• The battle over Elon Musk’s pay package is a showdown between his army of supporters and institutional investors

    Elon Musk, Tesla Factory
    Tesla shareholders will vote on Elon Musk's pay package in June, and some major investors have opposed the proposal.

    • Tesla is preparing for a showdown between some big investment firms and individual shareholders on June 13.
    • Several institutional investors have indicated they plan to vote against Elon Musk's pay plan.
    • Retail investors, who hold 44% of Tesla stock, could sway the vote.

    Tesla is setting the stage for a battle between some vocal institutional investors and some of Elon Musk's biggest supporters.

    The two sides appear ready to face off at Tesla's annual shareholder meeting on June 13. Over the past few weeks, several investment firms have urged shareholders to vote against the proposed pay package for Musk, which was valued at $55 billion when it was struck down by a Delaware judge earlier this year.

    The executive pay plan, which was first approved in 2018, is centered on a series of goalposts around Tesla's financial growth. The plan involves a 10-year grant of 12 tranches of stock options that are vested when Tesla hits specific targets. When the company hits each milestone, Musk gets stock equal to 1% of outstanding shares at the time of the grant. Tesla said it hit all of the 12 targets as of 2023.

    The Delaware judge that voided the compensation plan in January argued that Musk had undue influence over the package and its approval because of his close ties to several board members, resulting in an "unfair price."

    Meanwhile, Tesla has argued that the pay package is both fair and necessary to maintain Musk's focus on the car company. In a series of advertisements and messages to shareholders ahead of the June shareholder vote, Tesla has continued to argue that the plan is "critical to the future success of Tesla" and a matter of properly compensating Musk for his work over the past six years.

    And some of Musk's most devout fans, many of which count themselves as investors, have begun to spread the same message. Tesla has even shared screenshots of some of its fans' tweets about voting in some of its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including a video from @TeslaBoomerMama that includes step-by-step instructions on how to vote in the annual meeting.

    Tesla shared some of its fans posts on how to vote in the shareholder meeting.
    Tesla shared some of its fans posts on how to vote in the shareholder meeting.

    In some ways, Tesla has made retail investors like @TeslaBoomerMama an influencer of sorts, according to a report from The Information. Over the past few weeks, Tesla retail investors have been raising a rallying cry on social media, and even targeting investors like Leo Koguan, one of Tesla's largest individual shareholders, who has expressed his intentions to vote against the proposal.

    Tesla's retail investors hold a notable level of power at the company. Individual investors hold a large portion of Tesla stock, accounting for about 44% of Tesla shares, per S&P Global Market Intelligence data quoted by Reuters. That's the highest percentage out of the 10 largest companies in the S&P 500, according to Reuters. So while institutions like CalPERS — which holds about 9.5 million Tesla shares, according to Bloomberg — have said they plan to vote against the proposal, they might be faced with a large number of individual investors canceling out their votes.

    Adam Jonas, head of Morgan Stanley's auto and space research, said in an analyst note from Friday that, based on a survey of 109 respondents, Morgan Stanley expects Musk's pay package to be met with 57% approval.

    Ultimately, the issue comes down to whether individual investors will show out for the vote. Anat Alon-Beck, a corporate law expert out of Case Western Reserve University, told Business Insider that it's uncommon for individual investors to put in the effort to cast a vote.

    "I'd say 90% of retail investors throw out those proxy cards," Alon-Beck said. "I'd be shocked if a large number of them actually vote and mail it back."

    For its part, Tesla has been working overtime to distribute material on how to vote, providing QR codes and online options in addition to mail-in votes. On Tuesday, the company even kicked off a raffle, offering shareholders who could provide proof that they'd voted the chance for a special tour of the Texas gigafactory alongside Musk.

    The Tesla CEO has also promoted the proposal and criticized institutional investors who have spoken out against the pay plan. He even threatened to take his work with AI outside of Tesla if he is unable to secure additional voting shares.

    A spokesperson for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Ahead of the June 13 shareholder meeting, shareholders will be asked to vote on several other proposals in addition to Musk's pay package. The company is also asking investors to vote on whether to move Tesla's state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas and a separate proposal to reelect Tesla board members Kimbal Musk and Murdoch.

    For Musk, whose net worth is largely tied to his Tesla shares, the stakes couldn't be higher.

    Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email and device at gkay@businessinsider.com or 248-894-6012.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I’m a millennial job seeker who kept getting my résumé rejected. Then, I changed the formatting.

    Dania Swails at college graduation
    Dania Swails began working in finance after college.

    • Dania Swails found her résumé wasn't being read by applicant-tracking systems.
    • Swails, who's worked in finance, revamped her résumé to make it easier to get through.
    • She simplified her résumé format and has started to get more callbacks for job applications.

    Dania Swails, 28, has worked in finance and is looking for another job in the industry after leaving her last role. She has faced numerous rejections to jobs she's applied for. A recruiter suggested she rework her résumé so an applicant-tracking system might more easily read it.

    I have a bachelor's degree in sports management. I graduated in 2019, and the pandemic started in March 2020. So, some of the job offers I had — and the prospects I had — weren't starting until the next season, but my opportunities went away because of the pandemic.

    I had a friend who was a stockbroker. She said, "Hey, my job will train you to become a broker if that's something you're interested in." At the time, I just needed a job. So, I became a broker.

    I got into it, and I just really liked it. I really liked finance. My dad works in finance; he does taxes and investing. He's told me my whole life that I need to look into finance. When I started in the industry, my dad and I used to study every night for my Series 7 exam, which I passed.

    After working as a broker, I was recruited to be an equity trader. I really got into data and trends research when I was working at that job. I was there for two years, and then I got laid off.

    After I got laid off, I went on LinkedIn and found a job as an analyst. It was my first time not working with clients. I worked directly for the bank. I did like being an analyst; I just didn't like the company.

    I felt like, "Well, I've been in finance for four years. I've managed these accounts. I've done this. I haven't had a problem having a job." So, at the end of January, I thought, "I'm burned out from this employer. I'll just leave. I'm sure I can find something else." That didn't happen.

    When I was a broker — a first-year broker — it felt like I was getting recruited on LinkedIn every day. That's how I got that job as an equity trader. And, even when I was laid off, I was only out of work for three weeks, and I was right back at work at a new job.

    But now, it's months later, and I still don't have a role. This has been the hardest it's ever been. I've never had an experience like this. LinkedIn had always been my best friend, but now it's my worst enemy — it's like a shift happened.

    Revamping my résumé

    I'd been told my résumé is impressive. I'd also been told it's too long, it's too short, it's too vague, and you need to change the formatting. I had my education and my skills on the side, along with my contact information. I had a template that was pretty fancy looking. I'd always used it, and I always thought that it had caught the recruiter's eye. But I just haven't been having much luck. So, I've been changing my résumé — adding things, taking things off.

    There would be jobs where I met every requirement, and I was getting rejected, getting rejected, getting rejected. When I was an equity trader, I needed three to five years of experience, but they recruited me, and I only had a year and a half of experience. So, I was able to get into a higher role. And then, I became an analyst who needed a bit more experience than I had. But they said in the interview that they liked where my head was at, and so I got hired.

    After I left my last job, I applied for roles where I didn't meet all the requirements, but I figured I could talk about my experience. I was getting automatically rejected, so I decided to apply only for jobs where I met every qualification. And I was still getting rejected.

    I've been here in Cincinnati now for four years. I like it but would also like to go somewhere else — maybe Miami, Philly, D.C., or Chicago. I was applying for jobs and taking my address off my résumé so it wouldn't flag in the system. I was still not getting anything.

    Then, a recruiter I'd been working with said my résumé could be getting caught in applicant-tracking systems. She said I should put it through a system that will see if it flags when you compare it to a certain job description.

    When I submitted my résumé and job description through this system, I was surprised by the results. It said I had a low chance of getting the job. My résumé had dashes, which could have been throwing it off because an ATS sometimes doesn't recognize dashes. I also had more than 32 characters in the file name, and I was told that wasn't good, so I shortened that.

    The recruiter said the formatting and template I used weren't reading, and the ATS wasn't picking up my key skills or education. I was also told that if it's over one page, but definitely two, it will kick it out automatically.

    I've had to revamp my résumé completely. I made it a simple document — basic black and white. Instead of having separate columns, it's straight up and down and in chronological order. It hasn't been that long, but I have had two callbacks since I updated it.

    I was glad to have the new résumé, but it also made me sad, honestly, because I feel like I missed out on many jobs — especially ones that I really wanted.

    I said, "Oh, yeah, I definitely will qualify for this." I'd set my LinkedIn filters: I would apply for jobs that just opened in the past 24 hours with under 10 applicants. It's like, "OK, this only has three applicants. I meet all the requirements besides a bachelor's degree in finance." I have the required experience. Then, my résumé was automatically rejected.

    Where I go from here

    In the end, I will probably keep both versions of my résumé. I want to have one that stands out when a person actually looks at it — that jumps out against all the other black-and-white, simpler résumés. And then I'll have the résumé I enter in the system for the ATS.

    All of this just makes me feel like, what is the point of having recruiters if you're going to have a system that flags everything? I get it from an HR standpoint. If I were a recruiter, I would not want to go through 5,000 applications. However, being someone who's job-seeking, this system doesn't work.

    At my last job, my mental health was just deteriorating. But I have a new source of stress now. Part of me feels like I'm being punished for not staying at my job — like I stuck my neck out too far. I wasn't arrogant when I left, but I did have the mindset that I could find something else because I have experience and I have a degree. And in the past, I was always getting recruited.

    When you've been unemployed for four months, you feel like maybe you were too arrogant. Maybe I wasn't humble enough. Maybe I should have stuck it out. Maybe I should have just stayed until there was something else. You have all these scenarios that go through your head when you're just not getting anything. It is very demoralizing.

    Now, when I apply, it often feels like it's just about what scans in the system. If you can get through the system, then you can prove yourself or have someone take a chance on you. But you have to get through the system first.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I tracked all the ads I received in a day — here’s what I saw

    Ads graphic
    Most of the ads I saw were on social media and I didn't mind them.

    • I tracked all the ads I saw in a day and counted over 130.
    • Some ad settings can be adjusted, but control over frequency remains limited across many platforms.
    • I didn't mind most ads because they either catered to my interests or were easy to tune out.

    Ads have become so embedded in everyday activities and media consumption that you may not even notice how often you run into them.

    When my editor asked me to track all the ads I saw in a day, I wasn't sure how it would go. Prior to this experiment, I hadn't paid close attention to how often an ad or sponsored content floated before my eyes.

    While the words "sponsored" may show up on a video or image you scroll past on social media, the font is often small and if the content is successfully targeting you, you may not even notice.

    I missed a few ads during this process, especially on sites where I was focused on getting the answer I was searching for. But based on what I did catch, I spotted over 130 ads in a single day.

    Let's dive in.

    Your settings can (sometimes) make a difference

    The type of ads you receive may be adjustable in your settings. But for most platforms, you won't be able to control how many you see.

    To personalize Google ads, for example, you can go to "My Ad Center" and opt to turn personalized ads on or off in the top-right corner. If you turn them on, Google will use the information it collects about you to give you more personalized ads. That means your activity on Google sites and apps will be saved in your Google Account and information from your account, like your age, will also be used.

    I decided to keep personalized ads off for Google because that's how I usually have it. This resulted in me sometimes missing ads on my screen. I'm so used to seeing random photos and brand names in the corners and sides of my screen that my eyes glazed over some of them. It drew a sharp contrast to my experience with social media ads, which are fully personalized to my activity on and off-site and often pull my attention.

    When it comes to social media, you don't have as much of a choice — although some do let you pay to remove or decrease ads. Facebook now offers a paid version in the EU for people who prefer an ad-free experience, YouTube lets you pay for Premium to remove them, and Elon Musk's X says paying for X Premium+ means no ads in your For You or Following feeds.

    But TikTok, for example, says on its website that "you will always see ads based on what you do on TikTok." But you can provide feedback on an ad if you're not interested in it. Other social media sites have similar ad policies.

    With TikTok, Instagram, and most apps that you download on your phone, you can turn off ad-tracking across companies and websites in your privacy settings.

    My social media feeds were filled with ads

    I spent about two and a half hours on Instagram on the day of this experiment — and I saw about 75 ads.

    I probably never went through more than four posts at a time without being interrupted by an ad. But most of the ads were similar to content I regularly engage with in my explore feed or online.

    Farmrio
    I started getting ads for this brand a few days ago as I've been searching for vacation clothes.

    I find ads with multiple products and links particularly effective because it's easy to engage with them and find out pricing or other details. I also loved seeing sponsored food content because it gave me ideas of where to go out to eat.

    NYT cooking ad
    I recently made an NYT Cooking recipe for Mother's Day after seeing an ad for it on Instagram.

    None of the ads resulted in me purchasing any items, but if I continue to see interesting ads in my price range for weeks at a time, it may eventually influence my buying patterns.

    For TikTok, the ads were even less noticeable because the app is so casual. For example, I would start watching a woman wipe down her counters and then see Mr. Clean at the end of the video before noticing the "sponsored" label at the bottom. I also found some of the TikTok ads interesting or helpful.

    I didn't engage at all with internet ads

    I tracked about 40 ads online, but since they weren't personalized to my interests I sometimes didn't notice them. I saw a range of ads from USPS to T-Mobile, to random shows on streaming services that I had no interest in.

    Google ad Tylenol
    As a 25-year-old, I'm not sure I'm the right demographic for Tylenol's arthritis variant — but that's understandable since I didn't have personalized ads turned on.

    Sometimes, they were images, and other times, they were full videos. I also saw a couple of ads on YouTube videos but usually skipped after a few seconds, so I didn't fully engage with those either.

    Miscellaneous ads

    I use the language-learning app Duolingo every day and those are the only ads I truly dread. The ads are animated with sound and I sometimes put my phone down and walk away because of how painful it feels to watch.

    I also saw about 10 ads in real life on the subway on my way to and from work. By the end of the day, I noticed these less, but in general, they tend to stick out more than non-targeted ads on the internet.

    New York subway ad
    Subway ads tend to be more colorful and some of them are witty too.

    I also receive several push notifications and ads over text every day. I counted about seven on the day of this experiment, including a push notification from Urban Outfitters about a flash sale, a text from CorePower Yoga for discounted class packs, and a push notification from Amazon about trending sunscreen.

    Ana's push notifications
    I get a version of these ads every day on my phone.

    Most of the ads don't bother me

    My biggest takeaway from this experiment was that I really didn't mind the ads. In fact, sometimes I liked them.

    I love online shopping and browsing — and I like that apps like Instagram curate content to my interests. I've discovered new brands on Instagram that I ended up ordering from because of ads. Even if it doesn't lead to a purchase, I enjoy seeing items that fall in my line of interest and inspire me to look at similar products.

    The push notifications and the texts were probably the most annoying of all the ads I received, and I find myself deleting them on a daily basis.

    I also don't follow too many influencers, but I immediately scrolled past content if I saw it labeled with "creator earns commission" or if it included a discount code in the caption because I'm not interested in paid content from someone I follow for enjoyment.

    As far as Duolingo's ads go, yes, I find them annoying — but I also wouldn't pay $12.99 per month to get rid of them.

    It's clear that we're seeing more and more ads on our phones and TV screens — Netflix and Amazon recently introduced ads to their streaming services, although both offer ad-free options for an extra cost.

    Luckily, I'm on my roommate's plan for Netflix, and my family has an Amazon and Spotify subscription, so I don't have to deal with these. I sometimes watch Hulu shows and the ads are annoying, but I usually walk away if an ad comes on.

    For me, watching or listening to an ad is the most frustrating, and I would definitely be bothered if I was constantly interrupted by them. When I was growing up, I found radio commercials unbearable, and I might have paid for an ad-free option if I still had to go through those several-minute interruptions.

    But the honest answer is I'm used to ads by now, and even find some genuinely interesting. We're living in an advertising world — and if I have to deal with sponsored content for clothing brands I like while scrolling on social media — then so be it.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • 3 ways to make your next job hunt easier in the age of AI, from a career coach with 25 years experience

    Illustration of workers in a board room.
    Shari Santoriello, a career coach, told Business Insider how she counsels her clients through job hunting to make the process less daunting.

    • Job hunting these days can be daunting, and veteran career coach Shari Santoriello knows it.
    • But instead of trying to reinvent the wheel for each job you apply to, the search can be simpler.
    • Here are Santoriello's top tips for streamlining your job search to make the process less miserable.

    Job hunting can be daunting — miserable, even.

    And in the age of AI, where it seems like even sending out hundreds of applications won't guarantee your résumé will ever be reviewed by a hiring manager, it's easy to get discouraged.

    Career coach Shari Santoriello, who has been working in the industry for 25 years, knows it; she sees it all the time. So when her clients come to her asking how to streamline their job hunt and make the process easier but still optimized to draw the most eyes, she's a wealth of knowledge.

    Here are three tips she gives her clients to make their job search simpler.

    Create a résumé vault

    Sometimes, we think of a résumé as being set in stone, when Santoriello says it's a dynamic piece of material for a job seeker — it should be flexible and adaptable for every job you're applying for. She noted that nobody likes to hear that, but you can make it easier for yourself by creating what some people call a résumé vault or master résumé.

    Your résumé vault is a living document listing all your past jobs and accomplishments that you can select from. So, when you create a résumé for a particular role, instead of creating a new résumé from scratch, just make a copy of your résumé vault and delete everything that isn't relevant based upon the job description.

    "When you ask yourself the question: what do you leave? What do you cut? Highlight those things that make you distinctive with regard to what the job description is asking for," Santoriello told Business Insider. "You may have something really cool in your background, but if it's not relevant to this role, you don't want to take up your precious real estate on your résumé with something that isn't going to be relevant to the hiring manager."

    On average, Santoriello estimates, job seekers have roughly five seconds when a hiring manager looks at their résumé. So you want to ensure they can see what impact, value, and contribution you bring to the team in those five seconds.

    One of the best ways to do that when you're talking about what to keep and what to lose is you want to keep things that show results. Keep words like increased, decreased, drove revenue, successfully, efficiently, and streamlined.

    "Any of those action language words that lets the reader immediately see you've done something," Santoriello said. "And put them at the front of the sentence, we don't want to bury it in the far right side of a sentence."

    Learn the language of hiring managers in your industry

    This comes in especially handy when considering a career change and trying to describe your transferrable skills in a new industry, according to Santoriello.

    "When you write your résumé toward the new industry, you want to use the industry specific language," Santoriello said. "This is about showing them — not telling, showing them — that you understand how your skill transfers and use that language to support that. It doesn't mean that the 15 years you've spent in tech aren't relevant now that you want to go into medical research. There's probably a whole lot of skill there that's relevant. We just need to formulate it and put it in the language that the new industry understands."

    She noted that this is where a career coach really can help, but when it comes to describing the language of your chosen industry, it's time to "play with your best friend Google."

    "And when I say play, I mean play, have fun. Go down rabbit holes, do the research, spend the time getting lost reading articles on LinkedIn," Santoriello said. "Join groups specific to where you want to go — both digital and face-to-face if that's your thing. Check out trade associations. There's so much information available today. When I'm working with my members, I say this to them: 'It's scavenger hunt time.' Let's find the stuff and then compare it to what you already have in place so that we're presenting your best fit here."

    Keep your network simmering

    "If you wanted a forest, you needed to plant a tree 20 years ago, but today would be OK, too," Santoriello told BI.

    The truth is, she said, there's no bad time to be reaching out to friends and past, present, or prospective colleagues to set up informational interviews or networking lunches.

    "We as human beings, people in the professional workplace, tend to not realize the value of building connections all the time — that's not a place you want to stagnate," Santoriello said. "You want to be building your connection base regularly.

    Santoriello swears by the value of staying in touch with someone you played soccer with in fourth grade. Each and every person won't be a valuable connection each and every day — and, let's be realistic, you're not keeping in touch with the one person that you really didn't care for — but maintaining cordial relationships will come in handy when you least expect them, and sometimes when you need them most.

    "I'm not saying be the person who has a Rolodex of 97,000 people but doesn't have a real relationship with anybody," Santoriello said. "I'm talking about the value of building real relationships over time, without always having an ulterior motive, just for the sake of building those relationships over time. And ideally, you're doing that now. The best time really is anytime it's comfortable for you to do that."

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Eli Lilly’s Wegovy rival Zepbound will help make weight-loss drug market worth $130 billion by 2030, Goldman Sachs says

    Zepbound
    Zepbound is Eli Lilly's new weight-loss drug.

    • The anti-obesity drug market will be worth $130 billion by 2030, Goldman Sachs said.
    • New products such as Eli Lilly's Zepbound prompted the bank to raise its forecast.
    • The FDA approved the pharma giant's new weight-loss drug in November.

    The market for weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy will keep surging due to new products including Eli Lilly's Zepbound, according to Goldman Sachs.

    In a research note the bank forecast that the sector will be worth $130 billion by 2030 — $30 billion higher than its previous projection.

    Eli Lilly and Danish giant Novo Nordisk will remain the dominant players with a combined market share of 80% by the end of the decade, said a team of analysts led by Chris Shibutani.

    Shares in both companies have racked up big gains since the start of 2023 following rising demand for anti-obesity drugs.

    Eli is now valued at $775 billion — far more than Tesla's $550 billion market cap, following a 37% surge this year.

    Shibutani's team cited the new Lilly drug Zepbound, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in November, and the expansion of the FDA label for Novo's Wegovy as "key events" that had led to Goldman raising its forecast.

    When it reported first-quarter results in April, Lilly cited strong demand for Zepbound and other drugs like Mounjaro, Verzenio, and Jardiance as the driving force behind a 26% rise in revenues to $8.77 billion.

    The Indianapolis-based company said last month it would double its investment in a manufacturing plant to increase production of the drug, which can treat sleep apnea as well as obesity.

    Goldman Sachs also raised its forecast for how many US adults are expected to take drugs for chronic weight-loss management from 15 million to 19 million, excluding patients being prescribed the medication to treat Type-2 diabetes.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Google Photos: How to access, find, download, or delete pictures in Google’s photo storage app

    A smartphone displaying the Google Photos logo is held in front of a blurred background.
    You can access Google Photos on an iPhone, Android, or desktop computer to store, view, and edit your photos.

    • Learning how Google Photos works can go a long way towards optimizing your photo storage.
    • Google Photos lets you store, share, view, and edit photos and videos, and has additional AI tools.
    • Google Photos users have access to 15GB of free storage, but can pay to upgrade their accounts.

    Launched in 2015, Google Photos is Google's service for storing and sharing photos and videos.

    It's a solid media backup system to have at your disposal. And, because it's a cloud-based tool, it can free up space on your phone. Plus, it works on both Android and iOS devices, as well as on your desktop computer.

    Here's what to know about how Google Photos works, and how to get started:

    How does Google Photos work?

    Google Photos users can upload new photos and videos, and they can view, edit, save and create new videos, animations, collages, albums and photos books. Users can also download everything, meaning your cloud-based backup can itself be easily backed up onto your computer or external hard drive.

    Google Photos is completely private, and the pictures you upload are visible only to you. Once you share your photos with others, however, they will also have access.

    How do I access my Google Photos on iPhone and Android?

    It's easy to access Google Photos on any device. Here's how: 

    1. Download Google Photos from the Google Play Store or iOS App Store.
    2. Open the app and log in with your Google account.
    3. Provide the permissions necessary to access your files and media in your phone's settings.

    You can access all your stored photos in the Google Photos app. Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android and tap the photos icon in the lower-left corner on your screen. Here you will find all your memories.

    Two side-by-side images show the "Continue" button on the Google Photos access permissions page emphasized with a red arrow and box, and a screenshot of a Google Photos gallery with the "Photos" tab emphasized with a red box and arrow.
    Grant permission to back up your photos and videos to Google Photos, then tap the "Photos" icon to access all your photos.

    How do I download all my photos from Google photos? 

    Downloading every photo from Google Drive is simple, but the option isn't accessible in Google photos. 

    Google Takeout lets you download data from any Google's services. You can do this on your mobile as well as your computer. 

    Here's how: 

    1. Go to Google Takeout 
    2. Click Deselect all. This ensures you're not downloading data from your entire Google account. 
    A screenshot of Google Takeout shows the "Deselect all" button emphasized with a red box and arrow.
    By default, all of your data will be selected to be exported. Click "Deselect all" and target just your photos.

    1. Check the box next to Google Photos, and click into "All photo albums included" if you want to choose which specific albums to download. Otherwise, Google Takeout will download everything in Google Photos.
    A screenshot of Google Takeout shows the checkbox next to Google Photos emphasized with a red box and arrow.
    You can choose whether to export all photo albums or just specific ones.

    1. Once you are happy with your selection, select Next step to export. 

    Quick tip: in your export settings, you can choose how often you want to download your Google photos. 

    1. Next, choose how you wish to download your photos. 
    A screenshot of Google Takeout shows a dropdown menu with download options emphasized with a red box.
    Download your photos to Google Drive, Dropbox, or whichever service you prefer.

    1. Next, confirm the file type and size of your exported file, and click Create export when you're ready.

    Why can't I see all my Google Photos?

    If you are unable to access all your photos, you may not have enabled the permissions for Google Photos to back up your photos automatically. 

    Here's how you can check and fix the issue:

    1. Open up the Google Photos app and tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.
    2. Select Google Photo settings, then select Backup
    Two side-by-side screenshots of the Google Photos app settings menus show the buttons "Google Photos settings" and "Backup" emphasized with red boxes and arrows.
    Enable backup permissions on Google Photos to access all your photos.

    1. Toggle the Backup button on to keep your photos backed up. 
    A screenshot of the settings page of Google Photos shows the toggle in the "on" position for "Backup," and emphasized with a red box and arrow.
    Make sure your "Backup" setting is turned on.

    Is Google Photos still free?

    Google Photos has unfortunately ended its unlimited free storage policy.

    Every Google account comes with 15GB of free cloud storage shared across Google Drives, Google Photos, and Gmail — so any new photos and videos you upload to Google Photos will count toward the free 15GB of storage. 

    To add more storage and save your high-quality images, users can upgrade using the Google One subscription plan, starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB.

    Quick tip: If your device is running low on storage, Google Photos may not display all your photos so ensure you have sufficient space for all your images. 

    Google Photos features an AI-powered assistant

    Like many of Google's products, Google Photos has begun enhancing its services with new AI tools. 

    In May 2024, Google announced it would upgrade Google Photos to incorporate its Gemini AI model to make it even easier for users to search through their galleries for memories or details. A new feature called Ask Photos will let users ask broad queries like, "Show me the best photo from every city I've visited," and the tool will instantly pull together a series of relevant images from their galleries.

    Google CEO Sundar Pichai demonstrated the feature at the Google I/O 2024 conference, asking the app, "What's my license plate number again?" The Ask Photos feature immediately provided a text response with the license plate number and a corresponding image.

    Sundar Pichai, in a grey jumper and jeans, stands on a stage with a rainbow-colored adornment in the center, as a screen displays "Making AI helpful for everyone"
    CEO Sundar Pichai discussed Google's new AI features at the Google I/O conference.

    Google Photos provides users with a lot of auto-generated extras, and additional AI editing tools will be available to all users without a subscription. 

    Magic Eraser, PhotoUnblur, and Portrait light will allow users to make complex edits with simple actions, previously native to Android users. 

    Historical features will remain. With Google Photos, you can also create photo-book collections, grouping together pictures based on factors like the date, people, and places featured. Users are given the option to print and ship those books (for a fee, of course).

    The Assistant will also take photos that were captured in rapid succession and turn them into GIFs (referred to as "animations"), while individual photos can be saved as motion photos — meaning they record video of a few seconds before and after you've taken the shot. These may also be known as Live Photos to iPhone users.

    Google Photos has other smart features

    Like Google Images, Google's search engine for photos, Google Photos has a robust search option that serves as a major draw for the platform. It lets you search for generic subjects, like "dogs" or "beach" to narrow your options, which is especially useful if you haven't yet sorted your pictures into albums.

    A screenshot of the Google Photos app shows the word "dog" in the search bar, emphasized with a red box and arrow, with images of a dog below.
    Type a query like "dog" into the search bar and watch Google Photos pull up relevant images.

    It also gives you the option to identify different people in your photos by manually putting a name to the face. After that, pictures with those people are automatically sorted so you can later search for pictures featuring specific people.

    Similarly, you can also set it to create "live albums," which automatically populate with photos of friends and family members.

    For those looking to backup their physical photo prints, you can quickly 'scan' those to have them uploaded by taking a quick pic using your phone or other Photos-friendly device. And for those who photograph paper documents, Google Photos also lets you highlight desired sections of text, and even crop out backgrounds to make it easier to do things like upload and expense a receipt from a work trip.

    Google Photos is a powerful and versatile tool that requires little effort to use to its fullest. And, given the fact that it provides free, unlimited storage without sacrificing too much on photo and video quality, it can be a solid option for backing up your media files.

    How to delete all photos from Google Photos

    If you're frustrated by Google Photos' frequent reminders about purchasing more storage, you're not alone. Deleting mass quantities of photos from Google Photos — or even deleting your entire Google Photos account — is a hotly discussed topic on tech forums.

    If you opt to delete Google Photos, proceed with caution: deleting batches of photos from the Google Photos mobile app will also delete them off your phone entirely — even in external storage applications like iCloud. Before you try deleting anything, make sure you remove Google Photos' access to your mobile device and native photo gallery.

    On an iPhone, that process will look like this:

    1. Go to Settings, and scroll down to Google Photos.
    2. Under the menu that says "ALLOW GOOGLE PHOTOS TO ACCESS," tap Photos, then select None.
    Two side-by-side iPhone screenshots show access options, with the "Photos" selection and "None" selection emphasized with red boxes and arrows.
    Remove Google Photos' access to your iPhone photos before deleting any files.

    1. Then, open up your Google Photos app on your iPhone, and turn off Backup by going into Google Photos settings, then toggling Backup off.
    Two side-by-side screenshots show the Google Photos settings menu, with "Google Photos settings" and "Backup" emphasized with red arrows and boxes.
    Make sure backups are turned off.

    Now, to actually delete your photos from Google Photos, you'll have to get a little creative. Google Photos doesn't make it easy to delete all your photos at once; there's no "select all" option to click.

    Instead, you'll have to use a workaround — the easiest way is to open up Google Photos on your web browser:

    1. In your Google Photos gallery, click on the grey checkmark at the top left-hand corner of your most recent batch of photos. The checkmark will automatically select all the photos from that date.
    A screenshot of Google Photos shows a blue checkmark next to several photos taken on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022.
    You can only select one day's worth of photos at a time, but holding down the "Shift" key will let you grab large batches of photos.

    1. Scroll down to the very bottom of the gallery until you reach your very first photo. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and click that first photo. You should now see all your photos selected (if you have a lot of photos, you may need to work with smaller batches, rather than deleting your whole photo gallery all at once).
    2. Click the trash can icon in the top right-hand corner of the window, which will open up a pop-up warning. Click Move to trash.
    A screenshot shows Google Photos' pop-up warning before deleting photos, with the "Move to trash" button emphasized with a red box and arrow.
    Make sure backups to any devices are turned off before deleting photos.

    1. You can always test this method out on a smaller batch before deleting your full Google Photos gallery.
    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • The trendy prebiotic soda touted by A-listers is misleading consumers, according to a new lawsuit

    A bartender pours Poppi soda into a glass with ice.
    A new class action lawsuit alleges that the marketing for Poppi, a trendy soda for health-conscious consumers, makes misleading claims about its gut health benefits.

    • Poppi, a trendy soda touted by A-listers, contains prebiotics for gut health and low sugar content.
    • A new class action lawsuit alleges the marketing for the viral drink is misleading consumers.
    • The suit claims consumers would need to drink four sodas a day to experience health benefits.

    If you tried Poppi prebiotic sodas in hopes that the trendy drinks — touted by A-listers like Kylie Jenner and J-Lo in social media posts — would help your gut health, you may have been misled, according to a new class action lawsuit.

    "Prebiotics are a special type of fiber that can act as food for healthy bacteria in your gut," Poppi's website claims of its products. "Each can of poppi includes agave inulin, a prebiotic (and natural sweetener!) extracted from the agave tequilana plant."

    However, the lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges the low-sugar, "gut-healthy" sodas contain such small amounts of prebiotic fiber (just 2 grams per serving) that the average consumer wouldn't experience any health benefits from drinking them.

    "A consumer would need to drink more than four Poppi sodas in a day to realize any potential health benefits from its prebiotic fiber," the suit, which seeks $5,000,000 in financial damages, says. "However, even if a consumer were to do this, Poppi's high sugar content would offset most, if not all, of these purported gut health benefits."

    The complaint goes on to say that an inulin-based diet could cause "inflammation and even liver damage" with doses as low as 10 grams per day and demands a jury trial to determine whether Poppi has broken the law with its advertisements.

    Poppi's sodas, which have gone viral in the years since their 2018 appearance on "Shark Tank," sell for $2.49 a can through the manufacturer's website.

    The colorful cans of apple cider vinegar-infused sodas have become so popular that the suit noted Forbes reporting from March that the brand sits at a 19% market share — more than 1.5x that of Coke products — and is the 11th-fastest growing beverage brand, beating out companies like Gatorade and Liquid Death.

    Representatives for Poppi did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Will ASX REITS be boosted by Australian workers returning to the office?

    a man with hands in pockets and a serious look on his face stares out of an office window onto a landscape of highrise office buildings in an urban landscape

    Several ASX real estate investment trusts (REITs) manage large portfolios of offices and are likely to benefit from the return to the workplace occurring across Australia’s CBDs today.

    Among them is the No. 7 ASX REIT by market capitalisation Dexus (ASX: DXS).

    Dexus manages $24.3 billion worth of office blocks out of $48 billion in total real estate assets (as of FY23). It owns 62 office blocks.

    Dexus shares are currently $6.78, up 0.44% at market close on Friday and down 17.42% over the past 12 months.

    Another is the No. 8 ASX REIT by market cap Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC).

    Of Charter Hall’s $71.9 billion property funds under management (FUM) as of FY23, $29.3 billion of it was office space. The ASX REIT owns 96 office towers and blocks.

    Charter Hall shares finished Friday at $12.12, up 1%, and are up 8.21% over the past 12 months.

    The largest pure-play office REIT is Centuria Office REIT (ASX: COF). It manages $2.2 billion in office space and owns 23 office blocks (as of FY23).

    The Centuria Office REIT share price is $1.21, down 2.03% as of Friday’s market close and 16.32% over the past year.

    CBD office occupancy rises to 76% of pre-pandemic levels

    The post-pandemic return to the office is continuing, although many workers are operating under hybrid arrangements where they work from home a few days per week.

    In a recent report, CBRE, a global leader in commercial real estate services and investment, said Australia’s average office occupancy rate rose to 76% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024.

    This is up from 70% in the December 2023 quarter and 67% in the March 2023 quarter.

    While occupancy rates rose in all capital cities during the quarter, Perth and Adelaide maintained the highest occupancy rates of 93% and 88%, respectively.

    CBRE said a shorter average commute from home to work in these smaller capital cities may be contributing to higher occupancies.

    Across the rest of the country, occupancy rates were 86% in Brisbane, 77% in Sydney, 66% in Canberra, and 62% in Melbourne.

    Aussies are bowing to their employers’ requests to return to the office much more than workers in the United States, where CBRE says occupancy rates have stalled at the 50% mark for more than a year.

    Why do companies want employees back in the office?

    Many companies are asking their employees to return to the office at least part of the time to leverage the benefits of teamwork, innovation, and collaboration.

    They are concerned that working from home in the long term may reduce overall productivity.

    One related issue is ensuring new employees have enough interaction with senior staff so they can learn faster and more easily integrate into the company’s culture.

    When the ASX REIT Centuria Office released its FY23 results, Grant Nichols, Centuria’s Head of Office, commented:

    With productivity falling in both Australia and overseas, we have seen an increase in mandated return to office policies that aim to address productivity, increased loneliness and diminished corporate culture.

    While hybrid working arrangements and increased workplace flexibility are likely to become more prevalent, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the office will remain an important and focal point in many workplace operations.

    In fact, Centuria’s 2023 annual Australian office tenant customer survey reinforced this view, with approximately 75% of respondents stating they expect to retain or increase their office space requirements in the medium term.

    But workers aren’t being as cooperative as many companies would like.

    So, some companies have begun to offer incentives, including linking salary and promotions to how much time an employee spends in the office.

    Companies move into premium offices to lure workers back

    Another trend is companies moving their corporate headquarters into more attractive office buildings. They appear happy to pay a higher rent in exchange for attracting workers back on-site.

    CBRE reports that two-thirds of organisations that have relocated since COVID have upgraded to premium office blocks featuring retail, restaurants, and other amenities on the lower floors.

    Charter Hall Office CEO Carmel Hourigan said Charter Hall was carefully curating its portfolio “to meet demand for premium offices that are rich with amenity”.

    Upon the release of the company’s FY23 results, she said:

    This is reflected in our strategic investments and development pipeline, including our recently submitted application for Chifley South in Sydney which will realise the development potential of the site.

    Dexus Executive General Manager, Office, Andy Collins said more than half of new office leases in FY23 represented companies upgrading to better office suites:

    The average terms of new leases and renewals was circa 6.2 years, and 57% of new leases were represented by customers upgrading to higher quality space.

    The post Will ASX REITS be boosted by Australian workers returning to the office? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Charter Hall Group right now?

    Before you buy Charter Hall Group shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Charter Hall Group wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 3 of the best ASX ETFs to buy in June

    If you are looking for an easy way to invest your hard-earned money, then it could be worth looking at the exchange traded funds (ETFs) in this article.

    Here’s why they could be high quality options for investors in June:

    Betashares Energy Transition Metals ETF (ASX: XMET)

    The first ASX ETF for investors to look at in June is the Betashares Energy Transition Metals ETF.

    It provides investors with easy exposure to global producers of copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, manganese, silver, and rare earth elements. These are all metals that will be pivotal to the decarbonisation of the planet.

    Betashares has named it on its list of 12 ASX ETFs ideas for 2024. It appears to believe the companies included in the fund are well-positioned to benefit from increasing demand for these metals.

    It notes that “both electric cars and clean energy use notably more metals than their conventional counterparts, and many of these minerals have highly concentrated and insecure supply chains.”

    Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF (ASX: QLTY)

    Another ASX ETF for investors to consider buying in June is the Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF.

    This ETF has a focus on investing in the highest quality companies that the world has to offer. This is of course never a bad thing.

    At present, there are approximately 150 companies included in the fund. These companies rank highly on four key metrics: return on equity, debt-to-capital, cash flow generation, and earnings stability. Betashares’ chief economist, David Bassanese, recommended this ETF last year.

    VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

    A third ASX ETF that could be a great option for investors in June is the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF.

    This fund has a focus on companies with sustainable competitive advantages (or wide moats) and fair valuations. These are the qualities that Warren Buffett looks for when he makes investments for his Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B) business.

    Buffett certainly is a good role model when it comes to investing. His investment focus has helped Berkshire Hathaway double the market return since all the way back in 1965.

    The companies that the ETF invests in will change periodically to reflect valuations and changes to competitive advantages. But at present it includes tobacco leader Altria Group Inc (NYSE: MO), food company Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB), beauty products company Estee Lauder (NYSE: EL), sportswear giant Nike (NYSE: NKE), and entertainment behemoth Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS).

    The post 3 of the best ASX ETFs to buy in June appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Vaneck Investments Limited – Vaneck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat Etf right now?

    Before you buy Vaneck Investments Limited – Vaneck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat Etf shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Vaneck Investments Limited – Vaneck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat Etf wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Berkshire Hathaway, Nike, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2025 $47.50 calls on Nike. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Berkshire Hathaway, Nike, VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Is Macquarie the best ASX bank stock for you?

    A woman looks questioning as she puts a coin into a piggy bank.

    Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) is one of the largest ASX bank stocks and may be one of the best to consider, in my opinion.

    ASX investors have numerous banks and lenders to choose from including Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ), Pepper Money Ltd (ASX: PPM), Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN), Mystate Ltd (ASX: MYS) and AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP).

    With all of that choice, there are a couple of crucial reasons why I’d buy Macquarie shares over the others.

    Geographic diversification

    One of my major misgivings about the above ASX bank shares I mentioned is that almost all of their earnings come from Australia and New Zealand.

    Banks are seeing an uptick in their arrears amid the inflation and high cost-of-living environment. For example, in the CBA FY24 third-quarter update, it said its arrears of home loans that were overdue for more than 90 days had increased to 0.61% at 31 March 20, up from 0.44% at March 2023.

    With ASX bank stock loans heavily concentrated on the Australian loan system, most of their eggs are in one local economic basket. I don’t think that provides enough diversification.

    Macquarie, on the other hand, generates around two-thirds of its earnings internationally. The global investment bank can invest in whichever region it sees the best chance of making long-term returns.

    Earnings diversification

    As I’ve mentioned, the domestic ASX bank stocks are predominately focused on providing loans to households and businesses in Australia and New Zealand.

    Macquarie has very diversified operations, with an asset management division, a banking and financial services (BFS) segment, an investment banking division (Macquarie Capital) and the commodities and global markets (CGM) division.

    Macquarie has deliberately grown its Australian banking division, capturing market share from the other ASX bank stocks. However, pleasingly, the company’s other segments can provide significantly differentiated earnings compared to banks like CBA and Westpac.

    The Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) division delivers broadly consistent base management fees, providing the parent company with annuity-style revenue and earnings.

    Macquarie is able to capitalise on market or energy volatility with CGM when prices move significantly.

    The investment banking side of the business is adept at making good returns during most normal (or buoyant) economic conditions.

    Macquarie has utilised this multi-divisional approach to great use over the past decade. It has grown significantly in the Americas, Europe and Asia, unlocking earnings growth. Despite FY24 being a tough year, it made $6.7 billion in net profit across the four main divisions.

    The Macquarie annual dividend has been hiked by approximately 150% in the past decade, demonstrating its ability to grow and deliver for shareholders. Meanwhile, the Westpac annual dividend is currently smaller than it was a decade ago.

    Is the Macquarie share price a buy?

    I wouldn’t call Macquarie shares cheap after gaining more than 10% in the past six months. But, I believe its earnings can compound at a stronger rate than the domestic ASX bank stocks thanks to its global operations. I’d much rather own Macquarie than any of the other banks for a long-term investment.

    It’s valued at 17x FY27’s projected earnings, according to estimates by broker UBS.

    The post Is Macquarie the best ASX bank stock for you? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Macquarie Group Limited right now?

    Before you buy Macquarie Group Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Macquarie Group Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bendigo And Adelaide Bank and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.