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Business Insider
4 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Inside Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Venetian vows
Welcome back! It's a hot one, so I'm sure you're cooling down with water. Turns out, picking the right bottled water isn't all that easy. One reporter tested out seven kinds and crowned his favorite. On the agenda: Seven successful men shared with BI how they optimize their mornings. Luxury gyms are becoming the new third space for many young people. Partiful, Luma, Paperless Post: How online invitations became a splintered mess. Newly built homes are changing, but homebuyers really want these four features. But first: Wedding bells. This week's dispatch Inside a billionaire's Venetian vows We're all just nosy, huh? It's why the world has been watching as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former newscaster turned philanthropist Lauren Sánchez got married in a not-so-private event spanning three days in Venice. "This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," Bezos and Sánchez, who met in 2019 and got engaged in 2023, said on their wedding invitation about the floating city. Some 200 guests were expected to attend the festivities in one of the most romantic cities in the world, the city said in a statement. And A-listers were spotted as they touched down, including Tom Brady, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, and Ivanka Trump with Jared Kushner. There's no telling how much the billionaire's wedding celebration will cost, but reported estimates range from $11.5 million to $35 million. Luxury wedding planner and founder of Italian Knot, Roberta Camille Lione, told BI that although the latter figure feels a bit high, it's "not impossible — especially if the couple is sparing no expense across accommodations, logistics, entertainment, and design." Still, not everyone is thrilled that Bezos and Sánchez have picked Venice for their wedding. Local protesters have erected signs across the city, including one that reads, "No space for Bezos." (Get it? Because he founded Blue Origin.) They've also said they plan to disrupt the nuptials. However, Jessica Testoni, who runs a small souvenir stall in Venice, told our senior reporter on the ground, Joshua Nelken-Zitser, that she hopes it's not the last celebrity wedding to happen in her town. "On this occasion, I'm happy Bezos and Sánchez are getting married here," she said. "It helps businesses like mine." It's an interesting perspective given this behemoth of a wedding is happening during so much economic anxiety. That said, whether you're watching on purpose or by sheer force, despite the secretive nature of the nuptials, here's one thing we know for sure: this type of extravagance may only come once in a lifetime. Morning routines FTW Seven successful men — from across industries including venture capital, equity research, and advertising — shared their morning rituals with BI, from running long distances to making latte art. Most said they're early risers, waking up between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Many said they started their days with exercise, though some shared creative habits like journaling. Tea or coffee is essential. The all-inclusive third space For many people, luxury gyms have become more than just a gym. Popular franchises like Equinox or Life Time offer amenities that go beyond fitness, like complimentary childcare services, tidy workspaces, and sometimes, poolside bars. Even if it takes extra saving or tight budgeting to afford a $200+ a month membership, these luxury gym goers say it's worth it. More than a gym. Only threw this Partiful 4 u Young people are sending invites to everything from "Love Island" watch parties to scheduled cry sessions. There's a whole class of apps to support this invitation overload — Partiful to Luma and Apple Invites, to name a few. While it might not matter which platform your party invite is on, the glut of invitations is making it harder to understand what's expected of us at each social gathering. The new RSVP etiquette. Hot home trends for 2025 American homes look a lot different these days. Many newly built homes are not just pricier, but they're smaller, too. That doesn't mean buyers are sacrificing comfort and quality, though. The National Association of Homebuilders surveyed 3,000 recent and prospective buyers and found four home trends shaping homebuying right now. From smart tech to large kitchens. What we're watching this weekend "Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything": This Hulu documentary puts a spotlight on the legendary broadcast journalist who never held back on asking tough questions, whether it was a world leader or a famous star. Marvel's "Ironheart": This Disney+ miniseries picks up with Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), aka Ironheart, following the events of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." "The Bear": The much-anticipated fourth season of the acclaimed Hulu series is finally here and follows Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) as he continues his dream to run one of the best restaurants in Chicago. What to shop Heels you won't kick off at dinner: Our beauty editor walked for a mile in each pair she tested for our guide to the most comfortable heels. After a lot of distance and blistering, she narrowed it down to 18 styles. Sweat in style: Ditch the ratty old gym tee — investing in the right workout clothes will move with you no matter what exercise you're engaging in. These are the best brands to find them for women, from matching sets to workout dresses. Budget-friendly vacuums: After years of testing dozens of models, we know that you don't need to spend hundreds for reliable performance. The crumbs won't know how much you saved on these affordable vacuum cleaners. More of this week's top reads: Snack duty at my child's preschool nearly broke me. Then I decided to stop caring about kale chips. A woman did yoga every day for 5 years. Here's how her body and diet changed. I shopped at Walmart and Target to compare their Pride Month collections. They weren't easy to find. I made detailed plans for my 4-day solo trip to Spain, but some of the best moments happened when they fell apart. A man gained weight eating ultra-processed foods he thought were healthy. Now, he's 50 pounds lighter thanks to three habits. Pixar just had its worst opening weekend ever with 'Elio.' Are original movies dead? HENRYs with kids say 6-figure salaries just aren't cutting it. Getting tickets for fitness competitions like Hyrox is almost as hard as seeing Taylor Swift.
Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Your member of Congress might be using ChatGPT
In December, Rep. Thomas Massie used an analogy for foreign aid that was an instant hit among his libertarian and America-First Republican fans. "US foreign aid spending is like watering the neighbor's yard while your house is on fire," the Kentucky Republican posted on X, adding a fire emoji. Fox News wrote an article about it, and two months later, the libertarian student group "Young Americans for Liberty" turned it into an Instagram post. As it turns out, Massie didn't come up with the line himself. Grok did. Massie told BI this month that he ripped the phrase from a speech he asked the xAI-developed chatbot to generate using his voice. He said he's done this more than once. "Out of five paragraphs, I'll find one sentence that's good," Massie said. "But it makes it worth doing." Leaning on AI for speechwriting is an apparently bipartisan affair on Capitol Hill. "I'll type in some phrases and say, can we make this more punchy?" Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California told BI, adding that he began using ChatGPT "almost like an editor" in the last year. "There was some speech I gave where it edited in a couple of lines that people thought, 'Wow, that's really good,'" Khanna said. Congress has developed a reputation for lagging behind the public when it comes to adopting new technology. Plenty of lawmakers told BI that they have yet to get into using AI, either because they're skeptical that it will be useful for them or they just haven't gotten around to it. But several lawmakers have begun to casually adopt the technology, most often as a search engine and research tool. Khanna said he uses both ChatGPT and Grok, turning to the technology "two to three times per day." Massie, who uses Grok because of its convenient placement within the X app, said he uses the chatbot for "anything." 'Impressively good at certain things and pretty miserable at some things' As Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has waged a fight to make deeper cuts to federal spending as part of the "Big Beautiful Bill," he's been consulting with Grok. "I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning with an idea to use it," the Wisconsin Republican told BI in early June. He said the technology's been useful for running the numbers on the bill's impact on the deficit and to find documents that support his arguments. "It's really great at identifying sources without me having to crawl around in government forms." In some ways, members of Congress are just doing what other Americans are doing. More and more people are using AI at work, according to a recent Gallup poll, with 40% of employees saying they use it a few times per year. Another 19% say they use it frequently, while 8% say they use it on a daily basis. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a champion of a controversial provision in the "Big Beautiful Bill" that would restrict state's ability to regulate AI for 10 years, told BI that while he "would not claim to be a sophisticated AI user," he's been using ChatGPT as an "enhanced search engine." Cruz said he recently asked an AI chatbot about his own record, when he "could not remember when I had first taken a public position" on a particular policy area. "It gave a very thorough answer, going back to an interview I'd done in 2012 and a comment I'd made in 2014," Cruz said. "That research previously would have required some staff assistance, spending hours and hours, and you still wouldn't have found anything." Large language models like ChatGPT and Grok are known to sometimes present false information as fact — known as "hallucinating." For Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, that's enough to discourage her from using it. "It lies," Warren told BI. "I've tried using it, and it gets things wrong that I already know the answer to. So when I see that, I've lost all confidence." Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he's tried ChatGPT and has been disappointed by its apparent limitations, even when carrying out more basic tasks. In one instance, Murphy said he asked ChatGPT to generate a list of his Democratic colleagues ordered alphabetically by first name, only for it to include retired senators. "It seems to be impressively good at certain things and pretty miserable at some things," Murphy said. Even those who are otherwise fans of the technology said they're aware that they could be getting fed incorrect information. "My chief of staff has astutely warned me that AI is often confidently wrong," Johnson said. "So you really have to be careful in how you phrase your questions." "It definitely hallucinates on you," Massie said. "It told me there was a Total Wine and More in Ashland, Kentucky, and no such thing exists."
Filipino Times
6 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Chinese man arrested in Camarines Norte for posing as Filipino
A Chinese national pretending to be a Filipino was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Daet, Camarines Norte, as part of ongoing operations to remove foreigners violating Philippine laws. The arrest follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to tighten enforcement on foreign nationals staying in the country illegally. BI intelligence agents, together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), and other operatives, caught 45-year-old Wu Zhishi on June 25. He was found along J. Pimentel Street, Barangay V, after agents posed as customers in his business. Wu was using Philippine-issued IDs and was claiming to be a Filipino in his dealings. He presented only an expired retiree visa card but denied faking any Filipino identity. Investigators said Wu used the fake documents to apply for a gun license, which raised further security concerns. He was immediately arrested and handed over to PAOCC for custody. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado warned that the illegal use of Philippine documents by foreign nationals is a serious threat. 'This poses as a risk to national security as these aliens are able to embed themselves in society, perhaps doing illegal activities by using someone else's identity,' he said. Viado urged agencies issuing national IDs and other official papers to tighten their screening. 'There is a need to review policies on the issuance of Philippine documents to prevent this from happening again,' he added.
Business Insider
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Getting tickets for fitness competitions like Hyrox is almost as hard as seeing Taylor Swift
Emily Harding had four screens poised and ready to try to get tickets when they were released. "I almost thought about roping in my housemate too," the 34-year-old yoga teacher from London told Business Insider. This wasn't a Taylor Swift or Burning Man ticket release. It was Hyrox, a fitness race that's taking the world by storm. "It was like Glastonbury," Harding said. In Hyrox, competitors work in pairs or individually to perform functional exercises, such as wall balls, sled pushes, and rowing. These movements are sandwiched between eight one-kilometer runs. You win by finishing first. Entry costs up to $185 and the winner of the pro division gets a prize of up to $7,500. Unlike CrossFit, which was the dominant fitness contest in the 2010s and features highly technical movements like Olympic lifts, Hyrox was designed to be accessible to anyone who works out regularly. However, as Hyrox grows more popular — even drawing away pro athletes from other sports, like CrossFit GOAT Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr — it is becoming harder to snag tickets, which are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The first race, in Germany in 2017, featured 650 people. In 2024, over 650,000 participants competed in Hyrox contests globally, making it one of the world's fastest-growing fitness events. The hype is prompting gyms to launch their own alternative fitness contests, to cater to members who can't get Hyrox tickets — mass fitness events that typically cost a little less to enter, and usually have a cash prize. Moritz Fürste, one of the cofounders of Hyrox, told BI the organization is aware of the demand and is pushing to keep expanding and optimizing their service. Still, some of the event's biggest fans are say change is overdue. Tickets like 'gold dust' Harding described a Hyrox ticket as "gold dust." She first entered three years ago and had no trouble getting in. In fact, when she had to pull out for medical reasons, she couldn't find anyone to take her ticket. Her second attempt was in June 2025. "I was really gobsmacked how different it was from now to then," Harding said. Tickets were released in two waves, at 12 p.m. and then 5 p.m. Harding was applying for women's doubles, so she and her friend each joined the queue on their phones and laptops. Harding was around 6,000th in the queue, and her friend was 10,000th, but then the queue glitched, and they jumped up to around 30,000th. Harding's phone kept pushing her to the back of the queue, she said. "If you were only doing this on your phone, I can imagine you'd be absolutely fuming," Harding said. Fürste said that server capacities are hard to control, but they are working hard to make the process fair, and it works very well 95% of the time. In 2024, Hyrox UK trialled a New York City Marathon -style ballot system to allocate race places, but the format was scrapped due to overwhelming demand and push-back from affiliates. Harding and her friend finally got through on a laptop, but the tickets they wanted were sold out. They considered finding two guys to do mixed doubles, but while they thought about it, those tickets sold out too. They finally got tickets when they tried again in the 5 p.m. release. "The queueing system was horrible," Harding said. Jamie Thorpe, a sales director from Leicestershire, has competed in two Hyrox games since 2022. He likes the event's accessibility and energy, "even if many of the competitors seem to forget their shirts." The first time he entered, "we got a place easily — no queues, no ticket drops, no random ballots," he told BI. In the years since, Thorpe, 34, has tried to get tickets more times than he can remember, often recruiting friends to assist, but it's got "significantly" harder, he said. "The organizers can hardly be blamed for the success of their event, and I am fortunate to have attended two already, but that doesn't stop it from being immensely frustrating to miss out so consistently," he said. Danny Rae, the UK men's open Hyrox champion, told BI he's competed in over 25 of the events and advises people struggling to get tickets to join an affiliate gym so they get early access. "They do still get sold out because it's in such high demand, but you get a better shot," he said. "Another thing to consider is: people will naturally sign up for the Open races. People are scared of the prospect of doing Pro because of the word 'Pro'. If you are active and you train most days, then just go for Pro and you'll be more likely to get a ticket." Clifford Saul, a personal trainer of 17 years and the owner of The 200 Strong gym in Leicestershire, UK, thinks the rise of Hyrox is in large part due to the proliferation of fitness culture on social media. "If social media were as prevalent as it is now, 10 years ago, I think that boom would've happened sooner," he said. "If you put on an event now, it's thrown in your face. All you need to do is look at one reel, and then the algorithms send you loads more." Gyms are putting on their own events for people who can't get tickets Saul is one of many coaches launching other fitness competitions to cater to members who can't get Hyrox tickets. He is part of a 30-person strong WhatsApp group of local fitness fans who all try to get tickets for each other. Some people never seem to have any luck, others have never had issues, Saul said. With so many of his members missing out on Hyrox tickets, Saul decided to partner with another local gym to host their own group fitness competition called The District Games. "The idea is that all the gyms in the area can enter teams," he said. "We want to get all the local community together, put food on, have a DJ, drinks, a bouncy castle for kids," he said. "And we're doing this because we can't get tickets for Hyrox. We can do it a bit differently, and it won't cost £100 each." Tickets cost £149 for a team of four. On the other hand, some gym owners are staging large-scale events to rival Hyrox. There's Athx, a functional fitness contest, launched in 2023, that focuses more on strength than Hyrox. Another is Metrix, launched in March 2025 — an immersive fitness competition that combines high-intensity workouts with club-level production and world-class DJs. Each pair does as much as they can in each of the five 10-minute stations, with four minutes of recovery in between each. Metrix founder Will McLaren, a personal trainer and former Royal Marine based in London, launched Metrix in March 2025, told BI the atmosphere is dark, so people don't feel like they're being watched, and the exercises are designed to be even more accessible than those in Hyrox. "50% of people can't do a wall ball because they haven't got the mechanics, the overhead extension of the spine, and the anchor mobility to be able to pull them off, so I didn't want to fall into that trap of being stuck in a set workout," McLaren told BI. Metrix also sells separate "social" tickets for those who just want to have fun and don't care about competing — there's a cash prize for whoever wins, though. "It's really important that everyone starts together and everyone finishes together. There's no winners and there's no losers unless you do want to compete for the money." The community aspect is important for McLaren too. Metrix has food vans, ice baths, saunas, and kids' games for people to enjoy afterward. "You're paying £120 for a ticket for Hyrox. It's a lot. People get the patch, they get half a banana, and they get told to go," McLaren said. "So we wanted to make sure people could stay all day, enjoy the music, enjoy the atmosphere, and meet other people." Metrix is priced the same, but McLaren said he wants to offer more for that price. He said he is also hoping to partner with a dating app, to build on the trend of run clubs and fitness events as a place to find love. Hyrox is rushing to keep up with its own success Saul believes the younger generations' love of fitness means group events won't be going away anytime soon. "17- to 24-year-olds, they're not going out, drinking, and partying as much anymore," he said. "They're meeting up and doing fitness events." In a 2023 survey from McKinsey, more than 50% of Gen Z respondents (generally 13 to 28 years old) said fitness was a very high priority for them, compared to 40% of people across all age groups. In the UK, 25- to 34-year-olds make up 42% of Hyrox's demographics, and while there are older people doing Hyrox, the brand is mostly driven by millennials and Gen Z. Fürste, the Hyrox cofounder mentioned earlier, said Hyrox's next goal is "to deliver the best possible race experience for more than 1 million people in the 2025/26 season." They are planning to keep up with demand by launching more races in more countries and cities, with the aim of "taking the sport to as many people as possible across the world," he said. But for long-term Hyrox fans, the competition's growth, both in the number of applicants and the fitness standard, has seen it evolve from the approachability that was part of its initial appeal. Thorpe has done the pairs event twice with a very fit friend, and although their times have improved in many areas, their rankings have dropped dramatically. "The increase in overall standard was extremely noticeable," Thorpe said. "This is, of course, not a problem, but part of what attracted me to the event in the first place was the accessibility, and I hope they don't lose this as the standard continues to rise."
Business Insider
21 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Anna Wintour's latest career move is her next great leadership challenge
Anna Wintour may be shifting roles, but she's not slowing down. Wintour's decision, announced Thursday, to give up the title of editor in chief of Vogue, a role she's held since 1983, signals a colossal shift at the venerable fashion publication. Yet Wintour isn't departing. Wintour, who is about a decade over the average US retirement age at 75, will hire a new US "head of editorial content" for Vogue, who will report to her. The magazine reported that Wintour would retain many of her duties, including overseeing the Met Ball, and remain as global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer for Condé Nast, Vogue's parent company. The move is the latest instance of a boldfaced name in leadership planning a shift in their responsibilities, rather than relinquishing them. Condé Nast did not respond to a request for comment from BI on succession plans. Take Warren Buffett, who's 94 and the longest-serving chief of an S&P 500 company, and plans to stay on as chairman after he hands over the CEO job at the end of the year. Jamie Dimon, who's approaching two decades atop JPMorgan, has also said he could stay on as chairman even after he gives up his executive duties. That can be good for individual leaders' well-being and for the entities they lead, though leadership experts told Business Insider that staying too long can also introduce risks. Wintour has not indicated that this is the first step in her retirement plan, but in her comments to staff this week, she emphasized her desire to shape the next generation of talent. "Now, I find that my greatest pleasure is helping the next generation of impassioned editors storm the field with their own ideas, supported by a new, exciting view of what a major media company can be," she said. The benefit for longtime bosses to remain engaged is that it can be good for their sense of purpose and ease their transition to an eventual retirement. It can also benefit their team, as they have the opportunity to pass on a wealth of institutional knowledge to their successor to help avoid missteps. "There's a steady hand at the ship while this transition is happening," Kevin Groves, a professor of management at Pepperdine's Graziadio Business School, told BI. A longevity boost Transitioning — rather than quitting outright — has other perks for leaders. Jasmine Sawhne, a Los Angeles psychiatrist who helps clients with life transitions, told BI that type-A personalities who are wedded to their work tend to benefit from a gradual retirement rather than an abrupt one. "Retirement can affect one's identity, their sense of purpose and daily structure, mental health — it is a huge, significant life change," she said. At the same time, good cognitive health also makes it easier for people to keep working. A recent report on the "silver economy" found that in 41 advanced and emerging economies, a person who reached the age of 70 in 2022 had, on average, the same cognitive ability as a 53-year-old in 2000, making it more likely that they would stay in the labor market. Suddenly withdrawing from a stimulating work environment can impact executive function and memory, which can trickle down to impact everything from a person's sleep quality to their sense of meaning. Leaders who have built-in interactions at work can also experience extreme loneliness when they quit. For those with high-status roles like Wintour, a well-planned transition can be "a really critical step so that they can avoid that post-retirement existential void," Sawhne said. Many centenarians credit their careers (or similar activities, like part-time work or volunteering) with their longevity, keeping them mentally sharp and socially connected. From politicians and big-time execs to Tom Cruise, who's said he plans to make movies until he's 100, it's often hard for strivers to give up the roles they love. Helping fill the biggest shoes Another perk of shifting responsibilities rather than retiring outright is preventing the "emotional whiplash" of an organization adjusting to a new leader, Sawhne said. It can also give leaders more time to train or mentor their successors. Still, she said, remaining at the helm long-term can cause friction if the new hire doesn't understand how much authority they really have or who's truly in charge. Gary Rich, a leadership coach who's worked with Fortune 500 companies on succession planning, told BI that it can be hard for leaders, particularly ones who've demonstrated long-term success, to give up their roles even when they say they're ready to. Rich said incoming leaders often value having someone who's been at the job stick around for a bit to assist in the transition. He said that 20% of his work involves coaching the new person, while 80% involves convincing the outgoing leader to let go. He said the reason is simple: High-powered leaders often draw enormous validation and self-esteem from their roles."Asking people to let go of that is asking them to let go of a major part of their identity," Rich said. The trick is, he said, not to stay too long. Rich said the limit should be three months. Planning for the future As great as a soft exit is, the key is making sure it leads somewhere. Rich said it becomes difficult for the new guard to establish power when the old boss hangs on, and members of the organization might still go to the predecessor through back-channel communications. Nailing a subtle role shift is easier said than done. Sawhne said it's crucial to have a support system of people who can offer validation that "you're not retiring from influencing some company; you're just retiring from the intensity of the work that you're putting in."
