• The Marine Corps' new mobile air defense solution is in full-rate production.
• MADIS converts a pair of light vehicles into a counter-drone and anti-aircraft weapon.
• The system is a key part of the Marines' plans for the next decade.

The Marine Corps has a new air defense system built to transform light vehicles into mobile weapons for shooting down drones and other aircraft.

The technology is intended to equip Marines with a new way to deal with drones and other aerial threats, the service announced this week. As the war in Ukraine has shown, the ability to counter these types of threats is critical in modern conflict.

The new Marine Air Defense Integration System, or MADIS, entered full-rate production earlier this fall after training and live-fire exercises. Placed on top of a pair of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, MADIS converts the vehicles into a single short-ranged ground-based air defense system.

The vehicles work together, with one focused on countering drones and the other geared toward helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. MADIS uses Stinger missiles and a 30mm cannon for those targets, and it also comes with radars and electronic warfare systems. Marines can also use MADIS while on the move, giving the service a mobile air defense option.

It's a capability boost over the service's Man-Portable Air Defense System, or MANPAD, which Marines would've had to equip themselves and leave vehicles to use. MADIS is also capable of being upgraded over time, depending on what types of threats Marines are facing and what weapons they need for specific missions.

MADIS, developed by the Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, has undergone several iterations since its initial prototype. The Marine Corps said its full-rate production version has sensors, algorithms, and mobility that allow Marines to locate, target, and destroy threats faster and better than before. Its first live-fire exercise took place during joint US-Philippine military training earlier this year.

Marine Corps officials have said MADIS fills a gap in their air defense arsenal and is unique because it can complete the entire kill chain. Marines can use it to find and identify targets and then take them out rather than relying on several systems to do the same.

MADIS also addresses Marine Corps concerns around how to defeat small uncrewed aerial systems in a potential future war.

Since MADIS is mobile, it gives Marines a new way to defend forward-deployed forces — especially in a potential future fight against a sophisticated adversary like China.

As the Marine Corps reshapes its force for operations across the first island chain, from Japan to Taiwan to the Philippines, it needs systems that can move quickly and deliver more firepower against a wide range of aerial threats.

• On Wednesday, Manhattan federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against two Tricolor executives.
• Founder Daniel Chu and COO David Goodgame were charged with "systematically defrauding" lenders.
• Tricolor's collapse left banks exposed to hundreds of millions in loan losses.

By August 2025, top executives of auto lender Tricolor knew they were in trouble: The company had pledged approximately $2.2 billion of collateral to lenders and investors, but only had approximately $1.4 billion of real collateral, Manhattan federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Founder Daniel Chu and the company's Chief Operating Officer David Goodgame, who were arrested and charged with bank fraud and wire fraud on Wednesday, planned to frighten at least one lender into a favorable deal, prosecutors allege. According to the indictment, the executives discussed telling a lender that the company might otherwise implode, much like the energy trading firm Enron in 2001, if a deal wasn't reached. This would be bad for the lender because it would put them at risk of losing everything.

"Enron obviously has a nice ring to it, right?" Chu said when discussing with other Tricolor executives how to deal with one particular lender who had figured out the double-pledging issue.

"I mean, Enron, Enron raises the blood pressure of the lender when they see that. It, it has to, right?" Chu said while laughing, documents show.

It's just one of several recorded conversations that emerged as part of a newly unsealed indictment against Chu and Goodgame. The indictment accused the men of orchestrating a years-long scheme to defraud banks and other private credit providers.

Chu is expected to be presented in a Florida court on Wednesday. Goodgame should be presented in a Texas court on Thursday. The men could not be immediately reached for comment.

Tricolor rocked the banking industry when it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in September, leaving lenders like JPMorgan, Fifth Third Bank, and Jefferies exposed.

At the time of the company's September 10 bankruptcy, its largest lenders were owed more than $900 million "as a result of the fraudulent double-pledging and collateral manipulation schemes" orchestrated by Chu and supported by Goodgame, the feds said.

But that didn't stop Chu from using company money to enrich himself, according to prosecutors. They said Chu directed another executive to pay him the final installments of a $15 million bonus as the company approached bankruptcy, resulting in two payments from Tricolor totaling $6.25 million. Chu then used some of this money to purchase a multimillion-dollar property in Beverly Hills, California — weeks before Tricolor filed for Chapter 7, the feds said.

The back-to-back bankruptcies of Tricolor and auto parts company First Brands have raised questions about the health of the credit market, prompting JPMorgan's CEO Jamie Dimon to tell investors that he has his "antenna" up.

"When you see one cockroach, there's probably more," Dimon said on the bank's third-quarter earnings call with analysts.

• High mortgage rates have revived interest in creative financing options, including seller financing.
• Home sellers offering loans to their buyers is increasingly common in higher-end transactions.
• It appeals to self-employed or cash-rich buyers, as well as sellers looking for an edge in the market.

Carson Austin began to worry after his home had been sitting on the market for a couple of months with barely any interest from potential buyers.

It was early 2025, and he had listed the 4,600-square-foot Georgetown, Texas, property for $1.6 million, which he thought was a competitive price, comparable to other large homes in the area. But mortgage rates were hovering around 7%, keeping buyers out of the market and sales stagnant.

So Austin decided to try something a bit unconventional. He offered seller financing — an agreement in which the seller acts as the lender, typically providing the buyer with a short-term home loan. In Austin's case, he held firm on the home's sale price, but offered a below-market interest rate to entice buyers.

As soon as he offered the creative financing option, interest picked up. Within two days, the house was under contract with a buyer who agreed to a 35% down payment and a six-year seller-financed loan with a 4% interest rate. The sale closed just days later. Austin worked with a firm, MORE Seller Financing, to facilitate the deal, vetting and approving the buyer, and structuring the transaction with the help of lawyers and other specialists.

Austin said his buyer only came to see his house because of the below-market interest rate.

"I 100% know that the only reason that house sold, especially in that timeframe, was the owner financing — they told us that," he said.

Seller or owner financing gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, when interest rates were sky-high, but it developed a bad reputation for lacking sufficient protections, particularly for buyers. Federal regulators have criticized the model for exploiting low-income buyers with high interest rates on low-quality homes in poor neighborhoods.

However, as mortgage rates have soared since 2022, the creative financing strategy has regained popularity, despite remaining a niche offering. The practice is increasingly common in higher-end home sales, according to Realtor.com. Sales involving seller financing grew by 8% in dollar volume to more than $30 billion between 2023 and 2024, according to Note Investor.

"This used to be kind of a sketchy thing that happened with really cheap properties and really under-qualified buyers, and now the median price is on par with what's on the market as a whole," said Joel Berner, a senior economist at Realtor.com. "So it's moving upmarket, becoming more widespread, happening on higher dollar properties."

The upsides and risks of seller financing

Seller financing often appeals to buyers who want a below-market interest rate or who are struggling to qualify for a traditional mortgage. The so-called bridge loan from the seller, typically lasting about three years, provides the buyer with time to wait for rates to come down and find a traditional mortgage. Meanwhile, sellers can get an edge in the market and benefit from earning interest on the loan.

Sellers often use the financing strategy to market a home that isn't selling. Both buyers and sellers can benefit from a quicker timeline and can avoid fees, including mortgage origination and appraisal costs.

"At its best, seller financing creates genuine win-wins," said Ryan Leahy, who founded MORE Seller Financing. "Sellers often preserve more equity and earn predictable income, while qualified buyers benefit from payments that can be meaningfully below market rates."

But the practice can be financially and legally risky without the right protections. Leahy said that seller financing can have "lots of pitfalls and risk if it's not done right." He said that his firm helps protect both parties by educating them about the process, ensuring the agreement is in compliance with the law, and connecting them with all the specialists they need, including residential mortgage loan originators, lawyers, title companies, and other servicers.

It's more popular with wealthier people in part because the transaction "requires financial stability and liquidity of the seller," Berner said, while the buyer needs "to be able to either change what's keeping them from getting a mortgage in three to five years, or rates to come down considerably in three to five years."

But while the financing type has gained popularity, it remains a niche practice. Less than 1% of home listings mention private financing, Berner said.

MORE deals with higher-end homes — typically valued between $800,000 and $3 million, Leahy said. Sellers typically have a fair amount of cash and equity in their property, allowing them to wait several years before receiving the full cash from their home sale. MORE's approved buyers are often self-employed with income that can be challenging to account for, making it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage.

"There's so many people out there self-employed or have income that doesn't qualify for a traditional mortgage, meaning you have influencer income, crypto income, side hustle income," Leahy said. "Seller financing isn't going away."

When another of MORE's clients turned to seller financing to sell his multi-million dollar Austin, Texas, home, he realized that his potential buyers faced a different conundrum. They could afford to buy a home all-cash, but preferred to invest their money elsewhere, avoiding high interest rates.

James S., who requested partial anonymity to protect his privacy, eventually sold his 5,200-square-foot house for $2.9 million in January 2025, providing the buyer with a three-year loan at a 5.5% interest rate.

"It's always that question: pay cash for a house or use that money for other things," he said. "People could take the money, and they could go invest in the stock market, they could do other business ventures."

James and his wife also didn't need all the cash from their home sale immediately. They haven't bought a new home yet and are instead living in furnished short-term rentals in California as they figure out their next steps.

"My mortgage is being paid down," James said. "And we make some money per month as well, so that's also good."

• I don't feel the need to go all out and exhaust myself so my family can have a magical Christmas.
• My kids enjoy abundant lives, thanks to travel and a variety of activities. They don't need more.
• I'm focusing on meaningful holiday experiences and teaching my kids that more isn't better.

Here's what you won't find in my house at Christmastime: Elf on the Shelf. December goody and craft boxes for the kids. Brand new matching Christmas pajamas. Holiday photo shoots. Forced Christmas card writing. Expensive tickets to line up at a crowded shopping center to see an overrated Santa.

Before you write me off as a Christmas Grinch who needs a visit from three ghosts in the middle of the night to reinvigorate my festive mojo, hear me out.

I don't want to be over-committed

Not going all out at Christmas is intentional for two reasons. Firstly, I don't want to be that frazzled mom who stretches herself in 20 different directions trying to create a magical Christmas for everyone, decorating the perfect house, and buying every gift on everyone's wish list.

I already have a full-time job, and I have no intention of taking on the unpaid role of Christmas Fairy.

My kids already have really nice lives

Secondly, my kids already lead highly privileged lives. The only time they have known hunger is when there's a long line at McDonald's. My 6-year-old son's extracurricular activities include French and fencing lessons — and no, he doesn't attend a fancy private school; they are just some of the many before- and after-school activity options we're lucky to have at our school.

Meanwhile, his 3-year-old brother's daycare has a chef who cooks him a hot, gourmet lunch every day. That certainly beats my microwaved canned soup.

Rather than spending excessive money on material things, we prefer to enrich our lives through travel. This year alone, we've taken family trips to the Seychelles, Finland, Australia, and Tenerife.

It's safe to say, then, that my kids live with abundance. We don't need the extra pressure to push that even further this month, just because we're told we're bad parents if we don't.

Other moms I know are following suit

I don't want December to be something that we dread and feel we have to get through, because we have created so many tasks that end up draining our energy, rather than use this period to reset before the New Year hits.

I know my fellow moms are experiencing this because I hear about it all the time. Recent stats show that here in the UK, where we live, 62 percent of moms say they find Christmas "fairly stressful," compared with 44 percent of dads, and 45 percent of women without children. I don't want to be one of those.

The other day, I overheard some moms at school pickup complaining about how much they had to do before Christmas, and how they were worried about running out of time. I felt like interrupting them to say, "But do you really need to do all of it? Who said you had to do it all?"

But before I could do that, they both came to the very wise conclusion that their New Year's resolution would be to commit to doing less. Instead of feeling guilty for my Grinch-like mindset, I felt like clapping out loud at their realization that many of our supposed Christmas commitments are self-imposed, and the world won't end if we say "no" to more things.

I have also spoken to other moms who are planning to prioritize what they find meaningful over what the typical Christmas movie might portray.

One friend is even doing away with the traditional roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings and instead putting together a grazing table of everyone's favorite foods.

As for us, we're also skipping the British tradition of the Christmas pantomime show this year. Many families look forward to a TV celebrity taking on the main part of a fairy godmother or an ugly sister in a campy fairy tale performed onstage. But with tickets for a family of four coming to several hundred dollars, it's hard to justify the expense each year.

We celebrate the season in meaningful ways

I want my kids to grow up feeling that their lives are already full, and that they don't need certain things just because other people have them, or social media and TV said they should have them.

That doesn't mean we're not embracing Christmas in our own way, focusing on people rather than following trends and holiday traditions that we didn't ask to inherit.

My oldest recently went with his class to a local nursing home to sing Christmas carols to the residents. I can only imagine how happy they must have felt to see 30 6- and 7-year-olds belting out "Jingle Bell Rock." My son was proud of his efforts, as was I, knowing that he had secretly learned the lesson of purpose over presents.

We create our own magic

So, no, I don't feel the need to manufacture what others may define as a magical Christmas.

This is what would be magical for me: Taking a break from relentless work deadlines, calls, and emails. Not having to leave the house at 8:30 a.m. to get to school. Having movie days in our pajamas. Taking walks in the windswept woods. Eating party food for lunch just because we can. Doing what we want, not what society tells us we should do.

It seems that our boys are already getting the message. For example, we asked them if they wanted to visit a shopping center in Santa, which can cost between $10 and $50, where we live. I was prepared to suck up for the sake of Christmas if they really needed the experience. They both shook their heads and said they'd already seen Santa drive down our actual street. What could top that?

This lesson seems to be translating into real life outside of Christmas as well. My oldest will turn 7 at the end of January, which is always a challenge to find the enthusiasm for after the holiday season. We offered to throw him a mini golf and pizza party just like the one he recently attended. His answer was that he'd prefer to just go out for a burger with a few of his best friends.

When kids realize that more isn't necessarily better, it's a life lesson that's hard to believe they've learned — and I'm convinced that keeping it real at Christmas is the key to that.

• Dennis Maguire worked on "Misery" and "Stand By Me" with director Rob Reiner, who was found dead Sunday.
• He remembers him as a caring, gregarious person who kept a reasonable schedule for the cast and crew.
• Both of their fathers also worked in film, and the two discussed father-son relationships on set.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dennis Maguire, who worked as Rob Reiner's first assistant director on "Misery" and the reshoots for "Stand By Me." On Sunday, Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

People liked Rob, and Rob liked people. He enjoyed life, and I know he gave back. Rob wasn't really flashy. Yes, he was born into royalty in Hollywood, but he wasn't pretentious at all, at least not in my experience with him. He was the real deal.

He was a big, gregarious guy with a big personality. And he was funny, of course. He was a huge baseball fanatic and a very intelligent guy who could talk about anything.

I first worked alongside Rob as his first assistant director for one week on "Stand by Me" reshoots, and later for another seven or eight months in 1990 on "Misery." Before his passing, I hadn't seen him in a number of years. He and Michele had a house in Malibu Colony, and sometimes I'd see them out and we'd chat for a while.

Some friends from "Misery" and I have been texting, calling, and emailing back and forth since we found out. We all want to commiserate. I couldn't sleep the first night because my mind was racing — I'm heartbroken. It's just a terrible, tragic thing.

Rob was an excellent director, but also took suggestions

Rob was a real director. A lot of directors are quiet and internal, but Rob was able to tell everybody — both cast and crew — what he wanted.

But he was also open to suggestions, which the crew appreciated.

Most of my career has been as an assistant director, and there are times when I'll say something to a director on the side, and they may or may not take it. There were a couple of times throughout the course of the movie when I offered suggestions to Rob, and he took them to heart, and they ended up in the movie. He was always grateful and generous about acknowledging things.

Rob worked quickly. He wasn't like other directors, doing 84 takes. As a director, he was very secure about whether he had a scene or not. And if he got it, he moved on.

He was well-respected on set

Rob was respected by both the people behind the camera and the actors. Actors wanted to work for him because he could speak their language, as a very talented actor himself.

He had a great relationship with the movie leads [on "Misery"], Kathy Bates and Jimmy Caan, because he knew what they were trying to do and how to get what he wanted for the performance.

Kathy was basically unknown at the time, and the studio didn't really want her because of that, but Rob fought for her. She ended up getting nominated for and winning an Academy Award for her role.

He kept our working hours more reasonable

The film industry has miserable, awful hours. In my career, I've worked 16-, 18-, and even 22-hour days. I've fallen asleep driving home from work twice.

Rob made a point of shooting what we consider short days — 10- or 11-hour days — so he wouldn't burn out the actors and so people could go home to their families. It was civilized.

Working in the film industry is taxing on relationships. But Rob was married to Michele for over 35 years —which is rare in Hollywood. It's almost unheard of.

Both of our fathers worked in the industry

Rob and I had good talks about father-son relationships.

We both had rockstar fathers in the industry who we idolized. His father (actor, director, and screenwriter Carl Reiner) had a massive career, and my father (film executive, producer, and assistant director Charles H. Maguire) worked on films like "On the Waterfront" and "Patriot Games," the latter of which I worked on with him.

Rob was a lover of film and Hollywood history, and as a third-generation industry guy myself, I also loved hearing old Hollywood stories, so I would get Lauren Bacall to tell stories when she sat on the set.

One time, she was in the middle of a story, and Rob looked around and realized the lighting was done. He asked me, "Well, should we interrupt her?" I was like, "If you want to, I kind of want to hear the rest of the story, Rob." He goes, "Do we have time?" And I said, "Rob, you own it. It's your company. You call the shots."

I learned an important lesson from Rob

Once, when we were filming up in Tahoe, we encountered some issues with the weather — I think the snow machines may not have been working properly — so we didn't fully finish the day's work. We were walking back to the car together, and he asked if I was OK. I said, "I'm just upset that I didn't make the day for you."

He looked at me, stopped, and said, "Dennis, I know you care. Don't worry about that. It's out of your control and out of my control. We do the best we can, and when weather and other factors beat us, it's not on us."

Thirty-five years later, I still remember that day, trudging back in the snow to go back to the hotel.

Rob, as a human being, did everything he could. I'm happy I had the opportunity to work for somebody like him.

• I'm a mom of three and a dietitian who works with busy parents trying to lose weight.
• I recommend a lot of convenient, protein-packed snacks from Costco to my clients.
• Wilde protein chips, Oikos Triple Zero yogurt, and Chomps beef sticks are some of my go-to picks.

As a dietitian, I work with a lot of busy parents who want to eat better and lose weight. These clients can especially struggle with snacking and getting enough protein.

In the midst of juggling their hectic lives (and those of their children), they often just eat whatever feels convenient without considering nutritional value.

I'm also a mom of three young kids, so I get it — it's hard to have enough brain power left each day for planning protein-rich snacks.

The problem is, protein is crucial for things like staying full, preserving muscle, and keeping blood-sugar levels steady. So, I recommend lots of protein-packed, ready-to-eat snacks — because if it's not easy, it's not happening.

Here are snacks to get at Costco that may help you stay full, energized, and make weight loss feel more manageable.

Wilde protein chips are made from actual chicken.

Who would've thought you could turn chicken into a chip?

Made from ingredients like chicken breast, egg whites, and bone broth, these chips contain about 10 grams of protein and 160 calories per serving (about 25 chips).

They're a smart alternative to regular potato chips, satisfying that craving for something salty and crunchy.

The Only Bean crunchy roasted edamame is the perfect portable plant-based snack.

Another crunchy, salty snack I like getting at Costco is these roasted soybeans from The Only Bean.

Made with avocado oil, these contain 14 grams of protein at 120 calories per ⅓ cup serving, along with a substantial 6 grams of fiber.

The fiber content can support digestion and help stabilize blood-sugar levels between meals.

Fresh Addition's fully cooked chicken-breast bites deliver a big hit of protein in a small serving.

With 140 calories and 24 grams of protein per pack, these little bites of chicken can help keep you full between meals.

I love throwing the chicken bites into a bowl with a premade single-serve guacamole cup for a heartier snack.

The brand's steak bites are another high-protein, savory snack option.

Fresh Addition's 100% grass-fed beef steak bites are also a fridge staple for me.

Each pack contains 120 calories and 20 grams of protein, making this snack feel more substantial than a typical protein bar.

You can use these to create a mid-afternoon fix that'll prevent you from feeling ravenous by the time you sit down for dinner. Simply dump steak bites into a small tortilla, add a scoop of salsa, and heat in the microwave for a satisfying "mini meal."

Kirkland Signature cheese, fruit, and nut packs are quite balanced.

These Kirkland Signature snack packs deliver 8 grams of protein and 180 calories from a combo of nuts, cheese, and dried cranberries.

They can be another great "mini meal" when you're in a rush or traveling.

You can also make your own version of these packs at home by slicing up some cheese, grabbing a handful of dried fruit (choose varieties with less than 4 grams of added sugar per serving), and throwing your favorite nut variety on the side.

Oikos Triple Zero yogurt feels more indulgent than it really is.

Oikos Triple Zero Greek yogurts have 15 grams of protein and 90 calories per cup.

These protein-packed yogurts have a thick texture that makes them feel like an indulgent dessert. Sometimes I blend up the vanilla variety with a frozen banana and milk for a quick frozen treat that even my kids love.

RX Bars keep things simple with just a few ingredients.

Made from just a small handful of simple ingredients, such as egg whites, dates, and nuts, these RX Bars contain 12 grams of protein and range from 180 to 200 calories each.

They're ideal for stashing in a purse, backpack, gym, or diaper bag for when you need something quick, filling, and convenient.

The chocolate sea-salt variety is one of my favorites — it's got an addictive blend of sweet and salty flavors.

I like sipping on a warm mug of Kettle & Fire bone broth for a protein boost.

Drinking 8 ounces of this bone broth provides about a hearty 10 grams of protein at the expense of only 40 calories.

I enjoy savoring a warm mug of broth on a cold day or when I'm feeling under the weather and don't have much of an appetite.

After all, our immune systems rely on protein to fight off sickness.

Chomps meat sticks are a tasty, travel-friendly snack option.

Chomps are an excellent travel snack, and I often pack them in my car for road trips and carry-on bag for flights.

Each conveniently packaged meat stick contains 10 grams of protein and 100 calories. I'm a big fan of the original beef flavor.

Go Raw sprouted pumpkin seeds provide protein and some important minerals.

These Go Raw pumpkin seeds with sea salt offer 8 grams of protein per ¼ cup serving and less than 200 calories.

They're also a fairly nutrient-dense snack because they're an excellent source of both zinc and magnesium.

Mix these with a few chocolate chips and raisins to make your own trail mix.

• Netflix will stream three Barstool Sports video podcasts exclusively.
• The deal includes "Pardon My Take," "The Ryen Russillo Show," and "Spittin' Chiclets."
• Netflix aims to rival YouTube by adding exclusive video podcasts and diversifying its content.

Netflix will exclusively carry three Barstool Sports video podcasts, marking the streamer's third major podcast deal. Netflix has been readying a slate of shows for early 2026 as it looks to enter the space dominated by YouTube.

Included in the deal are:

• "Pardon My Take," where Big Cat and PFT Commenter deliver sports commentary and more
• "The Ryen Russillo Show," where host Ryen Russillo delivers sports analysis and talks with sports personalities
• "Spittin' Chiclets," featuring discussion of the NHL and pop culture by Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette, and Rear Admiral

None of the podcasts prominently features Barstool's famous founder, Dave Portnoy, who hosts "The Unnamed Show." The deal also doesn't include Barstool's popular "Million Dollaz Worth of Game," which ranked 33rd in US audience reach in the third quarter, as measured by Edison.

Portnoy said in a statement that he hoped the deal would drive new audiences for the shows. Netflix pointed to the shows' "unfiltered commentary, sharp takes, and undeniable humor" as a reason behind the deal.

Netflix has made similar deals with Spotify and iHeartMedia. As with those deals, the video versions of the Barstool shows will be pulled off YouTube and run exclusively on Netflix. The audio versions will remain available elsewhere. The deal includes new episodes and certain library episodes of each show.

Netflix's move into video podcasts is part of a broader effort to expand its content offerings beyond its core of TV series and movies. The streamer has added content from YouTubers like Mark Rober, event-focused sports fare, and games as it looks to boost engagement time. Netflix is also aiming to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming and studios business.

The Barstool deal brings the total number of shows involved in Netflix deals to at least 33. Netflix has told some Hollywood agents that it wants to have 50 to 75 titles ready to go early next year.

• Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has shared his annual reading stack — his last before retiring.
• The 11 titles cover a broad range of topics in business and beyond.
• "They were also a good reminder of why our purpose and values matter," McMillon said.

If you're still looking for a gift for the business-minded readers in your life, take some suggestions from outgoing Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.

As he does each year, McMillon posted a photo of a stack of books he read over the course of the year — the last he will share as CEO since he's set to retire next month.

This year's subject matter was slightly less AI-heavy than last year's and featured David Hollander's "How Basketball Can Change The World," which McMillon said was especially fun to read.

"I enjoyed the mix of ideas about AI and the kind of leadership that brings out the best in people," he said of the reading list. "They were also a good reminder of why our purpose and values matter."

Here are the 11 books McMillon shared, with a brief summary for each.

"How Basketball Can Save the World" by David Hollander

NYU professor David Hollander delves into 13 principles derived from the game of basketball that can address some of the most pressing global challenges. It also happens to be McMillon's favorite sport.

"Reinventing the Leader" by Guilherme Loureiro and Carlos E. Marin

Walmex regional CEO Guilherme Loureiro teams up with executive coach Carlos Marin to explore how leaders can bring about organizational change by first starting with personal change.

"Irresistible Change" by Phil Gilbert

IBM design guru Phil Gilbert details how the tech company reinvented its culture for the 21st Century, a process that required earning the buy-in of more than 400,000 people across 180 countries.

"From Strength to Strength" by Arthur C. Brooks

Harvard leadership professor Arthur C. Brooks draws on dozens of interviews and interdisciplinary research from social science, philosophy, and theology to examine how ambitious people can make their years after middle age more fulfilling.

"The Technological Republic" by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska

Palantir cofounder Alex Karp and his deputy, Nick Zamiska, argue that Silicon Valley has let down the US and its Western allies in pursuit of a shallow — yet lucrative — vision of technology.

"Superagency" by Reid Hoffman

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman explores how AI can be used in more inclusive ways to shape the world for the better, inviting readers to view AI more as an opportunity than a threat.

"Every Purchase Matters" by Paul Rice

Founder and former CEO of Fair Trade USA, Paul Rice, digs into how businesses and consumers can improve the world through more conscious decisions about sourcing and consumption.

"Pattern Breakers" by Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman

VCs Mike Maples and Peter Ziebelman bring lessons from early-stage startups to a wider audience, including how to develop truly novel ideas and put those concepts into real action.

"Young China" by Zak Dychtwald

Following his graduation from Columbia University, Zak Dychtwald spent the next several years immersed in young adult Chinese culture. His book explores how the post-1990 generation of Chinese people is poised to shape the globe.

"The Future of Global Retail" by Winter Nie, Mark Greeven, Yunfei Feng, and James Wang

International Institute for Management Development professors Nie, Green, and Feng are joined by City University of Hong Kong professor Wang to illustrate China's impact on global retail through a deep comparative analysis of case studies.

"How to Make Money in Any Market" by Jim Cramer

CNBC "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer's latest book aims to help average investors perform like top-tier wealth managers with advice about how to better understand the market and identify the right combination of growth and income stocks.

• Claude Code creator Boris Cherny said that he looked for engineers with "cool weekend projects."
• "These are the kind of people I enjoy working with," he said on "The Peterman Pod."
• Cherny also said that Anthropic was recruiting for "generalists," and that many non-engineering roles still code.

Want a job at Anthropic? It might help to get a hobby.

The AI boom is changing the job requirements for an engineer. Not only do they need to have coding skills, but they also must know how to operate vibecoding tools and stay up to date with new AI models.

Anthropic leader Boris Cherny looks for something else: "Side quests."

"When I hire engineers, this is definitely something I look for," he said on "The Peterman Pod."

Cherny's definition of side quests includes "cool weekend projects," like someone who's "really into making kombucha." It's a sign that the engineer is curious and interested in other things, he said.

Much of Cherny's own growth came from his side projects. Cherny is now a key figure at Anthropic. He created Claude Code, a tool that is now popular with engineers across the country.

"These are well-rounded people," he said. "These are the kind of people I enjoy working with."

Cherny also said he prefers that his new hires be "generalists."

He gave the example of an engineer who can code, but is also able to work on product and design. That all-star engineer also seeks out user feedback.

"This is how we recruit for all functions, now," he said. "Our project managers code, our data scientists code, our user researcher codes a little bit."

Cherny isn't alone in pushing for jobs to become more generalist. Figma CEO Dylan Field said in October that AI was causing job titles to merge, resulting in everyone being a "product builder."

What else is Anthropic looking for? For some time, it monitored whether candidates use AI in their applications.

In May, Business Insider reported that Anthropic asked candidates for certain jobs not to use AI in their written responses so the company could test their "non-AI-assisted communication skills."

Anthropic changed its policy in July, allowing candidates to seek out assistance from Claude.

For the younger engineers, a job at Anthropic may be hard to come by. In May, CPO Mike Krieger said on "Hard Fork" that he was focused on hiring experienced engineers — and had "some hesitancy" with entry-level workers.

On the podcast, Cherny said that his love of generalists came from his career trajectory. Working at startups since 18, Cherny had to do everything, he said.

"At big companies, you get forced into this particular swim lane," he said. "It's just so artificial."