Stock Pick

  • X is pushing advertisers to use Grok, the sarcastic, not ‘woke’ AI bot. They’re not interested.

    Elon Musk on a red carpet.
    Elon Musk.

    Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

    • 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.

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  • Virtual reality could unlock better treatment for psychosis — a use case that’s gaining traction globally

    Woman wearing VR Glasses

    Tolgart/Getty Images

    • 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."

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  • Humans and Neanderthals only had sex for a brief period, but it still fundamentally changed our DNA

    A girl looks through a replica of a Neanderthal skull
    Humans have Neanderthal DNA as a result of interbreeding tens of thousands of years ago.

    Nikola Solic/Reuters

    • 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?

    Two Neanderthal skeletons on display at The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
    A pair of Neanderthal skeletons at The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History show how the species' body changed over thousands of years.

    Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    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

    Neanderthal Evolution
    An exhibit at the Neanderthal Museum imagines what the human relatives' lives were like.

    Reuters/Nikola Solic

    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.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • Silicon Valley is warming up to Donald Trump

    Donald Trump smirking
    The fundraiser reportedly took place in California.

    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    • 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.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • The Walmart heirs have added more than $53 billion to their combined net worth this year — second only to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

    Rob, Alice and Jim Walton
    Rob, Alice, and Jim Walton at a Walmart annual meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

    Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images

    • The heirs to Walmart founder Sam Walton have added $53.7 billion to their combined wealth this year.
    • Only Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has seen a larger increase in his net worth on Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.
    • The Walton family fortune surged as Walmart's share price rallied to all-time highs this week.

    It's no secret that Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang has had an explosive year so far when it comes to his personal net worth.

    Huang has more than doubled his fortune since January, adding more than $62 billion as the chipmaker's stock is up 40% year-to-date.

    And while Mark Zuckerberg saw the second-highest growth in individual wealth in 2024, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, the combined gains seen by the Walmart heirs outpaced the Meta CEO.

    As of Thursday, Walmart founder Sam Walton's three children and grandson have added a combined $53.7 billion to their wealth this year as Walmart's stock rallied to record highs. The family controls about 45% of Walmart's shares.

    While Rob, Alice, and Jim Walton are worth roughly $87 billion apiece, the younger Lukas is worth $31.1 billion, putting their family's fortune at more than $293 billion — far above the individual wealth of Bernard Arnault, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk.

    Rob Walton, the eldest son, first joined Walmart with his father in 1969 and retired this week after more than 40 years on the company's board of directors.

    37-year-old Lukas Walton, whose father John Walton died in 2005, is the wealthiest person in Illinois and spends much of his time and money working on environmental issues.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • Dollar General has shut down self-checkout at a whooping 12,000 stores in the last few months. Here’s why.

    dollar general storefront people
    Dollar General has cut thousands of self-checkout locations to fight theft.

    AP Photo/Eric Gay

    • Dollar General removed self-checkout from more than half of its stores this spring.
    • The retailer has struggled with theft and other forms of lost inventory.
    • It's the latest chain store to reverse course on self-checkout.

    Dollar General's rollback of self-checkout picked up steam this spring.

    The retailer cut self-checkout from 12,000 of its 20,000 stores, CEO Todd Vasos said during an earnings call late last month. Dollar General ended self-checkout at 3,000 stores in May alone, he said.

    "Moving forward, we plan to have self-checkout options available in a limited number of stores, most of which are higher-volume and low-shrink locations," Vasos said. "Shrink" is a metric that includes losses from theft as well as other sources, such as inventory that is damaged and has to be written off.

    Dollar General's shift away from self-checkout has been dramatic. In March, the company said it offered that option at 14,000 of its stores.

    Back then, the retailer said it planned to eliminate self-checkout from just 300 stores and convert thousands more to a model that directed customers first to a staffed checkout, only using self-checkout when foot traffic increased.

    Dollar General's crackdown is part of its plan to reduce inventory losses, including from shoplifting.

    "Shrink continues to be the most significant headwind in our business," Vasos said on the latest earnings call. Besides rolling back self-checkout, Dollar General is reducing the amount of inventory shops have on hand — overstocked stores have been an issue for the retailer in the past.

    It's not the only retailer that's changed course on self-checkout lately. Earlier this year, Target started limiting self-checkout operating hours at some of its stores, for example.

    Walmart also pulled self-checkout lanes and added human cashiers at a few stores in New Mexico last year.

    Do you work at Dollar General, Dollar Tree, or another retail chain and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • Burger King turns 70 this year. Photos show how the chain has evolved.

    burger king
    A Burger King restaurant in 1982.

    Bernard CHARLON/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

    • In 1954, the first Burger King restaurant opened its doors.
    • Four years later, the chain released the Whopper, its most iconic menu item.
    • The chain has since expanded to include chicken and vegetarian options on its menu.

    Burger King is the second-largest fast-food burger chain in the world, and it isn't for lack of trying.

    An early iteration of Burger King, called Insta-Burger King, opened its doors in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1953. However, the company claims the first actual Burger King opened in 1954. The chain has been serving up signature flame-broiled burgers, milkshakes, and fries that have satisfied customers all over the globe ever since.

    We examined how the chain has evolved over the years, from mascot and menu changes to restaurant redesigns.

    Here's how Burger King has changed since its beginnings in the 1950s.

    An early iteration of Burger King called Insta-Burger King opened in 1953.
    Burger King
    Insta-Burger King.

    Burger King

    Founded in Jacksonville, Florida, by Keith Kramer and Matthew Burns, the company was taken over in 1954 by David Edgerton and James McLamore. They decided to expand the chain's locations.

    In 1967, Burger King was purchased by the Pillsbury Company. At the time of the purchase, Burger King had 274 restaurants across the United States, according to Encyclopedia, and was worth an estimated $18 million.

    It was the second-largest fast-food chain in the country, behind McDonald's.

    Today, Burger King has ‎18,700 locations worldwide.
    burger king 2010
    A customer walks into a Burger King restaurant on August 24, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois.

    Scott Olson/Getty Images

    However, just like when Burger King first opened, the chain falls short of McDonald's, which has more than 40,000 locations worldwide.

    An early version of the Burger King logo featured curved letters sandwiched between two yellow burger buns.
    burger king
    A Burger King restaurant in 1982.

    Bernard CHARLON/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

    Other versions included images of the Burger King, the chain's mascot at the time.

    Burger King's current logo has remained the same since its introduction in 1998.
    Burger king sign
    Burger King sign.

    Scott Olson / Getty Images

    The logo includes a similar motif of the red Burger King name sandwiched between two yellow buns but also features a blue swirl around it.

    Burger King grew in popularity due to its quick-service model.
    bk employee
    Catherine Thomas, a crew member at Burger King 600 Broadway in New York City in 1989.

    Glen Martin/The Denver Post/Getty Images

    Early stores made use of a device called an "Insta-Broiler," according to Mashed. The machine cooked burgers extremely quickly and was required to be used in all Burger King restaurants in the 1950s.

    In 1957, Burger King released its signature burger, the Whopper, which is still around today.
    burger king
    Burger King Whopper.

    Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

    The Whopper cost 37 cents, compared to Burger King's original burger, which cost 18 cents, and came with sauce, cheese, lettuce, pickles, and tomato piled on top of a larger patty.

    Burger King still broils and flame-grills its burgers. Today, the price of a Whopper depends on location — in New York City, for example, it varies by restaurant but costs around $7.

    Pillsbury executive Norman Brinker brought great success to Burger King and notably started what's now known as the "Burger Wars."
    burger king customers
    Burger King introduces its new Big King hamburger, 1997.

    James Leynse/Corbis/Getty Images

    Brinker wanted Burger King to overcome its biggest competition, McDonald's, in both sales and product quality. 

    In the late 1970s, Brinker started what would come to be known as the "Burger Wars" when a Burger King ad called McDonald's out by name and claimed that the chain's burgers were smaller, according to Forbes.

    McDonald's tried to sue the company, but sales began to take off.

    From the 1960s to the 1980s, the Burger King mascot was a cartoon king. In 2004, Burger King revealed its new mascot, "The King."
    burger king
    Burger King's mascot.

    Evan Agostini/Getty Images

    The mascot became known for his plastic, smiling head. The head was originally used in the 1970s as an inspiration for the drawn character. After it was restored, the head would become an iconic symbol for the brand.

    The King appeared in his first commercial in 2004. In the ad, he woke up next to a man in bed before handing him a breakfast sandwich.

    The character was pulled from Burger King ads in 2011 after complaints that the king was "creepy."

    "People want a reason to go back to Burger King … There are no plans to bring the King back anytime soon," Alex Macedo, then senior vice president of marketing, told USA Today, according to Forbes.

    However, in 2015, the King was back on his throne.
    burger king mascot
    The Burger King mascot stands outside the stadium prior to the kickoff of Super Bowl XLII between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots in February 2008.

    TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

    Burger King reportedly paid $1 million for the King to appear in Floyd Mayweather's entourage during his boxing match against Manny Pacquiao.

    According to Adweek's Lost Remote, the conversation around Burger King increased by 1,343% on May 3, the day of the fight, compared to the previous day.

    However, publicity was largely negative due to the fact that Mayweather had pleaded guilty to domestic abuse charges and had spent time in jail.

    Burger King has since focused its advertisements on showcasing its food's high-quality ingredients with no preservatives added.
    Burger King moldy whopper
    Burger King's "moldy burger" ad.

    Courtesy of Burger King

    This 2020 advertisement shows a Whopper decomposing and molding over a 28-day period, intending to show that Burger King food is "real" and free of artificial preservatives. The video had 2.1 million views on YouTube as of July 14, 2020, but has been set to private by the chain's YouTube channel as of June 2024.

    "At Burger King we believe that real food tastes better," Fernando Machado, Restaurant Brands International's chief marketing officer, said in a press release. "That's why we are working hard to remove preservatives, colors, and flavors from artificial sources from the food we serve in all countries around the world."

    In the 1980s, Burger King began to see a decline in sales.
    Burger king 2012 france employee counter
    A Burger King employee serving a customer.

    Anne-Christine Poujoulat / Getty Images

    After Brinker left the company to start his own restaurant, sales declined.

    However, when Burger King made the switch from Pepsi-Cola products to Coca-Cola, sales began to rise, History of Branding reported.

    Burger King also attempted to attract new customers with a larger menu that included chicken and fish sandwiches.
    burger king employee
    Fast-food employees at a Burger King in France, 1982.

    John van Hasselt/Corbis/Getty Images

    In 1979, former McDonald's executive Donald N. Smith introduced the new menu items and signature burgers as a strategy to target older customers who were willing to spend a little more on quality food, according to Encyclopedia. 

    The plan worked and sales rose by 15%.

    Since then, Burger King has continued to add new items to its menus.
    burger king employee
    Burger King employee Fabiola Duran prepares a low-carbohydrate version of the Whopper during the lunchtime rush in 2004.

    AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

    In 2004, the chain advertised a "low-carb" version of its Whopper, which meant taking away the bun.

    In 1978, Smith began testing breakfast items.
    burger king croissanwich
    An ad for Burger King's Croissan'wich.

    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    The chain originally ran into problems with its flame broilers. While they could easily cook burgers, it was harder for the broilers to cook breakfast items in the same way that a traditional grill could.

    The Croissan'wich was introduced in 1983 and French Toast sticks were released in 1985.
    Burger King Breakfast Sandwich 5
    Burger King Croissan'wich.

    Hollis Johnson

    Burger King's breakfast menu includes multiple kinds of croissant-based breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, biscuit sandwiches, hash browns, and breakfast burritos.

    Some menu items that have come and gone include Burger King's Angus 'Shroom and Swiss steak burger and its Italian chicken sandwich.
    bk menu 2005
    Drive-thru menu at Burger King on November 4, 2005.

    Gordon Chibroski/Portland Press Herald/Getty Images

    In 2005, Burger King launched its Angus 'Shroom and Swiss steak burger. The Italian chicken sandwich was an iteration of the original chicken sandwich topped with cheese and tomato sauce.

    Burger King brought back a similar chicken parm sandwich in 2017, Fox News reported, but the item has since been removed from the menu.

    Now, spicy chicken sandwiches are among the most popular items on many fast-food menus.
    Burger King Spicy Chicken Sandwich
    Burger King spicy chicken sandwich.

    Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

    Burger King's spicy chicken sandwich arrived in 2018. It competes with popular spicy chicken sandwiches from Chick-fil-A or Popeyes.

    In years past, the more meat the better.
    angry whopper
    Burger King's "Angry Triple Whopper" with three beef patties, bacon, pepper jack cheese, jalapeno peppers, "Angry" onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and "Angry" sauce.

    PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

    Burger King now only offers one triple-stacked burger, but fans fondly remember fan favorites like the Angry Triple Whopper. In 2019, the chain brought the Angry Whopper back for a limited time before removing it from the menu again.

    But in 2019, Burger King introduced plant-based burgers to its menu, becoming the first major national fast-food chain to do so.
    GettyImages 1160320537
    Burger King Impossible Whopper.

    Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Burger King's Impossible Whopper was hugely successful for the chain. According to CNN, Burger King reported a 10% increase in sales following the launch of the Impossible Burger in 2019.

    However, while the burger is plant-based, Burger King came under fire after a customer sued the company for serving a burger that was not actually 100% vegan.

    Since the patties are cooked on the same grills as traditional meat burgers, they may come into contact with meat by-products. Burger King said it never advertised the burgers as vegan or promised to cook them in a particular way.

    However, if customers would like to make the burger vegan, they can ask for it to be microwaved and for it to be served without mayonnaise, per the company's website.

    Burger King was the first fast-food restaurant chain to offer dining rooms.
    1980s burger king
    A young girl eating a bagel sandwich in Burger King fast-food restaurant in 1988.

    Ted Kirk/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

    When Burger King added its plastic-furnished eating areas in the 1950s, its drive-thru windows were gradually phased out. However, in 1975, the drive-thru windows were reintroduced, according to Encyclopedia.

    Burger King ushered in the internet age when it introduced its own version of an internet cafe in the late 1990s.
    bk internet cafe
    People surf the web at a Burger King with internet access on November 17, 2000, in New York.

    Chris Hondros/Newsmakers/Getty Images

    One Burger King restaurant, located on Broadway in New York City, allowed customers to surf the web at one of 20 PC computers if they purchased a meal.

    Today, you won't find computers in Burger King restaurants.
    burger king
    Burger King customers waiting in line.

    REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

    However, you'll probably find free WiFi and some self-service machines where you can place your order.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • GameStop’s meme stock run makes no sense — and GameStop may turn it into a $3 billion windfall

    gamestop gamestop gamestop
    GameStop might soon be $3 billion richer after its meme status has recently juiced the stock.

    SOPA Images/Getty Images

    • GameStop, the company, is in trouble. GameStop, the stock, is roaring.
    • GameStop, the company, has already turned some of that stock into a $1 billion windfall, by selling shares.
    • Now it could make another $2 billion-plus doing the same thing. That doesn't seem right? But it's rational.

    If you're into the GameStop/Roaring Kitty story, it's perfectly reasonable to ask questions like: "How high can the stock go this time?" And "Will this dude become a billionaire?"

    I have different questions: Is GameStop — a company with a very cloudy future — really going to make billions of dollars from its latest meme stock run? And if it does, what will it do with that money? Also: Doesn't this feel very wrong?

    We can answer some of this now:

    GameStop has already made $1 billion by selling 45 million shares of its stock last month, when Keith Gill/Roaring Kitty sparked another meme run.

    On Friday, it announced it is going to sell up to 75 million more shares (which is the likely reason the shares are down Friday). Luke Kawa at Sherwood News did some back-of-the-envelope math and estimates that this share sale could raise another $2.5 billion (!) for the company.

    In both cases, GameStop says it has no plans for all that cash. It's just going to hang on to it and … who knows?

    Reminder: GameStop is a declining, money-losing company with a grim future. It makes money selling video games, but that business is in a permanent shift from physical goods to digital retail, and in that world, there's really very little reason for GameStop to exist.

    That's why the company's shares were massively shorted prior to the January 2021 short squeeze/meme stock mania that sent them soaring to crazy levels, and that's why they crashed back to earth prior to last month, when Gill/Kitty sparked another meme run.

    So this isn't investment advice. But: Buying shares of GameStop makes as much sense as buying lotto tickets. Maybe you'll win! But odds are you won't.

    On the other hand, it makes plenty of sense for GameStop managers to turn meme stock investors into cash. It doesn't mean that cash will turn the company around — AMC, the troubled theater chain that's also a meme stock, has done the same thing multiple times and remains troubled. And it also feels … off.

    But it's very rational: There's no reason that the same GameStop shares that were worth $11 in April should sell for $37 Friday. But as long as they are, why not take the money?

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • WHERE ARE THEY NOW: First kids of the United States

    barack obama malia sasha
    President Barack Obama with his daughters Sasha (left) and Malia.

    Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

    • Children of US presidents are in the public eye almost as much as their parents.
    • Some first kids follow their parents into politics, while others steer clear of the limelight.
    • Many remain involved with their parents' foundations and presidential libraries.

    Children of US presidents are in the public eye almost as much as their famous parents. Some first kids have followed their parents into politics, while others have preferred to stay out of the limelight.

    As evidenced by Hunter Biden's ongoing firearms trial, even adult children of presidents aren't exempt from public scrutiny.

    Here's what every living child of a former US president is doing now.

    Melissa Stanger, Melia Robinson, and James Pasley contributed to previous versions of this article. It was originally published in 2015 and has been updated annually since 2021.

    Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, was just 3 years old when she moved into the White House in 1961.
    Caroline Kennedy, wearing red shoes, perches on a swing set on the White House lawn
    Caroline Kennedy perches on a swing set on the White House lawn.

    CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

    After John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy moved the family to Manhattan.

    Caroline Kennedy went on to attend Radcliffe College and Columbia Law School, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

    Kennedy served as the US ambassador to Japan for three years.
    Former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg presents the 2019 Profile in Courage Award to U.S. House Speaker Pelosi in Boston
    Caroline Kennedy.

    Brian Snyder/Reuters

    Kennedy was the first woman to serve as ambassador to Japan, AP News reported. During her tenure, former President Barack Obama strengthened his relationship with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. She resigned from the job shortly after President Donald Trump was sworn in in 2017.

    The former attorney also serves as president of the JFK Presidential Library and has written bestselling books on constitutional law, American history, and poetry.

    In 2019, she presented House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, The Huffington Post reported.

    Caroline is married to American designer Edwin Schlossberg and they have three children. 

    President Lyndon B. Johnson's daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson, held her wedding at the White House in 1967.
    President Lyndon Johnson escorts daughter Lynda Bird Johnson on her wedding day.
    President Lyndon Johnson escorts daughter Lynda prior to her wedding ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

    Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

    Lynda Bird Johnson married Chuck Robb, who went on to serve as the governor of Virginia from 1982 to 1986 and the state's senator from 1989 to 2001.

    The bride wore a gown designed by Geoffrey Beene, embellished with buttons at the high neck and down the princess-line seams.

    Today, Johnson Robb advocates for equal rights for women and minorities.
    Lynda Bird Johnson Robb speaks in Washington in 2013.
    Lynda Bird Johnson Robb.

    Carolyn Kaster/AP

    The former Virginia first lady is the oldest living child of a US president at 80 years old. In the '70s, she chaired the President's Advisory Committee for Women to help carry out former President Jimmy Carter's mandate to promote gender equality, according to the White House Historical Association.

    Johnson Robb, whose father signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act, spoke at the 50th anniversary ceremony of the March on Washington and attended the remembrance banquet for the 50th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" assault in Selma, Alabama.

    She has openly supported same-sex marriage, and she and her sister, Luci, told Katie Couric in an interview in 2014 that she believes her father would have, too, The Huffington Post reported.

    In 2019, the Johnson sisters christened a warship bearing their father's name by smashing champagne bottles against the ship, AP News reported.

    The younger Johnson daughter, Luci Baines Johnson, also had a White House wedding.
    Luci Baines Johnson at her wedding at the White House in 1966
    Luci Baines Johnson and Pat Nugent with their wedding cake at the White House in 1966.

    Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

    Baines Johnson married Patrick Nugent in 1966 in a gown designed by Priscilla Kidder.

    The couple held their ceremony at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and their wedding reception in the East Room of the White House. They had four children and divorced in 1979.

    Baines Johnson then married investor Ian J. Turpin in 1984.

    Baines Johnson now chairs the private holding company her mother founded 70 years ago.
    Luci Baines Johnson smiles and looks off to the side
    Luci Baines Johnson.

    Jay Janner-Pool/Getty Images

    Baines Johnson and Turpin took the helm of LBJ Asset Management Partners in the late '80s and completely turned the business around during the economic crisis.

    In 2020, she took part in a Facebook live event supporting Texas Democrats, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

    President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia Nixon Cox, held her wedding in the White House Rose Garden in 1971.
    Tricia Nixon's wedding in the White House Rose Garden in 1971
    Edward Finch Cox and Tricia Nixon Cox at their wedding.

    Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

    Tricia Nixon and Edward Finch Cox met at a high school dance in 1963 and dated throughout college, according to the Richard Nixon Foundation.

    Their wedding was the first to be held outdoors in the White House Rose Garden.

    Today, Nixon Cox lives a quiet life with her family in Manhattan.
    Patricia Nixon Cox speaks as an event
    Tricia Nixon Cox.

    T. J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images

    Nixon Cox accompanied her father on many campaign stops and state trips during his presidency, but has largely steered clear of the spotlight since.

    Trisha serves as a trustee of the Richard Nixon Foundation, according to the foundation's official website.

    She and Cox celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2021 with an event at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, The Orange County Register reported. They have one son, Christopher.

    Julie Nixon Eisenhower, who married President Dwight Eisenhower's grandson in 1968, volunteered as a White House tour guide during her father's presidency.
    Julie Nixon at the White House in 1969
    Julie Nixon Eisenhower leading a tour at the White House.

    Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

    In the summer of 1969, Nixon Eisenhower led tours of the White House for people with impaired vision.

    "Children and adults felt the scaled serpent legs of the wooden Empire sofa in the Red Room, enjoyed the smoothness of the silk tassels on the draperies in the Green Room, and touched the cool silver of the two-hundred-year-old coffee urn that had belonged to John and Abigail Adams," she wrote in a biography of her mother titled "Pat Nixon: The Untold Story," according to the White House Historical Association.

    Nixon Eisenhower has written several biographies and serves as a trustee of her father's presidential library.
    Julie Nixon Eisenhower smiles at the camera
    Julie Nixon Eisenhower.

    Cliff Owen/AP

    A staunch supporter of her father after the Watergate scandal, Nixon Eisenhower went on to establish a career as an author.

    In addition to writing a biography about her mother and a cookbook for children, she and her husband, David Eisenhower, authored a memoir about her grandfather-in-law called "Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969."

    She also chaired the President's Commission on White House Fellowships from 2002 to 2006, according to the Nixon Foundation.

    Michael Ford (first on the right) had recently married Gayle Ann Brumbaugh when his father, President Gerald Ford, took office.
    The Ford family in the Oval Office of the White House
    From left to right: Steve Ford, John Ford, first lady Betty Ford, President Gerald Ford, Susan Ford, daughter-in-law Gayle Ann Ford, and her husband Michael Ford.

    White House Photos/Getty Images

    Michael was also a student at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, an evangelical seminary in Massachusetts, according to the Gerald Ford Foundation.

    Michael spent 36 years overseeing campus life at Wake Forest University.
    michael gerald ford
    Michael Ford.

    Rex Larsen-Pool/Getty

    Michael Ford, who went by "Mike," returned to his alma mater, Wake Forest University, in 1981 as associate dean of campus life. He retired in 2017 after 36 years, Wake Forest Magazine reported. He serves as a trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, according to its official website.

    John "Jack" Gardner Ford was known as the president's "free-spirited, shaggy-haired son," according to the Los Angeles Times
    John "Jack" Gardner Ford at the White House in 1975
    John "Jack" Gardner Ford (right) with White House photographer David Hume Kennerly at the White House.

    David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

    During Ford's presidency, Jack studied at Utah State University and worked as a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park during the summers, according to the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.

    Jack became an entrepreneur.
    john gerald jack ford
    Jack Ford.

    Tasos Katopodis/Getty

    Jack grew into a successful entrepreneur. The startup he cofounded, California Infotech, provided electronic information kiosks to shopping malls, author Doug Wead wrote in "All the Presidents' Children." He also helped launch Outside magazine.

    After appearing at half a dozen Republican National Conventions, Jack served as executive director of the San Diego host committee for the RNC in 1996, the Hartford Courant reported.

    In 1989, he married Juliann Felando.

    Steven Ford was 18 years old when his father became president.
    Steven Ford, son of Gerald Ford, at the White House
    Steven Ford (second from the left) chats with White House staff.

    David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

    Known as the "charmer of the family" according to the Miller Center, Steven worked as a ranch hand in Utah, Montana, and Idaho instead of going straight to college.

    Steven became an actor, appearing in "The Young and The Restless" and several Hollywood blockbusters.
    steven ford
    Steven Ford.

    Alex Wong/Getty

    Steven joined the cast of the television soap opera "The Young and The Restless" in 1981, playing P.I. Andy Richards. After six seasons and a role reprisal in 2002, he has since appeared in a number of films, including "Armageddon," "Black Hawk Down," "When Harry Met Sally," and "Transformers."

    Ford ended his tenure as chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation in 2014, though he remains on the board of trustees. He continues to honor the legacy of his father's administration giving speeches across the country. His most requested talks are "Inside the White House and Hollywood" and "Getting to the Top with Character," according to Red Propeller Speakers Bureau.

    In 1975, 17-year-old Susan Ford held her senior prom in the East Room of the White House.
    Susan Ford dances at her prom held at the White House in 1975
    Susan Ford and Sandcastle front man Billy Etheridge dance at the 1975 Holton Arms School Senior Prom.

    CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

    The youngest of the Ford children, Susan lived in the White House full-time. Her senior class raised all the funds for the prom, including the fee for bands Sandcastle and the Outerspace Band, and elected her prom queen, Vanity Fair reported. It remains the only prom to have ever been held in the White House.

    Susan also took up photography under the mentorship of White House photographer David Kennerly, according to the Miller Center.

    Susan has since worked as a photojournalist, breast cancer advocate, and a trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.
    susan ford bales
    Susan Ford Bales.

    Getty

    Ford Bales worked as a photojournalist for the Associated Press, Newsweek, Money Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, the Topeka Capital-Journal, and the Omaha Sun, according to the White House Historical Association. She has also written two novels set in the White House, "Double Exposure: A First Daughter Mystery"  and "Sharp Focus."

    Ford Bales launched National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in conjunction with her mother, and she succeeded her mother as chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center, according to the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. She has also called for better efforts to identify causes and cures to heart disease, after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest herself in 2013.

    She married Charles Vance, one of her father's former secret service agents, in 1978, The Washington Post reported. They had two children before divorcing in 1988. She later married attorney Vaden Bales.

    She served as a trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation from 1982 until her retirement in June 2023.

    John William "Jack" Carter is President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter's oldest son.
    President Jimmy Carter and his extended family.
    A portrait of President Jimmy Carter and his extended family. Jack Carter is third from the left, holding son Jason James Carter.

    CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

    Jack and his then-wife Judy had a young son of their own, Jason James, when Jimmy Carter took office.

    Jack ran for a Nevada seat in the US Senate.
    john william jack carter nevada senate 2006
    Jack Carter.

    John Locher/AP

    In 2006, Jack ran for the first major office the Carter family has sought since 1980. He sealed the Democratic nomination for a US Senate seat in Nevada, but was unsuccessful against an incumbent Republican senator in the general election.

    Jack spent most of his career in the investment and finance industry, The New York Times reported. He has been married twice and has two children.

    James Earl "Chip" Carter worked for his family's peanut farming business.
    Chip Carter at Jimmy Carter's inaugural ball
    Chip Carter and Caron Griffith at President Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Ball.

    Mikki Ansin/Getty Images

    He attended his father's inaugural ball with his then-wife Caron Griffith in 1977, where they were interviewed by American gossip columnist Rona Barrett.

    Chip has since participated in the Democratic National Committee and served as a member of Plains City Council.
    A photo of James "Chip" Carter speaking during a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
    James "Chip" Carter speaks during a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

    Andrew Harnik/AP Photos

    Chip worked as president and CEO at Friendship Force, a not-for-profit that organized international exchanges for homestays, The Intelligencer reported.

    He has been married three times and has a son and a daughter, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

    His son James Carter IV — the grandson of Jimmy Carter — made headlines during the 2012 presidential election after he helped unearth the infamous "47%" video that ostracized nominee Mitt Romney. James Carter IV later received a thank-you note from former President Barack Obama, CBS News reported.

    Donnel Jeffrey "Jeff" Carter and his wife, Annette, were newlyweds when they moved into the White House with his parents.
    Jeff Carter, son of Jimmy Carter, with wife Annette
    Jeff Carter, the son of President Jimmy Carter, with his wife, Annette.

    Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

    Jeff and Annette met at Georgia Southwestern University and married in 1975 during Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. They spent the first years of their married life in the White House.

    "While living in the White House, Jeff and Annette helped host everybody from Bob Dylan to Pope John Paul II," their son Josh wrote in Annette's obituary in September 2021 published on the website for Josh's podcast, Unchanging Principles. "In some of Annette's favorite White House memories, she greeted the cast of Star Wars after the release of 'A New Hope' and John Travolta after he starred in 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Grease.' These experiences were quite extraordinary for Jeff and Annette's first few years of marriage."

    Jeff launched a computer-electronics company.
    Jeff Carter, son of Jimmy Carter, in 2005
    Jeff Carter volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

    R. Diamond/WireImage/Getty Images

    Jeff co-founded Computer Mapping Consultants, a firm that became a consultancy for the World Bank in 1978 and held foreign government contracts, The Bryan Times reported.

    He and Annette had three children together. In 2018, their 28-year-old son Jeremy died from a suspected heart attack.

    President Jimmy Carter's youngest child, Amy Carter, was 9 years old when her father's presidency began.
    Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, and Amy Carter with the White House in the background
    Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, and Amy Carter on the South Lawn of the White House,

    HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Amy had a pet Siamese cat named Misty who accompanied her to Camp David and took up residence in her doll house.

    Amy illustrated a children's book that her father wrote.
    Amy Carter at Rosalynn Carter's funeral
    Amy Carte at a tribute service for her mother, Rosalynn Carter.

    Brynn Anderson-Pool/Getty Images

    Amy became a political activist in the '80s and '90s, and she was even arrested at a CIA recruitment protest. She later received a master's degree from Tulane in art history and wed computer consultant James Wentzel in 1996. At her wedding ceremony she was not given away, saying she did not belong to anyone, People magazine reported. She had one child with Wentzel, a son named Hugo James Wentzel. They later divorced, and she married John Joseph "Jay" Kelly in 2007. They share another son, Errol Carter Kelly, the Americus Times-Recorder reported.

    Amy worked with her dad on the 1995 children's book "The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer," which Jimmy wrote and she illustrated, about a boy who befriends a monster, but she has otherwise stayed out of public life.

    Michael Reagan was adopted by Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Jane Wyman, three years before the couple divorced.
    Ronald Reagan with son Michael Reagan boarding Marine One in 1988
    President Ronald Reagan with son Michael Reagan in the doorway of Marine One.

    Diana Walker/Getty Images

    He is the last living child of Reagan's first marriage.

    Michael became a successful radio talk-show host.
    Michael Reagan
    Michael Reagan.

    Getty Images

    After a stint working in aerospace, the powerboat-racing enthusiast found his niche as a political radio talk-show host, according to his official website.

    In his retirement, Michael writes op-eds for outlets such as The Washington Examiner, contributes to Newsmax Media, and serves as president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation.

    Michael has been married twice and has two children.

    Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, followed in her father's footsteps as an actress.
    The Reagan family on Christmas in the White House.
    President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan with daughter Patti Davis (right), and son Ron Jr. and his wife Doria (left) at the White House on Christmas.

    Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

    During the 1980s, she appeared in TV movies such as "Curse of the Pink Panther" and "For Ladies Only," as well as shows like "Romance Theatre" and "The Love Boat."

    She didn't always have the easiest relationship with her parents — she wrote a tell-all memoir detailing "her father's emotional abandonment of her, her mother's cruelty, and the family's bitter rivalries, uncontrollable rage, and dark secrets," according to the book's Amazon listing. 

    Patti married Paul Grilley in 1984, People magazine reported. They divorced in 1990.

    Davis is the author of multiple fiction and nonfiction novels.
    patti davis
    Patti Davis.

    Associated Press/Chris Pizzello

    Davis has opened up about struggling with a number of personal obstacles, including drug addiction, self-harm, and an eating disorder, and published more than half a dozen works.

    She blogs regularly on her website and in 2017, wrote an editorial for The Daily Beast on her father's shooter called "Don't Let My Dad's Shooter Go Free." In 2019, she told Yahoo News her father would be "horrified" about democracy during the era of President Donald Trump.

    She released her latest memoir, "Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer's," in 2021.

    In 2023, she wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times expressing regret for publishing her tell-all memoir that "flung open the gates of our troubled family life."

    Ron Reagan Jr. dropped out of Yale to become a professional ballet dancer.
    Nancy Reagan hugs Ron Reagan Jr after a ballet performance
    President Reagan watching Ron hug Nancy after a ballet performance.

    Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images

    As a member of the Joffrey Ballet, Reagan Jr. danced in John Cranko's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' at City Center, Frederick Ashton's ''Illuminations,'' Mr. Cranko's ''Pineapple Poll,'' and Antony Tudor's ''Offenbach in the Underworld.'' He left the ballet company in 1983, The New York Times reported.

    Reagan Jr. now provides political analysis as an MSNBC contributor.
    Ron Reagan Jr.
    Ron Reagan.

    Getty Images

    Reagan Jr. tried his hand at a number of careers before arriving in journalism and joining MSNBC as a political analysis contributor. He has expressed strong opposition to Trump.

    Unlike his father, Reagan Jr. has very liberal political views. The "unabashed atheist" recorded a comical PSA for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which ran during Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" in 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported.

    He married Doria Palmieri, a clinical psychologist, in 1980. She died in 2014, and he married Federica Basagni in 2018, The Daily Beast reported.

    George W. Bush, the oldest of President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush's children, went to Yale and worked in the oil business before venturing into politics himself.
    George W. Bush and Laura Bush at George HW Bush's inauguration in 1989
    George W. Bush (first on right) at his father's inauguration.

    Diana Walker/Getty Images

    George W. Bush campaigned for his father in 1988 and purchased the Texas Rangers baseball team a year later. He served as governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

    He served as president from 2001 to 2009, and he has since taken up painting.
    Former President George W. Bush pauses as speaks at the state funeral for his father, former President George H.W. Bush, at the Washington National Cathedral on December 5, 2018 i
    George W. Bush.

    Alex Brandon / Pool / Getty

    George W. Bush served as the 43rd president at the start of the war in Iraq. He was criticized for his handling of the "War on Terror," Hurricane Katrina, and other challenges, The New York Times reported. 

    He has mostly steered clear of politics since leaving office, but he called for the end of the partial government shutdown on Instagram in 2019. Bush posted a photo featuring him and his wife, Laura Bush, handing pizza over to their Secret Service detail, who were working without pay.

    In 2021, he revealed that he wrote in Condoleezza Rice's name on his 2020 election ballot.

    "She knows it," he told People magazine. "But she told me she would refuse to accept the office."

    He also gave the maximum allowed political contributions to Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, two Republicans who supported impeaching Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot.

    Today, he is enjoying retirement as a grandfather and an artist. In 2021, he released a book of paintings titled, "Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants." His friendship with former first lady Michelle Obama has also made headlines.

    John Ellis "Jeb" Bush stayed in close contact with his father's administration as he pursued his own political ambitions.
    Jeb Bush applauds George HW Bush as Barbara Bush looks on
    President George H.W. Bush speaks in 1991 as Jeb Bush and Barbara Bush look on.

    Dirck Halstead/Getty Images

    Jeb transitioned from corporate life to public office in the '80s, first as the chairman of the Dade County Republican Party and eventually as governor of Florida.

    Jeb frequently wrote letters to his father during his presidency with various requests, ranging from suggestions for appointees for United States attorney to meetings with Motorola. The New York Times reported in 2015 that Jeb's requests often served to reward supporters and build out his own political connections.

    After serving as governor of Florida and running for president in 2015, Jeb became a college professor.
    jeb bush
    Jeb Bush.

    Getty Images/Bryan Bedder

    During his presidential campaign, he released 33 years of tax returns — the most ever made public by a presidential candidate — as a sign to voters that he valued transparency.

    Since his presidential run, Jeb has been spending time teaching, first as a visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, then teaching a class at Texas A&M before being named presidential professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

    He published an op-ed in the Miami Herald in 2020 calling for a "student and parents 'bill of rights' that secures their right to access, quality and transparency."

    He married Columba Garnica Gallo in 1974 and they have three children.

    Neil Bush's experience with dyslexia inspired Barbara Bush's focus on childhood literacy programs as first lady.
    Neil Bush reading to children
    Neil Bush reads to elementary school children.

    Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

    Neil earned a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Tulane University. He founded the educational software company Ignite! Learning in 1999 after struggling with dyslexia as a child, KHOU 11 reported.

    An international businessman, Neil currently chairs the board of directors at Points of Light, the philanthropic group his father founded.
    Neil Bush
    Neil Bush.

    Getty Images

    In addition to Points of Light, Neil chairs the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, the Bush China US Relations Foundation, and several property development companies and consulting firms.

    Neil married Sharon Bush and they had three children. In 2003, they divorced and he married Maria Andrews in 2004, CNN reported.

    Marvin Bush attended the University of Virginia and worked in insurance.
    Marvin Bush and Dorothy Bush at a gala in 1990
    Marvin Bush (left) and Dorothy Bush.

    Ron Sachs/CNP/Getty Images

    His family gave him the nickname "Marvelous," The New York Times reported.

    Today, Marvin Bush is a managing partner at an investment firm in Washington, DC.
    Marvin Bush
    Marvin Bush.

    Andrew Harnik/AP

    Marvin is president of the Washington, DC-based investment firm Winston Capital Management, Bloomberg reported.

    Marvin made headlines during the 2016 presidential election when he endorsed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson over Trump after his brother Jeb's exit from the race, The Washington Times reported.

    He married Margaret Conway in 1981 and they adopted two children.

    Dorothy Bush Koch married former Democratic aide Robert "Bobby" Koch in a private ceremony at Camp David in 1992.
    Dorothy Bush Koch and husband Bobby Koch
    Dorothy Bush Koch (right) and Bobby Koch at the 1992 Republican National Convention.

    CHRIS WILKINS/AFP via Getty Images

    The private Camp David nuptials were Dorothy's second wedding. Koch previously worked as an aide to Rep. Richard Gephardt, a Democratic congressman from Missouri.

    "I think every once in a while, even a president's family is entitled to something private," President Bush said, according to The Washington Post. "And certainly when it comes to the marriage of a daughter, that's the way we looked at it."

    Bush Koch authored a book about her experience as a first kid.
    Doro Bush Koch
    Dorothy Bush Koch.

    Getty Images

    Dorothy is involved in a number of charities and philanthropies, and she serves as the honorary cochair of The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, according to its official website.

    She published "My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush," a memoir of her life as the 41st president's daughter. She also helped found a wellness company called Bright Bold & Real that educates people about mindfulness and holistic living.

    She and Koch live in Maryland. She has four children, two of whom are from her first marriage.

    Chelsea Clinton was 12 years old when Bill Clinton entered the White House.
    Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton walk arm in arm
    President Bill Clinton, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton.

    Dirck Halstead/Getty Images

    The Clintons asked the media to give Chelsea privacy outside of public appearances, CNN reported, but she still faced intense scrutiny and ridicule from the likes of Rush Limbaugh and "Saturday Night Live."

    She began studying at Stanford University in 1997.

    Clinton serves as vice chair of the Clinton Foundation.
    Chelsea Clinton speaks at an event
    Chelsea Clinton.

    Rob Kim/Getty Images

    Chelsea is currently vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she champions the group's advocacy work in global health and childhood obesity. She previously worked as a special correspondent for NBC News and earned two master's degrees, one in international relations from Oxford and one in public health from Columbia University, according to her bio on Columbia University's official website.

    Chelsea has written several children's books, and she's active on X discussing public health and dealing with bullies.

    While her mother, Hillary, lost the presidency to Trump, Chelsea said a future for her in politics was a "definite maybe," The Press Association reported in 2018.

    She and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, have three children.

    President George W. Bush's older twin daughter, Barbara Pierce Bush, graduated from Yale during his presidency and moved to New York City.
    Barbara Bush at fashion week in 2003
    Barbara Bush.

    Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic/Getty Images

    Barbara and her twin sister, Jenna, campaigned for their father and gave a speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

    "Jenna and I are really not very political, but we love our dad too much to stand back and watch from the sidelines," Barbara said in the RNC speech according to a transcript published by Democracy Now. "We realized that this would be his last campaign, and we wanted to be a part of it. Besides, since we've graduated from college, we are looking around for something to do for the next few years. Kind of like Dad."

    Bush went on to cofound Global Health Corps and support Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
    Barbara Pierce Bush
    Barbara Pierce Bush.

    Andrew Burton/Reuters

    Within five years of graduating from Yale, Barbara cofounded Global Health Corps, a nonprofit that recruits young professionals to fight for better access to healthcare around the world. Before that, she worked at a children's hospital in South Africa and interned for UNICEF in Botswana.

    Barbara's political views differ from her family's. She spoke out in support of same-sex marriage in 2011, The New York Times reported. She was also a noted Hillary Clinton supporter during the 2016 election, attending a campaign fundraiser in Paris, CNN reported.

    In 2017, she and her sister, Jenna Hager Bush, released a memoir called "Sisters First" about growing up in a political dynasty.

    In 2018, Barbara married screenwriter Craig Coyne at the Bush family's Walker Point compound in Maine, People magazine reported. They welcomed a daughter in 2021.

    After working as executive-in-residence with Eric Schmidt's Schmidt Futures, she transitioned to leading the social responsibility department at the NBA, AP News reported.

    The younger Bush twin, Jenna Bush Hager, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004 and began working in a DC charter school.
    Jenna Bush dances with George W Bush at an inaugural ball
    President George W. Bush dances with his daughter Jenna as first lady Laura Bush looks on at the inauguration.

    DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images

    The younger of the Bushes' twin daughters, Jenna earned a degree in English and worked as a teacher's aide at a charter school in Washington, DC. She took a leave of absence in 2006 to work for UNICEF in Latin America before returning to the school, according to Lean In.

    Bush Hager is now a host for NBC's "Today" show.
    jenna bush
    Jenna Bush Hager.

    Richard Drew/AP

    In 2008, Jenna released a book inspired by her work with UNICEF called "Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope."

    She began working as a correspondent for NBC News in 2009 and was announced as the new host for the 10 o'clock hour of the "Today" show in 2019, People magazine reported.

    Since taking over at "Today," her monthly book club has been so successful that it prompted Entertainment Weekly to dub her the new "book club queen." 

    She and her husband, Henry Hager, have three children.

    Malia Obama was 10 years old when President Barack Obama took office.
    Malia Obama runs with dog Bo on the White House lawn
    Malia Obama runs with Bo on the South Lawn of the White House.

    SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

    Malia attended Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC.

    In a 2015 appearance on "The Rachael Ray Show," Michelle Obama said that Malia's Secret Service detail taught her how to drive "because they wouldn't let me in the car with her."

    Malia graduated from Harvard in 2021 and is reportedly working with Donald Glover on a new Amazon Prime show, "Hive."
    Former president Barack Obama and his daughter Malia in 2016.
    Former president Barack Obama and his daughter Malia.

    Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

    Malia's interest in the entertainment industry began in high school. She interned on the canceled CBS series "Extant" in 2014, and she spent the summer of 2015 interning on Lena Dunham's HBO series "Girls," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    After graduating high school in 2016, she took a gap year where she interned at the now-defunct film studio The Weinstein Company, Newsweek reported.

    In 2021, Donald Glover reportedly asked Malia to join the writing staff of his new Amazon show, "Hive," about a "Beyoncé-like" figure.

    In 2024, she made her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival with a short film called "The Heart," which received lukewarm reviews.

    At 7 years old, Sasha Obama was the youngest child to live in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr.
    Sasha Obama at the White House on inauguration day
    Sasha Obama at President Barack Obama's inauguration.

    Charles Ommanney/Getty Images

    Sasha also attended Sidwell Friends School, where she became close friends with President Joe Biden's granddaughter Maisy Biden. Sasha and Maisy played together on the school's Vipers basketball team, which Obama briefly coached before a rival team complained, Obama wrote in his memoir, "A Promised Land."

    Sasha started college at the University of Michigan and transferred to the University of Southern California.
    sasha obama
    Sisters Malia (left) and Sasha Obama.

    Olivier Douliery/Getty

    In 2016, Sasha worked in the takeout window at Nancy's, a seafood restaurant on Martha's Vineyard, with six Secret Service agents in tow, the Boston Herald reported. Her and her sister's reaction to meeting "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds also went viral that same year.

    She moved back home at the beginning of the pandemic and continued taking her college classes online, but Michelle Obama told Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show" that both Sasha and Malia eventually had enough quality time with their parents and moved out west.

    "By the summer, we were like, 'OK, that's enough of you. I have nothing else to say,'" she said. "Our youngest, Sasha, who's not as talkative as our older one, is just like, 'I really have nothing to say to you. I just don't. I'm not even trying anymore.'"

    Sasha graduated from USC with a degree in sociology in 2023, Essence reported.

    Donald Trump Jr. served as executive vice president for the Trump organization and was instrumental in his father's presidential campaign.
    Donald Trump Jr.
    Donald Trump Jr.

    Brendan McDermid/Reuters

    As executive vice president, Trump Jr. focused on expanding the commercial and real estate side of the business and appeared on "The Apprentice."

    He played a key role in his father's election campaign, making $50,000 speeches on his behalf and famously meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in June 2016 to get "dirt" on Clinton.

    He and his ex-wife, Vanessa, with whom he shares five children, finalized their divorce in February 2018, and he began dating former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle that May.

    Trump Jr. continues to speak at Trump rallies, bought a house in Florida, and is engaged to Guilfoyle.
    Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at CPAC in 2021.
    Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at CPAC.

    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    In March 2021, Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle sold their house in the Hamptons for $8 million and purchased a $9.7 million home in the gated Admirals Cove neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida, about 20 minutes from Mar-a-Lago.

    In January 2022, Guilfoyle posted a photo with Trump Jr. where she appeared to be wearing a diamond ring on her left ring finger. Guilfoyle confirmed their engagement in an Instagram post calling Trump Jr. her fiancé in February 2022.

    In 2022, Trump Jr. was named — along with his father and two of his siblings, Ivanka and Eric — in a civil lawsuit filed by New York's attorney general Letitia James, who accused them of overvaluing the former president's assets by billions of dollars to banks and insurers. The defendants are fighting back against the lawsuit, claiming in 2023 that the Trump Organization can't be sued because the name is branding shorthand, not a legal entity.

    Trump's daughter Ivanka served as an official advisor to her father in the White House.
    Ivanka Trump 2019
    Ivanka Trump.

    Yuri Gripas/Reuters

    Ivanka Trump served as a White House advisor to her father beginning in early 2017. In 2018, she was criticized for using a personal account to send hundreds of government-related emails, The Washington Post reported.

    Before that, she worked at the Trump Organization with her brothers, but she resigned to avoid any conflicts of interest. She also had her own Ivanka Trump fashion brand, which she shut down in 2018.

    In her early life, she modeled for brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Versace. She later appeared on "The Apprentice" as well as an episode of "Gossip Girl".

    She is married to real estate developer Jared Kushner, who was also an advisor in the Trump White House. They have three young children.

    Since Trump's presidency, Ivanka and Kushner have bought multiple properties in Florida and continued work on Kushner's Abraham Accords Caucus.
    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in Florida
    Ivanka Trump on a walk with Jared Kushner in Florida.

    MEGA/GC Images

    Ivanka and Kushner reportedly bought a $32 million empty lot in Indian Creek Village, Florida, known as Miami's "Billionaire Bunker," in December 2020. They then signed a lease for a "large, unfurnished unit" in the amenities-packed Arte Surfside condominium building in Surfside, Florida, for at least a year, The Wall Street Journal reported. They reportedly also added a $24 million mansion in Indian Creek Village to their Florida real estate profile, The Real Deal reported.

    The Abraham Accords, which Kushner helped broker in August 2020, normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. During a visit to Israel in October 2021, Ivanka and Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended an event at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

    Ivanka cooperated with the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, appearing for eight hours of questioning in April 2022.

    Like his older brother, Eric Trump worked as an executive vice president at the family business and appeared on "The Apprentice" before Trump's presidency.
    Eric Trump
    Eric Trump appears on the "Fox & friends" television program.

    AP/Richard Drew

    In 2007, Eric created a charitable foundation to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research hospital in Tennessee, but he later stopped fundraising to avoid confusion around donations in the wake of his father's run to be president, NPR reported. In 2017, the foundation came under fire when a Forbes report alleged that thousands in donations were funneled to the Trump Organization. A spokesperson responded, "Contrary to recent reports, at no time did the Trump Organization profit in any way from the foundation or any of its activities."

    In 2014, he married Lara Lea Yunaska. They have two children.

    He is still a vice president at the Trump Organization, which is currently being investigated for fraud, and is a regular on Fox News.
    Eric and Lara Trump exit Air Force One
    Eric Trump and Lara Trump exit Air Force One following Biden's inauguration.

    Noam Galai/Getty Images

    The New York attorney general is investigating the Trump Organization's financial dealings, and 2022 court filings detailed the AG office's accusations against the company, including improperly inflated property values. Donald Trump has denied all wrongdoing and accused the probes of being politically motivated.

    Eric was subpoenaed in the investigation in late 2020, but he invoked the Fifth Amendment right more than 500 times when they were deposed in 2020, New York State Attorney General Letitia James' office said, according to court documents.

    In March 2021, he and his wife, Lara Trump, bought a $3.2 million estate in Jupiter, Florida, inside the Trump National Golf Club gated community.

    Eric has also made regular appearances on Fox News criticizing President Joe Biden's leadership.

    Tiffany Trump was in law school when her father took office.
    Tiffany Trump prepares to speak at the Republican Convention in Cleveland 2016.
    Tiffany Trump prepares to speak at the Republican Convention in Cleveland..

    Carlo Allegri/Reuters

    Tiffany is the only daughter from the president's second marriage to television personality Marla Maples. 

    When she was 14, she released a single called "Like A Bird," and she said she was considering becoming a professional singer on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." She was later profiled as one of the "Rich Kids of Instagram."

    Tiffany is currently living in Miami with husband Michael Boulos, whom she married in November.
    Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos in Miami
    Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos.

    Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

    Tiffany graduated from Georgetown University's law school in 2020.

    She married Michael Boulos, a businessman whose family owns a multibillion-dollar conglomerate of companies in Lagos, Nigeria, at Mar-a-Lago in 2022.

    Barron Trump moved into the White House in June 2017 after finishing out the school year at Trump Tower in Manhattan.
    barron trump
    Barron Trump.

    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Barron was the first boy to live in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr.

    While living in the White House, he attended St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Maryland, where tuition costs about $40,000 a year.

    In 2017, he took his classmates to meet his dad at the White House.

    Barron is finishing high school at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida.
    Barron Trump and Melania Trump in New York City in 2021
    Melania Trump and son Barron Trump leave Trump Tower in New York City.

    James Devaney/GC Images

    Barron, who Trump says is now 6 feet 7 inches tall, graduated from high school with the class of 2024. He will be a Florida delegate at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • Tesla chair hints that Elon Musk could take his work ‘other places’ if he doesn’t get his big payday

    Robyn Denholm in front of a mic
    Robyn Denholm said Elon Musk faces no shortage of ideas and "other places" he could work on them.

    Fairfax Media/Getty

    • Tesla board chair warned shareholders that Elon Musk could take his ideas "other places." 
    • Musk has said he'd prefer to build AI and robotics products outside of Tesla without more control.
    • Robyn Denholm said the pay package vote is about fairness and respect, "not about the money."

    Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm continued to double down on her efforts to convince shareholders to vote for Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package in the days leading up to the company's annual meeting.

    In addition to laying out the potential consequences of rejecting the pay plan in a CNBC interview, she hinted in a shareholder letter filed to the SEC that the billionaire could take his work "other places" if he doesn't receive his payday.

    "What we recognized in 2018 and continue to recognize today is that one thing Elon most certainly does not have is unlimited time," Delholm wrote in the letter. "Nor does he face any shortage of ideas and other places he can make an incredible difference in the world."

    Some of those places may include the four other companies that he leads in addition to Tesla, like X, his artificial intelligence startup xAI, The Boring Company, and SpaceX. There's no doubt that Musk stays busy, but his level of focus on Tesla has become a point of concern for some investors.

    While it's not clear what Musk would do if his pay package was rejected by shareholders, the Tesla CEO has said he wants more control at the company in order to continue pursuing AI and robotics products there.

    Musk said in a post on X in January that he was "uncomfortable" expanding Tesla's AI and robotics development without 25% voting control. The Tesla CEO currently has about 13% control, according to company filings.

    Unless given more control, the CEO said he would prefer to build AI and robotics products "outside of Tesla."

    While Tesla is actively working on AI and robotics products, Musk is also developing AI products at his other companies too.

    He's reportedly planning a supercomputer gigafactory for xAI in Memphis, and his social networking company, X, also has a ChatGPT rival called Grok.

    Musk recently said that Tesla would spend around $10 billion this year on "combined training and inference AI." The company is in the process of advancing its Full Self-Driving system, Tesla's supercomputer Project Dojo, and the humanoid Tesla robot Optimus.

    Denholm said in the letter that the pay package is "obviously not about the money," and reiterated that Musk is one of the wealthiest people in the world. She also noted he would continue to hold that status without the 2018 compensation plan.

    Musk is the third wealthiest person in the world, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, with an estimated net worth of $203 billion.

    "We want those ideas, that energy and that time to be at Tesla, for the benefit of you, our owners," Denholm said. "But that requires reciprocal respect."

    Denholm said in a CNBC interview Thursday that Tesla "can exist" without Musk, but it needs the company needs him at the helm at the moment.

    The annual shareholder vote will take place on June 13.

    Read the original article on Business Insider