants can have positive effects on mood and mental health. This coloring book from Brooklyn-based small biz Sagekind offers a calming alternative to endless scrolling, all while celebrating houseplants and the people who love them.
Illustrator Aisha Richardson's follow-up coloring book, Relaxing with Plants, is currently available for preorder, and you can save $5 by bundling both books together.
$94.99 $84.99 from Luna
We love weighted blankets at Insider Reviews. They're comfortable, simple, and good at what they do โ with the right weight and size, they can help you relax and potentially ease stress and anxiety. Weighted blankets can be costly, but Luna's weighted blanket is the perfect combination of quality, softness and weight, while being significantly less expensive than the rest.
Sexual well-being is as important as physical and mental health and this sleek and stylish Maude Vibe is the perfect budget-friendly vibrator for satisfying one person, or a fun toy for couples. Out of the more than 100 sex toys we tested, the Maude Vibe was one of our favorites for its simplicity, compact size, and modern cone shape that's perfect for people who want something different from basic phalic-shaped vibrators.
Mindfulness is about being present and connected with your immediate environment and comes with a myriad of benefits from reduced stress to improved overall well-being. These mindfulness cards are an easy way to incorporate mindfulness anywhere, anytime. Each card includes a phrase on the front to help inspire you and a short mindfulness exercise on the back to return you from your racing thoughts to the present moment. With more than 50 cards to choose from, this deck is a great way to build the habit of being more mindful on a daily basis.
EQUICK Pillow Slide Slippers
These pillow slide slippers may come from TikTok but they are legit! They feel like you're walking on "squishy clouds" and are great for a stroll around the neighborhood, a quick pop to the grocery store, or just for lounging in your home. They also come in 10 different colors and are an affordable gift at just $16.99.
A phone with Spotify's logo on the screen.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Give the gift of ad-free music and podcasts with a Spotify gift card. If you've ever felt down or off and turned to your favorite song for a pick-me-up, then you know the power of music as a mood booster. There are also plenty of podcasts on mental health and wellness led by psychologists and other certified experts.
BetterBack Support Belt
$59.99 from BetterBack
Back pain affects an estimated 80% of people at some point in their life, and one of the leading causes of back pain is poor posture from sitting for long periods of time. That's where the Shark-Tank-inspired BetterBack Support Belt can help by improving your sitting posture. And we can say from experience that it works. One Insider who suffers chronic back pain from two slipped discs described the relief like "angels singing in a choir from above, children throwing flowers at your feet, suddenly a whole new person type of pain relief."
$19.99 $10.00 from Mission
This hat can help keep you cool when temperatures are hot. Just get it wet and it will cool you down immediately. We tested it out on a hot summer day. The hat was 77 ยฐF when dry and dropped down to 54 ยฐF after we got it wet. This is the perfect gift for the friend who doesn't tolerate heat well and would enjoy a stylish addition to their hat collection.
Leon and George
$349.00 from Leon and George
Cast iron plants have a dark green color and are difficult to kill, making the perfect for houseplant beginners. The plant is also pet-friendly and tolerates a wide range of light conditions โ just don't put it in direct sunlight or total darkness and the plant should be happy. There's nothing like a gift of green to bring a little more vibrance to someone's life.
Greetabl Personalized Gift Box
Greetabl/Facebook
$15.00 from Greetabl
Greetabl is an excellent way to show someone you love them with a double mental health boost: a thoughtful card and a small gift. Everything from the box to the treat that's inside of it can be perfectly catered to the recipient. From tasty treats like Sugarfina to cozy socks, Greetabl is an adorable and tailor-made way to put a smile on their face.
Squishmallows Plush
$12.99 from Claire's
Squishmallows are a popular children's toy, but a high quality hug can improve mental health at any age. These super soft and absolutely adorable plushes are cornering the stuffed animal market right now, and with good reason.
Uncommon Goods Self-Care Gift Set
Let's be clear: there's more to self-care than lavender and affirmations. In reality, self-care can be challenging and exhausting, even if it's rewarding in the long run. That said, this gift set might be the exact temporarily release they need in order to continue to commit to self-care long term: Shower steamers, stress putty, hand soap, and an affirmation card deck are all included.
Little Words Project Big Impact Bracelet
$25.00 from Little Words Project
These beautiful bracelets allow for support in two ways: They remind the giftee of a daily affirmation on their wrist, and 25% of the proceeds will support a nonprofit. Featured mental health nonprofits include the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, the Loveland Foundation, and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Goldbelly Meal Kits
$39.95 from Goldbelly
Sometimes the best pick-me-up is a taste of their hometown, college town, or favorite city they've lived in. With Goldbelly, you can ship meals and desserts from eateries all over the country, allowing them to feel a bit more connected to a place they love.
Friendship Maintenance: 30 Postcards to Say How Much You Freaking Care
Supporting others is a great way to boost your own mental health, and sending these postcards with sweet friendship anecdotes is a quick and easy way to make someone's day. These personalized, witty postcards read with the same quirky yet humorous tone that friends often speak in, and something about snail mail feels a bit more special than the usual "checking in" text message.
Zen as F*ck Journal
As implied by the title, "Zen as F*ck" is an anxiety journal that strikes a balance between empowering, effective activities and a refreshing depiction of what anxiety feels like at its peak. The tone is just snarky enough without ever being unkind, providing an authentic space for readers to work through productive prompts among brightly colored drawings.
100 Mental Health Stickers
While stickers, of course, are more supportive than they are healing, they're making a difference nonetheless. A public display of mental health awareness โ especially in this package that normalizes therapy and uses communally powerful symbols like the semicolon โ increases visibility and community among the many of us who experience mental health challenges.
Dogs (or Cats) Against Anxiety Card Deck
For the dog or cat lovers in our lives, the presence of a pet really does go a long way. This take on the mental health card deck utilizes the cuteness of dogs (or cats) to motivate recipients into completing self-care tasks. Prompts range from body scanning to thought journaling, with 50 care techniques included.
Wool and the Gang Embroidery Kit
Wool and the Gang
$20.25 from Wool and the Gang
Anything that requires using your hands (and that does not require a sceen) is great fo reducing stress, and embroidery certainly falls into this category. Wool and the Gang's kits vary in level from beginner to advance, so it's an excellent gift for both novice and experienced embroiderers.
Features Wellness Gifts | 2022-11-23T19:14:03Z | www.businessinsider.com | 25 Best Wellness Gifts in 2022 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/gifts/best-wellness-gifts | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/gifts/best-wellness-gifts |
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (left) and Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on July 21, 2021 in Washington, DC.
House Republicans are planning a slew of investigations now that they've reclaimed the majority.
Supporters say GOP leaders need to be "deliberative" and "organized" about the promised probes.
Democrats say if history holds, Republicans will go overboard and alienate 2024 voters.
Being disciplined about all the investigations they're dying to spin up is the best thing House Republicans can do to set themselves up for success in the 118th Congress, former GOP Rep. Tom Davis advised current party leaders.
"Don't get too far ahead of yourselves. And don't rush to do this publicly. There's a lot of work that needs to be done in private before you even get out there," Davis, who served as chair and ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during his tenure on Capitol Hill, said of the "deliberative" and "organized" approach he'd like to see House Republicans take for the next two years.
In the run-up to the midterm elections, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and aspiring committee chairmen Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and James Comer of Kentucky promised MAGA fans they'd dig into President Joe Biden, his scandal-plagued son Hunter Biden, current Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI director Chris Wray, and other perceived political enemies if they regained power.
Now that they're just weeks away from assuming control with a razor-thin majority, Davis said House Republicans must exercise some restraint "even though the base and some of the conservative media are going to be crying for a public scalping."
โRonny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) November 23, 2022
Ron Bonjean, a former GOP leadership aide and now a partner at political consulting firm Rokk Solutions, said striking the right balance would be mission-critical.
"It's appropriate to have oversight over the Biden administration's actions on issues like trillions of dollars in spending and our crisis at the border since the last two years went largely unchecked,' Bonjean told Insider. "However, having 30 hearings focused only on Hunter Biden's laptop would probably backfire with voters."
Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who is vying for the ranking member slot on the Oversight panel, said the temptation will probably prove too great, again, for those across the aisle.
"I believe they are risking immediate overreach," Connolly told Insider, pointing to GOP-led investigations into former President Bill Clinton, Obama-era attorney general Eric Holder, former first lady and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and other political rivals that ultimately fizzled out.
"They're gonna go back to their sordid playbook of manufactured conspiracies, debunked theories, and in some cases, outright fabricated narratives," Connolly said of the all-too familiar fight he's already gearing up for come January.
'Piece together something'
Jordan recently reaffirmed his plans to spend the next election cycle grilling federal law enforcement officials and the Biden family during an appearance on the Mike Huckabee show.
โRep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) November 22, 2022
"It's our constitutional duty," Jordan said.
The former governor of Arkansas who's now a talk show host urged Jordan to get cracking.
"I'm going to pop some popcorn. Get a good seat. And watch these hearings," Huckabee said of the payback programming he's been craving.
Former Rep. Davis said the agenda items GOP hardliners aren't going to let go of include investigating the origin of the global pandemic ("do a little more research on that instead of just having it glossed over," Davis advised) and the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan ("we really need to know how did things go so badly?").
โRep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) November 22, 2022
And, of course, taking another swing at Hunter Biden.
"I think you throw Hunter Biden's laptop in there only because there was such a media denial when this thing came out," Davis said.
Making it all work, he added, requires doing due diligence.
"Do some depositions. Look at some documents," Davis said. "And piece together something."
Matt Mackowiak, a former Senate GOP staffer who is now a Texas-based political consultant, advised House Republicans to focus on what matters most to voters.
"If hearings go beyond responsible oversight by becoming a political circus, that will be a mistake," Mackowiak told Insider, adding that GOP leaders should seize on "improving the lives of average Americans."
"They can investigate while also passing reforms," Mackowiak said.
Rep. Connolly urged Republicans to tread carefully, vowing to "push back against any efforts that we believe are purely political and non-factual."
"There are real risks and pitfalls when elected officials act recklessly with the truth and abuse their public offices for squalid partisan payback," Connolly said, adding, "It doesn't play well with the American public."
Aides for McCarthy and Jordan did not immediately respond to requests for comment about any GOP calls to tread carefully next year.
Kevin McCarthy Jim Jordan James Comer | 2022-11-23T19:14:09Z | www.businessinsider.com | House GOP Risks Backlash If Investigations Agenda Flops: Supporters | https://www.businessinsider.com/house-gop-risks-2024-backlash-hunter-biden-investigations-agenda-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/house-gop-risks-2024-backlash-hunter-biden-investigations-agenda-2022-11 |
Home Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Loans
Continuing to repay your student loans during the repayment pause can save big on interest.
Rifka Hayati/Getty Images
The Biden administration has extended the student loan repayment pause into 2023.
You don't have to make payments on your loans during the pause, but doing so will save you money.
Student loan forgiveness is being challenged in courts and isn't guaranteed. Make a plan to repay.
With the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan tied up in the courts, the government is again extending the repayment pause that's been in effect since March 2020. But for many borrowers, the smart move would be to make payments anyway.
Biden's plan is to forgive $10,000 in student loans for single borrowers who make $125,000 or less and married couples and heads of households who make less than $250,000. The amount of forgiveness will be $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. While the latest pause could mean you won't have to make payments until late August 2023, making payments on balances exceeding the forgiveness amount in the meantime can save you a lot of money.
"If you have student loans, you should start paying them down, but consider leaving that last $10,000 or $20,000 until the court cases work themselves out," said Jay Zigmont, a CFPยฎ professional and founder of Childfree Wealth. "The bonus of paying your loans now is that the entire payment is going to the principal. If you are down to your last $10,000 of loans, consider putting the payment into a savings account that can either be used or put toward the loan once we have an answer on forgiveness."
The Department of Education said student loan payments will resume either 60 days after the lawsuits challenging it are resolved or, if they have not been resolved by June 30, then 60 days after that.
Why should I make student loan payments now?
Typically, when you make payments on loans, you're not only paying down the balance of your debt but also the interest on your principal. This can occasionally lead to borrowers who make on-time payments actually having their loan balances go up because their payments only cover a portion of interest and don't reduce the principal at all.
If you make student loan payments during the pause, all the money goes toward reducing the principal. This will help you reduce your debt more quickly than when you're in a regular repayment period because you'll be paying interest on a smaller amount of debt when payments resume. That means you'll pay less in interest overall than if you made no payments during this period.
Student loan repayment example
For example, say you had an initial loan balance of $30,000. Here's how much you could have saved had you continued to make regular student loan payments throughout the duration of the repayment pause.
To calculate savings, we're using a fixed interest rate of 5% and the average student loan debt for borrowers. This works out to a monthly payment of $318. For simpler calculations, we've assumed a repayment pause of three years, which would take us to March 2023.
Initial loan balance Amount paid during pause Balance after pause Total cost of your loan (balance + interest)
$30,000 $0 $30,000 $38,184
If you had continued to make your regular monthly payments for those three years, you would have saved more than $3,000 over the life of your loan.
Now, if you haven't been making payments but want to start, here's an example of how much you can still potentially save from now until the end of August.
$30,000 $2,862 $27,138 $37,403
While it might not seem like much, $781 in savings is still significant if you can work student loan payments back into your budget.
"When student loan payments start again, many are in for a rough time," Zigmont said. "Start now by making $50 or $100 monthly payments towards your student loans. Increase the amount each month, and you will not only make space in your budget but also make progress towards paying down your loans."
ECONOMY Biden extends the student-loan payment pause for another 6 months at most as his debt relief remains blocked in court
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Loans Student Loans student loan forgiveness | 2022-11-23T19:14:20Z | www.businessinsider.com | Why You Should Continue Paying Student Loans During the Pause | https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/pay-down-student-loans-during-pause-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/pay-down-student-loans-during-pause-2022-11 |
President Joe Biden, left, answers questions with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as they leave an event about the administration's student-loan forgiveness plan at the White House on October 17, 2022.
Former Rep. George Miller, who constructed the law Biden is using to cancel student debt, filed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting the plan.
Miller stood with Biden's request to the court to revive the relief after lower federal courts blocked it.
Along with Miller, advocates, legal experts, and economists filed a series of briefs supporting the relief.
One of the lawmakers who constructed the law President Joe Biden is using to cancel student debt just told the nation's highest court why the debt relief shouldn't be blocked.
On Tuesday, Smita Ghosh, Appellate Counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center, on behalf of former Rep. George Miller โ a top Democratic lawmaker on the House education committee who helped construct the HEROES Act of 2003 โ filed an amicus curiae brief supporting the Biden administration's request to reinstate its student-loan forgiveness plan. The Act, per its text, gives the Education Secretary the ability to waive or modify student-loan balances in connection with a national emergency, like COVID-19.
After Biden announced up to $20,000 in broad debt relief for federal borrowers at the end of August, a number of conservative lawsuits arose seeking to block the policy. Over the past two weeks, two federal courts have ruled the debt relief should be blocked โ most recently, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals decided the temporary pause it placed on Biden's debt relief in October should remain in place indefinitely, favoring the six Republican-led states who filed the lawsuit and argued the relief would hurt their states' tax revenues and was overstepping authority under the HEROES Act.
In response to the 8th Circuit's decision, Biden's Justice Department on Friday took matters to the Supreme Court and asked it in an appeal to revive the loan forgiveness, and Miller's recent legal filing supported the administration's request.
Miller's filing said that "the Act confers significant authority on the Secretary to ease the burdens on borrowers who have been affected by unexpected national emergencies. And that is exactly what the Secretary has done here." He also noted how both former President Donald Trump and Biden have used the same authority to extend the student-loan payment pause during the pandemic โ something Biden just did for his sixth time on Tuesday, through June 30 at the latest.
"As our brief shows, Congress used broad language in the text of the HEROES Act to make clear that the Education Secretary has extensive authority to respond to national emergencies, and the history of the law confirms that it authorizes comprehensive actions when the circumstances call for them," the filing said. "While the states challenging the debt-relief plan may not like it as a matter of policy, their contention that the loan forgiveness plan exceeds the Administration's authority is completely without merit. The Supreme Court should lift the injunction put in place by the Eighth Circuit."
Along with Miller, advocates, legal experts, and economists filed a series of briefs to the Supreme Court also expressing support for reviving Biden's debt relief. Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director and Managing Counsel at the Student Borrower Protection Center โ an advocacy group that led 21 legal services and advocates in filing one of the briefs โ said in a statement that "the collective Amici are on the front lines helping borrowers survive financial havoc wrought by the double whammy of the broken student loan system and COVID-19 pandemic."
The Republican-led states who filed the lawsuit blocking debt relief responded to the Biden administration's request to the Supreme Court to revive the plan on Wednesday, saying in the filing that the HEROES Act "text and context demonstrate that its purpose is to keep certain borrowers from falling into a worse position financially in relation to their student loans."
"Yet the Secretary uses it here to place tens of millions of borrowers in a better position by cancelling their loans en masse," the filing continued. "The Act does not allow the Secretary to effectively transform federal student loans into grants. It is telling that the Secretary has never before used the Act in this way." | 2022-11-23T19:14:32Z | www.businessinsider.com | Architect of the Law to Cancel Student Debt Tells SCOTUS to Revive Relief | https://www.businessinsider.com/scotus-should-revive-student-debt-relief-architect-heroes-act-says-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/scotus-should-revive-student-debt-relief-architect-heroes-act-says-2022-11 |
21 streaming and media free agents on the market after Warner Bros. Discovery layoffs
From left: Tony Goncalves, Christy Haubegger, and Andrew Morse.
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A slew of top content and streaming executivess exited WarnerMedia after its merger with Discovery.
Insider identified 21 respected film, TV, digital, and sales pros who are free agents.
They're ones to watch as the media industry continues to figure out its streaming future.
The $43 billion merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery this year joined two media giants โ and left scores of top talent looking for their next act as David Zaslav, CEO of the merged entity, Warner Bros. Discovery, began the process of cost-cutting in the wake of the deal.
The first execs to exit in April were Jason Kilar, CEO of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff, and other C-suite leaders reporting to them.
Following them out the door โ some soon after, some as recently as early November โ were a slew of top executives who find themselves between roles in an industry being upended by M&A and the rapid shift to streaming that sped up in the pandemic. They include people like Tony Goncalves, CRO at WarnerMedia, who left before the merger; the architects of the CNN+ streamer, which was shut down by WBD brass just weeks after it launched; and ad revenue rainmakers like Kim Yates who were cut as the company sought to eliminate sales force duplication.
Insider identified 21 free agents from across WBD โ seasoned players behind its digital and streaming businesses with the sales, product, editorial, and financial chops required to tell the next chapter of media. (This list is by no means comprehensive and will be updated as new information warrants.)
Scroll down to read the full list, in alphabetical order by last name.
Meredith Artley
Meredith Artley.
Nicola Gell/Getty Images for SXSW
The longtime editorial executive left CNN in May. She was digital editor in chief of CNN Worldwide, leading a team of 350 that had formed under former CNN president Jeff Zucker. She followed the exit of her boss, Andrew Morse, who left after the abrupt cancellation of streaming service CNN+.
Artley joined CNN in 2009 after serving in editorial leadership roles at the Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune and The New York Times.
Tom Ascheim
Tom Ascheim.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for TCM
Ascheim was president of Warner Bros. Global Kids for two years, leaving just after the merger. The veteran TV exec oversaw Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, the Cartoon Network, and Warner Bros Animation studios, home to Looney Toons, Tom and Jerry, Rick and Morty, and more. He also had global oversight for the Turner Classic Movies channel.
Other than a stint as CEO of Newsweek, where he was hired to turn around the newsweekly, Ascheim has spent much of his career in youth-focused entertainment. Before Warners, he was president of Disney's Freeform for six years, after various leadership roles at Nickelodeon Television, Sesame Workshop, and Nickelodeon.
Michael Bass.
Bass is one of the company's top programming execs and a longtime ally of ex-CNN boss Jeff Zucker; he was one of three leaders who were tapped to steward the network when Zucker resigned in February after failing to disclose a relationship with a colleague.
As EVP of programming for CNN US, Bass oversaw CNN's New York- and Atlanta-based live programs and managed network-wide booking, sponsored content and special projects, "CNN Heroes," and in-house original documentaries. His resignation was announced in November by CNN's new boss Chris Licht.
Carolyn Blackwood
The COO of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group left when WBD brought in new leadership to run the film unit after the merger. Her boss and close confidant, Toby Emmerich, also left in the shakeup.
Blackwood is a seasoned film exec, having spent 20 years at Warners' New Line Cinema, eventually running it with Richard Brener. At Warner Bros., she was credited with helping shepherd Christopher Nolan's "Tenet," "Wonder Woman 1984," DC's "The Batman," and others. She also was known for working with former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar to implement "project popcorn" that released the studio's 2021 films on streaming and in theaters simultaneously.
Todd Braverman
Braverman left as part of a massive culling of salespeople in the summer that's expected to reduce WBD's sales force by about a third. As SVP of WarnerMedia Portfolio Sales & Client Partnerships, he was a mission-critical exec who led ad sales for the legacy WarnerMedia brands and shepherded its TV upfronts sales effort with the advertising agency holding companies.
He started his Turner career in 2008 at Adult Swim, TruTV, and Cartoon Network. Previously, he worked at TV Guide Network and as a buyer at Mediacom.
Neil Chugani
As part of a leadership shakeup by new CNN boss Chris Licht, Chugani was tapped after the merger in April to be CFO of News & Sports โ only to resign several months later rather than relocate from his London home base. Chugani came from the Discovery side, having helped run its streaming business in the UK before the merger. Before joining Discovery, he was a senior director at Google, where he helped grow its EMEA business. He also held roles at BBC Studios, Goldman Sachs, and PwC.
A former member of the Great Britain Rowing Team and gold medalist at the World Rowing Championships in 2001, Chugani also sits on the board of UK Sport, the government sports body.
Katrina Cukaj
Cukaj has for several years led WarnerMedia's all-important Upfront presentations as the company's Lead, Ad Sales and Client Partnerships. Set to depart by the end of 2022, she was part of the big culling by WBD to reduce overlap in the newly combined companies' sales teams. With her exit, WBD loses more than two decades of sales relationship-building.
The Bronx, NY-raised daughter of immigrants once planned to be a teacher but opted for a more lucrative profession. She's been praised by colleagues for her charisma and ability to work across Warners' multiple properties for clients' benefit, as well as being a steady force in the pandemic.
Andy Forssell
Andy Forssell.
Presley Ann/Getty Images for WarnerMedia & Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for WarnerMedia
Shortly after WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar was ousted, Forssell also departed in early April. Forsell had been with the company since mid-2019, overseeing HBO Max's operations, including the rollout of the streamer in the US and internationally.
Forssell's career leading up to that included stints at Otter Media (chief operating officer for over a year), Fullscreen (chief operating officer for over two years), and the Vevo-acquired Showyou (CEO for a year). He had spent time in the trenches with Hulu co-founder Kilar before: From 2007 to 2013, the Army vet was a content and distribution exec during Hulu's infancy as the streamer grew from dozens of staffers to hundreds. Forssell was also acting CEO of Hulu in 2013 after Kilar departed. Prior to that, Forssell worked for Siebel Systems, which was eventually bought out by Oracle, for a decade.
Tony Goncalves.
Goncalves was chief revenue officer at WarnerMedia and one of nine top execs who exited the company just before the Discovery deal closed. Goncalves led the development of 2-year-old streaming service HBO Max and its distribution as the head of revenue.
The AT&T vet came to WarnerMedia in 2018 as the CEO of Otter Media, its joint venture with The Chernin Group, later adding oversight of WarnerMedia's streaming efforts and all of WarnerMedia's $22 billion in revenue. He previously was an executive at DirecTV, where he oversaw the development of its TV Everywhere strategy.
Christy Haubegger
Christy Haubegger.
Credited with leading the charge on WarnerMedia's diversity efforts under then-CEO John Stankey and his successor Jason Kilar, Haubegger was the company's first chief equity and inclusion officer for three years until Discovery acquired WarnerMedia from AT&T.
The industry veteran had prior to that spent 14 years at Hollywood agency CAA, launching multicultural summit CAA Amplify and creating a database of TV writers of color to promote inclusive hiring. The Stanford Law grad founded Latina magazine in 1996.
Chris Herbert
Herbert, one of CNN's top execs to leave after the merger, is a longtime digital exec and one of the people instrumental to its digital success. As GM of CNN Digital, he was responsible for the P&L of CNN's core digital business, including its website and mobile apps as well as audio, which has since been scaled back; and Vault, its short-lived NFT marketplace.
Before joining CNN in 2016, he helped IBM's The Weather Co. with its video and international expansion; and spent four years at Bloomberg LP, heading special projects for its media group.
Jeniffer Kim
Jeniffer Kim.
Kim was most recently HBO Max's SVP of international originals, overseeing content development for the streamer's international regions. One of the more popular originals under her watch, "Starstruck," debuted under her watch. She was one of 70 HBO Max staffers affected by layoffs in August.
Before joining the streamer over three-and-a-half years earlier, she was a longtime executive at Turner network TBS, developing scripted comedy series for the basic cabler for nearly 12 years, ultimately rising to senior vice president of original programming.
Sarah Lyons
Sarah Lyons.
Lyons was part of a May exodus of streaming execs under JB Perrette, the Discovery vet charged with executing WBD's big idea of combining HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streaming platform.
As EVP of DTC Global Product Management & Head of Product for HBO Max, Lyons led the product management and product experience design teams for WarnerMedia's DTC products, most notably HBO Max, a role that required balancing Max's user appeal with plans for global expansion and addition of an ad-supported tier. "We come from a very strong legacy of storytelling, so we didn't want the advertising to interrupt the storytelling," Lyons said at a 2021 event. The AT&T vet previously worked on its OTT video strategy and held several roles at DirecTV.
Alex MacCallum
MacCallum was one of the architects of CNN+ who left after new WBD execs pulled the plug on the month-old streaming service. She was part of a rash of talent enlisted to build CNN+ and served as head of product, GM of CNN Direct-to-Consumer as well as interim head of CNN Digital.
Widely considered a product star, MacCallum was hired away from The New York Times, where she built its standalone businesses including Cooking, Games, and Wirecutter. In 2014, she was the youngest person appointed to the Times masthead.
Andrew Morse
Andrew Morse.
Morse was CNN's EVP and chief digital officer who spearheaded the network's streaming push, most notably its much-trumpeted CNN+. Considered a digital news innovator, he left, along with many of the streamer's staff, after his new WBD bosses shut it down after just a month. "March 29 will be an important day in the history of CNN and CNN+ will be a critical part of our future," he said at the time of the service's launch.
Morse was also behind many of CNN's other big digital bets; he previously was head of Bloomberg Television and served in digital and TV roles at ABC.
Jennifer O'Connell.
As the head of HBO Max's unscripted efforts, O'Connell โ who was laid off along with dozens of other HBO Max staffers in August โ steered the development of reality series such as ball competition hit "Legendary," dating show "Fboy Island" and foodie show "Selena + Chef." The EVP of Non-Fiction & Live-Action Family Originals for HBO also oversaw the "Friends" reunion special that put HBO Max on the map in its infancy.
Prior to that, O'Connell led all unscripted development and production at Lionsgate and had held executive positions at Disney Channel and NBCUniversal, with involvement in reality hits such as "Selling Sunset" and "The Real Housewives of New York City."
Robyn Peterson
Peterson was CNN Digital's CTO who left along with Alex MacCallum and others after CNN+'s shutdown. The digital vet was one of the faces of CNN+'s rollout, describing its feature that let viewers submit questions to interview guests as a big differentiator that would make it additive to current free news offerings.
Peterson previously was head of product and CTO at the once fast-growing tech-news startup Mashable. Earlier, he served in product and tech roles at NBCUniversal and Ziff Davis.
Michael Quigley.
As EVP of Content Acquisition and Strategy at WarnerMedia, Quigley was a mastermind behind the success of HBO Max and HBO as well as Cinemax and Turner, figuring out which content to acquire or license to appeal to audiences over the long-term.
Called "exceptionally smart" by peers, Quigley previously oversaw business and content strategy for Turner's TBS, TNT, and TruTV and negotiated multi-year distribution deals for Turner networks. He started his career in investment banking at Lehman Bros. before moving to the media business.
Brett Weitz
Brett Weitz.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association
Weitz was GM of TNT and TBS for 10 years, adding TruTV to his portfolio in 2019. During his time at WarnerMedia, Weitz helped keep TNT and TBS at the head of the pack among cable entertainment networks and ensured that each had a distinct brand. He oversaw hits including TNT's "Snowpiercer," TBS' "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee" and "Chad," and TruTV's "Impractical Jokers" franchise. WBD stopped scripted development at TBS and TNT in April and his role was eliminated shortly after.
Wilson is a longtime marketing and streaming executive who was the US GM and EVP of Global Data & CRM for HBO Max. He left in September as part of the ongoing changes that followed the merger.
Wilson served in the role for two years, during which he made strides to improve employee culture and reduce subscriber churn. Before WarnerMedia, he was EVP of streaming at Disney. He also held marketing roles at Disney, LendingTree, and Expedia Group.
Kim Yates
Yates was one of the top sales execs at WarnerMedia who left as part of a big shedding of salespeople as WBD looks to shed its costs by reducing duplication.
As SVP, Head of Client Sales & Partnerships, Yates was the top sales exec on the client side and key to the company's relationship with blue-chip advertisers, nabbing big deals involving marketers like Coca-Cola, Wendy's, and DraftKings. She previously worked her way up the ranks in ad sales for Turner, where she helped sell advertisers on youth-skewing networks like Adult Swim and TruTV.
Features Warner Bros. Discovery | 2022-11-23T19:14:38Z | www.businessinsider.com | Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming, Content Execs on the Job Market | https://www.businessinsider.com/warner-bros-discovery-tv-streaming-content-execs-hire-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/warner-bros-discovery-tv-streaming-content-execs-hire-2022-11 |
Black Friday is just a few days away and one of the hottest beauty gifts this year is the Dyson Airwrap. The innovative tool is designed to dry and style your hair at the same time, delivering a salon-level blowout from the comfort of your home. While the Dyson Airwrap itself isn't discounted anywhere that we've found, there are a few promotions that will help you get discounted attachments or receive store credits when purchasing the Airwrap.
$599.99 from bluemercury
Dyson: Get three free accessories valued at $125 with your purchase. Alternatively, returning Dyson customers can save 20% on their purchase. Check your email for the promotion.
In our full review of the Dyson Airwrap, we concluded that the price is the only considerable downside, but if you can afford it, the Airwrap is worth owning โ and many consumers seem to agree. The standard Dyson Airwrap Complete is usually out of stock and sells out immediately after restocks due to such high demand, but the long version โ which uses the same technology but features a slightly longer wand โ is currently available now. Although you won't find huge discounts, the gifts or bonus rewards sweeten the deal. It's worth noting that the Airwrap is likely to sell out in both versions before the holiday season, so now is the best time to buy one.
The Hot Tools Profesional 24K Gold One Step Blowout delivers professional results with one simple tool. Its rotating heat control evenly dries your hair at three different speed settings, and its charcoal-infused bristles are perfect for refreshing second-day hair. For Black Friday, you're saving 38%. | 2022-11-23T22:16:47Z | www.businessinsider.com | Black Friday Dyson Airwrap Deals 2022: Credits, Freebies to Help You Save | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/dyson-airwrap-black-friday-deal-11-2022 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/dyson-airwrap-black-friday-deal-11-2022 |
Audiobooks are an accessible way to experience books of every genre, length, and subject and they've grown in popularity over the last few years โ readers love listening to books while commuting, working, or on a walk. Audible is Amazon's audiobook subscription service that includes podcasts, audio-drama productions, and Audible originals that you can't find anywhere else.
Audible's best audiobooks of 2022 were picked by its editors, with input from listener favorites and bestsellers, reviews, and in-house genre experts. All the winners were published in 2022 and include audiobooks, full-cast Audible originals, podcast series, and more. So whether you're looking for a great new listen for the start of the new year or trying to find an audiobook to gift for the holidays, here are the best audiobooks and podcasts of 2022, according to Audible.
Best audiobook of 2022: "All My Rage" by Sabaa Tahir
"All My Rage" by Sabaa Tahir, available at Amazon and Libro, from $33.69
Audible's all-around favorite audiobook of 2022 is "All My Rage," a contemporary young adult novel about Salahudin and Noor, who grew up as close as family until a huge fight tore their friendship apart. Now, Salahudin is trying to save his family's motel in the wake of his mother's illness and his father's grief while Noor secretly applies to college in an attempt to escape her brutal uncle. As the two face some of the hardest times in their lives, they must learn how to forgive so they can lean on each other once again. This book also won a National Book Award in the young people's literature category.
Best bio or memoir audiobook of 2022: "Constructing a Nervous System" by Margo Jefferson
"Constructing a Nervous System" by Margo Jefferson, available at Amazon and Libro, from $18.38
Margo Jefferson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose memoir, "Constructing a Nervous System," is a unique and original read that combines music, anecdotes, and other performance elements. The book includes the critical voice for which Jefferson is known and a cast of familial characters that bring her story to life.
Best celebrity memoir audiobook of 2022: "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy
"I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy, available at Amazon and Libro, from $12.24
From the former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy, "I'm Glad My Mom Died" is a raw, real, and emotionally painful memoir of McCurdy's coming-of-age journey as a child actor with a mother whose dream was for her to become a star. In this memoir, McCurdy does not shy away from the hardest moments in her life, from dealing with an eating disorder to realizing the extent of her mother's abuse.
Best comedy podcast of 2022: "Funny My Way" by AYR Media, Team Coco
"Funny My Way" by AYR Media, Team Coco, available at Amazon, $7.95/month
"Funny My Way" is an Audible Original Podcast about six Black trailblazing comedy icons. With archival footage, commentary from guests, and in-depth histories, this podcast covers Black comedic legends like Paul Mooney and Moms Mabley, who was the first Black comedian to play Carnegie Hall.
Best debut audiobook of 2022: "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
"Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt, available at Amazon and Libro, from $18.74
"Remarkably Bright Creatures" is Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel and has captured readers and listeners everywhere with its charming story of friendship and hope. Tova Sullivan works the night shift at the aquarium, keeping herself busy to cope with losing her son, Erik, who disappeared on a boat 30 years ago. Now, Tova is slowly becoming friends with Marcellus, a giant octopus at the aquarium, who knows more than anyone could imagine โ even, possibly, what happened to Tova's son.
Best fantasy audiobook of 2022: "Impact Winter" by Travis Beacham
"Impact Winter" by Travis Beacham, available at Amazon, $21.83
This full-cast fantasy audiobook was created just for Audible with immersive 3D audio that includes sound effects, music, and more to bring listeners into the story. "Impact Winter" is set seven years after a comet hit Earth and blotted out the sun, leaving survivors to form a resistance against the vampires that have emerged in this paranormal, post-apocalyptic listening experience.
Best fiction audiobook of 2022: "Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng
"Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng, available at Amazon and Libro, from $30.63
From the author of "Little Fires Everywhere," "Our Missing Hearts" is the story of Bird, a 12-year-old boy who lives with his father in a world where the government has set laws to preserve "American culture" including removing books from libraries that are viewed as "unpatriotic" and relocating children of dissents. Bird has grown up openly disavowing his mother, whose poems were removed from libraries, but when he receives a strange letter, Bird goes on a journey to find her and defy the injustices that have kept him and his family quiet for years.
Best history audiobook of 2022: "Summer of '85" by Chris Morrow
"Summer of '85" by Chris Morrow, available at Amazon, $21.83
Narrated by Kevin Hart, "Summer of '85" focuses on 1985 Philadelphia, when the city was marked by two vastly different events: The Mayor's decision to bomb the headquarters of a controversial communal organization and the Live Aid concert to raise money for those affected by the Ethiopian famine. This history listen connects the dots between these two events โ one that supported Africa and one that destroyed an African-American community.
Best kids audiobook of 2022: "Attack of the Black Rectangles" by A.S. King
"Attack of the Black Rectangles" by A.S. King, available at Amazon and Libro, from $11.63
This realistic, middle-grade fiction read is about sixth-grader Mac, who is outraged to find that his copy of "The Devil's Arithmetic" has words blacked out. Determined to protest the censorship, Mac and his friends go to the principal's office but when they're met with more resistance, the student protest grows quickly.
Best mystery or thriller of 2022: "The Maid" by Nita Prose
"The Maid" by Nita Prose, available at Amazon and Libro, from $15.68
Chosen primarily because of the Audible editor's love of the main character, "The Maid" follows Molly Gray, who struggles to understand social cues but loves her work as a hotel maid. But when Molly discovers a wealthy man dead in his hotel bed, she becomes the police's prime suspect and needs the help of her friends to unmask the real killer before she's pegged for a crime she didn't commit.
Best nonfiction audiobook of 2022: "Inside Voice" by Lake Bell
"Inside Voice" by Lake Bell, available at Amazon and Libro, from $19.60
"Inside Voice" is a deep dive into why our voice matters as a piece of our identity, our stories, and our world. Born from the author's own fascination with voice, this book pulls elements of psychology, social science, cultural constructs, and interactive games for a fun and fascinating listen.
Best romance audiobook of 2022: "Book Lovers" by Emily Henry
"Book Lovers" by Emily Henry, available at Amazon and Libro, from $15.68
"Book Lovers" is a contemporary rom-com about Nora, a literary agent, who takes a trip with her sister to a story-like town in North Carolina to reconnect and get away from the city, even if it's to a clichรฉ town like Sunshine Falls. Nora is ready to become the hero of her own love story until she runs into Charlie Lasta, a brooding book editor from the city with whom she has a quiet rivalry and way too many run-ins for even the most stereotypical romance novel. "Book Lovers" was one of our favorite beach reads this summer โ check out our full review here.
Best sci-fi audiobook of 2022: Upgrade Soul" by Ezra Claytan Daniels
"Upgrade Soul" by Ezra Claytan Daniels, available at Amazon, $7.95/month
"Upgrade Soul" is an audio-drama adaptation of an award-winning graphic novel of the same name. Chosen for its masterful adaptation, the story follows Hank and Molly Nonnar who have decided to fund an experimental gene therapy that will increase lifespans and enhance intelligence with one catch: They want to be the first subjects.
Best Spanish language audiobook of 2022: "Orgullo prieto" [Dark-Skinned Pride] by Tenoch Huerta
"Orgullo prieto" [Dark-Skinned Pride] by Tenoch Huerta, available at Amazon and Libro, from $11.57
Narrated by the author in Spanish, "Orgullo prieto" is a series of reflections about different types of discrimination people face in Mexico, often ignored or brushed off as classism or not as bad as in the United States. Huerta draws from personal experience in this story of how racism affects social spheres, families, careers, and more.
Best theater audiobook of 2022: "Mrs. Wickham" by Sarah Page
"Mrs. Wickham" by Sarah Page, available at Amazon, $7.95
Perfect for fans of "Bridgerton," this audio drama focuses on "Pride and Prejudice's" Lydia, just as she's denounced from her family and married off to George Wickham. In this full-cast production, Lydia's character shines like never before as she defends her choices against those who judge her for every misstep.
Best true crime audiobook of 2022: โFinding Tamikaโ by Erika Alexander
"Finding Tamika" by Erika Alexander, available at Amazon, $26.21
24-year-old Tamika Huston went missing in 2004 and her case has become a rallying cry and example to those looking to expose the system that ignores missing girls and women of color. This true crime listen digs into Tamika's past, what may have happened to her, and how the justice system failed her.
Best well-being podcast of 2022: "Maejor Frequency" by Maejor
"Maejor Frequency" by Maejor, available at Amazon, $7.95/month
In this 11-episode podcast, Maejor has collaborated with musical celebrities to look at the "healing powers of intentional frequency." Chosen by Audible editors for its scientific insight, compelling narrative, and surprising guest stars, "Maejor Frequency" looks at how different types of sound can encourage wellness.
Best YA audiobook of 2022: "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" by Sue Lynn Tan
"Daughter of the Moon Goddess" by Sue Lynn Tan, available at Amazon and Libro, from $31.94
"Daughter of the Moon Goddess" is the story of Xingyin, who grew up in solitude on the moon, unaware she was being hidden from the Celestial Emperor by her mother, who stole his elixir of immortality. When Xingyin's presence becomes known, she must flee her home but sets out on a quest to save her mother in this epic, mythological tale inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess. | 2022-11-23T22:16:53Z | www.businessinsider.com | 18 Best Audiobooks and Podcasts of 2022, According to Audible | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/audible-best-audiobooks-podcasts-2022 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/audible-best-audiobooks-podcasts-2022 |
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville has become a hospitality empire with hotels, a cruise line, and RV resorts.
I visited four Margaritaville properties and saw how its consistent branding has driven it to success.
Every property evoked the laid-back Buffett lifestyle with amenities named after his lyrics.
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville has become a hospitality empire.
A Camp Margaritaville.
And after visiting four of its properties, I now understand why: The company has perfected its highly consistent Buffett "lifestyle" branding.
And travelers can't get enough of it.
Over the last few years, Margaritaville has been diversifying its real estate portfolio beyond what traditional hotel companies have done.
What was once a simple song that turned into a collection of restaurants, bars, and hotels โฆ
A Margaritaville restaurant in Florida.
Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock
โฆ is now a portfolio of Buffett-branded RV resorts, timeshares, senior living communities, and even a cruise line.
Over the last two years, I visited two of its RV resorts in Florida and Tennessee, a hotel in New York City, and its cruise ship sailing out of Florida.
But no matter the concept and location, by land or by sea, I've noticed Margaritaville's properties are highly consistent.
Jimmy Buffett's hit "Margaritaville" song โ which inspired this subsequent empire โ shows listeners what life could be like while relaxing in a slow, warm weathered destination.
And this laidback "lifestyle" is the same feeling the Margaritaville company has successfully recreated across its roughly 40 hotels, 70 restaurants and bars, and four RV resorts, among its other areas.
The outside patio of the 5 OโClock Somewhere bar.
Source: Margaritaville, Margaritaville, Margaritaville
Travelers know exactly what to expect when they step into a Margaritaville property: the feeling of being at a kitschy beachside resort.
It's a world where "parrotheads," as Buffett fans affectionately call themselves, can rejoice in the tropical, laidback way of life Buffett often croons about.
And while I didn't grow up listening to his music, I do understand why this undeniably fun branding has been so appealing to travelers.
I visited my first Margaritaville property, its New York City hotel, in early 2021.
Margaritaville Resort Times Square.
After that first immersion, I knew exactly what to expect from all other Margaritaville concepts.
The artwork inside Margaritaville Resort Times Square.
Every property I've since stayed at has felt like I was being thrown into Buffett's world of sponge cake and the promise that it's "five o'clock somewhere."
These aren't your typical unexciting hospitality concepts.
Instead, picture kitschy tropical decor like towering sandals, palm trees, margaritas, and Buffett's lyrics painted on the walls.
Even the New York City hotel, located in one of the city's busiest neighborhoods, had a shockingly easy going feel.
There were reminders of its location with fun Margaritaville twists sprinkled throughout the hotel โฆ
A room inside Margaritaville Resort Times Square.
โฆ like the restaurant's Statue of Liberty replica holding a margarita glass.
The Statue of Liberty recreation in the Margaritaville Restaurant.
And while I wouldn't say it was a true tropical getaway โ the car horns and sirens were difficult to ignore โ the hotel did have painted blue skies โฆ
The two-floor Margaritaville Restaurant.
โฆ nautical decor, Buffett lyrics on the walls โฆ
โฆ and tropical plants that could never grow in Central Park โฆ
โฆ creating a cheesy but respectable attempt at replicating a beachside getaway in the heart of Manhattan.
"When you walk in here, you're instantly transported to a different state," Kori Yoran, the general manager of Margaritaville Resort Times Square, told Insider in 2021. "If you don't look outside, you're like, 'oh, there's obviously a beach and water.'"
Almost every Margaritaville concept I've since visited has used these same or similar design elements to convey the Buffett "lifestyle."
The only property that didn't feel like a pure Margaritaville concept was its then-recently acquired cruise ship.
Like I said in my previous review, the lack of immersive decor held the vessel back from feeling like a true Buffett-branded ship.
And yet, it was still able to establish a connection to Margaritaville by keeping the name of its onboard amenities consistent with the brand.
Besides the cohesive decor, the properties' all shared similarly named onsite amenities.
And they all hearkened back to Buffett, acting like a de facto shrine for his music.
The Landshark Bar and Grill.
Fans well-versed in Buffett's discography should know his 1979 song "Fins."
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles in 2017.
On the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, the cruise ship had a Fins Dining concept.
At Camp Margaritaville Auburndale, "fins" came in the form of "Fins Up! Fitness" โฆ
โฆ while Camp Margaritaville Pigeon Forge had a Fins-branded bar, restaurant, breakfast buffet, and arcade.
Both the cruise and Margaritaville Times Square had a "5 o'clock Somewhere" bar or restaurant.
The 5 OโClock Somewhere bar.
And while Times Square had a "License to Chill" bar โฆ
The License to Chill bar.
โฆ the Auburndale RV resort had its "License to Chill" pool.
A pool at Camp Margaritaville in Auburndale, Florida.
Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Cabana Cabins Auburndale, Central Florida
Both RV resorts had "Barkaritaville" dog parks.
These are just a handful of amenities that were unabashedly named after Buffett's music. The full list would be too long for me to include here.
Sure, naming concepts after lyrics is a straightforward idea and (in theory) easy to execute at a large scale.
But this simple, somewhat arbitrary, and effective naming strategy brings these nostalgic songs to life, giving fans of the hospitality company a sense of consistency and comfort.
From the two RV resorts, one cruise, and one hotel I visited, it's evident the company could teach a MasterClass about branding.
It does help that Margaritaville is associated with one of the US' most famous musicians.
The Margaritaville Cafe and Store in Key West, Florida
Chuck Wagner/Shutterstock
But its ability to turn the feeling fans have when they listen to Buffett into real-life concepts at such a large scale is, in my opinion, impressive.
Travelers who are loyal to the Margaritaville brand almost always know what they're going to get at its properties: relaxation, blue skies (even if painted), and the promise of booze.
And while I don't know any lyrics to any Buffett songs, at least I know what to expect whenever I go to a new Margaritaville property.
Cruise RV RV resort | 2022-11-23T22:17:05Z | www.businessinsider.com | Margaritaville Is the Master of Branding Cruises, Hotels, RV Resorts | https://www.businessinsider.com/margaritaville-branding-cruises-hotels-restaurants-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/margaritaville-branding-cruises-hotels-restaurants-2022-11 |
Ukrainian firefighters work at a damaged hospital maternity ward in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022.
AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko
Other than the baby, the child's mother was the only patient at the facility, according to a Telegram post by the country's emergency services. The baby was only two days old, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska said on Twitter.
โะะปะตะฝะฐ ะะตะปะตะฝััะบะฐ (@ZelenskaUA) November 23, 2022
The region, which has been the site of several Russian attacks since the war began, was claimed by Russia in September through illegal referendums.
Oleksandr Starukh, the regional governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said in a Telegram post that the "small maternity ward" had been hit by "huge missiles," according to NBC News.
โDSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) November 23, 2022
Russia was accused of bombing a maternity hospital in Mariupol in March, where three people, including one child, were killed, and at least 17 more were injured. Nearly 1,000 children have been killed or injured in Ukraine since the war began in February, UNICEF estimated in August, though the true number is likely even higher.
The Tuesday hospital attack comes amid a spate of increased Russian bombings across Ukraine this week. Ukrainian Emergency Services said multiple regions were attacked and officials responded to 159 incidents and detected and removed 1,453 explosive objects on Wednesday alone.
Ukraine Russia bombings | 2022-11-23T22:29:32Z | www.businessinsider.com | Newborn Baby Killed at Ukrainian Hospital As Russia Ramps up Attacks | https://www.businessinsider.com/newborn-baby-killed-ukrainian-hospital-russia-ramps-up-attacks-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/newborn-baby-killed-ukrainian-hospital-russia-ramps-up-attacks-2022-11 |
EV-charging stations for electric cars in Gothenburg, Sweden.
EV charging has a newfound boost from government incentives and industry spending.
Charging companies are turning to M&A to juice funding further.
EV-charging consolidation is the latest to hit the auto industry.
Electric-vehicle-charging outfits have been racing to conquer territory by snapping up smaller players, and industry experts anticipate this year's buying frenzy to continue.
The charging space has picked up momentum as automakers are pouring billions into EV development. Legislation like the infrastructure and climate bills, along with state programs, are pushing to accelerate EV adoption and building out charging stations is a huge part of that.
Yet charging companies face plenty of challenges. Even with funding, building EV-charging infrastructure remains extremely costly and time-consuming.
Because of these struggles, not every company will make it โ some smaller companies are betting that larger ones will gobble them up and take on their assets through mergers and acquisitions. Global M&A activity in the charging space this year hit at least $900 million across 25 deals as of this week, according to PitchBook. That includes at least $200 million across seven deals in the US.
"For the smaller companies, it's hard to scale up on their own. They really need larger partners," Steve Hilfinger, a partner and senior business counselor with the law firm Foley & Lardner, said. "This is going to take a lot of capital."
The auto industry's latest M&A frenzy
Given the long lead time on vehicle development, automakers have relied on consolidation to integrate expensive technology into their portfolios. The M&A frenzy taking place in the charging and electric-vehicle world is just the latest example.
Car companies and electric-vehicle startups have been striking deals for the past several years as the industry barrels toward an emission-free future. For any M&A activity, it's about finding a company with the tech that best fits your business' needs, said David Camerucci, a manager in global location investment, credits, and incentives at the consultancy EY.
That's true of a primordial charging space, too.
"If there isn't a single one, how do we select the best of a group of providers that can give us the coverage, align to our goals, and also โ with the increase in interest โ help us stay on track from a timing perspective," he said.
Red-hot and getting hotter
With support from governments around the world and major car companies transitioning their offerings to all-electric vehicles, a robust charging infrastructure is key to the industry's future.
"The automakers obviously want to make sure that at the end of the day, there's an EV ecosystem that will support their EV-production plans," Hilfinger said.
Companies are racing to tap into that. This year, Blink Charging bought the infrastructure outfit SemaConnect; Schneider Electric bought EV Connect; ABB acquired a controlling interest in InCharge Energy; and the supply juggernaut BorgWarner acquired Rhombus Energy Solutions. Meanwhile, Beam Global, Charge Enterprises, and others have emphasized M&A as their long-term strategy for success.
Experts say that even a cooling economy won't slow down increasing EV demand.
"If you can rely on the government-infrastructure funding, if you can rely on some of these other sources to help with that capital burden, it makes the overall cost lower," Hilfinger said. "It will continue to be an active space, even with maybe a little bit of a pullback in the economy."
Electric Vehicles M&A EV | 2022-11-24T10:27:34Z | www.businessinsider.com | EV-Charging Players Are Buying up Small Ones to Meet Huge Demand | https://www.businessinsider.com/ev-charging-industry-merger-acquisition-meet-electric-vehicle-demand-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ev-charging-industry-merger-acquisition-meet-electric-vehicle-demand-2022-11 |
5 of the best places to raise a family if you make over $100,000 a year
Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Image
A family in Gallup Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan, one of the best places to settle with kids, according to Rocket Mortgage.
Rocket Mortgage found five midsize cities that are some of the best places to raise kids.
The schools in these cities, where median incomes are mostly over $100,000, are ranked highly.
Here's what to know about each city, including the median home price, median income, and population.
When it comes to deciding where to put down one's roots, there's a lot to consider โ especially if kids are involved or could be one day.
Midsize cities with moderate costs of living, suburban feels, and good schools are the best choices if you're buying a home with kids in mind, a new Rocket Mortgage report detailing some of the best states and cities for raising a family said.
Long-term mortgage rates at two-decade highs have made homebuying far more difficult financially, so affordability is usually topping considerations these days. Generally speaking, a home is considered affordable for a family if monthly mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance are under 30% of the household income, according to Insider's personal-finance team.
Other things to consider when choosing a place to buy a house in, according to the personal-finance team, are proximity to hospitals and everyday conveniences like grocery stores, and the value of the property, should a sale be necessary down the road.
The pandemic has motivated many buyers to also value a quiet neighborhood. If that's you, it's important to consider when choosing where to settle down.
To be sure, the factors identified by Rocket aren't the only ones to consider, as the report's authors noted. There are cities not named that are still worth a look, depending on how much you can spend on a house and where in the country you hope to settle.
The places that made Rocket's ranking are mostly near big cities. They vary in population, location, and price.
Here they are โ in order of most expensive listing price to least expensive listing price.
Arlington, Virginia.
Median home listing price, per Realtor.com: $804,575
School summary, per Rocket Mortgage: Its school district is No. 2 in the state.
Naperville, Illinois.
Facebook/Naper Settlement
School summary, per Rocket Mortgage: Students in these school districts typically score among the highest in the nation on SAT and ACT exams.
3. The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands, Texas.
thierry dehove/Shutterstock
School summary, per Rocket Mortgage: The elementary schools are in the top 10% of Texas public schools.
Visit Ann Arbor!/Facebook
School summary, per Rocket Mortgage: There's a low student-to-teacher ratio; the University of Michigan is here.
1. Columbia, Maryland
Hickory Crest, a neighborhood in Columbia, Maryland.
The Washington Post / Contributor/Getty Images
School summary, per Rocket Mortgage: It has the top district in the state.
Features homebuying Homebuyers | 2022-11-24T13:30:29Z | www.businessinsider.com | 5 of the Best Cities to Raise Kids, From Ones in Michigan to Texas | https://www.businessinsider.com/5-kid-friendly-cities-to-buy-home-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/5-kid-friendly-cities-to-buy-home-2022-11 |
Arizona's Republican governor congratulated Democrat successor despite her Trump-backed opponent refusing to concede
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey at a news conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 2, 2020.
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool, File
Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey congratulated new governor Katie Hobbs.
This despite Hobbs' GOP opponent Kari Lake refusing to concede the race.
Top Republicans are largely ignoring fraud claims pushed by Trump allies defeated in the midterms.
Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey congratulated Democrat Katie Hobbs on Wednesday, after she secured enough votes to succeed him, despite the refusal of her Trump-backed GOP rival, Kari Lake, to accept defeat.
Last week Hobbs was projected as the winner in the gubernatorial race in Arizona, with her 17,000 vote lead too large for a recount to take place under state laws.
But Lake has claimed, without proof, that her supporters were disenfranchised and prevented from voting, and has demanded a re-run.
Ducey appeared to give short shrift to Lake's previous statements, congratulating Hobbs on her victory and pledging to ensure a smooth transition of power.
"Today I congratulated Governor-elect Katie Hobbs on her victory in a hard-fought race and offered my full cooperation as she prepares to assume the leadership of the State of Arizona," Ducey said in a statement.
"My administration will work to make this transition as smooth and seamless as possible," he added.
โDoug Ducey (@DougDucey) November 23, 2022
Lake, a former television news anchor, largely mimicked former President Donald Trump's playbook in the November 8 midterms, refusing to say before the election that she'd accept the result, and then raising allegations of fraud after her defeat.
"We cannot allow an election like this to stand. What they did on Election Day to punish election day voters is outrageous," Lake said in a video posted on Twitter on Wednesday.
Trump famously refused to accept defeat in the state after the 2020 presidential election, and stirred baseless voter fraud allegations.
At the time, Ducey was criticised by Trump for refusing to help his bid to subvert the results, which saw Democrat Joe Biden win the state's presidential vote.
Lake has seized on problems with voting machines in Maricopa County, Arizona's most populous county, to cast doubt on the result of the midterms.
Arizona state election authorities have said there were printing issues with voting machines in around 70 voting centers, but that this did not prevent any voters from casting their ballots.
Earlier this week it was reported that a senior election official in Maricopa County had been forced to go into hiding after receiving a string of death threats in the wake of Lake's defeat.
Democratic candidates are also projected as winners in the state's Senate and secretary of state races against Trump-endorsed Republicans pushing voter fraud claims.
Support for his election fraud "Big Lie" was one of the key criteria Trump used to select the candidates he endorsed in the 2022 midterms. Many have gone on to be defeated in their races, with those who subsequently pushed fraud allegations being largely ignored by Republican Party leaders.
Doug Ducey Arizona election fraud disinformation | 2022-11-24T13:30:42Z | www.businessinsider.com | Doug Ducey Congratulates New Arizona Governor in Snub to Kari Lake | https://www.businessinsider.com/doug-ducey-congratulates-new-arizona-governor-in-snub-to-kari-lake-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/doug-ducey-congratulates-new-arizona-governor-in-snub-to-kari-lake-2022-11 |
Traveling with Thanksgiving leftovers? Here's what the TSA will let you bring through security.
An estimated 25 million seats are expected to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday period this year.
Many people are likely to bring leftover food with them on their flight home.
Here's what the Transportation Security Administration says can be carried on and what must be checked.
Each year, an estimated 46 million turkeys are consumed in the US during the country's annual Thanksgiving โ or Friendsgiving โ feast.
Mphillips007/Getty Images
About 88% of Americans will partake in the November holiday, with a collective $1 billion spent nationwide on the traditional bird, according to a study by comparison website Finder.
A family enjoying Thanksgiving dinner together.
But that's just the start of the festivities. There are also potatoes, gravy, casseroles, bread, and stuffing โ or dressing if you're from the South โ among many other homemade recipes to go with Thanksgiving dinner.
With so much food, there are bound to be leftovers. And, if you're in one of the 25 million seats expected to fly over the holiday, you'll need to figure out a way to take it home.
Source: Hopper
According to the Transportation Security Administration, travelers have two options for bringing leftovers with them: carry-on bags or checked luggage.
The basic rule of thumb is if it's solid, it's probably safe to take it through security. These include cooked and uncooked items like baked goods, turkey, chicken, stuffing, casseroles, fresh fruits and vegetables, and spices.
The TSA reminds travelers to be conscious of food safety and properly store items to avoid any potential illness. Ice packs are permissible as long as they are completely frozen when passing through the checkpoint.
A list of Thanksgiving leftovers allowed through TSA, per the agency's website.
There are also a handful of items, like liquids and sauces, that need to be checked if they are over the carry-on allowance limit.
Sebastianosecondi/Shutterstock
The TSA says if you can "spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it, or pour it, and it's larger than 3.4 ounces," then it should be checked. This includes cranberry sauce, gravy, wine, jams, maple syrup, and any canned items with liquid.
Thanksgiving food that must be checked.
If you prefer to check your food, the TSA advises you carefully pack it to ensure it won't spill in your luggage.
A list of Thanksgiving food that must be checked.
Again โ remember to properly store the food for transport. If an item needs to be refrigerated, use a cooler. More tips can be found on the US Food and Drug Administration's website.
A passenger putting food in her check luggage.
Steve Russell/Contributor/Getty Images
Source: USFDA, TSA
If you're still unsure about what you must check versus what is permissible in a carry-on, you can search for your item using the TSA's "what can I bring?" tool on its website.
Searching for "meat" on the TSA "what can I bring?" tool. | 2022-11-24T13:31:00Z | www.businessinsider.com | Here Are the Thanksgiving Leftovers Allows Through TSA; Travel | https://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-thanksgiving-leftovers-allows-through-tsa-travel-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-thanksgiving-leftovers-allows-through-tsa-travel-2022-11 |
This startup wants to use light-based chips to make driverless cars safe. Check out the pitch deck Scantinel Photonics used to raise its $10 million Series A.
The managing director and founding team of Scantinel Photonics.
Scantinel Photonics.
Scantinel Photonics has raised $10 million in Series A funding from PhotonDelta.
The German startup uses photonics chips to make autonomous driving more precise and safe.
Check out the 10-slide deck it used to secure its extension round.
Scantinel Photonics has raised $10 million in extended Series A funding from PhotonDelta.
The startup, based in Ulm, Germany, has designed a technology with the goal of enabling autonomous vehicles (AVs) to more precisely detect obstacles on the road, and block out interference while driving.
The startup says the game-changer is its use of photonics chips. Unlike electronic chips, these use light to transmit information in a more energy-efficient way. These photonics chips are used to make LiDAR solutions and devices โ which are integrated into AVs, and key in helping vehicles to sense objects and estimate distances on the road.
The startup bills itself as a solution to the problem of current LiDAR tech being time-consuming and expensive to produce, with a limited light detection range of around 100 meters. Scantinel says it is pioneering a "new wave of LiDAR technology" that's more immune to interference and precise in its imaging, said managing director Dr. Michael Richter.
"You can instantaneously get velocity information in imaging," he added. "You can detect in each pixel, where the object is moving and how fast it's moving."
Cheaper sensors could help make self-driving cars safer, enabling them to detect debris or cargo more precisely, or identify objects in crowded spaces.
The startup aims to partner with Tier 1 suppliers and mobility providers, by supplying the LiDAR engines which can be integrated into the vehicles.
"There's a lot of momentum on the truck side in the UK, where there's shortages of drivers," Richter told Insider. The LiDAR solutions' use cases span everything from industrial automation in mining and agriculture, to traffic management and planning in cities, he added.
Given the expanding market size for AVs, the team was able to successfully close the Series A round amid the global tech downturn. Scantinel being "one of a handful of few players in the world" to provide this technology was also a boon while fundraising, Richter said.
"You need deep knowledge on the semiconductor part. You also need the optic competence to make this scanning happen, and the combination of both is hard to come by," he added.
The Series A extension was led by PhotonDelta, a photonics ecosystem headquartered in the Netherlands which secured $1.1 billion from public and private investors to back 200 startups and develop photonics technology across Europe. Additional backing came from existing investors Scania Growth Capital and ZEISS Ventures, which Scantinel has spun out from.
With the fresh funds, the startup will grow its team and further develop the product.
Features autonomous vehicles | 2022-11-24T15:15:08Z | www.businessinsider.com | Scantinel Photonics Raises $10 Million to Make Self-Driving Safer | https://www.businessinsider.com/scantinel-photonics-raises-10-million-to-make-self-driving-safer-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/scantinel-photonics-raises-10-million-to-make-self-driving-safer-2022-11 |
Morningstar: Buy these 14 cheap stocks that still have room to rally in a bear market
In a bear market rally, investors may find it difficult to determine the difference between overvalued stocks and those that still have room to gain.
Contrary to intutition, bear market rallies may make it tougher for investors to do their jobs.
It's hard to determine which stocks are overvalued and which still have room to rise.
Morningstar shared 14 stocks that are still cheap, despite beating the market.
Stocks have been on an upward tear since mid-October, right in time to usher in the holiday season with good cheer.
But some analysts have warned that any celebrations may be premature.
"We don't typically get markets reaching trough until interest rates start to come down, and we're still a little way away from that," said Goldman Sachs' Chief Equities Strategist Peter Oppenheimer in a recent interview with Bloomberg.
Mike Wilson, the chief investment officer of Morgan Stanley, echoed Oppenheimer's statement in a CNBC interview last week. "The final move of the bear market probably comes next year in the first quarter, when the earnings finally catch up to where we think they're going to be next year," he told the outlet.
Besides the threat of impending market volatility, contrary to intuition a bear market rally like the current one may actually make it harder for investors to determine which stocks are worth buying, since some stocks caught up in the run upwards risk rallying far above their fair value.
To put it another way, investors may find it increasingly difficult to discern between the stocks that still have room to rally, versus those that have shot up beyond reason and may face a correction in the near future.
14 undervalued stocks to buy
To find the stocks that have rallied recently yet still have room to rise, Morningstar analysts screened for undervalued firms from a basket of names that are up 10% or more as of November 17. Then, they whittled that list down to the stocks that Morningstar analysts considered undervalued.
Out of the 14 total names remaining, four of these stocks were considered to have the largest safety margins, or a clear and durable competitive advantage over their peers.
Fast-food chain Yum China (YUMC), for example, commands a robust enough supply chain and brand name to become the prime beneficiary in China's growing fast-food industry, said Senior Equity Analyst Ivan Su, who added that he was also optimistic about the company's top-line drivers.
Despite facing fierce competition in the fields of gene editing and RNA-based therapies, Morningstar Strategist Karen Andersen believes that biotechnology firm Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) has the ability to emerge victorious.
"Ionis has built a massive pipeline of promising new drugs that are rapidly moving toward the market, securing a narrow moat," she said. In her base case for the stock she predicts that by 2030 the company's revenue will swell to $3.1 billion, while its operating margins will approach 50%.
Analysts also noted that Kellogg (K) holds a significant advantage due to its focus on new product launches and strong relationship with consumers. Consumer Sector Director of Equity Research Erin Lash was particularly optimistic about the firm's ability to generate returns above its cost of capital over the next two decades, even in a more bearish environment.
"We think its position as a leading packaged food manufacturer and its arsenal of resources have afforded Kellogg the ability to maintain valuable shelf space for its offerings," she explained.
Finally, Morningstar analysts highlighted AstraZeneca (AZN), noting its strong pipeline and its development of drugs that carry high pricing power.
"AstraZeneca has built its leading presence in the pharma and biotech industry on patent-protected drugs and a developing pipeline that add up to a wide moat. The replenishment of new drugs is setting up industry-leading growth," wrote Damien Conover, director of equity strategy for the healthcare sector.
The full list of Morningstar's 14 undervalued bear market stars is below, along with each firm's ticker, sector, bear market return, and price discount.
1. Yum China
Ticker: YUMC
Bear market return: 11.0%
2. Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Ticker: IONS
Ticker: IMBBY
Sector: Consumer defensive
4. Livent
Ticker: LTHM
Sector: Basic materials
5. Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile
Ticker: SQM
7. Molson Coors Beverage
Ticker: TAP
Ticker: BTI
Ticker: ALB
10. Activision Blizzard
11. Deutsche Telekom
Ticker: DTEGY
12. Kellogg
Ticker: K
13. AstraZeneca
Ticker: AZN
14. Nexstar Media Group
Ticker: NXST | 2022-11-24T16:33:18Z | www.businessinsider.com | 14 Cheap Upside Stock Picks to Buy, Even in a Bear Market: Morningstar | https://www.businessinsider.com/cheap-upside-stock-picks-to-buy-investing-strategy-rally-morningstar-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/cheap-upside-stock-picks-to-buy-investing-strategy-rally-morningstar-2022-11 |
Two NASA astronauts training in an indoor pool, in July.
An astronaut nurse takes a blood sample from NASA astronaut John Glenn in 1961.
Buzz Aldrin trains underwater for a spacewalk in October 1966.
NASA astronaut Carl J. Meade practices an underwater spacewalk on August 10, 1994.
Divers at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory turned off the lights to simulate what an Artemis astronaut might experience at the lunar south pole in February.
NASA / Johnson Space Center
Project Mercury astronauts on board a C-131, one of the first planes affectionately nicknamed the "vomit comet," in November 1958.
Buzz Aldrin floats in a moment of weightlessness aboard a plane on July 9, 1969.
Astronaut Anna Lee Fisher practices doing repair work in the "vomit comet" on July 3, 1980.
Frank Borman, Neil Armstrong, John Young, and Deke Slayton during desert survival training in Nevada on August 13, 1964.
Astronaut Franklin Story Musgrave gathering and purifying water during desert survival training near Pasco, Washington, on August 5, 1969.
Space Frontiers/Getty Images
An astronaut candidate starts a fire as part of NASA's wilderness survival training, near Rangeley, Maine in 2013.
The gimbal rig, seen here in 1959, was developed to train astronauts to gain control of a spinning spacecraft.
Pilot Jerrie Cobb trains in the gimbal rig, or the Multi-axis Space Test Inertia Facility, in 1960.
Walter Schirra Jr., an astronaut, enters the Johnsville Centrifuge in 1960.
A human centrifuge with a 50-foot arm for astronaut training at NASA's Manned Space Center, in the 1960s.
NASA/Interim Archives/Getty Images
M. Scott Carpenter, an astronaut, lies on a bed with biosensors attached to his head during astronaut training at Cape Canaveral in 1962.
Scott Kelly peers out one of the International Space Stationโs windows during his year in orbit in 2015.
NOW WATCH: Hereโs how astronauts carry out simple, everyday tasks in space
Space Astronauts Moon | 2022-11-24T19:36:18Z | www.businessinsider.com | Photos: See How NASA Trains Its Astronauts to Go to the Moon | https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-how-nasa-trains-its-astronauts-to-go-to-the-moon | https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-how-nasa-trains-its-astronauts-to-go-to-the-moon |
The best Black Friday 2022 deals under $50, from streaming devices to pillows
By Sarah Saril and Will Fischer
Roku's 4K Streaming Stick is one of several items on sale for under $50 on Black Friday.
Roku; Insider
Black Friday deals are here, and that means retailers big and small are offering their best sales of the year. Most shoppers think to look for big-ticket items, like TVs and appliances, but it's also super worthwhile to check out deals on lower-cost items, like tech accessories, toiletries, cosmetics, pet supplies, and stocking stuffers.
We've gathered some of the best Black Friday deals under $50 from retailers we trust like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. These products, including Roku streaming sticks and JBL wireless earbuds, are exceptionally discounted, making it a perfect time to buy them for gifts or for yourself.
Bookmark this page and check back often โ we'll be updating it with more excellent Black Friday deals under $50 as they go live.
Roku lets you bring streaming capabilities to your TV. This is a great discount that we often see matched around the holidays, making this a solid deal.
Google Nest Mini (Second Generation)
PlayStation 5 DualSense Charging Station
Casper Sleep Essential Standard Pillow
We're fans of Casper's pillows; we ranked the Original as the best pillow for side sleepers in our buying guide to the best pillows you can buy and we've never seen a deal this steep on it.
Echo Dot (3rd Gen) Amazon Music Unlimited Bundle
Breaking into our top 10 is the Amazon Fire TV Stick, one of the most affordable ways to turn any TV into a smart TV. This particular model supports 4K Ultra HD streaming. It's currently $25, an awesome discount of this popular device.
Sengled Smart Lightbulb
Amazon Blink Mini
Amazon's Blink Mini is easy to install, offers 1080p camera footage quality and is now available for a 14% off discount. For a solid entry-level security system option, this is the deal you'll want to grab before it's over.
Allen.G/Shutterstock
$49.49 $34.99 from Zola
You can make warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies in almost any decent baking dish, but a cast iron skillet is a way for you to take your cookies to the next level. We've seen the price dip a bit lower on this Lodge skillet, but you're still saving 40% on an already affordable pan. A solid contender for middle rankings on this list.
See our guide for the best cast iron skillets.
Coodoo Magnetic Blocks Tough Building Tiles Starter Set
Not everyone plays video games, and not all gamers use Luna, Amazon's cloud gaming service. But for those that do, this is a steal of a deal on a wireless controller. It's at its lowest price ever, earning it a lower-tier spot in our ranking.
For anyone who hates accidentally burning themselves on a hot mug of coffee or tea, these insulated mugs help them comfortably hold even the most scalding of liquids. At 43% off, they come just under $20 for a set of two.
The Echo Show 5 is one of Amazon's most exciting devices that lets you watch videos and call loved ones. Getting this all-in-one smart hub for under $50 is a stellar deal, which is why it makes our list.
AquaSonic Black Series Ultra Whitening Toothbrushes
Oral care: so important, such broad appeal. Everyone should brush their teeth. This toothbrush packs a powerful 40,000 vibrations per minute, and is highly capable of getting your teeth clean. It also comes bundled with eight replacement heads. An awesome, high-ranking deal anyone can take advantage of.
amFilm Tempered Glass Screen Protector for Nintendo Switch
Every Nintendo Switch owner should have this glass screen protector. It'll help keep your screen from getting scratched or damaged beyond repair. While this is a great price on a gaming staple, it's not applicable to everyone and the overall savings are much lower compared to other deals on this list.
Senior Editor, Reviews Archive
Will Fischer is the senior editor of Insider's Reviews Archive, where he oversees a growing library of helpful explainer articles and buying guides across Tech, Health, Home & Kitchen, and Style & Beauty verticals. In his time at Insider, Will has edited and written for Health and Tech Reference, bringing expertise to a range of topics including mental health, meditation, primary care, and more. He has also contributed to Business Insider with original reporting, news, analysis, and opinion stories covering social media and politics. Previously, Will was a fact-checking intern at New York magazine and graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He is currently based in Los Angeles and trying to learn how to surf.
Features IP Deals product card | 2022-11-24T21:07:28Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Black Friday 2022 Deals Under $50 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-black-friday-deals-under-50-dollars-2022-11-25 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-black-friday-deals-under-50-dollars-2022-11-25 |
Roborock's high-performing robot vacuums are on sale at all-time low prices for Black Friday
Robot vacuums are consistently among the best Black Friday deals. While these helpful automated cleaning devices are pricey most of the year, they're accessibly priced during Black Friday. This year, Roborock, one of the top-performing brands in our tests, is on sale for up to 44% off.
The best Roborock vacuum we've tested is the S7, and it's marked down 37% right now. In our tests, it excelled at picking up debris and avoided getting stuck. It's also one of the best mopping robot vacuums we've tested, with a mop head that scrubs 3,000 cycles per minute.
If you can afford it, we recommend leveling up and getting the Roborock S7+, which includes a self-emptying charging dock that adds extra automation to your floor cleaning. It's also on sale during Roborock's Black Friday sale.
The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra Robot Vacuum is on our testing docket. It's one of the few vacuums capable of vacuuming and mopping simultaneously. The charging dock fills the vacuum's water tank, removes the dirty water, and empties the dustbin after each cleaning. These features make it one of the most automated vacuums on the market. During Black Friday, it's on sale for the first time.
Check out these other worthwhile Roborock Black Friday deals:
Roborock E5 Mop Robot Vacuum
The Roborock E5 Mop Robot Vacuum features mopping and vacuuming along wtih remote and app control from one of our favorite brands. During Black Friday, it matches the lowest price we've seen it available for.
Roborock Q7+ Robot Vacuum with Self-Empty Dock
The Roborock Q7+ Robot Vacuum comes from one of our favorite robot vacuum brands and features a self-emptying dock, so you don't have to manually empty the dustbin. Right now, it's $250 off, the lowest price we've seen. | 2022-11-25T00:10:20Z | www.businessinsider.com | Black Friday Deals 2022: Save 44% on Roborock Robot Vacuums | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/black-friday-roborock-robot-vacuum-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/black-friday-roborock-robot-vacuum-deals-2022-11 |
Live: The best Black Friday TV deals you can shop now
We'll be keeping this page fresh with the latest Black Friday TV deals.
Black Friday is here, and there are tons of excellent TV deals pouring in from retailers like Best Buy and Amazon. TVs are always big-tickets items every holiday shopping season, and this year is no different.
If you're on the hunt for a new TV, you've come to the right place. We're keeping track of all the best Black Friday TV deals right here throughout the event. Be sure to check back often as we'll be updating this page with new discounts as Black Friday and Cyber Monday continue.
Top Black Friday TV deals right now
Sony 65-inch X90K 4K TV: $998 ($500 off)
Amazon: Fire TVs as low as $79
Best Buy: Up to $800 off on OLED TVs
Walmart: Smart TVs under $500
Target: Up to 50% off on TVs and soundbars
$550 off Hisense U8H 4K TV (55-inch)
This HiSense 4K TV offers impressive features like Dolby Vision, Alexa-voice control, and variable refresh rate for gaming at an excellent price for a TV that launched in 2022. The Black Friday discount makes it one of the best TVs available for shoppers on a budget.
Get a Hulu subscription for $2 a month
Hulu; Alyssa Powell/Insider
Hulu offers a wide array of series, movies, and originals for subscribers to enjoy, including "Bob's Burgers," "Prey," and "The Handmaid's Tale." The service only ever sees discounts during Black Friday, and this year is no exception: new and returning members can get their first year for only $2 a month when they sign up before November 28.
$220 off Amazon 55-inch 4-Series Fire TV
$375 off Sony 65-inch Bravia A80J TV
Get a year of Peacock Premium for $1 a month
$500 off Sony 65-inch X90K 4K TV
The 55-inch LG OLED55B2PUA 4K TV can display deep blacks and has Dolby Vision, G-Sync for gaming, and both Alexa and Google Assistant. Consistently priced between $1,100 and $1,380, this Black Friday deal lets you get a great-quality OLED TV for $1,000.
$160 off Hisense 65-inch U6G Series Android TV
The Hisense U6G Android TV delivers solid streaming and image quality on a budget. It's now available on clearance from Best Buy during Black Friday, making it even more affordable to buy than ever.
$500 off Samsung 55-Inch The Frame Smart 4K UHD TV
Samsung's The Frame QLED has a matte display and thin build that makes it look more like a piece of art than a TV. We've rarely seen the price dip below $1,200, and it's usually closer to $1,500 so now is a great time to buy if you've been considering this model.
50% off Paramount Plus subscription | 2022-11-25T09:31:30Z | www.businessinsider.com | 20+ Best Black Friday TV Deals: LG, Sony, Samsung, and More | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/live-best-black-friday-tv-deals-updates-latest-sales-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/live-best-black-friday-tv-deals-updates-latest-sales-2022-11 |
Landing a good job โ one that excites you, challenges you, and that pays well โ is not easy, even in today's tight labor market. It can be especially tricky when you're an, ahem, more seasoned, worker and it feels like every company under the sun craves Millennials and Gen Zers.
The very idea stings. And while Mustain is half-joking, there's a germ of truth to her words. Research suggests older people have a tougher time finding a job. One study, which analyzed hundreds of papers by economists, sociologists, and psychologists, found that job seekers over the age of 50 were unemployed 5.8 weeks longer than those from the ages of 30 to 49, and 10.6 weeks longer when compared to people 20 to 29. No doubt age bias plays a role, and there are things you can do to prove it.
Ageism is harmful and discriminatory, but experts say there are things you can do to try and inoculate yourself from some of that bias as you go about your job search. Your goals, they say, are to capitalize on experience and contacts by burnishing your brand and maximizing your professional network.
ageism Bias Career | 2022-11-25T10:50:08Z | www.businessinsider.com | Expert Tips for Older Workers in Their 40s and 50s Looking for a Job | https://www.businessinsider.com/expert-tips-for-older-workers-in-their-40s-and-50s-looking-for-a-job-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/expert-tips-for-older-workers-in-their-40s-and-50s-looking-for-a-job-2022-11 |
The passport comes in the form of a "digital twin" that pulls together three components: technical data about a battery, like its manufacturing history or its recycled content; tracking of battery materials used like lithium, manganese, graphite, and cobalt; and the battery's sustainability-performance indicators, related to its carbon footprint and any human-rights issues.
Ford, alongside the digital-transparency company Everledger and the recyclers Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle, is piloting a passport to track its batteries' life cycle with artificial intelligence and blockchain tech. Meanwhile, startups like Circulor are providing tech that tracks materials, emissions, and compliance-related needs for a given material.
Transportation Electric Vehicles Automakers | 2022-11-25T10:50:14Z | www.businessinsider.com | How Ford and EV Makers Can Leverage the New 'Battery Passport' | https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-electric-vehicle-automakers-battery-passport-lithium-supply-chain-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-electric-vehicle-automakers-battery-passport-lithium-supply-chain-2022-11 |
Live: The best Apple Black Friday deals available right now
We'll be keeping this page fresh with the latest Black Friday Apple deals.
Black Friday has arrived and it's the best time to save on Apple products.
We're constantly scouring the internet for the best deals on Apple devices during this Black Friday. When we find a good deal on AirPods, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, or Apple-related accessories, we're placing them here for you to find.
Top Black Friday Apple deals right now
20% off Beats Fit Pro: $160 (20% off)
AirTag 4-pack: $80 ($20 off)
$20 off Apple AirTag 4-Pack
Apple's wireless trackers are compatible with the FindMy app on iPhone and iOS devices, and this matches the lowest price we've seen since their release. Just remember, you'll need a keychain holster or something else to keep them attached to your belongings.
$50 off Apple Watch Series 8 (45mm GPS)
The Apple Watch Series 8 was only released in September, so a deal so close to release date is rare on an Apple device as popular as the Apple Watch. $50 off is a great deal for the Series 8. The smaller 41mm watch is also on sale.
Read our full review of the Apple Watch Series 8
Save $130 on Apple Watch SE (2020 model)
The Apple's entry-level smart watch provides the right mix of affordability and features for most people. Right now you can get the original 2020 model for only $149, it's lowest price to date.
$40 off Apple AirPods (2nd Generation)
The second-generation AirPods are the company's most basic, affordable model. And they're still a good choice if you're looking for a no-fuss pair of wireless earbuds. Amazon is selling them for an all-time low of $79, but stock has occassionally run out. Target is offering them for $90 with an option for in-store pickup.
Save $20 on Apple AirPods Pro (1st Generation)
The original version of Apple's AirPods Pro added noise cancellation to the popular wireless earbuds and come with silicone tips for a more adjustable fit. The new AirPods Pro released in September are also on sale right now and have better noise-cancellation and audio quality, but they're still $40 more expensive.
$120 off Beats Solo3 On-Ear Headphones
While not the newest headphones in the Beats lineup, the Beats Solo3 are still a solid pair of over-ear cans. They don't offer noise-canceling capabilities, but they're still a versatile pair of headphones that deliver balanced sound and 40 hours of listening time. At $79, they're at an all-time low for Black Friday with the best price we've seen.
20% off Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation)
The 6th-generation iPad Mini with an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple's A15 Bionic processor from the iPhone 13 series, and a design that looks like the iPad Air. It's a compact, portable powerhouse. It's not uncommon to find one on sale, and $400 matches the usual deal price.
$60 off 10.2-inch iPad (2021 model)
Though it's now an older model, this 10.2-inch iPad is still a great entry-level option tablet for all types of users. $60 off is an exceptional deal for this iPad, and it's the best deal we've seen for it.
$300 iPad Pro (2021 model)
Save $50 on Apple Pencil (2nd Generation)
Isabel Fernandez Pujol/ BI Photo
Save $150 on Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022 model)
The M2 processor in the 2022 MacBook Air is incredibly quick, but it doesn't offer a huge performance leap over the M1 processor.
40% off Beats Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earbuds
Down to $150 in select colors, this is an excellent price for these headphones we love for workouts. They're sweat-resistant and offer impressive battery life. They're discounted pretty regularly throughout the year, but 40% is the deepest discount these earbuds have ever seen.
$500 Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021
This large, powerful, premium Apple MacBook Pro is $500 off, which is a huge deal and the lowest price we've seen for it. Newer models may be coming soon, but it's hard to beat this deal. The 14-inch model is also on sale for $400 off. | 2022-11-25T10:50:20Z | www.businessinsider.com | 15+ Best Apple Black Friday Deals: iPads, AirPods, Apple Watches, and More | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/live-apple-best-black-friday-deals-updates-latest-sales-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/live-apple-best-black-friday-deals-updates-latest-sales-2022-11 |
I almost left a great job because I didn't know to ask these 4 questions before calling it quits
Courtesy of Shana Lebowitz
Shana Lebowitz Gaynor almost quit her job at Insider.
She ended up having an honest conversation with her boss, which was pivotal to finding happiness in her role.
Lebowitz Gaynor learned that before making big career decisions, gaining clarity is imperative.
Several years ago, I felt so frustrated at work that I considered quitting my job at Insider.
My managers kept assigning me slideshows on topics like signs that you're likable or that your relationship is on shaky footing. They weren't always my favorite stories to write, and our audience was seemingly losing interest in some of them. But instead of raising the issue with my editor, I started looking for other jobs.
Don't Call It Quits: Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Love by Shana Lebowitz Gaynor.
Courtesy of McGraw Hill
Fortunately, the search didn't pan out. I ended up having an honest conversation with my boss, which led to a change in my assignments โ and that led to me feeling happier and more satisfied in my role. I was lucky.
It's easy for me to say now how I could or should have handled this dilemma. One thing I did learn is that before making any changes to your work experience, it helps to gain some clarity around what's going well and what's not. A coach, or even an especially thoughtful friend, can assist in this process.
You can also lead the introspection process yourself, using the following questions as a guide. Answer them honestly, either in your head or on paper โ and be open to surprises you may learn about yourself.
1. What are your favorite parts of your current workday?
Think back on how you spent the last workweek: Were there any times when you felt more engaged or motivated than usual? Even a fleeting half hour counts, and no one will fault you if the source of happiness was checking your inbox for new emails.
It's critical to identify these less-loathsome parts of your work experience and how exactly they made you feel. For example, maybe chatting with a longtime client on the phone brought you some joy yesterday.
If you stay in your current role, you can work on finding ways to make certain client interactions a bigger part of your workday. Even as you start plotting your next career move, knowing what you value in a job will help you target your search โ and avoid winding up in a similarly frustrating situation in your next role.
2. When during your career have you felt most engaged?
I'm using the word "career" here, but any work or academic experience counts. Try to recall the details: what you were doing, where you were, who else was there.
This is an exercise that the career coach Rebecca Fraser-Thill uses often with her clients. It's especially useful, she said, for high achievers who are accustomed to looking outward for signposts of success, like promotions, raises, and praise from management; the question helps these individuals shift their focus inward.
Don't get too literal โ just because you enjoyed tutoring in college doesn't mean you should pivot from consulting to teaching. Instead you'll want to drill down until you can say (or at least guess) what about that experience was so gratifying. Even better if you can remember a few instances and try to find the common threads between them.
3. What might that gratifying experience look like now?
Say you realize that you get a thrill out of seeing people's faces light up when they make progress on a tough challenge. If you were one of Fraser-Thill's clients, she'd ask you how you might replicate that experience or elicit that thrill today in your current role.
Be as creative as possible when you brainstorm. Maybe you could spend more time working on-site with clients and rolling up your sleeves to help them solve their trickiest problems. Or volunteering to present an area of expertise that you have, but people on your team might not have.
There are many different paths to the same emotional outcome. And sometimes just knowing that you have those options can help you feel a little lighter, even before you execute on any of them.
4. What are the 3 most important attributes you bring to a work environment?
These can be anything from a positive, can-do attitude to the ability to focus your attention on a particular project for hours at a time. Being able to articulate your most important professional skills can help you find or create a work environment where you'll thrive: Research suggests we're most engaged at work when we're capitalizing on our unique strengths.
This exercise can have powerful implications. First, simply knowing that you're someone who brings something special to your work environment can help you build confidence. And instead of feeling demoralized because this job is completely detached from what you care about and enjoy, you can train your attention on whatever aspects of the job you do feel connected to or uniquely skilled at. Remember, you need to be able to articulate your skills and passions before you can begin to appreciate the parts of your job that draw on those things.
It's easy โ too easy โ to fall into a pattern of hating your job, assuming it's your boss's or coworkers' fault, and resigning yourself to the fact that there's nothing you can do about it. In some cases, this may be true. But in some cases, it's not. And it's worth figuring out which one of those buckets your experience falls into.
Shana Lebowitz Gaynor is a correspondent for Insider, where she covers career development and workplace culture.
Adapted with permission from the book Don't Call It Quits: Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Love by Shana Lebowitz Gaynor. Copyright ยฉ 2022, McGraw Hill.
Shana Lebowitz Gaynor Careers contributor 2022 | 2022-11-25T12:21:13Z | www.businessinsider.com | 4 Questions to Think About Before Quitting Your Job | https://www.businessinsider.com/4-questions-to-ask-before-quitting-your-job-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/4-questions-to-ask-before-quitting-your-job-2022-11 |
Adidas and Kanye West first announce their partnership in 2016.
Ye posted a series of videos to Twitter on Thanksgiving to promote his presidential run.
In one clip, he claimed Adidas sued him for $275 million and froze all his bank accounts.
Adidas declined to comment on the allegation Friday morning.
Kanye West says that Adidas sued him for $275 million in advertising fees and that he had all his bank accounts frozen in a video promoting his 2024 campaign for president.
The rapper-turned-businessman shared the video on Twitter at 6:30 p.m. PST on Thanksgiving, captioned only with his campaign hashtag "YE24."
The video's introduction suggests that Adidas took action on November 16, one week after the company's third-quarter earnings call, in which it cut its 2022 profit forecast by half, citing the hit it was taking from cancelling its involvement with Ye.
When contacted by Insider about the claims made in Ye's video, Adidas declined to comment but pointed to its October 25 announcement ending their partnership, when the company added it would "stop all payments to Ye and his companies."
Banking giant JPMorgan Chase also ended its relationship with Ye on October 12. It gave him until November 21 to transfer over to another bank, before closing the Yeezy company's accounts.
In the Thanksgiving video, footage of commentators and newsreaders talking about Ye's antisemitic comments is intercut with shots of the rapper sitting pensively in an empty Yeezy office in Los Angeles.
It opens with the actress and television host, Vivica A. Fox, saying: "We have got to cancel him, and I know we do not try to be in cancel culture, but we got to hit him in his pockets now because he obviously does not care about the African-American culture."
Other clips show newsreaders talking about Adidas ending its partnership with Ye, and the rapper's antisemitic comments.
Ye posted eight more times on Thanksgiving, including another video where he talked about meeting Donald Trump.
Ye said that Trump told him he would lose in 2024 if he ran for president, and made an offensive comment โ which was bleeped out โ about his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
Ye is currently promoting his 2024 presidential campaign, but is yet to file the paperwork to become a candidate. He previously ran for president in 2020, getting roughly 70,000 votes across the 12 states where he made the ballot.
He sparked the latest controversy after wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt at Paris Fashion Week, then tweeting about going "death con 3" on Jewish people.
As numerous companies cut ties with West, more information about his antisemitic remarks came out, including Rolling Stone's report that Ye said he was inspired by "skinheads and Nazis."
Ye Kanye West Adidas | 2022-11-25T12:21:44Z | www.businessinsider.com | Kanye West Says Adidas Sued Him for $275 Million, Froze Bank Accounts | https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-adidas-sued-for-275-million-froze-bank-accounts-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-adidas-sued-for-275-million-froze-bank-accounts-2022-11 |
A former Yeezy worker said Kanye West would scream and throw books across a room, per Rolling Stone.
The ex-staffer worked for the fashion brand on West's remote ranch in Wyoming, Rolling Stone reported.
Adidas has launched an investigation into the workplace environment at Yeezy.
A former Yeezy worker told Rolling Stone that Kanye West, also known as Ye, would scream and throw books across a room, making them fear for their wellbeing.
The publication spoke to more than a dozen former Adidas and Yeezy staffers who accused West created a "toxic and chaotic environment" for the people who worked under him. The collaboration between the rapper and the sportswear giant was terminated in October after nine years.
One staffer, who said they worked for Yeezy on West's ranch in Cody, Wyoming, told the publication that some moments in 2020 were "really uncomfortable."
West had Adidas move some of Yeezy's showroom to a remote ranch owned by the musician in Cody, Wyoming. He asked around 90 employees to commute from LA or Portland, per Rolling Stone.
While on the ranch, the staffer alleges that West would behave erratically and do things like scream, jump on tables, and throw books across a room.
"I feared for my well-being," the former staffer told Rolling Stone. "Like, what if he throws something at you?"
Adidas has launched an investigation into the workplace environment at Yeezy, following the claims made in an anonymous letter from staffers, a spokesperson told Insider.
The spokesperson said: "Adidas does not tolerate hate speech and offensive behavior and therefore has terminated the Adidas Yeezy partnership. We have been and continue to be actively engaged in conversations with our employees about the events that lead to our decision to end the partnership. They have our full support and as we're working through the details of the termination.
Representatives for Yeezy did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the incident. | 2022-11-25T12:34:17Z | www.businessinsider.com | Former Yeezy Employee Says Kanye West Would Scream and Throw Books | https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-yeezy-adidas-scream-throw-books-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-yeezy-adidas-scream-throw-books-2022-11 |
How Dexerto became 'the TMZ of esports,' with $10 million in revenue last year and 30 million monthly visitors
Dexerto's Joshua Nino, Chris Marsh, Nicolas Hulsmans, and Mike Kent.
Courtesy of Dexerto
The UK gaming-news hub Dexerto has emerged as formidable player despite a tough media climate.
The site was founded to cover esports but has flourished by embracing online drama.
It added 30 employees in recent months, as some endemic rivals shuttered or pivoted from journalism.
On the homepage of Dexerto, a seven-year-old gaming-news website, staid posts about competitive esports commingle with screaming headlines about online gossip.
You can read about the new audio-transcription features in "Overwatch 2," for instance, and get up to speed on the beef between Pokimane and Corinna Kopf.
Dexerto โ pronounced "desert-o," "as if the x was an s," the cofounder and CEO, Joshua Nino, said โ was founded on "sport-style esports coverage." But its mission has evolved to chronicle broader online culture, with a flair for drama in the gaming space and beyond.
"To focus on one area is to deny fans the whole pie," Nino told Insider.
Its shift turned out to be prescient. 2022 has been light on new video-game releases amid a rare moment of revenue decline for the once-thought "recession-proof" global games market, per a recent Newzoo report. And individual streamers like Ninja and xQc accrue far more eyeballs than flagship tournaments that cost millions of dollars to produce, said the veteran esports journalist and industry analyst Rod Breslau.
"The culture around livestreaming and individual content creators has definitely overtaken the industry that is esports and competitive gaming," Breslau said, adding that now-major organizations that started as esports teams were "spending way more money on signing influencers than actual pro players."
In this climate, the UK-headquartered Dexerto has emerged as a kind of tabloid for the gaming world, with Breslau likening it to "the TMZ of esports."
Today, dexerto.com attracts 30 million monthly visitors, it said โ a formidable sum, though less than 30-year-old stalwarts like IGN and GameSpot, which clocked 98 million and 69 million monthly visits in September, according to the web-analytics firm Similarweb. That said, the figure would put Dexerto ahead of competitors like PC Gamer and Polygon, both of which nabbed roughly 26 million visits the same month.
Dexerto posted roughly $10 million in gross revenue last year, the company said, and is projecting 50% growth in 2022 โ in line with its growth rate for each of the past three years. Direct-ad sales account for about half of revenue, with programmatic ads (30%) and social monetization (20%) making up the rest.
Nino said Dexerto had been mostly bootstrapped โ aside from about ยฃ257,000 in seed funding โ and had been profitable since 2016.
The company has grown its headcount over the past year to 150 employees, driven mostly by its advertising business, Nino said. It hired 30 new staffers in the past three months alone.
Its growth is something of an anomaly as other endemic esports publishers have faltered.
In recent months, competitors including G4, Inven Global, and Upcomer have shuttered or pivoted away from journalism. They're part of a trend that's befallen the larger media landscape amid slashed ad budgets as a recession looms.
A newsroom of amateur bloggers and veteran esports journalists
In many ways, Dexerto has modeled its business strategy after the influencers it covers.
Despite the diminishing financial returns of social video, it has become a priority for the publisher to help tout its in-house content studio, connect with influencers in the social milieu, and grow its overall brand.
Dexerto has 40 social-media accounts and sister websites covering various corners of the gaming space. With 15 million collective social followers, this includes the "Call Of Duty"-focused Twitter account Charlie Intel and the entertainment-leaning YouTube hub Influenced.
"BuzzFeed would've never become the brand that it did if it didn't have Facebook to ride the wave in those early couple of years," Breslau said. "Dexerto has certainly done the same."
Its ad campaigns, which make up half of the company's revenue and include deals with major brands like Chipotle and Xfinity, are frequently tied to esports tournaments and game launches. Dexerto also works as a kind of influencer-marketing agency, syncing up influencers and brands for select sponsorships. And it operates an in-house studio for both branded and original content.
The newsroom is made up of amateur bloggers and veteran esports journalists alike, Nino said.
Given its rough-and-tumble approach, Dexerto has been accused of clickbait, said Breslau, including by frequent story subjects.
"We do create entertainment," Nino said, "but we're also in part anchored by a number of journalists who have real credentials in the way of investigative reporting and high-quality, long-form storytelling."
Sometimes, though, the site's irreverent voice has landed it in hot water. When the streamer and adult-film star Adriana Chechik broke her back at a TwitchCon, Dexerto tweeted a callous joke that sparked backlash: "Former porn star Adriana Chechik gets her back blown out, this time by a hard floor at TwitchCon."
The tweet was taken down promptly, Nino said. It served as a gut check on the company's core values and its approach to covering the gaming space.
"We're here to show the good in it, the fun in it, and sometimes the edginess of it," he said, "because that is what will resonate with more fans around the world and grow our industry."
Gaming eSports | 2022-11-25T13:52:51Z | www.businessinsider.com | How Esports Publisher Dexerto Is Growing As Its Competitors Falter | https://www.businessinsider.com/esports-publisher-dexerto-embracing-gaming-culture-influencers-revenue-visitor-growth-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/esports-publisher-dexerto-embracing-gaming-culture-influencers-revenue-visitor-growth-2022-11 |
A military cadet stands in front of a billboard promoting contract army service in Saint Petersburg on October 5, 2022.
Russia is drafting fighters with chronic health problems to fight in Ukraine, UK intelligence said.
It said they were being thrown into combat with poor equipment and little training.
"Mobilized reservists have highly likely experienced particularly heavy casualties," it concluded.
Reservists mobilized by the Russian military are being sent to fight in Ukraine despite having "serious, chronic health conditions," the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) said.
In an intelligence update Thursday, the ministry addressed the mobilization of reservists by the Russian military in its invasion of Ukraine.
It said the process was chaotic, with poorly equipped soldiers, sometimes in ill health, sustaining high casualties.
"Their deployment is often characterised by confusion over eligibility for service, inadequate training and personal equipment, and commitment to highly attritional combat missions," it said.
"Numerous examples suggest that reservists are highly likely not having their medical status adequately reviewed and many are being compelled to serve with serious, chronic health conditions."
In the early days of the mobilization, reports abounded of unsuitable fighters being conscripted, including one man with diabetes and another, aged 17, who was too young to be eligible.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that officials made "mistakes" in who they selected to go to war.
The update described particularly grim conditions in one area where Russia is under pressure from Ukraine.
"Mobilised reservists have highly likely experienced particularly heavy casualties after being committed to dig ambitious trench systems while under artillery fire around the Luhansk Oblast (province) town of Svatove," it said.
The assessment chimes with accounts in Russian media. Insider reported in early November on claims from soldiers' relatives that large numbers of men around Svatove had been killed by artillery fire in the same region, and that their commanders left them to dig trenches with their bare hands.
Russia ordered the mobilization of around 300,000 reservists in September, after its military suffered heavy casualties in its invasion of Ukraine. It declared the mobilization over in late October, saying it had conscripted enough fighters for now.
Reports have emerged of troops being sent into battle with poor equipment and hasty training as Russia seeks to contain Ukrainian advances. In recent weeks, Ukraine seized back control of the strategically vital tow of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Both sides though have sustained heavy casualties. At a recent briefing Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said that both Russia and Ukraine had lost around 100,000 men in the conflict so far.
Ukraine War News UK | 2022-11-25T13:53:39Z | www.businessinsider.com | Russia Drafting Soldiers With Chronic Health Problems: UK Intel | https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-drafting-soldiers-with-chronic-health-problems-uk-intel-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-drafting-soldiers-with-chronic-health-problems-uk-intel-2022-11 |
REUTERS/Michael Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin
A price cap on Russian crude is set to begin December 5, with the aim of limiting Moscow's revenue while keeping supplies flowing.
But it could a have minimal effect on its intended target and instead help China and India.
Oil historian Gregory Brew and Energy Aspects analyst Livia Gallarati explain what it means for global crude markets.
Experts say a price cap on Russian crude may only have a muted effect on Moscow, and instead serve to benefit China and India, two of its biggest buyers.
The price cap is set to begin on December 5 โ the same day the European Union bans seaborne imports of Russian crude and European companies are barred from insuring Russian oil shipments. It's meant to keep Russian supplies on the market, preventing a price spike while decreasing export revenue amid its war on Ukraine.
But China, India, and other buyers in Asia won't feel obligated to commit to the price cap because it may not be any lower than what they currently pay, oil historian Gregory Brew told Insider. Russian Urals crude is already selling for roughly $25 below Brent prices, or about $60 per barrel.
The price cap is expected to be around $65 to $70 per barrel. There were some talks to set it near the price of production for Russian crude โ about $20 a barrel โ but they lost support, as that would likely trigger unilateral production cuts from Moscow that would drive prices higher, Brew explained.
"What it suggests is that [Russia's customers] are able to negotiate very favorable terms from Russian oil companies, who have to sell in order to maintain operations," he said. "Even if the price cap is not totally effective at driving down the price at which Russia can sell, it is likely that India, China, and other customers will be able to bid lower for Russian crude."
Some buyers in Asia have recently paused purchases of Russian oil to wait and see where the cap lands.
A policy dud for the West
A price cap may prove moot because Moscow has said for months it wouldn't trade with any nations that adhere to it, according to Livia Gallarati, a senior oil analyst at Energy Aspects. That could make it risky for Chinese and Indian customers to agree to the new parameters.
"We think the Russians will stick to their word on that because, in a way, agreeing to a price cap sets a precedent effectively for buyers deciding at which price they will buy commodities," Gallarati told Insider.
The only incentive for Asian buyers have to follow the cap is to maintain access to European shipping and insurance services. Next month's round of EU sanctions will ban those services on Russian oil cargoes, even for buyers outside of Europe, unless they commit to the price cap.
But there's no guarantee European shipping companies would even want to handle Russian oil, regardless of a price cap, she added.
Ultimately, the move is unlikely to have a major impact on oil markets, in her view. Nations that have signed up for the cap, Gallarati said, are the ones that already agreed to ban Russian oil imports.
Russian Oil price cap Oil | 2022-11-25T13:53:45Z | www.businessinsider.com | Here's How a Russian Oil Price Cap Could Flop and Help China and India | https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-oil-price-cap-eu-sanctions-imports-shipping-china-india-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-oil-price-cap-eu-sanctions-imports-shipping-china-india-2022-11 |
Amazon's Kindle lineup is getting discounted for Black Friday.
Black Friday is here and with it are a slew of discounts on one of Amazon's most popular products, the Kindle e-reader. From now through the end of the day (and likely throughout the holiday weekend), you can take advantage of sales on the Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Oasis.
The discounts also extend to Kindle bundle packages, which come with a protective case and charger. You can also snag a great deal on a subscription to Kindle Unlimited, so you'll get plenty to read on your new device.
Here's a complete list of the best Kindle deals you can get right now. Other Amazon products โ like the Echo, Fire TV, and Fire tablet lineups โ are discounted for Black Friday (and Cyber Monday), too.
The base model of the Kindle was updated in 2022. It features a 6-inch screen with a front light, 16GB of storage space, and a USB-C charging port. For Black Friday, it's being discounted $15, which is the best deal so far.
Amazon Kindle Oasis (8GB)
Amazon revolutionized the e-reader with the Kindle Oasis' daring design, great page-turn buttons, sharp screen, and giant ebook library. Itโs not on sale often, but right now the 8GB model is down to only $165 with three free months of Kindle Unlimited โ an $85 discount.
$197.00 $194.98 from Newegg
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle
Amazon's waterproof Kindle Paperwhite sits in the middle of the Kindle lineup with a sharp 6-inch screen, backlight, and lots of great ebooks. The essentials bundle comes with a fabric cover and a power adapter. This $111 deal price is an all-time low.
Amazon Black Friday sales: Helpful links
Amazon devices: Save 50% on Fire TV Sticks, and expect to see big savings on Echo speakers and more.
Home and kitchenware: Save on vacuums and small kitchen appliances.
Gifts for kids: Up to 65% off on gifts for kids of all ages.
Electronics: Get a headstart on Black Friday laptop and TV deals.
Beauty: Treat yourself to shower steamers, bath bombs, and loofahs this holiday season.
Furniture: Save up to 20% on Leesa and Casper mattresses.
Sports & Outdoors: Save big on workout bikes and camping gear.
Pet Supplies: Keep your pet safe this season with waterproof shoes and an indoor security camera.
Books: Get up to 70% off on the books you've been waiting to read all year.
When is Amazon's Black Friday?
Amazon's Black Friday sale takes place on Friday, November 25 (aka, the day after Thanksgiving), and the sales event figures to continue through the holiday weekend and into Cyber Monday.
What are the newest Kindle models?
The newest Kindle models are the 2022 standard Kindle, the latest Paperwhite, the 2022 Kids Kindle, and the Kids Paperwhite. Although there are a number of older versions of each of these models, Amazon makes it easy to know which is the most current by attaching a "This is the latest model of this product" badge on each Kindle product page.
What is the best Kindle?
This depends mostly on what you want out of a Kindle. The standard Kindle is the most compact, featuring a 6-inch screen and 16 gigs of storage space while the Paperwhite has a slightly bigger 6.8-inch screen and 8 gigs of storage. However, the Paperwhite is waterproof, so it's able to withstand a few spills or an accidental dunk.
If it's a children's Kindle you're after, both the Kids Kindle and Kids Paperwhite offer similar Kindle experiences but with no distractions from app access, games, or videos.
Kindle Reading Deals | 2022-11-25T15:24:07Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Black Friday Kindle Deals 2022: Save on Amazon's E-Reader Lineup | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/amazon-black-friday-kindle-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/amazon-black-friday-kindle-deals-2022-11 |
Products like Sony's WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling are at their lowest price ever during Black Friday
Finding any random deal on Black Friday is as easy as opening a new tab in Chrome or Safari. But to find something on sale at its lowest price ever? That's how you can really make the sales event feel like a true win.
And if it's Black Friday success you're after, then you're in the right place. Among combing for deals at places like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, the Insider Reviews team has also been hard at work comparing the prices of every deal we've found to answer one burning question: Is this the cheapest this product has ever been?
What follows is a selection of our favorite Black Friday deals that also happen to sport the lowest sticker price we've ever seen.
Fancy a pair of Sony's premium noise-canceling headphones? They're on sale for $120 off their normal price (which is a downright steal for one of the best headphones on the market). Maybe you're after a new fitness tracker. Fitbit's Charge 5 is down to just $100, which is $50 off its normal price.
These are just some of the best deals we've seen so far this holiday season, with several others posted below. Make sure to check back to this page throughout the weekend as we'll be updating it often with new best-ever deals as we find them.
Insider is offering a Black Friday deal on its annual subscription for $38, the lowest price of the year. Get access to exclusive content, deep-dive reporting, and insights on how to get ahead in your career and finances.
Sony's WH-1000XM4 are our go-to pair of headphones when we look for a balance, sound quality, noise-cancelling performance, and price. They're on sale for $228 during Black Friday, which is the lowest price we've seen them at.
The Apple Watch Series 8 was only released in September, so a deal so close to release date is rare on an Apple device as popular as the Apple Watch. $50 off is a great deal for the Series 8.
This mid-range, 8-inch smart display in Amazon's Echo Show line up is the best for most people who want a smart speaker that also lets you conduct video calls and stream videos. Priced at $70 on Black Friday, it's at the lowest price we've ever seen it.
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine
GIGABYTE AERO 16" 4K AMOLED Gaming Laptop
Sporting a 1TB solid state drive and an RTX 3070 graphics card, this GIGABYTE laptop is a powerhouse. And during Black Friday, it's more than $1000 off โ the absolute best gaming laptop deal we've seen so far.
Chewy's exclusive cardboard cat houses come in a variety of fun designs and are typically $15 to $20. Right now, you can snag one for your feline friend for under $10.
When it comes to price, performance, and smart features, the Google Pixel 6a is hard to beat for a budget phone. This 6a comes with the same Tensor chipset that powers all of Google's Pixel 6-series flagship phones, and it's currently $150 off.
Sony-Inzone H7 Wireless Gaming Headset
Samsung 28 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator with FlexZone Drawer
$249.99 $139.99 from Eufy
Quiet, slim, and powerful, the Eufy RoboVac 15C Max is a solid investment if you're looking for a robot vacuum. During Black Friday, it's $110 off its already affordable price when you use promo code WS7DCDEKGL at checkout.
Inabu Churu Lickable Cat Treats (20 Pack)
Stock up on a cat favorite for its lowest price ever. Enter code INABA2022 at Chewy checkout.
Gorilla 18 ft. Reach MPXA Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder
Everlane Track Apparel
Pretty Litter (1 month)
Pretty Litter's color-changing silica gel formula is an early warning system for detecting feline urinary health problems. Use the code PET30 for 30% off at checkout.
GoPro's best camera yet, the Hero 11 Black shoots incredible videos with smooth stabilization better than ever. For Black Friday, you can save $100 (20%) off the regular price
Though we haven't tested the Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower TP02 Purifier Fan yet, we have been impressed with the cooling abilities of other Dyson fans. Right now, it's at an all-time low price for Black Friday 2022.
The Fitbit Sense 2 is the brand's answer to the Apple Watch, featuring temperature sensing, a built-in ECG, and advanced sleep tracking. It also offers tracking for a wide variety of activities and is compatible with smartphone notifications and some apps. It's on sale for $200 this Black Friday, which is $100 off its normal price. | 2022-11-25T15:24:13Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Black Friday Deals at Their Lowest Price Ever | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-black-friday-deals-lowest-prices-ever-2022-11-25 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-black-friday-deals-lowest-prices-ever-2022-11-25 |
The best Black Friday 2022 deals on vacuums: Save up to $400 on robot vacuums, Dyson vacuums, and more
iRobot/Insider
Black Friday 2022 is underway. It's your chance to score deals on cordless stick vacuums, upright vacuums, and robot vacuums at Walmart, Target, Amazon, and other retailers. We see significant price drops on top names, including Shark, iRobot Roomba, Bissell, and Dyson.
Not sure about what model you need? You can narrow your search by checking out our guides to the best cordless vacuums, robot vacuums, cheap vacuums, handheld vacuums, pet vacuums, and upright vacuum cleaners.
We're tracking all the best Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals so you can find great products at outstanding prices.
Black Friday vacuum deals: Top discounts
Quiet, slim, and powerful, the Eufy RoboVac 15C Max is a solid investment if you're looking for a robot vacuum. During Black Friday, it's $110 off its already affordable price when you use promo code WS2415CMAX at checkout.
Use the promo code WS2415CMAX at checkout.
$139.99 from Eufy
The Ecovacs Deebot T8 AIVI Robot Vacuum has powerful suction, an effective mopping system, and even features HD video for home surveillance.
This robot vacuum can be automated to work around your home schedule, and also works with virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Home. It's not the most powerful Roomba, but it handles hardwood floors, pet hair, and short carpets without issue. It's on sale for $95 off during Black Friday.
Best Black Friday cordless vacuum deals
Compared to upright vacuum cleaners, cordless vacuums are more convenient, compact, and lighter. However, you may be unable to clean your house on one battery charge. During Black Friday, you will find discounts on top brands like Shark, LG, Dyson, and others.
$499.99 from Shark
The LG Cordzero A9 is a vacuum that can turn into a mop, letting you clean your hardwood floors gently but thoroughly with just one appliance. It shines when cleaning super tiny particles like flour. Save over $180 during Black Friday.
Built with a soft roller head for hard floors and a motorized cleaner head for carpets, the Dyson V8 Absolute handles all surfaces. It's currently $220 off. We've seen previous sale prices as low at $229, so this isn't the cheapest. Nonetheless, it's a great value, especially if you need it sooner rather than later.
Best Black Friday corded upright vacuum deals
Consider a corded upright vacuum if you don't want to worry about battery life and have a larger space. They tend to feature powerful suction and large dustbins for picking up lots of debris. During Black Friday, Dyson, Shark, and other brands are discounted.
Best Black Friday handheld vacuum deals
If you have a small mess, reach for a handheld vacuum. It's great for cleaning hard-to-reach spots in your home and car. Black+Decker makes the best handheld vacuums we've tested, and during Black Friday, the brand's Dustbusters are up to 33% off.
The powerful Black+Decker 20V Max Flex Handheld Vacuum (model BDH2020FL) has a narrow, flexible, 4-foot hose that can clean hard-to-reach areas of your car. This Black Friday deal matches the lowest price we've seen it offered.
Weighing under 5 pounds, the Bissell Pet Stain Eraser Portable Cordless Carpet Cleaner is compact, versatile, and easily portable. During Black Friday, it's at the lowest price we've seen.
While we haven't tested this model, Black+Decker handheld vacuums swept all the categories in our handheld vacuum guides. At under $25 this Black Friday, this is a steal for a Dustbuster.
Black Friday takes place the day after Thanksgiving every year. This year, it's on November 25.
What are the best vacuums to buy on Black Friday?
Robot vacuums are always a popular Black Friday purchase because they are often cost-prohibitive for many during the rest of the year. In past years, top-performing Roombas were marked down by $400. Budget brands have been available for as little as $100.
Dyson vacuums are among the most powerful, innovative, and versatile vacuums you can buy. They're also expensive. During Black Friday, they're typically marked down by $200 or more.
Amazon and Walmart tend to have the best Black Friday vacuum deals on the widest variety of vacuum brands. If you're looking for deals on Dyson vacs, your best bet may be Dyson's website, which offers exclusive deals. We check the deals on the sites of all major retailers, including Best Buy and Target, to make sure you're getting the best deals. We regularly update this page, so check back often for the latest sales.
IP Deals Home Deals Cleaning | 2022-11-25T16:55:45Z | www.businessinsider.com | Black Friday Vacuum Deals 2022: Save up to $400 on Roomba, Bissell, Black & Decker | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/black-friday-vacuum-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/black-friday-vacuum-deals-2022-11 |
Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals: The best discounts available on consoles, games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and more
A variety of Nintendo Switch products are available at great discounts.
If Nintendo is famous for anything (aside from great games), it's that their products barely ever go on sale.
But among the deals available this Black Friday, we're seeing some great discounts on both the Nintendo Switch console and its games, as well as accessories. Most of these discounts are coming from third-party retailers like Walmart and Gamestop.
These sales won't last, so you'll need to jump on them if you want to save some money.
Best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals on consoles
Best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals on games
Nintendo Swtich Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 3 is one of the wildest games on the Nintendo Switch, perfect for gamers who love fast-paced action games. It's $10 off on Amazon right now, which is a great deal for such a new game.
Nintendo Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
This bundle combines Super Mario 3D World โ a fantastic multiplayer platforming game โ with Bowser's Fury, a new open-world Mario game. It rarely goes on sale, but Amazon is selling it for $18 off right now.
This entry in the Pokรฉmon franchise features a wild region where hostile Pokรฉmon can attack players directly and resources are much more scarce. This $48 price is a great deal.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the definitive adventure game on the Nintendo Switch, sending players on a sprawling journey across a fantasy world with hundreds of secrets to discover. Right now Walmart is selling it for only $29, a rare discount that puts it at the lowest price we've ever seen.
Nintendo Switch Mario Party Superstars
Mario Party Superstars is the latest entry in Nintendo's iconic party game series, and features courses and minigames from across the franchise's history. Right now Walmart is selling it for only $30, which is a fantastic and rare discount for a first-party Nintendo game.
Luigi's Mansion 3 [Digital Code]
Luigi's Mansion 3 is a fun and creepy adventure game for both kids and adults. You can buy it from Amazon for only $42 right now, which is a rare discount for a first-party Nintendo game.
Nintendo Super Smash Bros Ultimate
There are few fighting games more fun than Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Amazon is offering it for $10 off right now, so if you haven't gotten it yet, now's your chance.
Nintendo Switch Metroid Dread
If you're looking for a game that's both fun and terrifying, check out the sci-fi shooter Metroid Dread. It's about $20 off right now, meaning more scares for you and less for your bank account.
Nintendo NieR: Automata [The End of YoRHa Edition]
NieR: Automata is a surreal and high-intensity RPG, and one of the coolest action games of the last decade. This Switch port runs surprisingly well on the system, and is $11 off on Amazon right now.
Nintendo Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feels so at home on the Switch that youโd be forgiven for not realizing that it comes from the Wii U era. Itโs the perfect game to play on your picturesque rooftop or on a picnic table outside. Going now for $45 at Best Buy, this game usually retails for $60.
Nintendo Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a frenetic hack-and-slash adventure with three distinct storylines and endings. It's $30 off on Amazon right now โ a fantastic price for a game as fully featured as this.
Nintendo WarioWare: Get It Together!
The WarioWare series is famous for its ultra-fast microgames, which challenge both your reflexes and your memory. Right now the newest game in the series, WarioWare: Get It Together, is $21 off, which is a great price.
Best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals on accessories
Eovola Nintendo Switch Accessories Kit
This Nintendo Switch Accessories Kit from Eovola is a treasure trove of gear with steering wheel grips, Joy-Con grips, screen protectors, a Joy-Con charging base, and more. While it's not the lowest price we've seen, $38 is still a great deal for all that's included.
RDS Industries Nintendo Switch Deluxe Carrying Case
This travel case keeps your Nintendo Switch safe, has a place to store game cards, and even comes with a built-in stand to hold your Switch upright while playing. Right now it's $5 off from Best Buy, making it even more affordable.
SanDisk microSDXC for Nintendo Switch (128GB)
This SD card for the Nintendo Switch has Mario-inspired art, but any MicroSDXC under 2TB will work. This is one is currently discounted to $16, matching deals we've seen before.
Black Friday 2022 will be on November 25, the day after Thanksgiving. But despite the name, Black Friday deals are expected to last multiple days, even running through Cyber Monday on November 28.
If you're shopping online, expect Black Friday deals to start immediately at midnight, if not days before. If you're shopping in-person, check out our guide to Black Friday store hours.
What's the difference between the Switch console models?
Nintendo currently sells three versions of the Nintendo Switch: The standard model, the high-end OLED model, and the budget Lite model.
The standard Nintendo Switch lets you play games on both its handheld screen and on a TV. It comes with two Joy-Con controllers, as well as an adapter you can use to turn those two smaller controllers into one regular one. It's the most popular console of this generation, and our favorite console for most people.
The Nintendo Switch OLED does everything the standard model does, but has a bigger screen that displays colors more accurately. Its dock also has an ethernet port built in, making it great for online games.
Finally, the Nintendo Switch Lite can play all the same games as the other versions, but you can only play it in handheld mode โ it can't connect to a TV, and you can't disconnect the Joy-Con controllers. It also has slightly better battery life.
Where can you find the best Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals?
Nintendo is offering their own Black Friday sales on their official website, but you'll likely find even better deals from third-party retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, or Target.
The best way to look for Nintendo Switch deals is to pick the hardware or game you want, and then search multiple sites for it to compare prices. There's no guarantee that any one store will have the best prices for every Nintendo Switch product.
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Black Friday 2022 | 2022-11-25T16:55:57Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Nintendo Switch Black Friday Deals on Consoles, Games, and More | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/nintendo-switch-black-friday-deals-2022-11-25 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/nintendo-switch-black-friday-deals-2022-11-25 |
Walmart shooter legally bought the 9mm handgun he used hours before killing six coworkers, authorities say
FBI chaplain Jim Lilian, with his service dog, Harley, waits for clearance to go inside the store after a mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S. November 23, 2022.
The gunman who opened fire at a Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart legally purchased the weapon he used.
Authorities say the gunman bought his 9mm handgun at a local store just hours before the shooting.
The shooter, a Walmart store supervisor, killed six of his coworkers and injured others.
The gunman who opened fire in a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia on Tuesday legally purchased the 9mm handgun he used to kill six people from a local store on Tuesday morning, local authorities said on Friday.
Police identified the shooter as 31-year-old Andre Bing, who was employed as an overnight supervisor at the Walmart store. Authorities said Bing shot and killed himself at the scene and had no criminal history.
Authorities said Bing opened fire in the break room inside the store just after 10 pm, killing six of his coworkers. Authorities identified the victims as Tyneka Johnson, 22, Brian Pendleton, 38, Randy Blevins, 70, Lorenzo Gamble, 43, Kellie Pyle, 52, and a 16-year-old boy, whose name has not been made public. Others injured in the massacre remain hospitalized as of Friday.
Chesapeake officials on Friday also released a note, labeled a "death note," found in Bing's phone, in which he railed against certain people, whose names were redacted by authorities, who he believed had treated him poorly. Bing had worked for Walmart since 2010. Since the shooting, former coworkers have described him as paranoid, and said he'd expressed concerns about government surveillance.
Joshua Johnson, a former maintenance worker at the Chesapeake Walmart, told CNN that Bing had made threatening remarks before.
There have been at least three mass shootings in Virginia in just the last month and more than 600 multiple-victim shootings in the US in each of the last three years, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The number of mass shootings per year in the US has more than doubled since 2014.
NOW WATCH: Walmart shooter started the massacre in a staff break room
shootings Mass Shooting Walmart | 2022-11-25T16:56:15Z | www.businessinsider.com | Walmart Shooter Bought 9mm Handgun Hours Before Massacre: Authorities | https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-shooter-bought-9mm-handgun-hours-before-massacre-authorities-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-shooter-bought-9mm-handgun-hours-before-massacre-authorities-2022-11 |
England football fans wearing knight costumes sing outside Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Italy Euro 2020 final.
England fans have been banned from dressing up as Christian crusaders at World Cup matches.
It has been ruled that dressing as a crusader is offensive to Muslims, The Times reported.
An anti-Islamophobia charity has said far-right rhetoric "regularly plays on imagery and text from the Crusades."
In Qatar, the first Islamic country to host the World Cup, England fans have been warned not to fancy-dress as Christian crusaders for matches.
It has been ruled that fans outfitted as crusader knights, including chain mail and carrying plastic swords, is "offensive" to Muslims, The Times reports. The international governing body of football, FIFA, told the paper that " is why anti-discrimination colleagues asked fans to wear things inside out or change dress."
The Times reports that two English fans dressed as crusaders were turned away from the England game against Iran on Monday. Other fans dressed as crusaders were spotted in the crowd, The Times said on Friday.
The announcement came hours before England plays the USA at the 60,000-seater Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha, at 2 p.m EST.
The Crusades (1095 โ 1291) was a series of wars between armies of knights from Christian Europe and Muslim forces to secure control of the Holy Land, most significantly Jerusalem, considered sacred to both religions.
The patron saint of England is St George, a warrior saint from Roman times. The flag of Saint George, a red cross on a white background, became an English crusader symbol. Dressing as a medieval knight sporting the flag of St George has become popular among football fans attending England games in recent years.
In a statement to the Times, Iman Atta, director of Tell Mama UK, a British anti-islamophobia charity, said: "Our fans should be mindful that there are things that may cause offense to Qatari citizens, such as openly drinking or wearing historical Crusader Knights Templar outfits that have very negative implications in the region."
Crusade-era terminology has previously been used in the incitement of islamophobic abuse. Tell Mama UK said that far-right rhetoric "regularly plays on imagery and text from the Crusades."
Kick it Out, a UK campaign set up to fight racism in football, said: "We would advise fans who are attending FIFA World Cup matches that certain attire, such as fancy-dress costumes representing knights or crusaders, may not be welcomed in Qatar and other Islamic countries," the Kick It Out spokesperson is quoted as saying in The Times.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar 2022 | 2022-11-25T18:27:05Z | www.businessinsider.com | England V USA: Ban on English Fans Dressed As Christian Crusaders in Qatar | https://www.businessinsider.com/england-v-usa-ban-english-fans-dressed-christian-crusaders-qatar-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/england-v-usa-ban-english-fans-dressed-christian-crusaders-qatar-2022-11 |
An Amazon Warehouse worker participates in a protest in New Delhi, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
Protests by Amazon workers and allies were planned in 30-plus countries on Black Friday.
Campaign concerns include competitive wages, safe working conditions, and carbon emissions.
The Make Amazon Pay campaign comes as Amazon faces unionization efforts across the globe.
Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season. For Amazon, it's already off to a rocky start.
Today, Amazon workers and activists are protesting to secure better working conditions across the globe. The campaign is led by Make Amazon Pay, a coalition of 70 trade unions and organizations including Greenpeace, Oxfam, and Amazon Workers International.
"The pandemic has exposed how Amazon places profits ahead of workers, society, and our planet," Make Amazon Pay wrote in a list of demands shared on its website. "Amazon takes too much and gives back too little. It is time to Make Amazon Pay."
Protests were planned in more than 30 countries, including India, Germany, and Japan, according to Make Amazon Pay. In the US, protests are expected in more than 10 cities from coast to coast at Amazon's main headquarters in Seattle, Jeff Bezos' penthouse in New York City, Whole Foods stores, and Amazon warehouses.
Strikes are planned at 18 warehouses in France and Germany that were coordinated by trade unions, and several in the US, such as STL8, Amazon's warehouse in St. Peters, Missouri.
Gig Workers Association (GigWA) in association with Amazon Warehouse workers and Hawkers Joint Action Committee participate in a protest in New Delhi, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.
Manish Swarup/AP
"Amazon workers need higher pay. We need safer work," stated Jennifer Crane, who works at the Missouri warehouse, in a video made by Make Amazon Pay. "Things don't have to be this way. Amazon can afford to give us a living wage and to provide us a rate of work that doesn't lead to injuries of death."
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel previously told Insider that the company is working to address campaign concerns, including carbon emissions and competitive wages.
"These groups represent a variety of interests, and while we are not perfect in any area, if you objectively look at what Amazon is doing in each one of these areas you'll see that we do take our role and our impact very seriously," Nantel said.
While unionization efforts by Amazon employees in the US have garnered many headlines, workers are also pushing for better working conditions overseas. Subcontracted drivers in Japan recently formed a union, which protested in front of the retail giant's Japan headquarters in Meguro, Tokyo.
In Bangladesh, garment workers rallied for union recognition, better pay, and humane working conditions.
"Garment workers, like those I represent, toil to swell Amazon's coffers often without any recognition that we are even Amazon workers," said Nazma Akhter, president of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation in Bangladesh, in a statement.
Akhter continued: "Amazon is the third largest direct employer in the world, but when you take us in the supply chain into account, it is even larger."
Even some corporate employees are considering unionizing, according to messages seen by Insider's Katherine Long. This comes on the heels of Amazon announcing its plan to layoff 10,000 corporate employees, with the effort starting on November 15.
Amazon Workers Labor | 2022-11-25T18:27:41Z | www.businessinsider.com | Amazon Workers Strike in the US and 30 Other Countries on Black Friday | https://www.businessinsider.com/make-amazon-pay-warehouse-strike-protest-black-friday-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/make-amazon-pay-warehouse-strike-protest-black-friday-2022-11 |
Top selling items during the day included Apple Watches, Apple AirPods, smart speakers, smart TVs, digital cameras, espresso machines, and video games including Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and FIFA 23, as well as toys such as Hatchimals and Squishmallows.
The rise of Thanksgiving as a shopping holiday and retailers releasing discounts on goods earlier and earlier may be affecting Black Friday's dominance. A year-over-year increase of about 1% suggests people have already been holiday shopping for weeks, as prices on electronics, toys and apparel dropped throughout November.
Retail Thanksgiving Black Friday | 2022-11-26T02:03:59Z | www.businessinsider.com | Black Friday Online Shopping to Hit a New Record, According to Adobe | https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-online-shopping-new-record-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-online-shopping-new-record-2022-11 |
Elon Musk says Twitter banning Donald Trump was a 'grave mistake.' The tech billionaire is 'fine' with Trump not tweeting, too.
Former US President Donald Trump, left, and Elon Musk, right.
Chris Seward, Hannibal Hanschke/AP Photo
Elon Musk said Twitter's ban of Donald Trump was a mistake.
The move "undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America," according to the billionaire.
Trump was reinstated by Musk last week and has yet to use the platform.
Twitter's decision to ban former US President Donald Trump was a "grave mistake," according to Elon Musk.
The new Twitter owner and CEO on Friday explained in a reply on the platform that the reinstatement of Trump's account last week was, in his mind, a matter of justice more than an attempt to get Trump back as a user. Since Trump has been reinstated on Twitter, he has yet to use the platform that previously served as his go-to and near constant public communication tool.
"I'm fine with Trump not tweeting," Musk wrote on Friday. "The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service."
The US Congress formed a special committee to determine the exact type and number of laws Trump violated with his actions on Jan. 6, 2020, the day he sought to disrupt the transition of presidential power to current President Joe Biden. The committee proposed in court last month that Trump broke the law by obstructing an official proceeding of Congress and conspiracy to defraud the American people, among other allegations.
Since Musk took over Twitter at the end of October, he has slashed headcount and made changes to operations, including content moderation. Even before acquiring Twitter, Musk was open in his dislike of the company's active form of content and user moderation, saying it went against free speech principles, while maligning it for allowing "spam bots." Now, Musk says any speech that does not violate the law should be allowed on Twitter.
As for kicking Trump off the platform in 2020, Musk claims the move had a bad effect on Twitter.
In another reply, he added: "Twitter as a platform must be fair to all." | 2022-11-26T03:35:21Z | www.businessinsider.com | Elon Musk Says Twitter Banning Donald Trump Was 'Grave Mistake' | https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-donald-trump-twitter-banning-was-grave-mistake-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-donald-trump-twitter-banning-was-grave-mistake-2022-11 |
I just raised $32 million for my startup in a tight market. Here's how I nailed my pitch.
Tom Sagi
Hourly's series A round was negotiated and completed just as the capital markets were heading into choppy waters.
Tom Sagi is the co-founder & CEO of Hourly, a workers' compensation and payroll platform.
In its series A round, Hourly raised $32 million from top VCs Glilot, S Capital, Sienna, and Vintage.
Sagi shares how to pitch to the right investors, map out profitability, and network the right way.
The venture industry is the most "manic-depressive" industry in existence. Either the sky's the limit, or the sky is falling. I didn't invent those words โ I'm just quoting the legendary venture capitalist Alan Feld.
So how do you raise money when the sky is falling? In this economy, raising a Series A might seem nearly impossible. If you're like me, you're constantly asking yourself: What do investors really care about right now? How can we prove it's a good time to invest in us?
While it might seem out of the question, I can tell you from personal experience that raising money in a difficult economy is 100% doable. We were able to raise $32 million from top VCs Glilot, S Capital, Sienna, and Vintage. And that round was negotiated and completed just as the capital markets were heading into very choppy waters.
But how, exactly, did we do it? We learned pretty quickly that the rules of the game had changed. We needed to show completely different metrics and think about our investors, customers, and partners in a new way.
So, here's just how things have changed and what you can do to graduate from your seed stage and make the move to your series A in 2022 or 2023:
Show that your company is making money now โ or will soon
Before the market started hurting, investors wanted to see that you could grow your top line revenue. Full stop.
Why? Well, they figured if people are buying your product, then they would continue doing so. You just needed to keep growing, and one day you would reach enough people that your revenue would hopefully blow your expenses out of the water.
As you may know by now, that's not always the reality. Whether a company makes money or not isn't only about how great their product is or how healthy the market is โ it's also about unit economics that make sense, and efficiency at scale. This is exactly what investors are interested in right now.
They essentially want to take a deep dive into your path to profitability. This doesn't mean you need a strong net profit right off the bat, but you must demonstrate that you'll make money in the foreseeable future. These metrics can show them you're on your way to a strong net profit:
A strong and growing user base: Show investors how many customers currently use your product or give them a firm estimate of how many users you expect to see in one, three, and five years. If you do have a strong customer base, show projections of how many new customers you'll reach โ and how much revenue they'll bring in.
Partnerships or distribution deals: If you have any deals that will bring your product to new areas and customers, be sure to highlight that along with the additional revenue you expect to see. The quality of your partnerships matters too, so focus on those that are known in the industry. What's more, the more you have, the better. For us, we needed multiple technology and commercial partners to assure investors that Hourly would be able to expand across the country.
Go to market strategy: Show you have a viable plan for getting your product into the hands of customers utilizing a reasonable Customer Acquisition Cost.
A healthy burn rate: Are you spending funds efficiently? If so, it's a good sign that as you grow (and get new customers), you'll start seeing more and more profit.
Your actual technology: Proving that your product works can go a long way with investors. What's more, this sets you up to show how their investment will improve your business.
Your future profit: If you can't show you have a strong net profit at the moment, focus on how profitable you will be in the near and far future.
Pitch to the right investors
Maybe you know this in your gut already โ but picking the right investors to pursue can make all the difference. But it's not necessarily for the reasons you think. Yes, we all want investors who can help us grow and do all the big things we have planned.
But that's not the only thing to think about.
Investors who can continue to support you through downturns and multiple rounds will encourage new investors to come on board too. If your current investors stop supporting you, that will make it hard to convince new ones that they should back you. Even if your relationship with your current investors is a good one, and they just ran out of money โ that's still discouraging to new investors.
So, your goal shouldn't be to reel in the biggest, flashiest investor โ but to get multiple term sheets. That way, you can choose the right investors who are in it for the long haul.
Networking gives you options
While it might sound challenging to get multiple term sheets from investors, this is where networking really comes in handy. If you're attending luncheons, conferences, and regularly meeting with peers, you'll begin to develop a sense for which firms you should be targeting and what they're looking for.
Once you know that, think of anyone who may know these investors and come up with a game plan for asking them to make an introduction. We developed a hierarchy for the type of introductions we were seeking, which looked like this:
The cold email: This won't get you too far, if anywhere at all, and usually isn't worth the effort since all it takes is a simple "Delete" to be ignored. Still, if you're out of all other options, it's worth considering.
Friend or family member: This is helpful when you don't share industry contacts with an investor. It's a good first step.
A current or former colleague: These intros are even better since investors are more likely to trust people who know the ins and outs of their industry.
Industry leader: This is your strongest option. Industry leaders are trusted for their insight and successโand if they put that trust in you, that's a huge vote of confidence.
So, if given a choice between an intro made by your grandparent versus an intro made by a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, no disrespect to your grandparent, but an intro made by a CEO will do you better. (Unless of course your grandparent happens to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company!)
Bottom line, it's not just about getting an intro, it's getting the right intro. Go with intros from industry leaders first and foremost โ but don't shy away from using other options. Some contact is better than none at all, and you have to cast a wide net to find the right investors for you.
Don't wait to raise your series A
With the economy hurting, your first instinct might be to sit back and watch what happens before trying to approach investors. But there's so much groundwork that needs to be laid to get multiple term sheets, like networking, addressing any issues with your customers and optimizing for future profitability. And of course perfecting your presentation and pitching skills.
These things take awhile, so it's better to get started now. And once you have all that in place, you might be surprised just how interested investors are. After all, the money you need to grow is still out there. It's just a matter of knowing how to find it.
Good companies are good investments
This might seem obvious, but if you're a good company, investors will want to back you. It's all about laying a solid foundation and executing your plans flawlessly. And one more thing โ you'll definitely need a very good pitch deck. Here's a peek at the slide deck that helped us land a $32 million Series A.
Series A Venture funding Hourly | 2022-11-26T11:12:27Z | www.businessinsider.com | How I Nailed My Pitch to Raise $32 Million in a Tight Market | https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-raise-funds-startup-pitch-tight-market-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-raise-funds-startup-pitch-tight-market-2022-11 |
6 red flags a company isn't what it seems โ and you probably shouldn't take the job
"If the description says, 'You'll wear a lot of hats,' make sure you know what those hats are and if you think they'll support your goals," Dani Monaghan, the vice president of global cloud recruiting at Google, said.
Several experts told Insider what red flags indicate a company may not be great to work for.
If they ask you to do a test early in the process, they may be trying to get free work out of you.
If they won't let you meet with team members, they may be hiding low morale or high turnover.
When you're interviewing for a new job โ especially if it's with a company you've long admired โ it's easy to overlook a few bumps in the road in favor of getting an offer. But employers should be trying to woo you just as much as you should be wooing them. And if a hiring manager exhibits certain bad behaviors during the recruiting process, you're likely going to find yourself working for a bad boss or under a terrible company culture if you accept the role.
No matter how appealing a job sounds on paper, if you come across these six red flags when interviewing at a company, it might be best to pass it over for a better opportunity.
1. They're unreliable in their communication or timetable
Lars Schmidt, the founder of Amplify Academy, a community for HR leaders, told Insider it's a red flag if a hiring manager or HR team seems to dismiss you or blow you off โ or worse, sets an expectation around the timeline of the recruiting process, then completely blows that up and institutes a new timeline with no explanation. If they do that to someone they're trying to recruit, think of how uncertain the employee experience might be, with ever-changing timelines and inconsistent communication.
Another not-so-great sign? Radio silence from a recruiter you've been in touch with before.
Dani Monaghan, the vice president of global cloud recruiting at Google, said the best way to suss out whether poor communication or confusing directions is a one-time fluke or a sign of a bigger issue is to ask yourself questions such as:
Are they constantly rescheduling interviews?
Do the recruiters or hiring managers rarely show up on time?
How responsive are they to emails, and how quickly do they usually get back to you?
Is the interview well organized, or did your interviewer show up unprepared?
Do they provide updates when they say they will?
2. You're asked to complete a test or project early on in the process
In some industries, it's normal for employers to require applicants to complete steps beyond an interview, such as completing a coding test, creating a slide deck, or writing something according to the job's specifications. This can be a valid way to assess a candidate's skills, but if an employer is requiring it early on in the recruiting process, it could also signal that the company doesn't respect your time or might be using this step to collect free work.
Skills tests or assignments should happen later, after you've completed at least one interview and gotten a good sense of whether the company is interested in you and would be a good fit, Schmidt said.
3. The job description is vague
Even for a brand-new role, the hiring manager should have a clear picture of what it entails. Otherwise, the company might be setting you up to fail.
"If the description says, 'You'll wear a lot of hats,' make sure you know what those hats are and if you think they'll support your goals," Monaghan said. "If the interview questions are ambiguous, applicants should always clarify."
4. They're being cagey or defensive around compensation
The last thing any job seeker wants is to interview multiple times for a job without knowing if the pay meets their expectations. Fortunately, several states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Washington, now require pay transparency, either in the job listing or when a candidate asks.
Even if you aren't in one of those states, the market is trending toward pay transparency. Janine Yancey, the CEO of Emtrain, a tech platform that uses data and analytics to identify toxic workplace issues, told Insider it's reasonable to ask the pay band on a role early on in the process. If they don't have the pay band yet, they should at least say, "That's a good question, let me get back right to you," she said. That question shouldn't elicit a negative reaction.
5. They're being evasive around negative events
If you've done your homework before an interview, you'll know if a company has negative Glassdoor reviews or recently faced some bad press โ and you'll probably want to know more about it before making your decision to accept the job. "If you ask questions about perhaps negative press or even Glassdoor and that gets brushed off and dismissed, that can be a red flag," Schmidt said.
On the other hand, if they acknowledge it and explain how they're working to improve company culture or recover from a scandal, that could be a more positive sign of growth.
6. You're not able to access other team members
Don't just talk to your potential supervisor โ talking to as many current employees as possible, including people you'll be managing or peers you'll be working with regularly, can help you feel out the company culture. "If a company won't accommodate, that's also a red flag," Monaghan said. By brushing off such a request, a hiring manager may be trying to cover up high turnover or low morale on the team.
"If an applicant speaks with several people who seem unhappy, listless, disgruntled, then it could be indicative of a negative work environment," Monaghan added.
While everyone has days when they're off their game or say the wrong thing, looking at the sum of interactions can clue you into a company's culture. "If they don't have really talented individuals at the leading edge of the organization, I think that's also an indicator of what you can expect in their people team and their HR team," Yancey said.
red flag Job Interview Careers | 2022-11-26T11:12:45Z | www.businessinsider.com | 6 Red Flags You Shouldn't Accept Your Dream Company's Job Offer | https://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-accept-job-offer-dream-company-interviews-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-accept-job-offer-dream-company-interviews-2022-11 |
A notorious market bear who called the dot-com bubble says he expects the S&P 500 to fall another 58% with stocks still as overvalued as they were in 1929 and 2000 โ and warns that a Fed pivot won't necessarily save the market
The S&P 500 is down 16% on the year as the Fed tightens policy to fight inflation.
John Hussman says things could a lot worse with valuations still high.
Hussman warned that the market would have to fall another 58% to reach historical valuation norms.
The S&P 500 fell as much as 25% this year as the Federal Reserve pulled its support for the US economy. Investors are wondering: is the pain finally over?
Some say the answer is mostly yes, with inflation on its way down and neutral or even dovish Fed policy therefore coming soon. Others say no, and that stocks could fall another 20-25% as earnings get hit by a damaged economy next year as the Fed keeps on with its rate hikes.
While anything could happen in the short term, John Hussman has little faith in the market's long-term prospects. Hussman, the president of the Hussman Investment Trust who called the 2000 and 2008 market downturns, said that despite the market's sell-off this year, valuations are still at levels seen in 1929 and 2000, during two of the most extended bubbles in history.
In a November 17 commentary, Hussman warned that stocks face negative returns over the next decade, and that a devastating decline could play out in the years ahead. To return to normal valuation levels, the market would have to fall 58% further from where it sits currently, he said.
Hussman's preferred valuation measure is the ratio of total market cap of non-financial stocks to total revenues. In the chart below, historical norms of this valuation measure are shown in green, with the S&P 500 price level shown in blue.
Hussman Funds
"When market participants are inclined to speculate, the combination of eager buyers and reluctant sellers can drive the financial markets to valuations that make little sense from the standpoint of long-term returns. That's particularly true when the speculation persists for a long period of time, as it did from 1921-1929, 1990-2000, and more than a decade since 2009 โ reaching a striking crescendo at the beginning of this year," Hussman said.
"In these cases, the 'benefits' of past speculation, and the 'uselessness' of valuations become so obvious to investors that they become overconfident that the 'new era' will continue forever. Then the Dow loses 89% of its value (1929-1932), the Nasdaq 100 loses 82% of its value (2000-2002) and we expect, the S&P 500 gets to a point (2022) where a loss of two-thirds would merely bring market valuations to their run-of-the-mill historical norms," Hussman continued. "Despite year-to-date market losses, a further decline of roughly 58% would still be required to reach ordinary valuation norms."
But investor sentiment alongside valuation levels drive market price action, Hussman said. With sentiment currently bearish and valuations high, the outlook for returns doesn't look good, he said.
While some argue a Fed pivot will be enough to fuel a reversal in sentiment, Hussman disagrees.
"I suspect that as this bubble unwinds, the hard lesson for others will be that as long as investors remain risk-averse, no amount of Fed easing will support the market โ it certainly didn't during the bulk of the 2000-2002 and 2007-2009 collapses."
In the chart below, Hussman shows that most of the market's positive returns occur when sentiment is good and the Fed is easing simultaneously. But Fed easing doesn't necessitate positive sentiment.
Hussman also doubts the central bank will pivot anytime soon with the fed funds rate still too low relative to a high core PCE and a low unemployment rate.
Hussman's track record โ and his views in context
Hussman's expectation for a further drawdown of 58% is on the margins of the spectrum of strategist calls right now.
The most bearish strategists among major Wall Street institutions see the S&P 500 falling to around the 3,000, about -25% assuming a recession plays out. The index currently sits just above the 4,000 level.
Morgan Stanley's Chief US Equity Strategist Mike Wilson, for example, said in a note to clients this week that while short-term gains might be in order for the market, the S&P 500 will fall to somewhere between 3,000-3,300 sometime early next year.
Wilson's call is based on his expectation that earnings will fall amid a slowing economy โ he expects the market's price-to-earnings ratio to drop to 13.5-15x. It's currently at 19.22x.
Goldman Sachs' David Kostin, while more optimistic than Wilson that a soft landing scenario, where the US economy avoids a recession and inflation comes down, will play out, also sees downside risk to 3,150 if a recession comes to pass. He's more bearish than Wilson in the short term, however, with a three-month price target of 3,600 for the S&P 500.
When it comes to Hussman's call about a Fed pivot's effect on stocks, a number of strategists have said stocks likely can't sustainably go higher for now while the Fed is still hiking โ in other words, a Fed pivot is a prerequisite for a bottom. Hussman doesn't necessarily disagree โ but rather points out that policy easing also doesn't necessarily mean immediate upside.
A number of strategists also agree with Hussman and see the Fed continuing down their hawkish path.
"There's a lot of talk about the Fed is almost done, they're going to give in, this will be the last 75...My thinking is the optimism is a little premature," said Bob Doll, the CIO at Crossmark Global Investments and a former BlackRock US equities chief, in an interview with Insider this month.
A Fed pivot is dependent on inflation data, which is still historically high at 7.7%. The Fed's long-term goal for inflation is 2%, and the central bank's chair Jerome Powell has continually said the bank will remain committed to bringing inflation down to that level.
For the uninitiated, Hussman has repeatedly made headlines by predicting a stock-market decline exceeding 60% and forecasting a full decade of negative equity returns. And as the stock market had continued to grind mostly higher, he persisted with his doomsday calls.
But before you dismiss Hussman as a wonky perma-bear, consider again his track record. Here are the arguments he's laid out:
He predicted in March 2000 that tech stocks would plunge 83%, then the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index lost an "improbably precise" 83% during a period from 2000 to 2002.
Predicted in 2000 that the S&P 500 would likely see negative total returns over the following decade, which it did.
Predicted in April 2007 that the S&P 500 could lose 40%, then it lost 55% in the subsequent collapse from 2007 to 2009.
However, Hussman's recent returns have been less-than-stellar. His Strategic Growth Fund is down 42% since December 2010, though it's up 13% in the last 12 months. The S&P 500, by comparison, is down 14% over the past year.
The amount of bearish evidence being unearthed by Hussman continues to mount, and his calls over the last couple of years for a substantial sell-off are proving accurate so far. Sure, there may still be returns to be realized in this market cycle, but at what point does the mounting risk of a larger crash become too unbearable?
That's a question investors will have to answer themselves โ and one that Hussman will clearly keep exploring in the interim. | 2022-11-26T11:12:52Z | www.businessinsider.com | Stock Market Crash: Expert Warns 58% Drop Still to Come | https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-crash-valuations-earnings-bubble-inflation-fed-pivot-hussman-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-crash-valuations-earnings-bubble-inflation-fed-pivot-hussman-2022-11 |
Office space is tougher than ever to rent out. See the pitch deck that raised $15 million to help landlords compete for demanding tenants.
Arie Barendrecht, the founder and CEO of WiredScore.
WiredScore certifies buildings' tech capabilities, like LEED does with environmental ratings.
With office space flooding the market, one broker says WiredScore can help get leases signed.
WiredScore CEO Arie Barendrecht walked Insider through the pitch deck he used to raise $15 million.
WiredScore, a company that evaluates and certifies the technology inside office buildings, launched almost a decade ago with the endorsement of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg and major New York City landlords like Rudin Management, SL Green, and Vornado.
The company has grown substantially in terms of reach and offerings, including an assessment of "smart" features. But its core product, a certification that shows the quality and reliability of internet connectivity and mobile signal in a building, may be more essential than ever.
In a world of remote work, potential office tenants have become pickier about their spaces. An office building now needs to be "commute-worthy," or enticing enough for workers to come in for personal collaboration, said Oliver Alves, an executive vice president tenant representative for the broker JLL. If the internet is slow in the office, with Zoom calls always buffering, companies are more likely to balk at paying huge rents.
Generally speaking, prospective office tenants have little insight into what their office WiFi will look like. They may know they're renting in a building with fiber internet, but without a thorough check of the property, faulty wiring or other unexpected issues can cause headaches down the line. They want certainty with their technology, and that's where WiredScore comes in.
"Now, even when tenants are making a preliminary pass in the market, they're very focused on what buildings have certifications," Alves said. "Those buildings make the shortlist."
Alves saw this while working on Toronto's Portland Commons, a 15-story office tower that's set to open next year. As with many new developments, potential tenants had little more than interactive 3D-models in order to make their leasing decisions. But WiredScore provided an early certification, and tech-heavy tenants signed up for space, according to Alves.
WiredScore raised a $15 million Series B round earlier this year, led by the venture firm Beringea, with the participation of the commercial-real-estate brokerage and service firm Cushman & Wakefield; the private real-estate firm Crow Holdings; proptech's largest venture fund, Fifth Wall, and others. The company has now raised $28 million in total funding.
The company now also certifies technology in apartment buildings, the office of the remote worker.
WiredScore's CEO, Arie Barendrecht, walked Insider through the pitch deck he used to help raise the firm's latest round.
Venture-backed WiredScore is not a tech company per se, but a certification program.
Though its mission sounds similar to that of a "smart" building company, WiredScore sees its role as resetting industry standards to encourage more transformative technology.
Technology is already transforming real estate, and with 5G connectivity on the horizon, there's more change to come. WiredScore is hoping to grow to $300 million in sales by 2026.
Potential tenants don't have an easy time figuring out if an office can handle their current tech needs, and landlords often aren't sure what they need to do to meet those needs now or in the future. "We want to define not just what best-in-class looks like today, but what tenant needs will be in the future," Barendrecht said.
With a WiredScore certification, potential tenants can see what their future office can handle technologically. Landlords, made aware of shortcomings, can make improvements to draw in high-tech tenants.
This slide makes the business case for WiredScore's three certification products: its original office-connectivity certification, its home-connectivity certification, and its smart-building certification.
Landlords who sign on receive a building certification after a hands-on review by technicians. They're allowed to enhance offerings to increase their scores, with the help of WiredScore's road map.
As JLL's Alves said above, these certifications can differentiate office space in an environment where vacancy is reaching all-time highs.
According to WiredScore, its certifications can increase rental value by 5%. And most landlords use them as an opportunity to improve buildings' connectivity and enhance tenants' experiences.
The certification, first launched as Wired NYC, is now available in over 15 countries.
Dozens of big companies with real-estate interests work with WiredScore, including Blackstone, BlackRock, Brookfield, and Hines.
A network of real-estate, tech, and telecommunications experts set standards for WiredScore's certifications and make sure the company stays on top of any new, cutting-edge developments.
With tenants rushing to Class A office buildings, landlords are looking for any and all advantages. WiredScore's pitch is that its certifications can be the difference between tenants signing up or walking away.
Features PropTech Remote Work | 2022-11-26T13:18:38Z | www.businessinsider.com | This Pitch Deck Helped an Office-Technology Company Raise $15 Million | https://www.businessinsider.com/this-pitch-deck-helped-an-office-technology-company-raise-15-million-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/this-pitch-deck-helped-an-office-technology-company-raise-15-million-2022-11 |
Kanye West meets Donald Trump in the Oval Office in October 2018.
Ron Sachs/Getty Images
Donald Trump says Kayne West sought advice on business issues on a visit to Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.
The rapper showed up "unexpectedly" with three friends for dinner at his Florida residence.
Trump said he also told West not to run for president in 2024.
Donald Trump said Kanye West asked for his advice on business issues when they had dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.
The former president posted on Truth Social Friday that the rapper, also known as Ye, called him to have dinner with him at his Florida residence. Trump said he was surprised to see the rapper "unexpectedly showing up with three of his friends."
In another post on Friday, Trump said that West asked him "for advice concerning some of his difficulties, in particular having to do with his business."
West came under fire following antisemitic comments he made in interviews and on social media, including a tweet in October before he was suspended from Twitter as well as Instagram. However, Elon Musk has now reinstated West's Twitter account.
Brands who were doing business with the rapper distanced themselves and cut ties with West following his comments. Adidas ended its Yeezy partnership and is now taking legal action against him.
"We also discussed, to a lesser extent, politics, where I told him he should definitely not run for President, 'any voters you may have should vote for TRUMP'," the former president wrote, adding that West "expressed no anti-Semitism."
West said Trump reacted negatively when he announced his plan to make a White House run. "When Trump started basically screaming at me at the table telling me I was going to lose, I mean has that ever worked for anyone in history?" the rapper said in a video he tweeted on Thursday night.
The rapper dubbed the video a "Mar-a-Lago debrief."
Representatives for West and Trump didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider.
Kanye West Donald Trump mar-a-lago | 2022-11-26T14:15:06Z | www.businessinsider.com | Donald Trump Says Kayne West Asked Him for Advice About 'Difficulties' | https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-kanye-west-asked-business-advice-mar-a-lago-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-kanye-west-asked-business-advice-mar-a-lago-2022-11 |
Frontier is replacing its phone line with an online chat system.
Frontier Airlines has scrapped its telephone customer service line.
The airline has switched to chat to give information as "efficiently" as possible, CNBC reported.
Frontier said this month that a chat service "reduced negotiation" and dealt with more cases.
Frontier Airlines has shut down its customer support line in a bid to cut costs.
An airline spokesperson told CNBC it had cut its telephone service to help customers get "the information they need as expeditiously and efficiently as possible."
TravelNoire reported earlier this week that Frontier's service line wasn't working and gave callers an automated message directing them to other means of communication.
"At Frontier, we offer the lowest fares in the industry by operating our airline as efficiently as possible. We want our customers to be able to operate efficiently as well, which is why we make it easy to find what you need at Flyfrontier.com or on our mobile app," the automated message says.
The airline told TravelNoire the change was made last week. It follows plans announced at a November investors' presentation by Frontier executive Jack Filene.
"We are supporting higher labor rates in the voice channel, and we're limited to this one-to-one interaction," he said, adding that a chat agent could handle three queries at once.
The chat option would also "remove negotiation" from conversations, according to the presentation.
Frontier's move follows a summer of travel chaos which laid bare the lack of customer service offered by many airlines.
In June, an American Airlines passenger drove 45 minutes to Denver Airport after he was left on hold for nearly four hours.
An Air Canada passenger told Insider he made 76 calls in July in an attempt to track down his lost luggage, but only managed to get through to an agent three times.
Weekend BI UK News Frontier Frontier Airlines | 2022-11-26T14:15:18Z | www.businessinsider.com | Frontier Airlines Replaces Its Telephone Helpline With Online Chat | https://www.businessinsider.com/frontier-airlines-replaces-telephone-helpline-online-chat-cut-costs-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/frontier-airlines-replaces-telephone-helpline-online-chat-cut-costs-2022-11 |
A home located in San Jose, California.
A US housing boom has ended as soaring mortgage rates put a damper on buyer demand.
As homebuyer activity slows, home prices are falling in cities across the country.
Markets that saw some of the most demand and highest price growth are seeing the biggest drops.
Throughout much of the pandemic, rock-bottom mortgage rates, as well government aid meant to stimulate the US economy, spurred on an unprecedented home-buying bonanza.
Enticed by the desire for larger living spaces and the ability live virtually anywhere thanks to the rise of remote work, Americans went on a buying sprees that saw markets large and small pushed to their brinks. Intense competition led to severe bidding wars that drove home prices to record highs, often pushing out those who lacked the considerable cash needed to compete in the red-hot market.
But the US housing boom is over.
The Federal Reserve's aggressive fight against surging inflation has resulted in several interest rate hikes that have pushed mortgage rates to levels not seen in years. As prospective buyers face borrowing costs that have doubled in the past year, activity is becoming increasingly frigid โ particularly so in some cities that were homebuying hotspots during the pandemic.
"The market has shifted so rapidly," Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow, told Insider. "Most of the price declines will come from the affordability crisis, but also the fact that you had a lot of building activity in those markets โ and the demand isn't there anymore."
To get a sense of where home prices are falling the most, we examined home-price data Zillow sent exclusively to Insider. After digging through the numbers for dozens of housing markets, we picked out nine US cities where home prices have rapidly cooled in recent months.
Pandemic hotspots Boise and Phoenix โ which have also been referred to as so-called "Zoomtowns," or cities where many people moved during the pandemic โ have seen their hot housing markets slowdown drastically. There are also a few areas in California, such as San Francisco and San Jose, that have seen home prices fall more than 5% from their peak values.
The data tell us that home prices are falling the fastest in markets where builders and developers anticipated robust growth only to see demand fade โ particularly so in Austin, the nation's frothiest market. Local publication Austin Monitor reports that although the city's builders started roughly 26,500 new homes during the first few months of 2022, as of July, homebuyers had purchased just under 20,000 new homes.
Orphe says miscalculations like this are likely to lead to prices in some areas cooling even further.
"You're not really not going to see a lot of activity in those markets," he said. "I look at Austin, for example, or Phoenix or even Boise โthose are markets where inventory has increased a lot, and units are sitting on the market a little bit longer. So what I expect in those markets is that prices will come down."
Read on to see how much prices have fallen in these markets and where else homebuyers are seeing the most discounts.
Homes located in Seattle, Washington.
When home values peaked: April 30, 2022
Home peak value: $807,930
Current typical home value: $757,177
Percentage change from peak value: -6.3%
A home located in Phoenix, Arizona.
When home values peaked: May 31, 2022
A home located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A neighborhood view of Boise, Idaho.
When home values peaked: June 30, 2022
5. Boise City
A home located in San Diego, California.
Home peak value: $1,695,462
Current typical home value: $1,568,484
Homes located in San Francisco, California.
A street view of homes in Austin, Texas.
Percentage change from peak value: -10.2%
Features Austin Boise | 2022-11-26T14:15:24Z | www.businessinsider.com | Housing Outlook: Buyers See Discounts in 9 Cities As Home Prices Fall | https://www.businessinsider.com/home-prices-fall-home-buyers-see-more-discounts-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/home-prices-fall-home-buyers-see-more-discounts-2022-11 |
A Ukrainian soldier speaks on his smartphone outside a residential building damaged by a missile on February 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Russia is likely firing cruise missiles with nuclear warheads removed into Ukraine, UK's defense ministry said.
The improvisation demonstrates how depleted Russia's stocks of long-range missiles are, it said.
It said that the unarmed munitions are "almost certainly" being used as decoys to distract Ukrainian air defenses.
Russia is likely removing the nuclear warheads from aging cruise missiles and firing them into Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.
The improvisation indicates how depleted Russia's stocks of long-range missiles are, it said.
The defense ministry said that open source imagery appeared to show an AS-15 KENT air-launched cruise missile that had been shot down in Ukraine.
The missile was designed in the 1980s to be used as a nuclear delivery system, and the department noted that the nuclear warhead had likely been replaced with ballast, some kind of heavy material to balance it.
Such an "inert system" can still produce some damage through the missile's kinetic energy and unspent fuel, according to the department.
However, the unarmed munitions are "almost certainly" being used as decoys to confuse Ukrainian air defenses, the department said, as they are unlikely to achieve any "reliable effects on intended targets."
Russian warship launching a cruise missile.
Ukrainian and western officials have previously suggested that Russia's stockpiles of missiles and shells are rapidly dwindling, following Moscow amping up missile attacks on infrastructure targets across Ukraine.
US officials previously said that Russia is likely struggling to replenish its stockpiles due to sanctions and supply chain disruptions, the Associated Press reported.
Russia has not provided any information about its missile supplies, and there is no data to assess it independently.
Russia Ukraine nuclear warhead | 2022-11-26T14:15:30Z | www.businessinsider.com | Russia Is Firing Cruise Missiles With Nuclear Warheads Removed, UK Says | https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-is-firing-cruise-missiles-nuclear-warheads-removed-uk-says-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-is-firing-cruise-missiles-nuclear-warheads-removed-uk-says-2022-11 |
Artist GND Photography/Getty Images
Black Friday online sales reached a record-high of $9.12 billion, according to Adobe Analytics.
Meanwhile, brick-and-mortar traffic appeared to decline, with reports of empty stores and parking lots around the country.
Adobe said online sales growth was driven by increased use of buy-now-pay-later options.
The days of pushing and shoving to score a discounted flat-screen TV on Black Friday may be over, but Americans instead are turning to e-commerce with growing excitement.
Black Friday shoppers shattered online sales records this year, reaching $9.12 billion, up from 2.3% in 2021, according to Adobe Analytics data. The online sales growth came as brick-and-mortar foot traffic appeared to decline, with reports of barren parking lots and sparsely populated aisles at big-box stores like Walmart and Target โ traditionally known for wooing crowds with doorbuster deals.
Adobe's findings showed e-commerce growth was driven largely by shoppers turning to the flexibility of buy-now-pay-later options like Klarna and Afterpay as they navigate record-high inflation. Buy-now-pay-later orders increased by 78% during the week of Nov. 19 to Nov. 25 compared to the same period last year, according to Adobe.
"As Black Friday hit record spending online, we're also seeing more prominent signs of a budget-conscious consumer this year," Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said in a statement. "Shoppers are embracing the Buy Now Pay Later payment method more this year to be able to buy desired gifts for family and friends."
Electronics largely led online sales growth, alongside other top categories like audio equipment, toys, and exercise equipment, the findings showed.
Shifts away from same-day Black Friday sales also may be attributed to Americans beginning their holiday shopping earlier, a trend that began during the pandemic and has since persisted, according to the National Retail Federation.
"While consumers continue to save the bulk of their holiday shopping for later in November and December, some of that spending has shifted into October," Phil Rist, executive vice president of Strategy at Prosper Insights, told the NRF in a statement.
Looking ahead, Adobe predicts additional growth on Cyber Monday, still the biggest online shopping event of the season, with a forecast of $34.8 billion in online sales, up 2.8% from last year.
Retail Black Friday weekend BI US | 2022-11-26T17:00:20Z | www.businessinsider.com | Black Friday Shatters Online Sales Record As in-Store Shopping Wanes | https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-shatters-online-sales-record-store-shopping-wanes-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-shatters-online-sales-record-store-shopping-wanes-2022-11 |
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp campaigns alongside GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker in Smyrna, Ga., on November 19, 2022.
AP Photo/Bill Barrow
Brian Kemp has emerged as Herschel Walker's most powerful surrogate in the Georgia Senate runoff.
Kemp, who won reelection as governor, didn't campaign with Walker during the general election race.
Republicans are working intently to win over the November voters who backed Kemp but not Walker.
Last Saturday, Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker hugged newly-reelected Gov. Brian Kemp at a campaign rally outside a suburban Atlanta firearms store.
This normally wouldn't be a notable act in GOP politics, but the Georgia Senate runoff election is not a normal contest.
Walker did not run a conventional general election race, as he didn't appear on the campaign trail alongside Kemp โ by far the most influential Republican in the state โ until last week.
The GOP won virtually every statewide election in Georgia earlier this month, except for Walker, who in his race against Sen. Raphael Warnock captured 48.5% of the vote compared to the incumbent Democratic lawmaker's 49.4%, which forced the runoff election as no candidate hit the requisite 50% of the vote needed for an outright victory.
And it wasn't difficult to see why Kemp and Walker fared so differently earlier this month.
Warnock won every age group under 45 and had an 11-point advantage with Independents, according to CNN exit polling, fueled by outsized margins in Atlanta's populous suburbs, where Republicans have faltered in recent years.
But Kemp flipped the script in his second gubernatorial campaign against Democrat Stacey Abrams, cutting into her margins with Independents in Atlanta's suburbs while earning strong support from both moderate and conservative Republicans โ a feat that Walker was unable to replicate in his contest with Warnock.
For that reason, Walker has found himself openly embracing Kemp, who came out of the general election as the biggest winner in Georgia politics.
The Senate race remains close, but some major hurdles remain for Walker; the Republican significantly underperformed Kemp in the general election and polling continues to show Independents in Warnock's corner.
With less than two weeks before the December 6 runoff, Kemp can surely move some voters over to Walker, but will it be enough?
Kemp gives a speech celebrating his reelection victory at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, Ga., on November 8, 2022.
Split-ticket voters will be key in the runoff
In the general election, Kemp defeated Abrams 53.4%-45.9%, coming out ahead by nearly 300,000 votes, a vast improvement over his roughly 55,000-vote victory over the former state lawmaker four years ago.
The governor earlier this month earned 2,111,572 votes, compared to 1,813,673 votes for Abrams.
But Warnock was the only statewide Georgia Democrat to come out ahead in the vote count this year, earning nearly 1.95 million votes to Walker's roughly 1.918 million votes โ a lead of over 37,000 votes.
The results show that Kemp won over 200,000 more votes than Walker, with some voters splitting their tickets by backing the governor while also supporting Warnock.
Republicans picked the site of last week's rally for a reason; the firearms store is in Smyrna, a city in Cobb County, a former GOP bastion where Democrats have made notable gains over the past decade. Abrams defeated Kemp in the county, but she only won it by 5 points, while Warnock outpaced Walker there by nearly 17 points, which netted the Democratic senator over 50,000 votes โ greater than the statewide vote difference between the two runoff candidates.
Cobb, along with other metropolitan Atlanta counties including DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Henry, delivered decisive margins to Warnock earlier this month โ again creating a vivid contrast with Walker's weaker performance in those localities among moderates and college-educated voters.
In GOP-leaning Fayette County, an Atlanta exurb, Walker only won by 3 points compared to Kemp's 14-point victory over Abrams. So it was no surprise that last week, Walker held a rally in Peachtree City, the largest city in the county.
The suburban Independents who were onboard with Kemp but remain wary of Walker are a top target for the governor, who is now appealing to them to vote Republican in the runoff.
Walker greets supporters at the conclusion of a campaign rally in McDonough, Ga., on November 16, 2022.
Walker and Kemp both have their own brand of Republicanism
Throughout the general election campaign, Kemp pointed to his early reopening of Georgia's economy during the COVID-19 pandemic and his temporary suspension of the state gas tax to make the case for his reelection bid, while also touting the state's voting overhaul and his support of anti-abortion legislation in a way that appealed to a wide swath of traditional conservatives.
And Kemp in 2020 also became nationally known, alongside GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, for rebuffing then-President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn Joe Biden's presidential win in Georgia. Kemp was repeatedly lambasted by Trump over his defense of the state's election results, with the former president even recruiting former Sen. David Perdue to run against him in a GOP gubernatorial primary โ only for the governor to defeat his former political ally in a landslide.
While Trump continued to nurse grievances against Kemp, the governor leaned into his strong ties with Georgia conservatives โ from his days as a state senator to his tenure as secretary of state โ which gave him solid footing among grassroots activists for the general election.
But Walker, a first-time candidate who was enthusiastically endorsed by Trump, ran a general election campaign heavily tailored to base Republicans, including evangelical voters who have powered GOP wins in the state. In his stump speeches, he accuses Democrats of dividing the country by race and rails against the use of "pronouns" in the military.
On November 7, Kemp flew around Georgia with most of the statewide GOP candidates โ including Raffensperger โ but Walker wasn't part of the mix.
When asked by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Walker's absence, Kemp said that the GOP Senate nominee was "definitely part of the team" even if he wasn't present on the tour.
Later that evening, Kemp held a rally in Kennesaw, Ga., where he pumped up the party faithful alongside most of the GOP statewide ticket by focusing on his economic message. But just a few minutes away, in the same Cobb County city, Walker held a rally of his own alongside Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and former Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson, where the former NFL player called himself a "warrior for God."
Kemp speaks to supporters at a campaign event in Ringgold, Ga., on November 6, 2022.
Kemp won't be on the runoff ballot
One of the biggest challenges that Walker will face in the Senate runoff is the simple fact that Kemp won't be listed on the December ballot; the general election was the most optimal time for Walker to have benefited from the governor's coattails.
Walker remains competitive in the race, even with Democrats already set to control the Senate in 2023, but the inability of some Kemp voters to pull the lever for the former University of Georgia football standout means that the governor will have to use some of his political capital to continue boosting his fellow Republican in the runoff.
Kemp is featured prominently in a new ad from the Republican super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, where the governor said that Walker would "vote for Georgia" and "not be another rubber stamp for Joe Biden."
โSenate Leadership Fund (@Senate_Fund) November 23, 2022
"That's why I'm backing Herschel," the governor continued to say. "And I hope you'll join me in voting for him too."
A huge benefit for Walker? Conservatives are solidly behind him.
They've taken to his outsider-centric campaign, which to them feels rooted in Georgia and not Washington, DC.
And Republicans by and large have waved off allegations that Walker paid for two women to have abortions, which the candidate has firmly denied.
But Kemp won't be able to help carry Walker over the finish line if Independents break for Warnock as heavily as they did for Democrats like Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Sen.-elect John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed this past summer, races for the upper chamber often come down to the individuality of candidates.
"Senate races are just different โ they're statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome," the Kentucky Republican said at the time.
The Georgia runoff will be this year's last consequential test case of the veteran lawmaker's theory.
brian kemp Herschel Walker Raphael Warnock | 2022-11-26T17:00:32Z | www.businessinsider.com | Republicans Want Kemp's Mojo to Rub Off on Herschel Walker in Georgia | https://www.businessinsider.com/herschel-walker-kemp-georgia-senate-runoff-mojo-gop-independents-warnock-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/herschel-walker-kemp-georgia-senate-runoff-mojo-gop-independents-warnock-2022-11 |
United Furniture Industries laid off 2,700 employees shortly before midnight on Monday, according to local reports.
Staffers were terminated "without provision of COBRA," leaving them without health insurance.
One former employee filed a class-action lawsuit against the company claiming it violated the WARN Act.
United Furniture Industries, one of the largest furniture companies in the country, laid off 2,700 employees without severance or benefits, according to local reports.
The Mississippi-based company sent an email overnight just two days before Thanksgiving notifying staffers it was terminating "all employees" due to "unforeseen business circumstances" and telling them not come in for their shifts Tuesday, Victorville Daily Press reported.
A follow-up email subsequently stated that "all benefits will be terminated immediately without provision of COBRA," leaving laid-off employees without health insurance.
In the emails viewed by Victorville Daily Press, United wrote it was "forced to make the difficult decision" as a result of economic difficulties, and the terminations would be "effective immediately."
The company did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment.
The terminations impacted employees at facilities located in Verona, Mississippi; Victorville, California; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. According to Pitchbook data cited by FreightWaves, the company has nearly 3,000 staffers in 18 facilities across those three states, as well as Vietnam.
The mass firings prompted former employee Toria Neal to file a class-action lawsuit against the company on Tuesday, alleging United violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act by not providing the required 60 days written notice of a future closure.
In the lawsuit, Neal states that the employees were fired via email and/or text message shortly before midnight on Monday, FreightWaves reported.
"It is not fair to the laborers who seriously worked so hard to be blindsided like this," an unnamed employee told FreightWaves.
The mass layoffs at the furniture company join a growing list of terminations across industries in recent weeks as a recession looms, ranging from tech giants like Meta and Twitter to fellow retailers like Amazon.
Retail United Furniture Industries Layoffs | 2022-11-26T18:44:46Z | www.businessinsider.com | United Furniture Industries Lays Off 2,700 Employees Without Benefits | https://www.businessinsider.com/united-furniture-industries-lays-off-employees-benefits-severance-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/united-furniture-industries-lays-off-employees-benefits-severance-2022-11 |
Gaming PC gaming deals
Graphic card deals
PC gaming accessory deals
Cyber Monday gaming PC deals: The best discounts on monitors, graphic cards, SSDs, and more
By John Lynch and William Antonelli
Cyber Monday gaming PC deals are in full swing.
Michael Kraus/EyeEm/Getty Images
If you're a gamer who opts for a desktop computer over a gaming laptop, you'll want to make sure that you have the best monitor, GPU, and storage solutions possible.
Among the many great deals available this Cyber Monday, you can find great discounts on a range of monitors, graphic cards, and solid state drives (SSDs) from all sorts of top brands.
Here are the best Cyber Monday deals we've found so far for PC gamers.
Best Cyber Monday gaming PC gaming deals
iBUYPOWER Gaming Desktop PC
If you're looking for a flashy RGB-enabled gaming computer, but don't have the time or know-how to build the rig yourself, check out this prebuilt PC from iBUYPOWER. It comes with RGB fans, a powerful RTX 3070 GPU, and a whopping 1TB of solid state drive space. And during Cyber Monday, it's more than $400 off โ a fantastic price for a setup like this.
Alienware Aurora R14 Gaming Desktop Computer
Alienware computers are pricey, but powerful. This specific model is one of the few prebuilt computers you'll find with an RTX 3080 graphics card, a generation better than the typical 3070. It also comes with 2TB of storage, including 1TB of speedy SSD space โ massively important for any gamer. And for Cyber Monday, it's over $600 off.
This HP Pavillion rig isn't as powerful as other builds, but if you're looking for a solid prebuilt PC from a trusted brand with a fast CPU, it's a great option. It also comes with a sizable 1TB solid state drive and an RTX 2060 GPU that, while on the older side, will still run most games perfectly. Today it's more than $300 off on Amazon, which is the best price we've seen it at.
ASUS ROG Strix G15 Gaming Desktop PC
ROG Strix is ASUS' premiere PC gaming brand, and this prebuilt PC is a great example of the quality that name brings. This setup has a speedy CPU, a powerful RTX 3060 graphics card, a hook for holding your headphones, and 1TB of solid state drive space, all for only $1200 during Cyber Monday โ that's more than $200 off.
ZOTAC Gaming MEK Hero PC
This ZOTAC computer might look like a concrete slab, but it comes with a massive amount of storage space, a powerful RTX 3070 graphics card, and liquid cooling. That means you can play nearly any game with perfect performance, without your PC heating up like a furnace. This PC is usually $2000, but it's down to only $1500 for Cyber Monday.
$1,499.99 from New Egg
Best Cyber Monday PC gaming monitor deals
HP X24C Gaming Monitor
This curved, 24-inch, gaming monitor from HP has an excellent 144Hz refresh rate and support for Free Sync. Multiple retailers have it at a solid discount for $150.
$209.99 $149.99 from HP
Samsung's premium gaming monitor boasts an incredible 240hz refresh rate and 1440p resolution with HDR color support. This $550 deal price is near an all-time low price.
LG 27GL83A-B 27 Inch Ultragear Monitor
With a fast response rate, the LG 27GL83A-B 27-Inch Ultragear is an attractive monitor that's a pick for gaming. $250 is an all-time low price for this model and a 34% discount off its list price.
This massive curved gaming monitor is a bonafide steal. For just $155, this panel offers a high refresh rate and fast response time found in much more expensive models.
Best Cyber Monday PC gaming graphic card deals
Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Graphic Card
Enjoy intensive games backed by the power of Ampere โ NVIDIAโs 2nd generation RTX architecture. This 12GB model is available at a solid 21% discount.
ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Graphics Card
The GeForce RTX 3070 is the standard graphics card for most high-end gaming machines right now, and usually goes out of stock as soon as it appears. This ZOTAC-manufactured card is available on Amazon right now, so act fast if you need a good GPU.
Best Cyber Monday PC gaming SSD deals
WD BLACK SN850X 1TB Internal Gaming SSD
If you're in the market for an upgraded internal SSD, this already affordable and high-performing configuration is now available at an all-time low price of $100.
$134.99 $99.99 from Newegg
This external portable drive offers USB-C connectivity and speeds of up to 2000 MB/s. At a 35% discount, this model 500GB model is near its all-time low price of $121.
Best Cyber Monday PC gaming accessory deals
The Backbone One controller snaps on both sides of your iPhone and connects via the Lightning port, giving you an easy way to turn your phone into a dedicated mobile gaming device. Currently at its lowest price ever, itโs compatible with a wide range of Apple devices, including the latest iPhone 14 series.
Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Our pick of the best mechanical keyboards, the Corsair K70 also features Cherry MX switches, RGB lighting, and a durable design.
John Lynch is a senior editor at Insider Inc. directing the company's tech reference coverage. He was previously a media and entertainment reporter for Business Insider. For Insider's Business vertical, John has interviewed Morgan Freeman, Oliver Stone, Ken Burns, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Shaquille O'Neal, Scottie Pippen, Chris Webber, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Chris Paul, Paul George, Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, Quavo, Rosario Dawson, Mark Ronson, Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, Michel Gondry, Miguel, Lupe Fiasco, The-Dream, E-40, T-Pain, 2 Chainz, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti, Jim Jones, Van Jones, Michael Rubin, Eric Wareheim, Levar Burton, and others. Follow him on Twitter @johnperrylynch. | 2022-11-26T23:19:13Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Cyber Monday Gaming PC Deals: Monitors, Graphics Cards, and SSDs | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/pc-gaming-deals-cyber-monday-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/pc-gaming-deals-cyber-monday-2022-11 |
Cyber Monday sales: Helpful links
Best Cyber Monday home & kitchen deals
By Emily Hein and Rick Stella
Keep your eyes peeled for more updates as Cyber Monday deals roll in.
Cyber Monday might not be officially here yet, but we're already seeing some noteworthy discounts. If you missed out on Black Friday, Cyber Monday offers a great opportunity to save big.
We're keeping tabs on all the best Cyber Monday discounts, so if you want to get a jump on savings, check out the best deals worth shopping for below.
Amazon: Early Cyber Monday deals are live across electronics, games, books, fashion, and more โ including up to 65% off gifts for kids.
Best Buy: The best sales on TVs, laptops, smart home devices, and more electronics โ including up to $500 off OLED 4k TVs.
Home Depot: Top Cyber Monday deals include up to 30% off large appliances, up to 45% off tools, and up to 20% off artificial Christmas trees.
Target: Find a range of electronics, fashion, and home deals โ including 50% off on kitchen appliances and cookware.
Walmart: The retailer's Deal for Days sale event is underway, with up to 25% off headphones like the Apple AirPods and over 50% off vacs and floor cleaners from top brands like Shark and Bissell.
Though Apple doesn't typically discount products directly for Cyber Monday, there are many Apple Cyber Monday deals from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. You can save $120 on Apple Watch Series 7 and $500 on MacBook Pro.
Beats Fit Pro are among our top-rated wireless earbuds, thanks to Appleโs wireless technology, solid noise-canceling, and flexible wingtips that tuck into the ear for a secure fit. They are are excellent everyday buds, but even better for fitness activities. $160 is the lowest we've seen it all year.
The Apple Watch Series 8 features a temperature sensor, car crash detection, and low-power mode. If you're looking to upgrade from a previous model, the Series 8 offers a tremendous improvement in performance and use. It's on sale for $50 off ahead of Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday brings some of the best deals that you'll see all year on laptops, headphones, smart home devices, and more. You can score big savings on Sony headphones and the Kindle Paperwhite
GoPro's best camera yet, the Hero 11 Black shoots incredible videos with smooth stabilization better than ever. For Cyber Monday, you can save $100 (20%) off the regular price.
The Bose Soundlink II is a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker with an integrated microphone and up to eight hours of battery life. At $79, this is a great price for the speaker during Cyber Monday and matches an all-time low.
With a My Best Buy Student membership
It isn't the lowest price we've seen for Google's newest flagship smartphone, the Pixel 7 Pro, but it's still a good deal at $150 off. Launched only a month ago, the Pixels are desirable Android phones, thanks to their fast performance, great cameras, and stock Android. The Pixel 7 Pro has a 120Hz display that looks stunning, and has a more premium look and feel.
Tile Mate Bluetooth Tracker (2022)
The Tile Mate is designed to help you find easily misplaced items and attaches to keys, pet collars, and other important items. During Cyber Monday, it's at the lowest price we've seen this year.
There are also a ton of home and kitchen deals on Cyber Mondayโ including $180 off Breville smart ovens and $200 off Dyson vacuums. For more ways to save, check out our coverage of the best Cyber Monday kitchen deals.
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier
Coway makes some of the best air purifiers on the market. The AP-1512HH is a reliable compact unit that's equipped with a 4-stage filtration system that reduces up to 99.6% of air pollution particles. This Cyber Monday deal is the lowest price we've seen since early 2021.
T-Fal Simply Cook Prep and Cook Nonstick 17-Piece Set
We havenโt tested this cookware set from T-Fal, but we have tried the brandโs hard anodized pan and thought it was a decent budget pick. This 17-piece set is currently $60 off for Cyber Monday.
This sleek, matte pan is an incredible gift for minimalists: Itโs designed to replace eight pieces of cookware, functioning as everything from a pot to a frying pan. Normally $145, you can get it for $95 for Cyber Monday.
Casper Element Mattress (Queen)
The most affordable Casper mattress, the Element, is a good budget option for back and stomach sleepers because itโs quite firm. During the Cyber Monday sale, youโll save over $170 on the queen-size.
$695.00 from Casper
Brooklinen Linen Hardcore Sheet Bundle (Queen)
Linen is breathable and great for hot nights or warm sleepers, and Brooklinen's set doesn't disappoint. The hardcore bundle comes with a duvet cover and four pillowcases in addtion to flat and fitted sheets. You'll save 25% right now.
Cyber Monday is the best time of year to shop for a TV, with incredible savings on smart, 4k, and OLED models. You can save $500 on Sony and Samsung models.
Top mattress brands like Casper, Leesa, and Tempur-Pedic always have significant sales for Cyber Monday. You can save 30% on the Tempur-Cloud mattress, 25% on the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid mattress, and 40% on Leesa's Sapira Hybrid mattress.
The Big Fig Mattress is constructed for heavier individuals with firm support and a high weight capacity for both the bed and the foundation that comes with it. Save $400 on the Big Fig Mattress when you use the promo code FRIYAY at checkout.
Use the promo code FRIYAY at checkout
With medium-firm support and pressure point relief, the Midnight Mattress is best for side sleepers or sleepers who toss and turn. Right now, you can save $250 when you use code BFWKND250.
Use the promo code BFWKND250 at checkout
Gaming deals aren't hard to come by on Cyber Monday either, as you can find top sales on popular titles and equipment. You can save $40 on Madden 23 and $80 on a Sony wireless gaming headset.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers a Netflix-style subscription with hundreds of games for Xbox and PC, and the Xbox Live Gold service needed to play Xbox games online. If you sign up now, your first month only costs $1.
$1.00 from Xbox
SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC gaming headset
This is our favorite gaming headset because it outranks all competitors with its smart features, high-res audio, and comfortable design. Now on sale for $174.
Best Cyber Monday health, fitness, and outdoor gear deals
Cyber Monday is a great time to save up on outdoor gear and equipment. You can save 50% on Columbia winter jackets and 74% on Lifestraw's personal water filter.
LifeStraws are portable filters that can make even some of the murkiest standing water drinkable. For backpackers and hikers, a LifeStraw can be an invaluable tool in dire situations. Down to under $16, now is a great time to buy one.
Theragun's Elite massage gun delivers enough power for deep tissue massages yet still operates quieter than any prior-generation Theragun model before it. A companion app lets you dial in exactly the speed you want and multiple head attachments let you customize your massage.
$298.00 from Theragun
An elegant marriage of technology and design, the BioLite FirePit+ not only excels at grilling but comes equipped with an onboard battery, an airflow design that keeps smoke at a minimum, and foldable legs for easy portability. Itโs so good at keeping fumes at bay that we named it the best smokeless fire pit in our guide. Right now, you can save 30%, which is one of the best prices weโve seen for it.
$209.97 from BioLite
The Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 6500 Rechargeable Electric Power Toothbrush is designed to help whiten teeth and keep you from brushing too hard. It comes with a travel case, charging stand, and an extra replacement head. Right now, it's at an all-time low price.
Wahoo Elemnt Roam
The Wahoo Elemnt Roam offers turn-by-turn GPS directions, automatic route downloads, live position tracking, and a clear, easy-to-read color screen. It's on sale for $100 off its normal price ahead of Black Friday.
Is Cyber Monday too late to get a good deal?
In short, it's not too late. While some Black Friday sales will have ended by Cyber Monday, many retailers have the same โ if not even better โ deals than they did on Black Friday. In fact, Cyber Monday has surpassed Black Friday to become the biggest shopping event of the holiday season.
Generally speaking, Cyber Monday tends to have better deals on clothing, smaller giftable items, home goods, and older models of tech products, while Black Friday tends to be the best time to make larger purchases like appliances and pricier or newer tech products for your household.
"Black Friday equals big-ticket items," says Steve Koenig, the vice president of research at the Consumer Technology Association. "With big deals on TVs, laptops, game consoles, and more during Black Friday week, many [people's] purchases end up being for themselves or their own households."
However, the lines between these two deal days are starting to blur, with discounts often beginning days or weeks before Black Friday and running through or beyond Cyber Monday at the same rate. The difference in discounts is also becoming negligible. You may only be saving a few dollars by choosing one day over the other.
If you're curious to learn more, our former deals editor spoke with several experts to break down the difference between Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday. | 2022-11-27T00:54:36Z | www.businessinsider.com | Cyber Monday 2022: Shop 50+ Early Deals Now | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-deals | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-deals |
Treat yourself (or someone else) with the best deals on splurge-worthy products.
Black Friday is over, but that doesn't mean the discounts have stopped. Ahead of Cyber Monday, we've got a line of a few splurge-worthy products that are at its lowest prices ever. If you're wondering if there are still any good deals left for Cyber Monday, here are the best we're seeing right now.
$230 off Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender
The Vitamix Professional Series 750 offers everything you need in a blender, and its proven longevity is what makes it worth the splurge, especially when it's over $200 off.
$500 off 2021 Apple MacBook Pro
A powerful and premium laptop, Apple's 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro features the M1 Pro processor, 16 GB ram, and available in 512 GB or 1TB of storage. It's currently $500 off, which drops it down to lowest price we've seen.
$45 off Brooklinen Luxe Core Sheet Set (Queen)
A favorite set of sheets among the Insider Reviews team, the Luxe Core Sheet Set is noted for being durable and comfortable after many washes and nights of sleep. During Cyber Monday, you can buy these sheets for 25% off, which is the lowest price we've seen all year.
$52 off Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones
If you're looking for the latest and greatest in noise-cancelling technology, look no further than Sony's WH-1000XM5s. The XM5s are an excellent refresh over previous models in Sony's highly rated XM series with upgraded drivers as well as improved noise reduction during phone calls. Pick them up for $50 off.
$200 off KitchenAid 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer with Redesigned Premium Touchpoints
Similar in style to our favorite Pro-Line stand mixer from KitchenAid, this 7 quart mixer features a bowl-lift style, powerful motor, and large capacity. For Black Friday, it's $200 off the normal price, and although it's still pricey, the 30% discount could justify the cost.
$45 off Kindle Paperwhite
The Kindle Paperwhite is our favorite Kindle model so far for its big screen and adjustable warm light. At 32% off, you can snag it for under $100 to gift to the avid reader in your life. Plus, it's worth splurging on a more sustainable way to read.
$50 off Apple Watch Series 8
The Apple Watch Series 8 was only released in September, so a deal so close to release date is rare on an Apple device as popular as the Apple Watch. $50 off is a great deal for the Series 8, and worth the splurge for the most up-to-date features.
$200 off the iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO (3550) Robot Vacuum
The i3+ costs more than your average robot vacuum, but it does a lot more than the average robot vacuum. It develops personalized cleaning schedules and empties itself. For Cyber Monday, it's at the lowest price we've ever seen โ and a huge time saver.
$200 off De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine
De'Longhi is one of the best brands for home espresso makers. The Specialista Arte is one of our recommended mid-range makers and has the unique feature of a built-in tamper. This is the best price we've seen in six months on this machine โ and the cost is easily offset in comparison to a daily coffee run.
$1000 off Samsung French Door Refrigerator with FlexZone Drawer
The Samsung 28 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator with FlexZone Drawer has zoned cooling and features Wi-Fi connectivity for remote monitoring. Right now, you can save $1,000 off its regular price โ well worth it for the quality. | 2022-11-27T00:54:42Z | www.businessinsider.com | Early Cyber Monday Deals: 11 Splurge-Worthy Products at All-Time Lows | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/early-cyber-monday-deals-lowest-prices-ever-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/early-cyber-monday-deals-lowest-prices-ever-2022-11 |
Elon Musk on Saturday shared slides he said were from a Twitter company talk he delivered.
The slides included graphs that showed Twitter downloads and usage were at record highs.
They also noted features Musk plans to implement, including long-form tweets and encrypted DMs.
Elon Musk on Saturday said Twitter signups and active minutes are at an all-time high as he continues to roll out his 2.0 version of the platform.
Musk shared a series of slides he said were from a Twitter company talk he delivered. The slides included graphs as well as features he plans to include in Twitter 2.0, a term he's used to refer to his vision for the social media site.
Graphs shared by Musk showed signups reached a seven-day average of 2 million per day as of November 16, representing an increase of 66% from the same week a year prior. User active minutes reached a seven-day average of 8 billion per day, a 30% increase from the year prior.
Both figures were record highs, according to the slides, which cited internal company data.
Another graph shared by Musk showed hate speech impressions appeared to be slightly lower than a year prior, despite spiking around the time Musk took over the company. Reports previously said hate speech and the use of racial slurs skyrocketed immediately after the takeover.
The slides also listed features and goals Musk has for Twitter 2.0, including long-form tweets, encrypted DMs, and "advertising as entertainment."
One graph showed reported impersonations on Twitter dramatically spiked around the launch of Twitter Blue, or the $8 blue check mark, but then fell to a level closer to the same time last year. The slides noted plans to "relaunch Blue Verified," which was suspended after accounts with blue checks used their verified status to impersonate and troll famous people and brands.
Twitter is also recruiting, according to the slides, after mass layoffs and resignations transformed the company's workforce.
Musk and Twitter did not respond to requests for comment or additional details about the company talk he said the slides were used for.
The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire has dramatically shaken up the social media platform since taking over on October 27. He previously shared some details of his vision for Twitter 2.0, which he described as "extremely hardcore," Insider's Kali Hays reported. | 2022-11-27T06:16:38Z | www.businessinsider.com | Elon Musk Twitter 2.0 Slides: Signups, Active Minutes at Record Highs | https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-2-slides-signups-active-minutes-record-high-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-2-slides-signups-active-minutes-record-high-2022-11 |
Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company (left) / Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty Images (right)
Twitter owner Elon Musk has reinstated several controversial accounts, including Kanye West's.
But West called him out for not reinstating conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' account.
West argues that Musk is "picking and choosing who can be on the platform."
After billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated rap mogul Kanye West's account, Ye, who was banned after posting antisemitic remarks, decided to call him out.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, said he has an "issue" with Musk for not reinstating InfoWars host Alex Jones, according to a 30-second video clip with watermarks that read "@Ali" and "BANNED.VIDEO." The video was posted to Twitter on Saturday by Ron Filipkowski, a criminal defense attorney who tracks right-wing extremists.
West continued: "Alex Jones is a Christian. But you have a person who doesn't believe that Christ is Lord going to buy an American media outlet and picking and choosing who can be on the platform. Jesus is Lord."
"Right," one person said as West spoke. "Amen," another says in the background.
Musk considers himself a "free speech absolutist" and has reinstated quite a few controversial right-wing figures โ including Rep. Marjorie Talor Greene, former President Donald Trump, and "manosphere" influencer Andrew Tate. But Musk has not budged on reinstating right-wing conspiracy theorist and Sandy Hook denier Alex Jones, even quoting Matthew 19:14, a bible verse, in a tweet referencing him.
"My firstborn child died in my arms. I felt his last heartbeat," Musk said in a tweet. "I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame."
"Don't blame Musk at the end of the day because he didn't bring me back," Jones said on November 18. "I'm the most controversial figure in the world because I'm the most threatening to the new world order. So don't expect him to bring me back day one when he first has to get control of the platform before he can even think about that."
Insider was unable to obtain the remainder of the video or confirm its origin.
Kanye West Ye Elon Musk | 2022-11-27T06:16:44Z | www.businessinsider.com | Kanye West Calls Out Elon Musk for Not Reinstating Alex Jones to Twitter | https://www.businessinsider.com/ye-reinstated-twitter-musk-free-speech-absolutist-alex-jones-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ye-reinstated-twitter-musk-free-speech-absolutist-alex-jones-2022-11 |
Plants are listed for sale near me on Facebook Marketplace.
The logos of WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook.
Mark Zuckerberg as an avatar during Connect 2022.
Facebook Marketplace has all kinds of housewares listed for sale.
Facebook calls Marketplace "a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community."
A photo of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
A shortage of shipping containers contributed to supply chain hiccups in 2020 and 2021.
This chair retails for $550 on Crate & Barrel's website. I purchased it for $250 in perfect condition.
According to the EPA, furniture in landfills has grown 450% since 1960.
There bar stools were listed for only $20 on Marketplace.
I purchased this West Elm night table at a significant discount second-hand. The lamp was $25 on Marketplace, but it retails for $60.
I secured a Facebook Marketplace purchase in my backseat after pick up.
I usually pay sellers in person using cash, Venmo, or Zelle, so I can check the item's quality before paying. You don't use Facebook itself to exchange payment; Facebook acts more as a classified ads service in this case.
A Facebook Marketplace seller delivering dining chairs.
I purchased this sculpture through Facebook Marketplace for 50% less than its retail price.
The seller of this table had ordered two by accident, so it was still wrapped and in the box when I bought it. It was brand new, but I got it for $100 cheaper than if I had bought it on Amazon.
This second-hand coffee table was one of the heaviest purchases to transport.
Some of the desks for sale near me on Marketplace.
Features Facebook Facebook Marketplace | 2022-11-27T11:03:46Z | www.businessinsider.com | Facebook Marketplace Is Meta's Best Feature: I Used It to Furnish My New Apartment | https://www.businessinsider.com/i-furnished-my-apartment-with-facebook-marketplace-meta-best-feature-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/i-furnished-my-apartment-with-facebook-marketplace-meta-best-feature-2022-11 |
Vytautas Kielaitis/Shutterstock
Air India has implemented a new set of regulations regarding the appearance of its cabin crew.
One rule states that "crew with deep receding hairline must keep a clean shaved head/bald look."
The airline has also ordered body mass index and weight checks for staff, reports said.
The Indian conglomerate Tata Group took over Air India in January. The new owners are turning to the appearance of their cabin crew as part of a bid to improve the airline's service and reputation, per The Hindustan Times.
Female staff should avoid blonde hair, high top knots, and low buns, The Times also reports.
Male cabin crew members are allowed to wear wedding bands. Men can only wear bracelets can a symbol of the Sikh faith. The bracelets must have a maximum width of 0.5 cm and cannot boast any logos, stones, or designs. No other male jewelry is permitted, The Hindustan Times reported.
Aside from appearance, the new guidelines state that staff shouldn't post about any company issues, politics, or religion online, The Hindustan Times added.
An Air India employee told The Hindustan Times that some staff are finding the rules overly strict: "Some think it is required for building the image of the airline, but others see it to be a little too much."
UK Weekend News Airline Air India | 2022-11-27T12:17:43Z | www.businessinsider.com | Air India Has Ordered Cabin Crew to Dye Gray Hair, Report Says | https://www.businessinsider.com/air-india-cabin-crew-face-weight-checks-gray-hair-dyed-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/air-india-cabin-crew-face-weight-checks-gray-hair-dyed-2022-11 |
People protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) curbs, at the site of a candlelight vigil for victims of the Urumqi fire, in Shanghai, China, in this screengrab from a video realeased on November 27, 2022.
Shanghai is gripped by anti-COVID-19 protests, which are also happening in Xinjiang, Beijing, and Nanjing.
The protests follow the death of 10 in a fire that locals claim couldn't be extinguished due to virus control barriers.
Earlier this week, China reported a record number of COVID-19 cases.
Anti-government protests in China are spreading amid growing opposition to the state's strict zero-COVID policies.
On Saturday, Shanghai, China's most populous city and its financial hub, became the latest flashpoint for the anger of of Chinese people.
The protests follow 10 people dying in an apartment fire in Urumqi city, Xinjiang, which locals allege couldn't be extinguished as a result of virus control barriers. City officials deny this.
A quiet Shanghai vigil for the dead on Saturday night turned into an angry protest, the FT reports, with crowds chanting "we don't want PCR tests," and others shouting for President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist party to "step down."
The BBC reported that protesters in Shanghai were being bundled into police cars.
โๆ่ๅธไธๆฏไฝ ่ๅธ (@whyyoutouzhele) November 26, 2022
โian bremmer (@ianbremmer) November 26, 2022
Per the BBC, protests are also happening in Urumqi city, Beijing, and Nanjing, in eastern China, all cities with rising COVID-19 cases and increasing levels of restrictions.
In China's capital, hundreds of students from Beijing's Tsinghua University protested on the campus on Sunday. They chanted, "freedom will prevail," and called for an end to lockdowns, per al-Jazeera.
Earlier this week, China reported a record number of COVID-19 cases across the country, with 31,444 new COVID cases in the country on Thursday.
This surge in cases followed workers at the world's largest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou clashing with police over missing wages and COVID-related concerns about living conditions.
It is rare to see such protests in China, but after almost three years of tough COVID-19 restrictions, people are starting to grow weary.
Professor of Global History at Oxford, Peter Frankopan, said on Twitter that the COVID protests were the "most serious moment since Tiananmen in 89," when roughly one million protesters descended to Tiananmen Square in Beijing to protest government reform and corruption.
โPeter Frankopan (@peterfrankopan) November 26, 2022
Hundreds of protesters were killed in the 1989 movement โ which is sometimes referred to as the "'89 democracy movement" โ as a result of Chinese armed forces firing fired on the protesters. | 2022-11-27T12:17:55Z | www.businessinsider.com | China: Protests Spread to Shanghai, Beijing Over Zero-COVID Policy | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-protests-spread-to-shanghai-beijing-over-zero-covid-policy-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-protests-spread-to-shanghai-beijing-over-zero-covid-policy-2022-11 |
Gabrielle Reeder
Todd Anderson/Disney Parks via Getty Images
As the happiest place on Earth, Mickey Mouse's home delights guests, but the cost of vacationing at Disney parks these days can make happiness feel out of reach.
A one-day park pass for out-of-state residents to Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida will cost between $124 and $189 beginning Dec. 8, according to CNET. Tickets to EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios are between $114 and $179. Animal Kingdom prices will remain the same, ranging from $109 to $159.
"Vacation package(s) would include a discount overall for the room and the tickets being booked together. So, that would apply to people who don't live in Florida as well," Devine said, stressing flexibility when booking.
Average vacation package prices for a family of three to five people are around $3,500 for a one-room hotel for five nights during the holidays. For a shorter weekend trip, it's $1,200 to $1,300. During non-holiday seasons, longer trips at moderate resorts cost around $2,500 for a family of three to five.
A view of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort main entrance at Walt Disney World.
Alison Pringle, an independent agent with Academy, frequents Disney regularly. She said her family favors staying at a value resort for the days they visit the park and switching to a deluxe lodge for days they explore the hotel's amenities, especially since Disney offers a luggage transportation service.
"That way, you can see different resorts, but you can also save a couple hundred dollars on lodging a night," Pringle said.
Some amenities Pringle's family loves include picnics at the Grand Floridian, riding ponies at Fort Wilderness ($8), making bath salts, mosaics ($25) and shadowboxes, tie-dying Mickey shirts ($20), cane pole fishing ($8) and listening to jazz singers.
"It's not expensive to do those things, and they're actually some of our favorite memories."
Don't flounder on food
Disney's resort and budget lodges allow grocery deliveries from Amazon and Instacart. Since the hotels have refrigerators, you can store food and save extra money.
Additionally, Devine said sometimes it's better to splurge on a room with a kitchenette so you can cook more meals in the hotel and make sandwiches to take into the park.
Disney's park hopping option permits guests to travel between the four parks daily. But those who purchase park hopping passes can only switch parks after 2 p.m. until each park closes.
Devine proposes guests can save some money by avoiding the park hopper option. "Just plan to do one park each day to save a little bit of money," Devine said.
"If we see the ride times at Epcot are low, we can go there in the afternoon. I feel like a park hopper can help you manage your time better," Pringle said. "I know it's more expensive, but then we don't end up buying four to five-day tickets."
Devine says purchasing an autograph book before heading into the park saves cash. Amazon sells Disney-themed autograph books starting at $5.99 and Disney photo albums for under $20. On Disneyland's website, personalized photo albums run between $79 and $115.
Disney Tsum Tsums or smaller stuffed animals are at Walmart or Target for a fraction of Disney parks' costs. Plus, these smaller trinkets are more manageable rather than giant stuffed animals.
"I'll do Minnie ears that I'll find on sale at Shop Disney, and that way, we're not spending $40 (at the parks) on Minnie ears. We're spending maybe $19.99," Pringle said.
"If you know what your budget is outside of the hotel and park tickets, leading up to your trip, stock up on Disney gift cards, sometimes you can get a good deal at Target, and sometimes Costco also sells them in a bundle where you save a little bit of money," Devine said.
Retail Disney DIsney parks | 2022-11-27T12:18:49Z | www.businessinsider.com | Tips for Saving Money at Disney Parks During a Family Vacation | https://www.businessinsider.com/tips-saving-money-disney-parks-vacation-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/tips-saving-money-disney-parks-vacation-2022-11 |
Best Buy Cyber Monday sales: Helpful links
Best Buy tablet and laptop Cyber Monday deals
Best Buy Cyber Monday smart home deals
Best Buy headphones and audio Cyber Monday deals
Best Buy health and fitness Cyber Monday deals
Best Buy Cyber Monday 2022: What to expect
When is Best Buy Cyber Monday 2022?
Best Buy; Alyssa Powell/Insider
Cyber Monday is here, which means retailers big and small are offering excellent discounts. Among them is Best Buy: Its holiday sale began on October 24 and we expect even better deals to pop up today. Best Buy's sale is bringing competitive discounts on items like speakers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, TVs, smart home gear, and home accessories.
We've gathered the top deals from Best Buy's Cyber Monday sale below. The list includes products like the LG B2 OLED TV and Google Nest Mini speaker (2nd Generation), which are both down to all-time low prices.
See more of our Cyber Monday deals coverage, featuring the best discounts from small retailers and bigger brands like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Apple.
Apple: Get up to $200 off select MacBook models
Beauty: Get 20% off select haircare with a free-to-join My Best Buy membership
Gaming: Get 30% off select gaming accessories
Smart TVs: Get up to $900 off select big-screen TVs including Samsung, TCL, and more
Toys: Get 25% off select toys from Mattel
Sony 65-inch A80J OLED 4K TV
LG 3.1.3 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
If you're setting up a home theater, the one thing you need above all else is a good subwoofer. And this LG soundbar comes with a sturdy wireless subwoofer so you can feel every explosion and bass note. Best Buy is selling it for $400 off right now, which is a fantastic deal for this model.
$150 off the M2 MacBook Air is a nice deal for a popular Apple laptop that was only released this year and comes with a big design and screen refresh. The 2022 MacBook Air introduces Apple's M2 processor, which provides the laptop with improved performance over the M1 version.
With a fast processor, fantastic graphics card for the price, and sizable solid state drive, this HP Victus laptop is more than worth its normal $1100 price. But during Black Friday, you can pick it up for an even better $800.
The Ember Temperature Control Ceramic Mug 2 is a smart mug that keeps your drink at the optimal temperature. Right now, the 10-ounce size it's at the lowest price we've seen.
Nearly half of its original price, save 48% on the smart plug that pairs with your Alexa to control the lights, fans and appliances automatically at home or remotely when you forget to.
Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Autoreact (PH3A)
As the name suggests, the Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Autoreact purifies, humidifies, and cools your home with a powerful fan, all in one appliance. During Black Friday, you can save $200 off the regular price.
Description: Beats Fit Pro are among our top-rated running headphones, thanks to Appleโs wireless technology, solid noise-canceling, and their comfortable fit. They come in four colors, black, white, purple, and gray. You can currently score a sweet discount, though it's not the lowest price they've ever seen.
Soundcore from Anker makes high-quality noise-cancelling headphones that rival premium brands, minus the premium price. The Q45 support Hi-Res Audio and provide great sound quality. They're usually affordable, but they're down to the lowest price ever for Black Friday.
$149.99 $99.99 from Soundcore
The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells allow you to adjust the weight of each dumbbell anywhere from 5 to 52.5 pounds. They're on sale for $350 during Black Friday, which is one of the lowest prices we've ever seen them at, making them a great deal for anyone looking to add to their home gym.
Therabody's fourth generation of massage guns introduced the Theragun Mini, a portable device that packs a percussive punch in a much smaller package. On sale for $160 during Black Friday, this is around the lowest price we've ever seen.
The Hypervolt 2 Pro is Hyperice's best massage gun, offering five variable speeds, three hours of battery life, and a number of swappable head attachments. It's on sale for $100 off its normal price during Black Friday which is one of the best deals we've ever seen for it.
$399.00 $299.00 from Hyperice
Bowflex's VeloCore stationary bike is unique in that it lets users lean left and write during a workout to increase the intensity of the ride. During Black Friday, it's on sale for $300 off its normal price, dropping it under $1,500 which is an excellent price a premium stationary bike like this.
$1,799.00 $1,499.00 from Bowflex
The Body+ by Withings features full body composition measurements that include BMI, water percentage, muscle and bone mass, and even a pregnancy tracker. It's one of the best smart scales on the market and it's on sale for $30 off its normal price during Black Friday.
The Hydrow Connected Rower is the Peloton of at-home rowing machines, bringing interactive rowing workouts right to your living room. It's on sale for $500 off its normal price during Best Buy's Black Friday sale which is one of the lowest prices we've seen it at.
The Sense smartwatch has a ton of added features, focusing on heart health and stress management, giving you a more holistic look at your well-being. It's on sale for $130 during Black Friday which is an excellent deal considering how feature-rich this smartwatch is.
This isn't a huge deal for the Apple Watch Ultra, but a discount is a discount for such a popular and expensive smartwatch. This $60 deal only applies to the Apple Watch Ultra with the orange Alpine Loop, which is arguably the most iconic of the Ultra's bands.
Though Best Buy's holiday sale already kicked off a while ago, the best deals are cropping up today on Cyber Monday. There are a handful of product categories that will likely feature the best deals of the year, including the following:
Smart home gear: Cyber Monday is the best time of year to furnish your smart home setup, with brands like Amazon Echo and Google Nest down to excellent lows. They are often also featured in smart bundles with items like smart bulbs and smart plugs.
Laptops and accessories: In past years, we've seen laptops from Apple, HP, Lenovo, Razer, and more drop to excellent low prices. For this reason, Cyber Monday is a perfect time to shop for pricey items like gaming laptops and MacBooks.
Video games and consoles: Major gaming consoles are also available for rare low prices during Cyber Monday, often bundled with complimentary games or accessories. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch titles will be at their cheapest during the sale, too.
Small home appliances: Keep an eye out for Instant Pots, Dyson stick vacuums, Kitchenaid stand mixers, and other pricey small home appliances โ Best Buy will likely match other retailers' all-time low prices for these products.
Cyber Monday lands on November 28 this year. Best Buy has stated that its sale has already begun since October 24, but we expect the best deals to show up on Cyber Monday.
What time does Best Buy open on Cyber Monday?
Best Buy store hours differ by location, so you'll need to check your local store's Cyber Monday hours. Best Buy stores will all, however, be closed on Thanksgiving.
Purchases made from October 24, 2022, to December 31, 2022, have an extended return period through January 14, 2023. However, since purchases like cell phones, wearables, and holiday products are excluded, you should read the fine print. | 2022-11-27T15:50:57Z | www.businessinsider.com | 27 Best Buy Cyber Monday Deals 2022: TVs, Gaming, and More | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-buy-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-buy-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 |
Target Cyber Monday deals 2022: The best discounts on Apple AirPods, Roomba robot vacuums, and more
Target; Alyssa Powell/Insider
Cyber Monday is here, and we're tracking all of Target's best deals. The retailer is offering low prices on everything from headphones to kitchen appliances, with notable discounts on popular tech products like Apple's AirPod Pros and home essentials like Dyson vacuums.
You can stay on top of every new deal by checking this page regularly โ we'll be updating it throughout Target's Cyber sale. Most discounts will be live until Cyber Monday ends, but we're following up with stock issues, price changes, and additional deals. For more Cyber Monday deals, you can also check our live coverage of sales on everything from tech to clothing.
Here are some of the best deals you can get during Target's Cyber Monday event.
Headphones: Save up to $200 on Beats Sudio3 and more
Kitchenware: Deals up to 40% on kitchen products, plus an additional 15% off small appliances
Pets: BOGO 30% off treats, toys, and more
Samsung's QN55LS03B The Frame QLED has a matte display and thin build. It almost looks more like a piece of art than a TV. It's rare to see the price dip below $1,200, and itโs usually closer to $1,500. Now is a great time to buy if youโve been considering this model.
TCL 40-Inch Class 3-Series Full HD LED Roku TV (40S355)
While it lacks 4K resolution or other advanced features, the TCL 40S355 is one of the most affordable 40-inch Roku TVs you can buy. The price is typically between $220 and $260, so you can save a bit of cash during Cyber Monday.
Amazon's Fire TV Stick Lite features all of the standard streaming device's core functions, including 1080p resolution playback and HDR support. Amazon claims the Fire TV Stick Lite has the most processing power of any streaming media player at its price point. Right now, you can pick one up for $14.99.
The Apple Watch Series 7 is extremely similar to the new Series 8. It's only missing Crash Detection, body temperature sensing, and a new Low Power Mode that gives the Series 8 up to 36 hours of battery life. With that in mind, you can easily justify the $120 in savings with this deal on the Series 7.
JBL Go 3 Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
The JBL Go 3 Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker features a rechargeable batter with a long runtime, a dustproof and waterproof design, and is compact enough to fit in your pocket. During Cyber Monday, it's at an all-time low price.
The best Target home deals
The Roomba j7+ cleans thoroughly and never requires babysitting. If you've been let down by robot vacuums before, trust me; this one is a game-changer. What's more, the j7+ is currently $200 off.
Threshold designed with Studio McGee Textural Woven Holiday Stocking
Go classic Christmas with this woven stocking from Threshold designed with Studio McGee. With the 30% off during Target's Cyber Monday sale, everyone can get one.
Opalhouse Tachuri Geometric Accent Table
This accent table has geometric embellishments across the front to draw the eye to an otherwise simple design. It's down to $80 right now, a great discount for a piece that may be what your living room needs.
The best Target kitchen deals
Heavy doughs, creams, and more need a mixer, and a whisk won't cut it. If you don't want to splurge on a big stand mixer, this is a compact and affordable alternative to get most mixing jobs done. You'll save $15 at Target on Cyber Monday.
The accurate and easy-to-use Anova Precision Cooker Nano is one of the best and most affordable sous vide machines. This model rarely sells for a lower price, so it's a good time to buy.
Target Cyber Monday 2022: What to expect
During Cyber Monday, Target is offering deep discounts on toys, kitchen goods, vacuums, electronics, and gaming gear. Last year's sale saw deep discounts on Instant Pots, Nespresso coffee machines, and Apple Air Pod Pros.
When does Target's Cyber Monday sale start?
Target's official Cyber Monday 2022 sale starts on November 28, but the retailer started offering early discounts in late October. Check this page often as we'll be updating it as new deals go live throughout the deal season.
What time does Target open on Cyber Monday? | 2022-11-27T15:51:03Z | www.businessinsider.com | Target Cyber Monday Deals 2022: Best Discounts Live Now | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/target-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/target-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 |
The evening view on the Schlabach siblings' first shipping-container Airbnb, which rents for $250 a night.
Landon and Heather Schlabach run a short-term-rental management firm overseeing 75 properties.
Their younger brother, Reece, joined them to flip two shipping containers into secluded retreats.
Heather shared how they set up the homes, which together earned over $10,000 in revenue in October.
Three siblings who converted shipping containers into two Airbnbs have attracted visitors from California to Canada.
Landon, 31, Heather, 28, and Reece Schlabach, 27, hatched the idea on their parents' front porch in Columbus, North Carolina, a town 45 minutes south of Asheville that is known for hiking trails and wineries.
Landon and Heather run a short-term rental company they named BNB Breeze, which manages 75 properties including beach houses in Florida, cabins in Pennsylvania, and a refurbished barn in Tennessee. Reece invests and works on individual projects with his older siblings.
The siblings own eight of the 75 properties, including the two shipping-container getaways, which they've dubbed "The Green Creek Shipyard."
Landon used a Google search to find the bare steel boxes, which are now outfitted with modern interiors as well as rain showers and hot tubs. Their first container now rents out for $250 a night, while their second container, which just opened in October and has a 40-foot-long covered deck, goes for $315 a night.
It helps that Airbnb pivoted this year to spotlight out-of-the-box rentals. The company redesigned its website in May to highlight "unique" rentals on the front page and even gave away $10 million to people with plans to build "eccentric" homes.
For the Schlabachs, it's a family affair: Landon is the visionary, Heather is detail-oriented, and Reece provides the elbow grease for installations. Even Mom is involved โ she handles cleaning the two shipping containers between guests.
Heather breaks down how the containers went from idea to reality.
They found the containers on Google and got them up to code
A daytime view of the same property, which Heather says often is rented by couples.
It all started with a Google search. After their initial porch talk, Landon was able to track down a Spartanburg, South Carolina, company that sells shipping containers that come clean and painted with cutouts for windows.
They purchased their first shipping container in 2020 for $7,200. The second one, bought in 2021, was $10,000 because they requested more window cutouts.
The siblings then brought the containers up to code, adding egress windows, installing proper outlets, and building railings for lofted areas. They put them on property Reece already owned.
Each container is 8 feet by 40 feet, or about 320 square feet, and designed to feel like part of a secluded retreat. The first container has a hot tub and glass garage door for fluidity between the inside and outside. The recently opened second container has a small pond and waterfall feature under the home with a chair swing for relaxing evenings.
The second shipping-container project, which was funded by profits from the first.
In total, Heather says, the setup, which includes buying furniture and decor, cost $85,000 for the first container and $120,000 for the second, which has the massive covered deck.
Heather also cautions that financing can be difficult for nontraditional dwellings. Containers are not considered "loanable," she says.
"Unique stays are really tough, especially a container," she told Insider.
The siblings used their personal savings and revenue from the other short-term rentals they manage to finance the first container, and then revenue from the first container to fund the second.
Insider viewed the total nights booked and average daily rate for both units to work out revenue for October. The first container booked 27 nights at $265 a night, and the second booked 12 nights at $304 a night, estimating over $10,000 in revenue.
They leaned into the small space to make it feel intimate
Heather says they leaned into the cozy feeling of the tight quarters. The bed takes up nearly the entire room.
Instead of seeing the small space as a challenge, Schlabach says, they leaned into the tight parameters. In one container, a king-size bed that takes up almost the whole bedroom is meant to be cozy instead of claustrophobic.
"The entire bedroom is pretty much a bed, which would be pretty weird in a normal home," she told Insider.
Because they weren't outfitting an entire home, Heather also says they were able to choose top-of-the line finishes like a tabletop with a built-in charcuterie board or a Samsung Frame TV that hangs flat against the wall.
Each container sleeps four, but the usual occupancy is two, Schlabach says.
"A lot of couples show up โ usually it's some kind of a special trip and they want to get away," she said.
The two signs welcoming guests to the Green Creek Shipyard properties. Heather says more may be on the horizon.
There are no plans for a third container, though Schlabach says it's not out of the cards.
"I have no doubt we'll all three keep doing stuff together," she said.
Real Estate Short-Term Rental AirBnB | 2022-11-27T15:51:09Z | www.businessinsider.com | How 3 North Carolina Siblings Turned Shipping Containers Into Airbnbs | https://www.businessinsider.com/how-siblings-turned-shipping-containers-into-north-carolina-airbnbs-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/how-siblings-turned-shipping-containers-into-north-carolina-airbnbs-2022-11 |
TVs are dropping to low prices for Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday has arrived with tons of discounts across all product categories, including great deals on TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, Hisense, and more.
We're seeing big savings on displays from stores like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target, including sales on 4K OLED, QLED, and entry-level TVs. Whether you're looking for a massive home theater display or a compact set for a bedroom, now is the perfect time to get a new TV for a low price.
Below, we rounded up some of the best Cyber Monday TV deals available right now. And for even more Cyber Monday display deals, be sure to check out our frequently updated live blog.
Cyber Monday TV sales: Helpful links
Amazon: Save up to 40% on Samsung QLED TVs
Best Buy: Find smart TVs on sale for as low as $80
Walmart: Snag a 75-inch Hisense Roku TV for just $448
Insignia 24-inch HD Smart TV
Though we don't recommend TVs with HD resolution in larger sizes, this 24-inch Insignia 720p TV is a nice fit for buyers who want a tiny smart TV for casual viewing in a smaller space, like a kitchen countertop. It's often discounted throughout the year, but $80 is an all-time low for this budget model.
Insignia 32-inch Class F20 Series
Insignia 50-inch F30 4K Fire TV
This Insignia 4K display is a standard entry-level smart TV. It's no frills when it comes to picture quality, but it features the Fire TV OS built-in for easy access to popular streaming apps. This isn't a set you'll want to build a home theater around, but it gets the job done for casual viewing, especially in a bedroom. This $240 deal price is an all-time low.
Amazon 43-inch 4-Series 4K Fire TV
The Amazon Fire TV 4-series supports 4K UHD resolution and HDR10 plus its super budget-friendly. Now, even cheaper than before, you can get the smart TV for 43% off.
Amazon 55-inch 4-Series Fire TV
TCL 3-Series 32-inch Smart Android TV
Samsung 70-inch Class 7 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV
Though it's not a huge discount, this Samsung 70-inch TV is one of the best smart 4K options on the market, and the $82 savings are worth your time. With an incredibly sharp viewing experience and tons of streaming capabilty, any sale on this TV is a good deal.
LG NANO75 Series Smart TV
LG B2 65-inch OLED Smart TV
The Q90B is one of the best QLED 4K TVs you can buy right now. The high-end display offers excellent contrast and better viewing angles than most QLEDs. This $1,600 deal price is an all-time low for the 65-inch model.
Sony BRAVIA XR A80K OLED 65-inch
Cyber Monday 2022 TV Deals: What to expect
Cyber Monday typically carries over a lot of the great deals we see on Black Friday, which makes it one of the best times of year to save money on a new TV. The deal event is known for all-time low prices on TVs from all the major brands, with some sets marked down by more than $1,000.
We've been seeing deals across all sizes and performance ranges, from entry-level 32-inch TVs to high-end 85-inch models. Savings are available on HD, 4K, and even 8K displays. We're seeing especially good deals on flagship 4K OLED TVs from Sony and LG, QLED models from Samsung and Hisense, and budget-friendly sets from Toshiba, Insignia, and TCL.
Retailers are also known for offering budget TV models at exceptionally low prices during special Cyber Monday doorbuster and lightning deal promotions, and some smaller value-brand displays are already down to under $100.
Cyber Monday falls on November 28, which is the Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Though that's when the deals event officially begins, most stores started offering early discounts throughout the month of November, and some deals might extend into December.
Who has the best TV deals on Cyber Monday?
Many stores offer TV deals on Cyber Monday, but Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart tend to have the best sales. All three stores typically match each other's prices on big-ticket items, so you can usually find the same TV model for the same deal price at each retailer.
Should you wait until Cyber Monday for TV deals?
TVs go on sale several times throughout the year, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday are typically when we see the very best deals. If you're on the hunt for a new TV this holiday season, we recommend waiting until stores launch their Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions to snag one for the lowest price. | 2022-11-27T16:43:25Z | www.businessinsider.com | Cyber Monday TV Deals 2022: Best Sales on 4K OLED and QLED Models | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-tv-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-tv-deals-2022-11 |
Hisham Ibrahim/Getty Images
Miami club owners told the Financial Times business is slumping as the crypto industry takes a blow.
Crypto, tech, and hedge fund leaders came to the city en masse during the pandemic.
But in the wake of the FTX implosion, some of the city's top spenders have vanished.
Crypto leaders aren't the only ones feeling the blow of the cratering market and the downfall of FTX โ so too are the Miami club owners who profited from regularly hosting some of the industry's top spenders.
Miami became a hotbed for crypto enthusiasts, tech execs, and hedge fund managers early in the pandemic, prompting a mass exodus to the Florida city. Many said it had potential to rival Silicon Valley, but as the crypto industry takes a blow, the future of Miami as a major tech and finance hub remains uncertain.
Vimercati told the FT that until recently, many clubs had grown used to serving a new demographic of "95 percent men, youngโ... with a kind of nerdy style," in reference to the swelling crypto scene.
"Out of the blue, all these kids from crypto started coming down and spending a lot of money โ like, an insane amount of money," he said.
Now, with the downfall of companies like FTX, club owners and promoters aren't quite certain if big spenders will return, as the value of cryptocurrencies take a nosedive and major players like Sam Bankman-Fried hemorrhage vast amounts of their net worth.
Though FTX was based in the Bahamas โwhere Bankman-Fried and his close-knit group of friends, lovers, and business associates lived together โ the company also had a large presence in Miami. According to the FT, FTX paid $135 million to secure 19 years worth of naming rights to FTX Arena, home to the Miami Heat.
LoPinto told the outlet the club began accepting cryptocurrency in 2021, and once hosted an unnamed company that celebrated its sale at the venue with a 50 Cent performance and "bathtubs of champagne" to the tune of $1 million โ all paid in crypto.
"You wouldn't normally show your bank account, but people do show their crypto wallets," he said. "I've seen more crypto wallets in a year than I've seen bank accounts in a lifetime."
ftx FTX Coin cryptocurrency | 2022-11-27T16:43:37Z | www.businessinsider.com | Miami Club Owners Lose Top-Spenders After FTX, Crypto Downfall: Report | https://www.businessinsider.com/miami-club-owners-lose-top-spenders-ftx-crypto-downfall-report-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/miami-club-owners-lose-top-spenders-ftx-crypto-downfall-report-2022-11 |
Apple AirPods Cyber Monday deals: Shop discounts on AirPods 3, Air Pods Pro, and AirPods Max
During today's Cyber Monday event, you can shop deals on some of the world's most popular wireless earbuds: Apple's AirPods. So far, the best Black Friday AirPods deals are still active while Cyber Monday ramps up.
The original AirPods Pro released in 2019 can be found at Walmart for $160, which is the lowest price we've ever seen for this model. We recommend buying the originals if the newer 2nd-gen AirPods Pro are too expensive, even with their current $200 deal.
Here's a look at the best Cyber Monday deals on AirPods that are available right now. For more savings, check out all the best Cyber Monday deals here. You can follow our Cyber Monday liveblog for deal highlights throughout the day.
Cyber Monday falls on November 28, but many deals have been live since Black Friday. You should expect deals to start ending tonight, so don't wait any longer if you're interested in buying them for yourself or as a holiday gift.
Is Apple having a Cyber Monday Sale 2022?
Apple typically doesn't offer sales, but you'll find small, yet significant, discounts at select retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy.
IP Deals Deals Tech Deals | 2022-11-27T17:31:06Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Cyber Monday Apple AirPods Deals: AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/airpods-deals-cyber-monday-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/airpods-deals-cyber-monday-2022-11 |
Walmart Black Friday deals on health, beauty, and more
Through Cyber Monday, Walmart is continuing its "Deals for Days" promotion and offering great deals on tech, kitchenware, toys, and more.
Below, we're highlighting some of Walmart's best Cyber Monday deals, which rival those we saw on Black Friday. You can save on Apple Watches and AirPods, TVs, beauty and grooming products, and other great gifts for yourself or loved ones.
Other retailers like Target and Best Buy often match Walmart's prices, so we're tracking all the best discounts on our Cyber Monday liveblog.
Walmart Cyber Monday sales: Helpful links
Here are some of the best deals available during Walmart's Cyber Monday "Deals for Days" event.
Small appliances and cookware: Deals including over 50% off air fryers, pans, and more
Toys: Savings of up to 50% on dolls, Lego, games, and more
Pets: Treats, food, and toys are all on sale for up to 45% off
Beauty and grooming: Skincare, haircare, and more are all discounted up to 50%
The best Walmart Cyber Monday tech deals
When you need music for your gathering, the JBL Boombox 2 brings powerful sound and bass to keep the party going. It's one of the best Bluetooth speakers that you can get, and right now it's on sale with an excellent and rare $200 discount.
$499.95 $299.95 from JBL
The Apple Watch Series 8 was just released in September, so this is a rare deal on a new Apple device as popular as the Apple Watch. Right now, it's $50 for Cyber Monday at Walmart and other retailers.
The best Walmart Cyber Monday home deals
Shark Navigator Lift-Away XL Vacuum
We've tested several Shark vacuums, and the products live up to their reputation as effective and simple vacuums. This model is the best price we've seen, even lower than our best budget vacuum pick.
The Google Nest Mini is a compact and effective smart speaker that comes at an affordable price. Right now, it's one of the cheapest smart speakers available, not to mention among the most useful with Google Assistant. At $31 off, it's a great deal at Walmart.
Tramontina Primaware 18 Piece Non-stick Cookware Set
Whether you're replacing some old cookware or need to furnish your new kitchen, this 18-piece set has all of the essentials you need. It comes with three sauce pans, two saute pans, a griddle, a Dutch oven, a foldup steamer, three spoons, and two turners for only $40.
One of the few nugget ice makers on the market, the GE Profile does one task perfectly: making chewable nugget ice. It's a bulky and pricy appliance but is worth it if you're a nugget ice loyalist. During Cyber Monday, it's 21% off.
Typically priced at $280, this popular multicooker is discounted by nearly $170 for Cyber Monday. That's a stellar price on an all-in-one kitchen appliance that can air fry, pressure cook, slow cook, sear, sous vide, and more.
Walmart Cyber Monday deals on health, beauty, and more
Start and end every day with the Oral-B iO Series 6 Electric Toothbrush now 33% off for Cyber Monday. Complete with 5 Smart Modes and technology that stores your brushing patterns, this brush comes with one more plus a travel case.
The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells allow you to adjust the weight of each dumbbell anywhere from 5 to 52.5 pounds. They're on sale for $350 during Cyber Monday, which is one of the lowest prices we've ever seen them at, making them a great deal for anyone looking to add to their home gym.
Hasbro Connect 4 Game
The gameplay is simple in this classic strategy game: take turns dropping discs into the grid, and the first person to get four discs in a row wins. During Cyber Monday, it's at an all-time low price.
The Cricut Explore Air 2 is your personal DIY cutting machine. It flawlessly cuts designs on over 100 types of materials, including vinyl, cardstock, faux leather, adhesive foils, specialty paper, poster board and more. This isn't the lowest price we've seen, but the machine often sells for $250.
$249.99 $169.99 from Cricut
The Inspire 2 includes the standard features of a Fitbit in a slim, discreet design that's comfortable to wear. It's on sale for $49 during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Walmart offers curbside pickup for contact-free shopping. Place an order online, and select your pickup time slot. A Walmart team member will shop for you and load everything into your car from there. This year, Walmart is also offering curbside returns in some stores so you don't have to leave your vehicle.
Some items can even be ordered online and picked up the same day. Look for products marked "Free Pickup Today" when shopping. Same-day pickup items are made available within four hours of placing your order โ you'll get an email when they're ready.
Should I sign up for Walmart+?
Paid Walmart+ memberships include a few extra perks this holiday shopping season. Subscribers received access to each phase of Walmart's Deals for Days sale four hours earlier than other shoppers in the lead-up to Black Friday. In addition, Walmart+ also offers standard perks year-round, like free shipping, scan and go, and free grocery delivery.
The service costs $98 a year or $13 a month. Signing up for Walmart+ is a good idea if you're a frequent Walmart shopper, regardless of holiday sales.
If you're not interested in early access to deals, however, you will be better off signing up for a Walmart+ 15-day free trial during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. The free trial gets you free shipping without an order minimum, meaning you can make as many impulse buys as you'd like without worrying about shipping costs. On the downside, the free trial does not grant you early access to deals. | 2022-11-27T17:31:19Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Early Cyber Monday Walmart Deals 2022: TVs, Headphones, and More | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/walmart-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/walmart-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 |
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, left, and the townhouse purchased through his brother's nonprofit, right.
Miami Herald/Getty Images Bright MLS
Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit, Guarding Against Pandemics, purchased a Washington, DC townhouse listed for over $3 million in April.
The home was used for cocktail parties hosted by the nonprofit, according to reports.
The four-story home boasts 3,762 square feet and includes multiple private outdoor spaces.
Gabe Bankman-Fried โ younger brother of the disgraced FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried โ purchased a $3.289 million Capitol Hill townhouse in April. The deal was made through Gabe's nonprofit, Guarding Against Pandemics.
Exterior of the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
Source: Puck
The organization, aimed at preventing another pandemic, was partly funded by SBF. The move to the US capital was meant to send the message that the FTX founder "and his network were in DC to stay," according to a report from Puck.
Living room in the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
Just one week before FTX's collapse, Guarding Against Pandemics hosted back-to-back cocktail parties for high-ranking Democrats and Republicans, the New York Post reported.
Outdoor space of the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
The four-story townhouse comes with four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, two private terraces, and an elevator, according to a listing for the property from real estate company Bright MLS.
A bedroom inside the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
Source: Bright MLS
According to OpenSecrets data, SBF was the second-largest Democratic donor of the 2022 midterm elections, which took place shortly before he lost his company and fortune after the implosion of FTX.
Dining room inside the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
Source: OpenSecrets, Insider
Gabe reportedly stepped down from his position as head of Guarding Against Pandemics in mid-November, though his LinkedIn profile still lists him as the director of the organization.
A wine cellar in the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
The brothers have spent an estimated $70 million since October 2021 on research projects, campaign donations, and other initiatives, according to The Washington Post.
"A lot of people in DC thought this was the next big thing," an unnamed source told NBC News. "Everybody was trying to get in. This went from the hottest thing to the most toxic thing. But that's how DC works."
Kitchen in the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
SBF's FTX spent a reported $300 million on properties in the Bahamas for senior staff.
Bedroom in the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit.
Sam Bankman-Fried FTX Sam Bankman-Fried FTX Exchange | 2022-11-27T18:27:52Z | www.businessinsider.com | Photos: Inside DC Townhouse Owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's Nonprofit | https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-multimillion-dollar-dc-townhouse-gabe-bankman-fried-nonprofit-photos-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-multimillion-dollar-dc-townhouse-gabe-bankman-fried-nonprofit-photos-2022-11 |
The best early Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals: Save up to $1,000 on top brands like ASUS, Razer, and Acer
Several popular gaming laptops are on sale for Cyber Monday.
Tons of laptop retailers โ including Amazon, Best Buy, NewEgg, and more โ are offering top-tier gaming laptops for hundreds of dollars off their normal prices for Cyber Monday.
Here are the best early Cyber Monday deals on gaming laptops we've found so far.
Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals: Top discounts
Designed for gamers, the G15 has a large 15.6-inch screen for a more immersive on-the-go experience, and it's almost $250 off. A larger-size keyboard makes it more comfortable to use, while a built-in heat-management system ensures it stays cool during intense gaming sessions.
Cyber Monday 2022 is November 28, the Monday after Thanksgiving. Though the best deals are expected to end once Cyber Monday comes to a close, it's possible that some discounts will extend throughout the week.
Is Cyber Monday a good time to buy a gaming laptop?
Cyber Monday is a great time to purchase a new gaming laptop. Stores are marking down their best models by hundreds of dollars, and even including extras like free subscriptions to Xbox Game Pass.
But be aware that when it comes to laptops, "more expensive" doesn't always mean "better." Once you pass about the $1,200 threshold, you'll start seeing diminishing returns on performance and specs. This is especially true for historically overpriced brands like Alienware.
Where can you find the best Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals?
To find a good Cyber Monday price on a gaming PC, stick to stores and websites that specialize in tech products. This includes Best Buy and NewEgg. You might also have luck with more generic stores like Target or Amazon, but it can be harder to find the best deals.
The best way to shop for a gaming laptop on Cyber Monday is to pick the model you want, then check its price on multiple sites to make sure you're getting the best deal. | 2022-11-27T19:11:11Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Early Cyber Monday Gaming Laptop Deals: up to $1,000 Off | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-gaming-laptop-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-gaming-laptop-deals-2022-11 |
I help small businesses solve their cashflow issues quickly. Here are 3 things I'd warn anyone to do during a recession to save as much money as possible.
Lara Hodgson
Lara Hodgson founded her own business during a recession.
Lara Hodgson is the CEO of Now and works with thousands of small businesses in different sectors.
She says small businesses should think through scenarios like what to do if items doubled in cost.
Hodgson also says business owners should collect money on their timeline to prepare for a recession.
Recessions are a stressful and uncertain time for anyone. But for small businesses, it's an order of magnitude more challenging.
While inflation causes the cost of everything from raw materials to labor to increase, small business owners must compete even more for business, as inflation brings down customer demand. Large companies have the resources, economies of scale, and wider margins to lower prices and win deals, while small companies get squeezed from both sides.
No economist can tell you exactly what to expect in the coming weeks, months, and years, but I know that, regardless of what's ahead, small businesses must prepare now. With strategic preparation and the right tools, small business owners can weather the storm and even proactively get ahead when opportunities present themselves.
As the CEO of Nowยฎ, a B2B payment acceleration and cashflow solution for small businesses, I work with thousands of small businesses in every industry and sector and sit at the point of commerce. I see leading economic indicators โ like the number of days it takes for invoices to be paid or disputes when a good or service is not fully delivered โ before the rest of the world. And most importantly, I see the difference it makes for a business to prepare.
Personally, I've not only survived recessions, but I've started multiple businesses during a recession. That experience has served me well and led me to become an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School, a guest speaker at many universities and conferences, and an internationally recognized speaker, leading seminars on innovation and access to capital, all to help small businesses.
As far as mistakes, I've made them all. Here's what I've learned about how to prepare for a recession.
1. Create a scenario-plan
Take each of your business costs โ raw materials, services, employeesโand write them down. Take each one separately and ask:
What would I do if this item doubled in cost?
How would that impact my ability to deliver for my customers?
Or take care of my employees?
And how would I counter the effects?
Would it change my customers?
On the flip side, what would happen if demand was cut in half or my largest client left?
How could I use this one item to respond?
Do this exercise for each element of your business. You'll end up with several different scenarios to work through โ that's good.
The only thing small business owners lack more than capital is time. So, when do you find the time to do this exercise? Set aside a half hour per day (block off your calendar with a fake meeting if you have to), sit down somewhere quiet, and think through each one.
Soon enough, you'll have a thorough plan for pivoting when things change. Remember that pivoting is not about changing direction. It is about turning around a fixed point or fulcrum. The fixed point is your true north and cannot move; if it does, you risk going from pivoting to wandering. Spend time defining your pivot foot, and you will have something to lean on if and when the storm approaches.
2. Collect as much cash from as many sources as possible
Right now, the most important thing a small business can do is ensure their cash actually flows to ensure flexibility during a potential recession.
Just as there are storm preppers, be a cash prepper. This doesn't mean going to the bank or selling equity. Every person or entity in your ecosystem can be a source of capital; map out every entity you interact with and get creative.
For example, could any of your customers pay an upfront deposit if needed? Or will a vendor agree to let you pay over time? These conversations help your business, customers, and suppliers prepare better for what's to come.
I've done this many times, and often, vendors express gratitude for my raising issues before they arise. Have these conversations now, not in the midst of the storm when everyone is panicking and not thinking rationally.
3. Find ways to accelerate the receipt of your actual revenue
Invoice payment acceleration may not be the most glamorous part of owning a business, but understanding what it is and how to take advantage of it can be a matter of life or death for your business. Getting your money on your timeline โ not your customers'โ opens the door to scaling your business, paying your vendors, and meeting payroll.
Right now, small businesses need to build up a diverse toolkit of resources, as no one tool solves all your needs.
There are still pandemic-related government programs with cash up for grabs. For example, the Employee Retention Tax Credit is available until 2024, and through this, you can retroactively claim credits in the form of cash for retaining employees during the pandemic.
Coming out of the pandemic, we've seen the formation of more small businesses than ever before in history. This has been a boon for entrepreneursโespecially women and minority-led businesses. But without preparation now, there is the risk these businesses won't last during an economic downturn.
Recessions are an opportunity
The time to have these conversations is now, not when you're panicking and struggling to stay afloat. Preparing for the economic challenges ahead will make us smarter, stronger, and nimbler.
Don't forget recessions can be an opportunity. Many cut back, hunker down, and wait out the storm, so fewer voices are out there marketing their businesses. Disruptors and innovators can more easily grab market share, establish a new brand, or make a press splash, but only if they are prepared.
Make the tough decision; take that leap. Don't let a good crisis go to waste.
Lara Hodgson is the CEO of Nowยฎ, a B2B payment acceleration and cashflow solution for small businesses and an entrepreneur in residence at Harvard Business School.
original contributor Contributors 2022 Thought Leadership | 2022-11-27T19:11:23Z | www.businessinsider.com | How Small Businesses Can Survive a Recession by Acting Now From CEO Lara Hodgson | https://www.businessinsider.com/small-businesses-can-survive-recession-act-now-ceo-lara-hodgson-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/small-businesses-can-survive-recession-act-now-ceo-lara-hodgson-2022-11 |
Top picks for Cyber Monday laptop sales
Best Cyber Monday gaming laptops
Cyber Monday 2022 laptop deals: What to expect
Who has the best laptop deals on Cyber Monday?
The best Cyber Monday 2022 laptop deals: Save up to $800 on MacBooks, Asus, Lenovo, and more
By Sarah Saril and William Antonelli
Laptops are one of the big-ticket items that shoppers should keep an eye out for among the best deals this Cyber Monday. During the shopping holiday you can find all-time low prices for capable Windows gaming laptops, sleek MacBooks, and minimalistic Chromebooks.
Brands like Apple, Lenovo, Asus, HP, and Dell will be offering a variety of laptops on sale, and we're keeping tabs on all of the best deals. Below, we've surfaced some of the best laptop sales going on now, and answer your questions on what to expect this Cyber Monday.
This large, powerful, premium Apple MacBook Pro is $500 off, which is a huge deal. Newer models may be coming soon, but it's hard to beat this deal.
The Asus C203XA is designed with military-grade durability, a spill-resistant keyboard, and an anti-scratch finish, making it the perfect choice for students and classrooms. Down to only $145, this is an incredible price for a capable device that gives you basic access to the internet.
Omen by HP Laptop 16t-b100
HP's OMEN laptops are high-performance computers that are great for creative tasks and gaming. This one is loaded with an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics. Add in 16GB of memory and a 1TB hard drive, the $1,300 sale price makes it a terrific buy for a high-end machine.
$1,299.99 from HP
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (14' Intel) Laptop
The ThinkPad X1 is a popular thin-and-light laptop amongst productivity users. You can get the 14-inch model with an Intel Core i5 processor for over 55% off its regular price.
$1,069.01 from Lenovo
HP 15.6" Laptop PC
Laptops at this deal price usually are a bit weak but the Ryzen processor and AMD Radeon graphics card puts a bit of ooomph to a typical base computer. The 15-inch display is also a great size for a laptop.
$379.99 from HP
Cyber Monday is the best time of year to shop for a laptop, even compared to Black Friday. Year after year, we see devices from major brands drop to all-time low prices. Whether you're in need of a simple Chromebook or need a powerful, full-featured gaming laptop, you'll be rewarded with excellent discounts by shopping during this event.
Apple's iconic MacBooks will likely drop to their lowest prices of the year this Cyber Monday, and we're already seeing discounts on the 16-inch Macbook Pro and the new Macbook Air. Normally we see sales on previous-generation MacBooks, but there are also deals on newer machines, like the MacBook Air M2. It's somewhat uncommon to find a MacBook discounted any other time of the year, so it's worth catching these sales if you see the right one for you.
Chromebooks are some of the most affordable and compact laptops on the market, great for younger students. Expect to see major, limited-time discounts dropping some devices down by over $100 from brands like Asus, Lenovo, HP, and more.
Windows PC laptops run the gamut in terms of specs and price, which means it's not hard to find the perfect laptop for your needs. During Black Friday, we expect to see major price drops from high-end brands like Razer and MSI, but also from more generalized brands like HP, ASUS, and Lenovo.
Any major retailer that carries laptops will offer laptop deals, including Amazon, Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, Target, and Walmart. You can also find Cyber Monday deals directly from laptop makers such as Dell.
The exception is Apple, which tends to avoid discounting its own products during Cyber Monday. If you want to find Apple sales, check out third-party retailers like Best Buy or Amazon.
IP Deals Cyber Monday Tech Deals | 2022-11-27T20:07:45Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Cyber Monday 2022 Laptop Deals: Asus, Lenovo, MacBooks, and More | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-laptop-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-laptop-deals-2022-11 |
An ex-Obama aide said Trump denying knowing Nick Fuentes is his "M.O."
"He always tries to claim he does not associate with white nationalists," Alaina Beverly told MSNBC.
Her comments come after Trump's meetup with Fuentes and Ye in Florida last week.
A former White House aide to President Obama said President Trump denying that he knows Nick Fuentes after their recent meet-up in Florida is his usual style.
"He always tries to claim he does not associate with white nationalists, that he does not know them. But he'll wink & nod in the same breath & say 'Proud boys, stand back & stand by," Alaina Beverly said during an appearance on MSNBC's "The Katie Phang Show," referring to when Trump name-dropped the far-right group during a presidential debate in 2020.
Beverly's comments come after Trump hosted fallen rap mogul Kanye "Ye" West, who asked the former president to be his running mate in 2024, and Fuentes, a Holocaust denier, at his Mar-a-Lago resort last week. Fuentes is notoriously known for participating in the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally ad and has been labeled a "white supremacist" by authorities and by the Anti-Defamation League, Insider reported.
In a statement to Axios, Trump said that Ye "arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about," although the outlet noted that a source said he took a liking to Fuentes. The visit left Trump's advisers to scramble and try to get ahead of the fallout, calling it "a fucking nightmare."
"This is a man who uses the defense of ignorance all the time but continues to further the types of violence, the types of hate crimes, the types of white supremacy that helped keep him in the public eye and help to secure him in office," Beverly told MSNBC.
Trump Nick Fuentes mar-a-lago | 2022-11-27T20:51:27Z | www.businessinsider.com | Trump Likes to 'Wink and Nod' at White Supremacists: Ex-Obama Aide | https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-denies-fuenteswill-wink-and-nod-at-proud-boys-aide-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-denies-fuenteswill-wink-and-nod-at-proud-boys-aide-2022-11 |
The Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta, Ga., is seen behind a "Vote" sign on November 9, 2022, a day after the midterm elections.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders represent one of the fastest-growing voting blocs in Georgia.
Both the Warnock and Walker campaigns have courted this crucial bloc ahead of the Senate runoff.
Democratic and GOP groups in recent years have stepped up their engagement efforts with AAPI voters.
In pivotal Georgia, where competitive statewide elections have become the norm in recent years, every vote matters.
For Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, whose political influence in Georgia has grown exponentially over the last decade, the December 6 Senate runoff between incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker is one more step in their community's transformation into a major electoral force in the Southern swing state.
In a Politico report detailing how Asian Americans are being courted intently by both the Warnock and Walker campaigns in advance of the runoff, AAPI Victory Fund founder and chairman Shekar Narasimhan emphasized that the community needed to hear appeals directly from the candidates, pointing to the need for strong voter engagement efforts.
"Our community needs to hear directly from leaders and from the candidate saying, 'We have a real message of change that's positive,'" Narasimhan told Politico. "And we think by doing what we're doing and continuously doing it, we're giving that message to them."
Ballots cast by Asian American voters rose dramatically from 2016 to 2020, from 73,000 votes to 134,000 votes, respectively, according to the Democratic polling data firm TargetSmart.
The 61,000-vote increase is greater than the roughly 12,000-vote margin that allowed now-President Joe Biden to carry Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, which made him the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the state since 1992.
It is also greater than the roughly 37,000-vote lead that Warnock held over Walker in the November general election. (The Senate race is headed to a runoff as no candidate hit at least 50% of the vote as mandated by state law.)
Per CNN exit polling from the November general election, Warnock won Asian American voters by 20 points over Walker (59%-39%).
However, Republicans are not ceding any ground in their efforts to appeal to the fast-growing voting bloc.
The Republican National Committee last year opened an Asian Pacific American community center in Gwinnett County, a suburban Atlanta locality that boasts a large Asian community.
And newly-reelected Gov. Brian Kemp cultivated relationships with Asian American voters during his successful campaign. While Democrat Stacey Abrams won the group's vote, per CNN exit polling, she only outran Kemp by 8 points (54%-46%), posting a stronger showing than Walker in the general election contest.
"We're the only demographic group that keeps going up," Georgia state Sen.-elect Nabilah Islam told Politico. "So I'm confident that we're going to be a huge voting bloc that will help deliver a win for Sen. Raphael Warnock."
Asian Americans Georgia Georgia runoff election | 2022-11-27T21:47:49Z | www.businessinsider.com | Asian American Voters Flex Political Muscle in Georgia Senate Runoff | https://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-senate-runoff-asian-american-voters-flex-muscle-warnock-walker-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-senate-runoff-asian-american-voters-flex-muscle-warnock-walker-2022-11 |
Kyiv mayor calls out 'political dances' as Zelenskyy criticizes his efforts to help Ukrainians after Russian attacks threaten power and heat
Vitalii Klychko, the mayor of Kyiv, attends a plenary session of the KMDA (Kyiv City Council) on November 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called out the mayor of Kyiv for not doing enough during the war.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko defended his efforts publicly in a response on Telegram.
Ukrainians are bracing for a deadly winter after Russia's bombardment damaged their power grid.
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the mayor of Kyiv of not being "serious" in responding to the aftermath of Russia's recent wartime attacks, Mayor Vitali Klitschko clapped back on Telegram.
"Today, when everyone must work together, some political dances begin," Klitschko, a Hall of Fame boxer, wrote, according to Al Jazeera. "In Kyiv, we are doing everything we can for the life support of the capital, for the comfort of its residents. In difficult conditions."
Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine has persisted since February. Russia has suffered several losses, controlling just 17% of Ukraine, the smallest percentage it has held since April, according to The Washington Post.
As heavy Russian bombardment has overwhelmed the country's power grid, Ukrainians are bracing for a harsh and deadly winter, NBC News reported.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Friday address that Klitschko was not meeting the needs of the people in Kyiv.
"Unfortunately, local authorities have not performed well in all cities. In particular, there are a lot of complaints in Kyiv โฆ To put it mildly, more work is needed," Zelenskyy said.
"Please pay attention. Kyiv residents need more protection," he added. " I expect quality work from the mayor's office."
Klitschko's rebuttal on Sunday continues: "I do not want, especially in the current situation, to enter into political battles. It's ridiculous."
"To put it mildly, this is not nice. Not for Ukrainians or for our foreign partners," Klitschko said, drawing a parallel to Zelenskyy's earlier remarks.
Tensions between the two are nothing new. Klitschko didn't support Zelenskyy before his election in 2019, according to NPR. That same year, Zelenskyy tried to remove Klitschko from his role as mayor, according to The Ukrainian Weekly.
Europe Russia Ukraine | 2022-11-28T04:10:42Z | www.businessinsider.com | Kyiv Mayor Calls Out 'Political Dances' After Zelenskyy Criticism | https://www.businessinsider.com/kyiv-mayor-political-dances-zelenskyy-criticizes-ukrainians-russia-war-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/kyiv-mayor-political-dances-zelenskyy-criticizes-ukrainians-russia-war-2022-11 |
Live: 50 best Cyber Monday TV deals to shop right now
Stay tuned for the latest Cyber Monday TV deals.
Cyber Monday is here to close out the holiday shopping weekend, and there are still tons of excellent TV deals available.
If you're on the hunt for a new TV, you've come to the right place. We're keeping track of all the best Cyber Monday TV deals right here throughout the event, along with discounts on streaming devices and services.
If you're looking for the best deals, be sure to check out our Cyber Monday liveblog, where we'll be keeping track of the best ways to save.
Top Cyber Monday TV deals right now
Insignia 32-inch F20 Series: $100 ($80 off)
Roku Streambar: $80 ($50 off)
The Chromecast is Google's home streaming solution, adding Android TV apps and the ability cast your phone to any TV or display with an HDMI port. The included remote supports voice-controlled search with Google Assistant. The 20% Cyber Monday discount matches deals we've seen in the past.
Save $200 on Sony HT-A3000 sound bar
Sony has discounted this 3.1 channel soundbar with built-in subwoofers and 360 spatial surround sound for Cyber Monday. It comes with a four month trial for Amazon Music, and it's also on sale in bundles with two of Sony's 4K TVs: the 65-inch Bravia OLED, and the 75-inch Bravia LED.
55% off Hulu x Disney+ Monthly Subscription
Save $230 on Hisense 50-inch U6 QLED 4K Fire TV
Save $730 on LG 48-inch Class A2 Series 4K OLED Smart TV
Save $82 on Samsung 70-inch Class 7 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV
Though it's not a huge discount, this Samsung 70-inch TV is one of the best smart 4K options on the market, and the $82 savings are worthwhile. With an incredibly sharp viewing experience and tons of streaming capability, any sale on this TV is a good deal.
The second-generation Apple TV 4K is $75 off at Best Buy, a great deal, even if not quite as strong as previous sales from Target and Amazon. While it's missing HDR10+ support, it's still one of the best media streamers you can buy, thanks to support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and HDR10, as well as an ecosystem of apps.
With $230 off, this is a fantastic deal for such a large TV. This LG 75-inch comes with everything you need โ 4K, ultra high-definition, access to 300+ free LG channels, as well as WebOS compatibility with all the top streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, and more.
Save $198 on LG NANO75 Series Smart TV
Save $200 on LG B2 65-inch OLED Smart TV
Walmart is offering an exclusive deal on the Roku Premiere streaming player, offering 50% off the usual price. While we generally prefer the Roku 4K Streaming Stick thanks to its portability and small form factor, the Roku Premiere is good for people who prefer a traditional set-top box near their TV, and it's cheaper during Cyber Monday.
Save 39% on TCL 3-Series 32-inch Smart Android TV
Save 40% on TCL 65-inch 6-Series Smart Google TV
Save $1500 on LG C1 OLED 83-inch TV
LG's C1 is one of the best 4K TVs you can buy. The OLED panel delivers incredible image quality with an infinite contrast ratio. If you're shopping for a huge TV to fill out your entertainment system, you can now get the largest available size for an excellent all-time low of $3,000.
Save 44% on Insignia 32-inch Class F20 Series
$100 off Vizio 70-inch MQ6 QLED 4K TV | 2022-11-28T10:16:13Z | www.businessinsider.com | 50+ Best Cyber Monday TV Deals to Shop Right Now | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/live-best-cyber-monday-tv-deals-updates-latest-sales-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/live-best-cyber-monday-tv-deals-updates-latest-sales-2022-11 |
Money managers say these 10 stocks are screaming buys despite rampant inflation and lingering recession fears, according to Morningstar
From the Fed's aggressive rate hikes to Russia's war in Ukraine, investors have reasons to worry.
Analysts recommend investing in companies that have grabbed significant market share like Alphabet.
These 10 stocks are a screaming buy during volatile periods, according to Morningstar.
After months of aggressive rate hikes to combat near 40-year high inflation, the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening could soon slow down. Markets expect the central bank to step down to a 0.5 percentage-point increase in December after four consecutive 0.75 percentage-point hikes, according to minutes from the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee meeting.
Slowing rate increases could "soon be appropriate," the minutes, which were released on Wednesday, said. "The uncertain lags and magnitudes associated with the effects of monetary policy actions on economic activity and inflation were among the reasons cited regarding why such an assessment was important."
"Since 2020, headwinds created by the pandemic hampered the markets and sidelined a multitude of industries as governments across the globe instituted lockdowns and imposed restrictions," Morningstar analysts Ari Felhandler, Verushka Shetty, and Eric Compton, wrote in a recent report.
Investors are still navigating murky macro waters outside of rampant inflation, trying to find a safe haven from a looming global recession and geopolitical uncertainty that's wreaked havoc on the markets.
"And just as the market was looking to slowly recover as pandemic restrictions were lifted, the Russian invasion of Ukraine threw another wrench into the global economy, elevating energy prices and creating inflationary pressures that have impacted food and energy markets," according to the Nov. 22 note. "The third quarter of 2022 has been defined by a tumultuous market, including continued selloffs in tech, inflationary pressure, and lingering fears of a potential recession."
Morningstar analysts say invest in companies that have grabbed significant market share like Alphabet (GOOGL) or Wells Fargo (WFG). These companies are trading at major discounts to analysts estimates, which "indicates that money managers place an emphasis toward blue-chip stocks such as these in a period of uncertainty." GOOGL is trading at around $97, for example, but Morningstar analyst Ali Mogharabi says it's valued closer to $160 per share.
Despite market headwinds and volatility, Morningstar lists "high-conviction" purchases for companies that money managers "have made meaningful additions to their portfolios." These 10 large-cap stocks span across sectors including energy, financial services, technology, and industrials.
Ticker: GOOG
Market Cap: $1.23 trillion
2. Wells Fargo
Sector: Financial Services
Ticker: ORCL
Ticker: TI
Sector: Technology
Ticker: EFX
Ticker: NKE
Ticker: LLY
Ticker: TSLA | 2022-11-28T10:16:14Z | www.businessinsider.com | Stock Picks Rated Buy Despite Inflation, Recession Fears: Morningstar | https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-buy-rated-inflation-recession-fears-morningstar-money-managers-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-buy-rated-inflation-recession-fears-morningstar-money-managers-2022-11 |
Riots on the streets of Brussels.
Videos show riots erupted in Brussels on Sunday after Belgium defeated Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup.
Riot police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
Violence also sparked off in neighbouring Netherlands.
Dozens of soccer fans took to the streets of Brussels and Rotterdam on Sunday following Belgium's shocking 2-0 World Cup defeat to Morocco.
Footage circulating on social media depicted streets engulfed in tear gas and vehicles set ablaze, as throngs of people clashed with riot police.
The videos showed rioters, some draped in Moroccan flags, battering overturned cars, and smashing property with bricks.
One person climbed atop the ledge of a building to get to a Belgium flag, and ripped it away as scores of supporters cheered beneath him.
โFdesouche.com est une revue de presse (@F_Desouche) November 27, 2022
Brussels police officers appeared to be pelting rioters with tear gas and water cannons and cordoned off sections of the city center to contain the violence. After about two hours, the streets returned to an uneasy calm as police detained dozens of rioters, per Brussels police.
Brussels mayor Philippe Close tweeted:"I express my strongest condemnation against these thugs who want to attack our capital. The Brussels police will always fight to prevent them from causing harm."
Videos also surfaced on Twitter which showed violence erupting in the neighboring country of Netherlands, as rioters in Rotterdam attacked riot police with fireworks and glass.
The number and extent of injuries remain unclear, though one person was confirmed to have suffered facial injuries, Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere told AP News.
This was Morocco's first ever World Cup match victory since 1998, per CNN. Winning their final group stage match against Canada next Thursday will advance them to the round of 16 off 32 teams, for the second time in World Cup history.
Brussels police and Philippe Close did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
World Cup FIFA World Cup 2022 Belgium | 2022-11-28T10:16:15Z | www.businessinsider.com | Riots Erupt in Brussels and Rotterdam After Belgium Beat Morocco 2-0 | https://www.businessinsider.com/world-cup-belgium-lost-morocco-riots-brussels-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/world-cup-belgium-lost-morocco-riots-brussels-2022-11 |
Sam Bankman-Fried and a Bahamas government building in Nassau.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Walter Bibikow/Getty Images
After FTX went bankrupt, the Bahamas suspended its license and took control of its digital assets.
But the island-nation has fired back at accusations that its regulations aren't up to scratch.
The Bahamas attorney general accused the FTX CEO of "inaccurate allegations" in his court filings.
The collapse of Bahamas-based FTX has prompted the island-nation to defend its crypto laws and criticize the FTX's new CEO, John J. Ray III.
After the crypto exchange founded by Sam Bankman-Fried entered bankruptcy earlier in November, the Bahamas suspended FTX's license and took control of its digital assets by transferring them into a government crypto wallet.
In a video statement on Sunday, the Bahamas attorney general, Ryan Pinder, took aim at Ray over bankruptcy court filings relating to the country's actions against FTX.
Pinder said it was "extremely regrettable" that Ray had "misrepresented the timely action" of Bahamian regulators, and accused him of filing "inaccurate allegations."
He added that the Bahamas securities commission "deserves the highest praise for moving so swiftly and decisively" in its liquidation proceedings against FTX.
Ray is also known for acting as CEO for energy giant Enron, and handled its liquidation after accounting fraud. On taking control of FTX, he said: "Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here."
Pinder hit back at accusations that the Bahamas was failing to properly regulate cryptocurrency amid the FTX fallout. He said: "The world is full of countries in which there is no legislative or regulatory authority over the crypto and digital asset business, but I must say the Bahamas is not one of these countries."
The Caribbean nation has established itself as a crypto hub despite having a population of just 400,000. Bankman-Fried previously told Blockworks that FTX moved there because of "the proactive stance taken by The Bahamas and its regulatory bodies on cryptocurrencies."
The Bahamas is also home to Deltec Bank, which in 2021 was reported by Bloomberg to hold $15 billion in reserves for Tether, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar.
Pinder also suggested that FTX's legal strategy and "intemperate statements" could be being driven by "the prospect of multimillion dollar legal and consultant fees."
"In any case, we urge prudence and accuracy in all future filings," he added.
FTX's bankruptcy has led to calls for tighter crypto regulations from both US senators and the Bank of England.
One FTX lawyer previously said the company had spent almost $300 million on luxury houses for senior executives in the Bahamas, while Fox Business reported that Bankman-Fried often bought $2,500 lunches at one bistro.
ftx Sam Bankman-Fried John J. Ray III | 2022-11-28T12:18:05Z | www.businessinsider.com | FTX Collapse Prompts Bahamas to Defend Crypto Laws, Criticize New CEO | https://www.businessinsider.com/ftx-collapse-prompts-bahamas-to-defend-crypto-laws-criticize-ceo-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ftx-collapse-prompts-bahamas-to-defend-crypto-laws-criticize-ceo-2022-11 |
Cyber Monday streaming deals: The best discounts on subscriptions to HBO Max, Discovery Plus, and more
You can save big on several streaming service subscriptions for Cyber Monday.
Streaming services don't often see big discounts throughout the year โ in fact, many have been getting price hikes to match inflation. But, if you're hoping to save some money on a new subscription, you're in luck: a handful of major streaming platforms are offering limited-time offers to celebrate Cyber Monday.
Highlights include an entire year of Hulu for $24, a year of Hulu with Disney Plus for $60, and a year of Peacock Premium for only $12.
Below, we've gathered the best Cyber Monday streaming deals so far. All of the following discounts are exceptional offers, and they won't be available for long.
Philo is an affordable live TV streaming service with access to more than 70 channels, including AMC, Paramount Networks, Discovery, and more. New members can save 80% off their first month.
Use promo code: THANKS
$5.00 from Philo
Hulu with Disney Plus Monthly Promotion
Discovery Plus Cyber Monday Deal (Monthly Price)
Whether you're a fan pimple popping, house flipping, explorative cooking, or ghost hunting, Discovery Plus has a series that will keep you hooked. The service's Ad-Lite plan is already very affordable year round, but right now you can join the service for only $1 a month for your first three months. It's an excellent deal we only see during major deal events, like Cyber Monday.
Deals IP Deals Streaming | 2022-11-28T13:19:00Z | www.businessinsider.com | Best Cyber Monday Streaming Deals: HBO Max, Discovery+, More | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-streaming-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/cyber-monday-streaming-deals-2022-11 |
"We're still early days in this downturn": A portfolio manager at Lazard reveals the 3 asset classes that will provide investors with the steadiest returns as recession fears mount โ and shares 3 high-quality stocks to buy now
Now is the time for real assets to shine, said Lazard's Dan McGoey.
Lazard Asset Management
Real assets are a good option for investors seeking inflation protection and a positive return.
Lazard's Dan McGoey shared investing opportunities across three asset class verticals.
McGoey also highlighted three standout stocks investors can buy now.
Inflation may have come in below analyst expectations in October, but Dan McGoey believes that investors should still tread with caution.
"We're going through a return to fundamentals โ we're pretty well advanced in that, but it's a big space and I think we're still early days in this downturn," said McGoey, a portfolio manager for Lazard Asset Management's $14 billion Real Assets strategy. "We're still early days in unwinding quantitative easing, so to say it's over is probably premature as well."
In the face of mounting recessionary fears and lingering market volatility, McGoey believes that now is the time for real assets to shine.
"Real assets are known because they're sort of inherent physical assets that tend to keep pace with inflation," he told Insider in a recent interview. "They're often looked to for defense against inflation and a positive real return."
Real assets are inherently lower volatility because their returns include a spread, typically around 4% to 6%, on top of the current inflation level, McGoey explained. That means that in a year where growth stocks and equity markets as a whole are outperforming, real assets will underperform in comparison. But in a year like 2022 when stocks are down, real assets can suddenly look a lot more attractive to investors.
Another advantage of holding a mix of real assets comes down to its diversification โ investors receive exposure to the entire business cycle, with certain asset classes outperforming at different points. For instance, commodities tend to perform best when inflation is rising and peaking when rates are moving up, McGoey explained. On the other hand, real estate has been a relatively weak performer this year due to its inverse correlation with interest rates.
Asset allocation across three classes
Specifically, McGoey's team focuses on three asset class verticals: commodities, infrastructure, and real estate, with a slight overweight tilt to commodities. The team also currently favors more defensive and lower volatility assets, with an average time horizon of two to three years. Year-to-date the Lazard Real Assets fund is beating 85% of its peers, down 5.7% versus its category average of a negative 12% return.
Within commodities, McGoey's team is specifically focused on investing in areas with particularly acute pressure points, such as a lack of investment, lack of infrastructure, or lack of production to match high demand.
"The view within our group is that there has been chronic underinvestment in a lot of the key commodities that are still very necessary," he said, citing the transition to renewable energy as an example. "You can't flip a switch to what is still underdeveloped capacity in wind and solar."
Factoring in the ongoing European energy crisis, McGoey expects the oil and gas industries to continue to rally. He's also bullish on the agricultural space as inflation peaks and supply chain constraints linger.
On the infrastructure side, McGoey is particularly focused on the move towards electrification, meaning that he's overweight electric utilities like US energy midstream companies involved in the gathering, processing, and exporting of liquified natural gas (LNG).
Electrification will also change the primary funding source for US highway infrastructure, which traditionally were financed by a gas tax but will increasingly come from tolls such as E-ZPass as the number of electric vehicles rises. Accordingly, McGoey has also increased his investments in companies that manage or operate toll booths.
Although real estate has been a weak performer this year, McGoey said that there are still good opportunities in those assets that sold off the hardest but have healthy underlying fundamentals, like strong free cash flow. But as the new economic cycle begins in the next 12 to 24 months, he's optimistic that the asset class will be an important contributor to his portfolio's returns.
Chronic housing underinvestment, millennial demand, and a runup in rents are a few reasons that McGoey is bullish on the residential multifamily space. Even though rents have risen, apartments can still be a more affordable option for families than buying a home that's experienced significant appreciation over the last several years, he explained.
McGoey also finds the industrial real estate market attractive, as retail supply chains continue to require warehouse buildings located next to urban centers. "That property is becoming increasingly valuable โ the demand for it because of the continued penetration of ecommerce in particular is just incessant," he explained.
3 stocks to buy now
McGoey is particularly overweight data centers such as Equinix (EQIX), which has a strong global presence and is the "premier player" in the hybrid cloud and work-from-home movements. From an IT standpoint, the firm also has a trusted reputation for security, redundancy, and global backup, McGoey added.
On the industrial warehouse side, McGoey pointed to Prologis (PLD) as a standout name. "It's gone from a second-class in the real estate space to now an integral part of the supply chain," he explained. He also cited key catalysts such as the company's global presence, top quality properties and consumer base, and its integral role as an e-commerce facilitator.
Finally, in the infrastructure space McGoey highlighted Targa Resources (TRGP) as a key midstream player. "It's a targeted play on the US' strength in specifically the export of LNG to fill the gap that was created by the conflict with Russia," he explained. | 2022-11-28T13:19:16Z | www.businessinsider.com | 3 Asset Classes for Steady Returns As Recession Fears Mount | https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-investing-strategy-steady-returns-real-assets-recession-downturn-lazard-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-investing-strategy-steady-returns-real-assets-recession-downturn-lazard-2022-11 |
A composite image showing people protesting COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing, China, on November 27, 2022, and Serbia fans cheering at the Qatar World Cup on November 28, 2022.
REUTERS/Thomas Peter; AP Photo/Francisco Seco; Insider
Chinese state TV edited out World Cup footage showing maskless attendees, Bloomberg reported.
China has a strict zero-COVID policy, with harsh restrictions in place.
Mass protests started this weekend after 10 people died in an apartment fire in Urumqi.
China's state television network has been editing out footage that shows World Cup attendees not wearing masks, amid the country's ongoing zero-COVID policy that has sparked rare mass protests.
Bloomberg reviewed World Cup coverage on China Central Television (CCTV) and found that the state network showed less footage of stadium crowds than other TV stations around the world, and often replaced footage with scenes of the coaches or players on the bench.
Unlike many other countries, China has continued to pursue a strategy that aims to completely eliminate COVID-19, including strict entry requirements and shutting down cities with populations in their millions when just a few cases are discovered.
The policy has resulted in rare mass protests in the country. Protests have recently taken place in the western city of Urumqi, and have now spread to Beijing and Shanghai.
Ten people died in an apartment block fire in Urumqi on Friday. A resident told the BBC that people were largely prevented from leaving their homes in recent months, although state media has denied this.
Videos on Chinese social media show protesters chanting "End the COVID lockdown" and "We are human beings," Reuters reported.
People travelling to the World Cup in Qatar are not required to show a negative coronavirus test, and the country only requires individuals to wear masks when they are visiting healthcare facilities.
People in China have noted on social media that no one is wearing masks at the tournament, comparing it to China's strict rules, Bloomberg reported.
News UK China Shanghai | 2022-11-28T13:49:24Z | www.businessinsider.com | China TV Editing Out Maskless World Cup, Amid COVID Rules Protests | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-state-tv-editing-out-maskless-world-cup-protests-restrictions-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-state-tv-editing-out-maskless-world-cup-protests-restrictions-2022-11 |
44 clever gift ideas that just happen to be on sale for Cyber Monday
Otherland/Baublebar
Cyber Monday sales can help you get presents for everyone on your holiday gift list before December even starts, making it your most organized and budget-friendly shopping season yet. There are plenty of great, discounted gifts out there so you can stock up (and maybe buy something for yourself, too).
As the gift guide editor for Insider Reviews, I've researched thousands of gifts for every giftee, occasion, and price range. Below, I've included some of the best Cyber Monday deals we're seeing from brands that make great gifts, like Girlfriend Collective, Otherland, Brooklinen, Our Place, Baublebar, and more. Whether you're on the hunt for trendy clothes, nourishing beauty products, useful tech, or game-changing home and kitchen accessories, there's something here for everyone on your list.
For more Cyber Monday deals, check out our frequently updated Cyber Monday liveblog as well as our live sales coverage of the best TVs and under-$50 items.
A gentle wake-up call
Our favorite budget sunrise alarm clock is now even more affordable during Cyber Monday. Night owls and early birds alike will love the soothing alarm clock alternative of this simulated sunrise and sunset. There's no app, but the manual controls are simple to use.
A jacket that's on-trend and warm
Puffer coats are a style that keeps coming back around, and the Guess label is always a standout. At less than one-third of the original price, this hooded puffer is an amazing deal for a warm and stylish winter coat.
A premium eyeshadow palette
$54.00 $27.00 from Sephora
A new adventure for the Nintendo Switch
In one of the best life simulation gams out there, you can customize your island, collect fish, or run around with friends. Right now, you can pick up a copy of the game from Best Buy for only $40, which matches one of the lowest prices we've seen.
If they're avid readers who wish they had more time to curl with a book, get them an Audible subscription. For Cyber Monday, Audible will be offering a $5.95/month deal for four months of a Premium Plus membership (after four months, the same subscription costs $14.95). This deal will get them one new audiobook every month for four months, with options ranging from self-help bestsellers to newly released celebrity memoirs.
As our favorite Fitbit for tracking fitness, this version is already budget-friendly, and at another 33% off for Cyber Monday, costs just under $100. It's a great option for anyone who wants the benefits of a sophisticated fitness watch without dealing with a big screen or too many bells and whistles.
Arguably one of Baublebar's most iconic pieces, this customizable beaded bracelet is a more adult, refined version of the ones we made as kids. Available in black or multi-color letter beads, you can fit up to nine characters to include the giftee's name, initials, or a shared message or joke. The whole site will be 30% off with the promo code BB30 for Cyber Monday.
Mario Badescu Facial Spray (2-Pack)
Facial sprays can help hydrate your skin and wake you up, especially in the dead of winter. This under-$10 2-pack from Mario Badescu blends aloe, herbs, and rosewater for a uniquely refreshing spritz.
At under $25 for Cyber Monday, this bestselling tabletop s'mores maker comes with everything you need for a cozy snack night (no fireplace required). The tray comes with four compartments for storing chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows, and two forks are included as well, making this an easy, cute holiday activity as much as a lowkey campfire in the summer.
While Dyson's Airwrap definitely lives up to its reputation, it's over $400. The Revlon One-Step brush, however, is a much better value for similar results and is additionally even cheaper thanks to its current Cyber Monday discount.
This sleek, matte pan is an incredible gift for minimalists. It's designed to replace eight pieces of cookware, functioning as everything from a pot to a frying pan. Normally $145, you can get it for $95 for Cyber Monday.
For those who want high-quality sound without the clunkiness of over-ear headphones, these buds from Beats can't be beat. They come in two listening modes โ noise-canceling and transparency โ and offer up to eight hours of listening time when charged. At 40% off, you can save $60 on them during Cyber Monday.
For coffee enthusiasts, this viral milk frother will help them achieve everything from the fluffiest latte or matcha drink to perfectly blended protein shakes. At $12, you'll be saving almost 40% on Cyber Monday.
Otherland is a hot candle brand right now, known for its creative packaging and custom gift sets. For Cyber Monday, you can get 33% off a 3-pack and 35% off 6-packs and 9-packs.
At under $20 during Cyber Monday, we think these leggings compete in quality with much pricier brands like Lululemon. Whether your giftee is a yoga enthusiast, outdoor athlete, or a fan of athleisure apparel in general, these will be a welcome addition to their closet.
Echo Dot (3rd Generation)
For homes that use Alexa as a smart assistant, the 3rd Gen Echo Dot is a compact and versatile speaker that slots right into your smart home network. For only $10, you can get one with the added bonus of one month of Amazon Music Unlimited.
A perfect transitional weather jacket, this fleece teddy is flatteringly roomy, machine-washable, and easily paired with almost any outfit. It's available in a range of colors, from neutrals to leopard print, with some styles starting at $32 during this sale event.
Ancestry DNA makes our favorite DNA kit, and all its DNA kits are discounted for Cyber Monday. The cheapest one is the standard kit, coming in at $48-$59 (normally $99).
Who needs screens to be entertained? This Crayola lightboard turns every drawing into a glow-in-the-dark masterpiece and can be wiped clean and reused endlessly. It comes in a stand that makes it easy to display, but also comes with storage that makes it travel-friendly. On sale for just $20, it's a kid's gift that's hard to top.
For those who have showers instead of bathtubs (or just aren't bath bomb people), this 30-piece shower steamer set is a great deal for under $40 during Cyber Monday. It comes with 10 different scents and uses essential oils for a truly relaxing experience.
Hydro Flask makes some of our favorite water bottles โ they're basically indestructible without being bulky, and keep hot and cold beverages at their original temperature for at least 12 hours. It's a solid, pragmatic gift for anyone who complains about forgetting to hydrate or is on the hunt for a reliable thermos. Get it now during the Cyber Monday sale.
Amazon's Fire TV Sticks are usually discounted on big sale holidays, and this one is no different. At $20, this remote is a steal considering how much HD content it provides access to via services like Prime Video, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and more.
A great gift for entertainers who love cocktails and minimalist kitchenware, these stemless martini glasses offer a beautiful presentation with more stability than traditional, thin-stemmed glasses. Plus, at 24% off and under $20, they make a stunning, easy housewarming or host gift.
This cozy, 100% wool blanket may be on the pricier side, but its chic pattern and can't-be-beat softness make it worth the splurge. Plus, you can save $60 during Cyber Monday: the brand is offering 25% off all products when you check out.
For fans of cold brew (or just cheap, easy-to-make coffee), we confidently recommend this cold-brew coffee maker. All they have to do is add fresh coffee grounds to the fine mesh filter, add water, and wait 24 hours for a convenient, delicious brew. Plus, the container fits easily into refrigerator shelves.
Gifts Cyber Monday IP Deals | 2022-11-28T13:49:34Z | www.businessinsider.com | 44 Best Gift Ideas That Are on Sale for Cyber Monday | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-cyber-monday-gift-ideas-on-sale-2022-11-27 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/best-cyber-monday-gift-ideas-on-sale-2022-11-27 |
Here's how to save 20% on the coveted Dyson Airwrap during Cyber Monday 2022
Cyber Monday has begun, and existing Dyson customers can still save on the coveted Dyson Airwrap. This innovative tool is designed to dry and style your hair at the same time, delivering a salon-level blowout from the comfort of your home.
The Airwrap isn't discounted for all customers. If you own a Dyson product and registered it through Owner Rewards, you should have received an email with a 20% promo code on Monday, Nov. 21. If you didn't get the email but have a registered Dyson, you can call the company (1-866-664-9004) to get the discount code.
You can take 20% off any single full-priced product with that code, but if you or a loved one have been eyeing the Airwrap, now's the time to buy.
Dyson Dyson Airwrap Special Edition Complete Long
With new barrels to curl and wave in both directions, brushes to control and shape, and the multi-functional Coanda smoothing dryer to dry, smooth, and hide flyaways. Existing Dyson customers can save 20% off using the code e-mailed to them on November 21. Both new and returning customers can claim $125 in free gifts with their purchase.
If you aren't an existing Dyson customer, there are still a few promotions that will help you get discounted attachments or receive store credits when purchasing the Airwrap.
Dyson: Get three free accessories valued at $125 with your purchase. The styler comes with a presentation case, a paddle brush, and a detangling comb.
In our full review of the Dyson Airwrap, we concluded that the price is the only considerable downside, but if you can afford it, the Airwrap is worth owning โ and many consumers seem to agree. The standard Dyson Airwrap Complete is usually out of stock and sells out immediately after restocks due to such high demand, but the long version โ which uses the same technology but features a slightly longer wand โ is currently available now.
Although you won't find huge discounts, the gifts or bonus rewards sweeten the deal. It's worth noting that the Airwrap is likely to sell out in both versions before the holiday season, so now is the best time to buy one. | 2022-11-28T13:49:40Z | www.businessinsider.com | Dyson Airwrap Cyber Monday Deal: Returning Customers Save 20% | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/dyson-airwrap-cyber-monday-deal-11-2022 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/dyson-airwrap-cyber-monday-deal-11-2022 |
24 Roblox leaders who creators, developers, and influencers should know
From left to right: Karibi Dagogo, Barbara Messing, Christina Wootton, and Matt Curtis
Roblox; Marianne Ayala/Insider
Roblox, a rapidly growing gaming platform, has helped turn some developers into high-earning creators.
These creators frequently have a direct line of communication with employees at the tech company.
Insider identified 24 employees at Roblox that creators and influencer-industry insiders should know.
After making games on the side for nearly seven years, Nathan Clemens formed Simple Games with his family in late 2019. The goal: create new experiences for the rapidly evolving Roblox platform, which Clemens had already developed for.
"My family, we've always been very entrepreneurial," said Clemens, who previously spent much of his time flipping homes with his parents and two sisters. "Well, we know how to do stuff โ we can learn stuff, too. So, they hopped on it."
The Clemens family, based in Delta, Colorado, has developed at least 20 games to date, which have been played by over 517 million people, and Roblox has offered its support to the Clemens family virtually every step of the way.
When Simple Games launched its fashion game "Simply Stylish" in December 2021, Roblox employees tested the game and offered feedback on features they wanted to see.
"They were always very supportive, and there to give their feedback whatever their expertise might have been," said Naomi Clemens, who supports game development and creates avatar clothing items at Simple Games.
Since David Baszucki and Erik Cassel founded Roblox in 2004, the San Mateo, California-based company has evolved into a thriving online game platform that has surged recently in popularity, growing 24% year-over-year to 58.8 million daily active users. While the platform, which hosts millions of user-made games, has been traditionally known for appealing to an audience of kids and young teenagers, the company has said its fastest-growing demographic nowadays is players ages 17 to 24.
The platform's ecosystem of 12 million developers now run the gamut, from individual creators like Arthur Trusov who design user-generated content (UGC) items such as digital sunglasses, hats, and pins, to game studios like Twin Atlas that employs over 70 staffers and has developed at least 16 games.
As Roblox has grown, the company has allocated considerable resources toward supporting those developers. In addition to offering a free development tool with Roblox Studio, the company built out a developer relations team consisting of more than 40 full-time employees plus 30 contractors, a developer forum where developers can post bug reports, feature requests, and request help on development issues, and an ongoing series of creator-focused events. Roblox also launched the $25 million Game Fund in March to support eligible developers and studios.
"We wanted to provide a lot of the tools that allowed creators to potentially realize their dreams," said Matt Curtis, Roblox's vice president of developer relations.
For this list, Insider asked Roblox and creators who the most helpful people to know at Roblox are. The insiders identified employees who make significant contributions to the Roblox creator ecosystem or regularly work with Roblox creators and their teams.
Here are 24 power players at Roblox who work with creators and leaders in the influencer industry, listed alphabetically:
Josh Anon, product director of engine
Roblox product director of engine Josh Anon
Anon is a product director for the engine group helping to build the core technology that Roblox is built upon. Despite their technical roles, Anon and his engine team frequently communicate with the creator community, which include one-on-one conversations with developers and discussions in Roblox's developer forum.
Anon started his career at Pixar as an intern on "Finding Nemo," and went on to work as a layout artist on films including "Ratatouille," "Up," and "Toy Story 3." After Pixar, he served as a product manager at the light field camera company Lytro; director of product management at Magic Leap; and head of product management at Embodied, a robotics startup. Anon also coauthored "The Product Book: How to Become a Great Product Manager."
Jad Boniface, head of community expansion
Roblox head of community expansion Jad Boniface
Boniface serves as head of community expansion, engaging with and supporting developers and studios as they build gaming experiences for the Roblox platform.
His career in developer relations and content development spans more than two decades, having worked with a wide range of developers and partners to create experiences and games on mobile, PC, VR, and console. Prior to Roblox, Boniface served as head of developer relations and partnerships at HTC Vive and a senior mobile computing specialist at Ford Motor Company.
Manuel Bronstein, chief product officer
Roblox chief product officer Manuel Bronstein
As chief product officer, Bronstein leads the company's product, design, and data science teams and plays a key role in expanding opportunities for creators and developers to earn money on Roblox through the platform's economy. He also helps maintain the safety of the Roblox experience with the roll-out of features like "experience guidelines," the platform's equivalent of a ratings system.
Bronstein has spent more than two decades as a product leader in the consumer and entertainment spaces, most recently serving as vice president of product at Google, leading Google Assistant. Prior to Google, Bronstein served as vice president of product at YouTube. He also led efforts to launch YouTube Kids, YouTube Music, and YouTube Games. Prior to YouTube, Bronstein started his career in gaming, holding several senior leadership positions at Zynga and Microsoft Xbox.
Matt Brown, senior director of product, avatar
Roblox senior director of product (avatar) Matt Brown
As senior director of product, Brown leads the avatar and marketplace teams, which includes overseeing the growth of Roblox's UGC marketplace.
Brown has been designing and engineering games for more than three decades. Prior to Roblox, he served as studio creative director at EA, senior design director and lead programmer at Sony Computer Entertainment America, as well as design director at Blizzard Entertainment. Over the course of that time, he worked on gaming franchises like "FIFA," "The Sims," "World of Warcraft," and "God of War."
Winnie Burke, head of fashion and beauty partnerships
Roblox head of fashion and beauty partnerships Winnie Burke
Burke oversees and builds relationships with fashion houses and beauty brands. Since joining Roblox in 2015, she has helped brands like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, and Givenchy Beauty create experiences that build community and promote personalization.
Prior to Roblox, Burke spent seven years at Sony Pictures Entertainment where she was vice president of digital ad sales, overseeing partnerships for Crackle and Sony PlayStation's virtual world "Home."
Adam Capps, head of developer success
Roblox head of developer success Adam Capps
As director of developer success, Capps works with a team of experienced game developers providing content expertise and generalized best practices to the development community.
Capps is a creative leader and game developer who has been building games since 2005. He has cofounded several indie game studios and served as art lead at companies such as Kabam and Sparkplug Games.
Stefano Corazza, head of Roblox Studio
Roblox head of Roblox Studio Stefano Corazza
As the head of Roblox Studio, Corazza leads the group responsible for developing the software necessary for 12 million creators and developers to build, publish, update, and monetize Roblox experiences.
Prior to Roblox, Corazza led the team responsible for building out Adobe's augmented reality strategy. During his time at Adobe, the company's 3D organization grew from three employees to over 200 people, making the 3D business one of the fastest-growing segments at the company.
Corazza joined Adobe through the 2015 acquisition of Mixamo, an online software platform for 3D character animation, which Corazza founded and led as CEO and CTO.
Matthew Curtis, vice president of developer relations
Roblox vice president of developer relations Matthew Curtis
Curtis oversees the team responsible for working with and supporting the 12 million or so Roblox developers around the world. During his tenure at the company, the developer relations team has significantly expanded its resources and tools for aiding game creators, from the roll-out of Roblox's $25 million Game Fund to the company's ongoing series of virtual events.
The veteran product and marketing expert, who joined Roblox in 2019, brought more than a decade of experience leading teams responsible for games including "Words with Friends 2," "CSR Racing 2," and "Zynga Poker." Curtis also previously led growth marketing at Zynga where he supported eight game studios, as well as led product management and monetization at Kabam.
Enrico D'Angelo, vice president of product, economy
Roblox vice president of product (economy) Enrico D'Angelo
D'Angelo serves as vice president of product for the platform's online economy, which spans the avatar marketplace, advertising, subscriptions, payments, and developer payouts. He also leads product for Roblox's creator group, which is responsible for Roblox Studio, the company's free developer tool.
Prior to Roblox, the gaming executive was responsible for Activision Publishing's PC and Mobile free-to-play businesses. In that role, he led Activision's efforts in China and was responsible for "Call of Duty Mobile."
D'Angelo was also head of strategy for Activision Blizzard, where he worked with division heads to drive engagement and monetization initiatives across Activision's portfolio, including kicking off "Call of Duty's" microtransactions business.
Karibi Dagogo-Jack, head of music partnerships
Roblox head of music partnerships Karibi Dagogo-Jack
Dagogo-Jack oversees and builds strategic relationships with artists, labels, managers, publishers, and producers on behalf of Roblox.
Prior to joining Roblox, he served as Spotify's head of music business development where he was responsible for pursuing opportunities for the streaming platform's playlists and artist programs, as well as driving benefits to the company's artist, songwriter, producer, label, and publishing partners.
Before Spotify, Karibi led business development for Interscope Records following business development leadership roles at Maker Studios and Fullscreen.
Craig Donato, chief business officer
Roblox chief business officer Craig Donato
Donato's duties as Roblox's chief business officer are wide ranging, from driving brand awareness to establishing a healthy ecosystem for creators. The Roblox executive also oversees the company's brand partnerships, care and safety, and developer relations teams.
Prior to Roblox, Donato led business development and monetization at the neighborhood social network company Nextdoor, and was vice president of social at QVC, where he led the shopping channel's social shopping and social marketing efforts. Donato also served as CEO and cofounder of Oodle, a local community marketplace acquired by QVC in 2012.
Lauren Freeman, head of community operations
Roblox head of community operations Lauren Freeman
Freeman is Roblox's head of community operations, a team which oversees programs like the annual Roblox Developer Conference, which is attended by thousands of artists, programmers, and creators. Community operations also connects connects developers with brands and music artists for potential partnerships.
She has worked in gaming and entertainment for more than 18 years at companies including 6 Waves, Kabam, and EA. During that time, Freeman has held several different roles including game writer, talent agent, and director of external development.
Arvind Jayaram, head of account management, partnerships
Roblox Head of Account Management (Partnerships) Arvind Jayaram
As the head of account management for partnerships, Jayaram oversees a team that provides partners with tools and best practices to bring their IP to the platform. His team has helped partners Roblox experiences like Gucci Garden, In the Heights, Vans World, Nikeland, NFL Tycoon, and McLaren Racing.
Prior to Roblox, Jayaram worked on brand partnerships at QYOU Media and RecordSetter, as well as ad products at IGN Entertainment and Jumpstart Automotive Group.
Rebecca Kantar, vice president of education and director of the Roblox community fund
Roblox vice president of education partnerships and director of the Roblox community fund Rebecca Kantar
As vice president of education partnerships and director of the Roblox community fund, Kantar is responsible for growing Roblox's education vertical into an ecosystem of education-focused content creators and for bringing deeper learning materials to educators and students. The Roblox executive also oversees the Roblox Community Fund, which offers grants to educational organizations that develop experiences using the Roblox platform.
Kantar joined Roblox in 2020 when the gaming company acquired Imbellus, a simulation-based assessment tech company Kantar founded. Prior to launching Imbellus, Kantar also founded BrightCo, a startup that connected entrepreneurs and activists with Fortune 500 companies, which Gerson Lehrman Group acquired in 2012.
Todd Lichten, head of entertainment partnerships
Roblox head of entertainment partnerships Todd Lichten
Lichten oversees and builds strategic relationships with film and TV studios, talent, and digital media brands on Roblox's behalf.
Prior to joining Roblox, Lichten served as head of emerging content at Meta where he led programming for events like "Graduation 2020 with Oprah Winfrey." Lichten also developed a slate of original series for the social network, including the Emmy Award-winning show "Red Table Talk."
Before his work as a creative executive, Todd was a showrunner and executive producer across cable, broadcast, and digital. His producing credits include "Hack My Life" on truTV and "Vice" on HBO.
Morgan McGuire, chief scientist
Roblox chief scientist Morgan McGuire
As Roblox's chief scientist, McGuire leads computer and social science research to continue Roblox's innovation.
Prior to Roblox, McGuire led hyperscale graphics research at Nvidia to accelerate cloud graphics, esports, and augmented and virtual reality. His scientific publications and patents span many areas of computer science, from compilers and networking to 3D graphics. McGuire has also contributed to the "Skylanders," "Call of Duty," and "Marvel Ultimate Alliance" video games franchises, and the E-Ink display used in the Amazon Kindle.
Barbara Messing, chief marketing and people experience officer
Roblox chief marketing and people experience officer Barbara Messing
As chief marketing and people experience officer, Messing leads all aspects of marketing, communications, and employee experience operations. The Roblox executive also oversees the development of the company's global brand strategy to further establish Roblox as a premiere brand with kids and teens.
Prior to Roblox, Barbara spent the last two decades serving in a number of leadership roles, including senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Walmart and TripAdvisor.
Ali Miller, head of influencer marketing
Roblox head of influencer marketing Ali Miller
As head of influencer marketing, Miller oversees the roll-out of global influencer marketing campaigns for Roblox, including the TikTok Influencer Affiliate Program that enables Roblox TikTokers to receive a commission on select fan purchases. Miller also worked on the Roblox Influencer Product Council, which saw the company partner with top Roblox creators to share their feedback on Roblox product features.
Prior to Miller's role at Roblox, she oversaw global influencer programs at Riot Games. In 2020, Miller spearheaded the influencer launch campaign for "Valorant," a first-person tactical shooter where her influencer strategy broke viewership records on Twitch.
Before Riot Games, Miller served as a senior specialist in influencer relations at Activision Blizzard where she led global influencer campaigns for titles in the "Call of Duty," "Guitar Hero," and "Skylanders" franchises.
Richard Sim, senior director of product, monetization
Roblox senior director of product (monetization) Richard Sim
As senior director of product for monetization, Sim leads the company's monetization efforts including payments, purchasing, ads, subscriptions, and developer payouts.
Sim is leading Roblox's effort to build Immersive Ads, a new ads system rolling out across the entire platform in 2023 that will enable developers and brands to reach their audiences through 3D experiences. (Children under the age of 13 will not be able to interact with these ads, according to the company.)
Prior to Roblox, Sim led the development and launch of Wish's sponsored product ads system and spent seven years helping to build Meta's advertising system.
Justin Sousa, head of developer community
Roblox head of developer community Justin Sousa
As head of developer community, Sousa leads and engages with the platform's developer community of over 12 million active creators through tech conferences, developer meet-ups, user groups, and blogs.
Prior to Roblox, Justin served as spokesman for 2K, where he represented 2K and Evolve brands internationally and domestically for corporate and public presentations.
Dan Sturman, chief technology officer
Roblox chief technology officer Dan Sturman
As CTO, Sturman oversees an engineering team consisting of over 1,000 employees whose duties include rendering Roblox's core engine, the search and discovery features, the safety and moderation infrastructure, as well as the technology necessary to translate Roblox's platform into other languages.
Prior to joining Roblox, Sturman served as vice president of engineering and support at Cloudera, where he led a team of over 600 engineers and oversaw software development and customer support. He also previously served as vice president of engineering at Google, where he led the development of cloud products, including the Google Compute Engine, Google App Engine, as well as the internal cluster management systems that manage Google's servers.
Nick Tornow, vice president of engineering, creator
Roblox vice president of engineering for creator Nick Tornow
As vice president of engineering for creator, Tornow leads an engineering team focused on giving Roblox's community of developers the tech and tools required to build immersive 3D experiences and other UGC at a massive scale.
Prior to Roblox, Tornow ran Twitter's platform group where he was responsible for the core of its technology stack. While at the social network, he helped accelerate product feature development; scaled Twitter to three regions; improved security, privacy, quality, and reliability; and unlocked cloud capabilities.
Tornow also spent a decade at Zynga, with the latter five years as its CTO, helping steer the company from web-based gaming to mobile and migrating it from a data center to the public cloud.
Hayden Walling, head of sports partnerships
Roblox head of sports partnerships Hayden Walling
As the head of sports partnerships, Walling oversees and builds relationships with athletes, leagues, and sports teams. He joined Roblox in 2021 and has launched metaverse experiences with the NFL, McLaren Racing, NASCAR, and Wimbledon.
Prior to joining Roblox, Walling spent a decade at Nike working on the Nike Fuelband helping to gamify movement, as well as integrating streaming audio platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Headspace into the Nike Activity apps. He also worked on partnerships for the Nike/Jordan brands with gaming partners including 2K, EA, Epic, Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Walling started his career in the gaming industry at Ubisoft as a license analyst bringing "Naruto," "Avatar," and "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" to games consoles, before moving to Paris to found the company's Trend Lab, which investigated and communicated cultural trends to the rest of Ubisoft. Hayden also led IP development for Ubisoft's Montreal studio where he was part of the creation of franchises like "Assassin's Creed" and "Just Dance."
Christina Wootton, vice president of global partnerships
Roblox vice president of global partnerships Christina Wootton
As vice president of global partnerships, Wootton leads internal teams such as fashion and beauty, entertainment, and music. The executive's duties include building awareness and engagement for Roblox by establishing strategic relationships with brands, talent, and other partners. Over the course of nine years with the gaming company, Wootton has led creative partnerships on Roblox's behalf with companies such as Gucci, Nike, Netflix, Universal Pictures, Disney, and Warner Bros.
Prior to Roblox, Wootton served as West Coast sales director at online game maker Stardoll Media where she led the entertainment vertical and partnered with movie studios and entertainment companies to create in-game content.
Features Roblox Creator economy | 2022-11-28T13:49:52Z | www.businessinsider.com | Top Roblox Leaders Who Creators and Developers Should Know | https://www.businessinsider.com/top-roblox-leaders-who-creators-and-developers-should-know-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/top-roblox-leaders-who-creators-and-developers-should-know-2022-11 |
After offering disruptive workers at its Chinese iPhone plant $1,400 to leave, Foxconn is now offering some staff $1,800 to stay and work
Riot police in protective gear at the Foxconn plant, also known as iPhone City.
via Reuters; Mustafa Seven/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Protests have raged at Foxconn's giant iPhone production facility in China amid strict COVID rules.
So many workers are leaving the facility that Apple now expects a major production shortfall.
To ease a growing exodus of workers, some are being offered $1,800 to stay at the facility.
Foxconn, a Chinese firm which runs the world's largest iPhone factory, is offering some workers $1,800 bonuses to stay at work amid unrest over China's zero-COVID strategy and strict lockdowns at the facility in Zhengzhou, per Bloomberg.
Workers have protested, sometimes violently, in recent weeks in response to strict protocols for workers during a substantial COVID outbreak at the plant, which employs as many as 200,000 workers, most of whom live in on-site dormitories, earning it the nickname "iPhone City."
Last month, Foxconn implemented a "closed-loop system" because of the country's zero-COVID strategy, which has prompted uprisings across China this weekend.
Infected workers were unable to leave their dormitories, and given just basic supplies like bread and instant noodles, resulting in hundreds of escapees. Bloomberg reported on a brother and sister who walked 25-miles down a highway to escape the Foxconn plant.
The unrest then turned into rioting on November 22, as Foxconn workers were filmed fighting with security guards. Rioters were seen throwing metal barricades at officials and smashing security cameras.
โSky News (@SkyNews) November 24, 2022
To try and calm the tensions, Foxconn offered protestors $1,400 to leave โ more than the average monthly wage for factory workers, per Bloomberg.
The company had previously offered $420 bonuses to new workers if they completed 30 days work, but workers rebelled after being told this would be delayed until March 2023, according to Reuters. These newer workers sparked the dramatic scenes and over 20,000 of them have now left.
iPhone City is apparently struggling to maintain staff numbers as a result, with a new $1,800 bonus on offer to those who will stay โ but recipients must have joined at the start of November or earlier.
The 13,000 yuan bonus is nearly double the monthly wage of 6,865 yuan, per the South China Morning Post, and would be paid out at the end of December and January.
Apple is predicted to see a shortfall of 6 million iPhone Pros in coming months as a result of the protests. | 2022-11-28T14:50:22Z | www.businessinsider.com | China's Foxconn Offers iPhone Workers $1,800 to Stay After Protests | https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-foxconn-offers-iphone-workers-1800-to-stay-after-protests-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-foxconn-offers-iphone-workers-1800-to-stay-after-protests-2022-11 |
Here are the top 15 companies for job seekers looking for flexibility at work
Flexibility, such as remote work or flexible hours, can be a key benefit workers want in their job.
Indeed looked at what companies stand out for their flexibility.
Looking at some 2021 Fortune 500 Index companies, Indeed found Intuit as the most flexible.
Given the ongoing popularity of flexibility at work, companies looking to make more hires during the tight labor market may want to see how their work-life balance offerings compare to their peers.
Intuit, Google, and Apple led the way in one ranking from career site Indeed of the "most flexible companies."
"Indeed compiled this list by including companies that are members of the 2021 Fortune 500 Index with 1,500+ data points," a post with the ranking stated. "These companies are the most highly rated on 'flexibility' between September 2021 - September 2022."
Flexibility for this ranking means in terms of where and when employees are expected to work. Based on Indeed's analysis, Intuit ranked number one.
"To be a flexible employer, we must ensure employees and teams have the autonomy to work how and when needed," Jim Curcio, director of global benefits at Intuit, said in a statement to Insider.
"For our tech teams that are co-creating products and need synchronous communication, we've made updates to many of our physical office locations to enable teams to work in person for longer periods of time," Curcio added. "Similarly, we've made technological updates to ensure that employees working remotely feel they're part of the conversation even when folks are in person in a meeting room."
According to a post from FlexJobs, a remote work job site, flexibility has different benefits. This includes helping recruit and retain workers as well as can help with employee engagement.
"When you let people work flexibly, you say that you trust them to get their work done no matter how, when, or where that happens," Jessica Howington of FlexJobs wrote in the post.
It seems remote work will continue to be a popular flexible benefit that recruiters can offer to help attract and retain workers.
"I definitely think remote work will continue to thrive," Svenja Gudell, chief economist of Indeed, previously told Insider. Gudell added that searches for remote positions on the career site Indeed "hasn't really come down."
A recent report from Glassdoor and Indeed about long-term labor market trends states that "remote work is here to stay."
"The acute need to work from home has ended, yet the ability and option to work from anywhere is thriving," the trends report stated. "On Indeed, job postings advertising remote work are above where they were prior to the pandemic, albeit their numbers have slightly decreased since their pandemic heights."
People don't just want flexibility in terms of remote or hybrid work models but having flexibility in when they work.
The following are the 15 companies that made Indeed's ranking of the most flexible companies. We included their flexibility and work happiness scores at the time of reporting from their Indeed pages.
15. Intel Corporation
Flexibility score: 75
Work happiness score: 71
Amber Wiseley, vice president of Global Benefits at Intel, said in a statement:
"At Intel, we believe in a flexible, dynamic workplace that ensures equitable access for all. A big part of achieving this is our hybrid-first approach, which means many of our employees split their time between working remotely and in the office. We're not mandating a single approach regarding the number of days per week all employees should be on-site or how people should collaborate."
13. United Airlines
12. SpartanNash
Business Wire/AP
Nicole Zube, SpartanNash chief human resources officer, said in a statement:
"Retail associates have the ability to swap shifts with others through tools in the payroll system and to schedule shifts around their preferred work times. All benefits-eligible associates have the flexibility to pick from a variety of benefits plans based on their individual or family needs, the ability to carry over PTO to the next calendar year, the opportunity to have paid parental leave, and the ability for hourly associates to use PTO in as short as one-hour increments. In addition, corporate associates have flexible hours and the opportunity for remote work based on role, the ability to buy an extra week of PTO, a grocery delivery service to the Grand Rapids office, and a 'Helping Hands Day' to volunteer in the local community."
Nickle LaMoreaux, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at IBM, said in a statement:
"At IBM, most of our employees are co-located near an IBM office or client, and routinely collaborate and co-create in face-to-face environments. We coined the term 'work-life integration' over 20 years ago and flexibility has always been at the heart of our workplace. IBM's approach is focused on intentional flexibility, with collaboration decided by team- and job-based norms."
Melanie Heitkamp, vice president of talent at Northrop Grumman, said in a statement:
"At Northrop Grumman we embrace the diverse experiences and perspectives of our people including the diversity of work styles. We enable our workforce to do their best work through flexible work arrangements that balance workforce needs and mission requirements. Our workforce can count on us to offer resources for flexibility that bolster their physical, social and emotional well-being and to leverage collaboration tools that nurture a culture of belonging."
8. Booz Allen Hamilton
A Booz Allen spokesperson said in a statement:
"Booz Allen has always embraced the need for flexibility in the workplace, but this need became even more apparent during the pandemic, especially for working parents and caregivers. We make four types of flexible work arrangements available to help employees balance their professional and personal commitments: telework, flexible full-time scheduling (i.e., compressed work schedules), part-time employment, and job sharing (full-time positions filled by two or more part-time individuals)."
Chris Capossela, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Microsoft, wrote in a February blog post:
"We know there's not a singular solution to how people work best, which is why we believe flexibility should be at the forefront of our evolving hybrid workplace. Our approach to hybrid embraces schedule flexibility as standard for most roles and provides employees with the opportunity to determine how and where they work best, while making sure an individual's plans align to the team agreements set with their manager."
A Delta spokesperson said in a statement:
"At Delta, we've tailored the concept of workplace flexibility to meet the specific needs of our people and the unique demands of the airline industry. Flexibility for our people can materialize in a variety of ways, ranging from customizable schedules for many frontline employees to career mobility both geographically and the ability to pursue growth opportunities across business units such as a program that will support Delta employees who want to become pilots. Our people, who personify Delta's unwavering commitment to service and safety, are empowered to define flexibility in a way that will best facilitate their success and wellbeing both on the job and in life."
Jenn Saavedra, chief human resources officer of Dell Technologies, said in a statement:
"We've offered flexibility and the ability to work remotely for more than 12 years. We believe work is an outcome, not a time or place. Today, our work model shows that we're succeeding with a positive and healthy organizational culture. We promise our team members they will be part of a great company that is invested in their career growth. We partner in their achievement, balance and sense of connection, and prioritize building a diverse and inclusive team. Add all that up, and it equals a high-performing, accountable, flexible culture."
A Google spokesperson said in a statement:
"As we've said before, the future of work is flexible. Our approach to hybrid work is based on employee feedback and designed to maximize flexibility while finding intentional ways to maintain connections to teams. We continue to provide top of market compensation across salary, equity, leave and a suite of benefits."
1. Intuit
Jim Curcio, director of global benefits at Intuit, said in a statement:
"Becoming a flexible place to work starts with listening to employees. Intuit has a best practice, as part of our design thinking process, that we call 'follow-me-homes' where we observe customers doing actual work in their real environments in order to gain deep empathy. As a benefits and HR team, it's our job to see our employees as customers and observe how and when they're working best. At the start of the pandemic in particular, we gained a better understanding of what some employees need to feel fully supported at home and at work. As a result of these learnings, we've introduced alternative and flexible work arrangements to all employees including the ability to work reduced hours, adjusted days of working, and flexible work hours. We also created and funded supplemental sick time and enhanced our family support time policy to ensure employees are fully supported to take the time off needed to care for themselves and their families."
Features Economy Remote Work | 2022-11-28T14:50:24Z | www.businessinsider.com | Companies for Job Seekers Who Want Flexibility: Indeed Analysis | https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-for-job-seekers-looking-for-flexible-work-2022-10 | https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-for-job-seekers-looking-for-flexible-work-2022-10 |
There's still hope for the crypto industry despite FTX's collapse, said Fundstrat's Tom Lee.
Its crash flushes out bad actors, he said, adding bitcoin has historically delivered good returns.
Strong crypto firms will emerge from the turmoil like some banks did after the 2008 crisis, he said.
There's still hope for the crypto industry despite FTX's implosion, and bitcoin continues to make sense for some investors, according to Fundstrat's Tom Lee.
In a Friday interview with CNBC, Lee likened this year's bear run in virtual currencies to the 2017-2018 sell-off from which they rebounded in the following years. He stayed bullish on a wobbly crypto sector for two reasons โ the FTX blowout is potentially beneficial because it flushes out bad actors, while history shows bitcoin has delivered good returns, according to him.
"It's an important moment for the industry. I think it is cleaning a lot of and cleansing a lot of bad players. But do I think crypto is dead? No, I think there's a lot of people throwing gasoline in a crowded theatre and yelling fire, and it's just going to be important for those who really like what decentralization and bitcoin are doing," Lee said.
He added that strong crypto companies that emerge from FTX's collapse will be similar to those the banks that survived the 2008 financial crisis, like JP Morgan. "The mistake was to say that banks were untouchable and that's what happened with crypto now," Lee said.
FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy recently, saying its CEO Sam Bankman-Fried had resigned. It's eye-popping collapse, triggered by a severe liquidity crunch, rocked crypto markets and wreaked havoc among other digital-asset firms such as BlockFi and Genesis Trading.
But according to Lee, there are still many crypto companies with good balance sheets, especially those that built their business around bitcoin.
He acknowledged the pressure on the crypto industry, saying it's been a "terrible year" for the sector. Such damage to the digital-asset industry comes as the Federal Reserve ramps up its fight against inflation by aggressively raising interest rates. That sparked a crypto crash earlier this year as investor appetite for high-risk assets waned.
"It's been a horrific year for crypto. Nobody has made money in crypto in 2022," Lee said. But that's no reason to lose confidence in bitcoin, he continued, adding that he's still advising clients to buy the token.
"We first read about bitcoin in 2017, and we recommended people put 1% of their funds into bitcoin at the time. Bitcoin was under $1,000. That holding today would be 40% of their portfolio without rebalance," Lee said.
Bitcoin fell 2.11% at last check Monday to trade around$16,200, per CoinMarketCap.
"So, does bitcoin still make sense for someone who wants to sort of have some sort of ballast? Yes," he added. | 2022-11-28T14:50:26Z | www.businessinsider.com | FTX Crypto Implosion Doesn't Make Bitcoin Untouchable, Fundstrat Says | https://www.businessinsider.com/ftx-crypto-crash-bitcoin-invest-untouchable-fundstrat-tom-lee-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ftx-crypto-crash-bitcoin-invest-untouchable-fundstrat-tom-lee-2022-11 |
Sony's highly rated WH-1000XM4 headphones are on sale for Cyber Monday.
As part of an ongoing Cyber Monday deal, you can pick up a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones for just $228, which is the lowest price we've ever seen them at.
What's significant about this deal is that the XM4s are some of the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy. Sure, they're technically Sony's last-gen noise-cancelers but don't let that fact knock just how good these headphones actually are.
While the latest flagship model, the WH-1000XM5s, have slightly better sound, it's not significant enough to warrant spending an extra $120 (the XM5s are Sony WH-XB910Nalso on sale right now at their lowest price ever at $348). The XM4s still offer similar battery life, have an incredibly comfortable over-ear design, and deliver rich, quality audio that's made better by its intuitive EQ settings.
What this means is that the sum of the XM4's parts aren't too dissimilar from the XM5 โ yet they cost quite a bit less. Put plainly, this is a legitimate steal for one of the best pairs of headphones you can buy. They're perfect for drowning out noise while working from home (or a local coffee shop) and are a must-have for the frequent traveler.
For more deals, be sure to check out our regularly updated roundup of all the best Cyber Monday discounts throughout the day. | 2022-11-28T14:50:42Z | www.businessinsider.com | Sony Headphones Cyber Monday 2022 Deal: Save $130 on WH-1000XM4 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/sony-wh-1000xm4-headphones-cyber-monday-deal-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/sony-wh-1000xm4-headphones-cyber-monday-deal-2022-11 |
Frugal millennial Anita Garcia only pays $510 a month for subsidized university housing.
31-year-old Anita Garcia started investing when she was 18, then joined the FIRE community in 2020.
To retire early, Garcia is living on 52% of her income, then saving and investing the rest.
She slashed her food and housing costs, and started maxing out her retirement savings.
Two years ago, frugal millennial Anita Garcia, 31, learned about the FIRE movement. FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The goal is to save and invest as much of your take-home pay as possible so you can retire before 65.
Garcia tells Insider, "I was inputting some numbers into a retirement calculator, and it let me put in my age. I thought that was interesting. I thought there was just a default retirement number, like 65 or 62 or something."
Use Insiderโs calculator to see if youโre on your way to a comfortable retirement by answering a few questions about yourself, your savings, and how long you expect to keep working.
How much have you saved for retirement?
What is your annual household income?
How much will you save each month?
At what age do you plan to retire?
Optional Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
Expected annual average pay increase?
Anticipated monthly retirement spending?
70% of pre-retirement income
Life expectancy?
You will have about
You will need about
*Need is based on covering 70% of your annual pre-retirement income and a life expectancy of 100 years.
After experimenting with the calculator, Garcia realized she could retire earlier by increasing her retirement contributions and learning how to invest on her own.
According to records viewed by Insider, Garcia has a net worth of $196,283, split between savings and investments.
Garcia started investing $25 a month when she was 18 years old working at a local pizzeria. She continued the habit while in college, and later when she started working full-time. Before joining FIRE in March 2020, Garcia already had a net worth of $55,000. Now, Garcia works part-time at a university near her hometown making about $4,000 per month.
She managed to cut her expenses down to $2,100 a month while investing the rest of her income, which includes money from side hustles. She documents her investing journey on her Instagram page, The Retired Millennial.
Five strategies are helping her get closer to her early-retirement goal.
1. She lowered her living costs
Earlier in 2022, Garcia was living in a one-bedroom in-law unit above her landlord's garage by herself and spending $1,100 a month on rent. Since quitting her job and taking a position at California State University in Monterey Bay, her housing costs have dropped dramatically.
"I have very affordable housing right now through the university, so I get partially subsidized housing," says Garcia. She lives with her boyfriend, and the two of them chose a smaller floor plan to cut down on costs. She pays $510 a month for her share of the rent.
She also changed her grocery shopping habits to cut down her spending on food.
"What really helped was changing where I shopped," says Garcia. "I used to order from Thrive Market and go to my nearest grocery store. But then I became a little better at shopping bargain." These days, Garcia strategically plans out each grocery run and buys what she needs in bulk, ensuring she makes fewer trips and spends less overall.
2. She saved over $770 a month by getting roommates
In 2020 and 2021, Garcia lived in a two-bedroom apartment with her boyfriend that cost $1,290 a month. She found roommates to help her save $770 a month on rent, which she then invested in index funds and ETFs.
3. She invests her earnings from social media
According to records reviewed by Insider, Garcia earns an extra $6,600 from social media, through brand partnerships, affiliate links, and a link where people can buy her a coffee. Aside from a portion set aside for taxes, Garcia invests 100% of those earnings.
4. She invested $10,000 that she earned from flipping furniture
Garcia has a knack for finding and refurbishing old furniture. On her blog, she documented her journey of turning free furniture into $1,000. She found the cheapest materials possible to refurbish and sell the free furniture, then invested the profits to refurbish and sell even more pieces.
According to records viewed by Insider, she made a total of $10,000 flipping furniture in the last two years, then invested that money in the stock market.
5. She maxes out her retirement contributions
When Garcia first began her investing journey, she thought she would be working full-time as a software engineer until she hit $1 million โ her FIRE number, or the amount she'd need to quit working entirely โ in her investment portfolio. That is, until Garcia learned about two other types of FI:
Type of financial independence How much you need to save in your retirement fund before you retire Anita's goal
Traditional FI 25 times your annual expenses, including discretionary spending $1 million
Lean FI Your investments only cover basic necessities, like food, transportation, and housing $600,000
Coast FI You've saved enough in your retirement accounts that if you let your money grow, it can support you when you retire $100,000
To reach Coast FI, Garcia maxed out her IRA contributions and used a separate brokerage accountto invest in index funds on her own.
She says, "Once I hit $100,000, it was enough for me mentally to know, worst-case scenario, I'll have $1 million at age 65. And I'm totally OK with that."
Maxing out your retirement contributions is an expert-recommended strategy for early retirees, but it should be considered along with your other goals.
Jay Zigmont, financial planner and founder of Childfree Wealth, cautions savers to make sure they're leaving enough money in the budget to pay their bills, and to remember that they will eventually have to pay taxes on pre-tax savings. Plus, he says, if you're applying for a mortgage or other loan, a lower AGI on your tax return might qualify you for a lower loan amount.
Onlookers on Instagram have criticized Garcia for living frugally. She says in response, "When people see that I live on $25,000 worth of expenses a year, they really don't equate that to happiness. I actually live a very happy life."
PERSONAL FINANCE A 33-year-old who paid off $115,000 in student loan debt says 7 budgeting strategies helped her do it
PERSONAL FINANCE A 40-year-old physical therapist got $222,000 in student loans forgiven through PSLF and used a tax strategy to pay as little as possible along the way
Saving Spending Investing | 2022-11-28T14:50:48Z | www.businessinsider.com | How a Millennial Grew Her Net Worth by $141,000 in 2 Years | https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/millennial-investment-portfolio-strategies-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/millennial-investment-portfolio-strategies-2022-11 |
European governments are in talks for a price cap on Russian oil at around $65, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that's too high.
The proposed limit is artificial, he said, and would like to see instead a price cap of $30 to $40 per barrel, per Reuters.
On Friday, Zelenskyy said a price cap of $70 a barrel is like a "concession" to Moscow.
While European nations weigh a price cap on Russian oil at around $65 a barrel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for about half that level.
"We would like the sanctions to be very effective in this fight, so that the limit is at the level of $30-$40, so Russia feels them," Zelenskyy said at a news conference on Saturday, according to Reuters.
The December 5 deadline is inching closer, though European Union governments have yet to come to a consensus on what exactly the price cap will be. Talks stalled over the weekend, and the European Commission is now pushing a maximum level of $65, the Financial Times reported.
The price cap will coincide the EU's December 5 embargo on seaborne Russian crude. The idea is to create a loophole in the EU ban that keeps supplies of Russian oil flowing on the global market while limiting export revenues for Moscow.
"The limit that is being considered today โ about $60 โ I think this is an artificial limit," Zelenskyy said.
Earlier reports put the price cap as high as $70 per barrel. On Friday, Zelenskyy said a level that high would be a "concession" to Moscow, given that it's well above production costs.
Experts have said that because buyers in Asia like China and India have already been purchasing Russian crude at a steep discount, a price cap would allow those customers to bid even lower for barrels.
And according to Energy Aspects analyst Livia Gallarati, the nations that have agreed to adhere to the cap are the ones that already are on board with banning Russian oil imports, so it's unlikely to have any major impact.
"If [Russia] kept selling at the level at which they're selling today, then no countries actually need to officially sign up to the price cap because they're getting that discount anyway," she told Insider last week.
Russian Oil price cap Oil price | 2022-11-28T14:51:00Z | www.businessinsider.com | Ukraine President Zelenskyy Wants Russian Oil Price Cap As Low As $30 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-president-zelenskyy-russian-oil-price-cap-europe-sanctions-us-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-president-zelenskyy-russian-oil-price-cap-europe-sanctions-us-2022-11 |
The Meta Quest 2 VR headset is $70 off with 2 free games for Cyber Monday
You can get a special discounted bundle with the Meta Quest 2 and two free games for Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday is here and the sales event is delivering some of the best gaming discounts of the year, like this deal on the Meta Quest 2. For a limited time, you can pick up the 128GB model for $50 off, or the 256GB model for $70 off. And, as an added bonus, buyers get two free games.
The Meta Quest 2 typically comes with the rhythm-centric game Beat Saber, and this special bundle also packs in the iconic survival horror title Resident Evil 4. This saves you (or whoever you gift it to) the trouble of having to figure out which game to play first. Just unbox it, attach the headset, and you'll be gaming in a matter of minutes. | 2022-11-28T15:21:13Z | www.businessinsider.com | Cyber Monday 2022 Meta Quest 2 Deal: VR Bundle With 2 Free Games | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/meta-quest-2-cyber-monday-deal-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/meta-quest-2-cyber-monday-deal-2022-11 |
A Ukrainian flag in the village of Dolyna in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, after the withdrawal of Russian troops on September 24, 2022.
The US is weighing a proposal to send a cheap, 94-mile strike weapon to Ukraine, per Reuters.
The proposal, from Boeing, would combine a small, inexpensive bomb with an existing rocket system.
It comes as the US contemplates its own military supplies and production backlog.
The US is considering a proposal to send Ukraine a small, cheap weapons system that would allow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's military to strike Russian forces up to 94 miles away, according to Reuters.
The weapon, proposed by Boeing, has been called the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), and combines small, inexpensive precision GBU-39 bombs fitted to a M26 rocket motor, the outlet reported.
Both components are in abundant supply in the US, with the plan appearing to address growing pressure on the US' military stockpile, given the quantity of arms it has sent to Ukraine this year.
The proposal is one of around six being developed to aid military production in US, to support Ukraine and allies in Eastern Europe, Reuters reported.
A Pentagon spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but told Reuters that the department works to "identify and consider the most appropriate systems."
In May, the US refused to send its long-range ATACMS weapons to Ukraine, out of concerns that the weapons โ which can travel up to around 190 miles โ could hit targets in Russia.
The 94-mile range of the GLSDB system would nonetheless put previously unreachable targets in Ukraine's crosshairs.
As of November 23, the US has sent Ukraine $19 billion in military aid since the war's outbreak, including 38 HIMARS and 8,500 Javelin anti-armor missile systems.
However, in August reports began to emerge of low supplies of several munitions in the US โ particularly 155mm artillery shells. Efforts to ramp up production are hampered by existing bureaucracy, as Insider's Michael Peck reported.
The Pentagon insisted in a recent statement to Insider that it "will not go below our readiness requirements" when it comes to supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, proposals to send powerful Gray Eagle drones, much desired by Ukraine, have remained stuck in political limbo.
russia ukraine Pentagon Boeing | 2022-11-28T15:21:15Z | www.businessinsider.com | Pentagon Weighs Cheap, 100-Mile-Range Weapons for Ukraine: Reuters | https://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-weighs-cheap-100-mile-range-weapons-for-ukraine-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-weighs-cheap-100-mile-range-weapons-for-ukraine-2022-11 |
The eruption of COVID-19 lockdown protests in China are weighing on stocks in the mainland and in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index shed more than 4% at the open and closed 1.6% lower.
Mainland China's CSI 300 index dropped 1.1% on the day amid the demonstrations.
Stocks in mainland China and in Hong Kong closed lower Monday amid demonstrations across the country related to Beijing's stringent zero-COVID lockdown policies.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong dropped as much as 4% early in the day before recovering to close at about 1.6% lower. Mainland China's CSI 300 index shed 1.1% on the day.
Meanwhile, China's yuan dropped against the dollar early in the day but regained some losses. The currency is trading at about 7.2 per dollar, and has lost roughly 13% against the greenback in 2022.
In the US, too, stocks opened lower as the protests spook investors around the world.
Demonstrations broke out across major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan over the weekend following an apartment fire in Urumqi that resulted in the death of 10 people.
On Saturday, a quiet vigil for the deceased turned into an angry protest that blasted zero-COVID policies. And in some cities, protesters have taken aim directly at President Xi Jinping.
Virus lockdowns have continued for nearly three years in the world's second largest economy, weighing heavily on growth.
The demonstrations could change the government's policy path moving forward, some experts say, but China also reported a record number of COVID-19 cases recently. | 2022-11-28T16:21:48Z | www.businessinsider.com | China's COVID Lockdown Protests Drag on Chinese and Hong Kong Stocks | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-covid-lockdown-protests-chinese-beijing-hong-kong-stocks-zero-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-covid-lockdown-protests-chinese-beijing-hong-kong-stocks-zero-2022-11 |
Fitbit Cyber Monday deals 2022: The best discounts on the Versa 4, Sense 2, and more
Tons of Fitbits are on sale during Cyber Monday, including the Sense 2, the Versa 4, and the Charge 5.
Fitbit; Alyssa Powell/Insider
If you've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to pick up a new Fitbit, then Cyber Monday is as good a time as any. Many of the brand's best watches are on sale for the low prices.
Be it the premium Versa 4, the full-featured Sense 2, or the sporty-yet-basic Inspire 2, there's plenty of Fitbit variety to shop during Cyber Monday. We're huge fans of Fitbit here at Insider Reviews, too, having tested everything in the brand's lineup to narrow down the best of the best.
Though Fitbits typically retail anywhere from around $100 up to $200-plus, we're seeing discounts up to 40% across the lineup. To help you sift through the sales, we've included a few of the best deals we've seen so far below. And if you're looking for any additional deals, be sure to check out our Cyber Monday liveblog.
Best Cyber Monday Fitbit fitness tracker deals
The Fitbit Luxe is a great option for the fashionistas in your life who don't like the look of a traditional smartwatch. For Cyber Monday, it's on sale for $80 โ the lowest price we've seen.
Best Cyber Monday Fitbit smartwatch deals
With its large, squared-off touch screen, the Fitbit Versa 2 is an attractive and affordable mix of smartwatch and activity tracker. Pick one up for a $50 discount for Cyber Monday.
The Fitbit Versa 4 is the perfect smartwatch slash fitness tracker, offering built-in GPS and support for tracking runs, bike rides, and weight lifting while also featuring smartphone notifications, sleep tracking, and stress management advice. Itโs on sale for $80 off its normal price for Cyber Monday.
The Fitbit Sense 2 is the brandโs answer to the Apple Watch, featuring temperature sensing, a built-in ECG, and advanced sleep tracking. It also offers tracking for a wide variety of activities and is compatible with smartphone notifications and some apps. Itโs on sale for $200 for Cyber Monday, which is $100 off its normal price.
Where can you find the best Cyber Monday Fitbit deals?
Most retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and even Fitbit's own online store will likely have similar deals throughout Cyber Monday. Because of this, it's hard to say whether any one retailer is going to offer the "best" prices on Fitbits. | 2022-11-28T16:22:12Z | www.businessinsider.com | Fitbit Cyber Monday Deals 2022: Save up to 50% | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/fitbit-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/fitbit-cyber-monday-deals-2022-11 |
A recession might be looming, but I'm not worried. I feel like I've been preparing my whole life.
Jennifer van Son/Getty Images
I'm not worried about the recession because it feels like I've been practicing for years.
The economic hardships my partner and I have faced together have helped us focus on the long game.
My partner and I live a minimalist existence compared to many around us, yet we are never lacking.
When I think about the looming recession, I worry about my community. About inflation making food a luxury while corporations grow richer, people losing homes and ending up in tent encampments, and kids without sufficient winter gear freezing in the snow.
I don't worry, however, about my immediate family.
Not that my partner and I are wealthy โ far from it. Until recently, we lived month-to-month for years, even though both of us have master's degrees and professional careers. My partner's job moors us in Toronto, one of North America's top 10 least-affordable cities, where the best condo price we could find when we bought last year was $1000 per square foot. Neither of us have family to depend on financially; in fact, we support my partner's family abroad.
And almost two years ago, I became disabled by long COVID, like millions of other Americans. I don't know if I'll ever be able to work full-time again.
I have a lifetime of practice making ends meet
But my partner and I have been training for this our whole lives. As a pre-teen, I posted flyers in my neighborhood to snag babysitting jobs, and started in retail at 16. My partner spent his teens running small businesses, including selling homemade desserts and a detailing service painting tricked-out bicycles. We have always worked.
In our two decades together, we've also gone through periods when only one of us was able to work for pay: first me when my partner had to wait for a US work permit, then him after I gave birth to our child. The economic hardships we've faced together have helped us to focus on the long game, and to calibrate a simple lifestyle. At times, though, those lessons have been painful.
To help with a crisis in my abusive family of origin a few years after I finished graduate school, we spent and borrowed a total of $100,000. Immediately after, we moved to Canada. Our plans and dreams for our future temporarily disappeared.
To stay afloat, we went back to the survival skills of our early years together. I price-shopped, buying most things at outlet grocery stores and only certain necessities at regular supermarkets. In addition to watching a lot of Netflix, we splurged on $5 Tuesdays at the movie theatre down the street โ and snuck in our own snacks. As eating out is far more expensive in Canada, we saved restaurant meals for rare special occasions and invited friends over for dinner.
As we very slowly recovered financially, the Toronto housing market exploded. In the decade between when we arrived in Canada and when we were finally able to buy our own โ extremely tiny โ condo, prices nearly tripled. You now have to earn close to $200,000 a year to afford a house in Toronto. We have often felt bitter about this.
But we also realize that we are extremely lucky to finally have security, compared to other Torontonians. (Even if we had to use every last penny for our down payment last year, and interest rate increases have raised our mortgage payments by 45% since then.) We can now finally start saving for our child's education and put away more for retirement.
Over the years, frugality has become a habit
What sometimes has felt like a limitation has become habit: always thinking about how to save money, limit our consumption, and focus on what's most important to us. We live a minimalist existence compared to many around us, yet we are never lacking.
An example: A few weeks before our child was born, I went on a shopping spree โ at Goodwill. For $40, I carted away bags of baby clothes, some vintage gems, that all together would have cost many hundreds of dollars. Ever since, I've bought the vast majority of our kid's clothes secondhand, and this child is never lacking in style.
When my body changed from pregnancy, I had to sell the discount designer favorites I'd scored on flash-sale sites to a consignment store. But then I got to replace them with used garments in my new size. I refuse to be entirely practical: My love for thrifting has taught me I prefer high-quality natural fibers. When I find secondhand silk, cashmere and linen goodies, I don't mind the handwashing.
Our family ethos is about that scrappiness: We do the absolute best we can with the least resources possible.
We troll Facebook Marketplace for older-model iPhones when ours go kaput. (The toxic components saved from an early death, and less money to Apple.) After our kid outgrows clothes, I sell them online, or gift them to friends or other parents to spread the abundance. Our home is filled with vintage midcentury modern finds that we hunted down for prices cheaper than new Ikea furniture. When I discovered two broken bicycles in the trash, my partner fixed them up, selling one for $750 and turning the other into a fancy big-kid bike for our child.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to buy whatever we wanted without thinking about prices. Given the impact of my disability on our finances, I don't see this ever being possible. But then I realize that part of my enjoyment of our little luxuries is the fact that we got them by working the consumerist system.
Many of our best memories together are a product of that ingenuity. The night we were too broke for a hotel and lucked into a camping spot on a Big Sur riverbank. My partner's mastery of homemade bread and pizza. The free vacations we've taken through home exchanges.
And my favorite, from our first New Year's Eve in Canada: I heard a fishmonger call out a slashed price on Nova Scotia lobster, and hours later we toasted sparkling vinho verde over a buttered lobster feast.
Lygia Navarro is an award-winning narrative journalist and podcast producer based in Toronto. Lygia has a Master's in journalism from UC Berkeley and has reported from across North America, Latin America, and Europe. She's working on a book about parenting after trauma, and is on Twitter @LygiaNavarro.
PERSONAL FINANCE A Chinese American investment manager raised in a working-class family says she'd give her parents 3 pieces of money advice
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Recession Personal Finance Insider PFI Freelance | 2022-11-28T16:22:24Z | www.businessinsider.com | I've Been Preparing for a Recession My Whole Life, and I'm Not Worried | https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/recession-preparing-whole-life-not-worried-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/recession-preparing-whole-life-not-worried-2022-11 |
Premium Home Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Cannabis
The world's largest cannabis companies are gobbling up beer brands and striking deals with top athletes to hawk energy drinks because they're struggling to profit off pot
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a sponsorship deal with BioSteel.
Courtesy of BioSteel
Big cannabis companies like Tilray and Canopy Growth are expanding into beverages.
The moves come as they lose market share in Canada's competitive industry for recreational cannabis.
These companies are trying to figure out how to give their revenue โ and stock prices โ a boost.
It's hard to make money in cannabis, so the world's largest cannabis companies are pivoting.
They're slowly but surely getting into beer and sports drinks, too.
The Canadian cannabis company Tilray in early November acquired Montauk Brewing Company, a New York craft-beer brewer. Tilray already owned SweetWater Brewing Company, an Atlanta-based craft brewer, and Breckenridge Distillery, a Colorado whiskey brand.
Tilray's competitor Canopy Growth, one of the world's largest cannabis companies, is the majority owner of BioSteel, a sports-beverage brand that has sponsorship deals with professional sports teams such as the Toronto Raptors and the Dallas Mavericks as well as high-profile athletes including Kansas City Chief quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
And both companies are led by executives with experience running traditional consumer-packaged goods and beverage companies. Tilray CEO Irwin Simon used to run Hain Celestial Group, a food and supplements company. Canopy Growth counts the Corona beermaker Constellation Brands among its largest investors and is run by David Klein, the alcohol giant's former CFO.
'Trying to be something different'
"I'm trying to be something different," Simon said in an interview. "I'm trying to create the next generation of a cannabis, beer, and spirits company that no one else is doing out there."
He says that while the market might think of Tilray as just a "cluster of businesses," his goal is to build intelligently around Tilray's brands โ like Diageo or AB InBev, but with pot.
Tilray CEO Irwin Simon.
Courtesy of Aphria
Both companies have lost market share in Canada's competitive legal market, according to analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald, and recreational cannabis is a shrinking chunk of their overall revenue. The bright spots, analysts say, appear to be their non-cannabis businesses.
After Canopy reported its financial results on November 9, analysts mostly touted the company's beverage business and highlighted the company's continued challenges in making money selling pot.
Canopy's core cannabis business saw revenue tumble 27% compared with the same quarter last year, while BioSteel revenue nearly quadrupled, according to the company's filings. Canopy brought in 52.3 million Canadian dollars, or about $39.1 million, from its core Canadian cannabis business, and another CA$10.6 million from its international cannabis business, while BioSteel brought in about CA$30 million.
In a November 11 note, analysts at the investment bank Jefferies called Canopy's core Canadian cannabis business "a sideshow." Cowen analyst Vivien Azer said the company's revenue beat was "driven almost entirely by BioSteel." Analysts from Stifel continued their "Sell" rating on the stock while touting BioSteel as one of the few successful units at the company.
Canopy, for its part, announced a complex plan in October to plow into the more lucrative US cannabis market, through options it has to purchase three US cannabis companies and report their results on its balance sheet โ which would surely give its cannabis revenue a boost. But Nasdaq, where Canopy is listed, objects to parts of the plan, so its fate is unclear.
"While we remain focused on our core cannabis business, our high growth CPG strategy anchored by BioSteel is showing impressive performance as the brand consistently achieves record quarter-over-quarter revenues and continues its rise to the top of the sports hydration category," a Canopy Growth representative, Jennifer White, told Insider in an emailed statement.
She added that cannabis remained a core component of Canopy's business and that the company's mergers-and-acquisitions strategy would be focused on building out Canopy's capacity in the US cannabis market.
Klein, the Canopy CEO, previously told Insider he's focused on the US and wanted to be "on the fast-track" to enter the US cannabis market when he's able to do so.
Tilray's cannabis business slumps, while beer booms
Like Canopy, Tilray's core cannabis business is also declining while its beverage unit and other businesses are growing.
Tilray's cannabis revenue declined 17% in the quarter that ended August 31, compared with the same period last year, while its alcoholic beverage business saw revenue climb 34%.
In January, Tilray changed its corporate name to Tilray Brands to reflect the company's "evolution from a Canadian LP to a global consumer packaged goods company powerhouse," the company said in a press release.
To be sure, Tilray's beverage business still accounts for only a small fraction of its total business. In the most recent quarter, it accounted for 13% of revenue, up from 9% a year earlier. The company's cannabis business, on the other hand, accounted for 38% of revenue, down from 42%.
Tilray has been expanding its international medical cannabis businesses as well and owns Manitoba Harvest along with other hemp-and-CBD wellness units that account for a combined 49% of revenue. The company also has an option to acquire a majority stake in the US cannabis retailer MedMen but, like Canopy, isn't able to close the acquisition until US federal regulations permit.
Coming to a cannabis company's balance sheet near you.
AP/Toby Talbot
Cannabis companies are hurting, so they're looking beyond pot
So what's pushing these companies to get into beer and other beverages?
For one, stringent regulations on cannabis branding and high taxes squeeze margins both in Canada and in the US.
Second, it's becoming clear that cannabis is becoming a cheap commodity, like corn or soybeans.
And third, oversupply in Canada and some US states, along with the persistent illicit market, have pushed many legal cannabis sellers out of business.
Take a look at Tilray's stock: Shortly after Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, Tilray's stock shot up to nearly $150. It then began a precipitous decline, and it's now worth just over $4 a share. Put it this way: If you invested in Tilray's initial public offering, you've lost nearly 90% of your money. Canopy Growth's Nasdaq-listed shares trade more than 70% below their IPO price.
Beyond cutting costs, it was, therefore, only a matter of time before the world's largest cannabis companies, with investors and shareholders breathing down their necks, looked elsewhere to boost their margins.
As Tilray's Simon put it: "Either I'm real crazy, or I'm real smart. Not kidding."
Cannabis Marijuana | 2022-11-28T16:22:30Z | www.businessinsider.com | Tilray and Canopy Growth Are Pivoting to Beer and Energy Drinks | https://www.businessinsider.com/tilray-canopy-growth-strategy-pivoting-to-beer-and-energy-drinks-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/tilray-canopy-growth-strategy-pivoting-to-beer-and-energy-drinks-2022-11 |
Elena Duque.
Courtesy of Elena Duque
Elena Duque is a guest host on the TV channel QVC and has a side hustle as an Amazon influencer.
She earns commission by promoting beauty products to online shoppers via livestreams and lists.
By encouraging her TikTok followers to buy products from her Amazon lists, she earns $1,000 a month.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Elena Duque, a 41-year-old with a side hustle as an Amazon influencer who lives in South Florida. Insider has verified her income with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
My day job is being a guest host on the home-shopping TV channel QVC, where I'm a spokesperson for its athleisure line Sport Savvy. My hours vary, but I work around 60 hours a month. I'm also a content creator and spend around 20 hours a week blogging and pitching to brands that I already use, or brands that I'd like to try, to see if they'd like to collaborate. My main side hustle is as an Amazon influencer.
Courtesy of Elena Duque.
I'm a licensed esthetician and former New York City spa owner. In 2017, when I owned my spa, I attended a beauty-bloggers event, which inspired me to start an Instagram and a website dedicated to beauty tips and skincare with a little bit of motherhood sprinkled in. Now I'm mainly beauty-focused with some travel and lifestyle.
I also had my first TV appearance in 2018 on "Good Day New York," where I got to talk about and demo antiaging spa treatments. From there, I grew my own little business as an on-air beauty expert and influencer, and over the past five years, I've been on TV and featured in major publications.
I make at least $1,000 in affiliate commissions a month by sharing my favorite beauty products on Pinterest, TikTok, and my blog. I share on Instagram as well, but my engagement and visibility there are much lower than my other platforms.
I applied to be an Amazon Influencer in 2019
When I truly started to move my focus to increasing sales on my Amazon storefront โ as opposed to just letting the storefront sit there โ I started to see more traffic to my page and more commission. I used to only do content creation for brands, and I wasn't really interested in affiliate marketing because I thought nobody would take the time to click on my link, but once I saw a small increase in my traffic and sales, I was motivated to create more videos around products I use from Amazon.
At that time, I had around 20,000 Instagram followers and barely any blog traffic. When I applied, you needed to have 1,000 followers, an active social media presence where you post regularly, and already be posting content where you're selling to your audience. Amazon is interested in influencers who are posting daily and sharing product recommendations, tutorials, and must-haves. They want to know that you'll bring traffic to Amazon, and the proof is in your social media habits and analytics.
I was accepted, but I didn't do anything with it at the time.
In July 2021, I started a TikTok account, and that's when the magic happened
I went viral a couple of times in December, and one of my viral videos about how to gain fuller lashes in seconds reached almost one million views and gained me thousands of followers.
Some influencers do makeup tutorials but don't ever truly speak to their audience, and some people do funny skits, which puts them in the comedy niche. I do a mix of beauty tutorials and reviews with funny and relatable content, too. My content is known as "edutainment" on TikTok.
I lean into being an esthetician and mention this in my videos to establish credibility. In fact, I try to start off every video with "My name is Elena Duque. I'm an esthetician and national on-air beauty expert."
I post to my TikTok at least three times a day, which is key to building on the platform. After one year of consistently posting on TikTok, I now have 120,000 loyal followers.
Once my numbers grew, I was invited into Amazon's beauty-specific influencer program
In the beginning, I started testing the waters by creating videos talking about products I loved. I would direct my viewers to check the link in my bio either in a text onscreen or verbally. I had no idea that it would work, but it did. I started getting consistent orders.
But I still wasn't getting many sales from my blog or Pinterest, so I hired a virtual assistant to help me revamp those pages and link back to Amazon as much as possible. TikTok is still the number-one place where I direct traffic to my Amazon store, but I'm starting to see an uptick in traffic from my Pinterest and blog now as well.
During a busy week, I'll spend 5 hours on my storefront
I typically spend two to three of those hours creating Amazon Idea Lists, blog and Pinterest posts, and content for TikTok. Amazon Idea Lists are an Amazon influencer's way of creating links to the products they're selling. It can be just one product or hundreds of products, and it has a title like "Elena Duque โ Esthetician, Beauty & Lifestyle Finds' Amazon Page."
I have a landing page linked in my bio on TikTok with a link to my Amazon storefront, so rather than linking each product each time, which is impossible really, I just tell my followers to go to the link in bio. If the product is linked in a particular Amazon Idea List, I'll tell them that as well.
For example, if I make a quick TikTok talking about cleansers for dry skin, I'll tell viewers that I linked my favorites in my Amazon store under "dry skin cleansers." It's specific and it works.
Once a week, I take a sheet of paper and write down Amazon store content ideas. Once I have that figured out, I can make my videos or take photos for the content. This helps me stay organized and batch content. This also keeps my work time way down.
A year and a half ago, I had an assistant and a Pinterest manager. I tried the extra help for around six months and decided it wasn't for me, so now I work alone.
I've also started doing Amazon Live and it's been quite lucrative
Amazon Live allows you to create branded livestreams featuring any products you like. It's not for everyone. I happen to already work on live TV, so I don't have an issue with it.
On the day of your show, you basically just go live and move through each product, discussing the details and benefits. You can also check to see if the Amazon Influencer Program offers extra discounts or coupons for those products to share with viewers.
I like doing Amazon Live because it's a fun way to interact with viewers and showcase products. People can chat with you through a chat box, and I try to respond to my viewers the whole time using the chat function. Your Amazon store followers get notified when you're live, and Amazon will push your live video out to viewers who are already on the site shopping.
Even if your show gets very few viewers, the live replay of the video will live on your storefront. I did two shows on Amazon Prime Day and they did really well. I think it's an underutilized tool.
I encourage anyone with a social-media platform or blog to apply for the Amazon Influencer Program
I've heard around in chats and social-media posts that it's been a bit more difficult to get accepted than it was in the past because so many people are applying. I recommend trying multiple times until you get accepted.
Once accepted, it offers tons of resources, training videos, and guides on best practices on how to get started, how to link products, and how to create content. If you feel lost like I did at the beginning, it's totally normal. I suggest taking a day or two to go through all of the free resources provided, take notes, look at other influencers' pages, and then start creating that content.
BI-freelancer Makeup Beauty | 2022-11-28T16:52:22Z | www.businessinsider.com | How I Make $1,000 a Month As an Amazon Influencer on the Side | https://www.businessinsider.com/make-1000-month-amazon-influencer-side-gig-5-hours-week-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/make-1000-month-amazon-influencer-side-gig-5-hours-week-2022-11 |
Martin Eberhard and Elon Musk
Chris Weeks/WireImage via Getty
Elon Musk defended his role in Tesla's early history in a Twitter thread on Sunday.
Eberhard once sued Musk, alleging libel for claiming to be a Tesla founder.
Elon Musk defended his role in Tesla's early history and took a dig at Martin Eberhard, one of the founders of the electric-car maker, on Sunday.
The Tesla CEO made the comments in response to a thread on Twitter that said Musk "pushed out" Tesla founders Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, and "spent the next ten years telling everyone he founded Tesla."
Musk's role in Tesla's early history has been a point of contention in the past. In 2009, Eberhard sued Musk, alleging libel and slander because Musk started calling himself Tesla's founder. That same year, the lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount with the condition that Musk and two other Tesla executives, J.B. Straubel and Ian Wright, could also claim the title of Tesla founders. Today, Musk is listed as a cofounder of Tesla on the carmaker's website.
Eberhard and Tarpenning incorporated the company in 2003. Eberhard came up with the idea for an electric-car startup in 2000 after Tarpenning and Eberhard sold their e-book company, NuvoMedia, for $187 million, Drake Baer reported for Insider in 2014.
Musk, who had money from founding PayPal, stepped in to lead the upstart's Series A funding round in 2004, contributing $6.5 million and joining Tesla's board as chairman after Eberhard pitched Tesla to him over email as "a company with very high potential for growth" that could break "the compromise between driving performance and efficiency," Baer reported.
The company debuted its first car in 2006, generating a media blitz that labeled Eberhard as "Mr. Tesla." At the time, Musk appeared to take offense at the lack of media coverage around his involvement in Tesla and even threatened to sever ties with the company's press relations firm over the stories. Eberhard told Baer it was the first time he butted heads with Musk.
Musk, who officially became CEO of the company in 2008, has repeatedly disparaged Eberhard. Last year, Musk said Eberhard was "by far the worst person I've ever worked with in my entire career," saying the cofounder came "close to killing Tesla."
Do you work for Tesla or have insight to share? Reach out to the reporter from a non-work email at gkay@insider.com
NOW WATCH: Why China Loves Tesla
Elon Musk Martin Eberhard Tesla | 2022-11-28T18:23:41Z | www.businessinsider.com | Musk Slams Tesla Founder in Response to a Tweet About Company's Origin | https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-defends-role-tesla-history-slams-founder-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-defends-role-tesla-history-slams-founder-2022-11 |
Chinese citizens across the country are protesting the government's "zero COVID" policy.
Experts said that walking back some policies could quell protests but won't be enough to stop them.
One expert said the protests are "tricky" for Chinese authorities because they are so widespread.
As China doubles down on its "zero COVID" policies, citizens in major cities have taken to the streets to protest the strict lockdowns three years since the coronavirus's first outbreak.
Two international politics experts told Insider that while reversing some zero COVID policies could ease protestors, it won't be enough to send them home for good.
Chong Ja Ian, a professor at the National University of Singapore's political science department, told Insider that the protests are "very tricky" for Chinese authorities because they are so widespread.
"With protests popping up everywhere and [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] having owned the zero COVID policy, this approach becomes more complicated for the [Chinese Communist Party] to undertake," Chong said. "The party-state does not like to look like it is caving to pressure, especially under Xi. That may mean greater incentives to crack down, which itself can become costly after a point."
Chong added that "some loosening up could encourage protesters to go home," but he predicted that if protestors think they can get Chinese authorities to back down, they might leverage protests again over other issues in the future.
Protests erupted over the weekend after a Thursday apartment fire killed 10 people in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region. In online discussions, commenters argued that the fire might have been put out more swiftly had COVID restrictions on the building not been in place, the Associated Press reported.
Seemingly in response to the fire, the Beijing City Government announced Monday that it would no longer require gates outside of apartment complexes where people with COVID-19 are living, PBS News Hour reported.
But the government has shown no signs of easing any other zero COVID rules.
And in the days since the fire, protests have spread across the country. Students at multiple universities have gathered on their campuses in protest. People in the streets of Beijing shouted, "No to COVID tests, yes to freedom." Some protestors called for President Xi Jinping's resignation, the AP reported.
Protesters around the country held up blank, white pieces of paper above their heads to protest against the zero COVID policies. The blank sheet of paper has become a symbol of defiance against the ruling Communist party in China.
To manage the protests, Ian Bremmer, a geopolitics expert and the founder and president of Eurasia Group, said he expects "enforcement of existing policies will become somewhat more lax."
But he doesn't predict a "broader relaxation of the zero covid policy."
"There's too much concern about hospitals getting overwhelmed, especially given present case numbers and concern of a further winter spike," Bremmer said, speaking to Insider.
Xi voiced those concerns during a visit to Wuhan Tuesday in response to the zero COVID policies, state news agency Xinhua reported. During his visit, he said that his government "would rather temporarily affect a little economic development than risk harming people's life safety and physical health, especially the elderly and children."
Bremmer said the relaxing of some policies "by itself won't end protests."
He added that it is unlikely "there's as much on weekdays...and more targeted repression will also have an effect."
Speed desk China coronavirus | 2022-11-28T19:24:37Z | www.businessinsider.com | China Doubles Down on 'Zero COVID' Rules As Protests Grow | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-zero-covid-rules-protests-major-cities-experts-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/china-zero-covid-rules-protests-major-cities-experts-2022-11 |
Demonstrators in Beijing on November 27, 2022.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images, Stringer
Protests have erupted across China as anger over strict COVID policies boils over.
Some anti-government demonstrations have called for the end of Xi Jinping's rule.
Photos show massive groups of people carrying symbols of defiance โ a rare rebuke of Chinese rule.
Anti-government protests have swept across China over the last few days as anger over the country's strict zero-COVID measures boils over into defiance against the Chinese government's rule.
Nearly three years into the pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping has maintained draconian policies to contain the spread of the virus โ including intense lockdowns โ but COVID-19 cases have still surged in recent weeks.
Despite the rise in cases, people are starting to speak out publicly against the measures. At one factory, workers even rioted and clashed with security guards.
Tensions erupted after a fire broke out at an apartment building last week in the western Xinjiang region, leaving 10 people dead. Locals allege the strict COVID measures kept people from fleeing the burning building, the BBC reported.
Since the fire, mass protests โ which are rare in China โ have spread to cities across the country, including Beijing and Shanghai, as people express their anger over the tragedy in Xinjiang and their frustrations with the government.
Some protesters have called for Xi and the Communist Party to be stripped of their power, and have held blank sheets of paper above their heads as a symbol of their defiance.
The protests โ while not as intense as the deadly Tiananmen Square rallies โ are still the largest since 1989 and photographs show the scale of the demonstrations.
Some protesters have held vigils during demonstrations
Anger boiled over after multiple people died in a fire in western China amid the country's strict lockdown requirements.
Protests have been largely peaceful, but there has been reported police violence
Police form a cordon during a protest against China's strict zero COVID measures on November 28, 2022 in Beijing, China.
Though the demonstrations have been relatively peaceful, protesters in cities like Shanghai were met with police violence.
Protesters have used blank sheets of paper as a symbol of defiance
Protesters hold up pieces of paper against censorship and China's strict zero COVID measures on November 27, 2022 in Beijing, China.
In one symbol of defiance against the government, demonstrators have elected to raise blank, white sheets of paper over their heads.
"The white paper represents everything we want to say but cannot say," a man named Johnny told Reuters during a protest near Liangma River.
People chanted, "No to our leaders, yes to voting. We won't be slaves, we are citizens," at a protest in Beijing on Sunday while holding up pieces of paper.
Protests are large in scale and widespread
Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images
Protests over the weekend took place in multiple Chinese cities and regions, including Shanghai, Xinjiang, Beijing, and Nanjing.
Quiet vigils have turned into angry demonstrations
Protesters and police gather during a protest against Chinas strict zero COVID measures on November 27, 2022 in Beijing, China.
Quiet vigils for those killed in the Xinjiang fire have turned into demonstrations, with people chanting "we don't want PCR tests" and urging a change in the country's leadership.
Some arrests have been made
Protesters clash with policemen during a protest in Beijing, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022.
According to a report from the BBC, police have arrested some protesters and sectioned off streets. It's unclear how many people have been arrested.
Censorship hides some protests content
Some content related to the ongoing protests, like hashtags or footage of demonstrations, has been censored from Chinese social media sites.
Features COVID-19 Lockdown | 2022-11-28T19:24:43Z | www.businessinsider.com | PHOTOS: Demonstrators Turn Against Xi As Protests Sweep Across China | https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-china-covid-protests-demonstrators-turn-against-xi-2022-11 | https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-china-covid-protests-demonstrators-turn-against-xi-2022-11 |
The brand-new Apple Watch Ultra is $60 off right now for Cyber Monday
The brand-new Apple Watch Ultra is being discounted for Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday is in full swing and several Apple devices are down to all-time low prices. Though it's rare to find the company's newest products on sale, we're seeing a fantastic deal on the brand-new Apple Watch Ultra.
For a limited time, you can snag the company's high-end smartwatch for $739, which is $60 off its full retail price. That's the best price we've seen for this model since it launched in September. Though $60 might not seem like a huge deal, Apple products don't often get discounts so soon after their release.
The Apple Watch Ultra offers all of the health and fitness tracking options that you can find on other models, while adding a few key improvements that make it a particularly good fit for extreme sports.
With an aerospace titanium build, the Apple Watch Ultra is the most durable option in Apple's lineup. Other perks over less expensive models include a bigger and brighter screen, better speaker, and a longer-lasting battery that's capable of up to 36 hours of use.
It's not clear how long this $60 discount will last, but if the Apple Watch Ultra is on your shopping list, we recommend grabbing this deal before Cyber Monday comes to a close. And for more discounts, check out all the latest Cyber Monday deals in our regularly updated liveblog.
Insider Reviews 2022 Insider Picks Tech | 2022-11-28T20:56:07Z | www.businessinsider.com | Apple Watch Ultra Cyber Monday Deal: Save $60 on the New Smartwatch | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/apple-watch-ultra-cyber-monday-deal-2022-11-28 | https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/apple-watch-ultra-cyber-monday-deal-2022-11-28 |
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