Mission Everywhere

The author grew up in a multigenerational home. Courtesy of the author I grew up in a 3-bedroom house with my mom, grandmother, and three aunts. We somehow always made room for people to have space to do their thing. Growing up with so many women taught me that I am more than just a mom. I did not grow up in a busy household. It was quiet a lot of the time, which shocked friends who visited and saw that our house was littered with moms . I lived with my own mom, who was a single mom, one aunt who was a someday mom, and my grandmother, who we called Nana, who was an always mom. Another pregnant aunt I shared a bed with for a while, an almost mom. There were other moms who visited, other aunts and cousins, and friends and bridge partners of my Nana's coming over for gossip, plus egg salad sandwiches with the crusts cut off. The author's grandma with her grandkids. Courtesy of the author A revolving door of women and their chatter and the deep joy they took in doin...

Geoff Weiss / Business Insider : Omnea, which makes AI tools for automating procurement, raised a $50M Series B led by Insight Partners and Khosla Ventures, taking its total funding to $75M   —  - Omnea focuses on building AI for procurement, which is top of mind amid economic uncertainty.  — Three-year-old Omnea has raised $50 million, for a total of $75 million. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/pAHuwvO

Tanush Sharanarthi, 26, had six years of contributions to his field in artificial intelligence that helped him get approved for a O-1 visa also known as the "Einstein" visa. Courtesy Tanush Sharanarthi Tanush Sharanarthi, a 26-year-old from Bangalore, India, tried to get an H1-B visa for three years. He learned about the O-1 visa for individuals with "extraordinary ability" a few years ago. Sharanarthi said he relied on 6 years of research and work to help him land the O-1 visa. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tanush Sharanarthi, a 26-year-old software engineer based in the Bay Area. It has been edited for length and clarity. I work at IBM as a software engineer. I joined three years ago and have been applying for an H-1B visa ever since. The process was rough for me because I wasn't picked all three times. The H-1B lottery system isn't merit-based. Each year, there's one lottery where applicants are put into a pool, an...

Nikita Ostrovsky / Time : UK-based startup Mantic ranked #8 in the Metaculus forecasting cup that asks entrants to predict 60 geopolitical events, the first time an AI made the top 10   —  Reactions to Kimmel's suspension, Trump publicly rebukes Putin, and more … For Vassalo, AIs' unfair advantage solves … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/sauYRep

Wall Street Journal : The FTC's 2023 lawsuit against Amazon goes to trial this week, alleging it used misleading tactics to entice people into Prime and made cancellation difficult   —  Trial begins this week on FTC allegations that e-commerce giant uses misleading tactics to entice and keep customers from Techmeme https://ift.tt/tinXEVN

Part of the "Back to Starbucks" initiative includes mandatory notes on every cup. Failure to follow the rules means baristas face write-ups or even termination. Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images This year, Starbucks rolled out a policy requiring baristas to add handwritten notes on every cup. The policy outlines discipline up to termination for failing to follow the rules. Baristas told Business Insider the policy has been inconsistently applied and makes their job harder. The viral video of a Starbucks barista declining to put " Charlie Kirk " on a customer's cup, citing corporate policy, has brought scrutiny to the company's requirement that staff write on every beverage. The mandate, intended to improve the customer experience , is a source of frustration for some baristas — because failing to do it, or writing the wrong thing, can have consequences. Internal guidelines reviewed by Business Insider outline specific rul...

Ben Berkowitz / Axios : Karoline Leavitt confirms Oracle will handle TikTok's data and security, and says the US is “100% confident” a deal is done and it “just needs to be signed”   —  - Congress passed a ban last year with bipartisan support, but President Trump has repeatedly ordered … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/T4ELUei

Ben Berkowitz / Axios : A White House official says the $100K H-1B fee will not apply to renewals or existing holders of valid visas re-entering the US, only new applicants   —  A new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas goes into effect Sunday, but it will not be applied to existing holders of valid visas re-entering the country, a White House official tells Axios. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/O2CYlUa

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after departing the United Kingdom, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, aboard Air Force One. AP Photo/Evan Vucci A judge dismissed Trump 's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times for being too long. The lawsuit, seeking $15 billion, accused The Times and individual journalists of defamation. A Trump legal spokesperson said they plan to re-file the suit. Before The New York Times even responded to President Donald Trump's 85-page defamation lawsuit , a federal judge threw out the case. The lawsuit was way too long, the judge said. "As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective — not a protected platform to rage against an adversary," US District Judge Steven Merryday wrote in a snappy order Friday. "A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hy...

Kif Leswing / CNBC : Sources: xAI has raised $10B at a post-money valuation of $200B, weeks after reportedly raising $10B in debt and equity at a ~$150B valuation   —  Elon Musk's xAI is raising $10 billion from investors in a round that values the artificial intelligence startup at $200 billion, sources told CNBC's David Faber. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/8kOLmf3

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority : Samsung rolls out a software update to display promotions and ads on the Cover Screens of some Family Hub refrigerators in the US as part of a pilot program   —  Ads will be displayed on your Samsung smart fridge when the Cover Screen is idle on certain themes.  —  •  —  •  —  • from Techmeme https://ift.tt/djtyNcl

Marina Temkin / TechCrunch : Numeral, which provides AI-powered sales tax compliance software, raised a $35M Series B led by Mayfield at a $350M valuation, six months after an $18M Series A   —  Sam Ross, the co-founder and CEO of Numeral, came up with the idea for his sales tax compliance startup while traveling the world … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/bqfEWQ7

Courtesy of Walmart Walmart is using automated robotics and AI to speed up the distribution of its perishable goods. Its distribution centers in South Carolina, Texas, and California are almost completely automated. This article is part of " How AI Is Changing Everything: Supply Chain ," a series on innovations in logistics. For Walmart, it's a priority to quickly stock store shelves with the freshest food possible. In doing so, the nation's largest grocery-store retailer can prevent food waste from eating into its profits, even in an industry known for thin margins. Yasemin Gunay, a managing director at Boston Consulting Group, told Business Insider that retailers and restaurants have historically planned their inventory levels based on their internal data, mostly based on past sales trend data. However, advancements in AI algorithms have allowed companies like Walmart to consider external factors, like changes to the weather or major sporting events. B...

FILE PHOTO: Logo of Tesla is seen at a branch office in Bern Reuters Tesla has settled a lawsuit over a 2019 crash involving Autopilot, avoiding a jury trial. The family of a 15-year-old boy who was killed in a California highway wreck had sued Tesla. The settlement follows a more than $242 million verdict against Tesla in a similar Florida case. Tesla has avoided another jury trial over a deadly crash involving the electric carmaker's Autopilot driver-assist system . Elon Musk's company reached a deal this week to settle a lawsuit with the family of a 15-year-old boy who was killed in a 2019 California highway collision after a Tesla Model 3 slammed into the teen's father's pickup truck. Notice of settlement documents were filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Monday, just four weeks before the case was scheduled to go to trial. The documents say that the settlement is "conditional." Attorneys for the family who sued Tesla would not provide ...

Kate Middleton, Prince William, Donald Trump, and Melania Trump in Windsor, England. WPA Pool/Getty Images Donald and Melania Trump visited Windsor, England, on Wednesday to meet with the British royals. They seemingly coordinated their outfits to include dark suits and matching purple accessories. Prince William also matched with Kate Middleton, and King Charles matched with Queen Camilla. To be a power couple, you need to dress the part. On Wednesday, Donald Trump and  Melania Trump  aimed to do just that. During their state visit to the UK to meet with the British royals on Wednesday morning, the president and first lady were photographed walking hand in hand around Windsor Castle while wearing dark outfits with matching purple accessories. Lauren Rothman, a style strategist and image coach who works with business leaders and politicians, told Business Insider that their coordinated looks signaled unity. "In terms of diplomatic optics, matching as a pair commun...

Ryan Whitwam / Ars Technica : Gemini 2.5 Deep Think achieves a gold medal performance at the 2025 ICPC World Finals programming competition; only four out of 139 human teams won gold medals   —  Like the rest of its Big Tech cadre, Google has spent lavishly on developing generative AI models. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/AQjKicF

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more The best dry shampoos maintain your style and keep your hair fresh without any buildup. Arey; Sephora/Business Insider I simply do not have time to wash my hair daily, so I keep a rotation of the best dry shampoos on my vanity, in my car, at my desk… you get the idea. According to dermatologist Lynne Goldberg, washing daily isn't in my best interest anyway. In fact, shampooing daily can do more harm than good to your hair and scalp. Take it as just another example of how too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. "It's paradoxical, but people who wash their hair a lot to get rid of oil are drying out their scalp and producing more oil," Goldberg previously told Business Insider . But this isn't to say you have to live with greasy strands — a few sprays of dry shampoo can give your hair a necessary refresh. To be clear: dry shampoo can buy you some time between wa...

Yuliya Chernova / Wall Street Journal : Jack Altman's Alt Capital raised $275M for a new fund to lead more Series A rounds at AI startups, a jump from the $150M fund it closed in February 2024   —  The former CEO of Lattice raised his fund in just a month—a lightning-fast process  —  Jack Altman has swiftly closed on $275 million … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/KDyN5kH

Downtown Los Angeles, California skyline. Marek Masik/Shutterstock Prices of groceries and housing are going up across the US. US News & World Report ranked all US states based on their affordability. It ranked Arkansas as the most affordable state in the US, and California as the least affordable. From groceries to housing, living is getting more expensive, but some states are feeling the effects of rising prices more than others. While states like Hawaii and California are seeing increases in housing costs , others like Florida are experiencing falling real-estate prices thanks to rising inventory and insurance costs. US News & World Report recently ranked all 50 US states by affordability, using US Bureau of Economic Analysis data to determine each state's housing affordability and cost of living . The list is just one part of US News & World Report's comparison of US states, which it ranks by categories including opportunity, education, healthca...