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Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Mark Zuckerberg paired a $250,000 'grail' watch with his cool guy uniform
Mark Zuckerberg is showing off wrist candy from his pricey watch collection in his everyday looks. After years of dressing in humble hoodies, the billionaire has beefed up his wardrobe with a custom gold chain and a collection of luxury watch brands. Zuckerberg, who Forbes estimates is worth nearly $250 billion, recently paired a basic T-shirt with a limited-edition watch. An iteration of the same model sold at auction for $254,000 in April, Sotheby's said. Zuckerberg's F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu Byblos is one of 99 of that model made in 2014 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the watchmaker's boutique in Beirut. Watch industry veterans identified the timepiece after Zuckerberg wore it during an April 28 appearance on Theo Von's "This Past Weekend" podcast. "It's one of those pieces that quietly signals, 'I know what I'm wearing,' without shouting it," Eugene Tutunikov, CEO of SwissWatchExpo, told Business Insider. Zuckerberg has other F.P. Journe watches in his collection. For his keynote at Meta Connect 2024, he chose a watch that resembled one from the Souveraine collection. Sotheby's estimated that it could fetch up to $54,000 at auction. "F.P. Journe is one of the most respected independent watchmakers, celebrated for its superb finishing, innovation, and incredibly limited runs," Paul Altieri of Bob's Watches told BI. Despite the rarity and hefty price tag, the Chronomètre Bleu Byblos is a "simpler" time-only choice for the Meta CEO compared to the more complicated pieces he's been spotted in, Joshua Ganjei, CEO of European Watch Company, said. Zuck wasn't known for flashy fashion choices when he broke onto the tech scene as a college dropout. Over the years, his zip-up hoodie and blue sweater became a staple of his style. Last year, he was captured admiring a Richard Mille watch worn by the Reliance Industries heir Anant Ambani. "You know, I never really wanted to get a watch, but after seeing that, I was like, watches are cool," Zuckerberg is heard saying in a video of the interaction. Today, he's turned a corner to crank up his style. His custom gold chain — made in honor of his daughters — is paired with many of his outfits, and he's rarely seen without a pair of the Ray-Ban smart glasses powered by Meta AI. Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, previously praised Zuckerberg's new steeze in June 2024. Mosseri said his boss spent a long time "not wasting any energy on deciding what to wear." Instead, Zuckerberg decided to wear "the same thing every day for a long time as a lot of tech execs have done." Zuck is entering a new fashion era in his own way, with a watch that's a "perfect fit" for him, Tutunikov said. "It's almost like the thinking man's grail: no flashy logos, no gimmicks, just insane craftsmanship and a bit of mystery," he said.
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
'Like junk food': Hinge CEO calls out Mark Zuckerberg's vision for AI friends
Hinge CEO Justin McLeod said he doesn't believe artificial intelligence is the cure for the loneliness plaguing young people. McLeod had much to say about AI's role in dating during a recent interview with Nilay Patel on the "Decoder" podcast. The Hinge founder, who's been skeptical about using AI for dating, is adamant that it can't fully replace human connections. His stance contrasts with that of another leader who built a business on online social interactions: Mark Zuckerberg. The Meta CEO recently said in an interview with podcast host Dwarkesh Patel that "the average person has demand for meaningfully more" friends, and suggested AI could fill that demand. McLeod disagrees with the sentiment that "AI chatbots can become your friend," he said on the podcast published Monday, pointing to Zuckerberg's remarks. McLeod said that "extraordinarily reductive view" of friendship misses the point of what building relationships is all about. "The most rewarding parts of being in a friendship are being able to be there for someone else, to risk and be vulnerable, to share experiences with other conscious entities," McLeod said. While an AI friend might say all the right things and be available at the right time, unlike a human friend, the relationship likely won't feel good in the long run, he said. "It ultimately, just like junk food, will make people feel over time, like less healthy, more drained, and will displace human relationships that they should be out cultivating in the real world," he said. Hinge won't be getting virtual romantic partners powered by AI, McLeod said. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg is going all in on AI on the social platforms he runs. The tech giant launched Meta AI as a stand-alone app in April. It featured AI assistant tools and a scrollable feed where creators can share AI-generated images of themselves. Zuckerberg told Dwarkesh that it's still "very early" in the field responsible for AI girlfriends and therapists that can behave and look like humans. Not all of Meta's AI efforts have been wins. It rolled out AI assistants that featured the likenesses of celebrities like Kendall Jenner and posted AI-generated content until it shut down the celebrity accounts in 2024, after less than a year. On the "This Past Weekend" podcast in April, he said that AI "probably" won't replace real-life connections. "There are all these things that are better about physical connections when you can have them," Zuckerberg told host Theo Von. "But the reality is that people just don't have the connections, and they feel more alone a lot of the time than they would like." McLeod said the idea that AI could solve loneliness and create an "emotional connection" is dangerous. "That, I think, is really playing with fire," he told Patel. The loneliness epidemic, as he called it, is exacerbated by screens and the internet, resulting in "mental health issues." Meta did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Where AI meets Hinge Despite his stance on chatbots mimicking emotions, McLeod said there are useful ways to incorporate AI into Hinge's technology. He sees two main areas where AI can improve the dating experience. "It's going to move much closer to the experience of working with a personal matchmaking service," he said, of one approach. That could allow users to speak more directly to Hinge about what they're looking for in a partner to build a curated list of their most compatible matches. He also sees the potential for an AI dating coach to help people get over hurdles, like preparing for a first date or crafting their dating profiles. For example, Hinge has a trained model that gives feedback on users' answers to prompts displayed on their profiles, he said. "We can give people those nudges so they write good prompts, so that they choose good photos," McLeod said.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Debunking Vance, Rubio claim that only 12 cents per dollar of humanitarian assistance reaches beneficiaries
Claim: People in need have received only 12 cents for every dollar the U.S. government has spent on humanitarian aid. Rating: On June 7, 2025, U.S. Vice President JD Vance claimed that for every dollar the U.S. government spent on humanitarian aid, only 12 cents reached people in need. "Marco Rubio, who's secretary of state — he's a very good friend — what he told me is that his best estimate after he had his team look at it is that 88 cents of every dollar was actually being collected by middlemen," Vance said on "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von," a podcast with the American comedian (at 28:57). "So every dollar we were spending on humanitarian assistance, 12 cents was actually making it to people who needed it." Rubio, as Vance said, has repeatedly cited a similar data point. For example, he said in a Feb. 4, 2025, news conference, that in "some cases with USAID, 10, 12, 13%, maybe less, of the money was actually reaching the recipient, and the rest was going into the overhead and the bureaucracy" (see 23:18). On May 20, 2025, Rubio claimed in a Senate committee hearing that "at USAID, 12 cents of every dollar was reaching the recipient" (see 5:09). Rubio was referring to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which distributes humanitarian aid around the world. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration attempted to dismantle USAID in the first few months of his second term; globally, former beneficiaries continue to feel the effects of the White House's cuts to USAID, per reporting from reputable outlets. Similar claims, with numbers ranging from less than 10% to 30%, have spread online for months, including via tech billionaire Elon Musk and Republican lawmakers. Rubio and Vance appear to be citing a January 2024 report from USAID, which determined that about 12.1% of USAID funding went directly to "local non-governmental, private sector and government partners." However, that does not mean the remaining 88% was spent on "middlemen" who did not channel USAID funding to people in need, as Vance claimed. Therefore, we rate this claim false. Snopes reached out to Rubio and Vance to confirm that their source is the January 2024 report and await responses. It is also worth noting that USAID did not oversee all of the United States' foreign aid; according to the government's foreign assistance database, about two-thirds of nonmilitary foreign aid in budget year 2023 flowed through USAID. Thus, Vance's claim that 12% of "humanitarian assistance" was reaching the intended recipient also misrepresented Rubio's initial claim, because Rubio was referencing USAID's funding specifically, not all of the government's humanitarian aid. According to a 2024 analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, most USAID money was funneled through what are called "implementing partners" — third parties that include "private contractors, nonprofit organizations, foreign governments, international organizations, and other U.S. government agencies." That included groups like the United Nations Children's Fund, the Red Cross and the Catholic Relief Services; in other words, USAID often works with organizations not based in the locality the project may be based in and therefore not part of the 12.1% statistic. A good chunk of the money — more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2024 — also went to American small businesses who deliver resources and services to foreign countries. "A key reason USAID relies on American and multilateral intermediaries is to protect against fraud and corruption. The agency demands that its partners provide a detailed paper trail to account for every dollar spent—creating administrative hurdles that few local organizations can clear," wrote Rachel Bonnifield and Justin Sandefur of the Center for Global Development, a think-tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on international economic research. The 2024 CRS analysis determined that from fiscal year 2013 to 2022, only 7.7% of USAID's funds were spent on "administrative costs," defined as the salaries and benefits of USAID direct hires and "all costs not related to a specific project," including costs that are "inherently governmental or part of the cost of doing business." But that percentage, per the analysis, does not include the administrative costs of USAID's partners (see "Administrative Costs"). It is difficult to determine how much money these intermediaries spend on administrative and operating costs, compared to direct assistance. However, it is possible to look at case studies to definitively show that at least for some of USAID's largest partners, the bulk of spending made its way to people in need. For example, in fiscal year 2023, at least $290 million went to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — which has provided vaccines to more than 1.1 billion children in 78 countries as of the end of 2023 — and another approximately $811 million went to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which, among other efforts, treated 171 million malaria cases in 2022. In turn, as first reported on by Bonnifield and Sandefur, Gavi and The Global Fund both spent less than 10% of their overall funding on operating and overhead expenses in 2023, meaning more than 90% went directly to delivering supplies and health services. (See Page 14 of Gavi's financial report and Page 10 of the Global Fund's report.) To summarize, claims made by prominent lawmakers like Vance and Rubio that suggest approximately 12% of USAID spending reached the intended recipient are simply not true and based on a misrepresentation of data collected by USAID on the percentage of local groups it sends funding to. USAID may have channeled much of its money through intermediaries, but that does not mean the majority of USAID's money was spent on overhead and operating costs. "Annual Progress Report." Accessed 11 June 2025. Bonnifield, Rachel, and Justin Sandefur. "No, 90 Percent of Aid Is Not Skimmed off before Reaching Target Communities." Center for Global Development, 3 Feb. 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. Congressional Research Service. "Foreign Assistance: Where Does the Money Go?" 8 Aug. 2024, Accessed 11 June 2025. " Accessed 11 June 2025. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. GAVI, the VACCINE ALLIANCE 2023 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT. Accessed 11 June 2025. Sherman, Amy. "Fact-Checking a Mischaracterized Figure about USAID." Politifact, 5 Feb. 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. The Global Fund. The Global Fund Annual Financial Report 2023 Contents. Accessed 11 June 2025. ---. "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria." Accessed 11 June 2025. USAID. "December 11, 2024 - Business Forecast and Partner Update Script." 11 Dec. 2024, Accessed 11 June 2025. ---. Growing Momentum: USAID Localization Progress Report. Jan. 2024, Accessed 11 June 2025.
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Meta commits absurd money to top Google, Microsoft in critical race
Apparently, Meta Platforms (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been up to more than just making the rounds on the podcast circuit. In recent months, the man behind the company that runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Oculus has been on seemingly every manosphere podcast out there. Related: Facebook (Meta) makes a big deal with UFC In May, he debuted yet another new look on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, where he talked about how college doesn't do a good job of preparing people for their careers. In January, he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to speak about online censorship, the Covid vaccine, bots on Facebook, and encrypted messaging, among other things. More recently, he spoke with Ben Thompson of Stratechery about AI and where he sees social media going in the future. More on Meta: Meta (Facebook) shocks retail world with unexpected newsMeta quietly plans rude awakening for employees after layoffsSurprising earnings send Meta Platforms stock soaring While the interviews are great at increasing Zuckerberg's profile, they don't do much to move the needle for investors looking for Meta to debut its next big thing. For years, Zuckerberg's focus was the metaverse, but after tens of billions of dollars and years of development, the project hasn't gained the user base Meta was hoping for. Meta's Horizon Worlds virtual social platform had less than 200,000 monthly active users shortly after its launch in 2022, well short of the company's expectations of 500,000 users. Meta has shifted its focus to AI growth in recent years, and on Tuesday, a new report shows just how serious the company has become about topping its rivals. Mark Zuckerberg is applying the same focus he brought to building the metaverse to building out Meta's artificial intelligence capabilities. Zuckerberg is personally overseeing the creation of a "superintelligence" team, and the company is offering nine-figure compensation packages to attract top talent, according to a Bloomberg report. He believes Meta can beat competitors like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI to achieve artificial general intelligence. AGI is the theoretical limit of what AI can achieve - machines performing tasks as well as, or better than, humans. Related: Gig work CEO warns of scary future for job seekers Bloomberg reported that the superteam will feature about 50 people, most of whom Zuckerberg will recruit personally. He's arranged the desks at the company's headquarters so the new staff will sit near him. The team is only one aspect of Meta's AGI strategy. According to a report in The Information on Tuesday, Meta is close to finalizing a $15 billion investment in Scale AI. If completed, the deal would become the company's largest-ever acquisition. Scale AI provides training data to everyone from Microsoft to Google to OpenAI. The investment would give Meta a 49% stake in the company, and CEO Alesandr Wang would join the superteam. The push for artificial intelligence that can perform tasks as well as or better than humans will inevitably lead to societal upheaval. The most immediate concern is about the jobs that will be lost to automation. When big companies like Meta and Alphabet want to save on costs, headcount is often one of the first places they look. Meta is currently laying off about 3,600 employees, whom the company says are underperforming. The company says it is eliminating redundancies, and it's true the tech sector went on a hiring spree during the pandemic. Now, however, it is replacing many of those positions with machine learning engineers. Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence focused on enabling machines to learn from data without explicit programming from humans. In other words, Meta has been laying off workers to hire other workers to build products, which will eventually lead to more layoffs. Related: Meta turns to powerful ally in battle against Europe The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump and Musk might already be making up over Los Angeles protests
The feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump appears to be cooling off, with Musk recently expressing support for the White House's stance on immigration protests in Los Angeles and engaging positively with posts from President Trump and VP JD Vance. Despite a dramatic fallout over federal spending, Musk has since deleted inflammatory posts and responded amicably to conciliatory comments from Trump's camp, signaling a possible reconciliation. The so-called 'blood feud' between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump may already be simmering down, after the richest man on the planet returned to endorsing the actions of the White House. In recent weeks the political partnership that was Musk and Trump broke down in spectacular fashion over the Oval Office's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Musk felt the package undermined the work he had done with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce spending and the federal deficit, though Trump claimed the SpaceX founder went 'crazy' after finding out the bill cut certain electric vehicle mandates. But even in the last 24 hours the sharpest rebukes between the pair seem to have been walked back and in some cases, rescinded. Musk seems to have reconnected with the work of the White House due to the protests currently happening in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Neuralink founder has long pushed for tighter border controls into the U.S., and this was among the political common ground which led to him supporting Trump in the 2024 elections. Musk's repatriation into team Trump began with the X owner screenshooting a post from the president's Truth Social platform. In the post, Trump wrote: 'Governor Gavin Newscum and 'Mayor' Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protestors, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, NO MASKS!' The Tesla CEO also reshared a post from Vice President JD Vance, adding it to his timeline with two American flags. The post from Vance itself contains a further screenshot from Trump's Truth Social, in which he claims 'order will be restored, the illegals will be expelled and Los Angeles will be set free.' The post from Vance accompanying Trump's post reads: 'This moment calls for decisive leadership. The president will not tolerate rioting and violence.' And a further indication of the thawing relations between Musk and his former colleagues in Washington D.C. was his response to a JD Vance interview published at the weekend. Speaking on podcast 'This Past Weekend' with Theo Von, Vance said: 'I don't want to reveal too many confidences but [Trump] was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon…the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine.' Reacting to the clip, Musk wrote: 'Cool.' Perhaps the most notable of Musk's actions has been to delete the most salacious of his posts on X, which claimed the president's name is in the Epstein files. The post—shared with no evidence—was slammed as 'BS' by Vance. The spat between Musk and Trump has unfolded a breakneck speed since the man worth $356 billion left Washington D.C., rescinding his title as a special government employee. The partnership between the duo hasn't always been smooth sailing, with Musk making his opinions of some major Trump 2.0 policies clear. He wasn't a fan of tariffs, for example, and publicly sparred with a top Trump advisor, Peter Navarro, on the issue. While White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt laughed off that feud as 'boys will be boys' she did have to respond more forcefully when Musk's ire was directed at the Oval Office. The Tesla CEO has variously claimed Trump could not have won last year's election without him, as well as asking voters to rebel against the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' saying it is a 'disgusting abomination.' Musk even went as far as calling for Trump to be impeached, and baited the Oval Office into cancelling government contracts with his private entities. Trump hasn't been silent on the matter but has been somewhat more tempered. Although warning Musk's federal contracts could be due a review, the president added he 'wasn't thinking' about the Tesla CEO and hopes he does well with his EV-making company. 'I have no intention of speaking to [Musk],' Trump added in an NBC News interview this weekend. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president,' he added. And even if Vance is hoping Musk will return to the fold, Trump added to NBC he believed his relationship with the CEO is over. This story was originally featured on
