• Edward Perotti is a celebrity event planner with clients including Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas.
• He got his start planning events after being laid off — now he refuses jobs he doesn't want to do.
• He told Business Insider the top trends among A-listers include holograms and hyper-local cuisine.

I fell into event planning by accident — tripped and landed in the mud, really.

Three decades later, I'm still dusting myself off and loving it.

Back then, I was working for one of the early online-publishing companies. When they acquired another firm in Cleveland, they shut down the California division, and I suddenly found myself unemployed, newly married, first child on the way, and panicking.

A friend, the director of catering at a hotel, listened to me whine and said, "My catering manager just quit. Come work with me."

I laughed. "What do I know about catering?"

She said, "I can teach you food. I can't teach you contracts or people."

Needing a paycheck, I said yes. Within six months, I learned that brides, their mothers, and chefs were a volatile mix — and that I was not built to referee that trio. But I loved hospitality, so I moved into hotel sales. That job introduced me to professional event planners. I had no idea the industry even existed.

From theater kid to event producer

I spent my childhood in the theater — acting, stage managing, and building sets. Event planning turned out to be a new version of that: someone gives me a script, I cast it, design the set, direct the lighting, and make sure the audience feels something.

That realization changed everything. Once I joined the planning side, my career just exploded.

Over time, I've worked with high-profile companies and private clients like Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas.

At this stage of my career, I say no more often than I say yes. I choose clients who share my ethics and understand that my job isn't to be a servant but to be of service. You hire me for my expertise and unique perspective. If you're looking for someone to agree with everything, I'm not the right person.

My team jokes that I'm the love child of Martha Stewart and Anthony Bourdain: I can make things exquisitely beautiful and on brand — but I'll walk out if a client crosses a line. I have opinions. I'm direct. But that's why people trust me.

I run my pricing like a law or architecture firm: you pay for my intellectual property and my team's time. Everything else is a pass-through cost.

If we rent furniture or hire a caterer, you'll see the exact costs. I'd rather a client sign vendor contracts directly than suspect hidden profit margins. My reputation is all I have.

Could I charge six figures for every event? Sure — and sometimes the numbers get there. But I can't hand someone a million-dollar invoice with a straight face unless the value is real.

I also push clients to incorporate community give-backs into their celebrations. If you're spending that much money, something good should ripple out from it.

What's in — and what's tired

If you describe an event you saw on "Page Six," I'll stop you mid-sentence. That was someone else's idea, for someone else's story. Let's find out what moved you and build from there.

Please, no more white-marble bars and faux-mid-century "modern" décor. We had a golden opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic to reinvent how people gather, but most of the industry reverted to the same old formula: long tables, centerpieces, and predictable menus.

The trend I love most is local, local, local — sourcing food, wine, and design elements from wherever we're hosting the event. If you're in Montana, give guests trout, not imported fish. If you're in Paris, let them taste real French cuisine. People remember authenticity, not sameness.

I'm also obsessed with weaving technology into live experiences without losing humanity. We've used holographic greeters that interact with guests, and we can now beam in a keynote speaker from another continent as a life-size hologram onstage. It's the theater kid in me, still staging illusions that make people feel wonder.

Wellness is another growing focus, but I don't treat it as a side station. It's part of the event's DNA. Perhaps that means a zero-proof bar alongside the cocktail bar or quiet areas where guests can unwind and decompress. Inclusivity matters: no one should feel singled out for drinking — or for not drinking.

The real luxury

For me, luxury isn't excess — it's intention. It's creating moments that feel personal, ethical, and rooted in place.

I'm comfortable financially, and my business supports my family—including my youngest son, who's autistic and will always need care. That's what drives me: building something sustainable enough that he'll be secure when I'm gone.

I don't need a sports car. What I love is hopping on a plane to Paris with my family, sitting in a café, and knowing that my work lets me do that.

After all these years, I'm still in the theater — just with a bigger budget and a better audience.

• I love being a mom more than anything, but it's also the hardest job I've ever had.
• I have one daughter, and I don't want to have another child.

People warned me that motherhood "would change everything," and they were right. However, some of the things I was told were different from my experience. After my beautiful daughter turned one, I waited for the feeling that many parents talk about — the feeling of yearning for another baby. The excitement I often heard of when trying for baby #2, along with the fantasy of pushing a double stroller around the neighborhood.

But what I felt instead was something different. I felt at peace. I felt complete. I felt like my family of three brought me certainty. I wasn't secretly hoping for another baby to add to our family. I felt done. And for that, I'm not (and never will be) sorry.

I love my daughter, but motherhood is also a job

I love being a mom more than anything in the world. I love my daughter so much that it brings tears to my eyes just to think about her. But it's also the hardest job I've ever had — and that's a part of motherhood that's talked about less often when the topic comes up. More often, people talk about the magic of having kids and how it goes by so fast. However, there's also the mental load that crushes you some days. And no matter how much you love your child, you can still crash out from exhaustion and overstimulation.

I'm one and done because I know myself and what I can handle. I don't see myself doing multiple rounds of this rodeo. I know what an incredible mother I can be when I'm not stretched past my edge, and I think having another child might do exactly that.

As a new mom, I discovered the narrative that "good moms" are supposed to want more — and want to do more. More children, more overstimulation, and more sacrifice. And that's where I draw the line. Personally, I feel like having a second child would be incredibly taxing for my mental health. I'm already stretched thin — I'm a host on the syndicated morning radio show "The Fred Show," the CEO and founder of The Mami Collective, and the primary caregiver (or, depending on who you ask, the default parent) to my 18-month-old daughter.

Having another baby would likely push my marriage to the ultimate test. I've also spent 12 years building my career — the one I'm so proud of, that brings me so much joy — and I feel it would make me compromise much of that hard work. So, instead of having another child, I'm choosing myself. And because I'm choosing myself, my daughter has the most fulfilled and happiest version of me.

I'm making this choice for myself, my husband, and my daughter

I'm choosing to do what I can to prevent becoming a mom who is hanging on by a thread. I want to pour everything I can into my daughter and give her the best version of myself, and to do so, I need to have emotional bandwidth. While I'm glad to be a mother, I think being the mother of an only child will allow me to do all these things in the best balance — for my daughter, for my husband, and for myself.

I know some people may judge my choice not to have another child, but I don't want to disappear into motherhood. I have an identity outside that part of myself. And I'm not here to fit into anyone's narrative that wants me to lose myself to prove that I love my child.

I'm allowed to say that my body has been through enough from my pregnancy. I'm allowed to say that my mental health matters. I'm allowed to love my child with everything I have, while also loving my decision to be "one and done." Because motherhood doesn't come with an award for burnout. My daughter doesn't need a sibling to be whole, and I don't need to sacrifice myself to prove I'm a good mom.

• Niki Leondakis became CEO of CorePower Yoga after losing her husband and home in a 12-month period.
• She said her decades-long yoga practice helped her heal and the CEO role at CorePower Yoga felt like "a calling."
• Leondakis told her sister she wanted to lead CorePower Yoga before the brand approached her.

Before becoming the CEO of CorePower Yoga, Niki Leondakis led three hotel companies and worked as the CEO of Equinox.

Roughly a year into her tenure at Equinox, she stepped down after her home burned down in a wildfire. Then, exactly a year after that, her husband died of a sudden heart attack.

"I found myself in this 12-month period without a husband, without my career, and without a home," Leondakis told Business Insider.

Leondakis, who joined the yoga chain in 2020, said she wouldn't have re-entered the corporate world for just any opportunity. She said becoming the CEO of CorePower Yoga was her "dream job," even before it was offered to her.

A core part of her life

Prior to leading CorePower Yoga, which has over 220 studios across the country, Leondakis said she always had a "strong discipline around physical activity." The CEO said she's been practicing yoga for over three decades.

"I started yoga because I thought it would help my running when I was marathon training," Leondakis said. Eventually, though, she said she found herself doing less running and more yoga.

Leondakis became so passionate about the practice that she received her 200-hour yoga certification — not because she wanted to become a teacher, but because she desired a deeper understanding of the history and philosophy behind it.

When Leondakis found herself in a turbulent period following the loss of her husband and home, yoga became key to her healing process. Yoga, she said, helped her find gratitude for what she had, rather than focusing on what she lost.

"The one thing that anchored me, grounded me, and helped me process all my emotion was getting on my yoga mat every single day," Leondakis said.

The CEO said she's been practicing with the same yoga teacher for over a decade, and at the time, she was also practicing at CorePower Yoga, near where she lived in San Francisco.

"It carried me through the most difficult times," Leondakis said.

Getting the job

Leondakis had her eyes set on leading CorePower Yoga before she knew there was an opening.

After the loss of her husband, the CEO said she was trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. When her sister asked her: "If you could lead any company in the country today, what company would it be?" Leondakis said she responded immediately with "CorePower Yoga."

Her sister then went on LinkedIn to find out who the current CEO was.

"I looked at his profile and said, 'Well, he's been there just a couple of years, and this is a great job, based on what he's done in his past. He's not going anywhere,'" Leondakis said. "And I didn't think another thing of it."

Sixty days later, in July of 2019, Leondakis said she got a call from a search firm asking if she was interested in the CEO position.

"I really, truly felt like it was a calling," Leondakis said. "The universe kind of punched me in the stomach a few times. I was struggling with that, but I felt like it was sending a bluebird my way."

CorePower Yoga's founder, Trevor Tice, wasn't the company's most recent CEO, but he passed away in 2016 from an accident. Leondakis said she felt a sense of purpose in joining the company and believed she had the skills to help build its brand.

"The company had its own tragedy, and I just felt like it was a calling for me to come lead this company into its next chapter," Leondakis said.

• Palantir CEO Alex Karp swears by a method that helps employees get to the root of a problem.
• Karp has said the Five Whys method "can often unravel the knots that hold organisations back."
• The approach is often credited to Taiichi Ohno, a Toyota executive during the 1970s.

Palantir's Alex Karp is not the typical tech CEO. It makes sense then that one of the big data company's foundational principles is rooted in the lessons of a 1970s Toyota executive.

Karp is a firm believer in the Five Whys, a simple system that aims to uncover the root cause of an issue that may not be immediately apparent. The process is straightforward. When an issue arises, someone asks, "Why?" Whatever the answer may be, they ask "why?" again and again until they have done so five times.

"We have found is that those who are willing to chase the causal thread, and really follow it where it leads, can often unravel the knots that hold organisations back," Karp and Nicholas Zamiska, Palantir's head of corporate affairs, wrote in "The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West" which was published earlier this year.

During a recent interview, Karp pointed to his adherence to the approach as a potential reason that Peter Thiel, once his roommate, entrusted him to lead Palantir when they co-founded the software company in 2003 alongside Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale, and Nathan Gettings. At the time, Karp was a Stanford law school grad who, instead of practicing, went on to pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy in Germany.

"The same things that made Peter the world's best value investor—he finds people that understand the sixth, seventh, eighth derivative of a problem in a business context. And we were friends. I do think there's a Germanic overlap, in our aptitude for understanding the consequences of a decision very far out," Karp told Wired in November.

Karp credits Taiichi Ohno, a senior executive at Toyota Motor Corporation, who wrote about about his management approaches for turning him onto the practice.

A 2012 article in the Issues in Information Systems journal praised the Five Whys approach, essentially labeling it Palantir's special sauce."

"To truly define values in the eyes of the customers, Palantir Technologies emphasizes the need to talk with customers throughout the development process, keep asking 'why?' but never ask 'why?' without implementing the answers, and be very disciplined at every step of the process," the authors wrote. "Their success in both the government and financial sectors began with the very first lean principle — identifying the values of customers."

Palantir's culture is almost as iconoclastic as its leader. Employees at the company, named for the magical seeing-stone in The Lord of the Rings, don't have formal titles — many employees report only to their teammates. Karp abhors higher-ed culture; there's even a video devoted to employees who dropped out of college to join Palantir.

Despite being a major defense contractor around the world, Karp recently said that non-US clients shouldn't expect to be wined and dined if they want access to Maven, Palantir's AI-powered platform for security and defense.

"We're not selling you sick dinner, we're not selling you our charm," he told podcaster Molly O'Shea while walking around the company's office.

The Five Whys approach seems to be working. Shares of Palantir are up over 100% year-to-date, and Karp's net worth is estimated to be roughly $15.7 billion.

Why not.

• Joe Lamy started small groups at senior centers to help older adults combat loneliness.
• Inspired by the loneliness epidemic, Lamy expanded these community groups nationwide for all ages.
• Activities like pickleball and singing have helped Lamy and others build lasting social connections.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Joe Lamy, a 77-year-old in Seattle who started groups at his local senior center to combat loneliness and now helps more groups develop across the country. It's been edited for length and clarity.

During our first small group meet-up at my local senior center, I remember asking everyone if they felt like they had anyone to talk to. When only half of the attendees raised their hands, it just broke my heart. I knew we needed to do more to foster social interactions.

I was inspired to start organizing meetups at my local senior center in Seattle in 2023 after Vivek Murthy, the former Surgeon General, declared loneliness an epidemic.

However, the group meant even more to me than that. As a retired teacher, I no longer saw people at work every day, and the social interactions I had grown to value were no longer guaranteed.

My small group inspired me to help people across the country start small groups in their own communities through AARP's "Create the Good" forum.

I've found that people want to find ways to get together. All it takes is a few people willing to talk to each other.

I found a sense of belonging at my senior center meet-ups

Our conversations initially followed a structured format, using online question prompts, but they gradually evolved into free-flowing discussions where we would discuss whatever was on our minds. I tried to steer clear of political topics that could alienate people and instead focused on the ultimate goal — inclusivity.

Starting the group helped me feel more connected to my community. I created so many new friendships and activities that I barely have any time to worry about aging.

The senior center has opened up to younger people seeking connection

I've since stopped serving as a facilitator at my local Seattle senior center, but it has expanded significantly in the past year. It now offers more classes, special lectures, and presentations — and it has even rebranded from a senior center to a "Center for Active Living," expanding its focus to the 50+ community. I've noticed an increase in people in their 50s coming in, along with more activities, such as line dancing and fitness classes.

It's not just older adults who desire connection. While younger generations might still have family ties and social interactions through their careers, they're hungrier than ever for long-term connections.

It's so rewarding to see new groups popping up everywhere

I'm now focusing on larger community efforts and building other small groups, and it fills me with joy knowing that people are enjoying their connections and are richer for the new bonds they've formed.

I've seen some groups go to restaurants on a weekly basis, and others that meet at a local library or church. Some groups even gather around a few picnic tables at a public park and just chat.

The more they get to talk with each other, the more trust they can build, and the more they become vulnerable and open to sharing situations about themselves.

Pickleball and singing have become my own sources of community

While helping to build these communities, I've also begun to focus more on pursuing my own passions. I've taken up pickleball, which has been great for my health and helped me build new friendships. We respect each other on the court, and we can talk about what we've been up to off the court. The laughter and conversations have nourished me in ways hard to put into words.

I've also joined a singing group for older adults and pay a small fee to participate in Seattle Town Hall's various events, which include intellectually stimulating lectures and discussions.

Our social health depends on the connections we can incorporate into our lives, and for me, these social interactions have been a lifesaver. I'm grateful for the chance to empower so many others to find the connections that bring them a sense of belonging.

• A new AI startup says it can help you maintain your professional relationships.
• The startup, Goodword, recently raised $4 million in seed funding from investors.
• Read Goodword's pitch deck that explains how it plans to help people network in the AI era.

Adding someone to your professional network is as easy as clicking a button. But how many of those people get lost in the abyss of LinkedIn connections or in endless feeds of content?

Goodword, a new professional networking startup, says it can help people maintain those relationships using AI.

"We're more digitally connected than ever before, but we still have the same constraints of the human brain," Goodword CEO Caroline Dell told Business Insider.

Goodword is leveraging AI to build tools that encourage closer connections, including a search function, reminders for follow-up conversations, and a method of making introductions. The startup describes its product as a "networking copilot" and has an AI assistant that users can chat with to keep track of meetings and people they meet. The platform is built using large language models from OpenAI, chief product and technology officer Chris Fischer said.

Goodword isn't necessarily looking to take on LinkedIn head-on as the next giant professional network. LinkedIn, in Fischer's words, is the "world's most important professional stage" and a "content machine," but Goodword aims to solve a different problem.

"We're not trying to build a networking app, per se, that's helping you network more and more," he said. "We're building something that allows you to spend time with the right people and build deeper relationships."

Dell, who was an early employee at Chief, an executive networking organization for women, teamed up with Fischer, who has worked at several startups, in 2024. In October, the startup released the beta version of its product and announced it raised a $4 million seed investment round led by Human Ventures, with participation from January Ventures, Bain's Future Back Ventures, and angels like Andrew Yeung and Chief's cofounders.

Goodword's recent funding will be used to develop its product, add more data integrations, cover the costs of large-language models, and expand its research and development team. The startup is based in New York and has a team of five full-time staffers and three contractors.

The product costs about $200 for an annual subscription, and offers a free trial. Fischer said the startup plans to introduce a monthly membership, but wants its early users to commit to a year, as the team works closely with them on developing the product.

Goodword's tech integrates users' LinkedIn networks, calendars, and email, and plans to add integrations for other tools people use regularly, like note-taking apps.

While Goodword automates some of the networking steps for its users, Fischer emphasized that Goodword is not an AI agent tool that replaces the networking experience.

"One of our differentiators is actually keeping the human at the center," Dell said.

Professional networking has been a hot category, and new startups are attempting to disrupt the status quo with the help of AI. Other startups, including Boardy, an AI agent that makes introductions, and Gigi, an AI-powered professional networking platform, have raised millions from investors.

Read the pitch deck Goodword used to raise its $4 million seed investment:

Note: Some slides and details of the deck have been either updated or redacted by Goodword in order to share the document publicly.

Goodword pitches itself as a platform that goes 'beyond networking'

The deck starts by outlining a problem in professional networking

"Networking today is doomed to fail due to the constraints of the human brain," the slide reads. The slide includes a cartoon and cites inspiration by anthropologist Robin Dunbar, who coined the "Dunbar's number" theory, which poses a limit to the number of relationships any person can have.

Goodword's deck dives into data points

"Now is the time to redesign networking for the AI era," the slide reads.

It ties together four categories: technology, markets, culture, and the future of work.

Here are the stats the slide includes:

• 80%: Data generated today is unstructured, LLMs can now unlock relationship data unlike ever before
• 1: Entrenched incumbent with a pay-for-connections and advertisement revenue model
• 136M: Professionals suffering from the "loneliness epidemic," creating demand for real connections
• 79%: GenZer's believe strong relationships are a key factor in wellbeing, driving a cultural shift towards authenticity

Then the startup maps out the market of social apps

"25 years of innovation in other relationship-based categories has left the professional networks ripe for innovation," the slide reads.

It lists companies in social, dating, and professional networking on a timeline — from Facebook to TikTok to Hinge. In the professional category, it only lists LinkedIn and labels a "graveyard of 'personal CRMs'" for the last decade.

Goodword outlines the opportunity for the space

"$200B+ global opportunity, starting with 171M users with more digital 'connections' than they can manage," the slide says.

It also identifies the types of potential users Goodwood would attract.

Here's what else the slide says:

Connectors — 2k+ connections: Natural network helpers. Often serve as a network node, believing in "karma" or "give to get."

Cultivators — 1k+ connections: Know they need to pay into the system to achieve success. Have a large network, but need prompting to effectively leverage it.

Opportunists — 500+ connections: Put pressure on their network when in acute need. See the value of connections, but barriers today are too high.

While it's an AI startup, Goodword emphasizes 'human relationships'

"We're in a time when professionals are more connected digitally yet feel a growing gap in human connection," the slide says. "Goodword addresses a paradox of the AI era — technology that strengthens human relationships."

Next, the deck introduces the cofounders

"30+ years of operating experience plus deep network expertise makes us the right duo to uniquely solve the problem," the slide says.

Here's what the slide says:

Caroline Dell, CEO

"Connector," 4K+ Connections

• About me: Top-tier startup operator with deep network expertise. Scaled Chief to 20K members and $120M+ in ARR in four years.
• Superpowers: Ambitious, operational horsepower, recruiting top talent, high velocity, navigating chaos, judgment.
• Earned Secret: A high willingness to pay for a powerful network is thwarted by the pain and friction of activating it.

Chris Fischer, CPTO

"Connector," 3K+ Connections

• About me: Serial (8x) startup builder of incredible technology products and world class teams (0>1 through IPO).
• Superpowers: Competitor, work ethic and grit, building high output teams, systems design, complex data infrastructure.
• Earned Secret: The most powerful technology is the one that allows customers to do something they couldn't do before.

Then it showcases how the product works

"Goodword integrates seamlessly across all the platforms and tools used for networking and intelligently organizes your relationships, surfaces the right connections, and helps you act on them at the right time," the slide says.

The deck wraps up with a quote from an anthropologist

The slide includes a quote attributed to Dunbar.

As well as a link to sign up for early access

The deck included an extra slide that highlights key features

"A networking copilot that helps professionals harness the power of their relationships," the slide says.

Here's what the slide says:

• Seamless Integration: Connects across contacts, calendar, notes, and social platforms to unify your network.
• Relationship Intelligence: Automatically organizes contacts by context, get timely reminders and personalized recommendations aligned to your professional goals.
• AI-Powered Copilot: Chat-based assistant to capture meeting details or serendipitous connections in real time.
• Smart Search: Draws from your interactions and context to help you find the right person instantly.
• Curated Introductions: Goodword's team facilitates purposeful connections that help you grow your network — and your impact — as a connector.

• Chapter 11 protections allow companies to reorganize debts in order to become profitable again.
• Companies like Hooters, Marvel, Converse, and GM have used the process to come back stronger.
• Here are 10 household name brands that have bounced back after filing for bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy often marks the end of a company — but not always.

While corporate bankruptcies have been on the rise in recent years, some brands have used the process to rebuild.

Chapter 11 protections mean that declaring bankruptcy doesn't necessarily signal the end of a company.

With the right restructuring strategy, brands can get back on their feet and emerge from bankruptcy stronger than ever.

Here are 10 household names that used the bankruptcy process to restructure their debt and get back into the black.

Marvel filed for bankruptcy in 1996 and dominated the silver screen a decade later.

Marvel Entertainment filed for bankruptcy in 1996, citing declining comic book sales. After merging with Toy Biz and selling film rights to characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, the company managed to regain its footing.

Disney purchased Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, and its Avengers franchise has become a cash cow for the House of Mouse.

Converse filed for bankruptcy before being bought out by Nike.

Faced with rising debts and a falling stock price, Converse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001. Sold at auction, Converse's new owners tapped a former North Face executive to revive the brand, eventually selling to Nike for $1.9 billion in 2003.

Delta Air Lines filed for bankruptcy in 2005 and spent a year and a half restructuring.

Delta exited bankruptcy in 2007 after cutting 6,000 jobs and reducing labor costs by $1 billion. By maximizing use of its Atlanta hub, expanding its international reach, and cutting costs, the company bounced back.

Six Flags filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and eliminated its debt a year later.

Six Flags eliminated $1 billion in debt in 2010 by offering bondholders ownership of the company. The amusement park chain went on to post nine straight years of record revenue, and in 2024, the company merged with former rival Cedar Fair.

It seemed like Hostess was closing for good in 2012, but the beloved brand is back.

Hostess filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012, and it seemed like the end of Twinkies, Ho Hos, and Ring Dings.

The company was bought by a private equity firm in 2015, which invested $375 million in the company, took it public, and reduced costs, bringing the classic Americana pieces back to store shelves.

The comeback captured the attention of J.M. Smucker Co., which completed an acquisition in 2023.

American Airlines was profitable three years after declaring bankruptcy.

American Airlines filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and spent the next several years reducing its workforce and restructuring its business. After merging with US Airways, the company returned to profitability in 2014 and has largely managed to stay in the black, aside from during the COVID-19 pandemic.

General Motors filed for bankruptcy at the height of the Great Financial Crisis.

When GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009, the US government spent $50 billion to bail it out and save autoworkers' jobs. The Treasury Department said in 2013 that the moves ultimately lost about $11.2 billion, but that the alternative would have been much worse.

The lifeline for GM helped the company transform into one of the world's best-run car companies and has contributed to the revitalization of Detroit.

Betsey Johnson filed for bankruptcy and closed all 63 stores in 2012 before relaunching her fashion brand.

Betsey Johnson had planned a massive expansion during the 2008 financial crisis. Instead, the company ended up $4 million in debt.

After filing for bankruptcy, the brand was acquired by Steve Madden in 2010, and Johnson has since revamped her fashion line to focus on lower-priced items to be sold in department stores.

Hooters filed for bankruptcy in 2025 and was sold back to a group that included the chain's founders.

Chicken-wing and skimpy-uniform restaurant chain Hooters filed for Chapter 11 protection in March and emerged several months later under a deal with the company's original founders to "re-Hooterize" the brand.

At Home's CEO said exiting bankruptcy represents 'an exciting new beginning.'

Texas-based housewares chain At Home filed for Chapter 11 protection in June and emerged in October with $2 billion less in debt, $500 million in exit financing, and a new ownership agreement among a group of its lenders.

CEO Brad Weston said the chapter now represents "an exciting new beginning."

• Posting work on LinkedIn and his website helped Dhyey Mavani land an engineering job at LinkedIn.
• Sharing projects and personal stories online expanded his professional network and visibility.
• Mavani encourages others to post their journeys to unlock career opportunities and mentorship.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dhyey Mavani, a 21-year-old software engineer at LinkedIn, based in Sunnyvale, CA. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to the US from India in 2021 to attend Amherst College, where I triple-majored in computer science, mathematics, and statistics. During my freshman year, I developed a support system for statistical programming that became part of an introductory statistics course.

Opportunities to talk about my work on and off campus started coming up, which led to different perspectives, insights, and connections. I thought about how I could scale this up to a broader audience.

I started posting my work on my personal website and LinkedIn in 2022. Reach-outs, research, and informal job opportunities started coming in, which made me realize that posting online about your work is as important as doing the work itself.

After seeing my work online in 2023, a recruiter at LinkedIn contacted me directly on the platform to discuss an internship opportunity, which ultimately led to my current full-time position as a software engineer at the company. I started full time this year.

I started building my network through my online presence

I started posting because people on campus were reaching out and asking to chat through ideas and career advice, and I couldn't devote much time to each individual. I still wanted to share my resources, so I decided to document my learnings and my progress and share them online.

Since I started posting, I've significantly expanded my network to over 500 connections and more than 6,000 followers. I posted about a research paper I wrote, and in the post walked through a short summary about my research, how I got there, what the key accomplishments were, and what things I'm still looking into for future work.

That gained some traction with over 45,000 post impressions on LinkedIn. Then I had people working in research labs at Princeton and other universities reach out, which led to further conversations about job opportunities that I never could've had otherwise.

I had to get over the fear of being judged

It's terrifying to put your work out there. I also thought of this as an opportunity to be resourceful and repay the help that my upperclassmen and alumni have given me.

That motivation really helped me overcome all the other worries I had. If it's for a good cause and to help others, I shouldn't worry about people judging my work. If they do, I try to take it in a constructive manner and learn from their perspectives to identify areas for improvement.

It's important to post the whole journey, not just your achievements

Adding personal anecdotes to the technical content that you post makes it more engaging for users. As I scroll on LinkedIn or read blog posts, I always engage a lot more with content that has a personal element. It gives me a thrilling ride through the adventure that the person went through to come to this conclusion or achieve this goal.

It's helpful to phrase the posts you share in a value-first manner, where you provide some of your own perspective and explain why you stand by it. When I share my work online, I like to walk readers through why I pursued this project, what it entails, and who it impacts.

I also try to engage with content I see to increase visibility and expand my network. I recently commented on a post about Google, sharing my thoughts on the company's strategy, and my comment had over 100,000 impressions.

Content works for you while you sleep

When I first heard someone say that content builds your career while you are sleeping, that really moved me.

I realized that there are opportunities that arise from organic posting and genuinely engaging with other people's content. I've received numerous outreach requests from people who have been working in similar fields that I admire, as well as for my internship opportunity at LinkedIn and other places that haven't yet had job postings listed.

Sharing content about an achievement helps me close that chapter of my work in my mind, and it can serve as a good checkpoint for people who are just starting on that journey when I'm ending it and seeking guidance.

I wouldn't have the job options, the reach, network for mentorship, and other engagements if I hadn't started sharing my journey online.

Do you have a similar story to share? Contact this reporter, Agnes Applegate, at aapplegate@businessinsider.com.

• A philosophy professor warns that reliance on AI is quietly eroding workers' core skills.
• She says junior employees risk becoming "useless" when they over-rely on AI tools.
• Data shows most ChatGPT use is personal, raising concerns about cognitive offloading.

Companies are racing to adopt AI tools they believe will supercharge productivity. But one professor warned that the technology may be quietly hollowing out the workforce instead.

Anastasia Berg, an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of California, Irvine, said that new research — and what she's hearing directly from colleagues across various industries — shows that employees who heavily rely on AI are losing core skills at a startling rate.

"We have a tremendous amount of empirical data on this question of skill attrition or skill atrophy," Berg said on "The Philosopher" podcast this week. "We talk a lot about what it takes to acquire a skill," but skills also require maintaining, she said

While Berg did not cite particular studies, there is research from Oxford University Press and journals, including Springer and MDPI, that suggests AI may boost speed and engagement in learning, but often at the cost of depth, critical thinking, creativity, and long-term skill development.

AI could be damaging the workers who need to learn the most

Berg said the workers most vulnerable to this deskilling effect are junior employees.

She said it's not just a problem with the humanities subjects; computer science professors say that students and early-career developers are relying so heavily on AI tools that they're no longer learning how to write or debug code on their own.

"It's one thing for a senior coder to use AI," she said. "But the junior people are useless because they cannot help themselves from using it."

Because they lean on AI from day one, Berg said, they never build the foundational knowledge required to understand what the AI is doing — let alone verify or correct it.

AI is becoming a crutch — even outside work

Berg said AI dependency is spreading far beyond the workplace. Adults now consult chatbots for everything from emotional support to daily decision-making — a shift she believes erodes independent judgment.

"The majority — if not something close to — of AI use among adults isn't work-related," she said, pointing to "constant advice," "a lot of weird sociability," and "emotional task management."

An analysis of 1.58 million ChatGPT conversations by researchers at OpenAI, Duke University, and Harvard University found that by June 2025, 73% of messages from adult users were non-work-related, though the study did not break down the specific non-work uses.

That kind of reliance, she said, weakens the cognitive capacities people need not only to perform specialized jobs but to function independently in everyday life.

A looming crisis of competence

Berg's point is that AI doesn't merely automate tasks — it automates the very processes through which people develop their skills.

Once workers grow dependent on AI, they lose the friction that strengthens their ability to reason, problem-solve, and make decisions.

"We have them compromising their most basic levels of their ability," she said. "The threat to the highest level of their ability is just tremendous."

If companies continue to push AI into every workflow under the banner of efficiency, she said, they may end up with a generation of employees who appear more productive on paper but lack the ability to perform without digital hand-holding.

In other words, AI might not be enhancing the workforce. It might be slowly dismantling it.

• Uber, Lyft, and other apps market themselves as ideal side hustles.
• One driver said the work hasn't fit well with her schedule as a medical student.
• The driver has looked at other gigs, such as substitute teaching, to make money.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Porshaye Watkins, a 37-year-old ride-hailing driver for Uber and Lyft in Atlanta. Business Insider verified her work and expenses. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I started medical school in January 2020. Then, life happened.

My grandmother passed. She raised me, so after that, I had to navigate life a little differently. I became the sole caretaker for my Vietnam War veteran grandfather and my intellectually disabled adult brother.

In the fall of last year, I had the wonderful idea to use rideshare to supplement my income while studying and caring for my family. However, it has not been what I've planned.

The story I had heard from others who drove rideshare was that they did it full-time and were able to make thousands of dollars a week. But the most profitable times to work don't always fall within the hours I'm able to spend outside and work. Sometimes I have to study when lots of people are requesting rides, such as at night.

Initially, when I started driving rideshare, I rented a vehicle through Lyft. It was very expensive: I was paying about $300 a week for the car, and that doesn't include a deposit, taxes, fees, or insurance. So I was paying over $1,000 a month for a car that I didn't own. When some rides paid as little as $2 or $3, it didn't make financial sense. Earlier this year, I ended up buying my own car.

Some weeks, I end up driving for 55 hours to make enough money to cover my expenses. So far, I've completed about 1,400 trips on Uber and 500 on Lyft. I'm taking a break from school, although I plan to re-enroll and complete my final year in January.

As a future doctor, I see certain behaviors among other drivers that concern me. Like me, a lot of other ride-hailing drivers whom I talk to while working or getting rides myself say they sacrifice downtime and sleep to drive. That can make them more anxious, especially late at night, which puts everyone on the road at risk.

(Editor's note: A Lyft spokesperson said driver health and well-being is a top priority, and the company encourages drivers to take breaks and limits drivers to working 12 hours at once. An Uber spokesperson declined to comment.)

I've also noticed that I'm sitting a lot more as a driver than I used to when I was in medical school. It doesn't do the body good. I'm trying to figure out a way to get more active again.

Over the past year or so, I've realized that driving for rideshare is not a sustainable side hustle for me. I've started applying for other jobs, but I usually don't hear anything back. I've also been making grocery and restaurant deliveries through Instacart and DoorDash. The main alternative that has worked out for me is working as a substitute teacher.

It's devastating to me that I'm working this hard. I hoped the rideshare industry could be a reliable option for someone like me who needs flexibility, but it's not.

Do you have a story to share about Uber or other gig work? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or 808-854-4501.