• My son's school practically expects all kids to have a cellphone.
• But I don't want my 11-year-old son to have one — even though I'm addicted to mine.
• I feel pressure all around to get him a phone, but I want him to enjoy his childhood.

Recently, my son's middle school offered a reward for perfect attendance: a bus trip to Los Angeles for a Clippers game, leaving immediately after school. I wanted to send him a little money for dinner. But because the arena is cashless, the school advised parents to load money on the students' smartphones instead.

It's just one example of something that happens constantly now. After-school plans live in group texts. Coaches send pickup details through apps. Teachers rely on messaging platforms as the primary mode of communication. The assumption is that a phone is not simply a convenience for kids; it's a requirement.

I don't want my 11-year-old son to have a cellphone. I want him to enjoy his childhood. The problem is: It's becoming harder to keep phones from him, especially since I'm addicted to mine.

I'm a phone addict, and I'm trying to change that

Over the summer, I convinced my family to backpack the Lost Coast, California's longest stretch of undeveloped coastline. Most importantly, it offered something I desperately needed: four days without cell service.

I'm addicted to my phone — and not like a character on "The Diplomat," where the fate of the free world depends on my next text. I'm just your garden-variety doomscroller. I'm the kind of person who opens Instagram intending to check one thing, then emerges an hour later after watching a stranger redecorate a bathroom. The phone is like cigarettes for my eyes, and I can't stop lighting up.

The Lost Coast delivered what I'd hoped. My hands finally stopped twitching for a device that wasn't there.

When we reached the parking lot at the end of the trail, the first bars of service appeared on my screen, and without hesitation, I dove straight back in. Notifications pinged. I answered all of them. While I caught up on days of messages, my 11-year-old son looked out the window at the peaceful coastline fading behind us, as if he were holding on to something I'd already let go.

There's mounting pressure to get my son a phone, too

My son is one of the last holdouts in his grade, and I've been standing firm despite mounting pressure from friends, other parents, and even his teachers.

I believe being unplugged is essential to childhood. I want my son to know what it's like to be disconnected — to experience boredom, to solve problems on his own, to be unreachable in a noisy world that demands constant attention.

I want him to cultivate skills without the assistance of a glowing rectangle. I want him to notice things about where we live: the subtle tracks left by lizards crossing sun-baked dirt, the scent of creosote after rain, the shadow of a hawk circling overhead.

But increasingly, it feels like the world is forcing my hand.

To be clear, I'm not anti-tech. My kid has a Nintendo Switch. He devours books on a Kindle. His homework lives on a Chromebook. I'm not trying to raise a pioneer child. I just want to preserve this all-too-brief, analog intermission before the algorithm finds him.

I'm still nostalgic for a time before phones

The uncomfortable truth I had to face at the Lost Coast is that I'm not modeling the behavior I expect from my son. I preach presence while practicing distraction. I'm holding back the digital tide from my child while letting it sweep me away.

Maybe that's the real reason I'm resisting — not because I've figured out a superior system, but because I haven't.

He'll soon be old enough for a phone. Until then, I'm buying time, just not a data plan.

• My mom's death sent me into a pattern of overcommitting at work just so I could hide from the grief.
• Five years later, my father's death made my whole work life fall apart; I took a leave of absence.
• Throughout the journey, I discovered a new way to balance my work and life.

My life was immeasurably changed in December of 2018 when my mom died from a fast-moving cancer. It was the week of Christmas, so I recall the feeling of guilt that I had when I sent an email to my team letting them know that I would be out for a little while. I didn't want to burden their holiday season with my sad news.

A few weeks later, my return to work was a two-day trip to Chicago to represent my department in some sales meetings. My boss and I had decided it would be an easy re-entry because there was relatively little output that was required on my part.

After the day of meetings, dinner, socializing, and after-dinner drinks, I found myself in the hotel room. On the surface, the day had been a nice departure from the stress of the prior weeks. But it was quiet, I was alone, exhausted, and felt numb. I stepped into the shower and, without warning, the floodgates of emotion burst forth, and I cried harder than I had cried in the weeks and months prior.

I realized that the change of scenery had allowed me to feel all the things I'd been holding on to for the months leading up to and after my mother's death.

From there, I buried myself in work to hide from the avalanche of emotions.

I distracted myself with work

In the weeks that followed, it didn't take me long to realize that my perspective on work had changed entirely. It started as apathy. I wanted to care about the things I was doing, but I didn't have anything in the emotional tank left to give.

But at the same time, I overcommitted to projects and travel assignments. I took on anything that would distract me from the hurt I was feeling deep inside. In 2019, I spent around 150 nights in hotel rooms and took over 100 flights. I was happy on the surface, but beneath the layers, the grief still simmered.

I thought if I just kept my head down at work, then I wouldn't find myself crying in the shower anymore.

Everything crumbled when my father died

After a couple of years, things finally started to feel good again. Then, in 2023, the first domino fell, and again changed the trajectory of my life. I received a phone call that my mother's older brother had died. I still remember the feeling in my gut as the flicker of all the emotions I'd put there started to roar back to life.

But it didn't stop there. Between February and December 2023, I would end up losing five family members, one of whom was my dad.

Any semblance of normalcy, work-life balance, or coping with deep emotions was totally broken by the end of the year.

I tried to bury myself in work again, but I couldn't get rid of the weight of the anxiety, depression, and grief that was making every day an emotional gauntlet.

By early 2024, I realized that it was no longer sustainable, and I knew I needed to step away from work and give myself space to heal.

The journey forward with a new perspective

I took a 10-week leave of absence, during which I wasn't filling my days with work or distractions to avoid the pain I was feeling. I was able to focus on family estate matters, spend time outside, and allow myself to ride the roller coaster of emotions as they bubbled up.

I ventured back into work this time knowing that if I wanted to be successful, I needed to take a more sustainable approach. Ironically, my return to work this time also came with a travel assignment. This time around, however, I knew that I'd need to be more intentional with my time and my commitments, and leave space for myself to recharge.

And it worked. I enjoyed the trip, and also enjoyed the downtime we got to share as a team. I was more present with myself and with them.

I'm now trying to face my emotions instead of drowning in work

The following years have brought on their own set of challenges. But now I knew that balancing work and life doesn't mean using work as an escape from life. It also means setting realistic goals and boundaries for my work commitments.

Sometimes I succeeded, and other times I didn't, but healing isn't linear, as they say.

Now, occasionally, I'll have days when those raw feelings resurface, but I'm grateful that I'm not spending my time at work to avoid them. On this journey, that's about as close to balanced as you get.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. There are many ways to acknowledge your company's standout workers, but what about giving them a Porsche? How about an all-expenses paid trip? Check out how this company rewards its top employees every year.

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On the agenda today:

• BI's Zak Jason watched longevity influencer Bryan Johnson trip on mushrooms for five hours.
• Millennials have a favorite storage unit: Mom and Dad's house.
• Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is mulling a new name for his company.
• The Netflix-Warner Bros. deal has a long way to go before it's approved.

But first: What it's like to work over 80.

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If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

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This week's dispatch

The older Americans still in the workforce

I'm fascinated by Americans over 80 who are still working — either because they want to, have to, or both.

Older workers long past retirement age are the fastest-growing sector of the US labor market. They're twice as likely to be in the workforce now as they were in the early 1990s.

For the past year, Business Insider has explored why this cohort is growing. What's driving it? And what are the repercussions?

My colleague Noah Sheidlower traveled to nine states and spoke to nearly 200 people over 80 years old for this project. He interviewed a range of folks: bookkeepers and lawyers, forklift drivers and Home Depot employees, Uber drivers and substitute teachers, among many others.

Some pieces are heartbreaking: "I'm worried every night when I go to bed that what I have isn't going to last until I die," Patricia Willson, a 93-year-old job seeker with a fractured back, told Noah. "For God's sake, I should have saved every penny I could save."

Others are inspiring: "As long as I'm physically able to get up, get dressed, and go to work, I'm going to continue that," says Bill Miller, 82, who works as a real-estate broker and part-time as a forklift driver in North Carolina.

The commonality in all of them is the thought, care, and attention to detail that Noah brings to the subject. "As a 24-year-old journalist wanting to cover these older workers, I heard, 'You won't understand' or 'You're too young,'" Noah writes. "The more I wrote, the more people I found who would speak candidly — because someone was finally listening."

We've published more than 20 stories and a documentary on what it really means to keep working past 80 in this economy.

Drop me an email and let me know what you think of the coverage at srussolillo@businessinsider.com.

---

Bryan Johnson's long, strange mushroom trip

Thousands of people across X, YouTube, and Instagram spent last Sunday watching the longevity influencer and centimillionaire take magic mushrooms on a livestream "for science." BI's Zak Jason tuned in to the five-and-a-half-hour production "for journalism."

Zak watched as Johnson shared how he felt like a newborn baby while peeing, extolled the virtues of longevity science, and was joined by his father, his son, Grimes, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, and other business leaders, all while fearing his grip on reality may now be lost.

"We like you even more on shrooms."

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Millennials have a serious stuff problem

Yes, there is the baby boomer stuff avalanche, but they're not the only generation accumulating useless items they can't get rid of. Gen X, millennials, and Gen Zers are leaving their parents drowning in yearbooks, prom dresses, and Little League trophies.

Many of these storage freeloaders have their own lives and don't have the time or energy to whittle down their items. Plus, when something lives at your dad's house, it's easy to pretend it's not your problem — even though it very much is.

It's not just boomers.

Also read:

• Inside the tax that incentivizes boomers to die in their homes, rather than selling — because it's better for their kids

---

Salesforce Agentforce

How committed is Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to AI? He might change his company's entire name to acknowledge the focus on tech.

The tech giant has rebranded several of its products under the Agentforce name, a nod to its huge bet on AI agents. When BI's Ashley Stewart asked Benioff if he'd consider changing the entire company's name, he didn't shy away from the idea.

"That would not shock me," Benioff told Ashley.

New name for a new game.

Also read:

• Marc Benioff is writing Salesforce's annual strategy document. He shared the key details early with Business Insider.

---

Netflix's not-so-sure thing

Netflix rocked the entertainment world when it emerged as the winner in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. The $72 billion offer would give the king of streaming control of HBO and the iconic Warner Bros. movie and TV studio.

Or will it?

BI's Peter Kafka unpacks how the deal needs regulatory approval, which is no guarantee. And it's especially more complicated considering the people behind one of the competing bids, Larry and David Ellison, have close ties to President Donald Trump.

Netflix and chill (until you get regulatory approval).

Also read:

• Read the memo Warner Bros. Discovery sent employees after Netflix won the bidding war for its key assets
• Exclusive: Here's what Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said about the Netflix deal at a company town hall

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This week's quote:

"I used to be naive and filled with excitement to work for a tech company, but since the layoff, I just see it as a resource to fund my life."

— Brittney Ball, a 36-year-old who is struggling to find work after getting laid off from Meta as a "low-performer."

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The Americans over 80 still working to pay the bills

Four older Americans share why they're still working. Their stories reveal what it really means to keep going past 80 in an economy with little safety net.

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More of this week's top reads:

• Citi dropped its 2025 managing director class — we have the full list of 276 new MDs.
• Harvey's $8 billion question: How much money does it actually save lawyers?
• Exclusive: Millennium suffered big losses in one of the $81 billion hedge fund's favorite strategies last month.
• Economists run a secret prediction game each year. When ChatGPT took part, here's what happened.
• The wannabe real estate moguls going bust.
• A Hall of Fame quarterback-turned-CEO explains why he interviews everyone he works with — and the red flag he looks for.
• A Ferrari and over 480 takeout orders: FBI details spending spree of Netflix director in $11 million fraud case.
• The number of billionaires is on the rise — and they are richer than ever thanks to AI.

• A 30-year-old lawyer quit Big Law. Days later, she had a term sheet to raise $2.5 million for an AI law firm.

  ---

  The BI Today team: Steve Russolillo, chief news editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

• Pickle-flavored foods, from potato chips to martinis, have been on the rise in recent years.
• The trend may have hit its apex with McDonald's Grinch meal, with new dill-flavored fry seasoning.
• Pickles are now featured on more than 30% of restaurant menus, and sales are booming in grocery.

Restaurants are literally in a pickle.

An influx of pickle-flavored foods, from potato chips to beef jerky to pickle juice slushies, has reached a new peak with the launch of McDonald's new seasonal Grinch meal, which features a packet of neon-green "Merry Pickle" dill-flavored seasoning meant to be shaken over the brand's iconic fries.

And it's only the latest clue that the country is in its pickle era.

McDonald's has experimented with do-it-yourself fry seasoning before — the Grinch meal was first introduced in Canada in 2024, where the company says it sold out. In 2014, the golden-arched giant tested garlic Parmesan, zesty ranch, and spicy Buffalo seasoning packets at restaurants in Northern California and St. Louis. It also sold a similar product, called "Shake Shake Fries," in Asian markets, India, and Australia, featuring masala and seaweed flavors.

However, McDonald's Grinch meal's nationwide rollout, albeit a limited-time offer, is significant, as it demonstrates how deeply the pickle craze has seeped into American food culture: no longer a tangy sandwich topping, but a mass-market flavor big enough for McDonald's to bet on a national campaign.

"The pickle era just continues to grow across all different types of products, and we're seeing more and more innovation," Michael Della Penna, the chief strategy officer at the digital advertising research firm InMarket, told Business Insider.

Pickle consumption is on the rise around the country. Virtue Market Research estimates the North American pickle market was valued at $12.42 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach $15.27 billion by the end of 2030.

Consumer trends tracked by Yelp have found that searches for "pickle store" have increased by more than 7,500% over the past five years — and by over 55% since July 2024. Searches are also up for more niche items, like "pickle martinis," which have increased by 633% over the last five years, and "pickle restaurant" — up 32% in the last year.

More than a third of US restaurants now offer dishes with pickles on their menus, Tastewise, a consumer data platform for the food and beverage industry, reports, and social media conversations about pickles — like those touting the flavor combination of Twix with pickles — have increased by 11.49% year-over-year, suggesting continued interest in the sour and salty snacks.

It's not just burger joints capitalizing on the trend. Popeyes this year launched an entire pickle-themed menu, complete with a new chicken sandwich, wings, fried pickles, and a pickle-flavored lemonade. KFC also made fried pickles a prominent part of its Kentucky Fried Comeback campaign in an effort to reverse slumping sales.

And the craze extends far beyond restaurants: grocery aisles are packed with pickle-flavored popcorn, pretzels, hummus, seltzers, and even Van Leeuwen's dill pickle ice cream, while pickle festivals across the country have seen record attendance.

"The pickle flavor profile is going to continue to grow, because it has so many unique combinations: from sour to salty and spicy, which allows a very wide spectrum of not only product adaptations, but flavor profiles within those products by mixing those elements in different ways," Della Penna said, adding that the pickle boom is being driven largely by Gen Z, who gravitate toward strong, sour flavors and foods that lend themselves to viral moments.

"Gen Z's obsession for bold, quirky flavors and viral experiences is playing right into this opportunity for McDonald's," Della Penna said. "With the flavor profile and the opportunity to tie it into Grinch and the holidays, it really opens up an opportunity for social sharing and for the product to take off on TikTok, which has seen its share of viral pickle episodes in the past."

Pickles, Della Penna said, also benefit from the wellness halo surrounding fermented foods, making them both fun and functional in consumers' minds.

Dietitian Sophie Medlin previously told Business Insider that pickled vegetables are rich in probiotics and promote good gut health, which can help people experience less bloating, have fewer gas issues, and enjoy better mental health — so it's no wonder diners keep coming back for more brine.

• Lisa La Valle decided to move to Europe by herself in 2018.
• She thought she'd be happier, save more money, and have more freedom. She was right — mostly.
• La Valle shared the pros and cons of moving to Europe, from cheap rent to feeling she doesn't fit in.

Lisa La Valle and her husband dreamt of moving abroad once their children finished school.

After they separated, La Valle found herself at a crossroads: either stay in New Jersey, where she'd spent most of her adult life, or leave the US to build a new life alone in Europe.

"I looked ahead at the rest of my life and thought, 'I'll be damned if I spend the next 30 years in New Jersey,'" she told Business Insider.

In 2018, at 57, La Valle bought a one-way ticket to Paris. Seven years later, at 64, she lives in Brescia, a city in northern Italy's Lombardy region, near the foothills of the Alps.

La Valle has had her share of ups and downs during her time in Europe. Still, she said she doesn't regret moving to Europe, and overall, it's been a good decision.

"I'm all for following your dreams, but brace yourself — it's not always easy moving to a new country," she said.

Here are La Valle's pros and cons of moving abroad.

She's more relaxed and less stressed

The cost of living in the US continues to rise, making it particularly challenging for aging Americans.

Many have seen their expenses climb while their incomes stay flat. That pressure intensifies in retirement, when savings often fall short, and Social Security doesn't fill the gap. It's one reason some retirees, like La Valle, are choosing to move abroad, where they believe life is more affordable and less stressful.

"I didn't want to worry about affording healthcare or staying in the rat race to keep up with the high cost of living," she said of why she left the States.

La Valle is now retired in Italy. While she's been receiving Social Security for the past two years, she also works part-time as an English teacher at a local school. She works about 20 hours a week and earns about $1,500 a month.

"I don't make a lot, but the lower cost of living makes life much easier," she said. "I don't feel like I have to struggle financially, like I would have had to in the US."

Making friends can be difficult

"Forming friendships in a new country can be a challenging experience," La Valle said. "Although I'm willing to befriend anyone, I know not everyone is, and being an expat can be an extraordinarily isolating and lonely experience for some people."

La Valle found it especially difficult to make friends in Paris, a city whose culture and social norms felt vastly different from those in the US. Even after four years, she admitted it never really felt like home.

"In many ways, Paris felt like a private club, and I was not invited," she added.

Finding a place to live can be a hassle

In the US, people often lean on real-estate agents and websites like Zillow or Realtor.com to find housing. In Europe, where there's no national MLS — a shared database of listings provided by agents and brokers — the process can be much more complicated.

While real-estate websites like LeBonCoin, popular in France, and Idealista, popular throughout southern European countries like Spain and Italy, exist, La Valle said that many locals rely on word of mouth to find housing.

"The easiest way to find an apartment is through a friend," she said. "Relationships are the connective tissue in Europe. Know somebody you can trust, you can make an introduction, and then do business."

Still, it can be a hassle. La Valle said that finding available apartments in Paris felt like "winning the lottery."

Housing is relatively more affordable

Finding housing may be a challenge in Europe, but La Valle said the affordable rent she found in Italy is worth it.

In Brescia, she's renting an apartment near the city center. She has a big living room with terracotta tiles, a kitchen, a full bathroom, a wide hallway with floor-to-ceiling windows, a large bedroom, and a terrace.

"It feels like a hotel, but I pay only €550 ($636.60) a month in rent," she said.

It takes time to adjust to the metric system

Living in Italy, La Valle said the language barrier can sometimes make her anxious.

"I can cross an ocean no problem, but then I go to make a hair appointment, and I'm practically shaking and sweating," she said. "When you're on the phone with someone, and they're speaking fast, you're like, 'I'm going to get it wrong.'"

Another barrier is measurements. Europe uses the metric system, while the US has its own customary measurements. La Valle said switching between the two can make even basic errands like grocery shopping, surprisingly difficult.

"The conversion of milligrams and grams to cups when you want to bake something, or even dealing with the weather — they're in Celsius, and we're in Fahrenheit — everyday things that you take for granted can be a nightmare."

The food is healthier

La Valle said she's found the food in Europe to be fresher and healthier than in the US.

"You're always getting fresh food or a fairly pure version, even if it comes in a box or a can," she said.

Food scientist Abbey Thiel told Fortune that Europe doesn't necessarily have superior food overall, but its meat and poultry tend to be of higher quality due to its wider variety, and labels make consumers more aware of where the meat originated from.

• Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian, balances full-time work and childcare.
• The mom of four boys, she has to get creative in finding time to work out and cook heart-healthy meals.
• She stocks her home office with workout equipment and squeezes in workouts when she can.

Finding time to exercise can be a challenge, whether you work full-time hours or have just had a baby (or both).

For Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian in New York City, there are a few extra obstacles to staying fit. For one, she runs a private practice and counsels patients directly, meaning her schedule can vary significantly from day to day.

She's also a busy mother of four sons, ages 2, 4, 7, and 9.

Routhenstein, who primarily focuses on strength training and cardio, told Business Insider that the key is being proactive about scheduling workouts — even short ones — when they fit into her schedule. "If you don't plan it, it's not going to happen."

As a dietitian, she said that cooking most of her meals helps her maintain a balanced diet rich in protein, fiber, and carbohydrates to build muscle and stay energized.

"I'm a mom to four very active boys who thankfully enjoy eating well," she said. "So meal prepping is truly my lifesaver."

Routhenstein broke down how she fits full workouts (and mini sessions) into her week, while eating enough nutrients to support them.

A combination home office and gym

Routhenstein used to go to cycling classes at a gym. Then, her second son was born.

"With two kids under two, I knew I needed the flexibility to work out whenever it fit into my schedule," she said. She purchased a Peloton first, then Tonal, an at-home strength training machine, because she wanted to incorporate more weight training.

Her latest addition to her home office was a walking pad. She usually starts her day walking for 30 minutes while she answers emails and gets settled.

She said having a gym in her office makes it easy to pencil in quick workouts. "The night before, I look at my day the night before to see, 'OK, do I have cancellations?'" she said.

She aims for about 20 minutes of resistance training with her Tonal equipment three to four times a week, and a cardio workout on her Peloton three times a week.

"I plug it into where it fits in my day, whether that means I wake up before my kids wake up, or I block off a night without clients to work out," she said.

She tries to save longer workouts for the weekend

At least once a week, Routhenstein aims to get in a more robust workout, usually on Sunday.

"On the weekends, I am typically active with my kids — from running around with their sports, errands, and grocery shopping," she said.

Somewhere between her parenting responsibilities, she'll aim for up to 60 minutes of a Peloton session, a 45-minute Tonal workout, or a 30-minute yoga class for mobility training.

Her family helps her prep heart-healthy meals

Sunday is also typically the day Routhenstein meal-preps for the week. Her family helps her choose what to make, which she says helps keep her from overspending — she only buys what they'll eat.

"I get the kids involved, my husband pitches in, and together, we make family-friendly, heart-healthy meals we all look forward to," she said, adding variety to what she eats every week.

"I don't recommend anyone eat the same thing every day because your gut needs diversity in order for the gut microbe to flourish," she said. Routhenstein, who also wrote a cookbook focused on heart-healthy meals, tries to incorporate protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains in her dishes, whether she eats savory oats for breakfast or fish tacos for dinner with her family.

She also stocks up on pantry staples like frozen vegetables, which are cost-effective and can quickly bulk up meals.

She said her love of cooking makes meal-prepping fun — and her family's input keeps their lunches varied.

"One of my sons is basically our in-house food critic, so every dish has to pass his taste test, which honestly makes it even more fun," she said. "He gets extra invested and keeps us switching things up so it never gets boring."

• Most job rejections are made by people, not artificial intelligence or algorithms.
• Recruiters use technology for basic screening, but human decisions still drive most hiring outcomes.
• A surge in applications can create challenges for both job seekers and recruiters.

It's not you, it's AI.

At least that's the popular refrain on social media: The thing standing between you and a new job is an algorithm. It's an idea that can help make sense of a dizzying job market where applications can meet speedy rejections or, worse, go unanswered.

Yet, often, technology isn't directly to blame.

Even as AI and applicant tracking systems are playing a larger role in many parts of the hiring process, most of the time it's still a person, not a bot, who actually nixes your application, hiring experts told Business Insider.

"People have gaslit themselves into believing a story that's not true," said Bobby Miloev, a researcher with the résumé builder Enhancv, referring to the way many blame applicant software or AI for challenges in the job market. He added that he doesn't fault job seekers who might think this way.

It's understandable why people who've been hunting for a job might look for someone to blame, said Daniel Chait, CEO of hiring-software company Greenhouse.

"They're applying to many, many more jobs than they used to, and yet they're not getting hired," he said. "When that happens to you, you look for a reason."

When tech actually tosses out your app

Some job seekers have taken to social media to point out that they've received a rejection email not long after putting in an application.

Where tech might be a deciding factor upfront involves so-called knockout questions. Those can include inquiries such as, "Are you authorized to work in this country?" or "Do you have a degree in nursing?" Software can weed out the applicants who say "no" when a question is a dealbreaker. Ultimately, though, those are parameters a recruiter sets.

There are also high-profile examples around the use of AI in hiring. A lawsuit against the HR-services company Workday has raised questions about what types of AI screening of applicants might be appropriate.

A Workday spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider that the claims in the suit are false and that the company's products — AI-enabled and not — are designed to help customers manage an increasing volume of applicants "with a focus on human decision-making."

Miloev, from Enhancv, said that, often, applicant software generates "quite simple" scores based on how many keywords in a résumé match a job description.

Yet that's not always a big help — especially as AI has made it easier for people to tailor their résumés to match a job posting. For that reason, he said, many of the recruiters he speaks with don't rely on those scores to screen out résumés.

Miloev said that such scores don't yet tend to involve parsing résumés for deeper insights or involve "complicated understanding by large language models," he said.

"There aren't very many magic hacks," to reviewing résumés, Miloev said.

What recruiters actually do

Often, he said, recruiters simply read through incoming CVs chronologically — another reason it's good to apply quickly to a role that looks good, he said. After a certain point, there will be too many to go through.

Mark Jensen, a recruiter with Upswing Talent Acquisition, said that when applications start to pile up for a role, he'll stop accepting them. Otherwise, he said, those doing the hiring are "waiting for perfection to fall into our lap, instead of working with what's available."

Chait, who runs Greenhouse, said that hiring technology is getting better at helping recruiters identify applicants who possess the necessary skills or qualifications for a job. Software can read a résumé and application materials, and generate analytics about the applicants, he said.

That's a departure from years ago, when applicant tracking systems were little more than glorified inboxes.

"It used to just be like the line at the deli — everybody shows up and goes in order," Chait said.

The 'AI doom loop'

Many employers are being bombarded with applicants because so many more résumés are zipping across the internet. People desperate to land a role or hoping to find an in with an employer can, in some cases, easily click "submit." Employers, in turn, then have to sift through a taller stack of résumés.

The result, Chait said, is an "AI doom loop" that's unspooling as it's getting harder to get a job while getting easier to apply for them.

He said that means job seekers often feel as though they're "shouting into the void and not getting anywhere." Meanwhile, Chait said, recruiters face a mountain of applications and ask, "What the hell do I do with that? How do I get to the person I need to hire when there's all this noise?"

When job posts get so many applicants, Miloev said, it's understandable why people would blame technology. But that doesn't mean it's "randomly rejecting résumés," he said.

Do you have a story to share about your career? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.

• The CEO of a McKinsey-backed nonprofit says too many firms roll out AI without a clear usage plan.
• Generation found earlier in 2025 that most workers use AI weekly, but half are self-taught.
• CEO Mona Mourshed urged leaders to set guardrails, empower "power users," and treat AI as a multiplier.

Mona Mourshed has spent over a decade working on the future of work.

As CEO of Generation, one of the world's largest employment nonprofits, operating in 17 countries and helping more than 140,000 people land jobs, she has a front-row seat to how companies are grappling with artificial intelligence.

Her takeaway: Many companies are rolling out AI without a clear strategy.

"The vast majority of employers are rolling out AI tools in some shape or form," Mourshed, who previously worked at McKinsey — which founded Generation — told Business Insider.

"The question is whether they are rolling them out in a way that is effective."

Too often, she said, companies take a scattershot approach.

"For many employers, it is, 'Hey, here's a license, go ahead and use it,'" she added. "As a result, the employee doesn't know how or why you are supposed to use it so that you get the much-wanted gains of productivity, quality, and satisfaction."

Generation's own research highlights that gap.

In a survey of over 5,000 people across 17 countries in early 2025, the nonprofit found that 65% of respondents were alread. y using AI on the job.

Nearly 80% of those used it at least weekly, but 52% said they were self-taught, relying on tutorials or colleagues rather than formal employer guidance.

Here are Mourshed's four recommendations for CEOs who want to adopt AI effectively.

Start with the use case, not the shiny tool

Mourshed said the biggest mistake is giving employees AI tools without linking them to a problem.

"The difference is not identifying the use cases," she said.

She cited an example from Generation itself.

"We are an employment organization. There are certain things that are bottlenecks to our growth. We need to mobilize a lot of jobs," she said.

"So that's the first question. Our big bottleneck to growth is mobilizing jobs. So, how can we use AI to help us to mobilize more jobs faster? That then begins the conversation."

Leaders who start with a bottleneck, rather than a tool, are far more likely to see measurable gains, she said.

Build clear guardrails

AI can only work if leaders are precise about workflows and careful with data.

"AI is a tool. It needs to be fed very detailed workflow steps, and it needs to be fed data in order for it to do its thing," Mourshed said.

She warned leaders to balance access with responsibility.

"You have to feed it data, but you also have to be very careful that you're not feeding it personal information," she said. "You want to make sure that we are mitigating bias, so you, in some cases, don't want to provide data about gender or about ethnic backgrounds."

Empower internal champions and safe spaces

Change doesn't just come from the C-suite. According to Mourshed, companies need to identify and elevate "power users."

"There will be people who take to it and start using it all the time," she said. "These people are actually the best sherpas for everyone else."

At Generation, she encourages staff to share their experiences in AI "roundtables."

"Think of it as the water-cooler coffee chat — we do it virtually, but it's around AI topics," she said.

Treat AI as a talent multiplier, not a replacement

Some sectors are already seeing a drop in entry-level roles exposed to AI.

"There is a reality today that when you look at entry-level vacancies in professions that are AI-exposed, entry-level vacancies in professions that are AI exposed, we do see a decline. And that's not just in high-income countries, it's in middle-income countries as well," she said.

But she cautioned against a doomsday narrative.

"We also know from the history of technology that as things change, technology also gives rise to other jobs," she said.

Even in industries that may seem insulated, she said, AI is quietly reshaping workflows.

"We are seeing that AI is coming into play in a quality-assurance role," she said, pointing to examples like solar panel maintenance and garment inspection.

The bottom line: Don't sit back

Mourshed said leaders can't afford to sit on the sidelines while AI evolves.

"This is a period of tremendous learning," she said. "There is no magic bullet here. We all have to slog through it in order to understand how to make the most of this technology."

She advises CEOs to look both outside and inside their organizations: learn from peers, track internal champions, and spread their practices.

That, she said, is what will separate the winners from those who fall behind.

• Annual three-day silent retreats help Noah Greenberg achieve a better work-life balance.
• He shuts off his phone and uses the time to work on personal and professional goals for the new year.
• His checklist for a retreat includes journals, comfy clothes, and running shoes.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Noah Greenberg, 35, the co-founder and CEO of Stacker, based in New York. It's been edited for length and clarity.

In the week between Christmas and New Year's, I go away for an annual three-day silent retreat. I leave my computer behind, turn off my phone, bring a journal, cover all the clocks, and give myself time to think.

I started the tradition in 2020 because I was working from home, opening my computer in bed, and spending the day there. I felt stuck in that loop.

The first year had such a profound impact on me personally and professionally that I kept going. After five years, here are my takeaways — and why I've come to realize my retreat works better when there's almost no preparation involved.

I book an Airbnb between Christmas and New Year's for 3 days

I'd always considered doing a formal silent retreat, but taking a week off to be completely unreachable seemed like a lot. Then I realized that I didn't need an organized retreat; I could design one myself.

I decided to go for it. The first two times, I was in California for the holidays, so I booked an Airbnb in upstate Northern California. Since then, I've been doing it in upstate New York.

Doing it between Christmas and New Year's helps me feel less anxious because it's easier to step away when I feel like things at my media company, Stacker, are already slowing down. When I arrived at my Airbnb that first year and turned my phone off, knowing it would be off for the entire weekend, it felt incredible.

It can be uncomfortable to sit with my thoughts, but that's where the value is

My checklist for a silent retreat includes journals, comfy clothes, running shoes, or hiking gear if I'm going somewhere with snow, and groceries, which I pick up on the way so that I don't need to leave once I arrive. I don't bring my computer, books, podcasts, or anything else that would distract me from my thoughts.

I put Post-It Notes over the clocks so I can't tell the time while I'm there. I find it really interesting when I'm living without time. I think I go to bed way earlier when I'm there, even though I can't tell the time. It's usually pretty soon after the sun sets.

Going hiking while I'm there is a great way to get my steps in, since I spend the rest of my time sitting inside on the couch, journaling. I try to get out of the house twice a day.

When I'm home, I never take an hourlong walk without headphones, just seeing where my thoughts take me. But on my retreat, I have enough discipline to remind myself that I've paid for this Airbnb, rented a car, and driven upstate, and I'm going to commit to it for three days.

Too much preparation for the trip can ruin it

In the week leading up to a retreat, I'll sit down and journal for an hour so I go in with a list of things that have been on my mind, for work and personally. The first time I did it, I didn't prepare at all.

There's a lot of value in going and letting everything pour out in a journal that first night to see how I should spend the next couple of days. Too much preparation beforehand means I have to ensure I resolve certain things, which is counterproductive and puts too much pressure on the trip.

I let people in my life know that I'm turning my phone off for three days. I usually try to schedule it over a weekend, as it's only a day or two offline from work. If you're a CEO and you can't take three days off without your team needing you, you've got bigger problems.

My retreats have transformed my habits and improved my life overall

These retreats are as valuable for my impact at the company as they are for my overall work-life balance. One year, I realized I wanted to establish a morning routine. I drew out my ideal morning routine, which included waking up at 6 a.m. every day, and now I wake up at six without an alarm.

I always try to think about my work goals and what's going well and what's not. There have been times when I realized that a process with my team had been frustrating me, but I was in nonstop grind mode, ignoring that. After I came back from my retreat, I sat down with the team, and we thought about how we can make changes.

I always spend time thinking about what it would mean to me if, at the end of next year, I could say this was a great year. What would that look like?

This year, one of my goals was to have 52 coffees with people in 52 weeks to push myself to get out there more. I developed my calendar mapping habit based on my goals last year, which has improved my productivity.

I learned that it's OK for it not to have a profound effect every year, but there's still value in doing the trip annually

The first year I did this, it felt truly transformational in many ways. Midway through my second year, I experienced a sense of disappointment, as if, "Oh, this doesn't feel as impactful as last year." I realized that a lot of the things that were bothering me a year ago, I'd already fixed.

I've learned that if I go in with certain expectations, they're usually not met. Since then, I've been intentional about not expecting it to live up to the high of that first trip. I want to make it its own journey each year.

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

• Tiimo, Apple's top iPhone app of 2025, is an AI-powered visual planner for organization.
• The app features to-do lists, reminders, and an AI assistant to make daily planning more engaging.
• I tested it out for 48 hours to see if it could bring structure to my life.

Apple's app of the year suggests the tech giant was all about helping iPhone users get organized in 2025.

Tiimo is an AI-powered visual planner that's marketed towards those with neurodivergent brains. With to-do lists, daily tasks, and reminders, Tiimo mixes an AI chatbot with a classic planner. It's free to download and use, with a premium version available for $10 a month.

After being a finalist for Apple's Design Award in 2024, Tiimo took the top spot for the best iPhone app of 2025 in the App Store Awards. It beat out fellow finalists BandLab and Ladder, which Apple described as tools to refine workflows in daily life.

Tiimo ranked 33rd among productivity apps in the App Store on Thursday and rose to No. 4 on Friday following Apple's award.

The Copenhagen-based company began in 2015 as a research project on neurodivergent teens by founders Melissa Würtz Azari and Helene Lassen Nørlem before evolving into an app to support people with ADHD, autism, or those who prefer visual organization.

The duo raised $4.7 million in an August 2024 funding round, according to PitchBook. Tiimo did not respond to a request for comment.

As someone who considers herself neurodivergent, I tried out the free version for a couple of days to see if it could help make more sense of my life.

The app design was minimal and straightforward when I first opened it

The app was pretty easy to understand as soon as I opened it. There were four tabs at the bottom of the homescreen for a to-do list, daily tasks, a "focus" tab, and a weekly summary.

Floating around in the bottom corner was an icon that I could click to chat with an AI assistant. The daily task section was broken down into morning, day, evening, and tasks that could be performed at any time.

I used the AI assistant to plan my schedule

The Tiimo chatbot worked similarly to others I've used. There were prompts I could choose from to create tasks and to-do items.

I started with a straightforward prompt to plan my week. The feature worked smoothly except for one error message that required me to submit my first query twice.

It understood my requests well and created entries that fit what I was looking for.

I tested it out with some of my daily tasks

I like to go with the flow, so I don't typically structure my day around the tasks I need to complete. However, I thought it'd be convenient to have a reminder for some of my daily must-do items.

I started by setting up my agenda, which included tasks such as walking my two dogs twice a day and taking my medication. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the chatbot handled setting up tasks based on my prompts.

I really liked how it automatically matched themed emojis to my to-do list.

I used the to-do section for things that I don't have to do every day

I had a few household chores to get done on Thursday, so I recorded them in the to-do section instead of under my daily tasks. I wanted to hold myself accountable for doing the dishes, going to the store, and making my bed. I admittedly don't make my bed every day, so I marked it as a low-priority item.

I entered those manually instead of using the AI assistant, and the app still generated emojis to go with each item. I was also able to make my own emoji choices if I wanted to modify them.

Then it was time to cross chores off my list

I got a reminder right at 6 o'clock to walk my dogs after work, and it started a 30-minute focus timer. The app gave me the option to listen to background music while I walked them. I finished our walk early and ended the timer.

My dogs won't let me forget to take them out, but I often find myself forgetting to take my medication during the day. Having that reminder on my iPhone lockscreen is really helpful.

Overall, I found Tiimo super helpful for organizing my day as someone who doesn't use written to-do lists and relies on my own brain to keep track of everything that needs to be done. It was nice to dump things into an AI chat and have a virtual assistant send me reminders, incentivizing me to mark things off my daily list. Consistency is hard for me, but I would keep using Tiimo to help change that.