Author: Editor

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tse Hao Guang, a 38-year-old researcher and writer based in Singapore. It has been edited for length and clarity. Loading audio narration… I started a creative publishing project to spotlight emerging writers, with the goal of not losing money doing it.My journey in literature began when I was young, traveling to meet my dad’s side of the family in suburban Canada during the holidays. There was nothing to do, and I’d beg my uncle to drive all the way to the library, 20 minutes away, and borrow huge stacks of books.Since…

When Kevin Elliott’s job in Qatar ended, he and his wife, Camille, had to decide quickly where to retire. Loading audio narration… The couple had spent nearly eight years in Doha after moving from South Carolina in 2018 for Kevin’s job. Life in the Middle East took some getting used to, especially the heat and the language barrier when dealing with bureaucracy. But once they settled in, they built a social life and traveled extensively.”It was fun,” Kevin, now 63, told Business Insider.Staying long-term in Doha was never their plan, nor did they want to return to the US, given…

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin has finally joined the AI hype train. Loading audio narration… While many CEOs have been saying for years that AI can do the work of many white-collar professionals, and remaking their companies accordingly, Griffin had been a notable holdout.At the beginning of the year, during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the hedge fund billionaire said AI was impressive on the surface, but as soon as you dug deeper, “it’s all garbage.”Griffin has long been seen as one of AI’s most prominent skeptics.Earlier this month, however, during a conversation with professors at…

In San Francisco, the AI boom is creating fame, fortune — and existential dread. Loading audio narration… As rapid technological development widens the gap between the haves and the have-nots, a sort of machine-age ennui has set across San Francisco, says Deedy Das, a partner at venture capital firm Menlo Ventures.Das said in a post on X, which had almost a thousand responses by Sunday afternoon, that over the past five years, the fortunes of a small group of employees at leading AI companies, like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Nvidia, as well as some smaller startups, have “skyrocketed.”Money, however, it seems,…

The release of the new Audemars Piguet and Swatch pocket watch was not exactly fine-tuned. Loading audio narration… Throngs of enthusiasts and resellers, who hoped to turn a profit, swarmed Swatch locations around the world this weekend for a chance to snag a piece of the Royal Pop collection.Hype around the release — a mashup between Audemars Piguet’s sleek Royal Oak and Swatch’s POP line from the ’80s — has been building since the companies unveiled it on Tuesday. Audemars Piguet watches can cost tens of thousands of dollars, making its partnership with Swatch, an affordable brand, all the more…

When my parents and I immigrated from Liberia to the US in the 1990s, our first home was my grandmother’s two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Worcester, Massachusetts.Her house became a refuge as my parents found their footing in a new country. Living with her gave them childcare help and the breathing room to find work, save money, and eventually move into a place of their own. In turn, she benefited from their companionship.In many cultures around the world, multigenerational households — in which grandparents, parents, and grandchildren live under one roof — are a way of life. Though American culture has…

At a time when AI is reshaping classrooms and raising questions about the future of work, some young people are questioning the value of pursuing higher education at all.While some founders encourage promising students to go into ambitious startups and forgo traditional education, high-earning tech execs continue to champion the value of a college degree, even if it’s for completely different reasons.For families, choosing a school can be one of the biggest financial and personal decisions teenagers make right out of high school, shaping their access to alumni networks, research, and internship opportunities.For some students, moving away for a stronger…

My partner was laid off in January of last year. Hundreds of applications later, he’d only landed two interviews with no job offers. Loading audio narration… We had managed to stay optimistic during the job search, using the time to travel and see family, but our positive attitudes began to wear thin as January turned into September.As a tech professional, he found it difficult to find work in the field as AI surges and companies grapple with the uncertainty it brings. Even with my help as a previous recruiter, he was ghosted by most companies. I reviewed and tweaked his…

When I graduated with a degree in journalism three years ago, I’d hoped to have a full-time, salaried job in my field by now. Loading audio narration… Instead, most of my days are a hectic blend of part-time and unpaid roles.I often find myself running to my retail job in the morning, catching the train in the afternoon to pick up the kids I nanny for, coming home for a quick dinner, and then wrapping up the day with a few hours at my unpaid, remote internship.It’s not exactly how I envisioned spending my 20s in New York, but here…

Hannah Bates didn’t believe the email.”Congratulations! We received the final payment on your loan,” read the surprise message from Sallie Mae, her student loan lender.It was October 2024, and Bates owed Sallie Mae $55,000, with years of payments remaining. She called customer service for an explanation. “They told me there was a glitch in the system and I probably got emailed by accident,” Bates, 30, said. “How do you make an accident on something that big?”Bates was behind on her payments at the time. After graduating in 2022, she initially kept up with the full $1,500 monthly bill. But about…