Author: Editor

I moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco because of a cold DM on X.I grew up in the LA suburbs, and after attending college there I built my career in journalism across the country, first covering local news, and then crypto. I liked my comfortable life with friends and family.Then in February, the chief of staff at Corgi, the AI insurance startup that recently went viral for its seven-day workweek, messaged me on X to ask if I would be interested in a role. I’d never heard of Corgi, but I’d seen a lot of people in crypto pivot…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marcus Thompson, a chauffeur in Tampa, Florida. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified the earnings information.I’ve been in the Tampa area for about eight years now. I moved down here to work in film.But when jobs in that industry slowed to a crawl here around 2023, I turned back to a gig I was familiar with: chauffeur. I had done that work before in New York, so I was used to it.For me, the job is mostly driving a luxury SUV or sedan and providing…

Microsoft’s latest round of layoffs has become a familiar corporate ritual.Last week, the software giant said it would eliminate about 4,800 jobs, marking another workforce reduction, as it remains profitable and invests heavily in AI.Similar layoffs, from Amazon to Meta, have rippled across tech over the past several years, while many of those same companies amass big AI budgets.In May, Cloudflare eliminated more than 20% of its workforce. CEO Matthew Prince, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed following the layoffs, said the firm hadn’t seen another US public company cut as deeply while growing by more than 30%.”Yet what we…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jason Kidd, the chief operating officer at Chipotle, based in Newport Beach, California. It’s been edited for length and clarity.I’m the COO at Chipotle — and this is my dream job.I love the ability to influence and interact with so many people. I spent about 20 years in retail before I got into the restaurant business, and I see a lot of similarities between the two. I don’t know what I’d be doing if I weren’t out there on the front line, shoulder to shoulder, seeing what’s happening. That’s the best…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Chang, who runs a short-term rental business with his wife, Elizabeth and advises other professionals on investing in vacation rentals.Claims about the size of the Chang’s portfolio and their clients have been verified by Business Insider. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.”Oh, my son works on Wall Street,” my mom would proudly tell people.My parents sacrificed so much to move from Taiwan to San Francisco when I was four. My dad worked at the airport, and my mom worked at a hotel in union service jobs. They…

Key provisions of President Donald Trump’s sweeping student-loan changes have landed in court.While the administration’s new repayment plans and borrowing caps took effect July 1, other elements did not, including a narrower definition of a “professional” degree and limits to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.That’s because for months, borrowers and advocacy groups have been fighting those changes in court. They argued that some of the administration’s student-loan plans are unlawful and are asking courts to pause implementation before blocking the provisions altogether.The legal battles come as millions of federal borrowers brace for higher monthly bills, under the looming threat…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Koby Conrad, the 32-year-old founder of Sunflower, an AI companion for sobriety. It’s been edited for length and clarity.I’m originally from Boise, Idaho, and didn’t even realize tech was a thing. My little brother convinced me to move to San Francisco when I was 26.At the time, I had this 2,000-square-foot house, and my mortgage was like $900 a month. In San Francisco, I moved in with nine roommates, where I was paying $1,600 for this tiny little room.My little brother applied to Y Combinator, which I had never heard of,…

As part of her morning routine, Karen Murray wakes up and immediately turns on the TV at her mother’s assisted living home in New Jersey, 40 minutes away.At the crack of dawn, she puts Pandora on through the TV in her mother Marion’s room. Around 11 a.m., she calls into the TV to ask what Marion wants to watch. The answer is usually Judy Garland, Gregory Peck, Barbara Stanwyck, or Marion’s favorite show from the 1960s, “Gunsmoke.”93-year-old Marion has cognitive impairment, which means she sometimes needs help operating her TV, calling family members, or turning on the music that calms her. Karen,…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dylan Alverson, 45, who owns Post Modern Times, a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Minneapolis. It has been edited for length and clarity.I started working in restaurants when I was 14 in northern Wisconsin.My parents had moved there from the coasts to live on a self-sustaining property, so I grew up raising food, helping my mom cook, and developing an appreciation for ingredients long before I thought about restaurants as a career.For years, cooking was what allowed me to travel. I worked everywhere from casual diners to acclaimed restaurants, never thinking I’d eventually…

The New York Times says federal agents showed up at several of its journalists’ homes Friday night to try to force them to testify before a grand jury next week. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images The New York Times says several of its journalists have been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice over their reporting on Air Force One, describing it as a “brazen act.” On Wednesday, the newspaper published an anonymously sourced story that the Secret Service urged President Trump to leave the recent NATO summit in Turkey on an older version…