• Tesla's Cybertruck Cybertent and other custom accessories turn the vehicle into a camp on wheels.
• Top Gear tested the Cybertruck camping set up, which starts at nearly $3,000.
• A rooftop tent on the Rivian R1T seemed a lot quicker and easier to set up.

The Tesla Cybertruck isn't just a truck, according to Tesla's marketing, which shows the vehicle traversing deserts, mountain ridges, and water crossings: It's an ultra-durable, adventure-ready truck capable of tackling just about any terrain in the backcountry, and it's got the camping accessories to prove it.

Tesla sells a range of accessories specifically designed to turn the Cybertruck, which retails for up to six figures — if you can even get your hands on one — into a camp on wheels.

Top Gear, the British car magazine and TV show, borrowed a fully souped up Cybertruck and headed to Johnson Valley in Southern California to spend a night camping in the vehicle in the desert. They also brought along a Rivian R1T outfitted with a more standard rooftop tent to compare.

While both setups could make for a very cool backcountry camping experience, the more customized Cybertruck tent looked much more complicated and time-consuming to set up. Top Gear did not declare a winner between the two, but they did note setting up the tent on the Rivian was quicker.

In Top Gear's video, shared on YouTube Wednesday, editor in chief Jack Rix encounters some metaphorical road bumps while setting up the Cybertruck Cybertent, which fits neatly in the vehicle's trunk and costs $2,975.

"Nearly $3,000 for one of these, which is, let's face it, an obscene amount of money," Rix said, but noted the tent was designed and produced with Heimplanet, a high-end tent brand.

Setting up the tent involved folding out the base platform, which is elevated above the truck bed, attaching several straps to the roof of the Cybertruck, manually pumping the inflatable frame, and staking out an awning if desired.

At one point, Rix accidentally deflated the tent and had to re-inflate it all over again.

It's unclear in the video exactly how long it took him to set up the tent, but it was fairly light outside when he started. It was almost completely dark when he finished, and he relied on his headlamp and the camera crew's lighting.

"Couple of setbacks, not going to lie, but the tent is fully erected," he said.

As someone who has camped in a variety of settings — in a car, in a van, in a rooftop tent, in an RV, in a regular tent at a campsite, and in the backcountry — it sure seemed like an awful lot of work, especially considering that one of the benefits of a typical roof top tent is the easy setup.

To be fair, Rix noted that it was his first time setting up the tent and that he could probably cut the time in half on his second go.

However, if you plan to go off-roading on your camping trip — one of the bonuses of having a Cybertruck — it would be an absolute pain to take down that tent each morning just so you could drive the vehicle during the day only to have to set it up again each night.

Top Gear's head of car testing, Ollie Marriage, showed up with the Rivian R1T and a fairly standard rooftop tent.

Setting that tent up appeared to take just a few minutes and required unzipping and unbuckling the cover and then simply unfolding the tent, which popped right up. If you wanted to take the Rivian off-roading during the day, taking down and re-setting up this tent appeared to be much easier.

Marriage appeared to be using Yakima's Skyrise HD Medium Rooftop Tent, which was released in partnership with Rivian and retails for $2,800. Yakima's similar model, without the Rivian branding, costs $2,499. Other Rivian drivers online also appear to have outfitted their vehicles with rooftop tents that sell for well under $2,000.

Top Gear noted plenty of cool things about the Cybertruck camping setup, including how well-integrated the whole design was. The full setup included a Cybertruck cooler, Cybertruck storage bins, and Cybertruck crossbars that all fit perfectly into the vehicle to maximize space.

Tesla also recently announced upcoming updates to the Cybertruck that are intended to improve the off-road driving and camping experience.

While Marriage said it was good that some cars are being designed with camping in mind, Rix noted one potential issue with taking EVs into the wild could be the range.

"These cars could take you to the wilderness," he said, adding you've just got to make sure you can return to a charging station.

Tesla, Rivian, and Top Gear did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

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• Stevie Howell is an artist born and raised in San Francisco, who now lives in LA.
• Howell says she misses the support system that San Francisco offered her and her business.
• She finds LA socially distant and misses SF's diverse food, art, and neighborhoods.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stevie Howell, an artist and business owner who lives in Los Angeles. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I was born and raised in San Francisco and lived there for six years of my adult life before moving to Los Angeles about five years ago. I thought it would be a very easy move, but I've been surprised by some things that a huge city like LA doesn't have compared to tiny SF. 

People love to hate San Francisco — I heard the word "war-torn" used to describe it just the other day — but the truth is it's gorgeous. The city has parks and incredible views, and the hills are picturesque and fun to drive up and down. There's great architecture — from colorful Victorians to the monstrous Salesforce tower — and easy access to the ocean and the Bay.

It's a well-planned urban space, and the city continues to make thoughtful decisions in terms of keeping it visually stunning and stimulating.

Even though LA is much larger than San Francisco, LA doesn't feel urban, while San Francisco does. Here's what I felt were the five worst things about leaving the San Francisco Bay Area and moving to LA.

1. LA feels socially distant

LA feels like a vast network of suburban enclaves. I get an urban buzz in San Francisco — that hum of activity and people moving around rather than staying in their houses like they do in LA.

San Francisco is relatively condensed, so you know your neighbors, can walk to get coffee or go grocery shopping, meet up with a friend last minute, or go to dinner crosstown and not spend your entire evening trying to get there as we do in LA.

2. I miss the diverse food, art, and neighborhoods

Walking around, you can hear a mixture of languages and eat a range of cuisines. There's amazing food and so many creative chefs doing great things. A few restaurants that I miss most are Flour + Water (Italian), Mandalay SF (Burmese food), Marnee Thai (Thai), La Taqueria (Mexican), and Swan Oyster Depot (seafood).

I've heard the art world in San Francisco referred to as "provincial," but it's home to both amazing galleries and important collections. Some of my favorites are Jessica Silverman Gallery, SFMOMA, Rebecca Camacho Presents, and Minnesota Street Project.

Also, each neighborhood has its own identity, personality, and unique characters.

3. I miss San Francisco's support system

I loved the community I had at my studio; it's a sense of community that I haven't found in any other city.

My art studio was at the end of an old wooden building among a bunch of beautiful old brick warehouses and ship-building facilities. Other artists lived in the building, and we helped each other out. We referred new clients to each other, pitched each other's work to the press, and shared resources for opportunities.

As an artist and business owner, I founded my eco-friendly textile and wallpaper collection business in San Francisco in 2013. I don't think I ever would've started a business in another city. San Francisco breeds entrepreneurship that goes beyond the tech world.

4. I miss San Francisco's culture and philanthropic spirit

Living in San Francisco, I found that many of its businesses have a good environmental or social mission. I miss the philanthropy that's woven into the city. People care about the world and each other.

While San Francisco has gotten many things right, the way it deals with — or doesn't deal with — the homeless crisis is one thing it's gotten wrong. It stems from how the city deals with drug addiction, mental illness, and its high cost of living. Many other cities in the US are facing similar issues, and like other cities, it's upsetting to see. 

But I believe, for the most part, San Francisco still has the same caring heart and soul it's had for years. People care about their neighbors, their parks, and the greater world.

5. I miss the Bay Area's accessibility to the outdoors

There's so much amazing green space and beach around the Bay Area that's easy to get to. You can take a hike on your lunch break. Crissy Field, Golden Gate Park, Bernal Heights Hill, Dolores Park, Ocean Beach, Stinson Beach, Angel Island, and Rodeo Beach are great spots. 

When I lived in San Francisco, I was on a Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy committee and got to learn in-depth about how much thought goes into each individual plant that's planted in the city, and the education and research that's happening in the city's parks.

The access to the outdoors and natural beauty is also what made the Bay Area such an incredible place to grow up. There's truly a mix of indoor and outdoor learning that's incomparable to LA or anywhere else I've lived.

If you moved to a new city or state and want to share your experience, email Manseen Logan at mlogan@businessinsider.com.

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• A lawsuit says Fisker failed to pay engineers who helped build its Pear and Alaska vehicles.
• In a statement to BI, the EV company said the claims are "without merit."
• Fisker recently told employees that cuts could be coming if things don't improve.

Fisker is now facing a $13 million lawsuit, the latest challenge for the struggling electric vehicle startup.

Fisker — which recently warned employees of layoffs — has been accused of stiffing an engineering firm on payments over the development of its Pear and Alaska vehicles.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court this week, was first reported by TechCrunch.

In the suit, a Michigan-based subsidiary of Bertrandt says Fisker broke a development agreement signed in May 2022.

According to the complaint, Bertrandt agreed to help Fisker launch its Pear electric car by providing "engineering, design, and development services," but Fisker failed to pay for the work and put the agreement on an indefinite "pause."

In a statement to Business Insider, a Fisker spokesperson said the accusations are "without merit."

"It is a legally baseless and disappointing attempt by what has been a valued partner to extract from Fisker payments and intellectual property to which Bertrandt has no right to under the relevant agreements or otherwise," the Fisker spokesperson said.

The lawsuit also alleges that Fisker asked Bertrandt to help with its Alaska pick-up truck and agreed to pay a quote of $1.66 million for the work, although there was never a formal written agreement or payment for the work.

According to the lawsuit, the unpaid services total over $7 million. Bertrandt says in the suit that Fisker agreed in February 2024 to pay over $3.6 million toward the balance but didn't follow through.

The suit also accuses Fisker of holding onto Bertrandt's intellectual property "related to the engineering and development of the PEAR and ALASKA vehicles." It seeks just under $13 million in damages.

Layoffs could be on the horizon

On Monday, Fisker sent an email to staff telling them they could be laid off in two months.

"Fisker is diligently pursuing all options to address our operating cash requirements, including maintaining discussions with prospective buyers and investors and exploring various restructuring alternatives," the company said in a memo to staff, according to three workers and an email seen by BI. "There is a possibility, however, that these efforts will not be successful."

The memo said the cuts would be immediate.

Last month, Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker told staff at an all-hands meeting that the startup was in talks with four automakers about a possible acquisition, according to a recording of the event seen by BI.

Fisker didn't say who the four companies were.

"They obviously need time to get to some diligence," he said.

Fisker told employees the company was working with Deutsche Bank to find a buyer.

Meanwhile, several sources told BI that Fisker has been using parts from its preproduction vehicles and its inventory of vehicles to fix some customers' cars.

One employee told BI that the parts were used in roughly 10 to 15% of fixes over the last few months.

A Fisker spokesperson denied those allegations earlier this week.

"No parts have been taken off these vehicles for use in customers cars," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said parts may have been stripped off engineering vehicles "for analysis or to retrofit other engineering vehicles, but never customer vehicles."

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• Fast-food prices have shot up since the start of the pandemic.
• Analysts say fast-food prices feel particularly painful because they're rising faster than grocery prices.
• As well as commodity costs, restaurants have faced soaring wages.

Fast food isn't as cheap as it used to be.

Gone are the days of McDonald's dollar menu, Subway's $5 footlongs, and NYC's $1 slices.

Diners say fast food is getting too expensive and no longer represents value. Some say they're placing smaller orders, turning to independent restaurants or cheap casual-dining chains, or just cooking more at home instead.

"At the end of the day, the consumer is fatigued" because of rising restaurant prices, Jim Sanderson, an analyst at Northcoast Research, told Business Insider.

Fast-food chains put up their menu prices during the pandemic in response to soaring food and labor costs. Analysts told BI that consumers feel like prices are still rising too fast because they're comparing them to the slowing rate of grocery inflation.

Fast-food prices have been shooting up

Restaurant prices are determined by "two major categories" — food costs and labor costs, Citi analyst Jon Tower told BI.

In 2023, for example, for every $100 McDonald's company-owned restaurants made in sales, about $31.12 was spent on food and paper, and about $29.60 was spent on payroll and employee benefits.

Prices of many of the ingredients used by fast-food chains, especially beef, soared during the pandemic because of factors including changes in demand and supply-chain problems.

Restaurants also had to raise their wages to attract and retain staff as huge numbers quit in search of better wages, benefits, and working conditions during what was dubbed the "Great Resignation." Average restaurant wages rocketed in 2021 in particular, data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

"2022 was obviously characterized by very high inflation on the food side as well as labor, particularly after Russia invaded Ukraine,'" Sharon Zackfia, an analyst at William Blair, said. "And so we saw well above-average price increases start to filter into the restaurant space."

Fast-food chains put up their menu prices to reflect the higher food costs and payrolls. Price increases have varied massively by chain depending on factors such as the type of food, locations, and number of restaurants. Franchisees are largely able to set their own prices.

And though inflation of limited-service restaurant prices is much lower than it was a couple of years ago, it's still way higher than pre-pandemic, BLS data shows. Legislation in California that raised the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 an hour is pushing prices up further.

Grocery inflation is cooling

Fast food seems particularly expensive right now because grocery inflation is cooling much more rapidly, analysts BI spoke to said.

"What typically matters in the context of restaurants and restaurant traffic is the delta between grocery inflation and restaurant inflation," Danilo Gargiulo, an analyst at Bernstein, said.

Groceries, not rival restaurants, are the biggest competitor to fast-food chains, because people are trying to decide whether to eat at home or get fast food, Gargiulo said.

At the peak of inflationary periods, prices of groceries rise at a much higher rate than fast food because food costs represent a much bigger part of grocery stores' expenditure than restaurants' spending. This happened during the pandemic, especially during 2022, when grocery prices shot up.

But the inverse is also true — grocery stores benefit much more than restaurants when food inflation cools. This has happened over the past year: grocery inflation has shot down dramatically, while prices at limited-service restaurants are still rising at rates well above pre-pandemic levels, as the chart below shows:

At grocery stores, where prices are determined mainly by food costs, "they've been able to quickly reflect lower food prices at the store level, whereas restaurants need to account for the fact that labor inflation continues to run ahead of food inflation," Tower, the Citi analyst, said.

Diners are getting fed up

Price increases during the pandemic were "actually well absorbed by consumers" because the vast majority of restaurants were upping their prices, Garguilo said.

But as overall inflation falls, "we would expect consumers to be … less tolerant of the big price increases that we've seen from the [restaurant] industry over the past few years," Bank of America analyst Sara Senatore told BI.

"It feels like what used to be cheap, not that long ago, is now expensive," Chad Frye, a cartoonist and illustrator based in California, told BI. He said he'd cut down his fast-food habit from four or five times a week to just twice.

"I find that I do a lot more cooking at home now," he said. "It's much more economical."

Do you think fast food is too expensive? Email this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

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• Elon Musk has amassed a $198 billion fortune through his work at Tesla, SpaceX, and more.
• The 52-year-old is also the father of 10 children and finds time to post on X almost daily.
• Here's how the Tesla CEO structures his days.

Elon Musk is a busy man, with interests across several massive tech companies.

He's the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, the owner of Twitter — now X — and he's also a father of 10 children.

According to Forbes, he's amassed a fortune worth $198 billion, making him the world's third-richest person. Musk said he didn't get there by working 40 hours a week. The billionaire is known to have a strenuous schedule that he said has demanded 120-hour workweeks in the past.

Still, the South African mogul has similarities to the average Joe in his routine. Like many of us, Musk has a sweet treat in the morning and spends time scrolling social media.

Here's how his days go, according to interviews and posts by Musk himself over the years.

Musk wakes up around 9 a.m. and has said he starts every morning with a donut

Musk told The Wall Street Journal in 2023 that he usually goes to bed around 3 a.m. and sleeps for six hours. So, he's typically waking up around 9 a.m. each day.

He might've been trolling when he wrote a response to a doctor that same year on X saying he eats "a donut every morning," but a quick search of Musk's posts reveals he's quite a fan of the pastry.

But, it's all about moderation, according to Musk.

"I only have 0.4 donuts at a time, because my brain neural network quantizes it down to 0 donuts," he posted to X in October.

His mornings usually start with his phone in his hand

Musk said in 2022 that he was trying to break the cycle of checking his phone as soon as he woke up. While on the Full Send Podcast, Musk described it as "a terrible habit" he hoped to escape.

But as of last year, he still wakes up and immediately looks at his phone for emergencies, the Journal reported.

If his posts on X (formerly Twitter) are any indication, the habit persists. He's been active on Twitter since before he bought it in 2022.

It's unclear if Musk slots in time to post and respond to others each day, but it certainly looks like he rarely takes a day off from the app.

"Some days I wake up and look at Twitter to see if it's still working," Musk told Walter Isaacson in the "Elon Musk" biography.

Showering is an important part of his daily routine

Musk previously credited showering with having the biggest positive effect on his daily life.

During an AMA session on Reddit in 2015, a user asked which of his daily habits impacted his life the most.

"Showering," Musk responded.

He decides which Tesla to commute to the office in

As the CEO of one of the leading EV makers, it's no surprise that Musk has more than one option for his daily commute.

When an X user posted a meme about deciding between driving a Cybertruck without autopilot or Tesla Model S with self-driving technology, Musk responded that it's a choice he faces "every day."

The Cybertruck has been in the backdrop of many celebrity paparazzi shots and Instagram posts since its official launch in November.

It's unclear if Musk is keeping up with the daily lifting routine he spoke about in 2023

Like many, Musk appears to have had ups and downs in his relationship with physical exercise over the years. In 2021, he told Joe Rogan that he'd avoid it altogether if he could.

"I almost never work out, except for picking up my kids & throwing them in the air," he said on X in June 2023.

But less than two months later, he said he was "lifting hard almost every day." Around the same time, talks of Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg going head-to-head in a fight swirled online.

Sometimes, his work days can last all night

Musk has admitted on several occasions that running more than one company isn't easy. He splits time between his companies depending on the "crisis of the moment," the 52-year-old said in 2021.

One X user pointed out in January 2023 that Musk had testified in a lawsuit in the morning, attended an event at a Nevada Tesla factory in the evening, and worked with Tesla on AI at night — all in one day.

Musk responded that he'd also spent time at "Twitter HQ past midnight."

And then was at Twitter HQ past midnight. Very long day.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 26, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

"I go to sleep, I wake up, I work, go to sleep, wake up, work—do that seven days a week," Musk told the Journal in 2023. "I'll have to do that for a while — no choice — but I think once Twitter is set on the right path, I think it is a much easier thing to manage than SpaceX or Tesla."

On the Tesla earnings call in April 2024, Musk said: "Tesla constitutes the majority of my work time, and I work pretty much every day of the week. It's rare for me to take a Sunday afternoon off."

Musk goes to bed around 3 a.m. and gets about 6 hours of sleep every night

Although he's not getting eight hours a night, Musk has upped his sleeping schedule from being nearly nonexistent in the past.

In May 2023, Musk told CNBC that he's no longer pulling all-nighters. Instead, he said he tries to get at least six hours of sleep.

According to Isaacson's biography of Musk, the billionaire has spent many nights awake and pondering the issues his companies face. His former partner Claire Boucher — known by her stage name Grimes — also told Isaacson that Musk once stayed up all night playing the "Elden Ring" video game when it first came out.

He has a history of sleeping on the floors of his offices and the Tesla factory.

After purchasing Twitter in 2022, Musk all but moved into its San Francisco headquarters. He said there's a couch in the library that he would crash on from time to time.

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• Princess Cruises announced a 114-day world cruise to 52 destinations in 2026, starting at $20,000 per person. 
• Guests who book early would get a free, all-inclusive package, a first for Princess' global itineraries.
• Extended and all-inclusive cruises have emerged as big trends in the vacation industry.

Princess Cruise's new around-the-world voyage will hit two vacation trends in one itinerary.

In January 2026, the company says its Coral Princess will embark on a 114-day cruise to 52 ports in 28 countries and six continents — more destinations than any of its previous global sailings.

It's the Carnival Corp brand's latest appeal to the extended cruising trend. But it's not the only fad this four-month vacation is targeting.

The sailing, which starts at $20,000 per person, also marks the first time Princess is offering a complimentary all-inclusive package as a way to entice early bookings.

Ultra-long and all-inclusive cruises have emerged as big trends in the industry.

Regent Seven Seas, Azamara, and Oceania's 2024 around-the-world cruises all sold out before departing in January. The former was fully booked within three hours, while every cabin on the latter was called for in 30 minutes.

Besides being high-end, these three companies share one commonality: some level of all-inclusiveness, as is common with premium cruise lines.

Mass-market cruise companies rarely go the all-inclusive route.

Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian are generally beloved for their affordability.

But if you want to experience all their ships have to offer, be prepared to face a list of up-charged amenities like pay-to-play rides and specialty restaurants. After all, there's a reason their base fares are much cheaper than their increasingly popular ultra-luxury, all-inclusive counterparts.

But Princess has been increasingly vying for a slice of the luxury cruiser pie.

The cruise line says guests who book its 2026 world cruise early (that is, by the end of October) will receive its most inclusive Princess Premier package for free. The perk — launched two years ago — covers amenities that typically have a fee, like WiFi, premium drinks, some specialty restaurants, and workout classes.

Travelers who reserve one of the ship's high-end cabins by the same deadline would also receive complimentary airport transfers and airfare, services normally exclusively offered by luxury cruise lines.

The itinerary would have two roundtrip embarkation options: Fort. Lauderdale, Florida, on January 5, 2026, or Los Angeles 16 days later.

From there, the 2,000-guest Coral Princess would sail more than 35,000 nautical miles to ports in North America, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia, Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, and Central and South America.

It wouldn't be Princess' longest voyage — that title goes to its 116-day world cruise in 2025 — but it would be one of its most destination-heavy.

While two days longer, next year's around-the-world cruise would hit six fewer ports and four fewer countries than its 2026 counterpart.

According to the itinerary, about half of the 2026 voyage consists of sea days.

That's a lot of time on the water with no land in sight. Luckily, travelers can keep themselves entertained by attending lectures and programs related to the destinations, leisuring around the adult-only lounge, or taking a dip in Coral Princess' four pools.

The 21-year-old ship also has 10 places to grab a bite, although the Italian and steakhouse restaurants are considered specialty. Premier is the cruise line's most inclusive package, but it only includes 16 free dinners at these upcharge restaurants, paced once a week.

Princess is still a mass-market cruise line, after all.

The company has been increasingly dangling its inclusive package as a big perk.

The company says its two-month-old Sun Princess will debut in the US in October with its first-ever Sanctuary Collection. Travelers who splurge on these expensive and luxurious accommodations would be rewarded with two major benefits: a private lounge and Princess Premier.

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• Local and Western carmakers have flocked to the Beijing Auto Show.
• Highlights include Zeekr's transforming minivan and a flying car built by Xpeng. 
• Competition in China's EV market has become brutal as local firms try to compete with Tesla.

If you need more evidence that China's EV market is booming, just look at the country's biggest car show.

Around 117 new cars debuted at the Beijing auto show, which began April 25 and runs until May 4, as dozens of local manufacturers jostled for space with foreign imports like Volkswagen and Mercedes in China's brutally competitive automobile sector.

The likes of BYD, Zeekr, and Xiaomi all showed off new models — here are some of the most interesting vehicles on offer.

The Zeekr Mix

Zeekr might be only three years old, but the company has made a name for itself with its quirky EVs.

At the auto show, the EV firm unveiled the Zeekr Mix, an electric multi-purpose vehicle with swiveling chairs that allow it to transform into a small room when parked.

The company, owned by Chinese auto giant Geely, recently released its all-new Zeekr 001 model, equipped with battery technology that can go from 10% to 80% charged in just 11 minutes.

BYD targets high-end customers

By far the biggest name in China's EV market is BYD, the Warren Buffett-backed firm that is probably giving Elon Musk sleepless nights.

The EV upstart has become known for its cheap vehicles, such as the $11,000 Seagull, but the company was showing off its more high-end models in Beijing.

That includes the Yangwang U8, the latest version of which, the Off-road Master Edition, was unveiled in Beijing.

This 1.1 million yuan ($150,000) SUV is capable of floating for up to 30 minutes and turning 360 degrees on the spot like a tank — and customers can even add a built-in drone for an extra 100,000 yuan ($14,000).

BYD also announced a new cheap electric hatchback as it looks to squeeze Tesla even further. The Ocean-M hatchback will be released later this year and will cost between 150,000 yuan to 200,000 yuan ($20,00 to $27,000).

Xiaomi brings its Tesla rival

One of the biggest draws of the auto show was the SU7, an electric SUV built by smartphone maker Xiaomi.

The EV promises to offer a range of 500 miles and a battery that can be fully charged within 15 minutes, according to Xiaomi, and drivers will have access to the company's next-gen autonomous driving features — all for a price point that starts at 215,900 yuan ($30,00).

It's not surprising that the EV appeared to attract huge queues when it went on display at the Beijing conference. Xiaomi has said that the company has already received more than 75,000 orders for the SUV, with deliveries beginning in March.

European automakers join the party

Not to be outdone by their Chinese counterparts, Western automakers also had a large presence at the Beijing auto show.

Volkswagen, once China's largest car brand before being overtaken by local rivals, showed off its ID.Code 01 concept EV, which features a built-in robot that vacuums the car when it's not being used.

German firm Mercedes, meanwhile, unveiled an electric version of its iconic G-Wagon off-roader, which the company said would launch in China later this year.

Xpeng shows off its flying car

The number of companies trying to make it in China's EV market — at least 123, according to one auto consultant — has seen some firms branch out in unexpected directions.

One is Chinese EV maker Xpeng with its AeroHT flying car prototype that went on display in Beijing.

The AeorHT has been in development for a decade, and the affiliate company behind it is reportedly close to receiving regulatory approval to fly — but no price or release date has been announced yet, so may be a while before the AeroHT dominates China's skies.

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• Cairo is overcrowded, so Egypt's government is building a new capital about 30 miles away.
• The city, which already holds Africa's tallest building, is expected to cost $58 billion to build.
• Some political analysts are worried about the eye-watering cost of the project.

Like Indonesia, Egypt is building a new capital — although in this case, it's responding to the challenge of overcrowding.

The existing capital, Cairo, is home to about 22 million people, making it one of the world's most densely populated metropolitan areas. Policymakers believe that constructing new city could help to reduce congestion there.

It has yet to be given an official name but is often to referred to as the New Administrative Capital.

The city is being built in the desert 30 miles away from Cairo and already hosts an imposing skyscraper in the city's central business district.

Egypt's government has forecast that the new administrative capital will cost $58 billion to build.

More than 1,500 families have already moved there, CNN reported, citing Khaled Abbas, chairman of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development, which oversees the project.

The plan is for it to eventually have 6.5 million residents. Take a closer look at the details.

Egypt announced its plan for a new capital in March 2015

Egypt's government unveiled its plan to build the capital over nine years ago, estimating at the time that the project would cost $45 billion. The new city is one of several mega projects announced under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's leadership. He's also mulling further whether the Suez Canal can be further expanded.

The government is trying to ease overcrowding in Cairo

When the project was announced, then-housing minister Mostafa Madbouly said it was part of a plan to reduce congestion in Cairo over four decades. Greater Cairo's population was on track to double to about 36 million within that timeframe, he added.

Officials picked a site in the desert, 30 miles east of Cairo

The new city is located between Cairo and the seaport city of Suez. It's connected to the old capital by an electrified light railway system that opened in July 2022.

Here's what the area looked like before construction started

The Atlantic used past satellite imagery from Google Earth to take a snapshot of what the Egyptian government's chosen site looked like 10 years ago before construction started.

This is how it’s changed since then

The site now has government, business, and residential districts, and is home to many civil servants and their families. Fourteen government ministries and entities have relocated to the new capital as of this month.

At the center of the city is the Iconic Tower, Africa's tallest building

The skyscraper, which was completed last year, stands at around 396 meters. It has 77 floors for a mixture of residential, office, and hotel uses.

The new capital is also home to one of Africa's largest mosques …

The Grand Mosque can hold 107,000 worshippers, the BBC reported. As of last year, it was home to the world's heaviest chandelier, which weighed more than 50,000 pounds.

… and a massive stadium

The venue, known as the New Administrative Capital Stadium, can hold nearly 94,000 people. It's part of the "Olympic City" complex, which the government hopes will help it win the right to host major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup.

But some are concerned about the project's huge cost

Egypt has said the project will be funded by state-owned enterprises and money it can rake in from selling land — but some critics believe the country shouldn't be spending so much money on a new capital.

Political analyst Maged Mandour previously told The New York Times that the government was "borrowing money from abroad to build a massive city for the rich," reflecting the fact it's taken out billion-dollar loans from the IMF.

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• Job seekers often look for ways to slip past the software many companies use to collect résumés.
• Yet it's often recruiters, not bots, that reject applicants for a role.
• A recruitment firm found that applications lead to "meaningful conversations" only 3% of the time.

Melissa Weaver was recruiting for a tech consulting company when she spotted something promising on a man's résumé: He'd worked at a pizza shop all four years of college.

"He had started as a dishwasher and, by the end, he was a manager," she told Business Insider.

Although the recent grad didn't have tech experience, to Weaver, he'd shown longevity with a company and a desire to take on more responsibility.

"That's definitely worth a conversation," Weaver said. The man eventually got the job and has since been promoted multiple times, she said.

It's the kind of feel-good story that seems impossible to repeat in a job market that can unfold like an obstacle course — one where the obstacles are the technologies that many companies use to filter and reject résumés.

Yet, for all the fear of so-called applicant-tracking systems, often, it's not a bot that's doing the booting — it's still people.

'The ATS doesn't care'

Mark Jensen, a recruiter with Upswing Talent Acquisition, told BI that job seekers often focus too much on sneaking past an ATS to get seen.

"They all think that the applicant-tracking system is some magical technology that screens people out on its own," he said. "The ATS doesn't care. It's just a repository."

Instead, recruiters often filter with keywords and other variables to reduce stacks of résumés, Jensen said. So, it's a good idea to tailor yours and your cover letter to ensure they're a good fit for a job description.

That's because, like many others who feel overworked, recruiters often are, too, he said.

"They don't have time to really parse through a résumé and think if someone may or may not be a fit. They need that résumé to jump off the page," Jensen said.

Weaver agreed. She recommends people list specific achievements and skills and not just focus on key words contained in a job description.

"Put any specific stats that show, 'I know what I'm talking about,'" she said. "That's really important in terms of catching the human eye."

Weaver said taking these steps makes it less likely that a résumé will be set aside when a recruiter sorts for certain attributes.

Don't fear the ether

It's understandable why people would stress over whether an ATS would block their résumé. Nearly all Fortune 500 companies, for example, deploy systems for ingesting résumés.

And the only thing worse than having a recruiter spend only six or seven seconds scanning your résumé is having no one read it. Online, people debate strategies for getting past an ATS. People and companies have even made businesses of creating ATS-friendly résumés.

Weaver sees value in using tech to filter candidates but worries about those who could get overlooked — like the pizza guy — because they don't have the experience that's in direct alignment with a job posting.

"Do they have relevant experience? Not in a way that an applicant-tracking system would tell you that they do. But their experience that may not be related to your field can still apply," she said.

Fear of getting ghosted by an ATS is why some people resort to what recruiters call "spray and pray." It's essentially applying to as many jobs as possible to break through somewhere. Artificial intelligence tools can now also help make you a serial applier.

A 3% ROI

Yet even though it's easier than ever to apply for jobs, that doesn't mean you should go wild. Applying to more than 1,000 roles, for example, doesn't guarantee success.

Aaron Cleavinger, a managing partner at Murdoch Mason Executive Search Group, told BI that his firm's research shows that when applicants apply for positions, that effort turns into "meaningful conversations" only about 3% of the time. He said that doesn't mean people shouldn't go for jobs, but they likely need to limit how often they focus on clicking that submit button.

"If it's 3% value, perhaps you should only spend 3% of your time doing it," he said.

So, what else should job seekers do? Cleavinger said it's about constantly challenging yourself to appear different from other candidates who are equally or more qualified than you.

"How do you stand out so that when there's a big pile of résumés or a giant list of LinkedIn profiles to look through that you'd be the one to come on top?" he said.

Jensen, the recruiter with Upswing Talent Acquisition, said the power also rests with those doing the hiring to make wise decisions about how to use an ATS.

"It's the recruiter and how they choose to filter to make hopefully the most relevant candidates bubble up to the top, so they don't have to review all 400 or 1,000 résumés," he said.

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• Inclusionary zoning policies can backfire, leading to fewer homes and higher housing costs.
• A new study suggests ways to optimize inclusionary zoning for affordable housing.
• But direct housing subsidies, like vouchers, can be more effective and flexible.

A key policy designed to create affordable housing for low-income people has long been scrutinized for being generally ineffective.

Inclusionary zoning, which originated in the 1970s, is designed to boost the production of affordable housing by requiring or incentivizing developers to set aside a certain share of below-market-rate units when building new apartments or homes.

The idea is to leverage land-use regulations to have the private sector offer some homes for lower-income people. The term is a response to "exclusionary zoning" — laws like single-family zoning that make it illegal to build cheaper units in multi-family buildings — which still dominates American cities and cements racial and socioeconomic segregation.

But critics have long pointed out that inclusionary zoning policies often backfire by raising costs so much for developers that they cancel or significantly scale back new housing projects. At a certain point, more inclusionary zoning requirements mean less affordable and market-rate housing is constructed than otherwise would be.

Some advocates of land-use policies like inclusionary zoning argue that any additional affordable housing is a net benefit, even if it means less housing overall or higher rents. But lots of research has found that restricting the supply of housing — including market-rate homes — means higher rents and home prices. So a policy designed to create more affordable housing can actually result in fewer homes and higher housing costs.

A new study by UCLA housing researcher Shane Phillips found that while inclusionary zoning is deeply flawed, there are ways to design the policy to maximize its benefits. Phillips used a simulator developed by UC Berkeley's Terner Center for Housing Innovation to predict how much both market-rate and low-income housing inclusionary zoning would produce. He looked specifically at Los Angeles' Transit Oriented Communities program, which incentivizes developers on a voluntary basis to build housing around bus and train stations.

Phillips wanted to determine whether there's an optimal inclusionary zoning policy and if not, what the policy's tradeoffs look like. This involves finding a balance between creating more deed-restricted affordable housing and boosting the overall supply of housing.

He concluded that the value of the government subsidy for building affordable housing needs to outweigh its costs. If taxes are too high on new construction, the new housing just won't go up. And because it's hard to strike that balance correctly in every case, Phillips also found the policy should be voluntary, rather than mandated. That way, "if you calibrate wrong, if you require too much and offer too little, you're not going to kill projects because they have no choice but to go down that pathway," Phillips said.

While it's possible to improve inclusionary zoning, Phillips found the costs of the policy "are very likely greater than the benefits." But he recognizes that it can be politically impossible for policymakers to abandon the policy.

"That's not to say that we should just get rid of these programs," Phillips said. "Partly for political reasons, I think it's just a necessity in many cases, and maybe at least a bridge to something better."

Studying the impacts of inclusionary zoning is increasingly important because a growing number of states and localities are looking to boost all kinds of infill construction in existing neighborhoods, including so-called "missing middle housing" — everything between a detached single-family home and an apartment building. While larger apartment buildings are generally better able to absorb the costs of inclusionary zoning, it often doesn't pencil out to build below-market units in smaller developments.

"It's a lot easier to make inclusionary zoning work when most of your projects in your city are 50 units, 100 units," Phillips said. To encourage the construction of missing middle housing, "you really need a simple process and minimal requirements," he added.

Many policy experts, including Phillips, would rather see governments provide much more in direct housing subsidies, both for low-income people and homebuilders.

Direct subsidies, like housing vouchers, give low-income residents more flexibility: they can choose where they want to live. And every dollar spent on direct housing support, like housing vouchers, tends to go farther than a dollar used to subsidize the construction of an affordable unit, Phillips said.

"We really, over time, need to move away from trying to have land use reforms serve multiple purposes, let them do what they're good for, which is producing more housing of different types," Phillips said. "And we really need to find resources and commit resources to subsidizing housing for people who can't afford it on their own, whether through vouchers or subsidies for construction, really both."

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