• BeReal has been making a pitch to creators that they should post more regularly on the app.
• The social media app is trying to regain some of the momentum from its breakout year in 2022.
• BeReal is hoping to attract creators with the potential for big-name advertiser tie-ups.

BeReal wants influencers to help chart its next era.

The social media app, which prompts users to quickly snap a photo or video within a two-minute window each day, is starting to proactively pitch creators in the US to get verified on the platform and post more regularly.

Ben Moore, BeReal's US managing director, told CMO Insider that the company has been talking with creators who "have this very unfiltered, raw, and authentic way of engaging with their audience, that are a perfect fit for BeReal."

He said the concentrated effort to begin courting US influencers began in the second quarter of this year. It builds on the outreach it kicked off in France and Japan in the first quarter, which helped it build deeper relationships with creators, including Léna Situations, Inoxtag, and Michou.

The move is part of a broader strategy to help the app regain some of the momentum from its breakout year in 2022, when BeReal went viral and topped app store charts.

The research company Sensor Tower estimates BeReal was downloaded about 8.5 million times in 2025, representing a 41% year-over-year decline. While BeReal's current user base might be much smaller than rivals, the company says its audience is loyal. BeReal says it has 40 million monthly active users, with more than 50% of them opening the app 6 days a week.

BeReal doesn't have an ad revenue-sharing program or a creator fund like other big social platforms. Instead, BeReal says it can help facilitate partnerships between creators and big-brand advertisers who use the platform. It also offers creators insights tools to help them understand the types of people who see their posts and which ones are gaining the most traction.

Moore said the company has worked with more than 500 advertisers since launching ads, including major brands such as Amazon, Apple, and L'Oréal. More than 60% of its clients in the US are repeat advertisers, Moore said.

Part of the pitch to creators is about expanding their potential audiences. BeReal says that around 27% of its US users aren't on Snapchat, 25% aren't Facebook users, and 23% don't use TikTok, citing November 2025 data from the research firm GWI.

In its outreach to creators, BeReal emphasizes that its feed is populated by real humans and that it will "never have AI" or encourage infinite scrolling, Moore said.

BeReal "resonates with creators that want to show the behind-the-scenes and want to show a different side of themselves that they don't post to other platforms," Moore added.

Simon Andrews, founder of the digital marketing consultancy Addictive, said BeReal could struggle to compete with larger platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube for creators.

Those platforms demonstrate "huge numbers, constant innovation, and clear evidence of the platform's impact," Andrews said. "Apps like BeReal feel like they are lost — installed but nowhere near the first screen where people keep the apps they constantly use."

BeReal is hiring for a Paris-based head of growth who will report to the CEO and be responsible for scaling the platform globally, per a job ad on its parent company's website.

BeReal's creator-monetization strategy may create a tension with the app's original ethos, said James Poulter, founder of digital transformation consultancy ThreePoint Labs.

"They set themselves out as the unfiltered, unedited, no-algorithm-in-sight social platform, but it's exactly what breaks the moment creators start treating it as a monetization channel," Poulter said.

"Creators optimize for engagement, and then authenticity goes out the window, and you end up with a slightly less polished Instagram," he added.

This challenge isn't insurmountable, Poulter said, but he added that BeReal will need to build more formal matching mechanisms between brands and creators, with clear rates and transparent terms, if it wants serious creator buy-in.

• Snap is the latest tech company to announce layoffs.
• The company behind Snapchat will cut 16% of its global workforce, according to a regulatory filing.
• In a memo to employees, CEO Evan Spiegel referenced "rapid advancements" in AI.

Snap has become the latest tech company to announce sweeping layoffs.

In a memo to employees released in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, CEO Evan Spiegel said Snap would cut 1,000 employees, about 16% of its global workforce, citing "rapid advancements" in AI.

"While these changes are necessary to realize Snap's long-term potential, we believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers," Spiegel wrote.

The Snap CEO said the company would also close more than 300 open roles, and that US-based employees would receive four months of severance, healthcare coverage, and equity vesting. Spiegel also wrote that employees based in North America should work from home on Wednesday.

Snap joins a wave of tech companies cutting staff this year. Oracle and Meta announced layoffs last month, while Amazon slashed 16,000 corporate roles in January, citing a need to chop bureaucracy. In some cases, leaders are citing AI. The CEOs of Atlassian and Block both said AI was changing the needs of their workforce when they trimmed staff earlier this year.

In an investor update included in Snap's regulatory filing, the company said the layoffs would result in estimated annualized cost savings of $500 million.

"Snap faces a crucible moment — squeezed between giants with enormous resources and nimble startups moving fast," the company wrote in the investor presentation. "To meet this moment, we are pivoting toward profitable growth."

Snap said this new strategy would include scaling its subscription business and higher-margin ad placements.

The company said it also plans to transform its internal business model to spread critical work across both human teams and "increasingly capable AI agents." Under Snap's new operating model, at least 65% of new code was generated by AI, the company said in its investor presentation.

Read Spiegel's memo below:

Dear Team,

Today we are announcing changes that will impact approximately 1,000 team members at Snap, including 16% of our full time employees, in addition to closing more than 300 open roles. This is an incredibly difficult decision, and I am deeply sorry to the colleagues who will be leaving us. You have made important contributions to Snap, and we are committed to supporting you through this transition.

Last fall, I described Snap as facing a crucible moment, requiring a new way of working that is faster and more efficient, while pivoting towards profitable growth. Over the past several months, we have carefully reviewed the work required to best serve our community and partners, and made tough choices to prioritize the investments we believe are most likely to create long-term value. As a result of these changes, we expect to reduce our annualized cost base by more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, helping to establish a clearer path to net-income profitability.

While these changes are necessary to realize Snap's long-term potential, we believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers. We have already witnessed small squads leveraging AI tools to drive meaningful progress across several important initiatives, including Snapchat+, enhanced ad platform performance, and efficiency improvements in our Snap Lite infrastructure.

If you are part of our North America team, please work from home today. In the US, impacted team members will receive an email notification within the next hour, including information about next steps. For non-US locations, you will receive additional details about next steps from leadership and HR.

To our departing colleagues: thank you. Your hard work has helped shape Snap, and we are deeply grateful for your contributions. For U.S.-based team members who are leaving, we will provide four months of severance, healthcare coverage, and equity vesting, along with career transition support.

Outside the U.S., we will follow local processes and seek to provide comparable support aligned with local norms.

To everyone continuing on this journey: change of this magnitude and at this speed is never easy and it will not be seamless. Thank you for your resilience, compassion, and commitment to one another, and to the community and partners we serve. Our responsibility is to move forward with clarity, empathy, and determination as we build a faster, stronger, and more durable Snap for the long term.

Evan

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

• The Long Play is a series bringing together leaders, builders, creators, and thinkers who are shaping what comes next.
• For the first edition, attendees heard from Bryan Johnson, Jason Blum, Joanna Strober, and Carina Hong.
• Ben Bergman shared what it was like backstage.

I was eating a cup of fruit standing backstage at the Long Play, the first edition of Business Insider's new live event series, when Bryan Johnson, who has amassed more than 2.4 million Instagram followers for extolling the lifestyle of living forever, strolled in with his partner, Kate Tolo.

Fortunately, my meal was healthy and I could sense Johnson's seal of approval. But he said he couldn't partake because we were well past his strict cut-off for any form of eating before his mandatory 8:30 PM bedtime. Rules are rules.

People love taking selfies with Johnson and another speaker, Joanna Strober, founder and CEO of Midi Health, was not shy about immediately asking him for one. He politely obliged. "Can I also get a video?" she asked.

Since the floodgates were open, I could not resist asking him for a selfie too before he went on stage to discuss why Silicon Valley founders need to have more sex and shared a test for figuring out your biological age.

The event was held at The Exploratorium, a museum known for hands-on displays, located on the San Francisco waterfront. The Long Play also featured Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse, and Carina Hong, founder and CEO of Axiom Math.

An audience of more than 100 people gathered to snack on poke bowls and chicken thighs, and to glean insights about what the future holds in this perilous moment for AI when everyone is trying to figure out how to stay one step ahead of the bots.

But if they were looking for advice from Johnson, they were not going to get it.

"Nobody has anything intelligent to say about the future," he said.

• Hedge funds are in high demand, BlackRock says in its latest report on the industry.
• Still, the world's largest asset manager warns that outcomes across the industry will be varied.
• Hedge funds' value "is not inherent," the new report states.

The hedge fund industry is expected to grow by hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming years — exceeding $6 trillion by 2030 — but not every investment will be a winner.

Hedge funds will experience a "wider range of possibilities" than in the past, BlackRock states in a new report, due to choppy markets and the uncertain geopolitical environment. While those conditions give the roughly $5 trillion hedge fund industry more opportunities to outperform, the added volatility can wrongfoot even the smartest investors.

The institutions and family offices that invest in hedge funds need to know that the industry's value "is not inherent," the report states.

"Today's market environment is not only expanding the opportunity set for hedge funds, but it's also increasing the premium on manager skill," writes Michael Pyle, the $13.9 trillion asset manager's deputy head of the portfolio management group, in the report.

In other words, the gap between the industry's winners and losers will be significant, so the "selectivity, adaptability, and discipline" of hedge-fund backers will matter more than ever.

Hedge funds as a whole are not a monolith. Instead, they comprise a range of strategies, from sprawling multistrategy funds with dozens of teams trading different asset classes around the world to concentrated equity managers that focus on a small collection of companies to sophisticated systematic strategies run by algorithms and computer scientists.

Hedge funds' advantage in the increasingly volatile market conditions slamming equity and bond markets lies in their nimbleness and ability to use more complex instruments, such as derivatives, to express their market views, BlackRock writes. But these same instruments and against-the-grain views can backfire.

"Disciplined manager selection, thoughtful portfolio construction, and rigorous risk management" are essential to build a resilient roster of hedge funds, the report reads, and "that includes stress-testing exposures, trimming allocations where risk has risen alongside strong performance, and maintaining the flexibility to deploy capital to the most interesting opportunities."

The ability to move capital in and out of different strategies has diminished in recent years as sought-after managers, such as Izzy Englander's Millennium, have increased lock-up periods, and many of the top funds have been closed to new capital for years. The risks posed by the growth of multistrategy managers, in particular, should be top of mind, BlackRock states, as they've increased industrywide talent costs and warped markets through the leverage they employ.

Of course, the most essential part of any recipe is the quality of the ingredients, and a stew of hedge funds is no different.

"Access to and selection of the best hedge funds remains critical," the report states.

• MrBeast is on the hunt for his first global CMO to round out his executive suite.
• The move reflects the top YouTuber's growing ambitions as he aims to build an entertainment giant.
• MrBeast's company has expanded into categories including snacks and financial services.

MrBeast is on the hunt for his first global CMO as his company looks to round out its executive suite.

The world's biggest YouTuber, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has been on a hiring spree lately, staffing up across brand partnerships, consumer products, and studio operations. Big hires have included NBCUniversal vet Corie Henson, who leads the studio division, and TikTok alum Beau Avril, who heads brand partnerships.

These moves reflect Beast Industries' growing ambitions, as it expands far beyond Donaldson's YouTube channel and seeks to become a Disney-style entertainment giant.

Along with Feastables, his snack company, Donaldson recently expanded into financial services with the acquisition of the app Step, and has plotted a mobile phone service.

He's also laying the groundwork to expand into ad and marketing services for brands, as well as services for other independent content creators like himself.

The CMO will have a wide remit, a person familiar with the search told Business Insider.

They'll step into a role overseeing a brand that's trying to become less reliant on its famous founder. It'll also require someone who can do everything from getting people to theatrical releases — Donaldson is lending his voice to "Angry Birds Movie 3," which is scheduled for a December release — to selling snacks and toys in stores, or pitching them on phone plans and checking accounts.

The person familiar with the search emphasized that the company is seeking a top marketer who's above all a businessperson, with a record of delivering results.

The person said the CMO role will report directly to Jeff Housenbold, who became CEO of Beast Industries in September and has been leading the charge to button up the company financially as it plans for an eventual IPO.

Housenbold, who brings experience at Shutterfly and SoftBank, is leading the search with chief people officer Tia Silas and hopes to fill the role within six months.

In recent months, Beast Industries has struck broad partnerships with blue-chip giants that reflect its growing marketing ambitions.

A Starbucks collaboration included sponsoring "Beast Games" season 2, providing round-the-clock access to Starbucks food and drink for contestants of the reality competition series, and creating a limited-time special "Cannon Ball Drink." Donaldson also lent his image and young-audience appeal to help Salesforce create a Super Bowl spot.

A 'dream job' with unique challenges

"This is a CMO's dream job," a MrBeast spokesperson said. "It's a chance to work with one of the world's most talented entrepreneurs and creators, alongside a seasoned CEO and executive team who have grown massive consumer businesses and taken companies public."

Filling the role presents some special challenges. On one hand, candidates could be drawn to the chance to help YouTube's top creator, with over 477 million subscribers, reach new heights. On the other hand, candidates with big-company experience may have to get used to smaller budgets and a nimble, creator-led culture. If it requires a move to the home base in Greenville, NC, where many of MrBeast's employees work, that may be a dealbreaker for some.

"No matter how you slice it, this is still an early-stage business that's growing rapidly," said John McCarus, a recruiter focused on the creator economy. "There's going to be chaos and resource challenges and significant expectations, so you have to be entrepreneurial and use unconventional tactics to increase awareness and bring in new customers who aren't watching the Beast main channel."

In January, Beast Industries, which was previously valued at around $5 billion, announced it raised $200 million in new funding from the ethereum holding company Bitmine Immersion Technologies.

• US stocks have been absolutely ripping since hitting a multi-month low in late March.
• All three major indexes have seen both Iran-war and year-to-date losses erased in the past few days.
• The rally can be traced back to three main reasons.

While oil traders stay suspended in limbo over the Iran war, stock traders seem to have called it a day.

Since dropping to a multi-month low in late March, US equities have accomplished the following feats, through Tuesday's close:

• The S&P 500 has rallied 9%, and the Nasdaq 100 has climbed 11%
• Both indexes have recovered all of their Iran-war and year-to-date losses, and then some
• The Nasdaq's 10-day winning streak is its longest since 2021

The primary reason is straightforward: Even as Iran-war uncertainty persists, investors are pricing in a peace deal. They've proven willing to overlook near-term war rhetoric. That's allowed them to focus on more positive catalysts, like future earnings growth, which has historically been the biggest source of returns.

The US stock rebound has also been driven by earnings forecasts getting more aggressive across Wall Street. Firms like Deutsche Bank and Barclays have raised estimates in recent days, while data from FactSet shows that there have been broad upward revisions by sell-side analysts.

The ratcheting-up of earnings expectations has secondarily served to help suppress stock valuations. As profit forecasts grow, the forward price-earnings (P/E) ratio for an index drops.

You know what else has helped it fall? The fact that the Iran war stock sell-off reset valuations across the market. Look no further than the chart below — which shows Bloomberg's forward P/E ratio for the Nasdaq 100:

Sure, the drop is enormous in the context of history. But the ratio also hasn't rallied back with stock prices, suggesting the sector remains attractively priced. That's been a popular argument for a growing chorus of market pundits who are advising clients to get back into tech stocks, and fast.

Just last week — in what now looks like a prescient move — Goldman Sachs released a list of seven reasons why tech stocks were a screaming buy-the-dip opportunity. Valuations were also cited as a primary reason for piling back into tech for a handful of the interview subjects for our latest edition of "How to Invest $10,000" series.

From a non-Iran perspective, the next big test for the earnings-driven bull narrative will be the last week of April, when juggernauts Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple report across a two-day period.

Investors will of course be watching to make sure newly raised profit forecasts are met. But there's also the wild card of how they'll treat capex spending on AI. If certain results don't sit right with them, tech stocks could see a fresh wave of selling.

• State Street's Michael Arone maintains a bullish market outlook despite recent economic turmoil.
• His firm has upgraded technology, energy, and materials stocks to overweight positions.
• Arone also highlighted real assets like gold as beneficiaries of deglobalization trends.

At the start of 2026, Michael Arone was one of the most bullish strategists on Wall Street, calling for the S&P 500 to rise 17% to 8,000. Things have changed quite a bit since January (see: surging oil prices, inflation fears, and AI threatening to upend entire industries), but Arone is sticking with his rosy outlook.

"I think that the market is like a spring right now, and that spring is kind of coiled, and you can see it really wants to move higher," Arone, State Street Investment Management's chief investment strategist, told Business Insider.

He pointed to a handful of factors he thinks will push the market higher:

• The US-Iran conflict is likely to be resolved soon
• The tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and other fiscal stimulus will provide a tailwind to growth
• Average tariff rates have come down to around 8% since the Supreme Court IEEPA ruling in February
• Inflation is likely to stay low as a low labor market quits rate implies suppressed wage growth, teeing up the Federal Reserve to cut rates later this year
• The FIFA World Cup should boost earnings a bit in the US as consumers spend on hotels, tickets, food, merchandise, and more

But Arone said a few new opportunities have opened up since the start of the year, leading State Street, which oversees $5.7 trillion in assets, to upgrade them to overweight in recent days.

4 trades State Street is overweight on

The first is technology stocks, which now trade at a lower premium while driving much of the market's earnings growth. Plus, he argues they're more protected from geopolitical volatility and a potential economic slowdown than other areas of the market.

"In many ways, technology is somewhat insulated from some of those dynamics and is delivering exceptional earnings and revenue growth, and I can buy that growth at essentially a market multiple," he said.

Second is the energy sector, which Arone argues had fundamental growth drivers behind it even before the US-Iran war sent oil prices soaring. Those bullish trends include an expected economic recovery cycle, expected lighter regulation, greater capital discipline from firms in the industry, and AI innovation.

Plus, their valuations are cheaper now.

"The stocks were already starting to rally prior to the conflict breaking out, and now all of a sudden at higher oil prices, their revenue outlook just got a whole lot better, and they're trading at a far cheaper multiple than the market," he said.

Third are materials stocks. Arone said they should continue to get a boost from a trifecta of factors: increased defense spending, AI infrastructure spending, and geopolitical tensions driving governments to take a national interest in certain materials. Earnings in the sector are growing 24% year over year, he said.

Finally, Arone said he's bullish on real assets like gold as deglobalization accelerates and government spending and debt grow. The firm had already been overweight on the trade, but Arone said that the US-Iran war only bolsters their view.

"That spending that they're all doing is also increasing the level of debt at a time when many of them can ill afford to expand their poor fiscal positions — Germany, Japan, the US, etc. And so they're debasing their currencies," he said. "All of this leads us to want to own more real assets.

• Should you reach out if you get ghosted after an interview? We asked career coaches and recruiters.
• While two job coaches said it's a waste of time, one recruiter encouraged candidates to do so.
• A recruiting leader at Zapier shared a template you can send if you do decide to follow up.

Getting ghosted is all too common when submitting job apps — but the silence feels even louder when you don't hear back after an interview.

After all, if you've taken the time and effort to prepare, the least a company can do is send a rejection note once they hire someone else, right?

While it may be best practice to let candidates know where they stand, sometimes hiring managers let follow-ups "slip through the cracks," said Bonnie Dilber, a recruiting leader at Zapier. Recruiters might accidentally archive everyone from the role once they've filled it, she said.

"It's general disorganization. It's not someone trying to be cruel," Dilber said.

What should you do if it happens to you? Is it a good idea to follow up with the company if you haven't heard anything for weeks? Or is it best to stay quiet?

To respond or not respond

Two job coaches told Business Insider that candidates should not waste their time sending a response to a company after they've been ghosted during the interview process.

"The likelihood that they actually care or going to change anything is very low," T. Brad Kielinski, founder and CEO of IT Pros, a tech recruitment and outplacement firm, told Business Insider.

Kielinski said that even if dozens of applicants provide the same feedback, it probably won't make a difference in the company's practice, unless the employer received public backlash. However, it's generally not a good look to publicly badmouth a company, Kielinski said.

If you had a bad experience with a company, you're probably not alone, however. Eventually, word will probably get out about the company's practices, Kielinski said, whether it's on Glassdoor or other channels.

Alan Stein, CEO of Kadima Career, Life, and Mindset Coaching, echoed the sentiment. He said that while it may feel "cathartic" to give feedback, most companies don't care. Stein, who has had 31 jobs, said that every company he worked for cared about whether the role was filled in time and within budget, not the kind of feedback that candidates gave.

However, Dilber encourages escalating the situation to a manager or department leader if there's been no follow-up from the recruiter after a week of asking for an update.

"As somebody who manages a recruiting team, I would want to know if my recruiters are ghosting people," Zilber said, adding that she's had candidates reach out about not hearing back from anyone and has asked recruiters on her team to follow up.

What to say if you choose to speak up

If you decide to speak up after getting ghosted, it's important to first consider your motive.

If the intention is to get closure about the job, sales coach Josh Braun suggests this template:

It seems like you decided to move forward with someone else. I'm guessing my dog barking in the background sealed my fate. I know you have a lot of candidates interviewing for the VP of sales job, so I appreciate you considering me.

He said the first sentence may elicit a response confirming that the decision has been made. The second brings humor into the conversation and lowers the stakes, and the third ends the conversation gracefully.

If your goal is to improve the process for candidates who follow, think carefully about your tone, said Dilber. As a recruiting leader, she said she's been on the receiving end of aggressive messages from candidates who haven't gotten a response from recruiter. That signals the candidate assumes negative intent and can't manage their emotions, she said.

Dilber said candidates should instead take an approach that assumes the best and provides constructive feedback on how companies can improve their processes and better retain engaged candidates. She said that she's successfully followed up twice with employers after being ghosted herself.

Dilber said candidates should first follow up to the recruiter they've been speaking to with a short and direct message that says something along the lines of, "I know it's been a while, so I can probably guess what the decision is, but just wanted a final update," or, "I've enjoyed our conversation and was curious if you had an update for me." Candidates should usually give it a week if they haven't heard back before sending that kind of message, she said.

Dilber said she's then contacted people in the C-suite of the organization and said, "Hey, I know you spend a lot of money on leveraging these folks, and it's a negative candidate experience, and it reflects negatively on your experience, and it reflects negatively on your organization."

Dilber said that both times she sent those messages, the company apologized and followed up with her.

• Anthony Scaramucci thinks Trump's move to blockade the Strait of Hormuz is correct.
• The hedge fund founder and Trump critic told Business Insider it's an effective negotiation tactic.
• In his view, it will economically impair Iran to the point that it will be forced to resume talks.

Anthony Scaramucci has been a vocal Donald Trump critic in the years since his vanishingly short run as communications director during the president's first term, but he thinks he might be making the right move on Iran.

The founder of SkyBridge Capital told Business Insider that while he thinks Trump hasn't executed well on a lot of things during the war, he believes a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is the best way for the US to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.

Scaramucci was the White House communications director for 11 days during the first Trump administration. Since then, he's become an active political commentator and influencer, appearing on political podcasts and hosting The Rest is Politics: US.

"We've done a series of wrong things, but blocking the Strait right now, in my opinion, is the correct move," he said.

Economists and market pros, including International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva, say the move is risky for both the US and broader economy. Yet, Scaramucci believes it could help bring a quicker end to the conflict.

"If you put the Strait in a complete lockdown, you're going to have the Iranians are going to be forced to come back to the table," he said, adding that Iran won't be able to handle the hit to the economy created by the blockade.

Scaramucci said, however, that even if the blockade motivates Iran's leaders to reach an agreement with the US, markets won't immediately stabilize, and oil price volatility will persist until the strait is fully reopened.

Still, he sees Trump's latest move as necessary to permanently end the global economic turmoil produced by the war. His view is similar to that of other commentators, such as former JPMorgan chief quant Marko Kolanovic, who argued that Trump should stomach the pain in financial markets to demonstrate he's serious about the US's goals in the war.

"It's going to be a real case study in how a mid level player can take on a superpower," Scaramucci said. "I think his move to shut the Strait makes it harder for them because it impairs them economically."

• The Trump-branded smartphone has a new look.
• Among the changes: three cameras stacked vertically, rather than in a triangle.
• It's not clear when the phone will be released, and its "Made in the USA" claims have been watered down.

The much-anticipated Trump smartphone has a new look. But the eventual release date is less clear than ever, and the phone's initial "made in the USA" claims have been watered down even further.

Trump Mobile, a cell phone company founded by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, released an updated mock-up of the design of the T1 Phone, the company's main Trump-branded smartphone offering.

Though the phone is still gilded, it has some notable design changes, including a vertical array of cameras rather than the previous triangular design.

However, there's no longer any information on the website about when the phone might be released: The website simply prompts potential customers to "Join the Waitlist."

It's the latest setback for the planned rollout of the Trump phone.

When it was first announced in June 2025 — on the 10-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's first campaign launch — the phone was slated to come out in August.

That release date has since been delayed multiple times, and a company representative previously told Business Insider that the phones would be shipped at the end of January, attributing the delay in part to the 43-day government shutdown in the fall.

That's not the only change Trump Mobile has made along the way.

Within days of the launch event last June, the company's "MADE IN THE USA" branding was scrubbed from the website, with the phone described as being "brought to life right here in the USA" with "American hands."

Now, the phone is simply described as "designed with American values in mind" and "shaped by American innovation," with "American teams helping guide design and quality."

• Democratic lawmakers launched a new effort to block Trump's rule to limit Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
• The rule, set to take effect in July, would narrow program eligibility.
• Nonprofits have already filed lawsuits to block the rule.

The Trump administration is seeking to limit a major student-loan forgiveness program for public servants. Democratic lawmakers want to slam the brakes.

On Tuesday, legislators led by Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Joe Courtney announced a resolution under the Congressional Review Act — a fast-track mechanism to overturn federal rules — to block President Donald Trump's looming changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

PSLF, signed into law by former President George W. Bush in 2007, forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of qualifying payments. To date, any employer in the government or nonprofit sector is eligible for the program.

The Trump administration wants to change that — at the end of 2025, it finalized a rule that would redefine what "public service" means and bar employers that engage in "substantial illegal activity." The administration said such activities could include gender-affirming care or harboring illegal immigrants.

Courtney said in a statement that the new rule "would pick and choose which public servants are eligible for forgiveness based on the Trump Administration's ideological agenda, which clearly goes against Congressional intent."

The rule would take effect on July 1.

"With this new rule, the Trump Administration is refocusing the PSLF program to ensure federal benefits go to our Nation's teachers, first responders, and civil servants who tirelessly serve their communities," Undersecretary of Education Nicholas Kent previously said in a statement.

If the department determines an employer engaged in illegal activity, the employer would be notified and given an opportunity to rebut the findings. If the employer is disqualified, they can reapply to be eligible for PSLF within 10 years or enter a "corrective action plan" in cooperation with the department.

The rule has already faced legal challenges. In November 2025, a coalition of cities and nonprofits sued the administration, arguing that limiting PSLF would harm nonprofit recruitment.

Have a story to share about student loans? Contact this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.

• American, Delta, and United all now offer doors in business class.
• The suite-style pods are increasingly popular as airlines compete for premium flyers.
• Here's how the Big 3 airlines stack up now that doors are table stakes in business class.

Business class just lost one of its biggest differentiators.

When United Airlines unveiled its newest Polaris business-class cabin in March, it cemented the industry-wide shift to sliding-door suites. What was once a standout feature is now table stakes for US carriers as they compete for premium revenue.

Delta Air Lines became the first of the Big 3 to adopt doors in business class in 2017; it one-upped itself on Monday with a new, even more high-end version, set to deploy on its Airbus A350-1000 planes in 2027.

Eight years later, in June 2025, American joined the trend with its new door-equipped Boeing 787 Flagship Suite. United's latest Polaris seat will launch this month on 787s, though the doors are still awaiting certification and will remain locked open for now.

Other airlines are reinforcing this focus on privacy: JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines — the only other US airlines flying long-haul international routes — also fly suite-style business class.

Still, airlines are finding new ways to stand out and claim a slice of the booming premium pie — from self-serve snack bars and two-person suites to build-your-own ice cream carts.

The Big 3's cozy new suites are mostly used for long-haul international flights. Looking at fares for mid-August, the suites at each airline cost roughly $5,800 roundtrip between the West Coast and London.

That price is United's cheapest option under its new unbundled business class model. Seat assignments, lounge access, and other perks would cost about $300 more to add. Delta's newest long-haul suite isn't yet on sale; it's unclear whether it'll cost more.

Here's how American, Delta, and United's door-equipped business-class cabins compare.

Doors in business class are now standard on new airplanes.

Virtually every new widebody aircraft delivered to the Big 3 will have sliding doors.

Delta's current business class uses the Vantage XL platform from Northern Ireland's Thompson Aero Seating; its future Airbus A350-1000 Delta One Suite will use the next-generation VantageNOVA with slimmer doors for more space.

United and American's new 787s are being delivered with doors-equipped business class from Elevate Aircraft Seating (formerly Adient Aerospace).

Delta has more suite-style seats flying than any US airline.

Delta's door-equipped business class was years ahead of its rivals, and today it has hundreds of suites flying across its A350-900 and A330-900neo fleets. Its A330-200 and -300s are also getting a retrofit. Delta said it expects 90% of its business seats will have doors by 2030.

American has more than half a dozen premium 787s flying; it has 30 total on order, all to be delivered with the new Flagship Suite.

United's first long-haul door-equipped Polaris flight will be to Singapore on April 22; it's unclear when the doors can close. It has more than 100 Dreamliners on order.

The physical suites are more similar than they are different.

Pod-style suites are now the baseline in business class. The beds stretch about six and a half feet, though Delta said its new A350-1000 suite's bed will be longer.

All of the Big 3 suite seats also angle in, giving flyers a better view out the window. All cabins also feature standard cubbies, power ports, wireless charging, and large Bluetooth-capable televisions.

Delta will have the largest seatback screen; United has Starlink.

Delta's next-generation suite will have 24-inch screens, up from the about 18 inches in current suites. American's screens are about 17 inches; United's new Polaris screen will be about 19 inches.

United also plans to offer hyperfast Starlink on its future 787s, while American and Delta still use satellite-based providers that support streaming on most aircraft. All three have made WiFi free for loyalty members, regardless of cabin.

American and United have 'business-class-plus' seats.

These are oversized seats that use the bulkhead to increase the living space. American's eight "Preferred" seats are up to 42% bigger, has a larger footwell, and comes with pajamas. It doesn't currently carry an additional fee.

United's "Polaris Studio" is 25% larger than the standard seat and also features an ottoman to let two people meet, dine, or socialize in-flight. It will also have what United says is the largest seatback television of any US carrier at 27 inches. The fee is $499 each way.

United and Delta will have special business-class-only treats.

United and Delta are both introducing onboard self-service refreshment areas with snacks and drinks in their long-haul business-class cabins.

They also both offer a build-your-own sundae cart exclusive to business-class flyers.

Some Big 3 airplanes will still fly business class seats without doors.

While standardizing business class is the goal, Big 3 fleets will remain fragmented for years, as retrofitting every aircraft is not always economical. This means the premium experience will still turn on the aircraft type.

Delta's Boeing 767s will remain without doors as the fleet is gradually retired later this decade. American's older 787s will not get the Flagship Suite, but it plans to retrofit it onto its 777s.

United is limiting its refreshed Polaris cabins to new 787 deliveries, leaving existing Dreamliners and 777s with older business-class seats. Passengers who prioritize privacy should check the aircraft type when booking to confirm whether a door-equipped suite is available.

In August 2024, we published the story of Wannapa Suprasert, a 29-year-old Thai woman living in San Francisco, who lost $300,000 of her own savings and her family's money in a three-month-long government impersonation scam involving what she thought were multiple law enforcement agencies, a criminal syndicate, check-ins four times a day, and a vow of secrecy.

The scam left her struggling to distinguish between reality and the fictional world the scammers constructed for her. She fabricated stories to convince her family back home in Thailand to send her money, which she forwarded on to the scammers. "I feel like I'm the scammer because I scammed my family, in a sense, by lying to them," she told me after she realized the truth. "The guilt will stay with me for the rest of my life."

Two years after the scam took over her life, I caught up with Suprasert. She answered my call while on one of her daily morning walks, something she's taken to doing as she moves forward with her life.

The ordeal left her with $10,800 in credit card debt, which she quickly paid off with loans from friends. She continues to work in the same data analyst role she's had since before the scam began, which allowed her to pay back her friends. She still carries strong feelings of guilt, especially in relation to her aunt, whose retirement funds were largely drained. Though she plans to repay her, she hasn't been able to yet.

The following as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Suprasert and has been edited for length and clarity.

For months after the scam, I went to war with my past self — for being naive, for not seeing it coming, for trusting the wrong people.

My mind was still racing in an endless, vicious negative feedback loop where I was thinking, What if I didn't pick up the phone? What if I didn't go to the bank? There were so many things that could've prevented everything from going down.

But no matter how many times I replayed it or how many doors I knocked on asking for help, I couldn't change a thing. No one was coming to save me.

Therapy helped me put a pause on this unhealthy loop and helped me process the grief and loss. After my Business Insider article was published, more people in my life reached out to me, which also helped.

I had to learn to ask for help

I set up a GoFundMe, which felt like putting myself out there. It raised almost $6,000, and the donations really helped kick-start things.

Rent was always a big portion of my expenses, so to cut costs, I sublet my room for about a month and a half and crashed in friends' living rooms or apartments while they were on vacation. A few friends let me borrow a couple of thousand dollars to pay off my debt. I'm super grateful for having trusting friends who offered a hand during that time.

Another way I tried to save up was by doing bake sales. I got to do something I like — baking — while also making some money. A few strangers who asked about my story were touched and helped me out by covering groceries for that week. I'm grateful for their acts of kindness.

I finished paying off my bank debt at the end of June 2024, and I finished paying back all of my friends in October 2024. Being out of debt is a huge mental relief.

I also definitely feel obligated to repay my family, but I haven't quite worked out any plan with them yet.

Knowing I'm not alone has helped a lot

While I read some cruel comments online, there was no negative feedback among my friends and family; talking to them has really helped.

A few of my coworkers also checked in with me, especially in the beginning. One would take me out to a bar to grab a drink, to be sure I had company and didn't spiral.

There were days that got dark, and knowing that I'm not alone and that there are people who still care deeply about me and my well-being has really helped. It reminded me that I'm not alone in this. It could've gone a lot worse.

I don't know how to move past the guilt I feel toward my aunt

I don't feel any tension with my dad and my brother. I feel like I can talk to them about anything, and they check on me quite often.

With my aunt, though, it's a whole different dynamic.

I went back to Thailand last year for about two weeks to see family. It was difficult because I didn't feel like I could talk to my aunt or look her in the eye.

The majority of the money I lost was her retirement fund, which she'd been saving up her whole life. In some ways, I feel like I scammed her, and I think maybe she thinks of it that way, too, at least partially. I wouldn't blame her for thinking that.

I tried to apologize. She didn't want to show it, but I think deep down, she was angry and had lingering thoughts like, Why did you do this to me? I don't know how to break the weird family tension that we have now.

It's a guilt that I'm still living with. I think about it less now, but it's there. It's like a jacket that you don't wear. Sometimes you forget about it, and then you open your closet, and there it is.

Focusing on my hobbies has helped with my physical and mental health

Lately, I've been going for 3- or 4-mile daily morning walks and doing more outdoor activities, because that's where I really find my serenity and community. I got more into backpacking and camping.

I also moved apartments last year. My expenses increased, but my dad and brother told me, "It's OK because your mental health comes first — whatever it is that you need to do to be whole again." I'm grateful that they're allowing me time and space to do that, before repaying my family.

I also got into cooking and have been making my own yogurt. These small things really help physically and emotionally — being kind to myself, exploring new hobbies and interests.

The level of trust I have in other people has taken a 180-degree turn. I tense up when anyone approaches me, especially online. In person, over time, I got out of the belief that people were going to come and physically hurt me — which is what the scammers had told me — but online is really tricky.

I still find it very difficult to use Line, the platform that I used to communicate with the criminals. I still have an account because it's what most Thai people use, but I ignore most of the app's notifications and try not to go on the platform too often. I've asked my family to use other apps like Facebook Messenger to communicate with me.

I've learned to pick myself back up and move forward

I keep thinking of something my brother told me, about how you can't always focus on what you lost. No matter what happened, your life moves on. Quite frankly, the world doesn't care too much about what happened to you, in both sad and positive ways.

It sucks; now what? There aren't that many choices. You either sink in and give up, or you endure the pain, the discomfort — whatever it is that makes you feel like you want to fall apart any minute — and tell yourself you can't. Pick yourself back up, look for the best, gather your resources, and ask for help.

I've been interviewed a few times, including speaking with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and done some podcasts. It was definitely difficult to keep talking about what happened, but I'm glad I can help spread awareness. I don't want anyone to have to experience what I did.

My advice for other scam victims: It might feel like your whole world is collapsing, but it's in these moments that you see another side of humanity and allow yourself to experience kindness, whether from strangers or from your friends and family who care about and love you.

It's hard to get out of that victim mindset and thinking, Why did it happen to me? What did I do so wrong to deserve all that?

However, there's more to life than this mess I got myself into. There are more things to experience and to look forward to. I'm just trying to be happy in my daily life and take care of myself. I'm on an upward trajectory.

Do you have a story to share about being scammed? Contact this reporter at janezhang@businessinsider.com.

• Utilities plan to spend $1.4 trillion on capital expenditures by 2030, a PowerLines study found.
• The electricity demands of AI are fueling spending growth, utilities say.
• Duke Energy, Southern Company, and American Electric Power have become some of the biggest spenders.

Big Tech isn't the only big spender in the AI race.

Spending on new power plants and transmission lines has reached record highs as utilities in the US try to meet the electricity demands of AI while modernizing the country's aging electric grid.

By 2030, investor-owned utilities are on track to spend $1.4 trillion on capital expenditures, according to a new report from PowerLines, a consumer education nonprofit.

The projected total spend over the next five years exceeds the $1.3 trillion the industry reported spending over the last decade.

Training and using AI require massive amounts of power from data centers, and utilities across the country have said they will need to build extensive new infrastructure to serve their data center customers.

A PowerLines analysis of 51 utility earnings calls found that the increased spending was concentrated among a small group of key players.

Duke Energy plans to spend $102.2 billion in capital expenditures by 2030, the most of any investor-owned utility in the US. Duke serves customers in Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina, all of which are experiencing increased electricity demand driven by data centers.

Southern Company plans to shell out $81.2 billion. Southern serves data center projects in several southern US states, including a Meta campus in Huntsville, Alabama, and Microsoft's growing network in Georgia.

American Electric Power plans to spend $72 billion by 2030. AEP battled the data center industry last year over a proposed tariff in Ohio. Regulators approved the tariff in July, which requires financial commitments from data centers seeking a grid connection through AEP Ohio.

In the US, investor-owned utilities often seek state regulators' approval to recoup their high infrastructure costs from their customers.

Electric and gas utilities sought to raise customer bills by $31 billion in 2025, more than double the amount sought in 2024, according to a PowerLines report released earlier this year.

This way of conducting business has sparked a fierce debate across the country over who should pay for the AI boom.

Last month, tech companies including Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI signed President Donald Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a voluntary agreement intended to prevent tech companies from driving up consumer electricity bills over the cost of powering data centers.

• Salesforce is facing a fight for its life as generative AI threatens to upend its business model.
• An internal Salesforce chart shows the executives helping CEO Marc Benioff with this effort.
• Salesforce earlier this year appointed new leaders in an executive shake-up.

An internal Salesforce organizational chart viewed by Business Insider shows the 10 executives helping CEO Marc Benioff lead the company during a pivotal moment.

Salesforce, like many software companies, is under pressure as generative AI threatens to upend its business model. The company is racing to add AI agents into its products as a defense.

Salesforce earlier this year appointed new leaders in an executive shake-up. A new bench of executives replaced five high-profile leaders who have announced departures from the company since December, according to a person familiar with the changes.

The changes came as the company's new fiscal year started on February 1.

Here are Benioff's direct reports, according to the org chart. For context, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as 36 direct reports, Business Insider reported in October:

Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer

Salesforce hired Washington in March 2025 for a newly created role overseeing operations and financial strategy across the company.

Washington has been a Salesforce board member since 2013, including serving as lead independent director, and was previously the chief financial officer of biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences.

Washington effectively replaced two executive roles. Brian Millham, the previous president and chief operating officer, who retired in May 2025. Amy Weaver, the previous chief financial officer, also left in May 2025.

Parker Harris, cofounder and Slack CTO

A Salesforce cofounder, Harris sets the company's long-term technology vision as chief technology officer and runs Slack's engineering team as CTO of that important business.

Sabastian Niles, president and chief legal officer

Niles runs Salesforce's global legal and corporate affairs organization, advising leadership on regulation, risk, and governance. He joined in 2023 from Wachtell Lipton and plays a key role in navigating AI policy and global compliance.

Srinivas Tallapragada, president and chief engineering and customer success officer

Tallapragada leads engineering and customer success, overseeing the technical backbone of Salesforce's platform. He is responsible for scaling infrastructure and integrating AI across products. Tallapragada has worked for Salesforce since 2012, and Oracle and SAP before that.

Miguel Milano, president and chief revenue officer

Milano is in charge of worldwide sales and distribution for Salesforce's products and services. He took on the role in 2023, rejoining Salesforce after a few years at data company Celonis. Previously, Milano ran Salesforce's international sales organizations.

Steve Fisher, president and chief product officer

Fisher has led Salesforce's product strategy since June 2025, including for the company's biggest bets: data-management platform Data 360 and AI agent platform Agentforce. He previously spent a decade at Salesforce before rejoining in 2021.

David Schmaier, president and chief strategy officer

Schmaier is in charge of Salesforce's strategic priorities, including M&A and venture capital, market strategy, and monetization. He was previously chief product officer and joined the company in 2021 via its $1.3 billion acquisition of Vlocity, which makes software for specific industries.

Kendall Collins, president and CEO, GovCloud

Collins runs Salesforce's Government Cloud, which is the company's portfolio of products for governments around the world. He was previously the company's chief business officer and Benioff's chief of staff.

David Ward, president and chief architect

Dave Ward is Salesforce's new chief architect. He joined in January from Lumen Technologies, where he was chief technology officer.

Jason Yau, chief business officer and chief of staff

Yau has been Salesforce's chief business officer and Benioff's chief of staff since July 2025, leading the office of the CEO. He joined Salesforce in 2024 as a senior vice president and architect in the office.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at astewart@businessinsider.com or Signal at +1-425-344-8242. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

Aaron Solomon and his wife briefly considered purchasing their first home in 2022, when the national homebuying frenzy was in full swing. But they laughed at the prices, which struck them as exorbitant for even a modest house. They decided to bide their time, moving from their fourth-story walkup apartment in Brooklyn to a more spacious rental home in Madison, New Jersey, about 45 minutes outside New York City.

"We were like, 'Yeah this is crazy. It's going to come down at some point,'" says Solomon, a 37-year-old who works in sales. "And it didn't."

When the couple begrudgingly picked up their search in the summer of 2024, the market still wasn't doing them any favors. Though rising mortgage rates had forced many buyers to the sidelines, prices in their area had held firm due to the lack of available homes. Solomon and his wife arrived at a harsh realization: "I guess we really need to rethink our budget," he recalls. Armed with a spreadsheet that detailed the maximum amount they'd be willing to pay, they browsed listings for more than a year until they found the winner: an idyllic four-bedroom in Morristown, New Jersey, with a backyard that opens up to the surrounding woods.

Their "forever home" came at a steep cost. Though they bargained the asking price down after an inspection, it still sat at $1 million when they reached the closing table in January. Solomon and his wife were careful to avoid overextending themselves; still, their monthly payments are now $6,000, compared to $4,000 in rent at their old place. The sticker price alone, Solomon says, would have been unimaginable in the pre-pandemic days.

"I'm still like, 'Holy crap, how did we buy a home for a million dollars?'" Solomon tells me.

Solomon isn't alone in his disbelief. A recent analysis of census data by the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan think tank, found that new homeowners are spending a far larger share of their income on housing than those who purchased years ago. In 2024, the latest data available, housing costs ate up 26% of the budget for people who bought a home in the previous 12 months, compared to just 20% for longer-tenured homeowners. The six percentage-point difference is the largest on record since at least 1990, the earliest year for which data exists. If that gap doesn't sound all that wide, consider that 6% of the median household income is over $5,000 a year, or more than half of a typical household's annual spending on food.

"That six percentage-point difference really adds up to, practically speaking, a lot of your money," says Jess Remington, a research analyst at EIG who focuses on housing policy.

This "new homeowner penalty," as Remington calls it, is the latest evidence of how much the landscape has shifted for buyers over the past few years. Rising home prices, a surge in borrowing rates, and spikes in costly but overlooked expenses like insurance and taxes have conspired to make homeownership a stretch even for buyers with healthy savings and a helping hand from family.

Economists and real estate agents tell me there's no indication that the situation for new homeowners has improved in the past couple of years: Mortgage rates haven't dropped significantly, dashing hopes of cheaper monthly payments. Given the aging population and home prices that remain at or near record highs in much of the country, buyers these days may face a longer climb to the kinds of housing wealth gains enjoyed by their predecessors — if they ever see them at all. The financial gut-punch of the "new homeowner penalty," meanwhile, could linger long after they settle into their new place.

"There are other options and ways that they could catch up," Remington says. "But for now, the current trajectory in the short term — I'd say they're just at a disadvantage. They're screwed for a while."

New homeowners have almost always spent more of their income on housing than the rest of the pack. They're typically younger and earn less than more tenured owners, and their mortgage payments are often larger due to rising home values. The gap between housing costs for new and existing homeowners has hovered between two and four percentage points over the past three decades, with one brief exception: In the wake of the Great Recession, buyers scooped up homes at steep discounts and spent a slightly smaller share of their income on housing than existing owners. By 2017, however, the usual gap was back.

Several factors have put new buyers on shakier ground in recent years. For one thing, sticker prices have remained high — the median sale price nationwide is up roughly 24% since 2019, per Census data. There are key differences as you look across the map: Prices are down from their peak in some once-overheated markets (think Austin or Phoenix) where builders delivered lots of new homes, but in other areas like the Midwest and Northeast, where there was no wave of construction, eyewatering numbers are the new normal. Those high list prices make it harder to save up the chunk of cash needed to break into the market. Adjusting for inflation, the average down payment grew by 30% from 2019 to 2024, an EIG analysis found, while the average household income grew by less than 1%.

Even if you gather enough in a savings account to make the leap, the monthly payments for your dream home will likely be a heavier burden. The Federal Reserve's inflation-fighting interest rate hikes made all kinds of loans, including mortgages, far more expensive. Between 2021 and 2024, the typical mortgage rate for new buyers jumped from 3% to 6.6%, the Urban Institute found, a massive cost increase for those who got in later. Though mortgage rates drifted downward over the past year, a recent spike due to the war in Iran has dampened the mood — the typical rate for a loan is back up to roughly 6.4%, according to Freddie Mac. Some quick-and-dirty math illustrates the pain: Say you buy a $400,000 house, put 20% down, and get a typical 30-year loan to cover the rest. Someone who buys at today's going rate would pay roughly $650 more each month than someone who grabbed the same home in 2021. While longtime owners had the chance to refinance when rates plummeted, new homeowners are stuck.

"There is a housing affordability crisis — a lot of people get that," Remington tells me. "But it's really not hitting everybody equally."

Given the financial resources needed to become a homeowner, it should come as no surprise that wealthier house hunters are grabbing a bigger piece of the pie. The share of homebuyers earning more than 120% of the median income in their area — a standard measure of affordability — grew by three percentage points from 2019 to 2024, the Urban Institute found, while the share earning less than 80% of the area median income fell by almost four percentage points.

"That really causes a greater gap between those who can enter into homeownership and those who are left as renters," Jung Hyun Choi, a housing researcher at the Urban Institute, tells me.

The affordability gap between new homeowners and incumbents has widened nationwide, but some states are worse off than others. The Northeast and West, long considered the epicenters of the housing supply crisis, once again stand out. In Rhode Island, the difference is a whopping 10 percentage points, the second widest behind only Hawaii. A report published last year by HousingWorks RI at Roger Williams University found that in order to affordably buy a typical home in any Rhode Island municipality, a household would need to earn roughly $130,000 annually — more than $40,000 above the state's median household income, and $17,000 more than the typical owner's income.

"That's not a matter of people should work harder, or people should prioritize their savings, or should spend differently. There's limited resources," says Melina Lodge, the executive director of the Housing Network of Rhode Island, a nonprofit advocacy group. She adds that other rising costs — gas, health insurance, childcare — are also eating into household budgets.

"There's only so much to cut in a life that's very expensive."

Some buyers may still find an opening if they don't offer top dollar. Steph Mahon, the principal agent at Dwell New Jersey and the Solomons' representative in their home hunt, says she's had two clients win out recently thanks to buyer's remorse — the top bidder pulls out (perhaps after crunching the numbers), and the sellers turn to the next best offer. Buyers these days are also more willing to compromise, she says, searching at a lower price point or looking farther afield rather than canceling the hunt altogether.

"I see compromising way more than I see stretching," Mahon tells me.

Collin Whelan, an agent in suburban Philadelphia, says most homes are still getting multiple offers, especially those priced under $1 million. He advises clients to consider fixer-uppers as an alternative to the stiff competition.

"Unfortunately, the inventory is next to nothing because homeowners are sitting on properties with very low interest rates, or sitting on tons of equity because they've been there for decades," Whelan tells me. If a client is eyeing a maximum sticker price of $500,000, he might nudge them to look at homes in the $250,000 to $350,000 range, he says, and use the balance for renovations.

"I just think the buyers are becoming more realistic about what they can and can't afford," Whelan tells me.

A drop in mortgage rates might help existing homeowners who are eager to refinance, Remington says, but it probably wouldn't do much for those still trying to break into the market, since cheaper loans would likely stoke demand and drive up prices. Proposed cuts to property taxes, she says, would also benefit older homeowners more than recent buyers. The primary solution to the "new homeowner penalty," Remington says, is building more housing in the places where people want to live.

In this respect, Remington says she's been encouraged by a nationwide wave of reforms designed to boost housing construction, including streamlined home permitting and tweaks to zoning rules. Lodge, of the Housing Network of Rhode Island, tells me she's also hopeful about recent policy changes, though the downstream effects may take time to materialize.

"I think people sometimes are like, 'Well, we did a thing, and why isn't that thing reflected in the landscape?'" she says. "It takes a minute for all the cogs in the machine to catch up."

An influx of supply might tamp down prices and lead to more humble equity gains — "the price won't be as crazily inflated 30 years from now," Remington tells me. But if a homeowner wants to downsize, or move closer to their grandkids, or upgrade, "they will probably have way more options to choose from, and be able to find something cheaper when it's time for them to move," Remington tells me. "So I do think we're moving in a good direction."

Lodge can't help but reflect on her own stroke of luck, though. In 2018, she bought her house in Rhode Island for $270,000. Its value has doubled in eight years, a possibility that she realizes is vanishingly small for those buying at today's inflated prices.

"I don't think that same opportunity will exist in the near future," Lodge says.

James Rodriguez is a correspondent on Business Insider's Discourse team.

• Keith Rabois said he doesn't rely on a laptop or desktop computer.
• The former Stripe COO said he prefers working with an iPhone, smartwatch, and iPad.
• Computer sales still bring in billions — but startups are rethinking their desk-bound setups.

While many executives live on their laptops, Keith Rabois says he doesn't rely on one at all.

In an interview with "Lenny's Podcast," the famed executive — a former COO of Stripe, vice president at LinkedIn, and member of the PayPal mafia — said he prefers smaller, more mobile devices.

It's a preference that's been in the making for more than 15 years, he said.

"When I started working at Square, Jack Dorsey was running the company off of an iPad. And so, I immediately converted in September of 2010, and haven't looked back," he said. "Everything I do in my life is either done from my phone, my watch, or my iPad."

His approach comes as parts of Silicon Valley rethink their reliance on traditional computers. In the past year, a wave of AI tools has pushed more work onto mobile devices, including so-called "vibe coding" apps that let users build software by prompting AI.

Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, for example, invested $9.4 million in seed funding for Vibecode, an iOS app that lets users create new features — all on their iPhones.

This isn't the first time Rabois has talked about moving away from computers. Since 2010, on what was then Twitter (now X), he's talked about using his "iPhone as a persistent computer, not as a 'phone.'"

During the podcast, Rabois said he prefers smaller devices because they're less distracting and more portable.

"Like, taking a laptop with you anywhere is super easy," he said. "There's no reason to use a more powerful, heavier-weight, less flexible machine."

It should be noted that, despite recent trends, laptops and desktop computers remain popular overall — Apple reported $8.39 billion in revenue from Mac sales in the first quarter of 2026.

• As AI companies demand more and more memory chips, consumer electronics companies face a shortage.
• Microsoft is raising Surface prices in the face of skyrocketing costs. Others may absorb costs at the expense of their margins.
• When will the shortage end? Intel's CEO predicted "no relief until 2028."

Did that computer you were eyeing jump in price? Is that gaming handheld out of stock?

You might want to practice a new refrain: Thanks, memory shortage.

As AI companies demand increasingly large troves of chips to power their large language models, memory chips remain in short supply. That's bad news for much of the consumer electronics market, which relies on DRAM and NAND memory chips.

The research firm IDC expects "significant pressure on the memory ecosystem," warning that supply growth would be below historical norms this year. Electronics companies from Valve to Framework have already changed their sales procedures because of the shortage. Even Apple, the industry goliath, said it was expecting supply chain pressures on memory that would weigh on its famously high gross margin.

The memory shortage has existed for months — but it's beginning to affect more shoppers' wallets. And the bad news is it's not expected to let up anytime soon.

Which companies have been affected?

Electronics CEOs are sounding the alarm for "RAMageddon."

In February, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing told Reuters that he expected PC unit sales to "face pressure." Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan predicted that there would be "no relief until 2028."

Dell has already begun adjusting its device prices, according to an internal list of price changes sent to staff in December seen by Business Insider. The company raised the prices of its Dell Pro and Pro Max notebooks and desktops with 32GB of memory by between $130 and $230, among other increases.

HP also planned price hikes "across the board" thanks to the memory shortage, its CEO said on its November earnings call.

The industry's biggest players are feeling the pressure. Microsoft raised prices on its Surface PC offerings, telling Windows Central that it was due to "recent increases in memory and component costs." The 13-inch Surface Pro previously started at $999; now, it starts at $1,499.

On Apple's fourth-quarter earnings call, Tim Cook said that the company was watching memory prices increase "significantly." In March, the company announced its new MacBook Air and Pro lineups with new chips, more storage, and, yes, higher entry-level prices — though it also introduced a new budget offering, the $599 MacBook Neo.

Smaller PC makers — which may not enjoy the same amount of supply-chain leverage as their tech titan peers — have also been hit especially hard by the memory shortage.

Framework raised its prices in December, then again in January, and again in February. Corsair accidentally underpriced its DRAM kits, canceling preorders and sending out coupons. It then raised prices days later, citing "market costs."

The gaming device market is also struggling. Valve updated the site for its popular Steam Deck handheld device to say that it may be "out-of-stock intermittently in some regions due to memory and storage shortages." The company also said it must "revisit" the pricing and scheduling of its upcoming Xbox and Playstation competitor, the Steam Machine, and VR headset, the Steam Frame, because of the shortage.

Bloomberg reported in February that Sony was considering pushing back the launch of the next PlayStation, and that Nintendo was considering a price hike for the Switch 2.

Some companies could choose to absorb any associated cost increases at the expense of their margins, opting to wait out the supply crunch.

So, what's going on with memory?

This is where things get a bit more technical, but it all boils down to basic supply and demand.

There are three types of chips that are important to know. DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and NAND (non-volatile flash memory) are crucial for building consumer devices. HBM (high-bandwidth memory) chips are used to help train large language models.

Three companies dominate the memory chip market: Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. These companies also produce HBM chips.

AI companies are hungry for more and more chips, and are willing to break out the checkbook to be first in line for factory production — giving them an edge over many consumer tech companies. They're also flush with cash, with companies like Microsoft and Meta projecting multi-billion-dollar capital expenditures, much of which is going toward AI-related costs like chip acquisition.

That leaves chipmakers responding to the spike in demand by raising prices, selling supply to AI companies, and some transitioning to HBM production.

The shortage isn't fading anytime soon. SK Hynix has long secured demand for its entire 2026 DRAM and NAND production volume. The CEO of Micron predicted on its first-quarter earnings call that supply would remain substantially short for the "foreseeable future."

And if you're trying to build your own PC, a mere consumer navigating the increasingly volatile memory marketplace: Good luck.

• Iran attacked the Kurdish region in northern Iraq over 400 times during its war with the US and Israel.
• Officials displayed weapons recovered from these strikes.
• They included a new drone jet that's twice as fast as the Shahed drones that are Iran's signature.

Three men unloaded the remains of a monstrous weapon from a white van in Erbil, Iraq last week. Here, in the cordoned-off yard of the Asayish — the security forces of the auton›omous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq — explosive ordnance disposal specialists examined every Iranian projectile used in this war. "Zolfaghar," one of the Kurds said, tapping the pitch-black metal. "This missile struck near a mosque on the outskirts of the city just a few hours ago."

The Zolfaghar is a large ballistic missile that carries a warhead weighing up to 1,100 pounds. The missile is only one part of the extensive arsenal with which Iran has attacked the Gulf states and the Middle East in recent weeks. In an exclusive presentation for Business Insider, the Asayish unit displayed some of the drones and missiles that have struck Kurdistan since late February, killing 17 people in the region.

These remnants are a gallery of the many weapons Iran has used to kill and terrify people across the region: triangular Shahed long-range drones, hulking ballistic missiles, and a new jet-powered drone that's more difficult to shoot down.

"With the help of Russia, China and North Korea, Iran has succeeded over recent decades in building up an impressive arsenal of effective, technologically sophisticated long-range weapons," the influential Austrian colonel and military analyst Markus Reisner said.

Tehran's ability to continue carrying out 60 to 90 drone attacks a day — combined with missile strikes — even into the sixth week of the war prolonged the conflict and increased pressure on global energy markets. The American-Israeli alliance struck more than 13,000 targets in Iran, including more than 2,000 command and control targets, but was unable to decisively break its military capabilities, before the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7. According to US intelligence assessments reported by CNN, around half of Iran's missile launchers are still intact; in addition, the country continues to possess thousands of long-range kamikaze drones.

The destructive power of Iranian weapons has been demonstrated in this war, Reisner said: "Drones are being deployed in a saturating combination with cruise missiles and rockets. When these weapons systems are combined with targeted satellite reconnaissance from Russia and China, they also develop a troubling degree of precision."

In the yard, Kurdish security forces lined up various pieces of debris. In the center: Iran's most frequently used weapon — Shahed long-range drones, with a range of up to 1,200 miles. Russia uses these lumbering weapons, which have a recognizable delta-wing shape, extensively against Ukraine, usually in improved variants. "We identified three kinds of Iranian Shahed drones," said Halmat, a member of the Kurdish bomb-analysis team. The most frequently used Shahed-136 had more of a lead-colored, metallic surface; others were lighter or black. Their components, however, were very similar.

Iran also used other models from its roughly dozen combat drones against Kurdistan, including the Meraj-532, a medium-range attack drone used by the Revolutionary Guards. "And that over there," Halmat said, "is a new Iranian drone, the Hadid-110."

It is a jet-powered attack that can race past many air defenses and slam into targets at over twice the speed of most Shaheds. The drone is launched with a rocket booster that accelerates it before the jet engine takes over for sustained flight. Its design similarly reflects the growing sophistication of Iran's designs: A triangular wing configuration combined with sharply angled surfaces intended to hide it from radar. One of these drone jets slammed into a home in a neighborhood outside Erbil, the EOD specialists said.

Smaller combat drones with a shorter range have also appeared in the Iran war. Videos released in March by Iranian-backed militias show small piloted drones hitting hangars and a helicopter near a US base in Iraq. Even advanced air defenses struggled to defeat threats this small and numerous.

The bulky remains of the Kheibar ballistic missile lay at the back of the yard. "They also used it to strike civilian areas here in the region," said Pishtiwan, who is part of the engineering team of the Asayish security forces. He pointed to the markings left on the 10-meter-long missile. "This happened on March 19 in the Mala Omer area, outside the city. We found it at 12:55 p.m."

In total, Iran attacked the Erbil region alone with more than 400 drones and ballistic missiles, Halmat said: "And we have defused and collected more than 200 bombs."

Pishtiwan explained that after every explosion in the region, one of their specialized units is dispatched to assess the damage and identify the weapon. The risk of being caught in a so-called double-tap attack — a second strike hitting the same target just minutes later — is very real. "But it is our duty to protect our people. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for this country."

According to military expert Reisner, Iran's weapons have also inflicted considerable damage on the United States and Israel. "Iranian strikes in Israel and in the middle of American bases made that abundantly clear in recent weeks."

The past weeks have also delivered a painful lesson in the Kurdistan Region: not even the United States — the most advanced military in the world — can fully protect its bases and diplomatic facilities in a modern drone war.

During the attacks on Erbil, Iran and its allied militias targeted both the US military installation at the airport and the US consulate, which opened in late 2025 at a cost of nearly $800 million. Kurdish security forces shared videos with Business Insider showing damage from impacts on the consulate grounds, though the destruction does not appear to have been extensive. The French military was hit harder. A drone strike killed a French soldier in March in a town near Erbil, which President Emmanuel Macron confirmed was the country's first military death in the Middle East war.

Kurdish security forces said they are almost entirely dependent on Western air defenses. A Patriot system fought off Iranian ballistic missiles over the last few weeks. Drone defenses were numerous. The C-RAM gun system fired bursts, including glowing tracer rounds, at incoming drones. And US fighter jets like the F-16 Fighting Falcon regularly took off to hunt drones, as seen in videos from Kurdistan. According to media reports, the Raytheon Coyote drone was also used to destroy several drones in flight.

Kurdish security officials say that, according to their information, no Ukrainian drone specialists were stationed in Kurdistan for air defense. Kyiv had deployed more than 200 drone experts during the conflict with Iran, primarily to Gulf states, to provide support.

According to Reisner, Iran's waves of attacks are also a final warning for Europe. "The range of Iranian missiles extends to the periphery of Europe. The US missile defense system stationed in Europe — the European Phased Adaptive Approach, or EPAA — and national procurement initiatives such as Germany's introduction of the Israeli 'Arrow' system are therefore of great importance."

Ibrahim Naber is a foreign correspondent who has reported from Ukraine since 2022. In October 2025, he and his team were injured in a Russian Lancet drone strike in Dnipro. In 2025, he received the George Weidenfeld Prize for his coverage of global conflicts and crisis zones. He wrote his dissertation at King's College London on the psychology of modern drone warfare.

The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network harnesses the resources of the company's newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms: online, print, TV and audio.

• Bryan Johnson says he's trying to fill gaps in his young adult son's sex education.
• "We, of course, have the basics covered, but his only source of education has been porn," he said.
• Johnson said he wrote a sex "instruction manual" after realizing there were gaps in how people learn about intimacy.

Bryan Johnson says he didn't teach his son enough about sex and wants to change that.

"He is 20 now, and we were talking about sex. He had these questions, and I was like, 'I've never educated my son on sex,'" Johnson, the tech entrepreneur known for his pursuit of longevity, told executive editor Zak Jason at Business Insider's The Long Play event on Tuesday.

"We, of course, have the basics covered, but his only source of education has been porn," he said, adding that there's an "entire generation of people who have not been educated" on how to make love.

That realization led him to try to explain intimacy more deliberately. "What I wrote was basically an instruction manual on how to have sex," he said.

Although people have called it a "'50 Shades of Grey' longevity version," Johnson said it was really "like 10 lessons" he was trying to get across.

One of those lessons, he said, is the difference in arousal between men and women, which can create a mismatch if partners move at different speeds.

"Basic stuff like that, so it was like trying to educate people on, how do you create good relationships in a loving manner," Johnson said.

He added that his son has largely taken his openness in stride: "My son is so cool."

Johnson, who says he spends about $2 million a year on efforts to reverse his biological age, has long been public about sex as a key part of his broader approach to health and longevity. He previously said that he wears a small device on his penis to measure his nighttime erections.

At Tuesday's event, Johnson said founders in "monk mode" may be missing the role relationships play in performance.

"Sometimes it takes a bit for them to realize that, but a good partnership is really beneficial for mental health and physical health," he said.

• Bryan Johnson says founders in monk mode may be overlooking what can help them perform at their best.
• Having strong relationships can be beneficial for mental and physical health, he said.
• Good health translates to good work, the longevity enthusiast said.

Bryan Johnson, a tech entrepreneur and longevity influencer, says founders in "monk mode" risk getting in their own way.

Speaking to Zak Jason, the executive editor of the Discourse team, during Business Insider's The Long Play event on Tuesday in San Francisco, Johnson pushed back on the idea that having a sex life is a distraction. The longevity enthusiast said it can actually make founders better at their jobs.

"No one wants to write a shitty code base. You want healthy code. And so, what founders don't realize is, when you're not taking care of your health, you are shitty code. You are not beautiful code," he said.

"Sometimes it takes a bit for them to realize that, but a good partnership is really beneficial for mental health and physical health," he added.

This is especially so at a time when many people are grappling with mental health challenges.

"We have not created a culture of health, and it's hurting everybody," Johnson said.

"Monk mode" is a productivity trend popular in tech and entrepreneurial circles. The idea is to adopt monk-like discipline by eliminating distractions — like dating and social media — to focus on work.

Johnson is focused on slowing his biological aging and extending his life. He launched Blueprint in 2021, an antiaging venture built around his own tightly-managed health routine, which he says costs around $2 million a year to maintain.

He previously made headlines for infusing himself with his son's blood but said he stopped after not seeing any benefits.

Since then, Johnson has founded the Don't Die movement, which has drawn a community focused on longevity and health optimization. In February, he launched "Immortals," offering three people the chance to replicate his antiaging program for $1 million.

• Bryan Johnson shared a simple longevity test at a Business Insider event.
• The longevity entrepreneur says the one-leg balance test indicates biological age.
• A small Mayo Clinic study supports one-leg balance testing as a measure of frailty in older adults.

As a multi-sport athlete, I track my fitness through swim time trials, burnout lifts, and functional threshold power evaluations that push me to my mental and physical limit.

Bryan Johnson, the 48-year-old entrepreneur obsessed with longevity, has a much simpler and less grueling test as a proxy for how your body is aging, which may or may not match your chronological age.

Johnson led the exercise at Business Insider's The Long Play event in San Francisco on Tuesday. You can do it anywhere with a timer.

The test: Start your timer, close your eyes, and stand on one leg. See how long you can avoid falling.

According to Johnson, if you stand for zero to seven seconds, your body is 60-80 years old. Seven to 15 seconds is 40-60 years old, and 15 to 30 seconds is 20 to 40.

"As you age, your brain atrophies, and your ability to maintain your balance goes away. That's why when you get older, if you fall down, it's no good," Johnson said.

A small Mayo Clinic study of adults over 50 published in 2024 found that among several functional tests, one-leg balance time was most affected by age.

The Mayo Clinic researchers dubbed the one-legged test "a valid measure of frailty, independence, and fall status."

Unlike Johnson's version on Tuesday night, the study didn't test people under 50, nor did it offer specifics about balance time matching biological age.

The balance test isn't a new idea, and the Cleveland Clinic cautions that "it's not a complete balance evaluation on its own" and it's "far from a perfect indication of longevity."

But by Johnson's standards, my biological age — especially on my dominant, more stable left leg — is right where I should be.

• It's been 8 years since Sinead Mulhern left Canada behind for a slower, more affordable life in Ecuador.
• It had been years since she'd seen her brother, and she planned a multi-day trek for his visit.
• She learned that while sibling relationships evolve, certain things remain the same.

My older brother, Fergus, and I have spent most of our adult lives chasing the same thing — just never in the same place at the same time.

We're both adventurous, but our lives have unfolded on different continents since 2009. That was the year he left home. I was still in high school.

He spent his 20s traveling around the world. And in 2016, when I was 25 and working as an editor in Toronto, he moved to Australia.

Two years later, when he moved back to Canada, I was the one who'd caught the travel bug. We were only in the same place for a few days before I left for Colombia.

I've been living in South America ever since.

Sibling adventure in South America

In January, Fergus visited me in Ecuador, where I've been living for eight years. To catch up properly, I planned a multi-day trek through sleepy mountain towns.

Walking for days through remote landscapes felt like the best way to make up for lost time.

We started in a small farming town about two hours outside Quito. With backpacks and a few changes of clothes, we set out along a dirt road tracing green mountains through farmland. Over 26 miles, we passed rows of peaks, clay brick homes, and a river carved into a deep gorge.

With no signal and no one around, we talked about everything: his winter plans, my writing, our younger brother's upcoming wedding, and memories from camping trips we'd nearly forgotten.

At the river, we sat on rocks and drank beers we'd picked up before leaving town. Cows mooed faintly in the distance. "I'm so glad you finally made it," I told him.

Belated celebration

It felt like a celebration six months late. Fergus had turned 40 in July, and living abroad, I've missed plenty of milestones. I booked a cabin along the route — a belated birthday gift, complete with a spa and traditional Ecuadorian food.

We stayed close over the years, despite the distance. Out of four siblings, we're the most alike — athletic, adventurous, drawn to the same kinds of places. As a kid, I stole his CDs; he shaped my taste in music.

Now we both live unconventional lives: me as a freelance writer in Ecuador, him as a tree planter in western Canada.

Still, his 10 days in Ecuador were the most time we'd spent together as adults. A four-day trek through remote terrain could have been a gamble, but I knew he'd be in. No questions asked.

Witnessing his wanderlust inspired mine

Toward the end of our trip, we reached a tiny town — a church, a few dogs, a handful of homes. It was late afternoon, I was hungry and ready to stop when Fergus pushed ahead, scrambling up a steep gorge and insisting the top was "just a few minutes" away.

Sweating and irritated, I followed. Midway up this impossible-angled gorge, I checked my frustration, recognizing that I had been doing the same to hiking buddies over the past few years. And also, this trek was my idea, and I knew who I was doing it with.

Later, by a turquoise lagoon, I looked at him and saw not just the brother who packed my lunches and drove me to piano lessons, but someone I'll rely on for decades.

When it was time to leave, our bus to Quito never came. Instead, we hitched a ride, climbing into the back of a moving truck after getting directions from other trekkers.

"Get in," I told him, quickly translating the driver's words from Spanish. For once, I was leading.

• Carina Hong said at Business Insider's The Long Play that some researchers prefer neolabs.
• Axiom Math is developing AI systems that solve complex math problems with reasoning.
• "We had really amazing talents coming from Big Tech. They are industry veterans," said Hong.

The founder of one of the fastest rising neolabs is sharing her perspective on the war over AI talent.

Carina Hong, founder of the startup Axiom Math, which focuses on building an AI mathematician, told Business Insider's Ben Bergman that some researchers see advantages in working for neolabs rather than larger tech companies at Business Insider's The Long Play on Tuesday.

"We had really amazing talents coming from Big Tech. They are industry veterans," said Hong. "They are a bit tired of the PSC culture or all the politics at big shops, and they just want to work at a place where they feel like it's not sort of like job security because it is a startup — there's no job insecurity — but more like security for the research direction." (PSC refers to the rigorous biannual performance review process at companies like Meta, where employees are evaluated by their peers and managers.)

"When you're in a big lab and your research direction changes on like a monthly, if not weekly basis, that's actually another sort of security they are pursuing," Hong added. "You want to work at a place where you know that what you're working on still has impact in like two months."

AI-focused companies, from startups like OpenAI to Big Tech companies like Meta, are offering massive paydays to AI talent.

Axiom Math is developing advanced AI systems that can not only solve complex math problems but also generate step-by-step proofs and verify their own reasoning, Hong said. She told Bergman that the broader goal is to use mathematical reasoning as a foundation for more powerful AI, potentially enabling applications in areas like software verification, finance, and cryptography.

Axiom Math is only about a year old and is part of a new class of startups known as "neolabs," gaining traction across the AI sector, particularly in hubs like San Francisco. These companies are typically small, fast-moving teams building AI-native products from day one, often with fewer employees, mixed-use office spaces, and significantly lower operating costs than traditional startups. As of March 2026, Axiom Math is valued at $1.6 billion.

• Women's health startup Midi Health recently passed a $1 billion valuation.
• To scale faster, it built a custom chatbot that avoids outdated menopause data.
• Midi Health CEO Joanna Strober shared how AI has changed how she operates her business.

Midi Health CEO Joanna Strober originally set out to launch a menopause startup. Then, AI changed everything.

Founded in 2021, Midi Health provides virtual care to menopausal women and recently crossed the $1 billion valuation mark in a February funding round.

At Business Insider's The Long Play event in San Francisco on Tuesday, Strober said AI has transformed her business.

"I thought I was starting a menopause company, but it turns out I'm building an AI company," Strober said onstage.

Midi Health, based in Palo Alto, California, now uses AI to train thousands of its providers on how to answer patient questions.

That's helped the company scale to serving more than 20,000 women a week — or millions a year.

The move wasn't easy. Because research on women's health — especially menopause — is sparse, general-purpose AI chatbots trained on the open internet weren't good enough.

Midi Health had to build its own chatbot using only high-quality data and excluding studies that have since been disproven.

"There's a lot of old, outdated data," she said.

AI dinners and office hours

Beyond the chatbot, Midi Health also uses AI in its internal systems.

Strober has been flying around the country to have dinner with the company's nurses, talking through how they should use AI at work.

She said she introduced one nurse — who was trying to standardize hundreds of contracts — to Google Gemini. The job, which the nurse thought would take about a month, ended up taking 10 minutes.

Midi Health has also started holding AI office hours, where the company's software engineers help different teams "AI-ify" themselves.

Strober says the shift isn't leading to mass layoffs.

"It's not threatening — it's really about augmenting their jobs," she said.

• Jason Blum said he got roasted when Blumhouse teamed up with Meta to make AI shorts.
• He said it taught him that AI won't be replacing filmmakers for a long time.
• Blum said he thinks online content creators have more to worry about than directors and writers.

AI is a hot-button topic in Hollywood, but the modern king of horror was still surprised by the backlash he received when he teamed up with Meta.

"We made three little AI shorts for Meta. We got destroyed on Twitter for doing that," Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, told Peter Kafka at Business Insider's The Long Play event in San Francisco on Tuesday. "But I learned a lot."

In October 2024, Meta announced it was partnering with Blumhouse to test its suite of AI models that can help with moviemaking, but Blum said the experience actually made him less concerned about AI replacing filmmakers.

After doing those shorts, he said he was "very confident" that AI would not make better content for "a long, long time."

There's been rapid improvements in generative AI, with uncanny AI clips of stars like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting, prompting sweeping declarations about the death of Hollywood.

Blum said he thinks AI-generated content is more likely to compete with scrolling on social media, rather than watching a movie.

"I think for once, creators have more to worry about than directors and writers," he said.

Founded by Blum in 2000, Blumhouse has produced some of the most successful horror franchises of the 21st century, like "Paranormal Activity," "Insidious," and "The Purge" films, as well as Oscar-winning critical darlings like "Whiplash" and "Get Out." Its latest release, "Lee Cronin's The Mummy," hits theaters this Friday.

Blum has been open about the inevitable impact of AI on Hollywood. He said Tuesday that while he would prefer AI in moviemaking to go away, he knows it's here to stay, comparing AI opposition to resisting technology.

"It really bothers me when a lot of people in Hollywood just are like, 'We're not doing AI,'" he said, adding, "It ain't going away."

Blum said he personally tries to experiment with AI and make it available as an option for filmmakers who are interested in using it, calling it a "personal choice."

"If a director wants to use AI or a filmmaker or a producer or a writer wants to use AI, I want to make sure that my company can provide information about how to do that," he said.

• Anthropic has recently received multiple offers from VCs to invest at valuations as high as $800 billion.
• Buzzy startups frequently field preemptive offers from investors only to rebuff them.
• Still, the valuations indicate the feverish demand for Anthropic shares that has overtaken Silicon Valley.

Anthropic has fielded multiple offers from VCs valuing the startup behind Claude at as much as $800 billion in recent weeks, more than double its current valuation, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

Buzzy startups frequently field preemptive offers from investors only to rebuff them.

Still, the valuations VCs are floating indicate the feverish demand that has overtaken Silicon Valley for a stake in Anthropic as the company prepares for a possible IPO later this year.

A spokesperson for Anthropic declined to comment.

Anthropic closed a funding round in February led by GIC and Coatue that valued the company at $380 billion. That is less than half the $852 billion valuation OpenAI achieved in the funding round it closed last month.

Anthropic is valued at $688 billion on Caplight, a secondary exchange where investors can trade shares of privately held companies. That is up 75% in three months.

Investors and founders have been wowed by Anthropic's torrid growth and momentum around AI-powered coding assistant Claude code.

"They're crushing it," Jared Quincy Davis, founder and CEO of Mithril, an AI cloud platform, said about Anthropic last week at HumanX, an AI conference.

Anthropic's run-rate revenue, the revenue a company expects to collect over a year, has soared to $30 billion, up from $9 billion at the end of last year, the company announced last week. It also added that over 1,000 business customers are spending more than $1 million a year, a figure that has doubled in less than two months.

Last week, Anthropic announced its latest model, Mythos, which it said is so powerful it cannot yet be unleashed upon the general public because of the risk of cyber attacks.

"The Mythos model is a huge deal, Tomasz Tunguz, founder and general partner of Theory Ventures, said last week at HumanX. "There's a tremendous amount of excitement."

The final Champions League quarterfinal matches play out tomorrow. We've gathered everything you need to know about where to watch Bayern vs. Real Madrid, including free and global streaming options.

If you don't want to read any further: the match will live stream on Paramount Plus in the US, TNT Sports on HBO Max in the UK, free on RTE2 in Ireland, and free on RTL Club in Belgium. If you're away from the location where your favorite streaming service works when the game starts, like Ireland or Belgium, you can still access it with the help of a VPN, such as ProtonVPN. You can learn more about additional global watch options below.

How to watch Bayern vs. Real Madrid for free

The Bayern vs. Real Madrid match will be available for free in multiple regions. In Ireland, fans can watch for free via RTE2. In Belgium, RTL Club will host the free coverage. While these options don't have every Champions League game, they do carry several matches each throughout the season.

How to watch Bayern vs. Real Madrid from anywhere

If you're away from Ireland or Belgium when the game kicks off, you can still access these free streaming options with the help of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are easy-to-use tech tools that let people change their device's virtual location. They're most popular among those hoping to keep up with their usual services while traveling abroad or looking to boost their cybersecurity.

Proton VPN is a solid option. It's fast and user-friendly (even for beginners). Plus, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not helping you out. You can learn more in our roundup of the best VPNs.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

Rag & Bone's sweatpant jeans originally went viral for promising the look of denim with the comfort of sweats. They've stayed relevant because they genuinely solve a problem. After testing them for 2 years across multiple body types, we can say they're definitely worth it.

Rag & Bone's sweatpant jeans are for anyone who wants to look like they're in "hard pants," but feel more comfortable in stretchy sweatpants. They're my favorite travel pants, since the French terry fabric packs down tighter than real denim (the weight is perfect for drafty plane cabins or transitional weather, yet light enough that you won't feel constricted).

To put it plainly, these aren't just a clever design trick. These are the best sweatpant jeans because they've held up for years fit a range of bodies comfortably. Rag & Bone also has a few other styles in the Miramar line, including joggers, jackets, skirts, and shorts, all made with the same material. As the collection grows, here are our favorite Rag & Bone sweatpant jeans we've tried so far.

Rag & Bone sweatpant jeans review: Our honest take

Are Rag & Bone sweatpant jeans worth it?

I've been wearing my "sweans" on a nearly weekly basis ever since I got them two years ago. I truly can't recommend them enough.

These wide-leg fit is slightly baggy with a high-rise waist and 31.5-inch inseam. The drape of the material perfectly imitates real wide-leg jeans, and they're meant to puddle a little at the bottom (or a lot, if you're short). This particular style comes in three different shades of denim blue.

The best style to buy is the Miramar Wide-Leg

The Miramar Rag & Bone sweatpant jeans are truly as soft as sweats. The printed-on stitches and rivets look uncannily real, and wearing them feels like sitting on a secret no one else has to know (except that you'll be so excited to tell them you might not be able to keep the illusion up).

I'm 5-foot-9, and when pulled all the way up around my waist, the inseam reaches a bit past my ankles in flats, so I'd definitely recommend these jeans for tall women. Thankfully, because the waistband is so stretchy, I have the option to sling them low and let the hems puddle around my ankles.

How they compare to real jeans: Faux buttons, real hip pockets

The stretchy terry cloth sweatpant is perfect for springtime, as it's more breathable than fleece sweats. Rag & Bone claims these are washing machine safe and advises you turn them inside out before rinsing them in cold water and laying them flat to dry. I never put mine in the dryer because they're 100% cotton and I'm afraid they'll shrink

Fit and sizing on different body types

Our executive editor Sally Kaplan is 5-foot-2, so the jeans are much longer on her. But she still can't get over how comfy they are (she even bought a second pair).

"I love the look of a wide-leg jean but have also sworn off hard pants, so these sweatpant jeans are my dream come true!" says Sally. "I'm short and curvy, so I knew these would be a little long on me, but I don't even care. I just safety pin them at the back of the hem to keep them from catching under my heels, and no one is the wiser."

Putting them in the dryer helped shrink up the length a bit, but here's how Sally hems long pants with just a few safety pins:

I saw this hack on Instagram (Millennial here, not cool enough for TikTok). All you have to do is tuck the back hem of your long jeans up inside the pant and safety pin it. You leave the front of the hem unpinned, and it pools perfectly around your ankles without the back catching under your heels. You really can't see the safety pins at all when you're walking around.

The Miramar Andi Ankle Pants fit petite sizes

Style editor Samantha Crozier tried the Andi Ankle Pant, which has a 27-inch inseam, a real button closure, and a non-elasticated waistband. This style is about four inches shorter than the original Miramar Wide Leg Pants, which makes it much more petite-friendly.

"I'm the same height as Sally, so I knew off the bat that I needed to try a cropped style if I didn't want to deal with pinning or hemming the pants. Lucky for me, the Andi Ankle Pant turned out to be the perfect length.

As advertised, the pants are as soft as sweatpants, and the familiar terry feels great against my skin. But I have mixed feelings about the real waistband. On one hand, it truly completes the illusion of denim. The least convincing features of the original Miramar Wide Leg Pants are the drawn-on hardware and the elasticized waistband. With the Andi, you can wear a cropped top, and the illusion would still hold.

But the real waistband also makes these less comfortable. I've still found myself dealing with the same perils as real jeans — like unbuttoning them after a big meal or avoiding wearing them on a plane. You can tell that these are less forgiving because you have to buy them in your waist size, instead of relying on alpha sizing.

At the end of the day, it's up to you to pick whether you prefer a perfect jeans illusion or a stretchy waistband. "

Talia tried the jogger version and also became an instant fan.

Freelance author Talia Ergas reviewed the sweatpant jeans in her guide to the best joggers for women. "They even had my husband fooled, who insisted he 'never would have guessed' that I was wearing sweats if I didn't tell him. He was astonished when I had him feel the supersoft cotton terry fabric and the stretchy elastic waistband," says Ergas. "They accompanied me on a recent 6-hour road trip, keeping me super snug during the long drive but looking pulled together when we stopped at a restaurant for a mid-way lunch."

The short version is another style worth buying. They proved perfect for summer travel.

"These faux denim shorts have it all: stretchy mid-rise waistband, comfy terry cotton fabric, realistic-looking denim print complete with faux distressing, and the perfect four-inch inseam that was long enough to keep me well-covered, but not overly so," she writes. "They'd make an excellent choice for beach attire since they're way more comfortable than real denim, but can still pass as daisy dukes."

If you're as passionate about comfort as we are, the Rag & Bone sweatpant jeans are worth it.

The Miramar sweatpant jeans are truly as soft as sweats. We couldn't recommend them enough — we just wish they came in a more inclusive size range (they only go up to an XL).

Once you've tried them, you'll likely have a tough time ever putting on real jeans again.

Shop the whole Rag & Bone Miramar collection here.

Flying with a cat can be stressful, but one of the best airline-approved cat carriers can make the journey smoother. When you place your cat at your feet in the plane cabin, a thoughtfully designed soft-sided pet carrier with the right features helps keep them safe and comfortable — and helps you relax, too.

To find the best airline cat carriers, I consulted veterinarians and pet travel experts and tested 31 models myself. My top pick, the crash-tested Sleepypod Air, compresses to fit under seats as narrow as 16 inches and includes comfortable touches that make it easy to carry and maneuver. For a more affordable option, the Frisco Premium Airline Compliant Quilted Carrier Bag is sturdy and cozy enough to keep your cat comfortable throughout your trip. The bag's downsides are the lack of a padded handle wrap and its softer structure, which can make it slightly less comfortable to carry.

Before flying with your cat, double-check your airline's pet carrier size limits. Southwest Airlines allows carriers up to 18.5 inches (L) by 13.5 inches (W) by 9.5 inches (H), while the maximum dimensions for Delta, American Airlines, and United are 18 inches (L) by 11 inches (W) by 11 inches (H). Some airlines have even smaller maximum sizes, so check the airline's requirements before you fly.

Read more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Our top picks for the best airline-approved cat carriers

Best overall: Sleepypod Air - See at Chewy

Best budget: Frisco Premium Airline Compliant Quilted Carrier Bag - See at Chewy

Best stylish: Away The Pet Carrier - See at Away

Best expandable: Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Expandable Carrier - See at Amazon

Best backpack: Mr. Peanut's Monterey Series Backpack Airline Compliant Pet Carrier - See at Amazon

Best overall

My cats made their preference for the Sleepypod Air clear. At a recent vet appointment, my 10- and 11-pound cats climbed into it together, completely ignoring the second carrier I'd brought along. The soft, dark, roomy interior seemed to help them stay calm. For skittish fliers, the carrier includes a privacy screen that slides through the mesh top. While it significantly reduces your cat's access to fresh air, its ventilation remains around 20% — still above the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) 16% minimum for in-cabin live animal transport.

The Sleepypod Air is also one of a handful of pet carriers certified by the Center for Pet Safety (CPS), a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that crash-tests pet carriers to ensure their safety in automobile collisions. It earned a 4 out of 5-star rating, losing one star because it lifted slightly off the seat during testing. Even so, Lindsey Wolko, founder and CEO of CPS, says the result is a positive one and that the carrier performed exceptionally well.

Instead of traditional doors, the Sleepypod Air uses a continuous zipper that runs from end to end. With one pull of the zipper, it transforms into an open bed, converts for use as a car seat, or rolls up for convenient storage. The ends are also designed to fold in about 2.5 inches each, meeting the size requirements of most major airlines. I recommend practicing compressing the carrier before your trip.

The padded cross-body strap felt supportive, and the carrier rested comfortably against my body without collapsing inward. The built-in luggage strap kept the carrier balanced on top of my suitcase when navigating curbs and rough sidewalks.

The Sleepypod Air isn't cheap. But its versatility, comfort, and impressive safety features make it a worthwhile investment. The company offers a one-year return policy, whether or not the carrier has been used, and will replace it if it's damaged in a car accident.

Best budget

Although this carrier is a fraction of the price of our other picks, it performed well in durability testing. At home, it was also the carrier my cats chose to lounge in time and time again. In short, the cozy Frisco Premium Airline Compliant Quilted Carrier Bag is an excellent budget carrier.

Susan Nilson, a cat and dog trainer and behavior specialist, recommends leaving a carrier out at home with the doors open so your cat can get comfortable with it before a trip. I did just that, and it quickly turned into one of my cats' favorite spots to nap. Even after running the interior fleece mat through the washing machine, it retained its softness and cat appeal.

The carrier features two doors — one on top and one on the side — a feature associate home editor Kinsley Searles appreciates. "I have a wiggly, young kitty who isn't used to being in a carrier just yet, but she's always so comfortable in her Frisco carrier," she says. "I can leave a side open for her to crawl in naturally or place her inside through the top. Since it's so easy to take her in and out, her acclimation to the carrier has been seamless and stress-free."

The carrier is outfitted with two storage pockets: a Velcro-secured pocket to stash your keys and phone, and a mesh pocket for treats and travel documents. It also comes with a collapsible silicone bowl and an ID tag, so you can check two essentials off your packing list.

The adjustable shoulder strap and carry handle aren't padded, which may make them less comfortable on longer journeys. Like higher-end options, the Frisco carrier has a luggage sleeve that slides over your suitcase handle. However, it doesn't keep the carrier well-balanced over curbs and uneven sidewalks, so you'll need to keep it steady with your free hand.

Best stylish

The Reviews team is a big fan of Away's luggage line for its streamlined designs and thoughtful features. With the Away Pet Carrier, your feline companion can travel with the same sophistication and comfort. Like the Sleepypod Air, the carrier is certified by the CPS and earned a perfect 5-star crash-test rating.

My feline testers loved the soft sherpa interior mat, making this carrier a prime napping spot at home and on the go. Mesh windows on two sides and the top provide excellent ventilation while still giving your cat a sense of security. If your cat is an anxious traveler, simply roll down the privacy window for a calmer experience.

To navigate busy airports, you can slide the handy back sleeve over the handle of luggage from any brand. There's also an adjustable shoulder strap so you can wear it crossbody, and the carrier is rigid enough to keep from collapsing inward on your precious cargo. You can also carry your cat with the leather hand strap.

The carrier's nylon exterior and interior are easy to wipe clean. Even the pockets are lined with nylon, and the waterproof front pocket is waterproof includes drainage holes, ideal for storing a collapsible water bowl. The machine-washable interior liner attaches with velcro and is easy to remove, so you can toss it in the wash once you reach your destination.

Best expandable

On long travel days with time spent waiting in the airport, Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Expandable Carrier offers jet-setting cats extra space to stretch out. It includes a zippered panel on its right side that unfolds into a mesh atrium, nearly doubling the carrier's interior space. While the expandable section can't be used in flight, the feature makes it the best carrier for cross-country flights with layovers and extended stays away from home.

The spacious carrier is front, top, and side-loading with a roll-up privacy flap over the top door. Importantly, the Gold Series Expandable Carrier offers plenty of ventilation to keep a cat from overheating. Inside, it has a soft plush bolster bed and a safety tether. Outside, it's outfitted with an adjustable padded shoulder strap and a faux leather carry handle. There's also a 10-inch by 4-inch mesh pocket on the backside. All of the materials and zippers excelled in my testing.

When I used the luggage strap, the carrier remained mostly balanced on my suitcase, slipping only about an inch to one side. Carrying it on my shoulder was comfortable, and the strap was easy to adjust to the correct length.

The bed was easy to spot clean, and although it is labeled hand-wash only, it came out of the washing machine looking nearly new after air-drying.

At times, this carrier is available in limited colors. If you prefer more color options, we also tested the Mr. Peanut's Platinum Series Expandable Carrier, which costs $40 less. Both carriers held up well in testing, standing up to drops and stomps without any damage. The only drawback is that the Platinum Series doesn't have a roll-away privacy flap over the top ventilation panel. Alternatively, veterinarian Dr. Jo Myers says that if your carrier lacks privacy panels, draping a towel or blanket over the carrier can help keep a stressed cat calm.

Best backpack

If you already have your hands full, Mr. Peanut's backpack carrier might be your best bet. It's a cat carrier you can wear on your back to keep your hands free and your cat safe.

The backpack prioritizes a cat's comfort with a wider profile similar to a traditional carrier. This design eliminates the need to turn the carrier — and your cat — on its side for stowing under the seat in front of you. It does sit a bit higher on my back than my favorite cat hiking backpack (reaching mid-back or higher depending on your height), but it's a small price to pay for a cozy feline friend. The adjustable, padded shoulder strap offers a carrying alternative but isn't long enough for a crossbody fit.

According to the brand, an interior machine-washable thermal pad is designed to keep cats comfortable in any climate. While I can't confirm its effectiveness at regulating temperature, my cats certainly approved of it as a napping spot. To test its ease of cleaning, I smeared a mix of dry and wet cat food on the interior and exterior. A quick wipe-down with a damp paper towel removed most of the mess from the nylon exterior. The interior quilted design trapped some dried food bits in the crevices, but the washing machine took care of the mess. A pre-wash scrub may be necessary for some dried-on accidents.

The carrier didn't put a strain on my back during walks, thanks to its mesh padding that offers breathability and cushioning. However, it lacks a waist or chest clip for added stability on long airport treks, so I tightened the shoulder straps to hold the carrier flush against my back. The carrier comes in medium and large, but only the medium size meets most airline carry-on restrictions.

What to look for in an airline cat carrier

The best airline-approved cat carriers come in many different styles at varying price points. Our experts recommend considering the following factors when shopping to ensure you get the best value for safety, comfort, and minimizing stress for your cat.

Key features: Several factors contribute to a carrier's usefulness, comfort, and safety. Based on our own experiences traveling with cats and the advice of veterinarians, below are the key features to consider.

• Shape and design: A carrier should be large enough for a cat to comfortably lie down and turn around. Some cat carriers have built-in expandable sections that can double or even triple the size of a carrier. These are ideal for allowing your cat to stretch out between flights safely.
• Interior mat: Ideally, a floor mat will be removable and machine washable. It should securely attach to the bag's interior to prevent it from sliding around.
• Loading doors: Dr. Gwen Gadd, a veterinarian at the East Bay SPCA Theodore B. Travers Family Veterinary Clinic, says the best cat carriers have two doors. If your cat refuses to come out of their carrier, it may be easier to gently lift them from a door at the top of the carrier rather than struggling to remove them from the door in the front.
• Carrying straps and handles: A quality carrier should have a removable shoulder strap, preferably padded for comfort, and a double handle for lifting. A strap that wraps around and secures the handles helps keep them balanced and out of the way.
• Pockets: Pockets are essential for keeping your cat's gear and yours close at hand. A cat carrier should have multiple pockets, with at least one secured by a zipper, button, or hook-and-loop closure.
• Ventilation: According to IATA live animal regulations for in-cabin transport, pet carrier bags must have a minimum of 16% ventilation. Most soft-sided carriers meet or exceed this requirement with mesh panels.
• Privacy flaps: Some carriers feature a privacy flap that can be lifted or lowered depending on temperature and a cat's specific needs. While you will need to keep at least some areas open for ventilation, hiding helps cats feel safe, which is especially useful during a stressful event such as flying.
• Interior safety tether: An interior safety tether that clips to your cat's harness can help prevent sudden escapes. However, Wolko says to use it only during breaks to feed or give water to your pet. "The tether inside the carrier should not be used during active travel, as the pet can become tangled," she says.
• ID tag: The carrier should have its own ID tag to help reunite you with your pet if you're separated, though it's no substitute for outfitting your cat in one of the best cat collars with an ID tag attached or microchipping.
• Luggage strap: While not essential, a luggage strap or trolley sleeve that slides over a suitcase handle makes navigating the airport with a cat in tow much easier.
• Dimensions and in-cabin airline capability: Most major airlines, including Delta, American, and United, allow in-cabin carriers up to 18 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 11 inches high. Carriers that meet — or can slightly compress to meet — these dimensions are generally a safe bet. A few other airlines, like Southwest (18.5" L x 13.5" W x 9.5" H) and JetBlue (17" L x 12.5" W x 8.5" H), have stricter size limits.
• Ease of storage: Unless you frequently travel with your cat, a carrier that quickly folds flat for storage adds convenience.

Safety: Unlike child car seats, there are no universal safety standards or inspections for cat carriers. Some brands advertise their carriers as "crash-tested" or "safety-certified," but those claims can be misleading. "In-house crash testing may be inherently biased or skewed when it is conducted by the same company that manufactures the product," says Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, a veterinarian and veterinary medical advisor for Rover.

Some brands go the extra mile by subjecting their carriers to rigorous testing by third-party or nonprofit safety organizations. We recognize crash safety ratings from the Center for Pet Safety (CPS), a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that studies the safety of pet products. "They are one of only a few independent bodies that does crash testing under transparent, standardized, and scientific conditions, using benchmarks based on safety standards for children's car seats," Greenstein says. CPS collaborates with Subaru of America, Inc., to conduct specially designed crash tests with dummies. Among our recommended picks, the Sleepypod Air and Away Pet Carrier have been crash-test certified for auto transport by the CPS.

Currently, CPS studies do not extend to air travel and flight safety. Despite the absence of standardized air travel safety tests, crash-test certification remains the gold standard. Wolko says carriers are most susceptible to failure at seams where the mesh connects to the carrier body. She recommends inspecting carriers for any signs of loose threads, weak spots, or faulty zippers to ensure their overall safety and reliability throughout transit.

Wolko says you'll want to consider your entire journey, including driving from home to the airport and transportation to your destination. Some carriers include exterior straps for securing a car seat belt. However, Wolko says that unless the carrier has been crash-tested and third-party safety certified by an organization such as the CPS, a cat carrier should always be placed on the backseat floor behind the passenger seat instead of on the seat itself. "It minimizes the impact and provides a lot of protection," she says. "If you do get into a sudden stop, they're not going to fly all over the place."

Size: A carrier should be roomy enough for your cat to comfortably turn around and lie down while still compact enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Carrier size requirements vary by airline, so double-check your airline's specific requirements.

Fortunately, size isn't usually a limiting factor for cats. More often than not, they prefer to curl up in a small ball and hide during the trip, says Myers, adding that extra room for playing, eating, drinking, or using the litter box during the flight is typically unnecessary. However, if you anticipate a long layover and want extra legroom for your cat, an expandable carrier like Mr. Peanut's Gold Series Expandable Carrier is a good choice.

Weight restrictions: Many in-cabin cat carriers are suitable for cats weighing up to 15 or 18 pounds. If your cat is on the heavier side, double-check the weight limit for the carrier you're considering purchasing and make sure your cat has room to move around comfortably in it.

Ventilation: Most carriers are designed with enough ventilation (at least 16%) to meet the International Air Transport Association (IATA) minimum requirement. Some carriers may have less or more, so the amount of ventilation you choose depends on your and your cat's preferences.

Since Myers says most cats prefer to hide in stressful environments, carriers with privacy walls and flaps may be beneficial. Alternatively, she recommends bringing a towel or blanket that you can place over the carrier if your cat becomes stressed. "Even if you cover the carrier with a towel, it's far from airtight," she says. "Simply check on your cat occasionally, without disturbing them any more than necessary."

How we tested the best airline-approved cat carriers

This guide was reported by Shoshi Parks and Janelle Leeson, both seasoned cat product testers with a combined clowder of four cats who sniff, paw, ride in, and, if they're comfortable enough, nap in the selection of carriers up for consideration.

Parks is a certified professional dog trainer who has tested everything from litter boxes to cat toys with her two cats. Leeson is a former foster cat mom who has transported dozens of stressed-out cats and kittens and once flew cross-country with her own cat in the cabin. Her two cats regularly help evaluate the latest and best pet products for Business Insider Reviews.

With advice from veterinarians and pet safety experts, we developed our selection and testing criteria for the best airline-approved cat carriers. Since 2021, Shoshi and Janelle have tested 31 carriers, and Janelle continues to test new carriers as they're released to keep this guide current. The dozens of carriers we evaluated underwent the tests described here.

Feature comparison: We created a system for scoring each carrier based on the key features described in the What to look for section above.

Scrape test: We scraped a mesh section of each carrier 50 times with a fork to test its durability, noting any damage or discoloration.

Zip test: To test the durability of each carrier's zippers, we completely zipped and unzipped one of its loading entrances 50 times. In the process, we observed changes in the zipper's ability to run its course smoothly.

Luggage test: If a carrier included a luggage strap, we evaluated how well it remained balanced on top of a suitcase. We placed a 10-pound weight inside and attached the carrier to a suitcase handle so it rested on top of our luggage. Then we rolled it over a curb, up a ramp, and along the sidewalk and street of a city block.

Ventilation test: Wolko says ventilation is important to prevent a cat from overheating during travel. We measured the dimensions of each carrier's mesh panels and calculated the percentage of the total surface area they comprised. We favored bags with more ventilation. According to IATA live animal regulations, pet carrier bags must have a minimum of 16% ventilation.

Walk test: We took each soft-sided carrier containing a 10-pound weight on a 15-minute walk around a neighborhood. Each was carried using the shoulder strap and held at the front of the body the way a person would if they had a real cat inside. For the last block of the walk, we switched to using the hand-carry straps. The backpack carriers were taken on the same walk but were not carried by hand. With each one, we paid attention to how comfortable it was to carry, how much it bounced, and whether it collapsed inwards.

Goop test: We devised this test to determine how easy it would be to clean the carriers if a cat vomited or defecated in transit. We mashed together cat kibble, canned food, and water with a mortar and pestle to make the goop, then spread a tablespoon on an exterior wall and interior mat of each carrier. After 48 hours, we wiped the goop from the exterior using dish soap and water and cleaned the mats in the washing machine.

Drop and stomp tests: We brought the carriers to a local park, loaded each one with a 10-pound weight, and threw them off of a 10-foot play structure, looking for any damage that occurred upon landing. We then rolled the bags several times on the ground with the weight still inside, looking for damage to the stitching, mesh, or zippers. Later, at home, we placed each carrier on a rug and stomped on it a dozen times with bare feet, noting whether its frame changed shape or the bag suffered any other damage.

How to prepare a cat for flying

In the weeks before their trip, introduce your cat to their carrier or kennel in a positive way. "Make the carrier feel like a cave or a home or something that's comfortable, something that they're not just jammed into the first time they're on their way to the airport," says Murtaugh.

Place the carrier in an area of the home where your cat spends a lot of time and encourage them to explore it by placing catnip and treats inside or by playing with them in and around the space.

Murtaugh says that taking your cat on a car ride or other forms of transportation while in their carrier may also be helpful in the weeks before the flight. He recommends placing a bed or blanket that smells like home inside the carrier and using a pheromone spray or collar to help take the edge off.

If your cat has a history of experiencing debilitating stress during travel and will be flying in the cabin, you can speak to your vet about prescribing an anxiety-relieving medication. However, it's important to test the medication out before your flight. "Make sure there won't be any untoward side effects," says Murtaugh. "Your vet can help you tailor that to your cat's needs."

The IATA recommends against sedating a cat before flying in the cargo hold. It can be fatal for older, chronically sick, or highly stressed animals. Nilson says calming pheromones such as Feliway or Pet Remedy are safe alternatives.

Airline cat carrier FAQs

What do vets recommend for cat carriers?

Cats should always be transported in a secure carrier specifically designed for pets — never in a cardboard box, tote bag, or laundry basket. A well-designed carrier prevents escapes and can help your cat feel calmer while traveling. When properly secured in your vehicle, a pet carrier can also offer life-saving protection if you need to brake suddenly or are involved in a collision. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for securing the carrier in your vehicle or place it on the floor behind the front passenger seat. While only a limited number of carriers have been crash-tested, Dr. Alison Gerken, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist at San Francisco SPCA, recommends choosing CPS-certified models, such as the Sleepypod Air.

To minimize travel-related stress, look for a carrier with multiple access points, such as a front door and a top entry or removable top. This setup allows you to gently lift your cat in and out rather than pulling them through an opening or tipping the carrier. "That kind of handling can be extremely frightening and can create lasting fear around future travel or veterinary visits," Gerken says. Dr. Lisa Radosta, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, agrees that feline-friendly design features are essential for comfort. She also recommends Sleepypod carriers for their proper ventilation, soft cushioned interiors, and optional privacy panel for anxious cats.

Do cats prefer hard or soft-sided carriers?

It really comes down to the individual cat. Some feel more secure in a hard-sided carrier, while others prefer the coziness of a soft-sided one. For air travel, however, soft-sided carriers are typically the better choice. "Soft-sided carriers are lighter, cozier, and often easier to carry," Gerken says. The trade-offs are that soft carriers can sag inward on your cat and are more difficult to clean if your cat has an accident.

For trips to the vet with an anxious cat, a hard-sided carrier is the best option. These carriers are sturdy, easy to clean, and, most importantly, commonly feature a removable top. "This design lets cats stay in the bottom half during the exam, which helps them feel more secure," Gerken says. There are some drawbacks, though: Hard-sided carriers tend to be bulky, harder to carry, and are rarely crash-tested.

Because both styles have advantages, Gerken says many cats do well with a hybrid or semi-rigid carrier. That's why she recommends the Sleepypod Air, which blends the structure of a hard carrier with the comfort of a soft one. It can also unzip into a bed to allow for lower-stress handling at the vet.

How do I know if my cat carrier is airline-approved?

If you're bringing your cat into the plane cabin, you'll need a soft-sided carrier that fits within your airline's size restrictions, which vary slightly by airline. No matter which carrier you use, Wolko advises making sure your cat has enough room to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. There should be at least 2 to 3 inches of space between the top of your cat's ears and the inside roof of the carrier.

How much does it cost to fly with a cat?

In-cabin pet fees vary by airline. United Airlines charges $150 for a one-way flight, and Delta charges $150 for domestic flights. Transporting a cat in the cargo hold on a domestic flight typically costs around $300 per trip. For international flights, you can expect to pay as much as three times that amount.

How much ventilation should a carrier have?

For soft-sided carriers, Wolko says mesh should be on at least three sides to ensure proper airflow. If your cat is flying in cargo, airlines require kennels to have ventilation on all four sides. According to the IATA live animal regulations, both soft- and hard-sided carriers must provide at least 16% ventilation.

Do cats need to go to the bathroom on a flight?

Most healthy cats won't need access to a litter box during a standard flight. "Just based on the physiology of cats, they could probably go from Boston to Hawaii without needing to void," says Dr. Bob Murtaugh, a veterinarian and chair of veterinary medicine for the National Academies of Practice.

If your cat is traveling in the cargo hold, kennels can't be outfitted with a litter box — only an absorbent liner and soft bedding are permitted. "If the travel day will be more than eight hours, during a layover pet owners can arrange a comfort stop for cats to be let out of their carrier," says Elaine Mathis, pet travel specialist and project manager at Happy Tails Travel. When you let your cat out of their carrier, secure them with one of the best cat harnesses attached to a leash.

Do cats need food and water on a flight?

For shorter in-cabin flights, most cats won't need food or water. However, if your cat is flying in cargo, Mathis says both a food and water bowl should be in the carrier, regardless of flight duration. She recommends using dishes that secure to the crate's door and are easy to refill from the outside, such as Lixit's Quick Lock Crock 10-ounce bowls.

What are the signs that my cat may be in distress in flight?

Murtaugh says there are a few clear signs of distress during air travel, often caused by fear or excessive heat. Panting, restlessness, and vocalization may signal significant anxiety or overheating. Bright red gums may indicate overheating, which requires immediate cooling.

With approval from a flight attendant, you can place the carrier on your lap so your cat can feel airflow from the overhead vent or wipe them with a wet cloth to help lower their body temperature. Before your trip, Nilson recommends lightly spraying the carrier with calming pheromones to help reduce stress.

• As a longtime Costco employee, I love seeing the new items that arrive each month.
• The Elements bug-repelling fans and Koda rock solar lights are perfect for outdoor entertaining.
• I think the Kirkland Signature barbecue-chicken mac and cheese looks delicious.

I've worked at Costco for 20 years and always love getting to see all the great new items that come into the warehouse.

From delicious food items to spring-hosting essentials, here are nine of the best products I'm seeing on shelves this month.

Get ready for parties with the Balloon Time helium-tank bundle.

The Balloon Time helium tank is a must for setting up for birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more.

It even comes with 50 assorted latex balloons and white ribbon, so you'll have everything you need to make any celebration special.

Dinner just got a lot easier with the Sweetwood Ranch Angus cheeseburger sliders.

Warmer weather means the start of barbecue season, but sometimes, firing up the grill can feel like a lot of work.

Luckily, the Sweetwood Ranch Angus cheeseburger sliders provide the perfect solution. These little sandwiches can be cooked in the air fryer, microwave, or oven for a quick and easy meal.

Each patty is topped with American cheese, caramelized onions, and a brioche bun.

The popular Aloha Collection X CleverMade tote screams summer.

The next item that caught my eye is actually a collaboration between two bag companies: Aloha Collection and CleverMade.

This gorgeous floral tote has been super popular at my store, and I've seen lots of chatter about it online. I love that it's collapsible, making it easy to store in luggage.

Kids will love the premade Lego Easter baskets.

This month, Costco is carrying beautiful Lego-brand baskets, perfect for Easter or spring birthday gifts.

Each premade basket features a Lego set (available in Minecraft, Super Mario, and Easter bunny varieties) with chocolate and candy.

The best part? It comes in a cute basket and wrapped with a bow.

Illuminate your home or garage with the Enbrigten hexagon-shaped lights.

If you're looking for a fun way to upgrade the lighting in your home or garage, the Enbrigten hexagon-shaped lights are a great option.

With the help of included snap-in connectors, the lights can be easily customized depending on your needs. There's also a handy remote to control the brightness and turn the lights on and off as needed.

The Kirkland Signature barbecue-chicken mac and cheese looks delicious.

I always love trying Costco's premade meals in the deli department, and this month, I saw delicious-looking barbecue-chicken mac and cheese.

This ready-to-bake meal is made with cavatappi pasta, Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken, bacon, shredded cheese, and barbecue sauce.

Bug-repelling fans are a must-have for outdoor events.

Although nothing screams springtime quite like outdoor meals, bugs can quickly become a nuisance. That's why the Elements tabletop bug-repelling fans caught my eye.

Each box comes with two fans designed to help keep flies and other insects away. Available in black and silver varieties, these fans can hold a charge for up to 10 hours.

Become an at-home barista with the Nespresso Vertuo Next machine.

The Nespresso Vertuo Next is a popular item at my store. This versatile machine makes it easy to brew espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos from the comfort of your own home.

The Costco bundle includes everything you need to get started: a milk frother, a variety of coffee capsules, and a $20 voucher to use on the Nespresso website.

Upgrade the lighting in your yard with the Koda rock solar lights.

These Koda solar lights are designed to look like rocks and seamlessly blend into any landscape. Each box comes with two spotlights that can be adjusted to either warm- or cool-white tones.

On a full charge, the rocks can light up for eight hours at a time.

Costco was not involved in the sourcing or writing of this story. The views contained within represent the author's personal views.

The back-and-forth of the Iran war is creating the same repetitive market patterns day after day. As a result, investors have grown desensitized to new headlines and are beginning to shift their focus toward other potential catalysts.

• Tech stocks could be primed for a rally to fresh records, according to several investing pros.
• The Nasdaq hit a 10-day winning streak on Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 erased its wartime losses.
• It's a "historically opportune moment" to buy into the AI trade, Futurum CEO Daniel Newman said.

US stocks surged on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq closing higher for the 10th straight session as a growing chorus of market pros eye a new tech-led market boom.

The big move up comes a day after the broad S&P 500 erased its wartime losses at the end of Monday's session. It could also be the start of what investing veterans say is a larger tech-stock boom on the horizon.

Renewed bullishness about tech follows a string of declines since the start of this year that have dragged the sector toward pre-ChatGPT valuations.

Here's where major indexes stood at the 4 p.m. ET closing bell:

S&P 500: 6,967.38, up 1.18%

Dow Jones Industrial Average: 48,535.99, up 0.66% (+317 points)

Nasdaq Composite: 23,639.083, up 1.96%

Some on Wall Street are saying the time to buy the dip has come, and the current market setup is laying the groundwork for a new tech-stock boom after the sector's rocky start to 2026.

"Tech valuations are now LOWER than they were when ChatGPT was announced," Adam Kobeissi, founder of the Kobeissi Letter, said. "As the Iran War drives markets lower, AI is only getting bigger. Record highs are on the horizon."

Daniel Newman, CEO of Futurum, told Business Insider that Kobeissi is "spot on," calling it a "historically opportune moment" to buy into the AI trade.

From the war in Iran to the AI apocalypse, tech stocks had a tough start to 2026. The tech sector kicked off the first quarter as one of the worst-performing sectors, down over 9%.

Apollo Global Management chief economist Torsten Slok also noted that valuations have tumbled to around where they were before the AI boom kicked off when ChatGPT debuted in 2022.

"Tech valuations have compressed from 40x to 20x, and we are back at levels last seen before the AI boom began," Slok wrote.

Futurum's Newman reposted Kobeissi's comments, saying the wartime downturn in tech stock valuations is "a reset before the next leg up."

He told Business Insider that the gains won't be distributed evenly across tech, with companies that are seen as non-disintermediated by AI poised to gain, as he shared in his guide to picking AI stock winners.

Newman flagged some Magnificent Seven names, including Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia, as fitting the bill.

With first-quarter earnings season set to kick off, Ryan Detrick, Carson Group's chief market strategist, said that while the tech sector has pulled back, earnings haven't, and the coming results will be a fresh catalyst.

"Technology is expected to lead this upcoming earnings season. We don't think that's going to miss," Detrick told Business Insider, adding that earnings will help in "justifying why we do think the technology could take back the baton."

Wedbush's Dan Ives, one of Wall Street's most vocal AI bulls, told clients to focus on tech winners that are now "on sale" during "turbulent" market action as the war in Iran drags on.

Ives named CrowdStrike, Palo Alto, Zscaler, Checkpoint, and Rubrik as favorite cybersecurity stock picks as well as Microsoft, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Palantir as top tech picks.

Goldman Sachs on Monday pointed to "secular growth" stocks, or those whose profits aren't explicitly tied to the fate of the broader economy.

The bank said on Monday that it sees these names—many of which are concentrated in tech—as poised for a new chapter of growth. It listed stocks like Nvidia, Meta, Broadcom, and Micron Technology among those set for an earnings-related boost.

Gifting chocolate is the quickest way to sweeten anyone's day, whether you're sending a box of bonbons to a loved one or indulging in a single-origin bar yourself. It's more than just a gift, though — chocolate brings joy, conveys love, heals heartache, and forges connection. As a chocolatier myself, I believe the best chocolate is rich in flavor and almost too beautiful to eat.

To select the best boxed chocolates, I used my experience as a professional chocolatier and tested options from over 40 brands for texture, flavor, and appearance. My career revolves around chocolate: from training at the Culinary Institute of America and the Chocolate Academy to working at EHChocolatier, a Massachusetts-based artisanal chocolate producer. I'm confident that these are the best boxed chocolates money can buy, delivered right to your door (or the lucky recipient's). Trust me, I'm a chocolatier.

The best chocolate brands

Best candy bars: Compartés

Best for gifts: La Maison du Chocolat

Best for gourmands: Dandelion Chocolate

Best bean-to-bar: Goodnow Farms

Best budget: Chocolove

Best for nut lovers: See's Candies

Most kid-friendly: Tony's Chocolonely

Best bonbons: Cacao and Cardamom

Best caramels: Fran's Chocolates

Best subscription: Chocolate of the Month Club

Best vegan: Neuhaus

Our top 3 picks for Mother's Day

Best candy bars: Compartés

Shop all chocolate at Compartés.

Compartés seamlessly draws upon familiar flavors and tailors them to fun, stylish candy bars. Take, for example, The Donuts & Coffee bar, which is adorned with bits of real glazed buttermilk donuts, crispy coffee donut crumble, and finely ground coffee. That's just one of the nearly 70 flavors to choose from, and all come in beautiful packaging that makes for great gifting.

I loved the Strawberry Shortcake bar, which whimsically mixes jammy, tart, bite-sized strawberries and crumbles of buttery shortcake into a strawberry-flavored, rosy-hued white chocolate. I'm also intrigued by the new Tomato Chocolate bar, which pairs fresh California tomatoes with white chocolate. There's even a plethora of vegan options.

Our picks:

Best for gifts: La Maison du Chocolat

Shop all chocolate at La Maison du Chocolat.

La Maison du Chocolat's understated luxury, meticulous French elegance, and unparalleled quality, make it a great fit for any fortunate recipient on any occasion. There is an undeniable wow factor to all of La Maison du Chocolat's products, and it comes down to impressive craftsmanship — no glitter necessary. A deep burgundy box, tied closed with a chocolate-brown ribbon, sets the stage for the refined, clean lines of the bonbons carefully arranged inside. The minimalist packaging, free of glassine cups or plastic trays, feels surprisingly lavish and robust. The focus is on the chocolate itself, and it's utter perfection.

To make a strong impression with future in-laws and new neighbors, I'd reach for one of the brand's Gesture Gift Boxes, an assortment of delicate rectangles filled with flavored ganaches like juicy raspberry and rich Ethiopian coffee. To express sincere gratitude to a mentor or lifeline coworker, a box of rustic, cocoa-dusted, Cognac-scented truffles will do the trick. And for a host gift, I recommend a box of assorted pralines, filled with smooth hazelnut gianduja and crispy, toasty rochers.

For a more modest treat, La Maison du Chocolat offers a Snacks & Treats collection, with hearty candy bars, rustic barks, chocolate-covered nuts, and candied orange peels. If you're looking to really make a grand gesture, the brand's Parisian Hatboxes — curated gift baskets filled with carefully selected boxes — will make a memorable statement.

Our picks:

Best for gourmands: Dandelion Chocolate

Shop all chocolate at Dandelion Chocolate.

Food nerds rejoice: San Francisco-based Dandelion Chocolate, most known for its single-origin chocolate bars, has expanded into bean-to-bonbon confections. Much like a wine, beer, or spirit flight, the brand offers curated collections of bars, truffles, caramels, and pralinés for an immersive, experiential tasting. These flights showcase how terroir and added ingredients shape flavor and texture, pairing remarkable artistry with thoughtful storytelling. Each set feels deluxe, with gold-accented packaging and thoughtfully compiled tasting notes.

The 85% Three-Bar Gift Set reveals bold contrasts and subtle nuances between origins. Whether you're just discovering your inner gourmand or a seasoned gastronome, you'll appreciate the detailed tasting tips and origin maps guiding your chocophile adventure. The truffle flight transforms each single-origin chocolate into ganache, enrobed in its matching couverture. The addition of cream to each chocolate draws out the existing flavors for the curious connoisseur to savor. Tumaco, Colombia's bar, is fudgy with hints of caramel and sweet almond. Its truffle counterpart is softer, with silky dulce de leche taking center stage.

For the ingredient geeks, the caramel flight pairs Tumaco chocolate with caramels crafted from five different sugars from around the world: Brazilian cane, Southeast Asian palm, Indian jaggery, Japanese Okinawa black sugar, and Caribbean muscovado. Each sugar lends its own striking aroma, flavor, and texture to the rich caramel filling, harmonizing with the fudgy cacao in distinct ways.

The Single-Origin Praliné Collection pairs five different cacao origins with complementary nut and seed pâtes. Espelette-spiced quicos-almond praline stands up to vibrant Tanzanian chocolate, without steamrolling its cherished flavors. Candied hazelnut and coffee praline deepens the Colombian chocolate's caramel richness.

Our picks:

Best bean-to-bar: Goodnow Farms

Shop all chocolate at Goodnow Farms.

Bean-to-bar chocolate refers to when a single producer controls the entire chocolate-making process, from harvest to finished product. Think of chocolate like wine, and cacao beans like grapes. A bean-to-bar maker is like a winemaker who, rather than buying grapes from numerous vineyards or purchasing pressed must, oversees the cultivation, harvest, fermentation, aging, and bottling themselves to shape every aspect of flavor. Goodnow Farms is the chocolate equivalent of a gold-standard, estate-driven wine producer.

As with grapes, the flavor of chocolate made from a regional strain of cacao is molded by the terroir where it's grown and the details of its production. Goodnow builds direct-trade relationships with farmers around the world, ensuring 100% traceability and ethical labor practices. The brand roasts and processes the beans in its Massachusetts facility. Where most producers blend neutral, deodorized cocoa butter of anonymous origins into their chocolate, Goodnow presses its own cocoa butter from the same beans. This preserves the integrity and character of each origin's flavor for a truly authentic single-origin product.

The result: superb chocolate. When tasting a bean-to-bar, I look for complexity, balanced acidity, and a melt-in-your-mouth texture, all of which Goodnow consistently delivers. Thanks to its house-pressed cocoa butter, all of its bars are silky, approachable, and deeply satisfying.

While most bean-to-bar producers stop there, Goodnow Farms goes a step further. It pairs each cacao's flavors with complementary ingredients through collaborations with like-minded producers. Highlights include an astounding Caramelized Onion bar, created with Burlap & Barrel, using caramel-forward Nicaraguan 77% chocolate. The jammy, fruity Ecuadorian 70% chocolate, blended with Boston Harbor Distillery's Putnam Rye Whiskey, evoked the finish of a cocktail garnished with a Luxardo cherry.

Our picks:

Best budget: Chocolove

Shop all Chocolove chocolate.

Chocolove, a Boulder-based company, prides itself on providing "affordable luxury." At budget-friendly prices, Chocolove somehow offers high-quality flavor and texture, sustainability, and even ethical sourcing. It uses non-GMO ingredients, including cacao beans traceable down to the farmer, to ensure premium chocolate bars at a fair price.

I felt like the elegant Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate bar was a decadent dessert worthy of its own plate and white tablecloth. With Belgian-trained Master Chocolatier Patrick Peeters at the helm, Chocolove continues to provide exquisite chocolate bars of the highest caliber — at the lowest prices.

Our picks:

Best for nut lovers: See's Candies

Shop all chocolate at See's Candies.

The sweet and savory flavors developed from roasting cacao beans make chocolate the ideal "plus one" to any toasted nut. See's Candies has perfected the craft. A coating of good chocolate draws out the natural sweetness of almonds, pistachios, and pecans; coaxes the fatty richness of cashews, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts; and embraces the slight bitterness of walnuts and pine nuts.

See's Candies, founded in 1921, has a vintage, old-timey feel with black and white checkered packaging and classic confections included in its arrangements, such as Dark Scotchmallows. It has an entire collection of "Nuts & Chews" for those devoted to nut-bejeweled chocolates. Toffee-ettes are small nuggets of Danish butter toffee and roasted almonds coated in milk chocolate and rolled in more crunchy almonds.

See's also offers less conventional options for the more daring nut enthusiasts that you can put together in your own custom arrangement. Consider the California Crunch, a flakey brittle center with peanuts and peanut butter enrobed in white chocolate and covered with chopped English walnuts.

Our picks:

Most kid-friendly: Tony's Chocolonely

Shop all Tony's Chocolonely Chocolate.

When choosing chocolate fit for kids, I want a quality brand with approachable flavors, whimsical packaging, and easy-to-portion treats. Tony's Chocolonely offers all of that, and much more. Founded in protest against child exploitation and slave labor (which remains disturbingly common in the chocolate industry), Tony's Chocolonely is an ethics-first company. What better way to introduce kids to ethical consumerism than with the most delightful incentive imaginable: chocolate. Tony's leads by example with its 5 Sourcing Principles: traceable beans, high prices paid to farmers, partner cooperatives, long-term partnerships, and investment for sustainable growth.

Ethics lessons aside, the bright wrappers, playful font, and Fairtrade-certified chocolates are an instant hit with all ages. Irregularly sized, cattywampus pieces to portion off chocolate bars give an intentionally imperfect, lighthearted aesthetic. Creamy, dreamy milk chocolate will win over even the fussiest of the bunch, while inventive flavors like the Raspberry Popping Candy act as playful gateways, subtly encouraging young (and not-so-young) eaters to explore new textures and flavors.

Tiny Tony's, individually wrapped mini bars, are perfect for lunch boxes (or purse snacks, ahem). Lil' Bits are chocolate-coated candy bites with fillings like crunchy caramel, buttery cookie, graham cracker, and fluffy marshmallow. The options are endless, so you are sure to find something for even the pickiest of palates.

Our picks:

Best bonbons: Cacao & Cardamom

Shop all chocolate at Cacao and Cardamom.

A bonbon is a small chocolate-coated confection filled with fruits, nuts, or luscious ganache. A good bonbon should have a thin, flawless shell free of blemishes or chalky white "bloom." It must be visually enticing, hinting at the flavor journey within. Most importantly, it should deliver balanced, thoughtfully textured, and flavorful fillings with no air pockets or leaks. It's a tall order to ask for a single bite of candy, but our favorite maker, Cacao & Cardamom, steps up with style, intrigue, and worldly sophistication.

Each brilliant chocolate is meticulously lacquered with vivid cocoa butter, its design reflecting the filling inside. Beneath the surface, layers of jewel-toned, jammy, creamy, bold, and balanced fillings deliver a fully composed dessert in one to two bites. Inspired by Houston-based founder Annie Rupani's South Asian heritage and extensive global travels, Cacao & Cardamom turns to chiles, spices, leaves, flowers, and berries to tell a story. She evokes a sense of adventure and celebrates cultural traditions.

Flavors like Five Spice Praline, with fennel, Szechuan peppercorns, and star anise over crisp hazelnut praline, and Cardamom Rose with warm, herbal green cardamom and a touch of rose water, offer uncharted culinary experiences. New releases like Knafeh Kisses, a cheeky nod to Dubai chocolate, keep the devoted cacao fiends coming back for more. Cross-country chocoholics, rest assured. Every order from Cacao & Cardamom is carefully packed and shipped with care to ensure their labors of love arrive as pristine as they left.

Our picks:

Best caramels: Fran's

Shop all chocolate at Fran's Chocolates.

Caramels come in all shapes and sizes, firmnesses, colors, degrees of bitterness and butteriness, and with all types of garnishes. Naming the best chocolate with caramel was no easy task, but I found that Fran's Chocolates caramels offer the "pull," deliberate chew, and strategic salting that a great caramel should possess.

Like the perfect bagel or pizza crust, a caramel needs to have just the right amount of chew — not too hard, not too soft. Secondly, salt is great in moderation. It highlights the burnt sugar notes and cuts through the rich, buttery flavor of the confection. However, salt applied with a heavy hand makes for an unpleasant surprise; it stomps out nuanced flavors and tramples on the chocolate coating.

Fran Bigelow, founder of Fran's Chocolates, was inspired by a trip to Paris and has since been dedicated to sharing the joie de vivre philosophy through exceptional confections. This Seattle-based candy producer features Fair Trade-certified chocolate to complement, not overshadow, the caramel's delicate yet luxurious buttery flavor.

Our picks:

Best subscription: Chocolate of the Month Club

Shop at monthlyclubs.com

Monthly subscriptions are available for just about anything: flower bouquets, meal kits, smoked meats, gifts in a box, and yes, you guessed it, chocolate. Subscriptions are a fun, interactive way to learn more about a specific product through exposure and experience. When searching for the best chocolate subscription, we considered each brand's selection, how the items are made, the brand's chocolate sustainability and trade models, and opportunities to learn more about chocolate while enjoying our deliveries.

The Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club provided through monthlyclubs.com works with professionals at the esteemed Zingerman's Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan to offer a curated assortment of chocolates, including bonbons and bars. Zingerman's prides itself on a thorough product selection that sources chocolates from international, small-batch chocolatiers.

It's noteworthy and respectable that these chocolates are sourced from eco-friendly, fair-trade producers you can feel good about supporting. Past boxes have even included some of our top picks mentioned above. Best of all, each delivery comes with an educational newsletter containing tasting notes, background reading material, and product information, so you'll get more out of your subscription than just really, really delicious chocolate.

Best vegan: Neuhaus

Shop all chocolate from Neuhaus.

Vegan chocolate bars are a dime a dozen nowadays. After all, dark chocolate is innately dairy-free. But creating rich, creamy fillings without the dairy is a whole other feat, and Neuhaus Belgian Chocolates rises to the challenge. Its vegan bonbons, filled with impossibly velvety caramel in a variety of flavors, rival butter- and cream-laden counterparts. Silky ganaches burst with distinctive, bold notes, like the yuzu and ginger or Earl Grey tea and mandarin. Each confection is decorated with a simple yet elegant disc of chocolate in warm, earthy tones, its hue hinting at the flavors within.

Neuhaus achieves these decadent, dairy-free fillings against all odds by masterfully using natural, recognizable ingredients like chickpea protein, pea protein, and coconut oil in place of the milk fats and protein found in dairy.

Its dairy-free options extend beyond the designated vegan bonbon collection. The Carré Origin box features individually wrapped, delicately thin tiles of divine chocolate sourced from around the world. Neuhaus also offers dark chocolate enrobed toasted almonds and bittersweet orange peels, further proving that indulgence without dairy is not only possible — it's exceptional.

Our picks:

Our top picks, compared

Our pick	Winner	Best for
Best for gifts	La Maison du Chocolat	Gorgeous, giftable boxes of truffles and pralines
Best candy bars	Compartés	Chocolate bars in unique, inventive flavors
Best for gourmands	Dandelion Chocolate	Single-origin chocolates, tasting flights
Best bean-to-bar	Goodnow Farms	Ethically-sourced, direct-trade chocolate roasted and processed in the USA
Best budget	Chocolove	Non-GMO, affordable chocolate bars in classic flavors
Best for nut lovers	See's Candies	Chocolate-covered nuts and pralines
Most kid-friendly	Tony's Chocolonely	Milk chocolate candy bars
Best bonbons	Cacao and Cardamom	Jewel-colored bonbon collections
Best caramels	Fran's Chocolates	Boxes of chocolate-covered caramels
Best subscription	Chocolate of the Month Club	Small-batch, premium chocolate every month
Best vegan	Neuhaus	Vegan chocolate-coated goodies and boxes of vegan chocolate

How we test chocolate

Meet the expert behind the guide

Anne Wolf, professional chocolatier, chef, and food writer: While I am a chocolatier, I've lived previous lives in both scientific research and recipe development. My education in the hard sciences, the savory culinary arts, and my work as a chocolatier have all been in preparation for the daunting task of selecting the best chocolates. I cut no corners and left no truffle unturned.

How I tested

I started by reading about top brands in the chocolate industry, then taste-tested countless confections, evaluating their flavors, textures, and presentation. In all, I sampled more than 100 products from 45 brands for this guide. Here is how I tested:

Consideration	Notes
Flavor	Growing conditions of cacao impact the flavor, as do ingredients used to make confections. Rancid chocolate will have a soapy or cheesy flavor
Freshness	Chocolates should taste and look fresh. They should be free from a chalky or overly dry mouthfeel, with no signs of melting and re-solidifying
Texture	Correctly tempered chocolate should be firm and "snap" when bitten into and melt smoothly
Presentation	Packaging must protect the chocolates and be beautiful as a gift

Vivaia has become a favorite among style influencers for a reason: the brand makes comfortable, polished shoes that are designed for real life, not just special occasions. Our editors have tested Vivaia firsthand and found its footwear to be consistently supportive, stylish, and sustainable. If you're ready to add a pair to your rotation, using a Vivaia coupon code is one of the easiest ways to save at checkout — especially when you're buying best sellers.

Since Vivaia launched in 2020, our team has tried dozens of its most popular styles, and the brand continues to impress with its balance of comfort, structure, and wear-all-day design. Its designs have made it into our guides to the best flats, the most comfortable heels, and the best ballet sneakers. For more details on fit, support, and how we evaluate each pair, check out our full Vivaia review.

Vivaia's sale section is worth browsing, but the best value often comes from stacking markdowns with a valid Vivaia promo code when possible. Some coupons can apply to already discounted styles, helping you score a better deal on everything from flats and heels to sneakers and boots. Below, we've rounded up the best Vivaia coupons and discount codes we've tested so you can shop smarter and step out in comfort and style.

Today's best Vivaia coupon codes

Previous Vivaia coupon codes

Are there any other Vivaia sales currently running?

You can find a full list of current markdowns at any time on the "Sale" page of Vivaia's site. As of the time of writing, the brand is running the following promotions.

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How to use Vivaia coupon codes

Start by adding coupon-eligible items to your cart, then continue to checkout. On the checkout page, you can apply a coupon by pasting a promo code into the "Input coupon code here" text box and clicking "Apply." Some coupons may already be automatically populated on the checkout page, which you can view by clicking the arrow next to "Coupon." Once the code you want to use is added, continue the checkout process by entering your shipping and billing information.

Can you stack Vivaia coupon codes?

Vivaia does not allow coupon codes to be stacked together. Only one code may be applied per order.

Vivaia coupon codes: Frequently asked questions

Does Vivaia offer discounts to students, teachers, and military personnel?

Vivaia does offer a 20% discount to students, teachers, medical professionals, first responders, and military members. Eligible shoppers must verify their status to receive the discount code in their inbox.

If you're a student or educator, check out our roundups of the best student discounts and the best teacher discounts for more offers from your favorite brands.

Does Vivaia offer free shipping?

Vivaia offers free standard shipping on all orders over $99. Orders that don't meet the spending minimum will be charged a standard shipping fee of $9.99.

What is Vivaia's return policy?

Vivaia allows free returns and exchanges for up to 30 days after your original online purchase. The return policy for in-store purchases may vary depending on the specific location where the purchase was made. Learn more about returns and exchanges on Vivaia's website.

Can I reuse a Vivaia coupon code?

Most Vivaia coupon codes are designed for one use only. However, there may be exceptions, so be sure to check the terms and conditions for the specific code you want to use.

Should I join Vivaia's rewards program?

Vivaia's rewards program, V-PLUS, offers perks such as $50 off every $300 spent, a free gift with your first order, early access to sales, member-exclusive deals, and more. It may be worth signing up if you're a frequent Vivaia shopper. However, a $49 fee is required to join, so it may not be worthwhile for everyone.

Looking for more footwear? Check out our roundups of the best Vionic coupons and Rothy's promo codes.

• Quantum computing stocks spiked during Tuesday's trading day.
• The quantum rally comes after Nvidia unveiled the Ising AI model family made for the computing tech.
• Quantum chips or QPUs, are expected to be the next wave of n data center processors, Bernstein said.

Quantum computing stocks were among the market's top gainers in Tuesday's trading session after Nvidia announced a quantum-focused AI advancement.

Nvidia unveiled Ising, an open-source family of AI models that leverages quantum computing technology to address processor calibration and error-correction issues.

"AI is essential to making quantum computing practical," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said, adding "With Ising, AI becomes the control plane — the operating system of quantum machines — transforming fragile qubits to scalable and reliable quantum-GPU systems."

Here were the big movers in Tuesday's session:

• Xanadu Quantum Technologies: +28%
• IonQ: +13%
• D-Wave Quantum: +13%
• Rigetti Computing: +9%

"Quantum Processor Units (QPUs) are likely to become the next important co-processor in data centers, sitting alongside CPUs and GPUs," Berstein analysts told clients.

"CPUs will remain the workhorse for general-purpose computing, while GPUs dominate highly parallel workloads such as AI. QPUs, in turn, could become essential for a set of problems that are too complex or too costly for classical processors to solve efficiently," the analysts said.

They used an analogy to explain: QPUs can search a 100-million-page phone book all at once while CPUs go page by page.

The technology is in its early innings but is expected to revolutionize areas like medical research and energy efficiency, prompting interest from tech giants and governments. The space is a largely speculative trade for investors, given that real-world applications are still some time away.

Ramsey Theory Group CEO Dan Herbatschek told Business Insider why Nvidia's Ising is important for the quantum space.

"This is significant because NVIDIA is taking what is a principle from quantum physics and making it actually usable … NVIDIA just brought quantum-like computing to hardware already in existence that organizations have — allowing them to benefit with real business value now."

Quantum Art CEO Dr. Tal David noted that Nvidia Ising "shows the power of hybrid quantum-classical computing, which is at the forefront of the industry."

Shopping for plus-size clothing has never been simple — and as a plus-size woman, I've spent decades navigating a retail landscape that often felt like an afterthought. For years, extended sizes were limited to a few familiar names. Today, that picture is slowly shifting, with more brands designing intentionally for plus-size bodies and offering some of the strongest options we've seen in a long time. As plus-size celebrity stylist Kat Eves noted, "We've really made some pretty big leaps and bounds when it comes to plus-size fashion and having a more inclusive shopping experience."

But progress doesn't mean parity. For many shoppers, finding stylish, well-made plus-size clothing is still frustrating — and the pace of change hasn't matched the demand. "The fashion retail industry is absolutely improving but in my opinion, not fast enough," said Hina Low, a personal stylist and plus-size content creator who works under the name Heensie. "We have seen popular retailers expand to a size 20 perhaps, but rarely more than that and often, only online. This is not true inclusion."

Even when extended sizing exists, Eves points out that self-expression often falls short. Trend-driven pieces are still harder to come by, forcing shoppers to spend more time searching for styles that feel personal and current.

That's where this guide comes in. Alongside my own 20-plus years of experience shopping plus sizes, I spoke with both Eves and Heensie to identify the brands actually pushing things forward. While fast-fashion options are included for accessibility, both experts emphasized their excitement around the growing number of small, independent plus-size labels stepping in to fill the long-standing gap — and finally offering trendy, thoughtfully designed clothing in extended sizes.

And if you're looking for the best plus-size swimwear, best plus-size workout clothes, or the best plus-size jeans, we've got you covered there, too!

A quick look at some of our favorite plus-size clothing brands

Here's a quick summary of our favorite retailers, but read on to find our full list and why we love them.

• Eloquii is not only one of the best places to buy plus-size workwear but also one of the top retailers for cute dresses and great denim. You'll find everything from trendy cuts to long-lasting basics here, which is why Heensie said it is "very well loved and a go-to for many plus-size customers."
• Reformation is a staple trendy clothing retailer with a great selection of extended sizes and a commitment to sustainability. It's an amazing place to find things like wedding guest dresses and special pieces like trendy tops.
• Universal Standard was one of the first brands to truly pioneer stylish plus-size fashion and they continue to be one of the best in the game at serving folks up to a size 40. They even got our hard-won spot for the best plus size workwear brand.
• Anthropologie has a huge selection of plus-size clothing that feels unique and special, including on-trend pieces that suit a variety of occasions.
• Quince has a small but mighty selection of luxury plus-size clothing at approachable prices, including cashmere and silk pieces. We reviewed Quince's plus-size line when it launched, and the collection has since grown.

Universal Standard

Shop all clothing at Universal Standard

Size range: 00 to 40

Universal Standard was one of the first retailers to pioneer true size inclusivity, offering every style in size 00 to 40. The brand uses its own letter sizing system that equates a medium to a size 18 (the average size of a woman in the US), and its unique Fit Liberty program lets you exchange many items for a different size up to a year from your purchase date, no matter how used the clothing is.

"Universal Standard is one of the more popular brands that are really leading the way in the fashion industry in terms of inclusive sizing," Heensie said. "They are my go-to for plus-sized denim, in both my clients' wardrobes and in my personal." The brand is also one of Insider's favorite places for shoppers of all sizes to buy the best workwear, affordable women's basics, the best T-shirt, and the best women's jeans, and statement pieces like leather jackets. Standard shipping is free, and for returns or exchanges not covered by the Fit Liberty program, you'll have 30 days to send your items back and will have to pay a processing fee of between $4.50 and $7.50.

Reformation

Shop all plus-size clothing at Reformation

Size range: 0 to 24

Reformation is one of the most popular upmarket clothing brands of the moment, and nearly 100 of its styles are available in extended sizing. The brand is known for its sustainable pieces, from statement dresses to capsule basics. Most of the pieces are available up to a size 24 or 3X and fit true to size. The clothing is pricier, but the brand is climate-neutral certified, and the pieces are built to last. You'll incur an $8 return shipping fee unless you're a rewards member, are exchanging, or opting for store credit.

Anthropologie

Shop all plus-size clothing at Anthropologie

Size range: XXS to 4X; 00 to 26W

If your style is dreamy and whimsical, Anthropologie is the place to shop. The retailer offers over 600 styles in plus sizes, with options for up to a size 26W (though you'll find the largest selection in sizes 16 to 22). Shipping is free on orders over $50, but you'll pay $5.95 return shipping unless you return in store. While its in-store plus-size offerings are limited, its clothing rental service, Nuuly, is a great way to try styles if you don't want to commit. You can rent six items at a time for $98 a month, and you'll get a discount on any items you want to keep.

Wildfang

Shop all clothing at Wildfang

Size range: 0 to 30; XS to 4X

Many plus-size designs trend hyper-feminine, but if your style leans more masculine to gender-neutral, Wildfang is a great place to shop. The brand recently expanded its size offerings to fit up to what would typically be a 30 in traditional women's sizing. You'll find button-ups, jumpsuits, and trousers that can easily be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. "Their suiting options, especially for gender-inclusive style is something that I'm really excited about," Eves said. Shipping is free over $75, but returns incur a $10 restocking fee.

Eloquii

Shop all clothing at Eloquii

Size range: 14 to 32

Eloquii is a dedicated plus-size retailer catering to women size 14 and above, and Heensie said it is "very well loved and a go-to for many plus-size customers." There's a strong focus on work-appropriate attire, so you'll find great options for suiting and many day-to-night outfits, with the occasional statement piece ideal for a night out. You can get free shipping on orders over $125, though you'll pay $10.99 for returns unless you exchange or opt for store credit.

Quince

Shop all plus-size clothing at Quince

Size range: XS to 3X

Quince has made waves as a go-to retailer for high-quality pieces at affordable prices. Our straight-sized reporters have raved about the brand, and we recently got the opportunity to try several items from its newly launched extended-size collection. The good news is that the pieces are attractive, durable, well-fitting, and high-quality. The bad news is that the company charges more for extended sizes than for straight sizes. While we think Quince still has work to do when it comes to size inclusivity, we loved the pieces enough to recommend this brand for staples like cashmere sweaters, linen pants, and silk dresses.

Read our full Quince review and our review of Quince's plus-size launch.

Nordstrom

Shop all plus-size clothing at Nordstrom

Size range: 00 to 28

Nordstrom is a great place to shop from a variety of upscale brands, including many that are already on this list, like Spanx, Good American, Eloquii, and Skims. If you're overwhelmed with where to start, we recommend checking out the jeans from NYDJ, upscale basics from Eileen Fisher, and occasionwear by Hutch. One of the big perks of shopping at Nordstrom is that the store is generous with its perks for rewards members and credit card holders, including granting advance access to its famous anniversary sale. Returns are free both in-store and online.

Cider

Shop all plus-size styles from Cider

Size Range: XXS to 4X

For super trendy, TikTok viral clothing, Cider is the place to go. There are hundreds of styles available in sizes up to 4X. Everything is incredibly affordable, with prices ranging from $8 for a bodysuit to $52 for a faux leather jacket. We recommend checking the product size chart for each garment before you buy, as the sizing seems to vary a lot from item to item. For example, we've seen skirts on the site that are both labeled as 4X, but range anywhere from 55 inches to 61 inches in the hips. You'll pay a $3.99 return restocking fee, and you'll need to start your return within 14 days of receiving your items.

J.Crew

Shop all plus-size clothing at J.Crew

Size range: 000 to 24; XXXS to 3X

While you won't find any plus-size models on J.Crew's website, a great selection of the brand's offerings are available in up to a size 3X. You'll find options for nearly any occasion: button-ups for work, basics for lounging, swimsuits, jeans, statement pieces, and even wedding guest dresses. Shipping is free for J.Crew Rewards members, and you can return for free in store or pay $7.95 to return through the mail.

Amazon

Shop all plus-size clothing at Amazon

Size range: 00 to 42; XXS to 8X

You can find thousands of plus-size clothing items right on Amazon; the retailer even has a dedicated landing page, The Plus Shop, for extended sizes. Like the rest of Amazon, it can be tricky to browse, and you'll find lots of third-party sellers that could be hit or miss in quality. However, it's a great catch-all place to shop if you have a specific item in mind, but you're not finding it at other retailers. As always, Prime members will get free shipping on eligible orders, and returns are free and easy through Amazon's return center.

Eileen Fisher

Shop all plus-size clothing at Eileen Fisher

Size range: XXS to 3X

Eileen Fisher is the place to shop for upscale, breezy pieces that feel timeless and elevated. You won't find any "hard pants" here; everything is formulated for comfort. Unfortunately, the brand does not feature any plus-size models on its site, but you'll find a hefty selection of items available in up to a 3X. I love the brand's linen sets for summer; they're cool, durable, and feel chic to wear. Shipping is free, but you may pay a fee if not returning in-store.

Never Fully Dressed

Shop all clothing at Never Fully Dressed

Size range: 2 to 24

I'd describe Never Fully Dressed as elevated dopamine dressing. You'll find every color of the rainbow represented in its styles, along with playful prints and patterns. I own several statement pieces from Never Fully Dressed that I truly love, including a detailed embroidered sweater, a tattoo-inspired tie-front top, and bright red pants with scalloped pockets. The items feel unique, and I always get compliments on them.

The brand is transparent about its sustainability initiatives and covers both shipping and import duties (the items ship from the UK). Unfortunately, you'll pay a hefty fee on international returns, equivalent to about $13. If you're in New York or London, it's also worth stopping into one of its stores, which carry items in the full size range.

Dia

Shop all clothing at Dia

Size range: 0X to 7X; 10 to 40

You may know Dia as a clothing subscription service, but the brand has expanded in recent years to be a full-service retailer of plus-size clothing. While it still offers its signature plus-size styling boxes, you can now shop à la carte for everything from swimsuits to jeans. In 2022, Dia acquired 11 Honoré, an online marketplace of upscale brands offering plus sizes, so you can also browse designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Tanya Taylor right from Dia's website. Shipping is free for à la carte orders over $125 and all styling boxes. Returns are free if you opt for store credit, otherwise you'll need to pay a return shipping fee.

Noble

Shop all plus-size clothing at Noble

Size range: XS to 3X

Noble recently expanded its offerings to a 3X, and it has quickly become one of my favorite places to shop for effortless pieces that are versatile, comfortable, and relaxed but put together. I practically live in the brand's utility dresses (which I have in both short and long), and I find that they can easily be dressed up or down by playing with layers or adjusting the front zipper. The pieces are made with 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton that's been grown, milled, and sewn on fair-wage farms in Peru, and the brand has made other environmental commitments like using compostable packaging and offering a buyback program for used garments. Shipping is free on orders over $100, but returns incur a $10 fee unless you buy return insurance for $2.98 at checkout.

BAACAL

Shop all plus-size clothing at BAACAL

Size range: 10 to 28

BAACAL is the plus-size line from designer Cynthia Vincent, the founder and namesake of Vince and reflects the same commitment to high-end, sustainable fashion. "She does such a beautiful job of creating really high-end pieces that look effortless," Eves said of the designer's kaftans, dresses, and jackets. BAACAL is a great place to shop for truly special pieces that you'll keep in your closet for decades, and its prices reflect that; you can expect to pay $200 to $400 for most items in the collection. The brand uses its own in-house sizing: its size 1 is meant to fit a US 10-12, while its size 5 should fit a US 26-28. Exchanges are free, as is shipping on orders over $50. Returns made for cash, however, will incur a $12 fee.

SKIMS

Shop all plus-size clothing at SKIMS

Size range: XXS to 4X

From the best white T-shirts to the best lingerie, one brand that repeatedly shows up as a top pick in our buying guides is Kim Kardashian's SKIMS. Products from SKIMS have made our guides to the best underwear, the best leggings, the best bras, and more. Since its launch in 2019, SKIMS has offered shapewear, underwear, loungewear, and more in an inclusive size range — its clothing currently goes up to a size 4X in most styles and up to a 46H in bras. It's a great place to shop for plus-size underwear, plus-size lingerie, and basics like T-shirts and leggings. You have up to 30 days to return items, and you'll pay a $6 return shipping fee on your order, unless you join SKIMS' free loyalty program or opt for store credit.

Spanx

Shop all plus-size clothing at Spanx

Size range: XS to 3X

Spanx may be known for its shapewear, but the retailer has expanded in the past few years to include workwear and loungewear in up to a size 3X. Spanx is one of our favorite places to shop for stylish work pants, comfortable bras, day-to-night leggings, and tights that don't rip. Almost all the pieces are in neutral colors to easily mix and match with your existing wardrobe. Shipping is free, but you'll pay a $6 return shipping fee unless you opt for store credit.

Read more in our full Spanx review.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Shop all plus-size jeans at Abercrombie & Fitch

Size range: 000 to 26 (23 to 38 in Abercrombie's in-house sizing)

If you live life in a larger body, the words "Abercrombie & Fitch" probably conjure deep memories of teenage exclusion. Surprisingly, the retailer has become a beloved destination for plus-size jeans in the past few years. Abercrombie now carries short, regular, and long-length jeans up to a size 26 (what it calls "size 38").

In addition to offering extended sizes in many of its traditional styles, its Curve Love denim also provides an extra two inches of room in the hips, so there are options for a great fit regardless of whether you carry your weight in your stomach or hips.

While we'd love to see the same inclusivity applied to Abercrombie's other clothing (which currently only seems to run up to an XXL, except in a very small selection of pieces that run to an XXXL), we recommend giving this unlikely retailer a try for great-fitting plus-size jeans.

Read more in our full Abercrombie jeans review.

What Lo Wants

Shop all clothing at What Lo Wants

Size range: XS to 5X

Frustrated by the lack of accessible, sustainable plus-size clothing options, Lauren "Lo" Gray decided to start her own ethical fashion line catering specifically to sizes 14 to 32. The small-batch collections are made in Los Angeles using largely GOTS-certified dyes, natural fibers, and recycled or deadstock fabrics. The pieces range from breezy, pastel loungewear to bold patterned, body-hugging dresses. Shipping is free for orders over $150, and returns and exchanges are accepted within 14 days of receipt.

Good American

Shop all clothing at Good American

Size range: 00 to 32; XS to 5XL

Co-founded by Khloe Kardashian, Good American offers a size-inclusive range of jeans and other apparel in a plethora of styles. We've tested Good American jeans on all different shapes and sizes, and the retailer remains one of our picks for the best places to buy women's jeans. While jeans are Good American's forte, don't sleep on its other offerings — we recently named it one of the best places to shop for women's suits. You'll also find plenty of basics like white tees, bodysuits, and loungewear. Shipping is free on orders over $125, but you'll pay a $2.99 to $7.99 restocking fee if you need to make a return for cash (exchanges and returns for store credit are free).

Mango

Shop all plus sizes at Mango

Size range: XXS to 4X; 0 to 24

If you're looking to put together a capsule wardrobe, Mango makes elevated staples in neutral tones for effortless mixing and matching. You'll find timeless pieces with a French aesthetic that are equally at home at the office or out to brunch. While the retailer offers plenty of styles in up to a 4X, keep in mind that the pieces sold in numerical sizes (such as jeans and some dresses) rarely go past a size 22. Returns within 30 days are free, so it's worth trying out a few different sizes to see what fits best.

Old Navy

Shop all clothing at Old Navy

Size range: 0 to 30; XS to 4X

For many plus-size customers, Old Navy is in the doghouse at the moment, as the retailer backed out of its much-hyped "BODEQUALITY" campaign that promised to stock up to size 30 in stores. Still, Old Navy offers hundreds of inexpensive plus-size styles online, with the option to return in-store or through the mail for free. The retailer often has big sales, and you'll find many pieces available for under $20, making this a great place to shop for affordable clothes that are still on trend.

Madewell

Shop all plus-size styles from Madewell

Size Range: 00 to 24

We love Madewell for affordable women's basics, great-fitting jeans, and on-trend minimalist pieces. Madewell's youthful designs feature lots of neutrals, denim, earthy tones, and boxy fits. Unfortunately, Madewell's plus-size offerings seem to be dwindling these days, which is a shame because the retailer really makes some fantastic fitting plus-size jeans. Even if you're a casual Madewell customer, we recommend signing up for the brand's free rewards program, Madewell Insider, which will get you free returns on your orders (among other perks). Otherwise, expect to pay $7.95 for returns.

Big Bud Press

Shop all clothing at Big Bud Press

Size range: XXS to 7XL

If your aesthetic leans more "should have been born in the '70s," Big Bud Press is worth a look. You'll find unisex clothing up to a size 7X with strong vintage hippie vibes — think bell bottoms and psychedelic patterns in silhouettes that range from androgynous to slightly feminine. "I live in their jumpsuits when I'm working as a stylist," said Eves, who also noted that the LA-based retailer revamped its sizing based on feedback from plus-size customers. Return policies are on the strict side: Returns and exchanges must be postmarked within 14 days of delivery, the customer is responsible for return shipping, and a restocking fee applies to orders over $500.

Target

Shop all plus-size clothing at Target

Size range: XS to 6X; 00 to 30

While Target offers a limited selection of plus sizes in stores, you'll find thousands of styles on the retailer's website. Target's website isn't set up well for browsing, so we recommend perusing the straight-size clothing in store and then finding your size on Target's app or website. We particularly love the retailer's selection of bathing suits and inexpensive jeans. Target has one of the best return policies in the biz; you have 90 days to make a return on regular merchandise and up to a year to return items from Target's own lines (Universal Thread, A New Day, etc.).

ASOS

Shop all plus-size clothing at ASOS

Size range: 0 to 26

Any plus-size millennial can probably recount the relief they felt the first time they discovered ASOS. The retailer was one of the first to make a substantial collection of truly on-trend, cool clothing in plus sizes. "ASOS Curve can be difficult size-wise, because they carry an array of brands," said Heensie. "However, they are plentiful in their options and many plus-sized folks have been deferring to them for years for trendy pieces." At ASOS, you'll find hundreds of inexpensive styles for any occasion you can think of; it even offers plus-size jewelry. Most shoppers report that the clothing runs large, so you may want to size down for the best fit. The retailer offers free shipping over $70, and returns are quick, easy, and free.

Free Label

Shop all clothing at Free Label

Size range: XS to 5X

If you still scoff at the idea of wearing "hard pants" post-pandemic, Free Label is a great place to shop for pieces that are stylish yet comfortable. "They make the most glorious loungewear and bras," said Heensie. The brand focuses on natural fibers like linen and cotton, along with some pieces made using deadstock fabrics; all sustainable options. Heensie said the brand is very community-oriented and regularly solicits feedback on fit. You'll find models of all sizes on the site, so you can get an accurate idea of what the clothing looks like on various body types. Shipping is free on orders over $200 and the brand offers returns within 7 days of receiving the items, but you'll pay a $15 return shipping fee.

Nooworks

Shop all clothing at Nooworks

Size range: XXS to 5X

If you love bold statement pieces and lots of color, Nooworks is the place to shop. The brand is a favorite of Eves, who particularly loves its jumpsuits. "They have some really interesting, fun designs that are created by independent artists," Eves said of the Nooworks' bold patterns. The brand prioritizes sustainable fabrics and prints its patterns in Los Angeles using a rotary printing technique that is more environmentally friendly than dyeing. It also offers a resale platform where customers can buy and sell used Nooworks' pieces. You have 14 days from the receipt of your items to initiate a return or exchange. Returns for cash incur a $10 restocking fee.

Tamara Malas

Shop all clothing from Tamara Malas

Size range: 2 to 36

If you love a good matching set or a true statement piece, you'll love the plus-size options from Tamara Malas. You'll find items that are bright and loud in both color and silhouette — think bi-color velvet pants and psychedelic print biker shorts. Shipping within the US is free over $250, and like other small retailers the return window is quite short — you have 14 days from receiving your item to initiate a return and you're on the hook for a $10 restocking fee. The brand also carries plus sizes in its Lower East Side store, which is worth a stop if you're in the New York City area.

Sante Grace

Shop all clothing at Sante Grace

Size range: 1X to 5X; 14 to 30

"Sante Grace out of LA is doing some really interesting, ethically made fun fashion for people of lots of different style types," said Eves. "So you've got everything from a really cool gold sparkle jogger to a totally work-appropriate suit vest." Tracy Christian, the designer behind Sante Grace, was inspired by fashion houses like Balmain and YSL; luxury brands she couldn't fit into as a plus-size person. She channels similar edginess and modernity into her own designs, which include caftans, rompers, dresses, and suiting. Shipping is free on purchases over $125, and you have 7 days to return items for either an exchange or store credit. You'll pay return shipping and a $5 restocking fee per item.

Loud Bodies

Shop all clothing at Loud Bodies

Size range: 0 to 42

Eves and Heensie both recommended Loud Bodies, which specializes in loud, bright, colorful clothing, with options for up to size 42 (10X). You'll find everything from workwear basics to statement pinafores in unique prints and flashy colors, all with a focus on sustainability. "I love how utterly whimsical this brand is," Heensie says. "Their dresses are like something out of a storybook, and are perfect for anyone who is looking for a bit of cottagecore or just plain magic in their wardrobe." The retailer is based in Romania and each item is made to order, so expect a wait time of 2-4 weeks on orders. You'll also be on the hook for return shipping if your order is under $200.

Lucy & Yak

Shop all plus-size clothing from Lucy & Yak

Size range: UK 6 to 32 (equivelent to US 2 to 28)

If you're looking for a buzzy addition to your wardrobe, check out British brand Lucy & Yak. Best known for its dungarees and jumpsuits in vibrant colors and eclectic designs, you can also find soft linen pants and lightweight outerwear. Committed to making pieces that last, Lucy & Yak makes its clothing using sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton and dead-stock fabrics. The brand has a 30-day return window for most unused, unwashed items with a fee for international returns.

Tunnel Vision

Shop all clothing at Tunnel Vision

Size range: XXS to 7X

"This is another great brand that prioritizes size inclusivity, is very community-oriented and dials up the edginess even further," Heensie said of Tunnel Vision, who noted the brand also offers size-inclusive vintage and buy-back stock. The Los Angeles-based retailer cheekily calls its designs "clothes for deadbeat, lowlife weirdos," and its offerings reflect that punk-rock irreverence, with lots of 90s-core designs that look like an angsty teen made a collage out of 1997 Delia's and Hot Topic catalogs. "My punk and goth clients love pieces from here," Heensie said. Tunnel Vision uses carbon-neutral shipping and all its new clothing is made in certified sweatshop-free environments. The brand doesn't offer returns, but does allow exchanges for store credit.

Laws of Motion

Shop all custom-sized clothing at Laws of Motion

Size range: practically any

Laws of Motion is one of the cooler retailers I've tried recently. The brand uses AI to tailor-make clothing in exactly your size. I used the Find My Fit feature to submit some basic information about my height and weight, along with some photos. The process was so fast that I was skeptical that the sequin pantsuit and jumpsuit I ordered would fit properly, but I was thrilled to find that my pieces arrived essentially pre-tailored and fit like a glove. This is a game changer for tall plus-size folks like me who have trouble finding dresses and jumpsuits that are long enough. The clothing is on the pricier side, but it's a great option for special pieces that are uniquely made for you.

H&M

Shop all plus-size styles from H&M

Size Range: 0 (XXS) to 26 (4XL)

H&M is another spot to check out for cheap plus-size clothes, though the brand seems to have walked back on its plus-size commitment since we initially included it in this guide. At the time, Heensie noted that the brand took on plus-size model Tess Holliday as a consultant, but — despite having a decent plus-size selection — the brand no longer features plus-size models on its site.

For now, we're leaving it in the guide as a place you can source cheap basics (think your classic black tees and white button-ups). We recommend joining H&M's free loyalty program, which will get you free shipping over $40. However, even if you're a loyalty member, you'll have to pay $3.99 in return shipping or else return your items in-store.

FAQs

What is considered plus size?

In the US, plus size is generally considered to be size 18 or above, though size 12, 14, and 16 shoppers may also identify as plus size because clothing options become more limited above a US 10. The average woman in the US is variously reported to be between size 14 to 18, which means more women wear plus sizes than straight sizes in the US.

Where can I buy plus-size vintage?

The options for plus-size vintage aren't nearly as numerous as they are for straight sizes, but several dedicated plus-size vintage shops have popped up over the last couple years. Some of Eves' favorite places to shop for plus-size vintage and consignment are Luvsick, Proud Mary, The Plus Bus, Berriez, and Plus BKLYN. A few of the retailers in our guide, including Tunnel Vision and Nooworks, also offer vintage or buyback stock on their websites.

As a native New Englander whose personal style falls somewhere between cozy and coastal chic — very Nancy Meyers-coded — nothing gets me more excited for warm weather than slipping into a great pair of linen pants. The best linen pants strike that elusive balance between polished and relaxed, making them one of the most versatile staples in any summer wardrobe. They're lightweight, breathable, and easy to style, whether you're heading to the office, running errands, packing for a beach vacation, or dressing for a casual dinner out. In other words, a really good pair of linen pants can do it all.

Of course, finding the best linen pants isn't always so simple. I've tried pairs that felt stiff and scratchy, others that were too sheer to wear confidently, and plenty that wrinkled the second I sat down. Since most shoppers don't have the time — or budget — to sift through dozens of options, I did the testing for you. I tried more than a dozen best-selling linen pants and evaluated each pair for comfort, fit, durability, breathability, and versatility. Whether you're looking for wide-leg linen pants for travel, an easy pull-on style for weekends, or a polished linen trouser you can wear on repeat, these are the best linen pants worth adding to your cart.

For more of our favorite pants coverage, see our articles on the best travel pants, the best work pants for women, and more.

Best overall: Eileen Fisher Organic Linen Wide-Leg Pant

What we love: Available in petite sizing and up to 3X, elastic waistband, machine washable

Why it might not work for you: Ankle length may not hit at the right spot for taller people

Eileen Fisher's Organic Linen Wide-Leg Pant earns our top spot by delivering a rare mix of comfort, polish, and versatility. So if you're only buying one pair of linen pants, the Organic Linen Wide-Leg Pants are the one to beat.

While some elastic-waist pants look inherently casual, these are actually pretty easy to dress up. Despite having the flexibility and comfort of my favorite leggings, they look remarkably elegant — particularly when paired with heeled mule sandals, open-toe slingbacks, or platform espadrilles. The pants also hang nicely on the body, with a fit that's slimmer through the hips and then oh-so-gradually widens through the legs.

"These are my favorite linen pants," says style editor Samantha Crozier. "Most linen pants skew too casual, too sheer, or too shapeless; this Eileen Fisher pair stands out for its polished drape, easy fit, and versatile medium-weight linen that works for everything from travel days to office outfits. Plus, the material isn't itchy or too see-through — common pitfalls of lower-quality linen."

The Organic Linen Wide-Leg Pants come in sizes XXS through 3X (as well as petite petite through petite large). This mid-weight, pull-on style is crisp and comfy with a high-quality construction.

Eileen Fisher continues to be our favorite brand for high-quality basics because of the premium materials and ultra-wearable silhouettes, which these pants embody.

Best budget: Quince 100% European Linen Tapered Ankle Pants

What we love: Elastic waistband, pockets, 8 color options, machine washable, sustainably grown linen

Why it might not work for you: Only one inseam option (around 25.75")

Finding 100% linen pants that cost under $100 is no easy feat — most budget-friendly pairs are made with linen blends that incorporate cheaper fabrics. That's what makes this pair from Quince stand out: it's made solely from high-quality, sustainably grown linen and carries a $42 price tag.

A lot of linen pants feature a wide leg that, if not designed thoughtfully, can look shapeless and unflattering. What sets Quince's 100% European Linen Tapered Ankle Pants apart is that the leg gradually narrows toward the bottom, resulting in a sleeker, more streamlined silhouette.

Not only are these pants machine-washable, but they're versatile, too. I can easily dress them up with chunky wedges and statement earrings, or down with a fitted tee and flat sandals. (Personally, I love pairing them with Quince's 100% Linen Halter Top for a monochromatic, Parisian it girl aesthetic).

The only snag is that these pants aren't available in multiple lengths, but based on reviews from other customers across a range of heights, it seems like the just-under-26-inch inseam strikes an ideal compromise for most.

See our full Quince review for our thoughts on over 60 different Quince products.

Best for work: Babaton New Agency Pant in PowerLinen

What we love: Elastic back waist, both back and front pockets, belt loops, wrinkle-resistant

Why it might not work for you: Dry clean only, one inseam option

My main gripe with linen pants is that they can sometimes look a bit frumpy by the end of the day — blame it on the fact that they tend to wrinkle and lose their shape very quickly. That definitely doesn't fly in professional situations. But thankfully, Aritzia's Babaton New Agency Pant in PowerLinen dodges these issues, thanks to the unique blended fabric that fuses naturally textured linen with a special eco-friendly viscose. With a classic high-waisted, wide-leg fit, these trousers are undeniably flattering, drape like a dream, and resist wrinkling surprisingly well.

By far my favorite feature on these pants is the hidden elastic in the back of the waist. This offers the best of both worlds, maximizing comfort while also maintaining a tailored look. The belt loops unlock new styling possibilities, too.

There's only one inseam option for these pants, but it ranges proportionally by size and seems like a reasonable length for anyone between 5'2 and 5'7. I found them to be the perfect length with a modest 2.5- to 3-inch heel.

Note: The Aritzia Effortless Pant in CruiseLinen gets an honorable mention, too — while these don't feature the elastic-back waist, they are machine washable and equally wrinkle-resistant. You should also check out my full review of the Aritzia Effortless Pant.

Best for travel: AE Stretch Low-Rise Linen-Blend Pull-On Pant

What we love: Adjustable waistband with elastic, side pockets and back pockets, stretchy, machine washable

Why it might not work for you: One inseam option, low rise isn't for everyone

We've all been there: You do one final fit check in the mirror, step into your car, and those linen pants that looked so polished mere seconds ago are already wrinkled. Because linen is made from stiff flax fibers with virtually no elasticity, it doesn't snap back into shape easily. One way around this is to blend linen with other fabrics, which is what American Eagle cleverly did with these Stretch Low-Rise Linen-Blend Pull-On Pants.

The addition of cotton, rayon, and elastane not only makes the pants feel super soft but also helps keep them relatively wrinkle-free. That makes them an ideal piece to pack in your suitcase. And because they feature a touch of stretch and a drawstring waistband, they're comfy enough to wear even for long-haul flights — but you also won't have to worry about looking sloppy when you arrive at your final destination.

As a general rule, I avoid low-rise pants like the plague (hey, I'm a millennial and I barely survived the early 2000s unscathed). However, I have to say these pants pleasantly surprised me. They still offer a reasonable amount of coverage, and thanks to the adjustable waistband, I never had any sagging or slipping.

Best straight-leg: Garnet Hill Classic Linen Trousers

What we love: Petite length option, belt loops, front and back pockets, pre-washed, certified European flax, machine washable

Why it might not work for you: No stretch, slightly snug in the thigh

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more universally flattering silhouette than a mid-rise, straight-leg trouser — like the Garnet Hill Classic Linen Trousers. The rise is just high enough to feel supportive, and the leg strikes that just-right compromise between slim and baggy. Plus, they come in a variety of timeless shades like chambray blue, navy, and sand — a stunning soft neutral that emulates raw, unbleached flax.

These aren't just made with any linen, either — they're constructed of certified European flax, which comes with a third-party guarantee of high quality, and are produced with ethical and eco-friendly practices.

Sometimes linen can feel a bit scratchy on first wear, but these pants are garment-washed for superior softness — and trust me, you can really feel the difference the first time you slip them on. The 28-inch petite inseam is perfect for shorties like me (under 5'4), whether I wear them with low heels or flats, and I also appreciate the belt loops for when I want to accessorize to add some visual and textural contrast.

Best trousers: Everlane Wide-Leg Belted Pant in Stretch Linen

What we love: Removable belt, just enough stretch, pockets, two different length options, easy care

Why it might not work for you: No "tall" inseam (for those 5'9 and above)

I generally subscribe to the notion that you can't have it all — but Everlane proved me wrong here. The Wide-Leg Belted Pant in Stretch Linen looks structured, yet feels incredibly soft and stretchy thanks to the addition of viscose and elastane.

The skinny belt definitely elevates these pants, but I also love that it's removable — giving me the ultimate styling flexibility to swap it out for, say, a bolder skinny leather belt or to skip it altogether when I want a more casual, streamlined look.

The pants come in two different length options, too. I'm 5'3 and I found the shorter option (30") to be perfect whether I wore flats or heels — a huge advantage considering I'm used to bringing all my pants to the tailor to be hemmed.

One last perk worth mentioning, because we love a low-maintenance pair of trousers: Unlike some linen pants, these can be tossed in the washing machine as well as the dryer.

Best with inclusive sizing: Wild Fable Low-Rise Baggy Leg Linen Pull-On Pants

What we love: Size-inclusive, budget-friendly, adjustable drawstring waist, pockets, lightweight, relatively wrinkle-resistant, machine washable

Why it might not work for you: Not much stretch, relaxed leg may look baggy on some, 31" inseam may be too long if you're under 5'5

You don't, in fact, have to shell out a fortune for linen pants — case in point: These Wild Fable Low-Rise Baggy Leg Linen Pull-On Pants are only $30, but they look far more expensive.

I bought two pairs of these last summer at the height of my pregnancy, and thanks to the adjustable waistband, I still managed to accommodate my ever-growing belly but still fit flawlessly after I had my baby. These pants are comfy enough to throw on with a tank for casual brunches and stroller walks, but with the right jewelry and footwear, they can also work for dinner out at the resort.

They also come in a much wider size range than most, from XXS to 4X. Another factor worth highlighting? Because they're made of a linen blend with rayon, these pants have a flowier drape and are way less likely to wrinkle.

Best cropped: Athleta Retreat Linen Easy Barrel Crop Pant

What we love: Available in three different lengths, machine washable, quick drying, elastic waist, zip pockets, 100% European Flax™ Linen

Why it might not work for you: Wrinkles easily

I've resisted the barrel pant trend for a while now — what can I say? As a traditionalist, the bowed-out shape always struck me as unflattering. But I can confidently say I'm a full convert after trying the Retreat Linen Easy Barrel Crop Pant from Athleta. The laid-back, slouchy silhouette oozes an effortless cool factor — just make sure to pair them with a more fitted top to achieve some visual balance.

Athleta is one of my go-to petite clothing brands. But regardless of your height, you definitely don't have to worry about altering these pants — because they come in petite, regular, and tall inseams alike. These pants not only feature pockets — an absolute must for me — but the pockets zip closed so I don't have to stress about losing my keys, phone, card holder, or other important items.

I know these pants will definitely be a go-to during the hotter months, too: Thanks to the quick-drying 100% linen construction and relaxed fit leg that promotes airflow, I'm bound to stay cool no matter the temps.

How to shop for linen pants

1) Fabric: 100% linen vs linen blends

Whether you opt for 100% linen pants or a linen blend ultimately comes down to your budget and priorities.

The main advantage of 100% linen pants is that they're naturally moisture-wicking and breathable — but on the flip side, they also wrinkle super quickly and may feel a little stiff until you've washed them a few times.

Pants made with linen blends — which may include viscose, rayon, cotton, lyocell, and/or elastane — are sometimes more affordable, feel softer upon first wear, and are less prone to wrinkling and shrinking. However, there are drawbacks to blends — namely, that because the material is usually denser, it isn't as breathable and tends to trap heat.

The bottom line? If you want an easy-care, budget-friendly option for transitional seasons, linen blends are a good choice. But if you're looking for pants that you can wear on a sweltering summer's day, you'll want to go for 100% linen.

2) Fabric weight and opacity

• What makes linen go sheer
• Tips: look for heavier weaves, darker colors, lining, and tighter weave

One of the most common pet peeves with linen pants is that they tend to be pretty sheer — especially in white or lighter shades. That's why it's important to pay attention to the weight of the weave. Thinner linen that's woven very loosely is more likely to look sheer, whereas mid- to heavy-weight linen with a tighter weave typically doesn't come with the same opacity issues.

And while it may go without saying, pants in dark colors — or that are lined — will offer a lot more coverage, too.

3) Waistband and closure

One factor that drastically impacts how dressy linen pants look — and how comfortable they feel — is the waistband.

Obviously, elastic waistbands are tough to beat in terms of comfort — but they lean a bit casual, limiting where you can wear them.

A fixed or structured waistband has a cleaner tailored aesthetic, making pants a bit more suitable for professional situations.

And then there's also a happy medium — a flat front with an elastic back. These styles offer the best of both worlds: a polished look with sneaky stretch that you can't see from the front.

Drawstrings make the waistband adjustable, which is obviously helpful for achieving a more secure, customized fit (or getting a little much-needed breathing room after a big meal). It's worth noting, though, that external drawstrings give linen pants a decidedly relaxed look that may not work for more formal settings. An internal drawstring, which isn't visible on the outside, offers a nice compromise.

4) Care and shrinkage

Raw linen is notoriously prone to shrinking and wrinkling, and tends to feel somewhat stiff at least initially. Pre-washed linen, on the other hand, has a softer broken-in feel, and won't shrink as much.

Caring for your linen pants properly can go a long way in making them last longer. Most linen pants are machine washable, and some can even be tossed in the dryer on low. That said, when in doubt, consider air-drying your pants. High heat not only causes shrinkage, but can also break down the fibers over time.

As for getting those inevitable wrinkles out, always opt for a steamer over ironing whenever possible. This method applies heat more gently and indirectly, eliminating harsh creases without flattening the fibers or leaving scorch marks behind.

In between sizes, concerned about your pants shrinking, or prefer a more relaxed fit? It can be worth sizing up, especially if you're in between sizes or the pants don't feature any stretch. However, keep in mind that linen does often stretch out — so if they feel a bit snug the first time you slip them on, they may fit just right after you wear them for a little while.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best linen pants for women?

The best linen pants for women are lightweight, breathable, and comfortable, but still polished enough to wear beyond the beach. A great pair should feel soft against the skin, offer enough coverage to avoid looking too sheer, and have a fit that works for everything from travel days to casual office outfits. The Eileen Fisher Organic Linen Wide-Leg Pant has all of these qualities.

Are 100% linen pants better than linen-blend pants?

Not always. Pure linen tends to feel the most breathable and classic, while linen blends can be softer, wrinkle less, and offer a bit more structure or stretch. The right choice comes down to whether you prioritize that traditional airy linen feel or easier day-to-day wear.

Do linen pants wrinkle a lot?

Yes, linen naturally wrinkles more than many other fabrics, but that relaxed texture is part of its appeal. The best linen pants wrinkle in a way that still looks effortless rather than sloppy, and linen blends usually hold up a little better throughout the day. There are a few picks on this list, like the Babaton New Agency Pant in PowerLinen, that are designed to resist wrinkles.

Are linen pants good for hot weather?

Absolutely. Linen is one of the best fabrics for warm weather because it's breathable, lightweight, and helps keep you cool on hot, humid days. That's why linen pants are such a staple for summer wardrobes, vacations, and heat waves.

Can women wear linen pants to work?

Yes, especially when the pair has a tailored fit, thicker fabric, or trouser-inspired details like pleats or a structured waistband. Wide-leg linen trousers in darker or neutral shades tend to look the most office-appropriate. The Babaton New Agency Pant in PowerLinen is our pick for work because they offer the look of linen with the structure and wrinkle-resistance of traditional slacks.

How do you wash linen pants?

Most linen pants can be machine-washed on a gentle cycle in cold water, then air-dried or tumble-dried on low, but it's always best to check the care label first. Steaming usually works better than ironing for smoothing wrinkles without making the fabric feel stiff.

• After 2 years, the Earthfoam Organic mattress has no sagging, soft spots, or loss of support.
• The medium-firm feel works especially well for back pain, stomach sleeping, and couples.
• It sleeps cooler than memory foam and doesn't need a topper or adjustments to stay comfortable.

If you're considering an organic latex mattress but worried about firmness, durability, or long-term comfort, the Earthfoam mattress stands out. After two years of sleeping on it, I'd still buy it again, even after a $300 price increase. That kind of long-term confidence is rare in the mattress category.

I switched from a plush memory foam mattress to Earthfoam's medium-firm mattress to help with back pain and stomach sleeping. The difference was immediate: it felt more supportive without being stiff, and it slept noticeably cooler than my old gel memory foam bed. Made from certified organic natural rubber, it's designed as a more breathable, eco-friendly alternative to traditional foam. It works well for combination sleepers and couples who need a middle-ground feel.

What matters most is durability. After two years, there's no sagging or loss of support, and I haven't needed a mattress topper or much maintenance. Aside from some minor pilling on the cover, it looks and feels nearly the same as when I first slept on it, and my back pain hasn't returned.

2-year update: Does the Earthfoam Organic mattress hold up?

After two years of consistent nightly use, the Earthfoam mattress continues to perform like a newer bed, with minimal wear and no meaningful changes in comfort or support.

• No sagging or soft spots: The mattress still feels even and supportive across the surface, with no visible indentations.

• Firmness hasn't shifted: The medium-firm feel is consistent. It hasn't softened over time or lost its structure.

• Comfort remains steady: It still strikes the same balance of support and pressure relief that made it a good fit initially, especially for back pain and stomach sleeping.

• Cooling performance holds up: It continues to sleep cooler than traditional memory foam, with no noticeable heat retention over time.

• Minimal maintenance required: I haven't needed to rotate it often or add a mattress topper. The only wear so far is slight pilling on the cover.

Final verdict: Would I buy it again after two years? Yes. Even with the price now at $1,299 for a queen, the durability and consistent performance make it feel like a worhtwhile long-term investment.

Design

The 8.5-inch rubber foam Earthfoam mattress has two firmness options: medium and firm. As a new-to-firm convert, I opted to test the medium, which is the more popular option of the two. It has a little extra cushion to it but still has a fairly firm base. The medium mattress has a 2-inch soft comfort layer, 2-inch medium comfort layer, and a 4-inch firm base layer. The firm mattress has a 2-inch medium comfort layer and a 6-inch firm base layer. Both share an organic cotton knit cover, organic cotton quilt backing, and organic wool batting that works triple duty for comfort, cooling, and a natural fire retardant.

Earthfoam is certified Fair for Life by Fair Trade and meets the Global Organic Textile Standard, the Global Organic Latex Standard, and the Oeko-Tex Standard 100. It comes from natural liquid rubber tapped from trees in Sri Lanka, which is then mixed with sulfur, zinc oxide, accelerators, and antioxidants before being baked to reach its foam form, using the Dunlop process. Earthfoam owns its own rubber foam production factory in Sri Lanka; the mattress is assembled in Illinois.

Our review of the Earthfoam mattress

Set up

As with many modern mattress brands, Earthfoam mattresses ship free (to the continental US) via FedEx. Earthfoam also ships to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and most other places in the world, although customers will need to cover the shipping, customs, taxes, and other associated fees in those areas. There is no white glove delivery option, but when asked after, the company shared that if customers call to order over the phone, they can facilitate inside delivery and setup through FedEx in most areas.

Arriving in a long box, the mattress is notably heavy at 125 pounds, so it took two adults about 10 minutes to get it up two flights of stairs. The mattress itself is tightly packed in a brown paper/parchment-type covering (as opposed to tons of excess plastic). It took us almost 30 minutes to cut open (partially out of caution to not cut into the mattress due to how tightly wrapped it was).

As soon as it was unwrapped, it was ready to sleep on. There was no additional expansion time or lingering smells. Once you get through the ordeal of getting the mattress onto the bed frame and unwrapping it, it's immediately ready for bed.

Comfort

Due to its resilient latex, the mattress is firm but bouncier than any memory foam alternatives. I felt instantly supported getting into bed at night and had less immediate pain when laying down than I previously did with a too-soft memory foam mattress due to the gentle pressure on my back.

I'm a lightweight combination sleeper (with a tendency toward snoozing on my side and stomach), but the Earthfoam is firm enough that I naturally gravitated toward sleeping on my back when I started testing it. However, the medium has a soft enough top layer that eases any pressure so that sleeping on your side is not uncomfortable on your shoulders, nor is it too hard to sleep on your stomach, but it is most comfortable when you're on your back.

This is about a 6 out of 10 firmness, with a couple of inches of comfort foam to cushion the base foam layer. I've long struggled with back pain, but my lower back and tailbone are particular problem areas. The mattress provided enough support to soothe my back when I laid on it, but it was soft enough that I could move around comfortably without putting too much pressure on any one point of my body.

After sleeping on the mattress for almost an entire year, the comfort and relative firmness have remained. I've grown used to the more supportive feel of Earthfoam, and any initial trepidation about venturing away from softer mattresses has passed.

Heat dissipation

Most mattresses will advertise themselves as breathable, and I'm pleased to report that the Earthfoam sleeps cool — and I consider myself a very hot sleeper. In the past year, I've only had a few majorly sweaty nights in the summer, less overall than I did in past years. Rubber foam traditionally stays cooler than other mattress materials, like memory foam.

After an average night's sleep, the mattress measured 87.5 degrees Fahrenheit right after getting up, but within two minutes, it measured 76.1 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's able to drop more than 10 degrees in the time it takes me to brush my teeth. This is a solid choice for hot sleepers without being so engineered for cooling that it might be uncomfortable for cold sleepers.

Edge support

Edge support is crucial in any mattress, especially if you sleep with a partner who may or may not unintentionally push you to the side. It can also help make getting out of bed a little easier. The Earthfoam edge feels comfortable to lay on, and I didn't immediately feel like I was going to fall off when I started to roll to the edge.

When I sit on the edge of the bed, such as to put on shoes, there is about 2.5 to 3 inches of sink, which is slightly better than the average sink of 3.5 inches. Overall, the Earthfoam mattress has better than average edge support.

Motion isolation

Motion isolation is another important component of any mattress, especially when sharing a bed with a partner or pets. We examine motion transfer with a 12-pound weight, a full unopened soda can, and a vibrometer app to measure the vibrations on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. I repeatedly dropped the weight about a foot from the can to see if it would fall over and noted the maximum readings on the vibrometer, which sat another foot away from the can (about two feet from the weight).

According to Business Insider's mattress expert, most mattresses fall between 6 and 8 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Earthfoam's maximum 5.9 rating is indicative of strong motion isolation.

The can fell over 2 out of 5 times, giving it more of an average rating for topical motion isolation. It's worth noting that the top two inches of the medium mattress are extremely cushy and the soda can struggled to stay up in the first place, so the can falling over doesn't seem so much like an indictment of the motion isolation as it is a nod to the softness of the medium mattresses' very top layer.

Despite having different rise times and being pretty active sleepers, my partner and I don't usually feel each other move throughout the night. We also didn't notice our dog moving on and off the bed; she is about 70 pounds. Between the solid edge support and motion isolation, the Earthfoam mattress has proven to be a strong choice for couples.

Trial period and warranty

Earthfoam offers a 100-day trial period for the mattress, with a full refund, no questions asked. The company will have the mattress removed from your home at no extra cost and works to donate it to local non-profits, but occasionally, they are disposed of.

The 10-year limited warranty covers one-inch sinkage or indentations beyond normal wear and tear and any cracks or splits in the foam that significantly impact the mattress' performance (as long as this damage isn't due to misuse, mishandling, or lack of proper mattress support).

Cons to consider

Due to the latex mattress's weight, it was definitely heavy and a little more cumbersome to set up. You will want someone to assist with getting it upstairs and onto the bed. As mentioned earlier, you can call Earthfoam and see if they're able to organize an in-home setup, but for now, there's no way to do this online (although they're hoping to add this option to the website soon). The comparative simplicity after you finally get it on the bed frame and unwrapped and its immediate readiness to sleep on makes it a flaw that might be worth overlooking.

It's a great medium for me, but sleepers who like firm beds will probably want something firmer with a tiny bit less sink. Fortunately, there's a firmer option, so this qualm solves itself. If you're looking for a soft or plush mattress, you'll definitely want to look elsewhere.

What are your alternatives?

If you're curious about more of the best organic mattresses, our top choice overall is the Birch Natural by Helix; it's a latex-hybrid design that's breathable and offers medium-firm support that suits back and stomach sleepers, but it didn't pass our motion isolation tests. Birch offers an in-home setup service for a fee (read our full Birch Natural by Helix review). The queen-sized Birch Natural is nearly double the price of the Earthfoam, though, so Earthfoam is by far the more affordable option here.

The PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex Mattress is another latex option that sleeps cool all night and has more customization when it comes to height, with three different options ranging from 9 to 12 inches and two firmness options. It's also one of the best mattresses for stomach sleepers and sleeps cool. For a fee, they offer in-home setup, and the mattress is backed with a lifetime warranty. Without any promos in effect, this alternative is more than double the price of the Earthfoam. However, from our experience, PlushBeds is almost always offering discounts.

The bottom line

The Earthfoam is an excellent mattress for people seeking a happy medium between the benefits of a firm mattress and still having some of the comforts of a soft one. Couples with different mattress needs and those hoping not to feel each other's movement too much at night could benefit greatly from this. Solid all-natural latex mattresses are typically pretty pricey, and Earthfoam is the most affordable that we've tried and can recommend among the best mattresses.

After two years of regular use, the Earthfoam mattress hasn't developed any of the issues I typically look for when judging long-term value: no body impressions where I sleep, no softening in the center, and no creeping back pain from lost support. It still feels like a properly firm mattress, which is exactly what I wanted when I switched from softer foam. It's more expensive today, but the fact that it hasn't needed a topper, rotation schedule, or workaround to stay comfortable makes it easy to justify as a valued buy.

The second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals kicks off soon. We've rounded up everything you need to know about where to watch Liverpool vs. PSG around the world, including free options.

Today's Liverpool vs. PSG match will live stream on Paramount Plus in the US, Prime Video in the UK, and for free on RTL Club in Belgium. If you're away from the location where your streaming service works at kick-off, like Belgium, you can still access your service with the help of a VPN, such as Proton VPN. You can find additional global watch options below.

Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning Champions League victors, defeated Liverpool 2-0 last week in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Whether PSG will continue on their quest as defending champions or Liverpool will be able to make a comeback and stay in the competition all comes down to today's match. If you're hoping to catch the rest of the season, including other quarterfinal matches, you can explore our where to watch Champions League streaming guide.

How to watch Liverpool vs. PSG for free

The Liverpool vs. PSG match will be available for free in select regions. In Belgium, RTL Club will carry free coverage. In the UK, the game will be on Prime Video, which offers a 30-day free trial for new customers.

How to watch Liverpool vs. PSG from anywhere

If you're away from Belgium when the match kicks off, you can still access your free streaming options with the help of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are user-friendly tech tools that let people change their device's virtual location. They're extra popular among those looking to keep up with their usual services while traveling abroad or hoping to boost their cybersecurity.

Proton VPN is one of the best services on the market. It's beginner-friendly and has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not what you're looking for. You can learn more in our roundup of the best VPN services.

Where to watch Liverpool vs. PSG in the US

In the US, Paramount Plus is the streaming home for all things Champions League. All matches, including today's Liverpool vs. PSG game, are available across all service tiers. Paramount Plus starts at $9 a month for its Essential tier.

Where to watch Liverpool vs. PSG in the UK

While the bulk of Champions League action is on TNT Sports (which can be live streamed through HBO Max) in the UK, one game each week is exclusive to Prime Video. This week, that's Liverpool vs. PSG. Amazon Prime offers a generous 30-day free trial for new customers or those who haven't had a subscription in a while.

Where to watch Liverpool vs. PSG in Australia

In Australia, Stan is the live streaming home for the Champions League. Stan's Basic plan costs $12 a month, but you'll need to add the Sport add-on for an additional $20 a month to access sporting events like today's Liverpool vs. PSG game. This will run you $32 a month.

Where to watch Liverpool vs. PSG in France

Canal Plus is the home of the Champions League in France, so PSG fans can easily tune into today's game. Prices vary depending on your contract length and subscription tier, but plans involving sports start at €30 a month for the first 12 months on a 24-month contract or €40 a month for a truly flexible month-to-month option.

Where to watch Liverpool vs. PSG in Belgium

In Belgium, RTL Club will host coverage of Liverpool vs. PSG for free. This streaming option doesn't carry all Champions League matches, but it offers several games each season, including one of tomorrow's quarterfinal matches.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

If you're packing for a destination wedding or important business trip, then finding the right garment bag suitcase is just as important as planning the outfits. The best luggage to protect your formalwear will give you plenty of storage space, isn't a pain to move around with, and, in the best cases, complements your airport outfit.

Ahead of my 12-day trip to France and the U.K., I was faced with a dilemma: I needed to pack a high-volume designer dress with expert-level care. I knew that if I used a regular checked bag, I'd risk ruining its delicate boned bodice. This led me to testing out Away's new Softside Garment Roller ($495), which puts a stylish spin on a garment bag-suitcase hybrid.

Two weeks and four flights later, I discovered it's probably better for weeklong trips than extended stays. That said, I loved its sleek look and smooth-rolling wheels, and it ultimately did its job of keeping my satin dress smooth and wrinkle-free.

Because the Garment Roller bag itself weighs in at 15 pounds, I packed as light as I could. I opted for items like my lightweight L'Agence knit top, Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66s, a soccer jersey, and airy pajamas. I then embarked on my 12-day Eurotrip with only a backpack and the Garment Roller Bag.

In total, my bag rang in at 40 pounds. I towed it from JFK until we were reunited at the baggage claim in Marseille. I then tested it across journeys from French villages in Provence to London. Ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised with how well it traveled.

Inside is a garment bag contraption and plenty of helpful compartments

Once I unzipped the main outer zipper, the bag unfolded into the typical two parts. But instead of the usual suitcase with mirroring cavernous compartments, the Garment Roller is smartly decked out with organizational details.

It comes with a TSA-friendly lock that matches the color of the bag. Inside there are two spots for hangers to hook into, which I loved. I securely stored my beauty products in the two triangular, structured areas above the shoulder of the hanger.

I admittedly didn't use the exterior pocket for anything. I understand it's meant for trinkets and papers, but I prefer those kinds of things stay in my backpack or purse.

The important part is that my fancy dress was still smooth when I unpacked it, and the organizers kept my beauty products in place.

It fit everything I needed (and more), but it's better suited for weeklong trips

I can confirm the Away Garment Roller works for longer voyages, as long as you're packing a capsule wardrobe and just a few couple special pieces. However, I think this bag shines strongest for shorter trips, like work travel or a weekend away for a wedding.

The bag itself weighs 15 pounds, which can get uncomfortably heavy quickly. On the way home, I added two wine bottles, more clothes, several Marseille soaps, and a hefty coffee table book to my suitcase. Rolling it was easy enough, but stairs, as one might expect, felt like doing a Hyrox (I've never done one… but based on the videos I've seen, it felt similar enough).

It's heavy for a softside suitcase, and the handle wasn't perfect

If you prefer aluminum and lightweight hardshell suitcases, then this heavier fabric bag will be an adjustment due to its weight. I'd also caution the chronic over-packer who struggles to keep their checked bags lower than 50 pounds.

I also found its extendable handle a nuisance. It's tucked inside a pocket at the top, and, personally, this never felt like it made life easier. Rather than being able to smoothly bend over and extend the handle, like most suitcases, this one's is in a snug, enclosed spot. Especially with longer nails, I struggled to easily and quickly grab the trolley handle and raise it.

Despite my gripes, I do think this bag is worth the splurge. I appreciate the sleekness of this bag because I, vainly, love traveling in style. The weight was an issue for my nearly two-week trip, but if I were only traveling for a weekend event with a few fancy get-ups in tow, it likely wouldn't be an issue.

The bottom line

The Away Garment Roller solves a big problem around traveling with formalwear. Its compartmentalized interior makes use of every cubic inch of space, so it's easy to travel with wrinkle-prone gowns or suits. I no longer have to crease them terribly or stuff them onto one side of the bag.

I would caution overpackers against this one, as it weighs 15 pounds alone (equal to 30% of your typical checked bag weight allowance). Nevertheless, it glides through airports smoothly and looks good doing it.

Shop more Away luggage here.

• LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said "soft skills" are more important as AI takes over routine work.
• He highlighted four communication-specific skills to hone.
• Other Silicon Valley leaders have made more dramatic predictions about AI's impact on jobs.

Personality hires, rejoice. LinkedIn's CEO said soft skills are getting a hard rebrand.

In an interview with the "Tools and Weapons" podcast, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said AI is automating routine tasks. He argued that the shift is elevating four human-centered skills — curiosity, courage, communication, and compassion.

"These turn out to be some really, really important skills to do your job well," the CEO said. "The focus and emphasis on those, along with the AI, is what I think gives us the opportunity to dream big and paint a much more positive picture that exists with humans and technology together moving forward."

Roslansky has a broad view of the job market based on LinkedIn data, though he did not cite specific figures in the interview. His view contrasts with some other Silicon Valley voices (and a growing number of Americans).

This year, OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla predicted that today's five-year-olds won't need a job. Boris Cherny, the creator of Anthropic's Claude Code, said the job title "software engineer" will fade away this year. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently said he wants high-paid engineers to spend half their salary on AI tokens.

Roslansky's vision is less jarring. Instead, he argues that AI is reshaping how people think about their jobs, encouraging workers to view their roles as a "collection of tasks" rather than a fixed title.

He breaks those tasks into three buckets: ones AI can fully automate, ones it can augment, and ones that remain deeply human — like resolving conflict, persuading a team, or setting strategy.

"These skills, they're important, but they've historically been talked about as soft skills," Roslansky said. "In a professional world where people are actually much better at these skills and have really honed their craft on it, I think that it makes things a lot better."

As AI handles more automated responsibilities, Roslansky said that agents can free up time for coworker conversations, putting a greater premium on communication, judgment, and emotional intelligence.

He said his thought process has given him a hopeful view of AI's future. Still, he said he doesn't have a crystal ball and could ultimately be wrong.

"Sometimes when you're mired in the technology, and especially with AI, and you kind of draw out where this could potentially go, it leads you to some dark places," he said. "I believe that humans play such an integral role in shaping where that technology should go."

• Stocks are headed for fresh records as they embark on a three-month "sugar high," Wells Fargo says.
• The bank sees the market getting a boost from catalysts like AI and Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill.
• Economic growth will eventually slow as inflation rises in the second half, the bank said.

Stocks are headed for a euphoric run-up heading into midsummer, according to analysts on Wells Fargo's equity strategy desk.

In a note to clients on Monday, the bank said it expected the S&P 500 to break fresh records over the next several months, driven by a handful of catalysts that create a "sugar high" in markets.

In their bull-case scenario, analysts see the benchmark index hitting a record of 7,300 by July, implying a 5% jump from current levels.

The S&P 500 has struggled to move higher for much of this year, with the bull rally largely being derailed by the war with Iran. However, as of Tuesday's close, the index had erased the wartime losses, turning positive since the conflict began, and is up nearly 2% year to date.

"3 months of sugar high," a team of analysts led by Ohsung Kwon wrote of their outlook for equities. "We remain structural bulls, and our 'tactically cautious' call didn't play out."

The bank pointed to a cocktail of bullish factors that could help growth exceed expectations in the second quarter and boost stocks:

Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. The bill, which extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts and includes new fiscal stimulus, is expected to raise real GDP growth by an average of 0.2 percentage points each year from 2025 to 2027, according to an estimate from Yale's Budget Lab.

"OBBB Tax benefits will exceed the higher cost of living for the next six months," the analysts estimated.

Growth in manufacturing and services. The bank said it was "bullish" on the next cycle for the Purchasing Manager Index, the economic indicator that gauges strength in the manufacturing and services sectors.

Activity could get a boost due to tariffs being lowered from the recent Supreme Court ruling, as well as the recent shock to supply chains, analysts said.

The AI boom. The AI cycle could mature, causing the bull market to be more "monetization-led," analysts said.

"Our analysts expect Hyperscalers' FCF to inflect higher following a 67% cut in 2026 FCF estimates," the bank wrote of tech firms' free cash flow. "They expect revenues to accelerate on new capacity," the bank added.

The World Cup. Economic activity could also rev up heading into the World Cup soccer tournament, which kicks off in June and is expected to draw tourism and lift consumer spending.

The analysts added that they see the sugar high fading in the second half of this year.

"We expect the market to overshoot until growth starts to slow and inflation surprises in 2H," they added.

Investors have been preoccupied with higher oil prices, which threaten to raise inflation while curtailing economic growth. Despite the risks, the outlook for equities has largely held up on Wall Street, with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs eyeing continued upside.

• James McMillian is the president of Tone House, a strength training facility in New York City.
• McMillian shared a few tips for building muscle fast, especially if you don't have a lot of time.
• Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups simultaneously, while explosive movements develop power and speed.

Since childhood, James McMillian has learned the value of slowly getting stronger.

McMillian said he was diagnosed with asthma when he was born, and doctors advised his parents against letting him play sports like youth tackle football. "It made me tell myself that I need to train harder," McMillian told Business Insider.

Before and after practice, McMillian recalled running up the stadium steps six times. He'd also run to practice or run home with his sports equipment. Even though his asthma wasn't induced by sports, he noticed that the extra training kept him from being as winded.

McMillian is now the president and a trainer at Tone House, a strength training and conditioning-focused training facility deemed by Business Insider as "the hardest workout in New York City." He applies that same mentality from his upbringing to Tone House workouts that he coaches.

"You're going to be exposed for your weaknesses, but then you should always turn your weaknesses into your strengths," he said.

McMillian believes progressively overloading — slowly adding weight, reps, or intensity — is the best way to build strength.

"I always tell people, 'If you don't use it, you'll lose it," he said, particularly since we lose muscle mass as we age. "You're going to want to pick up your kid. You're going to want to hold those groceries. You're going to want to hold your Louis Vuitton bag a little bit longer at an event. You have to be strong to do that."

McMillian shared a few of his favorite quick movements to build muscle, whether you're a complete beginner, pressed for time at the gym, or wanting to speed up your progress.

Raise a glass to goblet squats

McMillian's favorite movement for beginners is the goblet squat, or squatting while holding a heavy kettlebell or dumbbell.

"When you're going into that squat, as you allow those knees to go out, you're working that lower body, your glutes, your hamstrings," he said. At the same time, you're also engaging your lats, triceps, forearms, and upper back from holding the weight.

To make the goblet squat more challenging, he said, you can elevate your heels to focus on building quad strength. McMillian also said it's easy to start with a lighter weight, say 10 pounds, and gradually work your way up.

Save time with compound exercises

Some of the best time-savers are compound exercises, which target multiple parts of the body at once and "allow you to shorten your time at the gym," McMillian said.

A favorite of McMillian's is transitioning from a squat to an overhead press, thus targeting both the upper and lower body.

He also likes to string together multiple consecutive movements. He opts for two rounds of 20 shoulder presses, 20 hammer curls, and 20 bent-over rows, all right after each other to activate different parts of his upper body.

"It's intense, it burns, but it's something that people can do with a single dumbbell," he said, thus also saving time on swapping out equipment.

It's also customizable, he said: You can use lighter weights and do fewer reps, but increase the number of rounds, for example.

Play with tempo

Explosive exercises — deliberately slowing down your tempo and "exploding" at the end of the movement — are also great for improving your strength, McMillian said.

He's a fan of slowing down his back squats: lowering slowly for five seconds, pausing for another five at the bottom, and then quickly pushing up.

"When you do things a little bit slower, controlled, it builds strength," he said, noting there's more than one way to challenge yourself.

• Having children was never high on my priority list.
• I went through some difficult times in my 30s. I'm glad I didn't have the added stress of kids.
• I've chosen to focus on my ambitions, mental health, and other aspects of my fulfilling life.

I always felt like I disappointed my mother. Her lifelong wish was to become a grandmother, but having children was never high on my priority list.

When she died unexpectedly, I was 35 and struggling financially and mentally.

Her death threw my life into even more chaos — and not being a mother helped me survive it.

As I approach 40, I get asked, "Why don't you just have a baby?" more and more often.

Although well-meaning, the question reduces a complex, private decision to small talk — as though my ambitions, finances, mental health, and grief matter less than my reproductive function.

What I witnessed growing up shaped my decision not to have children

Growing up, I watched my mother work six days a week running her esthetician business while doing all of the cooking, cleaning, and childcare at home. She was so busy being a working wife and mother to two kids that she put off many of her dreams until retirement.

She loved her work and continued tinting eyelashes and applying gel nails for her clients until the pandemic forced her to retire at 68. The prospect of enjoying her retirement kept her going through the UK's lockdowns — but she died just a few months after restrictions were lifted.

Watching her sacrifice so much time — only to run out of it — shaped how I think about my own life.

Career and financial instability made survival my priority

At 32, I left a stable career in humanitarian aid to pursue my creative ambitions. It didn't go well at first, but by my mid-30s, I felt like I was finally getting somewhere with my fledgling freelance writing business.

My partner was also out of work at the time, which only intensified the pressure. When we went shopping at our local market, we bought discounted bags of vegetables, and I crossed my fingers that my card payment would go through.

Every day, I struggled with the shame and sometimes-crippling anxiety and depression brought on by prolonged financial hardship.

At a time when many of our friends were having babies, we were simply trying to stay afloat. And since my partner (who's 17 years my senior) has never wanted children, they weren't in our plans.

Grief put my life on hold for five years

Then, in October 2021, my world fell apart. My mother and I were close, and I was unprepared for the heartbreak of losing her so suddenly — especially as the pandemic had kept us apart for so long.

Grief consumed me, making it difficult to work, and I mostly lived off the little savings I had scraped together.

Within a year, I landed a remote role at a marketing agency that gave me the stability I needed to start rebuilding my life. When I was made redundant at the end of 2024, not having a child to support gave me time to think about what to do next without additional pressure.

Now, nearly five years after my mother died, I finally have the strength to pursue the dreams I started chasing years ago.

I'm building a life that feels right for me

Last year, my nephew was born — the grandchild my mother never got to meet.

I can't deny that watching my brother become a father made me wonder what parenthood might be like. But while I adore my nephew, loving him doesn't make me yearn for the upheaval motherhood would bring. And without my mom to share in that chapter of life, I simply don't feel the pull.

As I enter my 40s, I don't feel like I'm "missing out". Being child-free helped me survive the darkest time of my life — and gave me the chance to rebuild on my own terms.

• I visited Seattle for the first time in May 2025 after years of dreaming about it.
• The city in the Pacific Northwest surprised me as a New Yorker.
• I found a strange tourist attraction, a free banana stand, and a tech neighborhood full of nature.

When my train arrived at Seattle's King Street Station on a sunny morning, I didn't expect the 1-mile walk to my downtown hotel to feel like a hike.

I didn't think I'd find a chewing-gum-speckled wall in an alley later that afternoon. And when I felt my stomach growl while strolling the bustling streets the next day, the last thing I thought I'd see was a free snack cart.

It was my first time in the Washington city, one I've wanted to visit since I was a kid. As I developed a taste for travel in college, I found myself taking road trips from California up the coast to Portland, Oregon, to see more of the Pacific Northwest.

Still, Seattle was always too far north to include in my itinerary. In fact, I'd never had a chance to visit the state of Washington — until recently.

During a weeklong trip from my home in New York City to the West Coast of North America in May 2025, I spent three days in Seattle. As a first-time visitor, I found the city to be full of surprises.

I traveled to Seattle from Vancouver, and I was surprised to find that a train ticket was less than half the price of airfare.

I've spent more than 150 hours on Amtrak trains from the Northeast to the Southwest. In my experience, traveling by train in the US is typically more expensive than flying, though it depends on the route.

So when I was booking my travel from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle, I was shocked that a coach train ticket cost $50 compared with the $150 basic economy airfare on the same day.

I certainly paid more in hours — the train ride took four compared with the roughly one-hour flight. Still, I was excited to travel slowly and watch landscapes transform from one country to another.

I was also shocked at how much more comfortable it was to travel in economy compared with planes.

I'd traveled in first and business class on Amtrak trains before, but this was my first trip in coach since I was a kid. So I wasn't sure how it would compare to my countless experiences flying in basic economy.

Since the ticket was less than half the price, I didn't expect the train seat to be so much cozier than the stiff, flimsy plane seats I'm used to. I even avoided the neck and back pain I usually get when flying.

On the train, the seats felt wider with more legroom than on a typical economy flight.

Walking a mile in Seattle feels more strenuous than it does in New York.

I stepped off the Amtrak train in Seattle at about noon. It was my first time stretching my legs since I'd boarded in Vancouver four hours earlier. With an indie-rock soundtrack in my earbuds and the sun shining above me, I was excited to lug my suitcase on foot to my hotel a mile away.

But I quickly learned that a mile in Seattle doesn't feel like a mile in New York. The route was almost entirely uphill. When I stopped to catch my breath at an intersection, I noticed the street to my right climbed up even taller for as far as I could see.

In my city, I walk a lot, but most of the roads are relatively flat. So I wasn't expecting to feel so exhausted after just one mile.

I was excited to visit the iconic Pike Place Market but surprised to learn it hasn't always been a car-free space.

Situated next to the coast in Downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market is an iconic outdoor market with more than 200 stores and restaurants. I've been hearing about it for decades, so I spent my first afternoon in Seattle perusing the 9-acre shopping hub.

On a sunny Thursday afternoon, the market was crowded with locals and tourists alike. I shuffled my way through what felt like a line to get a peek at the fresh seafood. When I needed a break from the mob, I found refuge inside a used bookstore.

Every so often, a delivery truck would drive through, dividing the crowd into two tightly packed globs, but most cars weren't allowed to drive through Pike Place Market. This made sense to me, since each passing vehicle halted the pedestrian flow.

But I was surprised to learn that the open-air market's cobblestone streets are normally open to all cars — the city is testing a ban on cars aside from vendors, delivery drivers, and those with disabilities, The Seattle Times reported in August 2025. The temporary ban began in April 2025 and is set to continue through spring 2026.

I was lucky enough to inadvertently schedule my trip during the ban. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if cars could freely move through the already crowded market.

I stumbled upon the popular tourist attraction, The Gum Wall, in Seattle.

While wandering the narrow alleyways around Pike Place Market, I was slowed down by groups of tourists stopping to take selfies in front of a vibrant brick wall. The wall was spackled with an array of hues from peach to periwinkle.

At first, I thought the specks of color were dried-up chunks of paint. But when I saw a pedestrian pull a gooey wad out of their mouth and stick it on the brick wall, I realized the wall was a gum canvas.

I was shocked and a little grossed out upon my realization, but when I focused on how the wall actually looked rather than the germ-infested materials, I thought it was a playful work of art.

Before you ask, no, I didn't add my own contribution to the Seattle gum wall.

I was surprised to find a three-story target downtown.

I lost my charging port somewhere between Vancouver and Seattle, so I headed to a Target near my downtown hotel. Back home in NYC, the Targets I frequent are small and offer little more than a drugstore.

So, I was shocked to learn that this location was a 96,000-square-foot, three-story establishment. While still smaller than Targets you'll find outside cities, The Seattle Times reported, the store had a wide variety of groceries, toiletries, and tech products.

There were so many aisles of home goods that I thought I could decorate my entire apartment with its offerings.

I wasn't expecting the tech neighborhood to be so full of nature.

Seattle has long been known as a tech hub where software engineers move in droves to work at big companies such as Amazon and Google.

Locals told me I could find the booming scene in the South Lake Union neighborhood, home of the original Amazon headquarters. The company's presence in more than 30 office buildings led to the neighborhood's nickname, "Amazonia."

Before visiting, I expected to find nothing but business-centric streets lined with glass skyscrapers in a tech-fueled neighborhood. So I was surprised by the large presence of nature in South Lake Union.

The neighborhood borders Lake Union, where I explored a waterfront park filled with runners, bicyclists, picnickers, and geese. Locals said the park is dead on the weekends, but tech workers frequent it during the week. Nearby, the Google building had a whole forest of trees on the rooftop.

I'd never seen a free banana stand before.

The pop of color caught my eye while strolling through "Amazonia." In an outdoor space between Amazon buildings in South Lake Union, the bright yellow trailer is hard to miss.

I got a closer look and saw boxes full of bananas beneath the awning, and a sign that read, "Take one — not just for Amazonians but for anyone in the community."

I didn't expect to find a free snack stand in the middle of a city. Amazon previously told Business Insider that founder Jeff Bezos came up with the idea to provide a complimentary healthy snack with no wrapper. The stand first opened in 2015.

I wasn't expecting to see an active volcano so close to a major city.

From a hotel rooftop deck, a local pointed to a distant mountain and told me it was an active volcano.

I could hardly see the volcano through the haze, but they told me Mount Rainier, which last erupted in 1894, was more visible on clear days.

I was shocked to learn that this city, home to nearly 800,000 people, is so close to what could be a natural disaster. According to the Seattle Office of Emergency Management, the city is a safe distance away from a blast's flow, but water and power resources could be affected.

My trip to Seattle was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Seattle's mix of natural and urban lifestyles reminded me of my previous trips to Pacific Northwest cities, which comforted me.

But I was surprised by Seattle's unique attributes, including Pike Place Market and the oddly alluring gum wall.

And since it was so different from NYC, I definitely plan to return to Seattle to get another break from the Big Apple.

Micro RGB is being positioned as the next big thing in TV technology. Its main selling point is its enhanced color, which is a step above even the best OLED, QLED, and Mini LED sets. Samsung was one of the first brands to release a Micro RGB TV last year with its giant 115-inch MR95F. That massive display cost an equally massive $30,000. And now, the brand is ready to bring Micro RGB to the masses with a much more affordable model: the R95H.

The R95H is available for a starting price of $3,200, with sizes ranging from 65 to 85 inches. Though still positioned as a flagship model, that's rather reasonable for a high-end display with such new tech. But as one of the first consumer-friendly Micro RGB sets to hit the market, the R95H has a lot to prove. Does it offer a proper showcase of what Micro RGB is all about? To find out, I visited Samsung's New Jersey headquarters, where I got an early hands-on look at the R95H in action.

Based on my initial testing, the R95H does deliver exceptional color performance. In fact, it has the widest color gamut I've ever measured on a TV. But, while the TV's color is impressive, that's only one part of good picture quality. In other areas — like brightness, contrast, and viewing angles — the R95H still falls short of other high-end sets, including Samsung's own flagship S95H OLED.

To be clear, my impressions here are based on initial testing, so this isn't meant to be a final review. I plan to revisit the R95H to conduct a more in-depth evaluation with additional impressions soon. But based on what I've seen so far, the R95H is both promising and a bit underwhelming. It's a good TV with standout color, but I don't think it's the OLED killer some were hoping for.

The TV has a handsome, glare-free design

The R95H is available in 65-, 75-, and 85-inch screen sizes, with prices ranging from $3,200 to $6,500. Those are reasonable launch prices for a TV that uses new display technology. In fact, that's a bit less than Samsung is charging for its latest high-end OLED, the S95H, which costs $3,400 in a 65-inch screen.

All three sizes use Samsung's new Micro RGB panel technology and support refresh rates up to 165Hz. Four HDMI 2.1 ports are built into the panel, which is great to see on a premium TV. The R95H also supports an optional wireless One Connect Box, which adds four more HDMI 2.1 ports for users who want a cleaner installation and more flexible hookup options.

From a design perspective, the R95H looks every bit like a modern flagship Samsung TV. It uses the company's "Infinity Air" pedestal stand, which features a sleek, mirror-like finish. The bezels are thin all around with a minimal border, helping the screen feel more immersive, and the panel itself is fairly slim at around 1.2 inches thick.

Like other high-end Samsung TVs, the R95H uses the company's latest glare-free screen technology. This tech uses a matte-like finish to reduce reflections, and it works remarkably well. If you're placing your TV in a room with a lot of light that's tricky to control, this can be a genuinely game-changing benefit. Reflections are one of the biggest issues that can get in the way of watching TV during the day, and Samsung's solution remains one of the most effective I've seen.

That said, I'm still a bit torn about the overall look of the glare-free finish. Though it reduces reflections, it can also make black levels appear slightly lighter in bright rooms, lowering perceived contrast. Some viewers will love this approach, while others may prefer the richer black levels of a glossy panel.

The TV also includes Samsung's SolarCell remote, which has a clean, minimalist shape and doesn't require batteries. Instead, the SolarCell remote is charged by sunlight or indoor lighting. I do wish the remote were backlit like some TCL and Hisense models, but never having to worry about batteries is definitely convenient.

The R95H delivers stunning color, but other areas aren't quite as impressive

When it comes to image quality, the R95H is an impressive display and a solid showcase for what Micro RGB tech is all about. While traditional LED, QLED, and Mini LED TVs use a white or blue backlight with a color filter or quantum dots, Micro RGB TVs use individual red, green, and blue LEDs in their backlight. This allows the backlight itself to produce color. In theory, this enables a Micro RGB display to deliver a purer, wider range of colors than other TV technologies, including OLED.

Other brands are also introducing similar types of RGB backlights. Hisense is marketing its tech as RGB Mini LED, while Sony is calling its tech True RGB. For its part, Samsung says there's more to its Micro RGB terminology than just branding. It says the actual LEDs it uses are smaller than those in RGB Mini LED TVs, which helps achieve more precise color and contrast control.

This could also minimize an issue that some RGB-backlit TVs are prone to: crosstalk. Since these TVs use colored lights, that light can sometimes bleed into neighboring parts of the image where it doesn't belong. For example, a bright red object against a white background could tint the surrounding white area red. To prevent this during tricky scenes, some RGB-backlit TVs go so far as to revert to a white or blue backlight, which negates the benefit they're supposed to have in the first place.

Samsung says the R95H does not behave like that and only uses its RGB backlight. In my limited testing time, I didn't see any obvious signs of crosstalk, though I'll need more time with varied content to make a full judgment.

Using a colorimeter with Calman software and test patterns from a Portrait Displays G1 pattern generator, I measured around 91% coverage of the BT.2020 color gamut in the TV's Filmmaker HDR mode. That's the widest BT.2020 coverage I've ever measured on a TV, and it's clear evidence that Samsung's Micro RGB tech offers a genuine advancement.

At the same time, however, it's important to keep that result in perspective. Most movies and TV shows don't actually need to display such an expansive color range. So while having access to that wider gamut is certainly a benefit, it's more of a forward-looking advantage than something that radically enhances the look of most content right now.

And though the TV is basically unmatched in color, the same can't be said for other picture-quality areas. Take brightness, for example. I measured a peak of around 1,600 nits on a 10% HDR window. This was with the TV in Filmmaker mode and with any auto-brightness adjustment features off. That's enough to deliver solid HDR performance, but it's lower than I expected for a flagship TV.

For comparison's sake, TCL's midrange QM7K delivers 1,700 nits of peak brightness and is often on sale for $900. Of course, the R95H outperforms the QM7K in other areas, but it's a bit surprising that the R95H isn't brighter. Even Samsung's own S95H OLED can reach 2,780 nits, which is substantially brighter.

Now, I wasn't able to measure brightness across every mode and pattern size during my testing session, so it's possible the TV can reach higher numbers in certain cases with some adjustments. I'll take additional measurements when I get more hands-on time with the TV to see if there are ways to improve its brightness.

But while dimmer than I'd like, that doesn't mean the R95H's HDR performance is weak. Far from it. In actual viewing, the TV still delivered a great HDR image with gorgeous colors, good local dimming, and solid overall contrast. In challenging test scenes I use from Netflix's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," the R95H handled itself well and only showed minor backlight issues. Black levels were controlled well, and the image maintained good depth.

A candlelit test scene also showed good contrast performance, though I could see a slight hint of blooming when moving off-angle. That's not unusual for a premium LED-based TV, but it is a reminder that this set still can't match OLED's pixel-level contrast control.

Color, of course, is where the R95H most clearly separates itself. "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Aquaman" both looked excellent here, with vibrant, bold hues that appeared rich and intense without crossing over into oversaturation.

Another strength is gradient handling. Smooth gradients are essential for avoiding color banding, especially in darker material. Here, the R95H impressed me. I didn't see distracting banding in any of the content I watched, including my usual "Ex Machina" test sequence, which features harsh red lighting that can trip up many displays.

The scene looked very smooth on the R95H, but it also revealed one of Micro RGB's limitations compared to OLED: viewing angles. When I moved off to the side, the red tones shifted toward orange. So even though this display can outperform OLED in color gamut, it still falls behind in off-axis consistency.

This is really the take-home message of the R95H's picture quality. It reaches a new level in one aspect of image performance, and that deserves recognition. But premium TVs aren't judged by a single metric. And while the R95H is certainly very good overall, it doesn't appear to match Samsung's own OLEDs enough in other key areas to make its case feel obvious.

To that point, I also got hands-on with Samsung's new S95H and S90H OLED TVs during my visit to the brand's New Jersey headquarters, and though the R95H looked great, I couldn't help but be more drawn to those OLEDs.

The Tizen smart TV platform has been streamlined

Samsung's Tizen smart TV system remains perfectly decent, even if it's not my favorite. I continue to prefer platforms like Google TV and Roku, which I find a bit more intuitive. Still, Tizen gets the job done, and anyone already invested in Samsung's ecosystem should feel right at home.

The interface has been tweaked for 2026, with various sections now housed in a horizontal menu at the top of the screen rather than a vertical menu on the left. Content recommendations are also less in-your-face. This all makes navigation feel simpler and cleaner, but it also gives the homepage a more sparse, almost bare-bones appearance. Some users might appreciate this less cluttered presentation, while others may find it a little empty.

Voice control is supported through Bixby or Amazon Alexa, and you can use either the included remote or the TV's built-in microphones for hands-free commands. Samsung's Gaming Hub is also integrated, supporting cloud services like Xbox Game Pass.

Like Samsung's QLED lineup, the R95H offers access to the Art Store, which lets the TV display classic and contemporary artwork. A subscription is required for the full catalog, but Samsung includes a rotating selection of 30 free pieces each month. That's a nice bonus for users who want the TV to double as a decor piece in their living room.

Microsoft Copilot AI is built in as well, offering chatbot-style functions. This is one of those nice-to-have features that I don't find all that necessary. Sure, it's cool that you can ask your TV to plan a trip or answer complex questions, but I can already do that on my phone or computer.

All told, the R95H's smart features are solid and in line with what I'd expect from a high-end Samsung TV. There's nothing here that feels like a dramatic differentiator, but there doesn't need to be.

Should you buy the Samsung R95H?

Based on my initial testing, the Samsung R95H is a good TV and a solid debut for an affordable Micro RGB. It does indeed push color performance to a new level, and that alone makes it a worthy premium display that's among the top Samsung TVs available

But excellent image quality is about more than just color. And on that front, the R95H falls behind some of the very best TVs on the market. Its brightness is decent, but not impressive for a flagship. Its local dimming, contrast, and viewing angles are all good for an LED-based TV, but still not at the level of an OLED.

That leaves the R95H in an awkward position. It proves that Micro RGB has real promise, but it doesn't yet make the case for why buyers should choose this technology over similarly priced OLEDs, including Samsung's own S95H, which is brighter, has higher contrast, and wider viewing angles. The R95H does have better color performance, but the best OLED TVs are no slouch in that regard.

To be fair, this is still a first-look evaluation based on early testing, and I plan to revisit the R95H with a more in-depth review in the near future. My opinion could shift once I've had more time to live with the TV and dig deeper into its performance. A lot will also hinge on how Samsung's Micro RGB tech stacks up against competing RGB-backlit TVs from other brands.

For now, the R95H is an impressive achievement in TV color performance, but based on what I've seen so far, I'd still rather buy one of the brand's OLEDs.

Editor's note: Updated on April 14, 2026, to include additional information about the teams, the results of the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, and global streaming options.

The Champions League continues with the second and final leg of the quarterfinals. We've gathered everything you need to know about how to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, including free and global streaming options.

If you don't want to read any further: today's match will live stream on Paramount Plus in the US, TNT Sports on HBO Max in the UK, and for free on Virgin Media 2 in Ireland. If you're away from Ireland at kick-off, you can still access your streaming service by using a VPN, like Proton VPN. Below, you can find all the details on international watch options.

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona meet again just one week after the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, which Atleti won 2-0. Barca, fresh off a weekend La Liga win, will need to pull out all of the stops today if they want to remain in the competition. Barcelona breezed through the season to secure a spot in the Round of 16, but Atletico Madrid had to fight for their spot in the knockout phase playoffs, so a decisive win in the QFs would be a true testament to their late-season prowess. If you're hoping to tune into any of the other three QF matches this week, make sure to check out our guide on where to watch Champions League, which will have you covered for the remainder of the competition.

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona for free

The Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona match is available for free in select regions. In Ireland, fans can watch for free through Virgin Media 2. While this service won't have every single Champions League match this season, it carries multiple games each week, including one of Wednesday's quarterfinal matches.

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona from anywhere

If you're away from Ireland when the match begins, you can still access your free streaming option with the help of a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, are handy tech tools that enable people to change the virtual location on their electronic devices. They're especially popular among those looking to keep up with their usual services while traveling abroad or hoping to boost their cybersecurity.

Proton VPN is a top-rated option. It's fast, user-friendly (even for beginners), and has a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can learn more about the app in our roundup of the best VPN services.

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona in the US

Paramount Plus is the streaming home for all things Champions League in the US. Games, including today's Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona match, are available across all service tiers. That means you can stream the action with Paramount Plus Essential, which only costs $9 a month.

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona in the UK

The majority of Champions League matches, including today's Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona game, are available to watch on TNT Sports in the UK. This means that you can live stream the action through HBO Max, the new streaming home of TNT Sports.

There are some savings if you sign up with a 12-month commitment, but a month-to-month Standard with Ads HBO Max plan with TNT Sports costs about £37 a month. Sole access to TNT Sports costs £31 a month. If you have an existing Discovery Plus subscription, you can keep streaming TNT Sports by downloading HBO Max and signing in using your Discovery Plus credentials.

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona in Ireland

In Ireland, Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona is available for free through Virgin Media 2. This streaming option carries several Champions League matches this season, including today's Atleti vs. Barca match and tomorrow's Arsenal vs. Sporting Lisbon match, although you won't find every single CL game here this season.

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona in Australia

Stan is the live streaming home of the Champions League in Australia. Stan's Basic plan costs $12 a month, but you'll need to add the Sport add-on for an additional $20 a month to access sporting events like today's Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona match. All in all, it'll cost you $32 a month.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

• Paul Krugman thinks the Iran war will help China dominate the clean energy market.
• The economist wrote that oil volatility is sparking a rush toward other power sources.
• In his view, China is in an ideal position to meet the growing demand for renewable power.

Nobel economist Paul Krugman sees the Iran war reshaping the energy market in a way that benefits America's chief geopolitical rival: China.

Krugman has been bearish on the economic outlook amid the Iran war, highlighting the increased risk of stagflation if the conflict persists. But more recently, he revealed on his Substack that he thinks America's largest economic rival will benefit significantly from the conflict.

"The big geopolitical winner from Trump's hostility to the energy revolution will be China, which dominates the production of renewable-energy infrastructure," Krugman wrote. "Furthermore, the China-led energy future will arrive ahead of schedule thanks to the debacle in Iran."

The war has sent oil prices surging, as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, with pundits predicting that the chaos will prompt a rapid acceleration of the clean energy shift as countries rush to renewable power.

Krugman highlighted this new focus on "electrotech," with
areas such as solar power, wind, and batteries geared toward energy storage. He sees China as being perfectly positioned to keep supplying countries scrambling to diversify away from fossil fuels, thanks to industrial policies that have made China a manufacturing powerhouse.

"While China is strong in many industries, it is utterly dominant in electrotech, the cluster of industries — solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles — at the heart of the renewables revolution," he added.

Krugman also noted that the country has proven adept at accelerating the adoption of clean energy technologies, giving its companies a strong advantage that extends into international markets.

He addressed what he says is a myth that China only builds and sells renewable energy equipment but doesn't use it itself. Trump recently made this claim at the World Economic Forum, but Krugman disputed it, noting that China's domestic clean energy use is surging.

"By dominating electrotech now, China is gaining experience and know-how that no other country can match," he said. "It is also creating an industrial ecosystem of specialized suppliers that, again, no other nation will be able to rival."

President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he wants the US to dominate China as the preeminent global economic superpower. But according to Krugman, the Iran war could have the opposite effect, as it erodes trust in the US and continues to international partners to China's markets.

"By the time America frees itself from Trump's fossil fuel obsession, if it ever does, China's lead in the manufacture of renewables will probably be insurmountable," he added.

• Disney is laying off employees less than a month into CEO Josh D'Amaro's tenure.
• D'Amaro said the cuts are not a reflection on "the overall strength of the company."
• Read the full memo from D'Amaro below.

Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro just told employees that the Mouse House is laying off staffers less than a month into his tenure.

The cuts come after Disney unified its enterprise marketing and brand teams earlier this year, D'Amaro said in a Tuesday morning memo obtained by Business Insider.

"Those that will be leaving us have done meaningful work here and care deeply about this company," D'Amaro said in the memo. "These decisions are not a reflection of their contributions, or of the overall strength of the company."

To that point, D'Amaro expressed confidence in Disney's trajectory: "Despite these difficult decisions, I remain optimistic about where we're headed as a company."

Business Insider could not determine the scope of the cuts.

Disney shares rose 1.6% on Tuesday as the S&P 500 climbed 1.1%, and the stock gained steam after news of the layoffs broke.

Disney's stock is up 21% over the past year, though it's lower than it was a decade ago and has lost about 45% of its value over the past five years.

Disney laid off hundreds of employees last June, primarily in film and TV marketing, as well as product and tech. Other major media companies have recently cut employees, including Sony and CBS News.

Layoffs are the latest challenge for D'Amaro in what's been an eventful first month.

Disney's OpenAI partnership fell apart after the AI giant wound down its video generation app, Sora. The Mouse House had been planning to use user-generated AI videos to jump-start engagement on Disney+.

Shortly after D'Amaro took over for Bob Iger, Disney-owned ABC shelved its highly anticipated season of "The Bachelorette" after controversy around star Taylor Frankie Paul.

D'Amaro, who previously oversaw Disney's Experiences division, is under pressure to keep the high-performing parks business booming while improving profits in streaming and fending off the decline of traditional TV.

Read the full memo from D'Amaro here:

Dear Fellow Employees & Cast Members,

We have experienced a great deal of change these last few years, both at the company and across our industries. Knowing firsthand how these moments can bring uncertainty, I want to be open about some difficult news that will be communicated this week.

In January, we announced our unified enterprise marketing and brand organization, designed to serve consumers in an even more connected way. Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney. Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow's needs. As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees.

I know this is hard. Those that will be leaving us have done meaningful work here and care deeply about this company. These decisions are not a reflection of their contributions, or of the overall strength of the company. Rather, they reflect our continual evaluation of how to more effectively manage our resources and reinvest in our businesses.

Compassion and respect remain at the heart of our company. As we move forward through this transition, our priority is to support those impacted and help each person navigate what comes next with resources, guidance, and direct support.

Despite these difficult decisions, I remain optimistic about where we're headed as a company. I'm deeply grateful for all of your contributions and for the dedication, professionalism, and care you bring to your work each day. Even in challenging moments, you continue to demonstrate what makes Disney so special.

Josh