McKinsey is among a handful of top consulting firms capitalizing on the generative AI frenzy. Its record $16 billion in revenue last year came, in part, from new work relating to the technology.
The firm has also launched its own in-house generative AI tools, including Lilli, named after Lillian Dombrowski, the first woman employed by McKinsey in professional services.
Lilli's purpose is to aggregate the firm's knowledge and capabilities so that employees can spend more time engaging with clients, Erik Roth, a senior partner at McKinsey who oversaw Lili's development, said last year in a press release announcing the tool.
Tools like Lilli allow employees to cut down on busy work if they learn to prompt — the process of eliciting information from these tools — andfocus theirskills on higher-value tasks.
Roth said at the firm's media day last month that 72% of consultants now use Lilli.
"We've answered over 3 million prompts and add about 120,000 prompts per week," he said. "We are saving on average up to 30% of a consultants' time that they can reallocate to spend more time with their clients instead of spending more time analyzing things."
Happy Friday and a happy start to the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament! It's best to wrap up any work you have with European colleagues before they disappear to the pub for the next few weeks.
Saudi Arabia's dreams of a futuristic city are turning into a financial nightmare, and one of its solutions could spell trouble for the US.
Since 2017, the Kingdom has touted big plans for the desert megacity Neom. The project is the centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030, which hopes to reduce the economy's reliance on fossil fuels.
Neom's planned features are eye-popping, to say the least. There's the world's longest infinity pool, a year-round ski resort, and a mixed-reality theme park. And The Line — a city built between two massive, mirrored skyscrapers — looks straight out of a sci-fi movie.
But all these fancy things don't come cheap. Some estimates for Neom have ballooned up to $1.5 trillion. And while the Kingdom was initially confident foreign investment would help foot the bill, that hasn't been the case.
Now Saudi Arabia is turning to another country with economic headaches: China. The Kingdom hopes China will invest billions in the project, which could deepen ties between the two countries. That's a troubling potential future for the US, Business Insider's Tom Porter writes.
Infinity pool Neom
Neom
China's interest in Neom could be from multiple angles.
But other opportunities for China in Neom are more troubling.
While Neom is being pitched as a "smart city" that collects data on residents, experts previously told BI it could really be part of a massive surveillance program powered by Chinese technology.
China has already been clear that its AI strategy is to shape reality and enforce its power. That type of authoritarian vision is something it shares with Saudi Arabia.
That poses a risk for the US, which needs all the allies it can get in the Middle East as it navigates the war in Gaza.
The US dollar is losing its status among the world's central banks. The dollar is still king among central banks' forex reserves. However, its market share has dropped from 70% in 2000 to 55% in the last quarter of 2023, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.
A Coatue rising star got a big endorsement from a massive hedge fund. Aaron Weiner's new fund is being seeded by the $68 billion multistrategy giant with a multibillion-dollar check, according to people familiar with the matter. Weiner is Coatue's head of tactical solutions and is set to leave the firm at the end of the year.
Another stock could join the trillion-dollar club soon. Broadcom's stock is surging after it posted estimate-beating earnings and announced a 10-to-1 stock split. And Bank of America predicts even greater potential: hitting trillion-dollar market capitalization.
Oracle execs detail plans to exit the ad business. In a leaked recording, executives said the transition will happen in phases, but that there's no "catch-all date" for the move. Another said they'd try to find roles elsewhere in the company for affected employees.
Amazon's secret workaround for AI training data. Amazon told employees to sign up for Microsoft's GitHub platform and share their accounts so it could scrape AI training data faster, BI has learned. Account limitations mean collecting data with normal methods would take too long, per the leaked memo.
3 things in business
simonkr/Getty, Tyler Le/BI
Three layoffs, 200 job apps, no dice. After being laid off from three consecutive corporate jobs, Giovanna Ventola applied to 180 similar roles and 18 minimum-wage "bridge jobs" — but didn't land a single one. She says the experience "completely changed" her outlook on the job market.
NYC luxury developer Michael Shvo is facing some challenges. Shvo made a name for himself first as a broker, then as a developer of glitzy projects. But a soft real estate market and a trail of angry business partners and customers are threatening to thwart his big plans.
It's official: Musk's pay package is approved. After it was voided by a judge in January, Tesla investors sealed the deal on Musk's $55 billion pay plan (here's how it compares to other CEOs'). But he isn't out of the woods just yet — Tesla must now take it back to court.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival begins, with Post Malone headlining.
Sentencing for Jose Uribe, a businessman who pleaded guilty to bribing Sen. Bob Menendez.
Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. George Glover, reporter, in London. Annie Smith, associate producer, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.
Micah Lussier and Kaz Bishop star in this season of "Perfect Match."
Ana Blumenkron / Netflix
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the first six episodes of "Perfect Match" season two.
In the new season, "Love Is Blind" alum Micah Lussier couples up with "Dated & Related" star Kaz Bishop.
Here's an update on their on their relationship.
Micah Lussier and Kaz Bishop's relationship seems to be over after the latest batch of "Perfect Match" episodes.
Lussier is on her second attempt at a reality TV romance after trying and failing to find a husband on Netflix's most popular reality show, "Love Is Blind."
She appears in the latest season of "Perfect Match," a Netflix crossover series in which fan favorites from other shows compete and date to find their partner.
In episode two, Lussier pairs up with "Dated & Related" alum Kaz Bishop, and the pair wins two couples' challenges in the season.
But their relationship is constantly tested in the second half of the series. First Bishop is sent on a date with Holly Scarfone, who previously starred in "Too Hot To Handle" season three.
Kaz Bishop on his date with Holly Scarfone in "Perfect Match" season two.
Courtesy of Netflix
When Bishop returns, he struggles to decide who to pick between Scarfone and Lussier. Lussier gets angry about this situation and calls Bishop a liar. They make up in episode seven and match together again.
However, later in the episode, Lussier and Bishop are caught in another fight after he starts to chat with another new contestant, Brittan Byrd.
In this case, Byrd and the other contestants start the argument by saying that Bishop is unfaithful to Lussier and wants to marry someone else. Bishop tells off the group for spreading lies about him behind their back.
Bishop and Lussier overcome this obstacle but end up in a third argument in episode nine. Lussier is angry with Bishop this time for talking to a third new contestant, Christine Obanor, and kissing Scarfone in a game. Bishop is annoyed that Lussier has told other contestants that they are the weakest couple.
The pair have a screaming match and finally break up. Bishop matches up with Obanor, and Lussier pairs up with Izzy Zapata.
It seems their relationship is officially over, but we will find out if they come back together in the season finale, which airs on Netflix on June 21.
Regardless, here are the other clues that the couple probably isn't together anymore.
Micah Lussier has posted on social media about other dates
"Perfect Match" stars Micah Lussier and Izzy Zapata in the season 6 reunion of "Love is Blind."
Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix reality series are often filmed months or even years before they premiere. This means that contestants often do not post anything about their relationships from the reality show or new relationships until after the series has aired.
While we do not know exactly when "Perfect Match" season two was filmed, it was likely before the fall of 2023, when some contestants had other TV commitments.
Since September 2023, Lussier has shared three TikTok posts about going on new dates. In the first post shared on September 16, 2023, Lussier shows the man she is dating, and he doesn't look anything like Bishop.
Lussier has not confirmed that she has a new partner, but the fact that she is dating other people means her romance with Bishop probably didn't work out.
Correction: June 7, 2024 — An earlier version of this story mischaracterized Micah Lussier's appearances on "Love is Blind." She was a contestant in one season, not two.
Harry Jowsey and Jessica Vestal star in "Perfect Match" season two.
Ana Blumenkron / Netflix
Harry Jowsey and Jessica Vestal are one of the most consistent couples in "Perfect Match" season two.
Fans and the media previously speculated that the pair dated in 2023.
Here's what we know about their relationship on the show and whether they are still together.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the first six episodes of "Perfect Match" season two.
Netflix reality star Harry Jowsey may have ruined his relationship with "Love Is Blind" fan-favorite cast member Jessica Vestal after the latest episodes of "Perfect Match" season two.
We don't know for sure what happened next — but it seems pretty unlikely they made it as a couple.
In season two, stars from "Squid Game: The Challenge," "Love Is Blind" and other shows date each other to find their perfect match.
The series gives Netflix the opportunity to give fan-favorite reality contestants more screen time while promoting their lesser-known shows like as "The Trust: A Game of Greed" and "Dated & Related."
In season two, Jowsey, who has a reputation for being a player, arrives in the house and says he is ready to settle down in a serious relationship.
Harry Jowsey and Jessica Vestal were matched together for a date by Kaz Bishop and Micah Lussier in "Perfect Match" season 2.
Courtesy of Netflix
His costars are doubtful, but he perseveres, and in episode three, he couples up with Vestal, who starred in the latest season of "Love Is Blind."
The pair fight in episodes three and five when Vestal questions Jowsey's honesty after she hears negative comments from other contestants. But Vestal sticks by Jowsey.
Their relationship gets messy in episode eight, when the male contestants go on a trip away from their partners and meet a group of female contestants.
Jowsey is caught in a cheating scandal after Melinda Berry accuses him of kissing her off-camera. Jowsey denies the kisses, but Holly Scarfone says she saw it.
When all the contestants get back to the house, Berry tells Vestal, and Vestal is unsure of who to believe. The episode ends before Vestal makes her decision.
Fans will have to wait until the season two finale airs on Netflix on June 21, but here are the clues that the couple are not together.
Vestal and Jowsey were photographed together in Mexico last year
Jessica Vestal and Harry Jowsey competing in a "Perfect Match" couples challenge.
Courtesy of Netflix
Before "Perfect Match" aired fans were already speculating whether Jowsey and Vestal were dating.
In March, TMZ and PageSix published pictures of Jowsey and Vestal kissing that they claim were taken in June 2023 in Tulum, Mexico.
However, these photographs may have been taken while the cast was filming "Perfect Match" season two since the series was filmed in Tulum.
Jowsey confirmed on the latest episode of his podcast, "Boyfriend Material with Harry Jowsey," that the series was filmed in the summer of 2023.
Vestal implied she was single in March.
In March of this year, Vestal seemed to push back on the idea that she was dating someone.
She posted a TikTok, captioning it: "Trust, y'all will know when someone has wifed me up. Let's focus on the ones who actually might be."
It isn't as definitive as "I'm not in a relationship," but certainly points to an ongoing relationship with Jowsey being unlikely.
In February, Vestal also spoke about another possible non-Jowsey romance.
She said on the "Viall Files" podcast that she was attracted to a costar from "Love Is Blind" season six.
"I had another strong connection there," Vestal said. "I can't say any names because I'm still trying to sort some things out."
Jowsey said he broke up with a secret girlfriend last year.
Rylee Arnold and Harry Jowsey dancing salsa in "Dancing With The Stars" season 32.
Christopher Willard/ABC
In the fall of 2023, Jowsey partnered up with professional dancer Rylee Arnold to compete in "Dancing With The Stars" season 32.
However, fans began speculating that the dancing partners were dating after seeing their chemistry and reading reports that they spent Thanksgiving together.
Jowsey shut down the rumors at the time, telling Business Insider in November: "I try and ignore it all because I just want to focus on the dancing. If I get distracted with dating stuff and all that stuff, then I'm probably not going to be a good dancer."
In April, Jowsey said on his podcast, "Boyfriend Material with Harry Jowsey," that he was actually in a secret relationship during the filming of "Dancing With the Stars."
"All those edits kind of brought me and my girlfriend at the time apart," Jowsey said, referring to TikTok videos that elevated the dating rumors about him and Arnold.
This secret girlfriend could have been Vestal since Jowsey never reveals the woman's name in the video. But we don't know — and in any case it was over by the time he mentioned it.
"I was madly in love with this girl," Jowsey said. "It was probably just infatuation, but I thought it was love. Obviously, it ended up ending, and it fizzled out because it's so difficult to see your boyfriend or girlfriend on 'Dancing with the Stars' being that close with someone else."
Jowsey credited the secret girlfriend for keeping him steady during his sudden rise in fame until they eventually broke up.
Vestal calls Jowsey a red flag in TikTok videos
Dom Gabriel, Stevan Ditter, Jessica Vestal, Harry Jowsey in "Perfect Match" season two.
Courtesy of Netflix
Throughout "Perfect Match," Vestal's costars warned her of Jowsey's poor dating history. However, Vestal ignores them and continues to date him.
After the first episodes of "Perfect Match" aired last week, Vestal also began calling Jowsey a "red flag" on TikTok which seems to imply that they are no longer dating.
On Monday, she posted a video with the caption: "When the entire house is telling you that your match is the world's largest red flag but you gotta see it through."
On Sunday, she appeared in another video shared by her "Perfect Match" costar, Micah Lussier, about their partners on the show.
"When everyone warned you about your man, but you're a lover girl at heart, so you're gonna stick beside him against your better judgment," Lussier captioned the post.
Jowsey meanwhile commented on his relationship with Vestal after the show aired on the latest episode of his podcast.
However, he had nothing but good things to say about her and even said she was "the love of my life."
"I thought that Jess was the most incredible most beautiful woman that I've ever seen in my life," he said.
Jowsey and Vestal are not following each other on Instagram
The biggest clue that they're not together is that Jowsey and Vestal don't follow each other on Instagram.
Jowsey has shared videos and pictures of their time together on the show, but Business Insider has checked and he doesn't follow Vestal. In fact, Jowsey only follows some of his male costars from the show.
Vestal follows most of her male and female costars but not Jowsey.
This could be an attempt to misdirect fans, but they are more likely no longer dating.
Fans will find out the truth when the "Perfect Match" season finale premieres on Netflix on June 21.
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