Author: openjargon

• Tesla launched a $450 lightning-shaped bottle of mezcal, its priciest alcohol yet.
• The hand-blown bottle, inspired by Oaxaca pottery, features a sleek, black finish.
• Previous Tesla alcohol releases include Cyberbeer, GigaBier, and a $250 Tesla Tequila.

Tesla announced its most expensive alcohol yet on Thursday: a $450 lightning-shaped bottle of mezcal.

Tesla director of product design Javier Verdura designed the hand-blown glass bottle, which has a sleek, black finish and draws inspiration from centuries-old pottery traditions in Oaxaca, Mexico, Tesla said on its website.

The liquor has a citrusy scent with notes of lime and green apple, and a smoky finish, according to the listing. It also has some sweeter flavors with finishes of tuberose, jasmine, and chamomile, the website says.

Believe it or not, this is the third limited-release alcohol product that the carmaker has produced — and they've all been pricey.

Last year, Tesla sold a set of two 11-ounce Cyberbeers with two ceramic Cybersteins for $150. The set was designed to mimic the look of a Cybertruck, which had yet to be released at the time.

Earlier in 2023, the EV giant launched a limited edition "GigaBier," to celebrate the opening of Tesla's Gigafactory in Berlin. The Pilsner-style lager cost about $98 for a pack of three.

The EV-maker also released a $250 gold bottle of Tesla Tequila in a lightning-bolt shaped bottle, similarly designed to the latest model. The 750ml bottle came out in 2020, two years after Musk joked about "Teslaquilla" in a tweet.

Tesla Tequila sold out within hours and Tesla released a second batch in March 2021, which also sold out almost immediately. After it sold out, resellers listed empty bottles of the Tesla Tequila for thousands of dollars online.

Tesla Mezcal comes to about $498 after taxes and each customer is limited to two sets. Tesla didn't respond to BI about how many Mezcals have been sold so far. But if sales are similar to its other drinks, it'll probably go quickly.

• Robert Gigliotti and Ethan Gaskill went viral on TikTok for sharing their home decor "icks."
• They stressed the idea of working with your space's unique features, rather than against them.
• Gigliotti and Gaskill told BI that trendy, expensive furniture pieces are overrated, too.

The internet is full of interior design aesthetics — Scandinavian, Boho, Country House, Maximalist — each complete with its own set of experts and influencers explaining what must-haves you need to best accomplish the trend.

From quirky pastel candles and oblong mirrors to designer couches and industrial curtain rods, it's no wonder Americans spend an average of $1,599 on home decor annually, per a 2024 Opendoor survey.

But LA-based content creators Robert Gigliotti and Ethan Gaskill have taken a different approach to interior design influencing.

The friends and collaborators have garnered more than 3.5 million views on TikTok sharing their most disliked interior design and home decor trends in a series called "home decor icks."

Gigliotti and Gaskill are not designers but have self-taught eyes for design fostered by family experiences.

Gigliotti told Business Insider that his mother flipped houses while he was growing up in Connecticut and he became "tired of them all being builder gray," so he got involved in helping pick out tiles and other finishes.

Meanwhile, Gaskill was raised in North Carolina and drew inspiration from his father, a custom home builder, and his mother, a real-estate agent.

"My mom was always around the house and really ingrained in my brain the idea of keeping a tidy space and making sure your space is a kind of reflection of who you are, in the way that it sort of impacts your mind," he said.

Gigliotti and Gaskill said their opinions have resonated with audiences online partly because they're calling out mistakes they've made or seen themselves.

"It's all things that people kind of agree on or relate to in a way, that they can kind of laugh about," Gaskill said.

Gigliotti added, "The second anything becomes too serious, it's not fun anymore, so it's not like we would actually go in someone's home and be like, 'This is disgusting.' Honestly, it's amazing effort if you painted everything pink and did your statement wall of floral wallpaper. At least you're having fun. If you love it, we like it."

Business Insider spoke with Gigliotti and Gaskill to hear more about what they think you should avoid when decorating each room of your home, from "cringey" art prints and DIYs to overly curated shelving.

Let's start with the living room. You can skip the statement couch for something cheaper and more timeless.

Gigliotti told Business Insider he thinks trendy, statement couches are on their way out.

"I think a lot of people went in the last few years to those really funky bubble couches or the Togo sofas, like Mario Bellini. All those extravagant, huge, showcase piece sofas that aren't comfortable, are $12,000, or there's a lot of dupes that are just not good quality," he said.

Those intense pieces are hard to make work as you move from space to space and as time passes, meaning they could be a waste of money.

Gigliotti knows this from experience.

He, too, had the orange bubble sofa by Mario Bellini. "That was a lot of when I was letting social media — like I'm saying — determine, 'This is what's cool. I can't have a gray sofa. I can't have this. I have to have that really cool thing,'" Gigliotti said.

It was sold within a month.

Instead, there's nothing wrong with choosing something more classic or even using a slipcover. Gigliotti and Gaskill agreed that a linen slipcover would work in any home. And, thrifting is a great option, too.

You shouldn't rely too heavily on your interests to inform your home decor choices.

A recurring theme across the collaborators' videos has been finding the right balance between highlighting your interests, and not letting them overpower your home.

In the fourth installment of their TikTok series, Gaskill said one of his "icks" is "letting your personal interests be your interior design style" and offered an anecdote about how he once let his love of horror films seep into his home decor with an art print of a skull melting.

"Your home can speak to your interests in more subtle or timeless ways," he said.

Gigliotti elaborated, saying, "You can love fashion, but you don't need to display your Gucci and Hermès boxes as decor. Just wear cute clothes."

And it's time to get rid of those grommet curtains.

In the first edition of the duo's "home decor icks" videos, Gaskill likened grommet curtains to "a shower curtain hanging in your living room."

Enough said.

Moving on to the kitchen: Your appliances don't all need to be on display.

"You don't need a Ninja CREAMi ice cream maker on the counter, an espresso machine, a microwave, an air fryer," Gaskill said.

"Obviously, not everyone has the storage for everything, but I think some people just keep all their appliances out all the time and it takes up all your counter space," he added.

If you have storage space in your kitchen, display only your most-used appliances like a coffee maker or toaster, and bring any others out when you're actually using them.

Another note on appliances: They don't need to be a "design moment."

"Things don't need to be a focus," Gigliotti said.

"If you have a microwave, just get one that blends into the space. It doesn't need to be hot pink with cups placed on top of it and cookbooks. Just have a microwave and it is what it is. I use my microwave every single day, but I'm not making it the highlight of my space," he added.

This also means you can skip the fake vintage or retro appliances in favor of something classic like stainless steel.

It's also time to stop over-decorating your bar carts and open shelving.

"When it's overly styled, with six cookbooks stacked there and then a little jar that you're never going to use and never touch, I think that just doesn't look lived in," Gigliotti said. "It'll look like you're trying too hard."

Prioritizing functionality over aesthetics, thus, is much more practical and appealing.

"It's just like, if you're using a wooden spoon every day and it's functional for your kitchen, that's going to look so much better when it's authentic," Gigliotti added.

As for bathrooms, leave peel-and-stick tiles alone.

"Bathrooms are one of the most common victims for peel-and-stick tile, and because peel-and-stick tile is using an adhesive, when steam gets in the room, things start to peel up," Gaskill told BI.

Gigliotti added, "I almost would rather see an old ugly laminate countertop than a bubbling peel and stick. It is what it is."

Often, DIY projects are an attempt to mask or cover a disliked area of a home, but when done poorly, they can actually draw more unwanted attention, Gaskill warned.

"Most of us are still learning," he said. "I mean, not all of us are professional remodelers, so a lot of times it's not done very well, and then that's when it becomes more of an eyesore. I think you should have fun with DIYs, but at the end of the day, your home … I just don't like treating it like a craft project."

Toiletries are not decorations.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't keep your most used skincare or fragrances out, but rather that it's not necessary to install shelving specifically to display these items.

"I keep my skincare out or I'll forget to do it," Gigliotti said. Instead, the issue is when you're "making shelving just to put nail polish."

And it's time to update those "cringey" art prints.

Move over, "Live, Laugh, Love," there's another art trend that's losing its appeal: cringey, quirky art prints.

By "cringey" or "quirky," think of anything with food like bagels or pickle jars, cowboy hats, or odd phrases.

For other examples, Gigliotti told BI he recently went to a restaurant in LA that had posters in the bathroom of a giant red pepper that said, "Get spicy," and a cat that said, "This is a fat green cat that you're responsible for watching while you're peeing."

To maximize your bedroom floor space, stop placing your bed perpendicular to a corner.

When you angle your bed out from the corner of your bedroom, you create an alcove of space that will likely become a hiding spot for dirty laundry or otherwise go untouched completely.

In another installment of the series, Gaskill said, "It just kind of feels like you didn't know how to lay out the room."

"There's something about it that just doesn't sit well with me from a design perspective," he added.

You don't need to color code your bookshelves.

Color coding is a great method of organization for your closet, but it's not necessary to do the same with your bookshelves.

"A home needs character, it needs charm. Mix-match looks good," Gigliotti said on TikTok.

So, whatever order you read or place them back in is fair game.

And finally, don't force design elements into your home that weren't there originally.

Gigliotti emphasized the importance of accepting your home's characteristics and said there's no need to try to make it into something it's not by adding numerous DIY projects like fake beams, brick walls, or different tiles to the mix.

"Just let things be what they are, embrace it, and then aspire for something different in your next place," Gaskill added.

But, if you're really looking for a change or want to elevate your space, a new coat of paint and good artwork are the best places to start.

• As someone who's worked at Costco for 18 years, I know which items are worth buying.
• The bakery's s'mores cookies are a tasty summertime treat inspired by the campfire classic.
• I recommend adding home items like the iDesign three-piece cosmetic organizer set to your space.

Like many fans of Costco, the leading retailer in customer satisfaction, I love browsing the shelves to see which items are worth taking home. The store has a great rotating inventory and competitive pricing, so it's no wonder why so many shoppers love the retailer.

I've worked at Costco for over 18 years, so I'm always searching for the best-value items at the warehouse. Here are 10 things I recommend checking out at Costco in June.

Prices may vary by location.

Make an easy meal with the Meat District chuck-and-brisket beef patties.

The Meat District chuck-and-brisket patties are perfect for easy grilling because they allow you to make burgers with less prep time and no mess. According to their packaging, the patties are made from premium steak cuts and seasoned with a garlic-peppercorn rub.

Each package, which contains eight burger patties, can be found in the cooler boxes at Costco's deli. At my Costco, a package costs $17.

The Titan 26-can backpack cooler is perfect for summer activities.

As summer approaches, these Titan 26-can backpack coolers with ice-wall pockets have been selling quickly at my location. The backpack features leak-proof lining and adjustable, padded straps.

They also come with two ice packs ready to be frozen, making them a great bag for outdoor use or even lunch storage. Each backpack is $45 at my location.

The Zuru Bunch O Balloons tropical party packs are an easy way to have fun with the whole family.

If you're looking for summer fun, check out the Zuru Bunch O Balloons tropical party pack, which features 490 self-tying balloons.

The stems on these balloons make filling them super simple — just attach a stem to a hose, fill it with water, and shake to make as many as 100 balloons in less than a minute.

My Costco sells packages of the Zuru Bunch O Balloons, which are seasonal, for $25.

I recommend grabbing the Kirkland Signature beef-and-pork meatballs with pasta and sauce from the deli.

The Kirkland Signature beef-and-pork meatballs with pasta and sauce is the newest premade item in Costco's deli, and it's delicious. Each container comes with rigatoni pasta, marinara sauce, and six giant meatballs, all topped with Parmesan cheese.

This meal is so easy to prepare. Everything is measured out, so all you have to do is set the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, cover the tray with foil, place it on a cookie sheet, and bake it for 50 minutes.

The tray can feed about four people and costs $4.50 per pound, which comes out to about $20 per container.

Take care of fabric with the CHI electronic clothing iron with a retractable cord.

CHI is most popular for its hair products, but the brand also carries an electronic iron with a retractable cord. The iron features 400 steam holes and electronic temperature control.

The CHI iron costs $70 at my Costco.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with Kirkland Signature s'mores cookies.

Costco's bakery has been producing delicious seasonal items, including the Kirkland Signature s'mores cookies. The cookies are made with semisweet chocolate, graham flour, and marshmallows for a gooey first bite.

I find the best way to eat them is to microwave them for 10 seconds before taking a bite. Each package contains 24 cookies and costs $10.

Stand out among the sand with the licensed beach towels.

Costco is now carrying character-embroidered beach towels for the family. The towels come with four character designs: Hello Kitty, Stitch, Bluey, and Spider-Man.

These beach towels are 63-by-34 inches and machine washable. The sheared-velour towels are $18 at my store.

Add the iDesign three-piece cosmetic organizer set to your bedroom, bathroom, or closet space. 

If you want to tidy up a space, the iDesign cosmetic organizer three-piece set could come in handy. The organizer is great to keep in a bedroom or even the bathroom.

The set contains two three-drawer organizers and a carousel organizer with a removable tray.

These organizers aren't dishwasher safe, but cleaning is as easy as getting a damp cloth and wiping them down. The iDesign cosmetic organizers are $39 at my store.

The SkinnyDipped dark-chocolate peanut-butter cups are a tasty treat.

The SkinnyDipped dark-chocolate peanut-butter cups are a tasty sweet treat. Each confection is coated with dark chocolate and loaded with peanut butter.

I like that this sweet treat has only 2 grams of sugar and less than 100 calories per serving. My Costco sells a 30-count bag for $14.60.

The Seville Classics bamboo two-tier sliding-drawer organizers can add elegance to a kitchen or bathroom space.

The Seville Classics two-tier drawer sets are perfect for under-the-sink, bathroom, and cabinet storage and allow easy access to your items.

The drawer set also features nonslip feet and a metal frame. These drawers are $34 at my Costco.

• The US added half a million millionaires in 2023 — more than any other country.
• Stock market gains at the end of the year accounted for much of the increase, Capgemini reported.
• Government spending through laws such as the CHIPS Act also helped, according to the report.

The number of millionaires in the US went up by around 500,000 last year — more than any other country in the world.

America had 7.4 million "high net worth individuals" in 2023, up from 6.9 million in 2022, according to a new report from Capgemini. The firm's definition of a millionaire includes people with "investable assets" of at least $1 million, "excluding their primary residence, collectibles, consumables, and consumer durables," according to a summary of the report.

After troubles in the stock market in 2022, 2023 proved to be a better year for the wealthy, Capgemini wrote. The number of millionaires, as well as their cumulative worth, fell in 2022.

In 2023, by contrast, "despite ongoing interest rate uncertainty and rising bond yields, equities surged along with the tech market, fueled by enthusiasm for generative AI and its potential impact on the economy," the report reads. Stock-market gains in the fourth quarter of 2023 played an outsized role.

Government spending, such as the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, also led to greater spending in industries such as semiconductors and construction.

All that helped raise the collective wealth of millionaires in the US by 7.4% last year, Capgemini said.

Even with the increasing number of millionaires, wealth remained concentrated among a small group. Just the top 1% of the HNWIs covered in the report held 34% of global wealth, the report found.

The US increase in millionaires was the greatest in absolute-number terms among the top 25 countries by number of millionaires, according to Capgemini.

But by percentage, the number of millionaires in the US rose by 7.3% for the year — a rate exceeded by Australia, India, and Italy, though those countries each had millionaire populations only in the hundreds.

• Joe Biden's administration is going after big corporations with antitrust lawsuits.
• It's an aggressive approach that makes Biden stand out compared to his predecessors.
• High-profile cases include Live Nation, Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others.

President Joe Biden is really leaning into his pro-labor image.

The Biden administration has launched investigations and antitrust lawsuits against several mega corporations, many in the tech sector, that it accuses of behaving like monopolies — and it's setting him apart from his predecessors.

"This is definitely a different agenda than previous presidents," Rebecca Allensworth, an antitrust expert at Vanderbilt University, told Business Insider. "I think that Biden is saying … consolidation and the power that large companies have gotten over the last 20, 30 years isn't good for the American consumer or for Americans in general. I think it's very much a deliberate attempt to take away on some of that market power that these big corporations have accumulated."

Here are some of the biggest companies Biden has targeted.

Nvidia and OpenAI

Federal investigators have been given the green light to investigate the biggest names in artificial intelligence: Nvidia, the leading producer of AI chips, and OpenAI, which created ChatGPT. With a divide-and-conquer approach, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission will investigate Nvidia and OpenAI, respectively, to sniff out potential antitrust violations in the AI arms race, according to The New York Times. The FTC will also investigate Microsoft and its multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI.

Live Nation

In May, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster's parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, which Attorney General Merrick Garland accused of "anti-competitive and illegal" business practices that have stifled innovation and led to worse experiences for fans, artists, promoters, and vendors.

Google

We are still waiting on a verdict in the yearslong antitrust case against Google. The DOJ and several states accused Google of monopolizing as a search engine and cutting off competition.

Arguments in the case concluded earlier this month, leaving the future of Google (and much of the tech industry at large) in the hands of a US district judge who may clear the company or find it liable and demand it make changes.

Apple

The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple in March, accusing the company of taking over the smartphone market by "delaying, degrading, or outright blocking" the competition. The company has created a "smartphone monopoly," the Justice Department argued, using restrictive policies, accessories, and software.

Amazon

The FTC took Amazon to court last year, accusing the company of luring customers into signing up for its Prime subscriptions. The FTC claimed that Amazon "knowingly duped millions of customers." A Business Insider investigation previously found that the company was aware of its confusing sign-up infrastructure for years but did not act on it. Meanwhile, an antitrust suit brought against Amazon by the FTC is set to begin in 2026.

Meta

The FTC and dozens of states filed suit against Meta, formerly Facebook, accusing the company of buying up Instagram and WhatsApp to quash competition.

"I think there's a reason why they have one big monopolization case, at least, against each of the four major American tech companies," Allensworth told BI. "Tech is too dominant. Tech has a dangerous level of market power, and it's oppressing competition and creating products that are more dangerous and more expensive than they need to be."

The Biden administration is targeting more than just tech, however. It has also intervened in the merger of JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, which a federal judge ultimately blocked, and Kroger's bid to acquire Albertsons Companies, which is still pending following an FTC lawsuit.

Collectively, it sends a clear message to companies that "the problem goes beyond tech," Allensworth said. "Other sectors, too, suffer from concentration and could do with a bit of antitrust enforcement."

But while the administration can bring investigations and litigation, the outcome is out of its hands.

"It really lies with the courts, and the courts are not immune to political change, but less susceptible to the winds of politics," Allensworth said.

Have you worked at these companies? Do you have insight to share? Reach this reporter by email at kbalevic@businessinsider.com. Signal provided upon request.

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When shopping for a new TV, size is one of the first things you'll need to settle on. Models are available across a wide range of options, with 55 inches being a popular pick for people who want a medium-sized display. Entry-level 55-inch TVs can be found for under $300, and many brands sell 55-inch versions of their top TVs with all the advanced features you'd get on a bigger size. The best 55-inch TVs provide excellent picture quality while still being large enough to show off the benefits of 4K resolution. 

Based on a combination of hands-on testing and research bolstered by a decade's experience covering the home entertainment industry, we've picked the five best 55-inch TVs you can buy. Our top recommendation is the LG C3, which delivers fantastic contrast thanks to its OLED screen while often costing less than similar 55-inch sets from other brands. But if you want to spend under $500, we recommend the Roku Plus Series. It produces a wide range of colors and delivers solid brightness for the money. 

Below are all five of our picks for the best 55-inch TVs, including a high-end option for home theater enthusiasts and a cheap entry-level model great for casual buyers. 

Our top picks for the best 55-inch TVs

Best overall: LG C3 4K OLED TV – See at Amazon

Best under $500: Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV – See at Amazon

Best premium option: Sony A95L 4K OLED TV – See at Amazon

Best anti-reflective display: Samsung S95D 4K OLED TV – See at Amazon

Best entry-level model: TCL Q5 4K QLED TV – See at Best Buy

Best overall

Under most circumstances, we recommend Samsung's S90C as the best TV you can buy right now, but LG's C3 has an edge if you're specifically looking for a 55-inch display. The key factor at this size is price and availability. The 55-inch C3 is easier to find in stock and is often cheaper than the 55-inch S90C. 

While the C3's peak brightness of 800 nits can't match the S90C's 1,000 nits, it still gets bright enough for average living rooms and delivers the same pixel-level contrast that all OLEDs are known for. This means you get deep black levels that disappear in a dark room and intense high-dynamic range (HDR) highlights without any of the halos that appear around bright objects on some QLED TVs. 

And unlike even the best Samsung TVs, the C3 supports Dolby Vision to provide the most accurate HDR image from streaming services like Disney Plus and Netflix. We don't think Dolby Vision is a must-have, but it is a nice perk. Check out our HDR TV guide for more details on the differences between HDR formats. Viewing angles on the C3 are also excellent, so the picture doesn't noticeably fade or distort when you sit off to the side of the TV.

The display is also a great pick for gamers, thanks to its low input lag and fast 120Hz refresh rate for smooth gameplay on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Though not our favorite interface, LG's webOS smart TV platform is solid as well. With the included Magic Remote, you can navigate through the menus via physical buttons or motion controls by pointing the remote at the screen and moving a mouse-like cursor. 

If you can find it in stock, the 55-inch Samsung S90C is a strong alternative that can deliver a slightly more vivid image. However, inventory for that size is scarce and tends to be more expensive than the C3. LG also sells a 2024 version of the C3 called the C4. The new model can get a bit brighter, but it costs more. For now, we still recommend the C3 as the best 55-inch TV you can get.

Best under $500

The Roku Plus Series is an affordable QLED display powered by our favorite smart TV interface. The Roku operating system (OS) is simple and convenient, and the TV delivers solid image quality for its class. This is easily one of the best 55-inch TVs you can snag for under $500. 

The display uses a QLED panel, which enables it to provide a wide range of colors. It also has local dimming to brighten and darken specific areas across its screen. This feature is rare to find in cheaper 55-inch TVs, and it provides a sizable improvement in black-level and brightness performance over less expensive displays, like TCL's Q5.

That said, the Plus Series' black levels can't match the pixel-level precision of an OLED, like the LG C3. And unlike pricier QLED models, the Plus Series uses regular-sized LEDs in its backlight rather than Mini LEDs. This leads to less control over the panel's contrast. During our review, we found the TV's dimming to be a little clunky, with slightly delayed shifts in brightness.

The display also has poor viewing angles, which means colors and contrast fade when you sit to the side of the TV. And the panel is limited to 60Hz, so you can't get 4K/120Hz support on consoles or gaming PCs. There's no motion-smoothing feature, either. Though we typically prefer to keep settings like that off, motion smoothing can benefit certain sports broadcasts. 

But for the most part, the above shortcomings are par for the course on QLEDs in this price range. The TV also makes up for some of its flaws with its intuitive Roku OS, which provides easy and snappy access to every popular app. There are some usability perks here as well that you won't find on many other smart TV systems, like the ability to pause live TV from a digital antenna when you have a USB stick plugged in. The remote is also great, with hands-free voice search, a rechargeable battery, and an audio chime you can activate if you misplace it.

Buyers on the hunt for the best 55-inch TV on a budget should also consider the new Hisense U6N QLED. The 55-inch U6N has a list price of $600, but it's occasionally on sale for just below $500. The U6N is similar to the Roku Plus Series, but it has a Mini LED backlight, which should translate to better dimming performance. However, it uses the Google TV OS rather than Roku OS. 

Read our Roku Plus Series 4K TV review.

Best premium option

The Sony A95L is the best 55-inch TV for high-end performance. Competing displays from LG and Samsung get close, but the A95L has a slight edge if you're willing to spend top dollar. 

The TV uses a QD-OLED panel to offer pixel-level contrast and industry-leading color performance. The A95L is also one of the brightest OLEDs we've tested. We measured a peak of around 1,500 nits in our brightness test pattern, a whopping 500 nits more than its predecessor, the A95K. The A95L can only hit that number when displaying small bright elements on the screen, but that's still an impressive feat for an OLED display. 

This high brightness allows the A95L to deliver exceptional HDR images. Black levels disappear into a dark room, while specular highlights shine with pinpoint accuracy and no blooming. If you watch TV in a home theater setting, the A95L simply dazzles. 

Samsung's new S95D OLED can get even brighter with a peak of around 1,700 nits, but Sony's proprietary picture processing enables image accuracy that edges out rival brands. This processing also offers impressive upscaling that minimizes flaws in lower-quality sources, like HD feeds from streaming services, cable, and indoor TV antennas. Viewing angles are also top-notch, so you don't have to worry about colors distorting when sitting off-center. 

The A95L's Google TV operating system works well, too. The included Google Assistant voice remote has a premium feel and a handy backlight that automatically turns on when you pick it up. A webcam is also included, which supports video calls and gesture controls. The TV's stand can even be configured in a high- or low-profile mode depending on whether you want to put a soundbar in front of it. 

The only notable feature missing is 144Hz support, which Samsung, Hisense, and TCL offer on some of their higher-end TVs when paired with a gaming PC. But if you're using a console, like a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can rest easy knowing you'll still get full 120Hz support. 

Given its price, the A95L is geared toward big home theater enthusiasts willing to pay a premium for top performance. Most buyers will be satisfied with any of the less expensive 55-inch TVs we recommend, but if money is no object, the A95L is the TV to get.

Best anti-reflective display

Samsung's high-end S95D has a unique matte screen that sets it apart from nearly every other 55-inch TV you can buy. Most competing displays use a glossy or semi-glossy panel, but the S95D's matte display enables it to reduce glare and reflections significantly. 

In fact, the S95D is the best anti-glare TV we've seen. If you have a room where reflections are a big problem, this set could be the solution you're looking for. However, there is a notable drawback. While the S95D's matte screen combats glare, it gives black levels a slightly elevated look in bright rooms. This can give dark scenes a hazy and flat quality when you watch TV with the lights on. So, there's a clear tradeoff, and whether you prioritize reducing reflections or preserving black levels comes down to personal preference. 

Thankfully, in a dark room, the S95D's black levels look just as impressive as any OLED's. The TV delivers exceptional picture performance that holds its own against top competitors from Sony and LG. It's also the brightest OLED we've measured, with a peak of 1,700 nits. Sony's A95L still has an edge when it comes to overall image quality and accuracy, but the S95D is easily one of the top high-end TVs there is.

The TV's design is also premium, with a uniformly thin profile and a One Connect Box to house its inputs instead of building them into the panel. Gamers get cool perks like a 144Hz mode when paired with a PC, and access to the Xbox Game Pass app to stream games.   

Samsung's cheaper Frame TV uses a similar matte screen, but that model can't match the S95D's image quality. The brand also still sells the 2023 version of this display, called the S95C. The S95C offers similar performance for less money, but it doesn't have the S95D's new glare-free panel. Though pricey, the S95D is the best 55-inch TV you can buy if you want the most effective anti-reflective screen on the market.   

Read our Samsung S95D 4K TV review.

Check out our S95D vs. S95C comparison.

Best entry-level

Though we previously recommended TCL's step-down S4 model in this spot, a price drop has made the Q5 a much better value in this class. At under $300 for the 55-inch size, the Q5 is an excellent entry-level TV for buyers who favor affordability.

And despite its low price, the Q5 uses a QLED panel with quantum dots to provide a wide color gamut, just like the pricier picks in this guide. However, the Q5 doesn't have local dimming to control contrast across specific areas. Instead, it has a standard direct-lit backlight. As a result, the TV's contrast is lower, and its black levels aren't as deep as the other displays we recommend. This means dark scenes could look washed out if you watch TV with the lights off. Colors and contrast also distort if you sit to the side of the screen, but that's common for any TV this inexpensive.

Peak brightness is limited to around 400 nits, which is fine for standard dynamic range (SDR) content but on the low side for HDR playback. We recommend you pay more for the Roku Plus Series if you want a budget-friendly TV with HDR in mind. Gaming performance is also a mixed bag. The panel can support 120Hz when displaying 1440p or 1080p resolution, but it's limited to 60Hz with 4K.

However, the Q5 is a solid option if you just want basic 4K playback. Its color performance is noticeably better than most competing TVs in this price range. Integrated support for the Google TV platform and a voice remote round out the package, offering reliable playback from all the best streaming services.  

How we test 55-inch TVs

To select the best 55-inch TVs, our team relies on a combination of hands-on testing and research informed by more than 10 years of experience reviewing home entertainment products. 

When we review TVs, we focus on 65-inch units since that size is considered the industry's flagship offering. However, a TV model's overall performance usually remains comparable across sizes 55 inches and above. For instance, a 65-inch Sony A95L OLED and a 55-inch A95L have the same basic specs and capabilities. The only notable difference is the size of the screen. 

However, some TVs that use local dimming, like the Roku Plus Series, employ fewer zones in smaller screen sizes versus larger ones. This can lead to differences in contrast performance when comparing a 55-inch model to another size, but not enough to alter our general impressions of that model. Occasionally, there are bigger differences across sizes, and we note those details when applicable.  

To test TVs, we look at picture clarity, contrast, peak brightness, color performance, viewing angles, gaming capabilities, smart TV navigation, and overall value. We measure HDR brightness with an X-Rite iDisplay Plus colorimeter and use test patterns on the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc to evaluate other objective display parameters. 

But test patterns can only reveal so much, so we watch plenty of actual movies and shows to see how a TV performs with real-world content on a day-to-day basis in both dark and bright rooms. We revisit various scenes on each TV we test that we've specifically chosen to examine black levels, shadow details, HDR highlights, and upscaling. Our demo content includes 4K, 1080p high definition (HD), and standard definition (SD) material from various sources like Blu-ray discs, streaming services, and cable TV.

55-inch TV FAQs

Is 55 inches a good size for a TV?

A 55-inch screen is a solid choice for various rooms. This size is still big enough to feel immersive in smaller living rooms while offering a more compact alternative to 65-inch models that might be too big for some spaces. 

A 55-inch TV is also a good fit for a bedroom where you might want something smaller than what you've got in your living room but not so compact that you must sacrifice picture quality features. Most brands' best 4K TVs are available in 55-inch options, but many top displays are not sold in sizes below that. For instance, if you want one of Samsung or Sony's best OLED TVs, 55 inches is the smallest size available. 

How much should a 55-inch TV cost?

The best 55-inch TVs vary in price, with entry-level options starting at under $300 and high-end options costing $2,000 or more. 

If you want a midrange 55-inch TV, you should plan to spend about $400-$700. Several great 55-inch QLED models in that price range have quantum dots, local dimming, and Mini LED backlights to deliver good contrast and peak brightness levels as high as 1,000 nits.

Shoppers who want a 55-inch OLED TV rather than a QLED will have to pay more, with prices starting at around $1,000. Though notably more expensive than their QLED counterparts, OLED TVs offer pixel-level brightness control for superior contrast and black levels. 

How far should you sit from a 55-inch 4K TV?

The smaller a 4K screen is, the closer you'll need to sit to the display to see the full benefits of its resolution. To see the extra detail that 4K offers over 1080p Full HD, you'll want to sit at a distance of about one to 1.5 times the size of your display. For a 55-inch 4K TV, the recommended viewing distance is between 4.6 and 6.9 feet from your TV.    

Of course, you can still sit farther away from your TV and enjoy its image quality, but the recommended distance will allow you to see the best level of detail.

If you need to sit even closer to your TV or just have a small room to work with, check out our guide to the best 50-inch TVs.

And for rooms where you'd need to sit farther from your display, we recommend opting for a larger screen size to get the full benefits of 4K. Check out our guides to the best 65-inch TVs, best 75-inch TVs, and best 85-inch TVs for our top recommendations.

Should you buy a soundbar to pair with a 55-inch TV?

Even the best 55-inch TVs tend to have mediocre built-in speakers. Audio drivers integrated into most TVs are small and often placed in areas that can lead to a muddy sound that lacks range and deep bass. For this reason, we recommend pairing your TV with a soundbar or full surround sound system to get the best audio quality for movies, TV shows, and video games.

For the most immersive experience, we suggest finding a system that supports Dolby Atmos, which can enable sound effects from all directions, even above your head. Performance varies depending on the model you get, but there are entry-level Atmos systems that can still provide a nice upgrade over your TV's built-in speakers.

Check out our various soundbar guides to see our top recommendations for different needs:

• Best soundbars
• Best Dolby Atmos soundbars
• Best budget soundbars 
• Best soundbars with subwoofers

Best overall

Under most circumstances, we recommend the Samsung S90C as the best TV you can buy, but LG's C3 has a slight edge if you're specifically looking for a 55-inch display. The key factor at this size is price. The 55-inch C3 is often at least $200 cheaper than the 55-inch S90C, while the 65-inch models of both TVs are typically sold at matching prices. 

When they cost the same, the S90C is the winner since it has a brighter image and higher color volume. But when you can save a couple hundred bucks going with the C3, we veer toward recommending LG's TV. While its peak brightness of 800 nits can't match the S90C's 1,000 nits, it still gets bright enough for average living rooms and delivers the same pixel-level contrast that all OLEDs are known for. This means you'll get deep black levels that disappear in a dark room, along with intense high-dynamic range (HDR) highlights without any of the halos that can appear around bright objects on some QLED TVs. 

And unlike even the best Samsung TVs, the C3 supports Dolby Vision to provide the most accurate HDR image from streaming services like Disney Plus and Netflix. Viewing angles on the C3 are also excellent, so the image doesn't dramatically fade or distort when you sit off to the side of the TV. The display is a great pick for gamers, too, thanks to its low input lag and fast 120Hz refresh rate for smooth gameplay on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. LG's webOS smart TV platform is solid as well, and with the included Magic Remote, you can navigate through the menus via physical buttons or motion controls by pointing the remote at the screen and moving a mouse-like cursor. 

If you don't mind paying a bit more, the Samsung S90C is a strong alternative that can deliver a brighter, slightly more vivid image, but for the money, we think the LG C3 is the best 55-inch TV overall. Buyers should keep in mind that LG will be releasing a 2024 "C4" version of this display later this year, but we don't expect a big performance increase and see little reason to wait for the updated model.

Best entry-level

The TCL S4 is a solid entry-level display for buyers who just want a basic smart TV but don't want to pay more to get better image quality. At under $300 for the 55-inch model, the S4 delivers good performance for the money but makes some key concessions to get there. 

The S4 uses a regular 4K LED panel, which means that it doesn't have quantum dots for expanded colors, and it doesn't have local dimming to dim and brighten its image across specific zones. Instead, it has a standard direct-lit backlight. As a result, the TV's black levels aren't as deep as the other displays we recommend, and it's more prone to uneven brightness across the screen, which can cause dark scenes to look washed out if you watch TV with the lights off. Colors and contrast also distort if you sit off to the side of the screen, but that's common for any TV this inexpensive.

Peak brightness is limited to under 300 nits, which is fine for standard dynamic range (SDR) content. But while the S4 technically supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision playback, its low brightness and lack of wide color support severely undercut its ability to render HDR videos properly. HDR content will still look better than SDR videos, but this isn't the model to get if you're buying a TV specifically for HDR capabilities. 

However, the TV still delivers a decent 4K image with solid contrast, considering its lack of dimming. The model we're recommending here comes with Amazon's Fire TV operating system built in, along with an Alexa voice remote, but TCL also sells a version of this same display that uses Google TV instead. App selection varies slightly between each platform, but they both support the most popular streaming services, so deciding between them depends on which ecosystem and interface you like the best. 

For under $300, the TCL 55-inch S4 offers good value, but only if you just want a simple TV for casual viewing. However, if you're willing to pay a bit more, you can get substantially better image quality with other budget-friendly models like the Hisense U6K, our "best under $500" pick. Before buying the S4, you should also check for what TCL's step-up model, the 55-inch Q5, is selling for. Though that model has a higher list price than the S4, both TVs are sometimes on sale for nearly the same amount. The Q5 is a similar TV but uses quantum dots for better color performance.

Best under $500

Buyers who want the best 55-inch TV under $500 should look no further than the Hisense U6K. Though the 55-inch model technically carries a full retail price of $580, it's almost always on sale for $450 or less. 

Unlike most TVs in this price range, the U6K doesn't skimp on advanced picture quality features. It's the most affordable TV on the market that has a Mini LED backlight with local dimming and quantum dots. This gives it unmatched color and contrast performance for the money. With a max of around 600 nits, the display gets bright enough to show off the benefits of HDR content, and it has solid black levels with minimal blooming. 

However, the U6K isn't as bright as more expensive QLEDs, and its contrast control isn't anywhere near as precise as an OLED. The display also demonstrated mediocre viewing angles during our testing, which means colors and contrast fade when you sit to the side of the TV. Hardcore gamers may also want to splurge for a step-up model since the U6K only has a 60Hz panel rather than a 120Hz one. 

The U6K uses the Google TV operating system, and its interface and Google Assistant voice remote are solid. However, navigation can be a bit sluggish compared to higher-end models. But despite a few drawbacks here and there, the U6K's picture quality beats every other TV in its class. This is the best 55-inch TV to buy if you want a budget display that doesn't sacrifice HDR performance. 

Read our Hisense U6K 4K TV review.

Best midrange option

The Hisense U7K is a midrange 55-inch TV that punches way above its class. Like the cheaper U6K, this model uses a QLED panel with a Mini LED backlight. But the U7K steps things up with a higher peak brightness of 1,000 nits and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz, which makes it an excellent gaming display.

The TV's local dimming delivers high contrast with great black levels, and its bright highlights allow it to deliver a more realistic HDR experience than the U6K. It still has fewer dimming zones than more expensive QLED models, which could create some brightness fluctuations. But for the money, the U7K's performance is impressive.

On the downside, like the U6K, the U7K's Google TV OS can be a little sluggish, and the display's image quality degrades if you sit too far off to the side of the screen, but these issues are common for QLED models in this price range. The display is also prone to some minor uniformity issues that can cause a subtle "dirty screen" effect during some panning motions. However, this was rarely noticeable during our tests. 

The 55-inch U7K's price fluctuates, but it's almost always $650 or less, which makes it tough to beat. The TV's closest competitor is the 55-inch TCL Q7, which delivers similar performance but uses regular-sized LEDs rather than Mini LEDs. This gives the Q7 less control over local dimming. That said, if you find the Q7 on sale for less than the U7K, it's a worthwhile alternative. 

Read our Hisense U7K 4K TV review.

Best premium display

The Sony A95L is the best premium 55-inch TV you can buy. Competing displays from LG and Samsung get close, but the A95L has an edge. 

The TV uses a QD-OLED panel to offer pixel-level contrast and industry-leading color performance. The A95L is also the brightest OLED we've ever tested. We measured a peak of around 1,500 nits in our brightness test pattern, which is a whopping 500 nits more than its predecessor, the A95K, and just slightly more than this TV's closest rival, the LG G3. The TV can only hit that number when displaying small bright elements on the screen, but that's still an incredible feat for an OLED display. 

This impressive brightness allows the display to deliver exceptional HDR images. Black levels disappear into a dark room, while specular highlights shine with pinpoint accuracy and no blooming. If you watch TV in a home theater setting, the A95L simply dazzles. 

Sony's proprietary picture processing enables image accuracy that edges out rival brands, with impressive upscaling that minimizes flaws in lower-quality sources, like HD streams and cable feeds. Viewing angles are also top-notch, so you don't have to worry about colors distorting when sitting off-center. 

The A95L's Google TV operating system works well, too, and the included Google Assistant voice remote has a premium feel with a handy backlight that automatically turns on when you pick it up. A webcam is also included, which supports video calls and gesture controls. The TV's stand can even be configured in a high- or low-profile mode depending on whether you want to put a soundbar in front of it. 

The only notable feature missing is 144Hz support, which is something that Samsung, Hisense, and TCL offer on some of their higher-end TVs when you pair them with a gaming PC. But if you're using a console, like a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can rest easy knowing you'll still get full 120Hz support. 

Given its price, the A95L is geared toward big home theater enthusiasts willing to pay top dollar for top performance. Most buyers will be satisfied with any of the less expensive 55-inch TVs we recommend, but if money is no object, the A95L is the TV to get.

How we test 55-inch TVs

To select the best 55-inch TVs, our team relies on a combination of hands-on testing and research informed by more than 10 years of experience reviewing home entertainment products. 

When we review TVs, most brands typically send us their 65-inch screen size, considered the industry's flagship offering. However, a TV model's overall performance usually remains comparable across sizes 50 inches and above. For instance, a 65-inch Sony A95L OLED and a 55-inch A95L have the same basic specs and capabilities. The only notable difference is the size of the screen. 

However, some TVs that use local dimming, like the Hisense U7K, will employ fewer dimming zones in smaller screen sizes versus larger ones. This can lead to slight differences in contrast performance when comparing a 55-inch model to another size, but not enough to alter our general impressions of that model. Occasionally, there are bigger differences in design and features across different sizes, and we note those details when applicable.  

To test TVs, we look at picture clarity, contrast, peak brightness, color performance, viewing angles, gaming capabilities, smart TV navigation, and overall value. We measure HDR brightness with an X-Rite iDisplay Plus colorimeter and use test patterns on the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc to evaluate other objective display parameters. 

But test patterns can only reveal so much, so we watch plenty of actual movies and shows to see how a TV performs with real-world content on a day-to-day basis. We revisit an assortment of scenes on each TV we test that we've specifically chosen to examine black levels, shadow details, HDR highlights, and upscaling. Our demo content includes 4K, 1080p high definition (HD), and standard definition (SD) material from various sources like Blu-ray discs, streaming services, and cable TV.

55-inch TV FAQs

Is 55 inches a good size for a TV?

A screen size of 55 inches is a great choice for a variety of different rooms. This size is still big enough to feel immersive in smaller living rooms while offering a more compact alternative to 65-inch models that might be too big for some spaces. 

A 55-inch TV is also a great fit for a bedroom where you might want something smaller than what you've got in your living room but not so small that you must sacrifice picture quality features. Most brands' best 4K TVs are available in 55-inch options, but many higher-end displays are not sold in sizes below that. For instance, if you want one of Samsung or Sony's best OLED TVs, 55-inches is the smallest size available. 

How much should a 55-inch TV cost?

The best 55-inch TVs vary in price, with entry-level options starting at below $300 and high-end options costing $2,000 or more. 

If you want a midrange 55-inch TV, you should plan to spend about $400-$700. Several great 55-inch QLED models in that price range include quantum dots, local dimming, and Mini LED backlights to deliver good contrast and peak brightness levels as high as 1,000 nits.

Shoppers who want a 55-inch OLED TV rather than a QLED will have to pay more, with prices starting at around $1,200. Though notably more expensive than their QLED counterparts, OLED TVs offer pixel-level brightness control for superior contrast and black levels. 

How far should you sit from a 55-inch 4K TV?

The smaller a 4K screen is, the closer you'll need to sit to the display to see the full benefits of its resolution. To see the extra detail that 4K offers over 1080p Full HD, you'll want to sit at a distance of about one to 1.5 times the size of your display. For a 55-inch 4K TV, the recommended viewing distance is between 4.6 and 6.9 feet from your TV.    

Of course, you can still sit farther away from your TV and enjoy its image quality, but the recommended distance will allow you to see the best level of detail. For rooms where you'd need to sit a lot farther from your display, we recommend opting for a larger screen size to get the full benefits of 4K. Check out our guide to the best 65-inch TVs for our top recommendations.

• X is trying to get advertisers to use Grok, the platform's sarcastic AI chatbot.
• The platform that was Twitter is still trying to lure back advertisers. Grok holds no appeal.
• "X isn't even mentioned as an option anymore," one advertiser said. 

X employees have been pushing advertisers to use the platform's AI chatbot Grok.

Grok, is being compared to OpenAI's ChatGPT or even Meta's new AI ad tools that can write digital copy and create imagery for online ad campaigns, according to two people in advertising who have heard X pitches and a video from X for advertisers seen by Business Insider.

Grok, part of Xai, cannot create imagery, and one of the advertising sources described its ability to answer prompts and create ad copy as, "basic" and ultimately unhelpful for experienced social or brand managers. Grok's responses are limited to writing text for X posts that can be run as ads on the platform.

While many advertisers are not opposed to using AI in their work, one big issue with Grok is that the chatbot was trained explicitly to be "sarcastic" and flippant in tone, and even to curse in its responses to user queries.

When it launched late last year, Elon Musk said Grok was "based & loves sarcasm" and designed to be the antithesis of what he refers to as "woke," which is typically used by political conservatives to describe social justice and inclusion efforts. Both sources noted that the typical brand looking to place ads on a digital platform like X does not want copy that is crude, sardonic, or intentionally ignorant of modern social mores.

"What advertiser or brand would want Grok writing for them?" one asked. The other referred to X employees pushing Grok as a "desperate" move by a company that no longer has broad appeal for brands.

"I can say this honestly: X isn't even mentioned as an option for a single one of our clients," one of the people said. "It was never a first choice, but it used to be always mentioned."

Grok has two modes, "fun" and "regular," with the latter set to respond in a more straightforward manner. In a video presentation seen by BI, an example is shown of Grok responding to a prompt asking for X posts for a flower shop in New York City. Its first suggestion for ad text starts with "Spring has sprung in NYC!"

A representative of X did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Musk acquired the platform as Twitter in late 2022 and has since struggled to keep users and advertisers, through which Twitter made the vast majority of its revenue. That year, although Musk took Twitter by surprise by first attempting a hostile takeover and then agreeing to acquire the platform for $44 billion, then fighting for months to get out of the deal, the platform made roughly $4 billion in ad revenue. That number fell in 2023 by about half, according to Bloomberg.

Linda Yaccarino arrived as CEO a year ago to run advertising, while Musk continued to run almost everything else at X. The launch of things like live video and an appeal to more right-wing conservative influencers and personalities has not done much to appeal to advertisers.

After Disney and other major brands stopped advertising on the platform, given a continual rise in hate speech on the platform and Musk's own support and bolstering of racist propaganda and conspiracy theories, Musk, at a conference, publicly told advertisers to "go fuck yourself" for leaving X.

Now, X is trying to appeal to small and medium-sized businesses to advertise on the platform as large advertisers, previously the bulk of Twitter's business, have yet to return. Meta has dominated this segment of the ad marketplace where most businesses of this size choose to spend their ad budgets. Digital ad spend has been climbing since last year, and companies like Meta and Google have seen their digital ads-based businesses soar again. X is currently offering all advertisers a $200 discount on any ad buy.

Are you a tech employee or someone with a tip or insight to share? Contact Kali Hays at khays@businessinsider.com or on secure messaging app Signal at 949-280-0267. Reach out using a non-work device.

• Some researchers are advocating the benefits of VR therapy for psychosis treatment.
• A clinical trial showed VR therapy reduced anxiety and agoraphobia in people with psychosis.
• This article is part of "Build IT," a series about digital-tech trends disrupting industries.

In May 2022, Daniel Freeman, a psychology professor at Oxford University, published the results of a landmark clinical trial. For years, Freeman had been developing and fine-tuning the use of gameChange, virtual-reality cognitive-therapy software. Guided by a virtual coach, users walk through a series of everyday scenarios, from getting on a bus to stepping into a coffee shop, rating their fear levels at every stage.

The trial included 346 people with psychosis, who often experience severe anxiety and agoraphobia.

"Psychosis is not a mental illness but a symptom that appears as part of different mental illnesses," said Kai Conibear, the author of "The Myth-Busting Guide to Psychosis," out later this month. These mental illnesses include, but are not limited to, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Anywhere from 15 to 100 people out of 100,000 develop psychosis annually, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. Conibear pointed to the widespread perception that people with psychosis are inherently violent.

"In reality, most people who are psychotic are extremely vulnerable," he said. "They're more likely to hide away and isolate themselves than be out on the street running around and making noise, but that's what draws media attention."

Freeman's trial specifically focused on people suffering "extreme agoraphobic avoidance" as a result of psychosis. The treatment is a kind of exposure therapy, in which a virtual therapist guides users through stressful scenarios to help alleviate their fears and regulate their thoughts.

The study found that participants who used the gameChange software experienced significantly less distress and avoidance, reporting that they felt less threatened in their environments. The more severely anxious patients experienced the greatest benefits, researchers said. These results were deemed so successful that last year, the UK's National Health Service approved gameChange as a treatment option.

The use of VR in healthcare stretches back to the early 1990s, when it was first tested as a treatment for anxiety. It's taken a while, but researchers are steadily building a case to prove that VR — especially in combination with more traditional therapeutic methods — can exponentially improve the lives of people with psychosis.

The barrier to VR treatments

Kim Bullock, a Stanford University researcher who studies neuropsychiatrics, said she only learned about VR advancements through her own research. "I found out there was 30 years of evidence that none of us ever heard about in training," she told Business Insider.

Bullock is one of several researchers documenting the growing number of trials measuring the effectiveness of VR as a supplementary tool in both the diagnosis and treatment of psychotic disorders. Bullock was part of a team behind a systematic review published last summer that delved into 23 research articles across 14 countries.

In these studies, VR was used to treat everything from anxiety and social skills to paranoid delusions, often with the help of more conventional mental-health techniques, like cognitive-behavioral therapy. The study authors highlighted the "common misconception" that people with psychosis might be harmed by VR experiences because avatars or voices could mimic their hallucinations.

By contrast, the authors wrote, "VR methods may reduce symptoms and improve physical health, quality of life, and psychosocial functioning," especially when teamed with other therapeutic treatments and medication. They described VR as a "valuable tool to potentially improve clinical outcomes, including medication adherence, motivation, and rehabilitation."

There's a growing body of research that demonstrates the efficacy of VR treatment, yet Bullock described healthcare providers as a "cautious group by nature." She added, "We don't get trained in VR, we don't have the ability to try it out, and there are no set standards and best practices." Bullock described this caution — rather than cost or logistics — as the main barrier to VR treatments.

In his book, Conibear interviewed eight people who've experienced psychotic symptoms. Many of them, Conibear said, talked about the misconception that "people with psychosis are inherently dangerous and violent." It's a persistent stereotype and one that results in severely ill people being violently detained rather than offered treatment and support.

How a VR experience is raising awareness

Treatment aside, VR is being used to educate and raise awareness of what psychosis actually looks like. Hong Kong's Mind Space Museum is tucked away inside Castle Peak Museum, in the Tuen Mun District. In August last year, the museum opened up four different "symptom experience rooms," which allow visitors to experience simulated psychosis courtesy of VR.

With the aid of goggles and headsets, visitors can experience how it feels to walk through everyday places, such as libraries and markets, with hallucinatory voices in their heads and visual apparitions flashing before their eyes.

After the VR exercise, visitors are offered a "sharing session with our peer-support workers" who experience psychosis themselves, Dr. Jessica Wong, the cochair of the hospital's Institute of Mental Health Executive Committee, said. These support workers chat about their personal experiences with psychosis, further breaking down myths about mental illness.

This combination of VR tech and face-to-face interaction is designed to foster "empathy, understanding, and education around mental health," Wong said. "It's about reducing stigma and promoting mental-health literacy. Ultimately, the visitors leave with the realization that people experiencing mental-health challenges are no different than anyone else."

Despite reluctance among US healthcare providers, researchers in the UK, Hong Kong, Canada, and elsewhere are building a convincing case for VR treatment. Conibear is on board. "Most of the currently available treatment is either medication or therapy, so this is a really interesting alternative," Conibear said. "I love the idea that you can be exposed to these situations, but then you come out of the simulation and you're in a safe place with everything you need to calm down."

When compared to new medications — and their potential for side effects — Conibear believes there's little to deter people with psychosis from trying VR out. "I really feel like this is how technology should be used," he concluded. "There should absolutely be more of it."

• Modern humans have a small amount of Neanderthal DNA, and those genes still impact our health today.
• Scientists think they've figured out when the two groups started interbreeding and swapping DNA.
• The results can help scientists understand how Neanderthal genes evolved in humans over millennia.

We might consider Neanderthals to be ancient and unknowable relatives, but humans were once on very intimate terms with them.

Our ancestors, for example, had babies with the shorter, stockier species and swapped DNA for thousands of years.

Now researchers think they've figured out when much of this interspecies intermingling took place, which could provide clues about why humans outlasted their ancient cousins.

Studying genomic data from both ancient and modern humans, scientists learned that Neanderthals and humans were having sex around 47,000 years ago then stopped less than 7,000 years later — relatively brief in terms of evolution.

"This study gives us the most accurate picture showing how some Neanderthals joined into the modern human gene pool, and then what happened to their genes afterward," John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who was not involved in the research, told Business Insider.

All humans have at least a little Neanderthal DNA, a 2020 study found. These genes may impact everything from metabolism to our risk for diabetes.

Finding out when humans acquired them can help scientists understand how these genes evolved and why they might have been beneficial to our ancestors and stuck around in our DNA for millennia.

When did humans and Neanderthals start interbreeding?

The basic story of human-Neanderthal relationships goes like this: We shared a common ancestor over 500,000 years ago then went our separate ways.

Then, around 75,000 years ago, Neanderthals were living in Asia and Europe when some humans started moving out of Africa. The two groups began having children together shortly after that, sometime between 60,000 and 50,000 years ago.

But by 40,000 years ago, the Neanderthals were extinct.

For this latest study, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the University of California, Berkeley looked at DNA from 59 humans who lived between 45,000 and 2,200 years ago.

To figure out when our ancient human ancestors hooked up with Neanderthals, the researchers compared stretches of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. Individuals from about 40,000 years ago had long stretches of gene-containing chromosomes that matched the other species.

The researchers saw that after just a few thousand years, these segments were shorter. This means those humans were more distantly related to Neanderthals, Hawks said.

Using computer software, the scientists created models to estimate how many generations had passed since a Neanderthal entered their family tree. From that, they set the starting date of human-Neanderthal hookups at around 47,124 years ago and estimated that interbreeding lasted for about 6,832 years.

"The conclusion is fairly strong," Hawks said, because the estimates fit both the earlier and later human genomes.

The Neanderthals that live on inside us

In addition to ancient human DNA, the researchers also studied the genomes of 275 modern people from various backgrounds to learn more about how humans and Neanderthal genes have evolved over the millennia.

"It is possible to track the fate of single parts of chromosomes that were once in a Neanderthal individual, came into that individual's modern descendants, and were passed on until the present day," Hawks said.

For example, the researchers found both current and ancient humans have Neanderthal genes that affect metabolism, immunity, and skin pigmentation.

They speculate that these characteristics may have benefited ancient humans who inherited them and then kept passing them on. One hypothesis is that paler skin would have helped increase Vitamin D levels in gloomier climates.

Other studies have linked Neanderthal genes to autoimmune diseases and diabetes. On the other hand, some DNA from the species seems to protect people from West Nile, hepatitis C, and SARS.

The study's results don't necessarily apply to everyone. For instance, no present-day people of African ancestry were included because only about 0.5 % of their DNA comes from Neanderthals.

However, almost everyone else in the world is about 2% Neanderthal, so learning more about the species' genes could shed light on many peoples' susceptibility to certain diseases.

The researchers published their work in a pre-print study, which hasn't been peer-reviewed yet.

• Silicon Valley billionaires reportedly hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump in San Francisco.
• David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya may have been aiming to shift the narrative on Trump support.
• The event raised around $12 million, Reuters reported, citing sources. 

Silicon Valley's billionaire investors are pulling out all the stops to get wealthy donors to empty their pockets for Donald Trump.

Reuters reported that tech VCs David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, along with Sacks' wife, hosted a fundraiser at the Sacks's San Francisco mansion on Thursday night to drum up support for the Republican presidential candidate.

A 33-foot inflatable chicken resembling Trump was also planned to be involved, CBS News reported.

The inflatable even donned a prisoner's uniform, which was a bold reference to being found guilty by a jury last week on all counts in the hush money case.

On a recent episode of the "All-In" podcast, Sacks said, "I know there's gonna be a lot of people who support Trump, but they don't want to admit it."

The Craft Ventures cofounder hoped the fundraiser would help shift the narrative that it might be considered uncool to openly admit to being a Trump supporter.

Sacks said, "I think this event is gonna break the ice on that, and maybe it will create a preference cascade where, all of a sudden, it becomes acceptable to acknowledge the truth, which is a lot of people support Trump."

Sacks is not the only billionaire in Silicon Valley backing Trump, though. There appears to be growing support for him. Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire has also endorsed Trump.

Elon Musk could also be leaning in that direction as he seems to have been cozying up to Trump recently. Musk has also reportedly discussed taking up an advisory role should the former president reclaim the White House. On Wednesday, Musk posted on X, "SF Bay Area is shifting towards Trump."

Meanwhile, Palmer Luckey, founder of the defense tech firm Anduril, plans to host a June fundraiser for Trump in Newport Beach, a coastal city in Southern California, Bloomberg reported.

Donors coughed up $12 million at the Thursday reception and dinner with Trump, the Reuters report said, citing Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon and another source.

Some tickets were sold for $50,000 each but a higher-tier ticket costing up to $300,000 was also available, CNBC reported. The ticket came with extras like a photograph with Trump, the report added.

The New York Times reported that about 25 people had been expected to attend the dinner, with about another 50 guests planned for the larger reception.