Berkshire Hathaway CEO and chairman Warren Buffett's net worth is an estimated $135 billion.
He's the world's 10th-richest person, per Bloomberg, above Michael Dell and the Walton siblings.
Buffett is known for living modestly and being one of the world's most generous philanthropists.
Warren Buffett is having a good year — his fortune has ballooned by almost $15 billion.
With an estimated net worth of $135 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the 93-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO is the world's 10th-wealthiest person in the world. He's $15 billion richer than Michael Dell and worth considerably more than any of the three Walton heirs, for example.
Looking at Buffett's frugal ways, though, you might not know it.
Still living in the house he bought in the 1950s and driving an equally modest car, the "Oracle of Omaha" prefers to keep and grow his money rather than take it out of the bank. He often eats breakfast from McDonald's and borrowed furniture when his children were born.
See how Buffett spends — or doesn't spend — his billions.
Buffett's hobbies include bridge, golf, and playing the ukulele.
Matt Schifrin/Youtube
Buffett loves playing bridge, sometimes playing for over 8 hours a week, the Washington Post reported. He also likes to hit the green for some golf, spends a great deal of his time reading, and loves to play the ukulele — he said in 2020 that he has a collection of 22 ukuleles. He's played the ukulele since he was young and used his skills to court his first wife Susan, their son Peter once told NPR.
Buffett once bought and donated 17 Hilo ukuleles to the North Omaha branch of the nonprofit Girls Inc, and showed up at the group's building to give a group lesson.
His fortune is largely tied to his investment company.
Buffett is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
Steve Pope/Getty Images
The vast majority of Buffett's net worth is tied to Berkshire Hathaway, his publicly traded conglomerate that owns businesses like Geico and See's Candies and holds multibillion-dollar stakes in companies like Apple and Coca-Cola.
Berkshire's latest proxy statement shows that Buffett owns about 15.1% of Berkshire — a stake valued at over $130 billion.
Berkshire Hathaway itself owns over $1 trillion in assets, Insider previously reported.
Buffett began investing at a young age.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images
The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway began building his wealth by investing in the stock market at age 11, according to Forbes, and first filed a tax return at the age of 13.
As a teenager, he was raking in about $175 a month by delivering The Washington Post — more than his teachers (and most adults). Berkshire Hathaway later owned nearly 30% of the newspaper for 40 years until shedding the stake in 2014.
He also sold calendars, used golf balls, and stamps. He had amassed the equivalent of $53,000 by the time he was just 16.
Most of Buffett's fortune was built later in life.
Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images
The vast majority of Buffett's wealth was earned after his 50th birthday. His salary at Berkshire Hathaway last year was just $100,000, the same as it's been the last 40 years, and he reimbursed the company $50,000 in part to cover his personal calls and postage.
The company spent triple Buffett's yearly salary — $313,595 — on his personal and home security last year, according to the company's proxy statement.
Buffett's worst investment was a Sinclair gas station.
AP Images
Buffett's greatest investment mistake is said to be a Sinclair gas station that he bought in 1951 at the age of 21 — he bought a stake in the station with a friend, and the business was consistently outsold by the larger Texaco station opposite it.
He eventually lost the $2,000 he invested out of his total net wealth of $10,000 at the time, Yahoo Finance reported, referencing Glen Arnold's book "The Deals of Warren Buffett, Volume 1: The First $100M."
Buffett has been married twice and has three children.
Howard, Susie and Peter Buffett.
Nati Harnik/AP
Buffett married his first wife, Susan Buffett, in 1952. Together they had three children: Susie, Howard, and Peter. Though he and Susan remained married until Susan's death in 2004, they had lived apart since the 1970s. He married his second wife and longtime companion, Astrid Menks, in 2006.
When Susie was born, Buffett apparently turned a dresser drawer into a bassinet for her to sleep in, according to Roger Lowenstein's 2008 biography of the billionaire. For his second child, Howard, he borrowed a crib.
Buffett lives a modest lifestyle.
Warren Buffett
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Despite his multibillionaire status, Buffett has long lived a relatively modest and frugal lifestyle. He previously told CNBC and Yahoo Finance's "Off the Cuff" that he's "never had any great desire to have multiple houses and all kinds of things and multiple cars."
Buffett lives in the same home he bought in the 1950s in Omaha, Nebraska.
BI
Buffett lives in a modest home in Omaha, Nebraska, which he once called the "third-best investment" he's ever made in a letter to Berkshire shareholders.
He bought the home for $31,500 in 1958 — adjusted for inflation, that's about $342,000. It's now worth an estimated $1.4 million, according to Zillow, and spans 6,280 square feet with five bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
Buffett has made some security upgrades since buying it and it's now guarded by fences and security cameras.
Buffett used to own a vacation home in California.
Villa Real Estate
In 1971, Buffett purchased a vacation home in Laguna Beach, California, for $150,000. Part of a gated community called Emerald Bay, the house has six bedrooms, is walking distance from the beach, and was renovated after Buffett bought it.
He initially put it on the market in early 2017 for $11 million, then cut the price down to $3 million later that year. It sold in October 2018 for $7.5 million, after almost two years on the market.
Buffett's choice of vehicle has also long been modest.
He previously drove a 2001 Lincoln Town Car with a license plate that read "THRIFTY" for about a decade, before auctioning it off for charity and replacing it with a 2006 Cadillac DTS. In 2014, he replaced the DTS with a Cadillac XTS, according to Forbes.
"The truth is, I only drive about 3,500 miles a year so I will buy a new car very infrequently," Buffett once told Forbes.
Buffett has splurged on a private jet.
Mikhail St / Shutterstock
One splurge Buffett has made is on a private jet. Buffett spent $850,000 on a used Falcon 20 jet in 1986, then sold the first jet and upgraded to a different used jet in 1989, spending $6.7 million.
He and his late business partner Charlie Munger nicknamed the second jet "The Indefensible," Buffett revealed in a letter to shareholders.
Buffett used a flip phone for years.
Warren Buffett shows former CNN host Piers Morgan his flip phone in 2013.
CNN
Despite the fact that Berkshire Hathaway is a major Apple shareholder, Buffett didn't upgrade to a smartphone until 2020.
Before that he preferred the Samsung SCH-U320, which can be bought on eBay for under $20.
Though Buffett did make the switch to an iPhone eventually, he told CNBC that he just uses it "as a phone."
Buffett's style includes suits from a Chinese designer and affordable haircuts.
Warren Buffett's style choices are also understated.
AP Images
Buffett has said he has about 20 suits, all made in China by designer Madame Li, according to CNBC.
He has a longstanding friendship with Li, an entrepreneur who worked her way up in the business. Buffett's gotten the same $18 hair cut for years from a barber shop in the same building as his office.
Buffett regularly eats at McDonald's and drinks a lot of Coke.
In 2017, he was spending no more than $3.17 on his order, paying with exact change, he said in the HBO documentary "Becoming Warren Buffett." He also drinks at least five Cokes a day.
The letter reads: "Remember the laugh we had when we traveled together to Hong Kong and decided to get lunch at McDonald's? You offered to pay, dug into your pocket, and pulled out …coupons!"
Buffett is one of the world's most generous philanthropists.
Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett gestures at the start of a 5km race.
REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Warren Buffett is considered one of the world's most generous philanthropists. He pledged in 2006 to donate about 85% of his Berkshire Class A shares to five foundations: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (named after his late wife), and three foundations run by his three children.
He teamed up with Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010 to form The Giving Pledge, an initiative that asks the world's wealthiest people to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Buffett himself has pledged that 99% of his wealth will go to philanthropy during his lifetime or upon his death.
As of 2023, the shares he's already given away were worth about $50 billion based on their value at the time of donation, or about $130 billion given Berkshire Hathaway's stock value at the time. If Buffett had kept those shares rather than donating them, he'd likely be the world's wealthiest person with a net worth of nearly $300 billion.
Buffett plans on leaving his kids $2 billion each, the Washington Post reported in 2014. He once said in a letter to shareholders that he recommends that super-wealthy families "leave the children enough so that they can do anything but not enough that they can do nothing."
Even for Buffett, there are things that money can't buy.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
"There are things money can't buy," Buffett once said at a shareholder's meeting. "I don't think standard of living equates with cost of living beyond a certain point. My life couldn't be happier. In fact, it'd be worse if I had six or eight houses. So, I have everything I need to have, and I don't need any more because it doesn't make a difference after a point."
Harry Jowsey, Jessica Vestal, and Melinda Berry in "Perfect Match" season two.
Courtesy of Netflix
Warning: Major spoilers for "Perfect Match" season two, episodes eight and nine.
Harry Jowsey is in hot water with Jessica Vestal after being accused of kissing another contestant.
Here's what we know about the kissing scandal involving Melinda Berry.
Harry Jowsey said the "Perfect Match" season two kissing scandal, which led people to accuse him of disrespecting his partner Jessica Vestal, is "a lot worse than you think."
Harry was obsessed with Jessica from episode three, and the pair had become one of the more consistent couples of the season.
But in episode eight, Harry begins flirting with Melinda while at a party without Jessica. Harry offers to carry Melinda twice in the episode, and the second time, Harry allegedly kisses Melinda.
The "kiss" apparently happens off-camera, turning the incident into an argument between Melinda, who is adamant that the kiss happened, and Harry, who says it didn't.
The next day, Melinda tells Jessica that she and Harry kissed, causing a big fight between the three contestants.
Harry has not addressed the "kiss," but he has referred to himself as a "gaslighting king" on his social media and on his podcast, "Boyfriend Material." These comments seem to suggest that Harry lied about the kiss on the show.
The scandal has become one of the biggest controversies of "Perfect Match" season two, especially since the audience never saw the alleged kiss.
Here's what we know so far about the kissing scandal between Melinda and Harry.
'Perfect Match' season two, episode eight: Melinda and Holly say the kiss happened off-screen
In "Perfect Match" season two, episode eight, Stevan Ditter, Harry Jowsey, Chris Hahn, Kaz Bishop, Justin Assada are separated from their female partners.
Courtesy of Netflix
The kissing scandal begins in episode eight after all the couples are split up and sent to separate parties. The boys' party is ambushed by a group of female contestants who are trying to tempt the men away from their original partners.
Frustratingly, "Perfect Match" never reveals if the kiss happens in the episodes released on June 14. Either it occurred off-camera or the producers have decided to withhold the footage.
But we do have some potential witnesses. In episode eight, Holly Scarfone and Justin Assada were talking to each other right next to where the kiss is thought to have happened.
Holly is actually the first person to claim they kissed.
Justin says: "Woah, what's going on there? huh"
Holly replies: "Boys' day. They kissed."
The camera also pivots to Stevan Ditter, who seems to be looking in the direction of Harry and Melinda.
Stevan and Justin both say they didn't see anything, though they could be trying to defend their friend.
Justin Assada says he didn't see anything but Holly Scarfone says she saw the kiss.
Netflix
The camera then goes back to Melinda and Harry, and Harry begins to talk about his great relationship with Jessica.
When Melinda mentions the kiss, Harry denies it, laughs without looking directly at her, and walks away.
Harry doubles down when they get to the rest of the group, saying that Melinda is making up the kiss to boost her fame.
"No one saw it," he tells the rest of the group. "That was fake news. I did not kiss her. Where's the video evidence?"
'Perfect Match' season two, episode eight: Harry doesn't mention the kiss when he first sees Jessica
Later in the episode, the original couples return to the house, and Jessica finds Harry crying in his bed.
Harry tells Jessica he hasn't been the best example for her or her daughter Autumn.
Harry says he was too playful during the boys' party and carried Melinda to the toilet at one point in the day. Harry never mentions a kiss and instead accuses Melinda of trying to lie about what happened earlier in the day.
Jessica and Harry have a brief argument, as she doesn't initially believe him but Jessica eventually forgives him.
'Perfect Match' season two, episode eight-nine: Jessica tells Melinda off for telling everyone about the alleged kiss
Harry Jowsey accidentally walks into the girls' chat about his kissing scandal.
Netflix
At the end of episode eight, the female contestants from the "boys' party" arrive in the house to give them an opportunity to steal any of the men.
All the women decide to congregate around a table to reveal if any of the men cheated during the boys' day out. Melinda immediately tells Jessica that she and Harry kissed three times the day before.
"He just kissed me," Melinda says. "And then does it again, so I kissed him back."
Harry and Dom Gabriel walk past, so Jessica asks Harry to comment on Melinda's story. Harry again denies kissing Melinda, saying that no one saw anything.
Melinda then turns to Brittan Byrd, who was nearby during the incident, to support her claim. Brittan says Melinda's makeup was on his nose.
Jessica begins questioning Melinda's motives for kissing Harry and not telling her this information privately.
The pair argue over this for a minute before Jessica says she will ask for both sides of the story before deciding whether to stay with Harry.
Meanwhile, Harry walks away and complains about the situation to Dom. Harry tells Dom that Melinda set up the conversation about the kiss and says Melinda was the one who tried to initiate a kiss, but he turned away.
'Perfect Match' season two, episode nine: Melinda says Harry also said he wanted to have sex with her
Melinda Berry in "The Perfect Match" season two.
Ana Blumenkron / Netflix
Jessica spends most of episode nine asking multiple contestants about what she should do about the Harry situation.
It is not the first time Harry's loyalty has been questioned. Harry has a poor dating track record, and multiple contestants have brought this up to Jessica.
Jessica speaks to Alara Taneri, Stevan, Dom, and Bryton Constantin, who all defend Harry. Jessica also speaks to Harry for his side of the story.
Harry denies the kiss but adds another element to the story.
"I did look at her stomach, and I said, 'It'd look good if you were pregnant.' But it was not in that sense," Harry says.
When Melinda speaks to Jessica privately later in the episode, Melinda says Harry wanted to have sex with her.
"He was like, 'I'm 30 years old. I'm ready for some babies.' He goes, 'You ready for some babies? I'll put a baby in you,'" Melinda says. "He goes, 'They'll come out handsome and tall and athletic.'"
'Perfect Match' season two, episode nine: Jessica confronts Harry
Jessica Vestal and Harry Jowsey competing in a "Perfect Match" couples challenge.
Courtesy of Netflix
Harry and Jessica sit down again at the end of the episode to discuss the kissing incident.
Harry says he has been vomiting all evening because of the stress of the situation and apologizes again for the incident. However, Jessica is still not convinced Harry is telling the whole truth.
The episode ends with Harry making another plea for Jessica to match with him.
"Perfect Match" fans will likely find out Jessica's decision when the season two finale premieres on Netflix on June 21.
June 14-17, 2024: Harry and Melinda joke about the kissing drama on social media
Ahead of the season two finale, Harry and Melinda appeared to joke about the kissing scandal on social media.
In one of Melinda's two TikTok posts about the kiss, she captioned the video: "All I know is the truth #theperfectmatch #perfectmatch #Netflix all will be revealed."
Meanwhile, Harry shared an Instagram reel of him wearing a T-shirt that said "I ❤️ gaslighting" while reading a book titled "gaslighting."
June 18, 2024: Harry says he was told to create drama during the boys' day.
Harry Jowsey in "The Perfect Match" season two.
Ana Blumenkron / Netflix
Harry seemed to suggest that he lied about the "kiss" in the latest episode of his podcast, "Boyfriend Material with Harry Jowsey," which aired on Tuesday.
Harry said he was a "gaslighting king" during episodes seven to nine of "Perfect Match." Harry never addresses the kiss directly but said he would talk more about the situation next week.
"I just want to let you guys know it's a lot worse than you think, so buckle up," he said.
Later in the episode, Dom appeared as a guest on the podcast and said he didn't agree with Harry's "gaslighting" and "lying" during the kissing drama. But Dom said Harry's actions wouldn't have been as serious in the real world.
These comments seem to indicate that Harry kissed Melinda and lied about it.
Harry also said there were "no hard feelings" between him and Melinda, implying they've made up.
Harry added there was no excuse for his behavior, and listed multiple reasons for his actions.
Harry said he wasn't in the right headspace when filming "Perfect Match," and he was drinking a lot before and during the boys' day outing.
"There was no limit on that alcohol," Harry said. "I was so fucking drunk that I don't remember leaving that place. I don't remember the second half of that night. All I remember is like the shit that went down and then being back at the house with food poisoning."
In last week's episode of "Boyfriend Material," Harry said he didn't remember much of the show because he was always drunk.
Later in this week's episode, Harry said that someone in the "Perfect Match" production team told the contestants to create drama to make the series more interesting.
"There was someone on the team that came up to both the girls and the guys and said, 'Hey, if you guys don't do anything or create any drama, we don't have a fucking show,'" Harry said.
Representatives for "Perfect Match" did not immediately respond to a comment request from Business Insider outside business hours.
In "Perfect Match" season two, episodes eight and nine, Harry looks very sick and tells Jessica he vomited because he was worried about their relationship.
On his podcast, Harry said he just had food poisoning from undercooked salmon that he made.
"It looked like I was vomiting, crying, and freaking the fuck out from Jess," Harry said. "But, in that moment, I was just violently ill."
Harry said he should have spoken to Jess after the boys' party and taken accountability, but at the time, he was blackout drunk, sick from food poisoning, and had a victim mentality.
"I was only thinking about myself," Harry said. "Looking back at that, there's a lot of shit I would have done different."
Stay tuned for more information on whether Harry did kiss Melinda.
Dave Calhoun announced in March that he would step down at the end of the year, in the wake of the Alaska Airlines blowout. He will face further scrutiny as he testifies before the Senate on Tuesday.
People familiar with the discussions told the Journal that Larry Culp, the CEO of General Electric, turned down Boeing's request that he consider the role.
Culp gained plaudits for turning around GE after taking over in 2018, overhauling manufacturing processes and slashing debt.
David Gitlin, the CEO of home-appliances firm Carrier and a member of the Boeing board, said in a first-quarter earnings call that he removed his name from the list of candidates, citing his commitment to Carrier.
One candidate still in the running is Stephanie Pope, the CEO of Boeing's commercial airplanes division. Her predecessor, Stan Deal, announced his immediate retirement at the same time as Calhoun's resignation. She was formerly the planemaker's chief operating officer, and, like Calhoun, has a background in finance. A third-generation Boeing employee, she started as a finance analyst in 1994.
However, the Journal reports that many insiders are lobbying for a CEO with an engineering background.
Boeing's struggles with the 737 Max have been linked to an emphasis on speed over safety, with delivery goals taking priority over quality control.
Another potential candidate is Pat Shanahan, the CEO of Spirit AeroSystems — the supplier that built the fuselage of the Alaska 737 Max that lost its door plug in midair. The firm is in discussions to be taken over by Boeing, while some parts of the business could be sold to Airbus.
The Journal reported that the CEO discussions are also looking at whether the next leader should be based near Boeing's factories in the Seattle area rather than at its Virginia HQ.
Boeing's decision to move its headquarters away from its traditional base in 2001 attracted controversy. The distance between corporate leaders and manufacturers on the ground has been cited as contributing to the planemaker's struggles in maintaining standards.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Chesnot/Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI
Social media has gotten so bad that the country's top doctor is intervening.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, wrote an op-ed for The New York Times calling for social media to come with a warning label like the ones you find on cigarette packs, writes Business Insider's Geoff Weiss.
In his piece, Murthy said social media is a key culprit of the mental health crisis young people are facing. A warning label reminding people it is "associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents" could help the problem, he argued.
It's not something Murthy can install on his own. The labels would require congressional approval. And Murthy's comparison to cigarette warnings might be misplaced, writes BI's Katie Notopoulos, who suggests explicit lyrics on music might be a better fit.
Murthy has taken shots at social media before. Last year he called for legislation to protect young people from harassment, abuse, and exploitation, and more transparency from tech companies.
Major social media companies remained largely silent regarding Murthy's suggestion, but the tech lobbying group Chamber of Progress was quick to respond.
"Putting a warning label on online speech isn't just scientifically unsound. It's at odds with the constitutional right to free speech," group CEO Adam Kovacevich said in a statement.
Murthy's recommendation comes at a unique time for social media.
If the US ban on TikTok can survive the courts, it will be a watershed moment for the industry. (Yes, TikTok's ties to China muddy the waters, but a successful ban would still mean lawmakers shutting down a popular app used by millions of Americans.)
It's not just TikTok. Generative AI adds more fuel to the misinformation fire social media platforms have been battling for years.
AI tools make it easier for bad actors to fabricate stories, images, and videos that can influence people. And it's all happening in the lead-up to a contentious presidential election. There are also concerns surrounding AI-generated avatars' impact on influencers, writes BI's Dan Whateley.
And yet, things have never been better for some companies.
Meta, the godfather of social media, is perhaps the best example. On January 31, CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with a handful of other tech CEOS, was grilled by Congress during a hearing on online child sexual exploitation.
More than four months later, though, the only thing that's seemed to change is Meta's stock price. The company's share price is up more than 28% since that contentious hearing.
3 things in markets
Schonfeld; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI
How one hedge fund got off to a booming start this year. Schonfeld's flagship fund is leading returns among the main multistrategy managers. It's an impressive turnaround for a firm that faced takeover talks in 2023. But it hasn't come easy, with the loss of portfolio managers and research executives amid a strategy shift.
Has the market peaked? Investors are worrying the market has reached its top amid record highs, according to Bank of America. The bank identified 10 indicators of a market peak, like elevated M&A activity and sell-side strategists overwhelmingly recommending allocating to stocks. But don't worry, we've only triggered four so far.
June could see a rise in bankruptcies and unemployment. That's according to Wall Street forecaster Danielle DiMartino Booth, who pointed to the rise in corporate bankruptcies over the past year. It's a sign that businesses are struggling under higher interest rates.
3 things in tech
Shriya Bhattacharya
Status updates are so back.Instagram notes are growing at a "wild pace" and the app plans to expand the AIM-like feature for users. Bad news for creators, though: Notes are best suited to mutuals who follow each other, not for the influencing class.
Adobe is having a terrible month. The Department of Justice is suing Adobe over deceptive subscription practices, with the lawsuit claiming the company hides fees and makes it hard to cancel subscriptions. It comes after public backlash over using artists' content to train AI models.
3 things in business
BI
Marketing's trailblazers. From fast food and fashion to finance and baby formula, here are 34 CMOs changing the game in 2024. Many of them are making fast use of social media platforms like TikTok and investing heavily in AI.
BlackRock's solution to the retirement crisis is a catch-22. To avoid economic catastrophe, CEO Larry Fink argued, people should work longer and save more money. The problem? Many older people who do want to work are overlooked in favor of younger employees.
Zyn could get tougher to buy. The maker of the popular nicotine pouch has paused online sales after receiving a subpoena from the District of Columbia about sales of flavored tobacco products — which have been banned in DC since October 2022.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testifies in Congress on the company's safety culture.
The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. George Glover, reporter, in London. Annie Smith, associate producer, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.
Neom's $10 billion joint venture with DSV has been delayed over missing regulatory approvals.
The partnership was due to start in the second quarter of this year, per ShippingWatch.
Despite the setback, DSV says it remains committed to the Neom partnership.
Saudi Arabia's Neom megaproject appears to have hit another stumbling block.
Neom's $10 billion joint venture with Danish transport company DSV has been delayed over missing regulatory approvals, per reports.
The partnership was due to start in the second quarter of this year, but the company told ShippingWatch that the deal had been pushed back.
"Neom is an extensive project in which DSV will be part of a joint venture for the overall logistics solutions. As we have previously stated, it requires a number of regulatory approvals, which unfortunately are taking longer to obtain than we had hoped," a DSV representative told the outlet.
The freight company is still waiting for regulatory approvals from both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Bloomberg reported.
However, the DSV representative told ShippingWatch that its "long-term expectations" for cooperation remained unchanged, adding that delays were routine for a project of this scope.
The logistics company said it was undertaking transportation services for Neom "while we wait for our joint venture to come into place. Therefore, we are ready to scale up our efforts when the approvals come."
Representatives for DSV and Neom did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Neom has suffered a series of setbacks in recent months.
In April, Bloomberg reported that population estimates for Neom's flagship project called The Line had been reduced amid concerns over finances.
The cost of the project has reportedly ballooned past estimates, with some reports putting the estimated cost for the futuristic megacity at $1.5 trillion.
Saudi officials have been keen to counter the narrative that plans for the futuristic megacity have been scaled back. In private, though, recent reports suggest that the Crown Prince is open to having "tough conversations" about his Vision 2030 ambitions.
Harlan Crow, left, and Clarence Thomas, right, in an edited image.
Joshua Zitser/Insider, AP Photo
Justice Clarence Thomas has taken several trips with GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow in recent years.
Democrats released new documents last week saying Thomas failed to disclose three additional trips.
Here is a list of the trips Thomas and Crow have taken together — that we know of.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is once again facing renewed scrutiny amid details about undisclosed trips he took with GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow.
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee last week released documents showing Thomas failed to disclose three trips he took aboard Crow's private jet in 2017, 2019, and 2021. According to Sen. Dick Durbin, the flights were gifted to Thomas.
Thomas also recently amended his 2019 financial disclosure to include two vacations paid for byCrow, according to ProPublica, that year to Indonesia and the Bohemian Grove, an exclusive gentleman's club in Monte Rio, California. ProPublica first reported on the undisclosed trips last year.
The justice has defended the missing disclosures, saying he was advised that disclosing hospitality gifts from people who had no business before the court was unnecessary.
Thomas and Crow have been friends for more than thirty years. Both have said they don't talk about politics or legal cases together, but legal experts and lawmakers have expressed ethics concerns that Crow could have an influence on Thomas, a sitting member of the most powerful court in the country.
Michael Zona, a spokesperson for Crow, told BI the billionaire provided information relevant to the Senate Judiciary Committee's requests going back seven years.
"Despite his serious and continued concerns about the legality and necessity of the inquiry, Mr. Crow engaged in good faith negotiations with the Committee from the beginning to resolve the matter," the statement said. "As a condition of this agreement, the Committee agreed to end its probe with respect to Mr. Crow."
An attorney for Thomas, Elliot S. Berke, told Business Insider the vacation information Crow provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee falls under the "personal hospitality exemption," which means it did not need to be disclosed.
"The Judicial Conference changed this provision last year, and Justice Thomas has fully complied with the new disclosure requirement," Berke said.
The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
May 2017: Montana trip
On May 7, 2017, Thomas traveled on Crow's private jet from St. Louis to Kalispell, Montana, a small mountain town known as a gateway to Glacier National Park.
According to documents released by Senate Democrats last week,the Montana excursion is among the three previously unknown trips that Thomas failed to disclose.
It remains unclear what Thomas was doing in Montana; BI could not identify any public appearances the justice made in the state at that time.
On May 9, 2017, Crow's jet left Montana for Dallas, where the billionaire resides. Beyond the flight on Crow's jet, it's unclear how much of the trip Crow paid for.
July 2017: Camp Topridge in upstate New York
ProPublica reported last year that Thomas has vacationed at Crow's lakeside resort, Camp Topridge, nearly every year for the last two decades. The secluded property is located in the Adirondacks in upstate New York and is only accessible by invitation from the billionaire himself.
According to the outlet, Topridge guests are treated to meals prepared by private chefs, guided fishing experiences, and private concerts.
During a July 2017 Topridge trip, Thomas and Crow were joined by an array of corporate leaders and political activists, including major Republican donors and executives from Verizon and PricewaterhouseCoopers, ProPublica reported.
Thomas even appears in a painting hung at the resort, which shows the Supreme Court justice conversing with conservative legal activist Leonard Leo, according to the outlet.
GOP megadonor Harlan Crow has defended his relationship with Justice Clarence Thomas after a series of bombshell ProPublica reports.
Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images
March 2019: Savannah, Georgia
Thomas's quick round trip to his hometown of Savannah, Georgia, was the second undisclosed trip revealed last week. It wasn't clear what Thomas was doing in Georgia, but he still has family members living there, including his mother.
July 2019: Bali, Indonesia
Thomas and Crow's 2019 Bali vacation was the centerpiece of ProPublica's original 2023 report. Although first reported last year, disclosure details about the Indonesia trip were included in recently amended financial disclosure forms and the Judiciary Committee's report.
According to ProPublica, Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, spent nine days vacationing with Crow and others as they sightsaw on several islands and spent time on the billionaire's 162-foot superyacht, the Michaela Rose.
July 2019: Bohemian Grove, California
Thomas amended past filings to include a 2019 vacation he took with Crow to Bohemian Grove, an exclusive, all-male club in Monte Rio, California.
ProPublica previously reported on Thomas' trips to the gentleman's retreat. The club's prestigious alumni include US presidents, military officials, artists, and top business leaders.
June 2021: Northern California
On June 29, 2021, Thomas traveled from Washington, DC, to San Jose, California, aboard Crow's jet, The Washington Post reported. He returned to DC the same day. The reason for the trip remains unknown.
Getty Images
July 2022: Camp Topridge (again)
On July 7, 2022, Thomas again boarded Crow's plane to travel to Camp Topridge — possibly for his annual summer vacation at his billionaire buddy's hideaway, ProPublica reported last year.
Other suspected trips
ProPublica said Thomas cruised through New Zealand aboard Crow's superyacht roughly a decade ago. The outlet reported that the Supreme Court Justice also boarded the Michaela Rose for a river cruise around Savannah, Georgia. A photo of Thomas donning an embroidered shirt referencing a 2007 trip through the Greek Islands suggests the justice may have also vacationed in the Mediterranean.
Thomas has also made frequent use of Crow's private jet for quick day trips and business travel, according to media reports.
"I've always been active and enjoy my work," Oliver, who gets up at 3 a.m. three times a week ahead of loading the boat — appropriately named Virginia.
She said she goes to bed at 9 p.m. the previous night so she gets enough sleep before heading out. She's an early bird, even when she's not working, typically getting up at 5:30 a.m.
"The Lobster Lady" was produced by amateur historian Wayne Gray, who befriended Oliver and her son.
He told BI he'd joined a family dinner on June 6, 2024, when Oliver celebrated her 104th birthday.
Virginia Oliver working on her lobster boat with her son.
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/Getty Images
Gray said her relatives supported her decision to keep on lobster fishing, knowing better than to interfere. He said she often piloted the boat and helped operate the winch.
She also measured the lobsters, he added, ensuring they met the size standards set by authorities in Maine
Oliver said she never felt queasy when the ocean got rough, especially after 96 years in the business. "I get wet to the gills, but I never get seasick," she told Shierholt.
Oliver still enjoys the taste of lobster
She told BI that she has not become tired of eating lobster. "I like lobster roll, as long as it's toasted," she said.
Meanwhile, she is somewhat bemused by the attention she has attracted in Maine and beyond. Last year was the subject of a children's book and has been stopped in the street for autographs.
She hoped her career — which, she said, she plans to follow until '"the day I die" — would encourage other women to enter traditionally male-dominated industries.
"I'm glad to see younger lobsterwomen following in my footsteps," she said.
Do you have a powerful story about longevity to share with Business Insider? Please send details to jridley@businessinsider.com.
The franchisee operating the 55-year-old Arby's on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard has closed it down.
"Truth is, I think it was the pandemic that did us in," 91-year-old owner Marilyn Leviton told KTLA-5.
California's $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers and a need for new equipment also led to the restaurant's closure, she said.
Beef sandwich chain Arby's has closed its restaurant on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard after 55 years of operating under one owner.
The location is no longer listed on Arby's website. Local station KTLA-5 reported that it closed on Saturday.
Since the restaurant opened in January 1969, it has only had one owner: Marilyn Leviton, now 91, per KTLA-5.
"Truth is, I think it was the pandemic that did us in," Leviton told the station. "I really feel we would have closed during the pandemic, except for the federal loans."
The Hollywood Arby's location during the FYC event for FX's "Baskets" on May 29, 2018.
Rich Fury/Getty Images
Restaurants had to dramatically change their operations during the pandemic and pivot to just offering delivery, collection, and drive-thru as in-restaurant dining was prohibited under waves of lockdowns. Restaurants also had to deal with soaring food and labor costs.
There were other strains on the business, too, Leviton told KTLA-5.
"Arby's is demanding more technical equipment, which we couldn't afford, and I don't think the $20-an-hour wage increase helped either," she said.
Arby's did not immediately respond to a request for comment made by Business Insider outside regular working hours.
KTLA-5 reported that when the Arby's location first opened, it was the only fast-food restaurant on Sunset Boulevard with a view of the Hollywood sign.
Speaking about the closure of her restaurant, Leviton said: "I'm awfully sorry that it came to this."
"I think we did a good job for 55 years," she said.
According to the lawsuit, one of the stolen items was a ruby necklace.
axivan/Getty Images
The 19-year-old daughter of a Russian mining magnate is suing her NYU roommate.
The lawsuit claims the roommate stole about $51,000 worth of luxury items, including a ruby ring.
According to the suit, she sold some of the items on The RealReal — a secondhand marketplace.
Aurora Agapov, the daughter of a Russian-American mining magnate, has accused her New York University roommate of stealing more than $50,000 worth of luxury handbags and jewelry from her.
In a lawsuit filed on May 31 in Manhattan's Supreme Court, Agapov, a 19-year-old freshman, claimed that her 18-year-old roommate, Kaitlyn Fung, sold some of the items on The RealReal — a secondhand luxury marketplace.
NBC News reported that Agapov said in the suit that the stolen items included a Solange Asagury 18-carat ruby ring worth over $23,000, a Bvlgari necklace, a Chanel bracelet, and bags from Chanel and Celine.
According to the New York Post, the first outlet to report on the lawsuit, Agopov accused Fung of selling some items significantly below their value, such as a $13,000 Bvlgari necklace for only $2,485.
The Post reported that Agapov noticed some of her belongings were missing last month.
According to the outlet, she became suspicious of Fung after finding a receipt from The RealReal in a pocketbook.
"My heart dropped," Agapov told the Post.
The items were gifted to her by her mother and held sentimental value, she told the news outlet.
The RealReal did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
In a statement provided to BI, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said universities are prohibited from speaking about specific students' disciplinary records.
However, Beckman added, "Stealing from a roommate is a lousy thing to do and a rarity among the 12,000 students we have in student housing."
He said that such actions violate both NYU's code of conduct and the law, and the university takes the matter seriously.
According to Beckman, anyone found guilty of such behavior would likely be removed from their room, face disciplinary proceedings, and could be suspended.
NBC News reported that Fung was taken into custody last month and charged with third-degree grand larceny. The criminal case is pending, according to the Post.
Fung's attorney and the New York Police Department did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.
According to the Post, Agapov is seeking $51,000 in damages in the civil suit, and the return of any unsold items.
According to the US Sun, Agapov's father is Andre Agapov, the president and CEO of Rusoro Mining, a company that mines gold and other materials, primarily in Venezuela.
Darren Robb/Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI
I'm a millennial mom and always dreamt of being the cool parent.
While pregnant I came across the concept of gentle parenting and was sold.
I realized I was enabling bad behavior from my preschool child, and stopped gentle parenting.
As a millennial mom, I've always had this fantasy of raising my child as my friend — being the "cool mom" was absolutely my dream. I was so afraid of traumatizing my son by being too firm and imposing too many rules. Would he grow up hating me? Would his only memories of me be arguments and punishments? Would he label me as a dictator to his friends?
I was convinced I could raise a child by giving him free rein. While pregnant, I read up on parenting styles and came across an ultramodern movement called "gentle parenting." It instantly struck me as empathetic, respectful, and mindful.
It promised a deep bond between parent and child, with a strong focus on the child's feelings. It leaned more toward giving children choices instead of orders. Importantly, it frowned upon punitive tactics. It perfectly aligned with what I wanted from motherhood— peacefulness — or so I thought.
Gentle parenting worked when my child was little
Gentle parenting was relatively easy during early motherhood. I managed to avoid using the word "no," I didn't implement time-outs, and if my son really didn't want to do something, instead of being reactive, I would exercise a level of patience and graciousness that previous generations probably wouldn't have. I always tried my best to model a sense of calmness by giving my son a safe space to experience his negative emotions. This seemed like a fundamental aspect of gentle parenting.
However, as my son approached preschool age, it became apparent that he would struggle in school — and the real world — if I didn't change my approach to parenting. His tantrums would go on for too long, he would be defiant with everyday tasks, and he would struggle to recognize authority. Even when I followed the gentle parenting scripts laid out by gurus, everything felt like an ongoing tug of war.
I had joined numerous parenting groups on social media to get a better idea of how to handle certain situations, such as my son's refusal to brush his teeth. Instead of seeing rational responses, I was shocked to find some parents suggesting to avoid brushing teeth to keep children happy while defining it as "negotiable" This seemed unacceptable to me.
I needed to change my parenting strategy
I quickly realized that every child has varying levels of noncompliance, and in order for my son to assimilate well outside the home, he couldn't keep up with his behavior (which I had admittedly enabled).
I could no longer align myself with the parental restrictiveness of the movement. I felt like I was treading on eggshells all the time. The pressure to be the perfect, patient parent was wearing me down.
I found gentle parenting to be unrealistic and stressful — it was making me miserable. A small but recent study found that 40% of gentle parents who were interviewed confessed to being overwhelmed, exhausted, hard on themselves, and uncertain. I can definitely relate. Confining myself to a parenting style wasn't feasible — I needed to be adaptable to changing situations and moods with my son, which required a blended approach.
Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that gentle parenting is way too gentle. Children need to learn that the world doesn't revolve around their personal feelings. Children need a level of firmness and accountability. There should be balance instead of leaning toward extremes for the sake of fitting into parenting structures.
In all honesty, drifting away from gentle parenting made me realize that parenting is more about trusting your gut than following scripts and best practices. I've learned to be myself and foster a healthy mother-son relationship with my child by enforcing firm limits and expectations while always giving warmth and support.
That's not to say I don't believe in gentle parenting. I definitely still believe in treating children with respect, modeling behaviors for children, and regulating myself as a parent before reacting.