Author: openjargon

• California put up its minimum wage for workers at quick-service restaurant chains to $20 in April.
• The California Business and Industrial Alliance warned that it was costing jobs.
• But employment in the industry is seasonal and usually rises and falls throughout the year.

Since Gov. Gavin Newsom first announced plans to raise wages for fast-food workers in California, both restaurant chain executives and franchisees have warned about the impacts it could have on their businesses.

As well as having to raise menu prices, some critics of the legislation warned that the higher wages could lead to restaurants laying off some of their workers, or even closing down.

Despite intensive lobbying from the fast-food industry, the new wage of $20 an hour for quick-service chains with at least 60 locations nationwide went into force on April 1.

The California Business and Industrial Alliance certainly isn't happy with the legislation. It took out a full-page ad in USA Today in early June featuring mock obituaries for brands it says were "victims" of the new minimum wage.

The CABIA claimed in the ad that nearly 10,000 jobs had been cut between September, when Newsom signed the law, and January.

"Governor Newsom's bad policy remains indefensible, and workers and businesses are suffering for it," Tom Manzo, founder of the CABIA, told Business Insider over email. "It is obvious what is happening to the Fast Food industry no matter how Team Newsom spins the numbers."

The CABIA ad cited data from the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank and unit of Stanford University that aims to "limit government intrusion into the lives of individuals."

It's unclear where the Hoover Institution got its 9,500 figure from, though it did link a report by The Wall Street Journal, which said it used state figures.

Business Insider could not independently verify these figures, as data from both the California Employment Development Department and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a drop of about 11,600 jobs when not seasonally adjusted.

The CABIA's argument was based on a drop in employment between September and January. But BLS data shows that employment in California's limited-service restaurant industry dips in the winter. In every year for at least the last decade, employment has been lower in January than in the preceding September.

It's typically at its lowest in January and its highest in August.

The BLS data includes employment at all limited-service restaurants, including those exempt from the new minimum wage.

Restaurants typically hire more workers during the summer months as tourism fuels spending and people spend more time outside their homes.

Seasonally-adjusted BLS figures, which take yearly fluctuations into account, show that employment in California's limited-service restaurant industry actually rose by about 6,000 people between September and January.

Newsom has clapped back at criticism of the new minimum wage

"California's fast food industry has added jobs every month this year, including roughly 10,600 new jobs in the two months since Governor Gavin Newsom signed the fast food minimum wage bill into law," his office said in a recent press release.

The following graph, made using BLS data, shows that employment in limited-service restaurants in California has been higher than 2023 levels for every month so far this year when not seasonally adjusted.

However, Newsom's remarks have to be taken with a pinch of salt, too. The year-over-year growth in limited-service restaurant employment is a continuation of a trend seen before the pandemic, too, with total employment in the industry growing every year.

And the month-on-month growth in employment so far this year is nothing new. Employment typically grows in the buildup to the summer.

It is clear some fast-food chains have laid off workers in California, including in some cases by closing restaurants, partly in response to the new legislation. Seasonally-adjusted BLS data suggests that there has been a small dip in workers in California's limited-service restaurant industry — about 2,500 — since January.

However, the BLS statistics suggest that the situation is not as dire as the CABIA paints it to be.

The $20 minimum wage was introduced to support workers in a state with a notoriously high cost of living. The fast-food industry is generally known for low pay, with some workers having to pick up a second job to make ends meet.

Analysts previously told BI that the legislation is also expected to boost wages in other industries, as employers will face more competition for workers.

Have you been affected by California's new $20 minimum wage? Email this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

• Russia is using waves of troops in head-on "meat assault" attacks, the BBC said. 
• Russia's using them to identify Ukrainian firepower positions, an officer told the outlet.
• Around 1,000 Russian troops a day are being killed or injured, reports say. 

Russia is using head-on attacks by waves of troops to identify Ukrainian firepower positions, a Ukrainian officer told BBC News.

In a report on Russia's brutal front-line tactics near Kharkiv in Ukraine, troops described the waves of Russian attacks on their positions, describing them as "meat assaults."

"The Russians use these units in most cases purely to see where our firing equipment is located, and to constantly exhaust our units," Lt Col Anton Bayev of the Khartia Brigade of Ukraine's National Guard told the BBC.

"Our guys stand in positions and fight, and when four or five waves of the enemy come at you in a day, which you have to destroy without end, it is very difficult – not only physically, but also psychologically."

Russia has suffered huge casualties in its invasion of Ukraine and reportedly began using "meat assault" tactics in its attacks on the cities of Bakhmut last year.

As a much bigger country, Russia has a manpower advantage over Ukraine, and analysts say it uses the attacks in a bid to overwhelm Ukrainian positions.

However, the tactics recently appear to have won Russia only incremental successes.

Even members of the ultra-nationalist Russian milblogger community, who've supported the invasion, have been critical of the indifference to the lives of troops shown by Russian commanders.

The Russians leave their dead and wounded on the battlefield, Lt Col Bayev told the BBC. "Their main task is simply meat assaults and our total exhaustion," he said.

UK military intelligence said that Russian injuries and deaths had spiked to their highest point in the war in May, with Russia losing around 1,200 troops a day.

The increase came as Russia intensified its attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second biggest city, to take advantage of delays in Western aid getting to Ukraine's front lines.

Despite suffering large casualties, Russia has been able to replenish troop numbers by offering relatively lucrative military contracts, drafting prisoners, and using foreign mercenaries.

• I'm a long-time Swiftie and bought tickets to see her in Dublin during the Eras Tour. 
• However, weeks before I was supposed to go, I was in an accident and badly injured.
• I was determined to see her, and doctors gave me the all clear. I had an amazing time.

I've been a Swiftie since 2007, so you can imagine my absolute euphoria at getting my hands on tickets to the Eras Tour. When I envisioned things that could go wrong — ticket issues, missed flights, dehydration — none of my imagined scenarios included an ambulance and surgery mere weeks before the show.

Taylor's previous tours never came to South Africa, where I live, and the Eras Tour was no exception, with Africa left off the roster completely. However, for the first time, I could afford the splurge of making my way to Europe to join the tour there. My best friend and I decided to get the best tickets we could. We got VIP pitch-standing tickets for her June 30 show in Dublin, and we couldn't wait.

Weeks before the concert, I was thrown off a horse

At the time of booking, the concert was almost a year away. Plenty could happen — and plenty did. I left teaching to go full-time with writing. My friend got pregnant and had her first baby. And then, with just weeks to go, I was thrown off a galloping horse on what was meant to be a scenic walking ride. I was left with a broken collarbone, broken ribs, and a massive hematoma in my right hip and thigh.

One of my first lucid thoughts in the ambulance, strapped into a neck brace as the medics initially feared a fractured C-spine, was that there was no way this tortured poet was going to make it to the concert. The reality of what those injuries might mean for the rest of my life hadn't even set in yet.

Luckily, the angels are Swifties, too, and my spine was miraculously spared. Within 24 hours, I was transferred to Johannesburg, where I was operated on and left with a hefty piece of titanium securing my collarbone, which had shattered into three pieces. The hematoma was so painful I couldn't put weight on my right leg. My broken ribs hurt when I breathed deeply or laughed. I had no clue how I would 'shake it off' and get to Dublin when I could barely get up the stairs in my home.

I did everything I could to recover and was given the all clear

Despite the pain in those initial weeks, my surgeons remained optimistic that I'd recover faster than I thought. With every rehabilitation and physiotherapy session, I made tiny gains. As the days passed, my mobility improved. And I was fanatical about doing everything I could to (safely) speed up recovery. I had a concert to go to.

Mere days before my flight was scheduled, I was given the tentative all clear. I could travel — with caution. To celebrate, I had an outfit made at the last minute. I hadn't been keen on the frivolous cost of a custom concert look beforehand, but there's something about narrowly avoiding a broken neck that makes you want to seize the day. And this day demanded tassels and sequins, with a little extra fabric to bedazzle my sling.

I was in pain during the concert, but I'd do it again

The concert was tough — we were lined up for six hours outside the venue, right after a three-hour train trip from Cork to Dublin. Then, we watched Paramore for an hour before the three-and-a-half-hour Eras Tour. Painkillers didn't do much to dull my body screaming at me, but it was all worth it.

The rainbow of confetti, the heat from the fire, the eye contact with a woman whose music has narrated my life since I was 14 — I'll never forget any of it. During the acoustic set, we didn't even need the zoom on our phones; she was that close.

And in those moments, I felt invincible.

The Swifties around us were delightful. Throughout the concert, a stranger let me balance a hand on her shoulder while I stood on tiptoe to see Taylor. While it was a tight squeeze, no one shoved me in the hopes of edging closer for a better view.

There were times before the concert when I thought I was out of my mind to go. Now that it's over, I'd do it all again. Taylor can do it with a broken heart — and I did it with broken bones.

• Popeyes has expanded its chicken lineup by adding boneless wings — which are actually made from breast meat.
• There's "a lot of online chatter around 'what the heck is a boneless wing?,'" Popeyes' US boss said.
• Customers who order boneless wings skew slightly younger and are more likely to be female, he said.

Popeyes tried out a number of different names for its boneless wings — including "bites" — over worries that people may struggle to understand what they were.

Jeff Klein, president of Popeyes US and Canada, told Business Insider in an interview that there was "a lot of online chatter around 'what the heck is a boneless wing?'"

"They're not de-boned wings," he said.

Boneless wings are actually made from breaded breast meat but cause confusion among diners who are stumped by the name.

"We've definitely tested a variety of different names," including "bites," Klein said.

Klein noted that calling them wings means that Popeyes can promote its overall wings platform — both bone-in and boneless — in ads and said that the fried-chicken company had been selling more bone-in wings since it started advertising boneless ones "because it's just generating that demand for wings in general."

Popeyes added bone-in wings to its permanent lineup in November.

"Boneless wings were always part of the plan," Klein said, noting that they make up just under 40% of the total wings market.

Boneless wings appeal to a slightly different demographic to bone-in wings, too, he said.

"Boneless wings tend to skew a little bit younger than bone-in," Klein said. "They tend to skew a little bit female relative to bone-in, not drastically, but just a little bit."

Wings customers, in general, tend to be bigger groups of people, often placing orders digitally, he said.

"There's a little bit of seasonality to wings, but not as much as people would think," he added, referring to their popularity as a match-day snack.

Boneless wings are an attractive choice for restaurants because breast meat is more abundant and therefore generally cheaper to buy in than wings.

But Popeyes' launch of boneless wings "wasn't supply chain-motivated at all," Klein said. "There can be volatility in the bone-in wings pricing at times, but not a current concern for us. It was more around variety."

Because they're cheaper to buy, wing shops sometimes sell boneless wings for less. Wingstop's prices vary by location, but some of its restaurants charge more for "classic" wings than boneless, while others charge the same for both types.

Popeyes sells its boneless and bone-in wings at the same price point, Klein said. At the locations BI looked at, the wings were priced at either $5.99 or $6.99 for a six-piece portion.

Popeyes sells its boneless wings in the same flavors as bone-in ones, apart bone-in wings also come in a ghost pepper flavor and boneless wings have the option of classic. The bone-in wings have a spicier base, Klein said.

Chicken is rising in popularity as a protein choice. At McDonald's, it's now more popular than beef, generating $25 billion in annual sales for the burger giant.

Young people love chicken, pushing US restaurant chains to launch more chicken products.

"They overwhelmingly order chicken," Laura Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Pit, previously told BI.

• Rents for new studio apartments dropped 20.9% over the year in Q1 2024 due to a supply surge.
• New US apartment construction hit a near-record high, with over 90,000 units in Q4 2023.
• Despite lower rents for newly-built studios and one-bedrooms, larger units remain scarce and costly.

If you were thinking of moving, right now could be a great time to sign a lease on a newly-built studio apartment.

Developers have built a lot of new small apartments over the last few years, and the boost in supply has driven rents down. The median asking rent for newly-built studio apartments — those for which construction was completed in the previous quarter — was down 20.9% in the first quarter of this year as compared to last year, according to a new report from Redfin, a real estate services company.

Rents for newly finished one-bedroom apartments are also falling — the median rent fell 11.9% year over year in the first quarter of 2024, the report found. Redfin noted the number of new one-bedrooms was up 22.2% over the year in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The number of new apartments that recently hit the market is near a record high. More than 90,000 new apartments came online in the fourth quarter of 2023, finishing a big year of apartment construction, Redfin noted.

That additional supply may be outpacing demand, as the portion of new apartments that were rented out within three months of completion fell from 60% at the start of last year to 47% this year. The Redfin report is based on US Census data on "unfurnished, unsubsidized, privately financed rental apartments in buildings with five or more units."

"If you're looking for a rental and you've noticed a lot of new apartments popping up in your neighborhood, it may mean you have room to negotiate on price or ask for concessions like discounted parking or a free month's rent," Redfin senior economist Sheharyar Bokhari said in a statement.

But new housing isn't evenly distributed across the country. And the pace of new construction of both single-family and multi-family homes is starting to slow, in part because of persistently high interest rates.

Studios and one-bedrooms tend to be more profitable for developers to build than larger apartments, and developers aren't building enough apartments suitable for big families. The number of newly-built three-plus-bedroom apartments fell 0.9% in the last quarter of 2023, while the median asking rent rose 9.1% year over year in the first quarter of 2024, Redfin found. This is part of a longer-term shortage of larger apartments in urban areas.

In general, good news is rare in the rental market. Overall rents are still way up — 26% higher than they were in early 2020, a recent Harvard report found. Three in five housing markets across the country are seeing rents rise. And growing numbers of Americans can't afford their housing costs.

Half of all tenant households were cost-burdened as of 2022, meaning they spent more than 30% of their income on rent, the Harvard report found. That was the highest share since the US Census first started collecting this data, the report noted. The number who are severely cost-burdened — meaning they spend more than 50% of their income on rent — also hit a record high in 2022.

Renters are also increasingly locked out of buying a home. Home prices and mortgage interest rates have surged in recent years, putting homeownership out of reach for even more renters. The US home price index is 47% higher than it was in early 2020, and the median home price is about five times the median household income, Harvard's report noted.

• An elite soccer player has funded a universal basic income program in his hometown for years.
• Sadio Mané said he gives roughly $76 a month to all residents of a "very poor region of Senegal."
• The ex-Liverpool star has financed a school, a hospital, and other infrastructure in Bambali.

YouTube star Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson recently donated $200,000 toward a universal basic income program in the Ugandan village of Karamoja. A top soccer player who grew up desperately poor has funded a similar initiative in his African hometown for years.

Sadio Mané, who played for top clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich before transferring to Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr last year, revealed in a 2019 interview that he gives 70 euros ($76) a month to every resident of a "very poor region of Senegal."

He likely meant the village he grew up in, Bambali, which has about 2,000 residents. The exact details of Mané's giving aren't public, but if he hands the equivalent of $76 a month to 2,000 people, that would cost him about $152,000 a month, or $1.8 million a year.

The monthly stipend is roughly in line with Senegal's monthly minimum wage of $88, per Statista. Mané reportedly earns more than $40 million a year tax-free at his Saudi club.

UBI usually refers to recurring cash payments made to all individuals in a population regardless of their wealth, with no restrictions on how the money is spent.

The idea has gained momentum as a poverty-reduction tool in recent years, and the likes of Elon Musk and Sam Altman have touted it as a useful response to the mass job losses they expect artificial intelligence to cause.

Here's what Mané told Canal+ Sport Afrique in 2019, as reported by Ghanaian news site Nsemwoha: "Why would I want 10 Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, or two planes?" the multimillionaire said before describing his childhood.

"I was hungry, and I had to work in the field. I survived hard times, played football barefooted. I did not have an education and many other things. But today with what I win thanks to football, I can help my people," Mané said.

"We built schools, a stadium, we provide clothes, shoes, food for people who are in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people in a very poor region of Senegal which contributes to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me," he added.

Mané, whose father died when he was seven, donated almost $350,000 to build a school in Bambali in 2019, then another $500,000 or so in 2021 for a hospital.

He's also financed the construction of a post office, gas station, rolled out 4G cell coverage, launched programs providing free laptops and sportswear for children, and offered cash grants for top students.

Between the infrastructure projects and his UBI program, Mané appears to have plowed several million dollars into his hometown over the years.

Al Nassr didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Elon Musk has weighed in on Mark Zuckerberg's latest viral stunt.
• The Meta CEO posted a video of himself hydrofoiling while wearing a tuxedo. Musk wasn't impressed.
• "May he continue to have fun on his yachts. I prefer to work," Musk said of the video.

Mark Zuckerberg may have wowed his fans with a badass video of himself hydrofoiling on Independence Day, but Elon Musk certainly doesn't seem impressed.

"May he continue to have fun on his yachts. I prefer to work," Musk wrote in an X post in response to the video.

Zuckerberg went viral on Thursday after he posted a video of himself surfing on a hydrofoil to Facebook and Instagram. In the clip, the Meta CEO can be seen waving an American flag and taking sips from a can of beer, all while dressed to the nines in a tuxedo.

"Happy birthday, America!" Zuckerberg captioned his post.

Representatives for Musk and Zuckerberg didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.

This, of course, isn't the first time Musk has thrown shade at his tech world nemesis.

In June 2023, Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a cage match following reports that said Meta was building an X rival.

Zuckerberg initially agreed to the request but brushed aside the proposal after months of back and forth. Musk, however, hasn't forgotten about the fight.

"If only Zuckerberg were as tough (sigh). I've offered to fight him any place, any time, any rules, but all I hear is crickets," Musk said in an X post on May 15, a day after Zuckerberg celebrated his 40th birthday.

Zuckerberg isn't the only yacht-owning billionaire that Musk has accused of being a slouch.

In 2021, Musk made a similar remark about his fellow space baron, Jeff Bezos. The SpaceX CEO told the Financial Times in an interview then that Bezos should spend more time on his rocket company, Blue Origin.

"As a friend of mine says, he should spend more time at Blue Origin and less time in the hot tub," Musk told the outlet.

Bezos, it seems, paid no mind to Musk's zinger and has gone on to enjoy some hot yacht summers.

To be sure, Musk is no stranger to yachts.

In July 2022, he was seen lounging on a yacht in Mykonos, Greece, with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and his fashion designer wife, Sarah Staudinger.

"Haha damn, maybe I should take off my shirt more often … free the nip!! (already back in the factory btw)," Musk wrote in an X post on July 18, 2022.

That getaway was a rare moment for Musk, who's famously said that he hates taking vacations.

Musk once came close to dying in 2000 when he contracted malaria while vacationing in South Africa.

According to Musk, the trip, which took place after Peter Thiel ousted him as PayPal CEO, was the first real vacation he took. It's also worth mentioning that Musk got booted from PayPal while on his honeymoon with his first wife, Justine Musk.

"In the last 12 years, I only tried to take a week off twice," he said in 2015. "The first time I took a week off, the Orbital Sciences rocket exploded, and Richard Branson's rocket exploded in that same week."

"The second time I took a week off, my rocket exploded," Musk said.

"The lesson here is, don't take a week off," he added.

• I moved to Italy from NYC with no plan, job, or friends in the country.
• It was exciting, and a little overwhelming.
• It also ended up being the best decision I've ever made. 

When I was 24 years old, I spontaneously decided to move to Italy from my hometown of New York City. I was tired of life in the city and wanted to slow down and experience something different.

I was studying to be an opera singer and even had a big break when I was invited to sing as a soloist at a concert for one of the then-leading tenors of the Metropolitan Opera. I was also working as a private chef with a catering business. But I had no time for meaningful relationships and felt like something was missing. I knew I wasn't happy and didn't want to do what I was doing anymore; I wanted to find a new way to live.

So, at 24 years old, I left behind my old life and bought a house in a small town in the south of Italy called Guardia Sanframondi, just an hour outside Naples. I moved completely without a plant. But it was the best decision I ever made and led me to the life I have now, where I am happily married with two beautiful children and work as a public relations consultant and writer. I've created my own version of happiness and have never looked back.

I didn't have a job

When I moved to Italy, I wasn't sure what I would be doing. I had stopped singing, and though I still loved cooking, I knew I didn't want to work in a restaurant. I wanted to find a way to create a flexible career on my own terms that would allow me to live my life in Italy.

For a few years before I became a mom, I ran a home restaurant from my terrace. I cooked four-course meals that I served on my terrace with sweeping views of the mountains. When I became pregnant with my first child, I went back to my original passion: writing. Since then, I've been working as a freelance writer and a public relations consultant for women-owned businesses and businesses with an Italian focus.

I didn't speak the language

Thanks to years of studying opera, I had a very basic grasp of the Italian language. But knowing a few words here and there is one thing, and being conversationally fluent is a whole other thing. It was overwhelming not to be able to speak the language when I first moved.

There were times I wondered if I would ever become completely fluent. I didn't want to be one of those expats who didn't make an effort and did the bare minimum. After about a year and a half of completely immersing myself in Italian culture, I picked up with language, and now, after being here for nearly 10 years, I'm 85% fluent.

I didn't know anyone

To be quite frank, I have always been a bit of a loner, and when I left NYC, I left behind the close friends I did have. I didn't know anyone when I moved to Guardia Sanframondi, and I was concerned about making connections, especially due to the language barrier.

However, I quickly became friends with many members of the expat community and some Italians I met. The first summer after I moved, I really pushed myself to socialize more. I went to local cafés just to sit and talk with people. Getting outside my comfort zone not only helped with my language skills but also helped me meet people and make friends.

It was overwhelming but also so worth it

Yes, moving to a new country can be overwhelming, especially if you come without a plan like I did. I came with an open heart and mind, prepared for whatever Italy might have planned for me. One thing led to another, and everything that happened led me to the life I now live here.

I am happily married to my Italian husband and we have two beautiful children together. I am doing what I love through writing and public relations and living my life on my own terms. I have become a part of a community I love where people look out for one another. While I came to Italy without an idea of what my life would be like, I am so happy with how it has turned out.

• Three high-earners quit six-figure jobs to prioritize their mental health.
• They struggled to manage high-pressure workdays and lack of support.
• They found new careers that offer flexibility and better work-life balance.

Six-figure salaries can come with extremely demanding workloads and higher stakes. This can feel unmanageable without a supportive work environment, and in some cases, employees are left to choose between their paycheck or their mental health.

Business Insider spoke with three high-earners who left their six-figure jobs to save their mental health. They each started their careers eager to make a splash in their industry, but were quickly disillusioned by the high pressure, exhaustive workdays, and tough feedback.

When their mental health plummeted, they were forced to quit.

Jean Kang was overwhelmed by her company's 'hustle -culture'

Thirty-one-year-old Jean Kang initially loved the perks that came with her six-figure salaries at her different jobs in Big Tech.

"I was spoiled with tech benefits in every role — great pay, free food, remote work, gym memberships, massages, and more," Kang told BI.

Despite the unique perks, Kang said that she felt immense pressure to overdeliver and outperform competitors — a virtue of the 'hustle culture' that dominated her workplace. Kang said she struggled at the realization that she'd given her life for a job that was ultimately just making big companies more money.

After a mass layoff in 2023 forced her to acknowledge the fragility of her job, Kang saw an opportunity to leave Big Tech for good. She said she'd been juggling a few side hustles after work and finally took a risk on herself by leaving her $300,000 paycheck to become a full-time content creator and career coach.

"My biggest fear was failing, but I knew I'd regret not betting on myself and could always land another job after I tried this," Kang said.

She was happy to share that her anxiety and 'Sunday scaries' disappeared once she became her own boss. She felt liberated to work a flexible, remote job.

"I now choose what projects make me happy and don't give myself too much pressure to succeed. I work 30 to 40 hours and some weekends now, but not because I have to — I want to."

Eric Yu suffered from panic attacks at work for six months

Twenty-eight-year-old Eric Yu told BI that he spent his first two years working at Facebook as a starry-eyed recent grad excited to be pursuing a career in tech. But, as the novelty faded, anxiety took its place.

Long work days of intense coding turned into long nights of worrying about what needed to get done. He stayed late to finish tasks but still faced tough criticism from engineers. He told BI that his overwhelm manifested into panic attacks — which continued for six debilitating months.

"I was at the lowest point in my life. Every day felt like a grind: I didn't know what I was doing or why I was still working," Yu said.

It wasn't until his boss seriously questioned his work output that Yu made a pledge to himself to quit tech. Yu quit his job after brainstorming alternative income streams with his then-girlfriend (who became his fiancé), Wanda, and settling on house hacking.

"I know it sounds crazy to leave a $370,000 job, and staying at Meta for the rest of my life would have ensured financial security, but I knew it wasn't right for me."

He's now making passive income from real estate and using his extra time to explore what he really wants in life.

A former McKinsey employee had to go on mental-health disability leave

A former McKinsey employee, who chose to be anonymous due to privacy concerns, told BI that he knew his associate role would be tough. Still, he was willing to stick it out to sharpen his analytical skills. He didn't expect, however, the all-consuming nature of his work.

He told BI that there was a lack of mentorship, exceptionally high standards, and mean coworkers, all wrapped up into gruesome, 16-hour shifts.

"And it was pedal to the metal — I didn't leave my desk, forgot to eat, and dropped tons of weight," he admitted. "I barely remembered to go to the bathroom. I only remembered to get up when I noticed my dog looking at me sadly."

After a year, he reached his breaking point.

"It was literally driving me to the edge. I just couldn't do it anymore. I was crying more and taking anxiety medication at a higher dosage than I had ever needed before joining."

Despite his $200,000 salary, he decided to take a three-month mental health disability leave.

His time away from work only confirmed the severity of his condition when he found it difficult to take care of himself or even leave his home. He decided to quit McKinsey to focus on his mental health.

A year after quitting, he shared that his mental health improved, and he was ready to reenter the workforce.

"As I look for a new job, I'm looking for companies that care about their employees, value inclusivity, and treat everyone with respect."

If you quit your job due to mental health concerns and would like to tell your story, email Tess Martinelli at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.