• Delta Air Lines expects to take a $200 million hit from government shutdown flight disruption.
• Airlines were forced to cancel thousands of flights during October and November.
• The shutdown, which ended on November 12, was the longest in US history.

Delta Air Lines said on Wednesday that the company expects to take a $200 million hit to its profits due to flight disruptions during the US government shutdown.

The shutdown, which was the longest on record, wreaked havoc on the aviation industry as thousands of flights were canceled.

Air traffic controllers were short-staffed as the shutdown meant they weren't getting paid. Many couldn't work or stayed home, leaving fewer staff to manage flights.

To manage staffing shortages, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order to cut flights, maflights at 40 of the busiest airports in the US.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

• Families have long decked out their homes for the holidays.
• Some decor, such as tinsel, stayed in style for decades, even as materials changed.
• Innovations, such as colorful electric lights and mass-produced flocked trees, modernized displays.

With Thanksgiving behind us and the holiday season in full swing, many families are decking the halls.

While some common holiday decorations like tinsel, ceramic Christmas trees, and colorful stockings might feel more nostalgic, they are back in style, as people look for comfort and connection that more modern elements can't always conjure.

Many resurgent decorating trends, from cranberry or orange garlands to vintage Christmas villages, can either be made at home or found in thrift stores — good news for the 85% of people who said they plan to spend the same amount or less on the holidays this year compared to 2024, WalletHub reported.

Take a look back at how people decorated their homes for the holidays in years past.

By the 1920s, some families were decorating their Christmas trees with electric lights.

An associate of Thomas Edison thought up the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees back in 1882, History.com reported, replacing the long-held tradition of attaching lit candles to branches.

By the 1930s and '40s, families were decorating their Christmas trees with festive candy canes and strands of tinsel.

Tinsel has gone through various iterations. Initially made from silver, which indicated wealth, it was switched for cheaper metals that didn't sully so easily, such as copper and tin, The BBC reported.

However, a copper shortage in World War I gave way to aluminum and lead tinsel, which in turn led to concerns over fires and poisoning, The BBC reported. Eventually, PVC was used.

History.com reported that candy canes got their start in Germany in the 17th century, and were brought to the US by a German-Swedish immigrant in the 1800s. The mint flavor was first introduced in the 20th century.

Wartime shortages in the 1940s meant families had to use handmade or natural ornaments.

In place of tinsel and metallic ornaments, items like pinecones and nuts adorned families' trees, The National WWII Museum reported.

There was even a shortage of real Christmas trees around that time because there were fewer people to cut them down and fewer train lines with space to transport them. Instead, American families turned to artificial trees.

Christmas stockings were typically made of red or green felt and trimmed with bells.

People still use similar stockings today, hung by the fireside with care.

By the mid-1950s, tinsel and other elaborate decorations were back in full swing.

There were tinsel garlands or long strands of metallic tinsel called icicles, like on the tree shown above.

Hanukkah tables were often decorated with ornate tablecloths.

Menorahs could also be simple or ornate to match the tablescape.

In the 1950s, ornaments became more uniform, and colored lights were firmly in fashion.

By the 1920s, 40 years after the invention of the electric Christmas light, colorful versions were on the market. By the 1950s, they had become more widespread.

For holiday meals, families would break out a red tablecloth and festive-colored taper candles.

Taper candles are still commonly used in holiday table settings.

Strands of pearlescent beads were used to decorate Christmas trees in the 1960s.

"Silver and Gold," a famous Christmas song performed by Burl Ives in the 1964 film "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," embodied the Christmas tree-decorating trends of the time.

Some families, like President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, adorned their trees with strands of popcorn, colorful flowers, and mismatched ornaments.

White House Christmas decorations have remained traditional but are more extravagant than they were in the 1960s.

"Flocked" trees covered in fake snow were also trendy in the 1960s.

Flocked trees date back to the 19th century, when people first used flour and other materials to give the impression of snowy branches.

By the 1960s, the trees were being mass-produced, but some people DIY-ed the look by dipping their tree branches in laundry starch, an approach now discouraged due to fire hazards.

Lawn ornaments like snowmen and reindeer also grew in popularity.

Inflatable versions of these vintage-looking lawn ornaments are still commonly seen today.

Families in the 1970s embraced colorful decorations with tinsel garlands and knit stockings.

Some holiday decorating trends never go out of style.

One popular decoration was the light-up ceramic Christmas tree.

The trees are popular again today and can be found at stores including Aldi, Target, Pottery Barn, and Home Depot.

Christmas villages were also popular, and people would collect different scenes to create a miniature town for their mantel.

People would often add cotton wool or sparkly white felt to create a snowy environment for their miniature Christmas villages. This decorating trend is still popular today, either new or secondhand.

Many trends have remained the same throughout the years.

However, elaborate light displays are one trend that probably would have seemed out of place 100 years ago.

• Lauren Gilbert was diagnosed with an aggressive form of colon cancer in April 2025.
• She is writing greeting cards in case she isn't there for her kids' milestones.
• The mom hopes they will read her messages when the time comes, and it'll affirm her love for them.

This story is based on a conversation with Lauren Gilbert, 42, VP of operations for a healthcare company, from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Many people find it challenging to choose a suitable greeting card for a loved one. However, for me, the process took at least an hour as I chose 16 cards for my two children, Ella, 5, who is neurodiverse, and Austin, 4, to open as they grow up.

It was an emotionally draining shopping experience. I have Stage IV colon cancer, and my prognosis is not good. I doubt I will be around to celebrate occasions like their milestone birthdays, high school and college graduation, and weddings when they're older.

I've decided to write messages in the cards well in advance so that my husband, Dan, can present them to Ella and Austin on each special occasion.

I had no choice but to have surgery

The doctor broke the devastating news that I had Stage IV cancer in April this year. It was a particularly rare and aggressive form — signet ring cell adenocarcinoma.

The diagnosis came two weeks after I went to the ER with intense pressure in my rectum. My stomach had been bloated for weeks, and going to the bathroom was virtually impossible.

They did an initial X-ray, which showed inflammation. But when I had a CT scan at a second hospital after a frightening spell of vomiting, they picked up a large mass that looked like a rectal tumor. A gastroenterologist did a colonoscopy, but couldn't get past the tumor. I had no choice but surgery.

They removed the tumor and took a total of 12 inches from my colon. I was fitted with a colostomy bag, which I still wear today.

The pathology results took a while to come back, but confirmed our worst fears. The cancer had spread to my abdomen and also outside my liver.

It didn't feel real, but my emotions came in waves. Dan, who isn't particularly emotional, cried hysterically at times. This was the hardest thing for me because I hadn't seen him that way before.

We call my resting periods 'be still time'

Next, I had chemotherapy. "The doctor is going to give Mommy medicine, but it's going to make Mommy sick a little bit," I explained to the kids.

We called my resting periods "be still time," when I might need some cuddles, be alone, or sleep. "We might get to watch a movie together, but Mommy's not going to be able to run around and play."

The initial chemo sessions were successful, but the second was not. The cancer had not shrunk, but had instead spread.

Now I'm pinning my hopes on a clinical trial in Philadelphia, which I start the first week of December.

Meanwhile, I've occupied myself during my sick leave by writing children's books, including "Ella and her Neurosparkly Brain," which explores autism. The writing has given me a new purpose.

As for the kids, they're at the age when they're developing core memories. I asked myself, "What can I do to let them know I'm still watching over them when they're older?" I want them to feel that I'm still part of their lives even though I'm not here.

I decided to write personal messages in greeting cards

I'm writing letters to them to open when they're having a bad day or they're going through a break-up. For those times when they want their mom to know what's happening and need comfort.

It gave me the idea of writing personal messages in greeting cards to mark milestone occasions, such as significant birthdays — when they're 13 and become teenagers, and adults at 18 and 21, for example.

I also bought cards that were more purposeful, like getting their sacraments in church, which I hope they will.

Another plan is to write cards for their wedding day, although I haven't found the right ones yet. In Austin's, I will remind him of all the thoughtful things that he did for me, even as a 3 and 4-year-old child.

Those are the precious things I'd want him to do for his future wife, including being sensitive, nurturing, loving, and caring. I'm sure he'll build on those qualities over the years and make a great husband.

I want my kids to know that I'm proud of them

I've also been thinking about Ella's 18th birthday card, which she'll receive in January 2038 if she chooses to do so. I don't want either child to feel obliged to read them because who knows how they will feel about the idea when they're older.

However, my message to Ella will be that she has the whole world ahead of her at the age of 18. I know that by then, she'll have overcome many challenges in her life because she is incredibly strong.

I want my children to feel my love and know that I'm proud of them, no matter who they become or where their lives take them.

• In 2022, I moved to Germany for nine months as part of my Master's program.
• I fell in love with a German man, and we're still here — and married — over three years later.
• Although I don't think this country is my forever home, it's great for now.

When I moved to Germany in September 2022, it was under the assumption that I'd return home to Canada in nine months.

Germany was the last stop of my Master's program that stretched across two years and three universities. I'd started out in Glasgow, then moved to Barcelona, and finally ended up in the small city of Göttingen, Germany.

Fate had other plans for me, though. After downloading Bumble one evening, mostly out of boredom, I matched with Leo: a very cute German beekeeper, drummer, and artist. I was intrigued.

It wasn't long after our first date that Leo and I knew we had something special, and soon, we were spending every single day together.

There were just a few issues, though — mainly, the minor detail that he was born and raised in Germany, and I was from Canada.

I didn't plan to stay in Germany, but meeting the love of my life made the choice a no-brainer

I had always planned to return to Canada at the end of my two-year program. Most of my friends and family were still there, and I had a few ideas of places I wanted to work after I had my Master's.

I'd also been renting a beautiful, two-story apartment that I had planned to return to. To this day, though, my furniture and boxes of clothes are still in Canada.

Germany wasn't exactly my dream destination, either. I was there because of the Master's program, but the country had never been high on my travel bucket list, and I spoke virtually no German.

In my first month of dating Leo, the reality that my time in Germany would come to an end hung over both our heads. Given how serious we became in such a short amount of time, though, that didn't last for long.

Truth be told, the decision to stay in Germany wasn't that difficult to make. I had met the love of my life. This was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.

Plus, knowing that we wouldn't necessarily be here forever helped me feel a lot more confident. Leo made it clear he wasn't married to the idea of staying in Germany; he still had a few years of university to finish, but then, he was open to moving elsewhere.

By June 2023, we were engaged, and we moved in together shortly after that. Later that summer, he met my family when we traveled to Canada together, and our lives became increasingly intertwined.

There are benefits and downsides to life here

Now, it's been nearly three years since we met, and Leo and I live together on a retired farm in a small village outside Göttingen.

In June, we got legally married, and just this past October, we had a huge celebration in France with all our friends and family.

My life is wonderful, but Germany has its downsides. I miss the friendliness and more laid-back attitude of Canadians. Society here is highly rule-abiding, which can get tiring.

When I first moved here, for example, someone angrily scolded me for crossing the street on a red light. I learned later from a friend that jaywalking is frowned upon — especially if done in front of children.

I've also struggled with the language barrier. Try as I might, my German remains at a beginner level, even after three years. English isn't spoken often in our rural village, and this has led to many moments of isolation for me.

On the other hand, my cost of living feels lower, and there is a certain charm to rural German life. One thing I've come to love is the mobile bakery that comes through our village twice a week, offering a wide range of baked goods.

Also, everything closes on Sundays, and although that can be inconvenient, I appreciate the slower-paced lifestyle and emphasis on family that this helps Germany maintain.

Germany isn't forever, but it's our best option for right now

Our plan, for now, is to stay in Germany for another two years. We're expecting a baby in January, and we've found Germany's healthcare system to be mostly excellent.

Staying here will give Leo the chance to finish school, allow us to take advantage of the German healthcare system, and help us save some money in a more affordable setting.

After many conversations, we've planned to end up living in Canada in some capacity; maybe we'll move there in two years or split our time between both countries.

My parents are getting older, and I miss living closer to them and my friends. I also desperately miss living in an English-speaking country.

Even so, the fact that I don't know exactly what my future looks like doesn't scare me.

My move to Germany has taught me that plans can change in the blink of an eye, and although looking ahead is important, staying flexible and open-minded can lead to all kinds of unexpectedly beautiful experiences.

It has also taught me that my home is Leo, and whatever we do, we'll do it together. Soon, that will extend to our child, too.

• Business Insider asked etiquette experts about the mistakes to avoid when attending a work event.
• Showing up dressed inappropriately and not greeting members of leadership are major faux pas.
• Hiding behind your phone instead of socializing can also be seen as rude.

No one wants to be that coworker. You know, the one everyone talks about after a work party.

Work gatherings can be a great way to connect with your colleagues and celebrate your professional accomplishments together. However, inappropriate behaviors can harm your professional reputation.

That's why Business Insider asked two etiquette experts to share the mistakes guests should avoid making at work events. Here's what they said.

Showing up dressed inappropriately

Pamela Eyring, owner of The Protocol School of Washington, which teaches business etiquette, told Business Insider that when it comes to work events, a big faux pas is dressing too informally for the business environment.

"Before you go to the work party, think about what you're going to wear," she said. For example, you don't want to dress like you're going to a nightclub.

When in doubt, avoid styles you'd be uncomfortable wearing to work during the day. You can also try checking the event's invitation for a dress code.

In addition to dressing professionally, though, Eyring also emphasized the importance of communicating the dress code to any guests you bring.

Making assumptions about what people celebrate

At seasonal events and parties, it's especially important to steer clear of holiday-specific wishes unless you know exactly what your colleagues celebrate.

When in doubt, Sheree Bryant Sekou, a business-etiquette expert and leadership consultant, said it's best to stick to broad, culturally sensitive greetings like "happy holidays."

Skipping leadership greetings

"A lot of people avoid senior leaders, like the president, CEO, or even their boss's boss" at work events and parties, Eyring said.

But instead of being fearful of saying hello, she told BI that guests should use this opportunity to make their presence known to senior leaders.

If you're unsure of what to say, try referencing something they've shared recently — or simply thank them for hosting the party.

Sitting out on the fun and ignoring planned activities

"If there's a DJ or band, prepare to get up and dance, even if you don't like to or don't think you are good at it," Eyring told BI. "If there are activities, participate."

After all, this is your opportunity to connect with coworkers and show them a lighter side of you that they may not always get to experience in the workplace.

Hiding behind your phone instead of socializing

Eyring told BI that one of the biggest mistakes you can make at a work party is hiding behind your phone.

"There are a lot of people who feel anxious when attending these events, and they don't really know many people," Eyring told BI. "Instead of mixing and mingling because they're introverted or feeling anxious, they sit behind their phone and scroll."

However, by doing this, you're missing out on a valuable chance to network and get to know other people at the company.

Of course, there are valid reasons to have a phone out during the party. But if you're showing colleagues photos on your phone, for example, do it quickly and then put it away, Eyring said.

Taking photos of people without their permission

Eyring said another appropriate use case for phones at a work party includes taking photos with coworkers — but only if permission is obtained first.

"People don't always like having their photo taken when they aren't posed or haven't been asked to be a part of a photo," she told BI.

Likewise, it's a good idea to ask for permission before posting or sharing the photo with others. "Some people also don't want to be seen on someone else's social media page drinking, or holding a glass, either," Eyring said.

Discussing sensitive conversation topics

At work events, it's best to steer clear of any topic that could be seen as delicate or controversial.

"Proceed with caution when mentioning anything that falls into a category where people might have distinct or strong feelings about that topic. That includes politics, romantic relationships, money, and religion," Sekou told BI.

Instead, she said, it's safer to have low-stakes conversations about family, vacations, and hobbies.

Packing up leftovers to bring home without permission

When extra food is left behind, it can be tempting to pack it up to take home. However, this can come across as rude at a party.

"When you attend a work event, the goal is to connect and build relationships. Packing up food and other leftovers could be perceived as uncouth," Sekou said.

She also suggests being mindful when it comes to how much you take to eat in general. If you're not served a pre-portioned plate, avoid taking more food than you plan to eat in the moment.

Overstaying your welcome

Company events can be a great excuse to get to know your coworkers on a deeper level. However, it's important that you don't let an engaging conversation cause you to overstay your welcome.

According to Sekou, it's essential to pick up on social cues and leave at the appropriate time.

"Pay attention to cues around exiting. Sometimes the music may go down, or the lights may come up. You might start to see people putting away dishes," Sekou said. "That's your sign to start winding it down."

• Robotaxis are hitting the roads at a dizzying pace, and now Uber is rolling them out in Dallas.
• Uber is partnering with robotaxi startup Avride to launch a fleet of self-driving Hyundais.
• Dallas is the latest city to get robotaxis on Uber, but the Avride vehicles will have safety drivers for now.

Dallas has become the latest city to get robotaxis on Uber.

The ride-hailing giant announced on Wednesday that users can now access self-driving vehicles developed by startup Avride, as the race to introduce robotaxis across the US continues to heat up.

The Dallas robotaxi fleet, which is made up of Hyundai Ioniq 5 EVs powered by Avride's self-driving tech, will initially include human monitors in the driver's seat. Uber said that fully driverless operations will be coming "sometime in the future."

Customers requesting a ride on the Uber app may be matched with a robotaxi, Uber said, but they will have the option to switch to a human-operated vehicle.

The launch comes as robotaxis roll out across the US at an increasingly dizzying pace.

Dallas is the third US city in which Uber has launched autonomous ride-hailing options, with the company also partnering with Waymo in Austin and Atlanta.

After spending years testing self-driving taxis, Waymo is also accelerating its rollout.

The Google-owned company recently announced plans to introduce autonomous ride-hailing services in Dallas, Miami, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, adding to its existing operations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta. On Tuesday, Waymo said it had begun operating robotaxis without a driver in Dallas.

After abandoning plans to build its own robotaxis, Uber has adopted a strategy of partnering with autonomous vehicle companies such as Waymo to roll out self-driving vehicles on its app — even as it faces competition from those same startups in markets like San Francisco.

That strategy extends beyond the US. Uber has also partnered with Chinese robotaxi firms Pony.AI and WeRide, with the company launching fully driverless WeRide robotaxis on its app in Abu Dhabi last week.

• Spotify Wrapped takes over a year to build, with work across designers, data scientists, marketers, and more.
• Three Spotify leaders brought Business Insider into the process, which one called "the biggest thing we do every year."
• After 2024's mixed reception, a Spotify leader said that they used what "underwhelmed" and "disappointed" fans as fuel.

December brings candy canes, snow angels — and a reminder of just how much Lady Gaga you've listened to.

Spotify Wrapped, an annual walk down memory lane available to the streaming platform's more than 713 million users, is now a hallmark for the company, flooding social feeds for one day every year and spawning copycats.

The project has grown rapidly; by the December launch date, Spotify is already working on next year's Wrapped. What once took a handful now takes hundreds, from designers to engineers to data scientists.

The annual wrap-up has also evolved over the years, assessing new mediums — podcasts, now audiobooks — and adding new "stories," Spotify's term for its slides. Some stories have scored off the charts, like 2023's Sound Towns, which told you which city shared your taste in music. Others, like last year's Your Music Evolution, have drawn a more mixed reception.

But make no mistake, Spotify Wrapped is big business for the streamer. On the fourth-quarter earnings call, Spotify co-president Alex Norström said that it has "become a significant driver of our business," engaging 245 million users in 2024.

Three Spotify leaders took Business Insider behind the scenes of the Wrapped process. It's an ever-growing project, one built off thousands of Slack messages and conversations a year, the executives said.

"From a marketing perspective, this is the biggest thing we do every year," said Matthew Luhks, Spotify's senior director of global marketing. "It's the thing that's most looked forward to. It's also the thing that gets the most scrutiny."

Inside the Wrapped timeline

The minute Wrapped goes live, the Spotify team begins obsessively tracking social media.

Spotify immediately goes trend-hunting through the hashtags and replies, said Laura Kirkpatrick, Spotify's senior director of channel marketing. (Her top artist of the year: Blood Orange.) The social team is one of the "tens of teams" inside Spotify that track reception across the globe.

"We're talking about a massive footprint in the many, many hundreds, across the whole business, that are on standby that day," she said.

Then begins the post-mortem, where Spotify employees across teams weed through what went right (or wrong) across each year's Wrapped.

That includes last year, when feedback from Wrapped was unusually harsh. Users flooded the company's social media profiles with negative comments, calling the year's edition "boring" and "inaccurate."

Luhks said that 2024 was a record-breaking year — 1 in 3 Spotify users engaged with Wrapped — but that feedback was mixed. Some users were disappointed, he said.

"We listened to what they were underwhelmed with, disappointed with, and we used that for fuel and for inspiration," Luhks said.

Some users also critiqued 2024's Wrapped for its use of generative AI. Stories included the Wrapped AI Podcast, powered by the buzzy Google NotebookLM. On the fourth-quarter earnings call, Spotify executives said that they came up with the feature six to eight weeks before Wrapped came out. That particular feature is not present in the 2025 edition.

"Every insight, every story, every design choice is made by real, very talented people at the company," who would never "be comfortable letting machines do their work," Luhks said.

After the post-mortem, the Spotify team starts to tinker, adjust, and ideate. That includes the data science team, which builds the algorithms that determine your top fives.

Building those lists can be more challenging than expected. "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes had a major resurgence this year thanks to a TikTok trend. If you streamed the song endlessly, should their 1992 album "Bigger, Better, Faster, More!" be in your top albums? Likely not.

The data scientists "construct the data" to make sure fans see themselves "mirrored back," said Lauren Saunders, Spotify's product director of personalization. (Top artist: Nirvana)

This year, Saunders' team conducted a comprehensive review of the methodologies used for these classic rankings, including top songs and artists. They dug through piles of data points and sets before coming to the conclusion that the approach of years past was best.

"We really went deep, and we were like, 'Actually, we have conviction,'" Saunders said.

Given Wrapped's importance to the company, executives are involved throughout the process, Luhks said. (Top artist: Dean Blunt.) One new group-sharing feature, Wrapped Parties, helped bring senior leadership in.

"We then start putting our execs into Wrapped Parties together, and they can actually play and experience it," Saunders said. "That's always really fun."

Getting users in-person, off-social, and away from competitors

As the scale of Wrapped grows, the way Spotify's users share the info has also changed.

The recap became infamous for its shareable top fives, plastered across millions of Instagram Stories. Social media is less about posting these days. As the platforms move from "friends" to "followers," Spotify has taken note.

"The biggest change we see is that there's less mass sharing, broadcast sharing, and more small-group sharing," Luhks said. The company creates moments for both wide audiences and group chats, he said.

What about the digital detoxers, ready to pick up a dumb phone or stuff their device in a Yondr pouch? Spotify is also pushing toward this crowd with 50 in-person pop-ups. Check the GIMS-themed parade of Green Ferraris in Paris, or the 800-foot cascade of red hair at New York's Union Square subway stop honoring Chappell Roan.

The intention of these events is to "bring fans together" and honor "listening offline," Kirkpatrick said.

By now, Spotify isn't the only streamer in the game. Apple Music debuted its rival offering, Reply, on the web in 2019, and brought it to the mobile app five years later. Some users turn to more consistent recaps of their listening, like the Paramount Skydance-owned Last.fm.

But Spotify's recap is likely the biggest — and helps fuel sign-ups. On the fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Daniel Ek said that Wrapped was a "huge driver behind our MAU and subscriber growth." It boosted Q4 performance that year, as it always did, he said.

"We do see similar campaigns, but believe that there is only one Wrapped," Luhks said. "Wrapped, we hope, sets the bar."

• Eric Schmidt said AI is "under-hyped" because automating routine corporate work is still ahead.
• He said firms use AI to automate the "boring" backbone of operations, such as billing.
• Schmidt suggested that AI's potential in medicine, climate, and logistics remains largely untapped.

If AI feels overhyped now, Eric Schmidt suggests that businesses should brace themselves — the real disruption hasn't even begun yet.

In an interview with Professor Graham Allison at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University on Monday, the former Google CEO pushed back on the idea that AI's rapid growth is a speculative bubble, saying that the technology is actually under-hyped.

"If anything, it's under-hyped because you are fundamentally automating businesses," he said.

The real transformation, he said, is happening deep inside companies, where AI systems are beginning to take over the "boring" tasks that quietly consume billions in corporate spending.

The biggest gains, he suggested, will come from automating the backbone of corporate work: the repeatable, time-consuming processes buried deep inside every organization.

The former Google chief listed billing, accounting, product design, delivery, and inventory management as examples of this.

"There's an awful lot there — it's extraordinary," he said, pointing to areas like medicine, climate solutions, and engineering as sectors where automation could accelerate breakthroughs.

Schmidt, who helped steer Google's early investments in AI and later co-authored a book on AI with Henry Kissinger, implied the technology's economic impact will be far larger than markets or executives appreciate.

Still, not everyone agrees with that perspective. Some economists are sounding alarm bells that the AI boom is overheated.

In an interview this week, renowned economist Ruchir Sharma said the AI surge displays all four traits of a classic bubble and could unravel if interest rates rise, while tech leaders such as Sam Altman and Bill Gates have cautioned that parts of the market resemble the dot-com era.

Far beyond coding

To illustrate how quickly AI capabilities are advancing, Schmidt described watching an AI system generate an entire software program.

"Holy crap. The end of me," he said.

"I've been doing programming for 55 years. To see something start and end in front of your own life is really profound," he added.

However, he said that AI's long-term upside extends far beyond coding.

From back-office workflows to logistics and scientific discovery, Schmidt believes the automation curve is still in its early stages of scaling and that Wall Street is underestimating the magnitude of the shift.

"The reason people are spending this amount of money," he said, "is to automate the boring parts of their business."

• A man has been charged with making a bomb threat after he couldn't pay for airport parking.
• The 35-year-old Louisiana native was arrested at New Orleans airport last month.
• "We have the bomb," he told an airport phone operator during a "threatening" call.

A man faces a maximum of up to a decade in prison after calling in a bomb threat when he couldn't pay for airport parking, prosecutors said.

A 35-year-old man was indicted on November 20 and charged with one count of willfully making a threat.

The incident came to light after the US attorney's office for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued a press release on Tuesday.

The FBI's violent crime task force was called by the local sheriff's office after New Orleans Airport received a "threatening phone call" on November 7, per an FBI agent's affidavit.

It added that the man from Alexandria, Louisiana — around 170 miles from New Orleans — demanded the operator "page Hassan" and said: "If you do not page him, we have the bomb."

Less than an hour later, the airport received another call from the same number, in which the man was "attempting to disguise his voice," per the affidavit.

He is said to have then threatened to cut the operator's throat in an expletive-laden message, adding, "I want him to bring the bomb to level three."

Deputies from the sheriff's office then pinged the phone number and found the phone was located near the airport's north terminal, the affidavit said.

When the number was then linked to the man, the deputies said they recognized his name from an incident earlier that evening.

Two hours before the first phone call, the suspect tried to exit the short-term parking garage but "was unable to render payment," per the affidavit.

He is said to have refused to move his vehicle from the exit lane after "multiple requests" from parking staff and airport police officers. He was then allowed to move his car to a surface parking lot until he could get the money to leave, the affidavit added.

After the sheriff's deputies connected the man to the bomb threat, they found him still parked in the surface lot, where they arrested him.

The affidavit says that the deputies also called the phone number that the threats came from, and saw his phone ringing.

He was later released on a $5,000 unsecured appearance bond ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

The conditions of his release said he must participate in mental health treatment — and allowed him to retrieve his car from the airport parking lot.

If convicted, the suspect faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

• Tesla scored a rare win in China, earning bragging rights over its biggest rival in the process.
• Elon Musk's automaker saw its sales rise by nearly 10% in November, while its arch-rival BYD's fell.
• Tesla has had a difficult year, with sales underwhelming in China and collapsing in Europe.

Things are finally looking up for Tesla in China.

The US automaker's sales rose 9.9% in November compared to the same month last year, according to data released by China's Passenger Car Association on Tuesday.

That's a rare win for Tesla, which has had a difficult year in almost all of its biggest markets. The company has faced a sales collapse in Europe, been squeezed by intense competition in EV-friendly China, and is on track to see its overall sales decline for the second consecutive year.

One bright spot for Tesla: it's not the only one with problems. The Elon Musk-run automaker's biggest Chinese rival, BYD, has hit some speed bumps in recent months.

The Shenzhen-based EV giant, which has become one of China's largest carmakers thanks to a range of affordable and high-tech electric models, has had three straight months of sales declines.

BYD said it sold just over 480,000 EVs and hybrids in November, its highest total this year, but still around 5.3% less than the same period in 2024.

The Chinese automaker, which was once backed by Warren Buffett, has struggled in the face of a renewed price war in China's ultra-competitive EV market and a government crackdown on aggressive discounting.

Despite these headwinds, BYD is still on course to take Tesla's crown as the world's largest seller of battery EVs this year, and the company is rapidly taking market share from Musk and co. outside China.

BYD's overseas sales hit a record 131,935 in November. The Chinese auto giant is taking advantage of Tesla's woes in Europe, with BYD outselling its US rival by more than two to one in October.